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

the main entrance. At the edge of the landing pad, grimy old string lights dangled from a trio of floodlight posts, twinkling red, blue, amber, and green. The vessel settled, shooting jets of steam as the engines powered down, and Casey got to her feet.

She stretched and joined her fellows in the passenger compartment, just as April was distributing rebreather masks. Glancing behind her, Casey noticed the shuttle’s atmospheric indicator lamp glowed yellow. “Air quality or air pressure?” She secured the rebreather around her neck, as the others donned their masks.

“A little of both, actually,” said April, her voice now emitting from the speakers in her mask. “The gravity’s reduced, as we expected—about what we felt on the space station. Pair that with any sudden or prolonged periods of lightheadedness, and you can imagine how disastrous that could be. Hence, we wear these during our stay here.”

“Sure,” said Casey, and she gripped her mask. “Cheers!” She fastened it behind her ears and tapped a button that locked it to the bridge of her nose. She winced as it blasted her nostrils with cool air and moisture, fully clearing out her nasal passages. “Is that menthol?”

“I swabbed the filters with diluted peppermint oil,” said Edison. “They were starting to stink.”

“God, warn me next time!” Casey shook her head and pinched the space between her brows.

In that moment, someone rapped on the exterior airlock door, drawing the team’s attention.

“Be ready, now,” said Cajun. “Nullies got a bit of a different look to ‘em, most livin’ generations on reduced gravity, high radiation worlds. Tower interiors and the brewed-up atmosphere offer some protection, but the tower is home. Out there’s the factories and the mines. Out there’s the work.”

“I’ve seen how it changes ‘em,” said Malmoradan. “I know what to expect.”

“Ya don’t. The older ones ya met on ya walk, they been re-normaled. These good men and women, well they’re countdown pretty—or sunnies, if ya prefer the local vernacular.”

“They’re human, right?” asked Casey. “How different can they be?” Confidently, she stepped through the interior airlock door, and pressed the button at the far end. The exterior airlock disengaged, and she pushed it open. Wind gusted from inside the shuttle.

On the other side, standing halfway up the boarding ramp, a tall, strong fellow grinned. “Somebody call for the skyman,” he said. His ice blue eyes twinkled in the shuttle’s landing lights, and his face looked dark orange. Black hair peeked out from under a fur-lined hood. “We’ve got ourselves some certifiable brightlighters.” He leaned away, twisting toward a small crowd gathered at the top of the stairs, just below the tarmac, and he cupped gloved hands to his mouth. “Benrik, you owe me a horn!”

Casey blinked. “Hi,” she said, and he returned his attention to her. A frosty breeze scurried across her skin, and she shivered. “I’m Officer Casey Cartwright, with the Interstellar Police Force.”

Enthusiastically, he shook her hand. “I’m Rusty de Bosque de Cerezos, customs enforcement, landing control, and greeting crew at your service! Welcome to Cherry Grove. Please excuse my countrymen. Most of them are acutely superstitious about brightlighters.”

“Good to meet you, Rusty.” She put her hands in her pockets. “I’m guessing we’re the brightlighters.”

He laughed and nodded. “That you are. Don’t worry, you’ll catch on. Give it a few days, and you’ll be all ridgy.”

“I hope we have that much time,” said Casey.

He looked puzzled. “That’s your call, isn’t it? I’m not sure how hope’s even a factor.”

“We encountered an unclassified xeno up on Space Station 6,” said Casey. “It’s been neutralized, and I’ve filed a report with the Bureau of First Contact. I fear the creature we encountered could be part of a larger invasion force.”

“That sounds dire,” said Rusty.

“Very. We think it killed the station crew and the shuttle crew,” said Casey.

Rusty crossed his arms. “Brightlighters aren’t normally known for spouting bowglies, but I guess there’s always got to be a few.”

“What’s a bowgli?” asked Casey.

“A lie! A big one,” said Rusty. “A whopper of a lie!”

“I’m not lying,” said Casey. “We have footage.”

Rusty glanced toward the tower entrance. “Maybe you do, and maybe you’ve got your own glimmer box to show me, but the shuttle crew’s been landed since Fifthday, and all the stationfolk’s been sitting pretty in the beer garden hotel. Why else do you think I directed you all the way out here, instead of inside on the nice interior loading dock?”

“I saw the itinerary,” said Casey. “There isn’t another supply drop scheduled for days.”

“That particular book’s for accounting. I can’t say if it’s ever been accurate.” Rusty tilted his head and made a clicking sound.

“Have you heard of or seen anything unusual recently?” asked Casey.

“Besides the brighterlighters that landed and started pitching a wheeler about some new xeno running around unkilling perfectly good crewfolk?”

“I’ll take that as a no,” said Casey.

Rusty grinned. “Please do. It’s yours to take!”

“Stay alert and stay in touch,” said Casey. “Especially if you hear of or see anything out of the ordinary.” She passed him a police-branded business card with her contact information.

Rusty passed it back. “We’re on our own network, so I’m not going to be able to call you. Thanks, though.”

“How can I reach you?” asked Casey.

“Take my spare cantie,” said Rusty, and he passed her a walky-talky. “There’s a log-lifter moving in, and it gets bitter cold after dark. You’re thinking it’s not that far from here to the tower, but even a few seconds of direct exposure can get you frostbit. If you’re planning to disembark at this time—or close to this time—I suggest very warm clothes. If you’d rather, you can sleep through it in here and disembark when Soliel’s up, but we’ll have to charge you the full day’s slip fees.”

“We have jackets and thermals. Give us a minute,” said Casey, and she sealed the airlock. Moments later, she and her crew emerged wearing cold weather attire. Malmoradan shouldered a duffle bag stuffed with canteens and ration packs. Rusty guided them down the boarding ramp,