On a Barbarian World Read Free Page A

scanners. The convoy needed somewhere to rest and recharge, and it was her job to find it. They needed breathable air, water, and a place to stretch their legs. Food was a definite bonus.
    She imagined a nice, lazy stroll through a grassy field, or maybe some trees. Her stomach tightened. She really wanted that. They’d long ago realized that too much time cooped up in starships sent people a little crazy. People started making bad decisions, and fighting amongst themselves. Dare liked to stop the convoy at regular intervals. Near the galaxy’s edge, they had planets and stations they knew that catered to convoys.
    But out here—she eyed a multi-hued nebula in the distance—it was uncharted territory. They didn’t know the planets, or what species they might come across. Okay, so which of the four planets to visit first? She repeated a little nursery rhyme from her homeworld and stabbed a finger at her screen. It landed on the image of a large, blue-gray planet her comp had dubbed B1.
    B1, it was.
    Before long, she passed a small planet with a good-sized rocky moon. Her scanner bleeped. She leaned forward. The planet was uninteresting, and not habitable. But the moon had some fascinating geology. She studied the results. It looked like deposits of nember—a rare and valuable ore that could be made into a dark, heat-resistant metal.
    Then she frowned. There were also some strange radiation readings. She tapped her screen. Very strange.
    An alarm beeped, and her heart kicked in her chest. Dammit, the radiation was frying her shields. She tapped the controls, sending more power to the shields.
    The alarm stopped.
    She released a breath. Close call. She had them on occasion. That was part of being a scout.
    Over the next few hours, she passed another planetary system with no promising life. One planet was covered entirely by water, and her readings picked up some very large aquatic animals under the surface. She itched to do a quick fly through the water and take a peek, but she was getting close to B1, and she needed to check out the planet. If it didn’t have what they needed, she planned to head to the not-too-distant A1, then the final two planets, before she headed back to refuel and report.
    Soon, the blue-gray orb of B1 appeared in the distance. It looked pretty from here, but scans showed it was a fairly rocky world, with small amounts of water. There appeared to be some rocky, mountainous areas with little vegetation, as well as some gentler meadow areas with small lakes and some low vegetation.
    Suddenly, lights started blinking on her console. An alarm started an insistent beep.
    “Damage to internal systems,” a modulated computer voice intoned. “Multiple system failures.”
    What the hell? Aurina stiffened in her seat and tapped the screen. She pulled up a schematic of the Ariel’ s systems.
    When she saw red lights blinking on just about every system, her stomach did a slow roll. “Computer, what’s causing the damage?”
    “Radiation damage to key components.”
    Shit . Some of the radiation had made it through the shields. It must have been slowly eating away at her systems all this time.
    Her mind raced. Turn around to the convoy or head for B1?
    She looked up and saw the planet was getting close. She’d never make it back to the Sky Nomad . B1 was it.
    She adjusted course, then frantically set to work, trying to fix her failing systems. “Come on, sweetheart.” Nothing worked. She kicked the bottom of the console and winced.
    Get to the planet . Set off her emergency beacon and let Dare and the others know where she was. “ Sky Nomad , this is the Ariel . I have a problem—”
    “Communication systems are not functioning.” The computer again.
    “Dammit!” She slammed a fist against the console.
    “Environmental systems are down to fifty percent. Engine power has been compromised.”
    Great . She swallowed, trying to stay calm. At fifty percent enviro, she could still breathe. And even if