But as I regarded her, I finally understood how that Ringer on Earth could pull the trigger on himself so easily. Standing for all those people in the chambers behind us, rotting for no other reason than being born on the wrong world, was a cause worth dying for. Just like dying to keep her alive was for me, no matter what the cost.
“Now get out of here before it’s too late!” I yelled. One last order to the first partner I ever had. “And don’t look back.”
She peered back at Zhaff’s body with wet eyes, then tightened her lips and nodded. “I won’t forget.”
I reached into my belt and removed her old Ark figurine, barely able to fit my quaking hand into the pouch. I placed it in her palm, which shook as much as mine was. She stared at the toy, and I stared at her beautiful face. “Aria… I was never the dad you deserved. I hope you can forgive me for… everything.”
She placed a silencing finger over my visor. Her tear-filled eyes locked with mine for what seemed like an eternity. She leaned down until our visors tapped. A tear splashed onto the inside of hers as her eyes closed. Then, without further hesitation, she stood and picked up the two containers. There was another brief pause, and then I heard the whir of her winged suit as she took to the air.
She was gone.
I could no longer hold back the howl festering at the bottom of my throat. I released it as I attempted to drag myself back into the tunnel. The sting in my side was too painful. I needed one hand to cover the wound and didn’t have enough strength with the other.
A pained laugh slipped through my lips as I reached Zhaff’s body and gave up. “Maybe I really should have exercised more,” I said to his body. “We would’ve made a hell of a team out here, I think—finding bombers, uncovering smugglers. We had a good run, my friend.”
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, and as I did, a tear rolled down my cheek. Maybe it was drawn out by the pain, but I couldn’t be sure. It’d been an eternity since I could remember crying.
I rolled onto my back and turned my head toward his. My shot had gone straight through his eye-lens, and the change in pressure from his pierced visor had caused the pieces to try and rush out, jamming the hole closed. I was grateful for it; otherwise, I’d have had to see his head drained like an empty sack of fruits. The bullet entered at the top of his cheek, and with the eye-lens broken, I could see the color of his real eye one last time.
I wasn’t sure what would happen when Luxarn Pervenio found his body outside a Ringer quarantine zone, but I knew he wouldn’t think to blame his death on a loyal collector like me. He’d blame it on every Ringer in existence. If the hunger I saw in his face when we met wasn’t only a mask he wore for show, then Luxarn would crash down upon the people of Titan like a god with a hammer. He’d condemn them or worse, invade the quarantine at my back out of vengeance. Then the Children of Titan would get the rebellion they so desperately craved. All in the name of credits and a son Luxarn was too proud to reveal to the world.
“Family...” I grumbled. “I hope you understand, Zhaff.” I knew he wouldn’t have.
Another wave of discomfort gripped me and caused me to clench my jaw. I turned toward the sky as it did. It was murky, just like I was used to where I grew up—no sun to be found. But there was something up there that I didn’t anticipate. Something I’ve been told is as rare to see as a lunar eclipse on Earth, yet there it was. The storm drew ever nearer, but the area directly in its path was clear enough that I could see the silhouette of Saturn’s Rings beyond the shroud.
For some reason, the sight was more striking from my unexpected vantage point than it ever had been from space. After a few more futile attempts at crawling into the tunnel, I rolled over and was happy to stare. It’s rare for a collector to get a chance to really stop and appreciate a stunning view.
I grew faint, but even as my vision went blurry, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Not until the pain transitioned to numbness, my shivering stopped, and everything went black.
Epilogue
Luxarn Pervenio stared through the viewport of his office, watching as the orange orb of Titan passed by in orbit. He’d been waiting to hear word about the operation down there for some time. His best men were on the trail of the Children of Titan, and soon he’d be able to wipe them off the Ring for good and return operations to normal.
This was exactly the kind of mission Zhaff was trained for. It was the purpose he’d given him when his son’s future seemed so bleak. A field trainer like Malcolm Graves was the final piece of the puzzle in getting him ready to help Pervenio into its next stage of expansion.
“Bot, get me a drink,” he said to the spherical robot floating next to him.
“Yes, sir,” it replied. It hovered over to his private bar. “What would you li… li… li…” A processing error caused the bot to lose control, float too far, and knock over a bottle. When it spun back, a red circle wrapped its viewing lens and started to blink.
Luxarn sighed. “Glitching again.”
He was on his way to it, when a voice came through his desk coms. “Mr. Pervenio, I have to speak with you immediately,” Director Sodervall said.
Luxarn rubbed his temples between his thumb and forefinger. Sodervall was a loyal, hardworking man, but he’d been around for so long the sight of him brought up too many bad memories of affairs on the Ring. Luxarn kept thinking he’d retire and live out his life with all the wealth he’d earned, but the years came and went, and Sodervall stayed put.
It’s time for some new blood, Luxarn thought.
“Go ahead,” he said out loud.
“In person,” Sodervall replied. “I’ll be there shortly.”
“Fine.”
Luxarn popped open the control pad on the service bot’s chassis and set its boosters to lower it to the ground. Then he raised his hand terminal to it and dug into its programming. He was nearly lost in the wonderful, organized chaos of coding when his door whooshed open.
“What is it, Sodervall?” Luxarn said without looking up. “I only have time for good news.”
Sodervall rushed in, and the door closed behind him. He was short on breath. “It’s agents Zhaff and Graves, sir,” he said. “We made contact. They located a Children of Titan hideout burrowed underneath the Darien Quarantine where we believe the stolen supplies from Earth were taken. Zha—”
“Excellent! I trust that proper preparations are being made?”
“Of course. Sir, listen to me.” He paused for a moment. “Agent Zhaff was found shot outside.”
The breath caught in Luxarn’s throat. “Is he all right?”
“I’m waiting for another update, but… it was in the head, sir.”
Luxarn’s stomach sank. A very human chill ran up his spine. He had to lean on the bot and turn away from the director. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced since his father died. Fear, doubt, a lack of control like when he was handed the reins to an empire.
“And Graves?” he said, voice shaking.
“We’re still thawing him, but it doesn’t look good.” A longer period of silence passed until, finally, Director Sodervall intervened. “Sir, what do you want me to do?”
“My father should have let these inbred Ringers die off when we had the chance!” Luxarn punched the bot’s control panel, shattering the screen. He drew his knuckles back, covered in scrapes and blood.
“I agree, sir,” Sodervall said. “They’re a cancer to Sol. But it’s too late now. I need to know what you want me to do.”
“To do?” The fury in Luxarn’s tone was palpable. He stalked toward the director, making him shrink back in fear. “I want the Children of Titan exterminated, director! I want this Kale Drayton delivered to me in cuffs! Space every survivor from the Piccolo until one of them tells us the truth.”
Sodervall recoiled further as spit spattered all over his face. “I…I’ll get right to it, sir,” he said.
“You damn well better! I don’t care what it takes, but you will restore order down there. Tear th
at quarantine to pieces if you have to.”
“Sir,” Sodervall began. “I don’t think that’s—”
“Just do it, Sodervall! If you hadn’t allowed things to get so dreadful down there, none of this would have happened. My s—Zhaff’s blood is on your hands!” His lungs ran out of air, and he had to pause. Blood rushing to his head and shock nearly caused him to fall.
“Sir, are you okay?” Sodervall asked, taking his arm to keep him upright.
“I’m fine!” Luxarn screamed as he pushed him away. “Now find Kale Drayton and end this insurgency, or by Earth, I’ll find somebody who can, and you can join the skellies in an airlock.”
Sodervall swallowed audibly. “I’ll handle it, sir.” He swept out of the room without another word. The moment he got outside, Luxarn could hear him shouting at officers.
Luxarn made it to his desk and pressed all his weight against it. His breathing hastened, faster and faster until he started hyperventilating. He knocked a globe off as he scrambled for one of his drawers. He rifled through for a stress-reducing injection and jabbed the pack into his arm. A few short breaths later, he exhaled slowly through teeth and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, Titan stared back at him through his viewport. On the back of its people, he’d grown Pervenio Corp into the most influential entity in all of Sol. But even all that impossible wealth couldn’t purchase back the health of a bastard son he’d sent down to die on the world that had provided so much. A son barely a soul knew about but for the man who’d gone down with him.
Stars shone beyond the orange moon. He was so near to them now. Humanity was so near. But for the first time in his life, Luxarn wondered if the cost was more than he could bear.
Thanks for Reading!
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And if you enjoyed this story about the growing rebellion on Titan, continue reading the rest of the Children of Titan Series! Book 2, Titan’s Son, will take you to the other side of the conflict, as Ringer Kale Drayton is drawn into the Children of Titan.
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
Thank you so much for reading Titanborn by Rhett C. Bruno. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. We just wanted to take a moment to encourage you to review the book on Amazon and Goodreads. Every review helps further the author’s reach and, ultimately, helps them continue writing fantastic books for us all to enjoy.
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About the Author
Rhett C Bruno is the USA Today Bestselling Author of 'The Circuit Saga' (Diversion Books, Podium Publishing), ‘Children of Titan’ (Aethon Books, Audible Studios), and the 'Buried Goddess Saga' (Aethon Books, Audible Studios); among other works.
He has been writing since before he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic stories when he was young to show to his friends and family. He currently works at an Architecture firm in Connecticut after graduating from Syracuse University, but that hasn’t stopped him from recording the tales bouncing around inside of his head.
Rhett resides in Stamford, Connecticut, with his wife and their dog, Raven.
You can find out more about his work at www.rhettbruno.com
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