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

hard as if it was suddenly winded. Its face loomed as it leaned close. With a nudge it could bowl her over. If it attacked, it would crush her. The soft pops from its throat sounded like suppressed belches.

The red light winked. “You pilot the harvester.”

The Primary Executive had responded. But Carmen wasn’t sure if it was a question.

Carmen hated that her voice was shaking. “The harvester belongs to the Cordice. But we returned it. My conditions are reasonable—”

The Executive bellowed. The explosion of sound made her stagger back. She raised a hand as if to ward off a blow. From the light came the translation.

Laughter.

The worm was laughing at her.

“I find you amusing. I would hear what you and your kind have to offer. If your outpost on the fourth world is any indication, you have no meaningful technology and your resources are little more than a pittance. May the stars shine mercifully upon you after we leave.”

It barked something and the red light blinked off. It then blurted out what might have been a command. The Cordice chirped a reply but the last translation light also vanished. Carmen had no way to know what had just been said. The Primary Executive slid out of the audience chamber. The guards prevented Carmen from following.

She Who Waits glided closer. The red light had returned and preceded her. “This negotiation is at an end.”

“Yeah, I caught that,” Carmen said with a tremor in her voice. She knew that the Melded leader hadn’t put it that politely.

But then the translator added in a whisper before departing, “And the guards were also ordered to keep you humans here.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Four Arms and Green Eye wouldn’t let her leave.

Carmen watched as they guarded the door. Four Arms was staring at her. He was tall and lights were visible beneath his helmet. The illuminated parts of his face looked skeletal and his eyes were pits. Meanwhile Green Eye was busy with a virtual display that had popped up before him from an unseen device on one of his metal arms.

“How long are we going to be held here?”

Four Arms flinched as if she had spat at him. Green Eye ignored her.

Barrett took her by the elbow and led her to the box machine that had projected the hologram and sat her down. “Just stop. You keep taking risks which could have bigger consequences than you can imagine. Stop talking to them. Stop doing anything.”

“But we have to do something.”

“No, we don’t. And waiting is doing something. You’re going to sit here and wait. We both are. We don’t know anything about the Cordice, the Melded, or this translator. You think we hold any cards because your mom stole a spaceship? And using it as leverage so you can make your ‘reasonable’ request is insane.”

“You heard him—this Melded leader. He doesn’t care about us. Everyone wants what they want and these Melded are either going to ignore us or kill us.”

He took a breath and plopped down next to her. “I caught that.”

“So waiting for either one of those things to happen doesn’t sound good to me. Your hand looks terrible. Are you feeling okay?”

“Just punching through the pain.”

She inspected the hand, wrapped it tight again, and put her palm to his forehead.

“Maybe you should lie down.”

He didn’t argue as he curled up on top of the box. It was warm and just big enough to accommodate him. Once he was settled she again headed for the door.

Four Arms fumbled with his weapon and pointed it at her midsection.

She froze. “We need water and blankets. He’s sick.”

He waved her off. Clicked with his throat. Clicked again.

She made a drinking motion. “Water. Call She Who Waits and it’ll make sense. All I’m asking for is water and a blanket.”

Four Arms stomped his foot on the floor, then stomped both feet. It was as if he were tap-dancing. Click! Click! Clickety-click!

Green Eye made a soft sound and pulled Four Arms back. Four Arms threw Green Eye’s metal hands off. The irritated guard let out one more firm click before lowering his weapon. They exchanged a few more sounds before Four Arms retreated to the opposite end of the room, pacing and watching her warily.

Carmen held her ground as Green Eye stepped closer. He stooped his head as if offering a polite bow before expanding his display. His metal fingers typed at phantom keys. The image turned and faced her.

It looked like a shimmering drop of water. But then a series of moving pictures flashed past so quickly she couldn’t make it out.

“I don’t understand.”

He showed it to her again and this time the lights and images were a barely visible shade of blue.

“I’m not following you. What are you trying to say?”

Fiddling some more with his device, Green Eye projected a fresh hologram. A three-frame pictograph hung in the air. The first showed drops and waves. The next, the drops and waves in a cup, and the last a humanoid stick figure with the cup tilting to its mouth. Green Eye reversed the order so it read bottom to top, then right to left, and then stacked them so the images slid past sequentially.

“Yes, I get it,” Carmen said. “That’s what I want. Water for him. For both of us if you can.”

Green Eye left and a moment later returned with a soft plastic-like bag containing liquid. He held it out to her. When she didn’t take it, his throat swelled and he uttered a popping sound.

She accepted it with both hands and bowed, trying to match his earlier gesture and hoping it would be properly understood. “Thank you. Thank you for this.”

The bag had a nozzle. She squeezed it and a splash of water shot