Orion's Gate: Team Galaxy Riders (The Great Space Race) Read online

  Orions Gate: Team Galaxy Riders

  The Great Space Race

  Sabine Priestley

  KAC Publishing

  Copyright © 2017 by Sabine Priestley

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Acknowledgments

  All Things Sabine

  Alien Attachments Book One

  Foreword

  Welcome to The Great Space Race! We hope you enjoy this collection of stories from best selling and award winning authors of Sci-Fi Romance!

  You can find the entire series of books, all of which stand alone perfectly well, here: The Great Space Race.

  Chapter 1

  Armond Nolde extended his psi beyond the realm of known space. Farther than he’d ever gone before, but the exact distance eluded him. He’d been experimenting with the limits of the distorters for the past few months, and had been surprised to find that his range increased with practice. It presented a fascinating question of precisely how far he could go. Ever cautious of his own limits with control, he stilled his mind and expanded farther. Something was different this time. Wrong.

  An odd sensation etched its way along his psi, and trickled down his spine. Energized. Foreign. Increasing in strength.

  His head spun, and he reached out for the table in front of him, only to find nothing as his body was propelled forward.

  He was in a portal.

  Drawing on years of experience, he clamped down his fear and analyzed the situation. There was no mistaking the fact he was intra-portal, but he hadn’t initiated a jump. And, as far as he knew, there was no distorter on the other end. As with any portal transit, his vision was severely affected, but the color hues were not the usual muted purples and blues. A brighter yellow existed, something he’d never seen before. More disturbing was the duration of the jump. The longest one had lasted perhaps three seconds; he had to be pushing fifteen at this point.

  He tried to pull back his psi, but he was inexplicably anchored on the other end. Had he gone too far? What if he was in this state indefinitely? Would his body deteriorate? Did it need air, nutrition, in the void that was interstellar portal space?

  It was a fascinating proposition. He sensed the termination coming a split second before he slammed into a cold, hard surface, his head making a sickening crunch on impact. Stars exploded and pain shot through his forehead and down his left arm.

  He rolled to his back, suppressing a moan of pain. Taking a deep breath he evaluated his body while waiting for his vision to return. Aside from his head and arm, he appeared to be uninjured, but a concussion was likely. He probed his forehead with his right hand and found a large welt, slick with blood.

  He’d been holding the distorter when the portal opened, but his hands were empty now.

  There was movement nearby, and something was pressed against his right ear. A quick prod found a small ear piece had been inserted. “Who’s there?”

  A gravelly woman's voice spoke, but it made no sense.

  The surface on which he lay was cool and hard under his fingers. Light filtered into his blurred vision, but patches of grey were all he could see.

  He reached out with his psi and found another entity. It was a different psi than he’d experienced before, which meant there were now three unique types in the galaxy. He had no idea what the implications were of that.

  A scratching sound came from his left. Familiar, somehow. A breath expelled. Slowly, he differentiated a shadow, movement to accompany the noise.

  "Oh it’s definitely humanoid,” the woman said, “and deliciously male, but I've never seen one with this coloring before. I’ve fitted him with a translator. We’ll see if he’s able to process it.” The voice had an irritating sing-song quality. “Large, muscled, and rather delightful looking. I hope he responds to treatment; he’ll make an excellent contestant. I do love this part.” The sound of hands clapping. "What do you have?"

  A faint voice, barely audible. Male.

  “Feline? Really? Can’t wait to see that. The pairings are always such fun. How are the others doing? Anyone check-in on the forum yet?"

  Pause.

  "As soon as I establish communication and get the papers completed, I'll sign in. Talk to you later." Another sound, like ice rattling in a glass.

  Where the gods was he?

  "How are you feeling?"

  He turned his head to the voice, suppressing a groan of pain. "Are you addressing me?"

  “Excellent, the translator is working. It can take a while. And yes, of course I'm addressing you."

  Armond blinked a few more times as focus returned. A smallish mature woman with black and white hair sticking out in all directions, she sat on a plush bench that extended seamlessly from the wall. She wore a fuchsia-colored suit. Hem above the knee and plunging neckline. The scratching sound was a nail file as she rapidly shaped her tips.

  The room was small, white, and brightly lit from above. The only furniture, the bench upon which the woman sat. "Where am I?"

  "I'm asking the questions for now, and I asked how you were feeling."

  Cradling his left arm, he pushed up to a sitting position. A wave of nausea washed over him. "I've been worse. I may have sustained a fracture, and probably a mild concussion.”

  "You did land rather spectacularly. Came through at an angle. Quite the sight." The woman placed the nail file into a black purse resting next to her. She touched a small jewel encrusted device on her right ear. He guessed it was the same as the one he wore, minus the stones. “I need a medic in three." She crossed her legs and laced her fingers over her knee.

  He stared at her face as she spoke, and it took him a moment to realize that her lips didn’t match the words he heard. It must be the translator in his ear.

  “Can you stand?"

  Armond didn't reply, simply got to his feet. The nausea passed quickly, but his head pounded. A quick scan of his surroundings confirmed the fact that his transporter was missing. "I'd like to know where I am. And how you managed to locate, intercept, and transport me.” He nearly said abduct.

  A high-pitched laugh emanated from lips that matched her suit. "You are delectable.”

  It appeared he was being detained, but the woman did not seem hostile, nor a threat.

  A door on the far side of the room slid open and a chest-height blue android rolled in. The woman waved her hand at Armond. She did that a lot. “I’d like a full workup, but start with his head and left arm. He may have damaged them coming through.”

  “As you wish.” The voice was human-like, but oddly asexual.

  Armond backed up when the thing approached. He didn’t like the look of the probe extending from a center compartment.

  “Oh don’t be silly. It won’t hurt you. In fact, its programming wouldn’t allow it to hurt anyone. Any organic living thing, to be more precise. You’re perfectly safe.”

  He had no reason to trust this woman, but considering he was unarmed, his distorter missing, and he didn’t know where he was, there didn’t appear to be an alternative. He remained still as the droid scanned him from head to toe.

&nb
sp; “He has a laceration and minor concussion, as well as a hairline fracture on the left humerus. Please remain still,” the droid said. Another compartment opened on the body, and a palm-sized rectangle emerged. It had a semi-transparent surface that glowed blue. Starting at his elbow, it slowly moved upward. A mild burning sensation trickled between his elbow and shoulder. The process took nearly ten minutes, but when it finished, Armond was impressed to find his arm fully functional and pain free.

  The droid’s appendage extended farther as it held the panel close to the laceration on his head. The sensations repeated, and the intriguing thing was, unlike Sandarians, there did not appear to be any psi involved in the healing.

  “I’m curious as to the technology you employed just now,” Armond said when the process was complete.

  The bot ignored his comment, so he looked to the woman.

  She shrugged. “Go ahead and tell him.”

  “The panel is a molecular manipulator. It has the ability to rearrange, or in this case knit together, physical components.”

  Armond would love to dissect the technology. The potential for destruction, however, was disturbing. That which could heal so effectively could also redistribute molecular matter. That was nightmare material.

  “You are mildly dehydrated. Drink.” The droid extended a glass container. “It is water with alkaline and electrolytes.”

  Armond took the liquid and smelled it before tasting. It appeared to, in fact, be water.

  The woman inspected him openly. “Are there more like you where you come from?"

  "More like what?"

  "You're all…pale.” She flicked her polished nails. “Even your eyes barely have any color. I've never seen a humanoid like you. You are humanoid, I presume?"

  "That is correct. I'm what is known as an albino. I lack a particular enzyme which is responsible for pigmentation."

  She frowned. "Does that affect you in any other way? You appear quite strong and healthy."

  "It can, but we have technology to negate any potential defects. Why?"

  "Because, dear boy, I need you at your best. You are going to be my next champion. I can feel it in my labia."

  Armond nearly choked on his drink.

  The woman was perfectly serious. Best to leave that one alone.

  The droid finished its inspection. “The specimen is fit for participation.”

  Specimen?

  The woman stood with a burst of energy. “I had a good feeling about today.”

  “Participation in what?”

  “You have been selected to participate in our contest. Completely voluntary of course. It is however, the only way that you will be able to return to your own galaxy. Minor detail, really.”

  “My own galaxy?”

  “Yes. You are in the Paragon Galaxy. More specifically you’re on Primaera, capital of the Central Alliance. Your galaxy has yet to go intergalactic so I wouldn’t bother trying to find your own way home.”

  He detected no trace of duplicity, not in her vocal range, her physicality or her psi. The thought was staggering. But then he remembered Marco and Zara, his fellow Earth Protector and his soon to be psi-mate. They’d tried to convince him of something that sounded like a quantum temporal distortion. If it were true. Time travel in effect. He hadn’t believed it at the time. Marco was known for his boyish persona and wasn’t above pranks. According to them, he and a woman had come from another galaxy from three months in the future. That had been two and a half months ago. Perhaps this was just an elaborate hoax?

  But that wouldn’t explain how he’d just been healed without psi. Or the woman’s unique form of energy. No. He had to assume this was precisely what it seemed. Extraordinary as it was. “Without my distorter, I can’t go anywhere.”

  “You wouldn’t be able to go anywhere with your little trinket. Not without my assistance. I will gladly provide both after you have completed the competition. Win, and I’ll even make sure you return to where you started. All completely voluntary, of course.”

  She had a cunning look in her eye, and nothing about this was voluntary.

  “What exactly must I do?”

  “Right now, all you have to do is sign our participation form and, of course, the release of liability in case of an accident, injury, or death. And dismemberment, but that rarely happens. It’s usually an all-or-nothing kind of thing. It’s all standard, I assure you.”

  “You want me to agree to something before I know what it is?”

  “That’s one way of putting it. Another is that we are allowing you to participate in an event that will possibly change your life forever. The potential for endorsement if you place, not to mention if you win, are astronomical. You’ll be able to afford the latest spacecraft. Imagine returning to your little galaxy in possession of technology never before seen in your worlds!”

  If he survived. “And if I say no?”

  Her face crumpled into a pout. “That wouldn’t be any fun. And I’m afraid you would find it extremely difficult, well, impossible really, to find your way back to your world. Now, be a good boy and do let’s sign those papers.” She pulled a com-sized device from her purse and a hologram materialized in front of them.

  Armond reached out and scrolled the virtual document. There was eighteen pages of small text. It was full of legalese. The basic principal was at the very end.

  Participant will not hold the Corporation liable in the event of any personal loss, injury, death, or dismemberment.

  They needed eighteen pages to say that? “There is nothing in here about returning me to the Milky Way.”

  “The what?”

  “My galaxy.”

  “How quaint. We don’t do addendums.”

  “Then give me your word.” He found the woman highly distasteful.

  She waved her hand. “Yes, of course, of course. You have my word.”

  He resented being coerced, but under the circumstances, it could be far worse. They’d healed him. After abducting him. He was weaponless, and didn’t know the environment. Best to go along with it for now. “How do I sign?”

  The high-pitched laugh burst from her lips. She swiped the document sideways on the last page, and the outline of a palm print appeared. “Simply place your hand in the center there, and state your legal name. Oh, dear me. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Candice Overtop, but you can call me Candi. With an ‘I.’ I’ll be your handler for the duration of the contest. You and your teammate, that is.”

  “My teammate?” And surely that wasn’t her real name?

  “Yes, of course. You didn’t think you’d be expected to do this on your own, did you?”

  “Given that I know nothing about what you expect of me, I wouldn’t know.”

  “Well, now that we have the formalities out of the way, let’s go find out who your partner is.

  Candi walked a few steps in front of Armond. She barely came to his chest, and the way she moved reminded him of the Earth fowl called a goose. The environment suggested a large corporation. Many of the people they passed wore a shirt emblazoned with an emblem containing a lightning bolt and stars. Letters circled the design, but he couldn’t get close enough to read them.

  Candi wasn’t the only one fascinated by his appearance. Nearly everyone studied him. There was a wide variety of life forms here. Perhaps they were in a spaceport then, and not a corporation. So far there had been no external windows, so it was impossible to say. He didn't detect the hum of space, but they clearly had more advanced technology, so that wasn’t necessarily an accurate way to determine location. His lack of information was frustrating.

  “You don’t talk much, do you?” Candi said over her shoulder.

  “I speak when I have something to say.” It had been a while since Armond had been around strangers who didn’t already know his personality. He’d yet to meet another who’s intellect matched his own, and found most conversations dull and lacking substance. Perhaps this new galaxy would provide a greater intelle
ctual challenge. If the woman in front of him was an indication, it didn’t bode well.

  “Here we are.” Candi waved her hand, and a door slid to the side.

  He followed her into a large, stark room with tiered benches lining the walls. Everything appeared to be made of grey metal, and there wasn’t a seam anywhere. He wondered at the manufacturing process to produce the effect. There were a dozen or more people scattered around the room. Not all of them human.

  “Come, have a seat over here. I need to go register you. We should have everyone present within the hour.” She spun and left him alone. He climbed to the top of the nearest riser for the optimal view, and sat with his back to the wall. He found being without his com, or any connection to a network, unsettling.

  He took his time analyzing each individual. There were a number of humans, or humanoids, present. One of the females had a fascinating resemblance to Earth’s felines. Pointy ears poked through black wavy hair. He wasn’t sure, but that might be a tail curled up next to her. Or maybe a pet of some kind.

  Her head whipped around and she met his gaze.

  Her eyes were indeed shaped like those of a cat, and almost completely green with little or no white. He wanted to get a closer look, but he’d be better served by continuing his assessment. Perhaps she would be his partner in this fiasco.

  Was she the woman Marco and Zara had referred to? The thought surprised him. They didn’t know that his finding a psi-mate was an impossibility, so he’d stopped them before they could describe the woman. Perhaps that had been a mistake, but if it had been a temporal distortion, the course of events would play themselves out, regardless of what he knew. In theory.

  The cat woman didn’t appear the least bit bothered by his staring. In fact, she smiled at him. Those teeth were evolved for eating prey, not grazing. She became more interesting by the moment. He wondered if she had claws. Given her other traits, it seemed likely. Certainly someone to keep an eye on, if nothing else.