The Outer Planets by Laurie Green

CHAPTER 1

April 17, 2039: Zero Hour

“Hello, bitch,” Lissa Bruce whispered.

Outside the portal, a leviathan floated in all her gloating glory. Running lights on full, insignias glowing, silver carbon skin stretched tight over her multi-deck carcass. Damned ship had been nothing but heartache. The research vessel too tough to die.

Secured in a flight couch, Lissa gazed across space while the pilot maneuvered the ten-passenger shuttle along the starboard flank of the big ship, lining up with the docking bay. When the upper hull of the giant blotted out the sun, three-story high letters emblazoned on her side stood out in bold relief: NSS ROBERT BRADLEY

Lissa’s gut tightened. The vessel had been re-christened in honor of its original skipper. The 45-year-old general officer, an icon murdered in his prime, had left her a widow. Except she hadn’t technically been married, he hadn’t really been murdered, and her identity had been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

She could imagine Bobby gazing at his ship in smug satisfaction, arms crossed and feet planted. Monster.

Lissa’s mouth ticked into a frown when she saw her reflection on the port surface. The stranger looking back at her was their doing, too. The doctors had made subtle changes to the facial landmarks a human brain recognizes. Permanently changed the color of her hair and irises. To Lissa, the changes seemed superficial, a medical slight-of-hand any sharp set of eyes could see through, but bowing to their demands validated her ticket aboard the Bradley.

The shuttle yawed and rolled in a sharp arc toward the mother ship. Lissa braced and glanced at the pilot.

"Beginning approach," he said. "You need to strap in, Ms. Bruce. Standard procedure."

Lissa snapped and tightened the crash harness, grateful for the distraction.

"You're the last to arrive?" the pilot asked, awaiting instructions from the Bradley.

"Yes, crewmember seventy-two." Lissa grimaced. She’d pay for her late entrance. Tardiness was a sin Daniel—Captain Storing—didn’t tolerate.

“Better late than left behind.” The pilot turned his wistful gaze on the huge ship. “You’ll be one of the first people to see Jupiter and Saturn up close and personal. What an opportunity.”

Lissa wondered if he was one of the thousands who’d applied and been rejected by the program. “Yeah.” She tried to keep the bite out of her tone. “Never could have forgiven myself.”

He glanced back, one eyebrow quirked. “Cold feet?”

“More like hot feet.” The left side of her mouth spasmed when she attempted a smile. “From running into the burning barn.”

“Ah. Like the proverbial horse?”

“Or the proverbial aft end of one.”

The pilot chuckled. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’ve shuttled a good portion of the crew over from Armstrong. Most had the same look in their eyes. ‘What was I thinking?’”

Lissa pursed her lips. But not for the same reasons.

Her gaze slipped back to the ship. Daniel’s ship now. Though she hated what the Bradley represented, it was impossible not to feel awe. Product of the orbiting, gravity-free shipyards of Armstrong Space Port, she was the largest vessel ever completed. Her streamlined form made a pleasing contrast to the disjointed clusters so often the result of zero-G construction. The Bradley looked more like a magnificent battleship than a benign research vessel.

Lesson learned. Things are not always what they seem. Lissa smirked, in spite of herself. Guess I qualify, too.

She lowered her gaze to the expansive blue arc below the giant’s hull. Earth. Home. In committing to be a part of the mission, Lissa was trading this world of green trees and soft breezes for one of cold gray and recycled atmosphere. She was about to travel far, in both time and distance, from everything familiar and comfortable and safe. And so far away from Mitch.

She closed her eyes against the explosion of longing and regret his memory brought. Had she done the right thing by not contacting him, not dragging him into the maelstrom her life had become since Bobby’s death? Misplaced loyalty kept them apart before. Now it would be time itself separating them. Five years. And distance. Billions of miles. I should have pinged him.

Lissa stiffened her spine. No. That would have been a stupid move. Mitch didn’t deserve to get sucked into the wreckage of her life. If her NSIs—her Not So Innocents—discovered she’d contacted him after…the incident…he’d be at risk, too. Besides, she wasn’t Jenae Bradley now. She had a new name, face, and life, and she’d signed a confidentiality contract that she’d never reveal her former identity. Even if she tracked him down, what could she do? Knock on his door and tell him he didn’t know her, but she loved him? He’d think she was some crazed stalker.

She slouched deeper into her flight seat. He didn’t need the calamity she would bring to his life and his career. She’d done the right thing seeking refuge here in Daniel’s protective custody where Mitch could be free of her brand of hell.

The staccato whine of a digital transmission interrupted her thoughts.

"Beginning final docking maneuvers," the pilot said. The shuttle’s retros fired, edging her toward the mother ship. Lissa held her breath, hands braced against the armrests. A mistake on the pilot’s part could be catastrophic. There was no room for error in a vacuum.

The pilot’s hands played over his console while the shuttle’s docking head extended. The retros pulsed twice more. Lissa’s seat rattled with the vibration when the two vessels connected.

"Captured," the pilot announced, flipping a switch.

A ratcheting sound filled the cabin as the shuttle fused with the Bradley’s docking mouth.

"Shuttle Five is locked and secure," the pilot informed the docking crew. "Preparing to offload one passenger."

Lissa unbuckled her harness and stood. Gathering her two bags from the bin she moved to the hatch. Now for the tough part. Facing Daniel. She pressed a com switch on the bulkhead. "Crew member Lissa Bruce, requesting permission to come aboard."

Soft space static played on the speakers while Lissa waited.

"The NSS Robert Bradley welcomes you, Ms. Bruce," a deep and familiar voice answered. "Permission granted."

Lissa squared her shoulders and raised her chin. Daniel wasn’t going to make the most congenial greeting party, but she owed him her support. He had his own cross to bear in proving himself to Mission Control and his crew.

The hatch hissed open. Lissa nodded her thanks to the pilot and carried her bags into the air lock. The rush of intermingling atmospheres brushed her face and lifted the hair off her shoulders, bringing a sad smile to her lips. So like a desert breeze on a cool spring day. Something she wouldn’t experience again for a long, long time.

The pressure equalized and the inner hatch popped. The Bradley’s interior lighting flooded her small chamber. In the glare stood an imposing man in his full Naval dress uniform and no trace of a smile.

Lissa willed her legs forward onto the deck. Behind her the hatch closed with a clack, followed by a low rumble as the air lock depressurized. Escape route sealed. Point of no return.

She looked into Daniel’s commanding blue eyes. He studied her, neither relief nor anger evident in his gaze, his face its usual professional scowl. "Welcome aboard, Ms. Bruce.”

As a civilian, no salute was in order. “Thank you, Captain.”

He stepped forward to shake her hand. His fair hair was cut in a standard military chop, though she didn’t recall the gray at his temples the last time she’d seen him. She waited for his reaction to her new look. None came.

"It’s good to be on board," she said, cursing the slight quaver in her voice. So much for keeping emotions in check; Daniel knew her too well and he wasn't a man who was easily fooled. His scowl slipped for a moment and he glanced over his shoulder.

Lissa broke eye contact to look at the officer standing a stride off the captain’s left elbow. She expected Commander Kelso, the Executive Officer, or Chief of Boat—COB Browne, but…

Lissa’s heart stuttered and the breath lodged in her throat.

Oh my god.

Mitch.

He smiled and nodded. Every muscle in her body tightened and her heart pounded. What in the hell was he doing here? Did he recognize her?

She averted her eyes, regrouping.

"May I introduce First Lieutenant Mitchell Coe," Daniel said, “My new aide de camp.”

~*~     ~*~     ~*~

 

Target word count: 115,000

Flavor:  Near Future Science Fiction Romance/Intrigue

Status:  2011 Golden Heart Finalist, ready to market

Author:  Laurie Green is an award-winning writer.  Her bio is on the Author page.

 

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