Planet Eaters (Galaxy Mavericks Book 8) Read online

  The men ran across the sand.

  He braced himself.

  Then, a voice.

  “Get off me!”

  The men were on top of another gang member, handcuffing him. He struggled against their weight.

  Smoke glanced at Renounce the Gang, who spit into the sand.

  Smoke nodded, and put his head back on the sand.

  One of the men spoke into a headset.

  “We've got a man down here that's been stabbed in the arm. Bleeding profusely. Gang fight. We've got the perp.”

  “Bring ‘em up,” another voice said. “We’ve got to treat the injured. We’ll deal with the perp separately.”

  The men hauled Renounce the Gang and the other gang member into the bay doors. Then they re-emerged and told the rest of the gang to stand.

  “Turn off your light,” the men said. “We’re done here.”

  Smoke walked over to the spotlight and shut it off.

  The men started back toward the ship, when a staticky voice spoke through one of their headsets.

  “Alpha Bravo, what the hell is going on?”

  “Sergeant, we’re on the way.”

  “No, you idiots. The spotlights. Tell them to turn off the spotlight!”

  “They already did.”

  Then, one by one on the horizon, the police watched in awe as the sky lit up with spotlights, all shining at one spot in the sky—the police space station.

  Officer Ron Park banged the tracker dashboard.

  The entire planet of Defestus appeared as a flat map, with blinking red dots showing the known gang settlements.

  On the desert continent, faded and brown like worn paper, two dozen lights blinked from red to yellow. On the yellow dots, a red cross appeared.

  Medical assistance.

  Park scratched his hair, and double checked the dots.

  Couldn't be.

  He'd already dispatched a police ship down to the desert.

  Now all the other gangs had an injury that required medical assistance?

  He pressed a radio button.

  “Alpha Bravo, how are things looking?”

  The men replied, but their voices were lost in static.

  “Alpha Bravo, come in,” Park said.

  Again, the mens’ voice were drowned in static.

  Park radioed to another ship in the planet’s orbit.

  “Those spotlights are interfering with our communications,” Park said.

  “Alpha Bravo’s on the way up,” the ship’s skipper said. “Wait for them.”

  “Unless you want me to launch salvos at all the gang settlements, I can't wait for them,” Park said. “You give these prisoners an inch, and this is what they do. Damn legislation.”

  “Awaiting your orders then, sir,” the skipper said.

  “Radio to all available ships in orbit,” Park said. “I’m treating this as a rebellion. Better safe than sorry. I want boots on the ground and those spotlights confiscated. Now!”

  “Alpha Bravo, your mission is to deactivate those spotlights. It's interfering with…”

  Smoke kept his head in the sand as the two police officers listened to a staticky wash.

  “Can't hear him,” one of the men said. “But sounds like it's pretty clear. Let's move out.”

  Smoke looked up as the men disappeared into the airlock.

  The ship lifted into the air.

  The mesh net that covered the gang’s weapons lifted, and a metal rope retracted it toward the belly of the ship.

  Smoke took off into a run after the ship. He dove, and caught the edge of the net.

  Then he was high, high in the air, looking down at the gang, who stared at him with their mouths wide open.

  Several fireballs appeared in the sky.

  More police ships.

  As the net entered the belly of the ship, and the metal doors closed, Smoke rolled onto the floor, sighing with relief.

  25

  The Zachary ships blasted out of hyperspace in front of Defestus.

  The sight of the planet made Florian want to look away.

  The prison planet, brown and blue, looked like it was diseased. Sickly gray clouds surged across the surface, and the continents, brown and pockmarked, looked as if they’d suffered some kind of plague. And the planet was a dwarf, too, compared to others in the galaxy, as if its growth had been stunted.

  “A sickly sight for rabid eyes,” the emperor said. “Suppose we dropped you off there, Mr. Macalestern.”

  “Tell your guards to shoot me instead,” Florian said.

  If this plan didn’t work, they would be shooting him. He was drenched in sweat, and aside from being handcuffed to the wall and left alone, the emperor had left him alone, staring quietly out the window as the ship blazed through hyperspace.

  The emperor was a man of few words, but when he did speak…God, what a prick!

  Florian squeezed his fists to get blood pumping in his wrist. The handcuffs were rubbing him raw.

  “Why aren’t there any police cruisers?” the emperor asked.

  The space around Defestus was eerily quiet. Florian had expected there to be police ships. But there were none.

  “Looks like they’re occupied down in the atmosphere,” the ship’s skipper said. “If we’re going to strike, now’s the time.”

  The emperor grinned.

  “Fate is on your side, Mr. Macalestern. You are surprising me with your guile and foresight. I don’t know whether I should be glad or afraid.”

  “Mr. Emperor,” Florian said, grinning. “Why must you be so negative all the time? You need some positivity in your life.”

  “Echo that,” Hux said, moving his wrists. The chains that held him, Florian and Tatiana rattled.

  “Hmm,” the emperor said. “Positivity is for people who need it. I prefer power.”

  The emperor stared Florian in the eye.

  Florian did not look away. Instead, he narrowed his eyes.

  “Here is the moment that will determine your fate,” the emperor said. He pointed to Kyla, who stood next to a control panel.

  Jax saluted.

  “Release the Planet Eaters!” the emperor cried.

  26

  “Clark, I want you to go in there, and I want you to show everyone what you do best,” Michiko said. She jumped up and down as if preparing for a football game, cracking her knuckles and rolling her neck to the side.

  “You're going to surprise the whole galaxy,” Michiko said. “Imagine every scholar and scientist lining up to talk to you. Can you see it?”

  Clark hovered in front of her, looking at her dumbly.

  “You have to show more enthusiasm!” Michiko said. “This is a really big deal!”

  Clark floated toward the observation window, studying the Planet Eater inside.

  “Let's go ahead and let him in,” Dr. Jonesworth said.

  She opened a door that led into the room.

  “Good luck!” Michiko said, waving.

  Clark drifted into the room. He stopped in front of the Planet Eater, who was sleeping on the ground. He made a revving noise, expanded to twice his size, and opened his mouth.

  Michiko stood at the observation window and pumped her fist.

  “Come on, buddy!”

  But the alien didn't respond.

  Keltie laughed.

  “Wow. Clark can't even wake him up.”

  Devika folded her arms, watching the exchange intently.

  “Something's off,” she said.

  “Obviously,” Keltie said.

  Clark revved again, hovering around the Planet Eater. But still, the alien did not respond.

  “If he won't respond, we’re wasting our time,” Devika said. She turned to walk away.

  “Don't be so impatient!” Michiko cried. “Can't you just wait a little while?”

  “The galaxy can't wait,” Devika said. “Our help is needed elsewhere.”

  “Devika, maybe we should wait,” Keltie said.

 
; Clark roared with a jawless mouth, his blood red eye glowing.

  And then, in an instant, the Planet Eater opened its eye, yawned, and settling into the center of the room, it roared.

  “What's going on?” Michiko asked.

  Clark backed away. His red eye glowed.

  Then he roared, too.

  The two aliens roared together.

  MAWHRG…

  MAWHRG…

  MAWHRG…

  “The hell?” Will asked. “Your alien’s getting a little too cozy in there, Michiko.”

  Devika ran to the window.

  The aliens roared one final time, connected together until they were one. Then, with one huge yawn, they opened their mouth, revealing a microcosm of stars and celestial dust on their insides.

  Michiko tilted her head.

  “Weird,” she said.

  “Guys, are you getting this?” Dr. Jonesworth asked.

  Two doctors at the control panel gave her a thumbs up.

  “We’re recording everything,” one of them said.

  “Clark,” Michiko said, tapping the window. “Are you okay?”

  But Clark didn't even blink. His red eye was as still as glass, blood red with a black pupil.

  The two aliens remained, jaw wide open, as if they were holding open their mouth to catch something.

  “So what does this mean?” Michiko asked.

  “You're the resident alien expert,” Keltie said.

  “Not for unknown aliens!” Michiko said.

  She tapped the window again. “Clark! Answer me!”

  But the aliens remained, and the stars within them twinkled bright.

  “Dr. Jonesworth,” one of the doctors said. “We’re losing oxygen in the room.”

  “Clark!” Michiko cried. “You better not be eating the oxygen!”

  “Carbon dioxide is decreasing, too,” Dr. Jonesworth said. “Shit, they're sucking all the elements out of the room.”

  Keltie backed away.

  Devika joined her.

  But Michiko banged on the window angrily.

  “Totally not fair!” she said.

  The aliens doubled to twice their size, and they formed a giant swirling cloud that covered the room.

  Then they opened their mouth wider, and chomped through the observation window, shattering it. They ate the shards and roared.

  Keltie pulled Michiko back.

  “Run!” she shouted.

  27

  Smoke crawled through the cargo hold, making his way through total darkness.

  He couldn't see anything.

  The cargo hold was hard to navigate, but he felt his way around, tried to use his limited knowledge of the ship.

  Something glinted in the darkness. He knew that sheen anywhere.

  He grabbed it and the cold hard steel became an extension of his arm.

  A knife.

  He stuck it on his belt and kept going.

  The ship was shaped like a rectangle, with the hold at the bottom. That meant that there had to be some sort of access door somewhere along the inner wall.

  He reached into the dark, touched the smooth inner wall. He couldn't see it, but he knew it.

  He felt around on the wall, patting it and rubbing it.

  He found a metal handle.

  He pulled.

  He pushed.

  Then he lifted.

  A section of the wall came off and he saw faint blue light.

  A hallway.

  He crawled through the opening, rolled into a long, narrow hallway.

  He made his way down, hugging the wall.

  The hallway was cool. It was the first time Smoke felt air-conditioning since he came to Defestus. He rested, closed his eyes for a few seconds, taking in the cold air.

  Then he moved down the hallway quietly.

  The ship turned, and Smoke slid toward the opposite wall. He stabilized himself and waited for the ship to finish its maneuver.

  He crept toward a stairwell, and he climbed it, looking for any signs of danger.

  Creeping down another hallway, he stopped just short of the bridge. At a frosted glass door, he crouched, and he listened.

  Through the door he spotted the shadows of four men.

  “We need to turn those spotlights off,” an officer said.

  “We’re not picking up any more signal from home base, Sergeant,” another officer said.

  “Hmm,” the sergeant said. “How many times did you try, deputy?”

  “Four times, sir. Those spotlights must be causing issues.”

  “I knew complying with this law was going to be a problem. Damn politicians just don't understand what we do here.”

  “I'd love to punch the politician who thought those freaking lasers would be a good idea,” the deputy said.

  “Nothing we can do except contain the problem now,” the sergeant said. “Are the other ships en route?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I feel good about that, then. We’ll rely on them to handle their sectors. In the meantime, let's handle ours.”

  Smoke fingered the knife, felt the handle’s heft in his hand.

  Then he charged the bridge.

  28

  Eddie pushed up on the throttle.

  “They've been quiet too long,” he said. “Why don’t we get a little closer?”

  Grayson nodded and activated the hyper core.

  “Yeah, it’s been pretty quiet,” Grayson said. “And you know what they say about silence.”

  “Huh?”

  “When there are bad guys involved, silence is a very, very bad thing,” Grayson said, grinning. “Silencio es malo.”

  “I’m impressed,” Eddie said. “I’m rubbing off on you after all.”

  “Si,” Grayson said. “And…I have no idea what to say after that.”

  “Baby steps,” Eddie said.

  The ship jumped into hyperspace. Eddie’s hands trembled on the joystick.

  What was he going to see?

  What if the bad guys were waiting for them? What if it was a trap?

  “It’s all right, Eddie,” Grayson said. “I can tell you’re getting nervous. If we run into any trouble, we can blast away at a moment’s notice. They’re just explorer ships, and they barely have more firepower than us.”

  Eddie gulped.

  “Gotta focus,” Grayson said. “Can’t have you seizin’ up on me in the middle of this.”

  Eddie took a deep breath.

  “Think of your family,” Grayson said, putting a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “Imagine how proud they’d be if they could see you right now. Coming to the rescue.”

  The words calmed Eddie.

  “I guess you’re right, huh?” Eddie asked.

  “Damn right I’m right,” Grayson said. He wrapped his hands around the artillery joystick and put on a tactical sight, focusing outside.

  Eddie took another deep breath.

  “I got this,” he said quietly. “I got this.”

  “We’re nearing Defestus,” Grayson said. “Give it a couple more seconds, and then ease us out.”

  Eddie counted to five, and then he pulled the ship out of hyperspace. The purple light flashed away.

  Defestus lay ahead, like a diseased brown planet.

  The red Zachary ships were pointed toward the planet’s atmosphere.

  “Stay back,” Grayson said. “The moment their scanners detect us, we need to blast off. For now, let’s just watch.”

  The Zachary ships did not move.

  “Wonder what they’re doing,” Eddie said.

  Grayson shook his head.

  “Maybe some kind of rendezvous.”

  “I still don’t know what they’d want to do with a prison planet,” Eddie said.

  “When it comes to the Zachary Empire, I’ve learned to suspend my disbelief,” Grayson said. “Hold on. Look.”

  On the surface of Defestus, a large black spot appeared, growing larger and larger.

  “What is that?” Gr
ayson asked. “Some kind of windstorm?”

  The black spot grew to the size of a continent, and then red eyes flashed like lightning.

  “That’s not a windstorm,” Eddie said. “That’s—”

  Grayson’s eyes widened at the revelation. “Holy—better call Devika.”

  He started to dial Devika, but at that moment, something rocked the ship.

  Gunfire.

  “They’re attacking!” Eddie cried, reaching for the hyperspace button.

  Grayson stopped him.

  “No, buddy, they’re not attacking us.”

  In the distance, several large police ships emerged from the planet’s atmosphere, firing at the Zachary ships. Stray bullets zipped past the corsair.

  The Zachary ships fired back, destroying one of the police ships, sending it back into the atmosphere.

  Grayson dialed Devika.

  No answer.

  He dialed again.

  “Damn, where is she?” he asked.

  “Looks like we have another problem,” Eddie said, pointing.

  Another ship blasted out of hyperspace near them.

  It was a black and white striped ship with orange-tinted windows, twice the size of their corsair. It looked like an angler fish.

  Eddie knew that ship.

  He tightened his grip around the joystick.

  “That’s Florian,” he said.

  “Then it’s time to blow our cover,” Grayson said.

  29

  Devika led the way down the hallway as Clark chomped everything in sight.

  “Come on!” she shouted.

  Keltie held Michiko’s hand, and they followed behind her. Beauregard and Will brought up the rear, with their handcoils ready.

  Devika winced upon seeing the guns.

  They weren’t going to work.

  Their only hope was to get out of the facility and hope they didn’t get eaten.

  They had to make it to the elevator.

  It was several yards away.

  Clark roared and bit off a section of the wall. The debris disappeared within his insides, forever gone.

  “This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Michiko cried.

  Michiko had lost her mind the moment Clark transformed.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Keltie said, “but we’ve got to keep moving.”