Skylar Mars and the Stolen Egg Read online

  Skylar felt the last dregs of his resistance to his psychic powers fade away. He’d been born with his gifts. It was time he really embraced them. He could find a way to honor his mother’s memory that didn’t involve continuing to fight who he was. All he would accomplish by denying a huge part of himself would be to create a danger to himself and the universe around him.

  “Do you have a name?”

  “My kind are always born with a name,” he replied. “But you can call me what you would like best.”

  Skylar shook his head. “No, I’ll call you by your name. What is it?”

  “I am Filzbalm.”

  Del was saying something, but Skylar was so engrossed in his mental conversation that all he could hear was background noise. Del shook him. “Skylar, the fear’s getting stronger—even I’m starting to feel it. We need to do something.”

  The shaking broke Skylar and Filzbalm’s locked gaze. Skylar blinked.

  “Del’s right. We have to do something,” Filzbalm said.

  “Filzbalm agrees with you.” Skylar took one of the stunners Solaria held out to him. “Is this on the highest setting? If they won’t kill, I want to make sure we knock the bad guys out good. No one’s leaving this planet with more drake eggs.” He would do everything he could to protect Filzbalm’s people. Although the little drake might not look even as human as Solaria or Del, he was still a living being. Skylar felt bad at thinking of him as a pet for weeks.

  She nodded. “Of course, I have them on the highest setting.” She handed Del the net. “You said you have a fishing net at home, so you probably know how to use this better than I do.” Then she handed him a stun pistol. “And use this when you don’t have the net.” She also passed a pistol to Melody. “It’s fairly easy to use, just point at a target and squeeze the trigger.”

  Melody looked a little scared, but nodded as she pointed the pistol at the ground.

  As they walked outside, Solaria looked at the trail. “They went this way.”

  Filzbalm launched off Skylar’s shoulder at a slightly different angle than the direction the trail led. “Follow me, I know where they are!”

  “Follow Filzbalm,” Skylar said, and the four of them ran after the little yellow drake as it flew toward the jungle and weapon fire.

  “Who’s Filzbalm?” Solaria shouted after him.

  But Skylar didn’t answer or wait to see if Solaria and Del followed them or stuck to the trail she’d found. The sense of terror grew, and for a moment, Skylar couldn’t tell if it was his or coming from someone else.

  23

  To The Rescue

  THE JUNGLE closed in on them quickly. Skylar kept up with Filzbalm, but Solaria quickly fell behind.

  “Skylar!” Del shouted. “She’s having trouble keeping up. The suit’s slowing her down.”

  Skylar stopped and glared back at his friend. “Do you want to let everyone know we’re here?”

  Del grabbed his head. “There’s no need to be so loud.”

  “I’m sorry.” Skylar hurried back to Del. He hadn’t realized he could project so strongly as to cause pain. It reminded him of how much training he still had to undergo. “I didn’t mean to be so loud. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Your mental voice is more forceful, louder than my grandfather’s.” Del rubbed his temples. “Try toning it down a bit. I bet they could hear you clear into the next solar system.”

  “I really am sorry.” Worry for Del stabbed through him. “I’m still getting the hang of the telepathy stuff, and I didn’t have time to do my centering exercises.”

  “I’ll be okay in a few minutes,” Del replied. “Look, you and Melody go on ahead with the fledgling. Solaria and I will catch up. Don’t do anything stupid until we get there. Okay? We have to do all the stupid things together.”

  Skylar smiled and nodded. “Okay. If I need to, I’ll send Filzbalm back to you and hope he can help you understand what’s happening.” He glanced at the Solar Drake, suddenly realizing he hadn’t asked if he minded.

  “That’s fine,” Filzbalm replied.

  “Thanks.” Skylar knew it was going to take a little time to get used to Filzbalm being more like a person and less like a pet.

  “So that’s his name, huh—Filzbalm.” Solaria huffed as she plodded up to them. “Just go on. We’ll catch up. I’ve got to get someone to redesign these suits. They aren’t made for ease of terrestrial travel.”

  “Okay, you two be safe.” Skylar hurried toward Filzbalm where the little drake had perched on a low-hanging branch. As he approached, Filzbalm launched into the air and headed deeper into the jungle.

  The feeling of terror grew as they traveled further into the dense trees and vines. Skylar pushed at the sensations like Professor Aduncus had shown him. It helped keep the exterior feelings from overwhelming him. Filzbalm’s constant presence in his head helped too. The little Solar Drake was more soothing to him than the dampening bracelet had been, and gave him the strength to keep going.

  Huffing, but keeping her complaints down, Melody crashed through the jungle behind them. “Keep going, I’m doing fine.”

  “We’re not far now. I can hear the angry cries of a nesting female. I wonder if that’s what my mother sounded like when my egg was stolen.”

  The realization that they were both orphans hit Skylar hard. It gave him even more drive to make sure no other eggs were stolen, and no more hatchlings had to rely on the stumbling guesses of ignorant people to survive their first few weeks. They had gotten lucky, and he hoped they hadn’t stunted Filzbalm too much, particularly since he could hear the little guy without his bracelet on and wondered how much more mental attention he had really needed.

  Filzbalm landed on a branch again. The noise ahead of them sounded really close. “Careful, Skylar, we don’t want them finding you too soon.”

  Skylar stopped behind a tree. Melody slid to a stop right next to him. A high-pitched cry of anger rang above the other noises of the jungle. Another blaster shot boomed. The cry turned to pain.

  Skylar gripped the stunner. He didn’t have much experience shooting guns other than in games. In Galaxy Explorer, he’d always let Teir do most of the shooting. He’d been the pilot. But he had to do everything he could to help. It was just him, Filzbalm, and Melody in that moment.

  He peered around the trunk of the tree and his blood went cold. Three Boarisk holding large weapons stood in the clearing. There were two humans with them, and what he assumed was a Volarian, what with its radiant white skin and vivid red hair. The humans and Volarian looked to be prisoners. Across the small clearing, one of the Boarisk walked over to a huge Solar Drake, five or six times Filzbalm’s size, on the ground and kicked it. Skylar’s blood ran cold. They were too late to save the mother drake. He gripped his stunner so hard his fingers hurt.

  “The female’s down.” The Boarisk turned to their prisoners. “Now, where is the nest? You know the eggs won’t survive without the female anyway. Don’t make us find the male and kill it too.”

  One of the humans, a man with long blond hair and a thick beard, frowned at the Boarisk. “Why are you killing these poor creatures? They have as much right to live as you do.”

  “More!” the Volarian hissed.

  “And you think I don’t want these eggs to live?” The Boarisk laughed. It was a harsh sound that reminded Skylar of blaster fire. “They’re no good to me dead. The last ones I stole, one of them failed to get to its buyer. My men lost it, but no matter.” He swung his blaster from one researcher to another, like he was trying to make up his mind which one to shoot first. “I managed to get on and off this stupid world without alerting you last time. This time it was even easier. Your security system is pathetic, but I don’t know where any more nests are. Now, you’ll show me where this female’s nest is or I’ll keep killing your people. The market for Solar Drakes is strong among the corporate readers, and I aim to make them happy.”

  Skylar glanced at Filzbalm. These were the raiders who
stole his egg. Was his mother dead too, like the poor drake on the ground in front of them? He couldn’t let them do it again. “Filzbalm, are there more drakes in the jungle around here? Can they help us?”

  “I will find them.” Filzbalm dropped from the branch and took off for the denser jungle.

  The stunner in Skylar’s hand grew heavier as he turned his gaze back to the clearing. He forced himself to relax his hold on the composite stock. The Volarian glared at the Boarisk and the two appeared locked in a silent battle of wills. Then the Boarisk laughed again.

  “Your mind tricks won’t work on me.” He pointed to his head. “I always make sure to wear a telepathic blocker when I come here. I know that readers and Solar Drakes go hand in hand, and I like to be prepared.” He slapped the Volarian, sending her tumbling backward into the thick tangle of bushes. “We Boarisk are mostly immune to you telepaths anyway.”

  Skylar tightened his grip on the stunner again. He couldn’t wait anymore. Glancing at Melody, he mouthed. “Shoot when I do, then get down.” He brought his weapon up and fired at the Boarisk, then ducked back behind the massive tree even as the two beams of light shot across the glade.

  “What was that?” the Boarisk roared. “Are there more people out there?”

  They both missed. Skylar slumped against the tree for a moment. What could they do? Telepathy wouldn’t work on him and they were both terrible shots.

  What about empathy? How would he and his men react to a feeler attack?

  “Hamfield, go find the shooters!”

  “I’m going to try something,” he whispered to Melody. “Do you have any way to block psychic attacks?”

  “I’m just a low-level feeler, lower than Del. I can shield most attacks though.” Her brow creased in concentration. “Okay. Hit them hard.”

  Hoping he wasn’t about to hurt her, Skylar took a deep breath. He didn’t have time to go through the complex movements he used at school to center his mind. So, he simply remembered the terror he’d felt as he entered the jungle. He recalled the pain, fear, and worry he experienced when the Boarisk raiders attacked Hummassa. He shut his eyes tightly, sunk to his knees and tried desperately not to let the emotions overwhelm him before he could unleash them as he churned them over and over in his mind.

  “There’s a human boy over here, Captain,” a guttural voice called out. “A female too.”

  Opening his eyes, Skylar lashed out with the emotional weapon he’d formed. A squeal of terror was his reward as the Boarisk who had come within a few steps of him caught the full brunt of his empathic assault. The pig-like creature fell to the ground, grabbed its head in its thick, hoof-like hands, and continued to squeak and scream.

  The jungle exploded around him as Solar Drakes of every size and color poured out of the greenery and dove at the Boarisk raiders before Skylar could focus his attack on them. The emotions he used on his attacker surged within him. Too vividly, he remembered his mother’s hand sticking out of the broken windshield before the hover car exploded.

  The terror of the Solar Drakes and the researchers hammered at him. He pushed it away. It fought him. The emotions struggled in his grasp and tried to overwhelm him. On his hands and knees, he tried to find his center again. He was totally unaware of what was going on around him as he fought to regain control. Shots rang out. Heavy weapons and light. Something squealed in terror. The drakes roared, sounding very large and ferocious, but there was nothing for him to focus on.

  Joy surged and mingled with fear. Sadness and sorrow radiated out and engulfed him. The thick dank smell of the jungle engulfed him. It was all too much. He couldn’t find a center. He couldn’t focus. Everything swept Skylar away as the chaos consumed him. The part of him that was Skylar was lost, pulled away by a river of sensations he couldn’t control.

  Then a light weight landed on his shoulder, and a warm, scaly tail wrapped around his neck. The emotional storm around him receded. Skylar’s breath came in short gasps as he found his center and pushed his own emotions back into the recesses of his mind where they belonged. It was a lot easier without all the external things pounding on him.

  “Come back to me, Skylar.” Filzbalm’s mental voice was soothing. “It’s okay. We’re going to be fine. You’re going to be fine.”

  With shaking fingers, Skylar reached up and stroked Filzbalm’s head. “Did we win?”

  “This nest is safe.”

  “And the Boarisks?” Skylar tried to sit up, but his head spun.

  “The one who was able ran. The other two are still on the ground.”

  “And if I have anything to say about it, they’ll stay there.” The blond man appeared in Skylar’s vision. “Thank you for your timely save.” He reached out a hand to help Skylar stand. “Are you Del Aduncus?”

  As he stood, Skylar shook his head. “No, Skylar Mars. Del’s my roommate and good friend. We came here for a tour.”

  The man frowned at Skylar. “With your powers, you should know better than to lie, even if it was just a bending of the truth.” His gaze landed on Skylar’s shoulder and Filzbalm. “You came because of this little guy. I think we need to discuss this when we get back to the office. But first, we need to secure these two raiders, then track down their captain.”

  A strange knot formed in Skylar’s stomach. “Okay.” They were going to be in trouble. They’d saved the day, but that wasn’t going to matter. Everything had just gotten a lot more complicated.

  Three massive explosions shook the jungle. More birds and Solar Drakes took to the sky in a cacophony of sound and color.

  24

  Picking Up The Pieces

  SKYLAR, MELODY, and the two other humans ran through the forest to get back to the clearing where a thick column of black smoke rose into the twilight sky. Around them, the Solar Drakes flew like they knew what was happening and wanted to help. It was strange, because they weren’t acting as intelligent as Filzbalm did.

  “Did you have anyone with you besides the girl?” the blond asked as they raced onward. A brown Solar Drake flew next to his shoulder, easily keeping pace with him.

  “Yeah, Del and our friend Solaria,” Skylar said. “They should be around here somewhere.”

  “Let’s hope that the Boarisk didn’t get them on his way back to his ship, and that they didn’t get caught in the explosions.” The blond jumped an outstretched tree root. “I’m Doctor Wellengrad, by the way. Thank you for helping my team, or what remains of us.”

  Skylar didn’t bother to hide his dislike for the species. “I have personal issues with the Boarisk myself. Anything I can do to upset them is a good thing.” He ducked under a low-hanging branch with large purple fruit on it.

  “Skylar!” Del shouted from out of the greenery at the edge of the clearing. “What’s going on?”

  Skylar skidded to a halt. “Del, is Solaria with you? Are you okay?”

  Del nodded as Solaria extracted herself from the underbrush.

  “We’re fine!” Del shouted. “We tried to follow the running Boarisk guy, but the explosions knocked us back here.”

  “I really don’t like this suit,” Solaria growled. “I could’ve caught him if I hadn’t been in it. You know, maybe I hate this stupid little planetoid too. If it wasn’t so hot here, I wouldn’t be like this.”

  Doctor Wellengrad stopped and stood still. A large number of Solar Drakes circled the burning wreckage of the spaceships along with the buildings. The fourth ship, the one that hadn’t been broadcasting an identifying signal, was gone. “What happened?”

  “His ship took off right after he got into it,” Del explained. “I didn’t even think to scan it for armaments. But he blasted the other ships before he took off. Somehow, I don’t think the school is going to be very happy with us.”

  The doctor turned to them. “You’ve managed to get yourselves into a very complex situation here. I don’t think many people are going to be happy with you.” He sighed. “But Skylar and Filzbalm did manage to save me and the remains of
my staff. Let’s go see if we can get a distress call out in hopes that someone helpful will show up. Maybe the emergency beacon wasn’t damaged.”

  “Hey, I’ve got Skylar’s Galactic Com unit.” Del dug into his pocket and pulled out the device. “I bet we can reach someone on it.”

  Skylar smiled at his friend—at least they weren’t stuck. “Okay, but who do we call? The school? We took Stars’ End Beta. They might want to just let us rot out here while they use one of the other school ships to get the kids from the Galaxeria.” He looked at Doctor Wellengrad. “Do you have any idea who to call?”

  “We could call our home office. They’re at the Central Galactic University Campus. It might take them a couple of days to get here.” The brown Solar Drake landed on his shoulder.

  “Call Uncle Phil,” Solaria suggested. “He’s got his own ship. He can get here fairly quickly no matter where he is. And he’s got some pull at the school, so maybe he can smooth things over. He’s a level-ten feeler—if nothing else, he can smooth things over with everyone and make them feel that it would be a bad idea to do too much to us.”

  In the end, they called Phil and Wellengrad’s home office. Both promised to get there as quickly as possible. By then, the Volarian had returned with the two raiders they’d managed to capture. Doctor Palu and Doctor Wells, the Volarian, and the other human, Pam, an intern, secured the Boarisk prisoners, then enlisted Solaria in helping them gather their dead. The Boarisks had killed five of the other researchers when they arrived. Next to each dead researcher was the lifeless body of a Solar Drake.

  “Skylar, can I talk to you for a few minutes?” Doctor Wellengrad asked as the others headed back into the jungle. The twilight was already beginning to brighten back to full daylight without going to darkness.