Tiny and Fierce by Margo Collins (big screen ebook reader .TXT) 📕

has the human one been immobile? Evik clicked and scented, gnashing his mandibles together nervously as the space around us filled, yet again, with an acrid pungent scent. Somehow, even though he was behind us, the smell wafted in our direction.

“Evik, I’m going to lock you in a small room on the ship if you don’t stop spraying like an Old Earth skunk.” Alder took the time to slow down and hit Evik lightly on the hard exoskeleton approximation of a shoulder.

I always found it amusing how Alder pushed his more human tendencies onto other species. Though he himself was not technically human, having evolved from generations on a settlers’ world.

I cannot help it, my egg sac and chitin sharing warrior as one, Evik protested, rising to two legs and slowing down to try and give more distance between us and his distinct communication smells.

“It’s easy, just… concentrate. Say it. Don’t spray it.” Alder poked at our shipmate, huffing and puffing as we ran. I glanced back, concerned over the sounds he was making. He was in shape, but the fae were used to an atmosphere with a different concentration of gases. The Bufo planet was nitrogen-heavy, even more so than Old Earth. Ninety percent. It caused ammonia to swirl, and the waters to be phosphorus-rich, which encouraged algae growth. Amphi-type creatures were in paradise. But we winged creatures not so much.

Thankfully, I had no problem adapting to different atmospheres. The experiments done on me changed the way I breathed and processed elements in the air and water. Evik, to his credit, could hold his breath for a very long time and avoid most side effects by breathing intermittently.

You are being unreasonable. Evik made a few ticks, showing his displeasure. I cannot change my physical reactions.

“If I can, you can. Just tuck the boner between your legs and walk funny.” Alder laughed riotously and I glanced at him, noticing the color and dryness of his skin. The running was causing his brain to go giddy with the influx of nitrogen. All we needed now was iron ore to really make him go space crazy.

“Both of you shut your eating holes,” I growled, my voice making a whirring sound on the end of each as the humming in my brain grew stronger as it tried to process what to do.

Lise was all but dead, Alder was becoming insensible, and Evik was a neurotic mess on a good day. And this wasn’t a good day.

“Can’t believe you got to Lise before me,” Alder hiccupped. “I was making my way there. Damn slave cages. Air wasn’t like this,” he came to an abrupt stop, bending over and cupping his knees with his oversized hands.

“Evik, grab him,” I ordered, yelling back over my shoulder and trying to keep a steady hold on Lise and not rock her around too badly.

I didn’t glance back, knowing that Evik would follow orders and pull Alder onto his back. He was faster on all fours anyways. He’d only lifted to two legs to reduce his speed.

Seconds later, he was overtaking my stride, crawling nearly up the side of the cavernous tunnel to get around me.

“How close are we to the ship?” I watched Evik scurry, legs working furiously as an air-drunk Alder clung to his jointed armored back.

We are mere moments from reaching the docking station.

“And we’re moments from losing Lise. We have to go faster.”

Evik didn’t need encouragement. He pulled away from me, and no matter how fast I moved, using my wings to wave in a reverse motion to propel me forward, I could not keep up.

A commotion greeted our auditory functions seconds later. Dozens of voices, all shouting in different languages, too many at once for the translators to process.

“What in the bloody space hell…” I muttered as we exited out into a carved-out space larger than our worshiping cocoon in Chrysalis City. It was too wide to see the opposite wall, too tall to discern the ceiling that was hidden by a sort of noxious-looking fog that clung to the stalactites.

“There’s Blue!” Alder laughed out, nearly falling off of Evik.

“I see that, Alder. Just hold onto Evik and stop talking!” I launched around them, seeing what was causing the din.

At least thirty females of different origin were standing around our ship. Even more guards were stalking towards them, their long venomous tongues darting in and out of their mouths as they threatened the escapees.

“They made it!” Alder pointed and, once again, almost nosedived off of Evik’s back. “We’re saviors.” He pumped a fist in the air and snorted.

Evik seemed to focus on one particular female. A crimson two-leg with a spray of tentacles waving from atop her skull covering. She waved, her expression fearful. He clicked anxiously, rocking back and forth as if preparing to launch himself clear across the room and over the wall of Bufo soldiers.

“Don’t even think about it.” I pitched my voice low, not knowing if any of the females had advanced hearing. “But care to explain why our escape vehicle is surrounded by breeder slaves and the enemy to boot?”

Alder—Click. Click. A prolonged grinding of mandibles. Click.—claimed he wished to create a diversion. However, I believe he sent them to the ship to save them.

“Son of a Red Dwarf…” I stared at the scene, grateful we hadn’t been spotted yet. “I’ll fly over them, enter from the topmost hatch. We can’t delay getting Lise to the medbay. Hopefully Blue has enough programmed medical skill for humans that she can keep her alive.” I flexed my wings slightly, a worried gesture, but also to test out their readiness. I hadn’t properly flown in a long time. Jumping high and sailing downward didn’t take the skill necessary for sustained flight.

Are you sure you are up for that, my egg sac and chitin sharing warrior as one? The metal wings have never been natural for you.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” I didn’t bother to hide my displeasure. Even if I did,