The Arrival Read Online Free PDF Page A

“You’ll show me some damn respect when I come in here. Is that clear? You’re only alive because I allowed it. Don’t you ever forget that.”
    Jake glanced at Jells, then faced Greecho. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry.” He swallowed the bubbling hate that swelled inside him. Just being near Greecho made his skin crawl.
    Greecho released Jake and dusted off Jake’s shoulder. “That’s better. When you go to a breeding camp, your attitude will change. Four years of all the women you can have, and you will understand why I do what I do. Hell, you may even join my crew. I understand your anger, I’ve been there, but you have to accept that this is how it is. Not you, me, or anyone else can change that.”
    Jake sighed and nodded. “You’re right, of course.” He did not want to admit it, but the fleeting sense of hope he had accumulated with Evaran present really did not mean much when confronted with the cold, hard truth of his situation.
    Greecho turned his head toward Evaran. “Busy place today.”
    Jells waved his hand at Greecho. “Just a traveler.”
    Greecho walked over to Evaran. “So … traveler. Where you traveling from?”
    Jake held his breath as he watched the situation unfold. He wondered how Evaran would respond to Greecho.
    Evaran wheeled around on his stool and faced Greecho. “A place far from here.”
    “Uh-huh. What’s your name?” asked Greecho, slightly raising his head.
    “Evaran.”
    “You look human.”
    Evaran shook his head. “I am not human.”
    Greecho reached out to touch Evaran’s suit. Evaran caught his arm and pushed Greecho back, causing him to stagger. U4 stepped forward as lights began to glow on her inner hands.
    “There is no need for that,” said Evaran with a hand down toward U4.
    A startled Greecho studied Evaran.
    Jake could almost see the wheels spinning in Greecho’s mind. No one had ever stood up to Greecho, at least that Jake knew of. It was the first time he had ever seen uncertainty on Greecho’s face. The speed and force at which Evaran reacted left no doubt in Jake’s mind that Evaran could have overpowered Greecho with ease. Jake wondered if he could as well. Five years in guudinka had made him a white crystal, the highest rank they had. Greecho had basic guudinka training, but relied on weapons and numbers. In a hand-to-hand situation, Greecho would probably not fare well.
    Greecho wagged a finger at Evaran. “You’re lucky I have a tight schedule.”
    Evaran met Greecho’s intense gaze. “Noted.”
    Greecho turned around and walked back to the front of the room. With one last look at Evaran, he laughed. “Jells, show us the supplies you have. You missed a food container last time. I had to eat that Kreagan crap for a few weeks. That shit won’t happen again.”
    Jells nodded and gestured toward the entrance.
    Greecho tousled Jake’s hair. “Be a good boy and feed my pet after showing us the Randian shipment.”
    “Yes, sir,” said Jake, looking down. He sighed as he followed them out of the room. Although he had a brief moment of hope that maybe with Evaran present something would happen, it did not. He resigned himself once again to his fate.

03

    After twenty minutes, Jake returned back to the room with a swollen eye. He walked over to the bar and grabbed an ice pack and applied it.
    “Jake, are you okay?” asked Evaran.
    Jake looked at Evaran, who waved him over. He took a seat next to Evaran. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just Greecho being Greecho.”
    “Your eye. Did he hit you?”
    “Yeah … I got smart with him. I didn’t get to show him the drug shipment. He kicked me out of the room and sent me to feed Kathy. Anyways, I deserved it.”
    “Why would you think that?”
    Jake sighed and looked down. “Greecho controls my fate. There’s nothing I can do about it. He brought me here, and now I will go to that dumb breeding camp when he gets back from Earth.”
    “I see,” said Evaran. He glanced away for a moment and then pointed at