by T. M. Catron
“I’ll call Davos!” he shouted over the increasing whine of the engines.
“Then why haven’t you?”
“Because you’ll get into trouble, and it will delay the wedding!”
A new wind blew over the landing pad, blasting Devri so forcefully she had to brace herself against it. “There isn’t going to be a wedding, Harrison!”
“Then you give me no choice, Devri!” He took a step back and pulled out his handset. “One call, and Unity ships will be here to stop you. I can’t have you leave. I love you!”
Devri laughed. “You don’t love me! You want to save your hide. I know what’s going on, Harrison!”
In the glowing lights from the twin engines, Harrison turned pale. “H—how?”
“I heard everything! You’ll have to deal with Aron on your own! I won’t marry you, and as much as I hate him right now I sure as Triton won’t bring down my father with you!”
Harrison was surprised, and a look of hurt and resentment crossed his face. “I’ll be ruined!” he cried.
“Not my fault, Harrison!”
“I can still stop you!”
“No, you can’t. Because if you do, I’ll tell your father all about how you’ve squandered your inheritance, his title, and the honor of your entire House. And I imagine you want to find a different way to tell him!”
“Are you blackmailing me?”
Devri smiled. “Yes!”
Harrison looked torn. He had little a choice, really. Let Devri go, keep his secret a little longer. Turn her in, and his entire life would crumble around him. His shoulders sagged, and again Devri felt sorry for him—but it passed when he made a rude gesture.
She turned with Tally, and they climbed aboard the Star Streaker. The engines purred, sending a pleasant thrumming through the interior of the ship, through Devri’s feet and into her body. The door closed behind them with Harrison watching them until it snapped shut and sealed them in.
“If he doesn’t move,” Tally said, “the ship will blast him to pieces when we take off.”
“Maybe that wouldn’t be so terrible.”
“Devri! You are better than that.”
“I know. But I can have fun thinking about it.” Devri winked at Tally. As she explored the small, dark cargo bay, she made sure everything was fastened down.
She had little time to feel her way up the steep stairs to the second level. The warm, sleek furnishings were small but beautiful, mostly because they were hers. Then she walked down a corridor, up a ladder, and into the cockpit.
Expansive windows allowed a generous view in front and above—perfect for stargazing while in space. Three cushioned chairs graced the deck, one far forward near the front window—the pilot’s chair. Devri moved to it and hunted for controls. She knew this console—she’d flown a ship with a similar one back at the Academy. Within minutes, the Star Streaker was departing for its maiden flight.
The ship lifted off as if it were floating instead of flying. The spaceport shifted, and Devri circled once around the landing pad.
As she did, she glimpsed Harrison one last time, standing aside with his mouth gaping open, his fist still closed on those jewels. To the North, lightning flashed inside another building sandstorm. It looked worse than any they’d had in weeks.
Which meant Davos could not search for her until it passed. Devri strapped herself into her harness and heard Tally do the same in the navigator’s chair. She was worried for a moment—did he know how to navigate? But one glance back told her he must have hidden talents. He pressed buttons like he’d been sitting there all his life, setting a course for the stars.
Tally nodded to her, his green eyes shining. “All yours, Captain Devri.”
“Not Devri anymore, Tally. I’m Captain Rance Cooper.”
Ready for a full-length novel from Rance and the crew?
Prometheus Rescue is coming in late April 2017!
More adventure, more magic, and a furry little pet…
Sign up for my mailing list and get an announcement when it’s available!
http://tmcatron.com/star-streaker-news
Extras
Hey there! I loved every minute of writing Defiance. We got to see a different side of Rance, a more serious one. We also see that Rance wasn’t always cheeky and flippant about life in general, and that she took her family honor seriously. She actually (briefly) thought of marrying Harrison! When her family’s expectations failed her, Rance chose a path that would allow her to make her own destiny. For her, it was survival, but it also set her up for defiance against her family and old traditions.
The tone is different from the previous two because of the subject matter—family conflict. It’s less grand than being chased by spaceships or armored soldiers, but not less stirring. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t experienced some form of this in their lives, or felt torn between doing the right thing for yourself and others’ expectations.
Rance, the crew, and a new crew member will return in Prometheus Rescue, and once again, we’ll be back to high adventure (and in some “low” places). I know you’ve been waiting for a longer work, and I’m happy to announce that Prometheus Rescue is a novel.
That’s right, an honest-to-goodness, keep-you-reading-for-hours, novel.
And after that…
Well, you’ll just have to wait for more announcements. But I will say that Davos, Jane, and Harrison are not gone. They are just taking a break for now.
Do you want Star Streaker news? The crew is in for more adventures big and small! I hope you’ll step onto the ship and go with them. For direct news about the series, sign up for my (non-spammy) newsletter by going to http://tmcatron.com/star-streaker-news.
Expect an email once or twice a month with the following:
1. New release announcements
2. Freebies
3. Book recommendations
More Books!
The Shadowmark Series:
Shadowmark, Book 1
Aether, Book 2
Shadowmark Expansion Series:
The Mine, a novella
The Star Streaker Series:
#1 Solaris
#2 The Deliverance Code
#3 Defiance
#4 Prometheus Rescue (April 2017)
Standalones:
The Living with Lisa Manifold
Lost in Blue (as Wilhelmina Kirk) with Lisa Manifold
About the Author
T.M. (Tiffany) Catron spent her childhood looking for hidden worlds in the back of her closet. When she didn’t find any, she decided to grow up already and write them into existence.
She’s the author of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series, Shadowmark, and the space opera (with wizards!) series, Star Streaker. Her stories tend to include strong female characters (or those who want to be strong) and fun, twisty plots. Although Tiffany primarily writes sci-fi, she enjoys a good story in any genre.
If she’s not watching Doctor Who or putting together Star Wars Legos with her son, Tiffany is imagining what trouble her characters can get into next. She’s a coffee-fueled writer of science fiction who believes challenge and opportunity can be empowering. Her books are adventures in gaining strength from adversity, and wisdom from growth. She’s trying to make the world a better (and more fun) place, one book at a time.
Tiffany lives in Tennessee with her husband, son, and three spoiled dogs.
To connect with her, visit:
tmcatron.com
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/tmcatron
Facebook at facebook.com/authortmcatron
Twitter @tmcatron.
Email [email protected].
Acknowledgments
A big shout out to the Phoenix Prime crew for their support, advice, feedback, editing, and occasional kick in the pants. Without them, I would not have finished this book when I did. Or even started the Star Streaker series this year.
Special thanks to Dorene for beta reading and Jeanne for editing. You are a
wesome!
As always, a huge thank you to my hubby, Eric, who puts up with me disappearing for long hours to get my writing done. He’s been my biggest supporter throughout this journey. I love you, baby!
About Phoenix Prime
Phoenix Prime is a Ph.D. level workshop that spans approximately four months. It uses applied industrial psychology to address components of writing, marketing, branding, business and contract issues, productivity, etc. that combine Creative Writing and business perspectives.
The participants are creating a portfolio to showcase their work alongside students in doctoral programs in several major universities. The objective, in addition to expanding the professional growth of all the participants, is to study the impact of the independent author-publisher on the commercial fiction industry.
I’m in this program and will be planting roots in my office chair. I’ll come up for air sometime in April, with 35 additional works under my belt. If you see me walking around in a daze, laptop glued to one hand, coffee to the other, this is why.
