Constellation

By A. A. Smith

In the night sky of the Planet Jarufan, there is a constellation known as the Warrior. One star in particular is sacred to the Jarufani people. It is the centerpiece of the most significant prophecy in their religion. Humans know this star as Earth’s Sun.
The United Earth Alliance and the Jarufani Commonwealth remain in a cold war and skirmishes are becoming more and more frequent.
The Planet Placido has become the main hub for criminals and spies going back and forth between UEA and Jarufani territory. It might as well be a prison for the millions of people who’ve been forgotten in the conflict and don’t have the resources to leave.
Alondra Suarez is one of those forgotten people. The government that abandoned her long ago now needs her more than ever. Neither is ready, but both Suarez and a young pilot with the Earth Forces will have vital roles to play in this ongoing conflict.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. A. Smith
• Release date: Feb 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311341785

A. A. Smith

A.A. Smith is a graduate of UBC and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has worked in environmental consulting, financial services and is also a practitioner of yoga and martial arts.

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Constellation

(Book one of the Constellation series)

A.A. Smith

Smashwords Edition

copyright 2013, A.A. Smith

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places and events are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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Chapter 1

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. New Geneva, the capital city of the Planet Placido, was supposed to be a symbol of peace between humans and the Jarufani. Humans had visited over five hundred star systems and made contact with eleven space-faring species. The United Earth Alliance (UEA) consisted of Earth and the human colonies spread out over fifteen star systems.

The Planet Placido was within the territory of the Valeer, a species whose development was millions of years ahead of the Jarufani or the humans. Very little was known about them except that they had a policy of non-interference with the less evolved species. However, they made an exception in this case and allowed this settlement to be established. They strictly prohibited military vessels from either side in this region of space and the awesomeness of Valeer technology was a deterrent for either side to attempt to occupy this system and gain a strategic advantage against the other.

After its establishment, Placido took six years to deteriorate from a bold new venture to a slum. When the UEA and the Jarufani Commonwealth went to war, the planet was all but forgotten, except for the arms dealers, drug lords and spies that used the planet as a means to move between UEA and Jarufani territory. After the war ended, conditions didn’t improve. Anyone who couldn’t afford to leave or didn’t have the right underworld connections was considered worthless. This was a chilly evening in the city of New Geneva. Trash littered the streets. The smell of rotting garbage and urine was in the air. This was her home.

Her name was Alondra but most people knew her as Essence. Her hat was pulled down over her ears and she kept her long black hair on the inside of an overcoat that extended to just above her ankles. Her attire hid her most seductive features. She was walking fairly quickly and only her face was visible.

She was late for work so she took a shortcut that she often used. Most of the streetlights didn’t work and the streets were a little narrower but she wasn’t worried about that. Being on time was her greatest concern at the moment.

Essence could hear some men shouting racial slurs up ahead. As she got closer, she saw a Jarufani male lying unconscious, in a pool of his own blood but still being kicked by four rather large men. Not so tough without the Militia are ya? How d’ya like that you fucking jarf, one of them shouted. This made her a little uncomfortable and, unconsciously, she picked up her pace. She was changing her course to cross the street but they saw her and started moving towards her. The four men looked at her, at each other, then back at her.

She was trying not to show fear as they approached. One of them stopped in front of her and asked, Hey, baby. How ‘bout we hook up tonight?

No thanks, she replied, and tried to pass him. She gasped as he grabbed her arm and threw her backward. One of the others caught her with his left arm and covered her mouth with his right hand. Her heart was racing. She was trapped against his body and her feet were off the ground. The other men were moving in. She knew it would be a split second before she’d be thrown to the ground and raped.

She bit the hand that was covering her mouth and, without releasing her bite, immediately started elbowing the solar plexus of the man behind her. He loosened his grip enough for her to get her feet on the ground. The first man was still in front of her, and moving in. She kicked him in the groin before releasing her bite and twisting to punch the man behind her in the throat. He fell, gasping for air. The two other men were on either side of her. She didn’t notice that the man on her left was pulling a knife out of his jacket. Her heel smashed the knee of the man on her right and then she twisted to drive her fingers into his eye. He fell on his shoulder, covering his eye and wailing from the pain. She moved like a cobra.

Essence twisted back to her left in time to see the knife about to slash her throat. She managed to avoid the weapon by pressing her forearm against his, and shifting her body. Then she grabbed his wrist and used his own momentum to pull him into an elbow strike to the temple from her opposite arm. A second elbow rendered him unconscious and he fell to the ground. The man who had grabbed her was still clutching his groin and she knocked him out with a punch to the nose. The entire encounter lasted only seconds. Safe for the moment, she ran down the deserted street to her job. But the street was not completely deserted.

She never noticed the shadowy figure standing across the street in an alleyway. This stone-faced man had been intensely observing the entire incident. His black trench coat was being blown by a light breeze. His black hair was peppered with gray. His name was Conrad R. Slade.

* * *

The beat of the music could be heard as Slade walked toward the building. On the outside, it was a nondescript building. The sign above the door was poorly maintained but everyone knew it was a strip club. A bouncer was visible from the outside. He was in a small room, which was protected by a low level force field. This was effective against most small arms fire. He was a Jarufani so at night his, slightly greenish gray skin looked almost glassy. This was because evolution on the planet Jarufan followed a reptilian, rather than a primate model. The outer scales were extremely small, making Jarufani skin remarkably smooth.

Slade approached the bouncer, and paid him without saying a word or changing the, still emotionless, expression on his face. The bouncer pressed a sequence of four buttons on his wristband and the door slid open. As Slade walked in, he could almost feel the vibrations from the speakers under his feet. Just before leaving the hallway and entering the showroom, he stopped for a moment and scanned the room with his eyes. Red and yellow lights were flashing all around the stage. The nude dancer was lying on her back, sliding her hands up and down her body. Seated next to the stage were six males, three human and three Jarufani, and three females, two Jarufani and one human. Half of the tables were unoccupied. The other half contained mixed groups of humans and Jarufani and a few couples. Slade noticed that none of the couples were interspecies. It was an unimportant detail that he found mildly intriguing.

He walked to the bar, bought a drink and then turned his attention toward the stage. The dancer was just finishing her set. When the music faded away, the announcement was heard on the speakers.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR NIGHTSHADE! The dancer collected her tips, picked up her clothes, and went backstage. Then, all of the lights around the stage turned blue, and dimmed. AND NOW, GIVE IT UP FOR ESSENCE!

The woman stepped out from behind the curtain. She was wearing a white skirt that extended halfway down her thighs, made of a very thin material that offered a glimpse of what was underneath. Her top was made of the same material and hung over her chest from straps tied around her neck. Another set of straps was tied loosely around her back. Her midriff was bare. She seemed to glow in the blue light.

She slowly took a step forward. A sustained musical chord from the speakers coincided with her foot touching the floor. She took another step forward, as if she was walking an invisible line on the stage, and another sustained chord came from the speakers as her foot touched the floor. A third chord came out of the speakers as she stepped again and moved her hands to unfasten her skirt. She rolled her hips as she removed the skirt and dropped it as the fourth chord was played. She arched her back and raised her arms. Her body flowed with the music, during the fifth, sixth, and seventh chords, as she undid her top and dropped it. The speakers went silent for a few seconds. Essence stood motionless on stage with her arms out to the side in a manner that said, look at me. Except for her high heeled shoes, all she was wearing were a bra and panties; both black leather.

The smile on her red painted lips and the look in her eyes could only be described as...mysterious.

The music started again. A sequence of notes repeated itself rhythmically but the drum beat was still missing. Essence started moving seductively and systematically around the stage. The classic moves were second nature to her. She leaned forward and stared in the eyes of a young jarufani sitting by the stage as she unhooked her bra at the front. ...he wasn’t looking at her eyes.

The drum beat added itself to the music just as Essence stood up straight and flung her bra to the floor. The intensity of the music and her movements increased, and her energy could be felt all over the club.

The music softened for a few beats. This was just enough time for her to slide off her panties and reveal buttocks that were the perfect round shape.

Slade was standing at the bar, still in his trench coat, with his hands in his pockets.

He didn’t take his eyes off of her. He was impressed with her agility and grace but he was most impressed that he could see the tone and definition of every muscle in her body. But he was a little surprised that she had no tattoos or piercings.

Essence dropped to the floor and crawled to each observer who was sitting by the stage to give them their own personal show. As this happened, a woman approached Slade and touched him on the shoulder. Hi, my name’s Crystal, she said.

He looked at her and replied, Hi, I’m Mike. He couldn’t give his real name even if he wanted to.

Would you like a private dance? she asked.

Actually, I was hoping for a dance with her, he motioned toward Essence with his eyes.

I could arrange it if you help me out.

Slade took his hand out of his pocket, and placed some cash in Crystal’s hand. Just make it happen.

Her eyes widened when she counted five hundred UEA dollars. She looked back at Slade and nodded at him before going backstage. His head turned toward the stage to see Essence crawling across it. When she stopped, in front of a human this time, she turned her head to look Slade in the eyes and mouthed some of the words of the song.

When the music stopped, the announcer’s voice came over the speakers.

WOW! GIVE IT UP FOR ESSENCE!

Essence went around the stage collecting her clothes and tips, then went backstage. Another announcement came over the speakers, introducing the next performer. Slade went back to stand at the bar. It was a minute or two before Essence came out from backstage. She spotted Slade, the man with the cash, and walked toward him. Hi, my name’s Essence, she said as she touched him on the shoulder.

I’m Mike, he replied as he smiled at her.

I hear you wanted a private dance with me, she continued. Slade nodded. She took his hand and led him back to the VIP area. A red velvet curtain separated it from the rest of the club. A bouncer was standing on the outside of the curtain. Behind the curtain, the area was separated into small rooms. Each room had a couch and a table with a dim lamp on top. Essence and Slade found a room that was empty. Take your coat off, lie down, and I’ll be right with you, she said.

She walked over to the wall and undressed, hanging her