Soul Invictus (The Ibarra Crusade Book 3) by Richard Fox

Author:Richard Fox [Fox, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Triplane Press
Published: 2021-07-06T22:00:00+00:00

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Ely and Lars moved through the trees. Flocks of birds erupted off the treetops as they continued.

“I don’t feel particularly stealthy,” Ely said. “You’d think either the Geist or Santos would have found us by now.”

“We’re miles away from any civilization.” Lars’ antennae extended up from his helm. A small dish unfolded from one and swung around. “The others should’ve landed with our forge pod…which should be right over there.”

He pointed to an empty clearing.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Ely raised his Mauser. “It’s entirely possible neither of them survived that landing. Especially not after what I went through.”

“Santos and Pulaski have made plenty of T.I.T. drops. Both are too mean and too angry to die so ingloriously. They’re not at the rally point. Atmo’s scrambled so we can’t do radio, which would be suicide anyway. Time to drop anchor.”

Lars raised his left foot and a diamond-tipped drill bit snapped out of his heel. He slammed his foot down and a shower of soil and rock chips spattered out as his anchor dug deep.

Ely felt pulses through the ground.

“What’re you doing?” he asked.

“Old Armor trick. The sensors in our anchors are pretty sensitive; helps to know if your drop’s got a good hold or if your next rail shot will rip you apart…we can pick up seismic vibrations pretty easy. Helps that there aren’t any cars or trucks rumbling around. Now we wait and hope we don’t summon a sand worm…Bingo!”

“A what worm?”

“Hush…they’re close. Six kilometers at ninety-four degrees. They’re coming to us.” Lars’ antenna pulsed, then he lifted his anchor out and retracted it into his leg. “We’re going to make like the trees and…wait right here.”

“How do they know to drop anchor?” Ely asked. He cycled through optics and scanned the forest. Animal hot spots moved in the distance; some of the larger signatures were in the branches.

“Standard operating procedure. I should’ve had you go over those before we launched, but you surviving insertion was a higher priority,” Lars said.

“I’m still a bit pissed that no one considered the gravities and that I had my neck in a collar. Being hung in my own pod would’ve been an embarrassing way to die,” Ely said.

“Not a lot of special sorts like you out there.” Lars bent an elbow up. His hand retracted into the forearm housing and a punch spike snapped out. The hand cycled back out and he bent his fingers one by one. “Get your plugs like God intended.”

+Tell him he’s so last gen,+ Aignar said.

Lars’ jet pack unbolted with a series of snaps that echoed through the woods. He bent to one side and caught the pack before it could strike the ground. A hatch opened on the underside of the pack and a semi-opaque spike rose up. A twisted column of light shot several yards up, then expanded into a dome around them. Incoming light warbled, like they were looking up from just below the surface of a pool.

“Neat trick,” Ely said. “Can my pack do that too?”

“It can.

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