An Endless Game: The Complete Series: An Endless Game, #2

By Odette C. Bell

The complete four-episode series of An Endless Game in one volume.
When the super powerful - and arrogant – Jake Walker is stationed on Science Office Katiya's ship, she knows he's trouble. It's all anyone in the Coalition talks about. From strings of affairs, to a general reckless disregard for ship decorum, he's a 6'5 superweapon pain-in-the-butt. But he's also exactly what the Milky Way needs. A modified spacer capable of instantly transporting and partitioning his energy into blades, he's untouchable. And he knows it. A man who only values strength and worth, he should breeze past Katiya. Should.
When a sudden, unexplained attack badly damages the ship, Katiya and Jake are forced to share an escape pod. It should take them to a nearby Coalition colony. Nothing goes according to plan. They end up on a mysterious alien station. With no one else to rely on, can Jake put aside his judgments to depend on Katiya? And can Katiya stow her acerbic responses long enough to see this superweapon has a heart?
If they can't, they'll die. For this station has a deadly secret. Designed by a violent race, it's sentient. It will throw Katiya and Jake into increasingly hard and desperate situations to find out one fact. How to break them and, in turn, the Coalition.
…
An Endless Game follows a snarky science officer and an arrogant spacer battling through a mysterious alien station. If you love your space operas with action, heart, and a splash of romance, grab An Endless Game: The Complete Series today and soar free with an Odette C. Bell series.
An Endless Game is the 28th Galactic Coalition Academy series. A sprawling, epic, and exciting sci-fi world where cadets become heroes and hearts are always won, each series can be read separately, so plunge in today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Odette C. Bell
• Release date: May 30, 2025
• ISBN: 9798224777235

Book preview

An Endless Game Episode One

Chapter 1

Yeah, we know you’re awesome, dude. The whole galaxy does. But maybe dial down the arrogance before I stab you with this quantum wrench.

I could think that all I wanted. Say it, and the Coalition would fire me. First, the hyper-powerful superweapon leaning back in the anti-gravity field would probably stab me with one of his subspace blades.

It’d be worth it.

I rocked back on my foot, twisted my grip on the wrench, and dropped to a knee, preferring to have my back to Jake. That way, I didn’t need to see his smarmy smile. Before I twisted, he flicked the charm onto full as a female scientist walked past. I was a female scientist, too. He’d never used that smile on me. Probably didn’t like the permanent scowl crumpling my lips like a prune.

Jake Walker shouldn’t be on this ship. We were too small. He was too important. And he was too… Jake Walker.

If you didn’t know what I meant, grab any holo news source from across the galaxy. He was usually in it. The Coalition’s new golden boy, our great hope for the future. A modified spacer, a being capable of the most incredible feats, from instantaneous transportation to partitioning his own energy into blades. He could fight whole armies on his own, could even engage in space battles alongside massive heavy cruisers. But most of the time, he just slept his way across the galaxy.

Well, if you believed the news. I was a scientist, though. Accept only what you can observe and measure. And as another female scientist walked into the room, I glanced over my shoulder to see the enigmatic Jake bend forward from the hips, angling closer to her, beaming a smile like a newborn star.

It worked on a sensible woman who should darn well know better. Her cheeks reddened, which only encouraged Jake more. You know I could get used to this, he grunted in that low, deep tone. It reminded me of giant stones rolling down a mountain peak.

Hell, everything about him was mountainous. Not only was he a massive physical specimen and built like a warrior of old, but his personality matched it. I hadn’t done the calculations, but it shouldn’t fit inside his head. His ego was universe-sized.

Pay attention, Katiya, my direct supervisor grunted beside me. An Andonian male, he had a wonderfully direct attitude and missed most subtle social cues. Here the topless Jake was, flirting with every single one of his female staff, but Riban couldn’t tell. Heck, he wouldn’t care – to him, only the mission mattered. And I had my role to fulfill.

I was an ordinary science officer. I’d graduated the Academy several years ago with ordinary grades. My appearance was ordinary. My history was ordinary. Getting bored of the word ordinary? A little presumptuous – I lived it, breathed it, and was it. And I was proud.

Because ordinary gave me a real view of the universe and my place in it, while Jake thought the sun shone out of his butt.

He angled forward again.

The science officer who should be directing him to maintain an exact position in the gravity field smiled rather than snapping at him to get back.

Like the view? he grunted.

I could stab him and get away with it, right? I’d have to be quick. My thumb slid down the quantum wrench’s shiny silver surface. My short nail tapped the tip. The bottom could expand the wrench, in some cases extending it a meter. I could whip it around and smash him on the head—

And the famously powerful spacer would cut it out of my hand with his blade, sneer, and transport me to the brig on his own.

Better to stow my acerbic nature and get back to work. Someone had to do their job.

Admiral Waters strode into the room with no warning, hands clasped behind his back, eyes staring forward as steady as a statue’s hand.

Jake didn’t snap to attention. To be fair, he was floating in a gravity bubble. But he couldn’t stop looming over the pretty science officer and smiling. He at least noted the high-ranking admiral, Jake’s eyes sliding to the left. His expression momentarily shifted, the little muscles around his eyes and jaw tightening.

Was the idiotic Jake attempting to read the admiral’s expression? He could read, then?

Yeah, the sensible part of my brain snapped, testy at me for being so stupidly brutal. Jake could read. He could do advanced engineering. He could probably run this ship on his own. Hell, push him, and he’d turn into a better science officer than me. Because extraordinary will always pip ordinary given a chance.

I quickly finished up my job, keeping an ear on the conversation. But Waters said nothing. He stopped a meter back from Jake’s shield. Waters was direct, to the point, and emotionally cold. That’s what happened when you purportedly survived ten years in a Scarax God jail. He still bore the scars. In the modern galaxy, most injuries could be healed seamlessly. You could regrow skin and use nanobots to ensure somebody returned to normal. You couldn’t fix phase scars, and a long one marked Waters’s face, sliding down from his left temple along his jawline and across to his chin where it hooked up to his bottom lip. Had someone tried to open him like a walnut?

… Admiral? Jake asked.

I need an update.

I’m still floating in this gravity bubble and waiting for them to fix my new armor.

And slavishly hitting on everybody, I mouthed. I should be more careful. I twisted to the side slightly. Even from across the room, Jake’s eyes darted over to my lips, a missile with a target.

I froze. He glanced at my eyes briefly, then turned his attention back to Waters. I felt like a deer in the headlights – an old reference. It didn’t really fit. In the example, the car doesn’t want to deliberately hit the deer. But frosty energy emanated from Jake, like the next time we were alone, he’d come out swinging.

That’s just your imagination, Katiya, constantly getting you in trouble. Do your job, my brain suggested.

I was too invested in watching Waters. He looked weirdly tense. I’d glimpsed the guy a couple of times in the corridors. Tall and from mixed alien heritage, his faintly blue skin always gave him this ethereal energy. His barely-there expression often helped. But now he looked so far away, I swore someone had transported a mere suggestion of him into the room and stolen the rest of the man.

Admiral, you seem uncomfortable, Jake said, remarkably lowering his tone like he cared about decorum. I’d heard from my other teammates Jake was a hell-raiser. As soon as he was off duty – hell, when he was still on it – he’d find any excuse to party.

I couldn’t tell you the last time I’d walked into a club. And that included my five-year stint at the Earth Academy.

I’d never let my hair down once, and honestly, in this modern galaxy, I didn’t see the point. You could go out and party. Some new advanced alien could crash right through the door and blow you up with a drink in your hands. In a universe this brutal, you work.

Speaking of which, I finished up my task. I should have turned right around and gotten a new one from my supervisor. My gaze slid to the side as I watched Waters.

His hooked-forward shoulders possessed this haunted quality like a ghost grabbed him from behind and crumpled him forward. A mean ghost. Because it pushed him closer to Jake. And despite the guy’s reputation as a powerful spacer, I wouldn’t rely on him to save anyone.

Jake tilted his head forward. He finally stopped making eyes at the pretty science officer a few meters back. The glow of Jake’s gravity field had cast her stunning features into a slightly orange sheen. It made her look angelic.

As Jake tilted his head down, his strong chin tucking close to his chest, he looked the exact opposite. I want to say Jake was a devil in clothes. He just wasn’t wearing many.

Should we have this conversation in private? Jake suggested.

The admiral must be flustered. Both he and Jake were capable of neural communication. It came naturally to Jake. The Admiral had an implant.

If this really were a sensitive conversation, the admiral would have contacted Jake neurally long before he walked into the room.

This isn’t a briefing. We aren’t discussing sensitive information. I’m simply here to check on your progress.

Well, in that case, Jake said, immediately grinning from ear to ear, I’m having the time of my life. Isn’t that right? He winked at the pretty science officer in front of Waters. And Waters did nothing.

I gripped my quantum wrench so tight, I accidentally extended it. I dropped it on the floor.

Jake looked at me once. Again, as soon as his eyes locked on me, I got the sense he was tracking me, some lethal weapon with a new target.

My gut almost squeezed at that thought. But I wasn’t the same kind of target as the lady in front of him. I was the irritated, pompous, judgmental kind. I’d met pretty boys like Jake all throughout the Coalition course. And I’d had the same attitude toward them. Space wasn’t for playing around. Not these days. If you wanted to live – and you wanted your crew to join you – you did your job.

Sorry, I grunted to the room at large as I grabbed my space wrench, walked over to another task, and decided to firmly ignore what was happening.

But I picked up General Waters’s last muttered words, the big barrel-chested man’s voice becoming strangely small. This new armor better work.

Don’t worry. Even if it doesn’t, there’s nothing in the modern Milky Way that can defeat me. Jake grinned.

The universe is far larger than the Milky Way.

Chapter 2

Jake Walker

I knew something was up the second Waters strode into the room. You could read desperation in a man as easily as a giant neon flashing sign. Anything vaguely humanoid always carried it in its shoulders like a heavy weight on its back. Waters was even easier to read than your average biped. The long phase scar that ran from his temple down to his jaw accentuated his expressions, pulling them toward the right. It made his cheeks stiffer, his eyes wider, and his mental state as clear as glass.

He was already freaking out, and we hadn’t even reached the ship yet.

We should switch to mental communication, I told him neurally, uncomfortable with all the witnesses. Don’t get me wrong, I usually liked a crowd. Especially one as pretty as this. But there was a time and place for sharing information. In this modern galaxy, you usually strove to protect it, securing it under key and lock. You never knew when spies were around.

I’d checked the room and completed an in-depth analysis on the 20 different scientists in this large lab. No one raised any flags.

They were all normal.

The only problematic person was the redheaded Class One Science Officer who’d dropped her wrench. She clearly had a problem with me. She’d mouthed the words hitting on women from across the room. Then she’d gone as red as a brake light when I locked eyes with her. That was not a reason to suspect she was a spy. Spies were famously not that lippy.

I’d do anything to squeeze even a word out of Waters now. I waited for him to respond to my mental question. The dead-eyed admiral stepped forward.

Admiral? Is there anything I can do for you—

Waters’s large brown eyes ticked up and locked on me. They had a distant quality until they focused. You always got the impression that Waters’s mind was stuck back in the Scarax jail that almost broke him. But he was still an admiral for a reason. The man could be as sharp as a vibro blade when needed.

Now I watched his formidable intelligence rise behind him as he grunted neurally, The scans of the ship have just come back. It’s impenetrable. Nothing we throw at it can get through. We deployed probes to the area. We can’t communicate with them, regardless of what kind of technology we use. We protected them with phase shields – nothing can get through.

Sounds like a conundrum. Let me at it, I said enthusiastically, the slightest grin crumpling my lips. Usually, when you communicated neurally, you did so secretly. It was an art, but you had to disconnect your mind from your facial muscles. You needed to get to a stage where you could have a complex, sometimes emotional conversation with somebody while sitting in a group of other people and not giving anything away. No microexpressions, no lip twitches, no nothing.

But everyone knew I was speaking neurally.

And even if they didn’t, a lot of the folks in this room wouldn’t be able to pull their eyes off me anyway. That had nothing to do with me being topless. I was the only modified spacer of my kind in the entire galaxy. A new breed. I was more successful than any spacer who’d come before me. More powerful, quicker, better defended. I could engage in large-scale battles right beside spaceships – and I had four times already. I’d been the decisive factor in one of those battles.

Yet I still couldn’t squeeze more out of Waters. He looked like a haunted man – no, a dead man walking.

The image gripped me. I wanted to pull myself from this bubble, but I couldn’t before the tests were done. Waters – and every other admiral and high-ranking officer on this ship – needed me ready before they deployed me.

This is not an ordinary situation, Waters finally said. His shoulders hooked forward further. I read the patterns of tension gripping his muscles. Keep holding his body like that, and not only would he get a neck ache, but it’d increase his blood pressure, stress response, and cortisol levels.

While of course the modern Coalition had medicines that could alleviate those, that wasn’t the point. That kind of tension wasn’t healthy.

But it was unavoidable.

You try being relaxed in this galaxy. Ever since the Masters incident, the Milky Way had changed fast. Even before it, we’d encountered new alien technologies seemingly every month.

People need stability, predictability, a common future to reach toward. But when your concept of what’s possible changes daily, you can’t see in front of your feet, let alone to the horizon.

It didn’t bother me much. Being a spacer alters your perception of a lot of things.

But ordinary folks need goals.

A lot of Waters’s apprehension now came from the fact he didn’t have them.

Two weeks ago, an unknown station appeared in the middle of a dead zone, out of nowhere, no transport signatures, no warp holes, no nothing.

It was of an unknown design. And it was honestly like a locked door just waiting for someone to come knock on it.

I was here to do the knocking.

This isn’t my first potentially dangerous mission, I said mentally, trying to placate the admiral.

I get the feeling this will be different.

It won’t change what I am, what I can do – what I’ve done. Look at my record—

Even you can fail, Jake, the admiral said out loud.

It shocked a lot of the scientists around him. Judging by the complimentary looks they kept shooting me, they thought I was a god. And hell, I got it. I was a massive leap beyond ordinary spacers. Get an army of folks like me – hell, get two – and we could protect the Coalition for hundreds of years to come.

I didn’t flinch at the admiral’s comment. I was too good of an officer, regardless of what that stiff, white-lipped redhead thought. She still glowered at me from the other side of the room. Did I know her? Had we dated? No. This was the first time I’d clapped eyes on her. Maybe she didn’t like my reputation. Perhaps she detested topless superweapons floating around on her ship.

Was it relevant?

No. I jutted my jaw out, staring down at the admiral. I didn’t need to lengthen my back and look like a more impressive physical specimen. I just was. And while usually that was enough, it wasn’t for Waters.

I detected sweat developing on his palm and between his fingers. He locked them behind his back, making no effort to ease the tension still gripping his shoulders. It was like barbed wire binding a corpse into a contorted position.

This is— Waters began out loud, potentially about to discuss the sensitive facts of this mission with a room of people who knew nothing about them. The head scientist might know the full facts. The rest didn’t. We should keep it that way. They thought I was on this ship for training purposes and to be fitted with my new armor. They had no idea we were en route to something that could potentially change the Coalition’s future.

You didn’t waste me on a mission that involved anything less. Was that arrogance speaking? No. You want arrogance to speak? Fine. I was the best the Coalition had. Nobody could even reach me in this race. And the Coalition had to use me wisely.

Waters also had to stop before he shared important details.

Fortunately, the head scientist did it for him. The Andonian walked up, hands clasped behind his back. We’ve got a breakthrough. We think we can fit a basic level of armor. … Admiral? The Andonian nodded low.

Waters didn’t see or hear him. He continued making unusually hard eye contact with me. He stepped to the side.

I watched him the whole time, stowing my frown. Just what was wrong with the admiral? Was this bringing up uncomfortable memories? Or did the guy have some instinct?

I got them too. I always ignored them. Trust your feelings, and they’ll scream everything’s going to hell. I mightn’t be human, but I understood their psychology. It evolved from a system primed to look for threats. In a galaxy as big and random as this one, threats were everywhere. But Waters felt different.

So did the armor.

The chief scientist didn’t wait to deploy it. Guess he thought since I’d walked into this gravity field and voluntarily taken my top off, I consented.

And I did. Kind of. I didn’t like the idea of having energetic armor around my body when I was already an energetic being. It could mess up my delicate systems. But I’d do what the admiralty wanted.

I read the news. I knew what the average galactic citizen thought about me. Hopeless party boy. They didn’t know me and had no clue what ran me.

And they had no inkling just how far I would go to save this galaxy.

A shot of energy chased across my hands, over my back, and down into my legs. It tingled, quick and fast. It reached my jaw, wiring it shut, binding it like somebody wrapped it up in energy ropes.

As a normal spacer, I’d freak at this sudden influx of power. Instead, I held on, riding the waves as they powered through my body and started to collect just a millimeter above my skin.

Everyone in the room stopped to see what was happening.

The energy field coalesced into visible armor – then immediately glitched and failed.

Several scientists cursed. I didn’t. I had to stow the grin that wanted to whip across my lips. I was still loyal to the Coalition, but I deeply didn’t want armor.

Waters cursed. He was a competent admiral. He shouldn’t swear in public. But the momentary slip in decorum wouldn’t be noticed. Most of the scientists in the room soon joined him.

That should have worked, the chief scientist grunted. How couldn’t it? I programmed it myself.

Back to the drawing board, then, I suggested, trying to be helpful. But I watched Waters the whole time. His cheeks became a pale shade of gray like someone waved a wand and turned him into a corpse.

He spun on his foot and walked away. Before he left the room, he snapped over mental comms, Do everything you can to make this work, Jake. I fear this is our only chance.

I wanted to call back, for what?

The universe is full of chances, even when you’re seemingly on the path down to hell. The admiral didn’t need to worry. I knew how to take them.

The chief scientist started snapping orders at people. He spun and pointed to the shocked redhead. Katiya, remove the lieutenant from the shield and replace his implant.

Uh, Katiya said, shouldn’t Regina do that—

Now, the chief scientist snapped.

Katiya dragged her feet over to me.

I could read people – in nanoseconds. During quick battles, I often made instantaneous assessments about folks, quickly deciding whether they were friends or foes.

I didn’t even need a nanosecond with Katiya. From the way she pulled her feet over to the muttered comments from earlier, she wasn’t a fan.

Hold still, she snapped in a cold tone.

Hell of a bedside manner you’ve got there, I grunted distractedly. My gaze was still locked on the door, hoping that Waters would return. I got it – this was a sensitive mission. But what was eating him up?

The Coalition was seemingly in a better position than it had been for months. The Masters’ threat was gone. Our planets no longer faced blackouts that stole our tech from afar.

So what was with the long face, the tense shoulders, the cold heart?

You’re easily distractible, aren’t you? Katiya kept her voice low, probably not wanting my current fan club in the room to turn on her.

I finally switched my full attention to her. I tilted my head slightly to the left. And what do you mean by that?

She blushed slightly at my direct stare, then immediately jutted her chin out. You keep staring at the door like you expect Waters to come back. I don’t think he will. He looks busy.

Got a degree in reading admirals, do you, Katiya Smit?

She blinked a little, likely shocked at the fact I knew her last name.

I narrowed my eyes, quickly assessing her bio across my neural connection with the ship’s computer. I always appraise myself of my current environment and research crew members.

So you can hit on them? she whispered. She immediately twisted her lips into a thin line, likely embarrassed she’d let that slip.

Maybe she even hoped I’d let it slip, too. I was not that kind of guy.

I crossed my arms as I watched her call up a holo pad and start to disengage my gravity bubble. Jealous?

She fixed her gaze forward, her fingers freezing. Of what?

Do you want me to say it out loud?

I shouldn’t be playing with her. She was a distraction. But she was a good one.

I couldn’t think about Waters. I couldn’t control what he was doing and what was happening in his head. But I could prep for the mission. Distracting myself from him was the first step. Finding out everything I could about that station then heading there to uncover its every secret was the next.

You can do whatever you want, Lieutenant, Katiya snapped. I don’t imagine anybody on this entire station can stop you. Certainly not an admiral.

I narrowed my eyes at her. Her distraction was turning into something else. Did I once fail to save one of your family members or something?

Her cheeks twitched with shock, confirming that wasn’t true.

Did I know you at the Academy? You’re older than me. I don’t remember going through with you. So what is it, Katiya? That leaves one possibility, doesn’t it? Read a lot of the galactic gossip mags, do you?

Her cheeks stiffened. It was a quick move. I’d give her one thing. She was good at hiding her emotions, or at least wrangling them quickly.

She arched an eyebrow imperiously. Guess what, genius? She leaned forward conspiratorially, and something in me pushed me closer to the shield until our faces were only 30 centimeters away. I was just in the room with you. I don’t need external sources to draw conclusions about you. I saw you hitting on every single lady you could. Get a kick out of breaking rules?

I smiled, all teeth, all slow, all predatory. No, Katiya. It’s less of a kick, more of a calling.

She leaned back when I pushed too close to the shield, the orange flickering light playing over her suddenly round eyes. Calling? she muttered when she regained her nerve. You think it’s a calling to ignore decorum, do what you want, and throw a ship into disarray?

I had to laugh. And cross my arms. It wasn’t a truly defensive move, though. To get defensive, you need to have a reason to defend yourself. In no world could Katiya ever beat me. Disarray? Look around – anything appear in disarray to you?

She arched an eyebrow in a way that told me Katiya almost never backed down. A personality trait I recognized – I shared it. But I had the force to back myself up. Even while I stared at her, waiting for the shield to drop, I accessed and assessed her bio fully. I read her grades, right down to every single comment her lecturers had ever given. I could synthesize this information blindingly quickly, and I built a mental profile of Katiya a single second later.

An ordinary science officer with no stand-out features, no incredible skills, and a fairly basic likely progression through the Coalition. She might make it to a small managerial role if they had no one else. She’d never reach higher. That was only if she could control her acerbic nature. A few of her lecturers had commented on it. Katiya liked to judge others.

Guess I was flavor of the day.

You know, if most people have a problem with me, they keep it to themselves, I said, eyes never moving off her.

She didn’t shift back far. I didn’t use a threatening tone, but this statement stood for itself.

The quick, harsh-lipped Katiya didn’t care. She took a slightly haughty step back, let her fingers fly over the hovering holo panel, and grunted, Please straighten in the field.

I’m fine.

Please straighten in the field, she said in her best schoolmarm voice.

It made my lips curl, all stiff and hard over my teeth. I’m a spacer—

And these are the rules. Patients should always attempt to remain in the center of a gravity field to equally distribute energy.

I could punch through this gravity field in a second—

Fascinating. Now straighten.

The left side of my top lip kinked up a micrometer. She didn’t notice. Because I straightened.

I just wanted to be let down.

The field fizzled off. I didn’t thump onto my feet as ordinary gravity returned. With my arms still crossed, I hovered in the air, enjoying my position above her.

Katiya continued to stare at her holo panel, though there was no new information on it. You can stand on your feet now. I need to remove the device in your back.

I know what you’re meant to do. And remarkably, I have more than two brain cells to rub together.

She squeezed her teeth hard, and I imagine she came up with a thousand insults. What, you have three?

I grinned again, this time full-faced. I’d had more than a few lovers comment on my smile. They always said it drew them in like a tractor beam.

She did get a little closer, angling her chin up slightly, but her eyes invited nothing but another fight. Gonna rub those three brain cells together and follow this order, Lieutenant? she spoke quietly. No one was close enough to hear her. I imagine the chief scientist would flip if he heard her tone, but he looked distracted. He pored over holographic data at a console ten meters away, his back to us, his shoulders high, his jaw stiff. Occasionally he lifted a beefy blue hand and tapped it hard on the console, swearing under his breath in an alien tongue.

Quite a mouth you’ve got there, Katiya. I can see why you aren’t a promotion prospect. I smiled at her.

This got to her slightly, but again she hid her expression well. She leveled her gaze and shrugged. Some of us are OK with being ordinary. Keeps our egos nice and small. Wouldn’t want to get too big and burst the universe at the seams, would I?

I laughed, almost enjoying it. I can see it’s working. That’s a tiny ego you’ve got there, Katiya. You’re giving lip to a spacer lieutenant. Your ego must be the size of a pinhead.

Let’s not talk about yours. Now turn around. And get to your feet already.

I floated down, staring at her the entire time.

She flicked her gaze up to me, noticed, scrunched her lips to the left, then gestured me to turn with a quick flick of her fingers.

I lifted my arms like I was surrendering to an enemy then turned.

She didn’t even hesitate. She reached out, touched the device embedded in my back, and typed on it three times. I felt it disengaging. As soon as the little probes retracted from my flesh, I sighed, a weight lifting from me I hadn’t known was there.

It shouldn’t hurt, Katiya snapped. Or at least you should be tougher.

I couldn’t take it anymore. She hadn’t replaced the device. I turned, close enough, our chests almost brushed. She was much shorter than me, but it was easy to bend down to her level. Are you trying to find out how much I can take, Katiya?

I finally caught her breath. It got stuck in her chest as it punched out, her lips opening slightly. Then she blinked, reset like a determined robot, and snapped snarkily, Yes. I am. I’m going to find out exactly how many appeals to the chain of command it’s gonna take before you actually start following orders, Lieutenant.

Everyone heard this one. She spoke a little louder.

Even the chief scientist looked up, and from here I judged his expression easily. The quick twitch of his lips, his cheeks sucking in, his narrowed eyes – they promised me he hated dealing with Katiya’s sharp tongue.

Ensign, the chief scientist snapped.

I lifted my hand, one finger drawing slowly toward the ceiling. It’s all right, Sir. Get back to work. We all have our job to do in the Coalition, don’t we? I bent forward one more centimeter, a tree threatening to fall, even though it’d never actually snap. It was stronger, solid, eternal. The wind could bite at it – it’d bite back harder. "And all we have to do, all we have to do," I whispered, staring her right in the eye, is do what our roles dictate we should do.

Her cheeks twitched wider. She wanted to blow.

Then somebody opened the door, walked straight up to me, and snapped a salute. Sir, you’re invited to a briefing.

My armor isn’t on— I began.

Irrelevant, Sir. Come with me. The guy pivoted and strode from the room like I didn’t have time to put a top on.

I knew the stakes. I probably didn’t have time to dress, but I squeezed out a second for one more thing. As I strode past the watchful Katiya, I angled my gaze toward her until I caught her eyes. I shouldn’t bait her. I couldn’t resist. Stop just standing there, Katiya Smit. Do your job.

I walked from the room before she could hurl a quantum wrench at me.

Chapter 3

Katiya Smit

I wanted to blow him up, chop him into little parts, and boil him alive. I recognized that chronological order was illogical. I couldn’t think clearly. My mind kept seesawing between the arrogant lieutenant and the disquieting Waters.

I might just be a painfully ordinary ensign – as Jake had pointed out – but I could read people. I’d seen Waters walking around. While he always looked grim, today was different.

Something’s up, I muttered, heading toward the mess room for some late dinner. My stomach rumbled. I’d ignored food most of the day. Jake could think whatever he wanted about me. But I was dedicated to my job. I might lack the skill set others enjoyed. But I would always show up. I’d always stay until the job was done, and I’d always repeat it again tomorrow.

I settled a hand on my grumbling stomach as I strode through the decks. An observational window caught my eye. They were dotted around the ship, just little windows that let you stare out at the view beyond. They weren’t actual glass. They were view screens embedded in the wall that showed real-time footage of whatever was outside. Right now they showed a static view of the stars. It was kinda beautiful – though par for the course in space. Unless you were parked right outside a nebula, it all looked the same. A swathe of black with bright twinkling yellow lights, only a sophisticated computer could detect the difference from one view around the Milky Way to another.

I don’t know why this one caught my eye, but I slowed right down, stepped up to the fake glass, paused, and tapped a finger on it. A little flash right in the corner caught my attention. Was it just me, or was that star twinkling brighter?

Should we be discussing this out loud, Admiral? Jake’s familiar deep tone rumbled down the corridor.

I turned, lips tightening into a frown. Then they squeezed like somebody had a screwdriver in my mouth and twisted it. I tried to grind my teeth into dust as I remembered our fight.

My boss had pulled me aside, reprimanding me for how I treated Jake. Nobody had mentioned him hitting on the women in the room or how he spoke to me.

Jake was a shining star. And I was the equivalent of that milky blackness that just sat there, in between, a backdrop for someone else’s brilliance. My fingers tightened into a fist, and I banged it hard against the glass.

It doesn’t matter, Jake. Waters’s worried tone filtered down the corridor. I immediately blinked, paying far more attention. They will find out sooner rather than later. It’s almost impossible to control information in this modern galaxy.

You can always try by not discussing it out loud, Jake said, tone even but tense.

I imagined he always preferred to have his conversations in secret.

… Which jarred with my profile of him. In my head, he was the larger-than-life lothario bouncing his way across the galaxy from bed to bed.

If he preferred to have his conversations in secret, it almost suggested that sometimes Jake did his job.

Waters suddenly stopped. I heard the squeak of shoes braking abruptly on smooth floor plating. He took a breath, deep and shaking. It reminded me of somebody blocking an air pipe until only a fraction of gas could escape on either side. Nothing we have can penetrate that thing’s defenses. We can’t scan it. We don’t know where it’s from. And we have no idea what it wants, the admiral said.

The hair rose on the back of my neck in a tight tingling wave. Nerves gripped my gut, and my mouth suddenly became dry.

Admiral, people can hear us. There’s someone directly ahead, Jake tried.

That someone was me. I jerked back, shocked, then reminded myself of Jake’s skill set. Jake could scan his immediate environment. And even if he couldn’t, he was a high enough rank to log on to the ship’s scanners.

He probably hadn’t bothered to identify who was in front of him, though. He’d kick himself when he walked around that corner and saw me.

I don’t care. If we can’t find out what that station is and stop it, Waters struggled for breath, this could be it for the Coalition.

I stared in shock as both men finally came into view.

Waters didn’t even make eye contact with me.

Jake did. His lips tightened over his teeth as he recognized me.

My eyebrows hooked up. I went to say something.

Waters strode right past me. You’re dismissed, Lieutenant. I hope I have finally conveyed the importance of this mission.

Admiral, Jake tried.

The Admiral had already walked out of sight.

That left Jake several meters in front of me. I turned abruptly, pretending I was more interested in the view.

He laughed, a guttural sound like someone punching you in the chest. I can see you, Katiya.

Since when are we on a first-name basis?

You want to make this formal? You will not repeat a single thing the admiral said—

He’s an admiral, I said, spinning on my heel and staring at Jake. He chose to reveal those details in public. If he wants me to keep them a secret, he will tell me himself.

You should have seen Jake’s expression. It went from peeved to cold, to this deep kind of disturbing that demanded I back down.

I did my favorite thing and jutted my chin out. I stopped short of crossing my arms. I wasn’t an impressive physical specimen like Jake. I also couldn’t afford to make this too confrontational.

Oops. I already had.

Jake’s jaw slid left and right. Are you deliberately trying to upset me, Katiya?

You’re Jake Walker. Nothing in the galaxy can upset you. You’re the greatest hope we have. Now, shouldn’t you turn around and deal with whatever mysterious station the admiral mentioned? I tried to keep the fear out of my tone. It tightened like iron bars. A little sheen of sweat glimmered on my brow. I was on this very ship when we endured a blackout last year. It was the most terrifying thing I’d ever experienced. I’d almost died when an explosion ripped out the floor beneath my feet. I could still feel myself falling.

Jake’s eyes narrowed, his gaze sliding over the sweat beading across my brow. I knew he wanted to insult me. Remarkably, he stopped himself. It was his turn to cross his arms. And I was right – it looked better on him. He folded forward from his powerful shoulders, his forearms locking against his chest, his strong fingers tucking in underneath on one side, the others drumming his bicep. Can you follow orders, Katiya?

Yes.

Because you don’t seem to be the kind to follow anything.

I lead by example. I do my job. I respect the chain of command—

Good, he growled, clearly waiting for me to fall into that trap. I’m a lieutenant on paper. In times of war and during critical incidents, my powers can exceed that of an admiral.

My lips twisted to the side as I shrugged at the window. This look like a war to you?

Katiya, you’re a simple ensign on a middle-class Coalition ship.

You’re about to tell me that the Coalition has been running a secret war behind our backs and we don’t even know about it? Or have they just been keeping it from simple, stupid little ensigns like me?

I didn’t say you were stupid. In fact, I’m banking on you being smart. I might not be an admiral right now, but I’m hoping that you will keep those facts to yourself.

Keep hoping, Lieutenant, keep hoping.

…

Jake Walker

Was this woman for real? I’d fought other spacers, alien combatants, even Masters. I’d never fought someone so belligerent with such little power.

Katiya—

She flicked her gaze up to me. I was used to getting what I wanted with a little smile, maybe a flash of power and, if I had to, a curt snap. Katiya didn’t seem like she’d bend, even if I pushed a subspace blade across her throat.

Don’t worry, she suddenly snapped, either uncomfortable as I stepped toward her, or just bored, I don’t have anyone to share this information with. You can go away now, Lieutenant.

I froze challengingly.

Katiya’s lips scrunched. You can… trust that I won’t share the information, Lieutenant, she tried, slightly more polite.

I arched an eyebrow. Bet you’re a handful to supervise.

Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed her. But it was criminally easy to push Katiya. Some people had buttons hidden under layers of training, professionalism, and plain emotional competency. Katiya’s blinked above her head, big red warning signs that said push me – go on, do it.

I do my job, Lieutenant, she spat in a tone she’d already used on me.

I often didn’t care what people thought about me. My reputation as a playboy benefited me. It gave me cover. And let’s face it – it wasn’t necessarily wrong. When you live on the edge of power and uncertainty, you need distractions. You’ve got to remember what’s good about life. If you don’t, you can spiral. Or you can just turn into a bitter wreck. I wouldn’t mention any examples.

Is this the bit where you accuse me of not doing my job, Ensign Smit?

She looked left and right. Yep, she said directly.

It floored me. I’d never faced anyone like her. She was just an ensign. Yeah, I said that with a straight face. In the Coalition, you were meant to think everyone, no matter their status, pulled together to help the whole. And technically, they did. But in practice, some folks were more important, just like me. And ignoring that fact just to sound nice to other people was pointless. You had to appreciate which resources were critical and which weren’t.

You’ve gone all cold, Lieutenant. Am I the only person who’s ever pushed back against you?

You do realize I’ve fought Barbarians, Scarax, Masters— I went to list every enemy I’d ever fought.

And this is a fight, is it? I thought I was just giving you feedback.

I tried not to laugh. It came out as a choked wheeze. My amusement was giving way to frustration. Just who did this woman think she was? What rank are you?

Don’t pretend you don’t know. I know you’ve already accessed my bio. You’ve already claimed to have more than three brain cells. I’m an ensign. You’re a special lieutenant who can be more powerful than an admiral at the click of his fingers. You’re better than me, Jake – on paper.

I didn’t know if I wanted to smile or frown or do both. My lips wobbled then stiffened and gripped my teeth like paper glued to daggers. You’re really pushing it, Ensign. This is not how you should behave—

And you think hitting on every single woman you see is how you should behave? Especially when you’re on duty?

… She had a point. And that just made it worse.

I’m going to make one thing clear—

She lifted her hand and stepped back from me. Alright, I already have made it clear. I won’t breathe a word of what I overheard. You do your job. I’ll do mine. She pivoted and walked away from me. She didn’t glance over her shoulder. She didn’t lurch over and ask for forgiveness. I was arguably the most important person on this ship. The massive Coalition had hundreds of admirals. They had one me.

I didn’t call her back, even though I itched to put her in her place.

I turned to look at the view.

I tightened my arms over my stomach, crossing them hard enough my shoulder blades should ping off and strike the walls.

My gaze darted across the stars but stopped on one twinkling strangely. The light wasn’t right. The angle shouldn’t be like that, the oscillations between the blinks too fast.

I frowned. Deep and unsettling, it had one second to grip my lips.

As my eyes narrowed, that star flashed brightly for a split second. Then it dimmed and disappeared like burning paper hitting the cold ocean.

Light takes a long time to travel through space. The modern galaxy might have faster-than-light drives. Hell, it had certain instantaneous forms of transportation that could take you from one galaxy to another.

But I always kept a connection with the Coalition’s database. I knew about historical supernovas. You were warned in a daily briefing if you’d encounter any historical star deaths that could affect your current maps. They were adjusted in real-time anyway.

That wasn’t a historical star death. So what the hell was it?

I leaned closer to the glass.

You know, I’m not done, Katiya said, suddenly stomping into view, arms crossed. I got in trouble because of you. I was the only one brave enough to point out your behavior was inappropriate, and yet my boss pulled me aside and spoke to me for a full ten minutes about sassing you. Is it really sassing you to remind you of your job… Lieutenant? Hello, Lieutenant?

My brow locked down, my jaw now like steel melting through diamonds. Katiya—

The light flashed suddenly, growing brighter and brighter as it sped toward the ship, straight for us.

I jerked back toward her.

And another thing— she began, but I wrapped an arm around her waist and spun with her.

Surprise gripped her cheeks, and in any other moment, I would’ve soaked it up. But something struck the side of the ship, and it shook. It pounded into the observational screen, and I heard the ship’s powerful outer hull puckering. An alarm screamed above us, and structural shields snapped into place, but they couldn’t stop the damage.

What the hell is happening? Katiya couldn’t spit the words out fast enough. I bet she thought she was good in a crisis. But she froze, her arms folding forward, her hands squeezing into fists.

Screw it, I spat.

We couldn’t stay here a second longer. I had no idea what struck the ship, but I needed to get Katiya out of here.

I transported. I landed three decks above, but it was chaos here too. Now the red alert blared through the ship, everyone was getting to their stations. I watched combat officers in full tactical gear as black as night run past, new compound rifles in their hands. Phase packs glowed at the back, a wild, almost celestial blue. They reminded you of how far the Coalition had come in the past 20 years. Yet with all that technology, we still couldn’t stop whatever was attacking this ship.

I dumped Katiya down on her knees. I grabbed a passing combat soldier, Head three decks down— I began.

The ship shook wildly. I swear a dog grabbed it and tried to break its neck.

Katiya tumbled into my leg. I unconsciously locked a hand tight on her shoulder, my fingers sliding past her wet cheek.

She was already crying. She was all mouth when times were peaceful – all tears when they weren’t.

I knew it was unkind. I didn’t have time to check myself.

What’s happening? the combat officer snapped at me. I could see his eyes if I wanted to. A thick, opaque visor hid them – but I could hack right past it. I didn’t need to watch his expression.

I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I snapped an unnecessary but still fast salute and pivoted. I almost stopped. Katiya was leaning against me, her body shaking as she stared at the corridor in disbelief.

My hand was still on her shoulder – a fact I noted afterward, almost like it belonged there.

Get up, Ensign, I snapped. My voice softened at the end.

She pushed to her feet, but the greatest shake tore through the ship yet. She tumbled to the left, right toward cracking floor plating. I grabbed her back before she could fall to the level below.

The alarm changed, kicking up a pitch. It had two more stages – then it’d reach the fourth and final red alert that told you to evacuate because the ship was lost.

A generalized warning played over the audio system, demanding people get to their stations now.

I didn’t have a station. But I had a job to do.

Katiya finally found her feet. This makes no sense—

Situations can unfold rapidly in space, Katiya. That’s the point.

I should have spared my breath rather than get another