Page 44 of Kameer's Mate
Boom!A small but mighty explosion sends me hurtling backward down the corridor.
I land with a groan and all the air whooshes from my chest.
Fluxx. What is happening?
My wrist comm suddenly buzzes and beeps. I turn on my side, choking on the dust from the explosion as I try to catch my breath. As the guards surround me, I remove an air filtration mask from my work belt and secure it to my face. Within moments, I’m able to breathe more easily.
Finally, I glance at my wrist comm, only to find a message waiting from an encrypted comm number. I open it.
Bleed bleed bleed.
Die die die.
A growl rips from my throat.Fluxx.
It would seem my would-be assassin has managed to follow me to theJansonna. Or perhaps he has an accomplice.
There’s a swarm of activity as human security officers reach the scene. They douse the fire, clear the air of dust using an emergency ventilation shaft, and start asking questions. Allowing my guards to fill them in, I stand up and take stock of my body. I also remove the mask.
A few burn marks mar my arms, but I’m otherwise unharmed. The burns would likely be faded come morning without any medical intervention, though I accept a dermal regenerator from Officer Bantokk. I don’t want Mandy to see the burns.
Officer Gorrsum appears with several members from our crew. Relief crosses his face when he sees I’m unharmed. An old friend, he’s the only member of the crew who’s aware of the attempts on my life. I plan to keep it that way. Especially now that I’m suspicious of every other Darrvason who’s currently aboard theJansonnaor has visited recently.
I peer at the faces of my crew. Are one of them responsible for the attempts on my life? Or did the individual who wants me dead hire a member of my crew to finish the job? Paranoia swarms me like a sickness I cannot escape.
“So glad your pretty face wasn’t melted,” Officer Gorrsum says.
I glower at him as I pass the dermal regenerator to a guard. “A new control panel will need to be installed overnight. Until it’s active, this deck will need to be evacuated.”
Ensign Harrek steps forward. “With your permission, Chief Kameer, I would like to lead the overnight crew in the installation of the new panel.”
I gaze at the youngest member of my crew, a male who happens to be one of the youngest Darrvason males alive. He was born shortly after the war against the Yelltzins. His mother was one of the few females who were off planet during the attack on our homeworld.
But is Ensign Harrek a comrade or a foe? Could he be behind the explosion?
“Very well, Ensign Harrek,” I finally reply, deciding that if he is my enemy, it’s probably best to keep him close. “However, before you begin, we must finish eradicating the virus.”
We relocate to Deck Six to complete the task of purging the Tretonnlian virus from all ship-wide systems. It’s tedious work, but I know exactly where to insert the codes that will corner and expel the alien computer virus that should’ve never made it aboard theJansonnain the first place.
As we work, a team of human security officers hovers behind us, asking questions as they investigate the attack. I’m not surprised when I learn the security footage from Deck Five is missing. Whoever tampered with the panel covered their tracks.
The members of my crew who remained on Decks Two, Three, and Four soon discover small explosive devices wedged within the environmental control panels, but they manage to diffuse the bombs before tragedy can strike. Not surprisingly, recent security footage from Decks Two, Three, and Four are missing as well.
Did my unknown adversary know which deck I was working on? Is that why Deck Five’s explosive device deployed but not the others?
Gorrsum passes me a tablet containing a detailed incident report, which he plans to send to Officer Brute as well asEmperor Radakk and Admiral Tornn. I approve the report and thank him for his quick thinking.
Before I can take my next breath, a text message from Admiral Tornn comes through on my wrist comm. I suppress a growl at the contents of his message.
For your safety, report to theHaxxalimmediately. Your security team has been notified and will accompany you. Yes, you may bring your mate. You will be housed in the royal corridors.
Fluxx. I show the order to Officer Gorrsum. “Guess you’re in charge now, old friend. Good luck.” I lower my voice. “Keep a close watch on Ensign Harrek. He’s so eager to move up the ranks to officer that I fear he might make a mistake.”
“I will take care of everything, Chief Kameer,” he replies in a hushed voice as we move away from the others. “I only hope there’s a resolution to the… problem you’ve been facing. It doesn’t bode well that an incident occurred on theJansonna.” He glances over his shoulder at the crew of which he’s now in command, and I’m confident he’ll be quietly watching for clues after my departure.
Clues that there’s a traitor among us.
In the company of my guards, I hasten to my quarters on Deck Twenty-One, eager to reach Mandy. Will she protest leaving the human worldship? I’m taking her away from her own people sooner than she anticipated. She’s expecting to dine with her mother and sister in two nights, an event that must now be canceled.
