As We Rise: Rogue (As We Rise Saga Book 1) Read online

  With a trembling hand, Jo activated the primary engines.

  Two

  48 days later.

  Jo awoke suddenly, gasping from the nightmare of reliving her father’s last moments. As her breathing leveled out, her other senses came alive. Jo rubbed her sleep-caked eyes, grimaced as she peeled her tongue off the roof of her mouth, and wondered how her mouth could feel both dry and sticky at the same time. Her head pounded from a well-deserved hangover, and a thin sheen of sweat coated her body.

  Why was it so hot? Nausea rolled in Jo’s stomach as she pushed up on her elbows to try and get her bearings. Yellow, artificial light poured through the adjoining washroom, brightening the room just enough to see without irritating her pounding head. The room was vaguely familiar in that hazy way of trying to grasp at something long forgotten. A few personal effects on the dresser—a set of keys, a compact personal tablet, a photograph of an older couple, and another of a gaggle of children ranging from toddler to mid-teens.

  Jo’s eyes lingered on the photograph. A sharp pang of recognition just out of reach jolted down her spine, but no matter how long she stared at the photo, her hazy mind wouldn’t pull the knowledge from its depths. With a sigh of resignation, she forced herself to look away. Other than the items on the dresser, nothing indicated that this room was more than a temporary place to rest. The stark white walls were bare, and besides the trail of clothes leading from the door to the bed, the room was exceptionally tidy.

  Jo pushed on her elbows to sit upright, causing the pounding ache in her head to erupt into a crescendo of pain that almost rivaled the agony she felt the day she lost her leg. The thin white sheet peeled away, exposing her naked torso. If Jo were an Elitian girl, she would feel shame at her exposed body and scramble to cover herself up, but instead she sucked in a deep breath and enjoyed the sensation of the cool night against her feverish skin.

  With each breath, the haze lifted and Jo remembered more of the previous night. There was a celebration. Saliva flooded her mouth as she remembered eating Qu’al – the signature dish of Elpis. She had gorged on the bold, gamey flavor of the meat marinated in an herb mixture that was fiercely guarded by the spice vendors on Elpis’s capital. The creamy sauce had trickled down her chin as she tore into the meat with uncontained enthusiasm and moaned in pleasure with each bite of the roasted root vegetables and gourds. Jo couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten so well.

  A shiver tickled her spine as the sweat cooled on her skin and small bumps rose all over her exposed flesh. The sensation was exhilarating. She could practically feel the endorphin wave crest and roll within the thinning fog of her mind.

  Jo remembered where she was. The crew had just delivered their first cargo after the death of the captain and decided to furlough at the nearby Ceti Orbital Colony. Without her father at the helm of the Kismet, the crew had a rough time finding work. Many of Apollo’s contacts refused to communicate with the Kismet without her father manning the helm. Their steadfast trust in Apollo’s discretion and impeccable transport history did not instantly transfer to his crew or, as of last night, her crew.

  “Jo for captain!” Haedus’s gruff voice had roared over the growing crowd of the station’s rec room the previous night.

  His nomination was only a formality since the Kismet and its business contracts were left to her in Apollo’s testament, but the sentiment was met with approval by what remained of the crew. Although flattered, Jo wasn’t surprised that the loyal members of her father’s crew stayed and howled their agreement. The majority of her education had centered on becoming a ship’s captain, and she was the only one who had access to her father’s personal files, which included his contacts. Once the lively crew settled down, Haedus lifted his jug of Lyrae ale in the air and pressed his other fist into his chest. The rest of the crew followed suit and pledged their loyalty.

  Time had slowed in that moment, and everything felt surreal. Jo was one the youngest in the group, celebrating her 20th birthday only a few months before, and many of the faces looking back at her had assisted in some way in her upbringing. Jo’s eyes locked with Chitra, the ship’s cook, and she was thrown back in time. When Jo was six, Chitra had found her in the cooler. Jo had just eaten all the Tavrian berries Chitra had been saving for a special birthday cobbler for the captain. The cook had taken her rolling pin to Jo’s behind that afternoon, and since then, Jo couldn’t even think about Tavrian berries unless she wanted to feel a phantom sting in the ass.

  Jo scanned the faces as familiar to her as her own and smiled at Haedus. The deep scar that marred the left side of his face deepened as he returned the grin with pride shining in his eyes. Other than her father, it was Haedus that Jo strove most to impress. At thirteen, Jo stowed away on his shuttle on a delivery. It was a reckless move, especially since she’d had no idea he would be landing on the poverty-stricken world of Typhon. When Haedus discovered her hiding behind a stack of crates, he was furious. As punishment, Jo had to deliver every box of food and medical supplies to the local governor without the help of the gravicart. Her limbs had ached for days after they returned to the ship.

  The mattress shifted and a hairy leg brushed against hers, startling Jo and forcing her back into the present.

  Raiden.

  Jo’s lips curled into a secretive smile. She had nearly forgotten catching his impassioned stare from across the room last night. The shock of seeing him again nearly canceled the decent buzz she had been working on, but was replaced by burning desire. Out of all the men she had taken to bed, Raiden was the only one she returned to. Not because of any misplaced devotion, but because he was the only decent man she had found in her travels, and his skill in the bedroom exceeded her expectations every time. Jo rather enjoyed their encounters despite the fact that he was enlisted in the Galactic Consulate’s Military. Although he wore the rank of lieutenant, he wasn’t Elitian born. Maybe that was why she trusted him enough to bed him. It wasn’t like they did much talking about government or commerce when they came together.

  Jo had to stifle a chuckle at that thought. For some reason, she didn’t want to wake Raiden, even though she could go for another round with him before she had to leave. Instead, she studied him. Her eyes roamed his exposed torso, tracing the planes of his stomach. Only his left leg and pelvis were covered by the thin sheet that clung to every dip and curve, leaving nothing to the imagination, but still teasing her all the same. Even in his sleep, Raiden seduced her.

  Shaking her head clear of a surge of lust, she shifted to her side and propped her head up on her arm. The change in position brought her body closer to his and allowed her to study his features unhindered. It wasn’t his full lips, sharp nose and rounded eyes that had first drawn her in, but the beautiful golden tone of his skin. It was a badge of otherness that made him stand apart from the group of Elitian officers standing stiffly around him. After many encounters, his skin, although still beautiful, was not as notable as the new spattering of gray hair sprinkled in with the dark stubble along the sides of his head. Yet, somehow the silvery strands miraculously avoided the long mass of hair on top.

  Her UAB flashed, filling the room with a bright light and causing Rai to stir. With a whispered curse, Jo rolled out of bed, her hand covering the device on her wrist as she stumbled toward the toilet. Her mechanical leg whirred softly as it adjusted to her stride and her gait evened out. Secure inside, Jo tapped on the screen indicating she had an urgent message waiting from Haedus.

  Encrypted message arrived through CyNet requesting a meeting with the Captain of the Kismet regarding an important shipment. An offer was sent along with coordinates. Source unverified. Security codes required in reply. Response?

  Jo leaned her hip against the sink and re-read the message. It wasn’t completely unusual for them to receive messages such as these from unverified sources, but the required security codes threw her. She had never accompanied her father on a contract negotiation that required codes. The mystery intrigued her
. There were many of her father’s files she hadn’t had the chance to look over; maybe one of them had the appropriate codes for this meeting.

  After a quick clean up, Jo emerged from the latrine and quietly collected her clothing strewn about the room. Her underwear was nowhere to be found. Jo eyed the sheets, vaguely remembering when Raiden slid them down her legs, but couldn’t recall where he tossed them. She shrugged; she had more on the ship. She paused after dressing to rake her gaze over Raiden’s now fully exposed body before slipping out into the corridor.

  A familiar fire ignited in her core as she typed her affirmation to Haedus and sent a hail to the crew to join her on the Kismet within the hour.

  They were going on an adventure.

  Three

  “Captain.” Haedus nodded as Jo stomped onto the bridge. “Enjoy your evening, did ya? Elek tells me you ran into your GC friend.”

  “Haedus,” Jo answered with a nod, trying to suppress a smile. “My night was pleasurable.”

  Haedus released a groan as he curled his lip. “I will never get used to you acting… like…” Jo’s eyebrow lifted in amusement at Haedus’s struggle.

  “Yes?” Jo drawled.

  “…like one of the crew.” Haedus grunted.

  “I have ‘acted like one of the crew’ since the captain caught me in the cargo hold with that boy from Kleos, and I rather enjoy being one of the crew.”

  Haedus’s laughter boomed throughout the bridge. “Your daddy was equal parts embarrassed and angry at both you and the boy, but Chitra had to set him straight about the desires of young women. It was hard on old Apollo to watch you come into your own, just as it’s hard on us older crew members. We’ve helped raise ya.”

  Amusement melted as a vice tightened in Jo’s chest at the mention of her father. She internalized the pain without showing Haedus how much it hurt. Haedus looked as if he wanted to continue the conversation, but Jo was done discussing her sex life with her father’s best friend.

  “Is the crew ready?”

  Haedus’s shoulders slumped in what Jo figured to be relief. “Yes they’re in the galley.”

  “Go on down and brief everyone on the message. I’m going to look through the captain’s files and will join the group shortly.”

  Haedus nodded and left the bridge. As the door whooshed shut, Jo released a slow breath and made her way to the captain’s chair. Would she ever get used to Haedus and the others jumping at her every order? The AI’s robotically soothing voice greeted her as Jo entered the codes on her UAB granting her access to the captain’s private files. With a flick of her hand, the files appeared on the clear holoscreen.

  “Search for entries with keyword: security codes.” Jo watched the screen as letters and numbers filled the empty space, moving faster than Jo could keep track of with her eyes.

  “There are twenty-five files with keyword: security codes.” The AI’s dispassionate voice announced.

  Jo reached up and tapped the air, her movement signaling to the AI that she wanted the files to be displayed. With a flick of her other wrist, she arranged the file into a list while simultaneously opening the first one. Dismissing it immediately with a swipe, her other hand brought the second file up. Her hands danced as if she was conducting a frantic symphony as she opened, enhanced, scanned, and dismissed the contents of file after file before she found what she was looking for.

  She stopped on a file titled Draconis Terminal with an embedded video attached, along with a couple of log entries. Jo tapped the video. It looked like security footage of a younger version her father and another person, probably male based on his broad shoulders and imposing stature. A hooded cloak hid his face, so Jo couldn’t guess who the mystery man was. The feed was garbled from either age or file integrity, but Jo watched anyway. As the man waved his arms angrily, shimmering silk sleeves with glittering Taverian jeweled cufflinks slipped from under the cloak, signifying that the man was a high-born Elitian. The captain stood there stone faced, arms crossed as he shook his head no again, a look Jo had seen many times over the years. The video ended when the other man walked off the screen and the captain shifted his gaze up to the security cameras.

  Jo opened the log entries. The first was a cryptic message like the one sent this morning. The other log entries detailed the captain’s thoughts about the message and his eventual acceptance of the meeting. The final entry was empty except for the line of security codes Jo was looking for. Jo grabbed the codes and tossed them down toward her wrist. The UAB flashed in acknowledgment of the file being received.

  Jo had reached up to clear the holoscreen when she saw one last entry. Never one to back down from a mystery, she opened the file. It was a transcript of the conversation between the captain and a man called Zadian. Their conversation was one of many that Jo had witnessed over the years of serving under Apollo. This Zadian had wanted her father to smuggle cargo, and the captain refused. There were no details regarding why the captain declined the offer or what type of cargo, but that didn’t surprise Jo. Her father had rejected many offers for various reasons. From serious reasons like financial dishonesty to the trivial, such as the way the man shook his hand.

  Jo was unconcerned with this past rejection. She would hear the new offer, and if the amount was good enough, she didn’t see any reason to say no. Her crew needed the credits.

  Just outside the galley, Jo stopped to take a deep breath. The idea of facing the crew as their official captain was daunting, but she forced the feeling of inadequacy away. She was qualified. She was ready.

  Jo swiped her wrist over the panel, opening the door. As she stepped inside, the loud conversations and general merriment quelled to a whisper before silence hung in the air. Jo walked to the center of the room, and a small, burning ache threatened to steal her breath as she scanned the faces of what was left of her crew. After the captain’s death, those who hadn’t been with the Kismet for long abandoned their posts as soon as they docked for repairs.

  “I’ve found the codes.” Jo lifted her chin and met each person’s gaze steadily. “We will go and hear what the job is, but like the previous captain, I retain the right to deny any contract.”

  “Why would you refuse this job?” Sky asked as she unfurled her arms and pushed off from the wall. “The credits earned would keep this ship running for months alone.”

  Jo stood resolute as Sky glided toward her with a pronounced swagger in each step. Her calf-length leather jacket swished behind her as an ominous chink of the various weapons strapped to her person echoed with each step. Jo always felt underdressed around Sky, who kept herself covered from neck to boots in lightweight, graphene-reinforced armor. The origin of her unusual clothing was just as mysterious of the woman herself. Even though bits of the design mimicked the armor found in the edge worlds, the technology and material was beyond anything found in the system. Jo had asked Apollo about Sky’s history when she first boarded the Kismet, but his answers were always vague. Especially regarding the blood-red facial tattoo that originated above her right eyebrow and broke into spindle-like circuits that wrapped around her eye. Like skeletal fingers reaching up from the grave, the spindles stopped on the edge of her lip and jawline.

  “It’s for me to decide which jobs are worth our time,” Jo replied as Sky stopped in front of her, a hair’s breadth of space between the two women. Jo kept her unwavering gaze focused on Sky. She knew what this was. Sky had pushed against Apollo when she first arrived on the Kismet. It was her way of quantifying the worth of leadership.

  “Can you tell us more about the offer?” Chitra questioned, disapproval etched on her face as she watched Sky take a measured step back from Jo.

  “Not much. We will be meeting with a man on Leonis…”

  “No!” Haedus growled. “We can find credits another way.”

  “Oh?” Jo scoffed. “And will you be the one begging the captain’s contacts into trusting his inexperienced daughter?”

  “But…”

  “Hae
dus. I understand your apprehension, but I don’t see another way.” Jo smiled at her overprotective XO.

  “What about the Galactic Consulate? The parliament is based on Leonis, and there’s a heavy military presence,” Sky acknowledged with a sneer. “Maybe Haedus is right and we should try Ianthe’s surrounding moons. I hear there’s plenty of need for freighters who are willing to covertly move product.”

  “I see you’ve changed your mind, Sky,” Chitra mocked. She crossed her arms and proudly lifted her chin as Sky looked away.

  “When we arrive at Leonis Station,” Jo announced, bringing the conversation back around, “I will disembark along with Haedus and Sky. There’s no need to worry. I promise to dress properly and be on my best behavior as to not draw any attention from the males.”

  Jo paused as she waited for the clamor of snickers to die down. “Unless they want us to freight for the rejuvenation, science, or medical corporations, I see no need to reject their offer. If the contract is risky enough, I’ll try to goad them into adding a few thousand credits to the deal.”

  Captain Apollo once told Jo to pay attention to the attitude of the crew. Only if they were banded together or if the majority seemed against your decision should you reevaluate your plan. Otherwise, take the small graces offered by their indecision or unspoken consent and make an executive decision in your favor. Jo watched her crew. A few were obviously comfortable with the plan, her XO included, but many seemed intrigued by either the cargo or the credits. Jo figured the dissenters would come around eventually, so she made a judgement call.

  “Let’s set a course to Leonis Station.”

  Four

  Leonis loomed in the distance. The system’s dual stars dancing together behind the planet lit its atmosphere into a blue-red ring that pulsated in rhythm with the star’s music. Just to the west of Leonis’s northern pole rested Leonis Station. Its sleek, spindle-like extensions protruded like picturesque rays from a setting sun from its cylindrical base directly over the entrance to the planet’s atmospheric defense array. Jo had only seen Leonis from afar once before, when she was four cycles old. She remembered laughing at how the world seemed to be wearing a festive hat. She was forced to stay on the ship with the rest of the crew while the captain and Haedus went aboard the station for some business. She’d imagined that the planet was full of silly things and expressed her desire to visit Leonis to the captain upon his return.