by C. S. Harte
“Hello, Dren Arvol,” Anjali greeted, bursting through the door like he usually did.
Dren jumped, almost falling backward in the chair. “Anjali, what did I tell you about knocking?” He caught himself and smiled at his friend.
“Deepest apologies.” Anjali bowed. “I will remember next time.”
“I’m just messing with you.” He flashed a smile. “We’ll teach you to have a sense of humor yet. What’s that in your hand?” Dren pointed with his chin.
“I have another gift for you.” Anjali’s face beamed. “It is to help you accomplish your mission to destroy the cloning stations so you can return safely to us.”
The idea of cloning was not an inherently evil one. It did, after all, give Dren a chance at life. But the people who used the technology perverted it as a means of war, creating disposable soldiers — literal human garbage to throw at aliens on distant rocks. Dren was tired of being treated as fodder. He knew many of his brothers felt the same way. The ones who didn’t, didn’t know it yet.
Dren considered returning to Salvation Station to lead a clone uprising. But he accepted that most of his clone brethren were too afraid to join for fear of being expunged like the members of Phoenix company. The only way to break the chain of forced soldiery was to remove the tether that bound them. He wanted to give other clones the gift of freedom; the liberty to make their own choices and to follow their own paths. Life had more value if death was an actual consequence of choice. If some replicants still warred on the side of Fleet, then so be it, but at least it was through their own volition.
“You’ve already given me so much.” Dren glanced at the underside of his right forearm. “Strength, speed, healing, agility, blinking, illusionary projection, cloaking… I’m a one-man army.” He flexed his biceps.
“It fascinates me to no end how lesser creatures such as yourself overcame your genetic shortcomings by inventing advancements like neuromods. Very resourceful.”
“Thanks?” He wrinkled his brow.
“Chordans would never have a need for such approaches as our species is quite hardy. Which is why I am so delighted to experiment with your neuromod.”
“Um, you said you had another gift for me?”
“Yes, but before we get to that, may we test your cloaking field again?”
“Sure.” Dren exposed the underside of his forearm. Blue lights shone through his skin displaying his enhancement options. He selected cloaking. In a flash, he disappeared from view. He checked the mirror in the room to confirm.
Anjali shook his head. “Good, but it could be better.”
“Seems pretty quick.” Dren patted Anjali’s shoulder.
“The human eye can perceive changes at 1/30 of a second. If I can make the cloaking happen faster, you’ll be able to disappear while projecting your illusions, leaving your opponents in utter confusion.” Anjali turned to exit the room.
“Wait! What’s the new gift?”
“Oh!” Anjali’s cheeks blushed a deep purple. “I have been so forgetful since being exiled by my House.” He opened his palm. “It is a biomod that will allow you to harden your skin, making you invulnerable to bladed weapons and low-velocity projectiles.”
“That sounds great,” Dren said in a voice higher than intended. “Maybe I don’t need to wear an exo suit anymore.”
“This is for cases of emergency, my friend. I will make the adjustment to your cloaking field first. Then I will add this hardened skin biomod to your arsenal.” He exited the room, muttering to himself.
Dren returned to his chair; this time, leaning forward onto the windowsill. The past few months have been quiet and peaceful — no wars to fight; no pain of dying; no strain of reshelling. He had the freedom to make his own choices. Life had meaning.
Staring down into the crowd, sometimes he would picture his clone brothers — Jann, Kingston, and even his commander, Kara — and wished they could experience this sense of liberation, free from the chains of constant conflict. He was alive before, but for the first time, like the people below, he was also living.
Thank you for reading Voices of the Lost, book four of the Entrent Saga! I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review if you like my books. It’ll help me become a better writer and help prioritize my next books.
Also by C. S. Harte
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Amazon
Entrent Saga:
Endurance - Prequel Novella
Echoes of Guardians - Book One
Cries of the Wolf - Book Two
Symphonies of Valor - Book Three
Voice of the Lost - Book Four
Eden Faction Series:
Eden Wakes - Book One
Tides of Empire - Novella 1.5 (Free)
Eden Villains - Book Two
About the Author
C. S. Harte is a writer of speculative fiction.
He used to have the body of a football player. Now it’s more like a fantasy football player. He does not regret his decision to become an instant ramen noodle connoisseur.
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