Darkside Blues: SciFi Alien Romance (Dark Planet Warriors Book 4.5) Read Free Page B

her blouse.
    She always carried the concealed blade, just in case.
    She ran towards the injured Human, knocking a man out with a swift punch to the chin and dodging another attacker who shouted something unintelligible at her.
    She slipped past three men who were engaged in a vicious struggle, dropping to her knees as she reached the girl. Zyara’s movements were a bit slower and a bit less co-ordinated than usual, but she’d made it to where she needed to be.
    The girl stared up at her in surprise, her dark eyes going wide with fear. “K-Kordolian! What are you-”
    “Quiet.” Zyara cut away the lower part of her blouse and folded it up into a thick wad. She pressed it against the Human’s wound. The girl winced, clenching her teeth.
    Her face was pale and slick with sweat. She was breathing rapidly. Zyara dropped her weapon and felt the pulse at her neck with her other hand. It was thin and thready. She cursed and wished she had access to a trauma kit. Some basic fibrogel would come in really handy right about now.
    But all she could do was apply pressure to the wound while the Humans around them fought their crazy, incomprehensible battle.
    The girl whimpered in pain. She began to struggle, but Zyara held her down with a firm hand. “Be still, Human,” she said, her tone stern but gentle. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
    “Ungh.” A whimpering cry escaped the girl. Zyara kept her hand on the girl’s shoulder as she looked around, trying to catch the attention of one of the dark-suited Humans.
    She still had no idea what was going on, and she hoped there were at least a few friendlies amongst the fighters.
    A tall, lean man managed to break away from the battle, locking gazes with Zyara. “She needs urgent medical attention,” she shouted in Universal. He responded with a sharp nod before turning to intercept a vicious stab, getting inside his attacker’s reach and twisting the man’s arm. His attacker gasped in pain, doubling over as the man picked up the knife and hurled it at another attacker, who was about to shoot him.
    The knife lodged in the shooter’s neck with a sickening thunk.
    The tall man doubled back to Zyara’s side. “You a medic of some sort?”
    “I am,” she replied, trying to keep her voice even. “She needs fluid replacement. She’s lost too much blood.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Arin, Sera, and Jia standing at the edge of the fray. Rykal, Kalan, and Xalikian had appeared alongside them, and the two First Division soldiers wasted no time. They started to head towards her, smashing through their opponents.
    Ordinary Humans were no match for a pair of elite Kordolian warriors. They hadn’t even drawn out their armor.
    “Can you get her out of here?” Zyara asked. “Where’s the nearest medical facility?”
    The Human gangster, or whatever he was, glanced at her, his expression becoming distant. She saw a silver comm device in his ear and realized he must be communicating with someone. “Boss’ll be here soon, with backup,” he said. “I’ll try and get a first-aid kit from one of the vehicles. Should be a tube of Coag-Gel in there somewhere.”
    The young Human’s eyes had closed, and her breathing was becoming shallow. Zyara kept her fingers on girl’s pulse, feeling strangely helpless.
    In her medical facility onboard the Korolian warship Silence , she would have had no problem stabilizing the Human. But here in the middle of Darkside, she was without equipment and surrounded by warring Humans. With her thoughts fogged by that infernal alcohol, she wasn’t able to do much more than apply pressure.
    Still, that simple act could save this Human’s life.
    Confusion and disorder reigned as the fight raged around her. Zyara tried to block out the interference and focus on her patient. She had done it so many times before on the battlefield, but now, her concentration was shot.
    She caught sight of Rykal and Kalan heading towards her, literally