Legend

Daven Shepherd and Tolen sat in silence as they listened to Jenson espouse his theory about the cause of the illness and injuries at the Tellous research station. They had stopped eating their meal and were drawn in by all that the doctor had learned in his busy afternoon.

“That’s an interesting theory,” Shepherd responded. “And it makes sense. It makes more sense than believing a non-existent creature attacked.”

“The only monster that has been here has attacked minds. Some of these people require psychological help much more than they need physical healing. I require a space to separate them. Those who are frightened by the haran stories need to be away from those who are telling the stories and from the delirious ones. All the talk is only making them more upset. We are going to have two separate epidemics on our hands soon.”

“Tolen and I can help you move beds around so you can divide your patients up.”

“Into what areas?”

The lieutenant shrugged. “We still haven’t completed the search of all the sections of the station yet either. We yet have a lot to do. There are people we haven’t located yet. Do you need our immediate help?”

“No, but thanks. I still have to isolate whatever is causing the illness. That’s something I’ll have to do myself. Hmm…I suppose I could use some help tending all these people. Most everyone is so sick or hurt that they can’t do anything for the others. I don’t know how long they have been lying there waiting for someone to take care of them before we arrived.”

“Very well. That is a higher priority. We’ll do that and free you up for your inquiry.”

Tobias frowned at that prospect. He wasn’t uncaring. Daven knew that his partner was squeamish, and very much disliked admitting it. He had taken a great deal of mocking from his co-workers.

Shepherd leaned closer and quietly intoned. “It’s important, Tolen. It must be done.”

“I know that,” Tobias growled quietly back. He glanced to see if Jenson was close enough to hear, or was paying attention. However, the doctor was cleaning away his meal container, seeming oblivious to the situation. However, Jenson felt it and pulled his mind away and back to his plans for beginning to isolate what germ was causing this illness.

“Also,” Shepherd said to Jenson, “I checked the weather readout from the equipment in the station. The gale is still strengthening. I know it might be a good idea to try to get these people to a quarantined facility for treatment, but…” He paused a moment. “It would be much like suicide to try to leave at this moment. We are held until the storm abates.”

The doctor frowned. “That’s not good news. Some of these people are so ill that I’m not certain I can treat them here. I suppose we have little choice, however. I couldn’t ask you to take that kind of chance with all these lives.” He sighed and then stood. “Let’s go then. We have a lot to do before we can rest this night. Oh…by the way, I will be sleeping in the infirmary.”

“Are you sure that is such a good idea?” Tobias responded. “With half crazed people in there with you? They could easily rip your protective clothing, exposing you, or they could try to kill you.”

“I know, but someone needs to stay with them. I don’t have any choice, not if I want to help them. They can’t take care of themselves.” The doctor hesitated. “As for the suit, I’m not convinced that we need them. Sick patients and injured patients have been together in the infirmary past a conservative incubation time and they have not caught the sickness.” He held up a hand. “Don’t rush to rip them off. I’d like to be completely certain.”

Daven didn’t like the idea of the doctor shut in with a group of delirious people who could harm him before he or Tobias could act. He also knew that it would do no good to discuss it further with Jenson. He realized the doctor was correct in stating that the patients needed someone to watch over them, but it still gave him an uneasy feeling. He sighed. Perhaps he and Tolen could trade off keeping watch in the infirmary. That would just increase their already heavy burden, but it had to be done.

“What about Nerrin, Cefan and Berden?” Tolen asked first and then glanced around to see if they had come in. They always traveled quietly. “I don’t really…trust them. Are you sure they won’t…do anything?”

“Their actions are odd. Tolen,” Jenson responded. “However, I think the trauma of all that is happening causes their actions. I think if we show trust it will help settle them. They’ve been sneaking around and hiding…from what, we don’t know. They won’t say from which is equally odd. They need our help just as much as the sick people do. I feel that things will work out fine.” The doctor turned to leave. The younger lieutenant glanced at his partner.

“No, I don’t share his feeling,” Daven answered the unasked question. “We will keep an eye on them.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

Tolen tried to keep his focus anywhere but on the patient he was cleaning up. He chose to think about what he knew concerning this situation and what their next actions should be. After cleaning patients. Mentally, he kicked himself for bringing his thoughts back to what he’d been trying to forget.

“Doing all right?” Daven asked from a neighboring bed.

“Oh…sure, Shepherd. Doing great.” Tobias tried to keep an even tone.

“This, too, is part of our work. We never know what we may be called on to do.” He paused and smiled. “You know what Captain Martine says…about making our job up as we go.”

Tobias didn’t smile. There was no humor in this for him. “Sure, Shepherd.”

“And you both are doing a great job,” Jenson said as he walked up. He began to look over his patients again, checking their vital signs and general condition. Even if he couldn’t yet cure whatever had infected them, he still needed to treat their symptoms; trying to keep their fevers from elevating, for example. For that reason, on a regular schedule, the doctor would check vital signs and symptoms and take appropriate action. That done, he would return to his research. So far he hadn’t a hint what was causing this. The research station doctor, Rouhe, had been baffled also; he hadn’t been able to isolate the source either.

It was mostly quiet in the room. The three Genoans made little noise as they went about their tasks and there was little talk. Nerrin and his companions had appeared not long ago, as quietly as usual. They sat at one edge of the area watching but saying nothing, and not offering to help. Then a sound drew everyone’s attention. Daven stopped and lifted his head to listen. It was…a cry, or a moan. Either way, it indicated probably needed help.

“Shepherd…” Tolen began but the sound interrupted him.

At once Shepherd was on the move. What was causing the sound? Was it another victim? Had they overlooked someone who needed help? Or was it due to something entirely different? The questions wouldn’t stop until he had his answer. Tolen was right behind him as they made their way to the door.

“Wait!” Nerrin called out. Shepherd stopped and looked back. Nerrin went on. “You know there are still some people running loose out there. The last I saw of them, they were crazy and tried to attack us.”

“Thanks for the warning. We’ll be careful.” And the tall man was moving again.

“You shouldn’t go,” he insisted. “It’s too dangerous.” Nerrin got to his feet.

“We have to be sure it isn’t someone who needs help.” Shepherd’s words were barely audible as he ran down the corridor. He thought he knew the general direction from which the noise came. He listened, trying to sort sounds from the clap-clap of his and Tolen’s boots. The pair slid to a halt as they came to a split in the corridor.

“It can’t be far away if we heard it so clearly,” Tolen said.

“The ventilation system is an excellent wave guide with its extensive duct work. Sounds could travel unhindered along the entire station through the ducts.”

There was the noise again and they were off. Daven was reaching out with his senses as he hurried along. He had to locate the source of the sound. The only things that would make noise were the research station equipment and the workers. It didn’t sound like a mechanical noise. Someone needed help.

The senior lieutenant came to a halt at a door leading into what he now knew was the engineering dome. Another injury? Someone hurt by the machinery…or possibly trying to throw themselves into it? The noise sounded again…much louder this time. It was not traveling down a duct now. It was unquestionably in the engineering dome.

Shepherd hit the button to open the door. Only the backup lighting was on in the dome. The room was gloomy. Most of the domes were painted grey so that even when they were lit, they were dim. Having only the dim backup lighting didn’t help the visibility. Daven stopped just inside the door. “Hello?” he called out. “Are you all right? We’ve come to help. Where are you?”

The lieutenants stood still at the door and listened. It was true that someone may be injured, but also he remembered that some of the people in the infirmary were half-crazed, and there had been attacks on the group since they had arrived at the research station. He would not be rushed into making a decision, even if someone was awaiting assistance.

“Hello! Where are you?” Daven listened. No answer. “Let’s look around, Tolen, but be careful. Sense as you go.” He removed a pocket lamp from a belt around his suit and shined it into the dimness.

There was a sound of scurrying across the tile floor and then a crash as the runner ran into an equipment rack. Tobias and Shepherd hurried toward the noise, reaching out with their senses and visually scanning the area as they went.

“Look!” Tolen called out as he pointed. A shadow passed across the wall near them. Then there were other sounds.

“He must be frightened of us. Approach carefully,” Daven Shepherd said as he walked toward the new noises. He shined his light ahead of him. “Hello. We want to help.” His light landed on a small dark figure, reptilian in appearance, standing on back legs. It let out a low grunt and then sped away. They heard the door swish open and the figure was gone.

“Was that one of the researchers? He was very small to operate some of the equipment,” Tolen asked but Shepherd didn’t answer. He was on the move to follow the reptile. Daven hurried to the door and hit the open button and then ran into the corridor. The younger lieutenant was hurrying to catch up. He dashed out of the dome and almost ran into Daven’s back.

Shepherd said nothing though as his eyes searched. “It disappeared at once. Where did it go? How could someone have moved that quickly? But it was small. It looked other than human. Maybe that’s why it was so fast. Come on. If that creature does need help, it will not be able to keep that pace for long.”

The two ran down the corridor and entered the next dome. It was well lit and fully powered, but there was no immediate sign of the dark figure from the engineering dome.

“Let’s separate,” Daven Shepherd suggested. “Be careful. He seemed very upset. We can’t have another worker hiding somewhere, just waiting to attack one of us. We have to find him.”

“You’re right,” Tobias muttered as he turned to search elsewhere. He didn’t get far though before he found a being dressed in the familiar blue unisuit of the researchers. Tolen rolled the man to his back. Before he checked the pulse, he knew the man was dead. “Well, at least that’s one off the unaccounted list,” he muttered quietly.

Rage filled her. She had always been so careful. She kept to the dark, to the corners, to the nooks and crannies of the labs. Now the man had seen her. Yes, these new ones were faster than the men that were already here. Twice her plans had been frustrated by these new arrivals. She would have to be even more careful. That deep drive inside that she had noted before was now building, becoming stronger. She had to satisfy the hunger. It would not leave her alone, but demanded satiation. These new men were interfering. The drive inside told her to kill them. Get rid of the enemy. And she would…but she must be careful. Careful.

Daven and Tolen returned to the infirmary. Tolen was carrying the latest victim over his shoulder. Jenson asked, “Did you find out what was happening?” before he looked up. “Oh.”

Daven shook his head. “This is not a result of what we heard.” Tolen found a flat surface to lay the body on. The beds were all occupied. The doctor came at once to see to his new patient. Daven continued, “We followed the sounds and found a small creature. However, it ran from us and we were not able to find it.” He paused, thinking back over the encounter. “It moved exceptionally quickly, particularly if it was injured. I don’t know now if the sound it made was of distress or not.” He shrugged. “We lost it and were not able to find it.”

“But as a result of looking for the creature, we found him,” Tobias nodded toward the body on the table.

However, the description of the creature interested the doctor greatly. He was unable to do anything for the man. Jenson leaned on the table. “Were you able to sense anything from that creature?”

The lieutenant paused to remember. The memory came back quickly and easily. “Cold…darkness…”

“It was perhaps an animal, not sentient?”

“No, not an animal,” Daven said absently as he ran the encounter through his mind again. “There was…something more…than animal. It was not sentient on our level, but it was no dumb animal.”

“Were Nerrin and his friends helpful to you?”

“Nerrin?” That brought Shepherd back from his reverie. “What do you mean? He wasn’t with us.”

Jenson nodded once. “Hm. He left just behind you. I assumed…” he trailed off.

Daven glanced at Tobias, who confirmed, “I didn’t see them when we were searching separately.”

“I didn’t see them either.” He allowed his frustration to spill into his words. “We don’t need several people exploring on his own. We need to stay in contact. With the confusion, someone may accidentally shoot another person.” He was holding a hand up, palm out, which he suddenly swiped downward.

Tobias spoke up. “I have the feeling they know something that we don’t,” he stated flatly. “And that they don’t want to tell us what it is.”

“They have acted strangely since we met them,” Daven acknowledged. “Perhaps we should follow them the next time they slip away. If they do have something to hide, I’d like to know what it is, under the circumstances.”

“Should we go look for them?”

“No. Not at the moment. There are too many things going on, and there is this new creature that we need to locate.” He turned to the doctor. “You have access to the personnel files. Before I make too many assumptions, can you tell me if there are any non-humanoids assigned her?” Jenson nodded and turned toward the computer. To Tolen, Daven said, “Nerrin and his friends seem determined to do things their way. Though I would very much like to know what they are doing, we don’t have time to spare to chase after them.”

The lieutenant was thoughtful. “I wonder why they decided to come back here with us if they prefer to keep to themselves.” He smirked. “Nerrin said they decided to trust us.”

“Apparently that was to get us to lower our guard. They are here so that they know what we are doing.” He paused a long moment and considered. “I think we can take it as a certainty that Nerrin is connected with the injuries.” He shrugged. “I wonder if he is making people sick as well. And why?” Then he suddenly dismissed it. “It’s been a long day and I need some rest if I expect to continue this level of activity.”

“Are we going to sleep here in the infirmary in our protective suits?” Tolen stood from his chair and stretched. “Nerrin, Cefan and Berden are not showing symptoms. They’ve been here with these people. Perhaps he’s right about the illness not being contagious.

“Also they have been on Tellous for several months,” Doctor Jenson pointed out. “They may have been able to develop some immunity against the illness. Yes, we should continue to wear our protective gear.” Then he turned to Daven. “All the personnel assigned to this station are humanoid. They thought it would be cheaper and easier to use equipment they had with no adaptations for other species. Budget.” He entered onto a new subject. “We do need rest, particularly to help us stay well.”

Daven and Tolen looked around the dome, staking out places to bed down for the night. Jenson was giving one last check to the sickest of his patients. He was very frustrated that he couldn’t do more for them. Finally, he settled himself down to rest after turning off the main lights. Dimmer lights were recessed in the walls at intervals. As dark as the domes were, Doctor Rouhe had asked for these lights to be installed in his infirmary not only for the benefit of the patients, but also for his own benefit if he had to make an emergency visit during the night. The first time he had rushed into the room and bashed his knees on a table in the dim light, the doctor had decided something must be done.

The team was just on the edge of sleep when the door opened, accompanied by loud talk, groans, and cursing.

“What is going on?” The doctor got to his feet. “These people need their rest,” he declared.

“Yeah, well Cefan needs some help. You have to see about him,” Nerrin snapped.

Someone turned the lights on. Jenson saw the scientist slumped between Nerrin and Berden, groaning. The doctor hurried forward. He couldn’t miss the large red area expanding just above the man’s collar in the front and up his neck.

“He has the sickness now. Look, that rash. Bring him over here.” The man’s companions half carried, half dragged Berden to the indicated table. Jenson opened Cefan’s unisuit to have a better look. “When did this start? He seems very ill. Did it come over him so quickly?”

Berden and Nerrin exchanged a short glance. “That’s the way it happens,” Nerrin responded coolly. “It always happens quickly. So fast that you don’t know what’s going on. We brought him as soon as we could. That’s all we could do.” He walked away and fell into a chair.

A man in a nearby bed was leaning on his elbow and watching. “Tell them the truth, Nerrin. It’s not sickness. It’s that…creature…that haran. He did this to all of us. Tell them!”

“Shut up!” Nerrin snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Go back to sleep.” Then he muttered under his breath, “Damn fools believing what they dream. I thought the people chosen for this research were supposed to be checked for mental stability.”

“Nerrin,” Shepherd began. “Can I talk to you…in private?”

“Sure, if you think it will help you any.”

She was hurrying back to her lair. The man…the one who always watched her. She had seen him and two others. Inside, some instinct was telling her to stop them. But…the deep hunger wasn’t there anymore. She didn’t need to eat now, but she did have to keep him from finding her. She had been closer to one of the other two men, so she had leapt on him and attacked. Sinking her fangs into him, she could feel the rush of venom from her and into the man. Then she was away before the other two could try to strike her.

Daven Shepherd stood with his arms folded over his chest. “I have the deepest feeling that you are trying to hide something.”

“Oh yeah. That famous Bartone mind reading. You know what I’m thinking and feeling.” He leaned back in the chair he’d taken and held out a hand. “Then just look into my mind and see if you think I really am hiding something.”

“I will if you compel me to. However, we do operate by a set of ethics. I am not in the habit of invading one’s mind against his will. I thought you said you were going to trust me.”

A short laugh. “Yeah, I said that.”

“But you don’t.”

“Nobody trusts nobody here. Not now anyway.” He jerked a hand in the direction of the infirmary. “You see how some of them are out of their minds. How can we trust them?”

“But I’m not sick and you’re not. Can we not find common ground and simple trust?”

“What do you want out of me?” He leaned forward and pressed his palms to his chest. “I’m just trying to survive in the middle of all this…craziness. I was the one that told them to call for help after the sickness first started. No one would listen to me. Doctor Rouhe was sure he could take care of it. Now look at him. Just like the others. All I’m doing is waiting for someone to get me out of here. You said you came to help us. What are you going to do? Are you going to just sit there until everyone dies from this?”

“No. I’m not just sitting. I’m trying to find everyone. I want to make sure no one is lying sick somewhere, unable to communicate. I’m searching the station for any clues as to what may have caused this. Our doctor is working to find out how this started. We can’t simply evacuate the station until we understand this more. We might be carrying something very contagious back to Genoa. Also, the weather is too hazardous to try to lift off in our transport. You said that the disease was not contagious. Why are you so anxious to get away before you contract it then?”

The man stood, turned, and walked a few steps away. He was quiet. When he did answer the words rushed out. “You can’t catch it from another person, but you will catch it if you stay here. Like Cefan did. Now…I guess he’ll die.”

“Does everyone who catches this die?”

“A lot of people have. There doesn’t seem to be any way to stop it once a person gets sick. Fever keeps going up. They just get sicker and sicker.” He turned to face the lieutenant. “Especially now with everyone sick and no one to take care of us…we’ll probably all die.”

“We…”

Nerrin interrupted. “Yeah, I know. You came to help. If you really want to help us, you’ll get us out of here. I know, I know. You have your reasons for what you are doing, but I’m telling you if we stay here, we die.” The man began walking toward the door of the dome.

“Nerrin,” Shepherd called after him. “Just a minute. I want to talk to you.” However the man never turned or stopped. He kept going right out the door.

Daven Shepherd opened his eyes. For a second he was confused from waking up in a strange place. However, as soon as he was fully awake, it all came back to him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and scanned the room. Everyone was asleep. Nerrin was curled up in a corner, hugging his blaster rifle, lightly snoring. The lieutenant wondered when he had returned. Shepherd had stayed awake late, keeping an eye on things. When a sense of peace came over him, the man had finally lain down to sleep. At that time, Nerrin was not in the infirmary.

Daven stood and walked over to wake Tolen. The younger man groaned and grumbled a little, asking to sleep longer.

“Now, Tolen,” Daven said quietly. “We have much to do.” Then he crossed to wake Jenson. The doctor sat up at once and glanced around at the patients. Right away he rose to begin checking on them, fervently hoping that none had died during the night. He had done all he could for them before going to sleep. However, not knowing how the disease progressed or what to do to stop it, Jenson had no idea how swiftly it could kill. He simply knew it could, from Doctor Rouhe’s records.

“Do you think Nerrin will try to stop us from going back to our transport to eat and clean up?” Tolen asked his Shepherd. The young lieutenant thought that the angry man would probably not want the Genoans to have any special privileges that the rest of them didn’t have. He wondered if the explanation about trying not to be exposed to the illness would make any difference to Nerrin.

“I don’t know what his intentions are,” Daven answered as he glanced over to the sleeping man. “He may try, but it is important that we not allow him to succeed. We must maintain our separation from this situation. Despite what Nerrin claims about the illness not being contagious, there are still too many unknowns. We can not allow ourselves to become contaminated.”

The two lieutenants did some clean up tasks while Jenson conducted his morning rounds. Cefan was sicker this morning. Berden stood by his bedside, staring with wide eyes.

“I’m going to do all I can for him,” the doctor assured the man.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s going to die. You can’t stop it.”

“Do you know something more about this sickness? You are so certain he will die. Not everyone has died from it. If there is something you can tell me, it will help your friend.”

“Even if you knew, it wouldn’t help him,” Berden replied and then turned to walk away.

The three men were having their morning meal aboard the transport. Each was lost in thought and there was little conversation as they ate. Then the quiet was broken.

“Whatever Nerrin is hiding, I think Berden knows about it too,” Jenson said.

Shepherd stared at him. “Why do you think so?”

The man shrugged. “He is acting…strangely. Even for him. He insists that Cefan is going to die and there’s nothing I can do. When I questioned him about his certainty he said that even if I did know, it wouldn’t help Cefan.”

“Know what?”

“I don’t know. That’s what he wouldn’t convey. He seems to know something that he won’t tell.”

Shepherd opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the communication system. He hurried to the nearest comm panel and stabbed a button. “What is it, Nerrin?” The man had indeed not been happy about the trio separating themselves from the workers of the scientific outpost. However, he also seemed to accept there was little he could do about it. Being given the contact frequency for the transport seemed to mollify him a small amount.

“Something’s going on outside. Seems like a ship. I tried contacting them, but trying to guess their frequency is like firing into the dark. They need help. It looks like they are having a lot of trouble landing.”

“All right. I’ll have a look.”

The lieutenant hurried to the airlock. Upon donning his protective gear he opened the door and hurried down the ramp. Daven Shepherd went to the main control panel and activated all the outside cameras. He began to pan and tilt the cameras looking for what Nerrin had seen. Something passed through the field of view of one of the monitors. Shepherd quickly backtracked to locate the dark object. It was a ship, a small transport. It bucked and rocked in the wild wind. Daven feared what would happen. The pilot seemed to be losing control.

Tolen hurried up next to him and looked at the monitor. “He’s going to lose it, Shepherd. He doesn’t have control over that transport.”

“I know. Get ready. We may have to rescue them if they crash.” Tolen hurried away to get their cold weather gear ready. Then Shepherd activated the comm device and began putting out calls on the most commonly used frequencies. Either he was estimating badly or they could be trying to ignore him. It was out of the ordinary for a friendly ship to approach any sort of landing facility without first making contact. However, this may not be a friendly ship. But why would an enemy ship come to such a hostile planet when there were hundreds with much more moderate weather that they could loot? It all was a mystery to the lieutenant. That could wait until later. First he had to be concerned with this transport and whether it landed or crashed.

Daven was so preoccupied watching the erratic maneuvers of the ship that he wasn’t aware of the presence at his elbow.

“Do you think he’ll make it?” Jenson asked.

“No, I don’t. I’m surprised he hasn’t lost it yet.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the small craft was caught by the wind and slammed into the ground. It had been about thirty meters off the ground at the time. If the crew were properly strapped into their heavily padded acceleration chairs, they might have survived. The pair took off at a dead run for the exit.

From her dark nook, she watched the new ones hurry to the door. They must be leaving…but why? And so suddenly. Her instincts said it wasn’t right. They came in the big ship, but were leaving without it? Something else was happening. Watch and wait…watch and wait. The deep driving hunger began to build in her again however. It would keep nagging, insistently and unrelenting, until satisfied. Still she did not understand why it had started so quickly and so strongly. That didn’t matter at the moment. All that mattered was satiating the hunger. She turned and crawled away. These men would have to wait until after she fed. She would find them later.

The three Genoans formed a humanoid chain with the four crew members of the crashed transport. The four had been strapped into their padded seats securely. They were shaken up but their injuries were minor. The humanoid lifeline was fighting against the wind to gain entrance to the main dome. The Genoans already knew to walk with wide steps to keep balance. The newcomers weren’t trying to compensate, not having experienced the weather. They stumbled and slid for most of the short walk. The Genoans would haul them to their feet and try to press forward. The four bemused men allowed their rescuers to pull and push them along. They seemed at a loss to know how to help themselves. It seemed obvious that the men had not researched the planet before their arrival. However, Daven couldn’t fault them entirely for that. He had done the research and yet the extreme weather had surprised him.

Finally, the seven made it to the door. Daven stood at the entrance and helped shove the crew members into the docking bay. Then he waited for Tolen and Jenson to precede him. When he walked in and pulled his hood down, the four were sprawled on the floor, huffing and puffing.

“Who are you?” Daven demanded. “Why are you here? Why didn’t you let us know of your approach?”

One of the men pushed himself up and pushed his hood back. He squinted in curiosity at the men in protective suits. “We are from the Galactic Ore Company on Genoa. Some of our company’s employees are working here. The management heard the reports of illness and death and sent us to find out what was going on. He’s concerned about his men.” He paused and slowly asked, “Is this place contaminated? Why the suits?”

If there was a genuine danger, Shepherd would have handled it as such. Since he was fairly confident there was no real danger, he ignored the questions. Instead he had his own questions. “Why the quiet approach? If you have a legitimate reason for coming, why are you trying to sneak in?”

“We aren’t sneaking in,” the tall and fair human shook his head as he got to his feet. Then his tone became harsh. “In case you didn’t notice, I was kind of busy fighting for control of my ship. I didn’t have the opportunity for a courtesy call.” He looked at the trio. “What’s with all this gear you’re wearing? What’s up?”

“Because you didn’t call ahead and notify us of your intentions, you have come into a contaminated area. There is an illness that has affected a large part of the station personnel. By coming here, you have exposed yourself and your men to it.”

That announcement seemed to have no effect on the man. He only stared in defiance at Shepherd. The sound of a door sliding open drew his attention. Addressing the pair who entered, he called, “Nerrin, Berden. Are you two all right?”

“We’re fine, but Cefan isn’t. He’s…ah, caught the sickness.”

“Oh? I’m really sorry to hear that,” the man said, but there was no sound of regret in his voice. His answer was devoid of emotion.

“You are the Galactic Ore workers?” Daven Shepherd turned to Nerrin and Berden.

“Yeah, that’s us.”

“Did you know this ship was coming?”

“Uh…no. I didn’t. It’s a real shame though that it crashed,” he glanced at the pilot. “I would have liked to get out of here.”

The man snorted. “You try flying a ship into this next time. I’m happy just to be alive.”

Nerrin started to reply but Daven Shepherd cut him off. “What is your name?”

“Cal Yarden. This is Yi Chrt, Bort Hafren, and Ura Prade. What is your name?” he asked in a tone that seemed a challenge.

“I’m Daven Shepherd,” the lieutenant answered calmly. “This is my colleague, Tolen Tobias, and this is Doctor Liam Jenson. We were sent here by the Genoan security agency to find out what has been happening at the research station and what is causing this sickness.”

Invoking the authority of the Genoan security force didn’t impress Yarden. “Yeah? Well, I’ve been sent here to pick up our workers and clear out.”

“I’m afraid that’s impossible. No one can leave right now. Until we conclude with certainty what is causing this illness and how it spreads, we can’t afford to transmit it to others. You will have to stay here until our doctor understands this further.”

“I take my orders from my boss.”

“You are overlooking one important fact.” Shepherd tried not to smile. “You don’t have a ship to leave in.”

“Have you learned anything new?” Daven asked Jenson as the lieutenant settled into the chair next to him.

“Well, I have found some fascinating things in Doctor Rouhe’s records, but not actually related to the illness. Are those the men from the ship?”

“Yes,” Shepherd glanced at them. “I think they will be trouble before this is over. Yarden, the pilot, and Nerrin work for the same ore company. Yarden said that he was sent by Galactic Ore to check on their employees. However, he behaves as suspiciously as Nerrin.” He paused and expelled a long sigh. “I believe that they are planning something. I don’t know what, but they are very interested in each others company right now, and very alert to who is nearby to them. Of course that leads me to believe that they do not wish to be overheard.”

“Perhaps it’s not as dire as you think. Maybe they are just concerned about each others well-being. If this ore company knew there was sickness here, I can’t believe they blindly sent men here without warning…or apparent consideration as to whether they might become contaminated. I feel they must be aware of the official reports of what is going on here.”

Daven nodded. “That’s one of the reasons I don’t trust them. Remember that you said you thought Berden knew something he didn’t want to share? I felt that about Nerrin. I think he is sharing his knowledge with Yarden. We must be careful of them. Use your senses. I don’t like what I feel from them.” Daven paused and glanced toward Yarden and Nerrin. After a moment, he came back from his reverie and asked, “What is this other interesting information that you have found?”

“Oh…Rouhe has a side interest in cultural anthropology. He spent his spare time doing research in that area. Did you know that this story about harans is shared among many planets? There are legends of ancient peoples being destroyed by them. It’s more than a childhood fable. It’s a centuries old tradition in some parts of the galaxy.”

The lieutenant scratched at his chin. “That’s very interesting. I had no idea. So, Rouhe started looking into this…because he believed the haran stories?”

“I wouldn’t say that. I think it was just a coincidence that he found this because of his interest. There were the stories about a haran attacking at this station and I think he just became curious. After all, he had to have something to occupy him in his spare time at this place. Before this sickness struck, he had little to do except dispense bandages and analgesics.”

“Hmm. You don’t think he is responsible for propagating the haran story here, do you?”

Jenson shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. He’s more responsible than that. He has quite an interesting report here…and a diary also. I’ve only just begun to read it. I suppose I should leave that for later. I still need to find out what is causing this sickness.”

“Yes…”

A screeching noise interrupted Daven. The room became quiet as everyone froze to listen. A lower volume noise sounded. Shepherd jumped to his feet. “Tolen, come with me. Everyone else, stay here,” he said emphatically. Then he was out of the infirmary immediately.

The pair trotted down one of the connecting passageways and paused to listen. They heard a grunting noise. It seemed to be coming from overhead, and they noticed a vent. Again the ventilation system was ducting sounds. Daven stood and opened his senses up to the environment. He felt something dark and cold. “Come on,” he told Tolen as he began trotting again. Daven was running as fast as he was able in the dim and cluttered spaces and reaching out with his senses as much as he was able. He felt the same coldness, not from the environment, but something that touched him inside. He used it as a homing beacon to lead him to the place where the noise had originated. The two lieutenants had to go through a couple of domes and their connecting corridors to find the center of the disturbance.

Shepherd came to a sudden halt as he opened a door leading to darkness. “Careful, Tolen.” He put his hand on his blaster as he used his other hand to turn on a pocket lamp and then slowly entered. Rapidly he was able to find the light switch near the door. The room exploded into brightness. They had just a glance of a small dark creature before it disappeared behind some equipment. Lying in the middle of the floor was a body.

“Check on him,” Shepherd indicated the victim. He remembered what he had felt before from the mysterious small shadowy figure that had gotten away so quickly. The creature that had just fled was small and dark also. He wondered if it might be the same; Daven had only the briefest glance both times. It appeared to be similar, but in the darkness it was difficult to be certain. He reached out to see if he experienced the same feelings as before while he ran forward to attempt to overtake the creature. Daven made the turn around the equipment rack in time to see a dark shadow; he followed. Whatever it was, it was fast and staying close to machinery and cabinets. The lieutenant had to shove racks and cabinets from his path to keep up with it, which slowed him. As he moved noisily and gradually through the scattered furnishings of the room, the small dark figure slid quietly and quickly along the floor. It scurried behind another large storage cabinet against the wall. Shepherd pulled the cabinet away to try to catch another sight of the mysterious dark being. But all that was there was a hole in the floor. A hole too small for the tall humanoid to fit. Whatever this creature was, it had obviously made this tunnel through the floor and into the ground. Shepherd fell to his knees and shined his light into the dark opening. However he couldn’t see far into it. He huffed a sigh of frustration and then stood to go back to where he had left his partner.

“How is he?” Shepherd asked.

“Still alive…but I don’t think he will be for long.” The lieutenant pulled open the man’s tunic to show a large bloody opening in his abdomen.

The victim was muttering. The senior lieutenant leaned close to hear. Then he straightened. “The haran, he said. “So, I guess we’ve found the monster…and one of the missing station workers.”

The man was wheezing noisily. He coughed a couple of times and blood oozed from his mouth. His breathing slowed and was a ragged sound in his throat. Then he was finally still.

Daven let his head drop until his chin touched his chest. Sad, angry and frustrated. “I guess we’d better get back. I’m sure Jenson will want to see this.” He lifted the man and began the walk back to infirmary.