Hunter Raze, page 8
“This is Bruck,” Raze pointed at the blue-eyed Veslor. Then to the other one. “That is Prasky.”
The male with golden eyes flashed his fangs at her, obviously in warning. He didn’t appear friendly. Anabel nodded at both. “Anabel.”
“You say we must kill the other humans who crashed here from your ship. Tell me why,” Bruck demanded.
“They came here to murder every alien native.” She quickly explained. “The company they work for would make a lot of money if they could take ownership of this planet. That can only happen if no sentient alien life exists.” She walked over to a chair and took a seat, lifting her leg. “Look away if any of you are squeamish.”
She shoved up the jumper material and exposed her ankle, pressing her fingers into the right spots on her leg to trigger the release. She felt her skin split. It always hurt.
One of the Veslors snarled loudly. She peered up at them.
The one named Prasky looked horrified. Raze seemed shocked. Bruck actually stepped closer, his eyes wide. None of them seemed freaked out, though. That was a relief.
She paid attention to her leg, removing the chip she’d stored there, then releasing the pressure points in her skin to allow it to close. She wiped the blood off the chip and stood, holding it out to Raze.
“Do you have anything that can read Earth language? There’s a lot of information on this chip, since I copied everything on the captain’s private computer, but I’ll show you the orders from Gemini to the crew to wipe out all the aliens on this planet.
“I’ll also pull up their old flight logs from other planets they’ve been to, including the one where Gemini murdered almost everyone on a survey team, starting the investigation that put me on that freighter. One of Gemini’s employees failed to secure the rights and another company won the bid. Gemini had to be terrified the other company’s survey team would discover what they’d done. Maybe the crew of Soapa Six did a sloppy job of making sure there were no bodies or other signs of a recent civilization. Bottom line—they attempted to murder that survey team.”
Raze came forward, but he ignored the chip she held out to him. He crouched instead, hesitating for a moment before yanking up the pant leg of her jumpsuit to expose her ankle. He inhaled deeply before his head jerked up, his eyes narrowed.
He ran his fingers gently over her leg, where there was still a trace of blood, but her skin had resealed. He sniffed his finger, where her blood had transferred. “This smells real.”
Anabel sighed, knowing he was probably shocked by what she’d just done. Only a few of her co-workers were aware of her body modifications. “It is real blood.”
“You said your legs were artificial.” Raze shot her a skeptical glance.
“They are. That’s why I’m able to store the chip inside my leg. Part of it opens to reveal that hidden compartment. I also told you that my lower legs and feet look so real because they’re wrapped in cloned flesh. It’s actually enhanced lab-grown skin from my own DNA. It heals way faster than the flesh I was born with. The rest of me isn’t like that.” She took a deep breath. “Can we focus on the important thing now?” She waved the chip in her hand.
Raze slowly stood.
She tipped her head back, staring into his eyes. They really were striking. “Most people never know I work for the fleet. I only told you because of the situation we’re in. I really do need your help to take out the rest of the crew of Soapa Six.” She glanced at the other two Veslors. “The inhabitants here wear furs and their only weapons are spears, for fuck’s sake. They don’t stand a chance of surviving a fight against men with laser rifles. The assholes from the freighter will slaughter them if we don’t help.”
The Veslor with the lighter blue eyes approached her and held out his hand. “We can view anything on our ship and translate it. Tell me what to look for.”
Anabel passed him the chip, giving him the name of a file. “That’s the transmission you want to read. It’s orders from Gemini to annihilate every alien on the planet. It even mentions there’s over ninety thousand lives they’re required to snuff out.”
A snarl tore from Bruck as he stalked to one of the consoles. “Ninety thousand aliens?”
“Yes. I’m just as furious,” she admitted. “That’s why I sabotaged the freighter before it reached the planet. There were chemical bombs stored on Soapa Six that would have murdered the inhabitants in a matter of seconds once deployed. The crew was ordered to use the shuttles to drop bombs straight onto villages, then dump all the bodies directly into a few active volcanos afterward. Lava would have burned up all the evidence. They were also supposed to clear any signs of the villages by burning them down and making it appear as if lightning strikes had caused wildfires.”
Bruck snarled louder, viciously punching the console.
“Calm, Bruck,” Raze ordered. “We will stop them.” He looked at Anabel. “I believe you.”
His men didn’t. That was Anabel’s take. Then again, she wouldn’t blindly kill people without proof they needed to die, either.
It took a few moments before Bruck motioned her forward. He’d managed to open the files on a smaller screen built into the console. He indicated for her to pull up the one she wanted them to see.
It was all touch controls. The files were in English. She found the order sent by Gemini and opened it, stepping back. She wondered briefly if they could read her birth language but needn’t have worried; Bruck did something that changed the English to alien symbols. She backed up farther as Raze and the third Veslor crowded around the console.
Once they were done, a hologram screen appeared over the console, filled with symbols. Bruck was doing something, the images changing quickly. Raze turned away and walked to stand in front of her. “He’s verifying as best as he can that the message was sent from Earth.”
“It was. He can also go back in the freighter’s flight logs to other planets they visited to find more evidence of the mass murders they’ve committed.” She could wait, as long as the Veslors ultimately decided to remain on the planet and help her take out the rest of the crew. “I don’t enjoy killing,” she confessed softly. “But I don’t hesitate when innocent lives are on the line. I wouldn’t have blown up my only way to get back to Earth unless I was absolutely certain every single asshole on the Soapa Six needed to die. You have no idea how painful it was to do the right thing. I resigned myself to dying alone on this planet with no chance of the fleet sending someone to retrieve me.”
Raze didn’t seem to like what she’d said, based on his low snarl. “You said you work for them. That they put you on that Earth ship.”
“They did. But the fleet tries hard not to start wars with other alien races. One life isn’t worth risking a ship full of people flying into a dangerous sector of space to retrieve me. It’s how it is in my line of work. I understood the consequences and knew there would be no rescue.”
“I don’t like your fleet.”
She shrugged. “Sometimes I don’t like the way they do things, either, but I understand why they have certain rules.”
“You should quit. Find a better job with humans who care about you.”
Anabel met his gaze. “I don’t have that option.”
“Earth forces all humans to do jobs they hate?”
“Not all people. Just a small handful. It’s complicated.”
He glanced briefly at her chest before meeting her gaze again. “Because you are female? Do they abuse your females?”
“I mentioned before that I’m an orphan raised by the fleet. It means I owe them years of service. They fed, clothed, housed, and educated us. In my case and Jessa’s, they also paid for extensive medical bills. It’s not an order to work for the fleet, so much as an obligation to pay them back.”
Raze curled his upper lip, flashing fangs. “That is wrong. You were a cub! Someone should have done all those things for you because it was right.”
She shrugged. “Life isn’t always perfect or fair. I’m twenty-eight years old. The fleet owns me until I turn thirty-five. The same goes for my sister.” It was a good time to talk about his plan of returning her to Jessa. “My sister won’t be safe like you implied earlier, simply because she’s with a Veslor. Their marriage can’t be a legal one, not on Earth. People like Jessa and I aren’t allowed to get married until after our contracts end. The fleet literally owns us right now. She won’t be allowed to flee to Veslor-controlled space to avoid being arrested for hacking into secured databases. The fleet is not going to let her go. Hell, she’s on a fleet ship right now. And if she somehow escapes, they’ll send people after her until she’s returned.”
“Your fleet condones slavery?” Anger hardened his alien features.
“No.” She sighed. “But I can see where you’d get that idea. I told you, they raised us and paid our medical bills. They don’t see it as slavery, but rather as repaying a debt. I won’t lie. It sucks. But that’s how it is. And none of that even matters. Jessa obviously did some hacking in order to learn about my mission and send you after me. The people I work for will assume she’s a threat who may share information about what I’ve been doing. The missions I’m sent on are highly classified for a reason.”
Raze stepped closer. “Are you a criminal for your fleet? Do they commit crimes?”
“No. But some missions I’ve been on would cause problems if anyone learns about them.” It was Anabel’s turn to move closer, and she lowered her voice. “Take what happened here on this planet, for example. Gemini is a really horrible company based on Earth that’s been committing mass murder. Most of Earth’s citizens would be horrified if they found out. Gemini doesn’t represent all humans. They’re a very small portion of bad ones. But other alien races may blame every human for what almost happened here. It’s best if no details get out. What Jessa did puts that secrecy at risk. She could cause all kinds of damage if she shares anything she’s learned by looking at my file.”
He frowned.
“Do you understand what I’m saying, Raze? The fleet is going to want everything I’ve uncovered to remain buried, out of fear of it causing other aliens to think we’re all a bunch of murdering assholes, willing to take out entire worlds for profit. That’s not true. We stop them. That’s the important part. We take on missions like this to uncover bad humans and prevent them from doing something that could hurt our species as a whole, and to keep the peace.”
He gave a small nod.
“Please help me take out the humans stranded here…but you have to leave me behind once we’re done. There’s no way possible for you to return me to the fleet without them wondering how I survived. They’ll suspect my sister immediately. She’s the only one motivated to save me. The fleet knows what she can do. They gave her all her abilities when they fucked with her brain.”
“Fucked with her brain?” He appeared confused by the description.
“I got new lower legs and increased hearing abilities in one ear, but Jessa suffered a brain injury. She also lost an eye. They gave her implants. Not only is her eye synthetic, but a small part of her brain is, too. She can hack anything…along with a few other useful talents. I love my sister, Raze. I’d rather remain here on this planet, for the rest of my short life, than put Jessa at risk of being arrested. Some of my bosses are serious assholes who would probably lock her up somewhere, find something she could do that doesn’t expose her to civilians because she’ll have lost their trust, and keep her there until she dies. Please believe what I’m saying.”
“Who hurt you and your sister to cause your injuries?”
“No one. It was an accident. We lived underground on Mars. That’s a planet near Earth. It doesn’t have breathable air, so there are domes over cities that are buried under the surface. My parents had jobs there. We were sleeping when an accidental explosion happened. It caused the floors above us to collapse on top of our apartment. I was later assured that my parents died instantly, but Jessa and I were trapped under tons of debris. It took the rescue teams a few days to reach us. My feet were crushed under a beam, and part of the debris that fell on Jessa impaled her head. It took her eye, damaged an area of her brain, and the medical team working on her had to reconstruct part of her face.”
Raze appeared too stunned for words.
Anabel reached up and touched her own face, tracing a path from the middle of her eye to one ear. “This entire section of her had to be rebuilt. I was sure she was going to die when they pulled us out, and I saw her. They had to cut the rod to free her, then leave part of it in to get her to a trauma team. It was imbedded though her skull. I’m so grateful that the fleet medical teams saved her. But there was a cost though. Time owed to the fleet.”
“You said your feet were crushed, but you lost more than that from what you’ve pointed out to me.”
“The rescuers had to amputate at my ankles to get me free. There was additional damage above that, though, from the injury and because it took them a few days to reach me. My lower legs couldn’t be salvaged. The surgeons decided to take my legs from just above the knee to make my synthetic ones more efficient. I couldn’t run as fast as I can or leap as high as I do if I had my original knees. There was even talk at one point of completely taking both legs from the hip joints down, and even replacing parts of my hips. I fought that, though. I’d have been even more useful as an operative…but they were my legs. I wanted to save as much of them as possible.”
Raze still looked appalled by everything she was describing. “Operative?” he asked finally.
“Police officer, or as you called it, a law-seeker. I know how bad all of this sounds. Believe me, I’ve had a lot of years to come to terms with it, including the other modifications my medical team wanted to do to me. The knees made sense, since there was so much tissue damage below them that they had to cut out anyway. The rest of it was bullshit that would just make me feel less and less human.
“We compromised, with them tweaking one of my ears. It was always about making deals with them. I agreed to become an operative if they honored my wishes about what was done to my body and my sister’s.”
“Why would you make such a deal?”
“So they didn’t keep experimenting on us.”
“I don’t like your fleet—and I am not leaving you here on this planet.”
Anabel opened her mouth to argue but one of the other Veslors joined them, drawing her full attention. He faced Raze.
“Prasky and I have gone through a lot of information. The Earth ship was sent to this planet to eliminate the inhabitants. I also found the cargo manifest, verifying they had the means to do massive harm.” He snarled. “The female speaks the truth. I came across a reference in another file to the poison they would have used to kill the primitives. It verified the deaths of aliens from another world from two years prior. They’ve done this before.”
“There were also vids of their murdered victims,” Prasky added.
The golden-eyed Veslor startled Anabel. She hadn’t even heard him approach. He was a big guy but he moved silently. It was something that she’d have to remember about their race. Never underestimate Veslors. She twisted her head to peer up at him.
Prasky looked furious as he glanced at her. “We hunt to the death. Your stolen files have convinced me of what needs to be done. It is our duty to protect innocent lives from hostile invaders.”
Raze nodded. “We hunt the humans and end this.”
Anabel was relieved that she’d be able to complete her mission. The aliens on KP would be safe once the remaining crew of Soapa Six were wiped out of existence.
Chapter Six
Anabel ate cooked meat and some alien vegetables, appreciating the dinner that Prasky had served. The Veslors were eating something different. She’d asked about it, and Raze had informed her that their information on humans stated they didn’t like what the Veslors were having. The food would be too spicy for her to eat without injury. Prasky had made a meal for her milder tastes.
“Thank you.” She flashed a smile at the golden-eyed Veslor. “This is delicious. And I’m not just saying that because I’ve spent three months eating tasteless ration bars, either. One of my few pleasures in life is treating myself to great food. This is one of the best meals I’ve ever had.”
Prasky grumbled under his breath and lowered his chin, eating a chunk of meat that resembled a roast. There were no veggies on the Veslor plates. It was possible they didn’t eat them, but she figured they must, since they had them onboard. Their meat also seemed real instead of artificial. The fleet and United Earth headquarters served artificial meat actually made from plant-based products most of the time, so she was an expert on it.
“There are twenty-three remaining humans alive on the planet,” Bruck stated. “Anabel isn’t included in that number. We should hunt during the night while they sleep. It would be kinder. They won’t see death coming.”
Anabel shook her head. “Bad idea. No offense. I’ve spent months here learning all the dangers, or at least most of them. A good portion of the animals hunt at night. And I’ve dubbed this place KP—it stands for killer plants. I’m talking vines that suddenly drop on you from above and tear you apart, and huge plants that will grab and crush you to death. Laser fire has no effect on them. At night, these ground rodents come out, too. Vicious little things. It’s why I chose to sleep in a cave. No way was I going to end up with dozens of them making me their dinner.”
All three Veslors stared at her in what she guessed was disbelief.
She sighed. “We’re going to have to trust each other, guys. We’re a team on this. I know I’m a human, and Raze explained you’ve met the worst of my kind, but I’m not a criminal. I work for the fleet and United Earth. We’re allies. It’s best if we track down the crew right after dawn. Most of the plants sleep when the sun comes up, unless you literally run into them and wake them up. I’ve never seen the flesh-eating rodents out and about when the sun is up. I don’t know if they’re light sensitive or maybe the sun hurts them.
