by Ken Lozito
“And keep the team leader from doing anything foolish? Yeah, I might know someone,” Merissa said and smiled.
Dash nodded and then looked at her with mock severity. “The team is already full. You see, the co-leader of the team just arrived. You might have heard of her . . .”
The rest of what he was going say fled his mind as Merissa reached up and pulled him down into a kiss. The soft contour of her lips on his was sweeter than anything he could have imagined, and for once the NEIIS were the furthest thing from his thoughts.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Temporary housing had been built near Field Ops Headquarters at Sanctuary. They were simple, one-room units that would house both current and former CDF soldiers for a time. Connor stood outside and rubbed his chin in thought.
“Well, what do you think, Mayor Gates?” Lenora said.
She still found it amusing to call him mayor, though it was only a temporary position.
“It’ll do for now. Most of these might never have any residents,” Connor said. There were a hundred units, and some were able to accommodate more than a single occupant. Connor glanced at Lenora. “This could be short-lived if no one volunteers.”
Lenora cocked her head to the side and nodded. “At least you tried. Did you see the last colonial bulletin that was sent out recently?” she asked.
“The one about the travel ban being lifted?”
Lenora smiled and shook her head. “Figures that’s all you saw in it. There was also that last bit about the call for procreation.”
Connor frowned and then arched an eyebrow. “What about it?”
They hadn’t discussed starting a family with both of them so immersed in their work.
“Well, we’re not getting any younger,” Lenora replied.
The sound of several troop-carriers drew steadily closer to Sanctuary.
“We have plenty of time with prolonging treatments and such, so there’s no rush,” Connor said.
Lenora narrowed her gaze as the troop-carriers’ thrusters became louder and they made their final approach to the landing field nearby. Connor didn’t look over at them. Instead, he kept his gaze on Lenora. She was serious.
“I didn’t know this was so important to you, but do you really think this is the best time?” Connor said.
“Come now, it’s important to you, too,” Lenora said and sauntered ahead of him in the direction of the landing field.
Connor felt a flush of adrenaline tingling through his body and then he caught up to her. He snatched her from behind and swung her around. Lenora giggled and told him to put her down.
“It would be fun trying, no matter how busy we’ll be,” Lenora said.
Connor kept smiling. Thoughts of a family had always come with a pang of regret for having left his own family behind on Earth. Circumstances had been more complicated than that, but those regrets would always be there. He couldn’t change what he’d done and he was slowly coming to accept that, but what surprised him were moments like these when he looked into Lenora’s eyes and knew he could take that next step with her.
Lenora glanced away from him toward the landing field. “Look at them all,” she said.
When Connor finally looked over and saw the large group of soldiers leaving the troop-carriers, he began to wonder if they had enough housing units.
“Looks like help has arrived,” Connor said. “This is for Sanctuary as much as it is for them.”
Lenora didn’t say anything but just watched.
“We’ll talk more about your other request later,” Connor said.
Lenora laughed. “You say that as if you have a choice in the matter,” she said and glanced at the approaching group. “Look sharp, Mayor Gates.”
Connor snorted. She was right, of course, as he’d learned over the years that she usually was. He’d never really deny Lenora anything she wanted, but what surprised him was how much he wanted it, too.
Thank you for reading Sanctuary - First Colony - Book Four.
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About the Author
Ken Lozito is the author of multiple science fiction and fantasy series. I’ve been reading both genres for a long time. Books were my way to escape everyday life of a teenager to my current ripe old(?) age. What started out as a love of stories has turned into a full-blown passion for writing them. My ultimate intent for writing stories is to provide fun escapism for readers. I write stories that I would like to read and I hope you enjoy them as well.
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Also by Ken Lozito
First Colony Series
first colony - genesis
first colony - nemesis
first colony - legacy
First Colony - Sanctuary
Ascension Series
Star Shroud
Star Divide
Star Alliance
Infinity’s Edge
Rising Force
Safanarion Order Series
Road to Shandara
Echoes of a Gloried Past
Amidst the Rising Shadows
Heir of Shandara
Broken Crown Series
Haven of Shadows
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