The Empire's Corps: Book 07 - Reality Check by Christopher Nuttall

Author:Christopher Nuttall [Nuttall, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2013-10-23T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

One would imagine that the bureaucrats would realise that something had gone badly wrong. Maybe some of them, as individuals, did. But they were unable or unwilling to halt the decline, simply because of how many vested interests there were in maintaining the system as it stood.

- Professor Leo Caesius. Education and the Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire.

Kailee was almost relieved as the rain started to fall, despite the fact she knew that she would be soaked to the skin within minutes. The blood – her blood – had stained her hair, leaving her feeling disgusting and unclean. Now, she ran her fingers through her dark hair, watching as the blood slowly washed out and pooled on the ground. The water was warm, thankfully; it almost felt like taking a shower, except she was still wearing her clothes.

She scowled as she realised that her clothes were clinging to her skin, showing off her curves to the world. It wasn't the first time that had happened, she knew, remembering the walk from the spaceport to the city, but Yates had been there ... now, she and the other girls were alone with a bunch of horny men. She wished, desperately, that Janet had accompanied them, but she'd stayed behind in the city. Kailee and the others were on their own.

Li moaned as the water splashed down on her face, finally stirring. Kailee wondered, guiltily, just how much pain the smaller girl was actually in, now she was finally coming back to life. Li might have been lucky that she’d been knocked out by the crash ... she watched as Austin knelt down beside Li, ignoring the water splashing on the ground. If he hadn't been there, they would have really been in trouble.

A though struck her as she moved to help him. “Do you know where we are?”

Austin blinked in surprise. “Only vaguely,” he said. “This isn't anywhere near my home ...”

Darrin snorted, speaking loudly to be heard over the falling rain. “I thought you knew this planet,” he snapped. “We were told that you were our native guide.”

Austin laughed, although there was little humour in the sound. “Planets are big,” he pointed out, sarcastically. “I know the land around my father’s farm like the back of my hand, and I’ve explored the city many times, but here ...? I’ve never been here before, ever. I know it about as well as you do.”

Kailee swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. Austin was right; on Earth, they’d all been familiar with their part of the CityBlock, but they’d never known much about the rest of the planet. They certainly didn't know how to navigate outside the CityBlock. How could Austin be expected to know every square inch of his homeworld? She tried to work out how long it would take him to explore the entire continent, then gave up in irritation. It was impossible to even guess at the answer.

She shuddered as a thought struck her. They could die out here.

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