Space Race: The Complete Series (Books 1-3) by Nathan Hystad

Author:Nathan Hystad [Hystad, Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Woodbridge Press
Published: 2022-04-10T14:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

The gardens were quiet. Luther was in our rooms with R11, discussing attack plans with Zonrial and Trid, which left Jade and me some time to explore Refuge. I wore a fresh SeaTech uniform and was glad for the change. Jade’s hair was pinned back, showing her earrings. I scratched at my chin, feeling a few weeks of growth. I usually preferred to be shaved but hadn’t made the effort lately.

Gazing up to the sky, it was difficult to remember that the entire city was concealed by a hologram, making it appear like an empty forest. From here, I saw countless stars. No moon was visible around this fifth planet, and it was odd seeing the night sky without at least a sliver of the crescent we were used to.

“Here I am, missing the view of the Moon, and you used to live on it,” I said.

The path was empty, and soft yellow lights along the wooden barriers guided our way. The entire area smelled like sweet flowers. Jade pointed up ahead, where a particular plant was slowly unraveling, showcasing phosphorescent pedals. More of them opened in the cool night, and suddenly, the garden was brighter.

“Refuge. Can you believe those people out there earlier?” I stopped, leaning on the fence close to the blooms.

“It’s unbelievable. So many different species I’d never dreamed of meeting in my lifetime.” Jade rested her forearms on the wood beside me. “What are the chances we both want to hit the same Velibar outpost?”

My gaze followed a glowing insect’s flight pattern as it drifted onto the flowers. “We came for their help, not the other way around.”

“Maybe they’ll join us after we liberate the Hidan.”

“Fending off four of the Squids with a fleet of robot-controlled vessels is one thing, but ambushing an entire planet of Velibar is a whole different game.” I cracked my knuckles and turned around, leaning on the fence with my legs. “This is extremely dangerous.”

“Arlo, if we go home without these allies, we’re as good as dead anyway.”

“Maybe not. You saw us out there.”

Jade crossed her arms. “I doubt it’ll be enough. You heard what Garret Breaker said. The Velibar don’t give up. They’ll keep coming until they have Earth.”

“That’s why we think ahead.”

“The outpost?”

I started to walk, continuing down the path toward a glimmering pond. “No. Their home planet. Bryson wants Catarina. We want to be left alone. That’s where we strike next after the outpost.”

“I’m glad you have it all figured out. Were you going to tell your crew?” she asked.

“We’ve discussed it.”

“What about Octavia, or Eclipse? Are they on board?” Jade was full of questions tonight.

“We’ll get on the same page. It’s for the best.” Picking a fight on Velibar territory was daunting, but they would probably never anticipate it. Especially when they considered Refuge a success.

“I wish we’d outfitted the Pod Sprinter with the new communication system,” Jade said.

“We couldn’t have predicted this. We were in a race, and the last thing we considered was Holland disappearing in the Pod.

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