A Clash of Aliens (The Human Chronicles Book 13) by T.R. Harris Page B
Authors: T.R. Harris
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Gift to locate her body? The presence should become stronger the closer we get.”
“If we can get there soon enough!” Riyad jumped to his feet. “Everyone to the bridge, everyone except Sherri.”
********
Minutes later, Sherri was laid out on the couch in the common room, the lights dim and a comm line placed around her head.
“Can you hear me, Sherri?” Riyad asked from the pilot’s seat on the bridge.
“Loud and clear.”
“Good. Now relax and focus on the itch—on the signal. I’m going to make minor course corrections. You let me know if it gets stronger or weaker.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
Riyad veered the Najmah Fayd to the right, moving through the asteroid belt at just under ten thousand miles per hour.
“It’s getting a little weaker.”
“Okay, I’m heading back the other way.”
A few second later: “Yeah, that’s better, a little stronger…no, now weaker.”
“Making progress,” Riyad announced. “I’m getting a heading.”
“It’s steady, maybe a little stronger. Now it’s falling off again.”
“Coming to starboard.”
“That’s better. I think it’s getting stronger.”
“There’s a huge asteroid dead ahead, about half the size of the Moon.”
“Signal’s steady, a little stronger. Hurry, Riyad.”
“That has to be it. She probably landed there and the local gravity kept her body from being sucked up by the Juirean ships. Almost there.”
The Najmah Fayd began a low pass over the surface of the craggy gray ball of rock. There were high mountains and countless craters, all cast in the stark light of the nearby star.
“Signal’s strong, but now a little weaker. Back up.”
Riyad spun the ship around.
“I detect metal on the surface,” Benefis reported from the nav station. A flashing circle appeared on the screen along the forward bulkhead.
“How’s the signal?”
“Steady. You would expect it to be getting stronger.”
“Perhaps the body is freezing through more thoroughly,” Benefis offered.
Riyad looked to the silent Arieel Bol and saw her blanch. “We’ll get there in time. I promise.”
“I have a visual,” said Benefis.
Riyad could see it, too—a clump of twisted metal, a section of a hull, along with strings of wires and conduit. Riyad dropped the ship to the surface with a jolt.
“Sherri, use your thing to lock out the ship’s controls once we’re outside.”
He looked at the huge Juirean. “Sorry, but we don’t have a spacesuit that will fit you, and I’m not about to leave you alone in my ship without taking precautions.”
“I would do the same, although I believe I deserve an explanation about the strange abilities some of you exhibit.”
“You’re on. But first things first. Arieel, Sherri, into spacesuits.”
********
The planetoid had gravity—weak, but it was there—yet the dust thrown up from the landing still lingered. By the time Riyad, Sherri, and Arieel left the ship, the dust cloud was only about four feet thick, which was odd. Riyad could barely see his feet, yet his head was above the cloud with a clear view to the debris from the Pegasus II . Tiny air jets on the shoulders of their suits kept them in contact with the surface of the asteroid.
Arieel tripped over something and fell, disappearing into the dust cloud.
“I am okay.” She suddenly popped back up.
The further they moved from the ship, the clearer their path became, and soon they were rummaging through the wreckage, looking for the frozen body of Lila Bol.
“Can you help us, Sherri?” Arieel asked out of desperation.
“The signal is strong no matter what direction I move. She’s here…somewhere.”
“Over here! I think I have something.”
The two females rushed to where Riyad was lifting away a large section of hull, incredibly light in the microgravity of the asteroid.
And there was Lila.
Sherri took hold of Arieel and pulled her away. The Formilian resisted, but couldn’t break away from the Human’s
“If we can get there soon enough!” Riyad jumped to his feet. “Everyone to the bridge, everyone except Sherri.”
********
Minutes later, Sherri was laid out on the couch in the common room, the lights dim and a comm line placed around her head.
“Can you hear me, Sherri?” Riyad asked from the pilot’s seat on the bridge.
“Loud and clear.”
“Good. Now relax and focus on the itch—on the signal. I’m going to make minor course corrections. You let me know if it gets stronger or weaker.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
Riyad veered the Najmah Fayd to the right, moving through the asteroid belt at just under ten thousand miles per hour.
“It’s getting a little weaker.”
“Okay, I’m heading back the other way.”
A few second later: “Yeah, that’s better, a little stronger…no, now weaker.”
“Making progress,” Riyad announced. “I’m getting a heading.”
“It’s steady, maybe a little stronger. Now it’s falling off again.”
“Coming to starboard.”
“That’s better. I think it’s getting stronger.”
“There’s a huge asteroid dead ahead, about half the size of the Moon.”
“Signal’s steady, a little stronger. Hurry, Riyad.”
“That has to be it. She probably landed there and the local gravity kept her body from being sucked up by the Juirean ships. Almost there.”
The Najmah Fayd began a low pass over the surface of the craggy gray ball of rock. There were high mountains and countless craters, all cast in the stark light of the nearby star.
“Signal’s strong, but now a little weaker. Back up.”
Riyad spun the ship around.
“I detect metal on the surface,” Benefis reported from the nav station. A flashing circle appeared on the screen along the forward bulkhead.
“How’s the signal?”
“Steady. You would expect it to be getting stronger.”
“Perhaps the body is freezing through more thoroughly,” Benefis offered.
Riyad looked to the silent Arieel Bol and saw her blanch. “We’ll get there in time. I promise.”
“I have a visual,” said Benefis.
Riyad could see it, too—a clump of twisted metal, a section of a hull, along with strings of wires and conduit. Riyad dropped the ship to the surface with a jolt.
“Sherri, use your thing to lock out the ship’s controls once we’re outside.”
He looked at the huge Juirean. “Sorry, but we don’t have a spacesuit that will fit you, and I’m not about to leave you alone in my ship without taking precautions.”
“I would do the same, although I believe I deserve an explanation about the strange abilities some of you exhibit.”
“You’re on. But first things first. Arieel, Sherri, into spacesuits.”
********
The planetoid had gravity—weak, but it was there—yet the dust thrown up from the landing still lingered. By the time Riyad, Sherri, and Arieel left the ship, the dust cloud was only about four feet thick, which was odd. Riyad could barely see his feet, yet his head was above the cloud with a clear view to the debris from the Pegasus II . Tiny air jets on the shoulders of their suits kept them in contact with the surface of the asteroid.
Arieel tripped over something and fell, disappearing into the dust cloud.
“I am okay.” She suddenly popped back up.
The further they moved from the ship, the clearer their path became, and soon they were rummaging through the wreckage, looking for the frozen body of Lila Bol.
“Can you help us, Sherri?” Arieel asked out of desperation.
“The signal is strong no matter what direction I move. She’s here…somewhere.”
“Over here! I think I have something.”
The two females rushed to where Riyad was lifting away a large section of hull, incredibly light in the microgravity of the asteroid.
And there was Lila.
Sherri took hold of Arieel and pulled her away. The Formilian resisted, but couldn’t break away from the Human’s
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