Read Online Forged by Battle (WarVerse Book 1) by Patrick J. Loller - Free Book Online
Authors: Patrick J. Loller
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under the lake evaporated, along with all the water pinning his fighter down. He had not expected his entry to put off as much heat as it did, but between shooting through the upper atmosphere and the heat of his engines he supposed it would be enough. His computer screamed a warning at him as the lake started heating. It was slow at first—he didn't even notice it for a few minutes after landing. Then the water bubbled all around him and flashed into steam. Before he knew it, he was sitting at the bottom of a dried-out lakebed.
The way he had sunk left him with his nose in the air and a good view on nothing but the sky, so Vincent unlatched his restraints and pushed himself up to try and get a better look.
"Is that a girl?" He gaped at what appeared to be the figure of a young woman across the lakebed. He must have been seeing things. "Rover, how hot is it out there?" he asked, blinking.
"Ninety-eight degrees Fahrenheit, thirty-six Celsius, three hundred and nine Kelvin..." The little bot droned.
"Alright, enough. I can pop the hatch?"
"Affirmative, sir."
Vincent reached down for the control, but hesitated before he pressed it down. What in the void was a girl doing in the middle of the jungle, and how hadn't she been killed by the fire? Vincent, like most of the fleet, had learned to be wary of things he didn't understand. It could be some kind of magical trap, though he hadn't heard any reports of portals this far out in fringe space.
"Rover, scan out a hundred meters, full frequency," Vincent ordered, waiting tensely for the reply.
"One life form detected, human," Rover answered, and Vincent didn't waste any more time. As soon as the cockpit was open he vaulted out, landing in a crouch on the dried lakebed below. It wasn't even wet. His ship had been burning hotter than he thought, or the lake was smaller than he thought he had seen. Thank the gnomes for good life support.
Vincent wasn't halfway to the girl when she called out.
"No!" she screamed, and Vincent saw immediately how terrified she was. She was young, maybe twenty standard years old, with long red hair that stuck to her in clumps. She was wearing what looked like a jumpsuit—orange with black lettering—only it was burnt off to the point that she was almost naked.
"It's okay, I'm here to help," he called, but she clearly didn't understand. He tapped the control on the side of his helmet to separate it from the nano-suit, then lifted his hands so she could see he had no weapons.
"Please." Her eyes were so wide he could only see the whites. Soot stained her olive-colored skin. She twisted her arms around herself and shook.
"It'll be okay," he told her, and then he reached out to touch her shoulder, to let her know he wasn't a threat. She collapsed.
Vincent lunged to catch her, just barely keeping her head from striking the ground. She was really pretty up close. The kind of girl he might look for if he ever made it home. He pushed her hair back behind her ear. They were round, Human. Thank god.
"Rover!" he shouted. "Med kit, now!"
The little bot scuttled off the ship and towards him, exchanging its tail and foreclaws for basic medical tools. As soon as it was close, it squatted low and played a beam from its sensor array across the girl. Its tail shot forward, stopping just short of the bend in the girl’s elbow, and then a needle deployed and pressed into her flesh.
"What's that?" Vincent asked.
"Battlefield antibiotic, painkiller, and sedative to keep her comfortable until rescue." A compartment opened at the rear of the droid’s shell. It dipped its tail, and with a small set of graspers, pulled out a square of silver cloth. "Emergency blanket."
Vincent rested the girl’s head on his knee as he pulled open the thin blanket and wrapped it around her. It felt like foil, only less prone to ripping, and reminded him of the kind of heating blankets he and his father would use when they went camping in the mountains. Human tech.
"Is the
The way he had sunk left him with his nose in the air and a good view on nothing but the sky, so Vincent unlatched his restraints and pushed himself up to try and get a better look.
"Is that a girl?" He gaped at what appeared to be the figure of a young woman across the lakebed. He must have been seeing things. "Rover, how hot is it out there?" he asked, blinking.
"Ninety-eight degrees Fahrenheit, thirty-six Celsius, three hundred and nine Kelvin..." The little bot droned.
"Alright, enough. I can pop the hatch?"
"Affirmative, sir."
Vincent reached down for the control, but hesitated before he pressed it down. What in the void was a girl doing in the middle of the jungle, and how hadn't she been killed by the fire? Vincent, like most of the fleet, had learned to be wary of things he didn't understand. It could be some kind of magical trap, though he hadn't heard any reports of portals this far out in fringe space.
"Rover, scan out a hundred meters, full frequency," Vincent ordered, waiting tensely for the reply.
"One life form detected, human," Rover answered, and Vincent didn't waste any more time. As soon as the cockpit was open he vaulted out, landing in a crouch on the dried lakebed below. It wasn't even wet. His ship had been burning hotter than he thought, or the lake was smaller than he thought he had seen. Thank the gnomes for good life support.
Vincent wasn't halfway to the girl when she called out.
"No!" she screamed, and Vincent saw immediately how terrified she was. She was young, maybe twenty standard years old, with long red hair that stuck to her in clumps. She was wearing what looked like a jumpsuit—orange with black lettering—only it was burnt off to the point that she was almost naked.
"It's okay, I'm here to help," he called, but she clearly didn't understand. He tapped the control on the side of his helmet to separate it from the nano-suit, then lifted his hands so she could see he had no weapons.
"Please." Her eyes were so wide he could only see the whites. Soot stained her olive-colored skin. She twisted her arms around herself and shook.
"It'll be okay," he told her, and then he reached out to touch her shoulder, to let her know he wasn't a threat. She collapsed.
Vincent lunged to catch her, just barely keeping her head from striking the ground. She was really pretty up close. The kind of girl he might look for if he ever made it home. He pushed her hair back behind her ear. They were round, Human. Thank god.
"Rover!" he shouted. "Med kit, now!"
The little bot scuttled off the ship and towards him, exchanging its tail and foreclaws for basic medical tools. As soon as it was close, it squatted low and played a beam from its sensor array across the girl. Its tail shot forward, stopping just short of the bend in the girl’s elbow, and then a needle deployed and pressed into her flesh.
"What's that?" Vincent asked.
"Battlefield antibiotic, painkiller, and sedative to keep her comfortable until rescue." A compartment opened at the rear of the droid’s shell. It dipped its tail, and with a small set of graspers, pulled out a square of silver cloth. "Emergency blanket."
Vincent rested the girl’s head on his knee as he pulled open the thin blanket and wrapped it around her. It felt like foil, only less prone to ripping, and reminded him of the kind of heating blankets he and his father would use when they went camping in the mountains. Human tech.
"Is the
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