Archie thought for a moment, he wanted to tell Aldar to go fuck himself and take them home, but he knew that Steve would have no chance on Earth. He had experienced the effects of the venom himself, and in his case, it was only injected into his bloodstream through wounds to his face, so he knew intuitively how serious Steve’s injuries would be. He had to allow the Traton to do what needed to be done to keep the man alive, or at least give him the best possible chance of survival. After all, Steve did abandon everything he knew to help the Earth Born get the Pleiadian to his people. Archie couldn’t leave him now. Besides, visiting an alien world would be an experience that he might never have the opportunity to take again. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Going to the Pleiades meant that he might be able to learn more about the alien factions trying to dominate Earth. There was even the possibility that he could garner some method or means to fight against it. All he knew was what Blondie had told him, and if that information was correct, his role wasn’t finished. That knowledge brought with it a need for more intelligence and more resources.
Realising he needed to let Lucy know that he wouldn’t be coming home, he had Aldar arrange to have the comms adapted to allow him to make a phone call. The conversation with her was a short and emotional affair. Less than thirty minutes ago, he’d thought he’d never see her or hear her voice again. He explained that he would be away for at least a few more weeks, and he would be home when it was safe. The phone call lasted no more than five minutes, but to Archie, it felt like a lifetime. It ended with a tearful “See ya later” and as much as he wanted to keep talking, he couldn’t. The ship was already several solar systems away, communication systems were reaching the limit of their range, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Sitting there, alone in a private room, Archie felt as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He looked around the compartment and for the first time, actually saw the place for what it was… a Starship. The events of the previous few days had been so intense that he’d had no time to consider the implications of what was happening, but now that the immediate threats were gone, he truly felt fear and panic creep upon him. He had been engaged in warfare, and that was something he’d never considered possible. The more that he thought about it, the more memories of the men and aliens he’d killed came back to him. The sights, the smells, the explosions, the smoke, the contorted bodies, the light, and the darkness, everything came flooding back, causing him to feel sick. He knew that he’d had no choice, that he had to get involved, but the truth was that the things that he’d been forced to do revolted him. He’d get over the thoughts and feelings, but for right now, it all bothered him.
Jason walked through the door as it slid to the side. He had made arrangements for the medical teams to treat the injuries the two men had received during the beating at the Stones.
“The med crew are ready for us, mate,” he said quietly.
“Cheers, Jase. Any news on Steve?” Archie was still only able to talk through a mumble.
“No change, Arch. They’re still working on him,” Jason replied. “They’re hopeful that they can stabilise him enough to get him to a place called Erra,” he let out a small laugh, “wherever the hell that is?”
“Yeah,” Archie snorted back, “it’s their homeworld,” he paused before speaking again. “Things are never going to be the same, you know that don’t you?”
Jason took a deep breath, then answered, “Yep… we’re outcasts back home now, mate.”
“Yeah, that about sums it up,” was all Archie could say.
“Well, it could be worse, Arch. We could be sat on an alien spaceship heading to some alien world, where who knows what is in store for us. And we could have been beaten up by giant lizards.” He couldn’t help but giggle as he said it; it sounded ridiculous, but the irony was, it was actually the reality they had found for themselves.
After spending several minutes laughing at the absurdity of their situation, they both seemed to come to terms with it. They were together, they were alive, and right now that was all that mattered. They could deal with anything else that might come up later. Currently, they just let the relief of piss taking and laughter rule their world.
That was it. Suddenly Archie, Jason, and an unwitting Steve were suddenly Astronauts. They were going farther into the Galaxy than any of NASA’s official men of space. They were going to the PLEIADES!
ARCHIE
&
COMPANY
WILL RETURN WHEN THE ADVENTURE
CONTINUES
IN
EARTH BORN
AGENT
Book 2
in the
NEW PARADIGM SERIES
Thank You for reading my book
If you enjoyed this book, please visit my website and join my mailing list for notification on upcoming release’s
https//benedictstonebooks.co.uk
or Email me at
[email protected]
or follow the
Benedict Stone Books Facebook Page
Pleiadian Rescuer Page 22
