Gamma Raiders: Storm Squadron Alpha: Scifi Alien Romance Novel (28 page)

He lifted his hand to her face, and he kissed her with a hunger he’d never felt.

Her body softened. She threw her arms around him. Her lips parted as he explored her mouth, holding her body to his chest

He felt the curves of her breasts against him as her hands traced down his neck. He wrapped an arm around her and drew his hand down the soft skin of her cheek.

And he froze. This could only end badly. There was no way she would have allowed it if she knew about his past. The man he truly was.

“I’m sorry,” he said, releasing her. “I should never have done that.” He turned and backed away.

“Adaar wait,” she called. “Please wait. It’s okay.”

“No,” he said. “I’m sorry, Lana.”

And he disappeared from the room without looking back.

Chapter 12

Lana entered the cabin to find Kira laying on her stomach, pouring over the pile of notes Ja’al and Tyrus had left. The look of exasperation on her face said it all. “How do they expect me to learn all this by tomorrow?”

“I’m not worried about you, Kira. You’re a genius.”

“Well, obviously. But I’m not familiar with any of this. I’m used to repairing ship systems, not sabotaging them.” She tossed her holo down onto the mattress with a groan.

“I’m sure Ja’al will help you.”

“You sound awfully happy. Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?” Kira looked up at her friend and her mouth dropped open. “Oh my gods, what happened?”

Lana shook her head, trying to contain her smile. She knew it was foolish to pretend that what happened with Adaar meant anything. But she didn’t need it to. The rush of the moment was enough.

“It’s nothing,” she said. “Nothing to get excited about.”

“Riley, you’re a terrible liar. I know that look better than I know my own ship…I just never expected to see it on you.”

“What look? There’s no look.”

“You’re falling for him.”

“I’m not falling for anyone. Don’t be silly.”

Kira stood up and rushed to her. “I’m so happy for you. It’s about damn time you found yourself a good man.”

Lana shook her head. “Don’t get too excited. Adaar is not
good.
So we kissed. So what?”

“You
kissed
him? Riley!” She squeezed her friend in a joyful hug. “I’m so happy for you. I know you never pictured falling for a Kamaran, but Adaar is…wow.”

“He’s a pirate, Kira.”

“So I’m told.”

“Besides, it didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t have. I’m sure it was all part of the act. He was just preparing me. Making sure I didn’t freak out in the moment, in case we need to play the part when we’re down there on Anara.”

But even as she said it, she wondered. It couldn’t have been anything more than that, right? Why would he have any interest in anything more from her? “As soon as this is over, everything will go back to normal.”

“I hope not,” said Kira. “
Normal
was pretty shitty.”

Lana shrugged. “We were getting by.”

“Stuck on that hellhole desert wasteland? Flying missions non-stop for next to no pay? Worrying all the time about Tanner? Keeping our heads low to stay off the radar of the Consortium, the military, the gangsters? Do I need to go on? Don’t you ever feel like you deserve something better?”

Lana’s face fell. “I’m not happy about it, Kira. It’s not a glamorous life, but it could be a lot worse.”

“Yeah, but it could be a lot better, too.”

“I don’t see how falling in love with a pirate could possibly make anything
better.”

Kira shrugged. “They’re not so bad, Lana.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Well, yeah. Since we’ve arrived, they’ve been nothing but kind to us. The crew took us in, treated us like family. Trusted us on their ship. Included us in their games.”

“But they’re thugs. And killers. This is hardly a home. They don’t
belong
anywhere.”

“Neither do we.” She looked straight at Lana. “We sure as hell don’t belong on Tarksis, anyway. Not since the Empire showed up.”

“I suppose you have a point,” said Lana, the faint trace of a smile still lingering on her face. “But the Gamma Raiders? Seriously?”

“I get it. But let me put it this way: the only place I’ve ever felt at home was on the Endurance. And I don’t like flying for the Consortium any more than you do, but we’re free there. When we’re on that ship, we’re in charge of our lives. The Raiders have that here.”

“I guess you’ve got a point. But there has to be a better way. They’re…”

“More like a family than anything I’ve ever had.”

Lana shook her head. Kira grew up as an orphan, and it wasn’t something she liked to talk about. “They’re good to each other,” Lana agreed.

“And, Riley…I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” She gestured at her friend to lean in closer, raising a hand to Lana’s ear. “Adaar is
hot.
And you
kissed
him.”

She could still feel the tingle on her lips, her skin still aching for his touch. “He was just pretending. It was part of the training. It had to be.”

“I love you Lana, but you’re blind. Everyone else can see it, plain as day. He’s crazy about you.”

Lana shook her head. As observant as Kira could be, she was way off base. “You’re wrong.”

“I’m
not.
Ja’al said he’s never him like this.”

“It’s none of Ja’al’s business.”

“The hell it’s not. It’s his job to look out for his best friend, just like it’s my job to look out for you. It’s not my fault you’re too damn dense to realize a good thing when it falls in your lap.”

Lana sat back on her bunk and took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s assume you’re right. You’re
not
, but let’s pretend for a minute. What would we do? Float around the galaxy forever plundering helpless cargo ships? This doesn’t lead anywhere. It doesn’t mean anything. And what? We just keep it up until someday we get in over our heads and somebody gets shot? Or brought in front of an Imperial tribunal?” She shook her head. “It would never work. There’s no future in it. And you can’t raise a baby on a pirate ship.”

“Planning your family already?”

“You’re a real pain in the ass.”

“You love me.”

Lana rolled her eyes. “Gods know why.”

“Because I care about you, Riley, that’s why. Because I want to see you settle down and be happy. You deserve it. And it’s my responsibility to make sure you don’t screw this up.”

“I still don’t trust him.” The easy smile finally dropped from her cheeks. “I’ll spare you my usual rant…there’s something else. I can’t escape the feeling that there’s something he’s not telling me.”

“You’re determined to sabotage it, aren’t you? Do me a favor, Riley. Just one teensy-weensy favor.”

“Maybe.”

“Admit that you have feelings for him.”

Lana glared at her. She
didn’t
feel anything for him. Did she?

“Admit it to yourself, at least. You don’t have to tell me what I already know. But I’m not going to sit here and let you lie to yourself. Just think about it. For all the fuss you make about honesty and trust, you should at least be honest with yourself.”

“No promises,” said Lana.

***

A loud knock at the cabin door stirred Lana from her sleep.

“Come on in,” she called as she slowly opened her eyes and let the light in. Kira’s disheveled wreck of a bunk told her that she had slept. But she was gone.

Lana didn’t have long to speculate, though, as Ja’al entered the room with a stern look on his face.

“Sorry to disturb you, Lana. I know that you’re going to need as much rest as possible before we land. But the plans here are complicated. This is a delicate situation. I need to make sure you’re prepared.”

Lana lifted herself to her elbows and rubbed her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “More dance lessons?”

Ja’al laughed. “No more dance lessons, Lana. Adaar said you picked it up more quickly than he’d anticipated.” He didn’t add anything more, though Lana sensed he was leaving something out. “He was surprised, to say the least.”

Lana still felt too groggy for a quick witted reply. “Okay, so what is it, then?”

“Like I said, this is delicate.” Ja’al gestured to the chair in the center of the room. “May I sit?”

“Um, sure,” said Lana. She had never seen Ja’al this serious. He always seemed so laid back. But now, his words were quiet and heavy. Whatever he wanted to talk to her about must have been more important than he let on.

Lana reached for the water bottle next to her bunk. “Is everything okay, Ja’al?”

“Oh, everything’s fine, Lana. Everything is going to be fine.” He paused, assessing her. “How much do you know about the Gamma Raiders?”

“I know that you’re feared across the galaxy. Even back on Tarksis, people whispered stories about you. Kira overherad,” she noticed Ja’al smile a bit at the mention of her name, “from a couple of soldiers that there’s an entire training program dedicated to ferreting you out and surviving your attacks.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” he said. He chuckled and shook his head. “But the Kamaran military, for all their money and muscle, is never going to catch us. At least not that way.”

“Um, right,” said Lana. “That’s a relief, I guess.”

“Yes, Lana, it is a relief. And not just for us. It’s a relief for you, too.”

“Yeah, I sure feel safer with the Raiders around.”

Ja’al raised an eyebrow. “Sarcasm doesn’t suit you. You’re too honest, Lana. I think that’s part of the reason he cares about you so much.”

Oh gods, here we go.

“Adaar would probably kill me if…you know what, Lana? It’s not important. And it’s none of my business. That’s not why I’m here.”

“Okay, great.” Lana didn’t even notice that her legs had tensed until she released them. “So why are you here, then?”

“The Raiders’ mission is…complex. You think we just cruise around the galaxy, raiding ships willy-nilly.”

Lana laughed at the large, well-muscled, golden-skinned Kamaran man using a word like ‘willy-nilly’. She understood why Kira liked him; Ja’al had a way of putting her at ease.

“But that’s not the case. Our targets are all chosen very carefully. We always know exactly who we’re going after, and we always know why.”

“You’d be pretty sloppy pirates if you didn’t,” she said.

“It’s more than that, Lana.” He looked at her seriously. “Every ship we’ve raided…
every single one
…has been carrying something valuable to the empire. Something that grows their power or tightens their control of the people. Weapons, supplies, medicine, food…all things that either don’t belong to them, or that will help them force good, innocent people into lives of…let’s not mince words…
slavery.
”

Lana winced. She pictured the haggard humans toiling away in the Tarksian mines, extracting ore for Kamaran profit, and to build Kamaran warships. The regime never called them slaves. But the force they threatened and the meager wages told a different story. Even as a pilot, her father barely got by. And there was no possible way anyone living there could afford medical treatment, should they ever be unlucky enough to need it.

She caught the look of recognition in his eyes. He knew about her family, about her past. He knew why she was willing to help them.

“So you want me to believe you’re the good guys, Ja’al? I’ve already agreed to help you.”

He shook his head. “Lana, I need you to understand why this is important. When we head down to the planet, you’re going to be attending a wedding. You’re going to be
breaking up
a wedding.”

“Yes, that’s why I had to learn to dance. I’m way ahead of you.”

“But do you understand the implications, Lana? If Princess Ellistra marries the Emporer, Anara joins the Empire. Then all the food and all the medicine that the planet provides will belong to Kamara.” He paused, waiting for the implications to set in. “Anara is one of the last bastions of free trade in the sector, and their resources are abundant. Without our help, things are going to get worse for people like you and your brother.”

Coming from anyone else, Lana would have thought it was a crass attempt at emotional manipulation. But Ja’al believed what he was saying, and Lana had cultivated a pretty accurate bullshit detector as a necessary part of life on Tarksis. No alarm bells went off when he spoke.

“I understand. It’s important, and I’m on board. Why come talk to me about it now?”

Ja’al hesitated for a moment. “Because there’s no easy way to do it. We can’t just capture Ellista — the palace will be far too heavily guarded for that. Besides, the Anaran people need her. She is a good woman and a good leader.”

“So she has to stay.”

“You and Adaar are going to be inside. We’ve managed to secure the original invitation of one of the other guests, a distant cousin to the young Kamaran Emperor. You and Adaar will assume the identities of him and his wife.”

“Okay, so that will get us inside. But that still only covers two of us.”

He nodded. “Yes, and that’s all we’ll be able to manage. You and Adaar will be alone in there. We’ll be monitoring the situation from the outside and keeping close tabs on you, but the smoother things go, the better. Obviously.”

“So the rest of you are just going to sit around watching us?”

“Of course not. This is going to be quite an event…and though security in the palace itself it will be tight, we’re expecting things to be significantly lighter outside. It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to load up on supplies.” He locked eyes with her. “For distribution.”