Chapter 90

Chapter Ninety

When people woke to discover the cargo hold filled with crates of ammunition, explosives, and new weapons, the mood aboard the Lucky Sevens changed dramatically—sullen faces replaced with smiles and jubilant shouts.

To Connor, standing halfway down the cargo bay ramp, it was like Gifting Day.

As a kid, he’d loved waking to the hugs of his parents on that morning. He would rush out to their small kitchen to find a package wrapped in bright paper sitting atop the aged, wooden table. Steam would be rising from a mug of hot cocoa.

That first sip—sweet and minty—would warm him, enough to break the morning chill.

Then he would turn his attention to the gift, which was usually something small and insignificant, often a cheap gadget, a knockoff of a game device like Kalpana’s Zo-Robot Hunter that could be purchased at one of the open market stalls in town.

Always, though, Connor would be thrilled by the love coming from his parents.