Foreign Bodies (Second Contact Book 1) by Andrew Bellingham

Author:Andrew Bellingham [Bellingham, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2023-12-20T16:00:00+00:00

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PART III

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COLONY CONTROLS

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Sempa Jarlo sat quietly, hands clasped and concentrating on his breathing. His seat rattled and shook, and he had the worst sense of vertigo as the shuttle lurched onto land only a few moments after attempting an emergency takeoff.

His stomach churned, and he rubbed his belly, for the first time glad he hadn’t eaten in so long. If he had, he was sure he’d have hurled his last meal across the hold.

When the vibrations in the deck finally subsided, the man unbuckled but did not bother to leave his seat. He leaned forward, one hand on his stomach, gently rubbing his belly in tiny circles. The other, he placed on the back of his neck, fingers massaging the muscles as he tried to force himself to relax.

“Sempa. Sempa, honey, are you all right? I know that was a bit much.”

Sempa kept his head hung low but turned slightly to look at his co-worker beside him. “Thank you, Xarla. I am all right. Bit much, as you said.”

Another deep breath and the hand on his neck rose higher, scratching at the small feathers growing from his scalp. A few fell out. The stress was already making him molt.

“Least if we’re landing, it’s a good sign Shorla and Ancora managed to fend off that monster coming at the base.”

“Yes. That is good,” Sempa agreed. His eyes glanced at the strange robots standing near the hold doors. The sight of them with their weapons made him more uneasy.

Xarla patted his back. Her touch was hesitant at first, but she rubbed his shoulders soothingly when Sempa didn’t shrug her off.

“You okay, Sempa?” The child on his left copied Xarla’s concern, and Sempa struggled to shake the feeling of being crowded. He turned to the kid and offered a smile.

“I’m doing okay, Brynion. How was that for you?”

“I liked it. The feeling of taking off that fast. It was like being on a ride.”

“Was it now? Well, I never liked parks and rides growing up. Maybe that’s why my stomach is misbehaving right now.”

“I’m good on rides.”

“You are that, kid.”

Sempa couldn’t be bothered to explain to either Xarla or Brynion that the flight was not what had him rattled. A memory was surfacing, one he wanted badly to keep locked away.

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