Traitor (Rebel Stars Book 2)
Page 28
"We've taken things this far. People have put themselves in the lurch for us. They're counting on us. We can't hang them out to dry."
"Agreed. But even the champion has to rest between fights. If you get back in the ring when you're hurting, you'll only make it worse."
"Good thing I'm a fast healer." She found herself grinning. "Besides, I have to face facts here. If I'm not swimming, I'm drowning."
Toman laughed, glancing away. "Well, I certainly wasn't going to be the one to call you a shark. Next question: would you prefer to wade in a step at a time? Or dive right back into the deep end?"
"Depends. Where can I make the biggest splash?"
"There's a lot that needs to be done right here at the Locker. Admiral Carruth assures me that her fellow crews are happy to partner up with us, but after the recent hostilities, I'm not convinced the leaders will be in lockstep. Wouldn't hurt to pay them a visit. Give them a better idea of what we're all about."
She moved beside him, propping her elbows on the railing. "Got anything else? I'm not feeling super diplomatic at the moment."
"The first of my Motion Arrestors are on their way here right now. Our pilots are going to need training. Ideally from someone who's actually used them before."
"I could do that."
"But you'd be less than thrilled."
"I can teach them a few tactics," she said. "But I think we need to revamp our entire strategy. When we tried to retreat, FinnTech's MA-equipped fighters nearly destroyed us. They would have, if the Locker hadn't intervened."
Toman began to pace across the balcony. "Oh, it runs deeper than that. Generations of engines are weaker than we're capable of making. There was no reason to go bigger—parts of the ship couldn't handle it, to say nothing of the comically fragile human bodies inside them. But if we're no longer restricted by biological frailty? Then we have to rethink what starships are capable of."
"I wouldn't have much wisdom to impart, then. Everything I know is about to fade into history."
He looked at her, then glanced away quickly.
"That was an idea," she said. "An idea that you stamped out. Isn't your motto 'Every idea must be heard'?"
"I heard it. And decided it was awful."
"That just makes me want to hear it more."
He pressed his lips together. "I can't ask you to do this. Not after everything I've put you through already."
She turned to face him. "I'm a grown woman. How about you let me decide for myself what I'm capable of?"
"Surprised it hasn't occurred to you already. It's kind of the elephant in the room."
"Those."
He nodded. "We barely know anything about them. Even if we're able to fend off FinnTech, it won't mean anything if a new species means to invade us."
"Whatever you need. I'll do it."
"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of."
"We can't let ourselves be stopped by fear," she said. "Not when what's out there means to destroy us."
She moved back to the railing. Above, the artificial lights in the dome's curve presented them with a bright, sunny day. It was easy to forget that, on the other side of that thin shell, there was nothing but darkness.
FROM THE AUTHOR
Thanks for making it this far! The next book in the REBEL STAR series will be out in a few months. In the meantime, please consider leaving a review. Those are a huge help.
Want to make sure you hear when the next book is out? Just sign up for my mailing list.
MORE BY ME
The REBEL STARS series is set in the future of a great apocalypse. If you'd like to read about the apocalypse itself, you can find the first books here. My other books, including the epic fantasy series THE CYCLE OF ARAWN and THE CYCLE OF GALAND, are available here.
WANT TO REACH ME?
I've got a Facebook page now! Please visit at facebook.com/edwardwrobertson.
If you'd like to drop me a line, just email edwrobertson@gmail.com
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23