Lunara Station Box Set (Books 1-3): A space opera adventure series Read online

  STAR RELIC

  Prologue

  These are my last moments alive, and there is so little time left, the princess thought as she turned on the recording device and began to speak.

  “If you see this, please use it to do better than I did, than we did. I want to warn you: whoever you are, no matter what race you are, don’t repeat our mistakes. These monsters are out there right now because we have taken the wrong path. My father, the king, has taken the wrong path.

  “He becomes stronger, more enhanced, with every soul he ingests. His intellect grows with every passing day, and no one, not even his own daughter, can compete with his intelligence. As you have seen in the memories I have stored on this device, everyone, down to the last innocent Syrr soul, is now paying the price.

  “They are here, and we are powerless. Whoever you are, don’t repeat our mistakes. Remember the Syrr. My people. My dead people.”

  The princess took a deep breath and carefully removed the disk from the recording device. After making her way to the center of the room, she inserted the disk into a terminal and grasped the stone that would become her future and legacy.

  The building shook, alerting her to how little time she had left before they would come for her.

  But they wouldn’t find her. There would only be an empty body. And the stone, of course, filled with the carefully chosen memories she had recorded. A fraction of her soul would survive and help someone else do better.

  The building shook again, and a few stones in the tall, domed ceiling above broke loose. With trembling hands, the princess dropped the stone into its slot in the terminal. She took one last long breath before encasing the stone with both hands.

  The princess was bathed in bright light as the first winged creature entered the building from above.

  Her last thoughts were of hope.

  1 Dinner Party

  Lenah Callo shifted uncomfortably in her chair, wishing she could finally get up and leave the party. She wanted to begin the more exciting part of the evening. Sitting next to her, the representative of Astur Horizons Capital nodded eagerly at a comment that her father had made, but that Lenah had already forgotten.

  “Indeed,” her father said. "My daughter has a special taste when it comes to interior design. If she could, she’d have her rooms decorated like the insides of a spaceship, pilot’s chair and all.”

  The investor joined his polite smile, then leaned forward. Her father continued, “She’d probably even move into a spaceship in the parking lot of the mansion, if I let her.”

  Lenah forced her lips into a smile, tired of the conversation. Her affection for spaceships was one of her father’s favorite funny stories, one that he never missed telling. He called it her little endearing quirk that would make business partners more inclined to invest in their company, only she didn’t find the joke particularly amusing. She had never understood why flying spaceships was a job reserved for members outside the families. Members of the corporate families let lowly pilots fly them, therefore making her an eccentric weirdo.

  She peered over to the woman who was sitting next to her father at the other end of the table. Corinna Cheung, the person Lenah admired most in the world, had made one of her rare public appearances tonight.

  One day, Lenah was going to be like her: a corporate woman who piloted through space in her free time, all because she could, social conventions be damned. If you were Corinna Cheung, no one laughed about your quirks. In fact, people looked up to you for having them.

  “My father lacks understanding. He couldn’t survive long, given there’s little space for a wine cellar on a ship.” Lenah motioned toward their two full wine glasses on the table, one for each of the desserts they had finished. The Callo mansion was famous for the excellent and abundant quantities of various wines at its feasts.

  “Ah, you’ve got me now. Don’t we all have our own weaknesses?” Her father gave her an almost invisible nod with those words.

  Her sign.

  Lenah tried to calm her impatience. Her adventure would have to wait a few more minutes. For now, she had a deal to make with Andreas Cane from Horizons Capital.

  Climbing to the top of the galactic corporate ladder definitely wasn’t easy. But Starwide Research, her family’s business, had scored a great deal a couple of years ago. They were now building mage farms based on the scientific breakthrough Corinna Cheung’s company had made, but Cheung Corp didn’t invest in fixed assets. They didn’t want to be tied down by large building complexes producing last year’s top invention. They had other companies like Starwide Research to do that. But the mage farms were the future of warp travel, and building their infrastructure had proven an incredibly valuable deal, though they wouldn’t have been able to acquire all the funding necessary without Lenah and her talents. Which was exactly why she was here talking to Andreas Cane right now, instead of pestering Corinna Cheung with questions about spaceflight.

  Lenah took a deep breath, blurring out the chatter of conversations and the wafts of spiced meat still lingering over the dining hall. A serving robot touched her lightly on the shoulder, and she had to control her jerk of surprise. “No, thank you, no more wine.”

  “Oh, I don’t have that strength of mind,” Andreas Cane said amiably, holding out his glass to the robot.

  Lenah smiled, wincing at the irony of his comment. She was about to shatter his proclaimed weak strength of mind further. It wasn’t only going to be absent when it came to wine, but also for more important matters, like his company’s investment money.

  The robot turned away after filling Andreas’ glass, and Lenah gathered her thoughts again. She was still humming with the anticipation of getting away, and the concentration cost her. After a few moments, she felt the cloud of his mind. Slowly, so he wouldn’t notice the intrusion, she pushed an idea in his direction. Investing in Starwide Research was about to become irresistible to him. Like soft butter on bread, the idea spread in his mind, and at her next words, he nodded enthusiastically.

  “Have you heard that Starwide Research ended its last quarter with a quadruple profit thanks to our newest mage farm upgrade?” she asked.

  “Indeed, indeed.”

  “Our analysts ran the midterm projections, and there’s still room to grow this business over multiple times.” Lenah didn’t mention that would only happen if she could secure enough funds in the next few weeks. The climb up into the ranks of galactic players wasn’t cheap. She pushed an image into his mind of his company receiving a good chunk of Starwide Research’s profits.

  Andreas smiled at her. “Yes, well, you have absolutely convinced me.”

  Lenah forced herself to smile back. His mind had been easy prey.

  To her relief, the room went semi-dark, hiding how forced her smile was. Only the showcases full of ancient alien relics—the reason they were all here today—were still illuminated by one wall of the large room.

  Her moment to get up and sneak out had almost come. With anticipation, Lenah shifted her attention to the stage, where a dark figure had appeared. Something metallic glistened in the shadows, and then the lights went on to show a slender woman in a leather corset and skirt, swinging a large hammer.

  A gladiator from Galtaca. Her father had found it amusing to celebrate his sponsoring the exhibition of prehistoric alien relics with an almost as prehistoric form of human entertainment. A people called the Romans on Old Earth, weren’t they?

  The crowd roared.

  People all over the galaxy loved the annual gladiator games, which were broadcast even to the most backward plan
ets in UPL space. The woman picked up speed, then stumbled. For a moment it looked like she would lose her grip on the hammer and send it flying into the side panel. Was that still part of the performance?

  Lenah noticed her father causing everyone around him to laugh: everyone but Corinna Cheung, whose seat sat abandoned. Even the Craff, a lizard-like alien who was the only non-human present today, barked out a growl that sounded like his version of a chuckle. Her father didn’t share her talents, but he was great with crowds and had built a successful enterprise with his charm. She had rarely seen him laugh lately, though. Instead, dark shadows had grown under his eyes. He spent countless hours in his office with people Lenah would definitely categorize as shady. Then there had been the phone call that she’d overheard. Still, he wouldn’t answer any of her questions. That was why she was going to get a few answers for herself today.

  While the gladiator continued her performance, Lenah nodded her goodbyes to Andreas Cane and a few other people at the table. With one last look at Corinna Cheung’s empty seat, she turned away. Even though Lenah knew she wouldn’t have gotten a chance to talk about spaceflight with her idol anyway, she felt a pang of regret for missing her opportunity to make a personal connection. But it couldn’t be helped. It was between that or discovering what her father was up to. She slipped out of her seat, hoping not to draw too much attention. It was a little early for the daughter of the host to leave.

  She made her way out of the dining hall and into the side corridor leading to the garage. Unlike what she’d expected, it wasn’t deserted. Her breath caught when she realized who was standing next to the door to the exhibition, talking quietly into a wristpiece.

  Corinna Cheung.

  Oh, stars, would it be too awkward if she hung around until Corinna was done with her call?

  While Lenah hesitated, Corinna turned around to face her, lifting the arm with the wristpiece. It was much fancier than the one Lenah had been trying to hide under her sleeve all evening, but at least it went with the rest of her attire, which was barely passable for a dinner party. The black pants and stretch blazer passed as corporate evening wear at first glance. Edgy, maybe, but tolerable for the occasion. Her boots, with their thick low heels, were too comfortable to be acceptable. Thankfully, no one had cast shocked glances down to her feet or seen the wristpiece.

  “Even on a weekend night, they won’t leave me alone,” Corinna said with a smile.

  Lenah stepped close and promptly stumbled, her boot getting stuck in between two marble floor slabs.

  “Oh, I can imagine,” she said, blood shooting into her head. Why did she have to almost face-plant in front of her idol? She wasn’t a clumsy person.

  The other woman politely ignored Lenah’s awkwardness. “But I’m sure Timothy Callo keeps his new secret weapon busy as well.”

  Lenah nodded, her heart racing at the thrill that Corinna seemed to be interested in talking with her. Maybe she could spare a few minutes and engage Corinna in a conversation about flying. More specifically, how she’d started doing it as a member of the families.

  If it just hadn’t been for that stumble. That had been the entirely wrong way to start a relationship where Lenah wanted Corinna to be interested enough to share some of her wisdom.

  In fact, maybe Lenah could help out her cause by implanting a stunning image of herself in Corinna’s head? Not the hesitant, clammy-handed klutz that had staggered in a straight corridor while not even wearing the three-inch heels required for formal female evening wear.

  She drew in a breath, gathering her concentration again. Then she sent the idea of her striding with confidence toward Corinna into the woman’s mind… It slammed into a wall and evaporated. Taken aback, Lenah tried again. Maybe she’d been too nervous to hold the idea ready until it reached Corinna. This time, she gave the thought more intensity.

  But it happened again. In fact, she felt herself mentally slamming into some border with so much force that she almost physically stumbled backward.

  Corinna furrowed her brow, and a concerned look crossed her face. She turned her head and said, “If you would excuse me, I have to make another call now.”

  The words definitely didn’t sound as friendly as her prior comment. Had she felt something? Lenah tried to recover and was glad when Corinna shot her a smile, though it wasn’t as sincere as the one before.

  “Please don’t worry about me,” Corinna said before stepping back from Lenah, who was left agreeing. There was no reason she’d like to stay around and make conversation with Corinna. Her gaze was following the retreating figure, all-black sleek suit and elegant stride, when something in her peripheral vision caught her attention, shaking her out of the weird trance she’d been under. What had that been about?

  Afraid it was one of her father’s men patrolling this abandoned corridor and finding her, Lenah slipped behind a statue of one of her ancestors, lining the wall. She almost let out a shriek when her back bumped into something, or judging by the way it moved, someone.

  Whirling around, she found herself face to face with a shorthaired woman in her early thirties who was probably pretty, but she was hiding it under a thick layer of make-up. Her big eyes were made even bigger by the black lines underneath them, and the contrast of her tanned skin with the dyed blonde helm of hair she wore brushed back had given her a fierce look on stage. Now, that look was softened by the fact that tears were streaking make-up all over her cheeks. Her lips quivered.

  The gladiator.

  She was staring back at Lenah, wide-eyed, but let out a relieved and alcohol-filled breath when Lenah didn’t seem to alert anyone around them. Had Lenah disturbed her in her secret place to cry? They both turned when they heard a man striding into the corridor.

  Lenah had recently seen a lot of quirky-looking people visiting her father, but this one topped it all. At the same time, his appearance looked vaguely familiar. His face was devoid of any hair, apart from two multi-colored strands hanging by his ears. The lack of eyebrows framing his dark eyes gave him a look of brutal intensity. He was dressed in black clothes, but the shimmering material suggested they were made of a military-grade carbon compound. He looked around carefully, his hand going to his side, where the outline of a pistol was visible.

  Lenah didn’t dare breathe. She knew who this was.

  It was Kahoot the Hairless. He was the leader of the Dark Raven Pirates, and had made news on Astur a few years earlier after killing a local politician and leaving her hairless. He was known for collecting three hairs from each of his victims, then braiding them and wearing them on his scalp. Lenah shuddered, terror threatening to overwhelm her. What in the galaxy was this criminal doing in her house? Next to her, the gladiator let out a hiccup that seemed to radiate with ear-piercing clearness through the corridor.

  Kahoot, who had been about to turn away, stopped dead in his tracks, pulling the weapon out from his belt. He stood silently, listening intensely. Frantically, Lenah thought what to do. Yelling for help wasn’t an option. This corridor was deserted, and with the noise of the feast nearby, no one would hear her in time. She could hear music playing, a sharp up and down of flutes that had been fabricated after the likes of some ancient instruments from Astur. Her father had gone all-out planning this feast, a manifestation of his latest obsession with alien artifacts. Would she dare suggest to Kahoot to turn the other way? It seemed the only alternative that didn’t include meeting one of the most famous pirates of the planet head-on.

  But the encounter with Corinna had shaken her. Lenah felt weak, and wasn’t sure she could muster the concentration needed to influence him. The gladiator stirred, shifting the hammer she was still carrying. Did she mean to attack a pirate holding a laser pistol with that? Besides, judging by the smell that was still encasing Lenah, the woman was completely drunk.

  Before either of them could make a move, two more figures exited the exhibition room through a side door and stepped into the corridor. Everything clicked in place. These were no acco
mplices of her father’s business. The artifact exhibition was being robbed. Only why weren’t they carrying stuff?

  Kahoot whispered something to the two men, pointing down the corridor, and then he rushed into the exhibition room, leaving Lenah and the gladiator alone with the newcomers. They were dressed similarly to him, if a little ragged, but at least they had hair on their heads. Carefully, they made their way into the corridor, pulling out their weapons.

  Preferring anything but being found helpless and weaponless hiding behind a statue, Lenah sent the suggestion to check the other direction. That would lead them back to the party, and hopefully straight into the arms of the house guard. Doing it with two minds was harder, but she’d always been able to trust her skills in situations of stress. Not now, however. Nothing happened, at least not with them. Instead, Lenah started to feel dizzy, her legs going wobbly. For support, she had to grip onto the stone shield that the statue was carrying on its back.

  Meanwhile, the men started walking closer until reaching—and passing—their location. Lenah held her breath and felt the gladiator go motionless beside her. After a few seconds, the men reached the end of the corridor and started whispering, motioning in opposite directions. Two doors led out of this section of the house, and it seemed they were arguing which one to take. Before they could make their decision, one of the doors opened and Marcus, her father’s Head of Guards, walked in. When he saw the pirates, his face showed disapproval.

  “No guns out in the open. Those were the instructions.”

  “Someone is hiding,” one of the pirates said.

  “Then take care of it, but don’t walk around with your guns drawn. This is a noble house, not a pirate den. And hurry and finish your business. Mr. Callo won’t be pleased.”

  The two grumbled something, but stored away their guns before vanishing through the other door. Marcus stayed a few moments longer, seeming to stare right in the direction of their statue. Lenah’s heart thundered, and sweat broke out all over her body.