Rise of Renegades: An Epic Space Opera Series (The Augmented Book 2) by Ben Hale

Author:Ben Hale [Hale, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2021-06-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

Siena sat on the escarpment overlooking the ocean. It was a risk to take a break, but in that moment she was too tired to care. She’d cleared several hundred feet of beach, and the sand had been washed smooth by the waves of a recent storm. In the afternoon sun it actually looked rather beautiful.

Higher on the island she could hear the groaning of seracrete as the large sheets were shaped and put into place. Erlanex was sullen and irritable, but he wasn’t the one that burned the slaves. Laurik made up for the disparity, and constantly drove the augments to work harder.

The sounds of approaching boots made her stiffen, and she half-lurched to her feet. The moment of fear evaporated when she recognized the distinct hopping gait as belonging to Quis. She turned in his direction just as he stepped into the open.

“Siena,” he greeted with a broad smile, “I thought you’d be on the beach.”

“Do you need something?”

“Telik and Erlanex requested you for something in the experimental facility.”

“Does Laurik know I’m leaving the beach?”

Quis nodded, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. “She wasn’t happy about it, but Erlanex insisted.”

“Perfect,” Siena said, pleased that Laurik had been slighted.

She joined Quis and the two ascended back up the trail. They soon passed into the cleared space, where the trees had been removed to form neat lines for future streets and buildings. The remnants of the foliage had been chosen for their placement and beauty, the curving trunks and thick canopies offering pools of shade.

Rahnora worked on one of the trees, using the new plant augment she’d discovered several days ago. She sat in a crook above, her fingers shaping the wood like it was wet clay. There was an unmistakable smile on her face as the tree responded to her augment. A vid recorder set below the trunk monitored her progress, compiling the information to be sent to the augment monitoring cortex newly installed in the experimental facility.

“Her augment is fascinating,” Quis said, his eyes filled with wonder as he watched.

Siena smiled at his youthful excitement. She hoped it would be years before he came to the sobering understanding that the augments just made them more valuable products. Rahnora caught sight of Siena and flashed a dazzling smile.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” she called, patting the tree.

The tree’s limbs had been shaped into an artistic spiral that seemed to embrace an invisible sphere. Two of the limbs were still extended outward, their shape determined by the natural randomness of the living wood, but when they were added the branches would show a perfection not seen in the natural world.

“I’ve rarely seen anything so stunning,” Siena said.

Rahnora’s cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. “Just wait until I get the others finished.” She pointed to the other trees lining the street.

“How does she do it?” Quis asked as they passed Rahnora.

“Telik said it’s a form of biokinesis.”

“Bio-what?”

“It means her nervous system produces an impulse that causes a reaction in the plant cells.

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