Shining World by J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon

Author:J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon [Chaney, J.N. & Moon, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2024-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

20

Kayan crawled toward the nearest Oort field at one-quarter of her normal speed. Grum and Bob led work parties. Everyone made repairs. Though we were busy, I had a lot of time to think and wonder what I could have done better. Figuring out what to do next was a challenge, but I had faith in the ship and her crew.

Each of us worked on our armor and weapons, but only after attending to Kayan. There were times I just sat in the observation pods and let the leviathan talk. It wasn’t quite the same as soothing a person. Her hopes and dreams were as strange and wondrous as the galaxy around us. I never wanted to see her put in harm’s way.

News of the fusion bomb explosion on Glemdanogis came shortly after the Skylar retreated to their ships and disappeared. They hadn’t given us the hostages, and I wasn’t confident the girl they’d “rescued” was any safer than the stolen diplomats. For the briefest moment, I’d hoped the Skylar would turn out to be new allies against the Seer.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Tate Collins had made a deal that would cost all of us greatly. How did he consistently sink so low and cause so much evil to flow into the world?

“We will figure it out, Noah. Thank you for being here when I needed you,” Kayan said late on the fourth night. “Sleep. I may be able to reach the edge of the Oort field by the time you wake up.”

“You know where to find me,” I said, then headed for my apartment. Sleep came the moment my head hit the pillow. Crashing on a regular bunk sometimes felt better than sleeping in my safety crèche. This was one of those nights.

I dreamed of driving a convertible Camaro on the straightest highway in North America—which probably meant Kansas or eastern Colorado. Wheat fields swayed for as far as I could see, and there wasn’t a speed trap in sight.

Waking up came far too soon and was less fun than the open road. An uninvited visitor sat in my dimly lit apartment. He was helping himself to something from the mini bar and basically preparing to ruin my life.

“Have a drink with me, Noah Gantz.”

“Collins. What the actual void hell are you doing here?”

He shimmered, but not like a holographic projection. A new, sharp brand of fear quivered through me. After springing to my feet, I searched for a weapon and realized everything was locked up with my armor in the corner. This was getting old. First, I left my helmet in my safety pod, and now I let an intruder get between me and my gear.

“You’re wondering how I’m here,” Collins said without looking in my direction.

“You didn’t knock,” I said. “Rude.”

“Always so cool.” Collins sat back on the barstool and raised his tumbler without taking a sip. “Would it kill you to just freak out once in a while?”

I said nothing because most of the time I felt like a raccoon on roller skates.

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