Never Surrender (The Empire's Corps Book 10) by Christopher Nuttall Page B
Authors: Christopher Nuttall
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said. “I will take point; Darrin can bring up the rear.”
Jasmine kept a sharp eye on Kailee as they walked out of the settlement and down a half-hidden trail, concealed from orbital sensors by the jungle canopy. The gloom descended rapidly, casting the trail into shadow; she couldn't help glancing around, even though the guidebooks had reassured her that there were few dangerous animals apart from packs of feral dogs. Austin set a good pace, but she’d been forced to walk harder and faster on the Slaughterhouse. But then, they weren’t being chased by an opposition force this time.
“I could almost enjoy this walk,” Stewart muttered, as he dropped back to pace beside Jasmine. “But we could go faster.”
“I think Kailee won’t be able to keep up with us,” Jasmine said, practically. If worst came to worst, someone could carry the girl, but it wasn't something she would have preferred to do. “Besides, we are going to be walking for several days.”
She glanced at Kailee, then withdrew into her own thoughts. There were plenty of options for when they reached Sabre, but she didn't know enough about the situation on the ground to pick one. What were the occupation forces doing? Did they know four of their prisoners had escaped? In truth, she knew it would be impossible to answer those questions until they reached the city.
And if they are on the lookout for escapees , she thought, our task will become much harder .
High overhead, she heard the sound of thunder. Darkness descended rapidly, followed by a pouring shower that rapidly drenched all of them. Jasmine took Kailee’s arm as she started to slip and slide as the ground turned to mud, then helped her along the way as the rainfall grew heavier. Small animals appeared from nowhere, running around their feet, then vanishing back into the undergrowth as the rain finally came to an end. She glanced up and saw chinks of sunlight peeking through the canopy.
“They should call this world Rainfall,” Stewart muttered. “Or simply Wet.”
“Wetter Than Thou,” Watson offered.
“There are supposed to be places where it doesn’t rain,” Darrin said. He looked to be coping with the walk better than Jasmine had expected, for someone from Earth. “But most settlements were built in the tropical zone.”
Stewart glanced back at him. “Do you know why?”
“Some of the earlier settlers preferred to use boats and fish rather than farm,” Austin said, “or so I was told. There was definitely some confusion over the best place to set up farms and settlements. But we actually have two harvests in a year and plenty of other advantages, living here. There’s just an awful lot of rainfall.”
They stopped long enough to eat ration bars and take a drink of water, then resumed the hike as water splashed down around them. Jasmine found herself almost enjoying the march, despite the weight on her shoulders and the need to keep a constant eye on Kailee, who seemed to have withdrawn completely into herself. It was surprisingly like her homeworld, apart from the ever-pouring rain. She felt a touch of homesickness, which she pushed away savagely. She’d known she might never see her home and family again even before she was sent to Avalon.
“We’re approaching the first campsite,” Austin said. “Do you want to set up here for the night or carry on for another hour?”
Jasmine glanced at Kailee. “Stay here, I think,” she said. The Marines could have gone on for several hours, but Kailee was not in a good state and Darrin didn't look much better. “We can press on tomorrow.”
“No campfire, of course,” Darrin said. He gave Austin a tired smile. “Do we at least get to sing songs?”
“Yep,” Stewart said. He threw back his head and started to bellow. “Oh, up in the north, there lived a great ...”
“I
Jasmine kept a sharp eye on Kailee as they walked out of the settlement and down a half-hidden trail, concealed from orbital sensors by the jungle canopy. The gloom descended rapidly, casting the trail into shadow; she couldn't help glancing around, even though the guidebooks had reassured her that there were few dangerous animals apart from packs of feral dogs. Austin set a good pace, but she’d been forced to walk harder and faster on the Slaughterhouse. But then, they weren’t being chased by an opposition force this time.
“I could almost enjoy this walk,” Stewart muttered, as he dropped back to pace beside Jasmine. “But we could go faster.”
“I think Kailee won’t be able to keep up with us,” Jasmine said, practically. If worst came to worst, someone could carry the girl, but it wasn't something she would have preferred to do. “Besides, we are going to be walking for several days.”
She glanced at Kailee, then withdrew into her own thoughts. There were plenty of options for when they reached Sabre, but she didn't know enough about the situation on the ground to pick one. What were the occupation forces doing? Did they know four of their prisoners had escaped? In truth, she knew it would be impossible to answer those questions until they reached the city.
And if they are on the lookout for escapees , she thought, our task will become much harder .
High overhead, she heard the sound of thunder. Darkness descended rapidly, followed by a pouring shower that rapidly drenched all of them. Jasmine took Kailee’s arm as she started to slip and slide as the ground turned to mud, then helped her along the way as the rainfall grew heavier. Small animals appeared from nowhere, running around their feet, then vanishing back into the undergrowth as the rain finally came to an end. She glanced up and saw chinks of sunlight peeking through the canopy.
“They should call this world Rainfall,” Stewart muttered. “Or simply Wet.”
“Wetter Than Thou,” Watson offered.
“There are supposed to be places where it doesn’t rain,” Darrin said. He looked to be coping with the walk better than Jasmine had expected, for someone from Earth. “But most settlements were built in the tropical zone.”
Stewart glanced back at him. “Do you know why?”
“Some of the earlier settlers preferred to use boats and fish rather than farm,” Austin said, “or so I was told. There was definitely some confusion over the best place to set up farms and settlements. But we actually have two harvests in a year and plenty of other advantages, living here. There’s just an awful lot of rainfall.”
They stopped long enough to eat ration bars and take a drink of water, then resumed the hike as water splashed down around them. Jasmine found herself almost enjoying the march, despite the weight on her shoulders and the need to keep a constant eye on Kailee, who seemed to have withdrawn completely into herself. It was surprisingly like her homeworld, apart from the ever-pouring rain. She felt a touch of homesickness, which she pushed away savagely. She’d known she might never see her home and family again even before she was sent to Avalon.
“We’re approaching the first campsite,” Austin said. “Do you want to set up here for the night or carry on for another hour?”
Jasmine glanced at Kailee. “Stay here, I think,” she said. The Marines could have gone on for several hours, but Kailee was not in a good state and Darrin didn't look much better. “We can press on tomorrow.”
“No campfire, of course,” Darrin said. He gave Austin a tired smile. “Do we at least get to sing songs?”
“Yep,” Stewart said. He threw back his head and started to bellow. “Oh, up in the north, there lived a great ...”
“I
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