Free Devotion by Harmony Raines Page A

so that they could start their own search.
    The President had simply not accepted that the space cruisers would take months to modify, because they were built to only fly for the Karal. He had thought it was a big lie, a conspiracy. It was the truth, but even if it were not, the Karal were a species that took the technology of others. They did not pass it on.
    Okil started. He had dozed off, and now an alarm was sounding. Not the alarm of his decon’. But the one for the space station. An evacuation alarm.
    He got up, grabbing his clothes and hitting the button to open his door. It didn’t budge. Glancing over to the computer, he saw he had two minutes of his decon’ left. The door would not open manually until that was finished, despite the alarm. It was better for one Karalian to be dead than for him to be evacuated to Karal disease-ridden.
    A frustrated Okil stood and watched the countdown, occasionally turning to look out of the door. And then he saw Tikki, Charlie in her arms, running along the corridor. Darl was behind her, pointing forward and mouthing something. Thirty seconds left.
    Okil held his hand over the door release button, as soon as the clock hit zero he hit it and ran out. Heading to where the cruiser was docked, he was thankful to find it waiting. Ducking inside, he saw Tikki and Reja in their seats; Charlie’s small face could just be seen peeking out.
    “What happened?” Okil asked.
    “I came out of decon’. I was asked why we had two females on board. I told him there had been some mix-up and that your female had been loaded and then another had been chosen by the lottery and we could not change things.”
    “And the alarm?” Okil asked.
    “Well, he was going to go and check again. It seemed he had orders to detain us until you had talked to the Hier Commander...”
    “So I hit the alarm,” Reja said.
    “Quick thinking,” Darl said, smiling at her. “I don’t think we had the luxury of time in there, do you?”
    “No. Maybe not. It’s just lucky you hit the right button, Reja. Also, I hope we haven’t made it worse. What if we are searched when we reach Karal?” Okil asked.
    “Well, I have been thinking about that,” Darl said quickly. “What if we take the first-aid kit out of the compartment and swap things around. They wouldn’t be looking for a child. No one would think you were stupid enough to bring a child down to the planet. So if we can hide him away, I doubt they will do a thorough check.”
    “It’s worth a try,” Okil said. “Let’s see what we can do, but we have to go down to Karal as quickly as we can. We must try to maintain our calm and not put any more scrutiny on us.”
    “Agreed.”
    Darl quickly took out the first-aid kit; then they removed some blankets and assorted ropes. Okil stowed them away where he could until they had made a small crawl space in one of the lockers.
    “He can’t go in there,” Tikki said, examining the space. It was just big enough for Charlie, but only just.
    “We might not need it, but we do need to have a plan. We have raised suspicion.” Okil took her in his arms, happy that they were together and one step closer to success. “It might be nothing. They may let it pass. I don’t know.”
    “Have you ever broken one of your rules before, Okil?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “No. I have always obeyed our rules and our laws.”
    “I can see why your Hier Council don’t want too many humans on your planet. We will breed disorder and dissent.” She smiled up at him. “I have always been a bad influence.”
    “Get a room, you two,” Reja said, laughing. “And just FYI, she has always been a bad influence over me. That’s why I’m here.”
    Tikki almost laughed too. “Thanks, Reja. Spoil the moment, why don’t you.”
    “What is FYI?” asked Darl.
    “For your information,” Reja said slowly.
    “Ahh,” Darl said, storing it away for future use.
    “Reja, I think you and Darl are going to have some fun. He