Read Online Survivor by Saffron Bryant - Free Book Online

sinister
silence of a graveyard.
    Nova sprinted with every ounce of strength
she had. Codon's ship was in sight when a large weight slammed into
her back. The force of it sent her flying forward. She crashed into
the sand and a flurry of grains poured into her open mouth.
    Someone had hold of her legs and another
held her arms. She was flipped over and a bright light shone down
into her face.
    "It's the damned hunter from earlier," a
rough voice said.
    "Why the hell was she down in the tomb?"
another asked.
    "She was forbidden by Codon himself. I heard
it all."
    "What did you expect? Probably trying to
steal herself a tidy profit."
    Nova spit the sand out and coughed as grains
slid their rough way down her throat.
    "I wasn't stealing anything and even if I
had it wouldn't be any worse than what you're doing," she said. She
glared at whoever was pointing the bright light into her eyes; she
couldn't see a damned thing.
    Her entire vision was taken up with the
torch and the ring of darkness which surrounded it. Her arms and
legs were pinned and the only thing she could move was her
head.
    "Let me go," she said. "I need to talk to
Codon."
    "Where are your manners, hunter?" Alaina's
voice was unmistakeable. A sharp pain erupted up Nova's side, the
result of someone's boot.
    She spluttered. The blow knocked the air out
of her lungs and it took her some time to get her breath back.
Moments which she didn't have to waste.
    "Let me go," she said. "I need to talk to
him right away or I can promise you, you'll regret it."
    "Go easy on the threats there," Alaina said.
"I don't think you're in any position to be making them."
    "And I don't-"
    "He wants to see her," someone said, cutting
Nova's hot reply short.
    "Why would he want to see her?" Alaina
said.
    "I have no idea. Maybe he thinks she made
some wondrous discovery."
    "That damned man! He has no respect for how
things should be done. Why the general left a scientist in charge
beats the hell out of me," Alaina said.
    "They're the orders," the other voice
said.
    A new voice spoke, "What do you think we
could pin her for?"
    "I reckon we could get ten years on the Zeta
Asteroid for her."
    Alaina's sharp words cut through the night
air. "Blast the Zeta Asteroid. She should be shot. She's an insult
to the Confederacy."
    "Well the kick you gave her might just kill
her."
    "I wish," Alaina said. "Bloody hunters."
    "Orders are orders."
    "Fine," Alaina said. "But she won't leave
this planet. She's a danger to the Confederacy and a fucking
nuisance."
    "You know I'll look the other way."
    "Copy that," the third voice said.
    Rough hands grabbed hold of Nova's arms and
pulled her to her feet. She was pushed onwards through the sand,
away from the muttering soldiers. A gun muzzle rested firmly
against her spine. She would have bet a hundred credits it was
Alaina's.
    They shoved her forwards, knocking her from
side to side every few paces, until they got to the monstrosity
which was the main Confederacy vessel. They climbed the steps away
from the sandy desert floor. The lights inside the ship were
blinding, compared to the desert, and Nova had to squint to
see.
    "Where is he?" Alaina said.
    The soldier in front of Nova glanced over
his shoulder. "Where he always is."
    They swept into the ship, passing people in
Confederacy uniform. The workers checked screens and looked over
equipment. Others were gathered in small groups talking. All of
them stopped to stare at Nova as she was marched past.
    They walked through multiple rooms. The ship
stretched out in dark corridors. After walking down a maze of
passages, they came to a thick steel door.
    "Why does he need such a massive door?" the
man in front said.
    "To guard his precious research, of course,"
Alaina said. "I heard he's even got a new shield on it; better than
anything our ships have."
    "Why don't we have that technology?"
    "Beats me. The man's a nut-case. He probably
imagined the whole thing."
    As Alaina finished talking, the door slid
open to