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

only well-wishers, the media, and an army of suits maintaining the perimeter. Mr. Harold was easy to pick out in his blue pinstriped coat.

He was too far away to make out any real details, but I could tell he was waving.

“There you go, very nice,” Mr. Harold said. “So this is what’s going to happen. I’m not sure why you want to keep your identity a secret, but if you want it to stay that way, you’re going to come to work for me as my new muscle. To show how grateful I am, I won’t have my man on the ship take out your friend Ricky. I call that a win, win.”

My mouth went dry. I believed him. Men like him didn’t lie.

Arun’s familiar voice sounded over the loudspeakers in the yard. “To all future passengers of the Orion, please ensure you are settled and give us your attention for the onboarding safety protocol.”

I weighed my options, but I knew I only had two. Stay and start working for a crime boss or board this shuttle and head to Orion. I started walking over to the area where Mr. Harold and his group of lackeys waited.

There was a much larger crowd gathered than I had suspected at first. It seemed Transients had come from all around to witness the departure of the first major group of Transients. When I finally made it to Mr. Harold, he was grinning from ear to ear.

“No one is going to mess with the Warlords now,” Mr. Harold said, stepping closer to the gate between us. “Not when they realize who you are.”

I studied the gate. The steel rods were placed wide enough for me to get my hand and maybe my head through.

“This is the beginning of a great partnership—”

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of finishing his sentence. With my right hand, I reached for his collar, grabbing a handful of cloth and jerking him toward the bars. His face contacted the cold steel and, a moment later, I sent the crown of my head into his nose.

Blood spurted down his face and the gate. His lackeys reached for me, but I released my hold and stepped back. I didn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. I turned, running to find Ricky and whatever thug was shadowing him on the ship.

“You’re dead!” Mr. Harold yelled after me. “You and your friend are dead!”

Ignoring the threat, I focused my energy on running while going through a mental checklist of where Ricky would be. He hadn’t said goodbye yet, and knowing Ricky, he wasn’t going to leave without saying his goodbyes. The last time I had seen him on the ship, he was helping load store supplies in the cargo hold.

I raced up one of the wide ramps to the shuttles, only to have a pair of suits stop me. They looked at me suspiciously before turning to their data pad. After the blue light scanned me, they nodded and waved me in.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Slade,” one of them said with a smile. “Safe travels.”

“No, I’m not—” I started then realized I didn’t have the time. “Thanks.”

I ran inside the shuttle, nearly colliding with Boss Creed.

“Whoa, there,” he said, catching me by my shoulders. “Hey, you decided to come.”

“Have you seen Ricky?” I asked, trying to look around the ship. The shuttles were as large as a three-story house, built to carry several hundred travelers. It would take a while to find my friend if I didn’t know where to look.

“What for?” he asked.

“He’s in trouble,” I said quickly.

Boss Creed searched my eyes then nodded. “He was looking for you in the yard. When he couldn’t find you, he thought you might have changed your mind and went to the lounge area.”

“Thanks,” I said, turning to go.

“I’m coming with you,” Boss Creed said.

I didn’t argue. I just followed the line on the floor that led to the lounge, which was near seating section twelve.

After a quick walk, we ran up a flight of curving stairs and emptied into the assembly level. The place was packed with Transients. There was an excited buzz in the air. A raised second level offered a bridge over the room.

“I’m going to get a better look from up top,” I said.

“I’ll look for him down here, but what kind of trouble is he in?” Boss Creed asked with a raised eyebrow.

“A gang put out a hit for him. Their man is here somewhere, ready to take him out,” I said, deciding to come clean. If Boss Creed was going to stick his neck out to help, he deserved to know the truth.

The old man gave a disturbed look but shook it off quickly. “Got it,” Boss Creed said, moving into the mass of Transients. “Let’s find him.”

I made my way to one side of the bridge and ascended the steps. The lounge room was one giant circle. Stores with open bars and coffee counters set into the walls.

The noise level was one you’d expect from a throng of people about to embark into space, excited and nervous chatter coming from every direction.

Arun’s familiar voice sounded over the speakers. “I want to thank everyone for their attention. We are about to embark. Before we do, I wanted to give you some last-minute instructions. Also, it’s time to introduce you to the Cognitive that will be accompanying us on this trip.”

The room quieted down to soft murmurs and low whispering. I shouldered my way through several oblivious onlookers.

What are you doing? I asked myself. If you don’t get off this ship soon, you’re going to be going with the rest of these crazies on a journey through space.

I needed to make some quick and hard decisions before it was too late.

“The ramps and airlocks are closing now,” Arun continued her instruction. “My brother Elon, as well as the Cognitive that runs the Orion, are going through pre-launch checks. When we depart, you will be able to stand and