Gunslinger to the Stars by Joe Vasicek

Author:Joe Vasicek [Vasicek, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Adventure, Aliens, contact, Exploration, guns, Humor, near future, privateer, Romance, Science Fiction, Currently Published
Amazon: B06XFJX7S6
Published: 2017-05-18T11:00:00+00:00

Out of the Alien Frying Pan Analog

I woke in a bed with a cold compress on my forehead. Jane sat at the bedside.

“Am… am I in heaven?”

“Not yet,” she answered. “You’re on the Silver Diadem, in the sickbay.”

I reached for her. “Are you real?”

She smiled and let me touch her face. It was really her.

“What happened?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Of course, with Tarak’s help, I don’t have to. He already told me about your duel with the Kratzni.”

“Ah.” My hand fell back to the bed.

“Here, drink this.”

She raised a bottle to my lips. I sucked on the straw and got a mouthful of something sweet and immensely satisfying.

“You’re still dehydrated, but you’re recovering well. If we hadn’t found you when we did, though, you’d be dead.”

“Perhaps,” I answered between gulps.

“No, you’d definitely be dead. So, I guess this makes us even.”

I gave her a puzzled look.

“You saved me once from the Kratzni back at the Oasis. I saved you from being stranded by them in the desert. That makes us even.”

“How did you find me?”

She sighed. “When Mike came back after your raid on the Guardians, he figured you were dead. I didn’t believe him, and neither did Tarak. It was only with his help that I was able to find you when we did.”

I finished the bottle and nodded. For saving my life, I supposed I could forgive the Myadian for reading my mind. But only once.

“You need your rest,” she said, rising to her feet. “Before I go, I want to give you something.”

“What?”

She placed a small device into my hand, about the size of my thumbnail.

“This is a locator device. It’s quantum-entangled with mine, so there’s no risk that anyone else will pick up the signal.”

She held up a second device, which was identical on all accounts.

“How does it work?”

“Plug it into your wrist console. If something happens, switch it on, and it will send me an alert. So long as we’re both plugged in, the interface will always show where we are in relation to each other, even if we’re off the network or out of comm range.”

“Why are you giving me this?”

“Because when Mike said you were dead, I just about panicked. I don’t want to go through that again.”

I grinned. “Why Jane, I didn’t know you cared so much about me.”

Her cheeks turned bright red. “Hey, we’ve got to look out for each other, right? We’re the only other humans this side of the galaxy.”

“Of course.” Though it was obvious even to me that there was more to her concern.

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