by E. A. James
Wars with the Zel’Dar are inevitably costly and generally have only served to cull the populations for short periods of time. It is common for coalitions of galactic races to come together to cull Zel’Darian populations when they infringe on others territory.
Appearance
The Zel’Dar come in many variations, and there has been a significant attempt to catalog the many variations though it is believed that the catalog is incomplete. Generally, the Zel’Dar possess hard exoskeletons and physical attributes that make them top level predators. They can be as small as a medium-sized dog, or twice as large as an elephant.
WINTER’S EDGE
CHAPTER ONE
“You have to act fast, Captain. They’re gaining.”
The voice coming through the speaker wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. Did he think she was blind? She could see the dots on her sensor array growing bigger and bigger.
Pushing down hard on the intercom, she glared at the displays in front of her, daring her enemies to get within her reach. “Are the missiles lowered?”
“Did you ask me to lower them?” the calm, cool voice replied.
“Lower them!” Kira snapped, not worrying about her forceful tone or abrupt order.
Just as she released the intercom button, an enemy ship came into view on her starboard camera feed. The enemy vessel had locked in on her position, and sensors were beeping wildly around her.
Inhaling sharply, she pushed down on the controls, sending her ship into a quick free-fall, guiding it out of the enemy’s line of sight. As she continued to descend, she scanned the screens, checking the monitors with quick, swift glances. Surely there was more than one of them out there.
The sensors began to beep again. The first ship had begun to dive after her. Her eyes quickly shifted to the monitor to her right, the one connected to her ship’s rear camera. She saw the large, metallic body of the ship growing closer, inching up on her position as its large turrets swiveled in her direction.
Just as the image rippled with the explosion of the projectile weapon being fired from its heavy barrel, Kira pulled the ship up. The torpedo zipped past her vessel, just missing it. As she ascended once again, she spun the ship around, positioning the crosshairs on the belly of the ship as it turned to continue its pursuit.
Just as her target came clearly into view, the sensors once again began their high-pitched chorus.
“There’s another one, Captain,” the voice came over the intercom again.
As she had anticipated, another ship warped in on her location, appearing suddenly behind her. The ship in front of her, visible now through the viewscreen locked in on her position as the newcomers did the same from behind.
As the beeping grew louder, her heart beat faster. She moved her hand from the launch switch and grabbed hold of the ship’s controls once again. Her eyes darted back and forth between the monitor linked to the rear camera and the viewscreen sprawling out in front of her.
“Come on,” she whispered slowly, holding her breath. “Come on.”
Simultaneously, the two vessels let their weapons fly—the two torpedoes hurled through the air, their paths aimed directly at her. She pulled up on the controls forcefully, sending her ship on a quick ascent, just as the two projectiles collided into each other.
As the ripple effect of the explosion shook through the air, she spun her ship around, locking her targets once again on the first ship. Both of the enemy vessels were caught in the aftershock, and she needed to act fast before they were able to regain complete control.
Just as the crosshairs of her missile guns covered the hull of the first ship, she hit the launch, letting her own weapon fly. It was a direct hit, disabling the vessel immediately upon impact.
“One down, one to go,” she mumbled, turning her ship around to set her sights on the other.
To her surprise, the second ship wasn’t where she expected it to be. She tightened her grip on the controls, watching the monitors carefully. The sensors were chirping loudly, letting her know that the enemy was somewhere nearby, and was locked in on her location.
“Where is he, Captain?” the voice came over the intercom. “You have to find him.”
“You don’t think I know that?!” Kira snapped.
The front, rear, starboard, and port cameras were showing no signs of the ship that was causing her sensors to go crazy. That only left one option.
"I’ve got you," Kira said under her breath, pulling her ship up suddenly and repositioning it quickly to the side. Just as she did, the ship came into view. The vessel had taken evasive action of its own, diving down quickly, positioning itself below her, out of view of her cameras. It had then locked on her position and began to climb, its guns pointed at her ship's underbelly.
She steered the ship out of the line of fire just as a projectile went hurtling past her. The ship, now clearly in the line of sight of her port camera, was spinning around to square off with her.
“I don’t think so,” Kira said, quickly finding the ship in her crosshairs.
Before the enemy vessel had the chance to lock its guns in on her position again, she slammed her hand down on the launch button, sending a missile flying directly into the front of the ship. Just as the air filled with the orange glow of the explosion, her monitors switched off and the viewscreen went blank, encasing her in darkness.
As the ship shuddered to a halt and the lights came on around her, Kira let out a sigh of relief. Her hands still gripping the controls, she leaned her head back against the headrest as the ceiling of the makeshift cockpit popped open.
“I don’t usually give out perfect scores,” her Field Training Officer’s voice rang out over the intercom, “but I would be hard-pressed to find something to criticize about that performance, Cadet. Although, I could have done without the snappy tone.”
Pushing herself up out of the seat, she shot a confident smile in his direction. “You taught me to be a strong, confident leader, sir. I was just showing that I could do that,” she replied. Although she couldn’t see him, she knew where he was—seated in his usual spot just behind the one-way mirrors lining the far wall of the simulation room.
“I don’t think anyone had to teach you how to be strong or confident,” he replied.
“So,” she said, not ready to begin celebrating just yet. “Does that mean…?”
“It means you’ve officially passed your last test, Cadet—or should I say—Captain Winter,” he said, his voice booming with pride.
“Hell yes!” she exclaimed as she jumped down from the large, white, boxy flight simulator.
Just as her feet hit the floor, the heavy metal door in the corner of the room went flying open, slamming back against the wall forcefully. In the blink of an eye, the room filled with the bustle of excited bodies, all crowding in towards her. They had been watching her last simulated flight on the monitors hanging just outside the simulation room. It was common practice that a public audience was allowed to attend a cadet's final test. That way, the celebration could start immediately upon receiving her final mark.
She scanned the faces, recognizing most of them as her fellow Academy cadets. Her parents were there, mixed in with the crowd, trying to push their way towards her, with her sister close on their heels.
“If I can have your attention,” her Field Training Officer’s voice rang out, causing an anxious calm to fall over the crowd.
He was no longer behind the glass. Now, he stood in the doorway, his tall frame easily hovering over the mass of people. Everyone turned to look at him as he walked into the room. The crowd parted as he made his way towards Kira, a satisfied grin spread across his face.
“Kira Winter,” he said when he reached her. “It has been my honor to train you these last four years. You have always been an exemplary student, going above and beyond what was asked of you. You are a quick learner and a great pilot. I have no doubt that you will make the Terran Alliance Forces proud with your service.�
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Reaching into his pocket, he revealed a small, golden pin. Although it wasn’t large in size, it was immense in meaning, especially for her. It was her badge, her title, the symbol of her first official ranking in the T.A.F.—it was everything she had ever wanted and everything she had worked so hard for.
She beamed with pride as he fastened the golden wings to the collar of her uniform. Her eyes once again flitted around the room, scanning the faces in the crowd. They were the faces of people who had supported her through the grueling training process, the faces of all the people who had stood by her from start to finish.
As her Field Training Officer pulled back, patting her firmly on her shoulder, her eyes landed on one specific face in the crowd—Ryker Dune’s. Lieutenant Dune was her Combat Training Officer, specializing in hand-to-hand combat. He had previously served as a member of the Terran Alliance Special Forces, the most prestigious of all the T.A.F. units. He began working at the Academy during her second year in training when an injury he sustained while out on a mission left him "temporarily unfit for battle."
There had always been a sort of unspoken tension between them. Kira felt it from the beginning and she knew that he did, too. But, the fact that he was her superior had always overshadowed them. Now, though, as she watched him walk confidently in her direction, she had a feeling that that divide was growing smaller as the distance between them lessened.
“Captain,” Ryker said, pushing his way through the crowd and extending his hand to her.
“Lieutenant Dune,” she replied, slipping her hand into his.
Although he was 28-years old, six years older than her, he had a boyish look about him. If it weren’t for the faint ripple of scars etched his right temple and cheek from the accident that had taken him temporarily out of the Special Forces, there would be no trace of age or experience on his face. Even his large frame and muscular build didn’t make-up for his childlike features. His thick, dark black hair was always messy, and there was a hint of mischief buried beneath his stern, serious countenance.
“You did it,” he said with a crooked smile. “You trained, worked your ass off, and rose to the top of your class. And, I’m proud to say that I got to be a part of what I know will be an amazing success story for the Terran Alliance Forces.”
“Someone is full of compliments today,” she replied quickly. “That’s a nice change.”
Although there had been some level of attraction passed between them during her training, Ryker had always been exceptionally hard on her. She didn’t mind, though. She took it as a challenge; it drove her and pushed her to work and train harder.
“That’s not the only thing that’s changed,” he said. “Your status has changed as well. You’re no longer a cadet in the Academy.”
“Oh,” she said, with a sarcastic gasp, “is that why all these people are here staring at me?”
Ryker smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. He kept his eyes focused on hers as he continued, “I mean, you’re no longer my student. And, that means, that there’s nothing standing in the way of my asking you out.”
“Except maybe this extremely awkward situation,” she said, looking over his shoulder at the mass of faces lining up to congratulate her. “Everyone is looking at us.”
His gaze didn’t follow hers; it remained glued to her face. “Are they? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Well, they are.”
“Then why don’t we continue this conversation later tonight, in a more private setting—I’ll prepare dinner for us in my quarters.”
The thought of being in a Training Officer’s private quarters made Kira’s pulse quicken. Just five minutes before, it would have been breaking the first cardinal rule of the Academy—no relationships between officers and cadets.
But, she wasn’t a cadet anymore. She was a captain in the Terran Alliance Forces. The realization quickly pushed all doubt and insecurity from her mind, replacing those feelings with pride and confidence.
“If that will keep you from holding up the line, I guess I’ll accept,” she said playfully, not letting the rush of excitement she was feeling come through in her voice.
Ryker cocked his head to the side, smiled, and nodded. “I’ll see you at 1800 hours then, Captain Winter.”
She nodded quickly as he turned to walk away. Watching him go, she couldn’t keep the smile from her lips. Everything seemed to be coming together. Her career was on track and clearly, she was crossing the chasm between cadet and captain seamlessly.
Her gaze followed him as he turned the corner, leaving the room. Just as she was about to turn to search for her family in the crowd and continue letting the moment of celebration wash over her, something caught her eye. Something that made the smile quickly fall from her lips.
She didn’t need to see the ranks sewn into his uniform to know who he was. What he was doing at her pinning ceremony, though, was what confused her. Colonel Baron Grimm was the Special Forces’ most well-known commander. She had seen his face on broadcasts, his icy stare piercing through the holographic images with an intensity that demanded instant respect. And now, those glassy eyes were fixed on her.
A chill ran up her spine as he pushed through the crowd, making a beeline in her direction.
CHAPTER ONE
Angelica
“Angelica! Come on, snap out of it!”
Angelica glanced up just in time to see the crumpled paper ball flying by her face. With a small yelp of surprise, she darted to the side and grabbed the wad of paper. She narrowed her eyes and frowned.
“What’s all this,” Angelica asked. “Trying to attack me now, are you?”
Her best friend, Stacy, stood with her hands on her hips. She cocked her head to the side and smirked. “Sorry,” Stacy said. “You’re just really spacing out today.”
Angelica bit her lip and flushed. “I know,” she said. “Sorry.” She heaved a sigh. “I just can’t stop thinking about that stupid dream I had last night.”
Stacy raised an eyebrow and stared until Angelica began to squirm.
“The one with that really hot guy?”
Angelica’s flush deepened, turning her pale cheeks into bright red circles. “Forget it,” she said. “I never should’ve told you.”
Stacy laughed. “Au contraire,” she said. “I don’t think you told me quite enough!”
Angelica shook her head, sending tangles of wild dark hair flying around her shoulders. “Definitely not,” she said. “Come on, we still have a lot to do before we can close up.”
Stacy rolled her eyes back in her head and leaned against the counter, pretending to faint. “My feet are killing me,” she whined. “I can’t wait to hit happy hour.”
“Oh, shit. Was that tonight?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot,” Stacy said. She groaned. “Angelica, it’s been like…weeks since you came out with us!”
Angelica wrinkled her nose. “Can’t we just order a pizza and pick up some wine? Maybe we could find something good on Netflix,” she added. “Oh, there’s that new horror movie! What was it called? A Night in the Shadows?”
Stacy gave her an odd look. “Ang, babe, you’re twenty-five,” she said. “You don’t have to be so elderly.”
Angelica sighed. “I’m not elderly,” she sniffed. “I just hate going to bars. All those gross guys drooling all over themselves to buy us drinks…and then turning into major assholes just because we don’t want to sleep with them as a way to say ‘thank you.’”
Stacy narrowed her eyes. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” she said. “But come on. You’re elderly,” she added. “You knit and crochet and I can’t even remember the last time you stayed up past ten.”
Angelica tried to suppress the annoyance building inside of her. “Yeah, well, maybe you’re right,” she shot back. “But having to get up at seven-thirty just to get here by nine is kind of a fun-killer, you know?”
Stacy softened. “I know,” she said. She gave her best friend a pleading lo
ok. “It’s just, I miss hanging out with you. Holly and Melinda are fun, you know, but all they can do is talk about themselves.”
Angelica burst out laughing. “So we’ll have a girls’ night tonight,” she said. “We could get pizza, or Chinese, or whatever. We don’t have to hit the bars.”
“I promised Holly I’d meet her at that new tapas place for sangria,” Stacy whined. “I can’t flake out. She’ll totally kill me.” Stacy looked at Angelica with pleading eyes. “It’ll be fun,” she said in a promising tone. “That place won’t be like, full of ex-frat boys. It’s…classy,” she added.
“Yeah, and I bet one drink is fifteen bucks,” Angelica said. “I think I’ll pass, Stace. Thanks, though.”