Passage by Thorby Rudbek

Author:Thorby Rudbek [Rudbek, Thorby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780987767417
Publisher: Planet Citizen Books
Published: 2014-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Belief in a ‘fool-proof’ plan is only proof that fools also plan – Shoonan

The early morning sunshine, skimming over the horizon, created pockets of warmer air and rippling currents, bending the light haphazardly. This wavering sunrise found Kirrina’s face and played on her eyelids, causing an irritating optical effect that she had never-before experienced, which brought her rapidly out of the cocooning silk of sleep. She sat up and stared around at the strangely empty room until her memory of the previous day returned like a relapse into a malarial haze. This caused a shudder to shake her from head to foot, and she found it difficult to breathe. In an effort to clear her mind, she staggered into the Pool Room and floated, staring at the clear, blue-grey sky overhead and trying to avoid any consideration of the constant fear that she would find Richard dead when she went down to the Medic room.

Five minutes later, after dressing in neutral grey to avoid any outward expression of her feelings, Kirrina took a deep breath and entered the Life Support Facility in the Spaceways building. There, just to one side, was the coffin-like container that now held Richard’s body. She hurried over to the console and found three tiny green lights glowing feebly on the edging. The message on the front panel indicated that minimal life-support functions had been established. Kirrina sank slowly to the floor and stared at the display, her feelings building up inside her, too intense initially for expression. Finally, the tears flowed, and she sobbed her relief into the hard, unyielding surface.

Eventually, the emotions subsided and Kirrina got wearily back on her feet. Remembering the alien, she walked over and checked his equipment panel. Indications were that the major organ wounds had already stopped bleeding.

“Just about indestructible,” she muttered out loud, vaguely irritated with the information. She turned away, wandered into the vacant hangar and climbed into her Seagull, still sitting near the entrance, where she had haphazardly parked the Aircar, the previous night. Minutes later, Kirrina arrived at the hangar where the Patrol Ship was stored; she slowed Seagull’s flight until it hung motionless in the air by the terminal where Richard had received his near-deadly wounds, and opened the door cautiously. Climbing out, she ducked over to the computer, activated the screen and asked for access. The display lit up with a warning concerning two non-Arshonnan weapons in the area, and she realised with a sinking feeling that the alien laser rifle that Richard had been carrying was probably the reason for the otherwise inexplicable attack.

It was my fault… I told him to take the rifle. Kirrina’s hand came down on the edge of the console with a crash of frustration, anger and guilt. She shook her head in an unconscious effort to clear away the emotional outburst, then repeated her request.

Access was denied.

Suddenly sure of herself, Kirrina walked the few paces to Ed Baynes’ gun and reached down for it. It would

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