Ragnarok: Colonization, intrigue and betrayal. Andrew Claymore (primary phonics books .txt) 📖

shuttle at least.She frowned again as their approach continued. “More than a fewshuttles,” she said to herself.

“Pardon?” Glebturned to look up at her.

“Oh, I was justthinkingit must be at least big enough to carrya couple of shuttles like this one.”

He smiled. “It’sa little bigger than that. OnceLuna and Noa… our Noa…sorted out the fighter concept, they created a new configuration forheavy cruisers allowing them to carry threefighter squadrons.”

“What?” Adelinastared at him, looking for some hint that he was about to laugh. “No.A ship that big would be impossible to build without the governmentfinding out.”

“If they built it onthe surface, maybe,” Luna said. “And, anyway, this ship was takenin combat.” She glanced at her husband. “Near a planet calledHeliopolis, right?”

He nodded. “Ethseized it from Uktannu. Lord Mishak – our lord at the time – wasin a rush to consolidate his gains elsewhere, so he confirmed Eth incommand of the ship. He certainly wasn’t inclined to return it.”

They were close enoughnow for her to make out the scale of the ship. Windows showed howmany levels it had, proving it was larger than any cruise-ship onEarth.

But now she had abigger distraction to worry about. “Lords, battles , planets…”she said. “I’d say you were bullshitting me but it’s hard to bea skeptic while we’re approaching your giant spaceship. What thehell is all this about?”

“Long storyshort,” Luna said distractedly, working the controls as sheexplained, “there was an empire covering more than a sixth of thegalaxyand that’s where my hubby comes from.”

“Was an empire?”Adelina asked pointedly.

“Are you an alien,Uncle?” Gabriella asked.

“Yeah,” Adelinaadded, “that too!”

“I’m Human,” hetold them, “and the empire is still out there. It’s just a littlesmaller than it used to be. Several systems broke away and joined usin a new republic.”

Adelina looked up assomething filled her peripheral vision. She flinched as the frame ofa large opening flashed past them.

Luna followedwhat looked like a holographic indicator beacon hoveringin the hangar bay. She lowered the shuttle in front of two rows ofpeople, turning the craft just before it settled onto the deckingwith a couple of thumps.

“You said ‘usedto be our lord’. Didyou abolish the nobility or something when you joined the republic?”Adelina asked. Wait, amI actually believing all of this?

Herears popped. She turned, looking out the open rear of the shuttle atthe two rows of armored people, flanking a path from the shuttle.Hard not to believewhen I’m seeing what I’m seeing.

“Notquite,” Luna told her, looking a little sheepish. “But it’sanother one of those things you just need to experience to believeit. You should walk between us, I think.” She angled her headsideways for a second, a mildly absent look on her face, then shenodded. “Yep, between us.”

Adelinatook her daughter’s hand againand stepped between the newlyweds. Shelooked back at Maeve questioningly.

“Thisis family business,” the woman insisted. “I’ll follow.”

Adelinawas pretty much beyond questioning things for the near future, so shesimply descended the boarding-ramp with her daughter, flanked by hersister and new brother-in-law who, she was belatedly realizing,wasn’t actually a Russian.

Ethwas there, also not a Russian. “Allhands!”he roared inEnglish, apparently for Adelina’s sake because these people hadtheir own language.Alsoalso not Russian… “Allhands, render honors to your lord, Gleb of Irth and yourlady, Luna of Irth!”

What-the-actual-shit?Adelina marveled as the two lines of armored people came to a stiffpose, hands over hearts. Shewas pretty sure she saw tears on some of their smiling faces.

Lunanudged her and she looked over. “Hand over your heart,” hersister urged, holding her own hand over her heart. “Return thegesture.”

Shedid so, glancing right to see that her daughter was doing the same.

Gleblowered his hand and bowed. He straightened, nodding to Eth.

“Dismiss!”Eth bellowed.

Thetwo lines broke rank and closed around them, smiling and shouting.Eth moved closer to Adelina and Gabriella to ensure they had somepersonal space.

“Wemeet again, My Lady. Welcome aboard the Mouse,” he said.

“I’mno lady,” she demurred before realizing what she was saying.

Gabriellasnickered.

“Idon’t wish to be argumentative,” Eth said, “but, technically…and legally, you bothare. Our lord has no family except for the one he’s just marriedinto. As the eldest sibling of our lady, you’re nextin the line of succession, shouldanything happen to both of them.”

Adelinamust have swayed a bit because she could feel her daughter’s armsuddenly bracing her. Amazinghow much tactile response these suits can preserve,she thought irrelevantly.

“Easy,Mom,”Gabriella soothed. “Eth, I think we should find a quiet place wherewe can work on absorbing all the crazy we’ve dealt with so far.”

Ethtilted his head in an elegant stand-in for a bow. “As my ladywishes.” He said a few words to Gleb and then cleared a path forhis two charges.

She’ssuch a good girl, Adelinathought dreamily.

Theyleft the shuttle hangar and strolled along a few reassuringly boringcorridors. Eth led them through a large set of sliding doors thatopened with blinding speed and shut behind them with equally alarmingenthusiasm.

Thespace they’d entered was massive but it was also calming.

“Yourchurch, down on the surface made me think this place might seem morefamiliar to you,” Ethsaid.

“Whatis this?” Adelina asked. “It looks like a cathedral.”

Henodded. “An unlikely coincidence. When your sister modified thispart of the ship to carry fighter squadrons, the standard ship designparameters gave us this.”

Theopen space was probably as long as any cathedral in the world and atleast as high.Or low,she thought.

Thebottom of the chamber was a groin-vaulted structure with blue hazedopenings that currently offered a view of Sub-Saharan Africa.It’s like an upside-down cathedral.

“Arethose your fighters?” Gabriella asked, pointing to one the bays,set back between rows of ornate pillars. Therewere three rows of the deadly looking vehicles running down each sideof the ‘cathedral’.

“Theyare,” he confirmed proudly. “Your aunt’s concept. The squadronon this level is hers.”

“Holyshit,” Adelina said quietly.

“Right?”her daughter added.

Thedoors behind them snapped open, making Adelina twitch in mild alarm.She turned to see Gleb and Luna walk in with Noa, Maeve and Hela whowas laughing at something someone must have said before the dooropened.

Lunasaw her sister’s questioning look. “It’s Kace,” sheexplained. “Noa said he survived the night. He’s back aboard hisship drinking plenty of water.”

“Hisship?” Adelina asked. “I thought he was from San Diego!”

“Heis,” Gleb confirmed. “But he was also one of the first people