Living in Freefall (Living on the Run Book 1) (30 page)

A curious smile spread across Jordon’s face. “We got
Reliant
back.”

“Seriously?”

“Holographic avatar and all. Apparently you, Ericca, acted as
a conduit for her essence. She transferred into you, and from you into a new
cube. She’s setting in a test cradle as we speak, and as far as I can tell,
she’s fully functional.”

This was absolutely fantastic news. They made their way from
the upper room to the basement, and just as Ericca entered,
Reliant’s
avatar appeared. Stunned, and apprehensive, Ericca cautiously approached her
old friend. “You’re back? Truly?”

“For the most part.” The Reliant avatar smiled and spread
her arms out to the twenty-one-year-old. “My, girl, how you’ve grown.”

Ericca glanced at Mara, then Jordon, then looked at those
inviting arms for a moment before falling into them. They were real, and warm,
and gentle, and
oh so
missed. Ericca sniffled back tears then pulled
back to wipe her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Oh,
Reliant
.”

“I know, dear.”

Mara swallowed back tears and blotted her eyes with a
tissue.

“I was made for a spaceship though,”
Reliant
said. “Know
where a descent A.I. can find work?”

Ericca shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t own a ship.”

Reliant smiled the more. “You will. In time, you will.”

Jordon gave a discreet cough. “Actually, Ericca, I’m in the
process of designing you a new ship now.” His words just hang in the air for a
long moment.

Ericca turned to him. “A ship for me?” She sounded hoarse.
She cleared his throat. “Excuse me. My own ship?”

Jordon shrugged. “Reliant was never mine to keep locked
away. Nor is she mine to give. If you want her, that’s strictly between you and
her. I just thought that she’d suit you better in a ship than a test cradle.”

Ericca’s breath caught in her throat. This was all too much
to take in. Then Ericca felt a devious smile raise her cheeks. She turned to
the avatar. “Do you have any experience,
Reliant
? References perhaps? Perhaps
a résumé?”

Reliant’s
brows leveled. “I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Well, okay,” Ericca said reluctantly. “I suppose I can give
you a go. But this’ll have to be on a probationary, trial-type bases. If you
keep your nose clean, work hard, and don’t give me any reason to fire you, we’ll
revisit the possibility of keeping you on full time. The work might be a bit
dull, but at least the pay is lousy.”

Reliant’s
smile softened. “Now
that
sounds
like a plan I can live with.”

The auditorium filled quickly as students eager to learn
found their seats. Though many were as young as eight, or as old as eighteen,
most fell into the fourteen to fifteen year-old category. At the room’s head, Riley
half sat, half leaned against a large desk centered on the raised platform. Behind
him sat Ericca and her chief Training Instructors. Each had been associated with
Riley’s father, Stan Archer, in one way or another. Like Riley and his sister,
each wore a one piece, dark blue flight suit, the uniform of the school’s
instructors. Students wore light-sky-blue. He glanced about the room, which was
a clamor of shifting chairs and excited chatter, and saw the last seat finally taken.

He pushed to his feet and, the moment she rose, the room
fell silent. Riley let the quiet marinate for a moment before speaking. “Ladies
and gentlemen, my name is Lieutenant Riley Archer, and I’m proud to welcome you
to Rhone’s very own
Edward Richardson Memorial Military Academy
.”

The room broke out in cheers, hoots, and applause. Few knew
who Richardson was, the hero he had been. They weren’t excited by that at all.
They were motivated by this new opportunity given them to defend their home.

Riley looked back at his sister, Ericca. He had spent the
last six months, unbeknownst to her, travelling throughout the galaxy recruiting
instructors for the academy. Those he had specifically looked for and found,
were his father’s most loyal and trusted friends. He had gone all the way to
Los Dabaron to find two of the four men now seated here. Beside his sister sat William
Taft on her one hand, and Jake Ryder on her other. Tony Tennyson and Dillan
Slone he found living secretively on Atheron. Both, saying they were ready for
a change, had come with him without argument.

At Ericca’s suggestion, Jordon had designed two-man fighters
for this burgeoning space corps. The small, short-range craft were created
specifically with the Saigus asteroids in mind. The Reliant A.I. had replicated
herself to assist the new ship’s pilots. With her abilities back in play, there
was little worry this kid pilots would wreck on the rocks.

Riley saw teaching these youngsters as a job well suited to Ericca’s
abilities. And for the first time since they lost their parents, both felt as
if they truly belonged someplace. Rhone was his home now; his and his new wife,
Darsea’s. Ericca’s too. It was good to see her spending time with Jordon as
well. She and he were often seen together in the marketplace, in this
restaurant or that, joking and laughing and just being together to share
Rhone’s many wonders. Ericca had even managed to get Jordon into a power glider
to sail the Rhone skies. Where they becoming an item? Who knew? But they were
becoming close friends, and Ericca needed all the friends she could get; folks
who weren’t laying claim to her or pushing her or pulling at her or tricking her
or arresting her or any of the stuff people had done to her since Los Dabaron.

Presently, Ericca smiled at him. It was a good smile. A
relaxed smile offered by someone finally comfortable with her surroundings. With
his sister now surrounded by her friends, both old and new, Riley looked to the
future with expectation.

Look out Galaxy
, he thought,
here she comes
.