by ML Guida
“Isn’t it obvious? Your true captain and admiral are dying, even as we speak. Your women both on the Intrepid and on Aria will soon be dead. I want you to surrender. And then I may let your crew survive.”
Vaughn wasn’t a fool. The Katrminians never took hostages. They wanted this ship and the rest of the crew dead. “Not an option, Cer.”
“Tsk, Tsk, Vaughn. You should know by now that our ships are superior to any Arian ship. If you do not surrender, then prepare to die.”
“I don’t intend to die, Cer. And I have no intention of handing over the Intrepid. If you blow up this ship, that means killing your accomplice.”
“She knew the risks.” Cer’s eyes widened as he realized his stupid mistake.
“She?”
“A slip of the tongue. By now, you know you have an intruder on board your ship. If they survive, they will be rewarded handsomely. If not…” He shrugged. “We will reach your ship within the hour. You have that much time to decide whether to surrender or die. Cer, out.”
Vaughn turned to Krup. “Notify the United Planet Confederation of our situation.”
Krup nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Stan looked up from his computer. “Vaughn, I’ve been monitoring the ship’s communication export as you suggested. And I believe I have found something.”
A flutter of hope swirled in Vaughn’s belly. “And?”
“It’s very faint, and I could be wrong, but I’ve located its source.”
Vaughn clenched his fist. “Where?”
“Sickbay. It’s very weak, but it’s there.”
Terror killed the fluttering hope in his belly. The walls on the bridge closed in on him, suffocating him and he could feel the blood drain from his face. Everyone he cared about except for Rye was in sickbay. Two of them too vulnerable to move and the others too vulnerable to fight an Arian.
“Vaughn, I can’t notify the Confederation. The Kamtrinian ship is jamming our signal.”
Everything that could go wrong was going wrong.
Vaughn contacted engineering again. “Rye, I need you to go to ultra-speed eight.”
“But Vaughn, she’ll to start to shake apart.”
“Not yet, she won’t. I need time Rye. Ultra-speed eight.”
“Fine. Ultra-speed eight.”
Vaughn turned to the helmsman. “Inry, I need you to set a course for the planet Lathea.”
Stan frowned. “Vaughn, the planet Lathea is uninhabited and the surface red hot.”
“I’m very well aware of the planet Lathea’s properties, Stan.”
Stan put his hands behind his back and gave Vaughn a look that would freeze the planet Lathea’s surface from red hot to ice cold. “Then, what’s the purpose in going there?”
“Because I have a plan.” He went nose-to-nose with Stan. He bulked up, releasing a menacing growl. He was a taller and bigger bear than the second officer.
Stan didn’t flinch. “If we engage in combat, we will not be able to put the crew on Lathea like your brother and father did on Sutois.” His disdain riddled from his voice.
“I have no intention of landing on that surface, which would obviously be the death of the crew, but as your commander, I expect you to obey.”
Stan and Inry looked at each other as if deciding whether or not to obey him.
Vaughn glared. “That’s an order, Helmsman.”
The seconds ticked away and Vaughn swore no one took a single gulp of air.
“Do I need to repeat my order?”
Inry shook his head. “No, sir. Plotting a course for the planet Lathea. We will arrive in less than forty-five minutes.”
“Good.” Vaughn pulled out his eruptor and pushed the intercom. “Security, meet me in sickbay.”
“Helmsman, you have the bridge.”
Vaughn quickly left for sickbay, but an unsettling heaviness pressed on his chest and crushed his lungs. Forty-five minutes to find the betrayer and save the ship and the crew would take all his experience as a science officer and a miracle. A Shades miracle. An unbelievable magical miracle.
The problem was––he didn’t believe in miracles.
Chapter 12
Sandra studied both Tash and the Admiral, not sure where to start. Marc looked worse than a fish out of water. He kept going back and forth between the medical board and his scanner. His eyebrows were drawn into a deep frown and sweat glistened on his forehead.
“You don’t have a clue on the poison, do you?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t. I don’t even know how the poison was administered.”
“You checked their bodies?”
“Yes, I didn’t find anything––”
“A scratch, a pin prick, anything?”
He stiffened. “I haven’t found anything. I happen to be good at my job.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t,” she said softly. “Would you mind if I examined them?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not a doctor.”
She stood taller and stuck out her chin, daring him to argue. “No, but I’m a scientist.”
He sighed and looked back up at the medical board. “Go ahead and look. Neither Ivona nor Greum have returned from breakfast yet. I don’t know what’s taking them so long.”
“Maybe they had to report to security.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but I thought they did it yesterday.”
“Do you think either one of them would have a reaction to the Tesla Sifter?”
He smiled gently. “No, not like you. You had difficulty because although Beasly reprogrammed the Sifter, it was still too powerful for a human. So, neither of them would have been effected.”
“Okay, I’m going to examine Tash and the Admiral.”
He shook his head. “Suit yourself.”
Sandra put on a pair of plastic gloves in order not to contaminate either of the men. She slowly inspected their arms and didn’t find as much as a scratch. Marc flashed her a I-told-you-so look, but she refused to be discouraged.
She inched her fingers over Tash’s thick hair as if she were a chimpanzee grooming him. Something like a little bump made her stop.
“Marc, I don’t know if this is normal, but I found a little bump just above Tash’s ear.” She looked at her finger. “I think this is dried blood.”
“Let me see.” He put on some gloves as well and moved his finger where Sandra’s finger had been. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“It’s a puncture wound, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Two punctures.”
He hurried over to the Admiral. “He’s got the very same mark.”
Sandra frowned. “Wouldn’t they have felt a prick?”
“They should have, but it almost looks like a grate bite?”
“What’s a grate?”
“On Earth, it would have been like a spider except the grate has seven legs and a bulbous body.”
“Marc, what is if it wasn’t a poisonous plant? What if it was a bug bite?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Great, that’s all I need. A deadly bug on the Intrepid along with a disease that’s killing the women.”
“Marc, I need to see everything on the planet Sutois. Do you have access to the information?”
“Yes. You can sit at my desk. Everything would be logged into the computer. It’s voice activated. Computer, reveal all information about the planet Sutois.”
“Affirmative. All of information on the planet Sutois is being compiled.” The technical voice reminded her of Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa.
She sat in Marc’s chair and her toes didn’t touch the floor.
Suddenly, the doors opened and Vaughn and two security bears entered. Vaughn’s stern face looked like he was about ready to tear the lab apart.
She stood. “Vaughn, what’s happened?”
Vaughn looked around sickbay as if he’d never seen it before. His gaze was steady, cautious. “Someone has been contacting the Kamtrinians. Security scan this place.”
“Yes, sir,” they answered at once.
The security officers used a device the size of an iPad and started slowly moving over the lab.
Marc frowned. “And you think someone did it here? Vaughn, I’m trying to save your brother’s and your father’s life.”
“I understand that doctor, but the signal came from in here. The Kamtrinians have been kept apprised of our doings. They’re pursuing us, Doctor, and plan to either steal the ship or blow us up. Either way, we’ll end up dead.”
His dire words cut off Sandra’s air and her heart forgot to beat. Dead, she could end up dead.
She was a million miles away from Earth with no way to get back home.
Vaughn was at her side. “Sit down. You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“I’m fine. Just a little shock. You have a job to do, Vaughn. You can’t worry about me.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’ll always worry about you. You’re my mate.”
His sincerity warmed her, chasing away the chill rolling through her, but he wasn’t the only one who had a job to do.
“Vaughn, there’s something else. We found what looks like bite marks on both your dad and your brother.”
He scowled. “Bite marks?”
“Yes, we’ve been under the assumption that the poisons administered both on Arian and here were plant based. What if they’re not? What if it’s a parasite?”
“Damn, I should have thought of that. But we don’t have any parasites on Aria.”
She smiled. “Well, aren’t you the lucky ones. It’s not indigenous.”
“You’re thinking whatever this thing is, it came from Sutois.” Dread crept into his whispery voice and his eyes darkened into two black greenish pools.
“Yes, I’m doing research on everything collected from the planet.”
“Vaughn.” One of the security guards held up what looked like a small cell phone. “We found this strapped under a desk.”
Vaughn hurried over there. “Whose desk?”
“Greum’s.”
Sandra frowned. “Vaughn, what is that?”
“A small telicator that has been programmed to contact the Kamtrinians.”
GWARRRRRR
His voice shook into an angry roar that reverberated off the walls and ceilings.
Sandra winced.
In an instant, he shifted into a brown bear that was twice the size of a grizzly. His nails were razor sharp and could rip the walls to shreds. He shook his head as if he were going to charge something.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Adrenaline drummed in her body at the thought of being torn to pieces. Sandra’s heart fled down to her toes, but her feet remained planted as if frozen in ice.
Bear, big bear.
The bear’s eyes caught hers and then in a flash, he was Vaughn.
Sandra collapsed onto her chair, shaking like a terrified kitten.
He rushed over to her.
She hissed, ready to dig her claws into him if he tried to hurt her.
“Sandra, I’m sorry.” His cheeks and throat were beat red. “I’m sorry. I lost control. Those days trapped on that planet…to lose so many crewmen…and now, another betrayal.”
She took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off her brow. “You scared me. I just wasn’t expecting you to shift into a bear.”
He lowered his head. “I didn’t either.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Security, search the Intrepid and locate Greum, then bring him to the bridge.”
“Yes, sir.” They immediately both left as fast they could.
Vaughn put his hands on her shoulders. “I would never hurt you. You know this, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Or at least she hoped so.
“I have to return to the bridge. Maybe you should come with me.”
She shook her head. “Vaughn, I’d be a distraction. Besides, I have work to do. I’m not even sure that my formula would have an impact on parasites, but I need to find out.” She tilted her head. “Go.”
Vaughn hesitated, but he dropped his arms and left.
She took a deep breath.
Marc studied her. “Are you all right?”
“I will be. I just wasn’t expecting that.”
“Normally, Vaughn wouldn’t have shifted like that.” He put down his pad. “But for an Arian always under control, finding the telicator was too much. Sutois has haunted all of us, especially Vaughn and his family. We lost so many on that planet, and to discover one of our own was handing over crew members to the Gogs, was a devastating blow.” He gave her a weary smile. “Don’t hold it against him.”
She nodded, still trying to catch her breath. “I won’t.” But was that true. What if they had a fight sometime? Would he shift into a bear and rip her to pieces?
All couples fight. She’d no intention of being turned into a hamburger, because her mate lost an argument.
Her fingers shaking, she forced herself to read the screen. No matter what happened today. If she didn’t find a cure for the Arians, she’d never get back home.
Mating with Vaughn had erased her fears about men, but in one single moment, they came roaring back with a vengeance.
She flicked through the pages, absorbing everything she could about the planet. Data had been collected when Vaughn had been there, and the planet had been scanned. But it was more about the flesh-eating Gogs.
She was more interested in an earlier expedition that she’d assumed had been commanded by the Admiral. Planet and animal life forms had been recorded. When Vaughn had inspected the cooling system, he’d found green residue that appeared to be plant-like, but what if it wasn’t? What if it was some kind of parasite that disguised itself as a plant?
Then bingo.
She discovered an entry about a dead animal that appeared to be dehydrated. It was a furry creature, but it’s skin looked paper thin and it’s eyes sucked into the sockets. She motioned with her hand. “Marc, come look at this.”
Marc came over to her side. “What did you find?”
“I’m not sure, but this animal seemed to have the same symptoms as your women.”
His eyes widened. “I think you’re right. Dehydrated, throat closed up, sunken eyes.”
“The scientist wrote that the animal had drank water and immediately began to get sick. It couldn’t absorb water.”
“Our scientists on Aria should have detected a microorganism in the water supply.”
“But you were probably looking for something native to your planet. This could have been something completely different.”
He lowered his head. “Oh, Shades. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. This creature is most likely is not native to Sutois.”
She frowned. “It’s not.”
“No. I am afraid this creature is from the Kamtrinians’ home planet Ocrion.” His ominous words sent chills creeping down her back.
She swallowed the fear lodged in her throat. “And the Kamtrinians are the ones chasing us?”
“Yes.”
She shoved the scaredy-cat urge to hide and put on her scientist face. “Are the Kamtrinians humanoids?”
“Not like us. Their genetic make-up is based on calcite. The planet Ocrion is red hot, and as far as we can tell, everything is rock like.”
“Which could include this organism.”
“Exactly. Okay, then we need to start looking at what can destroy calcite and heat.”
“But the Arian scientists tried extreme heat on the water and nothing happened…” His voice trailed off.
They stared at each other.
Sandra spoke first. “Because it’s not heat that would destroy it. It’s cold. Sutois is a hot, humid, planet so the creature would thrive there.”
“But what of the women infected?”
Sandra stared at Tash and the Admiral. “I know they’re not suffering from the same symptoms, but what if the microorganism infecting them is from Ocrion too?”
Marc turned to them. “You w
ant to experiment on Tash and the Admiral? You could kill them.”
“Or save them. I need to look at their blood samples.”
Marc hesitated. “But Sandra…”
She was done with cow-tailing to overbearing men who thought they had all the answers. She rose out from his chair, forcing him to stumble backward. “Do you want your captain and admiral to die?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “No, of course not.”
“Then show me the blood samples.”
He led her to his laboratory desk. “I have them over here. I haven’t been able to discover anything.”
“You were looking for biological organisms. I want to see if there is a rock substance in their system. Did you notice any anomalies?”
He scratched his chin. “I wasn’t looking for minerals. I was looking for organic.” His voice sounded so miserable she felt sorry for him.
“That’s what science is, Marc. We learn from our mistakes.”
He gave her a small smile. “Maybe.”
Sandra patted him on the arm. “Let’s get started.”
He nodded.
She peered through the microscope. “Whose blood am I looking at?”
“The captain’s.”
She increased the magnifying scope, but like Marc, she didn’t notice anything strange. “Did you analyze the blood earlier?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s start with that.” He handed her the medical transrecorder that was the size of an iPad, but ten times faster. She flicked through the information until she came to something that was infinite. “What’s Krutine?”
“Krutine is a hydrogen compound. I don’t think that’s what it is. It’s part of the genetic make-up of an Arian. It’s what helps us shift.”
“Rule that one out.” She handed the transrecorder back to him. “I think we need to run a scan over the captain for any possible minerals from the planet Ocrion. Can the transrecorder do this?”
“Yes. It will take some time.”
The sickbay doors slid open. Vaughn and the security guards came in with Greum stretched out in midair. A yellow light glowed around his body like an aura. Another man carried a large potted purple plant with pink flowers. Ivona followed them with tears in her eyes.
Sandra’s eyes widened. “Why is Greum floating in the air?”
