Red Planet
The Revolt
Jessica Snow
Illustrated by
Kellie Dennis
Edited by
Teresa Banschbach
Contents
Introduction
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
Epilogue
Also by Jessica Snow
Copyright © 2016 by Jessica Snow
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.
Introduction
She’s an Alien, but that won’t stop me from making her mine.
I’m a muscle-ripped gladiator and a leader of the human rebellion against Tamarian domination. I’ve spent most of my life fighting for justice and hating all Tamarians.
Until Kelbara.
With her redd-ish skin, gorgeous green eyes and delicate features, her body makes me dizzy with lust. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before, human or alien, and my fingers itch to explore every inch of her tempting, unearthly curves.
But it won’t be easy.
Her father has plans to destroy the newly liberated city and take control of the kingdom. And he’ll stop at nothing to accomplish his goals. Even if it means killing his only daughter when she takes a stand against him.
I can’t let that happen.
I’ll protect Kelbara at all costs. Even if I have to kill every Tamarian and human that stands in my way.
Everyone will know. Kelbara belongs to me.
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If you haven’t already, make sure to read the first book of the Tamarians, Red Planet: The Slave Queen.
Chapter 1
Kelbara
“You know Mogar, you don't have to take the time each day to personally tutor me, I can study on my own,” I protest as Lord Mogar, executive chancellor to King Tauren, ruler of Tamaria, watches me from the door to what I've started calling the classroom. It's not like any classroom I've ever seen in images or videos though, and certainly isn't like anything I ever studied in. Dominated by a huge desk like table in the middle, four different images can be projected to eye level around me, or I can work looking down at the table itself, however I choose. It doesn't even have any flexis, although it's hard to think of Mogar without imagining him carrying one of those around. But this is the study, where serious work is done, and flexis are for his light reading, such as keeping up with the economy of all of Tamaria.
“I'm a scholar first, a Lord second, and a military man a far distant tenth or so,” Mogar replies with a small laugh as he steps in. “Besides, I was much stricter with Tauren when he was my student, I merely guide you. Humor an old scholar, Lady Kelbara.”
“How many times must I remind you that I hate being called Lady before you give up and stop?” I say with a huff, closing down the image I was studying, some of the ancient data from Earth that Mogar has copies of. His library is extensive, and the things I've learned in the three months since Tauren took the throne and I've found myself living as Mogar's house guest have shaken up everything I thought I knew about Tamaria. What hasn't changed though is my discomfort with being called a noble title. I know I'm supposedly noble, I was born from a noble bloodline, but I've spent all of my eighteen years being just Kelbara, out of Gwyndolen by Ambaris, not Lady anything. It pisses me off.
Of course, Mogar knows that. I've heard King Tauren and Queen Audra call Mogar the “Gamesmaster,” and I can understand what they mean. Mogar pushes my buttons for a reason, sometimes reasons that I don't understand until after I've done what he's setting me up to do. It's weird and sometimes frightening that way, living in the same house as a man who can almost see the future sometimes. At the same time, I have to say I enjoy it too, Mogar's opened my eyes and made me a better person in just the three months that I've lived in his house. I don't know what his endgame is with me and my personal development, but I'm finding that I'm looking forward to it regardless.
“Actually Kelbara, I've come to fetch you to the palace,” Mogar says. “Apparently there was another Slaver strike this morning, and King Tauren along with Lord Jensen are having a meeting about it. I thought you could offer your insight.”
“My insight?” I ask with a lifting of my eyebrow. “You mean you want me to tell two men who are both nearly at least a decade older than me, one of whom is the King of this planet and the other who successfully led the Resistance that brought Tauren to the throne what to do? I'm flattered.”
Mogar smiles his little smile that says he's gaming me again, tilting his head to the left slightly. “I would hardly say for you tell Tauren and Jensen what to do, Kelbara. But they do value your insight and your opinion, and I have yet to see them dismiss what you have to say merely because you are only eighteen. After all, nobody in the current government has the same amount of direct experience with slaving and slaving culture that you do.”
“Don't remind me,” I grumble, tugging on the lower hem of my tunic. It's one of the other things that sets me apart from most of the “Ladies” of the nobility, I've never, in my entire life, worn a dress. Instead, I wear the clothes that I grew up in, work clothes and fatigues, the wear of a slaver. Except that I've changed colors now at least, as a sign of support to King Tauren, I wear dark blue like he does, not brown like the Slaver Rebellion. And I've ditched the lightweight slaver armor for daily wear, even though I do sometimes miss it. “Come on Mogar, are we taking bikes or your shuttle?”
“I thought bikes today. I would like the chance to fly over the Tower section of the city, see how the reconstruction is going.”
We mount our hoverbikes and lift off, Mogar leading the way. He does as he said, swinging away from the palace to view the devastated neighborhoods that surround Tower Plaza. The night Tauren took the throne, riots were tearing apart the city, Mogar having used a chemical counteragent to awaken the almost 100,000 humans and Tamarians who were under the influence of hypnotic drugs, and to inoculate the rest of the city against the drugs as well. The results of that night and of the three months of Slaver Rebellion since, have devastated parts of the city, none more than Tower Plaza. The death toll is still not one hundred percent known, and I don't think it ever will be.
“I think they're starting to finally make progress,” I note as we fly by. “Some of the rubble is being cleared away.”
“It will be a long time still. Anything that results in more than twenty thousand deaths takes a long time to clear away,” Mogar notes, turning in towards the palace and picking up speed. I follow close behind, making sure my bike is transmitting the proper clearance codes so that the Royal Lancers that protect the palace, along with the automated air defenses, don't shoot us down. Tauren's trying to keep the palace open to the people, but with a Slaver rebellion brewing, he still has to protect himse
lf and his family.
We set down inside the palace walls, and I hand over the powerlance that I carry almost everywhere to the Royal Lancer guard who greets us. The Lancer gives me a surprised look, holding up a hand. “Lady Kelbara, that is not necessary.”
“Perhaps, but I don't need it, and you don't need the headache,” I insist, forcing him to take it. “Besides, I want to talk with my father today, I might as well check this thing in now.”
“As you wish, Lady Kelbara,” the Lancer says, taking my powerlance and tucking it under his arm. “You may get it back when you leave the palace.”
“Think I can get an upgraded one? That's only a Mark VI,” I joke, seeing if I can get the Lancer to at least crack a smile. They're a tough lot, and this one is no different.
“I'll see what can be done, my Lady,” the Lancer says deadpan before stepping back. I roll my eyes, heading towards the palace steps with Mogar, who chuckles under his breath.
“You're not going to get them to laugh,” he chides me. “Most of them have had their funny bones removed.”
“Your jokes are even worse than mine,” I tease, at least getting a smirk from Mogar. We climb the steps to go inside, and I'm surprised when Queen Audra herself greets us at the door. I'm not sure what to do, I've never just been greeted at the door by the Queen like I'm visiting a regular house. “My Queen, I... how is the baby?”
Audra shakes her head, giving me a kind smile. She's wearing her normal wear for the palace, an imitation of the King's tunic and trousers with her dual piping in silver instead of gold, but other than that she's still wearing the same utilitarian military like uniform that she apparently wore as part of the Rebellion. It's a little strange, but then again, she's the first human to be Queen of Tamaria, anything she does is going to be strange. “The baby is fine, Kelbara. I, on the other hand, am dealing with pregnancy and my new position as best I can. For that, I am glad to have you two visit.”
“What's wrong, Highness?” Mogar asks. Audra turns and leads us into the palace, where I notice that still, three months after taking the throne, the palace is nowhere near as busy as it was under the rule of King Joren, at least the few times I ever came to the palace during his reign. Tauren's running his government much leaner than his father did.
“More of the same from the last time we talked, Mogar. It seems that while humans and Tamarians can make babies together, I seem to be having more problems with side effects than what I expected. Last night, I ate a full tray of fruit cobbler without stopping, almost making myself sick but I couldn't stop. It's my opinion that my baby likes stonefruit.”
I can't help it, I laugh a little before catching my manners, swallowing the rest behind a grin. “Sorry, my Queen. I like stonefruit too, if that helps.”
Audra chuckles, reaching up and patting my arm. “It does, Kelbara. Actually, the bigger problem is I seem to never have any energy. I've had the doctors take a look, even the autodoc do a full workup on me. It's supposed to be just a hormone thing they say will pass by the third trimester. At which point I fear I'll be unable to wear real clothes and be stuck in dresses again, already these pants are getting a little tight.”
If there was any reason for someone to wonder why I like Audra as Queen, that statement alone settles it for me, and I smile. Pregnant, Queen of Tamaria, and already looking forward to being in the action and being active again. What's not to like about her? “I look forward to seeing you so large, Highness. In the meantime, where is the King?”
Queen Audra points towards her left, near the back of the palace. “I was told you two would be coming by to discuss the Slaver terrorist attack. However, you're going to have to wait a little bit, Tauren and my brother are working on letting go of some tension, or perhaps just replacing it with a different kind of tension. Would you like to watch?”
I feel the heat creep up my neck from my blush a little as I nod, unable to help myself. I first got to see Queen Audra's brother Lord Jensen up close when he was just Jensen, Champion of the Gladiatorial Arena, Resistance Leader and captured slave in my father's possession. It was like meeting a god in the flesh. I'd watched him for years in the arena, and at first I thought that seeing him up close would somehow take away from the image he'd built as the ten-year undefeated gladiatorial champion. Instead, the way he stood up to the torture that my father put him through, the spirit and strength he showed, and the way he fought when Tauren got him out of there....
Okay, so I have a bit of a crush. It's an open secret, and one that Mogar's more than willing to tease me about back at his estate. I understand why as well, he's trying to train me to be better at hiding and handling the emotional warfare that is life at the royal court and among the Noble Council. It's probably the one way I preferred the slaver and merc life. At least then, my enemies pointed weapons at me. And Mogar's jibes don't have malicious intent, he's never hurt me the way I know some of the nobles might. He's like a piece of sand inside an oyster shell, rubbing to make a pearl.
Queen Audra though comes to my rescue before Mogar can slip a needle in and add another layer to my pearl. “Mogar, could you take a moment before the meeting to discuss some things with Pretton? Tauren has asked that he find a place in the household for some Taurian children, specifically Jonpel and his sister, and Pretton's struggling with trying to set up proper schooling for them. I know you're a Lord, but as a scholar, you could lend him a hand.”
Mogar gives a respectful nod of his head to Audra, pointing away from where Audra is leading us. “I assume the palace majordomo is in his office?”
“Around there. Thank you.” Audra pauses while Mogar walks away before turning to me with a conspiratorial smirk. “Safe from the scholar for a few minutes.”
I'm grateful, and I try to show it by being as respectful as possible. “Many thanks, my Queen.”
Queen Audra rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Come on, drop the Queen stuff too for a few minutes. I'm just Audra, okay? Let's go watch the men be men.”
Audra leads me through the wing of the palace that contains the royal private quarters, or at least King Tauren's. He's still living in what were his chambers as Crown Prince, leaving his father and mother in their quarters in another wing of the palace. Yet another break with tradition by Tamaria's new king. “Audra.... if you don't mind, I'd like to go see Ambaris after the meeting.”
“No problem with me. He might be imprisoned, but he is your father,” Audra says, relaxing out of her 'Queen' role a little bit. It's a side of her I don't think she can ever show the public, but if she does, it's probably going to make her even popular than she is. “If I can forgive Joren and Tauria for what they did to me and all humans, I can't fault you for wanting to see that your father's all right.”
I shake my head, mainly because of how automatically in her words is the fact that she's totally forgiven me for being part of a slaver unit before this. “Not quite. Last time I was down there he spit at me, he detests me so much. But... as you said, he is my father. The word feels foul in my mouth though.”
“Well, here's something to maybe cheer your mood beforehand. Tauren's been feeling a little stressed, so he had some equipment brought in to let him exercise his body as much as his patience. He and Jensen are trying it out now. Take a look.”
Audra opens the door to an outdoor courtyard, which I'm surprised to see has been turned into what I can only describe as a training ground. Obstacles, bars, objects to lift, even what looks like a climbing wall have been set up. “What is this?”
“A little gift from Mogar and Jensen, actually,” Audra says. “This was part of the training grounds that Jensen used when he was training for the gladiatorial games, at Mogar's country estate. At Tauren's request, half of it was brought here, the other half to Jensen's estate, the workers just got finished installing it all last night. Where are they... oh, there they are, see them on the rings?”
I look, and my heart speeds up as I see Tauren and Jensen on an ancient style set of gymnastics
rings, shirtless while wearing plain black military fatigue pants and boots. Tauren's currently resting while Jensen uses just the strength in his arms and stomach to pull himself up, all the way into a sitting L position before smoothly pulling himself around and up into a handstand on the rings. It's impressive, and even more when he repeats the pattern with variations for another five rounds before dropping off. It's only then, when his feet hit the ground that I see the shining bands around his ankles and wrists, and I realize the belt around their waist is a control belt. “Wait... grav pods? He did that with extra weight on his body?”
Audra nods, grinning. “Yes... my brother's quite the specimen, isn't he? Come, let's see what they're set at. Jensen!”
Jensen turns, smiling when he sees his sister, waving. “Hey Audie! I see you brought Kelbara. How are you doing, Shorty?”
I growl, trying not to get angry as Jensen chuckles, his muscular chest heaving and covered in sweat. I watch as a rivulet runs over his lean pectoral before disappearing in between the muscles of his stomach, torn between arousal and anger. “I've told you before, Lord Jensen, I don't like being called short.”
“You're a hundred and seventy centimeters, Kebara,” Tauren reminds me gently, trying not to laugh himself. “That's a good bit under average height for a Tamarian woman.”
“Perhaps, sire. But what I lack in height I make up for in strength,” I halfway boast. I'm not much to look at in my opinion, but I can hold my own with any man when it comes to physical ability. “Like this.”
I go over to one of the implements that's close by, a round duracrete cylinder that's slightly indented in the middle to give it a decent place to grip. I push up the sleeves on my tunic to give me a better grip before I squat down, grabbing the cylinder around the middle and lifting, turning around and walking it over to Jensen and dropping it close enough to his toes that he jerks his right foot back a little bit, smirking at me as he does. “So no more jokes.”
Red Planet: The Revolt (Tamarians Book 2) Page 1