The Circadia Chronicles: Omnibus: The Complete Colonization Sci-Fi Series by Heather Heckadon (books to read to get smarter .txt) 📗

during her last moments. Then I thought about all the people who could have survived if given a chance, the high death toll, and became irritated again.

"No warning at all?" Jane questioned.

"None," the captain flatly stated. "By the time they knew, a warning wouldn't have done any good."

Silence hung in the air as we thought about it for a moment. Silence has a way of being deafening, and I felt it that day.

THE LONGER WE WALKED, the worse the devastation was. Even Jane, a previous explosives engineer, was in awe. It was eye-opening, heartbreaking, and motivating, and provided the incentive to demand what we wanted and needed. We didn't want to be a part of the relentless wars the human race was privy to or the tyranny that reigned after. It was time for a change. "I need to contact Casen," I informed Chris.

"Now?"

"Yes, right now. We need to get back on the plane and find him. We have to demand change."

We made our way back, all the while taking in the sights as we went. When we arrived, the plane was waiting for us and Jones stood at attention. Jane and Chris carefully walked up the steps to the hatch. As I took my first step up, I grabbed hold of the railing and looked back. The grey ground and the desolate faces of the captain and his men returned my gaze. I made a mental note to ingrain their faces and the landscape in my mind and never forget. I raised my fist high in the air, revealing the three-circle tattoo on my forearm. The officers saluted me and turned to walk away. I pivoted and finished my ascent into the plane.

I RECLINED MY SEAT and stared up at the ceiling. Trying not to think about what I would say to Axel and the world was difficult. I didn’t want to dwell on it or rehearse anything. That way, whatever I said came straight from the heart. The act of being genuine was more important to people than a well-rehearsed comment. They wanted to know we understood their pain before we asked them for anything. After settling my head more comfortably against the headrest, I let myself drift off to sleep.

When I woke up, the plane had landed, and there were rustling noises in the cabin. It took a little for my eyes to adjust, but when they did, I opened my window blind and looked out. We sat on another road that seemed to have the same terrain as where we had taken off. Where were we?

I turned to see Chris peering out a window near the back. His hands shook, and he kept looking behind him at the pilot. Jones leaned against the door jamb and also looked out the window.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“We’ve been grounded,” Jones replied.

“What’s that mean? Are we at the coordinates Axel sent?”

“It means we had two aircraft from The Divinity flank us while we were in flight and order us down or risk retaliation,” the pilot replied. His voice was monotone and even. “They’ve yet to make contact since then.”

The thought of them demanding we land and threatening to shoot us down if we didn’t comply infuriated me. “Well, let’s go talk to them!” I threw my hands up.

Jane ran up behind me and grabbed my shoulder as I walked down the aisle. “Hey,” she yelled, “you can’t go out there!”

“Why not?” I demanded.

“They’ll shoot you down.”

“Let them. I have unfinished business with them. They won't touch me. Everyone else, stay on the plane." I turned away from Jane and walked down the aisle to the door, then drew a deep breath. I cranked open the latch and watched as the stairs dropped. I put my hands in the air and climbed down to the pavement.

“Stop!” Someone in front of me shouted.

I looked up to see two men in blue camouflage holding semi-automatic rifles pointed at me. The insignia on their left shoulder, a hexagon connected at all corners, represented The Divinity. I kept my hands high in the air as they came closer. “I want to speak to whoever’s in charge here.”

“How many others on the plane?” A man nodded at the aircraft.

“Four. Chris, Jane, our pilot, and a bodyguard.” There was no sense in hiding the truth. If they wanted to know, they would find out.

The man nodded, then moved closer to pat me down. He was thorough but not intrusive. I stood still while he performed his search. He then nodded to the man next to him to indicate I was clean of any weapons or objects. “Come with us,” the man ordered. He took off walking, and I followed. The other officer trailed behind. While we walked, I noticed other men in the same uniforms surround my plane.

My armed escort directed me to a large hangar several yards away. The wind was blustery and made it difficult to hear any noise coming from the hangar or the two-way radios each Divinity soldier wore. The man in front of me opened a small access door into the building and held it for me and the uniform behind me to walk in. Although the hangar was dimly lit, I instantly spotted who wanted to see me. Christina Gibbins.

“Hello, Aella. What are you doing here?”

My eyes rolled. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

“About why I’m here, or why you’re here?”

I scoffed. “Both, I guess.”

“I’m here because you are. You’re here because I caught you flying through and wanted to investigate what you’re doing.” She used her fingers to emphasize fake points on a non-existent map in front of her. “So, what were you doing?”

I shrugged and pursed my lips. “Sightseeing.”

She glared at me, obviously unamused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh! I mean that we’ve gone around to all the people you guys have pissed off or that the war ruined and videotaped it,” I said enthusiastically. “There’s a lot to see.”

Gibbins let