“You boys’ll be alright,” Rodrigues wheezed. “You’ve got a good officer. One worth following.” He hacked up more frothy blood from his lungs. “One… worth…”
He was gone.
Paul heaved a shuddering breath. He tried to speak, but he knew he couldn’t trust his voice. He wished Rodrigues was still alive, but he wouldn’t have traded him for Julia in a million years. Sadness and guilt fought for control of his thoughts.
At least this removed any doubts he might have had about loyalties.
“He’ll be remembered with honor,” Julia said quietly. “He died a Marine.”
It was simple, but it said it all.
She looked up at the others. “Rodrigues believed in what we’re doing,” she said, “and he gave everything for it.”
The Marines in the crypt nodded somberly. The faces outside as well.
“It’s up to the rest of us,” she declared with more force, “to make sure our fallen comrades didn’t die for nothing.”
“Like you said before, ma’am,” Armstead added evenly. “It’s all or nothing.”
Julia nodded. They’d helped start this fire so they couldn’t just pull up stakes and head back to the Imperium. Men like Armstead and Garfield didn’t even have that option to begin with, not after their unit had been stood down in disgrace.
The only way forward was right here.
She looked up at the faces outside the crypt entrance. “All or nothing.”
They nodded again in agreement, but they had a long road ahead of them. How long would they be willing to carry on this secret war?
From the Author
Last year, Chris Nuttall kindly granted me a work visa in the Empire of Ashes. I wrote Rebels and Patriots and, after incorporating some very helpful insights from Mr. Nuttall, it went live in August of 2014.
I’ve met a lot of readers since then and their feedback has been incredibly valuable. One of those readers signed up to beta read this story. His contribution to the authenticity and flow of this story has had me wondering, at times, whether he might not be a semi-retired developmental editor looking to keep a hand in the game.
Alas, not so, but he is a damn good writer and I’m currently enjoying a sneak peek at his current work in progress. Consider this a placeholder. When his story gets out there, I’ll come back here and let readers know where to find it.
As always, thanks for reading this story and if you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review. Word of mouth makes a huge difference and even a line or two helps to get a story discovered by new readers.
If you’d like to get an automatic email when my next title comes out, you can sign up here: http://eepurl.com/ZCP-z Your email will not be shared with anyone and I only send a message when a new story goes live, or if I’m offering a free short story or novella. You can unsubscribe at any time.
I’m giving away Evolutionary Design, the prequel to the Orbital Decay series of novellas, to all subscribers. If your download link isn’t in the welcome email from MailChimp, you can contact me at the email address below and I’ll send you a copy. This story won’t be sold anywhere, but it will always be free to subscribers. Feel free to pass it on to anyone you think may enjoy it. I’ll be giving out a few more shorts to subscribers this year, time permitting.
If you have any comments, questions or just want to chat, you can always reach me at [email protected].
Beyond the Rim (Rebels and Patriots Book 2) Page 28
