Shadows of Mars (Broken Stars Book 1) by I.O. Adler (best inspirational books .TXT) 📕

the designate pilot could formulate an operating room. But medical supplies will be troublesome to replicate. I could assist with my printer. But this will require input as to the makeup of appropriate medication.”

The option at least offered a sliver of hope. “Okay. Okay. Then we’re going. Take us back to the harvester.”

“Wait. There is another option.” She Who Waits paused as a yellow band rose through her mists. “The Cordice ship has a facility on its second ring which appears to suit our needs.”

It made sense. Hadn’t her mother and Hamish Townes both been brought on board after their rescue? If they had been hurt, then the Cordice had rendered them aid.

“Take us there.”

“I have not been invited on board and I am not permitted to interfere with negotiations.”

Carmen was trembling. “There’s nothing to negotiate. We did everything they asked us to do. It’s their fault this happened. My sister will die if you don’t lead us there.”

She Who Waits only hesitated for a moment before gliding into the hallway. A pair of drones appeared from the shuttle. The two floating bots darted ahead and moved to either side of Jenna. She wasn’t conscious. Barrett stepped back as the bots lifted her into the air as if with invisible hands. They began to move her down the hallway. Carmen hurried to follow.

CHIRP!

The Cordice bot was still there beneath the hatch. It once again began to bang on the metal.

“What does that thing want?” Barrett asked.

She Who Waits paused. “It is a security request. Friend or foe?”

“You said you’re a translator. Tell it we’re friends.”

The red light floating before She Who Waits pulsed once, emitting its own soft chirp. The banging only grew more intense.

“I have tried. I mentioned the Cordice are having issues of functionality. That unit is the designate caretaker, or what is left of him. The Cordice who are awake within their simulation have lost control. By my uninvited presence here, I’m also in breach of their trust. Their security scans will register me as an intruder. In a word, we are all trespassing.”

Carmen jogged to catch up with the bots as they made it to another chute leading down. “Let’s worry about it later. Are they taking her the right way?”

“Yes. But the concern over the caretaker shouldn’t be dismissed. There’s no reason it can’t open any of the hatchways leading to the medical facility.”

The hallway behind them remained empty. But the thought that at any moment the malfunctioning caretaker might come after them made her impatient as the drones inverted Jenna and guided her down the chute.

Carmen followed as fast as she could. “Hang in there, Jen. Just hold on. You’re going to make it. You’re going to be okay.”

She dropped onto the floor. This new space was identical to the first ring, with a low ceiling and an upward curved corridor. The drones had maneuvered Jenna down the chute and once again had her floating horizontally. Her sister was bleeding again. Blood leaked to the floor. The drones began racing off with their cargo between them.

The condition of the second ring didn’t seem much better than the first. Sections of floor and wall had been opened. Conduits and pipes were visible. A portion of the hallway sat in darkness and some of the hatchways stood open.

More of the moss grew in patches, some of it dangling from the ceiling like growths on an old tree.

She Who Waits had descended into the hallway and followed. Her skin was once again sparkling. Was that her interfacing with the Cordice network? If the translator could talk with the owners of the ship, then why couldn’t Carmen be allowed to speak with them?

Barrett groaned as he crashed down onto the floor behind them. He rose awkwardly and moved to catch up, but he paused to close every open door as they went.

The bots were bringing Jenna into a long room occupied with what looked like furniture covered in white plastic sheeting. The moss grew in large thin patches on the ceiling. Carmen went to the closest piece of equipment. The wrappings dissolved away when touched. She discovered a large cylinder not unlike the ones in the room where they had first encountered the caretaker. It reminded her of a coffin fixed with ports and outlets. The room had dozens of them.

“What do we do now?”

“With the caretaker not functioning, the Cordice designate chief biologist is unable to assist directly. Plus there are opposing opinions among them whether assistance should be given.”

“You mentioned that. Let me talk to them.”

“That isn’t possible. But their chief biologist is explaining how to provide designate Jenna Vincent assistance.”

“Do they have anything close to a doctor?”

Carmen didn’t receive an answer as She Who Waits’ attendant red light now pulsed in regular rhythms. If the alien translator was talking to someone, the communication remained silent.

The bots went into motion, maneuvering Jenna towards another of the covered cylinders.

Carmen hurried over and touched the sheet, which obliged by dripping away into a residue of evaporating foam. The cylinder lid popped up. The inside appeared to be little more than a metal tube. She tried to decipher a set of valves on one end but resisted the urge to touch any of them. The cylinder reminded her of a tanker trailer that might hold gasoline. The moss everywhere worried her. She ran her finger along the surface of the cylinder. At least it was clean and free from the growths.

Barrett stood nearby and watched, a grave expression on his face.

The drones lifted Jenna and placed her slowly into the tank.

“Be careful.”

But the little floating bots did their job and set Jenna down gently. They then moved out of the way and the lid began to close.

Carmen stopped the lid. “Wait. That’s