The Last City (The Ahlemon Saga Book 1) by Casey McGinty

Author:Casey McGinty
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2017-08-04T22:00:00+00:00

18

Day 4

0100 hours

North marina, Alto Raun

Soon after midnight, Kane stood on a short pier just outside the north marina. Hot and humid, the air was balanced by a breeze carrying a cool ocean spray. He breathed deeply. The large blue moon of Ahlemon was almost full, and the night sky was crystal clear. Looking at the stars, he imagined that one of them belonged to Earth, and he wondered if he would ever see his home planet again. Not because it was unreachable—the Director and Jhemna had both made it clear that they could return to Earth—but because he had a choice to make: he could return, or he could stay and help the colonists. This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m even facing these kinds of choices. A visual of his last ex-girlfriend, Leslie, came to mind, and surprisingly, he felt rather neutral about her. He wondered if she even knew he was missing. A pang of rejection and loneliness struck him. But, from long experience with such feelings, he knew how to deal with it. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, focusing on the sound of the waves and the feel of the mist on his face. It felt good to be outside. The city was an amazing place, with its own controlled, temperate weather, but it was still enclosed. He needed this mission; he needed to get outside and move about.

Sensing movement, he opened his eyes and found Mhara standing nearby, looking at the stars. Despite the summer heat, she and all the rescue team members were clothed in lightweight, long-sleeve, black outfits. Even in mission gear, she was strikingly beautiful—lithe and athletic but shapely. Her long, jet-black hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail, highlighting her perfect neck and face in the moonlight. If she was aware of his stare, she never let on. Instead, she directed him back to his previous thoughts.

“You are thinking of your home?”

“Yes.”

“I have tried to imagine being in your place, taken away from people you love, everything you know and understand, and forced into a world you never imagined. It must be very difficult.”

“It has had its challenges.”

She turned and looked at him, waiting for more. Her gaze was like a truth serum. Given enough time, she could probably get him to talk about anything. But before he could say more, Tygert yelled to them from inside the open hangar door.

“Doc’s here.”

Mhara smiled at Kane, conveying the silent message, Maybe another time.

They joined the other team members at the rescue team boat, where Dr. Manassa stood next to a large trunk. “Take a look,” he said while lifting the lid.

“Grenades?” Tygert asked with surprise. Inside the trunk were several dozen baseball-sized metal balls, with a pin and ring protruding from each one.

“Yes.” The doctor handed each team member a belted pouch to carry the grenades. “Homemade and a bit retro in design. But thanks to Jhemna and the builders, they work rather well. Simple function—pulling the pin

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.