Star Alliance Read Online Free PDF Page A

return for your cooperation.”
    “Why is it so dark in here?” Zack asked.
    “A necessary precaution,” Mar Arden said.
    “Against what?”
    Mar Arden stepped closer to the bed, and the dim lighting cast long shadows over his features, distorting them. His green eyes reflected the light that made him look both menacing and perfectly sculpted. If Zack could have run away, he would have, but he couldn’t be completely sure why he was so afraid in the first place.
    “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. You’ve been misinformed about my race,” Mar Arden said, the menacing shadows leaving his face only to be replaced by genuine impassiveness.
    The Xiiginn raised his wrist and tapped a few commands into the controls, and Zack felt the pressure that was holding him in place lessen slightly. Then the straps holding him in place retracted. Zack tentatively tried to raise his hands and was able to do so. He sat up and then stood.
    “There, that’s better,” Mar Arden said. “It took us a short while to figure out what treatment would heal your wounds. The tiredness you’re feeling will pass. Now, will you answer some of my questions?”
    Zack glanced at the doorway behind Mar Arden and knew his chances of getting past the Xiiginn were slim to none. “Sure,” Zack said.
    “Why did you attack the research facility on Selebus and then later attack one of our cruisers?” Mar Arden asked.
    Zack pressed his lips together in thought. The snarky answer he wanted to give probably wasn’t the smartest one. “We didn’t attack the research facility.”
    Mar Arden stepped closer, and Zack became aware of the bulging muscles beneath the dark, mesh-like armor the Xiiginns wore. This Xiiginn was a good six inches taller than Zack. A switch clicked in his brain, and the overwhelming fear that had been building in him was pushed back.
    “You mean the facility where you experimented on the Nershals? Is that the research facility you’re talking about?” Zack asked.
    Mar Arden’s hand sprang up toward Zack’s face with lightning speed, but the Xiiginn retracted it just as quickly.
    “We know you were with the Boxans,” Mar Arden said.
    Zack remained silent.  
    Mar Arden roared as he snatched Zack by his neck and slammed him against the wall, holding him above the floor.
    “I’ve tried being civil to you,” Mar Arden said through clenched teeth, “but my patience is wearing thin. The attack on the cruiser cost many lives. I know you weren’t alone.”
    “And I know you aren’t concerned about the lives on the cruiser,” Zack said between gasps.  
    He braced himself for another blow, but Mar Arden set him back on the floor. Zack collapsed to his knees, gasping, as Mar Arden stepped away and waited. With trembling hands, Zack slowly regained his feet.
    “What makes you think the lives on the cruiser don’t matter to me?” Mar Arden asked.
    “I’ve seen the genetic experiments you’ve done on the Nershals. Anyone who could do that doesn’t hold other people’s lives in high regard,” Zack said.
    Mar Arden looked at him for a moment. “So I should just skip the formalities and do what I want to you?”
    Zack’s breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t see a way out of this. He was alone.
    “There were others with you. Why don’t you tell me about them?” Mar Arden asked.
    Zack opened his mouth to answer but stopped himself. Mar Arden’s gaze intensified, and Zack felt as if there were something pressing in on his head. It made thinking difficult. The beginnings of a major headache formed, and Zack winced in pain.
    “You can’t control me,” Zack said through clenched teeth. The pain grew to an excruciating level, and Zack collapsed to the floor, crying out.
    Mar Arden squatted down and grabbed Zack by his hair, lifting his head up. “And yet you’re the one on your knees.”  
    Zack felt his consciousness begin to slip, and his field of vision became smaller and smaller.  
    Mar Arden