Free The Cagliostro Chronicles by Ralph L. Angelo Jr. Page A

am of escaping once we find what we’re looking for. Besides, who said we were going back to any landing site?”

Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    The Stargrazer slipped back planet-side over the most unpopulated portion of the desert world. Sliding in under security and sensor scans, before landing in a densely wooded mountain range near where Mark and the crew suspected the mysterious captive had been taken.
    “Invisibility generator is off.” Red affirmed.
    “Good. For now the trees can cloak us. Ari, do you sense anything, or anyone?” Mark asked.
    “No, but I’m hearing a mental murmur east of here. It may not be who we’re looking for, there’s no way of knowing until I hear thoughts I can make definite decisions on. Right now it’s all just noise.”
    “Alright Dan, give me a hand back in the hold.”
    “Whatcha got?” Big Dan Sledge replied as he unbuckled himself and followed Johnson to the back of the ship.
    “Well, we can’t just fly around in the Stargrazer looking for our mystery man, but we can take these babies out and cover more ground a bit more inconspicuously.” Mark pulled the cover off the first item he pulled out of the hold. It was a gleaming black sky-cycle, and there were three more just like it within.
    “Only four?” Dan asked.
    “Yes, someone stays with the ship.”
    “Hhhmmph, Ari’s not gonna like that.”
    “Who said it’s Ariel who is going to stay?”
    “What? Me? You’re gonna make me stay?”
    “You’re the best pilot Dan. You can have the ship out of cover and to whoever needs you in minutes.”
    “Yeah but I’m also the guy who can shatter brick and steel with his bare hands.”
    “And right now I need you for your piloting skills, not your incredible strength.”
    “Alright. I really don’t like this one bit, but just give me a yell if ya need me.”
    “Believe me Danny, you’ll be the first to hear.”
    The big man nodded somberly. Everyone exited the ship and met Dan and Mark at the back hatch where they stood there with the four sky cycles. Stylish modern machines with tires just like any other motorcycle, but also an anti-grav magno-disc built into each solid rim. Black flight suits were donned over their regular uniforms and black helmets with a blackened face shield which was actually a HUD or Heads up Display linking first to the sky cycle then to the Stargrazer itself, sharing information across vast distances.
    “Search pattern delta to begin with.” Mark ordered, and the four cycles suddenly leaped straight upwards, then away, disappearing into the night sky. Small horizontal wings slid out of the sides of each to aid in aerodynamics. Below, Dan Sledge shook his head in disgust and re-entered the Stargrazer, sealing the hatch behind him.
    “He’s not happy.” Red spoke into the communicator within his helmet.
    “Do you blame him? He was just left behind.”
    Dan’s voice crackled through thei r headsets “I can still hear ya, ya know.”
    Ariel laughed, “It’s okay Dan, I’m sure we’ll be calling you any minute to rescue us.”
    “Haha,” came his crackled his reply.
    “All right kiddies, let’s find this guy, whoever he is, and see what’s really going on here.”
    Across his helmet’s HUD Mark was watching numbers and heat signatures fly by in quick succession. He hoped the small sky cycles were invisible to the scanners used on this world. There was plenty of shielding built into them for just that purpose, but he had no way of knowing for certain.
    “Okay, it’s time to expand our grid ,” he ordered. “Eddie and Red flank right, and begin arcing back towards the ‘Grazer. Ari and I will arc left. If you see anything call out immediately.”
    “Ay e aye, skipper.” Eddie replied sarcastically.
    “Watch it there pal, I still sign your paychecks.”
    “Yeah, don’t I know it.”
    The four sky cycles split up and rocketed through the sky.
    The minutes dragged on in silence as the small sky cycles criss-crossed the sky