The Girl from the Stars Series Boxed Set

by Cheree Alsop

  “Scavengers hauled it out here for scrap. I doubt they got paid much with the hull half gone. It probably wasn’t worth the effort it took to bring it all the way from Luptos, but I suppose they had to try.”

  The ship loomed over her when Liora walked forward. A very tattered, barely legible sign near the door read ‘Malivian’s circus- the finest in all the Cosmos’. There was a poster next to it, sealed onto the hull with the clear protectant Malivian used to say was stronger than any fire. Liora stared at the picture of herself in the cage. Her gaze looked fierce, her hands gripping the bars and an unnerving glare on her face. The poster read ‘Only the bravest dare to let a Damaclan touch their mind.’

  Liora set a hand on the picture.

  “I know you’ve had nightmares about this ship,” Devren said, his words quiet. “I thought that if you could see it, it might help those go away.”

  Liora looked back at him. She didn’t know what to say. Being near the ship made it all feel real again. She heard the animals in the cages, felt the bite of Malivian’s torture devices.

  “We can go inside,” Devren said. “I’ve cleared it with the owner. He says he doesn’t know what anyone would want with this junk heap, but we’re welcome to it.”

  Liora walked to the door. The hatch was halfway open. Sand filled the hallway inside. Liora stepped in and waited for her eyes to adjust. Devren pulled his gun from his holster and flipped on the gun light.

  Liora led the way. Tiny motes danced in the light ahead of them. She trailed a hand along the walls. They were familiar yet foreign. Each step felt surreal as if she walked in a dream.

  Liora’s footsteps slowed when she neared the hull. Parts were burned and a slight breeze pushed sand through from several holes in the walls. Scattered patches of light showed the cages lying on their sides and on the floor. Liora heard again the squawks, chirps, and calls of the animals that had occupied them. She passed through the space between, stepping carefully around the debris.

  She rounded a corner, then stopped.

  Devren stepped to the side of her. The light from his flashlight swept past it once, then came back to rest on the cage with the thick metal bars that had been fastened to the floor and the wall to prevent her escape. Liora remembered how it had felt to hold those bars, to fight against them in despair, to be trapped like the slaves outside.

  She crossed to the bars and touched them from the outside, something she had never done before.

  “If it wasn’t for you, I might still be in there,” she told him.

  Devren shook his head. “Not a chance. You would have found a way out.”

  Liora met his gaze. “You were my way out.”

  He nodded. “And I’m so glad I was. You’ve made my life so much better now that you’re a part of it.”

  “You’ve become my everything,” Liora replied. She looked back at the cage. “I’ll never be in one of those ever again.”

  “We can burn this ship,” Devren told her. “I brought explosives if you would like to use them. I’ve already paid the owner off.”

  Liora blinked at the offer. While it appealed to her, there was something else she wanted more.

  “There are slaves out there, lots of them.”

  “There are,” Devren replied. There was a light in his eyes that told her he was anticipating her next words.

  “Somebody needs to get them out,” she said.

  Devren nodded. “Somebody does.”

  Liora gave him a searching look. “What’s going on here?”

  Devren responded with a small shrug. “I figured you would do this when we got here.”

  “Do what?” Liora asked.

  Devren motioned toward the cage. “What you always do. You want to free the oppressed and abused. You want to be the one who gets them out of their cages. It’s what you do.”

  “And you’re alright with this?” Liora asked.

  Devren smiled. “Why do you think Zanden’s bringing the Nines? Several of our Coalition buddies, Edron Donovan included, are waiting just above the atmosphere for us to give the word.”

  Liora stared at him. “Are you kidding?”

  Devren held out a communicator. “Give the order, Warden Day.”

  Liora pressed the button. “Guys?”

  “Ready when you are, Warden,” Zanden replied.

  “Prepared to kick it and bring back lives,” Creeden said.

  “We’re here for you,” the voice Liora recognized as Edron’s said.

  She took a steeling breath and stepped through the hull once more. The slave city beyond the ship looked small, yet she knew how many other cities there were on Pion Seven. They would have their work cut out for them.

  “Let’s do this,” she said.

  “Yes, Warden,” everyone replied.

  Ships entered the atmosphere from above. Liora and Devren watched them arm in arm as they stood in the doorway of the Kirkos.

  “It all started here,” Devren said, his voice quiet as he held her close.

  Liora nodded. “The circle is complete.”

  Devren held something up. Liora glanced at him, then stared at the ring that glittered on his palm.

  “Ready for your next circle?” he asked, dropping down to one knee.

  Liora could feel the tears of happiness welling up in her eyes. She blinked quickly and managed to keep them at bay.

  “Ready for anything as long as it’s at your side,” she said.

  Devren slipped the ring on her finger and rose back to his feet. They entwined their fingers together. Devren lifted her hand to look at the ring. It was then that Liora noticed the stone. Somehow, Devren had gotten the purple gem from Tariq’s knife and had it fashioned into the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  “I love it,” she replied.

  She threw her arms around him just as the first ship landed. The dust rose and then settled. Liora could see the slaves in the distance trapped inside their cages. Their slavers approached as more ships landed. The slavers pulled out weapons as if they guessed why Liora and the others were there.

  “Looks like we get a fight,” Zanden said, jumping down from his cockpit.

  Liora smiled. “I like a good fight.”

  If you enjoyed this series, you might like the Silver Series. Here is the link for the first book free on Amazon- The Silver Series Book One: Silver

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  About the Author

  Cheree Alsop is an award-winning, best-selling author who has published over 50 books. She is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and giving much appreciated critiques. Cheree works as a fulltime author and mother, which is more play than work! She enjoys reading, traveling to tropical beaches, riding motorcycles, playing the bass for the band Alien Landslide, spending time with her wonderful children, and going on family adventures. Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great quests, and never stop dreaming.