Read Online Icarus (Interstellar Cargo Book 1) by Matt Verish - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Matt Verish
Tags: adventure, Action, Space Opera, Artificial intelligence, Space Exploration, firefly, dark matter, icarus
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you, Musgrave?” Emmerich quipped, sitting forward, sidearm in hand. “Not in the face of danger.” She chuckled. “I can’t say I’m surprised—not with your track record.”
Leather creaked, and Cole met her gaze with a glower. “You don’t know shit , Inspector.”
Emmerich’s smile was filled with malice. “She trusted you.” The smile evaporated. “And you betrayed that trust with one selfish act.” She held up her index finger for emphasis. “Hundreds of lives lost because of you .”
There’s about to be one more added to that list. Cole’s fists relaxed, and he blew a low whistle. “Wow, that’s an impressive recounting.” He slowly clapped. “It’s especially impressive how you can pass judgment seeing as you weren’t there when the Daedalus went down.”
Emmerich didn’t bat an eyelash. “How fortuitous for you that it was your word against a battlecruiser full of ghosts.”
Cole exhaled deeply and nodded. “Yep.”
Emmerich shook her head, clearly disappointed with his response. “You’re a real piece of work, Captain .” She spoke the title as though he were Judas incarnate.
“Says the lunatic on the verge of slaughtering thousands of innocents to prove a moot point.”
“Careful.”
“Or else you’ll shoot your scapegoat?” Cole was done with this game. “You wouldn’t want to end my life prematurely, seeing as you’ll need me to pilot this ship back to the S3.” He could almost smell the smoke coming from her ears, and he knew he was right. He decided to further press his luck. “And don’t think I haven’t seen through your little lie.”
She raised an eyebrow, indicating he continue his climb into the jettison chamber.
Cole sat forward, watching Emmerich as it slid toward her sidearm. “You plan on blowing me in once we land. I’m too much of a liability, and you can’t take a chance investigators will overlook our special delivery.”
“You’re too smart for your own good, Musgrave,” Emmerich said, removing her sidearm. “I’ll just have to trust a faulty CAIN.”
A flash, and the viewport went dark. A distant, sourceless boom followed the anomaly, the ship shuddering violently. Alarms sounded, but it was CAIN’s voice Cole and Emmerich heard.
Lines of confusion arose on Emmerich’s face as the ship’s lights flickered and dimmed. “What is this?” She grabbed the arms of her chair for support. She and Cole began to lift as though they had entered zero G. She gazed into the black abyss that was the surrounding Terraport, her eyes wide. “What’s happening?”
The capacitor , Cole thought, recalling his recent conversation with CAIN. It must have deflected the EMP blast initiated by the generator. Lin managed to convert a company built generator into her weapon? The Terraport’s gone dark....
Cole and Emmerich unceremoniously landed in their respective seats. The drop was less than a foot, but it was enough of a distraction for Cole to make his move. He rushed at the inspector, but his world shifted and darkened as the effects of his injury assailed him anew. He stumbled into the console, his shoulder clipping Emmerich’s back, knocking her to the ground. Her sidearm slid away from her, out of reach.
Cole lunged after the weapon but was tangled by Emmerich’s extended legs. He hit the deck hard, his hand slapping the sidearm further away. He was slow to rise and barely managed to dodge another boot to the head, but his evasive action sent him sprawling in the other direction, colliding with the pilot chair. By the time he recovered his balance, he was staring down the barrel of Emmerich’s sidearm. She pulled the trigger.
Nothing! Cole thought, frantic. “ ‘Partial deflection,’ ” he murmured, realizing the EMP blast must have affected the plastol sidearm, rendering it useless. Temporarily, at the least.
Leather creaked, and Cole met her gaze with a glower. “You don’t know shit , Inspector.”
Emmerich’s smile was filled with malice. “She trusted you.” The smile evaporated. “And you betrayed that trust with one selfish act.” She held up her index finger for emphasis. “Hundreds of lives lost because of you .”
There’s about to be one more added to that list. Cole’s fists relaxed, and he blew a low whistle. “Wow, that’s an impressive recounting.” He slowly clapped. “It’s especially impressive how you can pass judgment seeing as you weren’t there when the Daedalus went down.”
Emmerich didn’t bat an eyelash. “How fortuitous for you that it was your word against a battlecruiser full of ghosts.”
Cole exhaled deeply and nodded. “Yep.”
Emmerich shook her head, clearly disappointed with his response. “You’re a real piece of work, Captain .” She spoke the title as though he were Judas incarnate.
“Says the lunatic on the verge of slaughtering thousands of innocents to prove a moot point.”
“Careful.”
“Or else you’ll shoot your scapegoat?” Cole was done with this game. “You wouldn’t want to end my life prematurely, seeing as you’ll need me to pilot this ship back to the S3.” He could almost smell the smoke coming from her ears, and he knew he was right. He decided to further press his luck. “And don’t think I haven’t seen through your little lie.”
She raised an eyebrow, indicating he continue his climb into the jettison chamber.
Cole sat forward, watching Emmerich as it slid toward her sidearm. “You plan on blowing me in once we land. I’m too much of a liability, and you can’t take a chance investigators will overlook our special delivery.”
“You’re too smart for your own good, Musgrave,” Emmerich said, removing her sidearm. “I’ll just have to trust a faulty CAIN.”
A flash, and the viewport went dark. A distant, sourceless boom followed the anomaly, the ship shuddering violently. Alarms sounded, but it was CAIN’s voice Cole and Emmerich heard.
Lines of confusion arose on Emmerich’s face as the ship’s lights flickered and dimmed. “What is this?” She grabbed the arms of her chair for support. She and Cole began to lift as though they had entered zero G. She gazed into the black abyss that was the surrounding Terraport, her eyes wide. “What’s happening?”
The capacitor , Cole thought, recalling his recent conversation with CAIN. It must have deflected the EMP blast initiated by the generator. Lin managed to convert a company built generator into her weapon? The Terraport’s gone dark....
Cole and Emmerich unceremoniously landed in their respective seats. The drop was less than a foot, but it was enough of a distraction for Cole to make his move. He rushed at the inspector, but his world shifted and darkened as the effects of his injury assailed him anew. He stumbled into the console, his shoulder clipping Emmerich’s back, knocking her to the ground. Her sidearm slid away from her, out of reach.
Cole lunged after the weapon but was tangled by Emmerich’s extended legs. He hit the deck hard, his hand slapping the sidearm further away. He was slow to rise and barely managed to dodge another boot to the head, but his evasive action sent him sprawling in the other direction, colliding with the pilot chair. By the time he recovered his balance, he was staring down the barrel of Emmerich’s sidearm. She pulled the trigger.
Nothing! Cole thought, frantic. “ ‘Partial deflection,’ ” he murmured, realizing the EMP blast must have affected the plastol sidearm, rendering it useless. Temporarily, at the least.
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