He felt a hand press on his back, Rojek pushing him forward, and he slowly walked towards his son, each step a greater strain than anything he had ever known. Emotions he hadn't felt in decades flooded through him as he quickened his pace, his son walking towards him, sharing the same initial reticence before breaking into a sprint.
And before he knew it, his arms were wide, wrapped around his son, tears streaming down his face. The crowd went crazy, cheering louder than before, breaking out in a torrent of applause that rolled onward and onward, growing by the second until his ears rang from the noise.
“I'm so proud of you,” he said.
“Me too, dad, me too,” Mike replied. “Me too.”
On the far side of the hangar, Saxon stepped out of a shuttle, the only face on the deck that wasn't wearing a smile, shaking her head at Curtis' questioning gaze. One more death to add to the body count. A lot of good people had died today, but this time, it meant something. They'd given their lives for something worth dying for.
And as he looked into his son's eyes for the first time in twenty years, both of their cheeks wet from unashamed tears, he allowed all of that to drop away, the cares and responsibilities of his rank briefly taken from him. He could take up his burdens again tomorrow.
For today, somehow, everything was just fine.
Epilogue
It was cold. And the pain was constant, a dull throbbing in her side that never seemed to end. Her vision was blurry, and she struggled to concentrate, but somewhere in the background was a voice, as though far away in the distance, urgently trying to talk to her. Then, a sharp pinprick burst into her good arm, and suddenly the veils dropped away, clarity returning in a heartbeat, bringing bursts of sheer agony with it.
“Good morning,” a familiar voice said. “I took the liberty of recording this message. By now, you're on your way to your destination. I'm sorry about the deception, but it had to be total. And you did volunteer for this mission, albeit in an unorthodox manner. Actually, I'm not sorry, not at all. The painkillers will kick back in shortly, and this message will repeat every eight hours. Sooner or later, you'll be in a fit condition to understand it. Hopefully sooner, because I suspect you'll be making planetfall before long. I triggered the first broadcast of this to begin when the ship you are on engaged the Tau Drive.”
“Yes, you are star-side. That was an important part of the mission. And you don't need to worry about your immediate security. I've got enough friends on your ship to make sure of that. Assuming, of course, that the Federation Fleet doesn't just shoot you down on general principles when you arrive at your destination.”
She struggled on her couch, restraints securing her down, preventing her from moving. Looking at her legs, she saw auto-stimulants in place, electrodes rigged to send pulses of energy through her muscles, preventing them from atrophying. To her right, an intravenous drip fed liquid into her system.
“At the other end, you'll have to arrange your own escape. I presume you'll have contacts at whatever world you end up. I regret that I don't know where that is. I just know that we're going to be launching another attack, and soon, and that whatever my feelings are about you, I know that you're the best choice to get rebel forces mobilized. There's a pack under your bed, and don't worry about the restraints. Someone will release you when you get close to your target. I hope.”
Once more, she fought to free herself, but she didn't have the strength in her muscles, and the stabbing pain in her side was too severe. She looked down at the wound, bandaged and protected, a medical unit clamped over it to speed recovery.
“I know that I'm sending you into an unknown situation, but you're well-enough equipped to handle it. And as for the rest of it, well, if you're dead, Major, you can't be infiltrating a Federation colony, can you? The history books on this will be extremely interesting, I suspect. I very much look forward to writing them.”
“Good hunting. Saxon out.”
Cordova felt a brief jab to her side, and the veils descended again, the pain ebbing away as the injections took effect. She looked up at the wall, consciousness fading away, and saw the countdown clock trickling down.
Thirty-one hours to emergence.
Thank you for reading 'Nothing Left To Lose'. For information on future releases, please join the author's Science-Fiction Mailing List at http://eepurl.com/A9MdX for updates. If you enjoyed this book, please review it on the site where you purchased it.
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The saga returns in 'Terrible Swift Sword', available soon…
Table of Contents
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Starcruiser Polaris: Nothing Left To Lose Page 20