Читать книгу Adventures of Space Cadets 101: Invasions - Darryl Wright - Страница 8

Deana was giving the morning meeting. Austen stood next to her for support. JR was in the lounge standing by the exit. That way he could leave first. He had never gone to a meeting before, although he had enjoyed the musical before the killings. He thought that there was a lot of eye-candy in these meetings. He also was hoping to embarrass his brother if the opportunity arose.

Acting Captain Deana was explaining to both crews about the attack on both the One-Oh-One and the attack on Captain Derek, although he was out of danger by then. She explained that she would be trading places with Commander Hawkins again indefinitely, and JR started clapping. This in turn started slow-clapping from the crews for some reason. Deana just let it go; she knew why they clapped.

She wanted to know why she had to trade places with the commander, but she realized it was to satisfy Austen - and JR. This wasn’t JR’s ship; he wasn’t even a cadet. He was just a suspicious ass whose request was granted by Captain Austen. Every time she got close to the man she loved, she had to start all over from square one.

All of the ladies were paying close attention to what Deana was saying. They all knew she was hurting, but they also clapped with JR. Deana waited till it quieted down, and then she went into more detail about SSSaa’s missing bodyguard and the alien’s second attempt at kidnapping Kirk.

To keep up the charade explaining JR's presence on the One-Oh-One, she told them about "Doctor" Houston’s static electricity both times the Skinnies attacked, and that he had used a special drug to keep him and his brother conscious and immune to whatever they used to knock everybody else out. “It may be some kind of field they use, so I want a team of engineers working on it to see if they can break that field next time, or block it. Captain Austen took the doctor's drug himself to see the aliens invade, but he wasn’t able to tell what kind of technology they used for their portals or their stun field. They show up real good on our cameras when they're dead, so let’s hope they’re not camera shy." That got a few laughs from the crew. Even JR laughed.

She continued, “Our ally ship wasn’t attacked because Kirk wasn’t on that ship, but our Lizardian friends say that the enemy is still flying close to us. I need all departments working on this. I know some of you are worried about Captain Derek’s condition, and Captain Austen and I want you to know he is healthy and well, but no visitors please.”

She walked over to where Kirk was sitting and put her arms around him as Qworn scooted way over to get away from her. She said, “Please do not volunteer for B.B.G. assignment because that is not an option. Remember Captain Derek's telling us to never give up hope, and please let’s not let them get away with our Kirk.”

Kirk grabbed her arms as they went around him and held them tight. There were all those geniuses on the ship, so Deana knew they’d come up with something. She looked to Austen to see if he wanted to add any final words but he didn’t. She looked around the lounge and ordered everybody dismissed, but everybody stayed to come up with ideas.

SSSaa had been trying to talk to his ship, but it remained silent. He thought, So you are quiet, huh? Fine, I will send my crew and the star-drive to the Earth ship, and we will die together.

He was about to call his new second over when the ship said in his mind, I need you. I wouldn’t let you or yours die. Why do you not trust me?

The captain said in his mind, You would let Special Cursed Captain die, and you didn’t prevent my Second from being taken aboard bad ship. SSSaa and the Centurion, who also shared a link with the ship, thought Deana was cursed because of her abilities which were similar to the powers of the Centurions. SSSaa was getting mad and impatient. He kept repeating, "Why, why, why?"

The Centurion at the heart of the ship said, "She is an abomination and she should die!"

He had picked Deana to go with the eight worm-hunters to rescue the Queen, even though both the Centurion and Deana knew the Queen was already dead. However, this particular Centurion was almost a good guy, which was very different from most Centurions. He didn't believe in abducting humans for slaves or experiments. He had rescued SSSaa a year earlier from his Centurion brothers and had asked the Lizardian captain to help with the rescue of more than 400 human abductees. He also had given SSSaa the ship he was on after the previous owner died from fighting the Centurions. The previous captain was the one that had documented the Houston captains because they seemed promising for first contact.

SSSaa said in his mind, Last chance for mission. Protect both ships.

He heard, I will. There, they are gone now. The flying saucers disappeared outside the two ships.

The Oners had come up with several ideas before Qworn explained that his father had sent a message that the saucers were gone. Austen wanted Qworn to elaborate, but Qworn couldn’t. He had no idea why the Skinnies had left, and his dad never explained anything to him. He did not know that what the humans called Skinnies were Centurions. Besides SSSaa would not have told him or anyone else about them.

In preparation for taking on the aliens again, Will and Kirk finally came up with some more passwords, but only a few. Qworn’s English came along pretty good over the next few weeks. It was a shame the only translator had been pulled into a portal.

SSSaa had a new Second, and JR had released Derek from the infirmary two weeks after the attack.

Deana filled in for Derek as captain, and she accepted the fact she was to stay away from Derek, mainly because of JR. She would just wait until Earth. She had done it before, and she would endure it again for as long as she could, but she wouldn’t give up!

The lizards took tours on the human’s ship. Right then Austen and the kids were on the alien’s ship looking out their windows at an unusual sight. Qworn explained what they were looking at. “They are called crystalline ants; they go from place to place devouring everything in sight. They could wipe out a planet, but my dad and I have never heard of it happening yet. Though we are safe and cloaked, we will have to be quiet and shut down all nonessentials. It would be wise for your ship to do the same." Qworn said all this through Kirk’s lap-top. Kirk was in shock that anything could live in space. He had never heard of such a thing, ever.

Austen went to his ship and ordered the same thing done as all the cadets held their breath until they were far away from the ants.