God's Bounty Hunter (Biddy Mackay Space Detective Book 1) by T Olivant (reading in the dark .txt) 📕

Lu Tang waited for the inevitable question.

“When was this video taken?” she asked him.

“Seventy-five years ago.  My friends have been in stasis for the best part of a century.”

Biddy searched the Augment’s face for any sign of emotion but there was none.  Did it really change anything?  Perhaps not, but there was something chilling about the idea of those hidden sleepers, frozen since the time of her great-grandmother.

“Tell me more about this Voice,” Biddy said, trying to keep the pity out of her speech.

“I first heard the Voice three months ago.  The first words I had heard spoken in a decade.  It came through the walls of my cell and it told me about the Augments.”

“It sent you the video?”

“No, that was later.  But it told me to be ready.  Then around a month ago a datapad was waiting under my mattress when I had taken my morning shower.  Access to the cloud, completely unrestricted.  It enabled me to plan my escape.  But there was also a single file on the pad.”

“The video?”

“Yes.  I could identify every one of the bodies you see there by name.  But they have been long forgotten by the humans that used to worship them.  I am the only one left who remembers them at all.”

Now the pain was evident in the Augment’s voice, but Biddy was still torn. “I almost believe you.  But I’m risking my crew, a dozen people that I am directly responsible for, to save a bunch of Gods that might not even exist.”

“I give you my word as your God that they are down there.  Just waiting to be awoken.”

Biddy couldn’t help but bite her lip. “I don’t find that very comforting.”

Someone spoke and it took Biddy a second to realize that it was Ali.  She had barely heard his voice before.

“If we rescue the Gods then it will be worth the risk.  Blessed be.”

Biddy’s eyes widened. “I thought you guys were neo-Buddhists.”

Lee laughed, a rasping sound. “We left the Rising Sun system as religious refugees.  We have prayed to the Gods since our birth.  We should take this mission if there is any hope of saving them.”

Strangely this made Biddy feel worse about rescuing the Augments.  Did she really have the right course of action planned when religious zealots supported it?

“What about you, Francesca, you’re not of the Faithful.”

“I am a medic.  If there are innocent people who are being harmed then it is our duty to save them.”

Slowly, Biddy nodded. “All right.  I like that reasoning better.  Lu Tang, upload any information you have to my servers.  We have half an hour to plan our mission.”

What the hell am I doing? Biddy thought.  It was thirty-seven minutes later.  She was standing on the surface of Eritree outside a huge metal hangar.  The tiny lifepod that they had squeezed in to make the journey lay discarded nearby.  Small enough to be undetected by the people of Eritree, or at least that was the hope.  To her right the Augment was muttering to himself and shivering, looking for all the galaxy like someone who had lost whatever grip on sanity they might have had.

“Before we go in,” Biddy said, her right hand on her stungun, “I want you to swear that no one is going to get killed.”

The Augment gave her what she was coming to think of as his ‘God look’. “I do not make such promises.”

“Then I don’t go in with you.”

The Augment tapped his foot on the floor. “Listen, I’m not even carrying a weapon.  I have no intention of killing anyone today.  Is that good enough for you?”

“No.  But it will have to do.  Just bear in mind that if I do see you getting all vengeful God on me then I will stungun your ass.”

“Duly noted.”

Biddy turned to Phil and Francesca.  They were standing at the entrance to the waste treatment facility.  They still had their full spacesuits on.

“You two wait here until I signal that we have the Augments in visual.”

“You know I think this is a dumb move ‘tec,” Phil’s voice said in her ear. “I should be going in there with you.  I’m your bodyguard.”

“You were the bodyguard of a Scotclan Detective,” Biddy said with a weary tone.  It was not the first time they had had this discussion in the last half hour. “Now you are just one member of an unauthorized space cruiser crew.  And I need you out here just in case it all goes wrong.”

Phil went silent.  Biddy just had to hope that he would listen to her orders.  There was no way she was going to risk any of her crew members inside the facility.  If Lu Tang got blown up she wouldn’t be too worried, but she couldn’t say the same about anyone else.

“All right,” she said to the Augment. “Let’s see if you can get us in.”

Lu Tang held his datapad up to the lock on the door and after a few seconds it started to open.

“We’re going into the airlock.  Keep all comms open.”

It was only when the door shut behind them that Biddy realized she was stuck in a ten-foot bubble with the Augment.  He looked at her out of the spacesuit with an unreadable expression.  If he wanted her killed then he could simply smash open her helmet and she would be dead in seconds.  Phil and Francesca wouldn’t get there before her lungs exploded.

Pressure Equalization Complete.

Lu Tang pulled off his helmet, and after only the briefest of hesitations, Biddy did the same.

“Let’s do this,” the Augment said, and Biddy didn’t like the sickly grin on his face one little bit.

“Just take it easy,” she said, but he was already striding along the empty corridor.  They