Borne On Wings of Steel Read Free

time?” Kyle looked the strange alien up and down.
    Indeed, standing between Rok and Jysar was the weirdest creature any of them had ever met in all their travels.
    "I am a Zuuk, please remember that in case Security questions us,” Minstrel replied. “The Mrad like to register all species that come to use their system—the most powerful computer system known in the universe."
    "Yeah,” Jaric said with awe. “It's amazing that they've got more raw computing power than Mother!"
    Jysar's eyes gleamed with keen anticipation.
    "I'm sure the Hrono Technologist will enjoy this.” Minstrel laughed as four of its eyes focused on Jysar.
    But Kyle kept his gaze fixed on Minstrel's new form. “A Zuuk sure is an interesting alien."
    The Zuuk's seven eye-stalks extended from a small head whose only other feature was a mouth shaped like an upside down U. The tiny head and slender eye-stalks sat on top of a long, flexible neck that protruded from a body all but hidden inside a huge, colorful shell. The Zuuk's silver skin glistened under the lights, moistened by its bodily secretions.
    Other than the fact that the eye-stalks rose on its neck three meters tall, the most striking feature about a Zuuk was the shell that protected its body. The shell's surface had a polished glaze, covered in a rainbow of bright, iridescent colors.
    "Is this armor, or part of your body?” Kyle asked as he lightly tapped the shell.
    "It's a shell,” Minstrel-Zuuk explained. “The Zuuk creates this over its lifetime with bodily secretions. This fantastic shell is the pride of every Zuuk."
    Minstrel-Zuuk moved effortlessly closer—almost as if the huge, ungainly body floated on air.
    Jaric bent down as he tried to get a look under the Zuuk's shell. “How did you move like that?"
    "I have over ten-thousand tiny, cilia-legs that move in waves, hence my seemingly effortless and fluid motion.” Minstrel-Zuuk chuckled. “The Zuuk's homeworld is a world of never-ending rain. Every moment of every day it rains, and so the Zuuk's legs allow it to move especially well over wet surfaces, as well as dry."
    "How in the world did this race develop tools, let alone technology that took them to the stars?” Kyle asked incredulously. “You've got no arms, much less fingers or an opposing thumb."
    The seven eye-stalks twinkled with humor. “There are appendages, delicate ones, folded inside the shell that the Zuuks extend and use to fashion tools and operate their technology. These fragile appendages are protected inside the shell until needed."
    "Cool.” Kyle gazed at the multi-colored spiral shell.
    Rok grunted in agreement as he looked back at the crowded room filled with alien races. He brushed his hand over the ridge of black feather-hair that grew in a narrow band over the top of his otherwise hairless head. But it wasn't the long feather-hair that dominated the Kraaqi's profile. Curved horns grew upward from each side of his head directly above each ear—these were the pride of a Kraaqi, his natural headdress that complemented his thick feather-hair.
    Rok's skin glowed a deeper ebony than Jaric's under the bright lights, and the Kraaqi alien stood head and shoulders above the two humans. His warrior background was also very evident—solid muscle covered his taut body.
    "Why do they build their cities around a lifeless planet like this, Minstrel?” Rok asked.
    "Yes, this is a gas giant,” Jaric said, remembering his original question about these unusual floating cities. “No life can be supported on the surface of such a planet."
    "And that is precisely the answer, Jaric,” Minstrel-Zuuk said as its seven eyes stared back.
    "They bought this world cheap,” Jysar said with a twinkle in his eyes.
    "Indeed, other aliens felt it a worthless world. The gravity is too powerful for anyone to survive on the surface. Additionally, the nearness of its home star means its surface is constantly bombarded with deadly radiation. And so they purchased this world at