Commonwealth
Universe
Downfall
Era/Era I
The
Sorendaal/Pirate novels
At
the end of twelve days, Niall was escorted to the captured RA ship --
expected. The cargo bays had been modified into dormitories, and all the former
crew of the Nova Vendetta were housed
there -- also expected. The section where Niall was left contained almost all
of his command crew -- not expected. He hadn’t identified anyone by name, but
then again, Selendon also hadn’t asked about any of his tribe.
Everyone
wore clothes similar to his. Simple, long tunics and loose trousers and
shipboard-boots with magnetic plates in the soles. Dark cloth in blue, green or
brown, with the silver sensor threads woven into a loose square over their
hearts. Niall looked around the dormitory room with bunks for thirty and found
an unoccupied bunk. He assumed it was unoccupied because the sleeping sack was
still rolled up on one end, unlike the other bunks. Most of them had bags
hanging from the support posts, just like the bag given him when he was finally
dismissed from Selendon’s office for the last time. There were a few personal
items in his bag, retrieved from his prison quarters. He assumed everyone else
had been given the opportunity to find something they valued, to take to their
next point of incarceration.
“They
fixed the engines,” Nesta said, approaching him.
“Their
mistake.”
“They’re
listening,” Doc said from a bunk two rows away.
“We’ve had bigger
challenges.” Niall sat down and settled the bag at his feet. He closed his eyes
and felt the rumble of the engines coming up from the deck, through his boots.
Flickers of his hallucination-dreams came to him, and he shivered deep inside
as he imagined the Nova Vendetta
had welcomed him home.
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