Rivers of Orion by Dana Kelly (a court of thorns and roses ebook free .TXT) 📕

“That’s me,” said Eridani. “This is my friend, Torsha. Pleased to meet you.”

“Torsha, right. Sure thing. I already know who you are, Eridani,” said Gretchen. “Bloodtusk left you for dead on the planet’s surface, but you somehow snuck aboard, and he threw you in the brig. That’s where you were when I went on break, but now you’re running the ship? What are you, some kind of secret agent or something?”

“Admiral Schurke’s after my brother, Orin,” said Eridani. “He’s the binary who stopped that truck from crashing right before he ripped it in half. I’m sure you’ve seen the video. Clearly, I can’t let Schurke get his hands on Orin, but I’ll need help stopping him. Will you stay on as my senior pilot?”

“It’s funny. I had a feeling some of those videos were real,” said Gretchen. “Sorry, but I’m not meddling in the affairs of binaries. I’ll get you back to Rhyon, but you’re on your own after that.”

“We won’t be tangling with any binaries, I promise you,” said Eridani. “We’re just looking into what Schurke’s got planned so that I can warn my brother in time. That’s all.”

“You might be surprised to find out how wrong you probably are about that.” Gretchen sipped her coffee. “Besides, why would you ever trust me to serve under you? I rescued Bloodtusk after he killed your ladyfriend.”

“Were you in on it?” asked Eridani.

“No,” said Gretchen. “Except for the Stonks, Bloodtusk doesn’t tell anyone anything.”

“And that’s why I’d trust you,” said Eridani.

“It sounds to me like you just convinced yourself I wouldn’t have done my job if I’d have known what was going to happen ahead of time,” said Gretchen.

“Would you have?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Gretchen looked away. “It already happened.”

“Hold on,” said Eridani. “If Bloodtusk only confides in Ostonk and Grostonk, how did you know he killed my girlfriend?”

“Eleski told me,” said Gretchen.

“Oh, right. Of course. Eleski told you,” said Eridani. “How silly of me to think she might have kept my private information private.”

“Your presence aboard Imperium caused a great deal of distress and curiosity amongst the crew,” said Eleski. “They grew curious about the circumstances of your arrival. I decided it was best they heard the truth directly from me.”

“It was my truth! You should’ve let me decide who to share it with,” said Eridani.

Eleski’s shoulders sank. Her cheeks glowed faintly, and shadows traveled her hair in waves. “I regret my choices in the handling of your truths. I ask your forgiveness.”

“It’s just…” muttered Eridani. “It’s… not really that big of a deal. Just… Please think of other people’s feelings next time you’re tempted to share personal information.”

“To be fair, Eleski and I have known each other for a long time,” said Gretchen. “There isn’t much she doesn’t share with me.”

“I’m glad you two have rapport,” said Eridani. “Will you fly my ship?”

“What are you paying?” asked Gretchen.

“Same as Bloodtusk,” said Eridani. “I’ll throw in fifty percent of your salary as a bonus if you’re willing to evangelize the transfer of leadership.”

“That’s very generous,” said Gretchen. “Sure. I could be a good guy for a few months, or until I succumb to terminal irony—whichever comes first. Where’s Grostonk? Without Flip and Flap around, I bet he’d join your crew.”

“In the brig where he belongs,” said Torsha.

Gretchen took a deep breath and tilted her head. “That’s too bad.”

“He betrayed us,” said Eridani. “We trusted him with sensitive information, and he immediately handed it over to Ostonk and Bloodtusk.”

“Yeah, but it’s Grostonk. Husthar only cloned him five years ago, so he’s basically like a giant kid. The guy sees Ostonk as his big brother, so of course he’s going to try and impress him. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about Grostonk. He’s harmless.”

“Maybe he is, but I’m not about to set him free so he can wander the halls in his birthday suit,” said Eridani.

“Houses have halls,” said Gretchen, and she took a long pull on her coffee. “Starships have passageways.”

“Passageways, whatever! My point is he betrayed us, and that has consequences. The sooner he learns that the better.”

Gretchen shrugged. “Or you could give him something to do around the ship. He’s great with computers and electronics, and he’s a natural codebreaker. I’d bet my boots he’d work for you, and you could do a lot worse than having a jumbo sude on your payroll.”

“I’ll think about it,” said Eridani.

“I hope you do,” said Gretchen. “So, where are we headed?”

Eridani began to pace. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I asked Eleski and Katsinki to disable Bloodtusk’s biometrics and to chase down any communication logs pertaining to Schurke. Those things are going to take time. We know that son-of-a-bitch is expecting me to be handed over to him on Rhyon, and whatever else he has planned, he only gave Bloodtusk three days to hand over my brother.”

“Where’s Orin right now?” asked Gretchen.

“Somewhere in the nightmare,” said Eridani.

“Oh, then we definitely don’t want to go down to the surface or be anywhere near here in three days,” said Gretchen. “In fact, I’d sweep the decks for hidden explosives or any other signs of sabotage.”

Eridani paused and regarded Gretchen sidelong. “Explain.”

“Nothanding you over seems obvious,” said Gretchen. “There’s no chance in hell Bloodtusk was ever going to capture your brother. Schurke’s an admiral with the United Planets Star Navy, so he knows exactly where your brother’s ship is and probably where she’s headed.”

“Schurke was really after me and my family the whole time,” said Eridani. “As soon as he got hold of any of us, Bloodtusk’s usefulness would’ve been over.”

“And since he can’t afford to leave any loose ends,” said Gretchen.

Eridani gestured an explosion. “Everyone on board.” She looked at Eleski. “Did you foresee that?”

“Affirmative,” said Eleski.

“We both foresaw the distinct possibility of our demise,” said Katsinki.

Eridani found herself smiling slightly. “You’re crazy, both of you.”

“If Schurke’s going after your brother, he’s bringing binaries,” said Gretchen. “Probably some sluggers too, so we’ll need to hire counter-binaries. Ex-BICOM or ex-Nightmare Force would