Free Trapped: Chaos Core Book 1 by Randolph Lalonde Page B

the ramp, and the door was open.
    “You’re leaving so
soon? I was so hoping we could sit, or walk the grounds for a while,
especially now that you have your Aspen back. You seemed so forlorn
while she was away. It’s good to see you whole again. I don’t
know what I’d do if my new husband were to disappear,” the Lady
said.
    Aspen stopped following
the conversation as Kort’s hand landed on her hip and slowly began
to slip downwards. Larken was too distracted by Lady Gadanne to
notice, and the guards knew not to do anything about it. “When he’s
in stasis, I’ll wake you up so we can have some fun before you get
fixed. I wonder, did you learn any new tricks while you were away? I
know you lost your virginity while you were out there, it was on the
scans,” he whispered.
    Aspen wished she could
rip his hand off and stuff it in his mouth. Whether it was because of
her rising anger, or just by chance, she didn’t know, but her eye
came to rest on the female guard that had come for her that morning.
Specifically, she found herself staring at the woman’s sidearm,
which was resting in its holster without the safety latch engaged.
    She snatched the
handgun from where it hung, turned, started pulling on the trigger,
found the safety with her other hand and struck Kort in the face and
chest with half the white energy bolts the blaster fired. “Run!”
Aspen said as the smell of burned flesh filled her nostrils and she
burst into a run.
    “Sorry!” Larken
said to Lady Gadanne as he followed her.
    Aspen dropped the
handgun as she scrambled past a few guests, and didn’t bother
stopping.
    Larken was beside her
as she sprinted over an arched bridge that was built into one of the
most grandiose fountains.
    Several yellow bolts of
energy passed through the air wide of them as they sprinted between
the fountains. “They’re shooting?” Larken asked, shocked.
    “Stun shots! We have
to keep going!”
    They made it down to
the landing spot then into the Fleet Feather. Aspen rushed up the
stairs to the cockpit hatch before the pilot, an old, chubby man with
a head of hair cut perfectly equal to a full beard, could close it.
    He fished a handgun out
from its holster somewhere between his legs and fired at her wildly,
barely managing to half-turn while his pilot chair refused to
cooperate. “Get off my ship!” he shouted, unable to hit her while
his seat slowly turned. From behind his seat she slapped the gun out
of his hand and avoided his grasp.
    Aspen stuffed her
fingers into the back of the collar of his containment suit and
leaned back. The pilot frantically scrambled to pull the front of the
collar loose as he fought for air. She pressed against the back of
the seat with her knees as he struggled, trapping him against the
seat and cutting off his air completely.
    It was the hardest
thing she’d ever done, listening to him choke, feeling the fight
slip out of him as he passed into unconsciousness then finally dying.
When she was sure he was dead, she let him go and watched the body
slump in the pilot’s seat.
    His control panel was
already active, unlocked and ready for the next group who wanted to
be ferried around. “Close the hatch, Larken!”
    She rushed to the
controls and activated the emergency ascension, getting the
navigational system to start calculating a jump from orbit. “I
can’t believe it, we’re almost out of here.” Ragged breathing
was her answer.
    “Larken?” she
asked, turning around.
    “Made it,” he said,
coughing wetly. “Inside and outside hatches are closed.”
    He was slumped down
against the back wall, two holes the size of her fist through his
middle and one in the middle of his chest. The handgun the pilot used
was a shredder, it didn’t hit hard enough to damage most
electronics much, but it tore through flesh raggedly, savagely. “Oh,
no,” Aspen said, taking him into his arms. “I’m sorry, my love.
I’m so sorry.”
    Her hand touched
something soft with jagged