Carson Mach 1: The Atlantis Ship Read Online Free Page A

way, now even more furious.  
    Mach noticed that the effects of the disruptor blast hadn’t lasted; Ralex’s system was already repairing the damaged tissue and the horan was stalking Mach with murderous intent.  
    This really wasn’t going to plan, but when did it ever?
    Mach hit a button on the smart-screen wrapped around his left forearm. He had earlier spent two eros on a jukebox playlist. The blaring sounds of space metal, his favorite fighting music, drowned out the sounds of screams and droid servos.  
    The pounding beat and the driving riffs helped the BuzzKill stim to further enter his system, slowing time down further, making his reactions borderline impossible. He would pay for this in the morning, but right now he didn’t care.  
    He had a big damned horan wanting to rip his face off, a group of droids sent by god knows who, and great music pounding into his ears. Bliss! This was goddamned bliss.
    Without looking behind him, he unclipped an EMP grenade from his GraphTech utility belt and tossed it somewhere toward the back of the bar. The bright blue flash and the fizzing sparks told him that the droids hadn’t yet been upgraded to defend against nanopulse technology.
    With a big grin on his face, Mach crouched down to receive the charge from Ralex. “Come on, bring it!” Mach yelled as he dropped his Stinger and pulled out his combat knife.
    There was nothing technologically special about this thing, just a sharp piece of metal that could cut through granite given enough force.  
    Ralex bounded into Mach, slugging him around the face with a heavy, scaly fist. Mach didn’t feel the pain, but the physics of it sent him flying two meters back into the bar. His head hit the surface, making his vision blurry.  
    The horan stepped closer and whipped his tail around.  
    Mach just about managed to fall out of the way. As he did so, the creature’s momentum brought him close enough that Mach was almost laying directly beneath him, between Ralex’s pair of thick, powerful legs.  
    The music hit the chorus and a chugging riff blared out as Mach grinned as wide as he had for months. He slammed the knife upwards, driving up with as much strength as he and the various stims in his blood would allow.  
    Ralex’s tail whipped frantically, but he wasn’t articulated enough to be able to reach down to hit Mach.  
    Green blood poured from the horan as Mach twisted the blade and jerked it forward, splitting the alien apart. Ralex’s innards flopped out, bringing with them an acidic stench that made Mach want to gag.  
    On some worlds, these would be cooked into a delicacy. He never bothered to try and this would likely put him off forever.
    With a piercing yell that was audible even over the jukebox, the horan slumped back onto his own tail, the stun tip striking his back, sending the beast into a frenzied spasm.  
    Mach rolled out of the way and pulled himself up to his feet, leaning against the bar. He reached over and grabbed another bottle of Gasmulch. He took a long draw and watched as the horan continued to jerk and twist, all the while trying to reach for his varied organs that now lay in a slump on the floor.  
    He turned the volume of the jukebox down by tapping the control program on his smart-screen. The bartender stood up from her hiding position below it. She eyed Mach with that disapproving look again.  
    “I’m sorry,” Mach said to her. “I’ll pay for it.”
    He held out his forearm and let her swipe the transaction rod over his smart-screen. It transferred thirty eros for the bottle.  
    “Thanks,” Mach said, recognizing she had given him a discount.  
    “I never liked Ralex,” she said, her thin lips showing the barest hint of a smile. “You better finish him off and go collect your bounty before more Invidian security turn up. You’ve caused quite the mess.”
    After slugging another shot, Mach placed his hand on her shoulder, mostly to steady himself. “They’re not