Chapter 1
The ship crashesthrough the tree canopy. Metal screams. I grip my seat, my knuckles white as I remember to breathe. Red lights flash. The pilot issues commands as he flicks toggles and sends out distress signals.
I glance at Ava opposite me. Her eyes are closed like she’s asleep, her hands are loose in her lap. The only sign that she’s at all concerned with the rough and unplanned landing is the hard line of her lips. A sudden electrical storm has turned our simple search and rescue mission into a disaster. Maybe the survey vessel we came to get was also hit by an electrical storm?
The ship jolts and I grip the edge of my seat tighter.There’s nothing I can do.
I consciously relax my shoulders and close my eyes. Fear flits inside my chest until I can’t breathe.
It’s just adrenaline flooding my system.
The knowledge doesn’t calm me. There’s no fight to be had, and the flight is over. The ships rocks and jerks, metal screams. Then the ship crunches to a halt, I jerk forward and then slam back into my seat. Any breath I had leaves my lungs. That wasn’t a rough landing that was an all-out crash. I suck in air and orientate myself. I’m upright, mostly, leaning back in my seat. Ava is leaning over me, looking bored.
“Are we done?” Ava says. She doesn’t wait for an answer before unclipping and bouncing down. She immediately grabs her gun. She’s one of the five security people we have on board, then there’s me, the paramedic, and Calloor the pilot. Seven in total for what should have been a straightforward recovery job.
We are supposed to find the ship and retrieve the data. Recovering the pilot and surveyor is secondary. We won’t be helping anyone now.
Calloor turns off the red light. “Sorry about that, but we’re down now.”
“How far are we from the survey ship?” Ava asks. She’s adding weapons like a socialite adds jewelry.
“No idea. I couldn’t find their emergency beacon and I didn’t sight the ship before we were hit by that freak storm.” Calloor gets up and makes his way through the ship.
“What are the chances we’ll be able to leave?” I try to keep the quiver out of my voice, but I’m pretty sure I fail.
“I’ll check the ship, but…” Calloor glances away. He doesn’t need to finish. Now we need to be rescued and we have nothing to offer. The only thing of value is the survey. This planet is cursed. That’s why no one goes near it. I’m sure every alien is in on the joke and they’re laughing at the stupid humans rushing to explore and claim everything they can get their hands on.
I close my eyes.Great.I have to pull myself together. So I revert to work mode, my safe place where I know what I’m doing and how to do it.
“Is anyone hurt?” My voice is steady even though I don’t feel calm.
“I bumped my head can you kiss it bet—” Maller doesn’t finish as Ava slaps him on the arm.
“Shut up and kit up. We need to secure the site.” Ava strides toward the door.
“No one’s securing anything. We’re staying put,” Calloor says. “As per company orders.”
“We’re on the ground, I’m in charge now.” She checks the biggest of the three guns she carries. As the only two women on board, I’ve gotten to know her well over the last six days. Ava levels her gaze at him. “Got a problem with that, Calloor?”
If Calloor really wants to follow protocol, he has to back down because Ava is right. She’s now running the rescue…survival situation. I feel a whole lot safer under her command than Calloor’s. He’s like most pilots I’ve met. All swagger. He might be good at flying, and landing, after all no one is dead, but that’s about all he’s good at. The only reason he’s on this trip is because he pissed off one too many of the higher ups. He needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut.
Everyone else was just unlucky enough to be picked.
I should’ve been dealing with welding burns, stitching minor wounds and other random ailments back on the main exploration ship. But instead I’m here, on what is allegedly the most beautiful and untouched planet in this part of the galaxy. I don’t want to know the real reason it’s untouched.
All the old Earth horror stories float through my head. Zombies? Vampires? No, there are no humanoid life signs. The planet is deserted. My head snaps up. “You didn’t see the survey ship, but did you find humanoid life signs? Did Daley and Sawle survive the survey ship crash?”
“You still think this is a rescue?” Calloor looks at me with disgust. I’m either the cute blond they want to fuck or the dumb blond who should have her mouth too full to talk.
“Did you check for life,” Ava repeats in a tone that could cut through metal.
Calloor shrugs. “No. My orders were to find the ship…they should be with it, if they followed protocol.”
“Can you run a scan?” If Daley and Sawle are alive, we might as well try to meet up, assuming they aren’t a million kilometers away. In which case, I’d rather stay with our ship. “Please.”
He sets his jaw like he’s about to argue.
“Do it,” Ava says. “Then we might find the survey ship.”
