Today's First Chapter Friday is from the first book in my Galactic Defenders series, Bryce. One of the first books i wrote was titled, The Zurian Child. It was published at one point by a publishing company that no longer exists. When I got the rights back to that book, I considered republishing. But I had learned so much in between when that book was published, and when i got the rights back. So, I rewrote the story instead, making it different, yet much better. In Bryce, the Galactic Defender is sent to Earth on a mission to hunt down Erebus that had made it to that planet. It's there he finds the princess of Hemera who was also his lover whom he had assumed had died in an Erebus attack on her home planet. He also learns she has a daughter who resembles him a bit. So, what happens when they're reunited? Read BRYCE to find out! You can find the beginning of the story below... Enjoy the first chapter of BRYCE from Bryce's point of view...Bryce raised his crossbow, lining his sights on the creature standing amongst the bushes, its branch-like tentacles undulating in the gentle breeze. Focusing the crosshairs on the alien’s torso, he drew in a deep breath. He had one shot. If he missed, the Erebus would cry out and alert the natives of Terra to its existence, resulting in more casualties. At first glance, no one on the planet, also called Earth, would believe an Erebus anything more than an overgrown bush, but Bryce knew the truth. He’d trained to hunt the creatures from childhood. Each step carefully placed, he advanced until he stood twenty feet from the Erebus, no chance to miss the shot. With a slight movement of his finger, he squeezed the trigger, sending a zuranium-tipped arrow racing toward the alien. “Quinn, would you grab me another garbage bag?” Fornax. The creature lunged toward the female voice, Bryce’s arrow stuck in one of its tentacles. A kill, but not instant. He loaded another arrow. At the risk of being seen, he charged through the hedges. He had to cut the Erebus off before it had a chance to kill the Terran. He leaped over metal furniture and large urns, keeping his focus on the creature. “What the hell? Get out of my yard!” The woman rushed him, but Bryce darted around her. When the Erebus lumbered in front of him, he raised his weapon and fired. A clean shot to the middle. The creature dropped like a fallen log, crushing the furniture it landed on. Bryce loaded the crossbow again. No time to celebrate the kill. He had to worry about the possibility of other Erebus in the area, along with the Terran woman who had seen him. Instead of running away screaming, as he’d expected her to do, she stared, wide-eyed in horror. Not at him, but the Erebus. Her body trembled as she shuffled backward, mumbling incomprehensible words. An unexpected sense of familiarity washed over him. He couldn’t draw his attention away from her slim figure, the way her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders. Far more attractive than he’d pictured the Terrans when others talked about them. He took a closer glance. Lalia? How had she traveled so far from home without anyone knowing? She was no stranger, and definitely not Terran. Or, perhaps she was simply a doppelganger of the woman he’d once loved. He had the sudden urge to comfort her, relieve her worry. Hold her in his arms the way he had many years ago. But what if the missing princess had somehow made her way to a planet unaware life existed beyond their own? After she’d left Hemera and him behind without so much as a goodbye, he’d searched everywhere. Though not once had he thought to look on Terra. A ground-shattering bellow pierced the night. Bryce spun around, finding himself face-to-face with another Erebus. It stared at him with beady red eyes. Thick black goop dripped from its mouth. Bryce raised his bow, but the creature slammed him with one of its tentacles, flinging him back. The Erebus lunged at Lalia. Rolling to his knees, Bryce aimed and fired. He hit the alien from behind, launching it forward. Onto his former lover. Slinging the bow over his shoulder, he raced toward her. The creature’s tentacles still pulsed, even though dead. Careful not to trip himself up, he shoved his hands under the creature’s torso and heaved it off her. Lalia stood immediately and wiped the black goop from her clothes, as if she hadn’t been flattened by an alien. “They weren’t supposed to follow me. I was supposed to be safe here.” “Lindsay?” A Terran man appeared in the doorway of the house. He surveyed the property before his eyes focused on Bryce. “What the hell is going on? Who is that guy?” Lindsay? Maybe she wasn’t the woman he remembered, but his tired mind played tricks on his lonely heart. “Go back inside, Quinn.” She held her hand in front of her, slowly heading toward the other man. “It’s not safe out here.” “I’m not going anywhere until—” An Erebus leaped over the hedges, landing mere feet from the man. Erebus generally traveled in packs, but specimens this large had never been hunted so far from the systems in the Galactic Alliance. With one swipe of a tentacle, the Erebus knocked Bryce onto his back. He grabbed his bow and loaded an arrow. He shot. Too late. The alien pounced upon Quinn, its poisonous saliva filling the Terran’s mouth. Bryce lurched forward and heaved the alien off the man. He scooped the tar-like substance from his mouth. “Spit it out. Don’t swallow.” No one had ever survived an attack, but he had to try. Though with the black foam pouring from the man’s mouth, Bryce feared the worst. “Hey, there’s another Erebus.” The fact Lindsay knew the name of the creature gave him pause, but only for a second. Bryce pivoted and shot the creature the moment he had the arrow loaded. And missed. The Erebus bounded toward Lindsay, and she blocked his direct shot at the creature. With no other option, Bryce dashed to her, hoping to thrust her out of the way before the Erebus could pin her down. Closing in, he realized they would reach the Terran woman at the same time. As the creature launched into the air to attack, Bryce dove for her midsection. He skidded across the ground with her before the alien flew over them. It skidded to a halt, spinning around for another attack. At the same moment Bryce readied his weapon, a younger woman raced out of the house, holding a knife above her head. She launched off the deck, flying through the air toward the moving alien. Before he could get a shot off, she plunged the knife into the back of the Erebus, dropping the creature to the ground. What in Gaspra? Bryce stared, stunned by what he’d witnessed. She could only have killed the creature with a zuranium blade, metal not believed to exist on Earth. Yet, Bryce had no time to confirm. He needed to secure the yard then get the two women to a safe house. They had already seen him and the Erebus. Pollux and his squad couldn’t erase what the Terrans had witnessed, but he could protect them from another attack. After grabbing the canister from the side pocket of his pack, he thrust it at Lindsay. “Spread this around the edge of your property.” The zuranium powder would keep the Erebus back, give him a chance to get them to safety before he tackled the front of the house, allowing the cleanup squad the opportunity to do their job without coming under attack. “But, Quinn.... He’s gone?” She glanced behind her at the foaming lump, once a man, her body quivering. “This is all my fault.” Bryce gripped her biceps to hold her still. “No, it’s not. None of this is your fault.” Only his. He’d been too careless, easily distracted. “But, I need you to take the powder and spread it along the edge of your yard. There are likely more Erebus on the way. Okay?” Lindsay nodded, and while she sprinkled the metal powder along the bushes surrounding the yard, Bryce surveyed the area. He didn’t want to be caught unawares by another creature. The younger woman sat next to the remains of Quinn, holding her knees and rocking back and forth. She never should have had to kill an Erebus. He’d failed at his job. Failed her, Lindsay, and the dead Terran. Far too many beings had died across the universe at the hands of the Erebus, an experiment gone wrong by a now-extinct race. They’d thrown the creatures into the sun to burn, trying to put an end to their mistake. But the move produced the opposite effect, multiplying the Erebus’s numbers and giving them transport to many systems and worlds through solar winds. The Defenders of the Galactic Alliance fought to bring the Erebus population to extinction and end the casualties of the innocent. Yet, so many still perished. Including the man in front of them. Bryce’s fault for becoming mesmerized by the appearance of the woman called Lindsay. As a Defender, he had one responsibility, and it wasn’t to reminisce on his sexual escapades. He’d locked away all memories and feelings for Princess Lalia after she’d fled Hemera. But one Terran woman brought the heartache rushing back, leading to an innocent man’s death. BRYCE (Galactic Defenders book 1) by Jessica E. Subject
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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. Enjoy the beginning of chapter 1 from 4 United...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. 4 UNITED (Romance Tales from the Quadrants #1) by Jessica E. Subject
Below are the books that I read in October and my thoughts on each. I'm trying to do the Fold Reading Challenge to diversify my reading. In October, I was to read non-fiction by a nonbinary and/or transgender author. Instead, I read fiction by a transgender author with two transgender characters. In November, I'm to read an ACCESSIBLE book by a marginalized author. That means a book that is available in Braille, Audio, and Large Print. I'm not sure what I'm going to read for that yet. I'll see what The Fold recommends.
Here are some memorable quotes from the story: "When something terrible happens--or at least, when you learn about it--it feels like it should affect the entire world. It feels like something should change. But it doesn't." "I think the entire world depends on people pretending they don't know they're doing terrible things."
Here are some memorable quotes from the story: "If he wasn't so ignorant, he'd see that the people he hates and villainizes have more in common with him than the better-off white people where he thinks he belongs." "As with justice and as with the earth, there can always be a balance returned. There is healing in the very pursuit." |
AuthorJessica E. Subject is a USA Today bestselling author of Sci-Fi and Paranormal Romance. Please note: Some links contain affiliate links.
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