Stolen Worlds (The Harry Irons Trilogy), Page 2

  In a short time, she made visual contact with the ship. Docking procedures went without a hitch and in the zero gravity she easily carried Harry to the sickbay. Once there, she hooked him up to the blood-filtering system and allowed the computer to monitor his progress.

  Afterwards, she settled into the navigator's seat within the ship's control center and made preparations to leave the star system. When she completed lying in the navigational coordinates, she turned the entire process over to the computer, allowing it to make the final calculations before initiating the burn that would take them to the wormhole. A monitor displayed Harry's semi-comatose form. His status hadn't changed.

  While the systems ran their routines, Kathleen turned to the task that normally occupied her free time. She sat before a viewing screen and selected portions of neighboring space for analysis. The computer accepted each slice of data and compared the positions of the celestial bodies with that of the system she had spent years searching for.

  Harry didn't like to be bothered with it anymore. It was all in the past and the chances of running into Fagen and Blane were all but zero. Still, Kathleen wouldn't let it go. Everywhere the Corporation sent them, she looked for signs. She monitored as many subspace frequencies as the computer would allow and each time they popped out of the wormhole, the first thing she did was check the nearest star systems for one matching that of the Bedoran system. She knew the odds against finding what she looked for. Harry had told her. It didn't make her stop looking, but it did make her quit talking about it.

  As usual, each slice came back with a negative result. She turned away from the screen to check the progress of the navigation's initialization. The sequence was nearly complete. In a few minutes, they would be ready to start the homeward leg of their journey.

  Kathleen was ready to get back to Earth. Harry needed more medical expertise than she could give. Beyond that, she needed a vacation. Perhaps a skiing trip to the Alps. None of that virtual reality stuff for her. Unlike most of the human population of Earth, she still liked the real thing.

  A soft tone sounded. "Navigational calculation and initialization complete," intoned the computer.

  The ship was prepared for departure. Kathleen nodded in satisfaction and reached to stop her celestial analysis routine. She glanced at the screen and suddenly held her breath. The computer had found a match. With a pounding heart, she re-ran the analysis. The results were the same, revealing a nearby star system that matched that of the lost Bedoran system. The locale was correct. It was in the constellation of Carina, half a dozen light-years from Miaplacidus, the star system where on her first mission, fifteen years before, she, Harry, and Blane had journeyed with the infamous Edward Fagen.

  Now, after years of searching, she had found it. It had happened so unexpectedly, it was startling.

  A voice came from behind. "Everything under control?"

  She spun about and looked at Harry. "You're up," she said with surprise. "How do you feel?"

  He rubbed his face and cleared his throat. "Okay, I guess. Got a headache, but that's all. I keep smelling that thing. Do you smell it?"

  Kathleen shook her head.

  "Well, I sure do. What happened?"

  Kathleen told him about killing the kitzloc and afterwards dragging him from the chamber. Harry sat at the pilot's position and looked over the instruments.

  "Maybe you'd better take it easy until we get back."

  "I'm all right. Too bad we couldn't bring the kitzloc corpse back with us. The Corporation would be interested in having one of those things to dissect. It's been seven or eight years since anyone has been close to one."

  Both Kathleen and Harry knew well the history of Mirabel. After a hundred years of terra-forming and attempted colonization, the settlers had given up on the planet. After too many deaths, insanity broke out among the survivors. It wasn't until years later that the insanity was attributed to the kitzlocs. Somehow, through a connection made by the pheromones they gave off, the creatures were able to invade the brains of their victims. Most often, insanity followed. It wasn't known whether the connection was made by a virus or simply by the mixing of chemicals that created new structures in the human brain. In any case, that was practically the extent of mankind's knowledge about the kitzloc. The aliens had turned out to be so dangerous, the conglomerate of corporations that had financed the entire colonial project decided to partially shut down the settlements. Scientific missions were sent to gather data on the creatures. They too encountered problems. The third and last mission succeeded in bringing back a portion of the kitzloc essence. Its properties were so unique and so mysterious that naturally the scientists wanted more. They thought they might be able to synthesize it.

  It was rumored controlled doses could give a person something that approximated telepathy. Additionally, Harry and Kathleen had heard other rumors that the kitzloc were sentient. Most people said otherwise.

  "I have some news for you."

  "Oh?"

  "Brace yourself."

  Harry looked at her, expecting to hear something bad.

  "I think I found the Bedoran system."

  "You're kidding."

  "See for yourself."

  Harry slid over to the navigations console and looked at the celestial analysis report. For a long moment, he studied the chart and the accompanying statistics. Finally, he leaned back in his acceleration chair. "It matches," he said.

  "Hell yes, it matches. And it's close enough for us to make a flyby, that is, if you're feeling up to it." She looked at her partner closely. "You don't look so hot."

  "I feel okay, just a little groggy, that's all."

  Kathleen said nothing but continued to stare.

  "I'm not crazy, if that's what you're wondering. At least, no more than I was before."

  "Well, you're the mission commander. What do you want to do?"

  Harry didn't hesitate. "Lay in the new coordinates. Let's have a look-see."

  "Shouldn't we talk about this first?"

  "We just did, didn't we?"

  "Look, while you were out, I gave you a bioscan. Other than the typical swollen head, you checked out okay. Still, I'm no doctor. You need a full-blown catscan, and more tests. Harry, you've had an encounter with a kitzloc, some kind of cerebral shock. That's no small matter."

  "You killed it, didn't you?"

  "Well yeah, but it had time to infect you. You breathed the air, the oil..."

  Harry waved her off. "I know, I know. But the thing's dead. It can't do anything to me now."

  "We don't know that. This has never happened to anybody before."

  "There're lots of accounts of people being infected."

  "Yes, and they all died after going insane."

  "You know as well as I that the insanity is caused by a living host. My host died, or so you said."

  "It's dead, all right. I guarantee it."

  "Well, I feel fine, and I say we check out the new plot."

  Kathleen nodded. "All right. I want to go as badly as you, but you'd better tell me if you start feeling, well, you know, weird or something."

  For the first time since they'd landed on Mirabel, Harry smiled. "That's a deal."

  His head still ached, but he didn't want to alarm Kathleen. For a moment, he looked at her from a perspective other than his own. He knew who she was, but she looked faintly alien. Vestiges of the kitzloc bounced around inside his mind, gradually receding as he concentrated on the instruments. There was a sense of change within him, something that was part of him that shouldn't be there. Something uniquely alien.

  Chapter 2

  Nineteen hours later, the starship passed into the Bedoran system. Three planets occupied orbital positions that fell well within the boundaries for oxygen-breathing life. Harry studied the numbers for the outermost planet and surmised it was too cold for the Bedorans. The second looked to be the most likely candidate. It was slightly smaller than Earth and had an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Closest to the star, th
e third planet appeared to be dead, a burned-out cinder, victim of solar conflagration.

  Adjusting the long range telescope, Harry concentrated on the second planet. Like Earth, it was partially obscured by clouds. At places between the clouds, brilliant blues and greens bore testimony to seas and forests. There was little doubt the planet harbored life. But more importantly, after fifteen years of searching, he was certain they'd found the Bedorans' home planet.

  Would his old friends, Fagen and Blane, be there? Harry doubted it. It had been too many years. Chances were the two weren't even alive. If they were, it would be a surprise to everybody, and not exactly a pleasant one. After Fagen and Blane stole the alien spacecraft, the Braithwaite Corporation put a bounty on their heads. If Harry ran across either of the men, he was bound by Corporation regulations to arrest them and return them to Earth for trial. If it came to that, Harry was just as certain there would be problems with Kathleen.

  She'd stopped talking about it, but Harry knew she missed Blane. And why not? For years, she lived in direct communication with Blane through their neural implants. After Blane went away with Fagen, Kathleen had a hard time of it. Sort of like drug withdrawal. Harry reminded himself that she had chosen to remain with him, not Blane.

  Kathleen entered the control room and Harry pivoted in his chair. "Have a good rest?"

  She stretched. Her lithe body had changed little over the years, she still looked as good as she did when they first met, maybe better. She hadn't lost a step either, nor an ounce of curiosity. She still liked to be in the thick of things and Harry had stopped trying to make her change.

  "Mm, yeah. Slept like a rock." She maneuvered into a chair beside Harry, looking at him closely. "How are you feeling?"

  "Fine, no problems."

  "Headache? Fatigue?"

  "Nope." Harry looked away. "Want to see where we're headed?"

  "Sure." She bent to the 'scope and took a look. "It's beautiful. As lovely as Mia Culpa."

  Harry glanced at her. "Been thinking about Blane again?"

  She shrugged. "Not really. Well, maybe a little. It's been a long time, I wonder if he and Fagen are down there."

  Harry's head buzzed and he stared into space for a long moment.

  "Harry? Are you all right?"

  He nodded. "Yes, I was just thinking, I don't believe you have to worry. They're not there."

  "How do you know?"

  Harry shrugged. "Call it intuition."

  She chuckled, a sound Harry hadn't heard for some time. "I'm glad it's just you and me on this mission. It's almost like old times."

  Harry saw that his hands were shaking. He turned away from Kathleen so she wouldn't see.

  "Harry, look at me."

  Harry stuck his hands in his pockets and faced her.

  "I know we haven't been getting along so well lately..."

  "We get along fine."

  "As long as we're out on a mission, that's true, but when we get back to Earth, you'll go your way and I'll go mine. We won't talk to each other until we receive our new mission assignments. I miss you... sometimes."

  Harry shrugged. "You would have it otherwise?"

  Kathleen remained silent.

  "If I recall correctly," continued Harry, "you're the one who wanted a divorce."

  She shrugged. "Nobody stays married anymore. Heck, hardly anybody gets married anymore. There are so many opportunities..."

  "I know, I know, we've been through all this before."

  Kathleen stared at him. "We have a few hours until we can start to pick out details. I'll set up orbital trajectories. Why don't you get some rest?"

  Harry's head buzzed. He didn't argue. Perhaps a nap would clear things. "I'll be in quarters, then. Wake me before any maneuvers." With that, he left the control room. Harry felt her gaze upon his back as he exited.

  Once in his rack, Harry tried to sleep, but he was restless and kept thinking about the kitzloc. Without trying, he could see the creature as it stood over him, slime dripping onto his face. Whatever the kitzloc had done to him, Harry was far from certain it was over. Wisps of alien memory passed through his thoughts, barely breaking the surface of his consciousness. When he seemed about to grasp one, his head hurt and the thought slipped away. He stopped trying to make sense of the impressions and the aching in his head abated. Forcing himself to relax, he finally dozed. In his dreams, new images arose, disturbing impressions taken from experiences not entirely his own and yet faintly familiar. After a while, the dreams passed and Harry slept soundly.

  A klaxon sounded. In his sleep, Harry wondered why someone didn't turn off the obtrusive sound. It roused him and he opened his eyes, briefly wondering where he was before realizing there was a problem. He quickly unstrapped himself and felt a tremor pass through the ship. Kathleen's voice came over the ship's intercom.

  "Harry? Better get up here quick. We've got a problem."

  "On my way." He pulled himself out of the bunk and gripped a stanchion. His head no longer ached, but there was something else, a growing sense that tugged at his thoughts. In his mind's eye, he saw Fagen's ship, the alien spacecraft that Fagen and Blane had commandeered. It hovered over a landscape dominated by lush, green vegetation. In the next moment, the vision was gone and Harry was again alone in his quarters aboard the star cruiser. Shaking his head and thinking it was the remnants of a dream, he pulled on a regulation work tunic and made his way to the bridge.

  Kathleen was issuing instructions to the computer.

  "What's going on? Did we get hit?"

  Kathleen didn't look up. "Yeah. I'm sealing off the damaged areas."

  Harry jumped to a vacant terminal and shut off the alarms one by one. He called up the systems monitoring program and asked about the extent of the damage.

  The computer responded immediately. "There is a hole measuring .375 millimeters passing through multiple drive sections. Circumference of the hole is growing due to decompression forces. Additionally, control line 9B has been damaged. Suggest immediate shutdown and departure to appropriate dry dock facilities."

  Harry stared at the rows of blinking red lights. Dry dock was certainly out of the question. From the statistics being displayed, they didn't have a chance of repairing the damage on their own. The navigations board showed a trajectory that came dangerously close to the cold, outermost planet. Without a course correction in the next few minutes, they risked burning up in the outer atmosphere. Quickly running through the calculations, Harry guessed they had something like twenty minutes before the fires started.

  Kathleen shot him a glance. "I don't think we can contain this, Harry."

  "Well," Harry said, looking at the clock on his console, "there's no time to think about it. I say we bail. Grab the pressure suits and meet me in the shuttle."

  "Oh, man, I can't believe this!" She unbuckled herself and did as she was told. Kathleen was well-trained and all business. Harry had never been with anyone better in a tight spot. Years ago, it dawned on him that her ability to quickly focus on a problem was one of her greatest talents. The Corporation recognized it long before Harry did and still considered her one of their most experienced and valued mission specialists. Harry didn't need to remind himself how lucky he was to have her. He watched Kathleen's shapely behind as she floated out. She still made him feel good in all the old ways. For a moment, he wished things between them could be more like they once were.

  Turning back to the business at hand, Harry switched on the standard emergency messaging system. A pre-recorded, digitized message automatically started broadcasting over the sub-space transmitters, repeating itself every fifteen seconds.

  On his way to the shuttle bay, a sudden explosion shook the bulkheads. Air began to flow and he realized the hull was breached. He hurried on even as another explosion came from somewhere in the aft section.

  The shuttle squatted in the hanger bay like an over-sized beetle. The hatch opened as Harry approached and he glanced up to the pilot's window. Kathleen motione
d for him to hurry.

  As he strapped in, she sparked the engines and decompressed. The hanger bay doors opened slowly as shifts in the superstructure put pressure on the runners. The doors finally ground to a halt, not quite fully open.

  "I don't know," said Kathleen, looking through the window of the cockpit, "it's going to be a tight fit. Shall I blow the doors?"

  "Hang on, looks like enough clearance to me." Harry pushed on the retro control and the shuttle began to back out of the ship. "Hang on."

  Kathleen's eyes grew large as the shuttle's stubby wings drew closer to the hanger bay doors. "We're not going to make it!"

  Harry looked out the window. "Of course we're going to make it."

  As the tips of the wings inched closer to the doors, Kathleen turned away. "I can't look."

  The wingtips cleared the sides by centimeters and the shuttle slipped free.

  "Oh ye of little faith," said Harry.

  "Are we out yet?"

  "Positive separation."

  Kathleen breathed a sigh of relief. The shuttle moved outside the ship and floated free from the ship. Through the canopy, she could see the ice planet far below. Harry guided the shuttle away from the cruiser. By the time the shuttle began to skip into the atmosphere, the star cruiser was a flaming ball falling towards the white surface of the planet.

  "There goes our ride."

  "Don't worry, the subspace messages will be picked up by the relay buoys and given a boost. The system works, Kath'. It has for several years now."

  "I wouldn't know. Never had to use it myself."

  "Yeah, but we could have used it once, couldn't we?" Harry was startled when he realized what he'd said. He'd brought up Mia Culpa and that meant he'd brought up Fagen and Blane. Again. "Anyway," he said quickly, "it'll work. They'll find us." He squinted at his instrument panel. "The shuttle beacon is working fine. Shoot, they'll fly straight to us."