The Shattered Empire (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

matter-of-factly.  “One just took up position in the hotel across the street.  The other one is in an aircar, keeping a distance, but they're the ones that have followed us.  Don't worry about tipping them off... they already know I've seen them.”  Mason glanced up at the hotel across the street and gave a wave.  Lauren's gaze went that way and she made out two men who sat on the third floor balcony.  One of the men looked away sharply, the other spoke into his communications gear.
    “What's the plan?” Lauren asked.  She didn't like these kinds of odds.  The enemy had their every move observed.  They could attack from the air or ground, set up ambushes... or if they were really ruthless, call in a strike from space.
    Mason gave a feral grin, “Well, I'm going to walk right in there and make a phone call.  You'll watch my back.”  There was an edge to his voice, one that made Lauren's back stiffen and made her fingers itch in anticipation.
    “And if they decide that they're willing to waste the building to kill us?” Lauren asked, more from curiosity than anything else.  She wasn't worried about dying.  She would like the opportunity to fight back, though.  Lauren had lost fear of death when the rest of her family died under Chxor occupation as a child.  She didn't want to die, but she had no fear of death or the oblivion that she felt would come afterward.  Death was just the cost of doing business.
    “They'll probably tell their teams to pull back, unless they're some kind of fanatics,” Mason said.  “This ansible station is over the colony's old utility tunnel network.  If we see them pull back, we head for the tunnels and hope we make it out.  Mason paused, “Oh and we pull the fire alarm on the way out, it might save some people in the building.”
    Lauren shook her head.  She had seen the aftermath of when the Baron fired on an abandoned hospital on Faraday to destroy a hidden Balor base.  It had leveled ten city blocks and killed over a thousand civilians between the shot itself and the secondary explosion from their ship's reactor.  If their enemy had serious firepower, pulling the fire alarm wouldn't help.  For that matter, neither would the tunnels.
    Mason strode forward.  “If things really go south and we get separated, head back to the ship.  They didn't pick us up until we approached the monastery so it may not be under observation.”  He didn't speak for a moment as they approached their destination.  “Odds are, with how they're behaving, they want me alive.  So, I'd say take off as soon as you can.  Either I'll be free to call you or they'll have taken me.  Either way, I'd like you free to maneuver.”
    “I'm not a very good pilot, in case you've forgotten,” Lauren said.  She was actually a terrible pilot, she well knew.  She had a little bit of training from Mason and even less practice from the Baron's special forces trainers, who had taught her basically enough to make a controlled crash.
    They made it to the front of the building and Mason paused outside and gave her a smirk, “Yeah, how could I forget, that?  Just don't ding up the Second Chance, okay?”
    He stepped up to the counter before she could respond.  “Got a call to make.”
    The clerk looked bored, “Credit check?”
    Mason scowled.  They hadn't had time to do more than register their cargo, which meant any charge would come from their docking fees.  That meant there would be a lien against his ship, Lauren knew.  Mason had already lost his ship once, to a corrupt scheme back in the Anvil system.  He hesitated and then slipped the paper across the counter, with the ansible code.  “It's to this address.”
    The clerk scanned the code and frowned, “Oh, a call is already authorized to that address and for you, Mr. McGann.”  He stood a little straighter and Lauren could all but see the dollar signs light up in his eyes.  “Step right this way, sir.”
    Mason cocked an eye at