Being a mercenary is preferable to being a slave
Harley’s limp body was covered in dirt and blood and he still held the rocket launcher in his hands as Jason placed his fingers on Harley’s throat to feel his carotid artery. Anders shocked himself as he blurted, “Harley has no pulse. When is the evacuation coming?”
The reply came, “Two minutes, Sir. They had to detour because there is one of those Amalthea dirigibles in the area.”
The Sergeant sat silently cradling the body of his comrade. Harley had been a member of Jason’s team for years. The Private who had been an integral part of Jason’s life for so long, now hung on Jason’s body like a rag doll. Harley’s head sat motionless on his Sergeant’s shoulder as his gaze pointed skyward, a seeming portend of where fate would undoubtedly be taking him.
Anders doubted that he had ever looked more sullen and he was surprised as he looked up into the gaze of a short man with enormous eyes, an almond shaped face and large, hairy, triangular ears which would have looked more at home on a terrier. At four and a half feet tall, the man’s body was childlike in appearance. The man’s spindly arms looked like they would be useless and Anders was surprised as the man raised his bluish gray hand to shoulder level in what appeared to be a wave of recognition. What surprised Jason more was his own reaction. On a day which had been spent using his primeval instincts to destroy his frightening opponents, he felt an extraordinary sense of calm and composure as the little man reached for the soldier he held in his arms.
With several of the Almathea’s suction cup tipped fingers on Harley’s forehead, the seemingly lifeless figure took a deep sucking breath and opened his eyes. He almost looked radiant as he smiled and said, “I didn’t know you cared, Skipper.” Anders looked up to see that the small mysterious man had disappeared ...
The reply came, “Two minutes, Sir. They had to detour because there is one of those Amalthea dirigibles in the area.”
The Sergeant sat silently cradling the body of his comrade. Harley had been a member of Jason’s team for years. The Private who had been an integral part of Jason’s life for so long, now hung on Jason’s body like a rag doll. Harley’s head sat motionless on his Sergeant’s shoulder as his gaze pointed skyward, a seeming portend of where fate would undoubtedly be taking him.
Anders doubted that he had ever looked more sullen and he was surprised as he looked up into the gaze of a short man with enormous eyes, an almond shaped face and large, hairy, triangular ears which would have looked more at home on a terrier. At four and a half feet tall, the man’s body was childlike in appearance. The man’s spindly arms looked like they would be useless and Anders was surprised as the man raised his bluish gray hand to shoulder level in what appeared to be a wave of recognition. What surprised Jason more was his own reaction. On a day which had been spent using his primeval instincts to destroy his frightening opponents, he felt an extraordinary sense of calm and composure as the little man reached for the soldier he held in his arms.
With several of the Almathea’s suction cup tipped fingers on Harley’s forehead, the seemingly lifeless figure took a deep sucking breath and opened his eyes. He almost looked radiant as he smiled and said, “I didn’t know you cared, Skipper.” Anders looked up to see that the small mysterious man had disappeared ...
Chronos is available as a Kindle book for $4.00.
Chronos is available as a paperback book from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Ingram Books for $13.25 
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