Read Online Coletti Warlords: Reality Bites by Gail Koger - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gail Koger
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like quicksand, poisonous snakes, man-eating trees, and what looked like spotted saber-toothed tigers.
A glowing yellow planet filled the view screen. Gansu, a world nobody wanted.
I tapped an icon, and an ocean of lemon-colored sand spread out before me on the monitor. A few thorny blue trees dotted the landscape. As the shuttle flew west, thick gray clouds billowed up.
My attention was caught by a blinking red light on the control panel. Oh goody, the shields were failing. “Any way this piece of crap will hold together long enough for us to land?”
I gasped as the ship began spinning and twisting in a rapid vertical drop. “Forget I asked.”
Jaylan’s fingers flew across the console. The emergency backup systems came online, and the roar of the engines became deafening.
G-forces slammed me back against the seat. My teeth clenched as the shaking grew worse.
Stressed metal shrieked and began to buckle.
“C’mon, big guy, don’t let us crash.”
The warlord flashed me a fierce smile.
He was enjoying this?
The ship’s violent descent began to slow and level off.
Maybe we wouldn’t die today.
A piece of the fuselage broke away, leaving a ragged hole edged with twisted metal and ripped cabling. We were so dead.
Hurricane-strength winds poured into the shuttle. A horrific, grinding screech tore at my already fragile control, and I watched in dread as another jagged hole appeared in the metal. Oh fuck!
His fangs bared in a feral snarl, Jaylan gave the console a hard whack. The navigation computer flickered to life. A radar map appeared briefly on the screen.
Pop! Systems shorted out in a spray of sparks. Oh God, the engines were dead, and so were we.
“Take my hand,” Jaylan commanded.
I grabbed it. “You’ve got a plan?”
“I am Coletti.” He released my harness and yanked me onto his lap. “We teleport to the surface.”
“What? But…isn’t that a wee bit dangerous?”
“We stay. We die.” There was a fleeting instant of blackness, and we were sitting on the enormous skull of some long-dead creature.
A feeble sun peered through the thick clouds. Wisps of mist swirled around bony black trees that protruded from the slimy mud. Rackety croaks and the buzz of a million bugs filled the air.
“Yay. I get to honeymoon in the swamp of a thousand deaths.”
Jaylan drawled in annoyance, “Does that mouth ever stop?”
“Nope. It’s part of my charm.”
He snorted.
A high-pitched bellowing roar echoed around the swamp. The tree branches jiggled wildly.
I shot to my feet. What kind of critter made that noise? I blinked. Was I seeing things, or were the trees really moving? Oh ick. Zillions of red, long-legged spiders scurried down the trunks. They probably thought we were dinner. “What are the chances of us getting out of here in one piece?” I raised my hand. “So help me God, if you say ‘I am Coletti’ one more time, I gonna bust you one.”
“A warlord is always prepared to defend his mate.” Jaylan’s predatory gaze locked on a ripple in the scummy yellow water.
“Good answer, pookie.”
A bulky, elongated head rose out of the sludge. The creature opened its jaws, exposing needle-sharp teeth.
Jaylan pulled his laser pistol. “Stay close to me.”
“Not going to be a problem, boss.”
Out of nowhere, a spiny, gray barracuda fish thingy popped up behind jaws. Snap! Bodies thrashed in the water and churned it into foam.
My radar went to DEFCON 1. “Oh hell!” An enormous cloud of armored orange insects descended on us.
Jaylan’s battle suit glowed brightly as the bugs committed hari-kari on the energy field.
My helmet was immediately covered with a swarm of insects that looked like a cross between a mosquito and a cockroach. The little fiends seemed determined to eat their way through my spacesuit. “Get us out of here.”
Wrapping an arm around me, Jaylan teleported us again and again and again.
Each time, I caught a fleeting glimpse of the residents of this
A glowing yellow planet filled the view screen. Gansu, a world nobody wanted.
I tapped an icon, and an ocean of lemon-colored sand spread out before me on the monitor. A few thorny blue trees dotted the landscape. As the shuttle flew west, thick gray clouds billowed up.
My attention was caught by a blinking red light on the control panel. Oh goody, the shields were failing. “Any way this piece of crap will hold together long enough for us to land?”
I gasped as the ship began spinning and twisting in a rapid vertical drop. “Forget I asked.”
Jaylan’s fingers flew across the console. The emergency backup systems came online, and the roar of the engines became deafening.
G-forces slammed me back against the seat. My teeth clenched as the shaking grew worse.
Stressed metal shrieked and began to buckle.
“C’mon, big guy, don’t let us crash.”
The warlord flashed me a fierce smile.
He was enjoying this?
The ship’s violent descent began to slow and level off.
Maybe we wouldn’t die today.
A piece of the fuselage broke away, leaving a ragged hole edged with twisted metal and ripped cabling. We were so dead.
Hurricane-strength winds poured into the shuttle. A horrific, grinding screech tore at my already fragile control, and I watched in dread as another jagged hole appeared in the metal. Oh fuck!
His fangs bared in a feral snarl, Jaylan gave the console a hard whack. The navigation computer flickered to life. A radar map appeared briefly on the screen.
Pop! Systems shorted out in a spray of sparks. Oh God, the engines were dead, and so were we.
“Take my hand,” Jaylan commanded.
I grabbed it. “You’ve got a plan?”
“I am Coletti.” He released my harness and yanked me onto his lap. “We teleport to the surface.”
“What? But…isn’t that a wee bit dangerous?”
“We stay. We die.” There was a fleeting instant of blackness, and we were sitting on the enormous skull of some long-dead creature.
A feeble sun peered through the thick clouds. Wisps of mist swirled around bony black trees that protruded from the slimy mud. Rackety croaks and the buzz of a million bugs filled the air.
“Yay. I get to honeymoon in the swamp of a thousand deaths.”
Jaylan drawled in annoyance, “Does that mouth ever stop?”
“Nope. It’s part of my charm.”
He snorted.
A high-pitched bellowing roar echoed around the swamp. The tree branches jiggled wildly.
I shot to my feet. What kind of critter made that noise? I blinked. Was I seeing things, or were the trees really moving? Oh ick. Zillions of red, long-legged spiders scurried down the trunks. They probably thought we were dinner. “What are the chances of us getting out of here in one piece?” I raised my hand. “So help me God, if you say ‘I am Coletti’ one more time, I gonna bust you one.”
“A warlord is always prepared to defend his mate.” Jaylan’s predatory gaze locked on a ripple in the scummy yellow water.
“Good answer, pookie.”
A bulky, elongated head rose out of the sludge. The creature opened its jaws, exposing needle-sharp teeth.
Jaylan pulled his laser pistol. “Stay close to me.”
“Not going to be a problem, boss.”
Out of nowhere, a spiny, gray barracuda fish thingy popped up behind jaws. Snap! Bodies thrashed in the water and churned it into foam.
My radar went to DEFCON 1. “Oh hell!” An enormous cloud of armored orange insects descended on us.
Jaylan’s battle suit glowed brightly as the bugs committed hari-kari on the energy field.
My helmet was immediately covered with a swarm of insects that looked like a cross between a mosquito and a cockroach. The little fiends seemed determined to eat their way through my spacesuit. “Get us out of here.”
Wrapping an arm around me, Jaylan teleported us again and again and again.
Each time, I caught a fleeting glimpse of the residents of this
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