Chapter 1

Luke Cadell woke with a start.

Fire and light flashed outside the spaceship’s window. He shook his head, trying to make the visions go away.

Fuck.

That damn nightmare again. The one he’d been having since he’d awakened in the hospital all those years ago.

The light, the girl.

Fucking feathers...

The smell of war and death all around him.

They said it was a near death experience. Cadell disagreed. He’d already been much closer to death than those damn nightmares. And would likely be closer again.

Why that one always haunted him, he didn’t know.

The shuttle shook as it came in on approach to land on LC-426. The dry rock of a planet was desolate, as far as planets went. And hot.

Just looking through the window, he could almost feel the heat.

Then they hit atmo.

The flashing fire of entry strobed in the window, making him turn away.

He wasn’t a fan of strobes.

He gripped his seat belt tighter, the joints of his right arm hissing with the gesture. At least, he thought they hissed. The doctors said the replacement arm was as silent as any natural arm would be, but he swore he heard it hiss every now and again.

It was getting old.

He was getting old.

He tightened his glove, the one that covered most of the markings on his hand. They didn’t look like much—linear scarring that tended to glow. Noticeable if someone looked.

And they always looked. So, he kept it covered.

Though why he bothered, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like he was going to make it out of here alive, anyway. They may have said he only had to be here for couple years, and then he’d be free, but Cadell knew the score.

Men like him didn’t walk away from places like this. No matter what the shiny, pretty promo said. Regardless of the claims, The Colony wasn’t a politics-free zone.

The landing was as smooth as could be expected on the barren rock. A bump, a jerk, and down. The planet wasn’t anything but a giant sun spot. Why the hell they’d decided to build The Colony here, Cadell would never know.

Not that anyone would ever ask his opinion. If they did, well...

They might not like the answers.

The rear cargo ramp began to lower, and immediately the planet’s heat poured into the ship. A warm wave compared to the cold, dark of space.

For a second, Cadell liked the warmth.

But only for a second, before it started to feel like it was trying to bake him. Cook him alive, in the convenient metal box of a ship. His adrenaline began to pump, and he caught himself before he reached for a weapon.

This wasn’t a war zone he was landing in.

It was a peace zone.

How come it didn’t feel any different?

“You’re clear,” the pilot said as he came down toward the ramp. “Where’s all the crowds? Thought there were supposed to be thousands of people here, signed up for this little social experiment.”

Cadell shrugged. “They’ll be here in a few days. I’m maintenance.” He stood and grabbed his gear.

“Must be pretty special maintenance to get a private arrival.”

He forced a smile. “Last minute change.” After he piled his one permitted bag on top of a cart of supplies, he started walking them down the ramp into the beating sun.

“Good flying with you,” the pilot muttered as he exited the ship. “Whoever the hell you are.”

Uh huh, Cadell thought. You were paid well.

Off to begin his new life.

As a damn farmer.

What a fucking joke.

#

Protocol insisted that Cadell get scanned before he entered The Colony. Protocol also insisted that all items being shipped in were scanned as well.

So, Luke Cadell stood, at military rest, glaring at the security as the guards took their time scanning the supplies and his gear.

He was about ready to punch their Novian-asses out.

What the hell had he been thinking? Going to The Colony, while it could be financially rewarding—and after a war, who didn’t need a little credit lining their accounts—still meant Cadell had to behave around Novians for three years.

And not kill any.

Hard, since he’d spent all of Nova Wars killing them.

Novians weren’t human. Bipedals who looked like humans. At least until those wings came out. In human form, you’d never know who was talking to you. Well, until they decided to scramble your brain or suggest you assassinate your commander-in-chief.

Like a few did during the war.

Living together was never an option. The Nova Wars war had proved that.

At least, until now.

Now, there was The Colony. A boiling pot of war waiting to happen. All that was needed was one Novian fucking with one human’s mind.

Then, boom.

War.

All over again, humans verses Novians and their magical shit.

Supposedly, the creators of this tried to cover their asses. Specifically, human asses. In response to Novian mind-control powers, humans were geared up with chips that basically created a forcefield around the brain so that the Novians couldn’t change their thoughts.

The fact that humans had to have tech to protect themselves said a lot about the balance of power between humans and Novians.

At least, in Cadell’s mind, it did.

Cadell was not a fan of Novians.

Especially these slow bastards going through his stuff. Under their uniforms, he could see the ridges on their backs where their wings rested.

He looked up, expecting to see one dive-bomb him, hovering above.

Nothing was there. At the moment, anyway.

“Do you mind? It’s getting hot.”

One of the guys glared at him. “What’s the matter, human? Can’t take the heat?”

Don’t engage, he told himself. He closed his eyes. Flexed his fingers. This time, he absolutely did hear the hissing of his cybernetic arm.

One.

Two.

Three.

“Problem, human?” the guard said again.

He opened his eyes to meet the Novian’s glare. “The equipment is sensitive to heat. It is designed for the snow biome. I would appreciate it if you finished so I can get it inside and installed.”

He thought he spoke smoothly and clearly. Even semi-politely.

But it seemed, even here, that Novians were not fans of his, either. Perhaps his reputation preceded him.

Why the two Novian guards were suddenly in his face, he wasn’t sure. Well, besides they probably wanted a fight as much as he did.

And Luke Cadell never turned down a fight.

Punch.

Punch.

Kick.

One Novian down.

The other Novian tried to hit him with a wand of some kind.

Cadell blocked it with his cybernetic arm, the reverb making the Novian shake, and Cadell turned to drop the guy—

Bzzzz.

Everything went fuzzy for a second as the onboard cybernetics clicked into gear, dispersing the energy from the stun wand.

Normal humans would have dropped.

Cadell wasn’t normal. Being part robot had its advantages.

He spun toward a third guard he’d not seen, ready to drop the guard when he paused.

It was a woman.

“So, it is you,” she said, glaring at him. “At ease, soldier!” Her words snapped at a memory-slash-muscle reflex in him, and Cadell jerked into military-rest.

She shook her head and pursed her lips together.

He knew that expression.

And he knew that commander.

She obviously remembered him too.

“What are you doing here, Cadell?” she snapped.

The other two guards jumped up and started babbling their reports, spinning a rather not pleasant report about Cadell causing trouble.

Dumol snapped her gaze to them. “Was I speaking to you?”

“No ma’am.”

“Get this gear inside. Now.”

The two guards moved, hauling the gear out of the sunshine.

“You,” Dumol said.

“Ma’am.”

Her voice lowered as she gave him the once-over. “You should not be here, Cadell.”

He didn’t speak.

A bit of a smile crept over her somber features. “But it’s good to see you.” She scanned his wrist—his left one, where the flesh was still real. His cybernetic parts wouldn’t hold the chip on his right arm like all the other humans.

She glanced at the data that appeared on her pad. “Farming, eh?”

“Yes ma’am.”

She rolled her eyes. “You should have changed your name. If anyone finds out you’re here, you’re a dead man.”

Luke nodded. “I know.”

There was something in her eye, an understanding he didn’t see in most humans. Only the ones who’d been at war.

Dumol was one such human. And as such, she likely understood his motivation. Agree with it? Not likely. But she understood. “You do, don’t you?”

He knew exactly what would happen if a complex full of Novians found out a known human war vet, with a reputation of killing Novians—excessively—was working in this terraforming colony.

He nodded to his former commander. She knew too. He wasn’t sure if what he saw in her eyes was worry or resignation. She wasn’t a friend. But she did know if he was determined to do something, then nothing would stop him.

Ever.

She raised her chin, her voice a little louder. “Hope I don’t see you again for two-point-five years.”

He nodded. He knew better. He’d see her.

Probably more than he wanted.