Penance (RN: Book 2) by David Gunner Read Free Book Online Page B

entered a rolling band of mist and vanished from sight.
    Denz stood upright. “Ops.” he snapped.
    “I’ve no idea commander. The computer’s still spinning its hour glass.” Cummings said without looking up from her console.
    “What’s the problem?” Canthouse asked leaning to look at the operation officer’s tactical screen.
    “It’s just too much information, sir. The data is unprecedented and it’s pouring in faster than the computer can categorize it. The ship’s military CPU is just not configured for so much science cataloguing.”
    Canthouse pointed a finger toward the system affinity settings, “Maybe if you disable some of the lesser services it’ll –“
    “Jesus!”cried the navigator pushing himself deeper into his chair.
    Denz instantly made a mental note to reprimand the navigator for his un-officer like exclamations, only for the thought to slip from his mind the moment he too saw what was on the screen.
    Something monstrous had emerged from the cloud. The creature had one large and numerous smaller opaque eyes each side of the triangular reptile head, with a flat lower jaw that drooped open to reveal rows of slim curving teeth, each larger than the ships turrets. The creature’s mid-section tapered off to a thick eel like tail that allowed it to move in an easy alligator glide on a tangent away from the ship. It looked like something that haunted the Marianas Trench sixty million years ago, not an object that should be gliding about in the vacuum of interstellar space
    Denz paid no attention to the crew’s concerned murmurs as he stared in disbelief. “My god. Malcolm, have you ever ....”
    “Never, sir.” Canthouse replied with a bewildered shake of the head as he too watched the form moving parallel to the cloud. Despite the creature’s size, there was nothing ponderous about its movements, with the long slim body undulating with the lazy unhurried motion of a Moray eel. Every few kilometres the creature’s mouth gaped open and the great lizard like head swept from side to side as if tasting this new environment.
    The bridge fell to a religious hush and Denz knew he should be giving orders, but like the rest of the crew, he found himself mesmerised by the entity.
    “Commander!” The creature so distracted Denz that he hardly noticed the first officer speaking his name.
    “Commander, Denz!” Canthouse repeated with a little more necessity. “This entity could represent a significant danger to the ship. I think we should –“ Canthouse fell quiet when Denz raised a silencing finger and the crew continued to stare
    “Are we recording?” asked Canthouse.
    “Never stopped, sir,” replied Ops.
    Damn you Malcolm! Denz inwardly cursed for not having thought of this. Canthouse’s point about recording the incident struck Denz like a harpoon. It had less to do with gathering data than a subtle stab to say - OK, Commander, stop gawping at space creatures and control the damn ship!
    “Take us away navigator. Easy now; thrusters only.” Canthouse’s calm voice said from somewhere behind.
    Cold shame trickled over Denz when he realised it should be him issuing such orders. “Slowly the man said,” he added in an easy tone. He needed to at least give the impression that he was still aware of circumstance.
    Canthouse took a small step toward Denz to assert his command presence, “Commander, I think we should –“
    “Wait!” Denz said a hand half raised. “It’s stopped.”
    “Confirmed. The creature is no longer moving,” Cummings said.
    The creature hung motionless in front of the cloud for many long seconds. Then with a slow deliberance, it turned to face the Bristol and slid forward like a distant crocodile stalking a lapping antelope. An action so menacing it made the short hairs on Denz neck bristle with vague fear and he took a step back. “That’s enough curiosity for one day,” he said in a low deliberate tone, his attention still on the screen. “Navigation.