Page 63 of Lost in Barbarian Space

He set the artifact in the backpack, and she swung it onto her back. “Move.” He nudged her into the tunnel. “Don’t run. We need to move quietly.”

They moved down the tunnel, turned into another, then another. He barely saw the beautiful blue-ice walls anymore. He was tired of the ice caves and the cold.

He paused again to listen and his jaw tightened. “Whatever it is, it’s getting closer.”

She nodded. “I can hear it, too.”

There was a rattle. The scrape of metal on ice.

They both turned, and he pulled his sword from its scabbard. He heard Honor’s soft curse.

The…creature had rounded the corner.

Colm gripped his sword. It was made of a gray, metallic substance and shaped like a man.

But it floated just off the ground, had no legs, and had four arms. Its face was flat, with no features.

It looked a lot like Honor’s spar-droids.

“It’s a syndroid of some kind.” She was studying it intently. “It’s tracking us by heat.”

“I will destroy it.” He lunged forward, even as he heard her protest.

He swung his sword, but the droid was fast. It dodged to the side and out of the way of his blade.

He kept attacking, and the droid continued to dodge his every move. Colm could feel his anger growing.

“Colm! Pirates!”

The panic in Honor’s voice made him turn. He saw a band of people running down the tunnel. Honor had pulled out her stun-staff, and she darted past Colm and the droid to attack the incoming group.

The man in the lead was lean and fast, and carrying a sword of his own. She took him down with a hard swing to the back of his neck. He hit the ice, groaning. But before he was even down, two more rushed at her.

The droid slammed into Colm. He spun, trying to focus on the droid, but he couldn’t, not when he knew Honor was in danger.

She fought hard, her staff whirling. Then a huge man came in from the side, and hit her with something. She staggered.

A woman came in low and jammed some sort of device against Honor’s side. She shuddered under the impact of it. Colm recognized it as some sort of stunner.

Honor dropped to the floor.

Colm roared. Inside, his nanami exploded, power flooding him. He slammed an arm against the droid and it crashed into the wall. Then he rushed forward, attacking those who’d injured his woman.

He saw the shocked face of one of the pirates. The others closed in. Colm fought wildly, his fist and sword slamming into various attackers. Soon, the icy ground around him was littered with groaning, battered bodies.

“Contain him! Now!”

Something wrapped around his sword arm. He jerked on it, but he couldn’t get free. He glanced down and saw a glowing green rope circling his bicep. Another rope wrapped around his other arm. The ropes burned as they sizzled against his skin.

He pulled forward, trying to free himself. Behind him, he saw four large pirates holding the other ends of the ropes.

Colm roared again, a fierce sound that echoed in the tunnels.

An older woman stepped up in front of him, eyeing him with an annoyed look.

She lifted a metallic object—a large stunner. She jammed it against his stomach.

He felt the electricity jolt through him. He gritted his teeth and fought back the pain. He had to stay conscious. He had to save Honor.