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The Mercenary Sale – Blast

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SciFi Romance, Space Opera
Date Published: August 25, 2017
On Sale for $0.99 for the Blast!
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She’s a prisoner of the Imperial Forces. He’s a nomad with a mercenary army. Can her desperate gamble and a fierce warrior’s love turn the tide of war and rewrite the destiny of their corner of the galaxy?
In a distant corner of the galaxy, Quadrant Five burns in the flames of a deadly war. The Budheya people are one of the worst affected.
Saakshi
Imprisoned by the Ketaari Imperial Forces, a young Budheya rebel is sent to a distant space station to work in an alehouse. For a girl who has known only hardship in her short life, things could be worse. Until an old foe walks into the alehouse.
Zoran
Zoran is Hadari’Kor – notoriously fierce mercenaries who only fight for hire. Drawn to a weary-eyed server girl, Zoran is forced to confront age-old traditions and question his role in the war.
The Rebel & The Mercenary
Alone, friendless and far from home, Saakshi makes a desperate gamble to trust an enigmatic stranger whose hot gaze haunts her dreams. The echoes of this unlikely alliance reverberate across the quadrant. As a relentless enemy hunts Saakshi, Zoran must fight with everything in his arsenal to protect her. When passion ignites amidst the embers of a smoldering war, will a warrior’s quest for justice bring a mighty Empire to its knees …
Author’s Note : A spirited and resilient girl, a fierce warrior with a mighty heart, a fiery passion that flares amidst the debris of a deadly war and a love that will alter the fate of an entire quadrant.
This is a standalone story that sets the scene for The War Chronicles – a collection of futuristic SciFi Romance & Space Opera tales with passionate love stories and swashbuckling adventure.
The book has been nominated for Ind’Tale Magazine’s 2018 RONE Award in the Sci-Fi/Time Travel category.
 
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Excerpt
The Unta-Golar clipped away the device before sauntering over unhurriedly to stare down at Saakshi, on her knees on the station’s dirt-crusted floor. She raised pain-filled eyes to the Ketaari officer, unwilling to cower before him. He flashed her a cruel smile before swinging a meaty fist at her. Saakshi closed her eyes in defeat, her pain-wracked body unable to garner the strength to move itself clear of the inevitable blow.
The blow never landed. Instead, Saakshi heard the distinct sounds of a scuffle, followed by some heavy blows. When she dared to open her eyes moments later, the Unta-Golar lay in an awkward tangle in a corner of the alley, caged in by two adjoining walls and the massive body of the Hadari’Kor Captain. The Hadari’Kor male leaned threateningly over the Ketaari Unta-Golar, whose stocky body cowered back against the wall. The Ketaari male’s legs lay sprawled out, one heel drumming uncontrollably on the floor in distress. One of his arms lay bent at an unnatural angle, and pale blue blood seeped sluggishly from cuts to his forehead ridges and the corner of his mouth. His eyes stared wildly up at the Captain, while his good arm alternated between pounding ineffectually on the Captain’s shoulder and trying to claw away the large hand that squeezed his throat inexorably. The Captain had crowded the other male into a corner to brace himself against the wall with one hand, while his other hand, wrapped around the Unta-Golar’s throat, throttled him slowly.
That this entire scene was enacted in complete silence by participants and spectators alike made it seem almost surreal to the Budheya girl watching it play out dispassionately. Saakshi allowed herself to slowly slide down to rest on her bottom, splaying out her legs before her with palms braced against the floor to support her weight. She leaned back comfortably on her hands, content to watch the unfolding show.
Thank the Pura, he came. Better late than never, I guess.
From her position, she could clearly see every expression reflected on the Unta-Golar’s face, but not the Captain’s, whose back faced her.
“This is for using the pain implant, Ketaari murtobak” the Captain bit out in sudden fury, his words breaking the silence in the narrow alley.
He flicked off the fist pounding on his shoulder with a casual shrug as he stared down at the Unta-Golar.
“If you ever touch her again, I will personally break every bone in your body. Are we clear?” the coldly furious voice demanded of the Ketaari.
The Ketaari male stared back at him with vicious eyes, his expression uncowed. The Captain casually exerted a little more pressure around the Unta-Golar’s windpipe, and the Ketaari’s legs went limp, his face turning bloodless and pale.
“Are we clear?” the Captain repeated, more softly this time.
The Ketaari nodded, his pale eyes a tad unfocussed, though the expression on his face promised retribution. The Captain finally let go of his punishing hold on the other male’s throat, to leave the Ketaari limp and panting on the floor. The Hadari’Kor male sprang to his feet fluidly, turning his back on the male gasping for breath at his feet to stride over to Saakshi. For a moment, he gazed down at her in silence. An emotion she’d be hard-pressed to identify flashed though the tightly leashed fury on his face. The black eyes glittered with anger and something akin to regret.
“Are you hurt?” he asked gruffly.
Saakshi shook her head mutely.
“The pain implant?” he inquired, the black eyes holding her captive.
“The effect has worn off” she responded calmly.
“Come” he commanded, holding out his hand imperiously to her.
Saakshi retrieved the piece of control panel she’d used on the Ketaari to tuck it back in its usual hiding place in her boot. The black eyes watched her silently, the palm still held out to her. She allowed him to pull her up and steer her through the small crowd of spectators, a large palm at the small of her back guiding her.
They walked in silence towards his ship, stopping just once to attach the suppressor device to her bracelet to enable her to bypass the station’s exit sensors. Once they were alone in the shuttle and on their way to his docked ship, he turned to face her.
“I apologize for being late. It will not happen again.”
Her eyes snapped up to meet the regret in those dark eyes. Saakshi nodded to acknowledge his apology.
“You fight pretty well for a tiny female” he remarked approvingly after a short silence.
She managed a wan smile at the double-edged compliment.
“Who taught you …” he paused, before stating the obvious. “The rebels?”
She nodded mutely again.
“How much did you see?” she asked him.
“Enough” he gritted out, his teeth clenching.
“Didn’t they teach you when to run?” he inquired softly after a short pause.
“I was getting ready to, but he blindsided me with the pain implant.”
The Captain hit the shuttle wall with his open palm, cursing fluently and with ease in a variety of different languages.
“Son of a swine” she interjected, not wanting to be left out of the cursing party.
After an instant of stunned astonishment, his expression lightened.
“No doubt” he agreed, his dark eyes filling with soft laughter.
“Ketaari murtobak” she offered next, showing off the single word in his language she knew. She’d learnt it by paying attention to his cuss words, the ones she could decipher anyway.
“Absolutely” he gasped out, bursting into unfettered laughter. The effect was to make him look years younger without the serious and unapproachable mien he usually radiated.
“What does it mean?” she asked him, her eyes observing the laughter on his face.
“Unknown paternity” he responded, his face still lit up with amusement.
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An avid reader all her life, only recently has Petra allowed her own imagination to run riot. She loves to travel, loves the outdoors and reads everything she can get her hands on, time permitting. Her taste in books is very eclectic – she tends to like stories with vivid and quirky characters that have elements of fantasy, adventure, romance and mystery interspersed together. A good book for her is one that makes the reader think long after it has been finished and set aside. And one that draws the reader back to it, again and again. To share the characters and tales that have lived in her imagination for so long is a labor of love and a lifelong dream come true for her.
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The book has been nominated for Ind’Tale Magazine’s 2018 RONE Award in the Sci-Fi/Time Travel category.
 
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The Devil’s Dragon – Promo Blitz

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Space Opera, Science Fiction
Date Published: January 2017
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Set 80 years into the future, Nelson Jones, a young military cadet full of optimism and hope is enlisted into the New Era – a fascist regime that arises to rule the world after a horrifying attack from an alien species known as the Great Tribe.
Under the leadership of Earth’s dictator, President Jacob Freeman with his ruthless enforcer, Major Ira Bilis, Nelson witnesses horrible abuses of power and is forced to confront his values and his world view to make difficult choices. When he happens across a small faction of resistance against this tyranny, Nelson must consider whether to risk his life to do what he feels is right.
Praise for The Devil’s Dragon:
 
Choosing to persevere had been one of my better decisions as of late. As I read on, the tale improved vastly and almost before I realized it, I was hooked. It wasn’t love at first sight, but the diverse cast of characters and the intriguing story line eventually drew me in. I’m glad this is a trilogy and I will be eagerly awaiting news of the next two releases. Well worth the read! 4/5 stars. – Bookplex
First in a trilogy, THE DEVIL’S DRAGON is a fascinating futuristic first contact story that challenges ideas about government, humanity and the fine line we walk between right and wrong. – IndieReader
Excerpt
Chapter 21: The Devil’s Dragon
 
Ira Bilis stepped up to an awaiting shuttle, a lieutenant saluted her at the base of the landing ramp, she ignored this and walked past him to the top of the ramp, the loud clacking of her jack boots on the steel seemed to contradict her demure figure, she turned to regard the camp one last time, it was swarming with Aesini warriors, a small contingent of Paladins in defence formation were picking off any of the aliens who dared shoot at or make a rush toward their position.
She breathed in the carnage for a short time before regarding her junior officer with a smirk as he walked up to join her “It makes you feel alive doesn’t it”? “Uh, yes ma’am”.
“Is the shuttle loaded with what I ordered”?
“Yes ma’am, the storage containers have the trinkets that you selected from the local villages”.
“I know what there are”! She tightened her grip on her riding crop, the familiar ominous leather on leather sound made him flinch. He knew that these cases of plunder was everything she had stolen from the Aesini, bracelets, earrings, fine fabrics, jewels, even some gold. He guessed that these spoils of war would fund her retirement.
“Give the order”. She nodded to him who saluted, turned and barked to the small group of soldiers below. “Move out, go go go”! He made a wind up signal. “Yes LT”! They clamoured up the ramp and as it was closing, enemy bullets hit the steel door making a loud pinging sound. The shuttle took off with two dragonfly escorts, the last of the fighters that remained, the roar of its engines punctuated the tumult below, Nadija heard the turbulence and looked up to see the spectacle of the three ships taking off and shook her head with dismay. “She escaped didn’t she”? Horx shared her conclusion.
“There are other ways to exact justice, the Gods will see to that”. Seric sought to offer some comforting words, Nadija gave him a sinister grin “No, not the Gods, we will”.
Seric gave her a look of displeasure and cleared his throat for a rebuttal; however, Nadija felt the need to supplement her thoughts.
“We don’t have time to discuss the finer points of faith and philosophy my friend but suffice it to say, we are all made of stars and both of us are tiny insignificant life forms scuttling around under the same sun like microbes in a Petri dish, that makes us more or less the same under any God or Gods that you nominate, whether there is a God or Gods or not, whether we’re here because of evolution only or evolution assisted by intelligent design from a higher power, it doesn’t really matter in the end, I just do what I do because it makes me feel good”.
“Doesn’t really matter? Creation is not purely by chance look around you! We are the instruments of the Gods, some are called upon to carry out their will, others work against it merely to benefit themselves, most do nothing overall, I most certainly disagree with your simplistic assessment”. Seric coughed with incredulity.
“That’s your right, let’s just keep moving”. Horx wasn’t inclined toward profound conversation at this point. “Wow Nadija that’s kinda deep, here I was thinking you were just a soldier”.
“No one’s just anything Evan, what we are isn’t nearly as important as who we are”. Her eyes had a sparkle in them whenever she looked at him lately and it made his heart skip a beat. “To be continued over some noodles”. He smiled, hoping she understood that noodles was a euphemism for so much more.
They ran down an embankment until they arrived at the main entrance to the camp, Seric took his temporary blanket robe off “I think we’ll be safe here”. He declared as he waved to a group of about a hundred Aesini, clearly this area at least was secure and although gun shots could still be heard in the distance, Nadija gestured for Horx to put his weapon away.
There were at least fifty Paladins squatted with their hands on their heads. As Seric was greeted by his fellow warriors, Nadija asked “You guys are taking prisoners?”
Seric glanced at the POWs and nodded “They can be used at the negotiating table, they will be treated with more kindness then you humans afforded us”.
“Present company excluded, don’t paint us all with the same brush”. Nadija protested.
“Right, of course, I’m sorry it’s just that whatever the outcome, prejudices will remain, so much damage has already been done”.
An elderly warrior rode up atop a strider and peered down with a smile “Seric, the fact that you’re still alive proves that the Gods have a sense of humour”.
“Chief Naid, the convert Nelson Jones is at the base hospital with Meaghan, we have to go rescue them”. Nadija looked up to regard him.
“Lead the way then”. Naid let out a whistle to summon a mank, when one appeared Alene’s face was already on its belly.
“Nelson’s at the infirmary with Meaghan”. Naid reported.
“That area is in the middle, still unsecured, gather up your troops, I’ll head in from the West, you take the south and we’ll meet up there, the dragonflies have retreated to their mother ship for now, probably to resupply so we must act fast”.
Naid saluted his daughter. “Alright, you heard your queen, move out”! And enthusiastic roar of approval erupted from the warriors as they swarmed up the alley that Seric and his entourage had just come from.
Nadija held out her hand to Horx to stop him and shook her head. “We’ve done enough fighting, let’s find a safe area and see if your little experiment worked”.
Horx nodded and turned on his tablet, scrolling through some menus, Wong’s concerned face appeared on the screen. “Report Evan”.
“Mission failed but I think we still have an outcome that may be to our advantage”.
“I have heard that the Aesini have overrun the camp yes”?
“True enough, it’s safe for you to meet up with us now, we’ll be in guard post…”. Horx looked up and saw some large numbers emblazoned on the side of a white tower, a single Aesini warrior was in position at the window. “… Sixteen”.
“What will you be doing up there”? Wong cocked an eyebrow.
He glanced at Nadija who blushed. “Watching some TV” Horx smilled.
The atmosphere inside the shuttle was sombre, Resen had fallen to the enemy and the soldiers had their heads bowed with the shock and disappointment of defeat, except Bilis who strode up and down between them with her head held high, she gently tapped each of their knees with her riding crop to get their attention.
“Ladies and gentlemen”. They all regarded her, including Botany who sat silently between the crates at the back of the cabin, almost unseen like he was part of her loot.
“We are now in space, about to dock with the command ship, despite appearances, we have not lost, this is part of a greater plan that the President has foreseen”. She smiled menacingly.
“There is a moment of truth that is about to occur, a moment of reckoning that will determine the outcome of this struggle against the alien menace, I’m taking overall command of this mission to ensure final victory and I need to know if you are with me or against me, right now”.
She peered into each of their eyes, one by one and in turn they answered “with you ma’am”, “loyal and true”, yes sir”, “to the end”, “now and forever”.
She didn’t bother with Botany; he sat there expressionless, silent in the shadows.
“Good, when the moment comes, I will give you the codeword “downfall”, at that moment you will not hesitate to open fire on Admiral Reece, he has refused a direct order from the Central to fire upon the enemy which has now taken over the camp, once we take command
of the Gilly, we bomb the shit out of them, we do not tolerate weakness in the new era do you get me”?!
“We get you sir”!
When the shuttle landed in the main docking bay, Reece was there with a ceremonial compliment of troops to greet her, she was obviously outnumbered, now was not the right time.
“Major Ira Bilis, it’s good to see that you made it out, I’ve been in contact with the President and have given him an update of the situation”. She saluted Reece who returned in kind.
“Admiral, it was by the skin of my teeth that I escaped and the bravery of my Paladins shall not be forgotten, by the way it’s General Bilis now”. She turned to look at her troops and gave them a small smile.
“I didn’t hear of this promotion, congratulations”. His face had a sceptical expression.
“May we meet in private”?
“Of course, there is much to discuss”. Reece gave a junior officer a nod who gave the order to dismiss the honour guard, as they marched off, Reece held out his hand for her to walk toward another exit which would eventually lead them to the ship’s meeting room.
“You may dismiss your troops General; they’ve fought well and must be eager for R&R”.
“They will have earned it before this day is over”. She agreed, her pace was slow as they walked, it didn’t occur to him that she was stalling for time, waiting until his troops had entirely left the docking bay before confronting him.
“Are you injured”? He feigned concern.
“Just fatigued sir, a little battered and bruised too”. This was the truth.
When they got to the exit door, Reece’s troops were finally gone but Bilis’s contingent remained in formation behind her, Reece’s face had a growing look of concern. “Dismiss your troops General or I will for you”.
“Not yet”.
Reece went to grab his cylinder but Bilis put her hand on his wrist to stop him, the concerned expression now turned to alarm. “What the hell’s going on Ira”?
Her troops now cocked their rifles and trained them on him.
“Oh my God”.
“Admiral, I am taking over this mission, I would much prefer that you remain in command of the Gilgamesh and we’ll pretend that this little awkward moment never happened as long as you acknowledge that I’m in charge overall”.
“The president’s in charge overall”. He scowled at her. “And he has deemed me fit for command of the expeditionary forces, I am the Admiral you silly little girl”!
He regarded the soldiers behind her. “When you put on that uniform, you took a sacred oath to follow the proper chain of command put forth by the leader himself, put down your weapons, that’s an order or you’ll be in front of a firing squad”! He barked at them but they remained unmoved.
Bilis walked a circle around Reece, her riding crop twisting between her leather gloves at her back. “Reece, this is an opportunity for you to make things right, this is the turning point of this war, all you have to do is resume your post as fleet Admiral and follow my orders, the first being to bomb the crap out of the camp below and then Apolinya, is that understood”?
“I only follow orders from two people Ira, Jessie and Jacob, we’ve known each other for a long time, from the start, you know I can’t change that, you know there is no compromise”!
“They’re not here, they will never be here, this system belongs to us now and the only way we can rule it is with an iron fist, the outcast colonies will be a shinning beacon, an unreachable
outpost of the new era, an impregnable fortress, a utopia of strength and order defying a universe of chaos, I’m giving you the chance to be a part of that Adam, to revel in its glory!”
Her eyes sparkled with a maniacal intensity as she made a fist, Reece grimaced, she’d never called him by his first name before. “President Freeman ordered that I do not bomb the camp and withdraw the fighters, unlike you he values his personnel still down there”. He looked at the troops in her entourage. “You are only here to forward her agenda, she’s addicted to power, that’s why Freeman held her back on a short leash, he knew she’d turn out like this, don’t you see that”?
“He lies, last chance Reece, join me”. She stared into his eyes at close range and for a moment he could see something he couldn’t reconcile with his mind, it was fire blazing in her eyes, was it his fear playing tricks with his eyes?
“Never”. He whispered.
Her troops raised their guns, ready to fire on her orders.
“Downfall”.
Reece slumped under a hail of bullets, dying in a pool of his blood he looked up at her standing over him.
“You’re the devil”. He managed to spit out before he closed his eyes and ceased to exist.
“No, I am the devil’s dragon”. She whispered to herself as she walked out of the hangar, her troops marching in formation behind her. “I am what the universe has made me”. The doors closed behind her, only Botany remained, standing in the middle of the bay, alone, forgotten.
Meaghan lay on the operating table, coughing meekly and wheezing she stared into his eyes. “I love you Nelson”.
“That’s twice I’ve heard that today but you’re the only one I wanted to hear it from”. He held her cool hand tightly as the doctor applied anesthetic over her mouth and hooked her up to various machines.
“She’s haemorrhaging; I’ve got to go in now”. He muttered. The doctor was soaked in the blood of patients he’d worked on before her, his expression was frazzled.
“Save her doc”.
“I can only play with the cards I’m dealt, the less you talk from now on the better so shut up”.
Her eyes closed under the effect of the anaesthesia and the doctor proceeded to cut her open, he didn’t even bother cleaning the equipment first.
Some minutes of silence passed as he worked furiously over her, the doctors face was obscured by his mask so Nelson watched his eyes, he didn’t like what he saw, the eyes betrayed him, they looked increasingly less confident and Nelson’s heart sank, tears welled in his eyes.
“Please doc, please save her, she’s pregnant”.
“You don’t think I know that”?!
They heard shouting and shots being fired from outside the operating theatre and for a moment they looked at each other with trepidation, the doctor then returned to Meaghan and shook his head. “Looks like your war found its way here”. He grumbled.
The doors swang open to the theatre, a few Aesini walked in and raised their weapons at them, Nelson stood up, his hands raised. “I’m done fighting”.
A female stepped forward adorned in a purple cape. “Are you Nelson Jones”? To his surprise she could speak English.
He nodded, his hands still raised.
“Do you mind? I’m trying to save a life here”! The doctor bellowed.
“Two lives”. Nelson tilted his head toward the doctor who shook his head regretfully, one of the machines made a flat line sound.
“No, just one now”.
Nelson lowered his hands and turned to look over Meaghan, she was gone.
“Oh Jesus no, no no no, why God why”? His tears now flowed down his face as he sobbed over her, his expression grew dark. “Bring her back”!
The doctor shook his head, Nelson pulled out his pistol and raised it to the doctor “Bring her back, at least try, why don’t you at least try”?!
Naid leaned over and grabbed his gun, wrenching it off him, Alene held him as he cried, he wasn’t even aware that he was embracing the alien. Seric walked over and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “Too much death has been seen today”. Naid whispered.
The doctor continued to operate “I can save the child but she will need an incubator to survive, she’s premature”.
“Tell me where to find this incubator”. Alene said.
“There’s none on this mound of shit you call Resen, the only ones we have are on the capital ships, the Gilgamesh has one.
Nelson wiped his eyes and looked at the doctor “I’m sorry about my reaction doctor”.
“I’ve seen worse, now, can you get me on that ship”?
He thought for a moment and shook his head regretfully. “No, I don’t see how”.
Alene stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes “Never lose hope Nelson, the Gods have determined that we meet for a reason”.
“Who are you”?
“I am Alene, first Empress of the Great Tribe and I will lead all of us, human and Aesini alike to the path of righteousness”.
Naid and Seric looked at each other and said in bemused unison “Empress”?
“This is my father Chief Naid and my good friend Seric”.
They nodded and Nelson let out a slow exhale. “So, what now”?
“Now you need to name this child”. A small cry could be heard behind them and they all turned to see a new born baby girl being cradled in the doctor’s arms, so tiny and fragile and Nelson let out a gasp, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He walked over and held out his little finger, the baby’s hand could feel it and grasped at it.
“Liana”.
“Why this name”? Alene asked.
“That was the name of Meaghan’s grandmother, she told me about her once, right about the time my daughter was conceived in fact”. He smiled, recalling the moment of his short lived intimacy with Meaghan; it seemed so long ago now. “She lived in a better time, a better world, far from perfect but better”.
“Then the birth of this child shall herald better times again”. Alene declared.
“Touching, but she’s only got a few hours to enjoy these better times unless we get her to an incubator and a proper hospital”. The doctor growled.
About the Author
 

After completing two degrees, Jason F Boggs has spent over 25 years in the hotel industry where he experiences peoples’ true natures – both good and bad, fertile ground for these stories. Jason currently lives on the Gold Coast in Australia with his wife SueEllen who patiently endures his imagination and their two cats, who do not.
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In the Beginning – Blitz

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Sci Fi/Space Opera
Date Published: Sept 5th 2017
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The origins of Judeo-Christian religion and mythology come together in this mature science fiction page-turner.
To combat overpopulation on the planet Orion, the government releases a birth control virus to keep women from becoming pregnant. Only the brightest and most attractive of their species are allowed to mate. But the virus rages out of control, killing both mother and child. Attempts to develop a cure fail. They only have one option left: search other worlds for advanced societies that may be able to help.
The two most intelligent minds on Orion—and former best friends—Lucifer and Zues band together to search for a secret planet. When they finally arrive, they are greeted with unexplainable death and destruction. This planet is not the answer. Something doesn’t add up. They discover an extra unknown planet in the solar system.
The new planet is covered in lush land masses and bodies of water. Different species of hominids run—and mate—freely. Fire-breathing dragons guard the land. Lucifer is determined to figure out who or what created this planet. He thinks it just might be the key to saving Orion and the Orionites.

 

Excerpt
Hippolyta cleared the launch tube and dived down into the planete’s atmosphere. It only took her a few seconds to begin to get a full view of the alien planete. She had heard the rumors that this planete wasn’t actually a planete—that it was artificial or something like that. Sure looks real to me, she thought as she made her approach. The closer she got to the actual planete itself, the more amazed she became.
This place is huge, and it’s gorgeous. It’s perfect. No pollution, no buildings, nothing covering up its inherent natural beauty. It is too perfect; maybe this place isn’t real after all. It’s too good to be true, too beautiful to have just happened by chance.
She found herself completely mesmerized by the incredible landscapes, gigantic bodies of sparkling blue water, and enormous amounts of vegetation existing all over this untouched planete. Then as if out of nowhere, she saw it. Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! It was one of the gigantic flying beasts that were supposedly capable of breathing fire or something like that. She had been briefed on their existence. She had even been shown pictographs, but she quickly realized that until this very moment, when she was seeing one of the great beasts with her own eyes, she hadn’t really believed it.
She brought her Vimana to a complete stop and hovered in midair, not moving at all. She knew that she was in no real danger. Her Vimana was cloaked, and the miniature arc-core power source that Vimanas used was completely silent. Flight operations of Vimanas in general were completely silent. There was no exhaust or propulsion system to speak of. Vimanas moved air and space around them; they didn’t actually move through air and space, although it seemed as if they did.
“What a majestic creature! Hera, help me!” she heard herself say. Hera was Hippolyta’s grandmother. She was the greatest female warrior in Orionite history. So great, in fact, that the Orionite government deemed her worthy of deification. Hippolyta knew that it was disrespectful to say her grandmother’s name aloud since she had been made a deity, but when she was alone, where no one else could hear her, she often did. It just made her feel better.
For a few moments, she sat there completely still, in wonderment of the sheer power and grace that the creature possessed, and then said to herself, “I am going to have to go in for a closer look at this magnificent beast.” Hippolyta moved her Vimana slowly toward the creature. She was able to match its speed and came up along the side of the winged beast.
It looks like it has armor plating on its chest and head. I’d like to see it shoot some fire out of its mouth, as Mikael said it could, she thought.
Then suddenly the beast flipped end over end and turned toward her ship. Hippolyta brought the Vimana to a complete stop and didn’t move a muscle. She was holding her breath, she realized. It appeared as if the creature were looking directly at her. What the fuck? There was no way this thing could know that she was here. She was completely cloaked and completely silent. And that was when it came.
Hippolyta got her wish as a gigantic superhot blue-and-white ball of fire shot out from the creature’s mouth and totally enveloped her Vimana. “Fuck!” Hippolyta screamed as her Vimana began to plummet toward the surface of the planete. She attempted to regain control of the craft, but her flight systems were not responding. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the craft began to come back online, and she was able to reestablish control of the ship.
“Holy fuck! How did that thing see me? Must have some kind of infrared vision or some bullshit like that. That’s fucked up!” she said as she evened out her flight path. She got on the horn and spoke into her comm unit. “Olympus actual, this is Sergeant Hippolyta requesting immediate assistance. My ship has been damaged, and I may not be able to make it back into orbit.” She waited for a reply for one second, two seconds, three. “Olympus actual, please respond and advise.”
There was no answer.
“Oh, this is seriously fucking great. Fireball must have fried my communications array. Shit!” She continued on her flight path and tried to decide what to do. She’d probably be able to make it back to the Olympus; she just didn’t know how much damage the ship had endured. Then she saw, or rather sensed, a very large shadow looming over her. She looked up and saw the same creature directly overhead.
“Mikael said these things never left their own territory! Well, that was a total fucking lie! Mikael, fucking dumb-ass son of a bitch, give me good intel before you send me out on a mission! I am so going to kill that motherfucker when I get back! How the fuck is this thing tracking me?”
And then the shadow grew larger. She looked up and saw the great beast descending on her, producing a brilliant stream of blue-and-white flame from its mouth. She put the Vimana into a dead drop and pushed it to its top speed. See ya, you son of a bitch, she thought as she escaped her pursuer. She had started to approach a landmass to the southwest of where they were setting up the Atlantis base when she saw the creature again; it was right on her tail. The beast was matching her speed. She couldn’t believe it. That’s not possible, she thought, and then she saw the flame coming toward her again; this thing was not going away.
She dropped the Vimana down to an even lower altitude and began to follow the path of a wide winding body of water. She was using this winding river like a highway. She had grown desperate to escape the flying menace, but she still couldn’t keep herself from marveling at the incredible beauty and splendor of the untouched waterway that she was using to help navigate her flight path. Then even at this low altitude, she felt the shadow of the creature creep over her Vimana once again.
I’ve got to get the hell out of here, she thought. She didn’t know where to go; she needed a place to hide. The shadow grew larger as the beast began to descend upon her ship. She saw a clearing to the north of the jungle. There, right there. She flew her Vimana through the clearing and a little way into the jungle itself, where it would be under the cover of some large trees.
She didn’t know if this would work. Her Vimana was already cloaked, but it felt better than being out in the open, waiting to be burned alive and eaten. She sat there holding her breath for ten, twenty, thirty minutes, waiting for the blue-and-white flame to cook her where she sat, but fortunately it never came. After she got herself together and after many more failed attempts at contacting the Olympus, Hippolyta decided that it was time to try to make it back to the mother ship, but for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to go. Maybe it was fear of encountering the giant flying reptile again, or maybe it was something else. She had been entranced by the beauty of the surrounding jungle the entire time that she had been hiding from her tormentor. She decided that she was going to get out of her Vimana and take a look around.
Just for a few minutes, she thought. The beauty of this place was pulling her toward it; she could feel it. Sergeant Hippolyta popped her cockpit and was the first Orionite person to ever set foot on Terra Firma. She stomped on the ground. Felt like ground to her, but the grass was so green; the skies were so clear. It was familiar but different. It was better…much better. She was nervous about it, but she decided to remove her flight helmet as well. Mikael had said that the air was breathable. Let’s find out, she thought. She removed her helmet and held her breath for a very long time. Then in one big gasp, she sucked the alien air into her lungs.
“Great Hera!” she said to herself as the clean, oxygen-rich, alien air hit her lungs. This is magnificent; this is intoxicating! I feel incredible! Her head felt light; she was initially a little woozy. She had never experienced such raw, untouched, and unpolluted air as this. It was truly a beautiful experience. She lay down in the soft green grass and just soaked in the beauty of the place for a long time. She felt at peace; she felt happy. She felt, maybe for the first time in her life, that she was at home. After spending some time lying in the grass and soaking in the astron rays, Hippolyta sat up and looked around. The jungle was gorgeous. She wanted to go see what was back there, and so she did.
She walked through the jungle and again marveled at its untouched beauty—the plants, flowers, trees all so complete and untouched by the hand of man. She came around a turn, and that was when she saw them. There were hominids up in front of her. “Oh shit!” she whispered to herself as she ducked down behind a rock formation. They didn’t see her.
Thank Hera, she thought. She spied on the hominid creatures for quite a while. They were completely naked and without shame. They were bathing themselves and one another, she noticed, in what must have been a hot spring of some kind. There was a small waterfall up over their heads. The water was clear and beautiful; she could see their forms clearly. They were beautiful, magnificent specimens. They were much taller than the other hominid species she had seen in the pictographs; they were almost as tall as she was.
They don’t have any pictographs of these hominids up on the Olympus, she thought. Their skin, eyes, and hair were so dark. Their bodies were so muscular, their thighs and buttocks so strong, their breasts so firm and full. Sergeant Hippolyta felt something begin to stir down deep between her thighs, a feeling she had never felt before. What the hell is that? she wondered. She shifted on the rock that she was sitting on, but no matter which way she tried to sit, she could never get comfortable. She continued to spy on the hominids bathing in the hot spring.
They’re all female, she suddenly realized. There wasn’t a male among them, and she slowly began to understand that she liked that. Her breathing began to get heavy, and she began to perspire in the heat of the jungle. She began to tug and pull at her flight suit; her skin felt flushed. Other parts of her body began to feel flushed as well. Certain parts of her body began to swell and ache that had never swollen or ached before in her entire existence.
Then as if she were having an out-of-body experience, Sergeant Hippolyta removed her flight suit and her undergarments and stood up on the rock that she had been hiding behind. She stood completely naked for all these gorgeous female alien hominids to see. She wanted them to see her. She knew that she should be embarrassed by her swollen genitalia that could easily be seen through the clear pubic hair that all Orionite women possessed, but for some reason, she was not. She stood tall and proud and naked.
The hominids in the hot spring did see her. They did not seem afraid, however. They seemed curious. Hippolyta slowly stepped off of the rock face and made her way down toward the all-female tribe and then slowly entered the water. It was warm and inviting; it felt so good as the water rose up above her thighs and began to make contact with her swollen and aching clitoris. The alien females began to slowly move toward Hippolyta; they still seemed unafraid. They began to stroke her clear hair. They looked into Hippolyta’s large blue eyes; they explored her face, her nose, her ears, her mouth, her lips, and her neck. Then they began to explore other parts of Hippolyta’s anatomy.

That was the first and last mission that Sergeant Hippolyta ever flew for the Olympus arc vessel. She was never heard from again.About the Author

 

BCE is originally from parts unknown and currently resides in areas of the planet yet to be explored. His favorite pastime is reading old encyclopedias while eating Peanut M&M’s. He does believe that the warehouse depicted at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark actually exists. He has only one goal left in his life that he wishes to accomplish: to live long enough to see the aliens return so he may look over at his beautiful wife in her nursing-home bed and say, “I told you so.”

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THE STUFF OF LEGEND – BOOK BLITZ

They say opposites attract –
if they can manage to stay alive
The Stuff of Legend Book Cover
THE STUFF OF LEGEND
GRETA VAN DER ROL
Series: Ptorix Empire # 5
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Space Opera
Publisher: Pronoun
Publication Date: January 25, 2017
When history professor Olivia Jhutta receives a distress call from her parents, she sets out into space with their business partner, her grandmother and injured Confederacy Admiral Jak Prentiss to find them. But she’s not the only one interested in the Jhutta’s whereabouts. The Helicronians believe Olivia’s parents have found an ancient weapon which they can use to wage war on the Confederacy.
Jak goes on the trip to fill in time while he’s on enforced leave, helping Olivia follow cryptic clues in what he considers an interplanetary wild goose chase in search of a fairy story. But as the journey progresses and legend begins to merge with unsettling fact, Olivia and Jak must resolve their differences and work together if they are to survive. The two are poles apart… but it’s said opposites attract. If they can manage to stay alive.
Also available for review on NetGalley. Click here.

Other Books by the Author

Don’t miss the other books in the Ptorix Empire series by Greta van der Rol.
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The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy
Series: Ptorix Empire # 1
Inter-species war looms. In a race against time, ex-admiral Saahren must convince Allysha to set aside her conflicted emotions about him to help him prevent the coming conflagration. And perhaps while he’s doing that, he’ll win back the only woman he’s ever loved.
Available FREE just about everywhere.

Giveaway

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Contest runs from March 27 – 29, 2017.

About Greta van der Rol

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Hi, I’m Greta van der Rol. I’m a writer, photographer, animal lover, and space nut. Most of my books are space opera with a dollop of romance – but I’ve written two paranormal novels featuring weretigers, and one historical fiction.
I live with my husband not far from the beach in Queensland, Australia. When I’m not writing I take photographs of nature and animals, and now and then I do some cooking.
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