Hounded on Predator Planet by Vicky L. Holt

Author:Vicky L. Holt [Vicky L. Holt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Victory Sci-Fi Romance
Published: 2024-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

36

Pattee

With Raxthezana patrolling the perimeter, the rest of us enjoyed a moment of quiet around the campfire.

Hivelt had found me a long, sturdy branch, and we worked it together, starting from each end. I held it up to test its balance.

“This is good,” I said.

“Allow me,” he said and tested it himself. “Ik. I knew it would suit you.”

We resumed whittling the bark off and smoothing its surface with rough stone we’d scavenged from a streambed.

“Tell me of this mother ship you hailed from,” Naraxthel asked from out of the blue. His question seemed directed to the air between Esra and I.

She and I exchanged glances. She nodded to me; her mouth full of sister bread.

“The Lucidity was a Corporate Science Escort Class fleet ship,” I said, my knife slowing as I tried to remember the ship’s lines and angles. “Esra and I … and Amity … were all housed in the women’s barracks. Along with dozens of other women. Being a Science Escort Class, its main mission was transporting the scientists and engineers employed by IGMC to their next job site.”

Esra had swallowed her bite. “We were headed to Kerberos 90, a moon said to have promising minerals that IGMC could mine and sell.”

“What is this IGMC?” Hivelt asked.

“Inter Galactic Mining Conglomerate,” I said, a curling piece of soft bark falling off the staff.

“Conglomerate means a whole lot of individual operations headed under one governing body,” Esra offered. “Mm, like your Ikma, I suppose. She governs the hunters and the healers, but she doesn’t set foot on this planet or practice the healing arts, right?”

Naraxthel and Hivelt nodded.

“The fleet ships travel together,” I said. “There were cargo ships, a small battalion of guard speeders, and then the, uh, the Mining Ship.”

As if by silent consent, Esra and I both stayed quiet for several minutes. I couldn’t speak for Esra, but my mind played over the massive tools of destruction the Mining Ship employed once it secured its space elevator planet side. It never bothered me before, but tonight, thoughts of its potential to devour the planet we lived on made me grimace and fidget.

I cleared my throat and continued.

“IGMC travels between galaxies, scouting uninhabitable planets and mining them for precious resources. Usually, metals or minerals. Sometimes water, sometimes organic materials.” I risked a glance toward Naraxthel and saw him frown as he picked at a piece of sister bread.

“How does the IGMC define uninhabitable?” he said and met Esra’s gaze before looking at me again.

Quirking my mouth, I puzzled over my answer. I had no choice but to tell the truth.

“In the simplest terms, if a planet hasn’t been charted or claimed by any of the Interplanetary Unification of Races representatives, and has not been used to support sentient life, then it would be considered uninhabitable.”

Hivelt grunted before he spoke. “Even if it was overrun by animals and insects? All manner of living things?”

My face burned and when I snuck a peek at Esra, I could see her cheeks had reddened as well.

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