Close Encounters (15 page)

Nose in the air, I retired to my quarters to pout and work with the remote terminal. Unfortunately, its solar panels needed direct sunlight to stay charged, so I ended up outside, leaning back against the wall of my building. Which meant Thor was always in my line of sight.

When I realized I was staring at him again, and he was staring back, his gaze hot, I hastily lowered my eyes to the information projected in front of me. The original report from the exploration team was huge, and most of it I’d seen before. To save time, I’d had Max separate the parts that hadn’t appeared in the report we’d received. As I scrolled through them for the third time, I shook my head.

“This doesn’t make any sense, Max. Why would they leave out the metallurgic and mineral findings? They had to know we’d check those ourselves as soon as we arrived.”

“The readings for both are quite a bit higher than what’s normally found on a planet. Especially the iron, zinc, sodium and aluminum. There’s even a larger-than-usual amount of silicon dioxide. The planet is riddled with it.”

I chewed that over for a second. Silicon dioxide was a fancy term for quartz, and while quartz crystals were pretty, their abundance made them cheaper than dirt.

“What about the metals? Is there enough to make Orpheus Two a viable mining operation?”

“Not really.” Max sounded a little preoccupied. “It would be easier and more profitable to mine asteroids, where there are greater amounts of these metals and minerals, and less obstacles to overcome.”

I rubbed my forehead and scrolled further down the list. “Okay, what about the rays the sun is emitting? For a yellow star, there seems to be a pretty wide spectrum. More gamma, more beta, and way more ultraviolet. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was newly created. But that’s impossible. Everything I’ve seen on this planet indicates it’s been around a long time.”

“Instead of taking each fact separately, maybe we should be looking at them as a whole.”

“What do you mean?” I stretched to ease tight muscles in my back.

“You’re right about the sun. It is a relatively new star. I did an analysis when we first arrived.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It didn’t seem relevant to the mission.”

“Okay, so it’s a young star. What about the planet’s age?”

“It does appear older than its sun. The very diversity of plant life indicates a time span long enough for species to branch away from each other. Billions of cycles, instead of the millions the sun has existed.”

There was only one logical explanation. “So, the planet must have been a wanderer that was captured by this star’s gravitational field when it came too close.”

“Exactly.” We both ruminated a second before he spoke again. “Do you remember Messier 64?”

“The star system that resulted when two galaxies collided?”

“Yes. The collision left M64 with some rather bizarre internal motion. All of its stars are rotating in the usual clockwise manner, but it has a dark band of gas on its outer edge that rotates in the opposite direction. This is believed to be the remnants of the satellite galaxy that was destroyed when the two collided. And where the oppositely rotating gases meet, new stars are being formed.”

I raised my hand, palm up. “And this is important to us because…?”

“There are indications that a similar event occurred to the galaxy Orpheus is a part of.”

Brownie caught my attention for a second. He was talking and gesturing angrily at three other Buri he’d waylaid leaving the new building, but I was too caught up in this new theory to worry about it. “So, hypothetically, this planet could have been part of one of the galaxies, and lost its star in the collision. Then, when Orpheus was formed, it became part of the new solar system.”

“Can you imagine what the planet’s surface underwent when its star collided with another?”

I could, barely. It was nothing short of a miracle that even one seed or spore had survived. Anything above ground would have been incinerated instantly. “Horrific,” I responded.

“Which leads me to my next theory concerning what Dynatec may be after. Silicone dioxide is quartz. The minerals and metals found on Orpheus Two would make different-colored quartz. But more importantly, there’s a type of quartz that’s formed under intense heat and pressure. It’s called
coesite
, and it forms so quickly that it doesn’t have time to construct the usual crystal formation found in normal quartz. When you consider the extreme heat and pressure Orpheus Two was under, added to the radiation from the collision, what we may have here is a new type of quartz.”

He paused for a second. “It could also explain how some of the plant life survived. The first wave of the blast would have blown the atmosphere away and possibly driven seeds and spores deep into the ground or into caves. Then the heat would have liquefied the silicone dioxide, and there’s enough of it that most of the planet would have been covered. After the collision, with no atmosphere and no sun to heat it, the cooldown would have been fast. Then as the coesite quartz cooled and cracked, the seeds that were deeply buried and protected were released, and stayed dormant until the planet was captured by the Orpheus system’s sun.”

I straightened abruptly, a tingle of suppressed excitement quivering in my chest, and sent the image in front of me to the very end of the document.

And there it was, staring up at me from the information Max had gathered. Not one, but two crew members, both now deceased, had inventoried quartz samples on the manifest, neither of which was mentioned in the report Dynatec had sent Alien Affairs.

“Eureka!” I leaped to my feet and grabbed Junior, who had stuck to me like we were chemically bonded since I’d outrun him earlier that day. “I found it,” I yelled, bouncing on my toes.

He cast a rather desperate look in Thor’s direction, and I realized two things simultaneously. All the Buri were gaping at me, and I’d had no response from Max. To Junior’s obvious relief, I released him.

“Max?”

“Kiera, I think we have a problem.”

All my muscles went taut, my senses heightened to the point where I could detect Junior’s heart thumping away beneath his well-muscled chest. Max wasn’t an alarmist. If he thought we had a problem, we had one. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Frisk. He’s sneaking around your Quonset hut. I think he may have tried the back door of the living section.”

“Has he approached you?”

“Not yet, but he keeps looking in this direction. My static shields are up and the hatch is closed, so he can’t get near me. That’s not the problem. Crigo is stalking him, and he looks very serious. I don’t think he’s playing, Kiera.”

Adrenaline flooded my body. There were times when Crigo seemed to be endowed with psychic radar when it came to a human’s intentions. He didn’t disobey my orders often, but on the occasions he had, I’d always discovered later that he was right. And while I, personally, would be thrilled to get rid of Frisk, the boss would frown on turning him into prey before we discovered what Dynatec was up to.

Junior whimpered as I took off at a dead run, but I didn’t dare slow down. Foliage whipped by in a green-hued blur, leaves and branches reaching out to slap at me as my feet kicked up clods of damp vegetation from the jungle floor. “Can you stop him?”

“Not without chancing permanent neural damage. Rock cats are extremely sensitive to stunners. I could fire in front of him, but Frisk is armed. If I draw attention to Crigo, the captain might kill him.”

“If you have to stun anyone, stun Frisk. But wait until there’s no choice left.”

There was no need to tell Max I was on my way. He knew, so I saved my breath for running. Thank the Goddess I hadn’t changed back into a kechic. Even for a fast healer like me, charging through a jungle half naked is no fun.

The distance from my hut to the village usually took fifteen minutes at a normal walk. I made it in three, dodging trees and leaping over bushes in the twilight gloom beneath the canopy. From all around me came the frenzied clicking and whistles of dragon birds and other life forms, disturbed by my dash through their territory.

“Location,” I snapped as I neared the edge of the clearing.

“Frisk is to the left of the hut, center way, facing me. Crigo is at the edge of the jungle, five yards behind Frisk. The angle of attack will be northeast to southwest.”

“Cover Frisk. I’ll handle Crigo.”

The light gradually brightened without the leaves to block the sun’s last rays, and I spotted Crigo the instant I cleared the trees. He was crouched low to the ground, ears flattened and lips curled back to expose wicked-looking teeth. His powerful hindquarters were bunched, his intent amber gaze locked on Frisk.

My brain had just registered the scenario when he sprang. I went into overdrive and time slowed to a crawl as I launched myself at Crigo. His tightly muscled body expanded as he rose into the air. Reached with his front paws, claws visibly extended.

I slammed into him at the very apex of his leap, a mere second before he reached Frisk, the hot scent of pissed-off rock cat assailing my nostrils. Part of my consciousness noted Frisk turning, pulling out his laser. And then our momentum carried us into him, knocked the gun from his hand and sent it flying.

All three of us crashed into the side of the hut. I heard a loud crack, then time resumed its normal pace and I was busy trying to contain a spitting, snarling rock cat. It wasn’t easy, but at least he recognized me and retracted his claws.

When the dust cleared, Crigo and I were facing each other, his tail lashing in annoyance and frustration as he glared at me. I glared right back, hands on my hips as I drew in a deep cleansing breath. “Go cool off,” I told him. “I’ll handle it.”

With a final sneer in Frisk’s direction, he turned his back and started grooming his paws.

Frisk was climbing to his feet, so the crack I’d heard must not have been bone. I positioned myself between him and his laser before I spoke. “Want to explain what you’re doing sneaking around my hut?”

“Looking for you.” He dusted off his clothing, avoiding a wet spot on the pocket adorning his right leg.

“Oh?” I didn’t believe him for a minute. Unless he was a lot more stupid than I knew him to be, he was well aware that I now resided at the Buri village.

“Someone saw you here earlier. I thought maybe I’d catch you before you left.”

I crossed my arms. “Now, what could we possibly have to talk about, Frisk? I told you the day I arrived, you’ll have my report when I’ve concluded my investigation.”

“That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.” He glanced at Crigo and I could feel a combination of fear and anger erupt before he looked back at me. “Dynatec would like to buy your indenture from Alien Affairs. Our company is always looking for new talent, and you’re one of the best.”

My interest immediately skyrocketed. No one had ever tried to bribe me before. It proved how desperate Dynatec was to hang on to this planet. “You know Alien Affairs won’t sell a GEP’s indenture.”

“No, but they’ll let you buy your freedom.” He glanced nervously at Crigo. “Dynatec will provide the funds, and in return you’ll sign a contract to work for them until you pay the loan off. Plus, they’re willing to pay you a handsome salary above the cost of your indenture.”

“Is that how you acquired Redfield?”

His eyes narrowed. “Something similar.”

I pretended to think it over. A tactic like this could stall the investigation drastically. Alien Affairs would have to send another agent, and that someone would have to be brought up to snuff on what was happening. They also might not be as thorough as I was, especially since the two-month time limit that started the second I landed would still be in effect. Just to see how he’d react, I voiced part of my thoughts to Frisk.

“If a new agent is brought in, they’ll have to cover the same ground I’ve gone over, and do it faster. Remember, the time limit is nearly half over.”

“Dynatec is willing to accept a slight delay while a new agent is briefed,” he responded.

I just bet they were. And while they waited, maybe they could kill off a few more Buri. “Max, are you monitoring his vital signs?”

“Yes.”

Good. It was time for a little digging. “Sorry, Frisk, but I’m not interested. I like my job. It can be real exciting. Why, in the next few days, I’m going to be doing all kinds of mining. Never know what you’ll find on a new planet.”

“His blood pressure just spiked,” Max whispered in my ear.

Bingo. I was definitely on the right track.

“I thought your job was to investigate the Buri.” He did his best to keep his expression clear, but his eyes gave him away. He was worried.

“Oh, it is. But if the Buri aren’t dying out, we’ll need to know what types of resources they have available for future Federation trade.”

“You don’t really believe the Buri are going to survive, do you?” He started to put his hands in his pockets, changed his mind, and propped them on his hips. “Come on, Smith. There are only a handful of them left, and only one child.”

“Funny thing about that.” I bared my teeth in a smile.

“One of the females is pregnant, and I can’t find a single reason, medically speaking, why they shouldn’t continue to procreate very nicely. Is there something you’d like to share with me as to why you don’t think they will?”

“I’m no scientist. But just because a female is pregnant doesn’t mean she’ll have a viable infant.”

“Kiera,” Max spoke softly. “There is a seventy-six percent probability that the liquid staining Frisk’s leg is a fast-acting poison.”

A chill went through me. If someone really wanted to do me in stealthily, a fast-acting poison was the way to go. Even my souped-up body couldn’t work quickly enough to save me from its effects. Slip it into the cafftea reservoir on my food preparation unit, and it would be over before I knew what hit me. Which explained why Frisk had tried my door, and why Crigo had disobeyed my orders. Guess I owed the cat an apology. Again.

I gestured toward his pants. “Looks like you had an accident.”

He looked down as though he’d only then noticed the wet spot. “Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. When Redfield found out I was coming to speak with you, he asked me to bring you a sample of some weird plant he’s been studying. Guess it broke when I hit your hut. I better get back to our camp and change. No telling what was in the stuff.” He lowered his hands. “Keep our offer in mind, Smith. It could be the best career move you’ve ever made.”