Page 9 of Crossing Quinn

Chapter Two

Spinning around, Dolon shoved his laser pistol under the henchman’s chin. “Take my sister to the ship and lock her up, or die.”

“Yes, my lord.” The henchman took a hasty step back, grabbed Mami, and practically ran from our spacecraft. Amazingly, he managed to get the hatch open on the first try.

Drekk. Mami wasn’t wearing a biosuit. Then again, a short exposure shouldn’t hurt her.

My uncle turned his attention back to Papa and smiled. “They say the Berserker has never been defeated in battle. But here you are, at my feet and conquered.”

Once my father regained control of his body, Dolon would meet the Berserker for real and it wouldn’t be pretty.

Dolon quickly cuffed Papa’s hands. “How far away is the treasure?”

“Not far,” I answered.

“Can you override the biometric locks on this ship?”

I did my best terminally stupid impression. “Me? No. I’m not permitted to touch the command thingamajigs. Only Papa knows how.”

“Thingamajigs?”

“You know, a doohickey?”

“Doohickey?”

“I know. I know. A whatchamacallit!”

“How are you your mother’s child?”

I frowned in confusion. “Papa says that a lot. I’m not sure why.”

My uncle stared at me for a long moment. “You can’t be this stupid.”

Balock’s balls. He wasn’t buying my act. “Mami says I’m very good at cleaning, and Papa taught me to fly a flitter.”

“His mistake. If I can override the command protocols, I can gain control of the ship.” Dolon went into the control room and started messing with the computers.

Good luck with that. Muscle tremors still shook my father’s massive frame. I needed to get close enough to Papa to use the portable med unit. As soon as Dolon holstered his laser pistol, I threw myself on top of my father and cried hysterically, “Don’t die, Papa! Don’t die! Please don’t die!” I triggered the med unit until he stopped shaking.

Papa opened his rage-filled eyes. “Protect your mother.”

“I will.”

Dolon kicked the console in frustration and let loose with some very vulgar curses.

“Please, please, please don’t die,” I wailed, sliding a lockpick into Papa’s hand.

My uncle stormed over to me. “Quit your weeping.” He pulled me away from my father and shoved me toward the door. “Treasure. Now. Or Papa dies.”

“Yes, my lord.” Shooting him a terrified look, I scurried over to the hatch and opened it. A blistering sun hung in Qeeturah’s pale red sky. Shimmering mirages danced across the shifting mountains of scarlet sand.

A short distance from our ship, gigantic monoliths of vermillion stone stood like sentinels, guarding the last remnants of a once great civilization. The Nabateans had carved magnificent buildings, temples, and tombs from the rocks.

The only creatures that had survived the solar radiation were orange iplo lizards and zillions of spiny black var bugs. The bugs liked the taste of our blood, and their bite triggered horrible itching fits. Mami had made up a repellant that kept them at bay. We slathered it on every day. Too bad Dolon and the henchman were unprotected. As my Earth friends like to say, Paybacks are a bitch.

I tapped my communications bracelet, triggering the safety protocols for my biosuit. A protective helmet formed around my head.

My uncle eyed me in alarm. “Why are you wearing protection?”

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