Fringe Runner (Fringe Series Book 1) (21 page)

Reyne didn’t answer. Instead, he hustled on the ramp and to the bridge, where he found Throttle already strapped in.

“Fuck you for leaving me,” she said before he had chance to speak. “Strap in. We’re running out of time.”

He kissed her forehead and squeezed her shoulder before he took a seat. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you.”

Critch entered the bridge. “Throttle, I think I want to marry you,” he said as he took a seat.

“Take a number,” she said before returning to her pre-launch prep. “Dock Control, this is Phantom cruiser
Alluvia-Two-Three-Hilo-Four-Two. Ready for departure.”

“Phantom cruiser Four-Two. You are cleared for immediate launch. Moving you onto launch pad Zulu Thirty-one. Have a nice flight.”

Throttle smiled sweetly. “Thank you, dock patrol. Have a good day.”

She leaned back in her seat, and Reyne cocked his head. “How’d the
Gryphon
get an Alluvian ID?”

“The
Gryphon
was destroyed at Ice Port, remember? My new friend, Gabriela Heid, loaned me the ID. Her father just so happens to have a Phantom III class gunship sitting in his obscenely extensive private collection. She gave me her personal assurance that his ship would not be making any kind of flight plans for the foreseeable future.” She turned and winked. “It sounds like his hangar platform suffered a pontoon failure, and his entire collection is about five hundred feet below the surface as we speak.”

Reyne stared at the docks for a long moment. “So, we’re flying out of Alluvia under Mason’s banner.”

Critch barked out a laugh. “I wish I could see his face when he finds out that he helped us escape.”

“Who’s Mason?” Throttle asked.

“Long story. We’ll fill you in on the way back.”

“Where are we headed?” she asked.

“Nova Colony,” Critch said.

Reyne looked back at Critch. “Why not Tulan Base?”

The pirate took apart his pistol and pulled out a data coin. “Because we have unfinished business.”

Full Circle

Reyne and Critch sat in silence in the pirate’s office at Nova Colony. A light on the panel blinked when the data coin’s contents finished copying onto Critch’s system.

“I’m no tech,” he said. “But I know that if I upload this data to the Net, there are techs out there who will know what to do with it.”

They had no guarantees the information would make it to the Collective news. Most citizens would likely never see it. But, if enough colonists saw it, the Uprising would have a chance.

“The fungicide should be dropping on Sol Base right about now,” Reyne said. “With a show of good faith like that, coupled with the data, the fringe will band together against Myr. I only hope it will be enough to stop Ausyar.”

Critch moved to press the upload button.

Reyne grabbed his arm. “Wait.”

“What?”

“It’s missing one thing.” He reached into the neck of his shirt and lifted out the medallion he wore.

Critch’s lips curled. “How right you are.” After several keystrokes, he flipped the screen so Reyne could see the cover added to the data file. It was a simple gray cover, blank except for a single torrent raindrop on its center.

Reyne leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Now, it’s ready.”

The pirate tapped a button, and the word UPLOADED appeared over the file.

“It’s done.” Critch leaned back.

“Good thing Demes was smart enough to make copies of the data,” Reyne said.

Critch nodded. “Demes was a good tech.”

“He was a good pirate,” Reyne added.

“He was a good torrent,” Critch corrected.

Critch reached into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. He then pulled out two glasses and filled them both. He slid a glass over to Reyne. “Here’s to two old torrent marshals taking on the universe.”

Reyne watched him for a moment. “I knew you’d finally get it through that thick skull of yours that I wasn’t a traitor.”

Critch winked. “I may be hardheaded, but I also know when I’ve been wrong.”

“Seriously?” Reyne asked. “That’s the worst apology I’ve ever heard.”

Critch shrugged. “I don’t think I’ve ever apologized to anyone before.”

“I’m not surprised.”

They clinked their glasses, and each took a long drink.

“I received a message from Heid,” Reyne said. “She wants to join forces.”

“I received the same one.”

Reyne thought for a moment before speaking. “I think she’s earned the right to wear the raindrop.”

“You sure about that?”

“What’s your gut tell you?” Reyne countered.

Critch took another drink. “That we should meet with her again.” He swirled the drink in his glass. “But, if I find out she had anything to do with that Alluvian shitstorm we were thrown in, I won’t hesitate to drift her and take her ship.”

“I know,” Reyne said. “But if she didn’t betray us, having an Alluvian captain and her warship on our side speaks volumes to the Collective.”

“It sure won’t hurt,” Critch agreed.

After a contemplative moment, Reyne spoke again. “The blight. Was it real?”

“Yep. Idiots had it in the same type of crate as the one shown on the news.”

“Why’d you take it?”

“Because a pirate always prepares for the worst.”

“Would you have used it?”

Critch looked over his glass. “What do you think?”

Reyne narrowed his eyes as he examined the other man. “I don’t know.”

“There’s your answer.”

“What’d you do with it?”

“Saving it in case we ever need a Plan B.”

“Was it only that one vial?”

Critch never answered. After waiting another long moment for an answer, Reyne pursed his lips, and they drank in silence.

Critch drained his glass and set it down. “It’s safe to say a new Uprising has begun.”

“Uprising?” Reyne’s jaw tightened. “No, we just started a war.”

Coming Soon:

FRINGE STATION

Book 2 in the Fringe Series

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The Collective is a collection of six terraformed planets in nearby solar systems within the Milky Way galaxy. The Collective is controlled by the dual leadership of Alluvia and Myr. Only those born on Alluvia and Myr are given legal status as citizens, while all others are considered colonists and receive fewer privileges. The Collective views colonists as means to achieve gain, and their pressure will drive the colonies—the fringe—to desperate actions.

MYR
is a silver-rich, water-rich world with idyllic islands. Myr was the first settled planet in the Collective. Myrads have argyria and take great pride in their blue-hued skin.

ALLUVIA
is a water-covered world and home to First City, the Collective’s largest city. Alluvia was the second settled planet in the Collective and has the highest gravity of all Collective worlds. Alluvia has thick cloud cover and frequent storms.

DARIOS
is the most naturally habitable world and provides much of the Collective’s food supply. As such, it’s heavily regulated by the Collective. Its fringe station is Sol Base.

PLAYA
is the furthest world from Alluvia and Myr. It
has
low gravity and freezing temperatures. Its fringe station is Ice Port.

SPATE
is a desert-like world and has the
largest fringe station, Devil Town, known for its massive garden.

TERRA
is a battle-scarred world, where much of the Uprising took place. Its fringe station is Rebus Station. Terra, the planet nearest to Alluvia and Myr, is home to the Citadel, the Collective's high-security prison.

SPACE COAST
is an asteroid belt outside Collective control and home to smugglers, pirates, and other outlaws. Its fringe station is Nova Colony and home to the infamous Uneven Bar.

ABYSS
: Term used to describe people and ships lost in space, presumably or known dead.

CHIMESUIT
: Blue, armored space suit worn by dromadiers. Named for the chime-like sounds the suit emits.

CITIZEN
: Free person born on Alluvia or Myr.

COMM:
References communications sent/received as well as personal communication devices.

COLONIST
aka
Fringe: General population in the fringe. Considered impure and lesser by many citizens.

CUF
: Collective Unified Forces (CUF). The Collective’s military forces.

DRIFT
: Slang term meaning to die or to kill. E.g., “I drifted him with a single shot to the head.”

DROMADIER
: CUF soldier.

EM FIELD:
Short for
Electro Magnetic Field. On-ship technology to produce artificial gravity.

EMP:
Short for
Electro Magnetic Pulse. Weapon employed by the CUF to disable ships.

EVERSEA
: A term referencing the space frontier. An Eden.

FOUNDERS
: Secret organization of citizens and colonists who steer the Collective’s actions using ulterior methods. Believed to have become defunct after the War.

FRINGE
: Refers to tributary planets and colonists under Collective control (Darios, Playa, Spate, and Terra) as well as the Space Coast.

FRINGE STATION:
A colony’s trading outpost with space docks.

JUMP SPEED:
fastest speed at which ships can currently travel. Requires jump shields to protect crews from hydrogen radiation poisoning from high, faster-than-light speeds.

LOGGER
: Waterlogged “puffy” person addicted to seasoned water, i.e. water seasoned with sweet soy.

PIRATE:
Outlaw who raids ships and smuggles contraband.

RILON
: Extremely durable yet flexible metal used on most hulls, weapons, and tools.

RUNNER
: Interstellar postman and transporter. Fringe runners commonly smuggle blue tea or sweet soy.

SCALAR:
References dark matter or space.

SOLAR SAILS
: Large flexible sails on ships used for long-term space travel.

STAR SWARM
: Tsunami of space garbage/debris pulled into an asteroid’s gravitational pull. 

STRETCH
: Playan colonist with low-g mutations. Extremely tall, with respiratory and heart defects.

SWEET SOY
: Highly addictive drug, often mixed with water.

TENURED
: Indentured servant. Tenured are often tricked into servitude.

TORRENT
: Colonist rebel who fought in the Uprising twenty years before Fringe Runner takes place.

UPRISING
: A revolt by the fringe colonists against citizens of Alluvia and Myr for equal rights.

VIG
: Derogatory term, referring to a small, smelly rodent.

VOICELESS
: Tenured who have had their vocal cords destroyed because they broke laws or attempted to escape servitude.

The
WAR
: War between Alluvia and Myr. The War ended with a truce and creation of the Collective and the push for colonizing other worlds for resources.

WOMBIE
: Mutated, slow-moving, Spaten colonist who have developed a camel-like ability to store water. Have extremely low IQs.

Other books by Rachel Aukes

The Deadland Saga

100 Days in Deadland

Deadland’s Harvest

Deadland Rising

Short Stories in the Deadland World

Fat Zombie

At Hell’s Gates

Colliding Worlds Trilogy

Collision

Implosion

Explosion

Anthologies

Out of Tune, Vol. 2

Imagines

Never Fear

Stealing Fate

Tales from the SFR Brigade, Vol. 1

Stories on the Go