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

It turned out John was a fan of ancient westerns as well and we went off on a tangent about actors that had existed so long ago.

When the power armor units exited the canyon, the sky was barely turning a shade lighter. Tong didn’t have to give us a warning to look at the small screen in the lower right-hand corner of our power unit screens. We all saw it together.

Tong had moved the low-flying satellite ahead of us to get us a view of the Orion as soon as possible. Thus far, the stragglers Legion had infected were a mix between random humans, Rung, and native alien creatures, all heading to the Orion.

What we saw now gave us all pause. I heard Tong suck in a deep breath.

The satellite showed fires all over the Orion. Sections of the wall looked like they had been bent but not broken.

A horde the likes of which I had never seen crowded the outside of the wall. Humans and Rung had to have numbered in the thousands. The alien creatures that were there counted for at least a quarter of Legion’s power.

“How can there still be so many?” John asked. “How can there still be so many?”

“Can you—me?” Iris’ familiar voice reached our channel. “Can the —me?”

“Iris.” Stacy was the first to speak. “Iris, this is Stacy. I’m with John, Tong, and Dean. We’re coming back from the east in four large power armored suits.”

“Stacy, I’ve been trying to reach,” Iris said. “I’m going to patch you through to Elon right away.”

“Stacy, Dean, is that you?” Elon asked. His voice sounded tired and strained.

“It’s us,” Stacy answered. “We’re coming to you from the east. We’ll swing around the south wall. We’re in powered armor suits. Tell everyone on the wall not to shoot at us.”

“Hold on,” I added. “The cavalry’s arrived.”

“It’s so good to hear your voices,” Elon said with so much emotion, I thought he might be crying. “I’ll let them know. Hurry, the walls are nearly breached.”

Seeing the overhead satellite feed through the screen was one thing but getting a look at it in front of us was another matter entirely. My stomach twisted at the sight. Fires had broken out inside the Orion’s walls. Portions of the walls were battered and scorched. Other sections still burned.

The army of infected that Legion controlled moved away from our approaching power armor suits instead of racing to attack. This was a move that surprised me. It did more to put me on edge than give me a sense of relief.

If Legion was retreating now it was for a reason. We didn’t surprise him or catch him off guard. He knew we were coming.

What are you up to now, Legion? I asked myself. What are you up to now?

“Defend the wall near the front gates and spread out from there,” Stacy advised us. “Be careful. Legion is up to something.”

The tide of infected continued to recede like waves back into the ocean as we approached. There were at least a thousand of the infected. Most were human or Rung that didn’t really pose much of a threat to the power armor suits. A few of them held blasters, but I felt sure enough that none of them would be able to penetrate the armor’s exterior.

The only animals that looked strong enough to take on the armor units were the large alien creatures I had first seen in the jungle. Their hides were black and red. Two hooked horns came together on either side of their mouths while another sprouted from their forehead.

They were thickly built like overgrown rhinoceros. Their horns would come chest level with the powered armor suit. What was worse was that there were a lot of them. Too many for me and the others to take head on. I would want to avoid them at all costs, preferring to go up against the humans and Rung infected. I was unsure if the weapons we had would penetrate those thick hides of theirs.

A cheer from the weary defenders on the wall rose into the air as they welcomed us home. As soon as word spread that the power armor units were on their side, trepidation had turned to joy.

“The front gates can’t take another hit,” Elon said via the shared channel. “Be careful. They have fire projectiles as well. Legion has taught the infected to use larger weapons. If I had to guess, he got them from the Rung they infected.”

“Got it,” Stacy said. “Hang back and give us cover from the wall.”

Movement from the infected ranks halted any other conversation. A familiar form walked forward, holding his hands in the air. A black smile crested his lips. Captain Ezra Harold separated himself from the Legion ranks and approached us.

“Very impressive, very impressive,” Legion said with a smile so genuine, it made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and a chill run down my spine. “I didn’t think you’d get out of the bunker alive much less arrive here in time to try and save your friends.”

“We’re going to burn you,” I said. “This all ends today.”

“Maybe, but probably not,” Legion said with a shrug. “I outnumber you ten to one. Even with those fancy Rung suits of yours, you still don’t stand a chance. I have weapons to deal with you, creatures to use against you if the weapons fail. Oh, and I learned a neat little trick I think you might like to see.”

Legion paused here for dramatic effect. When no one answered, he scratched the underside of his jaw.

“Okay, you’re not going to ask, I get that.” Legion almost looked disappointed. “So I’ll tell you. I’m always learning and evolving. One thing I’ve been working on is how to not only spread to the living but the dead. And guess what? After years of trying, I’ve finally managed to do just that.”

“Oh no,” Tong said in our private channel. “He