Sword of Minerva (The Guild Wars Book 10) by Mark Wandrey (good books to read for teens txt) 📗

It was all over in less than a minute.

“Tu-Plik, you will proceed to Earth orbit, parking position Theta-Two, and await further instructions. Welcome to the Sol system.”

“Roger, proceeding to orbit. Thanks.” They felt a slight acceleration, slowly growing toward a full G. “All good,” Ullp said to them. “We’ll keep you there for now. It’s only four hours to Earth orbit at this acceleration. They won’t want to transfer this cargo via shuttles, so they will probably want us to set down. I don’t know where, though.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Sato replied. “Anywhere on Earth is sufficient.”

Rick would have liked to see Earth from space. Their rudimentary data feed didn’t provide cameras. Instead it was four hours to orbit, as Ullp had said, and another three waiting for a landing assignment.

“Sao Paulo,” Ullp eventually said. “Isn’t that your planet’s capital?”

“Sort of,” Sato confirmed. “It’s the Earth Republic seat.”

“Whatever,” Ullp said. “We’ll be down in a few minutes. Once we’re on the glide path, I’ll have the engineering staff get you out.”

“Won’t there be any groundside security?” Rick asked.

“No,” Ullp said. “I don’t think they’ll bother.”

“Why?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself.”

Once Tu-Plik had dropped through the upper atmosphere and was using its nominal aerodynamic surfaces to fly toward the starport, engineers showed up and got Rick and Sato out. The pair was escorted to their stateroom, where they bundled up their remaining possessions and got the bud’s module ready to move. One of the engineers glanced at the container but didn’t say anything. It appeared Athal didn’t possess an overabundance of curiosity.

As the ship fired its descent engines and began to land, they were in the main cargo hold surrounded by massive, refrigerated shipping containers full of raw meat. From what Rick knew, the Besquith preferred their food still living. He suspected shipping living prey animals was a lot more expensive, and complicated.

Despite its massive size—and the fact that it rarely set down on a planet—Tu-Plik landed smoothly, and the cargo door began to lower. Rick stepped ahead of Sato, just in case the captain decided to pull something. As the afternoon sun began to flood in and Rick was able to adjust his sensors to the view outside, he understood why the captain wasn’t concerned about more inspections. “My god,” he said.

“What?” Sato asked.

“The city looks destroyed.”

The two walked to the edge of the ramp and looked out over what had once been the most beautiful city in South America. Vast swathes of concrete in the starport were gouged and blackened. Buildings in every direction were shattered, and a few looked melted. The air carried the unmistakable smell of smoldering fires and filth.

“What happened?” Sato asked.

Ullp had come up behind them. The Athal pointed to the side, where the stoic outline of five giant humanoid figures towered. “Raknar,” he said. “You Humans have started using Raknar.”

“Then how is the Mercenary Guild still in control?” Sato asked.

“I don’t know all the details,” Ullp said. “And frankly, I don’t care. I’m going to unload this cargo and get as far from your star system as fast as I can. So if you can pay me…”

“Of course,” Sato said and handed the captain a single 100,000 credit chit. “Our thanks.”

“Mine as well,” Ullp said. “I’ll offer prayers for you and your planet.”

Sato nodded absently and began walking down the ramp. Rick easily picked up the bud’s container, as well as both their duffel bags, and followed. As Ullp had said, nobody came to see who was in the ship. Sao Paulo was a graveyard.

* * * * *

Chapter Six

Sato woke and looked out the window. They were racing through tunnel after tunnel, the train only slightly buffeted as it passed from night into total darkness, then back out again. He yawned and craned his neck to see one of the car’s only working status displays. They were currently passing near Cerro de la Muerte, the tallest mountain in the Talamanca range. His window on the maglev was so filthy, the peak could be right next to him and he’d never see it.

He stood and stretched. Rick was in the seat closest to the central isle. The coach car they rode in was 10 seats across, four in the center group, with a group of three on either side. Every other grouping he saw was full. Rick and he had garnered their own three seats to themselves, courtesy of the strange robed man with glowing blue eyes. Considering at least half the passengers were refugees from Sao Paulo, Sato guessed it wasn’t a surprise nobody wanted to mess with them.

“You okay?” Rick asked. Sato hadn’t known he was awake.

“Fine, I’m just going to get some coffee or tea. Need anything?”

“No. You want me to go get it?”

“I’m fine,” Sato insisted.

Rick’s head turned slightly, examining the area around them. The passage they’d booked, Sao Paulo to Mexico City, was 7,500 kilometers by air. The maglev route covered 11,200 kilometers. There was a lot of mountainous terrain between the two cities. The train had been capable of 1,000 kilometers an hour when it was new. Now it averaged 300.

Sato slipped past Rick and walked down the stained and torn rug-covered aisle toward the front of the car. If the train had been moving closer to its rated speed, walking in this section would have been tricky at best. A few of the warning signs still worked. “Peligro—Curvas Adelante.” Caution—curves ahead. The track was made for a better time. The train took a sweeping turn, and Sato hardly noticed.

“Ayuda?” a boy asked, sitting on the floor at the end of the isle.

Sato ignored him. He’d learned quickly after boarding that handing out money was a huge mistake. The pair had started out much further forward in the train. After