Daire's Devils by Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Author:Danielle Ackley-McPhail [Ackley-McPhail, Danielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: eSpec Books, science fiction, first contact, space exploration, novel, alien encounters, deep space exploration, space colonization, fiction, colony ship, political maneuvering, mentoring, new worlds, rebellion, trial, alien overlords, alien species, many alien species, alien probe, science-based science fiction, hardcore science fiction, space epic, alien tribunal, court case, murder trial, space opera, encountering new life, starting over, retribution, space heist, culture clash, alien attack, star trek author, original fiction, AI, cybernetic, ship's computer, avatar, scifi, sf, sci-fi, artificial intelligence, high-tech, hardcore sf, hardcore scifi, milscifi, space combat, military combat, military fiction, space marines, warring factions, alliance, battle, space ships, colony worlds, alien planet, new discoveries, technology, indy press, indie press, Daire's Devils, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, AeroCom, Teutonic Knights, Dominion, The Legion, Hirobon, 142nd Mobile Special Operations Team
Publisher: eSpec Books
Published: 2022-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

~*~

They left him sprawled face down on the deck of his cell. For a long moment, Anton just lay there, too numb to feel betrayed, wondering how things had spiraled so badly out of control. At each turn, he had made the best choice he could of an array of bad options, but never would he have imagined those decisions would bring him to this. He may not have shared the fervor that drove some of his fellow Legionnaires, but he had ever been loyal to the cause and John Cryson.

Had been.

But they had broken him, right along with his faith and any number of ribs. He bit back most of a groan, but part of it escaped as he attempted to push himself up from the floor. A rustling sound filtered through the vent between his cell and the one to the right of it.

“You okay?” Sally called out after a moment.

Anton told himself not to answer. Not to give them any more cause to doubt him, but at that thought, he gave a strangled laugh—not much more than a single bark—before sucking in a gasp at the sharp, shooting pain in his chest.

Ah, fuck it, he thought. No reason to be rude at this point. Cryson and the rest had already condemned him as a traitor. And anyway, he didn’t much care what they thought. Even if he should be exonerated, he was done. Trust had been broken, and it would not be mended.

The only person on the ship he gave a damn about anymore wanted to talk.

“I’m alive,” he finally answered, just barely lifting his head so his words weren’t muffled against the deck. “Does that count as okay?”

“Depends. You likely to stay that way?”

Smothering another groan, he pulled himself closer to their shared wall. If he propped himself up, Anton could just see her through the ventilation slats. She had her head turned his way, her brow furrowed in concern. As he dipped a little lower for a better angle, he tried not to think about the grim reason the vents were there to begin with, particularly in light of her question.

“I expect so,” he said, adding in his thoughts alone, For better or worse.

Sally seemed satisfied with that. Or at least, she lay back on her bunk staring at the ceiling, arms folded beneath her head and her left leg cocked up at the knee like she lounged on a prairie somewhere staring up at the stars. He wished. She hadn’t done a thing to deserve being locked up. His choices had put them in these cells. Not an ideal situation, but better than the alternative. Shaking off the guilt that thought raised, Anton cleared his throat and went for some lighter conversation.

“So… Mustang… they call you that because you’re a cowgirl?”

He watched as she looked toward their shared wall, her expression a tiny bit pitying, a tiny bit amused. “I’kin tell you’re not from an AeroCom tradition.”

Anton grimaced, though she couldn’t see him from where she sat.

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