This is the final section of Chapter One. It's time to meet Governor Stacy Nichols of Earth II, and her head of on-planet security, Nobek Kuran of Clan Rihep. You'll see a lot more of these two and Kuran's clanmates.
Earth II
Stacy Nichols did her best to disembark from her shuttle in a dignified fashion, fighting the urge to bounce down the stairs. Come on, woman, you’re a thirty-eight-year-old governor, tasked with the start of a new planet. Decorum, please.
Between excitement and a rush of fear, she felt like a giddy child. She faced the unknown and the unbelievable. It took everything she had to keep from leaping to the floor of the spaceport.
Security Head Kuran awaited her, his half-smile hinting perhaps he recognized her rush of adrenaline. Or maybe it was just the natural lift of his lips, which always made him appear amused. The majority of Kalquor’s warrior breed didn’t look so friendly, in Stacy’s experience. Kuran had admitted would-be enemies found his pleasant features confusing, especially when he decided the time had come to kick ass.
Stacy wasn’t confused when it came to Nobek Kuran, a handsome man who sported a seemingly permanent five o’clock shadow on his rugged features. She was all too aware of a spark of attraction when in his presence.
He bowed at her approach. “Welcome to Earth Two, Governor Nichols.”
“Thanks, Kuran. I take it this the official welcome, since I’ve visited on nearly a dozen occasions already.”
His purple eyes, which seemed locked in a squint, twinkled at her. “This is your welcome home greeting. Arriving to take the reins for an indeterminable time period demands a special reception.”
“I suppose it does.” She let the grin wanting to burst forth do so. Kuran answered in kind. “Speaking of receptions?”
“Dignitaries await you at Government Hall.” His real smile answered her.
Her pulse sped up. His wavy hair, as black as hers, fell past his shoulders in a flood. The gray uniform of a Kalquorian Fleet contract worker hugged his body in a positively sinful manner.
Chill out. This is Earth, not Haven. There are those who wouldn’t be enthralled by your infatuation for a Kalquorian.
To underscore the issue to herself, she lowered the voltage of her joy and asked, “Has Kenneth Bryant arrived?”
“An hour ago.” Kuran’s tone went from warm to careful in an instant. “The lieutenant governor is waiting for you to arrive before he makes his appearance before the guests.”
Stacy managed to avoid rolling her eyes. “Excellent. Shall we join the party?”
He swept an arm to indicate the path through the space port to its exit. “Your shuttle awaits, Governor.”
They strode side by side, Kuran’s usual long steps slowed to keep him from outdistancing her. He was more than a foot taller than her five-foot-five height, tall even for a Kalquorian. The swelling muscles made him a veritable giant.
Despite him accommodating her, she had to maintain a quick pace. Fortunately, Stacy preferred flats to heels, crisp blouses and comfortable trousers to dresses. Haven, the Earther-Kalquorian colony she’d lived on for the past six years, was, for the most part, a farming community. As lieutenant governor there, she’d regularly visited constituents. One dressed for plowed fields and cow patties if she were smart.
She beamed at the industry around her. Earth was still in preparation, aiming to be up and running in a few weeks, but the spaceport had been bustling for nearly two years. At the start, supplies and crews to establish the infrastructure of shuttle traffic lanes, public transportation, hospitals, and society’s basic needs had been the majority of shipments. Now businesses, services, entertainments, and schools were readying to open. Supplies for an inhabited planet were pouring in. Cargo ships from every known world jockeyed for space, their crews and dockmasters shouting directions to each other.
Earth had been reborn and was on the brink of opening its proverbial doors. The excitement was electric.
Especially when she looked at Kuran.
* * * *
A new planet. A new enemy. Is the end coming for the Kalquorian Empire?
In the aftermath of the Kalquorian civil war and the defeat of the Bi’is invasion fleet, the empire has enjoyed peace. A new Earth has been born. A Kalquorian leads the Galactic Council of Planets. An era of harmony seems assured.
However, new dangers arrive on the horizon. Governor Stacy Nichols finds herself at odds with powerful opponents who want Earth II to return to the old ways that led to the demise of their original planet. They’ll do anything to stop her, especially when they discover her newfound romance with Clan Rihep of Kalquor.
After five years and a terrifying encounter with an unknown entity, Clan Piras is finally leaving their spy duties in Bi’is space. Now they must face enemies closer to home: the families of those they sacrificed while on a secret mission during the Kalquorian civil war.
A new threat to the
existence of Kalquor and the entire Galactic Council of Planets arrives in the
midst of these challenges, a dark menace unlike anything faced before. One
young, inexperienced spyship ensign is all that stands between the galaxy and
utter destruction. Can he warn the empire in time…or is it already too late?
Dark Empire 1: Shadows Approach releases August 4. Pre-order now at Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, Apple, and print.
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