Shield [New World Book 1] Read online

  “That is for those chosen ten. The rest of you will be found places and put on work detail for your crime of endangering the lives of others.”

  There were many grumbles and groans that followed his statement.

  Grace saw the captain’s jaw twitch. He was a cold bastard. His hands balled into fists. His eyes narrowed onto two men in a far corner quietly talking in hushed tones.

  “Mutiny is a sentence that carries swift actions,” Captain Chase warned. “It’s punishable by death. Immediate death. Don’t make the rest of us have to put up with your stinking corpses.”

  “Gotta love subtlety in a man,” Stacie said.

  “Something tells me this is going to be the longest four days of my entire life,” Grace replied.

  Stacie nodded in agreement.

  “Well at least we have each other,” Stacie said. “I’m afraid I could talk the leg off a chair.”

  Grace grinned at her.

  “Oh no, this is my seat you’re sharing. I get to go first; you can listen to my life story. I was a happy baby my mother said…” Stacie laughed.

  Both women jumped when oxygen masks fell from overhead. The captain reached up and put on his. Adams held his in his hands. Grace and Stacie looked worriedly at one another. Grace had a bad feeling in her gut. This time Adams rose and addressed everyone. Grace studied him. He was a nice-looking man, neither tall nor short. He was perhaps in his early forties with thinning hair. Stacie was right; she bore no family resemblance to him.

  “The air is about to thin so listen carefully,” Adams began. “Those of you with masks put them on now.”

  Grace hesitated; Stacie gave her a nudge and nodded. Grace looked apologetically at Stacie and slipped her mask on.

  “For those with masks, you will find you will be getting sleepy. There is no need for concern. The trip is better if you sleep most of the way. For those who don’t have masks, we need to control your breathing. The shuttle will flood with gas shortly. Do not panic, because you will wake up. We need to conserve oxygen, so we need to stop as much air intake as possible.”

  Grace felt Stacie’s hand slip into hers.

  Grace squeezed it.

  “You’re knocking us out?” a man yelled, incredulous.

  “It was explained that there isn’t enough food and water onboard and you all agreed. It will be less painful for you if you are unconscious,” Adams said. “There is to be no fighting over food. Starvation can make a person do dangerous things. It would be impossible for you to watch day after day while others eat and drink. There would be too much animosity. Let’s all get there in one piece.”

  “You’ll kill us!” the man yelled. “We have the right to eat, too…at least a little.”

  To Grace he looked guilty. No doubt the man had come aboard with the intension of bullying food from others to sustain his own life. He was a large man; if he wanted her rations, Grace would have no choice if she had no protection from him.

  “Easy, Dustin, I swear it’s for your own sanity and safety,” Adams reasoned.

  Dustin looked terrified. He screwed his face into an angry glare and suddenly rushed forward with a below of rage. A woman screamed and Adams snapped his mask into place and flipped a switch as the captain stood ready to fire his weapon.

  Grace knew it was a stun gun but the power had been increased. It would kill. Suddenly Grace felt Stacie’s head slip to her shoulder, and the hand in hers went limp. The woman was out cold.

  The man about to attack Adams dropped to his knees a mere foot away from his goal. Dustin’s hand rose to his throat and he clawed at the co-pilot’s pant legs gasping for breath. The man slumped heavily and lay on his side unmoving.

  “Cold bastards,” the man beside Grace said. He had made no attempt to lower his voice.

  “Damn right we are!” the captain shouted in response. “We’re also the ones in charge of your lives. Sleep now. In a few hours we will wake you and give you water and dry fruit. Then you’ll sleep again.”

  “What about the others?” Grace asked.

  “If they survive, they will be welcome on Ulsy,” the captain said. “If not then they will be buried on Ulsy.” The captain leered at her then flopped into his chair.

  Grace felt cool air invade her mask. She blinked and struggled to stay awake, it was a battle she soon lost. She drifted into sleep with a lone tear trailing its way down her cheek. Good God what had she gotten into?

  * * * *

  Grace woke slowly; her eyelashes fluttered open then closed in confusion. She felt a hand at her neck tilting her head forward. She looked up into Adams’ concerned gaze. She once more wore the oxygen mask. She knew she would be out again soon. Adams had informed her the gas-filled shuttle decompressed for only a few moments. Just enough time for them to have water and a mouthful of food. It didn’t give the others a chance to wake from their deep drug-induced slumber. The last time Grace had come to, Stacie looked dead. Her lips were parched and dry. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head. Grace couldn’t stand it. Stacie was the first friend she had made in a long time. She liked the feisty tiny woman and respected her courage. Grace had begged Adams to let Stacie wear her mask and they would alternate food and drink. Adams was reluctant, but Grace pleaded until the man relented.

  When Grace had gone under without the mask, she had been terrified. The air had thinned to almost nothing. She had felt as though she were suffocating. It was mercifully quick and Adams had held her hand.

  The next time she awoke, the captain had been there. He had been furious. From the look on his face Grace knew the man wanted her. She was forbidden to take her mask off again. Grace had glared at him; she had known him less than a week but well enough to know he was a bully. His eyes had followed her around their camp. Chase had been more than suggestive. It seemed the more she blew him off, the more persistent he had become. It occurred to her Adams wasn’t the only one who had a hand in her coming aboard. It would seem Chase had other plans. Grace had defied him and was surprised she had once more woken to be fed and given water. More horrifying was the fact Stacie was no longer beside her.

  Grace choked down some water. “Where?” she muttered.

  “She’s fine,” Adams whispered. “She’s near the front with the captain. He wants to make certain you reach Ulsy alive.”

  “When I’m asleep, does he…” Grace stammered.

  “I swear he hasn’t touched you,” Adams said. “But when we get there, you need to stay close to me. Chase has his sights set on you so beware.”

  “Will he hurt Stacie?” Grace asked. Stacie was tiny and pretty and out cold, vulnerable.

  “No, he isn’t interested in women with little to no breasts,” Adams said grimly. “Did you take a look at the other women he chose?”

  Grace hadn’t but did now. Her eyes narrowed. All five women given seats were beautiful and big-breasted. The five men chosen were all Chase’s cronies. Out of the eight stowaways five were women. Curiously she glanced at Adams.

  “Chase let those people stowaway…at least he let the women. The bastards who established Ulsy miscalculated and the ratio of men to women is too large, but something else is going on and Chase either knows what or knows someone high up who does. I have been trying to stack the deck with more honest men. Chase has been stacking the deck with his own men and promises of power. The situation on Ulsy is volatile. The planet is filled with strange beasts that they hadn’t noticed before. I’ve never seen one, but others have caught glimpses. They are elusive but dangerous. Women have gone missing, and men have been gutted. Our housing is pathetic and little protection. The planet is so raw. Food is gold.”

  “I thought it was filled with food,” Grace whispered.

  “It is for those who can get it.”

  “Then why keep bringing more people if it’s dangerous?”

  “It’s better there than on Earth, Grace. Something is going on but I’m not sure what. There are even rumors floating around that some men are w
orking with these beasts. In the meantime don’t worry about your friend. One of the men Chase chose for a seat on the shuttle has his sights set on Stacie. You’ll be happy to know she is also getting water and food. I can’t go into it now, but the three stowaway men are lucky he hasn’t killed them. Even on Ulsy we have rules about murder—to a small degree. Now I’m still asking for Dustin’s life. The women of Ulsy are being given to men with power so Chase wouldn’t dare harm one no matter what they did or do. Chase said Dustin was about to commit mutiny, punishable by death. He’s an expendable man. We all saw him charge us. I’m afraid there’s no hope for the man once we land.”

  Grace was horrified. “Why, why would you tell me this?”

  “So you will be afraid and stay sharp. Stay away from Chase, girl,” Adams snapped.

  “Are we really related?” Grace asked.

  Adams bowed his head. “No. I just wanted to try and keep Chase in line while aboard the shuttle. He would have brought you aboard one way or the other. My ruse was the only way to protect you. I guess I have more of a conscience then I like to admit. You remind me so much of my niece. She went missing on Ulsy months ago. She’s about your age. Her mother, my sister, is beside herself with worry.”

  He then shoved her mask back over her face. Before Grace could say anything, she was out cold.

  * * * *

  Grace awoke when jostled. Her seat bounced and her mask slipped off. She grabbed for it but the air was clear. No more oxygen flowed from her mask. All around her, people were waking, both passengers and stowaways. Everyone looked as dazed and confused as she felt. Stacie was stumbling and crawling back down the aisle to her. She dropped heavily into Grace’s seat, almost landing on her lap.

  “What is it?” Grace cried out.

  “We hit something,” Stacie panted. She shook her head in an obvious effort to regain her senses.

  “Are we at Ulsy?” Grace asked in a panic.

  “From the way the captain is swearing and how pale Adams is I’m guessing no.”

  Grace looked out her window. A massive piece of metal was slowly spinning away from the shuttle. She swallowed hard. The mangled object looked like an Earth craft. Chase was yelling orders and Grace felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest.

  “Straighten it out!” Chase bellowed.

  “The controls are not responding!” Adams yelled back.

  “Oh God,” Grace whimpered.

  Up ahead was a giant black hole. They were headed straight for it. The engine spluttered and creaked eerily. Ever so slowly the vessel slipped forward on a collision course with empty nothingness. The lights flickered off and they were flying blind. The entire shuttle was enveloped in darkness.

  Grace stretched her seatbelt over to fit the both of them. She struggled to click it together, but her fumbling was successful. Both women clung to one another. The shuttle was spinning in the air. Once more it became hard to breathe. People were screaming.

  With a bounce they exploded from the black hole. The engines kicked on for a moment. A planet appeared and they hit the atmosphere. It felt like being shoved down by a large wave. The engines whined and groaned and once again shut down. They were jerked from side to side.

  Grace had never been fond of amusement rides; this was like the roller coaster from hell. An explosion sounded and Grace screamed when a jagged blue flame seared a crack in the hull.

  The captain was shouting at everyone to put their heads down.

  “Our force field has been breached! There’s nothing to stop the hull from being crushed!” the captain bellowed.

  “Kiss your ass goodbye, Grace. It was nice knowing you!” Stacie yelled.

  The vessel slammed into something and spun around. Something large sent it reeling in another direction.

  Grace screamed when the vessel snapped almost in half. One entire section was propelled away from them and flew off in the distance taking half the passengers. Grace could see daylight, and very tall, massive trees. The shuttle hit the ground and bounced. Stacie crashed into her side. Grace gasped for breath. The shuttle rolled again and again until it finally teetered, groaned, then settled. Grace remained head down, with her arms clasped over her head.

  “Are we dead?” Stacie whispered.

  “I don’t think so because your bony hip is digging into me,” Grace whispered back.

  Stacie clicked open the safety belt.

  Grace rose to shaky feet. On wobbly legs the women stood at the side of the open shuttle gaping. Huge trees with long vines stretched before them. The dust was settling to reveal lush green, purple and red vegetation. It was like nothing Grace had ever seen before. The colors were so incredibly vibrant she was in awe. Earth had been so gray the last year, Grace had seen only bleakness. This was breathtaking.

  “I can breathe this air,” Grace said excitedly. “Have you ever smelt anything so incredibly fresh?”

  Both women ventured forward. They were followed by a few others. The ground beneath their feet was spongy and soft, almost bouncy. It was no wonder their vessel hadn’t just broken into pieces on impact. The air was clear and neither warm nor cold. The sky was a darker blue than Grace was used to, but it was bright outside. She understood why when she saw two suns and the outline of four close moons. She moved forward and touched a tree. The bark was as smooth as velvet and soft like the ground. She pushed into the tree bark. It was like foam except after a few inches it became very hard underneath.

  All around her the others were gaping and exclamations of wonder were heard.

  “Everyone stay together. There could be danger out here,” the captain’s booming voice stilled everyone’s motion.

  It was hard to imagine anything evil in this picturesque place.

  Adams came out from the shuttle looking grim. “We lost two stowaways. Two of the men who weren’t wearing seatbelts. They must have been ejected when the ship split. They’re both face down on the other side of the shuttle. From the window I could see they suffered too much damage to be alive. I don’t know about the others. I don’t see their bodies.”

  Grace looked around. Dustin was still with them; he had apparently settled himself beside one of the passenger women. Their number was eight. Three women, five men. The others must have been in the other part of the vessel that broke off. Grace wondered at their fate. The captain was also looking at Dustin and Grace was remembering what Adams had said. When the captain’s gaze settled onto the man with narrowed eyes, Grace reacted. Without thought she screamed at the man to run, but it was too late. Chase grabbed Dustin and zapped him with the stun gun.

  “For mutiny,” Chase ground out.

  Dustin sank to the ground.

  “How could you?” Grace screamed. “We have no idea where we are and you killed an unarmed man.”

  “You all saw him charge me and Adams,” Chase replied calmly. “He would have killed us all.”

  “But you stopped him from being a threat,” Stacie argued. “You murdered him in cold blood. I’ll testify to that. They must have laws on Ulsy.”

  Chase glared at her and looked around. The man who had been giving food and water to Stacie wasn’t among them. The captain grinned at Stacie then and moved forward toward her, fists balled. Stacie paled and took a step back. Grace maneuvered herself in front of her. She put her hands up on Chase’s chest. Adams stepped forward as well.

  “You have no idea what the real laws of Ulsy are.” Chase sneered.

  “Chase, we have a bigger issue here,” Adams said. “We have no idea where we are and the part of the console that ripped off is in the other half of the shuttle. Our communication is severed. We have no way to contact Ulsy.”

  “We need to find the other half,” Chase said.

  He then looked down at Grace and gripped her wrists. He yanked her closer and kissed her hard.

  Grace struggled and fought him. The kiss broke when Chase jerked forward and howled.

  Stacie had hit him with a large branch across his back. Chase took
a swing at her, but Stacie dodged him. She spun and fled into the brush with four others following her. Grace turned to join them, but Chase grabbed her again.

  “Oh no,” he snarled. “You’re mine. I chose you as my reward for good service.”

  Again Grace struggled against him wondering what on earth he meant. Did he think because he saved people with his shuttle, people on Ulsy would turn a blind eye to confinement and rape? Oh God, would they? Once again Grace wondered what she had gotten into. A scream in the foliage stopped them all. Grace whimpered, when she remembered what Adams had said about creatures on Ulsy. There could be creatures here, too. What happened to Adams’ niece?

  Chase pulled her away from the shuttle with Adams trailing.

  Grace was hard-pressed to match the large man’s stride but she had no choice. Grace was yanked through thick vegetation. Everything was so different from Earth. Never before had she seen trees so tall or this cream-colored shade. The leaves looked prehistoric they were so large. Off to her right, Grace gasped when she saw what looked like a red frog. The thing was about half a foot in size and when it opened its mouth, she saw jagged sharp teeth—a forked tongue flicked out.

  A screeching noise captured their attention and they all looked up. A bird with an eight-foot wingspan soared overhead. The creature was feathered on top, while its underside was slick as a dolphin. It squawked again with a big beak and had flaming colors of black and orange. It dropped lower and hissed at them.

  Chase dragged her faster.

  “You’re hurting me,” Grace snapped and yanked at Chase’s hand. “This aimless running is pointless, you big coward.”

  They stopped abruptly and Chase tossed her to the ground.

  Grace was breathing heavily; she rubbed at her aching wrist. She glared up at Chase then over to Adams. “So much for your crew,” she said.

  “We’ll find the others,” Chase said. He rubbed at his back. “Whatever scared your little friend must have been big. Hopefully it was a painful death.”