Night Song (The Guild Wars Book 9) Mark Wandrey (christmas read aloud txt) 📖

“So, Alan, what do we do?”

Alan looked out the window to the big open quad. To one side was the now-empty landing area, with the lonely Phoenix squatting outside the hangar. He could see some of the ground crew working on one of the lander’s ascent engines. It always gave them problems; probably why it had been available so cheaply when he’d bought it five years ago. Starbright’s four dropships were all the newer Wasp-class, which ironically was an older class, but still in production.

“I think we go.”

“What about the pups?”

“This is a chance for them to learn from other Zuul.” He paused a moment. “They’re coming, too. I can’t imagine they’d turn it down, and they’re near enough done with their training to go as part of Silent Night.” He was surprised she didn’t get mad. She seemed resolved.

“What do we do to keep them safe?”

“Something I should have done a long time ago.”

* * * * *

Chapter 7

Brisbane Australia, Earth, Cresht Region, Tolo Arm

Rex stepped out of their quarters and froze. Logistics people were reviewing pallets of supplies. Armorers yelled at logistics about things that went boom. Troopers were in the equipment building, and he could see CASPers being worked on. “Hey!” he yelled back into the quarters. “Looks like Dad’s throwing a piss up or something.”

Ripley joined him, her sharp eyes taking in details. “That’s not a party, idiot.” Rex growled at her, and she laughed. Drake was out next, a piece of bacon still in one hand.

“Fuck me dead, they’re getting ready for a deployment!”

Sonya and Shadow came out to the little porch at that and gawked as well.

“We don’t have enough troopers,” Shadow said, shaking his head. He’d been sitting in their living room, sipping tea and acting melancholy; no change since the two Zuul had visited them the previous day.

“Or a ship,” Ripley agreed. “No way Dad can afford to hire one. I’ve been all over the invoices.”

“About bloody time you bludgers got outta bed.” Captain Tucker walked over from the troopers working on gear, tsking at their layabout-ness.

“We’re not lazy!” Drake complained.

“It’s after 9am,” Tucker pointed out, amused.

“What’s going on?” Rex asked. “Drake thinks it’s a deployment.”

“He’s right.” Ears swiveled in every direction, and he nodded then pointed to the armory. “Your mom and dad are waiting in there. Get to it right away.” He turned and marched back to the troopers, some of whom were watching him or the Zuul.

“Is he serious?” Sonya asked.

“You ever known Tucker to not be serious?” Rex asked in reply.

Drake grunted, and Ripley nodded.

“I dreamed we were going to space,” Shadow said. Rex’s ears pricked to attention. “I wasn’t sure what it meant.” He looked at each of them in turn. “Until now.”

Rex knew there was something he wasn’t saying. However, asking Shadow did no good until Shadow was ready to speak. “Let’s get brekky cleaned up and over there,” he said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

In a few minutes, the five crossed the open space between their quarters and the armory. As they walked, they passed a pair of techs working on an old, slightly smoking Mk 6 CASPer. Its cockpit was open, and the trooper stood inside smoking a cigarette and cursing profusely.

“Doesn’t do no right to chuck a wobbly,” the tech said, running an attached slate. “It’s fair dinkum bolloxed and will stay that way until I run the diagnostics.”

“I bloody know that,” the driver said. “But I need to go to the dunny, and the suit won’t let my legs out!”

Rex chuckled as they left the scene behind, glad they wouldn’t have to see how it played out. Inside they found their father talking with Edgar Smithers, Silent Night’s head armorer. Rex noted five of the company’s youngest members, roughly the same age as he and his siblings, being fitted with their own Mk 6 surplus CASPers. If they were equipping the young cadre members, it must be a deployment.

One of the young Humans was Jack Hewers. Rex knew he and Sonya were good friends. She’d always been the one of the group to strike up friendships with Humans the easiest. Rex had more fun beating them up.

“There you are,” Alan said and moved over to the pups. Edgar followed, leaving several assistants to work with the kids. “I’m sure you realize what’s going on?”

“You’re deploying,” Ripley answered first.

Alan nodded and gestured for them to follow. “Yes, in five days we’ll be riding up to meet a ship in orbit. We think we know where Starbright and the rest of the company are.”

“That’s great news,” Sonya said.

“Yes,” Rex agreed, “but what about us?”

“It looks like everyone’s going,” Drake said. Everywhere they walked in the armory showed signs of people packing up everything. “Are we being left here alone?”

Alan gestured to follow him. The young Zuul exchanged looks, but fell in behind him and Edgar. They went through a door into the main receiving dock, were five crates were being attended to by assistant armorers.

“I hadn’t planned to do this for another year or so; your mother didn’t approve. However, you’ve trained hard over the years, I need you to go with us, and I can’t do it without taking the next step.”

“What next step?” Rex’s ears turned to the side, and his tail straightened behind him.

“Got it,” one of the assistants said, and undogged the heavy strapping on the crate. Rex belatedly registered the crate was marked “Binnig Industries” when the front fell open, revealing a CASPer.

It wasn’t new, maybe reconditioned. It was clearly a Mk 7, though its proportions didn’t match the others. It had a taller torso area, and as he scanned along its length, he couldn’t help but notice the knees