Page 18 of Lost in Barbarian Space

She decided to let him off the hook. “I told you about my homeworld, Predia. Well, Predians are hunters. We have naturally enhanced abilities. Not quite as good as what your nanami give you, but better than most.”

He nodded. “Nanami are not always a blessing.”

She detected something sharp in his dark tone, but then there was a splash of water.

They both spun. Something had risen to the surface, tugged upward by the salvage droid. Honor couldn’t tell what it was, but it was covered in a layer of green slime.

A second later, the heads of the archeologists bobbed up beside the object.

Dr. Lev’nan ripped his breather from his mouth. He was grinning. “It’s an ancient escape pod.”

Dr. Brown followed suit. “It looks like a Terran design.”

With the droid’s help, the two archeologists pulled the object to the shore. Honor and Colm waded knee-deep into the lake and helped drag it onto dry land.

The metallic cylinder wasn’t large, maybe as long as Colm and a few meters across. It was a single-person pod.

“Should we open it here and see what’s inside?” Derek asked.

Dr. Brown shook her head. “Even if it’s empty inside, it’s still a valuable historical artifact. We need to get back to the estate.”

Suddenly, she heard a scraping sound.

Honor turned and her eyes widened. Colm had drawn his sword.

“What is it?” She pressed her hand to her holstered laser pistol.

“We have company,” he said grimly.

Honor strained to hear. Nothing…then she stiffened. There. The faint pounding of hooves on dirt.

She pulled out her laser pistol. “Archeologists, stay with the pod and keep your heads down. Security team, weapons hot. We have company incoming.”

She saw four hargon beasts come over a rise.

Colm frowned. “Raiders.”

He said the word the same way she’d say scum.

She shot him a questioning look.

“They are not honorable,” he said. “Thieves and cowards.”

“Well, they’re not getting our find,” she said. “Everyone stay back.”

The raiders thundered closer. Honor got a brief impression of large warriors wearing a mishmash of clothes and leather armor. She lifted her laser pistol, the lead raider in her sights, and fired.

The man fell under her laser, but before she could celebrate, the rest of the hargons were on them. She saw Colm drag one raider off his beast. She swiveled and shot at another, noting the rest of her team’s laser fire.

Then she turned and saw a beast rearing up above her. Her heart slammed against her chest.

She was yanked violently out of the way of sharp hooves. She stumbled against Colm, looking up into his set face. He tightened his grip on her—one hand on her arm and the other on her thigh.

“Ready?” he asked. “I’ll toss you up. You can take the next one down.”

She nodded, and reached for her staff. With one shake she extended it. Colm lifted her and swung her around. Then he tossed her into the air.

She flew up and slammed into the raider seated on the final hargon. She unseated him, and they flew off the other side of the beast, crashing together into the dirt. Honor was thankful she landed on top. There was a brief struggle, the raider rearing beneath her. She got her staff against his throat. Damn, he was strong. She pushed harder, all her body weight behind it. Ugh, the man smelled like he hadn’t washed in weeks. His long hair was matted around his scarred face.