Mutiny on Outstation Zori Read Online Free PDF Page B

"They did a hell of a good job of suckering me into this cave."
    "Suckering you," Aura answered, "doesn't require much intelligence."
    "You'd like to know, wouldn't you?"
    "It's only a game," Jamie reminded them. "They don't have to follow logic or make sense."
    One of the lumbering rock creatures grasped and tore a leg off the mosquito, sending the servos into high-speed, trying to keep the vehicle upright.
    Kleg switched on the laser drill in the machine's nose and burned the rockman in half.
    The other one picked up the mosquito's broken leg and began swinging it back and forth, bashing them in a frenzied attempt to get at the team.
    Kleg tried another shot, but missed.
    Jamie sent the spy-eye on a direct intercept course for the rock creature's head.
    The battle began to affect the cavern's integrity. Ragged chunks of stone and debris thudded down on the mosquito's back. Another leg bent, and then snapped, under the increased force.
    A rocky fist smashed through the interior wall of their vehicle, and Jamie instinctively drew in his breath.
    SSNAPP!
    "Very good!" Zaxt exclaimed. "Very good, indeed."
    Slowly Jamie exhaled and sat up. Both his chest and head throbbed with a painful, accelerated pulse.
    Kleg rubbed his head. "What the hell happened?"
    "I knew you'd work well together." The bot finished shutting down the HAVENset and placed a neural probe in an open drawer. "The minute T.W. gave me your profiles, I could tell you'd make a terrific team, especially under combat conditions."
    Aura pulled off her finger caps and swung her legs to the floor. Her eyes held a worried expression. "But we died. That's not a winning situation."
    "It's only a game," the silver bot acknowledged. "And you did very, very well at it. But you're probably very, very tired now. You can check into your private chambers for a few hours and then we'll eat dinner at 2100 hours."
    Jamie came unsteadily to his feet. Just a test, he told himself, a training session. Then why do I feel so very, very uncomfortable?
    * * *
    Back in his room, Jamie inspected his luggage. Nothing appeared to have been tampered with. He threw cold water on his face and decided to strip down to take a long hot shower.
    This was not at all like anything he'd anticipated when leaving Idyllis in hopes of finding Cast. The Karr guy was arrogant, rude and… insecure? The Devor woman was secretive, hostile and...damned attractive.
    The basic shape of her face kept drawing Jamie's attention. Perhaps it was the inward intensity of her expression, the way a worry line appeared between her brows whenever she thought no one was watching. He had seen thousands of alluring women over the years, but right now, this one was...hauntingly captivating.
    Jamie smiled, letting warm water dribble down his face and body. He tried to relax, but found that his mind just wouldn't let loose of the host of questions from the last few hours. Was it possible that Cast had lived through the destruction of his freighter? If so, why hadn't he returned to FZ5? How had he supposedly gotten to the Core and involved with a high-security industrial theft?
    Jamie stepped out of the shower and let the warm jets of heated air blow him dry. He wondered just how much Turner Werch knew about his and Cast's background. Could the trader/businessman possibly think that Jamie had something to do with the disappearance of the twelve Esper Shadows? Why was he offering such a high reward for the ships? And he'd mentioned other teams of searchers; where were they and what did they know?
    Stepping into a clean polycanvas flightsuit worn soft from years of use, Jamie decided to do a little research and commit what he knew or suspected to his private data log. Maybe if he heard himself describing his thoughts and feelings, he'd get a better handle on sorting them out.
    * * *
    Kleg Karr lay on his back with his hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling of his private quarters and smiled. He was sure that Turner was