Read Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga) for Free Online Page A

gave Angela her complete attention. “Tell me. What threat to life and limb is next on your hit parade of value?”
    Angela shook her head. “Where do you get those sayings? Never mind. I don’t want to know. This time, it’s Carl Owlet.”
    The princess blinked. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Finally, she spoke with a bit of a smile playing about the corners of her lips. “If I had to rank my friends as threatening, he’d be buried somewhere in a footnote. How could that young man possibly threaten me? Or anyone? He’s a scientist.”
    “With science,” she said firmly. “Or rather, what he builds using it. He’s working on something he intends to give you and it’s dangerous.”
    Kelsey rubbed her hands together like a little kid. “Oooooo! I like presents! What is it? And how is it dangerous? You can tell me. I’ll still act surprised.”
    “You’re going to be the death of me yet,” Angela said glumly. “Let me put this into perspective. He destroyed a weapons range down on Harrison’s World and almost killed himself with it.”
    That wiped the gleeful expression right off Kelsey’s face. “Oh, my God! Is he okay?” She surged to her feet. “We’re going to see him right now. Why didn’t someone tell me he was hurt?”
    Angela kept her seat. “He only caught a few minor injuries. He’s already back at work on Pallas , but that’s only because he got lucky. Damned lucky. His creation could very easily have killed him and dozens of other people in the area. I don’t want you accepting that gift.”
    She probably shouldn’t have phrased it so bluntly. She realized that as soon as she’d said it.
    Kelsey’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a strong statement. I’ll consider it when I make my decision on the matter. Now, enough dancing around. What the hell is this weapon?”
    “Something he calls Project Mjölnir.”
    The princess’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Like Thor’s hammer?”
    “It is a hammer. I have no idea about it belonging to someone else. It’s based on a vid.”
    “Which is based on an ancient myth from pre-Empire Terra. Hell, before modern technology. And he destroyed a lab with it? What happened?”
    Angela sent Kelsey the vid she’d uploaded to her implants.
    The princess frowned as she watched it in her head and then twitched violently. “Holy shit! That thing just vaporized a set of marine armor and the wall behind it. I couldn’t even do that with a plasma rifle. Oh, it really messed him up. He should’ve been in armor.”
    “That isn’t the right takeaway from this fiasco,” Angela said repressively. “He was incredibly reckless and that weapon is far too dangerous for you to use.”
    Kelsey shrugged. “I thought the same thing about my implants before I learned to control them. Practice and refining the skills needed are key. Come on. We’re going to pay him a visit and let him explain this for himself.”
    She took one step toward the hatch and stopped. “And you aren’t to tear into him about this. I’ll handle that. You’ve delivered your warning and I’ve heard it. I’ll decide how to chastise him about this. Clear?”
    Angela sighed inside where it was safe. “Of course, Your Highness.”
    This wasn’t going to work out well at all. The little blonde maniac would take the weapon and gleefully put herself in the medical center. Angela just knew it.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Carl went over everything Doctor Leonard had recorded about the alien station with a fine-toothed comb. The interference of the radiation combined with the distance of the ship from the object made the small details difficult to make out, but he had a good general feeling for it.
    It was somewhat larger than Boxer Station, but a lot of that area was empty space in the center of the ring. The structure itself was a mighty circle. He couldn’t tell, but there were probably instruments on the interior of the ring.
    The station was at least several decks thick, but looked