The Chains of Freedom (Starhawke Rising Book 2)
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THE CHAINS OF FREEDOM
STARHAWKE RISING BOOK TWO
AUDREY SHARPE
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Captain’s Log
Also by Audrey Sharpe
About the Author
To D.C, P.H. and E.K., who taught me the meaning of friendship. The Starhawke never would have flown without you.
THE CHAINS OF FREEDOM
Copyright © 2017 by Audrey Sharpe
ISBN: 978-1-946759-02-3
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Ocean Dance Press, PO Box 69901, Oro Valley AZ 85737
Cover Art by B&J
Visit the author’s website: AudreySharpe.com
CHAPTER ONE
“KIRE, run!”
Captain Aurora Hawke grabbed Kire Emoto’s upper arm and yanked him forward as her boots dug into the loose sand of the wide beach.
The thunder of a lake’s worth of water hitting the ground fifty meters behind them kept her first officer from offering any resistance. Together, they sprinted toward the grove of trees that swayed gently in the balmy tropical breeze.
Aurora smacked her comband, praying her navigator hadn’t taken the rest of the team too far into the island’s interior. “Kelly, get back here. Now!”
“On our way.” Bronwyn Kelly’s complete lack of emotional inflection didn’t indicate a sense of urgency, but Aurora had no doubt she’d have the shuttle at their location in record time.
Aurora snuck a quick glance over her shoulder as the sand trembled beneath her feet. What she and everyone else onboard the Starhawke had mistaken for giant lava rocks at the edge of the coast had just been revealed as something altogether different. The creature that was making its way up the beach with enormous strides resembled a moving rock formation, but with limbs the width of redwoods and a hinged mouth rimmed with saw blades.
She grabbed her pistol from her utility belt and whirled around, striking the creature’s leg with a sizzling pop. It was like hitting the broad side of a barn. As a deterrent, however, the blow failed completely. The monster charged toward her with a roar of rage.
The beast’s bellow and the fishy stench that came with it triggered her gag reflex and she stumbled backward.
Several answering roars reverberated through the air as more of the creatures lifted out of the ocean and turned in her direction. Great. The lava rock had friends.
She took off after Kire as the creature’s shadow chased them across the sand. And to think only a few minutes ago she’d been walking along the shore enjoying a moment of peaceful tranquility.
Until she’d realized she was being watched.
“Any great ideas?” Kire yelled as she drew even with him.
“I’m open to suggestions.” They were getting closer to the trees, although the fragile trunks wouldn’t slow down the rampaging behemoth intent on making the visiting Earthlings a mid-morning snack. But they might provide some cover until the shuttle arrived.
She spotted movement to her right a split-second before a pinkish-green tongue whipped around them like a lasso, yanking their bodies together and halting their forward momentum. The noose tightened, dragging them backward toward the creature’s gaping maw.
Enough of this! Being assaulted by an oversized boulder was not how she’d planned to spend her morning. Time to let this walking nightmare know it had chosen its victims poorly.
Pressing her left hand against Kire’s back, Aurora shifted her focus inward, summoning her energy field. Its pearlescent glow coalesced around her and pushed outward, counteracting the pressure on her torso that was making breathing a real challenge. She spread the shield to include Kire, then channeled an electrical charge into the soft, wet flesh that encircled them.
The acrid smell of charred tissue filled the air. The beast made a horrible mewling sound and released them instantly, its tongue flopping around like a dying fish in the sand.
Aurora hated inflicting pain, but then again, the creature was trying to eat them.
Flashes lit up the sky overhead as the Starhawke’s shuttle swooped into view. A volley of blasts streaked in the direction of the rock monster’s companions, who resembled a mobile mountain range trudging up the beach. The shots found their marks in rapid succession and generated more ground-shaking roars of anger.
The beast in front of Aurora snarled at the new threat. Its scorched tongue slid rapidly back into its mouth as it swung one of its tree trunk legs in a slow arc. But it never came close to touching the agile craft.
The shuttle’s weapons fired, successfully striking the tender underbelly the creature had revealed. The monster screeched, stumbling as it lost its balance and crashed to the sand. The resulting impact tremor knocked Aurora and Kire to their knees.
The shuttle dove toward them, leveling out a few meters from where they crouched. The hatchway slid open and they leapt inside in a tumble of arms and legs.
As the shuttle shot forward, Aurora snagged the collar of Kire’s tunic and engaged her shield to protect him as their bodies smacked into the row of seats behind them. She felt a gentle but firm hand on her arm and looked up into the warm brown eyes of Dr. Mya Forrest.
“Welcome aboard.” Mya’s gaze swept over them, checking for signs of injury that her Lumian heritage enabled her to see
without the aid of a medical scanner.
Aurora didn’t feel worse for wear, but she wasn’t sure about Kire. He gave her a nod of reassurance that he was in one piece, and she released the energy shield as they both pushed to their feet
“You two okay?” Celia Cardiff, the Starhawke’s security officer, glanced back from the co-pilot’s chair.
Aurora’s legs wobbled from the after effects of the adrenaline rush. “We’re fine.” She dropped into the nearest seat and fastened her safety harness. “Nice shooting.”
A frown marred Celia’s smooth complexion. “I hate bullies.”
“I second that.” Aurora tilted her head toward the window and gazed at the coastline in the distance. She could still make out the shapes of the lava rock creatures as they trudged back to the water. She shook her head. At this height, they really did look just like…well…rocks.
“Destination, Captain?” Kelly asked.
“To the Starhawke.” Tapping her comband, she opened a channel to Jonarel Clarek, her chief engineer. “Hawke to Clarek.”
Jonarel’s deep baritone boomed out. “Yes, Captain?”
“We’re on our way back.” Several hours early, which explained his next question, and the tone of concern that went with it.
“What happened?”
She glanced at her filthy tunic. She’d save the full explanation until they were safely onboard. For now, the less Jonarel knew the better. No reason to trigger his Kraed overprotective streak any sooner than necessary. “We encountered a native lifeform that wasn’t very happy to see us.”
His low growl indicated he wasn’t fooled. “Are you okay?”
She sighed. He wasn’t asking about the team. He meant her, specifically. They’d been through some challenging moments recently during their mission to Earth’s sister planet, Gaia, culminating in their current assignment. But she wished he’d stop worrying about her safety. “We’re fine. I’ll give you the full details when we arrive. Hawke out.”
She closed the connection before he could reply and settled into her seat. Kire sat next to her, his straight brown hair sticking up in a couple places where the creature’s tongue had slimed him, and his leggings and boots coated in grit. He resembled a child’s discarded sandbox toy. She probably looked much the same.
But a sparkle of mischief lit his eyes. “So, not a good choice for the new Lumian homeworld?”
Aurora snorted at the gross understatement. As the absurdity of their encounter sank in, her chuckle rapidly escalated into a full body experience. Her meltdown triggering his, and they both doubled over in hysterics while Mya watched them with amusement.
Kelly and Celia glanced back from the cockpit, apparently uncertain why she and Kire found the situation so hilarious.
Aurora wiped the tears from her eyes as she grinned at Kire. “No.” She shook her head. “I would say this is definitely not a good choice for the new Lumian homeworld.”
CHAPTER TWO
IN THE VAST sea of space beyond the outer edge of the Gaian system, a lone transport ship chugged across the velvet black, its running lights flashing in the darkness.
The craft wasn’t much to look at. In fact, the most remarkable thing about it was its complete lack of distinction. The dull expanse of grey that comprised its hull was devoid of emblems or designations that would signify where it came from or what purpose it served. Even the muted glow that fought to escape through the small portals at the bow and stern failed to add any definition to the shapeless hulk.
Inside, deep shadows ruled, creating lurking monsters around every corner. The air was sharp and cold, like an arctic tundra. The only sign of life was the steady hum of the engine as it propelled the ship to nowhere in particular.
And on the bridge, the captain’s chair sat empty. Three long days had passed since anyone had occupied that chair.
The communication console pinged as it transmitted an automated message to an unknown recipient. A moment later a proximity alarm blared to life, the shrill sound cutting through the silence like a knife. The lights on the bridge shifted to a red glow of warning as the ship’s automated systems altered the vessel’s course to avoid a collision. A second alarm went off a few seconds later, indicating a new threat, and the system adjusted course again in an attempt to find a clear path.
Something connected with the hull and the ship shuddered like it had been snatched into the cupped hands of a giant toddler. The engines whined in protest as they fought to push through the unexpected resistance.
But it was a losing battle. The floor vibrated from the effort, alerts flashing on every console as the engines labored and finally overloaded, threatening to rip the ship apart. The internal system followed the only protocol available to preserve the ship’s structural integrity. It shut down the engines.
The alarms cut off in mid-screech and silence dropped like a blanket, broken only by the groans of the hull. The communication console lit up briefly as the automated controls attempted to send a message, but this time the soft ping was replaced by the hiss of static.
The ship jerked to a halt. Loud clanging echoed through the corridors, followed by the scrape of metal on metal and a muffled bang. Heavy footsteps tromped along the passageways, growing louder as they approached the bridge. When they reached the entrance, the doors blew apart in a shower of metal and wiring that rained down on the instrument panels and empty chairs.
Muscled figures flowed onto the bridge, weapons at the ready. But the ship offered no resistance to the invaders. It sat quietly, accepting its fate.
Snarls of anger and frustration reverberated in the room. Several of the figures lifted their weapons, blasting the consoles into oblivion. The communication console exploded in a rainbow of sparks, forced to give up its quest to send the final message through the wall of static.
Smoke filled the air, creating a dense cloud that drove the invaders back through the doorway, their footsteps fading in the distance. A boom sounded from the depths of the engine room and the bridge fell into darkness.
Overhead, a lone emergency light glowed, fighting for life as the ship bled out. It pulsed…flickered…and died.
CHAPTER THREE
CADE ELLIS GAZED at the display on the Nightingale’s navigation console. Another hour until they’d reach their destination.
He’d been in a lot of strange situations during his ten years with Admiral Schreiber’s Elite Unit, but he’d never envisioned becoming the caretaker for three hundred displaced humanoids rescued from a life of imprisonment and coercion. And yet, here he was, piloting a borrowed medical freighter and heading for a remote planet where he planned to hide the three hundred Lumians while Aurora Hawke and her crew located a suitable homeworld.
Officially, the Lumians had been placed on a personnel ship, which had set off from Gaia shortly after the Starhawke left orbit. But the ship was a decoy. The Lumians had remained on a remote island on Gaia with Cade’s team. The Admiral had monitored the decoy’s progress to see if it attracted any attention. Apparently it had. Five days ago, the ship had disappeared without a trace. Cade had taken that as his cue to get the hell out of Dodge.
It was unlikely anyone on Gaia had noted the Nightingale’s departure. He’d planned their flight path using the planet as a visual shield, keeping the Rescue Corps Headquarters and the orbiting Fleet starship Argo on the opposite side. Gaia didn’t have the elaborate satellite systems that surrounded Earth, which made it easier to slip away unnoticed.
Besides, the Admiral was keeping everyone on the Argo and at the RC busy with the continuing investigation into the attack by the Etah Setarips, the alien race responsible for bringing the Lumians into Cade’s life.
The Admiral had been crystal clear that Cade needed to keep the Lumians away from any location where word could get back to the Galactic Council. Unfortunately, that left him with limited options. He’d suggested taking the Lumians to Drakar, the Kraed homeworld, since Siginal Clarek, the leader of the Clarek clan and father of
Jonarel Clarek, had agreed to help build the Lumian settlement when a suitable planet was found. Hiding the Lumians on Drakar seemed logical. No one visited Kraed space without an invitation.