Orion Colony Complete Series Boxed Set J.N. Chaney (books for new readers .txt) 📖

the mechanics working on the project. His broad back labored over a particularly heavy piece of metal. I had come to think of the man more as a friend than a former boss.

What’s gotten into you? I asked myself. Calling people friends now. You’re getting soft.

I thought back to the very real idea that there was a change taking place inside of me. Instead of trying to figure that out, I jogged over to where Boss Creed strained with the piece of steel to lend a hand.

The support beam was large enough for a three-man job, but Boss Creed was somehow managing to maneuver it on his own.

“Here, let me help. Can’t have you throwing out a hip on us,” I said as I leaned down and grabbed one end of the steel beam. The metal had been shaded by the wall. It felt cool in my hands, a welcome feeling from the warmth the suns brought.

“I’m not going to argue with you there.” Boss Creed gave me a wide grin. Tiny rivers of sweat dripped down his forehead. “I heard the notice Iris blared out over the speakers. I just need to get this on the frame, then I’ll come over too.”

I hefted my side, walking over the piece of unforgiving steel to the base of the left watch tower.

Boss Creed grunted as we heaved it into two rungs, then wiped a forearm across his brow.

He looked like he wanted to say something then thought better of it and grabbed a container of water resting by his feet.

“You have nightmares about them too?” I asked, reading his thoughts. I lowered my voice. There was no reason to get anyone else panicked. They would be worried enough once Arun made her announcement.

“Every time I close my eyes,” Boss Creed said. “I see them running at us, tearing Mark apart, ripping Tom right off the crawler. People need to know.”

“They’re about to,” I said, nodding over to where a large throng of survivors waited to hear what Arun had to say.

Someone brought a chair for Arun to stand on. Arun’s voice was loud enough to carry.

“I’m going to keep this short and straight to the point,” Arun began. There was no look of weariness in her eyes now, no remaining vestige of the slumped-over leader she had been in her tent. “Dealing with the events in the crash has been more than anyone should have to go through. You have all come together. We now have water, food, shelter, and even a wall.”

“Yeah!”

“Together!”

“That’s right!”

Shouts came from the crowd along with claps and cheers.

“Whatever comes our way, we will overcome together,” Arun continued after the cheers died away. “I know you realize this and that is why I feel comfortable telling you what we’ve discovered. The Orion did not fail from any faulty manufacturing. The terrorist group known as the Disciples planted operatives on the ship and blew it from space.”

The crowd silenced as they processed the information. There were murmurs as the survivors looked to one another for a consensus as to how they should feel.

“Apart from this, we have discovered a virus that is infecting survivors and changing them,” Arun went on, sweeping her gaze over the crowd. Seemingly bolstered by her own words, she continued. “The virus takes all rational thought from them and causes them to become violent. We’re still understanding this ourselves, but the signs of those infected are a black substance like oil that comes from their orifices.”

I felt my gut twist deep inside my stomach. I knew what was about to come next.

“Lastly, we discovered an alien structure on the planet and an intelligent alien species inside,” Arun continued. “Again, we are gathering information, but the alien does not mean us any harm.”

Shocked silence filled the courtyard where the crowd of survivors stood.

It was so quiet, I could hear my own heart beating inside my chest.

Arun looked over the crowd. She was about to say more, when a violent bellow filled the midday air around us. The ground trembled under our feet.

“There!” a lookout on the catwalk shouted. “Something’s coming!”

3

Boss Creed and I were running for a ladder to get onto the catwalk while the crowd processed what was happening. With the news just dropping, survivors were still trying to comprehend it all, and looks of confusion covered most of their faces.

I didn’t blame them.

The noise of some kind of prehistoric animal came again. A deep booming roar hit my sternum and reverberated inward.

I reached the top of the catwalk that was two stories over the planet’s ground. Looking out, I had a clear view in front of us of grassy rolling plains to the west and south. The Orion was behind us to the east and the jungle to the north.

A great lumbering beast charged toward us from the jungle. I knew the creature well. It was the same giant rhinoceros-looking son of a gun that had been taken down by the infected. We’d run into him while we made our run from the jungle a week before.

He galloped over the terrain, closing on the wall fast.

Stacy appeared next to me a moment later. Since Captain Ezra Harold never returned from his expedition, she had taken charge of the Civil Authority Officers.

“All civilians off the catwalk now and reinforce the gate!” Stacy barked, bringing her own rifle to bear on the creature that was now no more than half a kilometer away from the wall. “I need every officer to the north wall immediately.”

Those officers already on the wall on watch opened up along with Stacy. They aimed their pulse rifles at the beast, who was close enough now for us to see black liquid streaming from his eyes and mouth.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Blaster rounds peppered the beast, who seemed largely unaffected. The rounds bit through the creature’s hide, but he didn’t stop. If anything, they only enraged him even more.

The monster charged forward, possessed of one mind.

I looked at