Читать книгу Adventures of Space Cadets 101: Invasions - Darryl Wright - Страница 5

Kirk moved out of the captain’s chair and sat next to SSSaa's son Qworn in the empty seat. Qworn was really freaked out over the entire incident. Instead of Kirk explaining what had happened, which he couldn’t really, because Qworn already thought that women in space were bad luck, it seemed that Qworn was explaining it to Will, “Bad luck, very bad. Whole ship cursed with this much bad luck. Qworn will never make it home safely! Never see Mother again. We are all going to die!”

There is a little more than just a language barrier between humans and Qworn's people who are lizard bipeds from another galaxy. However, Qworn had done something to Kirk's laptop so he could communicate with the humans. The young lizard alien had been around for a while, so he had picked up English pretty well … for an alien.

Will Cooper was translating for the alien through Kirk’s lap top. Kirk was trying to calm Qworn down, and told him that every now and then women just break down; it was OK. Kirk didn’t understand women at all, but he needed to calm his new alien friend.

Will was only a teenager who, like Derek’s son, had already gone through college. He was probably just as smart as Kirk too, but he had virtually no social skills, for he was on the shy side. Before the adventures on the One-Oh-One, Will worked at Kirk’s company. He wasn’t like a partner, but he had many patents. He made the company wealthier and therefore was paid handsomely. Kirk had hired him not because he was intelligent, but because he didn’t want to be the only teenager at Houston Inc. - Kirk's company.

Will was a clean cut boy, unlike Kirk whose hair was a bit long like everyone in his family. His was short, in a military fashion. He was always in a turtle-neck and pants that were too short for his long legs, but he didn’t look like that now. He wore the same spacesuit that everybody else wore and fit in nicely.

As she entered the bridge, Kim just rolled her eyes as Will translated Qworn's response, “Women in space not OK.”

JR opened Derek’s door a little to peak in, and it looked like he was out like a light. Kim must’ve not woken him up during Deana's wave, he thought. When he closed the door Derek opened his eyes to see if anyone was there but nobody was. He was having a hard time staying asleep. He decided he'd try it one more time. He had never had that problem before.

JR went to check the other hallway. He knew there were a couple of cadets who were female and would be up on the shift that might be there, so he was almost done. He had to go into a couple of rooms and slap patches on a couple of naked females. He did enjoy some of the perks to his job! At least he didn’t put any patches in areas that would make the women mad.

JR was the eldest Houston. He was selfish, greedy and also a bully. He was not on the original list of passengers on the One-Oh-One shuttle voyage. The captains took their brother onboard with them at the last second right before the launch - not just because he was family, but also because he was wanted by the law for charges nobody really wanted to go into. He was wanted dead or alive, but he was the closest thing the cadets had to a doctor onboard the 101.

Austen wasn’t about to let his female cadets go off shift. They were going to try harder to fight Deana’s wave because he needed them at their posts, no exceptions! They would have to endure it because they were in space, and because Austen didn’t want to have to explain any of it to Derek. Omissions and lies he wanted to avoid. He could see it then, “Oh the women? Well I let them all take vacation. Why do you ask?”

Austen wouldn’t be able to lie. If it came down to it, brother to brother, captain to captain, he would have to tell his brother the truth and lose him forever. “Deana has strong powers since you took her cherry and proposed to her, but instead of your marrying her, you decided to have an accident and lose your memory. And oh yeah, you died because of her. Did I mention she affected the entire station and our new ship? So memory notwithstanding, I was more concerned for the ship and its crew until I could safely bring them home! Only then, will I dance at your wedding ... except we aren’t going home now!” As Austen had all that plunging through his brain, he developed a migraine.

Austen was standing by Deana’s bed in the infirmary as Lita was swearing that she was fit to return to comm. duty. However JR wanted to keep her a bit more for observation. Austen was spaced-out standing in place thinking, when someone grabbed his hand. He crossed the rift back to reality and looked at his hand. Deana was holding it, but he was pretty sure she was in La-La land. He doubted that there were cures for the subconscious.

He squeezed her hand, and she said in his mind, I was in control until the eggs, Captain, and then her suicide was too much for me to handle. Austen didn’t say or think anything, because he knew JR had a hard time dealing with Deana, and he was a little worried for her health. He’d put nothing by JR.

Deana said in his mind, Just think it, Captain, and I can hear you.

Austen thought, So you actually heard my mental breakdown just before you took my hand?

She replied, Yes and you do not have to feel guilty. You were right; I was selfish and I’m sorry. Don’t worry about me.

Austen heard that in his mind as if they were talking and thought back to her, I’ll tell Derek some story as to why you’re in here, and everyone on the ship will play their part, so you just get some sleep. Derek will be up in a little bit; I’ll take care of it.”

She said in his mind that he was going to have to come up with a story for SSSaa too.

Austen said in his mind, Yeah, a story on how we know where the Queen is, and not bring up the fact that she is already dead.

Deana replied, Sell the idea of using the extra star-drive to just blow the alien ship up, and send them back to hell whence they came.

Austen said aloud, “OK Lita, go back to your station. Derek will be here soon." Lita got up and left to go back to the bridge. Austen laid Deana’s hand back on her body and then bent over and kissed her on her forehead.

JR said, “Damn, Bubba, I don’t want any gypsy witchcraft in my room.”

Austen told him to grow up and get over it, and that Deana was on their side. Besides, she and her powers were out cold.

JR was alone, and Austen closed the door on his way out. Deana couldn’t help herself; she slowly started to levitate off the bed by a couple of feet. She only did that because JR had been staring at her since Austen left. They never did get along, those two. When JR first met her in Tampa, Florida, he had asked her out on a date, but she had refused him. Ever since then he had referred to her as the "Bitch," and she always referred to him as the "Ass." JR was getting spooked, and he wondered how Austen knew Derek was coming to the bridge. He gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes towards her as she floated over her bed. He said, “Screw this!” and he left the room. She slowly went back down to the infirmary bed.

Austen was putting on a show. “What is that, Will? You picked up some kind of signal from a rogue moon nearby? Great, tell Qworn to tell his father, and Kirk, relay the conversation that I just had with Will.”

Will was lost and his face showed it. Kirk knew his uncle didn’t do anything without a reason, so he did what he was ordered. Sometimes his uncle explained things and sometimes he didn’t. He was a captain after all.

Qworn opened the hatch as Austen looked around to make sure everything was OK. When he saw Will’s confused look on his face, he decided to take him with him so Derek wouldn’t ask him any questions, like, "Will, are you OK?" or "What’s wrong?"

Qworn, Kirk, Will and the captain entered Qworn’s ship, but the kids weren’t in a hurry. Austen said, “Quicker would be better, Cadets! Now move it!” Kirk asked who had the comm. and Austen said, “If you must know, I didn’t leave anyone in charge, so when your dad shows up he’ll have to stay there. It is, after all, his shift, and he is the captain. Any more questions?”

When they entered the dark bridge, Austen had everyone stand in front of Captain SSSaa. Austen noticed that the body guard’s eyes were almost closed for some reason, but made no comment.

Kirk was telling Qworn what to say to his dad. Will was in awe of the new ship. SSSaa said something to one of his crew, and that lizard stood up quickly and shook his head no for some reason. Austen thought he knew why.

The two lizards were getting into an argument that brought the body guard around the captain to stand in the middle of the two. SSSaa never seemed to show any emotion. He had closed his eyes, and Austen thought that he was talking to his ship then.

Austen thought, Great, the ship is going to catch me in a lie because Deana was the one who knew where that ship was, and SSSaa’s ship knew this. When he was much younger Captain Austen had thought space was simply just space.

SSSaa’s eyes opened and he hissed some orders at the helms lizard. He pointed his finger at Austen, and then at the comm. lizard. That lizard gave the humans and Qworn a mean look and then sat back down. As soon as he did, the body guard took a step forward, and slapped the back of his head.

Qworn laughed and explained, “My father was upset that a young earthling caught a glimpse of a signal from the alien ship, and his well-trained radio master had missed it. Of course the radio master said that the earthling must be lying, because if there were a signal he would’ve picked it up. Everything is all right now, and my father will forgo killing the radio master this time. I think he is my cousin, so I’m glad Father won’t put him down.”

Kirk said, “And I thought my captains were tough!”

Austen felt a little guilty about the lie, and he was glad no one had to die, or he would have come clean.

Qworn said, “We are headed to the moon now. We have no information about this alien ship, but we know our weapons can’t hurt the antibodies. We know that they can walk through walls." Will recited everything Qworn had just said for his father.

Austen thought it was weird hearing an alien say "alien ship." He said, “We need a plan.”

Qworn said to his father to ask the ship for a plan. SSSaa’s eyes opened, and as he told Qworn the plan, he relayed it to Kirk who in turn told Austen. The ship had said, “All eight worms will forfeit their lives, but if they make it out alive with the Queen then they will be worm hunters. One from Earth ship will go with eight.”

Austen was just about to volunteer when Kirk said, “Kester.”

Austen said, “No way in hell! Here’s what we do. We take that derelict ship, set the star drive for overload, and ram it up that alien ship!” Everything became quiet for a moment. Austen knew SSSaa's ship just wanted to get Deana out of the way.

The Queen was dead, and Austen wasn’t going to sacrifice Deana. Derek would kill him. He noticed that everybody was staring at him, but he didn’t care, and that was that! Finally, Qworn told Kirk that his father agreed with Captain Austen.