She pulled the oxygen mask off her face and let it bounce back into its holder above her head, where it dangled uselessly.
Alex pressed the button on the seatbelt still strapped tightly around her, but it refused to come undone. This meant that every single circuit controlling every facet of the ship had fried, and now she was trapped inside her own ship.
“Great,” she whispered. Not only had she crash-landed somewhere she didn’t recognize and wasn’t on any map, but the cargo Sackor hired her to deliver wouldn’t make it in time.
Alex pulled her left wrist up near her eyes. Her heart was hammering like crazy. According to her watch, there were only three hours left until the scheduled delivery. So much for making it early!
The bandage around her hand felt moist, but she chose not to concentrate on it. It’s best to tackle one problem at a time.
The gods weren’t smiling on her, today. Hell, what was she thinking? Alex didn’t believe in any damn gods. There were planets, space stations, and whole sectors dedicated to ancient deities and even made-up ones. She tried to stay clear of those places, though she did accept jobs distributing religious memorabilia every once in a while. Only a few months before, she’d delivered a multitude of gold-plated Aphrodite statues to Zeal-a planet filled with people who worshipped everything about the goddess of love. Those people conveniently used her worship as an excuse to walk around naked all the time and to engage in any and every sexual fantasy they desired with whoever happened to be closest at the time.
Alex had little understanding of why a society so loose with their morals needed religious tokens. That is, until her customer-Santhia, the pervert-gave her one of them and showed her the statues were really battery-operated sex toys.
She hadn’t used the contraption-yet-but she still had it somewhere in the ship. Though now, she doubted she’d be able to find anything. The way the ship had headed into the planet and landed nose-down suggested everything she owned was probably strewn about where it didn’t belong.
First thing she needed to do was get outside to find out where she’d landed.
As hard as it was to reach her boots, with the hard edge of the belt cutting into the side of her neck and her ribs protesting every time she inched lower, Alex dislodged the small pocket knife she always kept there. After several agonizing minutes of failed carvings, she managed to slice away the taut fabric enough for it to snap off. She sighed in relief.
Alex re-sheathed the knife in her boot and stood up.
Her head spun a little, but she anchored herself by spreading her legs a bit wider. She lifted her arms up as far as she could and stretched her spine. As she surveyed her surroundings, her stomach sank. She didn’t have the kind of credits it would take to fix the interior of the ship, let alone whatever had happened to the exterior, assuming it could even be repaired.
This ship was the only reminder she had left of her father. Louis Wales might not have been an honest man, but he always took great pains to care for his daughter. He had meant the world to her.
He told her how important she was every night before tucking her into bed on the small cot at the back of the ship. The one she kept bare and unused. There were too many memories in the tiny room to disturb them.
Louis may never have actuallytold her he loved her, but what he didsay was enough to convince her he cared. His actions spoke much louder than his words most of the time. Even now, she missed him so much.
Alex reached for the necklace her father had given her, but it wasn’t there. Of course, how could she have forgotten? She’d left it behind, and now everything was going wrong and wouldn’t get any better.
Alex closed her eyes for a second, trying to keep the memories from filling her mind. There was no point. Every time she thought of her father, the anguish would strike. It was always best to let it ride out.
Her mother had practically kicked them out of her life when Alex was only five years old. Then, she hadn’t been old enough to understand what was really going on and had no idea her mother’s aspirations as a politician on her home planet were more important than a husband and daughter. That’s exactly what Lorraine had done, though. It never bothered Alex, because being with her father always made her happy.
When Lorraine tracked Alex down and forced her onto planet terrain, Alex wasn’t allowed to see Louis. She’d assumed he was either killed by her mother’s guards or by one of his dirty business partners. The last time she’d seen him was when he sneaked into her room to give her the key to access Promise. He’d told her where he’d hidden it for her, kissed her forehead, and left.
That was over ten years ago.
Not knowing if he was dead or alive hurt the most.
As soon as she ran away from her mother’s planet, she made finding him her first mission. He’d left her enough credits to survive on her own for a while, and she’d taken advantage of the fact. Alex quickly became a kid in space, a runaway searching for her father in the places she knew he frequented. It was how she stumbled into the courier business, after hanging around so many dirty bars, asking questions, and sitting back to watch humans and aliens come and go.
She never found him.
How she managed to hold onto her innocence for so long was a mystery, but having a goal in mind had kept her out of trouble. She’d given up her virginity when shewas ready to, not when some pimp decided she should. It’s why she hoped Michaela took control of her life, instead of letting it waste away.
Alex, you need to let go of the past. Now’s not the time to dwell on this stuff.
She sighed, staring at the dead dash. No point in trying to get any signals out, now. She could only hope that someone had received her distress messages while the ship was going down.
She took a quick breath and released it. Concentrating on the problem at hand was the best course of action. No amount of hoping, or a torrent of memories, was going to get her out of this problem.
What do I know for sure?Well, she knew she was on a planet, so there had to be some sort of village or city nearby, maybe even a spaceport. If she could find a mechanic, anyone qualified to take a look at her ship, she might be able to sort this mess out.
The interior damage seemed to be isolated to the cockpit. The farther she ventured into the tight corridor leading to the sleeping quarters, the more she managed to calm down.
Alex grabbed her backpack, filled it with a few water bottles, a handful of energy bars, several tops and pants, and a few assorted blades, plus her ID. Who knew what awaited her once she left the safety of her ship. She’d need plenty of credits to pay her way out of her ship’s damage.
She made sure the blaster was still strapped onto her thigh and slung the bag over one shoulder, before taking a last look around. The only picture she had-her with her father-caught her eye. After a second’s hesitation, she grabbed it.