Stars of Blood and Glory Read Online Free Page A

homeworld. Do I need
another reason?”
    “ No,” he said, scratching his
chin. “I suppose not.”
    Though her voice lacked no
conviction, her face was expressionless, her eyes strangely dull.
If revenge was still her primary motivation, the last few years
must have taken the edge off of it. Not that he couldn’t
sympathize—indeed, the Tajji Flame was full of ex-revolutionaries who were little
more than drifters now, living from job to job with nothing left to
fight for. But to see it in someone so young, that was
unusual.
    “ Have you ever killed a
man?”
    “ I have.”
    “ Could you do it again, if
necessary?”
    “ I could.”
    The ease with which she answered the question
made him raise an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
    “ Why would I want to become a
mercenary if I couldn’t?”
    Good answer, Roman thought,
chuckling to himself. The girl certainly wasn’t afraid to tell
things like they were. There were a few more questions on his list,
but he’d heard enough to form an opinion of her.
    “ Thank you,” he said, unfolding
his arms. “That is all. Stay here.”
    She nodded, the heat signature
of her body betraying her anxiety. She wants this position, Roman thought to
himself. She
wants it very badly.
    “ Wait,” she said, stopping him as
he palmed open the door. “I didn’t get your name.”
    He turned slowly to face her,
still sitting on the bench in the center of the empty room. “I am
Master Sergeant Roman Andrei Krikoryan,” he said. “On Tajji Flame, I am
second-in-command. Only our captain has served longer than I have.
If she decides to hire you, you would do well to remember
that.”
    She nodded. “I will, Sergeant.”
     
    * * * * *
     
    Roman paced the empty bridge while the watery
world below slowly turned in the forward window. The dark blue
crescent rapidly waned as they orbited over to the night side of
the planet. All across the surface of the hydrosphere, little
specks of light glimmered against a soft turquoise glow—enclaves of
human settlement floating in a sea of bio-luminescence.
    The door hissed open, and Captain Danica Nova
stepped through. Roman stood at attention and saluted.
    “ Captain.”
    “ At ease, Roman. What do you
think of the girl?”
    He brought his hand to his chin, carefully
considering his thoughts. “She is spirited,” he said. “Cold, but
spirited. She has sharp reflexes, too.”
    “ Yes, and her cybernetics
abilities are quite impressive. I think she has exactly the kind of
skill set we need.”
    Roman’s muscles tensed, seizing up a little
where the metal prosthetics met his aging flesh. “But Captain,” he
said, “you do realize that she is Gaian?”
    “ Of course, Sergeant. Do you
think that will be a problem?”
    He hesitated for a moment. “Perhaps yes,
perhaps no.”
    “ Do you have any other objections
besides her star of origin?”
    “ No, Captain.”
    “ I understand your prejudices,
Sergeant,” said Danica, looking him in the eye. “I used to share
them. But as much as we both hated the New Gaian Empire, it’s
nothing more than a phantom from the pages of history now. This
girl is not our enemy—are you willing to accept that?”
    “ Of course,” he said, scowling at
the implication that he might find it difficult to accept Danica’s
orders.
    “ Then if you have no other
objections, I’m ready to give her the position. In every way, she
strikes me as exactly the kind of cybernetics officer we’ve been
looking for.”
    Roman nodded. “Yes, Captain,” he said. “I
agree.”

Chapter 2
     
    Katsuichi drew a deep breath and gripped the
edge of the balcony guardrail. Overhead, the sun shone bright in
the hazy blue sky, its light reflecting off of the brilliant golden
spires and ivory pagodas of the floating city of Fukai-Nami. From
the palace balcony where he stood, he had a magnificent view of the
deep blue world-ocean, ringing the horizon in all directions as far
as he could see. In the distance, other floating cities