by M. D. Cooper
Rika walked through the Romany’s mess—feeling far more nervous than she would have expected—taking extra care to keep a steady grip on the tray of food in her hands.
Ahead, Chase sat at a table with Team Basilisk, and three others that her HUD identified as sergeants from his old platoon. She saw Barne say something he thought was funny, and Leslie groaned while Chase and the man named Ralph laughed.
Chase looked up and smiled at her, sliding over on the bench to make room.
Rika sucked in a deep breath, suddenly feeling much younger and less certain of herself than she should. It was like she was in a cheesy vid about a young woman fawning over a boy at a school.
“You gonna stand there all day, or you gonna sit your metal ass down and dig in?” Barne asked around a mouthful of food.
“My ass isn’t metal,” Rika said with a frown as she sat.
“It’s true,” Chase nodded. “I’ve felt it.”
“Chase!” Rika exclaimed.
Chase wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she settled.
“Sorry, we’ve technically only been romantically involved for about two days…spread over half a year. I’m not really sure how to behave.”
“Like yourself,” Leslie suggested.
Rika leaned into Chase and let out a long breath. “Doesn’t matter how you behave. We’re together, we’re home, and our family is here.”
“So, you’re sure that you’re a Marauder now?” Leslie asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“Yeah, and this Marauder is hungry. These mods don’t feed themselves.”
“Dig in,” Chase said. “I hear this is the last of the real meat we’ll be on vat-grown crap from here out.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Rika said with a smile. “Beats NutriPaste.”
“Gah! Tried that crap once,” Ralph said. “Tasted like shit! No wonder all you mechs were so surly in the war.”
The table fell silent, no one certain how Rika would react. She saw the look of worry on Ralph’s face, and knew that he didn’t mean to say anything hurtful.
She smiled and shook her head. “Well, you’re not supposed to taste it. With us, it goes right in the stomach.”
“That’s Ralph’s problem,” Casey said with a laugh. “He’s like a dirty toddler, just sticking everything in his mouth all the time.”
The table broke out into laughter, and Rika closed her eyes, feeling Chase’s arm around her. She sighed and didn’t even bother keeping back the tears, as a feeling of contentment settled over her.
She really was home, and these were her Marauders.
THE END
Follow the continuing adventures of Rika and the Marauders in book 2 of the series: Rika Redeemed.
THANK YOU
If you’ve enjoyed reading Rika Outcast, a review on Amazon.com and/or goodreads.com would be greatly appreciated.
To get the latest news and access to free novellas and short stories, sign up on the Aeon 14 mailing list: www.aeon14.com/signup.
M. D. Cooper
BOOKS BY M. D. COOPER
The Intrepid Saga
- Book 1: Outsystem
- Book 2: A Path in the Darkness
- Book 3: Building Victoria
- The Intrepid Saga Omnibus – Also contains Destiny Lost, book 1 of the Orion War series
- Destiny Rising – Special Author’s Extended Edition comprised of both Outsystem and A Path in the Darkness with over 100 pages of new content.
The Orion War
- Book 1: Destiny Lost
- Tales of the Orion War: Set the Galaxy on Fire
- Book 2: New Canaan
- Book 3: Orion Rising
- Tales of the Orion War: Ignite the Stars Within (Fall 2017)
- Tales of the Orion War: Burn the Galaxy to Ash (Fall 2017)
- Book 4: The Scipio Alliance (Fall 2017)
- Book 5: Starfire (2018)
- Book 6: Return to Sol (2018)
Visit www.aeon14.com/orionwar to learn what’s next in the Orion War.
Perilous Alliance (Expanded Orion War - with Chris J. Pike)
- Book 1: Close Proximity
- Book 2: Strike Vector
- Book 3: Collision Course (October 2017)
Rika’s Marauders (Age of the Orion War)
- Prequel: Rika Mechanized
- Book 1: Rika Outcast
- Book 2: Rika Redeemed (Nov 2017)
- Book 3: Rika Triumphant (2018)
Perseus Gate (Age of the Orion War)
- Episode 1: The Gate at the Grey Wolf Star
- Episode 2: The World at the Edge of Space
- Episode 3: The Dance on the Moons of Serenity (Aug 2017)
- Episode 4: The Last Bastion of Star City (Oct 2017)
- Episode 5: The Toll Road Between the Stars (Nov 2017)
- Episode 6: The Final Stroll on Perseus’s Arm (Dec 2017)
The Warlord (Before the Age of the Orion War)
- Book 1: The Woman Without a Country (Sept 2017)
- Book 2: The Woman Who Seized an Empire (2018)
- Book 3: The Woman Who Lost Everything (2018)
The Sentience Wars: Origins (With James S. Aaron)
- Book 1: Lyssa’s Dream
- Book 2: Lyssa’s Run (Oct 2017)
- Book 3: Lyssa’s Flame (Jan 2018)
Tanis Richards: Origins
- Prequel: Storming the Norse Wind (In At the Helm Volume 3)
- Book 1: Shore Leave (Fall 2017)
The Sol Dissolution
- The 242 - Venusian Uprising (In The Expanding Universe 2 anthology)
- The 242 - Assault on Tarja (In The Expanding Universe 3 anthology – coming Dec 2017)
The Delta Team Chronicles (Expanded Orion War)
- A "Simple" Kidnapping (Pew! Pew! Volume 1)
- The Disney World (Pew! Pew! Volume 2 – Sept 2017)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Cooper likes to think of himself as a jack-of-all-trades (and hopes to become master of a few). When not writing, he can be found writing software, working in his shop at his latest carpentry project, or likely reading a book.
He shares his home with a precocious young girl, his wonderful wife (who also writes), two cats, a never-ending list of things he would like to build, and ideas…
Find out what’s coming next at http://www.aeon14.com
