Read Farthest Space: The Wrath of Jan for Free Online Page B

brought her to orgasm.  
    Stars, her skin had tasted so sweet.   An ancient line from Earth ran through his mind: Sugar and spice and everything nice.
    With a violent effort, he dragged his mind off sex and did his best to listen what she was saying.
    “There is no intelligent life in this system, according to the charts,” Vaish said in her chilliest tone.   Evidently she’d noticed his mental drifting.   “It’s not used for any sort of refueling or mining that I’m aware of.   And unfortunately, our beacon won’t be detected from beyond this star system.”  
    That was Vaish, Steven thought.   Always harping on the negative.   “So can we boost the signal?”
    “I don’t have sufficient energy reserves to do that,” Fred said.   “The lifepod is not designed for long-term use.”  
    “Doesn’t this thing use solar energy?” Vaish asked.
    “It can’t generate enough energy to run the instruments and computer over the long haul,” Steven said.   To himself, he thought, Note to self : If we ever get back to civilized space, design a better lifepod.   “Hell.   I don’t know what the answer is.”
    “Forty-two?” Vaish suggested.
    Steven ignored her.   “How much energy do you have, Fred?”
    “Approximately enough to operate for twenty-eight days.   After that, you will be on your own.”
    Steven sighed.   They needed the shelter of this lifepod to survive.   They needed Fred, damn it.   “And we’re absolutely certain this planet is uninhabited?”
    “Scans showed no signs of intelligent life.   However…”
    At Fred’s significant pause, Steven straightened and scowled at the ceiling.   “What is it, Fred?”
    “I’ve found a few anomalous readings that suggest there may in fact be intelligent life on this planet, or at least that intelligent life has visited here.   A few traces of human DNA, a few skeletons of the indigenous lifeforms that appear to have been killed by human weaponry.”
    Steven frowned.   “If there are people here, where could they be hiding?”
    “There are caves all over the surface that have heavy metal components, making it impossible for me to scan.   My guess is that if anyone else is on this planet, they are in those caves.”
    “It is highly unlikely a civilized society would live in caves,” Vaish said.   “If there are humans or humanoids on the planet, they are very probably quite primitive.”
    “A reasonable hypothesis,” Fred said.   “Except that the skeletons I’ve scanned appear to have been killed by blasters.”
    “That makes no sense,” Vaish said.
    “I don’t know about that,” Steven said, swallowing the last of his coffee with a wince.   “This is the kind of planet someone interested in steering clear of the Patrol might hide.   Uninhabited and relatively unknown, with caves that are conveniently impossible to scan.”
    Vaish sniffed disdainfully.   “You mean a criminal might be concealing himself in the caves?”  
    “It’s a possibility.   Might not even be a criminal, but just someone who doesn’t want to be found for some reason.   And if there is someone on this planet, he might be willing to help us get off.”
    “If this hypothetical person doesn’t want to be found, it is highly unlikely he’d help us find a way off the planet.   He would be much more likely to kill us.”
    “Good point,” Steven admitted.   Undaunted, he grinned.   “We’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t have a choice, then.”
    *****
    Vaish tried not to grumble as they set off into the warm, humid morning light.   Once again she was armed only with a length of heavy pipe, and she was almost certainly going to end up as some huge feline’s breakfast.   All because there was a tiny, incredibly faint chance that there was someone on this planet who was highly unlikely to help them anyway.
    Steven seemed cheerfully oblivious to her dark mood.   He marched along, humming under his breath, for all the world as