Export Duty

by Cassandra Chandler

  He caught her in the stomach, lifting her feet from the ground. The cats scattered as the pair of Sadirians hit the ground.

  Rin grabbed for Clara’s left hand, pinning her wrist so she couldn’t activate any of the bracer’s functions. He used his legs to try to block her access to the plasma pistol, but when he tightened his knees on her hips, it wasn’t there.

  “Freeze!”

  Both of them stopped struggling at Lily’s commanding shout. They looked over and saw her pointing the plasma pistol at them. Her eyes were wide and her chest was heaving with each breath. Her hands were shaking. When had she even grabbed it?

  “Clara, you might want to stop struggling,” Rin said.

  Lily winced. “Clara?”

  Shit.

  “Lily,” Rin said, keeping his voice gentle. “Please be careful with that.”

  She stepped closer. “Here, you take it.”

  Rin balked as she pointed the pistol’s firing port right at him. “I have to hold on to her arm to keep her from using her bracer. But, seriously, could you point that in a different direction?”

  “Oh. Sure.” Lily pointed the pistol at her feet.

  “Not at yourself,” Rin said, his heartbeat spiking. Again. “If it hits you anywhere, it’ll disintegrate your entire body.”

  “Oh. Crap.” Lily looked for a moment like she was going to just drop the pistol, but then thought better of it, thankfully.

  “Okay, the first thing we’re doing after this is getting you some training in how to safely handle weaponry,” Rin said.

  She nodded. “Yeah, that might be good.”

  And now, they would have a chance. Rin couldn’t believe it. But with a can of cat treats and the help of Nana’s glaring, they had taken down an elite Coalition soldier.

  If they could do this…they could do anything.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “So, this is your Clara?” Lily said.

  “Yeah.” Rin didn’t look very happy about it—or the fact that he was still having to hold Clara down. Lily didn’t like that, either.

  She tried not to feel a pang of envy as she took in Clara’s curvy, petite figure, lustrous brown hair, and huge brown eyes. The Sadirian looked more like a pixie than a soldier. Except for the way she was glaring at Rin.

  “Are you sure her emotions have been suppressed?” Lily asked. “Because she looks mad as hell.”

  “You’re both fools,” Clara said. “When I don’t report back, they’ll send a full team to take you into custody.”

  “My, she’s delightful.” Lily let her voice drip with sarcasm. “Maybe I can find some duct tape in the truck.”

  “Good idea,” Rin said. “If we tape her hands together, she won’t be able to use her bracer.”

  “Right.” Lily nodded. “Bind her hands.”

  And strap some over her mouth.

  “How do I set this ray-gun down safely?” Lily asked.

  “I believe I can assist with that.”

  Lily turned to see Cyan approaching, a dozen cats surrounding her like an escort. She spoke a series of clicks and sibilant hisses, and half the cats sat, staring pointedly at them. The others started pacing in a circle around the group, their eyes locked on Clara.

  Lily suddenly understood the word “glaring” a lot better.

  “Wait a minute,” Lily said. “You can talk to cats?”

  “Of course I can.” Cyan cocked her head at Lily. “Can’t you?”

  Lily let out a choppy laugh. “No.”

  “That is sad,” Cyan said. “But perhaps I can teach you. However, I would first like to take that plasma pistol.”

  Cyan lifted her arm and flexed her fingers. The pistol flew from Lily’s hand into Cyan’s.

  “Careful,” Lily yelled. “That can disintegrate you.”

  Cyan chuckled. “I am aware of this primitive weapon’s capabilities. Do not worry. I deactivated it as soon as my scans detected it.”

  “I thought you weren’t using your exosuit,” Rin said.

  “Freddie came to warn me that you were in trouble.” Cyan ran her hand along Freddie’s spine. The cat started purring loudly again, its eyes half-closed as it pressed its head against her hip. “Circumstances demanded that I take action. I have also now disabled all technology in this soldier’s uniform.”

  Rin let out a breath and leaned back, letting go of Clara’s wrist. She shoved him away and scrambled to her feet, the sand unbalancing her footing momentarily.

  Lily tried not to enjoy watching Clara flail her arms to stay upright. Tried and failed.

  “You couldn’t possibly…” Clara’s voice trailed off as she hit one button after another on her bracer, with no effect. Her voice had lost some of its edge when she said, “I don’t believe it.”

  “Believe what you will,” Cyan said. “It will not alter your reality. Your mission has failed, along with that of the landing party that was sent to our nearby base.”

  “What about Montana?” Rin asked, a crease appearing between his brows.

  “We have yet to make contact,” Cyan said. “But we are certain our friends there will be fine. My people are en route to the Reckoning as we speak.”

  “‘Your people’?” Clara sneered, but Lily could see the fear in her eyes.

  “You really need to start paying more attention to the people you’re oppressing,” Rin said. “If any of you had bothered to talk—and listen—to the Department of Homeworld Security before launching this aggression, you would know that Earth has already formed an alliance. With the Vegans.”

  Lily tried not to look too smug. Clamping down on her jealousy was her second priority. Rin had called this woman “Clara”, but he still hadn’t confirmed that she was that Clara.

  “This is your ex?” Lily asked.

  “Yeah,” Rin said.

  Clara puffed up her generous chest. “Ex what?”

  For someone who was supposed to have her emotions suppressed, she sure seemed upset.

  She was also tiny. Somehow, hearing Rin talk about her, Lily had imagined some Amazonian warrior.

  “It’s just an expression,” Lily said.

  Clara glared at her briefly, then turned her attention to Cyan. “You claim to be a Vegan.”

  “I claim nothing,” Cyan said. “I am stating fact. Whether you believe us or not will have no impact on the result. The High Council can not claim Earth. We will protect our new homeworld.”

  “This doesn’t have to get ugly.” Lily stepped between the two, holding Clara’s gaze. “I was serious before. We can establish trade. Work out agreements. From what I’ve learned, your people need our help.”

  “Sadirians do not need help,” Clara said.

  Lily planted her hands on her hips. “What about the other people in the Coalition? Do you ever think of them?” She shook her head, and murmured, “Oh my God. I’m starting to sound just like Nana.”

  Cyan smiled up at her. “This is a good thing.”

  “Speaking of Nana, let’s get back to her.” Lily looked to Cyan, and said, “You had to use your exosuit. Do the others know about Nana and I now?”

  “With the danger of the situation, I could not keep such a thing secret.” Cyan bowed her head toward Rin. “I am sorry if this has unintended consequences for you.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I knew the risks when I offered my help. Besides, this will make things better.”

  Lily nodded. As much as she wanted to help people, it would be easier if they could work with the Department of Homeworld Security instead of having to sneak around behind their back.

  “Do you think they’ll support our plan?” Lily said.

  “Our…” Rin’s eyes widened, then his lips stretched in a huge smile. “I’m starting to think anything is possible.”

  “The glaring and I will walk the soldier back to Lillian’s house while you drive the vehicle around,” Cyan said. “We will see you there shortly.”

  “Sounds good.” Lily stepped closer
to Rin, taking his hand in hers and glaring at Clara as she walked off with Cyan, surrounded by at least a dozen cats.

  Neither Rin nor Lily moved toward the truck. They watched as the bizarre procession vanished through the trees. When she thought they were out of hearing range as well, Lily turned to Rin and threw her arms around his neck.

  “That was terrifying,” she said.

  He chuckled, clasping her waist and burrowing his face in the crook of her neck. “No kidding. I can’t believe how well that worked. I was sure we were getting mind-wiped or disintegrated.”

  “You really need to work on your optimism,” Lily said.

  “I guess I do. But, you know, the work is really only now beginning.”

  “I know.”

  Her dream of helping people was expanding so much more than she ever thought it could. She would trade goods that would help others, get access to technology that could help Earthlings. She just had to make sure to balance everything out and not do anything too fast or disrupt anything too much and…

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe she needed to work on her optimism a bit, too. Staring up into Rin’s eyes, it wasn’t hard to imagine a future beyond all her wildest dreams.

  “With you and Cyan by my side, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish,” Lily said.

  Rin smiled and leaned down to kiss her. Just before their lips met, he said, “Wait till you meet the rest of the team.”

  —

  The Reckoning has arrived sooner than anyone anticipated, and the repercussions for the characters you know and love will reach farther than you think! You can learn all about it in the double-length Department of Homeworld Security book, Coalition Reckoning! Read on for an excerpt.

  Coalition Reckoning

  The Department of Homeworld Security

  Book Ten

  Author’s note: These events take place before, during, and after Export Duty.

  Chapter One

  Rich green foliage streaked past Brigid as the helicopter wove between mountains covered in pine trees. She hadn’t caught a glimpse of a city, town, or even a road for a long time.

  If she wasn’t so worked up over her new job, she might have tried to sleep. The jetlag from being flown all the way to Montana from Australia was murder.

  “Is this the only way to reach the lodge?” She glanced over at the pilot. “By helicopter?”

  He grunted, which was about as much as she’d been able to get out of the guy. At least he was nice to look at—with short dark hair, Hollywood-style jawline, and a physique that made it look like his second home was the gym.

  If he was one of the people she was supposed to cook for, she’d need to refresh her memory for healthy recipes. It had been a long time since she’d had a client who was into that sort of thing, and she wasn’t thinking clearly with how little sleep she’d managed on the plane.

  She only felt a little bad for leaving the trial-run as executive chef for the head of one of Australia’s up-and-coming production companies. The guy had been hard to pin down on any specifics, and she already wondered if his offer had been serious.

  The job she was heading for was solid, immediate, and came with a ludicrous salary. Brendan only needed her for a month, and was going to pay her more than she usually earned in a year. Sitting next to the silent man-wall, she was starting to question exactly what she was getting herself into, though.

  There were deep lines etched between the pilot’s eyebrows and he wore mirrored aviator glasses. From his bearing and how strongly he smelled of coffee, she had a feeling he worked security.

  His button-down shirt was open enough to show off some of his chest hair. It also let her see the gnarly scar that ran over his shoulder and across his neck, disappearing beyond her view.

  Maybe he was ex-military? He must have been through something terrible. She didn’t understand how he could have survived such an injury.

  The helicopter was raising almost as many questions as the pilot. For one, it looked way too heavy for the propeller blades to get it off the ground. Its body was made up mostly of big silver panels and thick windows that she was going to go ahead and guess were bulletproof. The landing gear things were huge and there were lights running along the length of them, unlike the simple metal bars that supported the few other helicopters she’d been this close to.

  Inside, it was even more high-tech. The control panels were completely smooth, with a mix of regular dials and gauges and weird pulsing lights. Everything was the same silver metal, too—except for the barely padded black chairs. Her butt had fallen asleep ten minutes after take-off.

  “I like the design etched on the panel.” She reached out to run her finger over the ivy-like pattern.

  The pilot grabbed her arm in a grip so tight it nearly hurt. He looked over at her and finally spoke.

  “Don’t. Touch. Anything,” he said.

  “My bad.”

  He let go of her arm, then ran a finger over one of the patterns. The etchings lit up, and the helicopter made a few beeping noises.

  Shoot, are those part of the controls?

  Brigid looked around more carefully, folding her hands in her lap and pulling her legs closer to the chair in an effort to not accidentally bump into anything.

  A glass and metal dome appeared amid the foliage, with three large spans of roof spreading out from it. If this was the lodge, it was the strangest mix of futuristic and rustic she’d ever seen.

  Finally.

  They swung around and hovered over a small landing pad before setting down. She couldn’t wait to stretch her legs—and to get out of this thing.

  A tall, thin man with red hair and a neatly trimmed beard was standing off to the side of where they landed. He was wearing jeans and a burgundy sweater.

  There was a woman next to him who was almost as tall as he was. She was absolutely stunning, with a huge smile on her supermodel-perfect face. Her hair was blonde, and she was dressed similarly, but her sweater was a clashing mish-mash of colors that no fashionista would be caught dead in.

  Under her breath, Brigid said, “Yikes.”

  “Just wait.”

  The pilot couldn’t have heard her, could he?

  The engine noises weren’t lessening, though they were quieter than she’d expected. They hadn’t even needed those oversized headphones people always wore in movies when they rode in helicopters.

  The red-head trotted up to the helicopter, ducking low under the propellers. One of the side doors in the back opened automatically.

  As soon as he was inside, he said, “Hi, I’m Brendan.”

  This was her new boss? He was cuter than she’d expected, especially when he smiled at her. He reached into the cockpit to shake her hand awkwardly.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Brigid.”

  Brendan chuckled. “I know.”

  “Right.” Of course he knew. He’d hired her and sent this man-wall to come get her.

  Brendan turned to the pilot, and said, “Zemanni, turn off the engine.”

  “No.” The pilot—Zemanni—shook his head. “Take your passenger and get out.”

  Wow.

  So much for this guy being one of Brendan’s security guards. She couldn’t imagine anyone tolerating that kind of attitude from a subordinate.

  At least Zemanni was rude to everyone and not just her. She’d been wondering if she had offended him somehow.

  What the heck kind of name is ‘Zemanni’ anyway?

  “You’re not coming in?” Brendan smirked, obviously baiting the pilot. “Everyone will be so torn up to miss you.”

  Brigid didn’t get the joke, and Zemanni didn’t seem to find it funny. He turned to glare at Brendan. The lights from the dashboard were doing some weird reflecting thing on the white scar tissue around Zemanni’s neck, because it almost looked like it was glowing.

  “Get out,” Zemanni repeated. “Or I’ll take her back with me and you’ll have to keep eating Dane’s cooking
.”

  Brendan’s smirk faded. He nodded at Brigid and said, “We’d better go.”

  “Oh, sure.” She managed to unbuckle her safety harness and climb into the main cabin of the helicopter with Brendan. He picked up two of her bags, leaving her backpack for her to grab.

  The moment their feet hit the white concrete of the landing pad, the door behind them slid shut. The trill of the engine increased, but was drowned out by a high, screeching roar that echoed through the forest. Brigid had never heard anything like it. She ducked down, heart pounding, scanning the trees and sky.

  “What was that?” she said.

  “That?” Brendan shrugged. “Probably a bear.”

  “A bear?” Her voice was shrill. She realized she wasn’t using the best tone with her new boss, but couldn’t help herself.

  The helicopter took off.

  Craaaap.

  “There is no way that was a bear,” Brigid said.

  Brendan straightened as soon as the helicopter lifted off, and smiled down at her. “I thought I hired a chef, not a zoologist.”

  “My sister is a veterinarian.” A familiar sense of pride flooded her chest, followed by just a little bit of envy.

  Caitlin worked with all kinds of animals. She even assisted park rangers when they needed help with wildlife in the area around their home town in Arizona.

  Cooking could be important, too, but Brigid mainly catered to people who were just seeking entertainment or distraction. Her experiments in molecular gastronomy were the only accomplishments she was really proud of. The people she’d worked for had always seemed more interested in showing off her cuisine than actually enjoying it. It was all politics and posturing.

  “I didn’t know she’d been trained in identifying bear calls,” Brendan said.

  He talked almost as if he’d already known what Caitlin did. Brigid was used to people checking references when she started a new job, but they usually didn’t dig into her family.