by Calista Skye
“Copy that.” The words echoed through Kira’s headset. She wasn’t even sure who had spoken them. She tuned out all distractions, narrowing her focus on the target in front of her.
The electric current hissed and snapped as a glowing sphere of energy ballooned at the base of the weapon. Its light pulsed faster, crackling as the wild currents surged around the ship.
A scream from her guidance system pulled her attention from the target in front of her. Her shields lit up, swallowing the bursts of cannon fire from the Kamaran fighter that had broken formation and was bearing down on her flank.
“Shit,” she said. “I’ve got one on me.”
In her peripheral vision, she noted the rapidly diminishing power level in her shields. Her approach compromised, she knew she wouldn’t have time to defend herself from the attacker and still hit the power core before it fired.
She cursed again, weighing her options as she hurtled through the blackness toward the destroyer’s antimatter containment trap. The shields were still engaged, but they’d have to lower them before they fired the weapon. And by the looks of it, they were running out of time.
Glancing down at her radar, her stomach lurched. All the other pilots were caught in their own engagements. No one else could make the run. The window of opportunity was too narrow.
Another burst of cannon fire crashed into her ship, rattling the cockpit as her shields powered down. “I’m flying naked out here,” she said. She looked on in horror as the mechanical dome housing the antimatter trap slid open, exposing the glowing electromagnetic cage housing the antimatter payload.
Her ship’s alarm flared. The Kamaran pursuer had missile lock. Kira swallowed, bracing herself for destruction.
An explosion ignited behind her as Ja’al’s cannons shredded the Imperial fighter that tailed her.
“You’re all clear, Kira,” he said.
She still didn’t have a clear shot. But she knew that if she hesitated, it would be too late. Out of options, Kira gripped the flight stick and thumbed the trigger, launching her final pair of torpedoes off towards their target.
She waited with bated breath as her glowing weapons tore through the blackness of space and vanished into the invisible energy shield surrounding the antimatter trap.
Shit. Not good.
But she should have known better. The Kamarans would have anticipated an attack with torpedoes. But they’d never expect anyone to get close enough to hit it with something physical. Something that would react directly with the antimatter.
As she ran the scenario in her mind, time slowed to a crawl. Everything was clear. She knew what she had to do.
“Kira, get out of there,” said Ja’al.
“All Storm pilots,” she said with unwavering calm, “jump to hyper.”
“Dammit, Kira!” said Ja’al. “What are you doing? I order you to turn around.”
She tensed her fingers around the flight stick. No one would blame her for turning away.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not this time.
“I’m sorry Ja’al,” she said. “I have to do this.”
If this was going to be her final moment, she would live it as a hero. She had been foolish to think she’d never be worthy. Ja’al was right, all along it had been her own fear that held her back. Her unwillingness to accept her power. Foolish to think she didn’t deserve it.
Because gods dammit, she did deserve it. She deserved every bit of happiness and love and recognition in the world. She was valuable. She was courageous. She believed in herself.
And with her final action, she vowed to prove it.
“I love you, Ja’al,” she said, locking the course into her nav computer.
She slammed the throttle down full speed, racing towards the opening hatch of the destroyer’s antimatter trap. Her path was set. Her fate was sealed. She was going to save the Rebellion.
As her fighter crossed the point of no return, she pushed the eject lever, launching herself up and out of the cockpit and into the blackness of space.
Time slowed to a crawl as she watched the remaining rebel ships in the star field around her blink out of view as they engaged their hyperdrives. They’d be safe.
Her body flailed and floated, weightless in the open space around her. The pressure of her flight suit held her body together, wrapping around her like the warm embrace of a lover.
She looked on as her ship closed the final meters towards the antimatter cannon.
It disappeared in an instant, colliding with the trap.
As she watched the glowing ripples of the nascent explosive annihilation, a force pulled at her body. Before her eyes closed, she could have sworn she glimpsed Ja’al’s ship above her.
A pleasant final sight, she thought. I love you, Ja’al. And her consciousness slipped away into the darkness.
Chapter 18
The sound of white noise, gently rising and falling, made its way through the darkness. It surprised her. She didn’t expect to have any sensory experiences. But then, she had no idea what to expect. She’d never been dead before.
At least the sound was pleasant enough. The rhythm of the crashing white noise sounded like ocean surf. Well, that’s a relief. She’d always wanted to earn enough to retire on the beaches of Anara. At least the afterlife would be pleasant.
She smiled at the thought, exhaling as she laughed. Dead people weren’t supposed to exhale were they?
Her eyes fluttered open as sensation returned to her body. The warmth on her skin. The soft mattress supporting her back. The bright light of the sun streaming in through the window, and the salty smell of the ocean hanging in the air.
What the hell?
“Kira.” Ja’al’s deep, comforting voice pulled her back to consciousness. Her eyes fell on his shirtless body standing the doorway, a prefect silhouette against the light of the sun.
“Ja’al …” she winced as she struggled to prop herself upright. Her body ached in places she didn’t even know it could hurt.
“Easy, Kira. You’re safe.”
All at once, the memories came rushing back. The Imperial destroyer charging its antimatter cannon. Her torpedoes, blocked by the energy shield. And her decision to launch her ship straight at the payload. She ejected herself, and … Ja’al’s ship, floating overhead. He must have saved her. Somehow.
“Where are we?”
Ja’al took a deep breath. “We’re on Viran Prime. You didn’t exactly give me much time to plan, so I had to make a quick decision. I wasn’t sure if you’d survive, and …”
“And you wanted my final moments to be here on the beach.”
“I thought it might help you recover,” he said.
“What about the fleet? Did they make it?”
“Thanks to you, Kira. I don’t know what came over you, but your quick thinking saved the Rebellion. They were able to get away, untracked, before the destroyer exploded. It’s a good thing they had a head start—that annihilation took out more of the belt than any of us imagined. They had enough antimatter to demolish an entire system. The Empire is playing for keeps.”
Kira shook her head. “I can’t believe that actually worked.”
“And yet, here we are. None of us would be alive without your courage.”
“Everyone is here, then?”
“No,” said Ja’al. “The fleet is still in transit. Lana and Adaar have been in negotiations with the Human Systems Alliance for some time now. They’re going to grant us asylum and allow the Rebellion to establish a base on a moon in the Qalidor System. We should be well-hidden there while we gather our forces and make a plan to destabilize the Empire.”
Kira ran her fingers down the smooth sheets as he spoke. Her body seemed to be functioning properly, and she was grateful for that. But there were still so many unanswered questions. How the hell did Ja’al manage to get her out of there? And what about …. Her stomach lurched as the memory of Tyrus laid out on the stretcher flooded back into her conscious
ness. She inhaled sharply and sat up fast as the blood rushed into her head. “Tyrus!” she said. “What about …”
“Shhh,” said Ja’al. “Tyrus will be fine. Reina wasn’t trying to kill him. He’s expected to make a full recovery. Speaking of Reina …”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” she said. “I just …. Even after everything, I knew she wasn’t …”
“You don’t have to explain yourself,” said Ja’al. “You listened to your instincts, and your decision saved us all. There’s nothing else that needs to be said.”
“This whole thing is my …”
“No,” said Ja’al. “I’m won’t let you finish that sentence. She fooled us all. What matters now is what we do going forward. You’re here, and I’m here. The Rebellion will go on. And nothing else matters.”
Kira wasn’t sure, but she didn’t have the energy or the will to argue. She needed time to process what had happened.
“But I had to get you somewhere safe, to pull you out of the gravity field. We can rejoin them as soon as you’re ready.”
“What happened? I thought I saw your ship, but …” she shook her head.
He smiled as he sat down beside her, laying a strong hand on her cheek. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember. To my knowledge, no one has ever attempted to make a hyperspace jump outside a ship. But there was no time. I had to do something.”
“The bubble?” she asked.
“I didn’t realize what you were planning until I saw you eject,” he said. “We should have realized their shields wouldn’t let a torpedo through. Launching your ship at the antimatter was brilliant. Insane, but brilliant.”
“I couldn’t let them fire. I had to do something.”
Ja’al chuckled as he nodded, brushing his hand down her cheek and tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. “You acted without hesitation. You were fearless. I don’t know many pilots who would have had the guts to try a move like that. You single-handedly saved the fleet. You’re a hero.”
“I’m not a hero. I just did what needed to be done.”
“You trusted yourself when it mattered the most,” he said. “And nearly killed yourself in the process.”
Kira felt her skin flush as her pulse quickened. “But how did we end up here? I saw the annihilation.”
“As soon as I realized what you were doing, I broke out towards you. I didn’t think I was going to make it in time. But I thought that if I could just get close enough to you, I could jump to hyper with you inside my gravity bubble.”
“How did you know it would work?” said Kira.
“I didn’t,” he said flatly. “But I had to do something. I wasn’t about to let you sacrifice yourself for me.”
This time, Kira chuckled. “Well played.”
“I love you too much to let you die.”
She ran her hands along his massive thighs, feeling his muscles tense at her touch. “You love me, huh?” she said.
“Kira, a world without you in it isn’t a world I want to live in. I thought I had this thing all figured out. But I didn’t realize, until I met you, why it’s so damned important to keep fighting the good fight. You’ve made me appreciate … the simple joy of letting go.”
Kira climbed on top of him and pushed his body down onto the mattress. “You’d better not let go,” she said. “I’m not finished with you yet.” She swung her leg up over him and straddled his body. “I’m not going to be finished with you for a long, long time.”
Ja’al pulled her body down close, parting her lips as he kissed her deeply and rolled over on top of her. “As if I’d let you,” he said, pinning her shoulders to the bed. She felt his bugle throbbing against her as he spread her legs. A surge of heat flowed through her as the wetness began to pool at her core. “Bad things happen when I let you out of my site. I think I’m going to have to keep you close from now on.”
He traced his lips down her neckline, nibbling at her collarbone. Her body lit up as his hands found their way to her exposed breast and gave a gentle squeeze.
“I think I can handle that,” she said. The words escaped her lips in a gentle whisper that bordered on a moan as he nibbled her exposed flesh. The light breeze blowing through the cabin teasing her body where his mouth had been, as though the whole universe conspired to pleasure her.
Ja’al slipped a finger beneath her panties, a devious smile growing on his lips as he felt the wetness between her folds. “I want you,” he said as he drew the tip of his finger softly across her bud.
She pulled him in close, wrapping her hands around his neck. She caught his firm, golden jawline shining in the sunlight and brought her mouth to his lips. “I love you, too,” she said.
Parting her legs, she guided him to her entrance and waited, quivering in anticipation.
“Marry me, Kira Thorne,” he said.
She looked up and saw his piercing green eyes staring back at her, the penetrating gaze searching her. Her body filled with warmth as a smile grew on her face. She lay silently, her body throbbing against him as he waited above her, poised and waiting at her entrance.
She knew it took every ounce of restraint he possessed not to bury himself deep inside her, and she bucked her hips upward, testing him.
A firm hand pressed her back down against the mattress.
“Marry me,” he repeated.
The discipline of a warrior. She expected nothing less. And she knew that she was safe with him, that Ja’al would never falter or hesitate. That he would always be there for her in a pinch, never afraid to do what needed to be done. He was everything a man should be. Everything she needed.
Still, she teased him. Challenged him. “Why should I marry you?”
“Because you need me,” he said.
“I don’t need anyone,” she said. “Try again.”
He circled his body above her, teasing her with his tip.
Kira exhaled in fits and spurts that betrayed her desire as her body quivered. She ached to feel his fullness inside her.
“How about this, then: Marry me because you don’t need me. Because you’re the kind of woman who can take care of herself. A woman who has never been afraid to go after what she wanted. I knew you had that strength, Kira. I saw it the first day we met. And I’ve seen it countless times since. You are one of the most courageous people I’ve ever known, even if it took you a while to realize it. Because I want you by my side. I’ve …”
She kissed him, but he pressed her back down on the bed.
“I’ve never met anyone like you, Kira. And I couldn’t stand to lose you. The world is a better place with you in it. I’m a stronger man with you by my side, and you’re a stronger woman with me by yours. We’re better together than either of us are alone. And I refuse to spend another day without you. Marry me, Kira Thorne.”
“I will,” she said.
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him deep inside her as the colors of the setting sun streamed in around them. She hoped it was going to be a long night.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Gamma Raiders: Storm Squadron Alpha!
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Happy Reading,
Calista
As a special “thank you” to my readers, I’ve included the first book in the series, Gamma Raiders: The Space Pirate Prince, as a bonus.
Enjoy the story!
Gamma Raiders:
The Space Pirate Prince
By Calista Skye
***
A BBW pilot and a sexy pirate join forces in the exciting debut of the Gamma Raiders
sci-fi romance series!
Never trust a Kamaran ...
Lana Riley has had it rough ever since the Kamarans took over her planet. The alien overlords are responsible for her parents’ deaths, and even with her top-notch piloting skills she can barely earn the money she needs to care for her seriously ill younger brother.
Especially a Kamaran pirate ...
When Lana and her best friend and co-pilot, Kira, accept a job flying cargo across the Gamma quadrant, they’re hijacked by the notorious Gamma Raiders. Out of money and out of options, they join the pirates’ crew in a desperate bid to keep Lana’s little brother alive.
Who’s too gorgeous to resist ...
The pirates’ leader, Adaar, is the last man in the galaxy Lana should trust. Not only is he a pirate, he’s a Kamaran. Despite that, the attraction between them is undeniable--and growing ever stronger.
And is keeping secrets.
When Lana discovers that Adaar has been lying to her about his real identity, will it shatter the bond between them? Or will they find a way to forge a new, stronger relationship … one with consequences for the entire galaxy?
Gamma Raiders: The Space Pirate Prince is full of action, adventure, humor, and romance. It’s a full-length novel with a HEA and no cliffhangers!
***
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Chapter 1
Lana Riley snatched the vibrating holocomm from her belt, accepting incoming transmission before its alert amplified into a furious scream. The shimmering figure of her best friend and co-pilot appeared above the device. “Just a heads up Riley…” came Kira’s conspiratorial voice. “You’re going to want to get to the Depot early today.”
