by Cheree Alsop
Girl from the Stars
Book 2
Daylight
By Cheree L. Alsop
Girl from the Stars Book 2- Daylight
By Cheree Alsop
Copyright 2016 by Cheree Alsop
Smashwords Edition
Cover Design by Andy Hair
Editing by Sue Player
www.chereealsop.com
To the joy of a life of writing-
Writing is like watching a young bird jump from its nest.
It struggles and flaps and fights not to hit the ground,
Then there’s that moment where its wings catch the wind
And it soars above the trees,
Taking you on one of the best rides of your life.
I love to write, and I love my readers.
I am so grateful for a family that supports me with so much love,
And for the ability to share the adventures in my head
And give the others the chance to escape
To worlds unseen, yet filled with hopes and dreams
Just waiting to be explored.
Beware of the chenowik.
Chapter 1
Liora and Tariq reached the Calypsan’s Tin Sparrow and collapsed as soon as they made it inside. The sounds from the circus tents and vendor stalls of planet Luptos followed them into the small ship.
“I’ll get the med kit,” Tariq offered.
“Don’t even think about it,” Liora replied. “I’ve got it. You’ve moved far too much already.”
“I think my knee’s okay. The bullet went higher than he meant it to. It’s embedded somewhere in my thigh.”
“You know that’s not very reassuring,” Liora pointed out as she lugged the medical kit one-handed to his side.
Tariq gave her a pained smile. “I’m a positive person.”
“Since when?”
He gave an actual laugh, the first she remembered hearing. “Since this moment. I figure it can only go uphill from here.”
“Hang around with me long enough and we’ll prove that wrong,” Liora shot back, winning another laugh from him. Liora tried several times to secure a bandage around his wound so he could work on her, but the blade in her hand made it impossible. She knew better than to pull it free without something to apply pressure, but she worried about Tariq passing out from blood loss before she could bandage him.
Tariq sat up gingerly and caught her fingers.
“Easy,” he said at her wince of pain. “Let’s take care of this first. Do you want an injection? I could numb it.”
She shook her head. “I won’t be able to get the bullet out if you do. I need to be able to move my fingers. It just shouldn’t hurt as bad as it does.” She tried not to think about what was going to happen.
“You mean getting a knife shoved through your hand should be easy?”
“Easier,” she answered. Her voice tightened when he carefully grabbed the blade.
“Maybe we should tell Obruo not to stab his daughter.”
Liora glared at Tariq. At that moment, he eased the blade from the wound. She held back a cry of pain and instead bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
“It’s alright,” he said, his voice gentle. He concentrated on cleaning and bandaging the wound. “The hard part’s over. I won’t be able to check for damage until we reach the Kratos, but your fingers still work. That’s a good sign.”
Liora blinked quickly to hold back tears. “I’m glad you think that’s good,” she said, her voice wavering.
Tariq looked at her closely. “Liora, I can numb this.”
She shook her head. “I need to be able to use it. I’ll be fine.”
He finished wrapping the bandage around it and tied the gauze off. He was careful to tuck the ends of the bandage beneath the other layers so they wouldn’t snag on anything.
“You’ve done this before,” Liora said.
Tariq gave her a half-smile. “A few times.”
She sat up, careful not to put weight on her injured hand. “Alright, it’s your turn.”
“Is this payback?” he asked. “I tried to be gentle.”
“Don’t expect the same from me.”
He settled on the floor with a worried expression. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“Trust me,” Liora told him. “I’ve removed bullets before. This is going to be easy.”
She carefully cut his pant leg where the bullet had gone through. Tariq was right. Instead of breaking bones, the bullet had lodged in the muscles of his thigh. She rinsed the surgical instruments with disinfectant and willed her heart to slow. She had removed bullets before. Ironically, Tariq was the last person she had performed such a procedure on. Somehow, the knowledge that she could do it didn’t help the nerves of actually performing the surgery.
She injected a local anesthetic into the wound.
“I could do without that,” Tariq protested.
She gave him a flat look. “I need a copilot, and if you pass out from the pain and something goes wrong with this junk heap of a ship, we’re both dead.”
Tariq sat back. “You’ve got a point.”
Liora put a rag below the wound to keep the blood somewhat contained. She took a steeling breath, then slowly sliced into the hole where the bullet had entered. Fresh blood welled up and spilled from the incision. Liora picked up a pair of forceps and slid them carefully into the hole.
“So Chief Obruo doesn’t want to kill you.” Tariq’s words were tight as the forceps grated against the bullet. “Why do you think he’s after you?”
“I’m not sure.” Liora’s brow creased as she concentrated on sliding the ends of the forceps around the slug. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“The only reason that sadistic Damaclan wouldn’t kill you is because he can gain something by keeping you alive.”
Liora glanced at him. “What could he possibly gain?”
“That’s what I can’t figure out.” Tariq sucked in a breath when she grasped the bullet and pulled it free. “You must be worth something to him,” he finished, his voice tight.
Liora flushed the wound to reduce the chance of infection. “You mean besides being the illegitimate daughter of his Damaclan wife and the human she actually loved?”
Tariq winced when she pressed bandages against the wound tighter than she intended.
“Liora,” he protested.
She caught herself. “Sorry.” She wrapped bandages around his leg to hold the others in place. “It just doesn’t make sense. What could I possibly be worth to him?”
Tariq was quiet for a moment. He glanced at her as if wondering if he should voice what he was thinking aloud. He let out a breath and said, “Liora, do you know who your father is?”
She gave him a searching look. “No. Why?”
Tariq lifted a shoulder. “Maybe he has something to do with it.”
“He probably has no idea I exist,” Liora told him with a shake of her head. “All I know is that Day is his last name and he’s human. No matter how I asked, my mother would never tell me more than that.”
“Maybe she was protecting you,” Tariq mused.
Liora kept silent. She had long ago accepted that knowing who her mother was would be enough for her life. She didn’t need a father when she was younger, and she sure didn’t have a use for one now. The thought that Obruo’s attack was in any way related seemed farfetched.
Tariq sat up when she was done tying off the bandages. She could tell by the pallor of his face that the loss of blood was catching up to him.
“Why don’t you grab a bit of sleep?” she suggested. “I’ll head toward the transporter and wake you when we’re close.”
He gave her injured hand a meaningful look. “Are you sure you can fly?”
Tariq gave a quiet chuckle. “Oh, I’m telling him.”
She stood and held out her good hand. “Only if you survive to the Kratos. You need to rest that leg.”
He gave a grunt of pain as she helped him to his feet.
“All I know is that I can’t wait to get back to the ship and figure out what to do with the Omne Occasus. It makes me nervous that there’s a galaxy imploder aboard the Kratos.” He limped with her help. “The sooner we can get back to regular missions, the better.”
Liora helped him to the bed the Calypsan who owned the ship had fashioned out of storage containers in the back. “Are you sure they’ll let you continue with Coalition missions? Running with the imploder has made everyone rebels, hasn’t it?”
Tariq’s eyebrows pulled together. “You heard Shathryn. We’re Coalition through and through. It’s what we know. I’m not sure how Dev and the others would react if the Coalition doesn’t pardon us after this.”
He settled gingerly on the burlap sacks of taliper rice. It was a Calypsan staple and made the entire back half of the Tin Sparrow smell like sulfur. Liora returned to the front of the ship grateful she wasn’t the one who had to use it as a bed.
She programmed the coordinates for the Diamond Albatross into the Sparrow’s computer before lifting away from planet Luptos. Her final glimpse of the SS Kirkos that had been her prison for so many years was of the ship’s hull upside-down and smoldering in the Luptos’ swamp. A hint of gratitude for Obruo’s thoroughness sparked unfamiliarly in her chest. In his efforts to destroy everything she knew, he had actually done her one favor. She would be happier if she never had to look at the Kirkos again.
The planet’s atmosphere obscured the tents and circus ships from view. Liora guided the spacecraft across the Maffei One Galaxy intent on the Oregon transporter near the far edge. As she flew, the reality of what had happened circled over and over again in her mind. Malivian was dead. Obruo was trying to kill her.
Liora knew better than to think the chief would give up. No matter what his reason for trying to find her, with him on her trail, nobody would be out of his reach. The Kratos crew might be safer sticking together against the Coalition and everyone else out to get their hands on the Omne Occasus, but Liora was the one bringing them the most danger. She wasn’t sure how to come to terms with that.
When the Oregon transporter drew near, she heard Tariq limp forward from the passage.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
She nodded. “Are you?”
He eased into the copilot chair and stuck his leg out at an angle. “Sure. I don’t know when I fell asleep.”
“It hasn’t been too long,” Liora told him. “We’re almost to the transporter.”
“Thank goodness,” Tariq replied. “I’m not sure how much longer we can stay on this Sparrow. Calypsans pack way too much grass for my stomach.”
“I’ve never acquired the taste,” she replied.
Tariq watched out the huge glass windows for a moment before he said, “So what have you been contemplating? Do I want to know?”
She glanced at him, debating how much to tell. “I’m not sure.” She was silent for a moment. Nobody had ever asked her what she thought about. The memories and images that occupied her mind probably made that a good thing; however, thinking about the most recent events troubled her far greater. She took a chance.
“Obruo’s the reason I was caged.”
“I heard that.” Tariq’s voice was gentle with empathy. “I didn’t realize it.”
“I didn’t either until he told Malivian he was supposed to keep me under control.” She shook her head. “Obruo’s been controlling me this whole time.”
Tariq settled back in his seat. “Liora, if I know you at all, nobody controls you.”
“Not anymore,” she said firmly.
He nodded as if he appreciated the words. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
A silver object drew near on the screen.
“There’s the Oregon transporter.”
“I can’t wait to get back to a real medical bay.”
At Liora’s surprised look, Tariq shrugged with a hint of embarrassment. “Do you know how pathetic those tools are back there? Mine make the Calypsan’s pale in comparison. You might even have stitches right now.”
He raised his eyebrows invitingly.
Liora fought back the urge to smile. “As fun as that sounds, I think I’ll stick with bandages.”
Tariq guided the toggle toward the transporter. As soon as it coupled, he hit the button for the jump.
Liora sat back in the pilot’s seat. The pulling sensation felt like cold water spilling over her from head to toe. Before she could decide if it was unpleasant, the sensation was gone.
“That’s not the Atlas.” Tariq sat up straight.
Liora’s heart skipped a beat. In the exact coordinates where they were supposed to find the Coalition’s lost Diamond Albatross and the Starship Kratos, a different Coalition starship waited. The Iron Falcon bore the name SS Cerberus along the hull.
“Incoming,” Tariq said. He pushed the receiver.
Colonel Lefkin’s face appeared on the screen.
“Hello, Officer Tariq. What a pleasant surprise.” His gaze took in Liora. “And a Damaclan.” His eyes narrowed. “As far as I’m aware, there are no Damaclans in the Coalition.” He pursed his lips. “Unless, of course, Captain Devren had reason to make an exception. I’m sure I’ll find his reasoning adequate.” The Colonel gave a humorless smile. “I invite you both to come aboard my ship.”
Liora and Tariq exchanged a glance. The invitation was a thinly-cloaked order. Colonel Lefkin knew exactly what Devren carried aboard his Iron Falcon. Given the number of Coalition ships and mercenaries the Colonel had put on their trail, he would do whatever he could to ensure the Omne Occasus became his.
“This is what I get for being positive,” Tariq muttered as he pushed gingerly to his feet.
Liora turned her head so the Colonel couldn’t see her speak. “We could always run for it,” she whispered.
“You’re insane,” Tariq replied.
“I’m part Damaclan,” Liora reminded him.
Tariq watched her for a moment. The slightest hint of a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at the screen, then back at her.
“I’m putting my money on the Damaclan.”
Chapter 2
Liora looked at Tariq. “You’re serious about this?”
The wide doors to the landing bay of the SS Cerberus opened.
“Better than imprisonment on a Coalition ship. I don’t like the idea of being tortured for information,” Tariq replied. He glanced at the screen in front of him. “What’s the status of the transporter?”
Liora hit a button. “The solar sails are still out. It’ll take a few more minutes for the charge to complete.”
“My officers are ready for your arrival,” Colonel Lefkin said. His tone was firm.
“On our way,” Tariq replied. He turned the ship toward the Cerberus. “Ready the guns,” he whispered.
Adrenaline rushed through Liora’s veins. She pulled up the weapons’ system on her screen and directed power to the ship’s cannons while Tariq maneuvered the spacecraft slowly.
“Is there something wrong with your ship?” Colonel Lefkin demanded. “My grandmother could fly faster.”
Tariq nodded. “Yes, Colonel. Our thrusters have only half power. We’ve been limping along to this point.”
The colonel’s jaw clenched as though their lack of haste annoyed him to no end.
Liora checked her other screen. “The sails are folding. The transporter’s charged,” she reported quietly.
“Good. Shoot the landing bay.”
Liora stared at him. “What?”
Tariq glanced at the colonel, but the man had apparently lost patien
ce at their slow approach and was looking at something off-screen.
“Shoot the landing bay,” he said. “That Eagle’s a lot faster than this Sparrow, but if we damage the landing bay, they won’t be able to close the airlock, so their thrusters will be disabled.”
Liora locked onto the left side of the door.
“Wait for my go,” Tariq whispered. He maneuvered the Sparrow closer to the Cerberus. They could see officers waiting in two tight rows along the landing strip inside. There was no way their welcome was going to be a friendly one.
Tariq kept his gaze locked on Colonel Lefkin as he directed power to the thrusters. Liora barely dared to breathe; her good hand hovered over the fire command. Pain shot up her arm and it took her a moment to realize she had clenched her injured hand into a fist. She opened it slowly.
“Ready?” Tariq whispered.
“Ready,” Liora replied.
“Even at half-thrusters,” Colonel Lefkin began, his tone one of complete exasperation.
Whatever else he was going to say was cut off when Tariq shouted, “Now!”
Liora blasted the loading bay doors at the same time that Tariq fired the thrusters. The Sparrow shot toward the Oregon transporter.
“What on…Officer Tariq!” Colonel Lefkin yelled.
Tariq slammed his palm on the console and the colonel’s face disappeared. They reached the transporter and Tariq maneuvered the docking arm into the transporter’s link. Precious seconds went by as Tariq attempted to lock the toggle in place.
When it slipped a third time, Liora set a hand on his arm.
“Let me.”
Tariq nodded and climbed carefully from his chair. Liora took the pilot’s seat and willed her nerves to steady. She pushed away all worry of the Coalition ship behind them and the fear that perhaps the colonel would be able to maneuver his ship to fire. If they were captured at this point, they would be hung as traitors.
Liora’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Using her Damaclan training, she settled her breathing and focused on the screen. With a few light touches, she maneuvered the toggle to the center of the link and connected it to the transporter.