Outer Universe: Inner Universe: Book 2 by Natalie Kelda

Author:Natalie Kelda [Kelda, Natalie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-16T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Merlon glared at Ola sitting across from him. With a measure of restraint, he closed the logbooks and swiped them into the top drawer on his desk.

When he shifted his boots and chair, something squeaked, and a fat mouse took off across the floor. It almost got stuck before vanishing through a gap in the wall panelling by the hatch. Merlon reminded himself to ask Karl to fix that hole.

Ola leaned forward. “I’m nut suggesting we fly in blind, but my scanner can tell if there are lots of tech still ticking away at the research station. I could use some new parts to get the computer back up running and—”

“We’re not going anywhere close enough to pick up anything. The dragons warned us about your people. If they hadn’t saved us from an asteroid field and then pointed us towards water, I’d have been less trusting of them, but I’m not endangering my entire crew so you can get some Outer Universe thing to work.” Merlon stood, hoping that would signal the end of it.

Ola had been at it for six days. Ever since they passed that black egg-shaped ship. Merlon’s main concern was whether they would even make it to the station in time to meet the dragons or find Trackers since the dragons had said they tended to pass by the station regularly.

Ola got up as well, but he shook his head. “Even if there are people there still, they’d be able to read me chip.” He tapped his lower arm. “And they’d know I worked there before I…” he hesitated. “Before I crashed.”

“Why did you crash?”

Ola took a deep breath and blew it out again straight away. That was the strangest thing about him. He couldn’t hold his breath more than a minute, if that much. Merlon had never met anyone with such bad lungs.

“It’s a long story I’d rather nut stir. It was me own fault is all you need knowing. Point is, it’s nut just me computer that needs parts from there. We’re almost out of Lena’s anxiety meds. They’re all as keeps her together.”

Merlon’s teeth ground together. “We have calming herbs for anxiety too.”

“Yes, I have been analysing them, absolutely fascinating. It looks like regular plant DNA at first but there’s something else in the genome I’ve never seen before. I’ll need my computer and microscope fully functioning when we arrive in Amule if I’m to analyse fresh plant matter to determine if those new genes are what’s causing the rapid plant growth Lena told me about.”

Merlon stared at Ola. When would he learn that Merlon had no interest whatsoever in whatever in the star-cursed universe he was on about?

Ola didn’t pay attention. His eyes were shining with excitement. “It’s too bad I’d never be able to publish me findings to Outer Universe journals. Having apples or mangos going from flower to harvestable in six weeks would revolutionise our ability to colonise new planets. Imagine! The quarantine planets might nut even starve so much as to constantly rebel against the earth patrols.

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