Rookie by S.J. Bryant

Author:S.J. Bryant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: scifi, science fiction, starships, female protagonist, space adventure, science fiction action adventure, science fiction female hero, science fiction hero
Publisher: Saffron Bryant

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The thugs dragged Nova through the grungy streets toward the parking lot. The smell of bleach and rot was dulled by the scent of blood that filled her nostrils and wafted from her drenched shirt.

She managed to lift her head and caught sight of Cal hovering in a darkened alley to the side. He moved back and forth, as if contemplating rushing forward. Nova shook her head, or at least she tried to. If he rushed in when there were three of them, he’d just get himself killed—and probably her too. If only she could talk to him without actually speaking; she resolved to get one of the communicator upgrades as soon as she had the money. She skipped over the part where she was about to be sold into slavery and sent to the-stars-knew-where.

Brock swaggered to a stop in front of his sleek, black ship.

“Want a hand loading her in?” said one thug.

Brock snorted. “I think I can handle one girl.”

“All yours then.”

They shoved Nova forward and she staggered. Brock snatched her wrist and spun her around so that her back was pressed against him. Through her throbbing headache she managed to feel repulsed. He squeezed her closer, putting pressure on her injured side and she groaned, vision spinning and threatening to send her into unconsciousness.

Brock sighed. “You damaged her. You know she’ll be worth less now.”

The thug on the right shrugged. “She was a bonus anyway.”

“Fine. It’s Faze’s loss.”

Brock turned and hauled Nova through the open doorway of his ship. Automatic lights came on as they entered. The gentle glow reflected off the gleaming walls and floor, which looked like it had been tiled.

What kind of ship had tiled floors? Nova wondered, though she didn’t have the strength to speak out loud.

The two shipping containers huddled to one side, barely taking up half the space in the storage bay. Their rusted and moldy exteriors made them stand out in the otherwise spotless interior. It probably killed Brock to have them there. Plus, it looked like they were taking up his gym space because a set of weights, including some dumbbells were stacked by the door.

The cloying smell of cologne filled the space—the same sickly flavor that Koba always wore—accented with an undercurrent of human filth. The odor brought Nova’s reality crashing into sharp focus. She recognized it easy enough from her time on Tabryn: it was desperation, mixed with human waste and disease. What would the inside of the containers be like if she could smell it even through the closed doors? How had she not noticed it when she first collected them from Zarvis’ warehouse? Panic made her heart flutter; she couldn’t go in there, couldn’t get locked inside and made a slave. She tried to focus on anything else to find a way out, but everything about the ship was foreign, off.

The climate control system whispered and a cool breeze brushed over Nova’s face, crusting the blood so that it tugged on her skin. The whole ship was the exact opposite of Crusader.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.