Encounter at Shalana

By Angelia Almos

Space pirate Captain Kristy Ryan grew up the only daughter of a notorious privateer in the Border Planet Region. She learned her trade the hard way – there were no free rides on her father’s ship.
Now, she has her own ship, the Unicorn, and successfully works in the shadows, the fringes of legitimate trade. Her life is just how she wants it even on those days when her pilot and lover, Andrew Bennet, drives her crazy.
But an unexpected visit from the Military Space Alliance changes everything. Her father disappeared while working a dangerous mission for the MSA. Now, she’s being blackmailed into finishing his mission.

*Previously published under the title SPECTORS.*

REVIEW:
"...a unique space opera among a vast number of books of its genre. Like many other space operas, its world and people are immense and beyond anything that most have imagined. But unlike most, the main character Kristy is a witty and head strong female in a male dominated world. The book was a very quick read that held my attention to the very last word pulling me into farther into her life and problems as the story progressed." Norwoodj at Night Owl Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thoroughweb Press
• Release date: Dec 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301479337

Angelia Almos

Angelia’s love of horses began early on when she talked her parents into horseback riding lessons at the age of five. She’s always had horses in her life in one way or another since then. Her articles have appeared in Horse Illustrated, Young Rider Magazine, Blaze Magazine, and many more. When she's not writing about equine education, she writes young adult fantasy and space opera where adventure, romance, and horses figure prominently in her storties.

Book preview

Prologue

Border Planet Region – Planet Talin

Death shadowed him. He wouldn’t get off this planet alive. Luke Ryan knew the truth with every instinct he possessed. Mentally ticking off everything he would have to do, he walked as swiftly as he dared. They were behind and possibly around him, the one reason he didn’t allow himself to run and reveal he knew they were coming to take him. What they didn’t know was what he held in his possession. The one item that would allow his people a chance at taking the aliens down. If they knew he had it, he wouldn’t have made it to the docking yard.

Now, he just had to get to his ship and send the information he’d obtained to O’Neal. That was the mental checklist he was going through. There were ways to intercept a coded message before it reached its recipient. He had to make sure the message wasn’t intercepted or all hope would be lost. They were too cunning and strong.

Once he’d insured the information’s safety, he’d attempt to get his ship off this rock, but he wasn’t fooling himself on his chances. He grimaced as he judged how much farther he’d have to pretend he wasn’t being chased. Of course, he’d landed the Marauder on the opposite end of the docking zone when he arrived on Talin something he preferred as the docking authority tended to turn a blind eye on that zone.

Cursing under his breath, Luke forced himself to keep the same even stride as he passed numerous ships and their busy crews. He ignored the few people who sidled up to him to try to make a deal. As he drew near the Marauder, he unconsciously glanced over his shoulder before catching himself and focusing back on his destination. His fingers twitched in the remembered sequence to unlock the hatch. If he could get in and lock it down, he might buy himself some time.

There was no chance he’d escape this hellish planet. Not with what he was carrying on him, but he could get the information out. Warn the one person he cared about in the galaxy. He wound around several stacks of packing crates before he could finally see the hatch. His shoulders itched with the urge to look behind him.

He smacked the hatch and the coded panel slid back with a beep. His fingers punched in the code in less than three seconds and the hatch clicked and soundlessly slid open. He finally allowed himself to run and jumped aboard. He spun and keyed the door shut, entering in a complicated series to lock the entire ship down. If only he’d finished the upgrades so he could run the Marauder as a one-man ship, but he’d never considered the possibility he’d have no crew to run her or a crew he couldn’t trust.

Computer, who’s on the ship? Luke pushed a button on a display as he asked the question.

Captain Luke Ryan detected. The computer hummed for half a second. No other life forms detected onboard.

Satisfied he didn’t have to watch his back, he ran down to his own quarters where the only secure computer was housed. He shut the door and entered in another complicated sequence to lock the door down. He didn’t know who in his crew had been killed and who had been compromised so he had to change each lock sequence.

He moved away from the door to his small desk in the cluttered quarters. When you’d lived the last thirty years in a ship your space tended to fill up with the small items too painful or valuable to part with. The monitor lit up as it sensed him and he leaned over the desk to call up the communication array. It blinked and he pulled a small data disc out of his pocket and inserted it into the slot.

O’Neal, Luke said as the array recorded and transmitted on multiple secured frequencies. I’ve been compromised. My crew’s disappeared. Saying the words made his gut clench and he paced away from his desk to get the rage under control. Leaning back over the computer, he continued. I found something. Could be what we’ve been looking for. He was positive it was exactly what they had been looking for. The data’s attached to this message. I won’t be making it off planet. He took a deep breath. "I know there won’t be a SAR.

We’ve got to know more about them if we’re going to save ourselves. You’ll need to find someone better than me to finish the mission. He looked to one of the shelves with a digital frame of his one and only living breathing relative. He hadn’t spoken to his daughter in over a year. He hadn’t been able to bridge the gap between them. The one thing he regretted. Look close to home. My home.

His perimeter alarms blared. Someone was trying to force themselves on his ship. He snarled as he shut his computer down. He wouldn’t let them take him alive. He knew too much about O’Neal’s operation to allow them to use him, but he wasn’t willing to take his own life. He would make them take him out and hopefully take a few of the bastards with him. He pulled several weapons out from under his bed and ran out of his quarters to the bridge.

He had to at least try to get the Marauder up and flying. The sounds of metal sparking greeted him and he cursed. They were cutting his hatch to pieces with a torch. He’d almost made it to the bridge when he heard the unmistakable sound of metal ripping and a huge crash. They’d gained entry.

There was a second of silence as he spun to face the new threat. He hesitated and lost his chance to get to the bridge as a shadow moved in the opening. It would take a full minute to warm up the Marauder’s engines. He opened one of his crew’s quarters and placed himself in the doorway on one knee raising the rifle to his shoulder and waiting for the first one to come through the door.

Chapter 1

Somewhere in the Border Planet Region – 36 hours later

Kristy Ryan hated to cry. It wasn’t just the outward sign of weakness that bothered her, but the crying hangover always put her in a foul mood. She’d woken with tear tracks running down her cheeks and had tried to hide them. But Andrew Bennet was just a little too observant. He had that you’re going to tell me what’s going on look on his face.

She grimaced at her own face in the small head as she pulled her brown hair back into a tight pony tail. She’d washed away all signs of the crying jag. Why the heck had she been crying in her sleep again?

She puttered around the small space trying to see if she could out wait Andrew. After a

couple more minutes, she cracked the door and groaned. He was sitting on her bed waiting for her. The look still in place on his too handsome face. If he wasn’t so cute, she would have booted him off her ship a long time ago.

Talk, he demanded.

We’re on schedule to make the delivery. She pulled her jumpsuit out of its cubby and stepped into it with quick efficiency. The sooner she got dressed, the sooner she could escape the interrogation.

You were crying.

I don’t cry.

What’s bothering you? he asked, abandoning the old crying argument.

Nothing, she said which was half true since she didn’t know what was bothering her.

Kristy. He sighed as he stood up and walked her into a corner. We can go back and forth like this ‘til I wear you down or we can cut to the chase and you can tell me why you’ve been crying in your sleep again. Dreams?

She didn’t talk about the dreams from her childhood. No.

He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. You need to let it out.

I don’t have to let anything out. She jerked away and ducked around him.

You know, he drawled and her shoulder’s hunched in response to his sardonic tone. One day you’ll get your wish and I’ll get sick and tired of all your crap.

My crap. She spun around. Don’t put your issues on me. I’m fine. You’re the one who always wants to talk.

Pardon me for wanting more than a quick screw here and there.

She slammed out the door and headed for the common room. She had no intention of being drawn into the old relationship argument. Though her ship was equipped with state of the art long range engines the Unicorn really didn’t have a lot of space to escape from people who were annoying you. When she saw the single feline of her crew, Wilhelmina, in the common room she nearly turned around and headed back to her room.

Something wrong? Wilhelmina purred, her Aryehen accent deepening with concern.

Kristy gave up on the thought of turning around and perched on one of the stools. She might as well get it over with. Wilhelmina always treated her as if she was one of her cubs and not her captain. Probably came from knowing Kristy since she was a child.

Kristy forced a smile. A small disagreement. This was what she hated about the confinement of space. There was way too much time to talk.

The two of you have been having a lot of disagreements lately, Wilhelmina purred, her emerald green eyes narrowing.

Long practice taught her she couldn’t outright lie to Wilhelmina. She didn’t know if the lie detection was something all Aryeh could do since Wilhelmina was the only one she knew. In fact, normally she enjoyed having the Aryeh’s skills when they were focused on her opponents. She was less thrilled when they were one hundred percent focused on her. Your point?

You would think you two would have gotten to the bottom of what’s wrong by now.

You’d think so, Andrew drawled from the hallway.

Kristy spun to glare at him, his comment still stinging. He smiled cockily. She refrained from launching herself up and physically attacking him. It was what he expected and probably what he wanted so she turned her back on him and fumed.

It isn’t good for morale when you two are fighting, Wilhelmina scolded.

Her fuming took a back seat to amusement at the image of her crew worrying about her and Andrew. I doubt a bunch of pirates really give a damn.

I want you two to make up. Wilhelmina frowned at her as if Kristy could miss the disapproval radiating off the cat in waves. She really hated it when her cubs didn’t do as she saw fit.

Andrew snorted in laughter, but quickly swallowed it when Wilhelmina turned her frown on him. Kristy didn’t bother protesting Wilhelmina’s demand. She would keep hounding them until she got what she wanted.

Andrew controlled his laughter and turned to Kristy with mock seriousness. Sorry, Captain.

She raised an eyebrow. You should be.

Wilhelmina clucked in displeasure. Kristy, I’m not letting either of you out of here until you apologize.

Fine. She turned to him with an overly sweet smile. I apologize.

That’s better, Wilhelmina purred. Don’t you both feel better now?

Kristy was given a reprieve when the comm beeped. Glenn Cadoc’s voice came over the speakers. Kristy to the bridge.

She jumped up and headed out the opposite door more eagerly than she would have normally to see what Glenn wanted. Anything to escape the touchy-feely session Wilhelmina was gearing up for.

* * *

Andrew watched Kristy practically run down the short hallway before she turned out of sight. Wilhelmina’s gaze on him was like having laser sights on his back. He turned and flashed her a grin hoping to divert whatever was on her mind.

Why did you pick a fight? she asked.

Looks like she wasn’t diverted, he dropped his grin. Who says I did? He shrugged in irritation when she continued to keep him under her laser stare. Something’s bothering her and she won’t talk about it.

You could always try asking her what’s wrong.

He almost rolled his eyes. How many times had he had similar conversations like this with Wilhelmina? Kristy doesn’t do direct.

You know that about her.

He sighed, but held back the tiredness he felt at constantly banging against her walls. Maybe I’m sick of playing the game.

She stood up and walked to where he stood. You knew what she was like when you followed her off her father’s ship.

He straightened from his slouched position, not appreciating the guilt trip. Sure, but I didn’t think she’d be this careful forever. How long will it take for me to prove myself to her?

You worked for her father. She built those walls so she could survive. Survival is the strongest force out here and that very act defined her

He dropped her piercing gaze and scuffed his foot. So Luke wasn’t the most loving father, but he wasn’t a monster either. She got away didn’t she. He looked back up at her and motioned around them. She’s got her own ship and proved she didn’t need him to survive. I’ve waited for nearly seven years. Maybe I’m tired of waiting for something that’s never going to happen.

She loves you, she protested. You know that.

Do I?

* * *

Kristy leaned over Glenn’s shoulder to look at the monitor he was tapping. He hadn’t vacated the pilot’s seat when she joined him so she perched on the descrambler box behind him. There wasn’t a lot of maneuvering room in the bridge. It had been designed for function not comfort.

What’ve we got? Kristy asked.

MSA on our tail, he said, his words terse, his hatred for anything related to the Military Space Alliance clear in his tone. They shifted course to intercept us as soon as they dropped out of hyperspace.

Have they contacted us? She tapped the screen herself to enlarge the image of the large silver fighter class ship.

Nope, but they will. They’ve pinged us to confirm identity.

Patrol ship? She frowned over the unfamiliar looking ship.

Too large to be patrol; I could ping it.

Then they’d know we see them. Warship?

Too small to be a warship, he countered.

The arrival of an unknown MSA ship was going to put a serious crimp in her