The Lost Voyager: A Space Opera Novel by A. C. Hadfield Read Free Book Online Page B

warehouse?” Mach asked while keeping his eyes fixed on the quivering man in front of him.  
    “I’ll carry out a sweep. Sanchez, you take the right side, and I’ll meet you at the far end.”
    Mach turned to Sanchez, who had advanced twenty meters toward the center of the warehouse, and nodded. The hunter shouldered his rifle and disappeared around the side of a small mobile drilling rig.  
    The bright red glow emitted by the initial flare had thinned and was becoming weaker by the second. Mach reactivated his helmet light and scanned the man’s suit for clues to his identity. A small white diamond, the OreCorp logo, was printed on his right breast.  
    When they hired Mach, the representative told him they had no employees on Noven Beta. He took them at their word but knew that large corporations sometimes left employees stranded after deciding to complete operations on remote planets. They crudely called it collateral damage .  
    “Are you part of Voyager ’s crew?” Mach asked.  
    The man lowered his right arm and extended the knife toward Mach. “You don’t fool me. You’re one of them. I saw you behind the monsters.”
    “You’ve got the wrong guy,” Mach said. “I’m here to search for a missing ship. Calm down and let’s talk.”
    A small bug scuttled across the ground between them. The man gasped and tensed. His teeth chattered and he stared at the insect with a wild-eyed expression.  
    Mach stepped forward and crushed it under his boot. “I’m not here to hurt you. Have you turned off the facility’s power?”
    The man ignored the question again. Mach sighed. He was clearly dealing with somebody who had lost his mind. Something had spooked the man beyond words, which gave Mach an uneasy feeling. He decided to wait and show him that they meant no harm.  
    Two thin blue strips appeared out of the gloom. Sanchez and Adira swept around to the man’s right side, maintaining their aim on him. Both had their helmet lights back on and didn’t have any noticeable injuries.  
    “What’s the situation?” Mach asked.  
    “Just two other casualties, dressed like him,” Adira said. “One had an ID swipe. He worked here as a driller.”
    “Solves the mystery of who they are, I suppose,” Mach said. “Did they attack you?”
    “Yep. Both dead.”
    The man went rigid after hearing Adira’s words. He took a deep breath, sprang forward, and thrust the knife at Mach’s chest.  
    Mach swayed to his left and parried the blow harmlessly wide with his SamCore Stinger. He went to reach out for the man and reiterate they meant no harm when Sanchez fired. The round exited through the chest of the man’s suit and he collapsed face first to the ground.  
    The warehouse fell silent.  
    Mach crouched over the man and turned him over so he faced upward.  
    “You’re going to die,” the man whispered through blood-glistening teeth. His eyes closed and his helmet rolled to the left.  
    The man’s final words sent a chill down Mach’s spine. He looked up at Sanchez. “Nice shooting, hotshot. I wanted him alive.”
    “You didn’t tell me that before he went for you with a knife,” Sanchez replied. “What did you expect me to do?”
    Mach hid his irritation with a light sigh and a shake of his head. “Fair enough,” he said. “But still… let’s not be so hasty next time. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.” He searched the compartments and pockets of the man’s suit, but all were empty.  
    “I don’t think they were trying to ambush us,” Adira said. “Why kill the power and hide in a warehouse?”
    Mach nodded. “They were hiding from something. I’ve got a feeling they killed the power to avoid any unwanted attention. Have a look at the roof damage. This place was attacked.”
    “Reckon it’s linked to Voyager ’s fate?” Sanchez said.  
    “I don’t believe in coincidences. Let’s get this place powered up and see if we can find some answers.”

    ***

    Mach