Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

Author:Stina Leicht
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
Published: 2021-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

19

TIME: 11:15

DAY: TUESDAY

OGENTH

In a line behind Beak and Paulie, a cold wind fought Angel’s progress as she hiked the steep mountain incline. The forest floor was soft under her heavy boots. It felt good to be free of Ogenth’s thick walls. The forest hugging the mountainside smelled clean and crisp—quite the contrast to Brynner’s sour stench. In the time Angel had lived there, she’d assumed the stink was merely a part of the planet’s atmosphere. Understanding that that wasn’t the case caused a shift in her feelings toward Persephone. For the moment, that was a little unsettling. She wasn’t sure how much of her data on and experience of the place had been colored by a deliberate lie. Being uncertain how cautious she needed to be—if at all—conflicted badly with her survival instincts.

Kirby said it was safe.

Kirby is not human and is capable of immediately adapting to her surroundings. Me and mine are not.

Paulie had warned them that there might be snow flurries. It never snowed in Brynner, and Angel couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen frozen precipitation from outside of a full environment suit. She found herself anticipating big fat flakes floating among the branches. She knew it would mean dealing with the damp, but a partial environment suit was great protection against wet and cold. However, the sentimental reasons she enjoyed snow outweighed any potential discomfort.

Bad weather would complicate the job of protecting Ogenth. On the other hand, it would also add factors with which their attackers would have to contend.

Trusting that Paulie and Beak would alert her, Angel found herself focusing on other aspects of planning. She used Kurosawa to make notes about the possibility of hiding traps in the snow, the need to gather data on the weather patterns for the next few days, and the effects of wind and terrain. Ice and gusting winds would slow down surface troops—particularly on rough ground and a steep incline.

Unless they have mechs and powered armor, of course, she thought. Mechs and powered armor would be bad.

It all depended upon how motivated Serrao-Orlov was to obtain Ogenth and how much money they were willing to invest.

Earlier, she’d talked to the pilot Jackson and consulted Lou as well. The winds around Ogenth were particularly bad except during certain periods of the day and year. It was another reason why Rosie had timed their arrival so precisely. Rosie’s information indicated the company mercs wouldn’t be aware of that problem. It would cause a minor delay as they’d likely be forced to make the last leg of the journey on foot. That was something Angel could work with.

Of course, that meant the use of mechs and power suits would be more likely. Luckily, Rosie had provided a report on the tech specs for the equipment the company would send. Angel told Lou to go over them while she waited for their return to Kurosawa. Lou had wanted to accompany them on the hike up the mountain, but Angel decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

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