Read Online Star Runners 2: Revelation Protocol by L E Thomas - Free Book Online Page A

cart awaited them outside the Terminus Building. Austin moved to the front seat of the cart and held onto the side of his seat. Sharkey launched the cart away from the building, sending gravel spitting backward. Austin grabbed the bar for support, so he didn't tumble onto the Grand Lawn.
    "Chief?” Austin paused a moment to consider his words. “Has something like this ever happened?"
    Sharkey took a deep breath as he negotiated a turn into the wooded path. "The action is usually far from Earth, but command has placed everyone on high alert. No one has ever targeted Legion personnel on a backwater like Earth, at least not on this scale. Honestly, that is all we know. However, it appears Star Runners are being targeted throughout Quadrant Eight, not just on Earth."
    "Who would do that?"
    He sighed and shook his head. "Anyone. Zahl Empire. Pirates. It has happened before in the Quadrant, but long before my time. Class was thankfully not in session when we received word. I am glad. It is a real pain evacuating campus and dealing with parents."
    "I'm sure."
    The cart squeaked to a halt outside the main gate. Four Tizona blue sedans parked side-by-side in the lot in front of them.
    "We going to drive all night?" Austin asked.
    Sharkey rolled his eyes. "Well, they certainly don't fly."
    *****
    It took an hour to reach the long stretch of Interstate 16 amid a world of endless pine trees broken by gas stations and fast food restaurants. Sharkey spent his time engrossed in a tablet, furiously typing and swiping through documents while Austin drove. Austin tried to listen, but had to focus on the road. Driving the car felt strange after doing nothing but piloting a Trident fighter. By the second hour in the car, weariness drifted into his mind. His thoughts wandered in the silence.
    "Bathroom break," Sharkey barked, his voice pounding through the silence like a jackhammer. He leaned over. "We could use some gas, too."
    "Yes, sir."
    "No need for that 'sir' crap anymore, lieutenant. You outrank me and you earned it."
    "Yes, sir."
    Sharkey laughed. "You know I was hard on you in school, but you understand now."
    Austin thought of the hours Sharkey spent yelling at all of them, of the time he spent providing the survival training. "I do."
    "Your training is what helped you do what you did to save Scorpion and Talon."
    Austin looked at him. "You heard about that?"
    "The entire navy in Quadrant Eight heard about that." Sharkey gazed out the window. “We are all briefed on the latest incidents with the Tyral Pirates. That’s a situation that just keeps getting worse.”
    Austin felt his chest tighten at the mention of the pirates. “They all need to be destroyed.”
    Sharkey snorted. “I couldn’t agree more. You know where they are?”
    “Of course not.”
    “Well, that’s the problem.” Sharkey made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Still, you scrapped with them up close and personal. What was it like?”
    Austin heard Rodon’s taunting voice over the gamma wave replaying in his mind. He nearly had the pirate leader, even fired on him despite the disadvantage of carrying Ryker and Nubern. His adrenaline pumping in his veins. The final bolts crashed into Rodon’s ship, ripping apart metal. But he escaped. Some on board the station thought Austin should be granted a kill for the effort, but there was no proof. Rodon was still out there, waiting.
    “Frustrating,” he finally said. “I should have had him.”
    “Don’t worry about Rodon,” Sharkey said, folding his arms over his chest and reclining the seat backward. “He’ll get what’s coming to him.”
    Austin shook his head. “But how does he keep doing this?”
    “You have no control over what he does. You can only control how you react. Right now, we are going to save your mother and friend.” Sharkey shrugged. “Let’s worry about the task at hand and that task is making sure you don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Let me just say I’m grateful you saved an