Shatter Star Wraith: SSW, #1

By Savage Tempest

Trapped on a death ship or beheaded on a backwater planet.

 

In space, there's just no good way to die.

 

Maya Vaa Cascan has no intention of dying. She's a shapeshifter and a liar. She'll do whatever it takes to survive.

 

Tyton is a powerful empath, and he too will do anything to survive—except kill. His crew, however, isn't that discriminating.

 

Kill pirates, kill each other…

It's all good. Anything to keep the ship's AI from killing them off one by one or getting blasted out of space by Reapers. So they make a bargain with the AI.

 

They retrieve the Blood Stone, and the ship's AI promises not to torch them. Everyone wins. Except the AI doesn't tell them that the Blood Stone is a planet killer. And Tyton and his friends… the appetizer.

 

If you enjoy Sci-fi like The Expanse and Guardians of the Galaxy, pick up Shatter Star Wraith and experience the start of a Space Opera series packed with action, fun characters, exotic aliens, and intrigue.

• Language: English
• Publisher: 3 words from
• Release date: Mar 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201254315

Book preview

1

Where am I?

That was the first thought that came to Tyton’s mind when he woke from a dreamless sleep. No, that wasn’t quite right. His first thought was that something was wrong. But what?

Wherever he was, his body felt warm, he was lying on the floor, and there was no one nearby. It was safe enough to keep his eyes closed and let his awareness expand.

The ship. Something’s wrong with the ship.

Tyton wasn’t sure why he was on a spaceship or how long he had been here, but something was definitely wrong with this ship. It was hard breaking through the darkness and jumbled thoughts in his mind, but he had to… or die.

Die… from what?

Fragmented images flashed through his mind. Two insectoid aliens charged at him. Tyton barely manage to backhand the one to his left, sending the alien reeling to the side. The other, he sent crashing into the ceiling with a thought. He had never seen creatures like this before. They were several centimeters shorter than him with bulbous heads and green scaly skin. But it was the two sharp pincers on their backs he needed to worry about.

He had never felt such hatred and malevolence before. All aimed at him. Tyton sensed someone coming at him from behind. He didn’t have time to think. He just reacted. Tyton ducked under his attacker’s claw and punched it in the face. The creature staggered back, but it quickly recovered and speared Tyton in the ribs with its left pincer. He gasped in pain.

Tyton braced himself for the insectoid’s next attack. None came.

The dark images faded as quickly as they had come. Tyton sat up, relieved that no ties constrained him. He felt for blood on his right side. Nothing. Not even pain. The floor beneath him appeared to be white metal, but it wasn’t cold when he pressed his fingers against it. Apparently, he had passed out, or perhaps, fallen after being attacked by those creatures. No blood though or signs of a struggle. Did the insectoids put him on this ship?

Too many questions, which would have to be answered—later. Survival came first.

Rising from the floor, Tyton felt the tightness in his muscles. He slipped into a stretch and extended his thick arms toward the ceiling, which was almost low enough for him to reach. The entire room was bleach white and empty save for a white oblong table. A conference room, perhaps?

Tyton shook his head. Conference rooms always come with chairs, and there were none in sight. Well, at least now his mind felt a little clearer. He allowed his awareness to expand once again.

Eight breathing creatures aboard the ship—different races. Were they his captors? And why would the word captors come to mind? Especially since most of the thoughts that he was sensing appeared to be as confused and disoriented as his.

Tyton approached the door, half-hoping that it would open automatically, but he wasn’t surprised when it didn’t. There were no latches or buttons or anything else near the oval-shaped door.

A quick mental and physical self-assessment was in order before he tried forcing the door. No broken bones or internal bleeding as far as he could tell. He felt well-rested except for the hangover still surrounding his mind. A hangover from what?

He never consumed alcohol or stimulants, but the haze still occupying his mind felt drug-induced. Tyton closed his eyes and concentrated.

The sun. We’re falling into the sun.

Tyton opened his eyes, dismissing the thought. One does not fall in space. The ship, no matter who owns it, was deliberately headed for the sun. This brought up another concern for Tyton. Which star system was he in, and why would he think it wasn’t his own?

Don’t panic. Focus.

Even if they were headed toward the sun, the ship would undoubtedly have hours if not days to make a course correction. There was no need to worry about the ship being vaporized by the sun’s heat. They would die from the star’s radiation long before they even came within seventy-five million kilometers of the sun.

Radiation poisoning is a tough way to go though, and Tyton couldn’t escape the feeling of immediate danger. Considering his fragmented memory and the growing concern that he sensed from his fellow passengers, the sooner they changed course the better.

Tyton withdrew his awareness and focused his eyes on the white room’s only door. His mind still felt a bit splintered, and it took a lot more concentration than it should have, but he felt confident that it would work. He looked up at the ceiling lights… not much power there, but hopefully it would be enough.

He raised his left hand and focused his will on the white door. The ceiling lights began to flicker. Seconds later, the door started liquefying. A small hole soon appeared in its center and gradually expanded, allowing Tyton to duck and step through the hole before the door solidified back to its original state.

Too many questions swirled inside Tyton’s mind. But they would have to wait. He needed to save himself as well as the people on this ship. The only way he could do that was to stop this ship from heading into the sun.

Tyton wasn’t certain which way led to the bridge, but he was sure that he needed to get there.

Fast.

2

I’m a fraud.

And they’ll kill me when they find out.

Maya forced herself to stop pacing, a childhood habit that she kicked long ago—until now. Ironic that she currently had plenty of room to pace all she wanted to.

The Oichi Council had given her an adequately furnished three-room flat. Simplistic in design with a warm tan color scheme, the flat exuded a rustic flavor save for the elaborate throw rugs and wall library. Luxurious by ordinary Arida citizen standards but apparently common practice for dignitaries visiting from other Kurmana cities.

Now where are you hiding?

Maya went into the bedroom for the umpteenth time today and got down on her knees. She had already found one bug in the main room, right behind the mirror. Chances were good that her benefactors had bugged all three rooms.

Maybe under the rug…

The bug wasn’t there, and even if it was—would she even be able to recognize it? It was sheer luck that she found the first one. Maya got back up and brushed off her knees. She glanced at the bed and was tempted to bury herself underneath the blankets. She resisted the urge and headed back into the main room.

Maya posted herself next to one of the room’s small windows. She would have preferred to stand directly in front of the window for a better vantage point, but why make things easier for snipers? Maya wasn’t sure why snipers came to mind or why they would be targeting her, but given her present mental distress, she would trust her instincts.

In its own way, Arida was a beautiful city—even modern in some respects. Its architects blended housing and buildings into the landscape. However, with its lack of space travel, Kurmana remained strictly a backwater world. It made no sense that the Cyrax would be interested in such a planet with limited resources on the edges of Dead Space no less, but they were.

So was the Planetary Alliance.

But what did any of that have to do with her? Maya had no idea why she was even on Kurmana, let alone occupying a luxury flat in one of its richest cities.

Pretending.

Something that shapeshifters are good at.

Yet Maya had no memory of why she was here or even how she arrived on the planet. She remembered her combat training and that she was single with no children, but the past few months were pretty much a haze.

Maya withdrew from the window and positioned herself in front of an ornate circular mirror. Every room in her flat had one. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened her eyes, gone was the Kurmanan bronze face with scales and fierce black eyes. In its place was someone familiar.

Pale blue eyes looked back at her, surrounded by a delicate round face. Like her fellow Vidyans, Maya’s skin was nearly white, almost to the point where you could see the veins beneath her skin. Vidya was a harsh world, and its slowly dying sun showed little mercy. Her people were forced to adapt to a constantly changing environment. Those who evolved into shapeshifters survived. The others… were left behind.

Maya smoothed her white hair back with both hands. It felt good to have hair again, though having none as a Kurmanan female made things easier. Still… it really was so nice being herself.

She needed the rest anyway.

People always assumed that shapeshifters could take on any form and then stay that way for as long as they liked. It was in her people’s advantage not to disabuse alien races of this belief. Friends can easily turn into enemies, after all. For Maya, like most Vidyans, four hours was about as long as she could maintain a different form. Longer than that… you risked being trapped in your current body forever.

Maya stroked the sides of her face with her long white fingers. The Krumanans were sapien enough, but she’d hate to go through the rest of her life with scales… or only in one body. Something that happened to really old Vidyans… and dead ones.

The Oichi Council was sure to find out her secret. And kill her.

Decapitation.

What she gleaned from the several books she perused in the flat’s small library suggested that the Oichi were quite fond of head removal. Banishment to the Haunted Forest came in a close second.

Normally, Maya would dismiss the very idea of ghouls, werewolves, and other such monsters as tales for the weak-minded, but the pendant assured her that the Oichi ruling class routinely sent so-called traitors—usually the minority Ughi—to their deaths in such a manner.

Maya’s gaze shifted to the small pendant at the end of the silver chain just above her breasts. She still had doubts about monsters prowling the forest, but there was no escaping the awful truth.

She possessed a talking pendant.

Its gemstone was pretty enough, and the oval cut complimented the small fuchsia stone without drawing too much attention to itself. The pendant’s back, like the gem, seemed native to the planet and betrayed no signs of technology.

Meaning it was cursed. Something else that Maya didn’t believe in. But here she was… talking to it.

Tell me again why I’m here.

To retrieve the Blood Stone.

The pendant spoke directly to Maya’s mind, suggesting a high probability that she was simply imagining that the pendant could talk to her. She could also talk to it using only her mind, but she preferred conversing with it aloud. It made her feel less crazy.

Who sent me to Kurmana?

As usual—no response. The pendant called itself Seer. Since when does jewelry name itself? Perhaps, it was, in fact, cursed or even magical. There were rumors that certain races like the Mornuteans possessed such abilities. Still… regardless of whether the rumors were true or whether she was just plain crazy, Maya didn’t quite believe the pendant.

Who would send her of all people on a mission to a foreign world simply to steal some stupid stone? It didn’t make sense, and her accepting such an assignment was even more nonsensical.

As an only child to a single neglectful mother, Maya never could afford not to be sensible, because if she ever got into trouble there would be no one to help her. Being sensible and playing it safe was the only way to survive. Yet here she was… stranded on Kurmana with no idea how she arrived here and tasked to steal a stone.

A stone, according to the pendant, that endowed its bearer with unimaginable power. She could find nothing in her flat’s library that even mentioned the Blood Stone.

I found a bug. Behind the mirror. Maya was curious as to what the pedant would say to that.

There is a listening device in each room. Now put it back before someone notices.

A chime from the front door startled her more than it should have. With a sigh, Maya shifted back into a Kurmanan dignitary and hurried to the door.

Wait.

Maya was glad that she was in uniform instead of a long dress. She would have surely tripped due to the sudden stop.

Why should I wait?

It’s a messenger. It is appropriate for a dignitary to make him wait.

Maya held her breath for several seconds, then opened the door. A tall Kurmanan male bowed his head slightly and extended his hand. She wasn’t sure, but the Kurmanan struck her as young, but his hand was thick and steady… and quite likely familiar with killing.