Orta by Frank Carey

Author:Frank Carey [Carey, Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Space opera
ISBN: 9781944946425
Amazon: B075NTS8T7
Barnesnoble: B075NTS8T7
Publisher: Frank Carey
Published: 2017-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gabe materialized inside a room identical to the one he left. A closed hatch stood about twelve feet away from the edge of the platform.

"Nat, do you copy? This is Gabe, over."

"This is Nat. I copy, over."

"According to my diagnostics, I've arrived in one piece, over."

"Well, then I must me losing my touch, over."

"You must be. So, how do things look?"

"The same as when you left except that I got the planetary defense system to set the weapons to standby and activate the planetary force field. At least the station is safe for a bit."

"OK, care to explain what the hell is going on?"

"What if I say I can't?"

"Then I save the day, then go home and take your name off the family Christmas mailing list."

"I'm on your family Christmas mailing list?"

"Not now, but when I get home, I'll put it on, then immediately take it off. Our newsletters are the stuff of legend."

She sighed. "From your reaction when I woke up, I take it you know the legend of the fire demons."

He walked over to the hatch and ran a scan. He was surprised to find an Earth-normal environment both in the room he was in and the building beyond the hatch. "Yeah, Dr. Blyst told me after the unveiling of the Old New York exhibit. Does she know that you are a fire demon?"

"No. By the way, it's not just me."

"I see. I take it all of your kind are fire demons and not fuzzy, happy energy beings? "

"Fuzzy? Really?"

"Sorry. So, what am I fixing?"

"A planet spanning, life force generator. By the way, this isn't really a planet."

"Then what is it? A big moon?"

"A space station. The people of Orta are hiding from the pain and suffering we caused millennia ago."

He opened the door a crack and saw the corridor clear, so he formed a gun, then went to human form. "Does this have something to do with the three-nearby systems Dr. Blyst mentioned?"

"Yeah... Those planets were our hunting grounds."

"Ouch." He stepped out into the corridor. "I'm in the corridor. Which way do I go?"

"Left. In a hundred feet, you will find a stairwell. Go down to the next level and make a right."

"Copy that." He scanned the area, but found no threats. "So, what happened?"

"We got arrogant, and our prey got smart. All three planets were on the verge of extinction when they launched an all-out attack against our home world. Wiped the damn thing from the face of the galaxy."

He made his way to the top of the stairway. "Yet you and the rest of your species seem to be here, or am I helping a ghost?"

"This space station was used to explore other systems. It and its crew was on a mission when the planet blew. I'm descended from a group of pacifist scientists who happened to be at the right place at the right time."

"OK. Where do the fuzzy Ortas fit into the picture?" After a quick scan, he walked down to the next level.

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