by Rachel Aukes
Reyne watched him for a moment. “I knew you’d finally get it through that thick skull of yours that I wasn’t a traitor.”
Critch winked. “I may be hardheaded, but I also know when I’ve been wrong.”
“Seriously?” Reyne asked. “That’s the worst apology I’ve ever heard.”
Critch shrugged. “I don’t think I’ve ever apologized to anyone before.”
“I’m not surprised.”
They clinked their glasses, and each took a long drink.
“I received a message from Heid,” Reyne said. “She wants to join forces.”
“I received the same one.”
Reyne thought for a moment before speaking. “I think she’s earned the right to wear the raindrop.”
“You sure about that?”
“What’s your gut tell you?” Reyne countered.
Critch took another drink. “That we should meet with her again.” He swirled the drink in his glass. “But, if I find out she had anything to do with that Alluvian shitstorm we were thrown in, I won’t hesitate to drift her and take her ship.”
“I know,” Reyne said. “But if she didn’t betray us, having an Alluvian captain and her warship on our side speaks volumes to the Collective.”
“It sure won’t hurt,” Critch agreed.
After a contemplative moment, Reyne spoke again. “The blight. Was it real?”
“Yep. Idiots had it in the same type of crate as the one shown on the news.”
“Why’d you take it?”
“Because a pirate always prepares for the worst.”
“Would you have used it?”
Critch looked over his glass. “What do you think?”
Reyne narrowed his eyes as he examined the other man. “I don’t know.”
“There’s your answer.”
“What’d you do with it?”
“Saving it in case we ever need a Plan B.”
“Was it only that one vial?”
Critch never answered. After waiting another long moment for an answer, Reyne pursed his lips, and they drank in silence.
Critch drained his glass and set it down. “It’s safe to say a new Uprising has begun.”
“Uprising?” Reyne’s jaw tightened. “No, we just started a war.”
Coming Soon:
FRINGE STATION
Book 2 in the Fringe Series
To receive a notification when the next book is available, sign up for Rachel’s email list.
About the Collective
The Collective is a collection of six terraformed planets in nearby solar systems within the Milky Way galaxy. The Collective is controlled by the dual leadership of Alluvia and Myr. Only those born on Alluvia and Myr are given legal status as citizens, while all others are considered colonists and receive fewer privileges. The Collective views colonists as means to achieve gain, and their pressure will drive the colonies—the fringe—to desperate actions.
MYR is a silver-rich, water-rich world with idyllic islands. Myr was the first settled planet in the Collective. Myrads have argyria and take great pride in their blue-hued skin.
ALLUVIA is a water-covered world and home to First City, the Collective’s largest city. Alluvia was the second settled planet in the Collective and has the highest gravity of all Collective worlds. Alluvia has thick cloud cover and frequent storms.
DARIOS is the most naturally habitable world and provides much of the Collective’s food supply. As such, it’s heavily regulated by the Collective. Its fringe station is Sol Base.
PLAYA is the furthest world from Alluvia and Myr. It has low gravity and freezing temperatures. Its fringe station is Ice Port.
SPATE is a desert-like world and has the largest fringe station, Devil Town, known for its massive garden.
TERRA is a battle-scarred world, where much of the Uprising took place. Its fringe station is Rebus Station. Terra, the planet nearest to Alluvia and Myr, is home to the Citadel, the Collective's high-security prison.
SPACE COAST is an asteroid belt outside Collective control and home to smugglers, pirates, and other outlaws. Its fringe station is Nova Colony and home to the infamous Uneven Bar.
Glossary of Terms
ABYSS: Term used to describe people and ships lost in space, presumably or known dead.
CHIMESUIT: Blue, armored space suit worn by dromadiers. Named for the chime-like sounds the suit emits.
CITIZEN: Free person born on Alluvia or Myr.
COMM: References communications sent/received as well as personal communication devices.
COLONIST aka Fringe: General population in the fringe. Considered impure and lesser by many citizens.
CUF: Collective Unified Forces (CUF). The Collective’s military forces.
DRIFT: Slang term meaning to die or to kill. E.g., “I drifted him with a single shot to the head.”
DROMADIER: CUF soldier.
EM FIELD: Short for Electro Magnetic Field. On-ship technology to produce artificial gravity.
EMP: Short for Electro Magnetic Pulse. Weapon employed by the CUF to disable ships.
EVERSEA: A term referencing the space frontier. An Eden.
FOUNDERS: Secret organization of citizens and colonists who steer the Collective’s actions using ulterior methods. Believed to have become defunct after the War.
FRINGE: Refers to tributary planets and colonists under Collective control (Darios, Playa, Spate, and Terra) as well as the Space Coast.
FRINGE STATION: A colony’s trading outpost with space docks.
JUMP SPEED: fastest speed at which ships can currently travel. Requires jump shields to protect crews from hydrogen radiation poisoning from high, faster-than-light speeds.
LOGGER: Waterlogged “puffy” person addicted to seasoned water, i.e. water seasoned with sweet soy.
PIRATE: Outlaw who raids ships and smuggles contraband.
RILON: Extremely durable yet flexible metal used on most hulls, weapons, and tools.
RUNNER: Interstellar postman and transporter. Fringe runners commonly smuggle blue tea or sweet soy.
SCALAR: References dark matter or space.
SOLAR SAILS: Large flexible sails on ships used for long-term space travel.
STAR SWARM: Tsunami of space garbage/debris pulled into an asteroid’s gravitational pull.
STRETCH: Playan colonist with low-g mutations. Extremely tall, with respiratory and heart defects.
SWEET SOY: Highly addictive drug, often mixed with water.
TENURED: Indentured servant. Tenured are often tricked into servitude.
TORRENT: Colonist rebel who fought in the Uprising twenty years before Fringe Runner takes place.
UPRISING: A revolt by the fringe colonists against citizens of Alluvia and Myr for equal rights.
VIG: Derogatory term, referring to a small, smelly rodent.
VOICELESS: Tenured who have had their vocal cords destroyed because they broke laws or attempted to escape servitude.
The WAR: War between Alluvia and Myr. The War ended with a truce and creation of the Collective and the push for colonizing other worlds for resources.
WOMBIE: Mutated, slow-moving, Spaten colonist who have developed a camel-like ability to store water. Have extremely low IQs.
Available Now
Other books by Rachel Aukes
The Deadland Saga
100 Days in Deadland
Deadland’s Harvest
Deadland Rising
Short Stories in the Deadland World
Fat Zombie
At Hell’s Gates
Colliding Worlds Trilogy
Collision
Implosion
Explosion
Anthologies
Out of Tune, Vol. 2
Imagines
Never Fear
Stealing Fate
Tales from the SFR Brigade, Vol. 1
Stories on the Go
About the Author
Rachel Aukes is the bestselling author of 100 Days in Deadla
nd, which made Suspense Magazine’s Best of the Year list. She is also a Wattpad Star, her stories having over three million reads. When not writing, she can be found flying old airplanes across the Midwest countryside.
Learn more at www.RachelAukes.com
To be notified of new releases, sign up for Rachel’s email list.
Acknowledgements
With many thanks to my editor, Stephanie Riva, for her adept counsel and helping bring this story to life. A huge thanks goes out to Sarah Lyons Fleming, Michael Koogler, and Will Lenzen for reading the very ugly rough draft and generously offering your wisdom on how to turn a decent story into a great story. I’m fortunate enough to be a member of the Bards of Badassery, where I’ve often leaned on my good friends, Elle J Rossi, Cynthia Valero, and Beth Ciotta. And, I most certainly couldn’t have done it without the support of my husband for putting up with long writing hours and plenty of craziness. Most of all, thank you, my readers, for your messages, cheers, and enthusiasm.
Copyright 2016 Rachel Aukes
Surprisingly Adequate Publishing
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved.
Kindle Edition: May 2016
Edited by Stephanie Riva, RivaReading.com
Cover Art by EJR Digital Art
Table of Contents
Chapter One The Package
Chapter Two A Ship Caught in the Swarm
Chapter Three Collective Cages
Chapter Four Unfinished Business
Chapter Five Infinite Problems
Chapter Six Dangerous Discoveries
Chapter Seven The Trouble with Pirates
Chapter Eight A Hazardous Proposition
Chapter Nine Shadowed Secrets
Chapter Ten Building a Rebellion
Chapter Eleven Fallen Worlds
Chapter Twelve Deadly Pursuits
Chapter Thirteen Toxic Complications
Chapter Fourteen Haunted Visions
Chapter Fifteen Frozen Sorrow
Chapter Sixteen Truth in Words
Chapter Seventeen Faded Liaisons
Chapter Eighteen Distant Dreams
Chapter Nineteen Three Captains
Chapter Twenty Impossible Hope
Chapter Twenty-One Liberty Run
Chapter Twenty-Two Hypoxic Hijackings
Chapter Twenty-Three Phantom Tricks
Chapter Twenty-Four Divide and Conquer
Chapter Twenty-Five Silver-Coated Problems
Chapter Twenty-Six The Best Laid Plans
Chapter Twenty-Seven Corrupted Illusions
Chapter Twenty-Eight Staring into the Abyss
Chapter Twenty-Nine The Stuff of Nightmares
Chapter Thirty Full Circle
