The Secret of Her Alien Monster E-Book

Nova Edwins

• Herausgeber: Black Umbrella Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 103

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

I'm tasked with analyzing a few rare mushrooms on a supposedly abandoned space station–a couple of soldiers being my only company. However, the captain and his crew aren't interested in mushrooms at all—they only care for the alien that cultivated them. And when I say "alien," I mean a crossbreed of the universe's strongest species that was meant to become some kind of super soldier killing machine. So much for the "abandoned research station." If someone had asked me, I would have told them immediately that such a creature, equipped with artificial intelligence to make things even worse, is an extremely bad idea. But what do I know? After all, I'm only here for the mushrooms... Dark sci-fi romance with a fast-learning alien, an overly diplomatic biologist, and a dash of humor.

Leseprobe

THE SECRET OF HER ALIEN MONSTER

NOVA EDWINS

A SCI-FI ROMANCE NOVELLA

CONTENTS

The Secret of Her Alien Monster

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

About Nova Edwins

THE SECRET OF HER ALIEN MONSTER

I’m tasked with analyzing a few rare mushrooms on a supposedly abandoned space station–a couple of soldiers being my only company.

However, the captain and his crew aren’t interested in mushrooms at all—they only care for the alien that cultivated them. And when I say “alien,” I mean a crossbreed of the universe’s strongest species that was meant to become some kind of super soldier killing machine. So much for the “abandoned research station.”

If someone had asked me, I would have told them immediately that such a creature, equipped with artificial intelligence to make things even worse, is an extremely bad idea.

But what do I know? After all, I’m only here for the mushrooms...

Dark sci-fi romance with a fast-learning alien, an overly diplomatic biologist, and a dash of humor.

1

When I saw the heavy weapons and the protective armor, it was immediately clear that Captain Mason Allen had definitely not told me the whole story behind our ominous mission.

Supposedly, we were to search the SSC Oracle to see ifthere were any survivors aboard. A few standard weeks ago, the research station had suddenly disappeared from radar and reappeared four standard days ago several star miles away. No one responded to the radio inquiries, and the few images from the surveillance cameras still transmitting on the emergency frequency showed abandoned corridors completely overgrown with fungi. Hence my presence—fungi were kind of my thing.

Although I typically spent most of my time in laboratories and lecture halls and had no combat experience of my own, the presence of the heavily armed soldiers did not reassure me at all. An abandoned spaceship should not require such a massive amount of weapons.

Our captain was strapping a third blaster to his thigh, while I had only a flashlight in my hand. With my small suitcase containing everything I needed to take samples, I felt more like I was on my way to a children’s birthday party to paint their faces, while the men looked like they were going to war.

“Captain, are you sure there isn’t a file I should read to be on the safe side?” I realized it was a little late for that. After all, we were already in the airlock, but the behavior of the men—soldiers or not—made me nervous. Sergeant Kay ran his thumb over the blade of a machete he then slid into a holster at his hip before checking the myriad of spare ammo clips for his blaster. The thing was bigger than my torso, and he hefted it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.

“There’s no file, Hannah. We’re just here to help. And I told you to call me Mason.”

He had also said he had some wonderful old Scotch in his cabin that I was welcome to try—but that didn’t mean I would.

“Hmm,” was the noise I made instead while considering whether I should also ask for a gun. Because the whole non-existing file thing was also contributing to my being this nervous. I had to fill out at least seven forms whenever I needed new petri dishes, but the captain wanted me to believe there was no file pertaining to this exploration tour? No records, no log, no reports? Nothing?

“It’ll be fine.” Private Wyatt Mills presented me with his blinding toothpaste smile, not reassuring me at all. I recognized a top-secret, possibly illegal, and probably dangerous mission when I saw it.

“Can I maybe have a blaster?” I asked with a pounding heart, gripping the handle of my flashlight tighter.

“I’m sorry, but you’re not certified for that.” Mason didn’t look like he was really sorry. “Besides, I’ll be by your side to look out for you. We’re an experienced crew, Hannah. Once we’re aboard, you’ll take your samples, we’ll take a look around, and then we’ll be on our way home.”

“Hmm.” There really wasn’t anything else to say.

The sergeant walked over to the wall panel and entered some commands before comparing the numbers on the display with those on his wristband. “The atmosphere seems fine, but we should still put the masks on to be on the safe side until the doc gives the okay regarding the fungi and possible spores in the air.”

The “doc” was me, which is why I nodded curtly to indicate agreement. It was a bit awkward to put down the flashlight and the case, remove the thick gloves, pull the mask over my face, and then put everything back on and pick the rest off the floor. Normally I would have been able to start tests for breathable air from here, but the captain had made it clear that I wouldn’t be—under no circumstances—the first to enter the ship.

The radio in my ear crackled.

“Everyone ready?” the captain asked.

I simply held my thumb up, but the soldiers barked their reply snappily.

There was a hiss as the airlock opened, and the soldiers immediately rushed out. Only the emergency lighting glowed in the long corridor ahead, so the men were quickly swallowed up by darkness.

“Everything’s fine here.”

“Same here.”

Sergeant Kay nodded for me to follow Captain Mason before he set foot onto the abandoned space station right behind me.

The glow from my flashlight danced through the hallway, and I observed the spores swirling around as we moved. The concentration in the air offered no cause for concern, and my scanner also glowed in a steady green, indicating that everything was—in fact—fine.

“Captain,” one of the soldiers called out. “The emergency generator is over here.”

“Turn it on,” he replied.

The light flared up, and only now could I see that the end of the corridor in front of us was overgrown with mushrooms. Mushrooms that grew from... corpses.

My stomach rebelled, but I forced myself to take a deep breath behind the mask.

“Captain,” I said slowly. “Maybe now would be a good time to tell me the truth. What happened here?”

It did not escape my notice that the men all had their weapons at the ready as we slowly duck-marched down the hallway.

Captain Mason turned to me and lowered the barrel of his gun. “We don’t know exactly what happened to the crew.”

I eyed the bodies—it had to be six or seven men at least. “But there is a working theory, isn’t there? A theory why we were sent on a secret mission?”

The light above us flickered, which immediately caused the captain to raise his weapon again. He turned his back to me, as did the rest of his crew. Within a second, I was surrounded by soldiers. Probably to make me feel safe, but it didn’t help—quite the contrary.

“I don’t know much either, Hannah. We’re supposed to check for survivors and find out what happened here.”

“Captain,” Private Mills spoke with a hushed tone, nodding toward the wall.

I saw the scratches, too. The extremely resilient metal, a special blend of titanium, steel, and ayneumium, had been shredded like thin aluminum foil. The spacing between the scratches also worried me. I knew there were no claws strong enough to destroy metal like this in such a way, but the scientist in me concluded that the scratches must have come from a hand about twice the size of mine. Twice the size and with razor-sharp claws. I swallowed hard.

The soldiers said nothing, but the rising tension was palpable.

“Sergeant Kay and Private Mills—escort Doctor Ford back aboard the Aeternitas. Everyone else, come with me.”

I felt a draft and turned around, raising the flashlight instinctively, even though the ceiling lights shone all the way through the narrow corridor.

We all flinched as a loud rumble filled the hallway. The light went out, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw something moving in the glow of my flashlight.

With a pounding heart and weak knees, I stared into the darkness, trying to see anything at all. I waited for the cause of the rumbling to show itself. But I was shaking so badly that I could hardly keep the light of the flashlight steady.

I heard the loud breathing of the others over the radio in my ear and tried not to breathe too frantically so that the visor of my mask would not fog up.

“What the hell is that?” one of the soldiers muttered.

Before anyone could ask what exactly he meant, a piercing scream rang out that made my blood run cold.

2

I whipped around and actually needed a moment to realize that I was suddenly alone in the hallway. The glow of the flashlight danced across the floor, which was now adorned with new puddles of blood.

My breathing became more labored as I spun around my own axis again and again. I was alone, but the men had to have disappeared somewhere. I found it harder and harder to keep a steady breath, but a glance at the display on my wristband assured me that everything was fine with the atmosphere aboard the SSC Oracle.

I tore the mask from my face and immediately felt that I could breathe more freely and see and hear better.

Unfortunately, I noticed the smell of blood more clearly as well.

There was a crackling sound before the light came back on. I winced and turned around, but I was still alone.

“Captain?” I whispered into the deserted hallway.

I switched off the flashlight and grabbed it more like a baton because I had no other weapon. But I had no illusions—whoever or whatever made six highly trained soldiers disappear within a few heartbeats would also be able to overpower me easily enough.

My gaze slid to the slashed walls, and a shiver ran down my spine.

Okay, okay. At least I was still standing on my own two feet, which probably made me the last hope for our crew. I had two choices. Either I left the Oracle and returned aboard the Aeternitas to send outa distress call, or I followed the trail of blood that tinted the ground right in front of me and led around the next corner.

I usually wasn’t particularly brave, but if any of the crew were still alive and I left them here badly hurt, I would never forgive myself.

The ground seemed to sway beneath my feet as I took the first step. Never before had I felt such fear. But neither had I ever been the idiot from every horror movie who stood in front of the two signs saying “gruesome death” and “safe hiding place,” choosing “gruesome death” for some inexplicable reason.

I followed the trail of blood, looking over my shoulder again and again, listening intently, but except for my wildly beating heart and the rush of blood in my ears, I heard... nothing.

Only when I could make out a kind of faint gasp, did I speed up.

The captain must have heard my footsteps because he called out to me. “Hannah?”

I started running and had to stop abruptly behind the next corner because the blood trail ended in a room right in front of me.

With a whimper, I pressed my hand to my mouth because Private Wyatt Mills was lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood—the entire front of his chest was missing, and I could see his organs.

Captain Allen and Sergeant Kay were sitting in an impromptu cage that had been pulled together from heavy metal pieces. There was no sign of the other soldiers.

“You have to get out of here, Hannah. Now!” the captain ordered me. “Get to safety and call for help!”

“You sure? Maybe I can find a pipe or something like that and get you out. I could⁠—”

My voice trailed off, and I froze on the spot because the rumbling came from right behind me this time. So close that the breeze moved my hair.

Although I was paralyzed with fear, I somehow managed to turn around. I didn’t want to die without even knowing who was responsible.

In front of me stood...

I had not the slightest idea.

As a biologist, I had gained some knowledge of the most common species over my career, but even so, I couldn’t tell who I was facing.