of a sudden, her situation seemed inconsequential. The injustice of her own pathetic lack of choices had consumed her, but the universe held tragedies much more profound. Here she was, running from her duty to maintain the propagation of her own species, when another race lay dying with no offspring.
“That’s it, Aries. You’re free.”
Striker’s words barely registered. Aries rubbed her wrist absentmindedly, still staring at the glistening eggs on the screen. The camera hadn’t moved in several minutes. Perhaps the alien had placed it down by the eggs.
“Aries?”
She blinked back tears. How could she tell him the vision made her seem small and selfish? She shook her head, unable to speak.
Striker’s voice was soft and emotional. “I’m sorry. I thought it would answer your questions, but instead it upset you.”
“How long has this ship been stranded?”
Striker shrugged. “The bodies of the pilot and crew were mummified by the desert when I found the craft. The span of time could have been centuries, or millennia. I’m not sure.”
“So that’s it? That’s the end of their race?”
“Maybe they found a planet where the eggs could hatch,” Striker answered, as if he’d already thought the question through. “Maybe this ship is the only one that didn’t make it.”
“Or maybe it was their last hope.”
He surprised her by taking her hand. “Come on. I’ve got to show you what the belly of the ship holds.”
Chapter Six
Incubator
“What is it, Lieutenant?”
Barliss slipped the engagement ring in his pocket and turned back to Smith with a frown. “It’s nothing. Ugly bastards, that’s all.”
If they had sufficient evidence of Aries’ death, the commander would call off the mission. Barliss wasn’t ready to come to terms with the fact she might get her way, even if that meant dying to avoid their ceremony, and he might never get revenge. This ring wasn’t true evidence of her death. From what he knew of her test scores and reasoning skills, Aries wasn’t an impulsive gambler. She would have planned ahead and come prepared. Heck, knowing now what kind of deception she was capable of, she might have sweet-talked these stupid lizard men into being her slaves.
Barliss promised himself he’d find her, dead or alive. He couldn’t sleep at night, not knowing if she’d outsmarted him or perished of her own accord. He wasn’t going to leave this filthy sand hole without her, even if it meant he had to drive his rescue team harder than they’d ever been driven before.
A wail erupted over the dunes like the high-pitched screech of the hovercraft’s engines in overdrive. Except the planet had no technological devices. This noise had to be creature-made.
“Come on, Skyman. We’ve got to get going.”
The pilot in the hovercraft looked up, only now realizing their search party had encountered native life-forms. Barliss curbed the urge to give him the finger before waving him over. He settled for a curt signal. The vessel’s engines revved and it sped toward them.
Barliss grabbed Smith’s arm and yanked him up. No one was going to die while he was on duty, not even a bleeding heart like Smith. He wanted the commander to see spectacular reports. Nothing else.
“What about the other metal readings, sir?”
Barliss silently cursed the man’s lack of battle instincts. “We need to go back for reinforcements. Stronger weaponry. There’s no telling what monstrosity made that sound.”
As the hovercraft pulled alongside them, the ground burst open and the land vomited grit. A worm the size of a building broke through, raining sand on their shoulders, nearly burying Smith in the process.
“Come on.” Barliss dragged Smith to the craft, hefting him up to the rim and throwing his feet over. As the worm swung its head down, he jumped, dodging the assault. Behind him, Langston fired a laser at its throat. The beast screeched again, whether in frustration or pain, Barliss didn’t
“That’s it, Aries. You’re free.”
Striker’s words barely registered. Aries rubbed her wrist absentmindedly, still staring at the glistening eggs on the screen. The camera hadn’t moved in several minutes. Perhaps the alien had placed it down by the eggs.
“Aries?”
She blinked back tears. How could she tell him the vision made her seem small and selfish? She shook her head, unable to speak.
Striker’s voice was soft and emotional. “I’m sorry. I thought it would answer your questions, but instead it upset you.”
“How long has this ship been stranded?”
Striker shrugged. “The bodies of the pilot and crew were mummified by the desert when I found the craft. The span of time could have been centuries, or millennia. I’m not sure.”
“So that’s it? That’s the end of their race?”
“Maybe they found a planet where the eggs could hatch,” Striker answered, as if he’d already thought the question through. “Maybe this ship is the only one that didn’t make it.”
“Or maybe it was their last hope.”
He surprised her by taking her hand. “Come on. I’ve got to show you what the belly of the ship holds.”
Chapter Six
Incubator
“What is it, Lieutenant?”
Barliss slipped the engagement ring in his pocket and turned back to Smith with a frown. “It’s nothing. Ugly bastards, that’s all.”
If they had sufficient evidence of Aries’ death, the commander would call off the mission. Barliss wasn’t ready to come to terms with the fact she might get her way, even if that meant dying to avoid their ceremony, and he might never get revenge. This ring wasn’t true evidence of her death. From what he knew of her test scores and reasoning skills, Aries wasn’t an impulsive gambler. She would have planned ahead and come prepared. Heck, knowing now what kind of deception she was capable of, she might have sweet-talked these stupid lizard men into being her slaves.
Barliss promised himself he’d find her, dead or alive. He couldn’t sleep at night, not knowing if she’d outsmarted him or perished of her own accord. He wasn’t going to leave this filthy sand hole without her, even if it meant he had to drive his rescue team harder than they’d ever been driven before.
A wail erupted over the dunes like the high-pitched screech of the hovercraft’s engines in overdrive. Except the planet had no technological devices. This noise had to be creature-made.
“Come on, Skyman. We’ve got to get going.”
The pilot in the hovercraft looked up, only now realizing their search party had encountered native life-forms. Barliss curbed the urge to give him the finger before waving him over. He settled for a curt signal. The vessel’s engines revved and it sped toward them.
Barliss grabbed Smith’s arm and yanked him up. No one was going to die while he was on duty, not even a bleeding heart like Smith. He wanted the commander to see spectacular reports. Nothing else.
“What about the other metal readings, sir?”
Barliss silently cursed the man’s lack of battle instincts. “We need to go back for reinforcements. Stronger weaponry. There’s no telling what monstrosity made that sound.”
As the hovercraft pulled alongside them, the ground burst open and the land vomited grit. A worm the size of a building broke through, raining sand on their shoulders, nearly burying Smith in the process.
“Come on.” Barliss dragged Smith to the craft, hefting him up to the rim and throwing his feet over. As the worm swung its head down, he jumped, dodging the assault. Behind him, Langston fired a laser at its throat. The beast screeched again, whether in frustration or pain, Barliss didn’t
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