“Or three,” Ando said. “I’m game.”
“As am I,” Adira added.
Nero smiled, and returned his attention to Trix. He still wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear, but he was glad of their support.
“The crew has spoken, Nero. And as stupid as this idea is, I’d be happy to stick it to the CSG as well. We’ll help you, if that’s what you want. I’m not sure how, but you’ve got yourself some supporters.”
“That’s great,” he said. “I do know one way you can help. I was talking to Raina earlier, and she mentioned a CSG base on this planet, on the far side. I say we pay them a visit.” He grinned, and looked around at the others. He could see the determination in their eyes.
It was time for their new life to start.
****
The Fafnir swooped in low, flying as close to the ground as possible. A couple of people out at this early hour of the morning looked up, and were almost knocked to the ground by the ship’s wake. Once they got back up they shouted obscenities in the direction of the quickly-receding ship, not that the occupants stood any chance of hearing them.
Shortly, the ship passed from the dry flatlands and now flew over a swampy area of the planet. There was no one around, and no living creature was visible either, but the ship didn’t slow down. If anything, it seemed to speed up, and even though it was flying a good ten metres above the ground, the water below it was pushed forward into metre-high waves by the force of the ship’s passing. Many a young plant was washed away.
After a time over the swamps, the Fafnir began to slow down. It was still going a few hundred miles an hour, but the pilot was now on the lookout for a building. It was reputed to be on the very edge of the swamp, on the northern end, and completely isolated from all other signs of civilization. The ship flew a little higher, in an effort to see a greater distance, but without being spotted itself.
Then it sharply banked to the right, and headed towards a low, grey building, sat in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by thick walls a few metres high. An alarm went off in the building as the ship closed, and large turret lasers rose up out of the building’s roof. They fired, continuous streams of blue light aiming towards the ship.
But the ship banked, and swerved, and managed to evade the laser fire. It increased its speed, shot upwards into the air, and then dived downwards in a great spiral, avoiding the fire. When it neared the building below it, and the individual guards standing outside the building were visible, it pulled up to reveal the cargo hold ramp was open.
As the ship passed over the building, a single man jumped out of the cargo hold, falling the twenty metre distance to the ground. Before he hit it, a bright blue light came from his black hands, and he slowed before he impacted upon the ground. He landed in a crouch, and slowly unfolded himself, standing up in the midst of a group of guards. He leapt upwards, and before the guards could react, he attacked, his movements blur.
When he was done, the guards lay collapsed on the ground around him, either dead or unconscious. Nero stood, smiled, and moved on to the lasers on the roof.
THE END
--NOTES--
Thus concludes this first tale in the On Galaxy’s Edge saga.
Part two is already being penned, but that is not to say that part one is perfect. You may have noticed the odd mistake, for which the author would like to apologise, or you may have spotted an area for improvement.
In either case, the author may be found on his website (alexkolter.weebly.com) or on Twitter (@OnGalaxysEdge), and would be happy to hear any thoughts you have on the book. Or on anything else, for that matter.
Finally, if you enjoyed the book, then please do leave a review. Imagine the author’s warm, grateful expression as you type it...
Table of Contents
Part One
1 Home
2 Foundation
3 Nineteen
4 Augs
5 Red Pills
6 Ami
7 Nostra
Part Two
8 Freighter
9 Lieutenant
10 The Warehouse
11 Victus
12 On The Run
13 Space Is Dark
14 Lightbourne
Notes
On Galaxy's Edge: Ascendance Page 33
