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

“Thank you for coming,” she said in hesitant yet very understandable English.

My mouth dropped open before looking to Stacy for confirmation she had heard it too and I wasn’t going crazy.

“How do you speak our language?” Stacy asked, as dumbfounded as I was. “How is that even possible?”

The female Rung tapped the chip on her sternum with a smile, or at least I thought the minute change in her facial expression was a smile.

“When we realized we were going to ally with you,” she began, “we also needed a way to communicate. Our best and brightest have been working on this piece of technology day and night.”

I turned in my seat to look back at an astounded Tong. “How come you guys couldn’t do this?”

Tong gave me a scowl in return.

“My name is Dama,” the female Rung said with a tight head nod. “Thank you for coming. You can holster your weapons. You are our guests and allies.”

“Oh right,” I said, hastily pushing the Judge back into the holster at the side of my hip.

Dama nodded to Stacy and John in turn before heading over to Tong.

The Remboshi still stood at the rear of the predator on the Blood Shot. He looked down at Dama uncertainly.

“Our people have been at war for centuries,” Dama said in a sad tone. “Perhaps, as dark as this time is, this is what needed to happen. It’s time to place our differences aside and put an end to Legion. The ground will soak in his blood from now on. We have spilt enough of our own.”

The blood-soaked ground metaphor is a little dark, but at least she’s on our side, I thought to myself. Let’s hope it’s not too late.

Tong jumped off the predator, extending a three-fingered hand.

“If everything you say is as it is, then you shall have allies in the Remboshi,” Tong said, trying to hide a goofy almost bashful smile. “To peace.”

“Peace, and the death of Legion,” Dama said, shaking his hand.

“That’s it?” I asked Stacy out of the side of my mouth. “Tong was full of piss and vinegar when it came to the Rung a few days ago. What changed?”

“I guess a female touch translates into their culture as well,” Stacy said with a confident smile. “Never underestimate the power of a woman.”

I looked back at Tong, who was all googly-eyed at Dama as they spoke to one another in their own tongue.

“Son of a biscuit,” John said, joining us. “I guess some things are universal.”

“If you would please follow me,” Dama said in her clipped English. “We have food brought for you, but I fear rest will have to wait. We need to go over the plan to reclaim our armor and weapons before we can go on the offensive.”

I nodded, standing from the predator and stretching. A yawn escaped my lips. All the traveling during the night and sleeping during the day was playing havoc on my sleep schedule. Still, this apparently wasn’t the time to ask for a nap.

I followed Dama from the elevator shaft along with the others. We entered the brightly lit chamber where the other Rung guards stood at attention. They were more organized than I had thought, like a true militia.

Hard eyes returned my stares, as if they were looking for a fight.

Dama led us from the open room to a smaller one off to the right. She pressed her hand to a control panel that opened a door and allowed us inside.

The room was nothing special, small and a bit unevenly shaped. A large screen sat on a wall to the left, and there was a table of food to the right with chairs that were a little too small to be considered normal. They had openings in the back, presumably to allow for occupants that possessed tails.

“Please eat,” Dama said, motioning to the food.

John looked at me for consensus, hesitating but hungry.

“If they were going to poison us, they could have done so by now ten times over,” I said, heading to the table. My stomach reminded me of how long it had been since we had eaten our last meal. “If I’m going to die, I’m going to die full.”

I wasn’t sure what the food was, but it was by far the best thing I had put into my mouth since we’d left Earth. There was bright green stuff that tasted like cheese and enough spicy meat to make my stomach dance with joy.

“Hey, how come you don’t have food like this?” Stacy asked Tong as she smacked her lips with delight. “I mean, so far, the Rung have a legit army, awesome food, and—”

Stacy let the rest of her words trail off as she caught Tong’s deadpan stare.

“I mean your food, okay?” Stacy tried to save face. “You have the Cerberus Installation and all that.”

While we ate, Sulk joined us again. This time, he wore a similar necklace to Dama’s. When he spoke, his words came out in English. His voice was a bit higher pitched than I would have imagined.

“Now that I can communicate in your tongue, it will make things so much easier,” Sulk said, helping himself to a plate of food. “I am sorry for what happened to your friend. He died a glorious death. I can only hope that when it comes my time to drown in my own blood on the battlefield, I will be as brave.”

Stacy was mid-bite as Sulk went on and on about dying in graphic detail. She put her food down, suddenly not hungry at all.

“I had no idea what a warrior race the Rung were,” John said, probably to make conversation as he shoved another handful of food into his mouth and licked his fingers clean. “I mean, I wouldn’t have guessed it.”

“Oh yes,” Sulk said with an emphatic nod. “One of the main reasons the Rung broke off from the Remboshi