Shadows of Mars (Broken Stars Book 1) I.O. Adler (read people like a book TXT) 📖

beneath the glasslike surface a cinnamon-colored sand swirled about like a whirlpool. Beyond it lay a rectangle marked in the wall, which Carmen guessed might be another door.

A red communication light blinked to life before the pillar, identical to the one inside the sphere. It hung in the air and flickered.

“Designate Sylvia Vincent’s daughter. Please approach.”

Carmen took a step inside. The air remained breathable and comfortable. “You’re the one I spoke to before. She Who Waits.”

“Yes. You hold task function over this spaceship. I request that you relinquish said function so the owners may retrieve it.”

“My sister has control. There’s two of us. I’m Carmen Vincent. Jenna is my sister, and Sylvia is my mother. Do you have a name, or do I address you by your title?”

“They are the same. Designate She Who Waits.”

“Have you spoken with many people from Earth?”

“You are the third.”

Had someone besides Mom survived the Mars disaster? She’d have to ask about that. “How is it you can understand me and I you?”

“A study algorithm. Observation. And my kind’s task is to facilitate language and communication between intelligences.”

Carmen felt some measure of relief that this alien thought of her as intelligent. And no brain probes yet.

“So is this how I speak to you? Through the red light? Do I get to see you?”

The swirling sand inside the pillar grew brighter and threw off flecks of sparkling diamonds. As it churned, Carmen had the impression that something was moving behind the hazy cloud.

“This is your body? I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was looking right at you.”

“I am present. This is my body behind its protective barrier.”

“Like a space suit. Should I bow or cover my mouth? I don’t want to cause any offense. I’m guessing we don’t shake hands. What are you? My apologies, it’s a terrible question.”

Carmen realized she was babbling.

She Who Waits’ voice remained calm with a note of patience that reminded Carmen of a math tutor she’d had in fifth grade. “I am happy to answer your query. You have my designation. Other species call us many things. We listen. We gather data. We translate. Designate Sylvia Vincent called us Dragomen.”

“Why did Mom call you that? What does it mean?”

“I can relate the lexicon definition in English.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll look it up later. There’s more important things I need to learn about you. I’ll start with what I want. I want my mom back. I want to give you your ship. And I apologize for any problems this may have caused.”

There was no reaction from the pillar. Could it even emote?

Then She Who Waits said, “Designate function, daughter of Sylvia Vincent.”

Carmen took a moment to process the question. What did it want to know? Telling her about her job at the sanitation district wouldn’t cut it. Did it seek to understand more about her family? Her education? Something more basic, like how many laps she could do around the track or how many pull-ups she could manage?

Why on earth Mom had decided it would be smart to tell this extraterrestrial she was the Queen of Mars was beyond her.

“I’m a human of Earth. I love my mom and I’m here to save her. I can answer anything else you might want to know. Do you have a family?”

She Who Waits’ sand showed a band of yellow before returning to a reddish brown. “I am prepared to describe our species’ method of allogamy. I am genetically unique and have no siblings from my mother’s coupling.”

“No father?”

“He was constituted when my mother desired to be fertilized and rendered when he finished producing seed.”

“Your mother made your father? And then…what, he was killed?”

“He served his purpose. We all serve our purpose. His source material sprang from and continues to reside within my mother, if she still lives.”

“She’s back home? Where is that?”

“We are no longer a planet-bound species. I can relate our path of migration since the disruption at a later time. This concludes our discussion. You state your designate sister holds control of this spaceship. I will go speak with her.”

Carmen hopped out of the way as She Who Waits glided forward and out into the hallway. She was moving at a rapid clip and Carmen had to jog to keep up.

“Hold on, what about my mother? I said we’d give the ship back.”

She Who Waits continued to skim down the hallway faster and faster. The base of her form never touched the ground. She was rapidly outpacing Carmen.

“Jenna, be ready,” Carmen called. “You’re about to have a visitor. Keep the door closed.”

She Who Waits stopped. Carmen could only assume she was near the door to their sphere. And just like that, it opened. What was Jenna thinking?

Carmen followed She Who Waits inside. Barrett stood next to the Jenna bot, his hands folded before him. The alien scooted forward only to abruptly pause. The red cone of light popped up before her.

Barrett gave a bow. “I’m Raymond Barrett of Earth. Designate He Who Negotiates. I heard your conversation and we wish to surrender the ship.”

Chapter Seventeen

She Who Waits stood as tall as the Jenna bot. The moving sand momentarily glittered. But the Jenna bot’s face was dark. Where had her sister gone? And how had Barrett managed to eavesdrop on Carmen’s conversation with the alien translator?

Barrett kept his face downcast. “We present this ship to you and are happy to return it.”

Carmen hurried next to Barrett. “What are you doing?”

“Salvaging the situation. She Who Waits? May I call you that? The representatives of Earth whom you first encountered weren’t properly vested with authority to establish contact with you nor to conduct negotiations. I am. While I don’t understand how this vessel was taken from you, we are