The Phoenix War Read Online Free PDF Page B

decided to believe the lie, just this once, because—deep
inside—she knew it was the right thing to do. Those weapons had to be destroyed. If the Empire toppled over and
collapsed, and war followed, and the savage destruction threw
humanity back into the bronze age, it would still be better than
losing whole star systems, and perhaps being hunted to extinction
by isotome-wielding aliens.
    “The channel is closed,” reported Mister
Tully. “The Harbinger is no longer transmitting to us.”
    “Very well,” said Summers. “Midshipman
Dupont, you will resume your duties as Green Shift’s officer of the
watch. Should you need me I shall be in my quarters. Preparing for
White Shift.” Summers knew she needed time alone to process all of
this. To grieve in peace for her king and her Empire, where no one
could see her weaknesses, and to get some much needed rest—if she
could. For that matter the entire crew would have difficulty coping
with the loss of their king. She wished she had some relief to
offer them.
    “And what are our orders?” asked Cassidy as
Summers relinquished the command position.
    “Stay the course. And increase our jump depth
once Mister Cowen says the engines can handle it.”
    With that she left the bridge. And managed
not to collapse until she arrived at her quarters.
     
    ***
     
    The werewolf looked at him, with those awful
red eyes of his. Glowing. Cutting through the darkness. Shen looked
back, as if uncertain what to do. Uncertain what the lycan
wanted.
    “Come to me, my brother,” said Tristan from
the far cliff. Connecting them was a thin stone bridge that cut
across an endless black chasm.
    “Brother, you must come,” Tristan’s voice
seemed almost an echo.
    Shen felt his right foot start to move
forward, as if to take that first step on the narrow bridge. But
then he stopped it. Remaining in place. What am I doing?
    “ Come ,” Tristan called again.
    Shen felt something inside him stir. But he
remained rigidly in place. Around him was mostly darkness, though a
blood-red moon hung in the night sky, bright-enough to hide most of
the stars. But not so bright it lit his surroundings; the landscape
remained a vague outline. Sometimes the shadows seemed even to
move… What were they? All Shen could be sure of was the stone
bridge in front of him. The bridge and the glowing red eyes that
stared at him like tiny, distant stars. Waiting.
    A shrill ringing split the air. It sounded
and left, then sounded again. Coming and going like a terrible,
rhythmic heartbeat. Hurting his ears.
     
    ***
     
    Shen heard the alarm going off. He tried to
block it out with a pillow over his head, grunting as he did. But
the shrill, obnoxious ringing persisted. Torturing him. Is it
not enough that my nights torment me? Must my days also?
    He turned over, throwing the pillow across
the room as he did. Then slapped his left hand down hard. With a
powerful crunch, the alarm went silent.
    Shen opened his eyes a crack, enough to see
that his alarm was now shattered splinters of broken glass,
plastic, and metal.
    Strange… surely I didn’t hit it that
hard .
    He sat up and examined the debris. To look at
it, one would think Shen had dropped a fifty kilogram weight
directly on top of it from several meters above. Was this really
the work of his left hand?
    “Damn stupid thing anyway,” he grumbled.
“Always too loud.” But even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t true.
The alarm had served him faithfully for years and, while admittedly
very annoying, it’d never been too loud , not even at its
highest setting. But for some reason, lately, his hearing would
sometimes become extremely sensitive. More than a person’s should…
he was no biologist, but he suspected the change had something to
do with the Remorii Virus, and those days he’d spent comatose, tied
to a hospital bed, barely more than a corpse.
    In truth he felt lucky he could hear at
all—even if it meant he now heard more than he wanted to. When