Today's First Chapter Friday is from the first book in my Romance Tales from the Quadrants series, 4 United. I didn't want to leave behind the universe I created for my Kaddim Brothers series, so I decided to write more love stories that take place in that distant world. While the stories in Romance Tales from the Quadrants involve many different pairings/groupings, they are all about finding true love. And in 4 United, Eta is reunited with her three childhood friends when an assignment sends her back to the planet where she was born. There are many reasons why she does not want to return, but she does and finds far more than she expected. Below is an excerpt from the beginning of chapter one. I've skipped the two prologues which take place at two time periods before Eta is assigned to return to Ma'an.

I jumped awake, the buzz of a message rattling me from sleep. It came through my private USRA channel, my in-ear instead of on my handheld comm unit. Someone from the Universal Space Racer Association wanted to talk to me right away. Probably my supervisor. But why so early?

Slipping out from under the covers, I tried not to disturb the sleeping space racer beside me. I had no recollection of his name or what team he raced for. But he had been a good ride.

In the dim glow of light from his comm-charging pad, I collected my clothing from various corners of his sleeping pod and dressed. Yeah, it had been a wild night. But it didn’t matter. I had no connection with him. No spark of longing. No desire for something more. I had to leave before he woke.

After gathering the few belongings I’d brought with me for the hookup, I headed for the door. Once it slid open, I sneaked out, hoping not to run into any of the sleeping guy’s roommates.

I cleared the dorm without any awkward encounters then headed toward the closest tube shuttle port. On my way, I pressed my comm sensor behind my ear to receive the message.

Eta, this is Skyranked Rayne. Please come to my office at 0900. I want to review your last assignment and discuss your next one.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I shook my head in disbelief. Real, or had someone hacked into my comm? I’d just returned from my assignment on Oloria. And already the USRA had a new planet to send me to? I rested a hand against the wall and sighed, glad I’d spent the night having fun. If the message came from my supervisor, I didn’t know when I would get another chance.

Stepping into the tube, I entered my building and floor number. I barely had enough time to wash up before my meeting with my supervisor, but I couldn’t go to her office smelling like sex.

Once the contraption dinged, I braced for the ride. The tube rocketed quickly up, down, and around corners. Closing in on my destination, I grabbed the bar along the edge. If I didn’t hold on, I would fall on my ass when it stopped. As past experience had taught me.

In less than a minute, I reached my destination, thankful to no longer feel the dizzying effects of the ride as I had when I first used one. Leaving the tube behind, I walked down the hall to my apartment. I scanned my wrist in front of the sensor to unlock the door then went inside, unsure if my roommate had made it home. They had gone out last night, too, and without any message from Rumi, I didn’t know if they had returned or spent the night elsewhere as I had.

Listening closely, I heard the faint music from their home planet, Kalpier, they always played while sleeping. Good, at least they’d made it home. But I had to be quiet not to wake them. If any noise interrupted the music, they would wake at once.

I tiptoed through our common area, all the way to my side of the apartment, taking the few stairs down to my closet space. My sleep pod was installed above, a place I hadn’t been in several lunar cycles. And if another assignment already waited for me, I didn’t know how many nights I would spend there before I traveled off planet again.

With Rumi sleeping, I couldn’t turn on the clothes steamer. It made too much noise starting up. So, after finding a fresh uniform, I took it with me into the bathroom. It would get steamed in there with me as I washed up.

Clean and in a fresh uniform, I left the apartment with very little time before my meeting with Skyranked Rayne. Another tube ride transported me away from the racer and employee dorms to deep into the metropolis where the USRA headquarters stood tall.

I found it amazing how Eurebly grew every time I left. More teams meant more offices and training facilities. And teams needed a dorm, too, even if the members didn’t live on the planet full-time. Each team still had to train for a prescribed amount of time on Eurebly. So, I approved a team if they met all of the qualifications, only after their facilities had been built and reserved. The tube system wasn’t that old, the final stage of it having been completed shortly after I received my promotion from Runner to the Team Development Department.

At my stop, I raced out of the tube and down the hall. Skyranked Rayne wasn’t mean, but she didn’t like tardiness. She preferred when her staff were early, but with my last-minute call, I could only hope to make it on time.

I stumbled into her office, her assistant glancing up from zir comm unit as I tried to right myself.

“Oh good. You got her message.” Ze gestured toward the inner door. “You can go right in.”

Real message. Not a fake. But another assignment already?

The metal door slid open, and I headed inside the office. Every time I entered the room, the view behind my supervisor’s desk captivated me. Most buildings only had small UV protected windows to let in a minimal amount of light. Probably to protect light-sensitive beings. Yet, Skyranked Rayne had an entire outer wall of windows, revealing an amazing view of the metropolis. Especially from fifty stories up. Masses of buildings gave way to a clear, blue sky, dotted with various spacecraft. Cargo ships, pleasure craft, interplanetary shuttles, and more carried passengers and freight from Eurebly to spaceports all across the universe.

“Eta, thank you for meeting me on such short notice.” My supervisor gestured to one of the faux phalagump-hyde covered loungers on the other side of her desk. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” She activated the shutters for the windows, allowing the artificial lights to illuminate the space instead.

Though tempted to lean into the lounger, I sat on the edge of the cushion. I didn’t want to doze off after my late night and early morning.

Focusing on my supervisor, I tried to figure out her mood based on the current color of her skin. Most Derinjians I’d met had green skin, except when experiencing extreme emotions. But Skyranked Rayne never seemed to hide her feelings. Strangely, she appeared a bit yellow. Perhaps a little gray, too. Did that mean she was nervous? Then, very quickly, her skin turned bluish-green. Stars, what was she hiding? Had I gotten a complaint at my last assignment?

She sat cross-legged on the bench behind her desk. “I know I usually give you a couple days upon your return to complete your files and turn in your final report. But, seeing how you seemed to keep all your findings up to date in your files while on Oloria, and a pressing matter we need to discuss, I thought we could make a decision now regarding the planet’s racing status.”

I sat there, unsure how to respond. She’d said so much and I hadn’t fully woken. “Um, sure.” I wasn’t prepared for the meeting, hadn’t thought to buy a koobee on my way there, but I didn’t think I had any choice. And what pressing matter concerned either me or my supervisor? I thought I had another assignment already. Oh no, was she getting promoted and someone else would take her place? I hoped it wasn’t Skyranked Egdoe. I didn’t get along with them. They had been my supervisor when I first started as a runner for the USRA. Expected me to do things for the teams that weren’t part of my duties. When some other runners and I complained, they’d been reassigned to another department. But, last I heard from my roommate, they constantly begged to be transferred to the Team Development Department.

Skyranked Rayne loaded up my files from Oloria on her comm screen. As she flipped through them, a smile spread across her face. “Always so organized. That’s why I know you’re the ideal candidate for this next assignment.”

So, she wasn’t leaving. A relief for me. But I still didn’t know why I had another assignment already. The ideal candidate? Inspectors always received their assignments in order. I should be put into the queue the same as the others. Complaints would be filed when my colleagues learned about the change in protocol.

With a faint smile—she did compliment my work after all—I waited for her to continue.

Skyranked Rayne closed the files. “So, what is your overall assessment of the team from Oloria? Are they ready to join the USRA? Does the planet have the necessary facilities to support a team and the subsequent events?”

I nodded. They’d met all of the qualifications before I’d arrived. My three-lunar cycle stay had been nothing more than a formality. “Everything there meets or exceeds our standards. I have no doubts that the team from Oloria will make a great addition to the circuit. And the government is anxious to learn when they will get a chance to host their first official race.”

Several teams had already practiced on Oloria to get a feel for their course and to give the rookies a chance to race alongside more experienced racers. But the team and the planet couldn’t participate in any official events until the USRA approved their application.

“Okay, with your current reports, I will get their application sent for final approval. No need to write up a final report, as I need you to focus on your next assignment.”

Yaflats suddenly sprung to life in my stomach. The way the new assignment didn’t follow normal procedures made me nervous. Were they sending me beyond the quadrants? I didn’t think we knew much about the planets beyond the quadrants’ borders. But maybe things had changed since I’d been away. Though I probably would have heard about it, even on Oloria.

“Now…” She adjusted her sitting position, swinging her legs to her side. “For your next assignment, we’re sending you to your home planet, Ma’an.”

“No.” The word blurted out before I could stop it. I had never said no to an assignment before, but I couldn’t return to Ma’an. I had escaped from that planet for a reason. And while I had sneaked there once, that wasn’t a mistake I planned to make ever again. Why couldn’t someone else go?

Skyranked Rayne wrinkled her large forehead as her skin turned yellow then gray. “I thought you would be ecstatic at the chance to return. Don’t you have a cousin there?”

Gripping the edge of the cushion, I tried to withhold the urges to run, scream, and cry. While I certainly did not want to return to Ma’an, I had to show respect to my supervisor. Somehow, I had to make Skyranked Rayne understand my objections in a respectful manner. Even with my l’sida still on the planet.

I took a deep breath. “While I appreciate the confidence you have in me, I’m afraid I won’t be able to complete this mission. You see, my moema—mom—and I escaped from the planet when I was young. If I return, they won’t let me leave again.”

“Ah, so that’s what Chairman Lo’an referenced when he specifically asked for you to be assigned to his planet.” Her skin turned back to a blueish-green as she rested her forearms on her desk and leaned forward. “He assured me you will not be forced to marry anyone and will be assigned a shagard, someone to keep you safe while you complete your assignment. He also said, he’s working to change the laws regarding appointed marriages.”

I’m sure that would go well with the rest of the High Council, especially since they were the only ones on the planet who benefitted from the laws.

“I don’t know.” I sighed. So many doubts from the assignment churned through my mind. “As much as I would love to see my remaining family and my friends again, I don’t believe the planet has changed enough to assure my safe return at the end of the assignment.” If no one had concerns for my safety, why did I need a shagard?

“Eta.” Skyranked Rayne tapped away on her personal comm unit. “You are an employee of the USRA and thereby automatically protected by the Council of the Quadrants, of which Ma’an is a member of. I don’t think Chairman Lo’an is willing to break the many treaties he has signed, to keep you on the planet.”

When she finished typing, she pointed to my comm unit. “I’ve sent you all the necessary files pertaining to your assignment, including a personal video message from Chairman Lo’an. Please review them before you leave. Your shuttle is set to depart in two days.”

So, my objection meant nothing. I had to return to my home planet for an assignment with the likelihood of never returning. No one from the USRA bothered to check to ensure the planet had safety protocols in place. They simply took the word of Chairman Lo’an. And it was my responsibility to go there and ensure it proved safe to host events there, and for tourists to visit. Even if it meant sacrificing my own freedoms to prove the opposite.
​
I pocketed my comm unit and stood. “Okay.” Not waiting to be dismissed, I left my supervisor’s office. Somehow, I had to find a way out of the assignment. Maybe I could find a rule about not being allowed to evaluate your home planet. Or maybe some piece of information the chairman hadn’t provided. I wasn’t leaving right away. I still had time to find a loophole.

I didn't release a lot this past year for various reasons, but here is my year in review...

January

• I started 2023 with Covid-19. Yes, on January 1st, I tested positive for the virus, and was in quarantine for several days after that. My youngest child was the only one who didn't get it, and with masking and distancing, we managed to keep him from getting it, too.
• When I was finally able to leave my home again, I had to take my old pup to the vet to be put down. She had been failing in health since October of the previous year and took a bad turn over the holidays.

February

• On top of a depressing and sad start to the year, I dealt with back and shoulder problems. Besides seeing a chiropractor and physiotherapist, I used text-to-speech for the first time, and it has changed the way I write my stories.

April

• Our house felt so empty with my oldest child off at school, and even worse without any pets. So, in April, we adopted a new dog from the local humane society. After being raised in a barn and being abandoned into the wild, it took her a bit to get used to living in a house with people, but she's adjusted quite well now.
• I was invited to be a part of a MPreg Shifter Romance multi-author project. More on that below...

July

• I finished, submitted, and contracted 4 UNITED, the first story in my Romance Tales from the Quadrants series.

September

• 4 UNITED released!

November

• I finished, submitted, and contracted FOX TRAPPED, the MPreg Shifter Romance mentioned above.

December

• FOX TRAPPED became available for pre-order!