Lana's Comet: Outer Settlement Agency, #3

By Lyn Brittan

Drill Instructor Cyprus Dhoma lives and dies by the Outer Settlement Agency badge on his shoulder. Every soldier in the solar system wants to be him and just as well, he’s trained half of ‘em. But when a loud, obnoxious and completely insane recruit signs up for the next round of basic training, it’ll test the famous control and reputation he’s spent years building up.

Lana hates the military. Everything about OSA completely, totally and unredeemingly sucks  - except for the hottie instructor with the bad attitude. He may be annoyed with her now, but she’s on a secret mission and needs his help. It’ll take a lot of work to bring him in line, but she’ll be doggoned if she doesn’t get him in tow. Besides, a man that cute shouldn’t be that pissed off.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gryy Brown Press
• Release date: Aug 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781513064970

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.

Book preview

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)

About Lana’s Comet

Drill Instructor Cyprus Dhoma lives and dies by the Outer Settlement Agency badge on his shoulder. Every soldier in the solar system wants to be him and just as well, he’s trained half of ‘em. But when a loud, obnoxious and completely insane recruit signs up for the next round of basic training, it’ll test the famous control and reputation he’s spent years building up.

Lana hates the military. Everything about OSA completely, totally and unredeemingly sucks  - except for the hottie instructor with the bad attitude. He may be annoyed with her now, but she’s on a secret mission and needs his help. It’ll take a lot of work to bring him in line, but she’ll be doggoned if she doesn’t get him in tow. Besides, a man that cute shouldn’t be that pissed off.

LANA’S COMET

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Chapter One

Cyprus Dhoma pulled down the black tunic, wincing at the civilian apparel in the mirror. Ridiculous, but necessary. No amount of talk and sound reasoning had been able to convince his former commander, Jasper Yoshisumi, not to hold his retirement party in the center of town. At least they’d rented out the place for privacy’s sake. He had no desire to be seen at a bar with ale in his hand by the Outer Settlement Agency’s latest batch of recruits.

Decorum.

Respectability.

He flicked a speck of lint off his shoulder and gazed through the haze of Titan below. Despite the late hour, reds and yellows glittered off the silver buildings, reflecting lights of ground based rovers and hovering cruisers. Greenery hung off trellises like hanging gardens from ziggurats in the ancient days of Earth – back before man devolved with modernization.

Ugh, Earth.

He snorted at that hellhole and rolled his eyes.

The whole 22nd Quadrant would be filled with Earth born scum. Life had proven often enough that only Venus, Titan, Mars and later settlements produced decent human beings. That backward, polluted, once blue rock only had those too poor, too stupid or too unlucky to settle elsewhere.

His omnitablet blinked, reminding him of something equally annoying - his latest injection.

Damned Kin juice.

He didn’t bother to look, just reached for a jar of disposable sharps and shoved its contents into his neck. Years ago, his kind were called clones. Today, that word would get you punched in the throat. That didn’t make it any less the truth. Kin-Humanoids were bred years ago to do the grunt work of building life beyond Earth’s boundaries. That first batch didn’t go so well – no emotions, no soul. But as humans increased their clawed grasps on technology, the Kin developed as well.

Now society recognized them as equals – at least on paper – but every once in awhile, a Kin was born with screwed up genes. Not that he needed the calcium processing shots, or Kin juice, as a reminder. His cloneness was all over his face. Oh, sure, a couple generations of human/clone breeding softened some lines, but his too wide mouth and too blue eyes, had him the recipient of many a second look.

Cyprus? Let’s go!

You can’t knock?

His fraternal twin shrugged and grinned. You’d never let me in. We’re going to be late, which for you means your head exploding. I’d rather avoid the mess. 

Vin was everything he was not. Healthy, happy and very human looking.

Please?

And whiny.

I’m almost done, Vin. We won’t be late.

Let me guess, you’re going to play with your hair again. Shave it off like mine. Real women think short hair is sexy.

No, women thought Vin was sexy. Vin could get away with that cut. The lucky bastard didn’t have ears that needed hiding or any other feature that needed disguising. 

So this will be the first you’ve left base in how long? his brother asked.

I’ve been busy.

Being a good little soldier.

As are you, Vin.

No. I have a life. Tonight will be good for you. Go out. Meet a girl. Get her omni specs. When was the last time you got laid?

His brother didn’t stop long enough to let him answer. Vin talked all the way downstairs to the cruiser launch area. Despite his station and the good sense that ought to have come with the rank, the fool winked at every woman they passed. Annoying. No amount of smacks to the back of the head could curb his ridiculous behavior.

Or his mouth.

It flapped on the whole ride downtown...and at the docking station...and up the fifteen flights to the top of the club they’d rented out.

Are you even listening to me, Cyprus?

He’d stopped ages ago. Not on purpose.

Slap a smile on your face before these lift doors open.

I am smiling. But it slipped the second he saw his commanding officer, shirtless on the bar and throwing a woman above his head. Where the hell’s his wife?

Vin took a half step up and cocked his head to the side. "That is his wife."

Everywhere I turn, standards are slipping.

And here we go. It’s his retirement, oh never mind. Have fun or not. Whatever, Vin said and slipped away into the crowd of revelers. He waved to Yoshisumi, but knew the man wouldn’t remember in the morning. Someone shoved a drink in his hand, but Cyprus did not intend to down it without doing a quick lap around the room. If there were any subordinates around, he wouldn’t touch the stuff. Unlike those fools at the bar, he would represent the Outer Settlement Agency well, in uniform or out, day or night.

Chapter Two

I’m too old to start over.

You’re twenty-nine.

Which is like a hundred out here.

Isn’t your older, hotter sister an agent?

Yes, but she went in right at eighteen like a normal person. Lana hung up her trainee uniform and fell back on the too small bed in the circular room. It was a hive, like most training facilities. Stacks of apartments built one on the other, the same outward facing wall, one gigantic window. Little privacy. All meant to strip you of individuality. Everything was the same. Two white beds facing a white wall, below a white ceiling on white heated floors. "This is like one of my labs. I shouldn’t have to