Heart of the Nebula by Joe Vasicek Read Free Book Online Page B

was almost on the ship—almost, but not quite.
Just a few more minutes, and she’d be there.
    Sure enough, a low groan sounded from
somewhere behind or beneath her, and once again the container began
to move. She steadied herself with her hands and held her breath.
Without warning, gravity returned, dropping her onto the wet,
smelly blanket. The reorientation was such a relief to that for
several moments, she just lay there savoring it. The container
moved a little further, then came to a rest as the heavy machinery
moved on somewhere else.
    She waited until the sounds died away again.
This time, though, the silence was much deeper than before. She
almost feared to open the hatch, but the air had become so stuffy
that she knew she couldn’t last much longer. After counting to one
hundred, she gripped the wire and pulled.
    The outside bars released with a loud clang.
For a brief moment, Kyla’s heart stopped, and a horrible sinking
feeling took hold of her. The hatch creaked open just a crack,
letting in some blessedly fresh air, but she waited in the darkness
just in case someone had overheard her. Seconds turned to minutes,
and no-one came. When she was confident that it was safe, she swung
the hatch open and climbed out.
    The space between the hatchway and the
bulkhead was barely large enough to squeeze through sideways. It
took her a while to get out, but when she did, she found that it
wasn’t quite as bad as it was inside the container. A dim green
light somewhere on the other side of the room gave just enough
light to see by, and while the space was narrow, it extended a long
distance in either direction. She rounded the corner and found that
there was even more space on the other side, with a door—though
where it led, she had no idea.
    A cargo hold, she thought to herself. I’m on board a starship. Her heart
started to race as a wild, heady feeling of triumph began to seize
her. After running for so long, she was finally going to make
it.
    The groaning of metal on metal through the
bulkheads made her jump. In the silence of the hold, it sounded as
if a giant rat had scraped its claws against the hull of the ship.
She bit her lip again and glanced nervously around, but only the
dim lights in the ceiling met her eyes.
    Thudding noises came next, followed by a
series of hisses so low that she could barely hear them. She
pressed her ear against the wall, and they came through all too
clear. The floor shuddered, and her stomach began to turn, but not
from hunger. Something was happening—the ship was turning.
    We’ve pushed off, she told herself. This is
it—we’ve left the station.
    As if in response, the noises abruptly
stopped. She frowned and pressed her ear against the wall, but
caught nothing but the beating of her heart.
    What’s going on?
    Moments later, she felt an odd, nauseous
sensation sweep over her, starting in her stomach but soon
extending throughout her entire body. She looked up only to see the
already narrow bulkheads crowding her in. Her vision began to swim,
and she felt as if her body was being turned inside out—as if the
universe were playing some kind of cruel joke. She closed her eyes
and tried very hard not to scream.
    Then, in an instant, the feeling passed.
Sweat ran down the back of her neck and behind her ears, turning
colder with each passing second. She reached up with her hand and
wiped it off.
    The jump, she realized. We’re
away.
    She took in a deep breath and settled down
on the cold metal floor. Wherever she was headed, there was no
going back anymore.

Chapter 4
     
    James walked down the
spacious corridor of the Freedom
Star, glancing with mixed feelings at the
cascading hydroponic vines and etched porcelain walls. A little
less than a day had passed since their departure, and he still
couldn’t get over all the luxury that now surrounded him. While the
Hameji occupation had certainly impacted everyone’s standard of
living, it was clear to him now that it had affected