Argurma Monster (The Argurma Chronicles #2)

Chapter 14

Zoreth growled as pain shocked his systems, and he pushed away the sheet of metal that had fallen over him. It creaked and squealed as it gave way before falling back with a loud crash. Extricating himself from his seat, Zoreth stood and surveyed his surroundings. Everywhere he looked was a mess of broken panels and control stations. The flight deck was whole but dark except for where dim sunlight poured in through various gashes and cracks along the hull and the large navigation port that stretched across the front of the flight deck. The viewscreens that hung from the ceiling were also dark, most of them cracked and a few of them hanging with their wires exposed. He processed that if there was power at all, the entire flight deck would have been hazardous to navigate through. The lack of it, however, sent a wave of concern through his systems.

He hissed softly. The lack of power meant one thing: the flight deck had been severed completely from the central core of the ship. Even sustaining damage from the crash, the core would have still sent power through functional systems until the fuel cells died. The silence of the deck only informed him that the deck was separated, not how far it was from the rest of the ship. He would not be able to make any further calculations until he was free of it.

It could not be soon enough. A frantic urgency was flooding his systems demanding that he locate Beverly immediately. He did not know her condition or even where she was. Unacceptable. His vibrissae whipped and hissed with the vibration of the small rattles that tipped each one as he stalked toward the back of the flight deck. It would be useless to try and break through the frontal navigation port when it was tempered and made to withstand high impacts—such as asteroids hitting or the ship crashing on a planet. Although the flight deck door was practically buried, it presented the only viable option.

Zoreth pushed and kicked the large pieces of fallen metal out of his way. Much of it was parts of various system panels, but scattered in the debris among them were also large segments of collapsed data and air filtration towers that ran up the sides of the wall throughout the rear half of the flight deck. He cursed their position now as he made his way through the mess. What was considered out of the way in an operational ship was now an obstacle—and a dangerous one should the power still be active in some segments—as he made his way to the flight deck’s only exit.

There was only one tower among them that held any interest for him, and Zoreth was able to locate it easily due to the pinprick of glow emanating from the tower that housed Garanga’s AI module. Lining himself up with the collapsed tower, he grabbed ahold of its front panel and wrenched the metal free, exposing the module for the first time since it was installed in his ship. It was of no use to the vessel now, but its ability to utilize his scanning systems and provide information on their surroundings outside of his own rudimentary capabilities would be useful. It was in anticipation of that probability arising that the AI modules were made small enough to be easily portable. The module itself was small enough that it could have easily fit within Beverly’s little human palm if she had been present. The glowing light of its emergency power cell was no larger than her smallest fingernail.

Zoreth turned his left arm so that the inside of his forearm with its implanted data relay attachment points was visible, and he pressed the module firmly onto the uplink. A shiver ran through him as he felt the nodes on the module sink into the ports, followed by the electric pulse of the uplink drawing from his internal systems. The light went dark. So long as Zoreth’s biological functions were sustained, the AI would continue to have power. He would simply need to compensate by increasing his caloric intake.

“ Garanga , status report.”

“AI Status: online,” the AI replied through the comm system attached to the same implant. “Vessel status: unknown. I do not detect the vessel systems.”

“We crashed,” he informed the AI as he approached the rear door and peered at it speculatively. He flexed his claws. It would take time to clear away the collapsed metal in front of it, and then there was the problem of the door itself. Without power, it would not be easy to pry open. “Initiate planetary survey protocol.”

“Do you wish to activate the distress beacon?”

“Affirmative.”

“Be advised that it will consume additional energy output.”

“Acknowledged,” he replied, barely glancing at the tiny red light of the beacon switching on and pulsing as he gripped a crumpled mass of metal blocking the door and flung it out of his way.

Zoreth worked tirelessly until his muscles began to burn from the effort and fatigue gradually began to prick at him. He shook his head, rallying his efforts until a triumphant snarl left him when at last, he was able to wedge the tips of his claws under the edge of the door and pull. His muscles strained from the effort, but the door gave way little by little until he finally had just enough room to squeeze through and step out into a wet gray world.

His mouth tightened in a grimace, and he scanned his surroundings as the lightly falling rain slickened his skin. It was unpleasant but bearable. The gray shadows of a crumbling city lay stretched ahead offering shelter from the rain, but he was more interested in the trail of sputtering fire that revealed the path of Garanga’s wreckage. Therein also was the route to finding Beverly. By his calculations, the crew cabins would have been far enough away from any combustible areas that she was within no current risk of the dying flames, but the wreckage extended far enough that he calculated that it would take him hours before he arrived at the location where the cabins should be.

Expanding his mandibles wide, he drew in the air along his receptors and ran a quick chemical analysis. Air quality and rainwater were within a safe range for both Argurma and human life forms. He would have to conduct an analysis on running water and anything that they wished to eat, but for now it appeared that the planet would safely support them until someone from the mother house was sent out after him. As he struck out through the ruined city, he silently prayed to the gods that they refrained from sending Larth. His cousin would find far too much amusement with his current situation. The more Zoreth thought about it, however, the more he hoped that it was Kaylar or one of his other mated kin. He was not certain if he could bear to have yet another unmated—and potentially compatible if the gods had a sense of humor as he suspected they did—male sniffing around his Beverly.

The corner of his mouth inched upward. There was a ninety-nine-point-two percent probability that Talech would outright attempt to kill another male. Of course, there was still a high probability that the male would attempt to kill Zoreth if given the opportunity—except that the AI’s beacon was dependent on Zoreth remaining alive, and he did not even need to calculate the odds of Talech doing everything in his power to keep Beverly safe. In this they were of the same mind. However, with the outdated and damaged state of his tech, there was a low probability that Talech would even be able to host the AI. The male’s sensors could also be offline, making him useless to adequately care for something as fragile as a human who could sicken far too easily from things that they ate and other environmental factors.

For all that he had to suffer with the presence of the overbearing male, Zoreth was the male upon whom Beverly’s welfare would depend. She would process then which male was the suitable mate between them. Afterward, Zoreth would see to it personally that Talech was well cared for. It was the least he could do for the male as he could no longer stomach the thought of terminating him. Truthfully, he had reluctantly come to enjoy his company, and he had processed that it would please his mate.

He purred softly to himself as he imagined the gratitude lighting her dark blue eyes and the way her soft body would lean into his, taking refuge within the comfort and safety he provided. He kept this crafted image firmly in his mind as he made his way along the empty streets. At times he was forced to climb over debris and wreckage—whether from abandoned machines or parts of Garanga —but for the most part the way was surprisingly clear and empty. Most of the obstacles appeared more like calculated and intentional barriers, which he filed away. All the while, he scanned his surroundings for signs of anything approaching. His scans briefly picked up small animals as they scurried away, but more pervasively he was aware of large populations of local insects that lingered, humming above the overgrown plants and skittering between buildings. He found it odd that there were no predators or larger animals coming to investigate an intruder within their territory. Wildlife always took over ruined cities and yet here the presence of animals was minimal.

Instead, the city appeared to be nothing more than a yawning emptiness. It was too quiet, and that unsettled his systems. A low growl rattled out of him, his vibrissae moving more frantically as he tried to pull more data from his surroundings that simply was not there other than a lingering imprint of death, though he saw no remains, and something else he could not define. Even the flames from the crash were dying, casting the city further back into gloom. Without the flames to direct his path, he found himself having to stop frequently and reorient himself with his calculations. His lips pressed together, and he frowned as he peered down at the largest chunk of Garanga’s wreckage. According to his calculations, the cabins should have been here.

He began to scan the horizon, searching for the next point of wreckage that he had cataloged when something shifted and rose along the side of a crumpled bridge. That the damage appeared to be caused by explosives mattered little when his entire focus was on the sole movement. As the shadows condensed and elongated, a figure straightened, and long metal limbs arched up to find anchor points as a coiled mass whipped among them.

A loud breath escaped Zoreth, and he picked up his pace, hurrying forward as Talech dropped to the ground and a shout of excitement came from the female bundled in his arms.

“Zoreth!” Beverly shouted.

She promptly began to wiggle hard enough that Zoreth felt his mouth curve in amusement when the male holding her relented with a growl and set her on the ground so that she could sprint to him. Her small body raced across the distance, navigating the debris from the bridge with a careless excitement that both warmed and concerned him. Opening his arms for her, he prepared to gather the soft warmth of her femininity close as she skirted a particularly large fallen piece of infrastructure. Small pebbles tumbled from it as the rocks unnaturally shifted and fell directly in her path, triggering his warning system as Talech roared his warning.

Zoreth’s eyes sharpened upon them, and then everything within him stilled, his vibrissae rising threateningly. The alien that rose from behind the fallen rock and twisted metal was tall and slender, the tri-crested slope of its brow and long silver hair of a species of which he was familiar. Yet its appearance was at odds with what he knew of the species. With the wild tangle of its hair, tattered clothing, the wide set of its vacant eyes and horrific, twisted gape of its mouth, it looked nothing like one of the gentle and peaceful Kaze whose settlements were welcome across multiple sectors. There was a feral viciousness with which it moved, gurgling as it lurched forward and lunged for Beverly.

Her scream filling his ears, Zoreth reacted, drawing up his blaster even as Talech raced forward, his spinal limbs extending lethally from behind him. The Kaze jerked as the blaster fire struck its body and head before finally falling to the ground at Beverly’s feet. She backed away from the fallen alien only to be hauled up against Talech’s chest once more. A terrible growl rolled from the male’s chest even as his mandibles vibrated in a soft purr for the female in his arms. Zoreth regarded Beverly, assuring himself that she was safe before stalking toward the alien. There had been no sign of the Kaze anywhere within the city until now, and he wanted to know from where it had come and why it had attacked.