Warrior: Embraced (The Singularity War Book 3) by David Hallquist

Author:David Hallquist [Hallquist, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2020-07-13T22:00:00+00:00

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Chapter 47

“Don’t move,” a calm, emotionless voice to the right says in Venusian. “Halt,” comes from the one to the right in highland Martian dialect. “Move and you’re dead,” comes from the one behind in Jovian. “Hold it right there,” comes the voice in Lunar straight ahead of us. “Don’t try anything,” whispers a voice in Terran Uni-Comm right under us. “Just give us an excuse, space-scum,” whispers a voice right next to me in the eerie screech and clicks of Saturnine data-speech. Other dire warnings in different languages come from all around us, some distant, some right on us. The net of targeting beams all around us makes it clear that none of them are bluffing.

It’s an ambush, and I walked right into it. The voices are coming from small comm systems scattered around us. Since I can’t see them, I can’t tell if there are mines all around us either, just waiting for the signal to be detonated. Those targeting beams could be from snipers, or automated systems, or even just a diversion to distract me from the real shooters. Yeah, we’re in a bad way.

I look into the forest and across the river with my eyes only, not moving my head. I can’t see a thing. Whoever they are; they’re good.

“Do what they say,” I whisper. “They’ve got us, so just take it easy until I can figure something out…”

It doesn’t take long before they come into view. At first I see a blur as the camouflage suits shimmer and fade to gray, showing the armored suits of the approaching men. The armor looks thin and flexible, some kind of fiber-weave with some light plating attached, similar to a Lunar design. They’re holding high-powered pulse lasers, which might or might not pierce Jovian armor, but I bet the grenade launchers they’ve got would. They take up positions around us where they can fire on us without hitting each other, and I notice those targeting beams from the distance are still focused on us.

“Get off your mount and lay your weapons on the ground.” The dragon at least stays still as we get off him.

I disarm. “Look, we’re not your enemies…” I try defusing the situation.

“On a Venusian dragon?” replies one of them. “You’re lucky we didn’t just shoot you at once.”

“Yeah, we boosted that dragon from the Venusians,” I try, and some of them laugh. “Look, we’re wearing Jovian power armor. If we’re some kind of Venusian agents, why would we do that?”

“You both look a little small for Jovians,” another replies. “Are they sending their children to war now?”

“No, we’re Terrans, actually…”

“What’s the State of Terra doing out here?” Complete disbelief comes in clear though his mask. “I thought they sent everyone home for the Luna war and are now occupied…”

“We’re working for Luna, actually…”

“Luna!? They don’t even have a fleet here!”

“Well, we’re also working for Jupiter now. It’s complicated…”

That gets nothing but shouted orders for us to remove our suits and lay on the ground.

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