Grounding Gracus (First Wave Book 6) Read Online Free Page B

cabin myself!”
    “I apologize for the inconvenience, due to the circumstances of your recent accident, it has been determined that you are too incapacitated to be in control of the vehicle. AutoDrive will ensure your safe arrival to your requested location. Estimated time of arrival to, ‘the damn cabin’ , is fifty five minutes.”
    Gracus tried to resist the urge to rip the damn EAT system out of the dashboard and instead sat back in his seat with his arms folded across his chest as he silently fumed. So far, the views were awe inspiring, the food magnificent, but the transportation systems were the worst he’d ever experienced and he was definitely going to have a talk with Grai about his damn EAT system.
    Earth Assistant Technology his ass he thought with a huff. There were obviously some serious glitches in the damn system if it thought that he, a damn pilot! Couldn’t drive this small, flimsy craft.
    Once they left town, Gracus was again captivated by the scenic route back to the cabin and had completely forgotten his irritation at the EAT system by the time they pulled back into the garage.
    Gracus grabbed his bags and went inside the cabin to pack a few of his purchases into his gear. He put the items that he would take back to the Adaria on the couch for the time being as he laid out the things he would be putting in his gear for his first excursion into the forest.
    He took one look at the candy he’d bought at the novelty store and poured most of it in the side pocket of his tact pants, wanting to save them for later. It was his one weakness. Everyone else seemed to be enamored of one earth thing or another and candy was definitely his favorite thing.
    Figuring it was early enough in the day to take a short hike, Gracus stood. He planned on hitting bed early tonight so he could start the first two week trek he planned to make the next morning, but there was plenty of time to get a few miles in today. It was a good idea to acclimate himself before heading out for his longer trek in the morning.
    Only expecting to hike a few hours, Gracus put a water bottle in the deep side pocket on the opposite leg from the candy and his comm in his back pocket. Since it was still really chilly, he threw on a lightweight tact jacket and set off into the woods at the back of the cabin towards the Colorado River.
    He marveled at the tiny creatures that the humans called squirrels as they jumped around the trees, chittering their delight in the morning. And the birds, he thought in amazement, there were so many of them and so many varieties. Their beautiful songs rang through the trees around him, accompanying the sound of the rushing water of the river that wasn’t far away.
    Gracus had studied the indigenous creatures and environment so that he would leave as little of an environmental impact as possible while on his trip, and couldn’t believe how the images he had seen didn’t do justice to the real thing.
    He reached out and touched a fluffy fern, surprised at the feel of the slick dew coating it. The colors were so vivid he almost felt as if he was seeing some for the first time. Majestic trees towered over him as if fighting to touch the beautiful, clear sky first.
    The sky, he thought, tilting his head back to enjoy it. Even the sky looked so much more beautiful from the planet than it did from above it. Gracus had only been here for a few hours, but he already loved it here and began to feel connected to planet.
    He walked closer to the river and reached into his candy pocket, pulling out one of the treats. It was one of the hard ones with a stick and he undid the wrapper and put it in his pocket before placing the round ball in his mouth.
    He sucked on it for a few minutes, wondering at the unusual flavor when he saw a bald eagle sitting on the branch of an Aspen tree. Gracus was stunned at the size of it. He’d seen the pictures and recognized the bird immediately, but the images hadn’t prepared him for how big