The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (mini ebook reader .txt) 📕

“Possibly,” Rikard said. “But they’re so far apart. In this terrain, it doesn’t make sense. We have the high ground.”

“Maybe they want to draw us out and pick us off one at a time.”

“Or,” Matthias said, “they don’t know we’re here. They could be scouts. None are approaching from the west, which is the most difficult terrain.”

“What about our uplifts?”

Matthias pointed out the locations of the seven small ships they landed at various locations far from the outpost. The intruders entered the perimeter at least two hundred meters from the nearest ships.

“If they knew we were here,” Matthias concluded, “wouldn’t it stand to reason they’d go after our ships first? Try to sabotage them. Eliminate our means of easy escape.”

“And they have to know we’re tracking them,” Raimi said. “This feels off. Put yourselves in their shoes. Why would assassins approach an easily defendable outpost on foot in this terrain? Why not come riding in with a Scramjet and hit us with heavy rounds or a few energy slews? Destroy the building then take out the survivors one by one.”

Raimi overlaid the holowindow with progressive tracking since the beacons first picked up movement. All five on approach were moving east-northeast at roughly the same angle. Staying on that path, Raimi noted, would bring them close to the outpost.

Michael was no more qualified to make military assumptions than anyone present, but he knew Chancellors loved sleight of hand. He pointed to the southern-most target.

“Raimi, if he keeps this pace, how long before he reaches us?”

“From there, he’ll have to navigate a gorge. Maybe an hour.”

He ran possibilities through his head and liked none of them.

“After that, we got what? Another three hours of sunlight?”

Matthias interjected. “What are you thinking, Michael?”

“If these assholes are hunting us, they’ll wait until dark. Raimi’s right about this place. We can defend it … when we can see our enemy. I’d lay you a hundred creds they’ll flank us and wait us out.”

Matthias frowned. So did the others. Nobody was buying it.

“They’re killers,” Michael said. “Killers stalk. They love that shit.”

“What do you propose?” Rikard asked.

He took a deep breath, fully aware of what he was about to do.

“We find out for sure. If there’s only five, we can take them out before sunset. No problem.”

“And if they’re wearing cloaking baffles?”

“Then we’re probably fucked, but at least we’ll know what we’re up against.”

Eyes dropped, but no one dissented. Michael saw their stunned dismay, as if the inevitable finally dawned on them. Rikard spoke.

“How many should we send?”

That Rikard deferred to Michael caught him off-guard.

“I’d say it’s pretty simple. We can’t put everybody at risk.” Michael pointed to a target moving on a trajectory just north of the outpost. “We go for that one. Don’t have a gorge to worry about there. We send a small team. Five. If it’s one assassin, we take him out. If it’s a whole squad, we do our best. Everybody else up here can hunker down and prepare for a shitstorm.”

Rikard stepped through the holowindow, close to Michael.

“We? Are you saying …?”

“Yeah, dude. I’m going. Just give me four other dumbasses.”

“Right here.”

They pivoted. Carlos Rivera was standing in the back – for how long, Michael didn’t know.

“About damn time we took on these cudfruckers.”

Carlos was a dicey proposition, but Michael didn’t care. There wasn’t time to be choosy. He offered Carlos a thumbs-up.

“Three to go,” he told Rikard.

“Michael, you don’t have to put this on yourself.”

“Sure, I do.” Michael recalled his litany of near-death escapes. “I’m like whack-a-mole. Every time these assholes try to kill me, I pop up good as new. Maybe I’m lucky, or maybe there’s somebody looking over me. Either way, it’s gotta be me.”

40

Pynn compound

B RAYLLEN AND ROSALYN DID NOT take the news well. Sam made her best case for why they would be safer elsewhere. She insisted they would be placed in wonderful homes with Chancellors who were not in danger of being destroyed by the coming conflict. However, in the process of laying out their immediate future, Sam rushed headlong into a grievous error.

She realized the mistake, even as the words crossed her lips.

“You’ll be given a choice,” she told the twins. “Stay in your new home until adulthood in a few months or adopt their family name.”

Rosalyn’s expression turned sour. “We have a family name.”

“I know. I’m sorry. What I meant was …”

Brayllen clinched his fists. “They’re dead, aren’t they? Our parents are gone, and you knew.”

Brayllen stormed into the house, Rosalyn following in a stew. When Sam caught up to them, neither had settled. She found them in the observatory.

“I don’t know if your parents are gone,” she said. “But we don’t believe Brother James kept them alive. He’s an evil man. A monster. Look at the pain he’s caused so many people.”

Brayllen flailed his arms. “Then why didn’t you just come out with it in the first place? We’re not small children.”

“I’m not much more than a kid myself,” Sam said. “Half the time I don’t know what I’m doing. When I came to this Earth, my life was insane. It took me forever to figure out my place. Just before I arrived, I lost both my parents.” She reached for Brayllen, but he retreated, arms crossed over his chest. “I thought it would be easier if you had time to adjust before you knew the truth.”

Rosalyn, predictably measured in her response, rolled her eyes.

“Of course, they’re dead.”

Sam caught her breath. The words fell off Rosalyn’s tongue like an anticlimax. Sam didn’t have to say a thing before Rosalyn continued.

“We’re not as stupid or weak as you think, Samantha. The truth is, we’ve been wondering for weeks