Read Earthfall for Free Online

A base position? Rachel, you know I’m no paper pusher. I’m still young, and the field work is—”
    “Important, I know, I know. Look, Mike, it’s been ten years. I think we’re it . We’re all that’s left. You’re putting yourself at risk for nothing.”
    Andrews looked at her over the rim of his coffee mug. “We’ve been through this,” he said calmly. “I have a great crew backing me up. As long as I keep my head and don’t do anything stupid, the field work’s as safe as working in the Core—”
    “That’s bullshit.” The anger was clear in her voice, and her eyes flashed with barely restrained fury. Andrews sighed inwardly. There was no winning this argument, and as long as he remained in command of SCEV Four, he was always going to spend part of his time home bobbing and weaving.
    “Rachel, it’s not bullshit.”
    “Yeah, right. Would you sing that song if your parents had bought it out in the field? Don’t think so, Mike. Don’t think so at all .” She rose, turned to the sink, and fairly flung the remains of her coffee into it. She rinsed her mug as Andrews got to his feet and came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist.
    “That happened when the war was just going down. No one knows the full story—”
    “Wake up , Michael!” Rachel put her hands on the counter and looked toward the ceiling. She sighed, and Andrews knew it was only a moment or so before she totally blew her top. “Mulligan and Benchley were serving together before we were born! The old timers cover for each other all the time, and you know that!”
    Andrews squeezed her and spoke calmly into her ear. “And what does that prove, hon? What does that even mean, if it’s true? Nothing. The fact of the matter is, what I do for this installation is as safe as it can be. What happened to your parents is the exception … not the rule.”
    “Just because the only fatal rig accident happened over ten years ago doesn’t mean it can’t happen again. And it sure as hell doesn’t mean it can’t happen to you.” Slowly, she turned inside his arms and looked at him, her brown eyes locking with his blue. She put her arms around his neck. She was cooling off, and Andrews allowed his gut to relax slightly. “Look. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump into this right away, I just got carried away.”
    “Don’t apologize. I hear what you’re saying. I really do.” Andrews pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. “Listen … I want that northwest recon. If anyone’s still alive on this continent, that’s where they’ll be. After that, if this position you’re talking about comes around, I’ll speak to Benchley about it. Seriously.”
    “That would be nice,” Rachel said softly.
    Andrews kissed her. “I know this hasn’t been much of a marriage. All we’ve had are little honeymoons in between deployments. That’s my fault, and I’ll try my damnedest to change that.”
    “You might as well. After all, it’s the only marriage we’ve got. Right?”
    Andrews smiled at her. “Right.”
    A chime sounded over the apartment’s speaker system, followed by a neutral male voice. “The time is zero six fifty.” Rachel sagged into his arms when she heard the announcement.
    “Duty calls. I’ll see you tonight, okay?” Andrews gave her a big hug.
    “You sure will. What’ll you do today?”
    “Spend some time in the Commons, then head for the SCEV bay and check on the teardown of the rig. That’s Spencer’s job, but I want to keep my hand in, make sure everything’s going as well as it can.”
    Rachel nodded slowly, her face impassive. She kissed his neck, then broke their embrace. “Well, enjoy it, I guess. I’ll catch you at seventeen hundred.”
    “Okay. I love you, baby.”
    Rachel headed for the door. “I know you do.” She pulled open the heavy door and stepped into the brightly lit corridor. When she turned to pull it closed, she looked at Andrews and smiled. “Get some more rest. I have