Cosmic Secret: Zephyr Adventures, #1

By Evelyn Lederman

If her secret is discovered, Luna Stuart's life as she knows it would be over.

 

The day eight-year-old Cassandra Tallman was abducted and supposedly killed, young Luna Stuart came into existence. Now, twenty years later, Captain Luna Stuart has dedicated her life to saving strangers as she was once saved by one. Keeping her true identity secret has given her the chance to have a normal life – as normal as a missing princess with a god-like ability can have, anyway.

 

When a too-handsome-for-his-own-good government agent searching for Tallman boards her spaceship, Luna readies to kill him if he discovers who she really is. As her past unravels, Luna discovers she's not the only one keeping secrets. When her new family becomes a target, she has to uncover who she can trust and who has ulterior motives. If she chooses wrong, then she could die a second time.

 

Escape and get lost in this sci-fi space opera romance. The future may be full of surprises, but people will still fall in love; regardless of all the obstacles in their way. Grab your copy today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evelyn Lederman
• Release date: Dec 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215834237

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Luna Stuart stared at the devastated planet before her. Throngs of refugees begged for transit off the war-ravaged world. The greedy corporations didn’t care about the lives harmed in their quest to profit off the lucrative natural resources they had taken drastic measures to possess. This world wasn’t in the jurisdiction of the corrupt galactic government. These poor people never stood a chance.

She offered free passage to as many as her small freighter could carry. There were only so many people she could feed. Her crew was busy completing last minute on-boarding procedures before they could leave. The cargo they carried would support her continued relief efforts.

I’m ready to leave this pit of a planet, her pilot snarled. Your heart continues to be larger than our wallets. It’s time to realize you can’t save everyone.

William Abrams had piloted The Zephyr since Luna first called this ship home, twenty years ago. The once handsome pilot now resembled the old salty sea dog he’d told her stories about in her youth. After Will lost his wife, he stopped shaving and no longer allowed Luna to cut his once chestnut-colored hair. His brows were still that color.

It won’t be long, she assured him. Samuel reported they’re just waiting on one more paying customer and then we’ll be off.

Will shook his head. Specs of dandruff went flying with that action. I hate breaking through the atmosphere of a ringed planet. Why can’t we just do business on space stations?

She kissed his cheek. Because the most desperate can’t afford transit to a space station. Besides, Drago Four doesn’t have one.

The old man wrinkled his forehead causing creases as deep as any canyon she’d ever seen. This is Drago Four? He leaned forward in his chair and surveyed the wreckage before him. I just followed the coordinates you gave me. Drago Four was heralded to be a paradise.

Tears she seldom shed ran down her cheeks. Her heart had hardened over the years but what had happened to this planet made her want to rail at those responsible. There would never be justice for those who once called this planet home. That was another tragedy she had no means to remedy.

"Once upon a time, it was a paradise before the first settlers discovered lonsdaleite and plutonium on the planet. Corporations fought over this world and its resources for years and look what they left in their wake. The inhabitants can no longer find land capable of growing crops.

Relief packages have dwindled over the last year. It will be decades, maybe longer, before this planet will be able to sustain life again. Zoological care organizations have relocated as much of the wildlife as they could. No charities seem interested in the humans left behind. It’s all such a tragedy.

There were too many planets like Drago Four. Will was right. She wouldn’t be able to save everyone, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t save as many as possible. Someone had saved her all those years ago. That act of kindness created a debt in her mind she’d never be able to fulfill.

Her pilot rose to his feet. I’ll bunk with Sam. My quarters are large enough for a small family.

They didn’t have the food reserves to support any more refugees, but she hadn’t seen Will this fired up since his wife’s death. She’d find a way, she always did.

Static came across the intercom. You need to come down here, Captain. She could barely make out Samuel Dunkirk’s words above the background noise. We’ve got trouble and another person requesting transport.

Sam, the ship’s master, seldom asked for help. She followed her pilot off the bridge, eager to see what had rattled her first officer.

As she walked, Luna retied her light auburn hair into a ponytail. Her long tresses were the one vanity she’s sustained over the years.

Will allowed her to climb down the ladder first. We need to get the damned elevator fixed, he shouted down to her.

They hadn’t been to a space station or planet with skilled labor in months. Fortunately, no one had been trapped in the elevator when it malfunctioned. Epsilon Prime, their next destination, would possess the necessary mechanics to fix the temperamental elevator. If she was lucky, she’d be able to add a mechanic to her staff. Most people wanted to be sufficiently paid and wouldn’t understand her obsession to help others.

Her crew was a family. They received adequate wages but their passion for helping others fueled their drive. Where other crews took a share of the freight revenue, The Zephyr family sacrificed getting rich to support her humanitarian efforts related to the refugees from war and resource-ravaged planets.

The old Captain Stuart had kept them on the outskirts of planets embroiled in supporting or being victimized by the war. Two days before the armistice was signed, Captain Stuart died. He left his natural daughter Venus and adopted daughter Luna the ship.

After she labored down another ladder, she noted Sam standing beside two men. Will walked past them and exited the ship through the cargo hold. She imagined he would struggle over which family he’d select. There was a strong possibility it would be the difference between life and death for the lucky one.

What’s the problem here? she asked the ship’s master.

The three men before her couldn’t be more different. Sam was a big, burly man. Customers seemed to be intimidated by his size and tended to go out of their way not to antagonize him. They missed noting his kind, gray eyes. It concerned her he felt the need to have her join him to deal with these two men.

Her eyes moved to the tall, handsome, and well-dressed man. He looked out of place among the inhabitants of the planet and her crew. His tailored suit shouted wealth. She involuntarily licked her lips. The man was every woman’s wet dream.

The third man might as well have been one of the refugees, not someone who had the means to book passage. Something about this particular man bothered her. When the hairs on the back of her neck stood, she needed to take heed.

Sam pointed to the man she instantly disliked. This gentleman won’t allow me to inspect his cargo. I’ve explained to him multiple times that we don’t take on cartons until we validate the inventory submitted. We aren’t smugglers and don’t want to end up in a corporate or UniGov prison.

Luna placed her hand on her weapon. She’d come across the uncooperative type before. If he didn’t accept no for an answer, she’d be forced to shoot him. There wasn’t any semblance of a law enforcement organization remaining on this planet. On her ship, she was the law.

As my first officer explained, we don’t take on cargo until we validate its contents. Luna tried to keep her annoyance from reflecting in her delivery. We don’t take on contraband, human cargo, or anything explosive. I have to consider the well-being of my crew, paying passengers, and remaining cargo. You can leave my ship now.

Both men looked at her as if she’d grown horns. Sam just smiled.

The offensive man swore under his breath and took possession of the dolly holding his carton. She pulled out her weapon.

The package stays, you go. To further demonstrate her intentions, she fired her weapon. She shot him in the arm. It would hurt like hell, but he’d live.

You bitch, the bleeding man screamed.

He came at her, but the other stranger took possession of his uninjured arm and pulled it behind his back. The lady asked you to leave. If I were you, I’d do as she requested before she shoots you again. Next time, I figure you won’t be able to leave on your own.

Their unwanted passenger left, trailing blood behind him. She’d been lucky he hadn’t been armed.

Luna’s attention returned to the gentleman who unexpectedly provided her assistance. He met two of the three characteristics she looked for in a lover: tall, dark, and stupid. The man before her appeared to be intelligent and she’d also bet deadly.

His wavy black hair covered his forehead. She fisted her hands, preventing her from pushing the strands back behind his ears. He disturbed her on a level she hadn’t experienced until now. Her core burned for this man.

Michael Baxter at your service, he said as he bowed before her. His hazel eyes shone amusement, not anger. I have no cargo, just requesting transport to Epsilon Prime. I’d rather not pull out my credentials and commandeer this ship. Hopefully, you’ve met your daily quota of shooting people.

Curiosity got the best of her. Sam, check what’s in the container. Mr. Baxter, I will look at your credentials, if you don’t mind. I’m past the ship’s capacity with refugees. Taking you on board will strain what little resources we have available.

Because of the burning from within, she wanted to say yes to the man. If, in fact, he was a government agent, she wouldn’t have to answer too many questions from her crew if she took him with them.

With a smile, Michael passed his identification chip. Luna slid the chip into the mini-computer on her wrist. She examined the data presented before she swooned. That damned smile on his official photo made him better looking, if that was even possible.

He was a UniGov agent of unknown rank. That meant he was either a spy or an assassin. This was the last man she wanted to upset or could afford to have aboard her ship.

Mr. Baxter, you’ve got yourself a ride. She handed him back his chip. Most of my crew is already doubling up related to quarters. Our chief engineer is the only one not sharing his unit. You’ll bunk with him.

Too bad, Michael responded, his eyes trained on her. I hoped we’d be forced to share a bed.

For a moment, she wasn’t sure how to respond to his outrageous comment. Her jaw nearly hit the floor. Fortunately, Sam let loose a colorful selection of profanity. Both of their gazes were redirected to the ship’s master.

What’s in the box? she asked.

Trouble, Sam replied. I have no idea what she is, but it’s not human.

Luna walked to the storage container and looked inside. A naked woman in stasis had been crammed into a unit barely large enough for a small child. Her skin appeared violet in the poorly lit cargo area.

She’s a Turnerian, Michael said. They were discovered in the mountains of the third planet the Turner Corporation mined. The males are vicious creatures and were hired as mercenaries. By tradition, their women were enslaved and Turner did nothing to stop the deplorable practice. You’ve got yourself a sex slave.

The female wore a heavy metal necklace. What Luna first believed to be jewelry, turned out to be something more menacing. In good conscience, she couldn’t remove the box from her ship. The slave would end up with her former master or worse.

When Sam moved the dolly, Luna placed her hand on his forearm.

The woman stays, she said.

Are you insane? Sam never guarded the words he directed at her, even after she became captain. You don’t know the trouble she’ll bring to our doorstep. There’s no telling the manner of man who purchased her. That piece of scum you shot was a slaver, not the girl’s ultimate owner. Someone on Epsilon Prime is awaiting this creature.

All eyes fell on her. Sam would expect her to reverse her decision. She’d been the one who demanded that old Captain Stuart institute an inspection of the cargo to validate their rules were followed. Most of the items they wouldn’t transport had been at her suggestion.

There was no telling what Michael expected. UniGov held a loose rein over the planets under their jurisdiction. They took no stand on slavery, allowing the corporations under their control to enforce their own policies. If there was no revenue generated from a practice to be taxed, UniGov officials tended to shy away from any controversial issue, especially something as explosive as slavery.

Sex slaves were an economical means for corporations to pay mercenaries in their employ. Men would sacrifice a portion of their salary for a woman to warm their bed and take care of their basic biological needs. Freelance prostitutes had rules about how rough the clients could become. Slaves had no say related to the violence inflicted upon them.

I know the risks, Luna admitted. We keep her in stasis in the cargo bay. She stays off the manifest. When we reach Epsilon Prime, we plead ignorance related to the girl if she’s discovered. Fortunately, the dock master knows us and the rules I enforce. There are organizations on that planet able to assist the poor thing.

Sam stared into her eyes trying to determine if it would be worth trying to talk her out of her decision. He had a look on his face she knew well. It was the same expression he had when they played chess.

I’ll place her so deep in the hold, no inspection officer will find her, Sam said. That creature is not a toy you can keep. You’ll have to figure out what to do with her before we reach Epsilon Prime.

Michael stayed by her side while Sam secured the top of the box containing the female alien. His proximity disturbed her, generating tingling sensations within her she tried to ignore. The man could probably charm a snake.

She liked being able to look directly into his eyes. At six-feet, Luna was taller than most men she came across. Michael had a good three inches on her.

I have to applaud your decision and audacity, Michael said. Most captains would’ve tried to profit off the value that girl represents.

Slavery is an abhorrent institution, she replied. "We aboard The Zephyr are principled. The idea of becoming rich off the suffering of another make me sick."

He stared at her as if the horns had reappeared.

You’ve got an unusual name, Michael commented. Were you named after a family member?

A slight blush warmed her cheeks. She didn’t like how her body reacted to the government agent. Not answering the question would alert him that she had something to hide or disturbed by his presence.

While my mother was in labor, my father stood outside their home, not wanting to hear her screams, she said. There had been a full moon that night. My parents had expected a boy, not a girl, and hadn’t chosen a female name. On old Earth, the Italian name for the moon was Luna.

What a lovely story, Michael commented. Is it true?

Her lie made a charming tale. She and Captain Stuart renamed her when it was clear using her real name placed her in mortal danger. That was one story she didn’t plan to share.

She shrugged. "That’s what my father told