Orion Colony Complete Series Boxed Set J.N. Chaney (books for new readers .txt) 📖

cared for someone whose blood was on my hands. As soon as the memory came, I was drawn from those thoughts as Tong looked up from his monitor and smiled.

“Ricky will be fine,” Tong said firmly. “I’m sure of it.”

“How can you be sure?” Arun asked, confused. The metal arms of the machine were still working on Ricky. A needle retracted from one of his veins while a clamp made the entrance to his wound larger. A sleek metal rod rested just outside of the wound and vibrated slowly.

“Our technology is advanced to the point where it will be able to tell us the probability of the surgery’s success,” Tong said with a wide grin, indicating he was pleased with the results. He moved his monitor over for all of us to see. Of course we didn’t understand a thing on there. The scribbling looked like hieroglyphics to me.

“Nope, still different language,” Stacy reminded him.

“Oh right,” Tong said. “It says the round missed any major organs. The round will be pulled out, the wound closed, and a full recovery is expected.”

I let out a sigh of relief. Fatigue and the need for a meal hit me next. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but I knew we’d missed lunch. It had to be closer to dinner.

We all stayed and watched as the vibrating rod outside of Ricky’s wound drew the metal round out. Just like Tong said, the metal piece was as long as a finger and just as thick.

Another arm came down from the ceiling to laser his wound shut. I wasn’t really sure it was a laser, but it looked close enough and seemed to perform the same function.

Tong let out a heavy sigh as he pushed himself away from the monitor and rubbed at tired eyes. “He just needs rest now. I can have the system wash him and give him what nutrients he needs by way of an injection, but he’ll heal.”

Tong finished his words by flipping us all off again. The symbol he thought was a thumbs-up would have been comical if we weren’t all so tired.

“One of us should stay with him.” Stacy said what we were all thinking.

“I assure you he will be safe,” Tong said, tilting his head to the side. “We can check on him later. He will be sleeping with the sedative I administered.”

“Thank you, Tong,” Arun said, moving over to the stool by Ricky’s bed. “Thank you for everything you’ve done to save our friends, but I agree with Stacy. One of us should stay with him. I’ll stay.”

Tong shrugged as if he didn’t understand the human sentiment.

“We’ll bring you back some food,” Stacy said to Arun.

“As much as I want to tear into a bacon sandwich,” I said, feeling the pit in my stomach grow a little bit bigger, “I want answers more. Suddenly, that voice we were talking to in the pyramid has gone quiet. What do you say we go pay it a visit?”

Stacy nodded, patting the blaster at her hip, and handed me the rifle she carried strapped over her shoulder.

“Of course,” Tong said, lifting his hands, “although I assure you, you will not need your weapons. Whoever has awoken from my species allowed us in. He or she might be a bit untrusting or not used to dealing with anyone, depending on how many years they’ve been awake, but there will be no need for weapons.”

“Always be prepared,” I said. “Lead the way.”

Tong nodded and we left Ricky and Arun to watch over Ricky.

Tong led the way out of the medical wing, past the staging area where we left the crawler, and to the center of the pyramid. Another wide-open room with a spiraling staircase in the center led us to the second floor.

“The lower levels of the pyramid expand deep underground. That is where my kind rest in hyper-sleep,” Tong explained as we traveled up the steps. “The ground floor consists of the housing, supply rooms, and the medical wing as you’ve seen. It also holds our sleeping quarters and food supplies.”

“What’s on the second level?” Stacy asked.

“The command station, communications, and security,” Tong explained. “Whatever Remboshi have awoken would be at the command station.”

I tightened the grip on my blaster, preparing myself for anything. My instinct told me Tong was right. The Remboshi in control here had let us in. If they wanted to try to hurt us, they could have already. They could have let Ricky bleed out right there in front of the pyramid.

Still, if I had learned anything during my time on Genesis, it was to be prepared, and I didn’t take my hand off the rifle as we crested the last step. The level consisted of a wide-open atrium allowing the light to fall into the room through a glass-like ceiling two stories above us.

From the outside, the black pyramid looked as though it had been made of one complete piece of rock. Apparently, looks could be deceiving. The upper pointed dome of the pyramid was made from dark glass.

The room showed four different paths in a kind of plus-sign-shaped intersection. Tong once again led the way. He made for the door directly in front of us. This time, when he pressed his hand to the smooth wall, a green light activated. A slab of metal receded a few inches into the wall then lifted into the ceiling.

Stacy and I followed, our weapons at the ready.

So far, this was the only room that was not brightly lit with light coming from the floor and ceiling. This room was dark, with the only means of illumination coming from monitors on the right and left sides of the walls. In front of us, another darkened window pane showed the view of the planet beyond. Not that there was much of a view to begin with. The window showed a few meters of dark soil, then the swirling mist wall beyond.

A control panel with a low-backed chair looked out onto the scene