The Hope Island Chronicles Boxed Set

by PJ Strebor

  “Shut up!” The same unwavering tone silenced the chaos. “Show some backbone you gutless turds. Form a line on me. Weapons on stun."

  Nathan's stomach knotted into an angry fist as he slipped beneath the open windows then stood next to the doorway. He darted a glance around the door jamb and quickly pulled back. A barrage of automatic fire ripped into the doorframe. Stone and plaster disintegrated under the deafening volley. The stinging cut to his forehead proved how close he had come to dying.

  From inside a muffled thump was followed by an angry bellow. "I said weapons on stun you piece of shit."

  Nathan’s fleeting view of the room showed three scavengers including the one he shot. If they were as scared as their voices suggested, there was a good chance they had frozen in place. Risky. No time for refinement.

  Nathan upended the long wooden bench and propped it gingerly against the wall. He stepped to the window. The bench obediently froze in place for two seconds before sliding across the doorway. Under a furious volley of pulsar fire the bench disintegrated. Nathan stepped to the window and fired. The first scavenger stared in disbelief at the arrow buried in his chest before collapsing to the floor. A second joined him moments later. The last of the scavengers reacted instantly, swinging his sidearm toward the window. A fierce torrent of energy shredded the window frame beside him. Nathan pressed his back against the wall as debris exploded around him.

  The firing stopped followed by an ominous silence. Nathan edged back to the door as the silent seconds ticked by. His sweaty skin turned to ice when a woman screamed. Livy!

  Nathan burst into the room swinging his bow from side to side seeking a target. The red-bearded scavenger crouched behind Livy. Red’s injured left hand enfolded her long chestnut hair, wrenching her head back. The barrel of his pistol dug into her jaw under her right ear.

  Nathan swiveled his body to present a narrower profile. At this range his tactic counted for nothing against an assault weapon. He focused on the small fragment of the scavenger's head. Too close to Livy. If he mistimed the shot by a fraction he would kill her. He maintained his stance, awaiting the searing pain of an energy blast.

  "Drop your weapon or I'll kill her." Unlike the other scavengers, Red’s voice did not betray the slightest hint of indecision or panic.

  Nathan wanted to scream that he would gut him like a swine but did not trust his voice. Only one of Red's eyes was exposed and he longed to take the shot.

  "Listen boy. Everyone can come out of this in one piece. You drop your weapon, I walk away. You get your girlfriend back. I get to live. My way, everyone wins. Your way –" He shrugged.

  Nathan knew better than to trust one of these creatures. Why is red negotiating with me? He could cut me down without effort.

  "You're quick boy, but not fast enough to save this pretty thing," he tugged Livy's hair, "and some of your family as well. Is it worth the price?"

  A dozen crazy ideas whirled through Nathan's mind. Each one led to the same tragic ending. Through the open front door Nathan heard the distant cry of a Kastorian mallard – a distinct, strident squawk. Mallards were out of season. The bird protested again, an almost urgent cry. Male mallards made such sounds only during the mating cycle. Kastorian mallards were out of season.

  The setting sun poured through the open door, burning against Nathan’s back. Taking the biggest risk in his life he lowered the bow and threw it aside.

  "And the knife," Red ordered, from behind his sanctuary.

  Nathan meekly unsheathed his hunting knife and tossed it aside. Red released his grip on Livy. He stood before Nathan keeping well out of arms reach.

  "Smart boy." He smiled benignly. "You will soon know the joy that is service to the Family." Red held out his open, bloody hand. “Take my hand and your journey to a life of service will begin.”

  Again the urgent sound of the mallard's cry. A mallard. A duck. A big duck. Duck!

  Nathan dropped to his knees.

  "No need for that Nathan, I'm not going to k …"

  A frayed twelve-millimeter hole darkened red’s forehead above his nose. The bullet’s impact snapped red's head backward, throwing his body across the room in the same instant the rifle’s boom cracked the air. The back of the scavenger's head splattered against the far wall forming a grisly curtain of bloody bone and grey shards of brain matter.

  Retrieving his knife Nathan sliced through Livy’s bindings. She threw herself into his arms so ferociously she almost knocked him over. Nathan melded her body to his and smothered her face and lips with kisses.

  “Shhhh, it’s over now,” Nathan whispered. “I'll never let anything harm you."

  Livy clung to him. “I knew you’d come for me.” His fingers explored her shoulders and back to confirm she had no injuries.

  “When he threatened to kill you I …” Emotion cracked each word Nathan uttered. “Are you sure you're all right? Did anyone hurt you?”

  She sniffled. “I’m fine, but they scared me half to death.” Her chest heaved as she gasped for breath. When her trembling body eventually calmed, she broke their embrace.

  “I’m fine darling,” Livy said. “Your family needs you. Take care of them.”

  Her plucky composure startled Nathan. His family had spent their lives fighting for survival, so he expected such grit from them. His heart swelled with love and pride.

  Nathan freed Bernie and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll live.” While rubbing her wrists to restore blood flow she surveyed the carnage. “I’ll never get that bloodstain out of the rug.”

  After cutting Lucy’s bonds he removed the tight gag. “How are you?”

  She brushed a thick curl from her face. “I’m fine, big brother. How did you know to – ”

  “Not now, Lucilla,” Bernie interrupted. “Help me in the kitchen.”

  Nathan glanced in Livy's direction to convince himself she really was all right. Her reassuring smile calmed his concerns as he moved to the men.

  "Where's your precious Monitor Corps when we need them?" Lewis’ sarcasm resounded the instant Nathan removed the gag.

  "For that comment, you can wait your turn." Nathan bypassed him and released Caleb.

  "Leave it, Lewis," Caleb barked. To Nathan he said, “You took your time getting here.” He winked at Nathan.

  Nathan reassessed the situation. Satisfied his family was safe, he wrapped his arms snuggly around Livy. “I’m so sorry this happened,” he said. “It’s my fault.”

  Livy’s mouth dropped open. “How could this possibly be your fault? Don’t be silly.”

  "My fault,” he mumbled. No way can I tell her. It would put her in danger far worse than today. This raid was obviously after me. I brought this down upon my family.

  The crash of Abner bursting into the room frightened Lewis so badly he tried to jump out of his bindings.

  Tall and broad, Abner's weathered face and thick, blond hair reflected the setting sun. His alert brown eyes scanned the room, the huge hunting rifle tracking his movements.

  "Any more?"

  “There’s a couple out back, and two on the parapet. They’ve attacked their last homestead.” Nathan glared at his stepbrother. “To answer your stupid question, Lewy," Nathan said, "may I present to you, Sergeant Abner Lawrence, Monitor Corps Marine Special Forces, retired."

  Abner's mock salute acknowledged Nathan’s grin. Caleb slapped his old friend on the shoulder. For a few seconds he stared at Red’s prone form before making his assessment.

  "Nice shot."

  "A smidgen high."

  “Is anyone going to free me?” Lewis whined.

  Caleb and Abner exchanged a silent contact. With his enormous hunting knife Abner released Lewis.

  Exhaustion overwhelmed Nathan and he slumped onto the floor, pillowing his head on Livy’s knee. To the former marine, Nathan asked, "How did you get here so fast?"

  "Ran into
Moe." Abner was always economical with words.

  Bernie and Lucy returned from the kitchen with pitchers of ice-cold, homemade lemonade. After hours of sitting in the room with gags in their mouths, everyone drank thankfully. Nathan quaffed the last of the pitcher’s contents in a single gulp.

  “Nathan, I’m dying to know,” Lucy said. “How did you know to drop, so Abner could shoot that bastard?"

  "An old hunting trick. Taught to me by a cunning, albeit ancient, hunter."

  Abner snorted.

  Behind his smile guilt gnawed at Nathan. At that moment a cold hand touched his heart. This had been the third attack on the property in the last two years, each one coinciding with Nathan’s return from school. Today's raid was too professional for scavengers to plan and execute. Someone has discovered my secret. Will they ever relent?

  CHAPTER 18

  Time: 5th June, 316 (ASC).

  Position: The capital city of Athens, planet Attica. Athenian Republic.

  Livy stepped into the early spring sunshine outside the Athenian Central Arts Center. She stopped by the statue of Athens’ first president Julia Beresford and read the bronze plaque: Where Athens leads others follow. A little arrogant but historically accurate. As the first to colonize the space-locked region of the galaxy known as the Tunguska Fault, it was natural that those who followed the first fleet into the region would adopt similar views and look to the senior member for guidance. So it had been for three hundred years.

  Her first months at teacher’s college had been remarkable. Although she missed Nathan terribly the pace of life within the Athenian capital helped to –

  “Olivia?” The shrill voice cut through the lazy afternoon like a trumpet. “Olivia Marshall?”

  A trio of identically clad young stylists congregated in a tight group at the bottom of the steps, bouncing on the toes of their elegantly styled shoes. For several moments Livy did not recognize the young women but smiled indulgently as she continued toward them.

  “Olivia, do you not remember me?” The young woman answered her own question before Livy could respond. “Mona. Mona von Steer.” She rushed forward to touch cheeks.

  Livy trimmed the speaker’s weight by fifteen kilos and dressed her in the uniform of a senior at the Anastasia Kimbrough Academy for Young Ladies.

  “Mona! I hardly recognized you. How are you?”

  “Why I am just peachy my darling,” she squawked. “And look at you. All brown and … oh my, look at what you are wearing. What did those monsters out in the colonies do to you? You have lost so much weight you poor darling,” she said in mock sympathy.

  The other young women Livy remembered as Chelsea and Philippa. They continued to bounce excitedly on the toes of their expensive shoes. Their incessant squealing augmented their childish behavior. The group of effervescent jellybeans wore matching outfits; undoubtedly the latest in Athenian fashion for young ladies of elevated social means.

  “Oh this is so wonderful,” Mona gushed. “Now that you are back from the horrors of the colonies the four of us can pick up where we left off.”

  Not even if hell freezes over.

  “Remember what we used to call ourselves, Olivia?” As usual Chelsea answered her own question. “The four princesses of AKA.” This triggered another round of high-pitched squealing from the trio. Their behavior began to attract attention from the passing patrons.

  “Come along my darling,” Mona said, “we’ve slummed enough for one day. Let us find somewhere a little less … um, common than this refuge for the masses. I know this darling little bistro that just opened and I am dying to catch up with you, sweetness.”

  “Well that would be nice Mona,” Livy lied, “but I have work to do.”

  “Work!” Philippa squealed. “Work?”

  “Oh, do not listen to her,” Chelsea yelled. “She is joking with us.”

  “Well, no, actually I do have a lot…”

  “The only work for us,” Philippa said, “is to have fun and spend as much of our parent’s money as we can.” A three-bar giggling chorus ensued.

  Livy struggled to control her rising exasperation.

  “As a matter of fact, I’ve a lot of work waiting for me. I took the afternoon off to see the exhibition but now I’ve got to make up for it.”

  “Oh my, you have developed one of those awful colonial accents, have you not?” Mona squealed. “Oh, how divine. You never know, you just might start a new trend amongst the better people in town.” The asinine trio giggled at the prospect. “Come along darling, go home and change into something civilized. We will all meet for lunch. Time for you to stop slumming, sweetness.”

  Livy agreed to meet with them later and they cheerfully believed her. If her time on Kastoria had taught Livy anything it was how to survive in a hostile environment.

  Thank goodness those blue bloods did not represent the average Athenian. There were eight ‘Republicans’ in her classes. Yes, they would proudly boast that their ancestors arrived on the First Fleet, and yes, their abhorrence of contractions was annoying, but they were decent, hard-working people, polar opposites of that trio of disingenuous simpletons. Their scrupulous honesty was another aspect to deal with.

  Nine generations of Athenians had lived under the influence of the AVU, which resulted in the creation of a thoroughly honest and polite society. The Aletheia Verification Unit, Athens’ unbeatable lie detector, governed not only the political apparatus of the Republic but everyday life. The AVU, used exclusively within the borders of the Athenian Republic, gave false credence to outsiders’ notions that Athenians were incapable of lying. At its best interpretation that view was an extreme exaggeration.

  Livy boarded the Bay Commuter for the journey to the other side of Beresford Bay. The abrupt reminder of who she had once been, before discovering the intrinsic Livy hidden behind the pretense, prompted a surge of gratitude. And it all started on Kastoria.

  Livy could not remember a time when she felt happier. The friends she had made on Kastoria were friends for life and her enemies few, the enmity short-lived.

  Livy debarked from the commuter and walked toward her apartment.

  A smile touched her lips. She held no doubts that Nathan loved her. At first his inability to say I love you annoyed the hell out of her. These days she loved to watch his face as he painfully and unsuccessfully struggled to express his feelings with that one simple word.

  Livy recognized that his natural reticence coupled with occasional mood swings were Nathan’s way of dealing with a tragic past. He was adamant from day one that his past was a closed and locked book. If she persisted he tapped the bump above his right eyebrow to confirm his loss of memory.

  When Livy entered her small apartment she strode to the computer. The red message-received light flashed. She tapped the play button to activate the holo screen. It showed straight text rather than an audio-visual presentation. Nathan preferred the intimacy that hid within the detail of the written word.

  I wonder what unbelievable nonsense he'll expect me to believe today?

  My darling Livy,

  Life at the academy is so much more than just another resort vacation. The friendly and attentive staff cater to the every whim of their guests twenty-four hours a day. No request is too much trouble for them and they bend over backwards to see that each plebe feels as if the academy has been created just for them. The cuisine is extraordinary with three courses per day of something no recruit will ever forget.

  We are in the best physical condition of our lives thanks to the kindly, soft-spoken physical education instructors and the dietary geniuses who spare not a moment of their precious time to seek out the odd kilogram of unhealthy flab and attack it with gusto. Health spas throughout the Republic cringe in shame when they attempt to measure their successes against the academy’s robust program.

  Livy broke from the text laughing. “Oh Nathan, you rascal.”

  Yes my darling, life at the academy
isn’t anything like the horrors you may have heard about. The personnel here are so in tune with our needs they know what we need before we think of it ourselves.

  The upperclassmen are kindly and attentive to our every need and nothing is too much trouble for them. Yes, life at the academy is just full of such surprises.

  Well, I hear the dinner bell ringing for one of chef’s cordon bleu specials so I must away. Moe says hello.

  Missing you constantly

  Nathan.

  She giggled as she disengaged the screen. A year ago she would have believed everything he said without question. These days each of them read the words and the meanings between lines of text. When he returned there would be no awkward silences between them, only times when they had little to say and were simply content to be together.

  Who was this young man who had captured her heart so completely? They still had battles ahead but Livy knew with absolute certainty they were destined to be together until death ripped them apart.

  Livy took the hard-copy picture of Nathan from the desk and hugged it against her heart. Another whole month until I see him again. Each day will seem like a month. Oh, but what a homecoming it will be.

  CHAPTER 19

  Time: 2nd August, 318 (ASC).

  Position: Dryad freighter Maluku. Francorum Union.

  Status: Approaching orbital insertion to the planet Saffron.

  Orson took his first life at fourteen. He found the experience to be the most profoundly gratifying of his life. It just felt … right. One of his fellow trainees had shown an unhealthy regard for the so-called sanctity of human life. Orson demonstrated his first genuine flare for initiative when he snapped the weakling's neck. His callous act earned high kudos from his instructors and earmarked him as a student of note.

  By the age of twenty-two he had established himself as an exceptionally promising Family Associate. Years of rigorous training in the high arts of death and covert operations had paid off. Now he wanted to do more, to prove himself more worthy, to achieve far more. He would never dare to voice his opinions to those he served. He owed everything to the Family.