Read Online Lacuna: The Sands of Karathi by David Adams - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: David Adams
Ads: Link
military academy, as did many others. It was,”] she hesitated, giving Liao a half-cocked smile, [“considered an easy credit to graduate.”]
Liao reached out and put her hand on Saara’s shoulder. “Well, I guess that makes you our official Karathi expert.”
The two of them returned their gaze to the sandy, barren planet, watching as the ship drew closer and closer.
Chapter IV
“ Castaway”
----
Near the wreckage of the Giralan
Surface of Karathi
“ It’s too fucking hot ,” Summer Rowe whined, kicking a clump of sand into the air, sweat pouring down her freckled face. “What the fuck am I doing here? I’m an engineer , not some fucking… fucking… sand walking-type person who… walks insand! Fuck!”
Although Summer’s complaining was grating Liao’s nerves, it was good to see her acting more like her old self. Liao grit her teeth. “The signal’s probably right next to us. Within a square kilometer, at least. Have a drink of water and see if you can find anything.”
The Broadsword gunship had deposited the landing party on the surface of the planet. Initially, it was Cheung and her Marines, Saara, Summer, and Kamal, but at the last minute Liao had insisted on taking Kamal’s spot, even though that was gravely against protocol. Liao justified it by reasoning that she was, aside from Saara, the best Toralii speaker they had. Being the captain, she was also in the best position to bargain with whomever they found at the signal’s origin point. It was both a display of force and respect.
Heavy iron deposits in the area prevented a completely accurate scan, and a flyover of the area had revealed nothing but the endless red-brown stretches of sand that covered almost the entire planet. With no other recourse available, they set down as near as they could to the signal’s origin point.
She and the Marines fanned out across the desert sands, leaving Rowe to sulk in the baking heat.
“Well, fine,then!” Summer shouted after Liao, who ignored her. “I guess I’ll just fuck around in the sand, wasting my talent and my life on some fucking stupid quest to find some transmitter that mightor might noteven fucking exist !”
Rowe began clomping around the desert, kicking up a flurry of red sand as she wandered over the nearby dune. Ignoring her, Liao turned her attention back to Saara and the Marines.
“Twenty meter dispersion, eyes low. If there’s an antenna or some other transmitting device, we might not have been able to see it from the sky.”
They broke off and Saara walked near Liao, the two of them combing their section of the sand. Liao called over to her, her voice echoing amongst the dunes. “What do you think, Saara? Do the Telvan usually hide their transmitters?”
[“I’ve never heard of it done so. If I can be honest, I am not sure if coming here like this was a wise idea, Captain. If this was a meeting site, then we probably should have gotten in contact with whomever Sheng was speaking to before coming here. They might have left, or hid, when they saw us coming unannounced. I know I would have.”]
“I thought of that,” Liao answered, “but that doesn’t make much sense, either. I don’t think whoever it was would wait here for months while we…”
Her voice trailed off. Right in front of her, a thin metallic cone protruded about twenty centimetres from a small hump of sand at a forty-five degree angle, plain and nondescript like the pointed leg of a chair.
Liao called over her shoulder. “Found something over here!”
She crouched, reaching down to touch the sun-heated metal, wincing as it burned her fingers. Liao reached into her pocket, pulling out a napkin and using it to take a firmer hold of the device. Tugging on it, she was surprised when the sand fell away from the hump, revealing a dog-sized metallic spider that lay motionless, half buried in the sand.
Saara approached, then immediately grabbed Liao’s shoulder. Liao twisted her head,
Liao reached out and put her hand on Saara’s shoulder. “Well, I guess that makes you our official Karathi expert.”
The two of them returned their gaze to the sandy, barren planet, watching as the ship drew closer and closer.
Chapter IV
“ Castaway”
----
Near the wreckage of the Giralan
Surface of Karathi
“ It’s too fucking hot ,” Summer Rowe whined, kicking a clump of sand into the air, sweat pouring down her freckled face. “What the fuck am I doing here? I’m an engineer , not some fucking… fucking… sand walking-type person who… walks insand! Fuck!”
Although Summer’s complaining was grating Liao’s nerves, it was good to see her acting more like her old self. Liao grit her teeth. “The signal’s probably right next to us. Within a square kilometer, at least. Have a drink of water and see if you can find anything.”
The Broadsword gunship had deposited the landing party on the surface of the planet. Initially, it was Cheung and her Marines, Saara, Summer, and Kamal, but at the last minute Liao had insisted on taking Kamal’s spot, even though that was gravely against protocol. Liao justified it by reasoning that she was, aside from Saara, the best Toralii speaker they had. Being the captain, she was also in the best position to bargain with whomever they found at the signal’s origin point. It was both a display of force and respect.
Heavy iron deposits in the area prevented a completely accurate scan, and a flyover of the area had revealed nothing but the endless red-brown stretches of sand that covered almost the entire planet. With no other recourse available, they set down as near as they could to the signal’s origin point.
She and the Marines fanned out across the desert sands, leaving Rowe to sulk in the baking heat.
“Well, fine,then!” Summer shouted after Liao, who ignored her. “I guess I’ll just fuck around in the sand, wasting my talent and my life on some fucking stupid quest to find some transmitter that mightor might noteven fucking exist !”
Rowe began clomping around the desert, kicking up a flurry of red sand as she wandered over the nearby dune. Ignoring her, Liao turned her attention back to Saara and the Marines.
“Twenty meter dispersion, eyes low. If there’s an antenna or some other transmitting device, we might not have been able to see it from the sky.”
They broke off and Saara walked near Liao, the two of them combing their section of the sand. Liao called over to her, her voice echoing amongst the dunes. “What do you think, Saara? Do the Telvan usually hide their transmitters?”
[“I’ve never heard of it done so. If I can be honest, I am not sure if coming here like this was a wise idea, Captain. If this was a meeting site, then we probably should have gotten in contact with whomever Sheng was speaking to before coming here. They might have left, or hid, when they saw us coming unannounced. I know I would have.”]
“I thought of that,” Liao answered, “but that doesn’t make much sense, either. I don’t think whoever it was would wait here for months while we…”
Her voice trailed off. Right in front of her, a thin metallic cone protruded about twenty centimetres from a small hump of sand at a forty-five degree angle, plain and nondescript like the pointed leg of a chair.
Liao called over her shoulder. “Found something over here!”
She crouched, reaching down to touch the sun-heated metal, wincing as it burned her fingers. Liao reached into her pocket, pulling out a napkin and using it to take a firmer hold of the device. Tugging on it, she was surprised when the sand fell away from the hump, revealing a dog-sized metallic spider that lay motionless, half buried in the sand.
Saara approached, then immediately grabbed Liao’s shoulder. Liao twisted her head,
Similar Books
