The Link
Page 21
“Not as gutsy as it would’ve been were I actually aboard,” Eric said.
“How’d you get back here so fast?” Jain asked.
“My communications rift is still active,” Eric said. “I reconfigured a different Banthar vessel for remote operation, and here I am, aboard the Bethunia II.”
Eric finished his drink, and then it vanished. He wrapped his arms around the waists of Bambi and Crusher, and he pulled them in tight.
So Jain was right about their relationship. He felt a sudden sense of disapproval, but then dismissed it.
He supposed it didn’t matter. Jain was sleeping with one of his own team members, after all.
But at least not both of the women, like this guy.
He wasn’t sure how that could be sustainable for any man. The jealousy issues alone were enough to destroy the relationship. He’d seen it a few times among the SEALs he fought with. Between deployments, when they were at home, the guys usually shacked up with strippers or club girls. Most went for a single woman, but a few of the more adventurous types built up a rotation and met them for sex on a regular basis. But when those men tried to live with these multiple women of theirs, inevitably the relationships fell apart due to jealousy. Harems just weren’t sustainable in the long term.
Unless you were a guy like Jason—his women essentially had no other options. There weren’t many guys into women who inhabited towering, building-sized mechs, and Jason was the only male available.
But Eric was just an android. The women were androids, too, and when they inhabited their advanced machine bodies, they looked indistinguishable from most human women. In theory, they could have had any man they wanted. And with their perfect looks, they could have.
But they chose Eric for some reason.
From the way Eric fought, Jain thought he knew why.
He has at least as much courage, and definitely heart, as any SEAL I ever knew. And he’s saved the world more than few times. I can see his attraction to the opposite sex.
Still feeling the glow of that post-mission exuberance, Jain said: “One thing I’ve been wondering. Why the Bolt Eaters?”
Eric smiled. “Blame Sarge for that. He thought it was funny, with his twisted sense of humor and all, seeing as we were all machines. Back then, we inhabited these insect-like units called Cicadas. War machines that were deadly as hell. Though not as powerful as mechs. How about you, why the Void Warriors?”
It was Jain’s turn to grin. “It took us a while to come up with that name. Some of the other options were Hell in a Starship and Jain’s Bleeders.”
“Jain’s Bleeders!” Eric said. “Now there’s a fun name. And actually, quite suiting, after seeing you in action back there.”
“Yeah, well, Void Warriors seemed the most appropriate at the time, considering our bodies were spaceships,” Jain said. “And still are.”
“Except yours is the body of an alien spaceship,” Eric said.
“And so is yours, at the moment,” Jain said. “Or, I suppose, it’s actually an alien planet.”
“That it is.” Eric released Bambi and Crusher and materialized another glass in his hand. He took a sip.
Jason came over, bringing one of his crew. Her avatar actually had a tail of all things, jutting straight through the bottom portion of the skimpy bikini she wore. Jain reminded himself that these two were far deadlier than they looked—they had just defeated a planet-side world killer, after all. His initial impression of the kid had been way off the mark.
“It’s great to finally meet you,” Lori said, shaking Eric’s hand and all but ignoring Jain. “I’ve heard so much about you and the Bolt Eaters.”
“Someone’s a celebrity,” Bambi commented.
“Oh, I love your hair!” Lori told Bambi. “It’s so pretty.”
Crusher was frowning beside her.
Lori glanced at Crusher, and when she noticed the frown, she added quickly: “And so is yours.”
“Uh, thanks,” Crusher said.
Jason noticed Jain staring at him, and gave him a confused smile.
“You know, when I first met you, I didn’t think much of you,” Jain admitted to Jason. “I couldn’t figure out how you’d secured an alliance with an alien queen. But after your performance down there… I reviewed the replays. Some incredible stuff. You know how to fight. You and your War Forgers make a formidable team.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Jason said. “Now I just hope the rest of humanity feels the same way.”
Jain nodded. “I heard the military has been pestering your base in the uninhabited zone.”
“Pestering is a mild way of putting it,” Jason said.
“I’ll put in a good word for you with the President if I have a chance,” Jain said.
“He already called,” Jason said. “He promises the military will leave us alone when this is over. I guess we’ll just have to see.”
Lori suddenly spun towards him. “What do you mean, when this is over? I thought it was already over! We staved off an alien invasion!”
Another member of Jason’s crew sauntered over, hips swaying. A stunningly beautiful woman who dressed like she was Cleopatra or something. A quick glance at her profile told Jain her name was Sophie. She gave him a demure smile when she arrived.
Sheila suddenly appeared at Jain’s side, and slid a protective hand through the crook of his arm.
“Well, hello,” Sophie said. Her voice oozed sexuality.
“Hi,” Sheila responded before Jason could say a word.
Sophie gave her a dismissive glance, and then shrugged. She turned her attention to Jason. “Can we go soon? These people are boring.”
Jason gave her an incredulous look. “Sophie… come on. We’re hanging out with the legendary Bolt Eaters.”
Sophie shrugged. “I’m not impressed. They’re from a different era. I can’t relate to them.”
“You’re also hanging out with the legendary Void Warriors,” Sheila chimed in.
Sophie gave her a blank look. “Who?”
Jain chuckled softly, but before he could add anything, Eric dropped his glass as if poisoned. It shattered on the flagstones beneath him.
Bambi spun on him in worry. “What is it? Are you all right?”
“No,” Eric said. “Party’s over. I just got word from Tanis. More Teleporters have arrived. Fifty of them.”
“That’s not so bad,” Slate said, coming over. His avatar looked like a rapper, replete with gold chains hanging down his bare chest. “We can handle Teleporters. Why’d you spill your drink over that?”
“There’s one small problem,” Eric told him. “Ten world killers are accompanying them.”
Thank you for reading!
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Afterword
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About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Isaac Hooke holds a degree in engineering physics, though his more unusual inventions remain fictive at this time. He is an avid hiker, cyclist, and photographer who sometimes resides in Edmonton, Alberta.
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Acknowledgments
I’d also like to thank my knowledgeable beta readers and a
dvanced reviewers who helped smooth out the rough edges of the prerelease manuscript: Nicole P., Lisa G., Karen J, Jeremy G., Doug B., Jenny O., Amy B., Bryan O., Gary F., Chris, Lezza, Noel, Anton, Spencer, Norman, and Trudi.
Without you all, this novel would have typos, continuity errors, and excessive lapses in realism. Thank you for helping me make this the best novel possible, and thank you for leaving the early reviews that help new readers find my books.
And of course I’d be remiss if I didn't thank my dear mother, father, and brothers, whose wisdom and insights have always guided me through the winding paths of space and time.
— Isaac Hooke
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