Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,65

around Terri as he addressed the Evandra.

“Locate any wealth stored on the Evandra.”

“There is a storage room that belonged to the younger prince, Nahsalva. His valuable possessions were kept under lock there off his main chambers. My systems indicate that you do not have clearance to open the royal compartments, and the accessway is flooded.”

Egbor’s eyes lit up. “We will find a way into them. Acquire the directions to the royal compartments, Argurma. Do not forget the reason we are here, and our particular arrangement.”

Veral did not need a reminder. Clutching his mate protectively to him, he glared at the male as he spoke to the AI. “Evandra, are there any lifeforms residing around the compartments?”

A length paused followed as a diagnostic ran, the pattern of the corridors and rooms scanned flowed as script behind his eyes.

“Negative, captain. There are no detected local life forms within the Evandra.”

“Rephrase, are there any bio-tech classified experiments operating around the compartments or anywhere within the ship?”

“Affirmative. Two classified bio-tech lifeforms have been detected. One has established hunting territory in the vicinity of the lower deck laboratory units. The other is in the flooded upper deck compartments. These are the only ones with established territory on the Evandra. The other thirteen lifeforms escaped onto the planet. Wide range scans indicate that they have migrated a considerable distance from their point of origin.”

“We will need directions,” Egbor pressed, and Veral barely contained his desire to rip the demanding male’s head off, if for no other reason than to shut him up.

“Kaylar, your expedient arrival would be appreciated.”

“Understood. I am descending now, preparing to enter the planet’s stratosphere. I have homed in on your location. Unlike your unwieldy salvager, I am in a war-class drop ship. I will arrive at your position in just a few hours. Be sure to leave some carnage for me.”

“It will be my pleasure, cousin,” Veral returned.

“Evandra,” he said aloud, “upload pertinent schematics and bio-tech signatures into the uplink.”

“Affirmative, captain,” the AI replied.

It was the only warning he got before the information surged into his systems. With it, he was able to feel the ship as a part of himself as he became intimately aware of every inch of the vessel. He could even feel the movement of the bio-tech creatures as they prowled through the bowels of the starship. There was so much that he could feel the strain on his systems, his muscles tightening and his throat raw as a roar ripped from him with the unyielding pressure. Through the pain, he focused on the soft touch of his mate’s hand and the warmth that flowed from her, anchoring him until the transfer completed.

“Well?” Egbor demanded.

A clicking growl rattled from Veral’s chest as he glared at the pirate. “I have it. We may proceed.”

Keeping Terri close at his side, Veral made his way into the ship, the lights flickering on in each section of the corridor at their approach. Although he was aware of the crew following them, it was only by listening intently that he was able to distinguish their individual steps on the metal walkway of the ship.

This part of the vessel, at least, was not tipped to the side or upside down, which made it convenient to travel upon, but unlike the previous wreckage, broken metal and supplies littered every surface. Among them, fragments of cloth that had yet to decay completely away could be seen. There was no doubt as to what that was, since his scans picked up trace biological material splattered everywhere.

There was only one word for what had happened there: carnage. Absolute, bloody carnage.

The amount of genetic material was so great that Veral stopped, his systems shocked by it. The Argurma had a reputation for the aggression of their warriors, but the bloodbath that had occurred here was so far beyond what was considered acceptable among his people that it was not something he was prepared to see. A skull rolled across the floor, kicked aside by a pirate. Terri stiffened beside him.

“That looks like a skull,” she hissed.

“It is.”

“That’s all you have to say? Is that the only one, or is this entire place just full of shit like that?”

“It may be the only intact skull. This particular corridor, however, has seen the death of dozens, from what I can tell from trace genetic signatures in residue blood spatter and bone fragments scattered over the floor.”

“Great…” she muttered. “This is probably going to give me nightmares for years. At least it’ll