Deathstalker 05 - Deathstalker Destiny

mass may be extradimensional in nature. Please, Sister. You must leave this ship immediately. There are forces here that will kill you."
    "I can't leave you like this," said Sister Marion flatly. "Besides, I've got an idea. I brought some explosives with me, just in case. They're all shaped charges. If I set them on the underside of the casing, they should blow it right off you. Don't know what the blast will do to your legs, but I've seen you Maze people heal impossible damage. You want to try it?"
    Moon considered the matter coldly. He was fairly sure he would survive the blast in some form, and he didn't have any other ideas. He just hoped Owen appreciated what it cost to get him his drive. "Go ahead," he said finally. "But be sure to allow sufficient time for you to reach a safe distance."
    "Teach your grandmother to suck eggs," said Sister Marion, which baffled Moon somewhat. He took the explosive charges from her as she dug them out of her voluminous pockets, and together they applied the charges to the underside of the drive container, setting the timers for a five-minute delay. Sister Marion took to shaking her head, as though bothered by something, and her concentration slipped more than once. Finally she stopped and leaned on the drive casing, one hand at her forehead.
    "Lights," she said thickly. "There are lights in my head. And a sound…"
    "The ship's energies are affecting you," said Moon. "Give me the last of the charges, and you get out of here. Quickly. While you still can."
    Sister Marion shook her head angrily, and her eyes snapped back into focus.
    "Almost finished. Just a few more… Oh hell. The timers. Something's happened to the timers!"
    Moon realized what had happened and threw up his arms to protect his face, as all the charges went off at once, their timers corrupted by the drive's energies. The combined blast lifted the drive off Moon's legs and slammed him back against the wall behind him. He could feel things tear and break within him. The explosion picked up Sister Marion and threw her all the way back down the metal passage and out of the ship, like a rag doll in a hurricane. She didn't even have time to cry out. The drive slowly began to roll back toward Moon. His lower half was completely numb and useless, but he used his arms to pull himself along the floor and out of the way. He kept going, dragging himself slowly along the metal passage, leaving a thick trail of blood behind his shattered legs. Internal sensors were bombarding him with damage reports, but since none of them were immediately vital, he ignored them as he ignored the pain, concentrating only on getting outside, so he could see what had happened to Sister Marion.
    Outside the ship, the lepers were gathered around a tattered bloody object. Moon crawled out of the rent in the outer hull, and dropped to the clearing floor.
    Two of the lepers came over to him, and he asked them to bring him to whatever was left of Sister Marion. She was still alive, but it only took one look for Moon to know she wouldn't last long. Her broken arms and legs were barely attached to her body, and she was breathing harshly, every inhalation an effort.
    Moon had the two lepers set him down beside her. She rolled her eyes to look at him. For the first time since he'd known her, she looked small and fragile and
    very human.
    "I'm sorry. Sister," said Moon. "I'm so sorry."
    "Don't feel guilty, my son. I was dying anyway. Better this way than what I had waiting for me."
    "Lie still. I'll send the others for help."
    "I'd be dead long before they got back. You're supposed to have been there, Tobias. What's it like; being dead?"
    "Restful."
    "Bugger," said Sister Marion. "I'll hate it." She stopped breathing, and as simply as that it was all over. No last death rattles or convulsions, no dramatics. Just one brave soul going to meet her Maker, probably to ask him some pointed questions. Moon was surprised to find himself crying, the tears mixing with the rain running down his face. He finally understood what tears were for, and damned the knowledge. He reached out and closed the sister's staring eyes.
    The lepers built a stretcher for Moon out of the loose vegetation. He could feel the healing process beginning within him, but he had no way of knowing how long it would take, or how much of his body could be repaired. Rather than think about that, he considered the problem of transporting the stardrive, and finally came up with an answer. He linked