Executor Rising: A Space Opera Series (The Circuit Saga Book 1) by Rhett C. Bruno

Author:Rhett C. Bruno [Bruno, Rhett C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2020-07-13T22:00:00+00:00

21

Chapter Twenty-One—Sage

A week had passed since Sage was recruited by Talon, and over that period she didn’t stray much from Julius’ shack. He was the only person she’d spoken to at all. She quickly found that everything on Ceres had a cost, even the smallest luxury. Nothing was provided.

She had to pay to get any nutri-pill from the local vending machines. To get a jug of water. To bathe in the nearest public soaking pools. Even the shack was rented from someone richer. Everything.

In fact, the only thing she didn’t have to pay for was her sleeping arrangements—though technically she’d bartered her services in Julius and Talon’s insane job. But still, despite her protests, Julius insisted that he would sleep on the floor of his shack so she could take his hammock.

She’d reluctantly agreed, avoiding any other further unnecessary conversations. Her body could use the break. Aches and pains from the explosion on Mars had pretty much vanished, and even her head felt fine for most of every day, but Culver’s blows had left some lasting bruises.

Finally, alone that morning, Sage rolled out of the hammock and sank to both knees on the floor. It was dark, only a sliver of light slipping through the cracks of the shack’s rusty door barely clinging to its hinges.

“I am blessed with ground beneath me,” Sage whispered, wary of anyone listening in. She extended her arms and let the tips of her fingers touch the floor. There was a soft scratching noise as her artificial hand grazed slowly across the surface.

“Our Homeworld has been blighted by darkness, but we are the light,” she continued. “Those beside me, those beneath me, and above me. Ours is a collective unconscious, bound to each other and to the soul of the Earth. We are, all of us, shards of that Spirit, never alone as the dark void closes in. This day is yet another test of my conviction, but though the Earth may be wreathed in flame and shadow, she remains within me. May those who have left to join this essence guide my daily endeavors. Redemption is near. May my faith—”

Just as she began mouthing the final verse, the shack’s door swung open. She rolled to the side, banging into the hammock, which swung as if she’d fallen off.

Julius burst into the room and threw his hand over his eyes. “Shit! I didn’t mean—” He backed out and closed the door halfway so that he could speak to her from behind it.

Only then did Sage look down and realize that she wore nothing but her undergarments. She grabbed the ratty Ceresian tunic lying in a pile on the floor and threw it over her head.

“I’m so, so, so sorry,” he said, sounding every bit as embarrassed as Sage was. “Did I make you fall? I ain’t used to havin’ anyone here.”

“No,” she replied. “Well, yes. But it’s okay.”

“I swear I didn’t see nothin’.”

“I believe you,” she said. She didn’t. “I needed to wake up anyway.”

“Well, if you’re up, grab a nutri-pill from the cabinet and come out.

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