Matched: A Galactic Battle Series, Book 1

by L H Whitlock

  Lily shook her head and walked up the ramp, hitting the close button once she was inside. The ramp drew up into the bottom of the shuttle and the door slid shut, locking into place.

  Lily pressed on the control panel and called into Alberta. “We are on board, you ready?”

  “Be range tens minutes. Proceed take off area,” Alberta responded. Lily clutched the gear and steered the ship forward until it idled on the take-off pad.

  “Hey, El, what’s the coordinates so I can put them in my RAB?” Gustavo asked from the back seat.

  Lily looked over her shoulder at the tanned man. “Sorry, Gustavo, Rowan does not want the coordinates given to anyone but me. He is pretty pissed off about the last mission, do not worry, it is just a precaution.”

  Gustavo’s face twisted into a sneer. “What? That’s a load of bullshit! He thinks one of us is a traitor?”

  Lily quickly shook her head. “No! It’s not that at all, it’s just for security, a precaution—”

  “This is so unfair! We work our asses off! For all Rowan knows, you’re the bloody traitor.” Gustavo’s eyes narrowed. “I mean, it wasn’t my decision to go back and run us into a trap, now was it?”

  Brock slammed his fist on his armrest and twisted to look over the side of his chair. “Really, Gustavo, now’s not the time. I’ll throw you out of this ship if you don’t shut your idiotic mouth.”

  Gustavo smirked and crossed his arms. “Fine, it doesn’t matter anyway. It won’t be long before Rowan figures out who the real problem is and who should really be leader of this team.”

  Brock whirled around in his chair, his finger jabbing in the air at Gustavo. “Shut the fuck up! You think you could make the tough decisions? We had to go back for the Council. How were we supposed to know it was a fucking set up?”

  Gustavo returned Brock’s gesture, his face turning slightly red with exertion. “That may be so, but she got Vincent captured. That was her fault.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me right now,” Brock snarled. “She saved our lives by splitting us up on Retornia. We would all be dead right now if it wasn’t for her.”

  “Well, maybe if she hadn’t split us up Vincent would still be with us and not rotting in some prison somewhere,” Gustavo spat.

  Lily twisted around the back of her chair and glared at the arguing men. “Quit talking about me like I am not here! Gustavo, if you are not happy with me then file a report. We don’t have the luxury to argue. I did what I had to,” Lily’s voice cracked for a moment and she hoped the men hadn’t noticed. “Trust me, I feel as bad about Vincent being captured as you do, but we have to work together if we hope to get him back. Come on, let’s focus on the mission.”

  Lily gripped the steering wheel to hide her trembling hands and stared out the window. She didn’t blame Gustavo for accusing her, he wasn’t happy that she was made commander and the recent failed mission had only increased his anger. She knew the others didn’t feel the same way, but it broke her heart that Gustavo didn’t trust her.

  Brock leaned forward and gripped her shoulder, mouthing a silent “sorry.” Lily gave him a lopsided smile and waited as they approached the drop zone.

  12

  “Be advise, open TIP,” Alberta announced through the communicator. Lily waited until the Home Ship passed through the wormhole before powering up the W-1905-ST shuttle. The dull roar of the engine was all the team heard as they anxiously awaited the take-off signal.

  “Did you take your medication?” Lily glanced at Brock, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

  “Yes.” Brock opened the can of anti-nausea powder and snorted it directly from the container.

  Sara made a gagging sound as Brock sneezed, sending a cloud of anti-nausea powder into the air.

  “Brock! That’s disgusting! Put some on the cap like a civilized person,” Sara scolded from the back of the shuttle.

  Brock laughed, screwed on the cap, and shoved the canister back into the medical compartment.

  “Ready,” Alberta announced through the comm. The landing pad spread apart and Lily guided the sub-water shuttle out of the Home Ship and into the void of space.

  A blue haze surrounded the sapphire globe of Ha’Wera as it hung against a dark, star-filled backdrop. The planet was not only strikingly beautiful, but its rarity gave it an irresistible allure. It was the only known source of fresh water in over 30,000 light-years.

  The planet slowly grew until the image of the water giant filled the windows. Storm clouds spiraled, blocking out huge patches of water and huge waves textured the planet in ripples.

  The ship rocked and swayed in the heavy winds as they breached Ha’Wera’s atmosphere. Lily knew deep down that entering the planet in the middle of a storm was the best tactical move, but she wished she could visit the planet when it was peaceful. In better weather Ha’Wera was beautiful, the waters so crystal clear that schools of brightly colored fish could be seen swimming in bands of glitter several feet deep. The natives lived on giant lily pads which floated on the surface during calm weather, but during storms, they closed up and sank to the sea floor. No doubt that’s where they were resting now.

  The team flew through heavy, thick storm clouds. Streaks of orange lightning reached down with twisted fingers, its jagged point finding the top of a large Welara tree. The bolt sparked the tree with electricity until its power fizzled out in the rubbery leaves. The ancient trees grew hundreds of feet tall, rising above the surface of the water in glorious clusters of orange and pink leaves. The trees covered Ha’Wera sporadically, with some areas only hosting a few lonely silhouettes, and others supporting entire forests. Despite all their beauty, the ancient giants also provided a deadly obstacle. During the storms, large waves, hundreds of feet high, crashed into the trees with deadly force. One collision and their ship would be destroyed. Even the best swimmer would stand no chance.

  The ship broke free of the blackened clouds. Rain ravished them, clanging against the shuttles metal with deafening blows. Brock activated the shield, which would protect them if they came along any enemy fire. Thankfully, they wouldn’t have to worry about the lightning affecting them because the ship was engineered to withstand electrical voltage. The only good thing about entering the atmosphere during the storm was that most of Golan’s fleet would have retreated to wait out the storm. Lucky Bastards. Hopefully they would be able to evacuate the natives before the storms ended.

  The ship rocked violently as they plunged into the watery depths. They dove deep, swerving around large tree trunks and fought against the crushing waves. Once they got past the first few hundred feet the water would calm. It was getting there that was the problem.

  Lily turned the wheel hard to steer around one of the many ancient trees. Looking over at Brock, Lily saw he was gripping the sides of his seat, his mouth sealed shut and face tinted green.

  “Don’t throws up my ship,” Alberta said through the comm. “That model expensive.” Despite their situation, Lily felt a smile tug at her lips.

  Brock seemed to lose his composure at Alberta’s threat. He desperately yanked the lid off the medical kit, and hurled into the plastic bin. He unscrewed the cap to the anti-nausea powder with shaky hands and took another large snort, but it was too late and he hurled into the bin again.

  The ship swayed in the waves as they made their way deeper. Lily wasn’t one to get sea sick, but the smell of Brock’s vomit and the rocking motion was enough to make anyone queasy. Brock moaned and dropped his head into his hands. Gustavo laughed, enjoying the larger man’s discomfort.

  Brock glared at him. “Shut up or I swear I’ll beat the shit out of you when we reach the dome.” Brock barely managed to finish his threat before hurling into the med-kit again.

  The ship slowly stopped rocking and swaying as they entered into the deeper, calmer waters. They traveled through darkness until the dim lights of the dome came into view. Directional arrows guided them toward the landing dock; their harsh yellow coloring appeared
unnaturally bright in the lightless depths. Lily followed the signals until they were sitting on the landing pad. They waited as the glass dome rose around them and the water slowly drained from the enclosed room. Soon all that was left was puddles on the landing bay’s floor.

  ***

  The landing bay’s stainless steel floors were nearly covered with transporter ships. Natives ran around, throwing bags into the transporters, then throwing them back out to make more room. At the entrances of each of the large ships stood a silver-scaled Ha’warian taking inventory of citizens as they boarded. Their long, webbed hands and feet looked awkward on their skinny, finned bodies.

  The moment Lily stepped out of the ship a frantic Ha’warian bumped into her. “Lily! We’re so grateful for your arrival. We’re almost loaded. My name is Heeena.” He shook her hand; Lily smiled and returned the gesture. When she tried to pull away from his wet, slimy hands, his suction-cupped fingers latched onto her skin.

  “Oh! My apologies, this sometimes happens when I’m anxious.” The silver man’s cheeks tinted to a dark pewter, the gills on the sides of his neck flared and the fins above his ears flapped.

  With a popping noise the suction cups released her. “It is our pleasure,” Lily responded. “How long until everyone is boarded? We need to get out of here before the storm settles.”

  “We expect to be ready in fifteen minutes,” Heeena replied looking at his holo-tablet.

  “Great. We leave here as soon as we can.” Lily turned and headed back to her ship to await the signal.

  13

  With Heeena’s signal, the glass dome opened, engulfing the landing bay in water. It crashed around them, capturing the ship in its icy grip. They waited for the mist of bubbles surrounding them to slowly disband and vision to be restored. Gustavo silently steered through the dark depths until the lights from the underwater dome were no longer visible. Lily watched out of the window, her heart ached knowing that this would be the last time she would see Ha’Wera. It seemed that nothing beautiful ever survived Golan’s tarnish, and no matter how peaceful the world was, or how valuable, Golan made sure to destroy every last trace.

  The beginning of the trip was smooth and they made their way quickly through the deep, calm water but, as they approached the surface, the ship began to sway with the waves. Tree trunks stood as darkened silhouettes, deceptively peaceful despite the raging storm. Gustavo expertly steered around them until the ship finally breached the water’s surface.

  Once the ship was hovering safely in the air, Gustavo did a quick scan. “I’m not picking up any enemies on the radar. I’ll activate the shield just in case,” Gustavo announced as he guided the ship through the pelting rain.

  Lily activated the comm and waited for Heeena to answer.

  “Hello?” Heeena’s voice came through the comm, barely audible above the clanging rain.

  Lily rubbed her temple, soothing her throbbing head. “We will maintain our location here. You will guide the transporters out of the atmosphere. Alberta is waiting; she will open a TIP and send you to your new home.”

  “The TIP is the wormhole thing…right?” Heeena asked, his voice unsure.

  “Yes. It creates a spherical distortion of space. It looks strange, but do not worry, it is completely safe,” Lily reassured.

  Heeena let out an anxious breath. “All right, thank you for all your help.”

  “Be safe,” Lily said as she watched the transporters begin to leave the atmosphere, their lights only barely illuminating the way through the dark clouds.

  The ship jerked as Gustavo steered around a giant wave, narrowly missing the huge swell of water. Something collided with the ship’s starboard side, it spun, briefly out of control.

  Lily rushed to look out the window. An oncoming enemy ship was shooting rapidly at them, its bullets clanging off the side of their shuttle.

  “I thought you activated the shield! Do it now.” Lily gripped her weapon controls, aimed toward the oncoming shuttle and fired. The ship swerved around her attack. A missile dropped from the bottom of the enemy ship and launched toward them.

  “I did! Something’s wrong, it stopped working,” Gustavo yelled back franticly.

  “Get down!” Lily threw herself to the floor. The group followed, barely getting away before a missile collided with their ship and the starboard side tore open. Rain, wind, and bullets pelted at them through the hole.

  “Motherfucker!” Brock yelled as a bullet grazed his shoulder. “Take cover.” He sat in his seat and gripped the controls for the gun secured on the outside of their ship, aimed, and shot at the enemy.

  Lily pulled herself off the cold, wet floor, her ears ringing as they tried to adjust to the sudden pressure change. She was almost to her station when the ship jerked right, narrowly avoiding a wall of water.

  Brock desperately tried to grab Sara as she flew past him and out the hole. Without hesitation, Lily pulled off her heavy boots and jumped out, leaving Brock yelling profanities after her.

  She hit the water hard and her breath was forced from her body. Before she could recover and swim to the surface, a wave rolled her beneath its weight. Her kicks were sluggish, the weight of her pants pulling her deeper into the water. She wiggled out of the heavy fabric and cold water wrapped around her legs, numbing her. She kicked, pulling herself up, desperate for air.

  Breaching the surface, she gasped and coughed violently, but the minute she cleared her lungs, she swallowed another swell of water. Waves pulled her beneath the surface at irregular intervals and rain pelted her when she was not being battered by waves.

  She couldn’t see Sara. She jerked her head left and right, desperate to find her friend in the dark water. Lily dove, waves crashed in front of her, blocking her view and spinning her beneath its weight. She took heavy strokes until she saw the glow of Sara’s RAB in the distance. Sara was flailing, trying to kick off her boots and wiggle free of the cargo pants. Her blue hair nearly blended in with the watery canvas. She managed to pull herself from the restraining garments, but struggled to swim.

  Grabbing Sara around the waist, Lily pulled her to the surface. Lily’s lungs ached and eyes burned, protesting her efforts. Her heart pounded, and numb arms paddled harder as she struggled not to be dragged further into the dark depths. At last they broke free from the water. Sara tried to speak but was overtaken with a fit of coughing.

  Lily banged her hand against the girl’s back in assistance, and gazed into the sky to assess the whereabouts of the sub-water shuttle. It swayed in the air, its stern ablaze with a fire so fierce the rain couldn’t put it out. Lily gasped, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. Her team! Brock and Gustavo were going to crash! Panic ensnared her heart, heating her body despite the icy, rolling waves. The bright lights of the Home Ship descended through the darkened clouds, the bottom of the larger ship opening to engulf the damaged shuttle. Lily released an anxious breath, tears stung her eyes, and she nearly laughed with joy. Alberta saved them again!

  Enemy ships fired missiles at Home Ship Number 9. They exploded against the shield, sending streaks of fire into the water below.

  Alberta shot at the attackers, sending them spiraling into the storming water. Their mangled steel groaned as the waves crushed them against the mighty tree trunks. The Home Ship hovered high above the waves, not wanting to get too close and risk being taken into the stormy depths themselves.

  Lily and Sara swam through the swaying water. Lily’s arms were rubbery and with every stroke she took, she seemed to be dragged back another three. They finally reached a tree. Grabbing onto the bottom branch, they held on tight as a wave crashed over them throwing Lily against the unforgiving giant with a crack. She opened her mouth to scream, but was forced into a fit of coughing. Her body screamed in pain, but she refused to be swept away. Despite her shaky, heavy limps, she climbed the trunk until she was high above the water.

  Glancing down at Sara, who was climbing the branches several feet below, Lily offered her a reassu
ring smile. Sara glanced behind her briefly and looked back up at Lily, a mask of horror washing the color from her skin. Lily felt her own breath cease. If she fell into the water again she would be crushed between the tree trunks. She swallowed the thought and pulled herself up to the next branch.

  Nearing the top of the ancient giant, Lily choose a branch that extended out the farthest and would be the easiest for Alberta to get to them. Lily wrapped her legs around the branch and scooted along its length, then turned, offering a hand to help Sara up. Sara took the offering. Her blue hair clung to her face with several strands wrapping themselves around her neck. Her lips trembled from the cold and her shirt clung to her body like spandex. Lily could only imagine what the two of them looked like, soaking wet, in their underwear, up in a tree. If she weren’t so exhausted she would have laughed at the image.

  Sara flung one leg over the branch then laid limply on her stomach, gasping for air. Lily scooted along the branch until she could see through the canopy of leaves. Holding up her arm, she activated the alert beacon on her RAB and shot a bright light into the sky.

  Bullets erupted from the Home Ship, raining down on an enemy who was approaching their beacon of light. The ship jerked away from Alberta’s attack and crashed into a wave, its momentum lodging the twisted metal between two thick trees.

  Alberta hovered the Home Ship above them. The latch on the bottom opened and a flexi-ladder dropped out.

  “We have to jump!” Lily shouted over the howling wind and pouring rain.

  Sara stared at her with wide eyes then yelled, “You first.”

  Lily stood on shaky legs, took a few steps back, then ran across the length of the branch and jumped. She caught a stair in her extended hand and quickly pulled herself up a few steps to allow room for Sara. The ladder jerked as Sara grabbed on, her momentum causing the flexi-ladder to whip violently.

  Lily’s legs flung though the air. She wrapped them around the ladder to keep from being thrown off. She glanced at Sara until her friend made eye-contact, assuring her that she had a good grip. Alberta shot down another oncoming enemy ship as it flew at them. The explosion engulfed the dangling girls in hot air, briefly warming their cold skin. The rain made Lily’s grip slippery and she struggled to hold on, her arms rapidly losing their strength as the ladder slowly rose into the safety of the Home Ship. Once the girls were inside, Gustavo fell to the floor next to Sara, wrapped her up in a blanket and pulled her into a seat.