Under A Winter Sun by Johan Dahlgren (ink ebook reader txt) 📕

“Fuck yeah. And we're in a hurry.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

The Sundowner spins around on her four powerful swivel jets and backs up, ass first, to the hole. The ramp lowers, and Jagr is there with Soledad, both firing assault rifles at the centipedes. They wave for us to get on, and we waste no time. We run for our lives and jump.

“Go, go, go,” I shout in mid-air. Centipedes launch themselves after us but Jagr and Soledad blast them out of the air.

I land on the ramp and stumble into the hold. Wagner and Hildr land close behind me.

“We need to leave. This place is going nuclear.”

“Oh, fuck.” Jagr slams the button that closes the ramp and yells into her communicator. “Braden, punch it.”

Braden punches it.

We're all thrown against the ramp as the Sundowner banks up the huge cavern. The cave walls become a blur in the blinding light from our engines before the ramp closes to cut off the glare. The only light in the cargo bay comes from the screens showing the outside view. We hang on for dear life as Braden threads her way up the tunnel. Then we burst into blinding sunlight and shoot straight up into the sky.

It's not a second too soon.

We're shaken by the shock wave of the nuclear explosion.

The Galahad was built to withstand centuries of the unforgiving rigours of deep space, and that saves us from the full impact of the blast, but the Sundowner still shakes as if grabbed by a child throwing a vicious tantrum.

And then we're clear.

Lucky for us, dropships have particle shields. Otherwise, we'd be dying from radiation poisoning in a matter of days. Or at least the priest and the Goliaths would. I'm not sure how the nanites cope with radiation-damaged DNA. I hope I never have to find out. It sounds painful.

“What the hell was that?” Braden calls. The heavy music blasts away in the background, as always.

I ignore her. “Whew, that was close.”

“A little too close. You could have told us you were about to nuke the place,” Jagr says.

“Would you have come for us if I had?”

She ponders that. “No.”

“Good for us I didn't then.”

My communicator crackles again. A voice that sounds a lot like Aeryn buzzes something undecipherable and cuts out again. Is my construct still functioning? I hope so. I miss it.

As I turn around to leave, I take Soledad's fist in the face. She puts all her strength into the punch, and I go down like I've been clubbed.

“You could have fucking killed us,” she screams. “You fucking idiot.”

She stands over me, feet apart and fists on hips, ready to punch me again if I get up.

“Um, I'm sorry?” I try.

“Damn you, Perez, I'll fucking kill you,” she screams and kicks me in the balls.

“Right, that's enough, Soledad. Stand down.” Jagr's voice does not invite disobedience. Soledad doesn't care and kicks me again. Hard. Everything goes white for a split-second before the pain shuts down.

Jagr's voice drops a couple of semitones. “I said, stand down, Soledad, or I will shoot you.” She draws her handgun and aims it at Soledad's temple. It's one of those special guns.

My balls burn like a nuclear meltdown and I squint through the tears of hurt. Some pain even the nanites can't block out.

Soledad bangs her fist against the hull and screams out her frustration.

“He will get us all killed, Jagr.” She stabs an accusing finger at me. “If we don't kill him first.”

“We need him.”

“Why? Because you fucked him?”

Ominous clouds descend over Jagr's face, and she takes a moment to reply.

“You think that's my reason?”

The calmness in her voice is more terrible than any shouting. “No, Soledad. Command has decided we keep him alive, so that's what we do. And that's an order.”

“But, Jagr …”

“Shut it, Soledad. I tolerate your tantrums because I need you. But it's not always the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.”

She pulls down the hammer to cock the gun. “Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets replaced.”

The cargo bay grows silent as death.

Soledad considers her options. Then she stalks off into the airlock without making another sound.

“Thanks, Jagr.” I cup my balls in one hand and reach out to her to help me up.

“We're done here. We're going home.” She turns and walks off after Soledad.

I turn to the Goliaths. They both shake their heads.

“You were going to kill us, Perez.”

Hildr scowls and walks away. “Come, Finn.”

Finn at least has the courtesy to look bad about walking out on me. He refuses to meet my gaze.

“Hey, guys?” I call after them. “Anyone?”

“I'm here for you, Asher.”

The priest grabs my hand and hauls me to my feet with a lot of huffing and puffing. “They mean nothing by it.”

“Yes, they do. And they're right. I don't deserve their help.” I stumble after them into the troop bay.

“Yes, you do,” he calls after me. “Everyone does.”

I don't deserve his sympathy.

But it's good to be going home.

Muspelheim, Here We Come

“Right, that's that. We got what we came for,” Jagr says when we're all assembled in the troop bay. We're in orbit around Nifelheim, and Braden has the ship on auto. The images of the moon revolving below us show nothing of the slaughter going on down there.

“You got what you came for?”

I blink. “Civil war has broken out between the Goliaths. Your plan to put Eirik in power backfired.”

“We couldn't know this would happen.”

“No, how could you? Nevertheless, you did it.”

“The Goliaths are no longer a threat. They are too busy killing each other.”

“What happened to the Prime Directive?”

“The what?”

I sigh. “Never mind. So, you told Eirik you would support his cause?”

“Yes.”

Wagner's face has taken on a reddish tinge.

“And will you?”

“No, of course not, and I think Eirik suspected as much. Our sources say he fled the planet in a stolen construction ship after the fight at the Raven's Home. Mission accomplished. Our secondary objective to learn what happened to Father was also a success. Thanks to you,