Glory Main Read Online Free PDF

turn. The dark green of Trent’s flight suit was tracked with orange where she’d slept on the ground. In the full light, Mortas now saw that her hair was a reddish-­brown and that her eyes were a striking blue. “I haven’t heard any birds, or seen anything moving . . . at all.”
    â€œBig surprise, huh?” Cranther’s friendly tone had changed to mockery. “With us being so familiar with this place.”
    Mortas fired a disapproving look in Cranther’s direction and was pleased when the scout pursed his lips and resumed surveying the plain. Trent seemed not to have noticed.
    â€œI just thought it would be helpful if we had some kind of indigenous life to observe. A flock of birds, maybe they’d show us where the water is.”
    â€œGotta be careful, though.” Cranther tilted his head skyward. “On Platinus the Sims had these incredible reconnaissance robots that flew just like the birds. Took Command forever to figure that one out.
    â€œBut there is something alive here other than the plants.”
    â€œWhat? Did you see something?”
    â€œNo.” The scout pointed at the seat of his trousers, where a darkened area had bled across the camouflage pattern. “I slept in a pile of guano last night and didn’t notice it until this morning. Little bead-­like things, no idea what made them.”
    As hard as he tried not to, Mortas couldn’t keep from snorting in laughter. Trent joined in uneasily, but Cranther didn’t seem to care. Taking a step back from the edge, he canted his head toward a spot on the other side of the plateau. “Let’s see how the Wisp is coming along. He was making some kind of a rock garden last time I saw him.”
    Mortas recognized the pejorative term for members of the Holy Whisper cult, but decided not to say anything. The modest connection he’d made with Cranther could be broken at any time, and he’d already laughed at him for no good reason at all. He was still dwelling on that when the trio arrived at the spot where Gorman had been praying the night before.
    At first he thought that the objector had gone insane. Gorman stood in the middle of a broad arrangement of fist-­sized rocks that were connected by shallow gouges dug in the dirt. The mapmaker was busily writing in the notebook Cranther had given him, and only detected their presence when he stopped to review a segment of his arcane artwork.
    â€œOh, hello.” Gorman tucked the notebook under one arm and pulled back the sleeve of his flight suit to reveal the timepiece Cranther had been sporting the day before. He unbuckled it while speaking to the scout. “I started the timer when the first rays came over the horizon, Corporal. Just as you asked.”
    Cranther accepted the chronometer and replaced it on his wrist. He glanced at Mortas, who was once again kicking himself for having forgotten to track the movement of the strange planet’s sun. “I had to pee a few hours ago and the Wisp here was awake so I asked him to help out.”
    Gorman didn’t indicate he’d taken any offense at the insulting term, instead returning his eyes to the rock pattern at his feet. “I was up anyway. Thought I heard thunder at one point, but it was somewhere on the other side of those mountains.”
    Mortas looked at Cranther, and the scout shrugged in reply. Not knowing what to make of the thunder comment, he pointed at the chartist’s confusing handiwork. “What’s all this?”
    â€œWell, it’s like I told you, Lieutenant. Sometimes you have to seek guidance from above. I studied the star formations last night, and tracked the movements.” Gorman grinned as he swept a hand across his primitive chart. “I know where we are.”
    â€œT his is the Tarlo system. Based on my estimate, I think we’re on the very edge of Twelfth Corps space.”
    â€œThat’s the Glory Corps. I