Asterius (Interstellar Cargo Book 0)
Page 4
Too impressed to care if he was causing a scene, Cole stepped away to explore the “invisible” ship—walking around it, touching it. Cole blinked repeatedly and rubbed his eyes. Staring at the ship made him slightly dizzy. “You said something about stealth.” The words had tumbled out before he could stop them. He turned and shrugged toward a scowling Forester.
Caliber arched one eyebrow and his trillion unicred smile widened. “Indeed. The ICV-71’s hull can absorb all manner of detection and allow it to harmlessly pass through and give it the perception of,” he nodded toward the ship, “invisibility.”
That’ll piss off the pirates, Cole thought, wondering how SolEx acquired such an invaluable feature. If the stealth proved to be legitimate, along with the cloaking, the ICV-71 would be a ghost haunting the stars. He loved it.
“Let it be known!” Caliber boomed, grabbing everyone’s attention. “On this date, Friday, March 15th, 2216, the next phase of interstellar logistics is born.” He glanced at Cole, Lin, and Forester in turn, and indicated they move closer.
Photo op, Cole thought as a technician moved to the front of the trillionaires club and raised his hand to draw everyone’s attention to the camera drone hovering beside him. Cole grunted when the rancid cologne stabbed his sinuses from close proximity to Caliber. Smiling was now an impossibility.
“The Milky Way in a Day!” came Caliber’s infamous motto.
A quick flash forever etched Cole into the annals of SolEx logistical history. Hands were vigorously shaken, leather gloves and all, and the forced pleasantries reached a climax. Caliber had already rejoined his equals by the time Cole had finished furiously rubbing his nose. Forester sighed, but it was apparent from his watery eyes that he too had suffered the same nasal affront.
“Good luck to you all,” Caliber said to the trio standing before the ICV-71. “We look forward to rendezvousing with you at Terracom 3’s exoplanet in the Kepler-452b system.”
“Maybe they can hop a ride in the cargo hold with us and save the company on fuel,” Cole said to no one in particular after the suit stampede was out of earshot. “It’s the SolEx way, you know.” He nudged the air by Forester’s elbow.” Let’s go see if there are any spare fold-out chairs in a closet on board.”
“He was the ultimate selection?”
Cole’s eyes brightened at being described as “ultimate”, and he turned toward the source of the dulcet tones of a disgusted Lin Dartmouth. Sexy. Even if she already hates me.
“Crude behavior aside, his impeccable attendance, company dedication, and Starforce service is quite impressive,” Forester said tightly.
Cole paused a few paces away from the loading ramp. “I didn’t catch a positive adjective to describe my time in the military.” He grinned and gestured with an exaggerated flourish for his passengers to board the ICV-71.
Lin blinked several times before turning to Forester, who simply shook his head and strode forward. The late twenty-something Operations Director stopped beside Cole and clasped his hands behind his back. “Shall we go and meet your replacement?”
Cole glanced up the ramp, and thumbed in the ship’s direction. “Someone already aboard?”
The slightest twinge of a smirk flirted with the corner of Forester’s mouth. “Hm.”
Cole mock saluted his superior then turned to Lin. “You packing light too, Doc?”
The dark-haired engineer seemed caught off-guard by the question, and she immediately slipped into the Ocunet and tapped a few keys of her imaginary keyboard. A smooth melodic hum of piano notes sounded from behind her, and a small nondescript cube—which must have been hovering close behind her—gently drifted to her front and softly landed in the palm of her hand. She tucked away the mysterious object and silently stalked past a bemused Cole who said nothing.
When they were aboard and out of sight, Cole let out a tense sigh, his eyes tightly shut. He slammed a gloved fist into his palm and took a deep breath before jogging up the ramp toward his destiny.
Click here to find out what happens next in the Interstellar Cargo series.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Verish is a speculative fiction author who has been writing stories since the fourth grade. He realized his desire to become an author when he met his wife, Stefanie, in the autumn of 1997. They kept in constant contact while Stefanie was away at college, and it was through email that they planted the seeds of their epic fantasy world, Secramore. Eventually they became M.S. Verish, and they have been writing books as married co-authors ever since. Matt is a John Carpenter film buff, lover of all things nature, hopelessly behind on his reading, collector of his wife’s artwork, and a thrash metal music connoisseur. Icarus is his first full-length solo project.
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