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  Without Hesitation

  Beyond Earth: Book One

  Copyright © 2017 by Talia Jager. All rights reserved.

  First Ebook Edition: 2017

  Editing by The Dirty Editor

  Cover and Formatting: Streetlight Graphics

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To the people who believe that love is love and hope someday we will all be accepted for who we are.

  Acknowledgements:

  I give my love and thanks to my tribe. Without your support, this book wouldn’t be possible. I can’t thank you enough for the love and acceptance you show me everyday.

  Thanks to the fans who have loved my other stories and inspired me to write this one.

  Thank you to my team: Streetlight Graphics and The Dirty Editor for making this book awesome.

  Chapter One

  Akacia

  The bamboo stick connected with a resounding crack as Bristow raised his own to block my blow at the last second. I pressed my body weight on the point where the two bamboo sticks met, trying to overpower him. Our faces were inches apart, so close that I could see the sweat droplets as they formed on his brow. I felt him falter, a slight give in his resistance and then Bristow grinned and threw me off easily. I leaped back into a defensive posture.

  “You’re getting good,” he said, mopping sweat off of his brow.

  “Am I or are you just slow today?” I asked with a sneer.

  We’d both been learning Kendo for a little over six months now. As my second it was necessary for Bristow to be ready to protect and defend me, and Kendo, the Japanese martial art that involved the mastery of a bamboo sword, was one of many. I had no reason to learn any sort of fighting, sword or otherwise, but it felt good to remember that my body could be used for something besides eating and sitting in on formal meetings.

  Bristow was stronger than me, but what I lacked in strength I made up with speed and agility. But today I could tell his head just wasn’t in it, which was made even clearer when my shinai met the middle of his back with a thud, muffled by his thick body armor.

  “Alright,” I said taking off my helmet and dropping my weapon. “What’s up with you?”

  “What makes you think something is up?” Bristow pulled of his own helmet revealing his messy, russet-brown hair. He looked at me with his kind brown eyes—the same ones that often got him out of trouble with our caretakers.

  I hit him with what he liked to call my sassy stare. “Come on, Bristow. I know you. Something is wrong.”

  “Can we go somewhere else and talk?” He gestured to the hovercraft by the tree.

  Glancing at our sunstar, Roma, I decided that we had enough time until I was due for survival class. “Of course.”

  Seconds later, we were flying over waist-height grass in the fields, past the fruit-bearing trees in the orchards, and steering far from the dense forest until we reached a large body of water.

  Bristow held out his hand and helped me down—not that I needed it, he was just being a gentleman. We sat on the boulders by the water, both of us chucking small stones at it and watching the ripples.

  Finally, Bristow blurted, “I got an offer to go with Treg on their mission to Zoyter to trade. It’s a small step toward my dream.”

  My hand froze in the air for a few seconds before I threw the stone. “You’re leaving?”

  “I haven’t given them a definite answer yet, but yes, I’d like to go.” He turned to look at me. “We’re taught to live life to its fullest. Getting off this planet is what I want to do.”

  I wanted to be happy for him, but all I felt was sadness. “Is it so bad here?”

  “No, Kace.” Bristow was the only one who called me this. I supposed growing up together gave him the right. I was Empress Sparks to most people, Akacia to others, and close friends called me Kaci. “It’s not bad. I just want to see the galaxy. Don’t you remember our dreams? Remember how we used to talk about exploring off planet?”

  “Of course I do. The mystery of what’s out there, the beauty of other worlds, the excitement of meeting other species—if there are any. What’s not to love?” I remembered the many times we talked about exploring the universe, going on trips, finding new planets. Being confined to such a small area for so much of our lives, it made us want to see the universe.

  Bristow’s parents had worked with mine. Besides being the Emperor, my father was also a scientist. They were all murdered in a failed attack to get control of our planet twelve years ago. I didn’t recall the details very well, and nobody talked about it. But I did remember Bristow had been with me the day our parents were killed. Even at seven years old, he was kind and compassionate. When he should have been mourning his own parents, he had put his arm around me while I cried. When those in charge came for me, I demanded he come, too. They tried to separate us, but I had such a grip on his hand that they let him stay. He became my family.

  From then on we were inseparable. Bristow and I spent the next nine years sequestered in the compound where we played together, went to school together, and trained together. Three years ago, when I had passed my sixteenth winter, Galton told me it was time that I took on all the responsibilities of being the Empress of Valinor.

  “But?” Bristow coaxed.

  “It’s not safe. I worry about you. You’re my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I admitted. “Besides you are my number two.”

  “I’ll be fine. Your guards are top of the line. They wouldn’t dream of letting anything happen to the empress’s best friend. And you have Galton for now. The plan was for me to step up when he retired.”

  Staring up into the violet sky, I said, “I could order you to stay.”

  “Kace…” His face fell.

  “But I won’t. Tomorrow isn’t promised. We must live for today, without hesitation. So go, Bristow, but promise me you’ll come back.” I leaned my head on his shoulder.

  “Of course I will. This is my home. You are my family.” He kissed my forehead.

  “Empress,” a deep voice said after clearing his throat loudly.

  We both jumped up.

  “Galton! You almost gave me a heart attack.”

  “Apologies, Empress. You are needed back at the compound.” Galton shot Bristow a look that made Bristow step back.

  “Is everything alright?”

  “There is a spacecraft hovering just outside our perimeter.”

  “Sorry, Kace,” Bristow whispered on our way to the compound.

  “Don’t be. I had fun. No hesitations, right?”

  “Right.”

  The compound was where I lived. It was mostly hidden in the side of a mountain just north of the village, Baile. The only part visible was the entrance, windows, and solar panels, and even those were camouflaged very well. I yanked my blonde hair out of the ponytail it was in and let it fall around my face. As I brushed the grass off my blue shirt, I noticed the dirt caked under my fingernails from gardening earlier. I attempted to pick it out as we made our way inside.

  The walls of the compound were lined with pictures. There
was one of Earth about a thousand years ago, before it was almost completely destroyed.

  Next to it was a picture of the spacecraft my family owned and our planet’s namesake, The Valinor. And alongside that picture was one of the commanders, my great-great-grandmother Malou. Malou became the first empress, a monarchial position that was passed down to the eldest child in the family. Bristow always said I looked like her. I had the same heart-shaped face and we shared the same dimple on our right cheek, but as far as I could tell, that was where the similarities ended.

  The control room was where the action took place. Computers monitored our world as well as the galaxy around us. I stood in the middle of the room surveying all of the monitors. “What is it?”

  “See here,” Galton said, pointing. “This spacecraft dropped out of FTL and seems to be hovering just outside the warning point.”

  “Have you identified the spacecraft?” I asked, taking a step closer to the screen, hands behind my back.

  “No.”

  “Have you hailed them?”

  “Yes. No answer.”

  “Is it going through?” I twisted the ring I wore on my right hand; the one that had been worn by Malou and bore the family crest. Not a dainty thing at all, but one of the things I held close to my heart.

  “We can’t be sure.”

  “Do you think they’re pirates?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “Could they be here because of the summit tomorrow?” I was supposed to be leaving in a couple hours for a summit with other Alliance members on the planet, Caipra.

  “Doubtful.”

  “Recommendations?”

  Galton stroked his chin. It was a habitual thing he did when he was deep in thought, but it was funny because he used to have a goatee and recently shaved it. So when he stroked his chin now, it just looked odd. “We can wait and see, or fire when the ship is close enough.”

  “Can their weapons reach us from there?” I inquired.

  “Depends on what they have,” Niam, our weapons expert, answered. “If they have a long-range missile, we could take a hit. Should we fire on them first? This behavior is already somewhat hostile.”

  Thoughts filled my mind as I stared at the screen. If we did nothing, they could attack, kill us all, and take my planet. If we fired on them, we could start a war. Neither option was good.

  Valinor was a small Earth-like planet with three continents, the one we lived on, and two uninhabited on the opposite side. It had almost no axial tilt, giving it a mild, almost boring climate. Rich with amazing natural resources, it was located in a very central area of the universe. For those reasons, people always wanted to live here. We welcomed peace-loving people, but there were those who wanted to take the planet from us. The last time they tried, they killed my parents, leaving me Empress. Valinor was my responsibility. I had to protect it and the people living on it. Malou named our village, Baile, an Irish word meaning home.

  “Vika? Any thoughts?” As my advisor and teacher, I trusted her on these issues.

  Her sandy-brown hair was pulled back tight giving her a fierce look. “I don’t think we should fire on them. They could be explorers or maybe they need help,” she said, offering a more positive view of things. “They haven’t crossed the line.”

  Galton didn’t look happy, but he knew the decision was mine to make. “Empress?”

  Looking at Galton, I answered, “Wait for now. Keep trying to make contact. Put the guard on alert. If they cross over the warning point without communication, take the ship out.”

  “Yes, Empress.”

  “What’s the probability they just want to say hi?” I asked, with a hopeful shrug.

  “Low,” Galton answered, his mouth set in a grim line. “You should hide in case they are hostile.”

  I shook my head. “I’m done hiding. I understand why I had to growing up, but I’m no longer a child. I’m the Empress, and I will not go down without a fight. You’ve all trained me well. Have some faith now.”

  “My apologies, Empress.”

  Galton’s mouth twitched at the corners and some semblance of a smile came to his lips. Asserting my independence and claiming my rightful place as Empress didn’t come naturally to me and Galton often challenged me in this regard. I can only assume that he was somewhat proud of me for refusing to be hidden away like a child or some fragile girl.

  Shifting my attention back to the spacecraft, I wondered who was on board and what they wanted. Was this the invasion I had trained for all of this time? If they attacked, today could be the last day of my life. Oddly, that didn’t scare me. Death was our fate. The only thing I worried about was my planet. If Valinor fell into the wrong hands, I had no children who would succeed me, no other family who could step up to take my place. And now Bristow wanted to pursue his own dreams and have adventures off planet…

  “Galton, if they attack and I die today, what will happen to Valinor?”

  “Your death is not an option, Empress.”

  I knew he meant well, but I needed to know. “Humor me.”

  His expression grew serious. “As you know, lineage is what controls that. You succeeded your father. Bristow succeeded his. But because you were both so young, I stayed on along with Vika until you were old enough. So, to answer your question, Bristow would become emperor if you died. That’s of course assuming someone is left on the planet after an attack.”

  “And if he wasn’t around for some reason?”

  “We have no protocol for that particular situation.”

  “Well, maybe we need to create one and put it in place.” I stole a glance at Bristow. His face was stoic. I knew he would fulfill his duties, but I also knew he’d hate it. Staring back at the spacecraft, one thing was abundantly clear: I could not die.

  I had no idea what to do. Fire or wait? By earthyear 2507, most of Earth had been destroyed. The governments there came together to move human life off the planet in order to save the human race and spread life throughout the universe. It took another three hundred years to achieve that goal. People stayed behind on Earth to reverse the damage humans had done. They had made great strides, but still have a long way to go to bring it back to its former glory.

  A few years after humans left Earth, they began to find planets that were habitable. Some people colonized those planets while others worked on space stations.

  After humans began populating planets, it was soon realized some sort of law was required and The Authority was formed. Most of the universe had joined an alliance, though there were some that refused, and others that were rogue. There were criminals we called space pirates. They’d attacked spacecrafts, invaded planets, stole, and forced people into slavery.

  My parents had believed in peace and joined the Alliance in hopes to maintain it. Our own people were loyal to us. I wanted to keep that going. Firing first could lead to a war. Of course, if they fired, that could lead to a war as well. We had to talk to them. It was the only option that resulted in peace.

  “Hail them again.” I walked to the window and looked up to where the spacecraft hovered. The sunstar had just set, making it difficult to see. Something else caught my attention. A soft blue glow appeared just over the trees. Nobody else noticed. They were too busy trying to figure out what to do about the spacecraft. I had the distinct feeling that it was just a distraction.

  I took off, heading toward that light.

  “Akacia!” Bristow yelled. I knew he’d come after me.

  Limbs lashed at my legs and arms as I ran through the trees, toward the light. Hugging the shadows, I wove through the forest until I came to the clearing. A female around my age in a black protective suit stood there checking some kind of device in her hand.

  She was beautiful. Her hair was just as long as mine, but was dark, smooth, and straight and framed her oval face perfectly. Her bright, golden eyes
scanned her surroundings. She turned slowly revealing an animal print tattoo that trailed from the back of her neck, down her right shoulder, and her arm all the way to her pinky finger. I took half a step toward her before common sense drew me up short. I had been hiding for a reason. I had no idea whether she was friend or foe. It was dangerous to go charging out there, even if the girl seemed to be alone.

  The stranger was facing me again. Her eyes landed near where I was hidden.

  Could she see me?

  She smirked and, said, “I know someone is out there. Save me the hunt and I’ll spare your life.”

  Somehow I doubted she spoke the truth.

  I hunkered down, daring her to find me. I was ready for her. Slowly, carefully, she picked her way through the underbrush and made her way toward me. She knew I was here, but she didn’t know exactly where. Remembering how important it was that I not die, I couldn’t take any chances. As soon as she was close enough, I struck.

  Just before my arm made contact, she shifted her weight and spun, stepping out of the way. She threw a punch, which I dodged easily, but then she continued to come at me and I blocked her over and over, until I made a misstep. While I was stumbling, she caught my cheek with her elbow then landed another blow to my belly. I countered, slamming my hand onto the bridge of her nose sending her backward. She stumbled but caught herself.

  I launched myself at her, drove my body into hers, knocking her to the ground. We both fell in a tangle of limbs. She rolled, putting distance between us, and we both jumped back to our feet.

  When she sprung forward again. I twisted, my back protesting the movement, just enough to get out of the way.

  We exchanged quite a few blows before she finally clocked me one good time in the face then followed that up with a kick in the ribs that stole my breath. I collapsed to the ground grabbing my side. Not wasting a second, I swept her with my foot, hooking my leg around hers, and yanking back with all my might. Her bright eyes widened as she went down, landing on her back. I jumped on top of her and pinned her to the ground. Now that I was up close I saw that there were two more tattoos on the left side of her neck: an arrow with two Xs in the middle, and another simple symbol next to it.