Edge of Redemption (A Star Too Far Book 3)
Page 31
On the other side, Corporal Vale Thorsidottir stood in a dirty suit of battle armor. Beside her stood Igor and Grgur, both at attention. Grgur was hunched over with a wide swath of bandages across his chest. Igor showed wide white teeth and smelled a bit like a brewery.
“Corporal,” William said with a salute.
The Marines relaxed and regaled the crew of the Garlic with stories of the assault. The initial wave launched perfectly but the dropship suffered a critical malfunction.
“Once the convicts thought we were going to die, they found the Lenten reserves and got rip roaring drunk,” Igor said, smiling.
Grgur tried to laugh but it sounded like a bad wheeze. “Then we boarded the station and shot all the Hun.”
“Shot them all?” William asked hesitantly.
Igor shrugged. “We offered terms.”
“No survivors?” William asked.
Igor shook his head. “They sealed up on the far side of the station. Then the shooting stopped and we found them all. Dead.”
“Dead? Like dead-dead or with a UC bullet?” William asked, almost wishing he hadn’t.
Igor shook his head quickly. “No, no. They did something, they were all dead. Like a suicide.”
William caught glances from the Marines and turned to see Emilie Rose watching them. He nodded to his Marines and dismissed everyone. “I’ve got this watch,” he said to Shay.
Shay grinned and led the crew towards the waiting cargo elevator. The Marines broke away from the rest and stood away from William at a respectful distance. Vale walked over and talked to a woman with scarred alloy arms.
“Captain. Fine work,” Emilie said. She looked worn, tired, and even thinner than before.
“Same to you, Ms. Rose.” William turned and walked slowly through the cargo area. He saw a group of monks and nuns, and made a mental note to find the Abbot.
“What will you do now?” Emilie asked.
William smiled. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Things are going to work out here, I see a future in politics.”
“Politics?”
Emilie smiled and looked away. “I came here to make my fortune,” she said in a wistful voice. “Instead I found something more.”
William didn’t say anything, but wished he’d found something more. With the threat of immediate invasion gone, he was left without a task, without a ship, and most of all, without a purpose. All he could think of was the only thing the future held was a court martial.
Emilie looked at William and studied his face. “You can stay.”
“No, I’m afraid I can’t,” William said, and walked away.
A voice hollered through the solitude of the hold. “Captain, Captain!”
William stopped, turned, and squinted towards the docking array.
Wei scrambled through the debris waving both of his arms over his head. “Captain!”
“What?” William asked.
“Someone is asking for you,” Wei said.
William glanced at the elevator and saw the doors still open and his crew standing inside. “Who?”
“Come, come! It just came in from the edge of the system.”
William followed Wei back to the Grouper. He was excited, and also nervous. It must be a UC ship, he thought. He nervously itched the stump where his augmetic hand was. His fingers scratched at an itch he could never seem to ease.
“There!” Wei said, pointing at a comms console old enough to be in a museum.
Mao stood on the edge of the bridge with his arms crossed on his chest and a crooked smile on his face.
William looked down at the smudged screen and picked out the source. His heart beat faster and the excitement rose in chest. He gently touched the console with trembling fingers.
The Gruffalo appeared on the screen and looked a dozen years older. Behind him a wide and open bridge was bustling with officers and crew. “Hello William,” he said, smiling. “Interested in a job with the real Colonial Navy?”
William smiled at the screen and wondered if he’d just found his calling. “Hard to go back when you can make a difference,” he said, and felt his path open before him.
From the Author
I hope you enjoyed reading this series as much as I did writing it.
When I set out a year ago I wrote a novel that I would enjoy. Much to my surprise, other people enjoyed it as well. So I kept writing, and writing, and finished the story of William Grace.
There’s a lot unsaid in the story, an entire universe exists that you only get a taste of. I did this on purpose, one, you don’t want a history book, and two, everyone loves that sense of mystery. Will you see more from this universe? Maybe someday.
For now I’ve got other projects lined up. I hope you enjoy these even more.
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One last thing, if you enjoyed this novel please leave an honest review on Amazon and tell a friend about the series.
Even better, leave me an honest review, tell a friend, and drop me an email, I’d love to hear from you.
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Casey
casey@caseycalouette.com
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