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

Martin laughed. “I’m just a diplomat.”

“With reliably good timing,” said Eridani.

“Did you send for Orin?” asked Oliver.

Martin took a deep breath. “No. But it turns out he is the reason I’m here.”

“Why? What happened?” asked Aurora.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to wait for everyone else to get here, so I don’t have to explain things twice.”

“Who else you expectin’?” asked Oliver.

“Brit and Gabi,” said Martin. “Mike and Torsha, of course.”

Oliver whistled. “This is shapin’ up to be quite the gatherin’.”

“It’s necessary,” said Martin. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

“Can you give us a hint?” asked Iona.

A bit of wonder sparkled in Martin’s smile. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. You’ll need to see it for yourself.”

They chatted awhile, until someone else knocked, and Oliver answered the door. Brittany Santos was a tall woman with dark brown skin and shoulder-length black hair. “Hello, Oliver,” she said, and they briefly embraced.

“Heya Brit,” he said.

She squeezed his shoulders. “It’s good to see you.”

“You, too.”

Brittany entered the apartment, wheeling a large suitcase behind her, and she regarded her husband. “Sweetie, you said we were going on vacation, but I’d love to know the real reason we’ve all been summoned here.” She glanced backward and gestured. “Gabriela, please join us.”

Her daughter stepped inside. Gabriela Santos was a young lady of high school age, with dark tan skin and long black hair. She looked up from her phone just long enough to acknowledge Oliver’s presence with a nod.

“Gabriela, the door,” said Brittany. “Please.”

She rolled her eyes and pushed it closed.

Martin got to his feet and stole a kiss from Brittany. “I’ll explain everything, I promise, just as soon as Mike and Torsha get here.”

“Sometimes I worry about you,” said Brittany, and she ran her fingers through Martin’s hair.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Coffee’s ready,” said Aurora. She looked at the oven’s timer. “Pie should be done in about ten minutes.”

Moments passed in friendly conversation, and Oliver cut the pie when it was ready.

Martin’s datapad buzzed. After reading the message, he addressed the room. “It looks like Mike and Torsha won’t be joining us tonight, after all. Let’s all try to get comfortable. There’s a lot to go over.” With a mug of hot coffee in hand, Eridani joined the others as Martin set his datapad on the table. He played back an unsteady amateur video that had captured the events outside Nostromo’s Descent.

“I’ve already seen this,” said Iona. “It was front page for most of Saturday. I think most of the t-net has seen this.”

“Well, it’s obviously fake,” said Eridani.

“It’s so blurry,” said Aurora.

“What’s this got to do with Orin?” asked Oliver.

“I’ll play it again, zoomed in,” said Martin. “This time, look closely at the would-be binary, and pay special attention to the people on the ground nearby, right after he floats the truck.” When Orin began hovering above the ground, Martin paused the playback.

Except for Gabriela, the others moved closer. They studied the video frame.

Eridani spoke first. “Martin, if you dragged me out of my apartment for this, I’m going to kill you!”

“Tell me what you see,” Martin urged.

Eridani gave the still frame another look. “Since you implied it so heavily, I guess I’m starting to see my brother, but the image is too distorted to be sure. Anyway, so what? People shoot stuff like this all the time and try to pass it off as live footage.”

“Yeah, but I can see the similarity now that you mention it,” said Oliver. “Enough to know why Marty might show some concern for Orin’s wellbein’. Very glad it’s not real.”

Iona dragged the image over to the woman on the ground. “She does bear a certain resemblance to my Torsha.”

“And the person next to her looks a lot like Mike,” said Brittany.

“Blurry, though,” added Aurora.

“It’s far too blurry to be sure,” said Brittany.

Iona crossed her arms and chewed on her lip awhile. “Still… I guess you’re right, but the resemblance is uncanny.”

Martin nodded. “Good, I’m glad you’re all in agreement. You’ll be happy to know that most of the t-net feels the same way you do. So far, no one’s been able to identify anyone in the video. Besides, if it were legitimate, that would mean at least one unprecedented binary exists, and that’s far too terrifying a concept for most.”

“Why’s that?” asked Eridani.

“An unprecedented binary would mean it’s the galaxy’s first recorded instance of an O-class,” said Martin.

His companions looked at one another with growing concern.

“I have one more thing to show you,” said Martin. “Gabi, you really need to see this.”

She groaned and lowered her phone.

Martin selected another video file. Pulled from the security camera trained on the hoagie stand, they watched the same events unfold, but this time from a steady, elevated side angle. Although a little overexposed, the footage left no doubt as to the identities of the participants. After police had arrested Torsha, when Mike walked into view with his hands in restraints, and paramedics drove off with Orin in an ambulance, Martin paused the video.

Silence hung in the air.

Oliver cleared his throat, and his voice cracked when he spoke. “Well, that looks pretty real to me.”

“What happened after this?” asked Aurora.

“They were held at Beacon Street Station for three days,” said Martin. “The authorities released Torsha and Mike yesterday evening. As we speak, a team of bounty hunters is transporting Orin to a deep space assessment facility.”

Aurora eased down on the edge of the couch. “My Orin is a binary?”

Martin regarded her skeptically. “You didn’t know?”

Shaking her head, Aurora replied, “None of us did!” Looking to her husband and daughter, she continued, “I mean, I assume! Did either of you know?” Suddenly overwhelmed, she pressed tears from her eyes.

“It’s news to me,” said Oliver. He sat down beside her, pulling her close.

“Everyone, slow down. This video could be faked, too,” said Eridani. “I’m sorry, Martin, but none of this makes any sense. They