Gaea's Chosen: Heavenly Bodies
()
About this ebook
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Francesca Tomei and Jackson Danes...
After an unexpected awakening in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way, the crew of Gaea’s Shadow is ready for a celebration. Of twenty original crew members, Jack and Frannie are the only paired couple still alive and their wedding is certain to be the talk of the quadrant.
But an unexpected enemy has plans for the systems engineer and the operations manager. Kidnapped and cut off from their crew, Jack and Frannie must use their wits to thwart a deadly plan to steal Jack’s life, and with it one of the galaxy’s most valuable companies.
Gaea’s Chosen: It’s the 224th century, the galaxy is far from friendly, and waking up thousands of light years off course is the easy part. Fortunately, heroes come in all sizes.
Cara Michaels
Cara Michaels is a dreamer of legendary proportions (just ask her about the alien pirate spaceship invasion). Her imagination is her playground and nothing is quite so much fun for her as building new characters and new worlds with at least an edge of the fantastic. She's writing whenever the opportunity presents itself and can typically be found tinkering with half a dozen projects. Occasionally all at once.She calls Florida 'home' when she's not busy swearing about giant bugs and humidity. She has one super-cool fiancé who doesn't (usually) mind the hours spent writing, editing, writing some more, and editing a lot more, one son with aspirations of becoming either a great wizard or an artist, and three cats who enjoy sleeping on her works in progress.
Read more from Cara Michaels
Gaea's Chosen: Event Horizon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGaea's Chosen: The Mayday Directive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Gaea's Chosen
Related ebooks
The Marine Voyage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFate Hexed: Fated Huntress, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Earth: The Final Voyage, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPurr-Fect Pitch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReminiscing Over Rainbow Gelato Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpawning Suspicion: A Seafood Caper Mystery, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeople with Fishtails Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeart of the Storm Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Puzzle for Fiends Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReturn to Komodo Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRed New Day & Other Microfictions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heart of the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Longer They Last Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCabin Girls Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Trick to Landing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Falling For Jack: Love In Santa Lena, #1 Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5New Girl and the Troublemaker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bloody End Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove Overboard Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMerry Eden: Doms of Club Eden, #8 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRogue on the Rollaway Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHard Landing: Santa Cruz Shifters, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFamously Bad Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Volume 2: Time Travel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaved by You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Iron Muse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRelative Silence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's A Deal: An MFM Menage Royal Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Hand Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeginnings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Sci Fi Romance For You
Fill Me Up! Double the Pleasure: MFM Threesomes Romance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Viking Claimed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nine-Inch Difference Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Consort Academy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Wife Lottery: Six Men of Alaska, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pleasure Palace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ceremony Of Seduction Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Plague Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrue Alien Seduction: Outing the Flames of Passion Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pleasure Planet Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Planet Valhalla Series Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Merman's Quest: Mates for Monsters, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Superluminal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Selections from Fragile Things, Volume One: 4 Short Fictions and Wonders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Merman's Kiss: Mates for Monsters, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Delivered to the Aliens Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The World of Tomorrow is Sadly Outdated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strange Love: Galactic Love, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Selections from Fragile Things, Volume Four: 9 Short Fictions and Wonders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The A.I. Who Loved Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dreamsnake Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jaran Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Selections from Fragile Things, Volume Six: A Short Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rules of Redemption: The Firebird Chronicles, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Can Build You Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Selections from Fragile Things, Volume Two: 6 Short Fictions and Wonders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Gaea's Chosen
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Gaea's Chosen - Cara Michaels
Gaea’s Chosen:
Heavenly Bodies
Cara Michaels
Sometimes the hardest stories to write are the ones I love best in the end.
Thank you to my writing sisters Siobhan Muir and Miranda Kate for finding the best in this story… and then shooting off a few flares to show me the way.
Thank you, Mom, for your help, your faith, your dreams, and your love.
Gaea’s Chosen: Heavenly Bodies
By Cara Michaels
Copyright 2013 H.L. Carmichael
Smashwords Edition
Cover Photo: Copyright Designersart | Dreamstime.com
Cover Design: H.L. Carmichael
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
About
01
Francesca Tomei
|Proximity alert. Juggernaut-class Henjin’s Might is on final approach to loading bay two. Atmospheric lock in sixty-five seconds.|
What?
I touched just below my left ear, where a discreet, state of the art shiplink implant nestled. The new tech allowed me to talk to my crewmates and Gaea, the governing artificial intelligence of our ship, Gaea’s Shadow. Gaea, everyone’s kinda busy here. You know, the wedding and all?
A wedding I needed to be dressed for about an hour ago. I drew my data tab from the utility case strapped to my right leg and opened the transit messages. Crew botanist Kat Drummond was about to be happy, but— Aw, you’re killing me. Kat’s new lab is here and almost a full day early?
|Apologies, Specialist Tomei. Shall I tell them to come back later?|
I snorted a laugh. No, no. This is Kat’s baby. She will kill me for real if I delay it. I’m on my way.
|Affirmative.|
Let’s make this quick, though.
Slipping a diamond stud into my left ear, I raced out of my quarters through the ship to loading bay two. I slowed to pass my captain, Gemma Bryant. She carried her loaded arc blade harness in one hand and sleek new body armor in the other. She gave me a head to toe study.
Interesting choice of attire. Doesn’t look much like a wedding dress, Tomei.
And you don’t look much like a wedding guest, Captain.
I thumped the body armor with my knuckles. As shiny and dark as volcanic glass, it absorbed all sound from my touch. Whoa.
Wicked, huh?
Gemma grinned. The latest in stealth armoring.
Are you going to be my honor guard?
She rolled her glass-pale eyes. Armor instead of heels? Don’t tempt me, Frannie.
|Atmospheric lock in thirty seconds.|
Go finish getting ready,
she said. One delicate black brow winged up. Or… start getting ready.
I’m working on it. And I’ll finish as soon as I get this delivery unloaded and logged.
I pointed to my ear. I’ve got my something borrowed.
Half of it, anyway. Don’t forget the other one.
I touched my bare right lobe. Oops.
I think we can handle one delivery without you.
I’ve seen your methods of organization, Captain.
It’s one delivery, Frannie. How much trouble could I possibly cause?
She held up one hand. I promise not to unpack anything.
I’m just—
|Atmospheric lock complete. Receiving personnel to loading bay two.|
I bounced on my toes. I want to see it for myself. Make sure everything has arrived.
Every shipment.
She shook her head, her mouth curling at the corners. Doesn’t matter if it’s protein supplements, you’re like a kid at Christmas. Can’t wait, can you?
And I’d better hurry or I’ll be late to my own wedding.
Her laughter trailed off behind me as I sprinted for the loading bays.
Once upon a time I’d dreamed of a different sort of life.
I’d found it in the Gaea Project, privately funded by the Extraterrestrial Aeronautics and Space Administration, an endeavor so big and bright and exciting. Who couldn’t redefine life with a mission across space to settle a new planet some twenty light years from Earth?
Had I ever thought to wake from stasis some six thousand light years from home, in a section of the galaxy people had yet to even dream of visiting when my journey was planned?
Yeah, not so much.
But running along the narrow halls of a 224th century, catalyst-class ship, excitement and joy bubbled inside me. This was my adventure and I loved it.
Twelve months ago, I woke up thinking my ship, Gaea’s Ark, had landed at our destination on the cusp of our new lives. The second part came true, but not in ways any of us had imagined. We had a new ship, Gaea’s Shadow, and new crewmates in metahumans—the evolutions of the plain old humans of my generation—Ruarc Ferrante and Adelina Agathon. Despite the disaster that brought us here, with each day my sense of home and family grew.
I stopped hard in front of the doors to loading bay two, slapping the access panel with my palm. Claxons sounded as Gaea adjusted the atmospheric pressure and gravity within to human norms.
And the bride wore spacer black.
Familiar hands curved around my waist and lifted me off my feet. My shrieking laughter bounced along the walls as I was spun around in a circle. Unexpected, but you make duty gear look outstanding, babe.
Jack, put me down.
The world kept spinning even as he let me slide to my feet. He turned me in his arms and I looked up into sandy brown eyes. Leaning close, he brushed his lips over mine. The warm, woodsy scent of him wrapped around me and I sighed into his kiss.
Jackson.
I’d signed up for the Gaea Project trials hoping for adventure, or at least something not boring. And some benevolent force, be it God or the Universe or whatever, put Jackson Danes in my path. Jack always made me laugh, and I’d nursed a mad crush on him during the testing stages of the project. The night we’d received our acceptance letters from EASA and learned we would be partners—chemically and biologically