Arctic Embers: Fated Mates of Menora (Paperback)

Everything Was Fine, Until We Crashed

Kai

“Turn on the thrusters,” I ordered Arin, my co-pilot, and the only Boma on the crew, and mentally detailed my tasks before the cruiser’s takeoff. All had been checked off, and the systems were fully operational. Now, I just hoped for smooth sailing to our destination, the Margerout, a battleship that would take my guests off my hands.
The low hum of the thrusters pulsed even before Arin’s tense shout, “It’s done, Lieutenant.” His gaze was fixed intently on the holo monitors.
I maneuvered the cruiser off the fleet’s docking station at Marjendalen City in Meru, where we had picked up the Boma commission we were transporting, and the scales on the back of my head prickled. Captain Joren was watching me. Annoyance soured my stomach.
I couldn’t stand that male! 
We went through the fleet academy together, and that twat always wanted to one-up me, and now that he had risen to captain, he wouldn’t stop rubbing it on my face.
I couldn’t have cared less.
The memory of receiving the mission order from Commander Devar was still fresh in my mind. When I learned Joren would be my commander officer during this mission, I clenched my jaw so hard that I feared I would crack a tooth.
“Kai, I’ve got an assignment for you,” announced Devar as he approached me, a smug grin plastered on his face—just what I needed—another mission. I sighed inwardly and put on my best stoic expression.
“Hit me with it, Commander.”
“You will transport a Boma commission and their families to the Margerout, which is in orbit near Kamina moon. The commission is participating in the Intergalactic Council meetings on planet Mvriko next week.“ Devar stopped talking and waited for my reaction.
I merely lifted an eyebrow. “What’s the catch?” I couldn’t wipe the suspicion from my voice. Not because it was a Boma commission—which, in plain words, meant they were highborn lords—and rivalries and blatant racism between our races had always been the start of skirmishes and animosities, but because it couldn’t be that simple.
“Captain Joren will be commanding the mission,” Devar drawled, his eyes narrowed, waiting for an outburst. Joren and I openly disliked each other, and it was well known among the officers, but I kept my face clear of any expression.
“Of course, Commander. It seems simple enough.” My sarcasm was thinly veiled, and I knew better than to argue. Whereas I wanted to roll my eyes, I kept them focused on the commander’s intense gaze, determined not to show any signs of annoyance that he could later use to write me off or, worse, discipline me.
“Good,” he replied, clapping me on the shoulder. “I’m counting on you, Kai. Don’t let me down.” 
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I muttered under my breath when he walked away.
Transporting a Boma commission seemed a piece of cake compared to working under Joren’s command. Highborn lords were notorious for being high-maintenance, and their families? That just upped the ante by a thousand. But nothing compared to doing it while that idiot watched and nitpicked at my every move.
I knew this wouldn’t be a smooth flight, but I was an Ukuma pilot, damn it. I could handle anything thrown my way.
Running my fingers over the various controls, I made sure everything was in perfect working order. With every button pressed and switch flicked, I visualized the upcoming journey, preparing myself for possible attacks.
I was a warrior at heart; even the mundane task of transporting passengers had to be approached with military precision. Especially when we were at war with the Zorgo, who wanted to take over our thorium mines. 
Raaxos Solar System was the only place in the KayaKy galaxy where the mineral could be found, and the Zorgo had been fighting us over it for centuries now. In the past century, they almost managed to wipe us out with a biological attack that unleashed a virus on the entire solar system, killing millions of Raaxons and Andvaaris, especially females and young. But we were still here and would be fighting them till the last of us was dead.
“Alright, warriors,” I announced through the intercom to the nav cabin while the cruiser’s engines roared to life. “Strap in and hold on to your scales because we’re about to see the stars—non-stop service from Meru to the Margerout.”
“Keep to your tasks, Lieutenant.” Joren’s sharp voice reached my ears, but I ignored him.
“Here we go,” I whispered to Arin, gripping the controls with confidence, my retractable claws clicking against the buttons beneath my fingers.
I engaged the thrusters, feeling the cruiser’s raw power the moment it shot off and launched into space. My heart raced with excitement—piloting was one thing I could always count on to remind me that I was alive.
Arin’s blue eyes locked with mine, and he whispered back, “excellent takeoff,” with a mocking face.
“Bite me.”
“You wish.” He stared at his controls, well aware of Joren’s eyes on us, watching from across the weapons station where he conferred with Nouar.
“Orbit transition in progress,” I spoke on my comm to the cabin as soon as we reached orbit around Raaxos. The sight of the three planets—Raaxos, Andvaari, and Rak’t—never ceased to amaze me.
Our solar system was beautiful, complemented by our three moons, and the Zorgo wouldn’t take it from us. I believed in the Goddess KayaKy, and she wouldn’t abandon us, not when we needed her the most.
Joren grunted, not willing to recognize my skill in manually maneuvering the cruiser into space transition without catching on fire. The fool.
I inwardly cursed Commander Devar for putting Joren on this mission. My eyes strayed to the holo monitors to check the systems, and my heart stilled.
“What is that?” I pointed to the holo monitor on the far left, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
My words were out of my mouth when the cruiser’s warning alarms flared up, filling the cabin with a drilling noise that made my gut tighten.
Joren shouted, “Shields up!” 
Arin’s hand slammed on the shield button at the same time I did it. “Zorgo attack!” He bellowed, his light-brown face flushing red with anger.
“No shit, genius,” I spat back, my ebony fingers pounding over the console, setting a new course to evade the missile coming at us.
Nervous energy coursed through me, and I again wished someone else was on the command today. Getting caught in a battle with that idiot giving orders was the last thing we needed.
Joren’s voice sounded over the entire cruiser’s comms. “This is Captain Joren. We are under attack. Take your places at the ready on your designated escape pods. I repeat, we are under attack. Follow your safety instructions.”  
The cruiser shuddered when the first missile hit true and threw me forward. The straps of the seatbelt dug into my flesh, the only thing keeping me seated.
From the corner of my eye, I caught another alarm on my right holo monitor. “Captain, energy levels lowered to thirty percent. Our shields won’t last,” I gritted out, expertly maneuvering through the hail of enemy fire and evading another missile coming toward us.
I was born for this—to protect my people and ensure their safety in the vast expanse of space. But deep down, beneath the bravado and the thrill of the chase, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there had to be more to life than this endless cycle of violence.
The war with the Zorgo, the animosities between Boma, Ukuma, and even Andvaari, while we all belonged to the same solar system. When would this end? Were we born to fight until we died? Would I ever find peace in my lifetime? I was bone tired of it, but couldn’t see a way out. I was a warrior. A fleet pilot, and my skills were valuable to our people. 
A twinge of envy for my father made me feel ashamed of myself. He at least had the chance to meet my umami and live happy cycles with her. Would I, or any male in this cabin, have the same luck? I doubted it, and the thought made my gut sour.
“Nouar, status report!” Joren demanded, his tone sharp and urgent.
“My team is unable to hit the target, sir. The Zorgo seem to have a stronger shield and are using stealth mode. We can’t pinpoint their exact location.” Nouar finished, hitting another missile coming our way.
“Send a mayday to the Margerout,“ Joren barked at Arin. “Kai, take us out of here!”
With a magic wand? Like that wasn’t what I had been trying to do the whole time. 
A barrage of enemy fire lit up the darkness of space around us, and no matter how hard I tried to evade the onslaught, fate seemed to have other plans.
An explosion rocked the cruiser, clattering my teeth. Blood rushed to my ears when something like thunder reverberated under my feet. I fought to maintain control, my heart pounding like a war drum.
“Shields are failing, Captain,” I screamed under the alarms, unsure if Joren could hear me.
My gaze dropped to the holos, and my jaw clenched. “We’ve lost two thrusters, sir,” I gritted out, my fingers flying over the controls. “I’m taking us back to Raaxos.”
Was that my decision to make? No, but I wouldn’t wait until Joren got us killed. 
He hesitated for a sek before nodding. “Can you do it without breaking us apart?” His voice was grave, but had a hint of superiority and challenge.  
I closed my eyes for a sek to breathe. I wouldn’t respond to the shithead. No. At that moment, Joren wasn’t my enemy. He was my captain, my commanding officer, and I had to let his comments roll over my scales. After another deep breath, I kept my anger tightly leashed.
Yes, that’s what I would do, at least until we got out of this mess.
“Let’s find out,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.
The weight of their gazes on me was stifling. I didn’t want to think their lives rested in these claws of mine. All cycles battling in the fleet had taught me I couldn’t afford to fail. And, up until now, I had only wrecked one cruiser without repair. This wouldn’t be my last.
My hands flew over the controls, guiding us into evasive maneuvers while Zorgo fire peppered our tail. The cruiser banked sharply, nearly skimming the wing of a satellite as we slipped past it.
Alarms blared a warning just as another thruster took a direct hit, and the nav cabin lights flickered.
I gripped my station, claws digging into the metal. We just needed a little more time.
“Entering upper atmosphere!” I called out. The cruiser groaned under the strain the moment we plunged into Raaxos’ grasp.
The Zorgo ships surprisingly held back, choosing not to follow us through the turbulent descent. It was unlikely they feared the atmospheric turbulence. More plausible was that the Zorgo had bigger targets in their sights—our lone damaged cruiser wasn’t worth the pursuit effort. But I couldn’t focus on that now. We weren’t out of danger yet. 
The control holo sparked and went dark—our last functioning thruster was failing.
I pulled desperately at the unresponsive controls, trying to slow us as the ground rushed up. The cruiser spiraled toward the planet’s surface, the intense heat of reentry scorching our unshielded hull just as the cruiser careened toward the southern hemisphere of Raaxos.
Lights flickered back in, and I mercilessly squashed the relief threatening to invade my chest.
We weren’t safe yet.
I pulled at the controls, forcing the only working thruster to lower our speed. But it was still too fast. All I could do was pray to KayaKy as the icy continent of Qardho loomed closer.
“Brace yourselves!” I shouted.
Arin’s eyes locked with mine, and I stilled. The cruiser hurtled toward the surface at breakneck speed.
“Kai, if we survive this, I promise I’ll never doubt your piloting skills again,” he quipped, but his voice shook.
“Knock it off,” I growled. “You aren’t dying yet,” a small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth in contrast with the tightening in my gut.
We held our gazes as the cruiser slammed into the icy terrain with a deafening crash, plowing a deep furrow before finally screeching to a halt.
 For a moment, all sounds disappeared, and time stood still. Suddenly, all was chaos. Alarms blared, and people groaned and cried.
The powdered snow settled outside, and my eyes darted to the viewport, where the sun reflected on the mountain peaks and cold air rushed into the cabin. 
A breath whooshed out of me when I realized we had made it. Dazed, I stared at Arin, who looked shocked but undeniably alive.
“I said you weren’t dying yet,” I whispered, taking in the damage to the navigation cabin.
Holo monitors flashed red, showing the failure of the navigation systems. Consoles had shifted place, some hanging over our heads; cables lay unplugged and damaged, and the sight of Joren’s darkening bruise on his forehead was the only thing that made me smile. 
“Cocky bastard, I don’t know how you pulled off that landing, but I’m not complaining,” Arin rasped, words nearly lost amidst a fit of hacking coughs as smoke began to fill the cabin. The noxious fumes only dissipated when the bitter chill of Qardho’s atmosphere came seeping through the damaged hull.
“You call that a landing?” Joren scoffed. “You destroyed the cruiser! Couldn’t you have aimed for Meru or Embu?”
Joren’s snarky question brought my eyes to his green, burning gaze, and I bristled.