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

“You’re going no matter what, aren’t you?” asked Torsha.

“I am,” said Mike.

Torsha’s shoulders sank. “We’re doing this for Orin?”

Mike patted his shredded jacket, tapping the orb within. “And for Nimbus.”

Torsha stared at him awhile. “You suck,” she grumbled, and she put the tri-corner hat back on. “I want you to know that.” She stared flatly at Izel. “Yeah, sure. I’ll do it.”

Izel nodded in response. “You have my gratitude.”

◆◆◆

Dressed in a combat vac suit, Lance Corporal Bianca De Leon sat in the troop section of a Sunhawk armored transport, along with nineteen of her fellow marines. Dim lighting offered glimpses of the seats and cargo netting fastened to the bulkheads. Beyond the transport’s nose, the Fox Mendes launch bay hung wide open and completely dark.

Lieutenant Belmont sat within the cockpit, behind the pilot’s station. He listened intently to his captain as she spoke over the comm.

“I want you to take Blacktusk alive if you can,” said Izel. “I leave the fate of his associates to your discretion in the moment. However, you must not attack until their network is down, even if it means Orin’s death. We cannot risk exposing Fox Mendes to the coordinated firepower of Blacktusk’s flotilla.”

“Sí, capitán,” said Belmont. “I understand what’s at stake.”

“Wait for my signal,” said Izel. “Go now, and Godspeed!”

He signed off and gestured launch approval to the Sunhawk’s pilot.

She gripped the flight stick and the throttle, adjusting the transport’s attitude as she raced through the expanse. A twin transport launched immediately after, and they closed on the far side of the Rocksaugh mining complex. Both vessels slipped past the boundaries of a maintenance hangar and prepared to dock.

Belmont’s transport set down first, and Bianca rallied her fireteam as the ramp lowered. Along with the others, she filed out into the confines of the maintenance hangar.

Speaking from the boarding ramp, Belmont reviewed the action plan and issued orders. He sent five teams to sweep and clear the maintenance tunnels. Along with the remaining fireteams, he ordered Bianca’s group to move topside and assist in securing Blacktusk. “Do not attack him or his immediate personnel under any circumstances, until I give the order,” he said, and he explained the stakes. “Captain Aguirre will inform me as soon as Blacktusk’s fleet network is down.”

Squad leaders acknowledged Belmont’s orders and issued tactical directives to their fireteams. When they tapped Bianca’s unit, she confirmed receipt of her orders and saluted. “Echo Team, follow me. It’s time to avenge Carmina!”

“Oorah!” they responded, and they advanced along the halls.

She led her marines down a set of rocky stairs into the heart of the complex. They navigated the asteroid’s gravity inversion with confidence. Quickly reorienting themselves, they ascended the stairs on the other side, headed for the main hangar bay.

◆◆◆

Mike and Torsha sat across from each other, at the aft end of Blacktusk’s boarding sled. He wore buccaneer’s attire and a pair of heavy boots. Between them and the cockpit, a dozen Falcon marines occupied most of the chairs, clad in dark battle dress. They talked and laughed with weapons at rest.

The vessel fired reverse thrusters, retreating from Fox Mendes’s wounded upper deck. Through the virtual canopy, the flight crew saw a specialist in a vac suit cross the passageway to the breach and start spraying sealant foam. The pilot changed course, headed for Blacktusk’s flagship, and weightlessness took hold.

Moment by moment, they drew closer, and the copilot soon appeared at the cockpit doorway. He looked at Mike and Torsha. “It’s time,” he said, and he waved them over.

They unfastened their harnesses and clumsily pulled themselves along the overhead rails. Torsha fought waves of dizziness as she progressed. Her feet bumped into Mike when she stopped, and he braced himself against the bulkhead firmly enough for them both. “How are you still awake?” she asked. “You were wiped out, like ten minutes ago.”

“Second wind, I suppose,” said Mike.

She regarded him skeptically. “It must be one hell of a wind.”

“This way,” said the copilot, and he guided Mike and Torsha to their stations. The cockpit resembled a crash cage, with sturdy chairs and layers of impact netting. Images played across the inside of the nose, a virtual canopy and heads-up display. At the center of the screen, the starship Excrucio appeared.

Backswept arches and serrated edges lined the vessel’s lengthy hull, reflecting the asteroid’s red rust. Rear- and forward-facing thrusters sat within lengthy nacelles, protected by armored plates. Extending beyond both sides of the hull, cylindrical auxiliary thrusters faintly glowed. A central tower rose from the hull, and similar towers descended in line behind it. She wore a bare coat of polished steel, dotted with essential decals and placards.

The sled’s comm interface flashed, and the pilot opened the incoming message. “‘Tarantula juice,’” said the pilot as he read the message aloud. He glanced at the copilot. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It’s a password,” said Torsha. “Like, ‘The crow flies at midnight.’ That kind of thing.”

“What do we write back?” asked the pilot.

Torsha shrugged. “New Falkirk clam chowder? I don’t know.”

“I’ll try that,” said the pilot, and he faced the console.

After a moment, the comm flashed with an incoming video request. The pilot and copilot yielded their chairs to Mike and Torsha, and the copilot sealed the cockpit. Along with the pilot, he ducked low, keeping out of sight.

Mike pushed the virtual button, and Bloodtusk appeared onscreen. Like his older brother, Blacktusk, three of his four tusks had an ivory appearance. His fourth tusk was crimson, however, covered in intricate ruby inlays. “Who the hell are you?” asked Bloodtusk.

“Blackburn,” said Mike. “Fox Mendes is overrun. The command crew is down for the count, and we let the air out of the lower decks, if you get me.”

“How much air?” asked Bloodtusk.

“All of it,” said Mike.

Bloodtusk looked shocked. “Oh man, my brother’s going to be pissed. What happened?”

Mike quietly coughed. “It was kill-or-be-killed.”

“Well, that’s a first,” said Bloodtusk. “Loyal crew, I guess.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll need