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

“So we have a few hours to prepare,” Ricky said.

That was exactly what we did. We ate, hydrated, and rested while our giant escorts traveled toward us. Jezra was right. We were able to track the sawg as they lumbered toward us. There were half a dozen of the massive creatures. Four looked as though they were full grown, and two were adolescents.

While we waited for them, we hatched our plan.

“Elon and the colonists inside the wall will open the gates for us when they see us coming and provide whatever fire support they can to cover us,” Stacy informed us. “I told them not to shoot the sawg.”

“I’ll take the first predator with Jezra’s glass table,” I volunteered. “As soon as you’re in, I’ll switch off the signal and get into the gates myself.”

“I should take the tablet,” Stacy said. “I remember how you drive. Did you think we forgot about that head-to-head collision with the rhino?”

“I did that on purpose,” I said indignantly.

“Uh huh,” Stacy said.

“I’m taking the signal,” Arun said, silencing us both.

“Arun.” Ricky shook his head, starting to protest.

“This,” Arun said, taking in the landscape of the planet around us. “All of this is my doing. Elon and I were in charge of the Orion. We crashed and now we are surviving. This is on me.”

“The crash wasn’t your fault,” Ricky said. “You can’t blame yourself for lunatic Disciples willing to blow themselves up to bring it down.”

“I don’t blame myself for the Orion being blown out of space.” Arun clenched her jaw. “I blame myself for not stopping it. That is on me. I’m doing this now. I’m leading the sawg. End of discussion.”

I knew enough about Arun to know that look in her eyes meant business. She was going to take the lead on this one no matter what the rest of us said.

I stood silent as Ricky and Stacy tried to argue with her. Like I thought, it was no use. The Eternal wouldn’t be swayed. This one was her fight.

When Ricky and Stacy couldn’t get through to her, Arun looked at me. “Are you going to try to convince me you should be the one to do this?”

“Would it help?” I asked.

“Not in the least,” Arun answered.

“Well, there you go,” I said.

The suns began to lower past the horizon as we prepared the predators to move. Jezra showed Arun how the glass pad worked and gave her instructions on how to turn off the soundwave calling the sawg.

Tong, Stacy, and I unhitched the trailer from the predator Arun would take to make it lighter. We placed it on one of the other three predators. It was decided Ricky would drive the predator with the dual trailers in the middle of my and Stacy’s vehicles.

Jezra would drive the predator with Stacy manning the weapon, followed by Ricky. Tong and I would bring up the rear with me as the gunner. Arun would be on her own, leading the herd of sawg in front of us.

“We should prepare ourselves,” Jezra said, looking down at the glass pad one more time before handing it off to Arun. “We’ll be able to hear them anytime now.”

“Helmets on for this one,” Tong reminded us. “There is a night vision feature in them if you require it.”

“I’ll see you inside the wall,” I meant to say to everyone, but my eyes found Stacy.

“Not if I see you first.” Stacy winked at me.

“Be safe, everyone,” Arun said. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

Ricky and the others looked like they were going to chime in but they were stopped when the ground started to shake.

Earthquake? Or I guess Genesisquake? I thought to myself for a split second. No, Sawgquake.

“In the predators!” Arun shouted. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

I jumped into the back of the predator last in line. Tong secured his helmet and entered the driver seat.

The ground was practically rolling now. I fumbled with my own helmet, barely managing to secure it on my head. It wasn’t dark enough to use the night vision mode just yet. The twin suns still showed half of their brilliant orange and yellow over the tops of the forest trees.

All the predators were lined up to the right of the path. Last in line, I had the perfect vantage point to look behind me at the charging behemoths.

29

The sawg didn’t care about crashing into trees or even staying on the path. Along with the ground shaking under their mighty feet, cracks from trees splintering filled the air.

These trees weren’t saplings either. Thick, full-grown forest trees were nothing more than speed bumps to the creatures lumbering toward us. That deep wail came with them now, not of sadness but excitement this time.

My peripheral vision caught Arun’s predator speeding off the side of the road to get in front of the herd and lead them into Legion. I couldn’t bring myself to look away from the beasts. They were passing mere meters to my left. With one false step or a macabre thought, they could crush me with a single stomp of their massive legs. Heck, not just me; they could crush half the predator if they wanted.

It seemed like Jezra had been correct. They didn’t care about us or seem to give us a second thought. They were solely focused on Arun and the high-pitched frequency we couldn’t hear.

They passed us in a rush, sending the predator rocking back and forth. I had to bend my knees and grab on to the hand grips of the blood shot mounted on the rear of the vehicle.

“Let’s go!” Stacy shouted as Jezra gunned their predator to life. She maneuvered their vehicle back onto the road, right behind the sawg. Ricky followed and Tong was right behind him.

I adjusted my grip on the weapon in front of me, making sure to keep my thumbs off the buttons. I gripped the two handles that ran up and down for