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Young Ensign Ilid has some concerns about his sanity after the away team returns to his spyship after a trip to Bi'is. Has he gone space crazy...or is something strange happening to his crewmates?
"Tracy
St. John's exceptional writing, well-developed characters, immersive
world-building, and seamless blend of action and romance make this book
an absolute must-read." -Amazon review
* * * *
Spyship orbiting Bi’is
Ensign Dramok Ilid watched from his control podium as the
away team’s shuttles returned from Bi’is. The three vessels docked in the
spyship, and he closed the bay doors. Captain Abgi and Weapons Commander Suta
stepped forward to greet the commander at the head of the disembarking team,
Weapons Subcommander Ved.
“Report, Subcommander,” Suta ordered, his creased face as
unsmiling as ever.
Ilid always felt more at ease when the old Nobek wasn’t
looking at him. He bet Nobek Ved did too, despite his occasional lover’s
resolute toughness, which kept him from admitting to any intimidation.
“The labs of Bi’is were quiet, Captain, Weapons Commander.
We found no sign of the Sector C secret research facility the previous spyship
suspected.”
Captain Abgi, almost as old and weathered and tough as Suta,
frowned. “Neither did the Galactic Council inspectors, according to the files
we intercepted a few hours ago. The captain I spoke to from the other spyship
seemed so sure. What of the communications suggesting there might be such
facilities?”
“The last of the suspicious messages between Bi’is
scientists occurred just prior to the previous spyship’s leaving. Similar
dialogue has ceased since then.”
Ilid glanced from his computer podium’s readings. Ved
sounded…off. His deep voice had a wooden quality Ilid hadn’t heard from him
before.
The subcommander’s features showed no emotion. Typical for
reporting in, but even Ved’s natural Nobek ferocity, a quality which excited
Ilid more than he’d admit out loud, had a tamped-down trait uncharacteristic of
him.
Keeping his fingers moving over the keypad of his computer,
Ilid swept his gaze over the team grouped behind Ved, wondering if they’d
noticed anything off. If they did, their bland faces showed no hint.
Funny. The scouts, mostly Nobeks and a smattering of
Dramoks, somehow looked alike with their flat expressions. Those at the corners
of his eyes seemed to have strange smudges, like shadows, hovering over them.
When he gazed directly at them, there was no darkness, however. Disquiet wormed
its way in Ilid’s gut.
It’s too soon to be antsy from an extended assignment.
Get a grip.
It was true Ilid wasn’t looking forward to a year’s detail
surveilling Bi’is. Despite ten-day leaves every six weeks, the deployment was
shaping up to be a grind. It was rumored the previous spyship had orbited
Kalquor’s enemy for five years, since the end of the war. He couldn’t imagine
how the previous crew had kept from killing each other from the boredom.
Suta’s gruff voice was disappointed. “What of signs of those
shadow entities that were reported? Was anything off regarding your
assignment?”
“No, Weapons Commander. We saw nothing suggesting an alien
presence beyond the Tragoom slaves the Bi’isils keep. No entity we saw matched
what was recorded by the previous spyship.”
Ancestors, what was it in Ved’s tone that sounded wrong? It
was driving Ilid crazy.
He returned his attention to his readouts, setting aside the
anxious feeling that was beneath a Dramok. He was only twenty-two, but his
breed admitted no nonsense. He was born to eventually lead, and he was
determined to live up to what was expected of him.
An alert beeped politely on his podium. He tapped his
earpiece and listened before reporting.
“Excuse me, Captain. The first officer reports the Galactic
Council vessel is leaving orbit and heading back to their space.”
Abgi snapped a nod to Ilid. “All right, team, good job. Be
ready to assemble and resume on-planet surveillance in two days, unless advised
to the contrary. Dismissed.”
He and Suta left ahead of the team. Ilid used the
opportunity to get Ved’s attention. “Hey. Was it really so quiet on the
planet?”
Ved regarded him for several seconds. Long seconds. For a
moment, Ilid wondered if the Nobek recognized him. There was no spark of
familiarity in his gaze.
Then the corner of his lips twitched, a hint of a smile. “We
considered cutting each other’s throats for something to do. You can’t get more
boring than Bi’is.”
Ilid laughed, partly out of relief. It was a typical Ved
response, and if he maintained a wooden quality of speech, it was doubtless
because the assignment had been wearying. “Hopefully, it was just an off week
for the little gray bastards. You’ll find something devious worth cracking
their huge skulls over next time.”
“A man can hope.” Ved looked him over. “Shall we get
together later tonight, Ilid? Maybe you can offer the excitement Bi’is was missing.”
Usually, such an invitation would have thrilled Ilid. Ved
was his favorite bedmate on the spyship, the sexiest crewman on board, in his
opinion.
This time, a chill ran down his spine. Ved’s gaze remained
as flat as his voice, and Ilid thought about conjuring an excuse of why he
wasn’t available.
He was being ridiculous. What kind of Dramok was weirded out
by a bored and tired Nobek? He grinned widely at Ved. “Tonight would be great.”
“My quarters at the end of your shift then?”
“Sure. I’ll be there.”
Ved left him still wearing a half-smile. Had he ever seen
him smile that way?
Enough. It’s too soon to go space crazy.
* * * *
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 is now on sale at Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, Apple, and print.
