Hunter's Exile (Colonial War Book 6) by Richard Tongue

Author:Richard Tongue [Tongue, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

The shuttle dived through a pass, out into the desert beyond, a single light breaking the sea of blackness on the far side, the engines slowly fading as the pilot prepared for a landing, flying blind, on instruments only. Only the dim starlight provided any illumination at all, far too little to give any sense of the surrounding terrain.

Which, presumably, was the point.

“If you’re thinking of escaping, forget it,” McBride said. “It’s at least three thousand miles to the nearest settlement.”

Benedetti nodded, adding, “I’ve never been to this region. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has, not for years. There’s no settlement more than a thousand miles from the capital.” She shrugged, then added, “It’s a big world, and we don’t have that many people. I know there are a few old outposts out here, left over from the planetary survey, but they’ve been abandoned for a long, long time.”

“We’ve reactivated one, just for you,” McBride replied.

“You really didn’t need to go to all that trouble, General,” Hunter said. “I was quite happy with my room in the cantina.”

“I’m afraid all of the accommodations in Black Rock are liable to be fully booked for the foreseeable future, Jack,” McBride said. “Don’t worry, I’ve arranged for all of the others to be held in secure confinement. They’re safe. If things go badly out here, they’ll be turned over to your government for trial.”

“Why bother?” Benedetti asked. “I’m sure that the verdict will be given to them well in advance.”

With a sigh, McBride replied, “Another alternative is for them all to be released, and for you to go about your normal lives once again. Whether or not that happens is going to largely depend upon you.” The shuttle’s engines roared, the vehicle starting its final deceleration for landing. “Looks like we’re coming in. Major, remove their restraints.”

“What?” Hunter asked, as the Federation Major did as he was bid. He shook his hands, getting the circulation back into his limbs, then looked out of the viewport by his side, watching as the shuttle gently slid down into position on the landing pad, nestled in the crook of a tall mountain.

“We call them the Giant’s Teeth,” Benedetti said. “Some of the tallest mountains on the planet. Back before the invasion, a Space Force team had planned to make an attempt on the highest. I’d been picked as an alternate. As it turned out, we never had a chance.”

“Plenty of time while you’re here,” McBride replied. “I’m sure that I can arrange to have the appropriate equipment lifted in.” The shuttle’s engines faded to silence, and the hatch slid open. Hunter peered out into the gloom, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, and saw a cluster of prefabricated huts scattered around an older geodesic dome, a single antenna reaching up into the night, and a thin wire fence surrounding the structure.

“You haven’t heavily invested on security,” he said.

“Why?” McBride asked. “The fence is to keep out the scavengers. Lots of wild animals in this region.

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