Madas jumped down, landing lightly on the metal access ledge surrounding the cable. A moment later, Dakar landed beside her. He quickly scanned the open area where Star had said she was at. He did not see anything which meant she had already accessed the lift that would take her down to the control room. He drew in a deep, calming breath trying to calm the nerves that twisted in him at the thought of what would happen to Star if she was caught.
He turned when he felt a slender hand brush his arm. “She will be fine,” Madas said looking, not at Dakar but at the tower across from them.
“Defenses down,” a soft voice suddenly caressed his ear.
“She has taken the control room,” Dakar said harshly as the breath he drew in earlier was released in relief. “Let’s go.”
Madas attached the hand bar to the wire and launched herself over the edge. The slight downward angle allowed her to slide at a steady rate of decline. She swung into the opened area the moment she was close enough and turned. Her arm reached out and grabbed Dakar around the waist as he came in after her a little faster than he thought. She steadied him before quickly releasing him and stepping back.
“Thanks,” Dakar said gruffly.
“Let us get Lord Jazin and get out of here,” Madas said nodding toward the two dead men. “I expect there will be many more before we are though. I would just as soon not be one of them.”
Dakar nodded and stepped toward the lift. The device was still attached to it so they could enter. He pressed the device and the lift opened. Pulling the device off the key panel, he stepped inside the lift and waited for Madas before pressing the inside panel. Within moments they were descending rapidly down the tower to the ground floor control room. Both he and Madas pulled their laser pistols out in preparation. They wanted no surprises.
*.*.*
Star turned as the door opened to the control room, drawing the crossbow around in front of her. She was about to release the arrow she had ready when the glowing eyes froze her finger on the trigger. She stared at the face intently before a frown twisted her face into a scowl.
“Well, are you going to come in or are you going to let everyone and their brother know that something is going on?” She asked impatiently.
She turned back to the control panel and focused on what she had been doing. Armet told her to disable the communications system so that the warriors could not send and receive instructions. She was trying to find the panel he showed her in the diagram.
“What are you trying to do?” The raspy, deep voice asked hesitantly.
Star glanced over her shoulder at the hooded figure. “Armet and Dakar said I needed to disable their communications systems but I can’t find the panel that looks like the one they showed me,” she complained.
“I will disable it,” the man replied quietly.
Star watched as his amber eyes appeared to swirl with color as he focused for a moment. “It is disabled,” he replied before turning his head.
Jarmen went to take a step back but stopped in surprise as a tiny, slender hand touched his arm. He jerked in surprise at the feel of another being touching him, even if it was through the material of his shirt. His eyes fastened on the light blues ones staring at him intently.
“Is he still alive?” The husky voice of the female asked with a tremble in it. “Jazin. Is my mate alive?”
“Yes,” Jarmen responded. “His lives.”
Star’s eyes filled with tears and she sniffed before she moved close enough so she could wrap her arms tightly around Jarmen’s waist. “Thank you. Thank you so much for everything. I’ll never be able to repay you for what you have done,” she choked out.
Jarmen stared over the head of the female who had her arms wrapped tightly around him. Warmth flooded his system as feelings he had never encountered before tore through him. This is what it meant to receive a hug. His brain processed the information it was receiving and analyzed the effects on his body. He breathed in deeply. Shock flowed through him at the resulting reaction. He was able to detect every scent and break it down to its most elemental form. The classification of flowers that mixed with her hair follicle, the lotion she had with another delicate scent, the salt, sweat, and natural aroma of her skin. All of it came to him and was processed, analyzed and stored. His arms closed lightly around her wanting to see if the feel of her skin matched what he had read about. The sensors on the tips of his fingers picked up the texture and he almost groaned at the softness. His own skin covering was not as soft as this and the times he had touched Jazin to help him stand or to grasp his hand had never felt this soft, delicate, and smooth.