Paradise 21 Read Free

woman’s frivolous banter didn’t interest him.
    “Sir.” The lower officer’s voice startled Barliss from his musings. He didn’t like the tone of voice or the pause at the end.
    “What is it?”
    “Her locator. It’s not onboard.”
    “How can that be?” Barliss’ tone questioned the subordinate’s capacity.
    “Either she’s taken it off and ejected it, or gone with it, but in any case, it’s not onboard.”
    Those final words resonated in Barliss’ head, and he fell back against the chrome wall, stunned.
    “Why didn’t the alarm sound?”
    “I don’t know, sir. She must have tampered with the energy cell.”
    Barliss narrowed his eyes “Well, turn it back on. Try a different frequency. Have someone check the escape pods.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “I’m not finished.” His voice snapped on the last syllable like a rubber band. He hadn’t suspected Aries had been scheming to escape, because she embodied the epitome of civility, apologizing for her silence during their meals and blaming her distraction on an accumulation of work. She’d taken up that hot chick Tria’s workload—too bad that one had been stupid enough to get herself killed.
    He adjusted his collar, struggling to keep his tone even. “Notify the commander. We’re going to have to reverse direction.”
     

Chapter Two
Life-Forms
    Aries awoke to flashing lights and smoke. A wailing siren sounded in her ear, each surge aching in her head. Coughing, she pushed a panel to bring up the screen, but the panels remained blank. Trying to control a jolt of panic, she unbuckled the belt across her stomach and heaved herself up, feeling like a supply container was sitting on her chest. She gasped in dismay as she ran her fingers across a jagged crack slicing the main control board in two pieces. The impact had destroyed the mainframe processor, ruining the escape pod.
    She’d known the landing would destroy the pod, but that didn’t quell a feeling of vulnerability from washing through her. Aries had stranded herself in a foreign land with no way home. The thought of her parents and the ceremony she’d missed in order to escape flickered briefly in her mind. If her friends and family ever found out what she did, she hoped they would forgive her. To live her life for them would make her miserable—she had to invent her own destiny.
    Laughter rumbled up from her gut, light at first, then deepening into triumph. She was free. Halfway stuck in a dune on Sahara 354 was exactly where she wanted to be.
    A new light blinked beside her, distracting her from the condition of the pod. Aries brought up her arm to check out the locator. A light on the wide cuff flashed bright green, and she wished she could rip it off. Someone in the New Dawn had found a way to reactivate it.
    The pod’s display had died, but Aries checked the time on the locator itself: 1721. She’d been unconscious for only a few minutes, but still long enough for the locator to complete at least one cycle of transmission.
    If they’d remotely activated it, they knew she was missing. The signal had obviously penetrated deep space, although she’d hoped it wouldn’t. The ship would have the exact coordinates of the escape pod’s landing. That’s how they’d found Tria. Besides, Sahara 354 was the only planet in light years that had any signs of life. Barliss knew her well enough to guess she’d planned ahead.
    Aries pulled the energy cell out and the flashing stopped. The crash coordinates had been sent, but at least no more would go out as she explored her new home planet. She dropped the energy cell on the dashboard and watched it rattle to a halt underneath the cracked glass of the sight panel. If she left it there, they’d know she’d taken it out. It would be better if she brought the energy cell with her and reactivated the locator when she found a life-endangering situation, like quicksand. If she found a way to remove the whole device without tearing off a chunk of her