"He believed that the two could breed, and his hope was that the offspring would be able to maintain human logic with the increased strength, senses, and armor that resulted from the animal genetics."
"Is that beast in the rec area, his creation."
"If I were to speculate, I would say yes. A nygon is noted as having no predation due to the inability to pierce its flesh. Even blasters have proven ineffectual on Hyria in terminating the nygon and were it not for the fact that the nygon only breed one day out of the year, then Hyria might be overpopulated by them."
"You think it could survive the matrix blaster you modified for me?"
"Given that you used the matrix blaster on it, and it continued to come for you, the answer to that is, yes."
Shaltia sighed, "Then how can we kill it?"
"I will need to research to see if there has been any success in terminating a nygon."
"What was Gribel doing here?"
Alura continued, "According to his log, he planned to take the transport to Donal. He hoped to arrange transport to a planet in the Dashde System, two light years from Donal. It had a hospitable atmosphere with no permanent population. He intended to set up a laboratory and continue his work, including breeding the two test subjects."
"The girl in the stasis tube?"
"Yes, he recorded that he bribed a crew member to smuggle two stasis tubes aboard."
"Two? That means that our monster is most likely not Gribel, but the first test subject."
Alura said, "We would need to find the second tube or the hybrid to confirm that."
"Is there anything else of interest?" Shaltia asked.
"There is a great deal. Tyma Gribel was meticulous in his journaling."
"When was the last entry?"
"Eight months ago. He stated that he had enjoyed lunch with the ship's engineer. He, also, stated that the security officer was asking him a lot of questions. He was worried."
"Are there any other entries about Farkak?"
"Yes, it seems they struck up a friendship of sorts. Both men seemed to have similar interests. They enjoyed playing piat together in the rec area. They would meet at least once a week."
"Piat is an aggressive game. I imagined Gribel as an older man," Shaltia commented.
"He was only forty-two years."
"Do you have everything from this station?" she asked Alura.
"Yes, Captain Shaltia. Also, Fucking Schwarz is hailing you again."
"Ignore him," she said. "I need to talk to Cooper."
She stood and grabbed her collection of weapons. Moving toward the door she said, "Come on, Mitch."
The two headed down the hallway when Mitch froze and growled a low, guttural warning.
She pulled the laser cannon to fire. The corridor was empty. Mitch was still growling, his paws locked in a tense position.
"Come on," she whispered to Mitch. She moved slowly down the hall sweeping the cannon as she looked for trouble.
When the lift was visible at the end of the corridor, she breathed a sigh of relief. She moved toward the doors when they slid open. The hooded figure stood in the opening with its razor claws glinting in the light.
"Oh, shit," Shaltia muttered.
Without firing, she turned and bolted down the corridor. Mitch was at her heels. The thudding of feet behind her caused her to turn to see the hybrid chasing them. She fired the cannon. The blast grazing him.
Sliding around a corner, Shaltia ran as fast as she could. The hybrid was gaining on her. She dropped the cannon, letting the strap catch it on her shoulder. Her hand grasped the matrix blaster.
"Go, Mitch," she yelled as she planted her feet.
When the hybrid was almost on top of her, she fired the matrix blaster. The blast radius ripped holes in the corridor walls and ceiling. Shaltia stumbled back, thankful that this time she had been prepared for the blast. The hybrid was gone.
She wasted no time as she turned an ran after Mitch. The sound of crashing behind her indicated that the ceiling or walls had collapsed behind her.
"Alura," she said between breaths, "how many more blasts will this blaster have left?"
Mitch stood at a lift door waiting on Shaltia.
"If the matrix processor has not overloaded yet, then you may have one more chance to power it. However, as I warned you, the matrix processor could overload creating a violent,explosion."
Shaltia got onto the lift. "How violent?"
"Enough to rip the Burnside apart."
"Oh, great."
Mitch pressed his body against Shaltia's calf.
"Hey, boy, you did good," she encouraged. Reaching down, she scratched his head to reassure him.
"Cooper, come in," she said over the comm.
"Shal, I'm here."
"Our monster buddy is no longer locked up."
Shaltia heard a curse over the comm.
"We need to get off this ship?" she said.
"I have a problem with that. I lost Learra and Farkak."
"What?" she said.
"Farkak had just taken some Debetecal. He should have been unconscious."
"Where are you?"
"I'm in the Med Bay still," he answered.
"We are on our way," she said as the lift doors opened.
Mitch padded along behind her. Cooper was standing in the Med Bay when they entered, and Mitch ran straight to him.
"Hey, buddy," Cooper said rubbing Mitch's side. "You had me worried."
Mitch pressed his nose against him. After a second of reaffirming that Cooper was still his human, Mitch moved away and took up guard near the door.
"Alura downloaded all of Gribel's logs. He is definitely responsible for the beast. He created a hybrid with DNA from some pretty scary creatures."
"Can we kill it?"
"It doesn't seem so. I've hit it twice with the matrix blaster that Alura modified for me. It slows him down, but that's it. Ripped a hole in the bulkhead, but the fucker still gets up."
Cooper shook his head. "The laser pistol did nothing. The gun at least seemed to affect him. Not much, but enough to save my ass."
"Gribel added nygon genes to him."
"What the fuck is a nygon?" Cooper asked.
"It's a herbivore with impenetrable hide."
"An herbivore? That thing doesn't act like an herbivore."
"Don't worry, Gribel added five other genetic samples to mix it up. His first trial though was too primal. He apparently did better in the second trial."
"There's another one?"
"Yeah," Shaltia said. "Learra."
Puzzle Pieces All Over
"I don't want to face that hybrid again, let alone two," Shaltia said. "We need to get back to Alura and get her locked down."
"They aren't the same, Shal," Cooper said. "Learra is just a girl that wants to be back on her farm."
"Cooper, you've seen that monster. Do you want to fight two of them?"
"No, but Learra is still human. You said that Gribel solved the problem on the second test subject. That must be Learra."
Shaltia began to pace. "Fine, then how do we find her and your engineer? Where did they go?"
"I don't trust Farkak," Cooper said. "He must have taken her."
"You said she could toss him across the room."
"Yes," Cooper nodded, "but she doesn't understand her powers. Plus, she's a fifteen-year-old girl. She's naive and scared. He could easily manipulate that."
"Farkak was friends with Gribel. Gribel could have shared what he was doing with him."
Cooper said, "The hairs on my neck have been telling me he has been lying to me the whole time."
"What are you thinking?"
"How does the entire crew disappear except this one guy?"
"He said the hybrid did it."
"I know, and that fucker is powerful. But there were over eighty people on this vessel. Eighty people fighting back could have pushed that thing out an airlock. If you and Mitch could trap it in the rec area, then why wouldn't they. An
d look at how things are left. Like everyday life was just going on and then, bam, it ended. There isn't a lot of blood or mess from the crew."
"There are a few bodies in the rec area. Those were in the pool."
"And still, Farkak is the only survivor? Not to mention, he's the engineer. He should have been able to fix the sensors, or seen the obvious jamming device. He could have kept track of the hybrid if it was what killed everyone. If I was him, I'd also get that drive online and get me to the nearest system. Or, hell, there's a fucking shuttle in the cargo hold, why not get on it?"
"Nothing makes sense."
Cooper shook his head. "Sure it does. If Farkak cut a deal with our favorite slaver and maybe, even, the Skoleans. Then arranged for the Burnside to break down. He was urging the captain to stop so he could take the drive offline. The captain said in his logs he felt uneasy about that. I don't think he distrusted Farkak, but the situation. The captain pushed the Burnside farther than Farkak intended."
"Which might be why they were out here for eight months. They overshot the rendezvous," Shaltia speculated.
"It took Schwarz that long to find it, only we got here first."
"Don't forget the Skoleans," Shaltia reminded him. "How did they get across the galaxy then?"
"The captain's logs don't indicate any knowledge of that, of course with the navigation computers telling him differently he might not know."
"But even the time doesn't work. It would take longer than eighteen months to get here."
"Is there a wormhole anywhere between here and there?" Cooper asked.
"A wormhole?"
"Yeah, it's a bend in space, creating a shortcut."
"I fucking know what a wormhole is. There are several, but there is no way a ship could fly into one without realizing it. The gravitational effects would wreak havoc on a vessel."
"Which, if sensors were down, could be explained by a malfunctioning magnetic drive."
"You can't fly a vessel blindly into a wormhole. Not all wormholes are stable, even the ones that have to be carefully navigated."
"Unless you generate it yourself."
"What?" Shaltia questioned.
"There is some talk about a wormhole generator. The science confounds me, but the potential interests me."
"If Farkak invented a wormhole generator, then why in the galaxy would he bother selling two slaves to Schwarz. He could sell the tech and live like a god."
"I doubt he invented it. However, that might explain why the Skolean are here."
Shaltia sighed, "He is selling them the wormhole generator."
"Just me speculating."
"That would be bad. The Skolean could pop up anywhere and ravage systems."
"Can we tell if the ship went through a wormhole?"
"Alura," Cooper said, "can you scan the Burnside for radiation consistent with wormhole travel?"
"Yes, Cooper," she answered. After a minute, Alura responded, "The hull does show residual radiation that could be consistent with a wormhole entry. I would estimate that the Burnside passed through a wormhole approximately seven months ago."
"How would he get rid of everyone on the ship?"
"I don't know. It had to be fast. He said he disposed of bodies as he came across them. He's had eight months to do that too."
"Gribel had two stasis tubes. He must have kept the hybrid in the other."
Cooper closed his eyes for a second as he thought. "Alura," he finally asked, "do you think you can repair this stasis tube?"
"I don't believe so. The tube is cracked at the bottom. I could seal the crack but the tube might not maintain its integrity."
"It might work, but we need to find the other tube," Cooper said
"What might work?"
"If we could get the monster back into the stasis tube."
"The only thing I have that can slow the hybrid down is the matrix blaster. According to Alura, I might have one for shot left, or I might blow up the entire ship on an overload."
"Well, that's a great prospect. We can't kill the beast really without blowing up the whole ship. Maybe we need better contingency plans."
"What are we going to do?"
"Let's presume that Farkak has taken Learra. If he planned to sell them to Schwarz or the Skoleans, then he's going to need to at least put the hybrid back in stasis."
"Why would he let him out?" Shaltia asked.
"He might not have. Learra's tube malfunctioned during my fight with the hybrid. His might have malfunctioned too."
"But, Farkak will need to figure out how to get the fucker back in his box."
"Right, and we need to help him," Cooper said.
"Why? Why not just leave him with him?"
"Look, let's get this tube over to Alura. I want it secured."
"Cooper, what the fuck are you thinking?"
Cooper shrugged and said, "I'm improvising. All I know is that even if we get over to Alura, we can't exactly leave with two armed combatants holding us at gunpoint. We need a way to divert their attention so we can make a run for it."
"Then what is your plan?"
"Like I said, I'm improvising. Making it up as we go. Let's make sure we have at least one tube secured. Besides I need more bullets and a bigger gun."
"Fuck me," Shaltia muttered. "You are going to get me killed."
"Just remember I wanted to skip over this distress call and continue for the beaches in Nove."
Grabbing the tube, Cooper said, "You give me some cover, I'll push the tube."
Shaltia nodded and looked at Mitch, "Mitch, you better keep your ears on."
Cooper looked over at the bulldog who cocked his head smugly.
Shaltia smiled, "He saved my ass earlier."
Cooper unholstered the Smith & Wesson. "Let's save the matrix blaster for dire emergencies. I would rather not blow up."
"Agreed, maybe Alura can repair it."
The doors of the Med Bay opened, and Shaltia and Mitch went first. The corridor appeared clear, and Cooper began to follow them. The trek to the lift felt longer. Cooper continued to glance over his shoulder for anyone flanking them. The halls seemed empty and quiet though, and Cooper was more than grateful for that. The lift doors opened, and the trio stepped inside.
"Be ready when the doors open," Cooper advised.
Shaltia held the Smith & Wesson up prepared to fire. The doors opened, and the hallway was as quiet as the one below them. Shaltia exchanged looks with Cooper. He nodded his head, signaling her to take the lead.
"Come on, Mitch," Shaltia said in low voice. Mitch padded along beside her.
"Alura," Cooper said over the comm, "we are coming to the airlock."
"Prepared to receive you," the ship replied.
The airlock was twenty meters ahead. A loud crash echoed through the corridors. Shaltia and Cooper locked eyes.
"Go," he urged.
Shaltia moved quickly to the airlock. Cooper turned to watch the hallway for an attack. The sound of the airlock releasing eased his mind, and he turned back to face Shaltia.
A bang reverberated through the Burnside, and Cooper pushed the stasis tube into the airlock allowing Shaltia and Mitch to get inside. Shaltia closed the hatch and sealed it. Cooper pushed the tube to the side and looked up as Shaltia stepped off the gangway onto Alura. A figure on board the Burnside stood at the hatch. Cooper thought it was Farkak, but he couldn't be certain. The figure moved away, and the two had a collective sigh.
"I don't know about you," Cooper said as he reached for the Smith & Wesson that Shaltia still gripped in her hand, "but I'm going to reload and take five minutes to breathe in peace."
Shaltia nodded in agreement.
"Alura, I assume you are still on high alert," Cooper said.
"Always," she responded.
"That's my girl." Cooper headed to his quarters with Mitch in step behind him.
Jumped
A box of ammunition was in the wardrobe of Cooper's quarters. He had cast nearly a hundred
rounds during the last crossing. Dropping the empty casings into another box, Cooper grabbed a handful of bullets. He reloaded the Smith & Wesson, and then he removed a leather belt made from a corloch hide. The belt was lined with small loops that perfectly fit the spare bullets. Holding fifty bullets, the leather belt fits around his waist. He stuffed an extra twenty spare rounds into his pocket.
In the rear of the wardrobe, Cooper found a plasma launcher. The device was a prototype that Cooper had stolen a few months ago while they were on Belluna. The plasma launcher was designed for an individual to destroy a low altitude flyer. The man that commissioned the design was a gangster who wanted to protect an illegal mining operation from the local authorities on Belluna. Cooper considered the theft not only justified but a reassignment of the ordinance. Should the worst case scenario arrive, this launcher should not only tear the hybrid apart but also rip a hole in the Burnside's hull, most likely killing whoever fired the shot.
Cooper sat down on the berth and felt like lying down for about eight hours. Don't sit too long, he reminded himself. He needed to find Learra and then figure out how to get her to safety.
"Cooper," Alura said, "Fucking Schwarz is hailing again."
"Pipe him in here. Audio only."
"Montbarts," Schwarz's voice said through Alura's speakers. "Where the fuck have you been?"
"I've been busy," he said. "What are you doing here? Following me?"
"Fuck you," Schwarz muttered. "I'm looking for some property of mine."
"I assume you mean that you want some seeds and plowing tractors."
"Fuck, no. I hate farmers."
"That makes sense," Cooper said. "Who wants to eat anyway?"
"I want the two stasis tubes."
"I assumed as much," Cooper said. "Are you sure you know what you are asking for?"
"Yeah, the ultimate warriors."
Cooper shook his head. "I don't know if you noticed or not, but we have other company here too."
"I see that."
Cooper smiled at Schwarz's smugness. "Look, Schwarz, why would I be giving you something that is so very clearly in my possession."
"Montbarts, you fucker, because I don't mind cutting you open just for fun."
"Look," Cooper said, "I appreciate your situation, but I did get here first. It's not like there were stickers with your name all over them. These are not even legitimate slaves."
Alura's Bind_Book One Page 9
