Read Online The Ninth by Benjamin Schramm - Free Book Online Page A

Brent to come closer.  As Brent got close, the burly man put a hand on his shoulder.
    “Listen, I know you did what you thought was best, but never trust a spacer.  You take your friend to the Silver Dragon too.  Tell them he needs a decent ident card, and show them this joke the Commonwealth made for him,” the burly man whispered as he handed the forged card to Brent.  “I hope his family gets well soon so the two of you can get off that death trap
    “Thanks for your help,” Brent said sincerely.
    “We’ve got to stick together; can’t let the spacers get everything they want.”  The burly man smiled.
    With that, Brent headed toward the elevator.  As the doors closed, Brent let out a tremendous sigh of relief.  They had made it.
     
     
     
    The last of the great monitors went dark.  The troopers cheered and jeered.  The observation room was twice as large as the mess hall and several times more popular.  Troopers filled it to capacity, shouting over the victories and defeats they’d just witnessed.  The first exam was over, and it had been unusual to say the least.
    “I don’t know about you, Jack, but I didn’t see that coming,” Nathan said still laughing.
    “Tripping and accidentally pulling the entire group off the platform right after they exit the drop ship,” Jack said, shaking his head
    “She just had to check out the edge.  Valiant effort by the group to save her, though.  Too bad they all ended up being pulled over the edge.”
    “I suppose it’s safe to say group E didn’t pass the exam.”
    “Pass?”  Nathan started laughing again.  “I’m not even sure if they technically started it.”
    Getting up from his chair, Nathan made his way to the bookies that were busy calculating the payouts.  Spotting the boy he had placed his bet with, Nathan quickly approached and tapped him on the shoulder.
    “Hello there, my boy,” Nathan said as non-threateningly as he could.  “I’m sure you remember me from earlier.”
    Just as before, the boy sheepishly nodded.
    “I was wondering if you could put up the results from the exams on the monitors?”  Nathan asked plainly.
    For a moment the boy froze then exchanged glances with the other bookies.
    “Sir, we can’t do that,” the boy replied slowly.  “The information is confidential.”
    “Nonsense, that’s never stopped you before.  I know you’ve already got the results and are using that information to figure out what you owe and what you are owed.  Just put up what you’ve got on the screens.”
    “Sir, even if I wanted to, I can’t.  We don’t have access.  We’d have to go through maintenance to get permission, and they’d never allow it.”
    “It never ceases to amaze me how many people on this station have more authority than I do.”  Nathan sighed and shook his head in dismay.  “Now look here, take my pad.  Use my authorization codes and put the information up there.  If anyone gives you any trouble, you tell them that the Administer ordered you to do it.”
    The boy again exchanged glances with the other bookies but in the end nodded and took the pad.  After a few moments the monitors started to shift to life.  As the boy handed back the pad, Nathan snatched it and sprinted back to Jack.  Nathan didn’t want to risk missing the reaction.
    “What was all that about?”  Jack asked suspiciously.
    “You’ll see,” Nathan said, nodding toward the main monitors.
    The monitors started replaying the key moments of the groups.  It started with group E, showing the disastrous plummet from the platform and the surprised look on the recruits’ faces as they landed on a nearly invisible net only a short drop below the platform.  A second monitor displayed statistics and other data on group E’s performance that were meaningless to Nathan.  What was important, at least financially, was that they had done the worst and were in last place as far as betting was concerned.  Nathan shuddered at the