Europa Nightmare by Wayne Faust

Author:Wayne Faust
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0-9741619-3-4
Publisher: Mad Cow Press
Published: 2017-04-14T00:00:00+00:00

32

SS John W Campbell Jr

Aaron and Gugu heard the shrieking sound from somewhere far above their heads. In Aaron’s imagination, it sounded like a pterodactyl, fighting a battle in some misty, prehistoric swamp. Even from far away, the sound poured ice water down his backbone. “What is that?” he asked.

“It’s a Gek monster,” answered Gugu. “That’s the sound they make just before they attack. But I didn’t think there was anyone else on board this ship. So who is it attacking?”

“Maybe they’re attacking each other?” asked Aaron hopefully.

“We should be so lucky.”

“So what should we do? Maybe it’s one of your crew members.”

She shook her head. “I told you. All of them are dead. I saw the bodies. Besides, this is a huge ship and that sounded really far away. Way too far to get there in time.”

“But what if it’s Erik?”

Gugu pursed her lips. “If what you told me is true, there’s nothing we can do for your friend now.”

Aaron felt his heart sink. The main reason he had piloted the cutter away from Trollslända was to come here and rescue Erik. But now he seemed to be involved in something much bigger.

They had pulled up to the entrance of one of hundreds of cargo bays on the huge freighter. In this part of the ship, recessed, blue safety lights were still working. Gugu turned off her flashlight. She pointed to the cargo bay. “There’s the ore we picked up on Titan.”

Aaron looked into the hold. Chunks of dull, purplish-grey Bryantonium ore was piled from deck to overhead, a familiar sight from his days working on Europa. Ever since it had been discovered by an American ship fifty years ago on Ceres, and named after a science-fiction writer from the last century, Bryantonium had become the most valuable metal in the solar system, used on virtually every hull on every spaceship. It was lighter than aluminum and stronger than diamonds and geologists weren’t even sure why. There was something mysterious about its structure at the subatomic level. But when it was found on more dwarf planets and asteroids, it became indispensible to the solar system’s economy. There was an ancient saying on Earth that said, “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.” These days, that could be modified to say, “If you find a better metal, the whole solar system will line up to fill your bank accounts.”

“Look at it closely,” said Gugu. She handed him her flashlight.

Aaron switched it on and pointed it at the pile of ore. In the bright, white beam, he could more clearly see the characteristic flecks of violet that had given the ore its nickname of ‘Purple Gold.’ He’d seen it plenty of times when inspecting and taxing cargo holds of ships passing through Europa on the way to the inner planets. But this was different. “What is that?” he asked, instinctively backing away and bumping into the far wall of the corridor. The ore seemed to be moving, as if, instead of solid rock, it was infused with some sort of thick mucous.

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