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

one’s no sheep.” Lou grinned at the young woman like a proud father. “He’s more like a wolf on our side.”

I took the woman’s hand and gave her a firm shake. Her hands were calloused like my own. That meant years of manual labor or perhaps even some kind of training.

“Good to meet you,” she said with a grin my way. “My name is Eleanor Hughes. Lou dragged me up here a few days ago on my break. Been spending most of my time off here now. It’s a climb but worth it.”

“Dean,” I said, releasing her hand.

Eleanor reached to her hip and pulled out a Farsight. The cylinder-shaped scope extended in her hands. “Here, take a look for yourself.”

I accepted the Farsight. Turning, I lifted the scope to my right eye. I wasn’t disappointed.

7

I’d seen it before as I climbed, but the view through the Farsight was worlds apart from what the naked eye could make out. This high up and with the Farsight, I could see grass blades in high definition. The vibrant shades of green that marked foliage to the deep rustic brown tree trunks were made from popped out at me.

I still couldn’t see the sea to our west, but I had a feeling it was just out of sight. I scanned the forest to the south. The Farsight was strong enough for me to see little animals running up and down branches. The creatures reminded me of fat squirrels with six legs.

“Look to the north,” Lou coaxed. “To the center of the jungle.”

I didn’t really want to, but I could guess what I was going to see. He had told me as much. I swung the Farsight to the jungle interior and followed the directions, looking over at the center of the foliage.

My eyes landed on a giant stone monument shaped like a lightning bolt. From this distance, even with my vantage point and the Farsight, it looked like a tiny needle poking up out of the tree line.

Memories of racing through the jungle crossed my mind. I had seen the monument close up for the briefest of moments, when Legion was on my heels and I couldn’t exactly stop to take in the sights.

“That’s where we need to hit him.” Lou’s normal carefree voice took on a dark tone. “That’s where we’ll defeat him. At the heart of his being.”

I lowered the scope, taking a steadying breath, then handed the tool back to Eleanor. She gave me a knowing grin.

“Lou’s so sure about things, huh?” Eleanor smiled over at the older man. “In a world where nothing is, sometimes it’s nice to hear something so direct.”

Lou was about to open his mouth to protest, when a friendly voice called his name.

“I’ll be right back, excuse me,” Lou excused himself, going over to the man and engaging him in conversation.”

“I like Lou,” I said, pursing my lips. “Don’t get me wrong, I really do. Sometimes he just asks a lot. He’s got faith I don’t.”

“You’re preaching to the choir.” Eleanor chuckled. “I guess in a world where aliens exist and there are virus strains capable of controlling animals and people, we could all use a little more faith.”

“Maybe,” I said, looking down at my own hand. The lightning-bolt scar that was part of me now was a direct match to the monument I had just seen in the jungle.

You’re seeing what you want to see, I thought to myself. Aren’t all lightning bolts the same shape anyway?

“You’re the famous gladiator too, right?” Eleanor asked. “Don’t worry, I don’t want your autograph or anything. That clinic you put on in the cafeteria a week ago spread like fire in our small community. What I want to know is how you ended up here.”

“The long version or the short version?” I asked.

“I’ll take the short version.” Eleanor looked out past me to the alien sky. The suns were nearly past the horizon. Darkness was coming on quickly. “I need to climb down before it gets too dark.”

“Being a gladiator didn’t really work out,” I said, thinking it wasn’t a lie at all. “I trained as a mechanic, and when they needed bodies to man the Orion, I stepped up. You?”

“Classic story of not being able to get ahead in life.” Eleanor shrugged. “When there was a chance at a new start here on the seed ship, I jumped at the offer. Not just me, but my extended family as well. They couldn’t get on the Orion, but they’re scheduled to leave on a different seed ship. I think it’s called Titan. I was pissed we couldn’t all go together at first, but after what happened to us here, I’m glad they didn’t come.”

I nodded along with her words. Rustling behind me made us both pause our conversation. A thick bird that looked too fat to fly rested on the floor of our level. Its beak reminded me of a parrot.

I took a step back, not trusting anything this planet had to offer.

“Don’t worry,” Eleanor said, reaching into her pocket and coming back with half a biscuit. “They’re harmless.”

She tossed the biscuit to the chubby bird, who caught it in midair and flew away despite its bulk.

“You’re welcome,” Eleanor shouted to its back. She turned to me. “Well, I’m going to say goodbye to the rest of the crew up here. It was nice meeting you. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“You too, Ms. Hughes,” I replied.

I thought about going over to Lou and saying goodbye, but the padre was deep in a conversation with a small group of people. I had seen what he wanted me to see. That was enough for him.

I made my way back down the Orion, thinking about everything from the scar on my hand to the words Lou shared. The jungle interior did seem to be where Legion started. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that something there could be his downfall. I needed more information