Earth Unending (Forgotten Earth Book 3) by M.R. Forbes

Author:M.R. Forbes [Forbes, M.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2018-07-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

The Pulse dropped toward the brown and gray ground below, coming down almost as fast as it had risen, taking a steep vertical descent to the coordinates Tinker had provided.

The old military base was in the middle of nowhere. That much was obvious from the moment the surface became visible. There were no structures anywhere near it. No roads leading in or out, or if there had been roads, they had either gotten worn out or destroyed a long time ago.

Intentionally?

He couldn’t rule it out.

There were some mountains, some hills, and plenty of desert. He caught sight of animals along the dusty landscape, wild horses mainly. He also saw something else off in the horizon. Something massive and upright, moving slowly through the haze. At least, he thought he did.

But it was too big to be human. Too big to be real. A mirage, James called it. An optical illusion. They didn’t have mirages on Proxima. It was a frightening trick of the light.

The Pulse shuddered as they hit some low turbulence, only a few klicks off the ground. It didn’t bother Nathan, but he heard James grunt, and when he glanced back he saw the general’s hands were white-knuckled against the chair’s armrests, and his face was tight.

He had thought James was too tough to be bothered by a little shaking. Maybe he was more willing to show his fear to Nathan. Maybe he was trusting him more?

Nathan believed he had earned it. Shooting down a Centurion dropship was a big step for him. It added finality to his decision to stay on Earth and to work with Tinker and the Liberators. Even if the odds were slim, he could return to Proxima and clear his name.

That was all over now.

Maybe Command would never know he was the pilot who took the shot. Maybe they would blame it on the Trust; and he hoped they would. But he knew he had killed another Centurion Spacer.

And this time he had done it on purpose.

He was past the point of no return.

Niobe had drawn him into this. Had she known what the Trust would do? Had she expected him to die when he reached Earth? He wished he could resolve that thought. He wished he could make a decision to love her or not based on that consideration. How could he still care so much for someone who was so willing to sacrifice him?

In his mind, the decision only served to make her stand out more. She had always been decisive, strong, and passionate about what she believed in. It was a trait he respected, and giving him up in the name of that belief was a major sacrifice.

At least, he hoped it had been.

“Relentless,” James said. His voice was sharp like he had said it a couple of times already.

“Sir?” Nathan replied, snapping out of his head.

There was a large salt flat adjacent to the few buildings visible from the air. He had touched the Pulse down on it

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