Read Online Ghosts of Empire (Book 4 of The Empire of Bones Saga) by Terry Mixon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Terry Mixon
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Abigail’s obnoxious demands. Olivia found herself liking the small woman.
“Okay. What am I missing?”
“The men behind her are in a variant of standard unpowered Fleet Marine armor. So far, so good. Her armor is not standard marine issue, however. Also, even though she never used them, Abigail noted she had implants, so she’s an officer.”
Olivia frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. Only shock troops use armor.”
Imperial shock troops were the Empire’s most deadly ground weapon. The massive suits made them virtually invincible. The people inside them, though, weren’t trusted. Their officers kept them on a very short leash. At the first sign of a problem, their officers would eliminate them. The AIs didn’t want humans to possess that kind of destructive power.
“That’s what Captain Black said. We don’t have any marines in the families now, but we have the basic data. Marine officers use unpowered armor. No exceptions. And look at her size? She’s a tiny little thing. I could scruff her and she’d never land a blow on me. She’s not a marine.”
Bumped out of her comfortable mental space, Olivia took the time to consider the situation and listen to the exchange between the woman and Abigail again.
“She calls them ‘her marines’ right out in the open,” Olivia said. “What about her armor. If it’s not standard issue, perhaps identifying it will give us a clue who we’re dealing with.”
William shook his head. “That only deepens the mystery. The old databases identify it as Marine Raider armor.”
Olivia’s frown deepened. “What’s a Marine Raider? I’ve never heard the term before.”
“According to the records, Marine Raiders were the premier troops of the pre-rebellion Terran Empire. So heavily enhanced they could take out dozens of regular marines all by themselves. Artificial muscles, hardened bones, combat drugs that made them almost immune to pain, and faster than death.
“That armor is lighter than the stuff used by the shock troops, but these commandos could strike out of nowhere and be gone before you knew you were dead. There hasn’t been a Marine Raider in over five centuries. They died trying to stave off the AIs. Or, so we’ve always thought.”
Well, that certainly made for an unexpected surprise. Who was this woman, and what was her role? Had the AIs resurrected the Terran Empire’s deadliest killing machines? Was she a weapon the Imperial lords would use to stab Harrison’s World in the heart?
Her name was Kelsey Bandar, or so she’d said. Olivia looked forward to meeting this exquisitely deadly woman in person.
“Well, now that you’ve ruined my day,” Olivia said, “let’s have a drink. The good stuff. I might not be in a position to enjoy it tomorrow.”
She poured a drink for her friend and for herself. When he was ready, she raised her glass. “To the Emperor. May he rest in peace.”
William finished the ceremonial toast. “And to the Empire. May it rise from the ashes.”
Olivia drank deeply to that. One day they’d restore the Empire or die trying.
* * * * *
Jared awoke when his door chimed. A quick check showed Crown Princess Elise of Pentagar smiling at the pickup. His internal chronometer said he had an hour left before his alarm went off, but he’d cheerfully lose some sleep to see his girlfriend again.
He threw on some clothes and opened the hatch. “Hey! I didn’t expect you for a few more hours.”
She stepped into his arms and kissed him. “I know you have a busy day ahead of you and I wanted some time alone first.”
Her Royal Guard companions remained outside as he closed the hatch.
She hugged him hard. “I’m so happy you made it through that battle. I watched the vids on the trip out. God. If I hadn’t known in advance that you’d made it, I’d have been certain you’d all died. That was insane.”
The battle for this system had been brutal. “We didn’t have a choice. We had to win or suffer
“Okay. What am I missing?”
“The men behind her are in a variant of standard unpowered Fleet Marine armor. So far, so good. Her armor is not standard marine issue, however. Also, even though she never used them, Abigail noted she had implants, so she’s an officer.”
Olivia frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. Only shock troops use armor.”
Imperial shock troops were the Empire’s most deadly ground weapon. The massive suits made them virtually invincible. The people inside them, though, weren’t trusted. Their officers kept them on a very short leash. At the first sign of a problem, their officers would eliminate them. The AIs didn’t want humans to possess that kind of destructive power.
“That’s what Captain Black said. We don’t have any marines in the families now, but we have the basic data. Marine officers use unpowered armor. No exceptions. And look at her size? She’s a tiny little thing. I could scruff her and she’d never land a blow on me. She’s not a marine.”
Bumped out of her comfortable mental space, Olivia took the time to consider the situation and listen to the exchange between the woman and Abigail again.
“She calls them ‘her marines’ right out in the open,” Olivia said. “What about her armor. If it’s not standard issue, perhaps identifying it will give us a clue who we’re dealing with.”
William shook his head. “That only deepens the mystery. The old databases identify it as Marine Raider armor.”
Olivia’s frown deepened. “What’s a Marine Raider? I’ve never heard the term before.”
“According to the records, Marine Raiders were the premier troops of the pre-rebellion Terran Empire. So heavily enhanced they could take out dozens of regular marines all by themselves. Artificial muscles, hardened bones, combat drugs that made them almost immune to pain, and faster than death.
“That armor is lighter than the stuff used by the shock troops, but these commandos could strike out of nowhere and be gone before you knew you were dead. There hasn’t been a Marine Raider in over five centuries. They died trying to stave off the AIs. Or, so we’ve always thought.”
Well, that certainly made for an unexpected surprise. Who was this woman, and what was her role? Had the AIs resurrected the Terran Empire’s deadliest killing machines? Was she a weapon the Imperial lords would use to stab Harrison’s World in the heart?
Her name was Kelsey Bandar, or so she’d said. Olivia looked forward to meeting this exquisitely deadly woman in person.
“Well, now that you’ve ruined my day,” Olivia said, “let’s have a drink. The good stuff. I might not be in a position to enjoy it tomorrow.”
She poured a drink for her friend and for herself. When he was ready, she raised her glass. “To the Emperor. May he rest in peace.”
William finished the ceremonial toast. “And to the Empire. May it rise from the ashes.”
Olivia drank deeply to that. One day they’d restore the Empire or die trying.
* * * * *
Jared awoke when his door chimed. A quick check showed Crown Princess Elise of Pentagar smiling at the pickup. His internal chronometer said he had an hour left before his alarm went off, but he’d cheerfully lose some sleep to see his girlfriend again.
He threw on some clothes and opened the hatch. “Hey! I didn’t expect you for a few more hours.”
She stepped into his arms and kissed him. “I know you have a busy day ahead of you and I wanted some time alone first.”
Her Royal Guard companions remained outside as he closed the hatch.
She hugged him hard. “I’m so happy you made it through that battle. I watched the vids on the trip out. God. If I hadn’t known in advance that you’d made it, I’d have been certain you’d all died. That was insane.”
The battle for this system had been brutal. “We didn’t have a choice. We had to win or suffer
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