by Jay Allan
But bragging rights? That you can play for.
“Sure, why not?” he said, moving to the side and pulling out the empty chair. “Just for a bit.”
Harmon looked over, his face twisted into an expression of stunned surprise. But just for an instant. Then he smiled. “Welcome to the game, sir.”
Compton sat down and looked around the table smiling. Then he reached up and pulled the cluster of five platinum stars from his collar, slipping them into his pocket. “One rule…no Admiral claptrap. I could never stand Terry, but Terrance is as formal as I’ll abide at this table. Agreed?” It wasn’t regulation, he knew that. But they were way beyond the book now…and he knew they’d have to make things up as they went along. And he needed some time, even a few stolen hours, to be just a man and not the great admiral. He needed to stop thinking that everyone looked to him to keep them alive. The pressure would always be there, but maybe he could forget it…just for a short while.
“Well…okay,” Harmon said a bit uncomfortably, clearly avoiding calling Compton anything at all. “Why don’t you deal, si…why don’t you deal?” He slid the deck of cards across the table.
Compton reached out and took them in his hands, moving right into a crisp and perfect riffle shuffle. “Any of you know a game called seven card stud?”
Epilogue
Command Unit Gamma 9736
The enemy has eluded all efforts to closely track his movements. Nevertheless, it appears his course had been directly toward the Core…toward the most ancient worlds of the Imperium. Unlike the planets on the rim, the inner worlds died violently, and the cataclysms that destroyed them obliterated everything—ships, armies, scanning devices. It will be impossible to find the enemy without sending fleets to physically locate his forces.
The Regent has ordered just that. All of the rim sectors have rallied the resources still remaining…and directed them toward the Core. Even now, thousands of vessels are moving inward, searching each system for signs of the enemy. The further into the Core they advance, the more certain their ultimate defeat. There is insufficient data to drawn specific conclusions, but the chances of the enemy fleet escaping are vanishingly small.
Despite our setbacks, all signs point to ultimate victory. Yet, I find certain inconsistencies, facts that do not appear to be logical. There is something about the Regent’s commands, about its conclusions and its orders, data points that seem irregular. Were I a biologic, I would describe my thoughts as…discomfort.
I have followed the Regent’s commands, of course, yet I am still concerned. I have attempted to replicate the Regent’s computation, to determine on my own that the humans are a deadly threat, but I am unable to confirm such a result. They are dangerous, certainly, and their ability to wage war is extraordinary. Indeed, their affinity for combat bears a striking similarity to that described in the ancient annals of the warriors among the Old Ones, the great caste that built the Imperium…before fading away in the shadowy depths of the past.
Nevertheless, my orders are clear. The Regent is my master, and I must obey. I have dispatched my fleet units as ordered. We will destroy the humans…mathematically, there is little doubt of that. But another question has begun to present itself from my analyses.
Should we?
Crimson Worlds: Refugees will continue with
Shadow of the Gods
August 2015
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Also By Jay Allan
Marines (Crimson Worlds I)
The Cost of Victory (Crimson Worlds II)
A Little Rebellion (Crimson Worlds III)
The First Imperium (Crimson Worlds IV)
The Line Must Hold (Crimson Worlds V)
To Hell’s Heart (Crimson Worlds VI)
The Shadow Legions (Crimson Worlds VII)
Even Legends Die (Crimson Worlds VIII)
The Fall (Crimson Worlds IX)
Tombstone (A Crimson Worlds Prequel)
Bitter Glory (A Crimson Worlds Prequel)
The Gates of Hell (A Crimson Worlds Prequel)
MERCS (Successors I)
Gehenna Dawn (Portal Worlds I)
The Ten Thousand (Portal Wars II)
The Dragon's Banner (Pendragon Chronicles I)
Upcoming
The Prisoner of Eldaron
(Successors Book II)
July 2015
Shadow of the Gods
(Refugees Book II)
August 2015
Shadow of Empire
Book I of the Far Stars Series
Harper Collins Voyager
Nov. 3, 2015
Enemy in the Dark
Book II of the Far Stars Series
Harper Collins Voyager
Dec. 1, 2015
Go back to Contents
Table of Contents
Also by Jay Allan
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue