Seers of Verde: The Legend Fulfilled: Book One Read Online Free PDF Page A

to scout those caves. They may be the only hope for the remaining colonists.
    After signing off with the captain, Wald wasted no time. He signaled the heads of his working crews on a scrambled frequency.
    “We need to make secure preparations for possibly …" Wald paused. How many? He took a wild guess. “. . . several hundred colonists. Mark those caves in code and prepare yourselves for an attack. Lives depend on you. Get to work!" he shouted.
     
    ¶ ¶ ¶
     
    The gathered colonists waited quietly in the loading dock of the Colonia Nueve . There was none of the usual good-natured chatter as they stowed gear and readied themselves to be ferried to the planet.
    It was unusual for the captain to address outgoing flights. While friendly when speaking one-to-one, the captain tended to shy away from large groups. He was content to let one of his junior officers make speeches.
    Hector looked out over the faces of the colonists. They represented all the races of Earth. However, there was something else familiar about many of them. He shouldn’t have recognized many of them by name, but he did.
    The realization shocked him — clones! Almost half of those looking up at him were the gene-alt clones. Their telltale blue-green eyes gave them away.
    Damn the official colonization protocol , he thought. Disembarking to a colony was regulated by strict rules. Those with “important” duties were first — the engineers, biologists, geologists, chem experts, med teams, surveyors, and a security detail to protect them.
    Hector looked at Lar and now understood why the security chief had not objected to bringing his elite security team back to the ship. They felt a loyalty to their fellow clones.
    The people before him had signed on knowing full well the dangers of being colonists. They were adventurers, willing to risk their lives for a dream. By pure chance, the fate of this group may suffer a different fate from their counterparts on the planet. Drawing strength from his anger, Hector addressed the crew.
    “Thank you for your attention. You soon will be heading to the planet, but we have had to change our landing site.”
    Standing next to the captain, Lar could see Hector was struggling with his emotions. The captain held his arms behind his back. His clenched hands were turning white.
    Seeing their worried and anxious looks made Hector pause. No need to cover up the reason with political double talk. These people deserve the truth , he told himself. “Crewmates of the Colonia Nueve , we believe Tanlians are observing us. We need to get you to the surface as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.
    Some of the gathered colonists gasped. A few sobbed. All gazed up at him.
    “All the other colonists are on the surface, getting ready to defend themselves. They may not be able to hold off an attack. We need to draw the Tanlians away from our people on the planet. The landing site has been changed to Universal Mineral’s valley on the other side of the mountains. We hope to get you down safely before the Tanlians attack.”
    To his amazement, none in the group shouted objections. This last group consisted of hunters and agrists. Making sacrifices and living with plans that changed at a moment’s notice were nothing new to them.
    “Captain, an observation if I may?” Riss Nels, one of Lar’s security force, broke the silence.
    “By all means,” Hector said, looking at the young lieutenant. Lar started to reprimand the young officer, but stopped when the captain held up his hand.
    “I grew up in a hunter/agrist family, sir,” Riss said. “There was an Earth bird called a kildeer that acted wounded to protect its nest. It would draw danger away. Is that what you are asking of us?”
    Hector smiled at Riss. “Yes, Lieutenant, that is what I am asking this brave group to do — draw the danger away from your fellow colonists, and then fly to safety when you get the chance.”
    The gathered colonists were silent, thinking