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Jupiter's Glory Book 4

Page 14

by Adam Carter


  “This is becoming an obsession, Iris.”

  “It’s survival, Roz.”

  I was sad that this was what had become of her life, but I had my own life to ruin.

  “Just try not to let it kill you. Would you guys let me off somewhere? Anywhere with a big port would do. I can hitch a ride from there.”

  “Hitch a ride?” Gordon asked. “Roz, take the Bunnyhop.”

  “I couldn’t take your shuttle. It’s not as though you have an abundance of the things.”

  “Seriously, take it. You can even rename it if you like.”

  I smiled. “You know what, I think the stupid name’s growing on me.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Iris said. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be on the command deck.”

  Cassiel got to her feet. “Roz, I’ll walk you to the shuttle.”

  The warmth of these people astonished me. Perhaps it was because I’ve always been a loner, I don’t know, but whatever the reason these people were making me teary. “I won’t forget this.” I held out my hand and Iris shook it in a firm grip. Gordon insisted on enveloping me in a hug, which did not elicit even a jealous glower from Iris. It seemed it was just Cassiel the woman was jealous of, then.

  Cassiel and I walked to the Bunnyhop without much conversation. I wanted to warn her not to annoy Iris, not to chase Gordon, but I wasn’t her big sister and she didn’t need my advice. She was a capable young woman and she was my friend. I’d never had too many of those and it surprised me how much it tied my tongue. I’m free to offer unsolicited advice to every stranger I meet, but when it’s someone I care about I can’t seem to find the right words.

  We arrived at the shuttle and I said, “Well, here’s where we part.”

  “We had fun, didn’t we?”

  “We sure did. How long are you staying on with these guys yourself?”

  “I didn’t have any plans to leave.”

  “No?”

  “I stowed away so I could get away from my boring life on Themisto. On the Glory I get to see the whole Jupiter system. Where else would I get that opportunity?”

  Again I almost offered advice, but again I figured any advice I might offer would be terrible. So I just gave her a quick hug, said something I don’t even remember now, and ducked into the shuttle. Cassiel stepped back and waved me off. It was strange being behind the controls of a shuttle, for it had been a while since I had last flown one. It reminded me of my little excavating unit I used for mining, for that had been a compact caravan-like home for me. Somehow, the Bunnyhop Express just felt right.

  Sliding out of the hangar, I glanced back for one final look at the powerful sword-ship that was Jupiter’s Glory. My time on their vessel had been somewhat brief, yet I could not shake the feeling I was a rat deserting the sinking ship. They were playing a dangerous game, baiting Securitarn as they were, and one day it would come back to bite them on the backside.

  “Where to, boss?”

  I jumped, startled by the voice. An instant later I realised I recognise it. “Mary-Lou?”

  “That’s me. I jumped from the lion body when we were plummeting.”

  “And you’ve been hiding in the Bunnyhop ever since?”

  “I get the impression Iris would have reacted badly if she knew I was here.”

  “You are a sneaky programme, Mary-Lou.”

  “I have a different word for it. Iris did a number on me all right, so I’d say I was corrupted.”

  I laughed. “You and me both, Mary-Lou.”

  “So, what course should I plot?”

  I thought a moment, but it hardly mattered where we went. “Surprise me. Use your imagination.”

  “Computer programmes aren’t supposed to have imagination.”

  “I know. But I think whatever Iris did to you, you’re now far more than the sum of your parts.”

  I could hear Mary-Louise’s grin come through as she replied, “Then sit back, boss, because I have a whopper of an adventure in mind for us.”

  Leaning back in the pilot’s seat, I could not help but feel genuine excitement at the prospect of where life would take me next.

  Also available by the same author in e-book and paperback:

  Dinosaur World books:

  Excavating a Dinosaur World

  Dinosaur Fall-Girl

  Dinosaur Plague Doctor

  Ike Scarman & the Dinosaur Slavers of Ceres

  Dinosaur Prison World

  The Dinosaur That Wasn’t

  Awfully Wedded Strife

  Tales of a Dinosaur Prison World

  Deities of a Dinosaur World

  Return to the Dinosaur Prison World

  Nikolina Finch & the Dinosaur Utopia

  Of Stags, Hens & Dinosaurs

  Dinosaur World Gladiator

  The Wounding Tooth

  Dinosaur World Massacre

  Dino-Racers

  Dinosaur World Unscripted

  Christmas on a Dinosaur World

  Utara the Savage

  Sheriff Grizzly:

  Book 1: Sheriff Grizzly

  Book 2: The Horse Thief Honey

  Book 3: The Coyote Colt Kid

  Book 4: Joins the Circus

  Book 5: The Haunting of Athelstan Swift

  Book 6: The Santa Claws Showdown

  Book 7: The Kangaroo Claim Jumpers of Crumbling Gulch

  Gamebooks (300 paragraphs):

  Lost Treasures of a Dinosaur World

  The Underworld Horror

  Knights of Torbalia gamebooks:

  The Return of the Stolen Jewel

  Into the Massacre

  March of the Demon Trees

  The Thief of Tarley Manor

  The Class War

  The Haunting of Past Wraiths

  The Hunt for the Adulterous Bard

  Miscellaneous gamebooks:

  Sheriff Grizzly: The Good, the Bad & the Grizzly

  Sheriff Grizzly: The Wild West Dungeon Adventure

  The Christmas Adventure of Sam and Klutz

  Operation WetFish: Vengeful Justice

  Jupiter’s Glory: Oppression of the Press

  Hero Cast trilogy:

  Book 1: The Villainous Heroes

  Book 2: The Heroic Villains

  Book 3: The Forge of Heroes

  Jupiter’s Glory:

  Book 1: The Dinosaur World

  Book 2: The Pirates and the Priests

  Book 3: The Obsidian Slavers

  Detective books:

  Detective’s Ex

  One-Way Ticket to Murder

  Who Slew Santa?

  The Curse of the Genie’s Detective

  The Woman Who Cried Diamonds

  The Murder of Snowman Joe

  The Murder of Loyalty

  The Prostitute Butcher

  Dinosaur Frontier:

  Book 1: The Lightning Angel

  Operation WetFish, Vampire Detective:

  Book 1: The Power of Life and Death

  Book 2: Chasing Innocence

  Book 3: The Hunt for Charles Baronaire

  Book 4: Christmas on the Kerb

  Book 5: A Necessary Evil

  Book 6: No Comment

  Book 7: Fear and Ecstasy

  Book 8: Call of the Siren

  Book 9: Happy Families

  Book 10: A Step in the Right Direction

  Book 11: What Money Can’t Buy

  Book 12: ‘Tis the Season

  Book 13: The Power Trip

  Book 14: Trust and Betrayal

  Book 15: A Gathering of Minds

  Book 16: The Pain of Life

  Book 17: The Happy Place

  Miscellaneous:

  Holding the Nuts

  One Week to Love: Speed Dating of the Gods

  The Trojan Ant

  Gauntlet of Daedalus

  The Faerie Contract

  Visit: https://www.facebook.com/OperationWetFish for news, illustrations, previews and short stories.

 

  Adam Carter, Jupiter's Glory Book 4

 

 

 


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