Destiny Abounds (Starlight Saga Book 1) (53 page)
Read Destiny Abounds (Starlight Saga Book 1) Online
Authors: Annathesa Nikola Darksbane,Shei Darksbane
Tags: #Space Opera
So we got the slaves out. In the end, they were all taken into the care of the Kalaset; a couple of the youngest ones were even offered training, as I understand it. Good for them. Out of disaster should always come such opportunity. Others were returned to their families, if such could be found; otherwise, the Kalaset and Altair are still working to find them homes or otherwise stable lives. I wish them much good fortune, and I am happy to have been able to help them.
Sirrah informs me that the Kalaset and the Altairan government have already condemned Jori Stone’s actions, and, in a surprising turn, so has the Urzran government. The Urzrans have not actually taken action, however, so I personally believe this to be for appearances’ sake alone. I feel that most everyone involved is more forgiving than myself; had I met Mr. Stone during our foray into his complex, I would have ensured he did not survive the encounter.
Merlo has completely recovered from her injuries; they did not, in fact, last the day. Her suit’s abilities still amaze me, as does her appetite. It took much longer for Zimi to dig all of the pellets out of my shoulder than it did for my pilot to recover from the beating she endured; I would lie if I said I was not jealous. 286 has likewise easily recovered. All of her wounds, for the most part, were superficial, and never seemed to register much to her anyway. Though she did eventually submit to Zimi’s ministrations, at Kala Sirrah’s insistence. Zimi is the only one of my crew to still suffer from her wounds at Stone’s compound. Witnessing the slaughter done by myself and the Prisoner unsettled her, and whatever memories it stirred up… Well, suffice to say that physical wounds are often the easiest to heal. I do what I can to help, however.
In another interesting turn of events, Kala Sirrah has requested to join my crew, at least in a manner. I had expected that the Kalaset would indeed honor their offer of further gainful employ, but did not anticipate this being one such way that they would do so. It has me thoughtful; though one thing alone causes me to hesitate:
Prisoner 286. I do not doubt that she is dangerous. No one who saw what we saw in that compound on Kharvid could deny it. So why do I consider allowing her to remain on my ship? Truth be told, she is not the only, or in some senses, even the worst individual I have ever worked with. Similar things have even been said of myself, years ago.
Mostly, however, I wish her to stay because of how she affects Merlo. I worry about my pilot, my friend; before 286, she often sat alone in her barren room, doing nothing. The more signs I see, the more animosity I hold towards those that raised her, no matter what their intentions truly were. But at least now she has more of a purpose, more to fill her days. I find I would have trouble denying her 286’s company because of this. Besides, if Kala Sirrah is correct, we can manage this situation, and Prisoner 286 may even end up the better for it.
Really, I need only avoid challenging or threatening her, or attempting to directly give her orders. Instead, nudge her in the direction I wish her to go by using her interests, or Sirrah’s influence. Not simple by any means, nor enjoyable, but doable.
Kala Sirah herself, I feel, is an excellent addition to my crew. A member of the Kalaset opens many doors previously barred to us, and along with the appreciation of the Kalaset, diminishes the likelihood that we will ever again have to take the dull blade in place of an empty hand and run poor cargo to make ends meet. It is the safety and security I would like for the Destiny and my crew. And on a personal note, the experiences and perspective she has of the world outside my home are, frankly, intriguing; I look forward to speaking with her more at length.
It is fast coming up on the anniversary of the end of the war, and I promised, swore even, to return…
Branwen’s door chimed, and she looked up, taking the opportunity to shake the cramps from her left hand. Even switching back and forth between her hands, they were getting tired. She hadn’t written like this in so long, the attempt almost made her feel old again, as if she were once again suffering from arthritis and aching at the whims of the weather and seasons. “Enter,” she called.
The door chimed again and shifted smoothly out of the way to admit the petite torso of her pilot, who was grinning and obviously in high spirits. “Hey, Captain. Not bothering you, am I?” The girl gave the feather in her hand, still poised to strike above folded parchment, a briefly puzzled expression that quirked up the corners of Branwen’s mouth in amusement. “We’re about to make planetfall on Kepa’ohalei. Thought you might want to see it.”
Branwen had left Fade because her life was in ruins, and it felt like there was nothing left for her there. Thanks to her crew, especially the girl leaning through the door in front of her, she felt that not only could she rebuild her life, but that perhaps she’d never been completely correct in the first place. Branwen nodded to Merlo with a smile. “I would not miss it for the world.”
Want More Destiny?
Destiny Abounds
is the first book of the Starlight Saga.
The second book is already in the works. If you want to be notified of future releases, please sign up for our mailing list.
If you want more of Branwen Hawke, Merlo, Prisoner 286, and the rest of the crew be sure to check out the rest of the series, coming soon from
DarksbaneBooks.com.
Starlight Saga
- Destiny Abounds
- Instinct
-
Short Story taking place after
Destiny Abounds,
before
Fade Fall. - Fade Fall
- Coming Soon! - And many more…
Check out Shei Darksbane’s
Auralight Codex
(Geeky Urban Fantasy, featuring a snarky lesbian.)
Dakota Shepherd Novels:
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Nikola Darksbane and her stories at DarksbaneBooks.com.
Thanks!
Thanks to my personal greats, Tolkien, Rothfuss, Butcher, Briggs, Zelanzy, Sanderson. My stories may not be like yours, but you still inspired me.
Thanks to Neil Gaiman, for all those words of encouragement you put to video and in text. It kept me going through depression, when I didn’t know how to keep moving forward.
Thanks to all those various pen and paper RPGs out there, you know who you are. Hopefully the fifteen years you’ve inspired me to spin stories translates into something people want to read. A special shout out to Fate, Fudge, and Diaspora in particular, for helping me genesis the barest bones of this world.
Special, enormous thanks to my fabulous wifey for being awesome, without you this obviously wouldn’t exist.
Thanks to my daughter for being a damn cool kid overall. :]
Thanks to my beta readers: Jen, and Scott.
Thanks to Hugh Howey for those few threads on Kboards that showed me self-publishing was possible and convinced me I could do it.
Annathesa Nikola Darksbane is a Discordian lesbian who dreams of one day becoming a real cyborg. She lives with her awesome partner (and fellow author) of 15 years, and her unusually awesome eight year old daughter.
She loves philosophy, science, critical thinking, chaos, good food, reading, writing, pen and paper RPGs, video games of most kinds, has an interest in melee combat and believes in making magic every day. She is also the world record holder as the only living person on Earth to have ever seen a live armadillo.
Though she was born wanting to be a storyteller, for many years the only stories she told were born of being a game master for varying circles of friends. Eventually, with much prodding, she was convinced that those tales needed a new home, instead of living solely in her head. Thus this book, and all those to follow it, were born.