Ragnarok: Colonization, intrigue and betrayal. Andrew Claymore (primary phonics books .txt) đ
- Author: Andrew Claymore
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Theflight up to the highlands was delayed while they tracked down thechairman of the civilian government. They stood in the landing zone.Nobody felt like talking.
Witha doomed man sitting within earshot, small talk seemed wrong. Even ifhe richly deserved his fate.
Sushilcame jogging up to them with the warrior Mal had sent to collect him.Theyall climbed into the runabout for a flight into the highlands.
Oddly,the small talk suddenly became necessary. Everyone was eager topretend they werenât sitting with a naked man.
TheDeathstalkeremerged from the mists looking like a gigantic, beached marinemonster. They descended into a clearing on the vesselâs port side.Stacked logs against the hull showed the area had been cleared atsome point.
Wonderwhere the bastard ended up?Luna realized she hadnât asked yet but come on⊠Iftheyâd found his body, Gabriella would have said something, right?
Lunahad to admit sheâd only just arrived. She frowned. Whydid they build a structure here?
Asmall structure, perhaps ten by ten meters, ringed with windows,stood in front of them. There was a proper landing pad as well with ashort carboncrete walkway leading to the structureâs door.
Gabriellaled them inside where two guards, one Marine and one of Malâspeople, came to attention.
Thefarhalf of the structure was a section of forest floor, enclosed onthree sides bylattice panels.Thereâssomeone there,Luna realized, itâsa cage.
Thestructure was there to shelter the two warriors and theywere there to keep an eye on someone.
âMemnon,âLuna breathed, the hairs rising on the back of her neck.
Heâdloomed large over the empire for so long. Heâd taken over most ofSandrakâs holdings. Heâd been a plague to her people, attackingthem at Babilim, killing her sister and taking her niece...
Hewasnât looking so big now.
Heseemed to be locked in a semi-reclining position, held in place byhis armor. At first, she wasnât sure if he was even still alive butshe reached out to see if his thoughts were still there.
Shegave a small cry of horror at what she found. He was alive but hefervently wished he wasnât. He could feel the larvae burrowingthrough his flesh, growing ever more ravenous as they developed.
Shewithdrew from his mind, stepping away, mirroring his Quailu mindâsresponse to terror. She tripped over an equipment case on the floor,scattering the cards that lay on it as she fell on her ass.
Glebappeared in front of her, his face filled with concern. He spun,searching for whatever had affected her so badly.
âItâsalright,â she gasped. âI just felt Memnonâs mind. Thatâsall.â
Shetook his offered hand and he pulled her back to her feet. âThereâsnot much left in there aside from a wish for death.â
âYoucaught him?â Gleb asked in awe. âHow did you catch the bastard?â
âAllI did was crash the ship,â Gabriella shook her head. âHe caughthimself when he jumped out of the wreck. We havenât moved him atall.â
âAllyou did was crash the shipâŠâ Gleb looked at Luna but she waswatching Gabriella.
Gabriellapulled a short staff from her armor.
Lunarecognized it when it became a short spear. It was anescape-and-evasion survival tool sheâd come up with for her pilotsto use if they were ever shot down.
Herniece lunged at Kolm, who was standing at the edge of the deckingnext to the exposed jungle floor.
Heâdbeen facing them, his back to Memnon, his hands secured in front ofhis body.
Whenhe saw the sharp blade coming for his abdomen, he let out a yelp andsprang back onto the leaf mould in front of Memnon.
Hekept his eyes on her, sidling to his right. No attack would come frombehind, not with that lattice separating him from the rest of thejungle.
Theattack, Luna realized, would come from below. Gabriellaâs weaponwas just a ploy.
Kolmhissed as he put his foot down in the wrong place. Hetried to lift his foot so he could see what had pierced it but hestiffened and fell on his back.
âYoucan probably feel the larvae being injected into your foot,âGabriella told him.
âNodoubt youâve landed on more spores when you fell,â she went onremorselessly. âTheyâre going to eat you alive.â
Lunafelt sorrow â not for Kolm, not even so much for her sister. As shewatched this execution, she realized how much her niece had changed.
Lifedoes that,she reflected during the ride back to Unity. Everybreath leaves us changed.She didnât know how Gabriella would be able to settle back intolife in California, after all that had happened.
Asit turned out, the question was moot.
âIâmnot going âhomeâ,â Gabriella said firmly, sitting next toVikram in the well-appointed gazebo heâd made for her on his roof.
Shedidnât glare across at them with defiance. She simply stated it asfact and Luna couldnât really say she had a right to oppose her.
Sheâdbe turning eighteen soon. In fact, by the time they sorted out thingshere and dragged her back to Cali, sheâd have become old enough todemand they return her to Ragnarok.
Sheleaned back on the couch. âYouâre staying here?â
Gabriellanodded. âIneed to be here.â
Vikramlooked like he was trying to hide how pleased he was to hear this. Hefolded his hands together and concentrated on the coffeepoton the low table between them.
Lunawas staying out of her niece's head but she couldnât help but feelthere was a lot being said with that sentence.
Shewas consumed with curiosity but she refused to take liberties withthe young womanâs mind. She nodded.
âThefields look good,â Luna said. âBarring a disaster, weâll bebringing a second wave of colonists within a year.â
âRagnarokwill rate a planetary governor when that happens,â Gleb said,glancing at his wife. âPerhaps we should confirm the person whoâsalready filling the role.â
Gabriellawrinkled her nose. âIsnât that nepotism?â
âYoumight recall,â Luna said, smiling at the face the young woman hadmade, hoping there was still some of the old Gabriella in there,âthis is a feudal system?â
âYeah,âGleb added, âout here, ânepotismâ is just another word forgovernment.â
âDoyou have any idea how nuts this sounds?â Gabriella ran her freehand through her hair.
âYouâvealready taken on the role,â the young man said to her.
Shetried to glare at him but she was clearly having a hard time of it.âNot you too?â
âYoufought for Ragnarok, you brought down Memnonâs cruiser and youbrought us together when we were busy banging our heads.â Heturnedtoput a hand on her shoulder.
âFolksare already talking about it. Maybe theyâre
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