The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) by Gwyndolyn Russell (100 best novels of all time .txt) 📗

“What the hell, man?! Are you fucking crazy?! You were going to leave me down there?!”

“Thought you could keep up.” Reaper didn't even look back at me.

“Did you think to ask him how long ago it was?”

“What happened?” Mjolnir took a seat and strapped in.

I held onto the back of Reaper’s chair even when the shuttle rattled.

“That could have been a month ago.” I said. “She won’t still be at the scene of a crime. There’s no proof she even went that way!”

“Don’t you think it’s weird that she would trade for those items?” Reaper said.

“What? No!” The turbulence made me lose my balance.

“Come on, Jack. Lithium, ammonia, chlorine, fertilizer?”

“It sounds like a bomb.” Mjolnir answered.

“Maybe it’s for a colony?” I added.

“It doesn’t matter.” Reaper had the shuttle at full speed, breaking through the atmosphere.

“To hell it does! You’re lookin’ for any excuse to go after her. What about the Syndicate? What about everyone else?”

“Even if it’s all wrong, we could still save some lives. She may need us. Someone else may. We have to see.”

FIVE

Irzazee had already found the SOS signal coming from the direction of Deruta. They set the ship to head that way, now all they needed was Reaper’s order. Reaper and Jackal flew up to the bridge as quickly as their arms could pull them.

“Is the course set?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go!”

“Art,” Jackal grabbed the back of his chair. “Are you sure about this?”

“Of course I am.”

“What if she isn’t there?”

“Then she ain’t.” He never looked at him. “Go get a team ready.”

When Jackal turned around to leave, he gave a sarcastic salute. He was not happy about this. Jackal was the type of guy to chase after glory and heroic tales, but Reaper was taking it to a whole new level.

It took nearly a day to get to Deruta, yet the signal carried on passed the brown planet. There was no sign of debris, or anything worth note here. Willis moved the ship on. Another day.

Perhaps it was a phantom signal. Radio waves reflecting off asteroids, planets, or other ships. It just so happened to travel at the right frequency. Another day.

Still no sign of the source. An asteroid cast a shadow just ahead of them. As it moved, the star light shined on a bright, white surface. Black tendrils were spread over, digging into the panels.

The N.C. Utopia.

A ship five times the size of the Syndicate, it easily dwarfed the scout ship. This was a nomadic ship, one that housed nearly a hundred thousand people who traveled the galaxy on an endless pilgrimage. The middle of the ship was a glass sphere, black on the outside, but transparent from the inside. The front of the ship was cut at an angle on its underside, leaving the bridge at the highest point, directly connected to the sphere. The only visible weapons on the ship were small lasers used purely for its anti-collision system.

“What the hell is that?” Willis said, slowly steering the ship to float by the broadside. They stayed at a good distance just to be safe.

Black tendrils were attached to nearly every panel of the ship. Large globs of pulsating sacs connected the tendrils. There were holes blown through the hull, tendrils stretched out as if to keep the ship together.

Apelu, the co-pilot, turned the spotlight on, moved it slowly across the Utopia. It only raised more questions.

The ship was clearly attacked, but they could not even imagine what could have done it. It appeared to be diseased. An illness attached itself to the ship, left it dead in the water.

“Sir, there are survivors.” Irzazee announced.

“Can you locate them?” Reaper leaned forward.

“They are in the bridge.”

“Can you radio them?”

“The signal is bouncing back. We have no communication.”

Reaper sat back, pressing his teeth together. He hit a button on the arm of his chair.

“Lieutenant Jackal, have your team meet at launch pad 1. I will be down there in a minute.”

“Wait, you’re going too?” Willis turned around.

“Irzazee, is there anything else on that ship?”

“No, sir.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. We’re going to get those survivors and bring them on board. Have Reynolds stay on standby.”

“Man, I don’t like this at all.” Willis shook his head.

It did not take long for them to take a shuttle to the Utopia. They moved down the broadside of the vessel, a spotlight scanning over its busted surface. Multiple openings showed blast zones and lack of escape pods. Scans showed most of the bay doors were inoperable. They had to be cut open, and unfortunately, the Syndicate had no means of doing so.

The windows gave them no answers. They were blacked out. Perhaps the material used reflected light back out. That, or they were blocked.

The tendrils seemed to writhe against the panels. They swore they saw them grow, stretch out further.

Jackal took the shuttle up and over the ship. The largest of the pustules, pulsed. Its surface bubbled and twisted. The closer the shuttle got, the more active it appeared to be.

It retracted from the spotlight, as if it were hurt. Multiple tendrils around it pulled into the pustule like a turtle hiding in its shell.

"Did...did anyone else hear that?" Mjolnir put his face to the window.

"Hear what?" Ruby looked as well.

"Guys, something isn't right. That thing...it's alive." Sparrow pulled away from the window, hugged her rifle against her chest.

Jackal pulled the shuttle from the pustule. As the spotlight left, the blob of flesh returned to its original, calm state.

Back down the broadside, in sight of the Syndicate, they scanned further down.

"Right there. The lights are on." Reaper pointed.

"Activating anchor." Jackal hit a couple switches. He lined the shuttle up, door to bay door. At the press of a button, a barbed spearhead shot out. Right through the hull of the Utopia. Another button. The shuttle's autopilot was on. It stabilized itself, keeping the rope of the anchor tight.

The shuttle's door opened upwards. Mjolnir held the handlebar, giving the area a once over. Ruby jumped