Satan's Reach by Eric Brown

Author:Eric Brown
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Space Opera
ISBN: 9781849976343
Publisher: Abaddon Books
Published: 2012-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

HE CAME TO his senses briefly.

He tried to sit up, but his forehead touched something. He was in darkness, but the pain had ceased. Then he understood. He had died and they had buried him on Teplican... Only he hadn’t died because he was still alive. He was in a coffin. They had buried him alive!

He felt something crawl over his naked chest, then a sharp pain. He lost consciousness.

He came awake again, and light flooded the narrow confines where he lay, and with the light came awareness of his situation. He was not in a coffin. He touched his flank, where earlier he’d seen his guts tumbling out. He felt a slight scar. He pressed, amazed. There was no pain. He raised his head awkwardly and looked down the length of his body. Between his feet he could see the hatch of the med-pod.

And through the hatch he saw Zeela smiling in at him.

He lay back and closed his eyes. He recalled her grief-stricken face on Teplican, which had convinced him that he was dying... Now her smile celebrated his resurrection.

Later she opened the hatch and pulled out the slide-bed.

She stood back, staring at him. “The med-pod said you’d pull through, Den. But I didn’t believe it. All the blood, the...”

He sat up, swivelled off the slide-bed and stood, conscious of his nakedness. His clothes were piled neatly next to the med-pod and he dressed while Zeela watched him.

He felt weak and dizzy. He reached out and said, “Come here.”

She came, and he held her head to his chest.

“Judi contacted me,” she said. “We were on our way to the township, so we had to double-back for a laser. On the way down we planned what to do. Judi told us that the alien had you in the square, so Gina dropped me off and I crept between the buildings... I saw the Ajantan shoot you, Den. I thought you were dead. I never thought I could kill anything, but seeing it do that to you...”

“You’re a crack shot, girl.”

She shook her head. “You should have seen the laser. It practically fired itself. All I had to do was point it in the right direction. And then, when I saw you, the wound... Gina took over. She fixed you up, stopped the bleeding. We carried you onto the ship and put you in the med-pod.”

He sat on the slide-bed, taking deep breaths. “How long have I been in there?”

“Almost three days.”

He cocked his head, heard the thrumming of the maindrive. “We left Teplican?”

She nodded. “I consulted with Judi, and we thought it best. We didn’t want another Ajantan shuttle coming down.”

“Good work.”

“We’re heading for Vassatta, Den. The last port of call before Kallasta. Judi said you might be able to sell the steamboat engine there, and anyway we need to refuel.”

“You’ve thought of everything, between you.”

“And the good news is that there’s no sign of the Ajantan ship, or the bounty hunters.”

“It’s almost too good to be true,” he laughed.

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