by KD Jones
Patrolling the Stars
Book Two in the Leaving Triad Series
By Jessica Killabrew and KD Jones
Patrolling the Stars Blurb
Galactic Patrol Officer Drako has a job to do. He’s been ordered to inspect all of the evacuation ships carrying Terrans out of the Triad galaxies. A report has been filed by a human captain that claims humans are being abused and sold into slavery, and Drako finds himself heading up the investigation. He expects resistance from the ex-pirate captains, and he knows that there are some issues that may arise out of throwing aliens and Terrans together. What he’s not prepared for is a curvy, pretty blonde full of secrets, who insists on dating every alien on board except for him.
One minute Carolina Andiva is running a successful liaison service catering to politicians and celebrities on Terra, the next her government issues a mandatory evacuation. She has to close down her self-owned business and use all her finances to secure herself a spot on one of the alien-manned ships. She assumes all the hard work she’s put into her business has gone down the drain, until she gets on board the Brave Star and discovers that there are other opportunities open to her. Things are looking up for Carolina, until she meets a client who redefines ‘hot’ in her book and has a hard time keeping her relationship with him professional.
Conflicts arise when they’re both forced to decide if they’re willing to risk not only their jobs, but also their hearts, for a chance at romance. The adventure is just beginning for these two as they patrol the stars.
Prologue
“This session of the Galactic Peace Patrol Council is now in order!"
An elderly Soto alien pushed a button that sounded a loud alarm, letting the crowd know they needed to be quiet. He looked at his fellow councilmen beside him: five representatives in all, one each for the Sotos, Aquadratics, Squids, Quadrupeds, and the Terrans.
It took fifteen more minutes before the crowd of Galactic Patrol Officers—GPOs—gathered there could find their seats. There were almost two hundred of them packed in the small council hall, and many of them ended up standing in the back. That’s where Drako was, leaning against the wall.
Drako rolled his eyes as the council representatives rambled about minor offenses that weren’t really worth their time. Drako would rather be flying his personal two-seater than be here, but it wasn’t up to him. Many of the GPOs were volunteered by their council representative, but Drako was obligated due to a debt he owed.
Drako had once been a pirate, going from galaxy to galaxy smuggling supplies. He’d been caught and would’ve had to serve time, but his grandmother made a deal with a friend on the council. Instead of serving time, he had to agree to train and work as a GPO for a minimum of three years. Ten years later, Drako was still working as a GPO. He had found that he was just as good a GPO as he had been a pirate, and even though the paycheck was smaller, so was the risk. Now the councilman who’d given Drako a break all those years ago was calling in his favor. Which led him here, propping up the wall as the council members droned on.
“We are gathered here today in light of a report filed by Terran Captain Lee, which claims that Terrans being evacuated from the Triad galaxies are being abused and sold into slavery. The council has decided to dispatch all our GPOs to investigate all ships currently being used for this emergency situation.”
The sun in the Triad galaxies was growing larger and larger. It had dried up most of the water supply for the nearby planets, and temperatures were quickly becoming unbearable. The planets would soon be unable to sustain life. A massive galactic evacuation had been called by the governments of the affected planets. Since there weren’t enough government ships for the evacuation, ex-pirates were taking advantage of the situation to make money off the disaster.
“Sir, there are thousands of ships involved in this evacuation,” One of the female GPOs pointed out.
“We will investigate only those ships owned and operated by non-Terrans.”
Drako grunted. That narrowed it down somewhat, but there were still a lot of ships to investigate.
“We’ve also decided to focus first on those ships belonging to ex-pirates.”
That little announcement stirred up quite a few disgruntled responses; the crowd began talking all at once. Quite a few of the GPOs were ex-pirates themselves.
“Silence!” The Soto councilman actually looked like he was turning a darker shade of blue with anger. “GPO Drako will be the lead on this. See him for your assignments.”
Drako stiffened as he glared at the councilman. What the hell? How did I get assigned the lead in this? Shit!
Chapter One
“Carolina Andiva?" a male voice called out.
“Yes. That’s me." Carolina pushed her glasses up on her nose as she rose to her feet. She lifted a suitcase in each hand and approached the man—the alien—who was helping passengers board the ship.
“Follow me, ma’am. We were able to find you one of the last suites on board.”
“Thank you." She followed the alien, whom she assumed was a Squid because of his extra tentacle arms. He was attractive, with a dimple when he smiled.
“Did you need help with your bags?”
She smiled at him warmly. “No, thank you. They’re not that heavy." She was amazed how friendly the aliens were, especially the ex-pirates. Then she remembered the price she had to pay to get a spot on board the Brave Star. It had taken almost all of the money from her retirement, as well as the cash-out she got from the insurance company. The government had issued a mandate for insurance companies to allow business owners to cash out for disaster relief. She was lucky to be one of the first businesses to take care of that, because a lot of insurance companies had bailed on their customers. She would be okay for a few months, maybe up to a year, if she watched her budget, yet Carolina hated leaving everything she’d worked so hard for. She hadn’t gotten nearly what her business was truly worth, but she was grateful to have been able to cash it out at all.
The airports had their runways lined with ships in all different shapes and sizes. Some were as small as a 747, while others were as large as a cruise liner. The one she’d booked passage on was about in the middle, and it was shaped liked a five-pointed star.
She passed others who were waiting in line, hoping to get a spot on board one of the docked ships. People were desperate, begging for help from those who were boarding. She’d been seeing this for a while now on T.V. Witnessing all these people in person, and realizing that there might be some who wouldn’t be able to get off the planet in time, was a shock.
Two particular people caught her attention: a young mother in her mid-twenties, and her little girl who was about six years old. The woman was crying as she pleaded for someone to let her on board. The little girl clutched her mother’s hand. It tore at Carolina’s heart.
“Wait!" she called out to the alien crewmember. He turned around to face her. “Is my space big enough for two more people?" She pointed at the mother and daughter, who were oblivious to her attention.
The alien frowned as he looked at the woman and her child. “Why has your government not made sure that the women and children were removed first?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t leave them here. Do I have enough room?”
“You have a one-bedroom deluxe suite. Would you like to change it to a two-bedroom regular suite?”
“Yes.” She didn’t care how much extra she had to pay. This was the right thing to do. She wished she could help more people.
He smiled at her. “Don’t worry, there will be no extra cost for the change.”
Carolina sighed with relief. The alien took her suitcase from her, so that she could go over to th
e mother and child herself.
“Hello, I’m Carolina Andiva.”
The mother looked up at her with sad eyes. “I’m Mary Carter, and this is my daughter, Melanie.”
“It’s nice to meet both of you," Carolina smiled at them. “I don’t mean to pry, but were you waiting for a spot on one of the ships?”
Mary nodded her head. “My husband was supposed to secure us a spot, but he could only afford passage for himself. He promised to send money to us as soon as he could.”
What the hell kind of husband and father would just abandon his family like that? It pissed Carolina off. “Well, I happen to have an extra bedroom in my suite, if you’d like to share my accommodations.”
“Oh no. We can’t pay our way yet.”
“It’s okay, Mary. We’ll work something out.”
Mary looked down at her daughter, obviously willing to do anything to save her child. “Okay. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can get a job.”
Carolina nodded and helped the woman and her daughter through the rope barriers. The alien smiled at the little girl, but she hid behind her mother. He led them through the ship, down a circular corridor, and up two more floors inside an elevator.
“This is your suite." The alien opened the door to allow them to enter. He set the suitcase down just inside the door and paused, addressing Mary with a curious look, “Did you not have any suitcases to be brought up?”
Mary blushed and shook her head. “My husband sold all our belongings to get the money for a spot on one of the ships.”
Carolina was shocked once more. “What about clothes and shoes? Did he leave you any money at all for food and shelter?”
Mary shook her head again, glancing down nervously at her daughter. It was obvious that she didn’t want to talk about it in front of her little girl.
The alien helped her out. “It’s okay. Passengers lose their luggage all the time. I’m sure that I can find something that you can use for now.”
“Thank you." Mary reached out a hand to shake the alien’s hand, which was attached to one of his tentacle arms. The tentacles acted as extra arms, but they were much smaller than the two main ones.
Carolina tried not to notice how Mary and the alien were checking each other out. She couldn’t blame Mary for it, either—the Squid was very attractive. “I’m sorry, I didn’t ask you your name.”
“I’m Thesos." He nodded to Mary and then to Carolina. He winked at Melanie, earning a giggle and smile from the little girl.
“I’m Carolina, and this is Mary and her daughter Melanie." She gave him a smile in return for his, which was warm and friendly.
Thesos turned to leave, but Carolina stopped him. “Wait, may I speak to you for a moment, Thesos?" She turned to Mary. “Why don’t you and Melanie pick the room you guys would like to have?”
“But you should get first choice." Mary objected.
“I’m just one person; you’ll need the bigger room. So I chose the smaller of the two.”
“If you’re sure." Mary still hesitated, but her little girl ran off towards the bedroom doors, forcing Mary to run after her.
“Mr. Thesos, if there’s a shop on board that has the items you can’t find for Mary and Melanie, I’m willing to pay for whatever they need.”
Thesos smiled at her, making his strange appearance more appealing. “I will make sure to remember that. I believe I can locate everything they need.”
Carolina closed the door behind him. That was one kind man—or Squid. Crap. She needed to learn how the aliens liked to be referred to. In any case, she suspected that Thesos had a little crush on Mary. She frowned. She’d heard of very few non-Terrans dating Terrans.
There had been some bad blood between the Terrans and the other known life forms. At one time the Terrans had banned all aliens from Terra, but now their only hope of survival was to rely on the very species that had nearly killed them years before. Hatred and prejudice ran deep on both sides.
Carolina looked around the suite with its plain white walls. The main door opened into the living room. It was large, with two couches, a comfortable-looking armchair, and a coffee table. There were no pictures or other decorations. Off the hallway to the right was an eat-in kitchen; to the left were two doors which she assumed were the bedrooms.
Carolina heard the little girl in the first bedroom, laughing at something her mother said. She smiled as she opened the door to the second bedroom, which was evidently hers. It felt good to know that she might have brought some happiness to someone else. Her job had brought her a lot of fulfillment, and she was really going to miss that, as well as Terra.
Life was going to be different; everything from the currency used to how people interacted with one another would be new. Carolina had her money transferred to credits, the currency used by the majority of alien nations, and she picked up a book on the different alien species she might encounter. Everything else she would have to learn as she traveled. She would look it as a great big adventure. Carolina was looking forward to it.
Chapter Two
“This is Galactic Patrol Officer Drako requesting a communications link with the captain of the Brave Star.”
“Drako? What the hell are you doing working for the GPP?” a male’s voice said over the line.
Drako smiled as he flew his small two-man ship through space. The Brave Star’s captain was an old friend from his pirating days; he hadn’t seen him in ten years. “Turk. It’s a long story.”
“Let me take a guess, you were caught in bed with some big-wig’s wife?” Turk asked, laughing.
Drako laughed, too. He had a reputation for that kind of thing. “Not this time. Though I could use a little time in bed with a pretty woman.”
“I thought that was all you did now that you’d retired from your pirating days.”
“I wish. I’ve been too busy with my new assignment.”
“Assignment?”
“Yeah, it’s why I’m contacting you. I’d like to meet you at the next spaceport and dock my ship on yours.”
“What for?”
“I don’t want to say over the communications line, but I’ll give you the information you need to know when I see you face to face.”
“Okay. We’ll be reaching the next spaceport in two weeks, west of the Triad Galaxies. Betawest spaceport.”
“I’ll meet you there in two weeks’ time,” Drako told him, programming the destination into his ship’s computer.
“See you then, my friend.”
*****
Carolina took Mary out for lunch at the ship’s restaurant. There were a few teachers on board who’d offered to give lessons to the children, so Mary was free of Melanie for a few hours each day.
“The food here is really good,” she said to Mary, who sat across the small table from her, only picking at her grilled chicken salad.
“It is. I don’t think I can eat all of this, though. I should pack it up and take it back for Melanie.”
Carolina frowned. She suspected that Mary was giving all her food to her daughter. The single mother was extremely underweight, which worried her. She needed to request that the medical staff check the two of them out.
“You can if you want. I’m having some groceries delivered this afternoon. There will be healthy snacks and stuff, and I also bought treats for Melanie. I hope that’s okay.”
Mary was shocked. “I can never tell you how much this means to us. I’ve really struggled, though I didn’t want to admit it in front of Melanie. How could I explain to my child that her father abandoned us, left us with nothing so that he could save his own ass? I haven’t slept in days, and I’m exhausted.”
“What exactly have you told Melanie?”
“That she and I were going to be having our own adventure without her daddy, and that one day she might see him again.”
“How did she take that?”
Mary smiled. “She said she was glad it was just us, because Daddy didn’t like fun stuff like having ad
ventures.”
“She’s such a sweet girl.”
“She is. And now I’m able to concentrate on what I really need to do. As much as I appreciate your generosity, I need to be able to pay our way myself.”
Carolina was about to argue with her, but the waitress interrupted them. “Would you like a refill on your drinks?”
“Yes, please,” Carolina said handing over her glass.
“Excuse me, are you guys hiring?” Mary asked.
“I think there’s a part-time opening. Do you want me to get you an application?”
“I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”
The waitress walked away. Carolina frowned. “You don’t have to do that, Mary.”
“I need to work. I like keeping busy. Especially now that Melanie is taking lessons.”
“I can’t blame you there. I have a feeling I may be looking for a job soon too.”
Mary looked at her in concern. “Is your money running out? I could try to get a full-time position to help out.”
“No, no. Not yet, anyway. I’m just used to staying busy. I don’t like doing nothing,” Carolina assured her. Mary nodded in understanding.
She looked around the restaurant while they waited for the waitress to return. She noted a Terrran woman sitting at the bar. Beside her was a Soto, who looked like he wanted to talk to her. But every time he tried, the woman turned further away. The Soto wasn’t able to get or keep the woman’s attention. He looked pitiful when she got up and walked out of the bar. Carolina felt sorry for the guy. He seemed lonely.
“Ready to go?” Mary asked.
The waitress had already come back with Mary’s application, and Carolina hadn’t heard her at all. She was always people watching; her ex-fiancé Phil used to complain that she paid too much attention to everyone else and not enough attention to him.
Their engagement hadn’t lasted long. He wanted too much from her—like everything. He pressed her to be intimate, but she hadn’t been ready for that. Now she was glad that she hadn’t wasted her innocence on him. Phil wasn’t worth it. He’d proved that when she’d come home from one of her liaising jobs to find him fucking her best friend. She kicked his ass out that very night.