Cocktails and Bad News
Posted on Mon Jun 8th, 2020 @ 7:16am by Alden Loxley & Kaila Atwood
Mission:
The Milk Run
Location: Newhall - warm island beach
Timeline: Evening before due to embark for Hera
Planet: Newhall
Location: Beach
Time: Late evening
He'd had a drink in his hands, one of those pretty ones with little paper umbrellas in it, because well, why not? There was a warm ocean breeze on his face, soft sand under his feet and no worries in his head. They had a cargo secured, a flightplan logged and nothing to do but chill out until everyone was back and ready to leave in the morning.
Alden sighed, smiled and relaxed. A beach, fading sunshine and the roar of the ocean. Life was good.
Then he heard Kaila call his name and he knew it was about to get not-good real fast.
Kai ran up to Alden obviously not dressed for the beach. In fact it was one of the outfits she often wore in the course of her duties aboard the ship. She appeared out of breath and her face looked like she'd been crying though of course she'd never admit that to anyone.
"We have to go to Three Hills like right this second," she said. "Drake..." she said, out of breath as she stopped looking down at him.
Turning to regard Kai, Alden suddenly felt seriously under-dressed, standing there in a pair of cut-off shorts and a garish Hawaiian style shirt. He reached out a hand to rest upon her shoulder, offering comfort with both touch and a softly concerned tone as he looked into the young woman's green eyes.
"You okay? What happened?" Alden pressed, as he felt that awful twinge of deeper worry stab at his stomach. "Kai... what happened to Drake?" His brother, her ex.
"He's gone, he was kidnapped," she said. "We have to go."
"WHAT?!" Alden dropped the drink to the ground and rested both hands on Kai's arms now. "Kai, who told you this? Did they hurt you?" He paused, trying to think logically. Drake was far from here, safe on Three Hills. Why would anyone take his brother?
"They said if we didn't comply with what they want they'd kill him, it was a video message," she said, realizing that part was important. "He was tied up and he was beaten... we have to get to Hera."
His blood should have run cold, but Alden's seemed to boil under his skin. Drake. His little brother. Kai, with signs of tears in her eyes. And his crew, with alcohol running in their veins, spread about an island chain on this ocean planet.
"We'll get him back," he swore to the green-haired vixen before him, his face grim and serious now. "First let's look at this vid, okay?"
"Yeah, lets get back to the ship," she said turning to leave.
They arrived back aboard the ship and went to her quarters where she led him to her small computer terminal. It took too long for it the terminal to launch the message. That's when the image began to play starting with Drake getting punched in the face by a large man with his back turned to the camera.
Alden stood and watched. Winced. And stepped back as if he might somehow reach into the screen and rewind time for a rescue. He cursed inventively, replayed the message a second time and still failed to identify anyone besides his brother.
"Do what we say and you can have him back in one piece," said a voice scrambled by some cheap tech. "Don't... and we'll send him back one piece at a time." Someone laughed in the background, a grating, unpleasant sound. "We know you're headed to Hera. You'll get a location sent when you get within orbit, Loxley."
Alden turned to Kai as the vid ended again. He looked suddenly both exhausted and furious. "You know any of those people?" He asked, tone gentler than his gaze.
She shook her head, she looked lost, she was surprised about how upset she was. Then she supposed even if they weren't a couple they were at least friends.
"I have no idea," she said, a lump forming her throat.
"Hey, c'mere," Alden said, opening his arms to pull Kai into a supportive hug and talking over the top of her head. "We'll figure this out, Kai, don't worry. We'll get him back."
That was partly for her benefit and partly for his own, the words spoken out loud and coloured with anger still intended to ensure they both believed that Drake would be recovered safely. The embargo on Hera had to be the reason... but who... and what were they after?
Kai let him hug her though her arms tucked in against his body and not around it, "you smell like him."
Alden held her as close as he could, engulfing Kai in a big warm hug, long arms wrapping about her for a long silent moment. "I do?" He asked, resting his chin lightly upon her head and raising his eyebrows at the unexpecting statement. "Sorry." He wasn't really, but he didn't know exactly how to take that. Was it a comfort or did it just make her feel worse about not having Drake here, safe and sound?
"Yeah," she said, quietly. "I like it."
He cradled the back of her head with long fingers and pulled Kai a little closer. His heart thumped as his mind raced, as he tried to figure out if there was any way to locate Drake rather than help those who had taken him. "I've got ya, Mei Mei (little sister)," Alden said, his voice low as hers was. "It's gonna be okay."
She smelled good too, but he felt a little guilty thinking that.
