SHU'KAN Read online

  ‘Mr. McConnel, we’re ready for you to come back in.’

  He painfully rose and went back into the small conference room. With the door shut, it was stifling hot.

  ‘We have everything we need, Mr. McConnel. We have an officer standing by with a Negrav Pod if you want to change your mind about going to the hospital?’

  ‘No. I think I’ll just go back to the Academy if you’ll drop me off there.’

  ‘Ok, if that’s what you want. We’ll contact you if we need anything else.’

  He rose and shook the officer’s hand. As he walked to the Police Pod, he thought of Bill. He didn’t take the news well.

  He settled into the back seat and closed his eyes. Bill undoubtedly was still angry. Campus security informed him that his father had been killed and they’d all gone back to the scene prior the police arriving. The young cadet was battered, but she was going to survive. As she was wheeled to the ambulance, Bill pulled him aside. He’d begged him to cover for his Father. –Wanted him to say he’d been killed trying to stop the real perpetrator. –That the real assailant had escaped and that he saw him fleeing the scene. –Said it was the least he could do for killing his father. There was no reason to kill his family reputation with him. He couldn’t do it. All he could think about was that poor girl and the justice she deserved. Bill coldly stared at him as his father’s body was rolled out of the garage. He’d never seen so much hate.

  The Negrav Pod floated to a stop and the officer let him out. He slowly walked up to his dormitory. He was tired and needed a shower.

  Whatever was going to happen would have to wait till tomorrow.

  The next morning, Kyle’s throat felt much better. Yesterday had been such a fiasco, he’d forgotten to eat. Hunger pains gripped his stomach forcing him to the chow hall. He walked through the large double-door entryway and stopped dead in his tracks. Everyone was looking at him. In the corner someone stood and started to clap. Then, one by one, everyone stood and clapped. He wasn’t sure how to react, so he just starting walking to the serving line. The cheers finally died down as he took his food to a table. He found a quiet corner and sat down to eat alone.

  ‘So, are you officially in the hero business now?’

  He looked up to see Rachel standing in front of him holding her own try of food. ‘Man, am I glad to see you,’ he said miserably. ‘Everyone thinks I’m some hero, but I killed Bill’s dad. Now he hates my guts because I turned witness against his father.’

  She looked at him sympathetically. ‘I know what you did was hard, Kyle. But, that young girl deserves justice. She may never recover –not mentally anyway- but at least she can heal knowing you told the truth.’

  ‘Yeah, maybe. But now I can’t find Bill and no one else has seen him since last night. How am I supposed to move on knowing that I killed my best friend’s father?’ He choked back his emotions and looked the other way. Neither of them said anything for a few moments.

  ‘There’s no easy answer here, Kyle, but you did the right thing. It’s just going to take some time. Bill must realize that deep down.’ She laid her hand gently on his. He could feel her warmth. They picked at the rest of their meals in silence.

  Annapolis had plenty of bars. It’d been a military town for centuries. Soldiers were good customers and frequented their favorite places. Some bars were full of dancers others were full of drinkers. Bill Prevost was a drinker, and Juicer’s Bar was his favorite.

  ‘Give me another one!’ he hollered. The bartender quietly filled his shot glass. ‘That traitor refused to help me,’ he told the bartender. ‘He’s ruined my life!’ He drooled a little and laughed at himself for a moment. ‘Guess I’m close to the night cap,’ he whispered. The room was going in and out of focus, and it was taking some concentration to stay on the stool.

  Where did Kyle get off riding the high horse on this one? For God’s sake he killed my father! Was it too much to ask that he not take my name down with him? I mean, the girl would be ok, right? Dad was never coming back!

  ‘Can I get you another drink, Squid?’

  He turned around to see who was talking to him. ‘Do I know you?’ he almost slurred again. She wasn’t half bad looking. Maybe he needed to know her.

  ‘No. But, you can call me Brianna.’

  ‘Brianna who?’

  ‘Just Brianna. –Look like you got something on your mind?’

  ‘Yeah. Something like that.’

  ‘Look. I’m not going to mince words here,’ she continued, ‘so let me be frank. I know who you are and what happened to your Father. I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m also here to talk about something else.’

  He studied her for a moment. He was sure he’d never met her before. His curiosity finally got the best of him. ‘What is it you want with me, Miss . . .?’

  ‘Brianna. I want to offer you a job.’

  He wasn’t expecting that one. In fact he hadn’t even thought that far ahead. He sipped his beer then chased it with Tequila. ‘Lady, I’ve been cooped up here at this academy for the past four years. What skills could I possibly have that can help you?’

  ‘I need someone in … relations. –And a little muscle doesn’t hurt.’ She eyed the shape of his forearm and wandered up to his broad shoulders. ‘You seem to be blessed in that area.’ She smiled alluringly.

  He blinked away the haze that threatened to overtake him. Even drunk, he could read between those lines. But, he needed a clear head to think about what she was offering. Somehow he suspected she wasn’t a banker.

  ‘I’ll think about it. How can I reach you?’

  ‘Here’s my number.’

  He took her card. It simply said ‘Brianna’ hand-written with a phone number on a plain card.

  ‘Besides,’ she continued, ‘your cab is here. I called for one. The fare is paid. He’ll take you anywhere you need to go. Sleep it off and call me. –We’ll talk more.’

  She walked away leaving him wondering what had just happened.

  He took her advice and got in the cab. Twenty minutes later he stumbled into a motel room. Kicking off his shoes, he’d already forgotten most of their conversation. He’d worry about it tomorrow. Right now, he just wanted to sleep.

  The next morning, Bill woke with a splitting hangover. Worse, he couldn’t remember coming to this motel. All he remembered was –Wait. Juicer’s. He drank himself silly then took a cab. –Right. The bar chick called him a cab. –Crap. That meant his Pod was still at Juicer’s.

  He stood slowly and stripped. Stumbling in the shower, he let the hot water and steam work the pain from his head. He suddenly thought of his father. Though they weren’t close, he loved him. He quietly grieved while his tears mixed with the water. It would be the last time he cried for his father. He wasn’t proud of what he’d done, but he was a good man. He’d served with honor and distinction. –Then one mistake. He deserved better. Kyle was going to pay.

  By the time his hangover had receded to bearable, he’d finished showering, gotten dressed, and was in a cab on his way back to the bar to get his Pod. He’d found the card Brianna gave him. It was time to see what exactly she wanted from him. Now that he wasn’t impaired, a job sounded good. This was as good a place to start as any.

  Two hours later, he sat impatiently in a corner restaurant waiting for Brianna to show up. She seemed curt when he called, but it didn’t matter. He’d find out soon enough where this job offer was going.

  His stomach heaved at the sight of the food on his plate. He tried to eat some, but could only pick at the food. It’d been a long time since he drank like that and he was paying for it.

  He was having second thoughts about leaving the Academy. He could probably go back. They’d reprimand him for being absent from duty, but with his father just being killed, they’d probably be lenient.

  ‘I hope you haven’t been waiting long.’

  He looked up to see Brianna standing beside him. She didn’t look as blurry this time. ‘No, I was just eating.’
/>   ‘-Doesn’t look like you’re eating much. –Hung over?’

  He didn’t answer. He just wished she’d sit down. Looking up was making his head hurt. She didn’t order anything and waited for the waitress to take his plate.

  ‘I’m a little surprised you called. You soldier boys are usually hard to separate from your sense of duty.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I’m just keeping my options open.’ He didn’t want her to know that he’d been considering returning before she arrived.

  ‘How do you feel about our new guests, the Shu’kan?’ she asked.

  ‘What? What does that got to do with anything?’

  She got up to leave.

  ‘Wait! I guess I’m not particularly fond of them being here. –Christ! What’s your problem!?’

  ‘She sat back down. ‘Mr. Prevost, I’m not here to play games. I need someone that has been trained in security and intelligence. Are you here to get more information or not?’

  ‘Yeah, I guess. –I mean, I am. –Look, you gotta understand I just lost my father. My heads all turned around.’ He was truthful about that at least.

  She backed off to consider the best approach. She needed leverage against the Shu’kan scientist. That leverage was her sister Tr’al. Her operative failed to capture her. –A failure that he paid for. Now, the little alien brat was on the run in the Jungle. There was no time to find someone who could be trusted that also had the training that she needed. Cadets were trained in Jungle warfare and escape and evasion. She needed him more than he knew. The fact that he knew the Admiral’s son was an added bonus. It was a card she could play if needed.

  ‘Mr. Prevost, what I need is someone with jungle training. I work for a private organization that is dedicated to preserving humanity. –It’s why I need to know your opinion about our new neighbors. A young Shu’kan female has escaped the settlement and fled into the Jungle. It’s come to our attention that she murdered two Earth Fleet security personnel.’ That was a complete exaggeration, but he didn’t know that. ‘We also believe that she has knowledge of a Shu’kan conspiracy to withhold their FTL capability while at the same time applying Earth’s Negrav technology to improve their ship drives. –You can see why this is important.’

  He chewed the inside of his cheek while he considered her offer. The possibility of going back to the Academy was slim and his future prospects at the moment were limited. Did he really have a choice? And if he could find a way to get back at Kyle, he’d take it.

  ‘Ok, Brianna. You’ve got me interested. What do I need to do next?’

  She smiled. He was hooked. At the least, he’d be a leveraging tool against the Admiral or his son if necessary. But if she was lucky, he’d actually catch the little alien twerp that escaped. ‘-Nothing. All you need to do is be at the airport tomorrow morning. I’ll have a private shuttle waiting for you at ten a.m. Make sure that you’re on time. You’ll be briefed in flight of exactly what your job will entail.’

  She left him with more questions than he’d gotten answered.

  He grabbed his coffee and moved to the counter-bar. A communication screen was mounted on the wall and a news stream was on. He’d have to get used to being able to Chip in to the Teranet now that he was no longer at the academy, but for now he was content to watch the display. The reporter seemed extremely excited and was reporting on something ground breaking. He chipped into the stream so that he could get volume and listened in.

  It is confirmed that the Hiver’s are again approaching Earth space. Earth Fleet has reported that all remaining ships in the Fleet are in route to intercept. However, our situation is grim, at best. Earth Fleet has more ships under construction at the Fleet Yard, than are mission capable. At this time, we are unsure of exactly what the Hiver’s motives are, but we will bring it to you as soon as we do. Again, if you are just tuning in, the Hiver’s have returned. Earth Fleet Command is….

  He sat in stunned disbelief. What he spent the last four years training for finally happened. He wasn’t quite sure how to react. Now he wouldn’t be part of any decision to defend Earth. His jaw hardened with anger. –Yet another part of his life ruined by Kyle McConnel. He was going to pay and pay dearly. –Assuming he survived the horror that was about to happen.

  She was again feeling at full strength. Because she had to leave part of her brood behind, she had to repeatedly imprint her instructions dozens of time on their primitive minds. It was a serious mental strain, but without her patient efforts, they’d simply break down in chaos while she was gone. With her will fully applied, they’d comply with her wishes for several days if need be. If she didn’t give them strong direction, they’d feed on each other till none were left standing.

  She opened her mind and extended her metal tentacles to every member of her brood that filled her ships high above the planet. Each of them dutifully acknowledged their queens presence. Here, in their minds, she felt power. She had absolute control. Because she shared all of their minds, she allowed them to feel each other. The effect was electric. They mentally pleaded for more, but she would not allow it. She wanted to act, and it was time to do so. She again reached into their minds commanding them to surround her ship in a protective bubble. In truth, she was only giving specific movement commands to one on each of her ships. She hand-selected one male for every ship and physically connected his mind to it. This gave her absolute command over every ship’s movements and weaponry. Thirty warships and two cultivator ships now completed an impenetrable sphere around her. She simultaneously controlled every ships drive and began the countdown to making the jump. Her destination was calculated and it was time to go. He target was decided –a large population concentration on one of the southern continents –then she could return with enough food and workers to stabilize the needs of her brood. She would break her attack once the harvester’s holds were full.

  Everything outside her ships shimmered and faded. Instantly her small armada was drifting between two different planets. She gave the command to attack the blue sphere that was the source of her food. It was time to announce her visit. No doubt, the species would again panic and resist, but she was reassured her casualties would be limited based on her last visit. She settled into the task of coordinating her ships. She would feast well today.

  Trying to remember the instructions she’d given him, he grabbed the scalpel and starting making an incision down the center of her chest. Her skin was thicker than he thought and kept sliding back and forth on the fluid. He started over again and pushed the blade deeper. This time fluid spurted out as she said it would. He was deep enough.

  He kept the blade at its current depth and slowly cut down the center of her chest. He had to pause to wipe the sweat from his eyes. He continued down past her ribs and into her belly. He paused again taking deep breaths. This was the most critical area since it was soft tissue. If he cut to deep, he could slice through her thin new skin and into her organs. He very slowly continued; stopping every inch or so to check for blood. Fluid good, blood bad, he recited to himself.

  It seemed like hours before he finally reached her pelvis. He turned the blade forty-five degrees and cut straight across each hip. Rolling her to each side, he then cut down the side of each leg. While working on the legs, he then cut from the top of her groin on the inside of each leg. Once he was finished, he turned her over and repeated a similar process down her back and arms.

  Cutting now finished, he took a break to sop up fluid that had soaked her bed. He hadn’t noticed, but his pants were also sopping wet. There wasn’t time to worry about it now.

  Starting from the back of her neck, he pushed his fingers under the thick skin. It felt warm and sticky. He straddled her back on his knees and positioned himself to pull. He gave a gentle pull and felt the fluid squish between his fingers.

  ‘This has got to be the grossest thing ever!’ he said out loud.

  He gave a harder pull and felt the skin give. He pulled again. –This time continuing the motion as the skin
worked free. It fell loosely in some places and required some effort in others. Most of the fluid had drained and now only a sticky stringy substance remained. He ignored it piling the freed skin beside the bed as he worked down the rest of her back. He then pulled the skin from her hips and legs.

  Turning her over, he started on the front. He pulled at her neck again feeling the same sticky stringy goo as before. He carefully navigated around her chest not wanting to hurt her. Her belly skin also came free easily. Grabbing the front of her hips he carefully removed the skin from around her then worked down the front of her legs.

  He sat at the bottom of her bed with an elbow propped on one knee. His clothes were soaked from fluid and sweat. He was exhausted. He looked at her carefully to see if she was still breathing. The slow steady rise and fall of her chest reassured him. On the floor, the pile of skin oozed with sticky residue but no blood. He sighed in relief.

  Taking his shirt off, he stood and lifted her in his arms. Her new skin glowed dark burgundy and was already turning black. She felt soft and warm. He carried her to the bathroom and held her as he sat on the edge of the tub. He ran warm water then gently lowered her in. The water was shallow, but deep enough to soak her new skin. It was supposed to help remove any residue.

  While she soaked, he cleaned up the mess and bagged her old skin for disposal. When he was finished, he returned to finish scrubbing her down. He finished then carried her to his bed. She wouldn’t be using hers any time soon. He stood over her for a moment admiring her new skin. It was almost totally black again. –As if she hadn’t even shed. He finally took a moment to look at her more objectively. She was strikingly beautiful. He glanced away feeling guilty for looking at her. He pulled a warm blanket over her and pushed her hair out of her eyes. He allowed his fingers to linger against her check for a moment. If they weren’t from different worlds, he could almost flirt with the idea that she could like him.