Night Song (The Guild Wars Book 9) by Mark Wandrey (best ereader under 100 .txt) 📕

“A technician who couldn’t get the Raknar working.” Drake dropped his snarl, but he kept his unblinking gaze on Shadow, who still refused to look at him.

“Centuries upon centuries of people trying, and the number of usable Raknar is still pretty damn low.” Sonya was less defending the elSha she’d barely met before they reloaded the transport and more arguing to bleed off extra energy. Everything about the Pushtal and their station had grated, she hadn’t gotten to punch anyone, and now they were flying back to the Paku. They had the Starbright’s trail, which was excellent, but A’kef seemed uncomfortable with what they’d learned.

All in all, it had left her a simmering mess of emotions that Sonya couldn’t begin to unpack. She needed to vent the excess somehow.

“A technician smart enough to string the Pushtal along long enough for a better job to show itself.” Rex, head tilted back against his seat, kept his eyes closed.

Sonya couldn’t tell if he meant it as a word in favor of the elSha or not and shrugged in something that could have passed for agreement.

“Too bad we couldn’t grab the Raknar and drag it with us.” Jack leaned around a larger, quieter merc to interject into the siblings’ conversation. “We could be the first company with Zuul in CASPers and the first Human-Zuul Raknar team.”

Sonya snorted at the chorus of “Shut up, Jack” that answered the Human, but the round of ribbing that followed gave her the distraction she was looking for.

* * *

Paku coasted toward the stargate, now only a light second away. Alan drifted into the bridge ahead of schedule. He’d wanted to be there when they made transition so he could talk with A’kef again about contingencies. The deeper they got down this rabbit hole, the more could go wrong. A’kef’s thoughts must have echoed his own as the mercenary asked him to arrive an hour early.

“What’s up?” he asked as he arrested his momentum next to the alien.

“The stargate is not responding,” A’kef said.

Alan had now spent enough time amongst the non-Human-raised Zuul to read some body language. His ears were held slightly back, and he licked his lips several times. The other commander’s eyes were also narrowed, as if the bridge were far brighter than it was. They were both annoyed and concerned.

“This is abnormal.” I’kik was strapped into her command seat near the center of the bridge. Unlike Human vessel arrangements, the Zuul preferred to be a little further to the rear, where their wider peripheral vision could take in the majority of the work stations. Paku also appeared to be designed for operation with a much smaller crew than Starbright. Of course, Paku had been built from the keel up as a mercenary cruiser, while Starbright was a cobbled together compromise from a Kusha-class battlecruiser.

Alan hadn’t adjusted well to the hallways and chambers of Paku, because they were designed for Zuul. The canine-like aliens were equally comfortable moving on both the horizontal and vertical, and adapted much easier to a nose-forward posture when moving around in zero G. They also didn’t suffer as much degradation from extended time away from a gravity well. Thus, all but the main corridors were small, and felt cramped to him. Even so, the ship was beautifully designed. They’d incorporated small wooden scroll-worked pieces, and trims of stone and shell from their native planet. Paku looked more like a home than a warship.

“Any idea if the gatemaster is a Sumatozou?” he asked.

“Hard to say,” I’kik replied. “Cartography Guild politics are more complicated than some would tell. A Sumatozou is what you’ll most often find, yes. However, despite the airs they put on, they do not control the guild. The evidence of this in where Sumatozou are often assigned. Some of the best, but many of the worst stargates.”

“What do you mean the worst?” Alan asked.

I’kik gave the Zuul equivalent of a wry smile. “Not many realize the gatemasters are paid in a percentage of gate fees. If you are put in charge of a backwater stargate, or in a dead system…”

“Ouch,” Alan said, remembering their visit to the Pushtal station. “So this character must be a real loser.”

I’kik nodded in agreement. “Comms, let’s try again?” She waited a second until the comms officer indicated a channel was open. “Klbood stargate, this is ZMS Paku requesting transition schedule, please respond.”

There was nothing, so she repeated it a third time, again receiving only silence.

“Maybe their comms are out?” Alan wondered.

“No, they have an active radio,” someone replied. “Our computer handshakes and data sharing were successful upon arrival. Their computer is talking now, just not the staff.”

“I really don’t want to send a shuttle and trooper over,” Captain I’kik said. “Too much paperwork.”

Alan wondered if the channel was still open and looked around. Everyone was waiting expectantly, which suggested it was.

“There is no need to send anyone over,” the grumbling voice of a Sumatozou replied. Like someone dragging a burlap sack full of rocks down stairs, the elephantine aliens were among the most physically massive merc races in the galaxy. You almost never found them fighting, though. While formidable in combat and hard to kill, they just didn’t handle surprises well. What was a battle except boredom followed by surprises?

“Gatemaster, why haven’t you responded?” I’kik asked.

“I was busy.”

“Oh, surely you must have nonstop work in such a star system as Klbood!” She managed to combine a sincere and sarcastic tone at once.

“You mock me?” the gatemaster replied.

“Never,” I’kik said, deadpan. “True, there hasn’t been another ship to enter or leave since we arrived, but I’m certain the duties of one such as yourself contain immeasurable responsibilities a mere starship captain could never comprehend.” Her ears twitched rapidly, and A’kef dropped his