Anja's Star: Outer Settlement Agency, #1

By Lyn Brittan

One does not lose a pirate’s spaceship. 

One could have it ripped away by the captain’s idiot son, Retzi, who used it as collateral in a card game, but one does not lose it. At least, not Anja, but if the captain finds out, she’s the one who’ll be held responsible.

She has exactly two weeks to get that ship back before the authorities, the Captain or the galaxy at large, calls in their debts.  If she can manage to keep Retzi focused on helping her steal it back, rather than getting her in bed, they just might have a shot at making it out of this mess.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gryy Brown Press
• Release date: Aug 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781513089812

Lyn Brittan

Lyn grew up wanting to live like her heroes, James Bond and Indiana Jones. She wasn't totally successful and never had to shoot her way out of a hotel bedroom. She's still coming to terms with it. Awards and woot-woots include: USA Today Bestseller, 2013 and 2014 Galaxy Award Winner.

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Also by Lyn Brittan

Mercenaries of Fortune

Knights of Ambra  (Brant and Michaela)

Sergeant of Ambra  (Eric and Glori)

Duke of Ambra  (Kent and Elena)

Count of Ambra  (Anderson and Kendall)

––––––––

Dirty Djinn

The Genie’s Witch  (Tig and Dinah)

A Genie’s Love  (Faruq and Cassia)

The Cowboy Genie’s Wife  (Fazil and Rosa)

––––––––

Outer Settlement Agency

Solia’s Moon  (Giancarlo and Solia)

Anja’s Star  (Retzi and Anja)

Quinn’s Quasar  (Prio and Quinn)

Lana’s Comet  (Cyprus and Lana)

Vin’s Rules  (Vin and Allie)

Waters of London

The Clocks of London  (Patrick and Moira)

The Doctor of London  (Kennerick and Lady Hala)

Balloc Manor

Of Magic and Engineering  (Roland and Prudence)

Of Machinery and Thievery  (Liam and Suzette)

Anja's Star 

Romantic Sci-Fi Adventure

One does not lose a pirate’s spaceship.

One could have it ripped away by the captain’s idiot son, Retzi, who used it as collateral in a card game, but one does not lose it. At least, not Anja, but if the captain finds out, she’s the one who’ll be held responsible.

She has exactly two weeks to get that ship back before the authorities, the Captain or the galaxy at large, calls in their debts.  If she can manage to keep Retzi focused on helping her steal it back, rather than getting her in bed, they just might have a shot at making it out of this mess.

ANJA’S STAR

Outer Settlement Agency

By

Lyn Brittan

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Chapter One

Anja Figue threw her omnitablet against the wall after running another diagnostic of the ship’s thrusters. The stupid thing hadn’t changed no matter what she did.

Stupid, lying¸ thing.

It claimed the shuttle was fine and yet the spacecraft could only manage the weakest of hovers above Titan’s surface.

Covered by her mechanic’s jumpsuit, Anja fingered the hidden Meash Corp tattoo on her arm.  Even though she was no longer with the terraforming agency, she still had a reputation to uphold. She’d been the best mechanic around and one of the few brave enough to go to Enceladus in the midst of the clone uprising.

She shivered at the thought of those half people. They were why she’d abandoned all Meash prospects and gone solo. Never again would she not have a say in where she laid her head at night. Really, when you think about it, piracy had been the next logical step. Better pay, good work hours and an at-will work option that really couldn’t be beat.

Anja opened a datalog and, for the billionth time, looked for any inconsistencies. There had to be something. 

Attila Ert’zod ran a tight fleet of ships. He’d given her a chance and she’d be damned if she wasted it. For one thing, there wasn’t enough liquor on this moon to save her if word spread she couldn’t get a bird in the air. But more importantly, she had no place else to go.

She couldn’t help a petulant kick to the console. It’s fine. It’s all flipping fine and in perfect working order, only not working at all.  All systems relaying the right information...unless...

Anja hopped into the subcontrol room, taking ladder rungs two at a time until she reached the whirring and whizzing driver coil housing unit. A small thing, a forever thing, a thing that almost never needed fixing...was offline.

Of course!

She would have kissed it, if not for the small matter of radioactivity. Instead, she licked the triple housed casing unit and fist pumped the air. One day a machine might beat her, but not today. With lightness she hadn’t felt in ages, Anja ran to her quarters, grabbed her blaster and hopped out of The Bastard’s Revenge.

Before she left the landing station, she blew the ship a kiss. Two hours. In two hours, and well ahead of schedule, she’d have the protective gear needed to fix the coil, receive a healthy bonus from Captain Ert’zod and, if all things went according to plan, become part of his permanent crew.

Chapter Two

So, you’re Ert’zod’s boy, hmm?

Retzi didn’t bother looking up from his cards. He’d heard the man, even over the drunken howls from every direction and off key singing from the stage. He just didn’t like what he’d said. "I’m no one’s boy."

Oh, course, of course, no offense intended, Lunar Officer... well what are you calling yourself these days? It’s not as if you can fly around here with the same name. Half the solar system wants to imprison him; the other half wants to kill him.

His eyes did rise at that. Crost knew full well he hadn’t changed his name, thought Retzi paid often enough for not doing so. It wouldn’t have made any difference anyway. At only fifteen years his junior, Retzi had often been confused for his father. It made for a lot of fights, temporary prison visits and the odd paternity test. From a distance, few could tell them apart. Up close, the badge helped. Your hand.

Crost made a series of questionable maneuvers as he played his turn, interjected by sips of wine. Word is that your father has a ship out here.

Is that so? You finished?

Yes and no, Crost said, rearranging two of his cards. But you must have known that. I can’t imagine anything gets past the great and powerful Outer Settlement Agency these days. You make it very hard to do business.

Me in particular, or the Ert’zods in general? Everyone has an issue with me, for one reason or another, Retzi said, raising a glass at Crost’s laugh.  And isn’t that what you’re doing to me? Making my work harder than it needs to be? You could go legal.

Another laugh from Crost and a waving of a chubby hand. "Taxes. Is that it? You’re not here to see your father,