Chain Reaction by Zoe Archer

Author:Zoe Archer [Archer, Zoe]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Amazon: B006BVTC5G
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2012-01-09T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

As the site of a future colony, the nameless moon did not look promising. From up high, Celene saw rocks, some bodies of water, barely any flora. Anyone attempting to settle on this moon would find it a hard, unrewarding task.

“I’m putting the ship down in that valley.” She guided the Phantom over the surface of the moon, her gaze constantly scanning for signs of sentient habitation. As they drew closer to the surface of the planet, she could make out more details. Dull blue rocks covered its surface, and the bodies of water she’d seen from higher up were merely gray ponds filmed with weeds. A few stands of short, scrubby trees comprised the plant life.

8th Wing hadn’t made contact with any of the planets of this system, which would make her job much more difficult should she and Nils encounter actual civilizations. First contact was always handled by Diplomacy Division, not fighter pilots and engineers.

Nils grunted a response. Slanting a look at him, she saw that he’d retreated into his thoughts, his expression abstracted.

The moment the landing gear touched the surface, Nils leaped out of his seat. She barely had time to power the ship down before he began pulling open panels.

“Need a hand?” She went to stand behind him as he crouched on the floor. He did not answer.

Was he ignoring her? He had every right to, the way she had shut him down earlier. “Hey.” She nudged him with her boot.

He glanced up, startled. So he wasn’t giving her the silent treatment. It was clear he’d forgotten she existed—a marked change from his earlier confession. She took no offense, however. The fixed, alert sharpness of his gaze reminded her of the look other Wraith pilots wore during combat.

“Can I help?” she offered.

“My tools. In my kit.” Then he bent back to his work.

She went to get his tools. Articulate he might be, except when his attention was fixed on an engineering project.

She grabbed the kit and brought it back to him. He grunted again when she set the kit down beside him, but that was the limit of his conversation. Seeing that there really was nothing for her to do inside the ship, she decided to take a look around outside. The moon might not make for a good colony, but that didn’t mean there was nothing to learn from it. She knew a few people in the Research Corps who’d appreciate a few samples of new life forms.

“Going out for a survey,” she said to Nils after taking a science kit.

This time, she wasn’t even graced with a grunt. He merely made a vague gesture over his shoulder—the only sign she had that he’d heard her.

She double-checked that her plasma blaster held a full charge before opening the door. Stepping out, she caught the faint, acrid smell of sulfur borne on a weak breeze. Rocks crunched beneath her boots. Spindly trees reached their branches toward the yellow sky. Thin air made her work harder to breathe, so she kept her pace easy as she rambled in slow arcs away from the ship.

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