Gamma Raiders: Storm Squadron Alpha: Scifi Alien Romance Novel (15 page)

Kira sipped the sweet gel from the pouch, feeling her energy returned as she listened. “And I never had the same aspiration,” she said. “This was never part of my plan.”

“I don’t care about that,” he said. “Most of the rebels never dreamed this day would come. But I’ve trained for this my entire life. I want it to count.” He looked away. “I gave you shit because I was trying to shake you. You were a threat. I am a better pilot, but you’ve got something I don’t.”

“You should be leading them, Jomanak.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I would never have seen it if you hadn’t stood up to me.”

Kira swallowed a mouthful of recovery gel and waited for him to continue. She didn’t see how their confrontation could have done anything other than piss him off.

“I’m a warrior, Thorne. I’m a damn good pilot, but I have no sense of people. And when you’re up there in the heat of battle, it takes more than fast reflexes on the yoke, or a keen eye for targeting. It takes knowledge of your team. Of the way they’re likely to react in any circumstance. Their strengths and their weaknesses. Their motivations. And those of the enemy as well.”

Kira’s face fell. “I hate to tell you this, but that’s not me. I thought I understood people. But Reina …”

“Doesn’t matter. Listen to me: When I found out you were on top of the leaderboard, I was furious. But after our talk, I realized it wasn’t a mistake. I couldn’t have done what you did. And now, we’re up against an enemy who is more powerful and better prepared. We’re outnumbered. And we’re flying straight into the face of death. No one will admit, Thorne, but the recruits are scared shitless.”

“Only the ones who volunteered.”

“Everyone volunteered.”

She stared at him in disbelief, unable to speak.

“And they did it because they knew you’d be there to lead them. The Storm Squadron is full of brave pilots, Kira. But they need you to remind them of that. I can’t do it. I don’t have your instincts. Or your charisma. And the squadron won’t survive this mission without your guidance. Your inspiration. You have to lead them.”

“What if I can’t?” she said. “What if I can’t do it?”

“Then the Kamarans have won already.” Jomanak grabbed her shoulder helped her stand. “But if you lead them, they’ll follow you straight into the mouth of hell. And so will I.”

Chapter 16

A tumult of activity filed the flight deck as Kira raced through the maze of crafts and crew members making their final preparations. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for Ja’al and the rest of the crew. She hoped she wasn’t too late.

Just ahead, the engines of a transport shuttle roared, flaring to life as it made its way towards the craggy opening that separated them from the open space of the Gamma Quadrant.

The heat of the thrusters, or maybe it was her nerves, sent a bead of sweat down her forehead as she made her way through the airfield. The trained soldiers and pilots of the rebellion channeled the emotion that should have been panic into a calm sense of drive and purpose. As they made their final preparation, they coordinated the loading and evacuation of the base with practiced efficiency. Kira reminded herself to maintain her composure. She wiped the sweat from her brow. Panic wouldn’t help her.

With an intensity that shook the hall, the shuttle fired its boosters and leapt into space. The heat from its engines obscured the flurry of activity as the next craft shifted into launch position.

Kira pushed her way between a pair of broad-shouldered Artruvian marines loading a troop transport with tactical gear as she made her way towards the fighter bay, moving as quickly as she could manage without crashing into anyone.

Reina would have had no trouble escaping in the midst of all this chaos, she thought as she quickened her pace. But that didn’t matter now. Rumination would sap her focus, and she needed every bit. She needed to be on top of her game if Storm had a prayer of making it through the next few hours. She only hoped she’d be able to make things right.

Kira wove her way between the thirty JRV-class fighters that made up the Storm Squadron, lined up and prepared for take-off. She spotted Ja’al standing in front of a row of harried-looking volunteer pilots.

As he analyzed the glowing holographic map in front of him, he drew out a plan of attack. He did an admirable job hiding his emotions from the crew—Kira respected his ability to inspire confidence in them, despite the insurmountable odds they were up against.

Kira slid up into the crowd, trying not to draw his attention as she leaned back up against the thick tarkanium armor of the JRV behind her.

“Since the wrenches were only able to install the modified cloaking tech on a handful of our ships, we’ve had to make some tough decisions about what gets left behind,” he said. “There’s no way we can salvage everything. But we’ll be able to get our people to safety, provided we do our job.”

He turned to the holographic tactical map, zooming in on the heart of the Kamaran fleet. A large star destroyer, looming at the edge of the belt, had opened its weapon bays to charge its torpedoes and cannons. A cadre of fighters swarmed out of its hangar like an angry plague of Anaran jungle flies.

“I just received word from Prince Adaar that Lana’s diplomatic efforts with the Human Systems Alliance are progressing. They’ll be providing us with asylum while we search for a permanent base. It’s an important step towards a full alliance. Whether they commit their forces remains to be seen. And for the moment, we’re on our own. Our mission is to hold off the trailing fighters until our transport ships have made the jump to hyperspace. Casualties will be high.”

“Sir,” said Jomanak, who had slid into the crowd just ahead of Kira. “It’s nothing we can’t handle.”

Ja’al glanced in his direction. “Glad to see you, Jomanak. I thought for a moment that your survival instinct had finally kicked in.”

“Not a chance, sir,” said Jomanak. “Not when the future of the rebellion is on the line.”

“Spoken like a true Storm Squadron pilot.” A brief smile crossed Ja’al’s lips as he nodded his head with solemn respect. But the smiled fell from his face when his eyes landed on Kira, pressed up against the fighter behind him.

Kira watched the internal struggle play out inside him. She wasn’t supposed to be there after everything he had gone through to keep her safe. His expression vacillated, but remained unreadable. It didn’t help that Kira averted her eyes.

“We’ll split into two units,” said Ja’al. “One group, led by me, will fly out to meet them. The other will remain behind to protect the base.”

“What’s the point of that?” said Jomanak. “There’s nothing left here to protect.”

This time, Kira stepped forward. “In order for the ruse to work,” she said, “they have to think we’re still here. If we didn’t have our fighters circling the base, they’d realize we’ve evacuated.”

Ja’al eyed her for a long moment, and she held his gaze.

That’s right, Ja’al. I’m here. And I’m not leaving. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for me.

“Kira is right,” he said. “The front is necessary. To pull this off, we must ensure their efforts are focused here. Not on the escaping fleet. I will lead the strike team on the offensive. Kira will divert their attention by leading the team here at the base.”

He smiled at Kira, but she detected far more in his eyes. She saw respect for her courage. He nodded, passing her the baton.

“You have your assignments,” she said. “Let’s get airborne.”

***

Kira walked around her fighter, putting all her attention into the final pre-flight inspection. The ship was sturdy, and everything appeared to be in place. Not that she expected anything less. The pistons of the hatch hissed as she opened the cockpit and prepared to step inside.

Taking a final look around at the flight deck, she bid goodbye to the place. The fabric of her flight suit pressed tight against her body as she tucked the charm beneath her suit, feeling the hard rock pressed against her skin. She shut her eyes and drew a deep breath as she prepared for her final ascent into the cockpit, hoping she was up to the task.

A firm hand on her shoulder stopped her before pulling her into a deep embrace. “Kira,” Ja’al said as he pressed her body against him. “I admire your courage. But you don’t have to do this.”

She relaxed into the comfort of his arms as she buried her face into the rippling muscles of his chest. Inhaling his deep masculine scent, she sensed his strength. And she realized that what she admired most in him, she held deep within herself, too. And it took the fear of losing him to bring it out.

“After all this, you’re still worried. You don’t think I can handle myself out there,” she said. “But I’m not leaving my squadron. I’ve earned my place here, and I’m not going to let my team down.”

“I know you can handle yourself, Kira. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along. But … I need you to be safe. And there’s no guarantee any of us will survive this.”

“I believe in what we’re doing,” she said.

“You don’t have to prove yourself to me, Kira. Or to anyone else.”

“Except myself, Ja’al,” she said.

“Kira Thorne,” said Ja’al, gripping her chin firmly in his hands as he looked into her eyes. “I’m honored to fly at your side.”

She wrapped her arms around him, biting into his lip as she kissed him. “You’d better survive this, Ja’al. I’m not finished with you yet.”

“I love you, too.” He pulled her in close and kissed her back.

***

Kira leaned into the throttle and weaved her fighter around a stray asteroid hurtling through the Dennegar belt. Maneuvering through the maze of projectiles wasn’t an easy task, even for an agile, single-occupant fighter. The transports housing the escaping Rebellion fighters were probably having a hell of a time. They weren’t designed for aerial acrobatics.

Fortunately, it was a journey they’d only have to make once. Kira had no idea where the Rebellion would end up, but hopefully it wouldn’t be somewhere quite so inhospitable. Maybe the Human Systems Alliance would provide temporary asylum on one of their numerous resort worlds.

She thought of Lana, negotiating with the consulate, trying to make their case. It would be a tough sell. The Alliance had negotiated with the Kamarans when they sold the colony at Tarksis many years ago, but they’d never experienced the tyranny of living under Kamaran rule. They’d be unlikely to risk upsetting their agreement or waging a war that might tip the galactic balance. Unless something changed.

But Kira didn’t hold that against them. All species, hell, all individuals, preferred to remain in a state of homeostasis, only reacting to the circumstances that posed an immediate threat to their survival. As long as the Kamarans didn’t target them directly, the Human Systems Alliance would be unlikely to put themselves in the middle of it.

Gazing out at the field of stars, Kira weaved her ship around behind the asteroid where the base was housed. She hoped the activity was convincing enough to prevent the detection of the fleeing Rebel convoy. She glanced down at the glowing orange radar console in front of her, studying the readouts for any signs of Kamaran fighters breaking off course.

So far, so good. She hoped their luck would hold.

As the convoy cleared the edge of the belt and emerged into the empty, black void of the Gamma Quadrant, Kira reached instinctively to the auto-pilot controls on her console. She fingered the touchscreen, punching in the instructions to follow a regular pattern around base. A dialog flashed across the HUD, asking her to confirm her command.

Her hand hung in mid-air, frozen.

She didn’t want to turn the flight over to the computer. She didn’t want to relinquish her control. Her ability to react. To trust her flight and her fate to a pre-selected course. Sure, the systems would make the right decisions. But Kira wanted to decide her own fate. She could make her own choices. The computer would do its best to keep her safe. But what if she didn’t want to just turn over control and let the damn machine make her decisions?

She smiled and gripped the flight stick. I’m going to fly my own damn ship. I’m the one in control, here. Just because the damned flight computer thought it knew what was best for her didn’t mean it had any damn idea what she wanted, what she was capable of, or—

The buzz of an incoming transmission interrupted her train of thought. That’s odd. All the Rebellion pilots should have already been patched through on the system. She shouldn’t need to manually accept anything.

She glanced down at the display, looking for identifying information on the transmission’s source. It was a Rebel JRV, but it wasn’t hooked into the comm train. That could only mean ….

“This had better be good, Reina.”

Kira couldn’t believe Reina had the audacity to contact her after what she’d done. And she wasn’t about to let the moment pass. Kira’s fingers flew to the control panel, trying to lock in on the source of the transmission.

“How’s Tyrus?” Reina’s voice crackled over the comm. “Did they get him to the med bay?”

Kira clenched her jaw, her blood boiling as her chest tightened. “You mean after you attempted to murder him?” she said, trying not to let her anger distract her from the mission of locating Reina’s ship.

“It’s not like that, Kira. Listen—Tyrus isn’t going to die. The poison was designed to mimic organ failure, but it’s harmless. When it wears off in a week, he’ll be good as new. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. It’s important. I never meant to hurt him.”

Kira wasn’t sure whether to believe her. Trusting Reina was the reason they were in this mess. “That’s a convenient story,” she said. “Why should I trust you? You betrayed us all. The whole damn rebellion is in jeopardy. All those innocent people whose lives will be …. The Kamarans won’t let this slide. They’ll make sure it never happens again.”

“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” said Reina. “I know an apology won’t fix anything. But still … I’m sorry.”

Kira’s control panel flashed red; the attempt to locate Reina’s fighter had failed. There was something odd about the ship’s energy signature, and the comm transmission was encrypted using a protocol her ship couldn’t trace.

She wouldn’t give up, though. There had to be another way. She keyed in the command to scan for irregular energy emission bursts within the radius of the belt. It would take time, but it was her best bet.

“There’s always another way, Reina. I could have helped you. I would have risked my life to help you. All of us would have.”

“I know, Kira. And that’s why I couldn’t just leave without …. Storm Squadron is flying into a trap.”

“Yeah, going up against a destroyer and a full fighter armada.”

“It’s worse than that, Kira. They’ve pierced the cloak on the Vendetta. The Rebel convoy won’t be safe until the jump to hyperspace.”

Kira swore. “Gods dammit, Reina. What else did you give them.”

“It wasn’t me. They figured it out on their own. But that’s not the worst part. Their destroyer is outfitted with an antimatter cannon that can wipe out the entire fleet. The Kamarans have been developing it in secret for years. The ultimate bargaining chip, in case anyone tries to defy them. They’re going to fire on the fleet unless you can stop them.”

Kira’s heart raced, pounding against her chest. She didn’t want to believe it. She scrutinized Reina’s voice, searching her inflection for any hint of duplicity, any pattern of language to suggest that she was bluffing. She found none. Reina’s words rang true.