Kill First by Hudson G.P

Author:Hudson, G.P.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thavma Press
Published: 2022-12-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter twenty-eight

I spent the next few days getting acclimatized to my new reality. A lot of the time was spent with Jessica and catching up on the twenty years I had missed. She told me how Ilsa stepped up and looked after her. I felt deeply indebted to her and when I finally got a chance to sit down and talk to her I told her so.

“Jack, you don’t owe me anything,” she insisted, sitting across from me on a couch in her ready room.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised that she was the captain of this ship, considering her background and education, bur I still found it impressive. I also still found her attractive but wasn’t sure if she felt the same way. I thought I had picked up on something before I got shot, but that was twenty years ago. She was probably a completely different person now.

“No, I owe you everything,” I said. “I can’t imagine what it was like for Jessica after losing me, especially with her mother gone.”

“Jessica is a wonderful girl, Jack. Really, it was my pleasure. What about you? What are your plans?”

“What do you mean?”

Ilsa shrugged. “Your obligation to Captain Mace is gone. You are free to do anything you like.”

“My family is here, Ilsa. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Are you still willing to go on missions?”

“Sure. I have to earn my keep somehow. Besides, someone’s got to look after Kosta and Sergeant Jameson.”

Ilsa smiled. “I’m glad to hear you say that. We’ve actually got a new mission, if you’re ready to jump back in.”

“I’d like to spend some more time with Jessica, but yeah, I can get back to work soon.”

“Good. We won’t be ready for about another week or so. Is that enough time?”

“I guess. What’s the mission?”

“You’re going to like it. We’re going to Earth.”

“What? How can we do that? I thought the Imperium didn’t allow it.”

“That’s the best part,” Ilsa said. “The Imperium is the client. Do you know anything about the Raeth Collective?”

“A little. Aren’t they a rival empire like the Imperium?”

“That’s right. The Imperium believes that Raeth operatives are active on Earth.”

“Raeth operatives?” I said, surprised by the news. “What do they want?”

“The Imperium believes they want to annex Earth. The operatives are laying the groundwork for that to happen. Our job is to find the operatives and eliminate them.”

“But won’t that create an incident between Raeth and the Imperium?”

“No,” Ilsa said. “Because it isn’t the Imperium that is doing it.”

“And we’re human, so we’ll fit right in.”

“Correct.”

“But how are these Raeth aliens able to operate undetected on Earth?”

“Imperium Intelligence believes they have shapeshifting technology that allows them to hide their true appearance and look human.”

“Incredible.” I leaned back and thought about Earth. I was actually going to see it again. “Wait, if twenty years have passed that means Earth has changed since I last saw it.”

“Yes, that’s true. It’ll be different from what you remember.”

I considered that. Did I belong anywhere anymore? The Imperium still felt alien to me, and now it seemed that Earth would likely feel the same way.

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