Renegade Magic (Star Renegades Book 1)

by Jennifer M. Eaton

  Doc raised his hand. “I can put a shield around her room just as easily as I can put one around a holding cell. I can even do a full circle around her bed if you want.” He glanced at Dania. “But we need to start working on trust.”

  Cal didn’t have trust in a lot of things, but he did have trust in Doc.

  Ty looked down the line of the crew. “All in favor of letting Dania stay in a room say aye.”

  Cal pushed through the door before the sound of the last ‘aye’ faded, including his own.

  As long as Doc could keep her confined while the rest of them slept, he really didn’t care where Dania was quartered; and he had to admit, treating her a little more like the crew would probably help in the long run.

  The lights in the hall flickered—something else to fix. It seemed like no matter how many steps ahead they got, something always managed to push them back.

  Before turning the corner, Cal looked down the hallway toward the closed lounge door. He’d agreed to help the enforcer. It was the right thing to do.

  Still, the thought of her on this ship, walking around like the rest of the crew, made him want to punch something.

  He’d spent his whole adult life trying to avoid the enforcers and upending everything they stood for. Screwing the system seemed like the right thing to do, like the only way to honor his father’s good name.

  He started walking again. Was taking Dania in honoring his father’s name?

  Maybe. Only time would tell.

  All he could hope was that wherever his dad was, he was smiling at him with pride. That was all Cal really wanted.

  He stepped onto the bridge and took in the vast array of unfamiliar stars scattered around hunks of twisted metal—the remains of goodness-knew-what. The Star Renegade could have been pulverized into space junk like that, but they were still here because they were survivors. They’d get out of this like a team, as always.

  However, now they were a team plus one very big wildcard. Cal wanted to jump onboard Team Dania, but he couldn’t forget what had brought them all to this star-forsaken place.

  Doc might be able to help her, and she may be a valuable ally, but Cal had thought this before, and she’d betrayed them.

  He rubbed his face. No matter what Doc concocted, Dania would always belong to that prince, and Cal wasn’t so sure that once they got back to regular space, she wouldn’t run back to him with her tail between her legs, begging for forgiveness. Especially if her symptoms worsened.

  The yellow light on the dashboard flashed again. Cal checked the extra sensors, and when they came up clear, he tapped the light three times, and it stopped blinking.

  Yeah, the ship was broken, but some things, like this light, actually gave the Renegade charm. Like the blast stains Alanna was so fond of, some things just didn’t need to be fixed. They made things comfortable. Familiar. Home.

  The stars twinkled in the distance. Any one of them might be a familiar sun, lost in an array of so many others.

  Cal tapped his fingers on the edge of his console. It was easy to be lost, and not so easy, sometimes, to find yourself, or to make up for past sins. Cal knew that better than anyone.

  The yellow light started to flash again, and Cal grinned, relaxing his posture.

  He called up the cameras in the lounge. The crew had moved to the circular table, where Ty was dealing out a deck of cards. Everyone picked up their hands, but Dania stared at the cards on the table. Doc showed her how to pick them up and spread out the cards so she could see them.

  If she was serious about wanting to be free, living on this ship would be a long list of firsts for the enforcer.

  Yeah, it was a risk, but every supply run they made put their lives in jeopardy. This wasn’t any different. Cal had opened his doors to her, and they’d stay open—unless she posed a threat.

  Ty shoved Ethan, and Ethan held up his hands. He’d probably been caught cheating.

  Nothing new, just another friendly card game on the Renegade.

  Dania put down a card, and they all cheered. She looked up at them and smiled.

  The enforcer…smiled.

  Cal eased into his chair and tapped the yellow light three times. There was one thing that remained clear no matter what sort of mess they got into: this crew was his family. He loved them. Even Ethan.

  He glanced back at the screen. He needed to believe that smile was genuine. The alternative was unthinkable.

  Of course, he probably had worse things to worry about. That prince had gotten a good, long look at the Star Renegade, and by now, everyone in the galaxy was probably looking for them.

  The light flashed yellow twice, then orange.

  Cal stared at it. Had he seen that right?

  Yellow, yellow, orange.

  Yellow, yellow, orange.

  He patched a communication through to the lounge. “Hey, Ty, the light is flashing up here again.”

  “Just tap it three times.”

  “Yeah, I did, but now it’s flashing yellow twice and then orange. You told me to call you right away if that ever happened.”

  Silence hung in the air. On the screen, Ty looked at Ethan. “That’s not funny, Cal.”

  That didn’t sound good. “It wasn’t meant to be funny. What does it mean?”

  Yellow, orange, orange.

  “Now there’s two oranges.”

  Both Ethan and Ty cursed. “We’re coming!”

  Now what?

  Cal leaned closer to the glass. They were completely clear of the debris. He couldn’t see anything out there.

  Ty and Ethan stormed through the door first. Doc filed in behind, followed by Alanna and Dania.

  Yellow, orange, orange.

  Ethan flipped several switches on the wall. “Killing the power on all decks but the bridge.”

  “What?” Cal said. “We just barely got the power up.”

  Ty reached his station. “Killing the outer hull shields in three, two, one.”

  “Stop!” Cal reached for him, but he’d already thrown the switch. “What are you doing?”

  Yellow, orange, orange.

  “We’re being scanned!” Ty looked over his shoulder. “Everyone, get seated. We’re about to become just another piece of floating debris.” He glanced at a panel on the wall. “Cutting the rest of the power now.”

  The lights went out.

  “Here goes life support,” Ethan said, and the always present gentle rumbling beneath their feet ebbed away.

  Cal tensed. With all of them in that room, they probably had about ten minutes before they ran out of air.

  Orange, orange, orange.

  Ty held his finger to his lips as the light flashed in his face.

  Orange, orange, orange.

  So many questions hung in the air. But even Ethan sat in the dark, not moving. Not speaking.

  Yellow, orange, orange.

  Ty pointed at the light and gave a thumbs-up before holding his finger to his lips again.

  This was crazy. They were already dead in space. Now they were dead-er. What if they couldn’t get the power back up?

  Cal shook away the thought. They were in no shape to fight. Hiding was a good call, no matter the outcome.

  Yellow, orange, orange.

  Alanna’s teeth chattered, and Doc held his hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide as the light flashed. Doc pulled her closer into a hug. Cal could see her shivering from across the bridge. Ty folded in on himself and Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets.

  Yellow, yellow, orange.

  They were well past the uncharted sectors. How in the stars were they being scanned?

  Yellow, yellow, yellow.

  There it was: the normal, beautiful broken light.

  Ty released a breath. Doc let go of Alanna.

  Ty flicked a few switches and a soft glow rose in the cabin. “Getting cold in here.”

  A puff of white formed in front of his face as Cal laughed.

  That was nothing. They had no idea what col
d was until they’d been stuck without environmental controls for as long as he had.

  “On it.” Ethan started tapping the panel.

  The floorboards started to hum.

  “Are we clear?” Cal asked.

  Ty stared at his screens. “Yeah, we’re good.”

  Cal sighed, straightening. “How was that even possible? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Who has scanners that reach that far?”

  Dania rubbed her shoulders, shaking off the chill. “Enforcers.”

  Cal shuddered, holding his breath as the crew turned and stared at her.

  “It’s Geron.” Dania’s gaze lowered to the floor. “He knows we’re out here, and he’ll never let me go.”

  A note from the author:

  I hope you loved book one of Star Renegades!

  Ready for more intergalactic adventure? Keep reading for a sneak peek at book two, or if you’re a true smuggler at heart,

  Click here to pick up your copy now!

  How about a free book?

  Click below for a free eBook, and be the first to hear about new releases and free or discounted books

  Yes, I'd love a free eBook!

  Acknowledgments

  Normally, when I sit down to do acknowledgements, I need to scroll back through YEARS of files. Star Renegades is no different. My original pitches for the series are dated July 2018. The actual outlines for all five books are dated June, July, and August of 2019. Crazy, right? A whole year later!

  But I have no regrets. Star Renegades is my first foray into space opera, and I wanted to get it right. As Ethan would say, “Patience is a virtue!”

  Dania stepped off the platform onto Midway Station on November 1, 2019 and I finished book one on December 8, 2019. That was where the fun began, and here is where I can start thanking people.

  First, I need to give a shout out to Rebecca Hamilton. Who very patiently kept me on track while making sure I had a solid plot for five books, and how to line up the character journeys. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have dropped into my own black hole if you hadn’t been looking over my shoulder.

  There was some trial and error in book one. Dania originally was a homicidal death machine, and while I do miss how horrible she was, I understand how she might have been a little “too much” in my first drafts of this novel. Thank you, Sharon Hughson and Shaila Patel for helping me tame her down to be scary, but not too scary.

  Readers! Readers are super important. I put out some feelers to my fan base, and a lot of people offered to read and comment on the later drafts. I plucked a few names out of a hat (or a random number generator—same thing) and I’d like to thank Robin Kenny, Louise Haring, and Lori Lenox for stepping up to the landing platform and sending me your feedback.

  I fretted over these covers, and placed the art in the talented hands of Julie Nicholls of Covers by Julie. Thank you Julie, and… MORE KIND-OF-SHINY WHITEISH OPAL FLOATING HAIR!

  (Yeah, she definitely put up with a lot.)

  I’ve mentioned before that I’m comma-deficient. Which is why my editors are wonderful, patient people with an eagle eye. Thank you Scarlet West, Amy McNulty, and Tandy Boese. You guys totally rock!

  Of course, thank you to my family for their support, and readers like you for your fantastic feedback, and very much appreciated reviews. Yes, I do read your reviews, and it always means a lot when someone takes the time to tell others how much they enjoyed my work.

  Thanks again for reading, and we’ll catch up again soon in an unknown galaxy far, far away!

  See more great books by Jennifer M. Eaton at

  jennifereaton.com

  About the Author

  Jennifer M. Eaton hails from the eastern shore of the North American Continent on planet Earth. Yes, regrettably, she is human, but please don’t hold that against her.

  While not traipsing through the galaxy looking for specimens for her space moth collection, she lives with her wonderfully supportive husband, three energetic offspring, and a duo of poodles who run the spaceport when she’s not around.

  During infrequent excursions to her home planet of Earth, Jennifer enjoys long hikes in the woods, bicycling, swimming, snorkeling, and snuggling up by the fire with a great book; but great adventures are always a short shuttle ride away.

  www.jennifereaton.com

  Preview of Star Renegades, Book 2: Renegade Thief

  Chapter 1 Dania

  Being human wasn’t so bad, except for always worrying about getting killed.

  Dania sat beside an array of supplies as Alanna leaned through a large hole in the wall of the Star Renegade’s cargo hold. The woman seemed to go about her business, unharried by the inevitability of an angry prince catching up to the ship and murdering them all.

  Maybe that was because that angry prince wasn’t actually after Alanna. That wouldn’t save her, or any of the crew, though.

  Dania considered the makeshift patch on the far wall of the cargo bay, a remnant of their last encounter with Dania’s former sponsor. A few weeks ago, the captain had nearly frozen and suffocated to death in this very chamber, and he’d used a mystery polymer to seal a hull breach—saving himself, and probably the ship. He was resourceful, as were all the humans on this crew.

  Alanna backed out of the crevice. “All done.”

  “That was fast.”

  “I’m getting better at this.” The woman beamed. “It’s nice to have the help, too. Thanks.”

  Dania shrugged. “All I did was hand you things. I wouldn’t actually be able to do any maintenance.”

  Alanna eased onto the floor and took a drink from a water flask. “I couldn’t either when I first got here.” She wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “You should have seen me. I was such a mess.”

  Dania doubted the woman had ever been ‘a mess’ in her life.

  Alanna looked up into the hole. “Anyway, I discovered through necessity, that I like to fix things, and I’m pretty good at it, most of the time.”

  Dania’s chest clenched, and she looked down. Her only friend, Alexander, had been good at fixing things, too. He’d loved discovering how machines worked, and making them better.

  Dania’s warm smile melted from her face. The last time she’d seen Alexander was through the glass of a fighter craft. He’d begged her to come home moments before Prince Geron had opened fire on him.

  She’d thrown a shield up to protect him before she’d passed out and been dragged into the black hole that had stranded her and the Star Renegade crew here…wherever here was.

  The ache in her heart deepened. She may never know if Alexander had survived that day. If he hadn’t, Dania wasn’t sure if she’d be able to live with the guilt.

  Alanna stood. “I’m sure that we’ll find something you’re good at too. It makes living on a ship more interesting when you have a job to do.”

  Dania nodded, but the truth was, the only thing she’d ever been good at was killing people. Those skills weren’t quite transferable to shipboard life, unless the captain wanted a bodyguard.

  Alanna held up a jar of polymer. “This is just enough to add to the edges of Cal’s seal. We might as well use it up.”

  “I thought you and Ty had already reinforced it?”

  Alanna walked over to the hull breach and poured the material over the existing makeshift repair. “Yeah. Twice.” She leaned back wiping her brow as the gray-white material flowed into the pits and grooves. “I just wish there was a way to heat it all up at the same time to make sure there aren’t any more micro-leaks. The maintenance torches only melt sections, and I’m never sure they seal together.”

  Heat? That shouldn’t be too hard.

  Dania grabbed an angled plate and held it up to the seal. “I think I can help with that.”

  Centering her focus on the plate, she pressed power into the metal.

  At least, she tried to.

  She frowned, staring at her hands. This should be simple. Child’s play.

  She gritted her teeth, searchin
g for the few traces of glowing primordial energy still flowing in her veins. A slight tremor erupted in her chest, before flowing out to her hands. She drank in the vibrating energy before pressing the heat into the metal. Air currents ran to her, filling the molecular space between her and the steel, insulating her skin as the plate turned molten red, then cooled back to silver.

  Dania’s vision wavered and she held her head. The plate slipped to the floor, leaving behind a hazy, but solid reinforced patch.

  Alanna leaned closer to the repair. “Wow! That’s a handy trick. I think we’ve found your calling.”

  The room spun and Dania fell back, clutching her temples.

  “Oh my gosh!” Alanna’s blurry face appeared in front of her. “Are you okay?” She disappeared from view. “Peter, I need you in the cargo bay. Dania’s sick again.”

  Again. Dania grimaced. How could she live the rest of her life as the weak link? She was raised to be an enforcer. A leader. She didn’t know how to be anything else.

  The room skewed again, and the doctor’s kind face appeared.

  He shined a light into her eyes. “What were you guys doing?”

  Alanna explained how Dania had melted the polymer. Their voices sounded like they were underwater.

  “I’m okay.” Dania tried to sit up, but slumped back down. “Maybe I’m a little tired.”

  The doctor came back into Dania’s view. “Does using your abilities usually sap your strength like this?”

  Dania closed her eyes, wishing the answer was different. “No. What I did should have been simple.”

  But it wasn’t. And each day simple tasks seemed harder and harder.

  The doctor finally came into focus. “You need to try to limit the use of your power until I find a way to replenish your pathogens.”

  Pathogens.

  Dania cringed. The doctor insisted that her prince had infected her body with tiny microbes that changed her body. He claimed that she’d been human before she’d been an enforcer, and she now needed those microbes to survive. He thought he could replicate them with the right supplies. Of course, they’d need to find their way back to civilized space, first.