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

I looked over to Elon. He wasn’t sobbing, but he stared straight up into the ceiling as tears slid from his eyes. It was a quiet sadness, almost stoic in the way he grieved.

I really wasn’t the comforting type, but I understood in that moment exactly how much Elon and Arun cared for the Transients. They honestly believed they had failed them. I placed a firm hand on Elon’s right shoulder, looking down at him.

“You take this time to be sad or disappointed. You take whatever time you need, but you can’t change the past,” I told him. “That’s something I learned a long time ago. The only option now is to move forward or quit, and you’re not allowed to quit.”

“Dean’s right,” Arun said, standing up and composing herself. “We still have people here depending on us as well as those who are scattered across this planet waiting to be saved. We can help them.”

“Iris, is there a way to calculate how many escape pods and crafts disengaged from the Orion before it crashed? And then calculate how many survivors could have been in them?” Stacy asked, looking over to the Cognitive.

“There was a total of seven escape crafts that successfully detached from the Orion, as well as two hundred and thirty-nine escape pods,” Iris said in her matter-of-fact tone. “There is no way to know for certain how full each craft was, but if it were filled to capacity, there would be roughly another seventy-five hundred survivors that landed around the planet.”

“If they’re out there, we’ll find them,” Elon said through gritted teeth. “I swear, we’ll find them.”

“I’ve run through the rest of the ship diagnostics,” Iris said hesitantly. “Would you prefer the good or bad news first.”

“Bad news first,” I said. “Always the bad news first.”

“There is no way the Orion will ascend into space again. The complete lower section of the ship is gone, including the thrusters. The most notable sections lost are the four cargo holds with our supplies.”

“The cargo hold can’t be far off,” I said. “It had to land somewhere within a day or two of here.”

“How do you know that?” Arun asked.

“One of the dogs that was in the cargo hold found us,” I told her. “He had to land somewhere close to be able to find us that same day.”

“But what about the brig? Who knows where that section of the ship landed with that Disciple and Warlord thug?” Ricky asked.

“There’s no way they survived the landing.” Stacy shook her head. “No way.”

“Elon did a great job of leveling out the craft,” I said. “If there are survivors here, then maybe there are more on the other sections of the ship. We need to be careful.”

“All right, Iris,” Elon said. “I think we can use some good news. What do you have?”

“The food stocks on the upper levels of the ship need repairs but will be usable. The main navigation is still down, so I am unable to tell exactly where in the galaxy we are, but I have managed to get our short-range scanners up and running. I—”

Iris cut herself off from her next words. She held a blank stare with her mouth slightly open, and her eyes glazed over. This was not something the Cognitive had ever done before, as far as I was aware.

“Apologies,” the Cognitive said, finally moving again. “My processing power is limited at the moment. I’m detecting structures on the planet. Yes, the scans are showing buildings of some kind, and they are unrelated to the Orion.”

Epilogue

“Buildings?” Ricky was the first to find his voice. “Like, buildings, buildings?”

“Iris, please elaborate,” Arun said, knitting her brow in a thick line of concentration.

“My short-range scanners are working up to three kilometers in every direction of the Orion,” Iris explained. “Exactly two point four kilometers east of our current location.”

The bridge was so quiet, I could almost hear my own heartbeat.

“There can’t be buildings here,” Elon said from his prone position. “That would have to mean—”

“It would mean that we are not alone on this planet,” Stacy finished the thought.

“Aliens,” Ricky breathed, his legs shaking as he tried to steady himself. “I knew it. Oh God, I need to sit down.”

While Ricky took a seat, Arun picked up the line of questioning. “Iris, can you detect any alien lifeforms in or around the structure?”

“Negative,” Iris said. “Keep in mind, my scanners are only able to look three kilometers out. There may be additional lifeforms further removed.”

“Can you bring up a holo of what you’re seeing on the scanners?” Stacy asked.

“I can, but it will be difficult to make out,” Iris warned as she opened her right hand. “There is limited power at the moment.”

A light blue holo came to life above her hand. Just like Iris had said, there was a building resembling a church or a storefront. The image was full of static and unclear, but there was no denying this structure was made by an intelligent race. It held a roof, walls, and even doors.

“Where the hell did we land?” I asked. I knew no answer would come, but I couldn’t help myself. “And what do we do now? Go and knock? Ask if anyone’s home?”

“I don’t know,” Arun muttered.

“Two klicks,” Stacy said, and bit her lower lip. “We can make that before the suns set. At least get a look at what we’re dealing with.”

“Are you serious?” Ricky asked, wide-eyed. He looked at the rest of us. “Is she serious? Who knows what’s in there? I don’t want anything to do with any aliens. Don’t you people watch movies?”

“I’ll go with you,” I said.

“If Iris and Ricky will stay with Elon, so will I,” Arun said.

“Of course, someone should stay and take care of your brother,” Ricky piped up immediately. “I’ll protect him with my life, Arun. You can count on me.”

“Thank you,” Arun said, looking over to Iris. “Can you coordinate with the survivors on the ship