Cronus
Page 1
A bit of a Nomad herself, K.A. Finn has wandered around Ireland and the UK for decades before settling back in Ireland with her husband and kids (two and four legged).
Table of Contents
Title Page
Cronus (Nomad Series, #6)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
EPILOGUE
Ares
Nemesis
Perses
Chaos
Mania
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Also by K.A. Finn
Nomad Series (Space Opera)
Ares
Nemesis
Perses
Chaos
Mania
Broken Chords (Rockstar Romance)
Broken Rock
Blackjacks (Paranormal Romance)
Breaking Phoenix
Copyright © 2021 by Karyn Finnegan.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotation in a book review or critical articles
All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental
Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design
www.derangeddoctordesign.com
Published by Cooper Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-914177-15-6
To Gryffin and his Nomad.
Six books on and I’m still enjoying the ride.
1
EARTH SECTOR
Sayber looks out the window at the large station in front of them. 'Readings?'
'Nothing, sir,' Gaige reports. 'As far as I can tell it's a hunk of scrap metal.'
Sayber turns to face Avoca. 'You sure about this?'
Avoca nods. 'Readings can be deceptive. Trust me, this is the right place.'
Sayber examines the floating wreck again. 'How can you be so sure your mates won't run straight to the Foundation as soon as we make contact?'
'Not everyone in this Sector follows the rule of the Foundation. These people have opposed the Council for as long as I've known them. We'll be safe here.'
Sayber leans over Gaige's shoulder and checks the readings again. He's stalling but it's not a decision he wants to rush. Putting his faith, his crew, and his ship in the hands of a Foundation admiral goes against everything he is, but he's not too proud or stupid to dismiss Avoca's help. He's out of his depth in this Sector. 'Don't have much choice I guess.'
Avoca squeezes his shoulder briefly then nods at Gaige. 'Uncloak and bring us a little closer. Ask Lir to do the same.'
Gaige glances at Sayber for confirmation. Sayber pauses for a few seconds then nods once. Gaige relays the message to Rua as he guides Perses towards the station. 'We're being contacted, sir.' Gaige frowns as he reads the message on the screen.
'What is it?'
'Either the system is screwed up or there's someone just as screwed up over there. It just says, "JAM." That's it.'
Sayber glares over his shoulder at Avoca as the man laughs. 'He's screwed up all right. Reply with - PLUM.'
Gaige looks to Sayber for help but the Hunter just shrugs. 'Do what he says.'
Gaige takes a deep breath then relays the message to the station. 'Sir, the cargo doors are opening. Still no power readings coming from the station. I don't understand.'
'You and me both. Avoca?'
The Admiral nods towards the station. 'I suggest we get in there before someone sees us.'
Sayber shrugs and nods at Gaige. 'What the hell. We're sitting targets out here. Take us in.' Sayber leaves Gaige to guide Perses in and lowers onto his chair again. 'Who are these people?'
Avoca leans against the console behind him. 'Evie and Felix Dixon. They lived next door to me and my family for years. They'd both dutifully followed the Foundation ideals for...' he blows out a breath, 'it must be about fifty years or so. Then one day, they decided they'd had enough. They sold everything they owned and vanished from the Foundation system. I heard nothing more from them for about two years.
'Knowing I was as disillusioned about the Foundation as they were, they reached out to me. I still remember the first time I came here. I was amazed at how they had managed to build a life out here completely off the grid. They used their saved credits to transform this place and built up a network of black-market traders to supply the border worlds with whatever they need.'
Sayber whistles. 'Impressive.' Anything else he is going to say is cut off as Perses enters the station. Lights guide the ships towards a large landing platform. About a dozen transports of various sizes, condition, and age line the far side of the platform, but it's the mammoth vessel to the back of the station that gets his attention. He's never seen something so big. The enormous Foundation symbol plastered on her hull gives him reason to pause.
'I don't like the look of this. Why is there a Foundation ship here?'
'Whatever the reason the Dixon's would not betray us.' Avoca slaps Sayber on the back. 'Just follow my lead.'
'Yeah, sure,' Sayber scoffs. 'Gaige, stay here. If anything looks off, get Perses out of here. Got it?'
'Yes, sir.'
Sayber walks with Avoca to the cargo hold and tries to steady his nerves as the back opens. He steps onto the ramp and looks around him. He nods at Rua as the captain waits at the base of Lir's ramp to his left. Both captains examine the inside of the facility. The derelict station deception is effective. From the outside you would never guess at what is really going on inside. State of the art atmospheric units circulate fresh, cool air around the cargo hold. A team busily works on a platform to his right, unloading crates stamped with the Foundation logo from a transport. Sayber smirks. There's no sign of any Foundation personnel, meaning the ship and the cargo must have been stolen. He likes these people already.
Two double height doors ahead of them burst open and a couple walks out. Evie and Felix Dixon couldn't be further from what Sayber had envisioned. After only spending a few minutes on the station and seeing a small part of the operation, Sayber had pictured an imposing couple. The truth is a far different picture.
Dressed in a red blazer, white shirt, green cargo shorts, and black boots, Felix doesn't fit his surroundings. Evie follows after him in a knee length skirt, heavy navy jumper, and brown sandals. Her greying, wiry hair is stuffed under a wide brimmed hat with a large flower sticking out of it.
'Different,' Sayber mutters as they approach.
Avoca smiles and laughs. 'They prefer eclectic.'
Felix waves his arm at the security. 'Get out of my way. Move!
'
The men step aside, giving the couple room to pass. 'Well, well, well. Think I may finally be losing it. Hank Avoca?'
'You're looking well, Felix. Evie, you haven't aged at all.'
'And you're still a lousy liar, Hank.' She smiles and embraces him.
'No hugging yet,' Felix interrupts. 'Payment first.'
Sayber tenses at the comment, but Avoca merely nods and walks back up the ramp. He opens one of the crates he brought from Ultar and takes something out. He passes it to Felix who takes it from Avoca as if it was pure gold. 'Plum jam.'
'What?' Sayber asks.
Felix glances at Sayber. 'Plum jam.' He repeats each word slowly. 'Did you get it that time?' Felix looks at Avoca. 'What's his problem?'
Sayber grinds his teeth as the two men laugh at him. 'You brought a crate of jam from Ultar? I told you to pack essentials.'
'And I did. I thought we might need some help. The Dixon's are partial to plum jam.'
'Can't get it out here. Plums are reserved for the elite Foundation fat-cats.' Felix gestures behind him. 'Unload it. If even one jar goes missing, heads will roll. Now, dinner is just about ready. Can I presume there are more than just the three of you on these ships?'
Avoca nods. 'There's a full crew on each.'
Evie steps closer to Rua. 'Apologies, we've been ignoring you. Rogue?'
Rua nods. 'That a problem?'
Evie laughs. 'Heavens no. You the only woman?'
Rua shakes her head. 'My crew is all female.'
Evie squeals and claps her hand. 'You've made my day, Captain. It's a little testosterone heavy around here,' she says, waving her hand at the group of men standing beside Felix. 'Hey, you with the gun.'
'They've all got guns,' Felix responds.
'That one there. What's his name?'
Felix shrugs. 'How am I expected to remember?'
'You hired them all.'
'Yeah, but they look the same. Big men with guns.'
She nudges Rua in the side. 'The small ones didn't work.' She leans closer. 'Can you imagine having a protection detail full of men that looked like Felix. He couldn't scare a fly off a corpse.'
She waves at the man beside Felix again. Something about his stance tells Sayber he's the leader of the protection detail. Dressed in black combats and a green t-shirt, the tall, broad, menacing looking man with short, dark brown hair takes a step forward. 'Yes, you. Big guy, would you be a dear and make sure we've got enough room in the mess for the crew?'
The man sighs as he walks over to Evie. 'It's Heath.'
'What is?'
'My name, Evie.'
She pats him on his arm. 'Whatever you say.' She turns to Rua. 'He's been keeping us safe for years now. He's a big softy really, well, unless you get on his wrong side.' She leans closer and lowers her voice. 'Saw him kill someone with his bare hands once. Best security in the Sector. Isn't that right, fellow?'
He groans as he gestures to the rest of his men standing beside Felix. 'And you still don't know my name.'
'What was that, dear?' Evie asks.
'Nothing.' He addresses Rua and Sayber, 'Unload your people. After you eat, we can have a look at your ships, see if anything needs to be done.'
Rua looks over at Sayber who shrugs. 'I'm game if you are.' Rua turns her attention back to Heath and quietly examines him.
Heath holsters his gun and holds his hands out. 'I get why you're wary, but Hank is a friend of the Dixon's. We got your backs while you're here.'
The door behind them opens again and Sayber spots someone he honestly didn't think he'd see again. Bray smiles at Sayber as he approaches his captain. He stands in front of Sayber and salutes. 'I can't believe you're here.'
Sayber smiles. 'Couldn't have you going AWOL on me. If I needed to come here personally and drag you back, so be it.' He gestures over his shoulder at the hulking Foundation ship behind him. 'Should I ask?'
Bray grins as he proudly looks at the ship. 'I didn't think the Foundation deserved her.' He shrugs. 'You never know, she might come in handy.'
'You don't say.' Sayber looks around the group of mismatched people. 'Where's your mate?'
Bray's face drops. 'Still on Earth. It's a long story. Fill you in over dinner?'
'Sounds good.'
Bray looks over Sayber's shoulder at Rua, standing on the loading ramp of Lir. 'Captain.'
A whisper of a smile crosses her lips before it disappears. She nods at him then turns to the Rogue beside her. 'Regan, assemble the crew. I want a team on board at all times. Take it in shifts.'
Seeing that everyone is in agreement, Evie claps her hands together. 'Fantastic. Time for dinner.'
'Couldn't agree more,' Felix says. 'My stomach feels like my throat's been cut.'
'Oh you're always hungry. Don't think I won't be keeping an eye on those jam jars too. I know what you're like. I haven't forgotten about the cake.'
'Seriously, woman. Can you not let that go? We have company.'
She thumps him full force in the arm. 'Do not call me 'woman', and no, I will not let it go. It was my birthday cake.'
'And it was delicious.'
Evie glowers at her husband for a moment, then turns away from him with a snort. 'Big fellow, I'll leave you to organise the people.'
Heath closes his eyes and mutters under his breath. 'I swear she does it on purpose.' He moves away to speak to his team while Avoca, Sayber, Bray, and Rua follow the Dixon's through the large doors.
Sayber and Rua fall into step beside Avoca. 'They always like this?' Rua asks.
Avoca nods. 'Don't let them fool you. Heath and his men are the muscle, but the Dixon's are, without a doubt, the brains behind this station. Anything they don't know about smuggling, hacking systems, or evading detection isn't worth knowing.'
'You're putting a lot of faith in them,' Rua says.
'They haven't let me down in the past.'
Sayber stops Avoca. 'You've used them before?'
'Of course.'
'Why would an upstanding Foundation admiral need smugglers?'
'How do you think I got Bray out of Tyrat?' Avoca puts his hand on Bray's shoulder. 'They organised everything for me.'
Bray leads them down the corridor to a large open-plan mess. 'I spent a few weeks here recovering after Tyrat. They're good people.'
'Will they be able to help with Garvan and Gryffin?'
Bray takes a deep breath before answering Sayber, 'I hope so — for all our sakes.'
FOUNDATION HQ - EARTH
Garvan wakes from his nightmare and sits up suddenly. He gasps in pain and presses a hand to his stomach as his wound protests. A few sessions in the rejuvenation pod has helped, but it's still bloody sore. Harvey said that he'd need just one more session in the pod before he's strong enough to undergo some mods.
Garvan rubs a hand across his face and swings his legs over the side of the cot. That's something he'd prefer to put off as long as possible. After checking he's not about to have any company, he throws himself against the cot, ramming his wound against the corner.
He bites back a scream and somehow manages to stay conscious and convince the little food in his stomach to stay put. He squeezes his eyes shut and focuses on breathing instead of throwing up or passing out. When the room stops spinning, he crawls on to his bed and slowly lies back on the hard surface. Blood seeps through his scrub top, the material sticking to his wound with every laboured breath.
With each passing day in this place, Tyrat looks more like a holiday resort. He misses the nice, cosy, foul smelling, dank cell he spent three years in. At least there he knew he had a fair chance at survival. If any of the prisoners got in his face, he'd be able to deal with it - fair and square. Man against man. Fist against fist.
Harvey isn't playing by the rules, and he doesn't have a clue how to prepare for his games. All he can do is keep his head and not let the bastard think he's getting the upper hand. Which he is.
He thought Harvey had done his worst when it came
to tearing his life apart. It seems he was wrong.
And that's more than a little irritating. When he had survived his first few days in Tyrat, he swore he'd never let anyone control his life again. The guards tried, but after a few broken bones - theirs not his - he made his case. They left him alone for the most part, only pushing him around when their bosses visited. Then Bray burst into his cell and took him from that monotonous hell.
He has no regrets throwing himself off the back side of Alpha. It helped to get Bray and his family to safety. He'd re-paid his debt to the Hunter and that's the most important thing. With all the lies and deceit plaguing the Sector thanks to the Foundation, it was damn important to stick to your word.
He stares up at the featureless ceiling and resists the urge to scream and beat his fists against anything and everything. It would be too easy to let the situation take over and drag him down to a dark place. He forces himself to think about Erin instead. Leaving aside the fact she's Bray's cousin and a fair few years his junior, he can't deny the attraction.
He looks down at the ring on the chain around his neck. He loves his wife, but if he's being really honest, he was never in love with her. Like everything else on Foundation Earth, their marriage was arranged by a computer somewhere deep in the bowels of HQ.
Whatever attraction he feels for Erin is real. It hasn't been engineered by the Foundation or decided by a computer. A little bit of him regrets turning her down when she tried to kiss him. Given his current predicament, having that pleasant memory to focus on would be nicer than some of the thoughts running through his head.
2
ULTAR
Roman walks down the steps leading from the side of Infinity and looks around the base. He was only gone two days, but it felt like a lifetime.
If someone had told him he'd be happy as a rebel commander in the Outer Sector, he would have thought them crazy. Yet here he is. Up against the Foundation but also truly happy for the first time in his life. Well, the first time since Maggie, his first love, left him and had his son in secret. A son who is occupying many of his thoughts recently.
His second in command, Tanner, a fresh-faced officer who was finding life in the Outer Sector as easy to adjust to as Roman had, stops at his left shoulder and hands him the report from their latest mission. 'Debrief now, sir?'