Stars Gods Wolves by Dan Kirshtein (good books for 8th graders .TXT) 📗

she demanded, trying to push Nitro’s arm from her waist. “Get off me!” Nitro unfolded his arm from around the girl, and was certain he’d heard it crack once or twice in the process. Gally stumbled out of his arms. He didn’t expect thanks, but the thought of protecting his paycheck, somehow, only came second to him. That took him by surprise. They met eyes for a moment, and she nodded to him. He nodded back, but was the first to break the look before tending to his arm.

Josie was untying the rope that had saved her life. Her face was troubled, though that was the only part of her to show it. “We lost Ox.” Harper nodded, having felt the weight adjustment mid-spin.

Martin’s voice was like whispered gravel, wondering if speaking would finally push him over the edge from nauseous to vomiting. “And Reggie. And Doctor Aldo.” Mitch shook his head as he tried to stand.

“That wasn’t turbulence.” Boomer almost sounded pleased; he genuinely would have enjoyed the ride if he hadn’t lost a member of his team. “We were shot at.”

“Without much warning,” Harper added, dismal and agitated.

Martin was heard, wanting to explore a topic that started with ‘who in the hell’ but he was interrupted by the captain, who seemed to be moving on already.

Nitro removed his helmet for a moment before he gave his next order. “We have to move. They’ll be coming for us.”

“Good,” Josie quipped. While she’d lost her rifle, she was still carrying her two sidearms and her usual attitude. After a moment, she looked up and realized the whole crew was looking at her. Finally, she clarified. “I wanna meet ’em.”

“Yeah, me too,” Harper said, to the surprise of everyone, as he ran a hand along a bulkhead.

Nitro stared at Harper, in disbelief, for a moment. He eventually shook his head and repeated himself. “We have to move,” he said more firmly, before looking back to Josie. After the slightest pause to protest, she nodded.

They’d gathered the equipment, laid out what could be carried and what couldn’t, and took inventory of their weapons. Luckily, their environmental suits were still intact. Nitro stripped Doctor Aldo’s body of his, and Mitch tried not to think about the implication that the body would simply be left at the site. He just stared as Nitro walked past him, carrying only the suit. As his eyes followed the captain out, he noticed Boomer had wandered off. He was still in sight, but he seemed to be inspecting the surrounding buildings with what looked like a green-light flashlight.

“What’s the plan?” Doctor Howlette asked, reluctant to break the silence.

“Same plan,” Gally interjected before anyone else could, and she looked around. “Just need a new way home.”

Harper strapped a holster to his side loaded with a plasma pistol; the same one that Gally had refused. His bottom lip twisted, wondering if he’d ever get to use it. He walked, slowly, up the battered cargo bay ramp and back into the cockpit. He stared at the broken gauges, the warning lights that had given up merely flashing and now remained solid and determined. He’d spent years of his life in that seat, and he’d never see it again.

“Sydney, initiate termination protocols.”

Her voice was dull and broken, coming from a damaged speaker that hid somewhere within the cockpit. “Initiating.” An even fainter voice came through once more, only for a moment. “Goodbye.” It unintentionally conveyed an emotion that gave Harper pause. He rubbed one of the walls and nodded.

“Yeah.” He bit his lip, realizing he was speaking to no one, but feeling the need to say the words anyway. “Goodbye.”

After taking a moment, he looked around again to see the necklace and ring, stubbornly hanging from its same, unimportant switch. He thought about leaving it there, letting the whole thing die with his ship. After staring at it for some time, he finally collected the necklace and shoved it in his pocket. When he turned to leave the cockpit, he saw Gally also turn, not wanting to be seen watching him. When he reached the end of the cargo bay, she just muttered an uncomfortable and mildly passive aggressive line. “Get everything?”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied, despite her tone.

Mitch had been thinking, his lips pursed as he furrowed a brow. “Long way back to the research station.”

“Yeah,” Josie said. Purple Company knew what needed to be done; they just didn’t like it. “People who shot us down are probably closer.” A grin appeared on her face as she looked up at the pilot. “Bet they have a ship or two.” She said it playfully to him, but Harper didn’t seem to notice. His mind had never left Gally’s question.

Most things that need leashes don’t realize that they do until it’s too late, and Boomer was no exception. He didn’t need to get his bearings after the crash, and he had a feeling that had something to do with the years of beating his equilibrium to a pulp. So, he immediately stepped out of the Atticus and walked happily, beginning his favorite part of Purple Company’s crash protocols: securing the perimeter.

There wasn’t much to see, even for a one-eyed man. Every building he passed was either dilapidated or chewed to oblivion. The few remaining chunks of shelter in the area were vacant. As much as he enjoyed the stroll, he quickly lost interest in the wintry-wasteland scenery. His thoughts were with Ox, which led to some grumbling, which turned to fiddling.

He soon realized he’d been fidgeting with a detonation tube. He didn’t know why, and only had a vague idea as to how it’d gotten into his hand in the first place. It was just instinct, he concluded. Fish had to swim, birds had to fly, Carrion—he guessed—had to carry, and Boomer had to tempt fate at every occasion.

It was the first time he’d ever thought about the reason for it, the purpose behind his self-destructive ways. Even before he joined up with Purple