Soldier 03 Final Odyssey by Vaughn Heppner

Author:Vaughn Heppner [Heppner, Vaughn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sort3
Published: 2021-07-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Drang hunched forward in her chair as spiking pain throbbed in her forehead. It was nearly debilitating pain that had sprung to life as the Patrol flotilla ran for cover.

In the distance, the originally launched and deliberately staggered antimatter missiles continued to detonate every few minutes, providing the Patrol vessels with blocking whiteouts so the enemy ships couldn’t target them.

There was encrypted chatter between the Illustrious and space station, but the lifter’s comm operator lacked the means for breaking in and understanding what they said.

“What should we do?” the chief pilot asked Drang.

The Arbiter waved him off as she massaged her forehead. The Intelligence operatives glanced at Drang before threatening the pilot with their guns.

“I’m asking for instructions,” the pilot said in a whiny voice. “Should I head for the space station?”

“No,” Drang said with her eyes closed. “The planet, go around the planet.”

“You mean back onto the other side?”

“Yes.” Drang opened bleary eyes, stood, swayed and staggered toward the hatch. “Make sure he maneuvers around the planet,” she told the operatives.

“Should I land back at the Spaceport?” the pilot asked.

“No,” Drang whispered. She peered blearily at her operatives. “I’ll be back soon. I have…I need to think for a few minutes. Make sure he obeys my instructions.”

With that, Drang staggered out of the piloting chamber to where she kept her personal kit. The headache had worsened, making her eyesight blurry. She went to her knees as she rummaged in her kit. Several Intelligence people in the room glanced at her.

She opened a special purse, staring into the depths. She saw a sealed envelope, grabbed it and tore it open. She wasn’t sure why, but the contents of the envelope were critical. She opened it wider and stared at a large green pill. It was monstrous, but…but…

Drang surged to her feet. “Water, I need water.”

An operative found a water bottle, twisting off the cap and giving her the open bottle.

Drang held it in one hand and the giant green pill in the other. Why had she been carrying this huge pill? Why would the headache force her here? Had she preplanned this?

With a shaking hand, she placed the pill in her mouth and guzzled water, using her tongue to hold the pill to one side. When she had enough water, she tilted her head and released the pill so it went to the back of her throat. She swallowed the water, washing the pill into her gullet.

Afterward, she sat with a groan, waiting. Time seemed to pass sluggishly with each beat of her heart.

“Are you well, Arbiter?” one of her people asked.

“Wait,” she whispered. “Give me a few minutes.”

The minutes passed, and it felt as if the first tendrils of relief tickled upward to her tormented mind. Then she arched her neck and screamed, collapsing afterward as sweat oozed from her pores. The agony in her mind intensified. She shivered. She coughed weakly and felt the people around her watching fearfully.

“Arbiter, what should we do?” asked one.

“Nothing,” Drang managed to whisper.

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