City World (Undying Mercenaries Book 17) by B. V. Larson

Author:B. V. Larson [Larson, B. V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Iron Tower Press
Published: 2022-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

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Access tunnels were constructed all around the dome, with our engineers and sappers working night and day. When the following dawn came, I awakened to an unpleasant development.

Looking through the glassy dome itself, I could see an army of mini-tanks had assembled. Walking around in front of each squadron of drones was a real, live Mogwa marine. These bad hombres were just as threatening as the drones themselves, and they looked kind of similar, too.

“Huh…” I said, eyeing the standoff. “Doesn’t look like the Mogwa are interested in being rescued.”

“It sure doesn’t,” Carlos said. Somehow, he’d managed to sidle up to me and poke his nose over the rim of the crater. “So far, they haven’t allowed anyone other than a few engineering officers in there to talk to them. The funny part is they grabbed the engineers with those shock-noose things.”

I frowned. That seemed to me like the Mogwa were going too far. After all, Centurion Roth was a hard-working fellow. He didn’t deserve to be outright abused.

“What about Winslade? Any word?”

Carlos looked furtive. “Well… Kivi might have tapped into the local grid.”

“She might have, huh? What happened?”

Carlos leaned forward grinning. “We think Winslade went in there and got his ass arrested, too.”

“Huh… That’s funny, but not good.”

I craned my neck, looking up at the sky. It could have been a moon or some local planets… but I thought I saw a number of small bright objects hanging over us. I pointed up at them.

“What are those things?”

“We thought they were tugs bringing rocks to bombard us—but there’s no such luck. We’re not getting off easy, dying clean and catching a revive next year when some investigation declares this mission a wipe—no, we’re going to have to fight for our supper. Again.”

Staring upward, I thought I saw some streamers dropping from the bottom of the lowest craft in orbit above us. Whatever they were, they weren’t acting too friendly.

“Invasion ships…” I said.

“What?”

“Winslade said they’re enemy troops. They’re dropping on us right now.”

Carlos gaped and twisted his neck this way and that. “Holy shit… I think you’re right. What are we going to do, McGill?”

“Lock and load. I’ll report the sighting—even though they have to know what’s happening.”

When I reported in, I wasn’t too surprised to get Primus Collins on the line instead of Winslade. Apparently, what Carlos had heard about him being captured inside the dome was true.

“Primus Collins? Are you in operational command of this zone now?”

“That’s right, McGill. You fucked up.”

“Uh… could be you be more specific, sir?”

“You heard me. My staff has informed me that you’ve been trying to get Winslade permed for years. Now that you’ve succeeded, you’ll find me to be your worst nightmare.”

Frowning, I tried to puzzle out what she was saying. “First off, what happened to Winslade?”

“As if you didn’t know… He went inside that dome and was captured and abused by a pack of enraged, ungrateful monsters. I don’t know why we pay homage to these aliens. They’re no more honorable than any of the rest—possibly worse.

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