《The Juggernaut》Twenty One
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When Malachi arrived at the Solarium, he saw Nina was already waiting for him.
She sat on the floor by the panoramic window, hugging her knees and staring at the huge red star as it began to dip below the horizon of the window.
‘Almost makes you feel like you’re planetside again,’ said Malachi, and sat down beside Nina.
She smiled without looking at him. ‘Almost. It’s the sunsets I miss most. The only colours out there are black and red.’
‘It’s still one more than we have in here.’
‘What, you don’t like our fine selection of grey metal?’ She looked at him for the first time, still smiling, and the sunset faded into nothing.
She handed him a data chip. ‘I looked at it, and I had one of my guys take a look too, but we couldn’t get anything more out of it. It’s encrypted with something we haven’t seen before.’
‘Too old?’
‘Too new. And probably custom code written for the colony mission. Do you want to guess how many colony ships from that expedition we have had pass through here in the last twelve years? That will tell you how much experience we have with it.’
‘Zero.’
‘Zero,’ she repeated. ‘Or maybe one. Tila might be right.’
‘I know. That’s what I’m afraid of.’
Nina gasped in mock horror. ‘Big strong Malachi is afraid of something?’
‘Be serious. I’m afraid she will hope for something that can’t be real, and that will only hurt her more.’
‘You care about her?’
‘Of course.’
‘I knew it!’
‘As a friend.’
‘Just a friend?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good.’ Nina turned back to the sunset. The thin crescent of the star rested on the lower frame of the window and cast long shadows on the ceiling of the Solarium. ‘So, what’s the plan to make sure Tila stays happy?’
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‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘She’s always sulking about something. You and Ellie are always trying to make her happy.’
‘She’s our friend.’
‘She’s trouble. She’s always looking for risks. I don’t want her to lead you into trouble too.’
‘What trouble could there be on Parador?’
‘I don’t know, but believe me, if it’s there she’ll find it.’
‘She’s not that bad.’
‘I don’t want to talk about her anymore.’
‘Fine. We just want to help her, that’s all.’
‘Don’t you want to make anyone else happy?’
‘Like who?’
Nina chewed her lip. ‘Never mind. What’s your plan?’
‘We’re going to Parador.’
‘You’re nuts!’
‘Tila thinks she can find the people who invested in the original mission. She thinks they will want to hear what we’ve found.’
‘What you found?’
‘Sorry. What you found.’
‘Thank you. So, how do you intend to make this plan happen?’
‘I need a ship. And money.’
‘You can fix up the Rhino. And how much is Theo getting for the Orion job?’
‘I fixed it, but I can’t use the Rhino. My dad needs it for his work here.’
‘Then you can’t go.’
‘You’re not helping,’ Malachi sighed.
‘I’m showing you your options.’
‘I don’t have any options.’
‘You have one option.’
‘There are no other ships.’
‘Then you know what you have to do.’
‘He’ll kill me when he finds out.’
‘Malachi, you can work this out. This is what you do. It’s just another engineering problem to solve. You have parts that don’t fit and you need to make everything work, but you can’t do it if you play by the rules.’
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‘But the rules are important. The rules are how things are supposed to work.’
‘Not this time. If you really want to help her, then this time you need to break the rules.’
‘And what about money?’
‘Surely Theo would have had the Orion pay something in advance?’
‘Yeah, he did.’
‘There you go. Transfer that to a credit chip.’
‘I can’t steal it!’
‘I never said you didn’t have to pay him back.’
‘My dad will kill me.’
‘I’ll kiss it better.’
‘Really?’
‘Sure. That’s not enough incentive?’
‘I don’t know…’
‘I do.’ Nina climbed to her feet and stretched her legs.
Malachi sighed again. The last of the sun vanished below the artificial horizon of the Solarium, and behind him lights began to glow.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to come?’
‘Oh, I’m very sure! Parador is not the place for me. One day you can take me to Peleg. I want to look at the stars there and try and find Earth. You can bring me back a souvenir, though.’
‘What do you want?’
‘What does any girl want, Malachi? I want to go back to my old life, away from this place.’
‘I don’t think I can do that.’
‘Surprise me then. Make me feel special.’
‘How?’
Nina stretched one last time and stood up to leave. ‘Easy. Bring me something no other girl on the Juggernaut has.’
Malachi thought about this. ‘Like what?’ he asked as she walked away.
‘You like solving problems, Malachi. You figure it out.’
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The Madoka in Mexico Series, by Thedude3445
The long-running Madoka Magica parody series is finally on Royal Road! From "Once Upon a Time in Madoka" to "My Big Fat Madoka Wedding," from "Kuttsukiboshi x Madoka Magica" to "Caribbean Rim," explore the adventures of the meguca girls in Mexico as they try to bring peace and justice to the world with magical girl action and frequent fourth wall breaks. Read it. You know you want to. It's only a matter of time before I win.
8 109Endless Stars
Stars are all Kinri has. Exiled from the noble heights of the sky, the dragon scrapes by in the backwater crags of the land of glass and secrets. It’s a chance to make friends and live a simple life away from her family — that’s all she wants. She’s different now, and she’ll prove it. But can she even convince herself?Meanwhile, in the long shadow of her legendary alchemist grandfather, Hinte struggles to find something to call her own. Out in the depths of the town’s volcanic lake, she sifts for mysterious stones, and it seems she’s found it — but her new sense of purpose doesn’t escape those around her.United by circumstance, the pair struggle to find common ground. When Kinri finally convinces Hinte to bring her along on a sifting expedition, she’s curious then baffled as the mysteries pile up, and her new companion remains tight-lipped and distant. Is this just sifting, or something more?If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to vote for it on topwebfiction! There's no registration: it's just two clicks and every single vote helps.And there's a Discord if you'd like to chat with me or other readers(Oh, and this story does have a glossary, which I am told makes it easier to follow.)
8 223The Necromancer's Fire: Book Two in the Orak'Thune Series
A young queen and an old enemy. A new family and a world about to catch fire. Nyssa, Queen and Overlord of Orak’Thune, now knows that magic exists. To discover what it has to do with her, she must go beyond the armour, back to her roots in Bough and the only hope for explaining a myth long lost to humankind. But facing the truth of her family’s origins is more terrifying than even she could have imagined. How could a lethal threat from a long dead emperor continue to grow? Nyssa knows only one thing; he’s in her nightmares, killing her slowly already. The Necromancer’s Fire is the second book in the anthology Orak’Thune. Following the origin story, The Armoured Queen, it is a deepening tale of epic fantasy of Elite knights, legendary oaths, romance and a world of magic unveiled. The Necromancer's Fire, Book Two in the Orak'Thune Series, is now available through Amazon and Kindle Unlimited (which limits how much I can share for the duration of the term, so the full book will not appear here for a while) BUT! Click on the link to get your copy of the complete story today! https://www.amazon.ca/gp/B09Q1RWS4L **** Curious to know what started it all? How did the king die? Who the heck are these villains? Check out the first book: The Armoured Queen to meet the characters for the first time and for the true first history, Rogun: Companion One, is the original prequel to the magic that hunts and haunts the queen. Both are on Royal Roads right now to wet your noodle, but follow links for the full Kindle Unlimited versions or pick up the books on Amazon today! **** Please feel free to check out the website for more details about what's going on, the reading lists and what's to come. Sign up to my newsletter for news on release dates, freebies and promos. https://www.genevieveginn.com Or visit us on Facebook page or join the Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/GenevieveGinnAuthor/ Instagram.https://www.instagram.com/genevieveginnauthor/ Thank you readers!
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8 192The Winter Festival
As the weather gets colder, so do our relationships with our "loved" ones. Nagito Komaeda is stuck in an abusive relationship with a notorious exterminator. Until one night, when a special festival rolls around in the wintry snow, and Komaeda meets someone who would forever change his life. But the question is, will it change for the better? Or for worse?Updates every Friday uwu
8 143Welcome To the Web (Quintessential Quintuplets X Male Reader)
People see me and think they're safer. But it's not really me they're seeing. Probably for the best... knowing everything hinges on a guy from an old run down apartment... sounds as scary as it feels. No pressure, right?(A/n: Crappy at the beginning, but gets better later on.)
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