Void Wraith (The Void Wraith Trilogy Book 2) by Chris Fox Read Free Book Online

shuttle, and the idea of changing that was more than a little scary. Didn't much matter, though. Fear wasn't something you could control, not really. You could only control how you reacted to it.
    "This is Annie on the shuttle Tibs ," Annie said into the comm. "Nolan, that beast of yours got a name?"
    Annie guided her ponderous shuttle around the station, gaping openly when she got a good look at Nolan's vessel. It was massive, easily on par with the largest battleships ever produced by humanity. She thought it might even be larger than a Tigris vessel. The sleek wings tapered to sharp tips, and looked perfect for ramming enemy vessels. She didn't see any obvious weaponry, and wondered what kind of armament that thing packed.
    "Shuttle Tibs , this is the Void Wraith harvester," a strange voice responded. It wasn't exactly female--or male, either. It was...alien. "As of this time this vessel has not received an official designation. I am currently referred to as Ship."
    "Okay, Ship," Annie replied, guiding the Tibs in a wide arc that brought it below the harvester. "Looks to me like you've got a docking bay right there beneath the main section where the wings meet. That where you want me to go?"
    "Affirmative," Ship replied. "There will be an escort waiting to meet you."
    Annie watched the harvester get larger and larger, and blinked as she passed under the gigantic vessel. She'd been wrong. It would dwarf a Tigris ship. It might be as large as a Primo carrier, and so far as she knew that was the largest ship out there. Annie's tiny shuttle disappeared into a wide docking bay, which appeared to be all but empty. There were no other shuttles, just a stack of crates against one wall.
    Annie landed the Tibs , which lurched to a halt atop the deck. She started flipping switches, shutting down the reactor and most of the secondary systems. They hadn't been used in a while, and every last one of them was due for maintenance. The Tibs was at least seventy-five percent duct tape, and that meant it wasn't wise to operate her any longer than was necessary.
    Once the vessel was shut down Annie picked up the quantum transmitter, tucking it under her arm as she left the cockpit. She threaded between the walls of junk filling most of the Tibs 's cargo hold, using her free hand to tap the docking ramp. It slid slowly down, a hiss of pressure washing over her as the atmosphere normalized with the larger ship's.
    With a curse, Annie darted back a step, yanking her spare shotgun from the wall holster. Damn her for not thinking like a soldier. Her weapon was in the cockpit. A soldier never left her weapon behind.  
    She leaned forward, aiming at the Tigris standing at the base of the ramp. The cat had long, snowy fur, dotted with black spots, but the cuddly part ended in sharp claws and long fangs.
    "You're going to want to take a big step back from my shuttle, cat," Annie said, taking a step to the lip of the ramp. She had the cat in her crosshairs, and if that thing moved it was going to die.
    "Okay," the Tigris said, taking a very large step back. It--she--blinked rapidly. "Is that far enough? I do not understand human customs."
    "Annie," Hannan called from the doorway to the docking bay. She strode briskly toward the Tibs. "Put that gun down. You don't need it."
    The Marine stopped next to the Tigris, wrapping an arm around her furry shoulder. "This is Izzy. Izzy's a good kitty."
    "You know I hate it when you say that," Izzy said, elbowing Hannan in the ribs.
    "Y'all got Tigris on your crew?" Annie said, raising her eyebrows. "This is going to be an interesting deployment."

Chapter 11- Lena's Discovery

    Lena turned on the acetylene torch she'd clamped to her makeshift table, setting the flask full of water on it to heat. She had no tea, of course, but she still completed the ritual. Teatime calmed her, even when it was just a mug of hot water. It was a practice she'd embraced since she was a kit, even before she'd gone to the Royal Academy