Star Cruise: Marooned by Veronica Scott Read Free Book Online Page A

at the rear of the building that literally shook the ground. Heart pounding, she remembered there’d been an old growth tree shading the station, which evidently had failed to weather one more storm. Lucky it didn’t land on the roof or we’d all be dead.
    As the winds faded in intensity toward evening, she walked into the conference room to check on her passengers. While distributing snacks, she said, “We should be fine now, since the storm is blowing further inland, away from us. Get some sleep and be ready to leave first thing in the morning.”
    She spent a few moments conversing with Lindy, the woman who’d had such a terrified reaction to the storm, bringing her a cup of tea. After making sure no one else required any special attention, Meg gave Red permission to open the storm shutters on the windows because the ventilation system wasn’t working too well and the air had grown stuffy inside the building. He ventured outside and reported there was a great deal of debris on the ground from the winds. The large tree had indeed fallen against the rear of the station, but overall the situation was good.
    The night passed without incident. Meg woke at dawn and set out a buffet breakfast, Callina and Red assisting her. As the passengers ate, she said, “I’m going to get a head start on shutting down my robos. We’ll be leaving as soon as everyone’s done eating breakfast.”
    “Do you need help?” Red was always attentive.
    Callina crammed the remainder of her stale sandwich into her mouth, mumbling something about wanting to pitch in with the chores.
    “Don’t rush, no need to choke on your food,” Meg said with a smile. “We’ve had enough emergencies for one trip. This is routine, done it a million times, but thanks for the offer of help, both of you. It’ll take me five minutes or less, promise.”

CHAPTER THREE

    The enemy attacked just as Meg disappeared into the hallway to the kitchen. Red hit the deck, dragging Callina with him as the windows burst inwards, showering reinforced glass on the occupants of the room. As if in slow motion, projectiles hit the floor, each bursting into flame upon landing. Vivid yellow and red fire spread from the impact points, creating a firestorm in the room. A projectile landed right next to Lindy, who was immediately enveloped in flame, the blanket she’d been wrapped in going up in an instant. She was dead before she could extricate herself from the folds. Sam and several of the others were trapped on the far side of the room, flames surrounding them on all sides. Yelling and shouting, they attempted to beat the fire out with cushions. Finding new fuel in the furniture, the blaze engulfed them in an explosion.
    Heart pounding, Red spared a second to glance at the last spot he’d seen Meg. Through the smoke and flames, he caught a glimpse of her standing in the hallway, screaming his name. He had no way to get there, although he took a step toward her. The center of the room was an inferno. Part of the roof collapsed, sending a solid sheet of sparks flying through the room, forcing him to retreat.
    Callina was hanging onto his shirt, coughing. “We have to get out.”
    With one final despairing glance at the raging blaze where Meg had been standing, he drew his blaster, scooped the younger woman into his arms, and sprinted for the front door. Most likely, he was going to run right into the waiting enemy, but the only other choice was burning to death. Carrying Callina, he hurdled the low flames at the threshold and rolled onto the porch to extinguish any stray sparks on their clothing. The blaster was knocked from his hand by the impact, flying into the darkness.
    Releasing Callina, he yelled at her. “Run to the trees.”
    Eyes wide, she nodded, gathering herself to obey. Before she could move, a sticky white net enveloped them, head to toe. A moment later, both net and prisoners were dragged ruthlessly off the porch, bumping across the ground.
    He was well