Free Lacuna: The Sands of Karathi by David Adams Page B

take Summer too. If she passes out, I’m going to claim her phone as my own.”
    Rowe gave a loud snort. “Take it. Not like there’s any fucking bars here, we’re one hundred and twenty million light years away from the nearest cell tower.”
    They arranged the other groups, one for every exit of the room, with the group of four taking the largest one. Cheung and Li took the lead, with Liao and Summer in the rear.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” Liao asked, leaning in towards Rowe and frowning slightly.
    She waved her off. “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I’m just trying to find a computer terminal that’s got power and isn’t a solid hunk of rust.”
    The group walked through the gloom, the light filtering through the collapse retreating behind them. Soon, the only illumination left was their torches; Cheung and Li kept theirs pointed down at the debris-strewn floor so the group didn’t trip over anything, and Liao and Summer searched the corridors and took in the sight of the alien vessel.
    Alien vessel.
    It occurred to Liao that they were the first Humans to walk on a Toralii vessel, albeit a wrecked one. It was a historic moment, even though it was Telvan in origin. It would have been more satisfying to walk on a Toralii Alliance craft. To finally take the fight to their enemy, as they had done in the Hades system.
    There was a low rumble as the tonnes of sand above them shifted, the metal of the ship’s hull giving a low, ominous creak. Liao froze. The noise summoned memories of the attacks; she had been buried underground in the ruins of the Australian research facility, escaping only because James dug her out before she ran out of air. The memory, still vivid and fresh after all these years, caused an intense wave of fear to wash over her. She kept her eyes fixed on the roof, her imagination running wild as she pictured the ceiling cracking and collapsing, spilling out an endless torrent of sand that would bury them alive. There could be no rescue so far down.With all the metal above them, the best they could hope for would be to be crushed instantly by the falling debris and spared from suffocating on the sand, which would follow immediately after. At least then, their deaths would be mercifully swift.
    Moments later, the groans subsided.
    “Ow, fuck!”
    With a start, Liao realized she’d taken Summer’s hand in a rough, fearful crush. Liao released it and made a distinct point of brushing down her uniform.
    “Sorry.”
    Still slightly shaken by the memory of her experience–the powerful mental image of being buried under a mountain of sand in a broken and desolate alien vessel haunting her for a moment–Liao took a moment to compose herself and returned her focus to the task at hand.
    Liao nodded to the group. “Let’s move.”
    Rowe gave her a sour look, cradling her fingers. They continued on, the minutes dragging by as they cautiously, carefully moved deeper into the ship’s superstructure. No light sources or power signatures were to be found, although the dust and damage from weathering became less noticeable the farther in they went. Based on the slight slope in the ship’s corridor, and their best estimates as to what section they were in, Liao guessed they were moving towards the central core of the Toralii ship.
    The four of them had just passed what appeared to be a number of crew quarters when Cheung held up her hand to signal a stop. She put her finger to her ear, pressing it against the metal wall of the bulkhead. Liao glanced at Summer, who shrugged. She couldn’t hear anything.
    “What is it?” she finally asked, her quiet voice echoing in the long, empty corridors.
    Cheung pointed at a particularly rusted section of wall. “Moving air,” she said, gesturing from the ceiling to the floor. “Running from top to bottom here.” Cheung moved across to the other wall. “And another current here, moving from bottom to top. I can definitely hear it, Captain.”
    Summer shrugged. “I