I squinted at him, not liking the sound of this. It sounded like shit. It already stank, too.

  “Here’s the deal. We have a situation on Acheron.”

  “Acheron, huh?”

  “Yes. A super-earth, just colonized.”

  “Uh… what could go wrong on a super-earth? Aren’t those supposed to be even better than living here?”

  “In theory, yes. But Acheron is in trouble. Things aren’t going right out there. You’ll be the first agent to visit the place from XCU—”

  “No agent on duty, then? No support man waiting for me?”

  “That’s what I said. They’re having trouble, and I need a man to go out there and recon the place.”

  “What kind of trouble, exactly?”

  I could see the trouble right on his face. “They were supposed to find a super-earth—a lot of big forests and jungles, oceans, teeming with fish.”

  “I got that. What did they really find?”

  “Nothing… less than nothing.”

  I was squinting again. It was my standard look of suspicion. I used it a lot when I worked for XCU. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Brandt leaned forward and lowered his voice. “As best as I can understand it… there are no living things. None.”

  “Okay, they found nothing. What did you mean by ‘less than nothing?’”

  His mouth worked for a moment before he spoke. “They not only found no life—when all our surveys said they should. They also found no building blocks for life.”

  “What the—?”

  “I’m saying there are no organic molecules on the planet. None. Acheron is as dead as the Moon. More dead than that, maybe. Impossibly dead.”

  I shook my head. “I’m no scientist, sir.”

  “I get that, but I’m saying this finding is not only unexpected—it’s weird, so an investigator is appropriate. We’ve found organic molecules—the building blocks of life—all over this star system. Most others as well. Comets have them. Mars has them—they’re everywhere.”

  “But not on Acheron?”

  “That’s right.”

  “What the hell do you expect me to do about it?”

  “Investigate. That’s all. Just check it out.”

  I was squinting again. I decided it was time to dodge—to dodge hard. “That sounds like a real serious problem, sir. But I’ve just come back from a long, dangerous mission. I really could use a break. I’m going to get my bonus check, pay off a few bills, and maybe hit the islands, you know?”

  Brandt gave me a false smile. “The islands are nice this time of year.”

  I smiled back at him, and I one-upped his bluff with a grin. “So, you see—”

  “Forget it, Tanner. That’s not happening. I hate to break it to you, but that payout might be a little further off than you think.”

  I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “The damage your Tusker friend caused to the lab, that’s going to cost a lot to fix. There’s going to have to be an investigation. Until your name is cleared, I’m holding onto your check.”

  My stomach tightened up. My smile turned into a snarl. “You’re gonna fuck me on this?”

  “Your pay will be withheld until the repairs are complete. Unless, of course, you take the Acheron job. Then… we might be able to come to an arrangement.”

  I slammed my fist on his desk. “That’s bullshit. I could go to HR.”

  Brandt laughed. “Call it what you want, Tanner—and bitch to whoever you want to. I’m declaring an official investigation, and I’m freezing all accounts associated with your Haven-7 mission.”

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll take the damn job. But I want a week off first. Let me at least regrow some hair and skin.”

  Brandt was all smiles. He nodded. “We have a deal. Now, get your ass out of my office. Be back in a week—or I’ll send Dom to find you.”

  I stormed out of the office, my blood boiling.

  * * *

  Home again. My apartment was stale, so I opened a window. A cold breeze blasted in. If you went up enough floors near an ocean, it always seemed to be cold outside.

  The place was a mess, just like I’d left it. Clothes strewn everywhere, empty beer bottles littering the floor. Home sweet home.

  The house computer blinked at me, a red light flashing.

  Overdue bills. Great. Just what I needed. I swiped through the notifications, my eyes widening at the numbers. Rent, utilities, even my damn gym membership. All past due.

  But for once, I didn’t care. Before I’d left, Brandt had promised me a big bonus. XCU had paid-up on that score, at least. The money was sitting in my account. I punched in my info, watching with satisfaction as the balances dropped to zero. Everything was paid in full.

  That felt good. Damn good. Working sucked—but being broke was even worse.

  I stripped off my clothes, leaving a trail to the bathroom. The shower beckoned, and it soon sent hot water sluicing over my sore muscles. I let it wash away the grime and sweat. The stink of Tusker blood, and grit from Haven-7’s deserts—all of it went down the drain.

  As I toweled off, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. There were a few new scars, sure. These were thin lines, though. Molecular printers gave you the finest sutures imaginable. They were almost invisible to the naked eye.

  My mind wandered to the topic of Acheron. What could be disintegrating complex molecules out there? I told myself it didn’t matter. Whatever I’d find out there, I’d come up with a way around it.

  This was the kind of bullshit mental pep-talk I always gave myself before shipping out to hell again. It was my only religious observance.

  Popping open a beer, I padded out onto the balcony. The city sprawled out before me. Neon lights and holo-ads, the constant hum of traffic. Drones zipped by, some carrying passengers, others hauling cargo. A never-ending dance of light and motion.

  Perching on the rail, I let the cool night air wash over me. It felt kind of good to be home again.

  A knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts. I frowned. I wasn’t expecting company. I moved to the door, my hand hovering over the release button—naturally, the external cameras were broken. No one had simple peepholes anymore, so I was left to wonder… Who the hell could it be at this hour?

  There was only one way to find out. I steeled myself, ready for the cops, a bill collector—anything. In my line of work, you never knew what might be waiting on the other side of a noisy door.

  I pressed the button, and the door opened.

  Instead of a gun barrel, I found myself staring at a familiar face. It was Tina Lazar, the nurse who now worked at XCU.

  She looked nervous. Her eyes darted around like a scared rabbit.

  “Hey… Tina? What are you doing here?” I asked.

  She held up a bottle of wine. There was a shy smile on her face. “I heard about your new assignment. Thought you could use a little company.”

  I eyed the bottle skeptically. Wine…? I hated the stuff. Too fancy, too pretentious. Give me a cold beer any day.

  But Tina looked so hopeful, I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint her.

  “Wine, huh? You sure know how to treat a guy.” I forced a grin, stepping aside to let her in.

  As she passed me by, I ditched the beer can I had in my hand behind the door.

  My apartment was small. There was no avoiding another person when there were two of you inside. She brushed past me, her perfume wafting in the air—floral, with a hint of something spicy. It suited her—soft, but with a kick.

  “I like your place,” she said, glancing around at the cluttered apartment. “It’s very...you.”

  I laughed. “You mean a mess, right?”

  She laughed too. She set the wine on my absurdly small kitchen counter. It was more like a galley, really. The kind of thing you found in an RV or a sailboat.

  “I mean it’s authentic,” she said. “Lived in. Not like those sterile XCU dorms.”

  I watched her as she rummaged through my cabinets, looking for glasses. I liked what I saw. Her movements were smooth, confident. I found myself staring at the curve of her ass, and the way her hair fell across her shoulders.

  She turned and straightened with two mismatched glasses in hand. “These will have to do.”

  I nodded, taking the glasses from her. Our fingers brushed, a jolt of heat passing between us. I’d always had a thing for Tina back at the labs. I guess, from the way she was acting, she’d felt it too.

  “So…” she said, leaning her butt up against my counter. “Tell me about Haven-7. What was it like?”

  Images flashed through my mind—the endless desert, the brutal sun, the constant danger. “It was hell,” I said flatly. “A goddamn wasteland.”

  Tina nodded, her eyes wide. “I can’t even imagine…” She looked down again. She hesitated, her fingers twisting. “And the people? What were they like?”

  I immediately thought of Silas, and Megan—then Callista and those stinking Tuskers. There was a lot to tell—but I was going to have to do some editing.

  “They were survivors,” I said finally. “Tough as nails.”

  Tina bit her lip, her eyes searching mine. “And the women? Did you... meet anyone?”

  Ah, so that was the deal—what she really wanted to know.

  My glass was halfway to my lips. I thought of Megan, of the way she’d looked at me. Of Callista, of the way she’d touched me. I could still feel their hands on my skin, their breath on my neck.

  The thing was, all those people were gone, now. I’d never meet them again.

  “I didn’t fall in love, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  Tina’s face broke into a smile, her eyes shining. “Good,” she said softly. “That’s good. Tell me more. Tell me everything.”

  Some things were classified, of course. How far a man could be transmitted... How the rift was generated… stuff like that. But I hardly knew those details. What I did know was enough. Like how much of a mess Haven-7 had been. What assholes the Techborn were…

  Tina frowned as I started talking. Before I was half-way done, her mouth was hanging open. “You could have been killed!”

  “Yeah,” I laughed. “It’s dangerous work. That’s what I do, Tina. It’s what I’m good at.”

  She reached out, her hand resting on my arm. “Just be careful next time, okay? I don’t want to lose you.”

  I looked down at that small, delicate hand resting on my rough skin.

  “I’ll be fine, girl. I always am.”

  She smiled, and I poured her another glass of wine. The dark red liquid sloshed into our mismatched glasses. I wasn’t much for wine, but booze was booze. It got the job done.

  We settled onto the couch. The worn, fake leather creaked beneath us. It was nowhere near as good as the furniture in Brandt’s office.

  Tina sipped her wine, and she studied her glass.

  “Why’d you come here tonight?” I asked her softly.

  “I wanted to thank you,” she said, still not meeting my eye. “You helped me get this job. And you—they told me you helped keep it for me.”

  I took another slug of her wine. It was too sweet, too fruity. “It’s nothing,” I said.

  She shook her head. “It’s not nothing. Phil told me what you did. That you took the job for my sake.”

  Phil. That made sense. The kid had a big mouth. Seeing the way things had worked out—I guess I shouldn’t complain about that. “Yeah, well. I needed the money, too.”

  Tina finally looked at me. She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Still. Thank you.”

  We sat there in silence for a moment, the only sound was the distant hum of traffic outside. Tina traced the rim of her glass with her finger, her brow furrowed.

  She was waiting for me to make a move—so I took her in my arms and kissed her. She kissed me back. It was nice.

  A few minutes later, I made love to Tina. Our bodies moving together in a dance as old as time. It was different with her. Gentle. Tender. Not the frenzied coupling I’d had with others.

  When it was over, she curled up against me, her head on my chest. I listened to her breathing slow, felt her body relax into sleep.

  I couldn’t get to sleep though. All my talk about Haven-7 had me thinking about worlds I’d been to—and worlds I’d go to next. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her. I grabbed the near empty bottle of wine—and put it in the trash. Then I got out a beer from the fridge and padded out onto the balcony.

  The city stretched out before me, a glittering jewel in the night. I perched on the railing, my feet dangling over a thousand-foot drop. The height didn’t bother me. It never had.

  I took a swig of my beer. My thoughts drifted to Haven-7. To the Techborn.

  There was Callista, with her icy beauty and ruthless ambition. And Janson, the tyrant I’d killed in a duel.

  Then there were the Dusters. Megan was fierce and proud while Hammer had been loyal to the end. I wondered what they were doing now—those who were still alive. I hoped the peace I’d fought for would last.

  Finished with my beer, I set the can on the railing. The city lights twinkled below, like a million stars in the darkness.

  Taking a deep breath, I felt the cool night air fill my lungs. Eventually, I climbed back into bed with Tina. She didn’t even wake up.

  Tomorrow was another day and another mission. But tonight? Tonight, I could rest.

  THE END

  Author’s Note:

  Thanks, Reader! I hope you enjoyed THE TECHBORN the first book in the RIFT WARRIOR Series. If you liked the book and want to read more, please click to put up some stars to support the series. Or write a review to let me know what kind of colony you’d like Tanner visit next!

  -BVL

  BONUS Reading!

  What follows is the beginning of:

  RIFT WARRIOR: GHOST SIGNAL

  To purchase the entirety of the book, find GHOST SIGNAL

  on your Ebook Seller’s website, or go to BVLarson.com

  RIFT WARRIOR #2: Ghost Signal

  by

  B. V. Larson

  Bonus Chapter 1

  I stared at the burger on my plate. It looked good—smelled good, too.

  But I couldn’t bring myself to take a bite. Not with Tina sitting across from me, her eyes brimming with tears.

  Damn. Her tears were spoiling an otherwise mouth-watering meal. I watched as the “special sauce” dripped over the side of my burger and onto the plate.

  Deciding to give diplomacy another shot, I picked up a french fry.

  “Fry?” I said, offering her the deep-fried, floppy-looking thing.

  She fidgeted with her napkin, tearing it into tiny pieces. “Dane, I... I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

  Shoving the french fry into my mouth, I nodded slowly. I’d known this was coming. Tina was a sweet girl, but she wasn’t cut out for playing long term girlfriend with a guy in my line of work. The month-long deployments, the danger, the uncertainty of whether I’d come home alive each time—it was too much for her.

  Hell, sometimes I thought it was too much for me. Not the danger, mind you. It was the month-long deployments that really sucked. Years back, I’d been active duty instead of a contracting mercenary—or whatever it said I was in my files these days. Back then, it wasn’t unusual to be in the field that long—but working for XCU was different.

  When I was given a mission these days, I ended up on some colony planet. Completely cut off from Earth—from Tina. That felt weird. For everyone.

  I reached across the table and took Tina’s hand. “Hey, I get it. My kind of work demands sacrifice. This life... it’s not for everyone.”

  Tina sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “I care about you, Dane. I really do. But I can’t spend weeks wondering if you’re going to end up dead in some monster’s gut.”

  I grabbed another fry and bit into the crunchy, salty goodness. She was right. It wasn’t fair to her. But this was the life I’d chosen. The only life where I could make a good living.

  I’d been a security guard for a while, sure. That had been relatively safe. But the pay was shit, and it was dishwater-dull.

  Tina was still carrying on, so I forced a smile for her benefit. “Hey, it’s okay if you want out. I don’t blame you.”

  She squeezed my hand. “I know. I’m sorry too. I thought I could handle it, but...”

  Her voice trailed off. I let go of her hand and leaned back in my seat. My burger was pretty much gone by now. Hers still sat there, untouched. It was getting cold, but I’d probably still eat it when she finally gave up.

  I liked Tina. More than I’d liked any woman in a long time. But I couldn’t give her what she wanted, much less what she needed. She needed what every girl did—the kind of man who came home at night to his wife and kids. That just wasn’t me.

  Maybe someday I’d retire and find a woman to settle down with—if I didn’t die first. I guessed now that wasn’t going to be Tina. As much as it stung, I knew I had to let her go.

  I signaled for the check. “Let me take you home. It’s the least I can do.”

  Tina got upset and even more emotional all of a sudden. She shook off my offer and grabbed her belongings.

  Had I done something wrong? Thinking it over, I figured it had to be my tone. I hadn’t sounded like I cared enough. I hadn’t cried or begged her to reconsider.

  Whatever. She’d gotten huffy.

  “Goodbye, Dane,” she said, and she stormed out of the place.

  Squinting after her, I felt a real pang of regret. It was hard to take my eyes off her until she left, making the robotic door ask her if she was okay.

  That made me snort. The cheap chat box on the damned door was more courteous than I was.

  I took a bite out of Tina’s burger. It seemed to morph in my mind. Changing into some-kind of burger face.

  “Nice work, asshole,” it said, the words echoing in my thoughts. “You acted like you didn’t really care.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” I shot back at the burger.

  My hunger was gone. I threw some bills on the self-cleaning table, which it dutifully counted and collected. Then I headed after Tina.