RED KNIGHT
a STAR FRONTIERS Novel
by Layne K. Saltern
At length, when I gathered the strength to open my eyes, I found the conference room intact as before. A persistent ringing sound squealed through my head.
The blast had stunned us all, but my anti-shock implant allowed me to be the first to recover. Katrina lay motionless by my side. I searched frantically for her life signs. . .and found them.
I pulled myself up onto a chair and saw that some of the others were beginning to stir.
Then I saw the red glow on my toxy-rad gauge.
"Radiation," I rasped through a weakened voice box. "That was a nuclear blast!"
Admiral Zhelk rolled onto his hands and knees, coughing. "Tung, activate the base's radiation shield!"
"But we'll be trapped!" whined Krenny. "We'll be trapped in here."
"Where do you want us to go?" barked Tulk'n, void of empathy.
"Everyone, calm down," ordered Zhelk as he pulled his body into a sitting position. "We're going to get through this. Start by searching every inch of this place! Find out what happened, and who did it!"
Tulk'n was quick to volunteer. "Katrina and I will check out the section of the base near the library."
I was about to object when Xid'kit cut me off. "Kro'khan, you and I could check the sick bay and medical supply room."
"Good," agreed Zhelk. "Thibaut, Krenny, check the power and comm centers."
Thibaut complied, wearing his usual frown.
The sick bay was shaken up, but mostly undamaged. Xid'kit searched through a number of cabinets while I looked under the beds.
"Zap, have you ever been married?"
The question caught him cold, and he gave me a weird look. "No," he replied flatly. "This job requires all of my attention."
"I know exactly what you're saying," I replied. "But I was wondering. What if your partner were in the same field you were in. Could that work?"
"You're asking the wrong person," said Xid'kit as he examined the light fixtures. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason. I was just thinking."
Xid'kit turned from his work to look at me. "That's an interesting subject, but I think there are more important things to worry about right now."
"Oh, of course," I said, snapping back into reality. "I'll go check the supply room."
I passed through the door and could hear Xid'kit behind me. "How did you get in there? I thought they kept that room locked."
All about me, machines were blinking and clicking. Something buzzed to life, causing the entire room to vibrate. The vibrations made me dizzy, and my legs couldn't support me any more.
"Zap!" I managed to yelp, before collapsing into a pile.
The buzzing stopped just as Commodore Xid'kit appeared at the door.