Ronin (The Pike Chronicles Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

her mother and grandfather were talking to each other.
    “Do you know who we were in battle against today?” said Jonas.
    “The Kemmar,” said Breeah. “They were fighting over an escape pod.”
    “From Jon’s old ship?”
    “Yes.”
    “And where was Jon during the encounter?”
    “He led a team down to the surface, to rescue any survivors. He should be back on board soon.”
    “So his mission was successful?”
    “Yes, although I’m told they fought a Kemmar force on the surface.”
    Jonas nodded slowly. “This Jon is a warrior. Of that there is no doubt.”
    “Thank you, Father,” said Breeah. Her expression hopeful.
    “But he is no Reiver.”
    Breeah’s eyes narrowed. “Must we go through this again, Father?”
    “We must. Until you come to your senses.”
    “For the first time in my life I have come to my senses, and I am not leaving Jon. Not for you, not for the Reivers, not for anybody.” Anki saw the anger on her mother’s face. She understood why her mother was mad. Jon was a good person, and he looked after them. Why couldn’t her grandfather understand?
    Her mother turned to her, “Anki, we are leaving. Practice is over.” Her mother marched toward the door.
    Anki looked up at her grandfather, “Good bye Grandfather. Thank you for the lesson.”
    Her grandfather reached down and gently stroked her hair with his hard, powerful hand. “Good bye, little one.”

Chapter 7
     
    Jon could feel the creature’s tension and hostility inside him. It didn’t like being on board the Chaanisar ship. Jon couldn’t blame it. He wondered what would happen now that it had awoken. The medication that Doctor Ellerbeck had given him obviously had its limits. It had quieted the creature for a time, but the effects now seemed to have worn off. Doctor Ellerbeck had told him that the medication eased the transition, so that he and the symbiont could eventually live in harmony. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but so long as the creature couldn’t inflict pain to control him, it could be tolerable. In the long run there was no escape from the symbiont. It would keep Jon alive until death took them both. The doctor had said that he may end up living for a thousand years. A thousand years . He couldn’t wrap his mind around the concept. He would watch both Breeah and Anki grow old and eventually die. He would watch Anki’s grandchildren grow old and die. How could any human endure something like that?
    Walking down the long, dimly lit Chaanisar corridor, he studied the Juttari religious markings surrounding him. Their scriptures stated that they were destined to rule the universe. So they conquered. The Diakans were calculating and efficient. So they expanded. The Kemmar were aggressive and vicious. So they attacked. Where did that leave humanity? Where did that leave him? He was taught to be a survivor. So he survived. Now the creature would demand survival, ensuring he outlived everything he loved. It seemed like a cruel joke.
    He felt the creature’s reaction as a Chaanisar walked past. He felt its hostility towards the soldier. It saw the soldier as a threat. It urged Jon to kill the man. But it couldn’t compel him to do it. It could no longer force Jon to act on its behalf. It could no longer make him kill. Not anymore. Maybe the good doctor was right. Maybe the symbiont had lost its power over him. Maybe the medication worked. He didn’t think he could live harmoniously with the creature, like the doctor had said, but if it lacked power over him they might come to some form of truce.
    Another Chaanisar soldier approached and the creature urged another attack. Enough of that , he thought, trying to communicate with the symbiont. I don’t like the Chaanisar either, but they’re not a threat right now .
    The creature calmed down. It cooperated. Interesting. He always knew it could hear his thoughts, but it never complied before. If he refused to do what the symbiont wanted, it forced him anyway. Now