Sunstar: Amina's story a YA scifi romance (Peacekeepers Book 1)

by Annalise Whelan

  “Yes, Sir,” they chorused.

  “Ok, move out.”

  It wasn’t long before she heard voices and movement. Amina dropped flat to the ground alongside her squad mates. Covered by the thick foliage, she listened. The voices were low but clearly audible. It was a foreign language. The speakers were probably natives to Tigris. This was Katlin’s Ability, so they waited silently for her to translate.

  She hissed low, barely audible, “they’re part of the band. Saying something about outposts, checkpoints, they’ve set up leading to the main complex. It sounds like they’ve set up defenses.”

  “Katlin, Sari, you two follow them. Don’t engage. Mark any locations you find on the map. We’ll come back for them later. Keep wrist-comm contact. The rest of us will move forward.”

  They moved away, crouched in the underbrush.

  Captain Withes gestured to keep low. They waited a few more minutes until the natives’ voices were replaced by jungle sounds. Then, they moved, silently.

  After dragging her body through dense underbrush for eternity, he said, “We’ll camp here for the night.” He used his wrist-comm and updated Sari and Katlin.

  They’d found a bit of clearing. She could see the stars through the trees.

  “Amina, help Gem get her hammock up. I’ll help Mara. As high in the trees as possible.”

  No telling what critters would be coming out at night. Good thinking to send Sari with Katlin, since she could fly into the trees. Exhaustion was like a creature she had backpacked through the jungle. She ate a ration bar and crawled into her hammock. The night sounds and stars above lulled her to a deep, deep sleep.

  “Amina,” Gem’s voice called.

  “I’m awake.” She sat up in her hammock and looked down. Wow, she was a long, long way up.

  They packed up quickly, ate ration bars, and moved on. His wrist-comm cackled.

  “Captain, come in,” Katlin whispered.

  “Report.”

  “We’ve found two outposts and marked them on the map.”

  “How many people?”

  “Only five. They don’t have many staying at the posts.”

  “Gather intel. Listen. If you can determine an exact direction to the next outpost, then follow a lead. Do not engage unless you must.”

  “Yes, Sir. Out.”

  They continued their trek and came to a wide flattened path through the jungle.

  “Transports must come through here regularly,” Gem said.

  “They have to haul their loot somehow,” Amina said.

  He pulled out the map. “There are some rocky hills in this area. The river is just north of here. Amina and I will follow the river. Gem, Mara, you follow the road.” He looked at them with dead serious eyes. “Move fast. Use your Abilities to listen. If you hear anyone, I want to know. Use your wrist-comm. Take advantage of the terrain when you camp and stay off the ground.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Gem gave her a tight squeeze, and they headed down the road at a trot.

  Amina turned and looked at the captain. Just the two of them. He gestured to continue through the jungle. They traveled silently, listening for any sign of people or vehicles. She was sure he was listening with his Ability as well.

  The closer they got to the river the heavier the air felt against her skin. Conscious physical effort was required to suck the thickness into her lungs. Her entire body was slicked with sweat. Her sleeveless shirt stuck to places on her body she hadn’t known existed. Captain Withes’ face streamed sweat, and his sweat-soaked shirt molded to his back. It was sweet torture as she trekked behind him. He would turn occasionally and wordlessly assess her. The sweatier she got and the clingier her top got the longer it seemed to take him to assess her. Maybe he was getting a little torture in return. She was a woman fit from months of physical training. She was afraid to admit, even in her private thoughts, her hope he might notice she was a woman and not a kid-sister.

  “We can stop here for a rest.”

  She lowered her pack to the ground and leaned over, hands on her knees. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. “How’s it possible to be this wet and not be in the rain?”

  “Drink. Eat. Then we’ll head up the rock and camp.”

  Rock climbing. Good dirt! She took the opportunity to lie flat on her back and propped her feet up on her pack. He sat with his back against a tree and leaned his head against the trunk. He made it appear his eyes were closed, but she felt his gaze on her. Her secret hope flared a little brighter.

  He stood and held his hand out to her. “Time to go. The hills aren’t too far.” Pulling her up, he held her hand just a moment longer than necessary.

  The hills were layers of rough, jagged rock. Between the layers were natural ledges and overhangs. She stood at the base and looked up. He pointed to the nearest ledge, and she nodded. The humidity sapped her strength, but she had to do this. She pulled on her gloves.

  He grinned at her. “It seems impossible, but I know you can make it. I’d help by levitating you, but no cheating. They require your stamina to be tested, so I’m limited in how much I can ‘lift’ you. I’ll be with you though, every inch.”

  “I’m so glad I’m not doing this on my own. Let’s start before I can’t move.”

  Carefully, one foot and one handhold at a time, they climbed the jagged edges. He helped her as much as he could, clasping her gloved hand to physically support and lift her. They climbed in complete silence, which only heightened her awareness of each glance, each press of his fingers.

  Finally, her fingers closed over the edge, and she heaved her body onto the surface of the ledge. Exhausted, every muscle in her body screaming, she stretched out flat. “I’m never moving again.”

  She heard him laugh. “I’ve got some salve that will help the soreness.”

  Panic seized her, and she stared up at him. She couldn’t mask her attraction to him if he rubbed salve over her back and shoulders.

  The comm crackled. “Gem and Mara reporting. Come in.”

  “We hear you. Report.”

  “We’re camping in a cave. We scanned it, so we know it’s safe.”

  “Any sightings?”

  “No. The road continues.”

  “Amina and I are camped on a hill ledge. We’ll be following the river tomorrow. Get some rest. Out.”

  “Yes, Sir. Out.”

  He tossed her the salve. “I’m going to contact Sari and Katlin. Save some of that for me.”

  She walked to the inner wall of the ledge for some privacy. She laid out her sleeping mat and settled down for the night. As she relaxed, Browning’s words whispered on the edge of her consciousness ‘we cannot live except mutually, love as nature’s magnet-heat binds pole to pole’.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning, she felt surprisingly refreshed. Standing at the edge of the ledge, she looked down and laughed. “I’d love to be Sari right now.” She rolled her shoulders. “Thank Gwana for that salve.”

  “Morning.” He walked up beside her and stretched his arms over his head with a yawn.

  She turned and smiled. His hair was rumpled and eyes a little sleepy. Adorable. “Ready to go down? Got any good ideas?”

  “Slowly, just like we went up.”

  The humidity was fierce. It wasn’t long before they were back to being soaked. Going down wasn’t nearly as bad as going up, and they were back on their trek through the jungle.

  “Do you hear that?” he asked.

  She stopped and listened. “Sounds like the river.”

  They broke through the thick ferns, and the river stretched out before them. Boulder rocks dotted the sides of the river. The clear water was shallow enough to see the pebbled bottom, and teeny blue fish darted playfully at the water’s edge.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Let’s keep moving.” His eyes stayed sharp, scanning the jungle.

  They walked along the river until they came to a section where the boulders and smaller river rocks cr
eated a natural pool. She squealed and pointed. A waterfall cascaded down the face of a rocky hill. “It’s perfect. It doesn’t look real.” She twirled around and beamed up at him. “Can we stop? Take a break here?”

  “A few minutes. After we scout the area.”

  She went to the right while he went to the left searching for footprints, broken branches, trails, any sign they weren’t alone. They met up at the other side of the pool. He dropped his pack and stretched out in a shady spot.

  It was so blasted stifling surrounded by heavy air. She edged closer to the water. Stripping off her boots and socks, she soaked her feet. “Ahhh.” Perfection. Crisply cold. The teeny blue fish nibbled at her toes. Sun-star light flitted across the top of the water. She glanced over her shoulder. His eyes were still closed.

  She eased out of her shirt, careful to not make a sound, and dropped her shorts. She dashed into the cool water and gasped as the cold snatched her breath. She bounced in the water, twirled, dove down and swam underwater until her lungs begged for air. Surfacing, she tilted her face toward the sun. Her hair streamed down her back.

  “Amina.” She swirled around and saw the captain striding into the water. “You scared the life out of me disappearing like that.” He sounded mad.

  She couldn’t help it, she grinned. “The water was too tempting.”

  When he swam closer, his eyes widened. He swallowed slowly. “You took off your clothes.”

  “Not all of them. Anyway, you were resting.”

  He continued to stare at her through the clear water. Embarrassed, she splashed him. A mischievous grin spread over his face. He snatched her around her waist. She squealed as he dunked her underwater. She surfaced laughing and splashed him again and again. He roared, grabbed for her and lifted her out of the water preparing to toss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “No!” she said, laughing. “Kindel, let me go!”

  He lowered her into the water and held her against his chest. “You called me Kindel.” His expression softened as he gazed at her. “I’ve waited a long time to hear my name on your lips.”

  His eyes dropped to her mouth. Warmth spread through her. Her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck brushing against his skin. His breath caught, and his eyes shifted to hers. Heat burned in his eyes.

  Oh, my. So not a brotherly look.

  He loosened his hold on her, setting her free, and smiled. “We shouldn’t be in the water. Where there are little fish, there are big fish. We’ve got to keep moving.”

  He strode back to the shore, picked up his pack, and moved behind the boulders, giving her privacy. She quickly dressed and joined him.

  They’d been walking in silence for a couple of hours when they heard voices. Crouching behind trees, they listened. He pulled out the map and scanned it. After a moment, he gestured for her to move to the east, and they moved away at a low crouch.

  “Stop,” he said. “We should be close. I’m going to contact the others with our coordinates and call them in.” He eased off into the underbrush, so if he were heard he wouldn’t betray her location as well.

  He came back to her and said, “Gem and Mara are only a few minutes behind. Katlin and Sari have headed our direction.”

  They settled down to wait. They sat shoulder to shoulder, backs against a massive tree. His hand brushed hers. Sensations sparked up her arm.

  “Do we wait for Katlin and Sari to go in? They must be a day’s walk behind.”

  “No, we’ll camp here tonight. We’ll enter the complex hopefully taking them by surprise. We’ll meet Katlin and Sari on our way back and return to the outposts. We’ll collect as many of the band as possible and march them back to the ship.”

  “Is there enough space in the holding cell?”

  “It’s about the exercise in the end. Whether we fulfill the overall objective.” He paused and tilted his head. “They’re coming.”

  Gem and Mara broke through the jungle.

  “Good to see you both,” Mara said.

  “We saw one vehicle with a tarp over the back.”

  “Did you see where it went?”

  Gem nodded. “We followed it until the road veered up toward the ridge. They’re definitely keeping a stash in this complex.”

  “If we can catch them with the stolen merchandise, that’s better, right?” Mara asked.

  Kindel said, “we’re always after intel, evidence, whatever will help the local authorities punish them properly.”

  They camped in the trees again. Kindel assigned them each a watch since they were so close to the complex. It would be an intense, early morning. She settled into her hammock, but sleep came slowly. Memories from the pool kept her pulse racing, joy panged deep in her belly, and she found herself smiling in the dark.

  “The kiss in his eyes haunts me night and day.” She whispered the words by Teasdale aloud. She hadn’t understood the words until today.

  Chapter 9

  She had the last watch and woke the others while it was still dark. Gem and Mara led the team to the road. Kindel dropped back to walk beside her, and his fingers would occasionally, casually brush hers. He didn’t look at her or speak, and she tried to act naturally as if every brush of his fingers didn’t send shivers through her.

  They paused beside the road, and Kindel went ahead to scout before they walked into the open. At this point, the road began to wind up to the ridge, and there were places they couldn’t see what may be coming around the curves. Kindel, Mara, and Gem were all concentrating, focused with their Abilities. Amina may not be telepathic or empathetic, but she had ears, so she put them to good use listening out for anything that might indicate they were being watched or tracked. She heard a twig snap in the jungle on one side of the road and a rustle in the underbrush on the opposite side. The others must’ve sensed a presence. Everyone froze, listening, for a second.

  “Take cover,” Kindel commanded, but it was just a second too slow.

  Six men leaped out of the jungle wearing militia uniforms with black masks hiding their faces. Amina’s training kicked in, and she ran at the man zeroed in on her. He tried to fight her, but she was fast. She blocked each of his moves and pinned him to the ground. She pulled out her electric Shockocuffs and immobilized him. Swinging up and around she landed in a defensive stance, but all six members of the band were cuffed. One of them struggled and got a nice shock for his efforts.

  “Don’t move,” Kindel barked.

  He grabbed one up by the arm and shoved him toward the jungle. He tossed a coiled Shockocord to Amina. With a nod to the others, they began to herd the thieves into the jungle and grouped them together in a circle shoulder to shoulder. Amina wrapped the cord around them securely and clicked the ends together.

  “If you struggle, you’ll just hurt yourselves. We’ll be back for you soon.” As she was turning away, her attention caught on a particularly burly man with a bit of red peeking out under his mask. Her memory flashed. She reached out and yanked off his mask. He had a red dragon tattoo wrapping around his neck. His expression as he glared up at her was pure malice. Then he smiled. A shiver ran through her.

  “Let’s go, Amina.”

  “Yes, Sir.” She moved away from the thug, her thoughts racing. This was a GIPS training mission. Yet, she’d seen him at The Shuttle talking to Reece. Coincidence? It unnerved her to see him here, in this environment.

  Gem fell into step beside her. “Why the frown? Wasn’t that awesome?” She hopped as she walked faking defensive arm chops and blocks.

  “There was something about one of those men. I know it must be nothing, but it’s nagging at me.”

  Her friend’s face became serious. “Say something. We’ve been taught to report anything suspicious. Even if it seems unimportant, we should let our captain decide.”

  “Kindel.” Amina trotted to walk next to him. “I saw one of those men at The Shuttle.”

  He slowed and seemed to consider. “That must feel strange to you, but he’s probably worki
ng for GIPS.”

  “I thought so. He’s just, so, mean looking.”

  He laughed. “The better to play a thieving mercenary.”

  Gem caught up to Amina and arched one eyebrow. “Since when do you call the captain Kindel?”

  “Since when are we so chatty?” Kindel asked glancing back at them. “I know we’re all pumping adrenaline but keep focused. We could be ambushed again.”

  They came upon the complex and eased back into the jungle underbrush. Kindel used his scope to check the entrances. “They’ve got guards but only one at each door. There’s a garage on the side closest to us.”

  “Windows?” asked Mara.

  “Yes, several in the front. What’re you thinking?”

  “If we could sneak up to a window without the guards seeing us, it would be easier to get in and out without alerting them. They won’t even know we’re coming.”

  “That’s a good point. We probably can’t take out a guard without a sound,” Amina said.

  “They may have vid-recorders at the doors as well,” Gem said.

  “We’ve got a plan, then,” Kindel said. “Do you think we can get in one of those windows?” He passed the scope to Mara.

  “The one closest to the garage is closest to us, so I vote for that one.”

  “This is all assuming the windows aren’t locked,” Gem murmured.

  “They’re prepared for a more direct assault,” Kindel said. He grinned at Mara. “I like it. Ok, team, let’s go.”

  They hid their packs in the ferns and kept low to the ground as they hustled toward the building. Mara and Kindel flanked the window, and he looked inside. He gestured for Gem and Amina to join them and began to push the window open. It moved! Thank Gwana.

  He motioned for Mara to go in first. She glanced inside and then slipped over the sill. “Clear,” she whispered. “There’re shelves lined up in here. Like a library. And tables against this wall.”

  Amina went in next followed by Gem then Kindel. It was dimly lit by pendant lights with high ceilings creating pockets of light and shadow. Kindel began to weave in and out of the shadows moving swiftly forward. They followed him. The shelves were lined with artifacts. The tables had tools spread out on them and several half-finished works.