Ride or Die by Nick Noble

Author:Nick Noble [Noble, Nick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-09-25T16:00:00+00:00

18

Chapter 18

“So, these Olympians, what’s their deal?” I asked, kicking my feet up on the conference table as I lifted my helmet off and set it down beside me. The door cycled shut behind me, sealing off the hustle and bustle of the Phoenix’s bridge.

Located behind the captain’s chair, the conference room afforded me a bit more privacy for dealing with sensitive matters. Thus far it hadn’t seen too much (official) use as I’d been needed on the bridge during any and all interactions I’d had with the Regalans, but Mia seemed to think it was high time I started behaving a bit more formally and utilizing the Phoenix to its full potential. If you ask me I think she was just excited by the prospect of using the Olympian shipyards to restore our dreadnought to its full potential, and I could hardly blame her for that, so I indulged her whim and agreed to take the next meeting in the conference room.

As a compromise, however, I was still wearing my armor when I walked in, replete with the fresh blaster scoring from the surprisingly intense firefight I’d walked into. Turns out these Olympians were no pushovers. They would have my respect if it wasn’t for the whole ‘blowing up anyone who tried to enter their system without question’ thing.

Kind of a deal breaker for any potential friendliness between our peoples, just saying.

Admiral Verity and the various other high ranking RSN officers were being holographically projected into each seat around the table. Sapphire took the spot to my left, and Verity sat at the opposite head of the table.

“Their deal is we just took out their entire defensive network in a single swift strike. Apparently that defensive platform you and my daughter took out was their primary military base, suffice it to say they are not happy with us,” Verity replied evenly. Her tone implied she felt roughly the same about that fact as I did. Unsurprised and unbothered. They shot first, we retaliated, now we owned their asses. Woe to the conquered, as far as I was concerned.

“I have to say,” said a Regalan officer whose rank insignia looked pretty similar to Admiral Verity’s but was missing something. Even at a glance I (correctly) assumed he must have been a vice admiral. The guy’s burgundy skin had a few extra wrinkles and his bushy mustachio had more than a few flecks of gray in it. “I was on the fence about you, Terran. You appear to have all the recklessness that long defined your species, as well as their more carnal inclinations to be sure. But unlike your forebears, you carry yourself with a singular talent for avoiding catastrophe. My people call it ‘luck.’ You have earned my respect, Red Quasar, but I have a warning for you. Everyone’s luck runs out eventually. How long do you think you can keep up these antics? You are not getting any younger.”

I blinked in surprise. I suppose he wasn’t wrong about that, but I was pretty far from old.

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