Read Online Gamma Raiders: Storm Squadron Alpha: Scifi Alien Romance Novel by Calista Skye - Free Book Online Page A

his chest and drew a deep breath. It wasn’t a decision he could make for her. Kira didn’t hesitate when it came to making her opinions known and she had no trouble going after the little things she wanted. But when it came to the choices that mattered, she still stumbled.
    “I’m never going to give you more than you can handle. Trust the process.”
    “I’m not going to get out of this, am I?”
    “You chose this path, Kira. Now you have to walk it. But trust that I won’t let you fail.”
    “It might not be up to you.”
    “I control my fate, Kira.” His lips met her cheek, and he savored the lingering taste of her skin. “When I set my sites on something, there’s no stopping me. When I want something,” he said, pulling her in close, his mouth hovering inches from her lips, “I go after it with everything I have.”
    “This could all go horribly wrong.”
    “Maybe. We’ve chosen a dangerous life. And now we’ve enraged the Empire. There are no guarantees, Kira. But I refuse to live with regret.”
    “You’re braver than I am,” said Kira. “Or maybe just more reckless.”
    Ja’al pulled her in close and felt the heat of her breath on his chest. “You belong in Storm Squadron. You belong with me.”
     
    ***
     
    When Kira arrived on the flight deck, the other new recruits already stood in formation, lined up and waiting. Reina smiled and waved her over. “I wasn’t sure you were coming,” she said.
    Kira wondered how much the others knew about her. She hated having the feeling that the other cadets were talking about her behind her back. Her nerves were already on edge as it was. Reina must have noticed the look on her face. “Don’t worry, Kira. It’s just that you seemed so hesitant yesterday. I’m glad you’re here, is all.”
    “After the ceremony yesterday, I couldn’t let everybody down,” she said. But as the words left her lips, she wondered about Tyrus. Would he feel let down, betrayed by her decision? It was unlikely—Tyrus didn’t seem to be the type to take offense to something like that—but she’d make it a point to catch up with him later to make sure.
    “I have a confession,” said Reina. “You’re not the only one who’s nervous. I’ve never flown anything besides a sim before.”
    “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” said Kira.
    “It’s just that our training is so short, you know? The Kamaran fighters study for years. We don’t have that luxury. The learning curve here is steep. At least you have real-world flight experience.”
    “Flying a freighter doesn’t compare to what we’ll need to do in combat,” said Kira.
    “No, but you’re familiar with a ship’s systems. You’ve got plenty of practice reading all the control panels and keeping track of all that information at once.”
    “The ship does a lot of that on its own,” she said. “Or at least mine did. Back on Tarksis I designed a system to automate most of that. And none of those choices were made with an enemy fighter closing in with torpedoes locked on me.”
    “That’s right, you’re an engineer,” said Reina. “I’d almost forgotten. That’s going to help more than you know. I really think we’re going to get on well together, Kira.”
    Kira didn’t know whether it would help or not, but she appreciated Reina’s effort to cheer her up. She looked out over the flight deck and into the blackness of space beyond. Out here, she’d need all the friends she could get.
     
    ***
     
    Kira snapped to attention along with the rest of the cadets when Ja’al arrived promptly at 0630 for orientation. The lessons would progress quickly, and the curriculum was a work in progress. That was one of the joys of being the inaugural class of a new military division—they got to be the guinea pigs for an untested system.
    The cadets stood at attention as Ja’al walked down the line. “There’s more to the Storm Squadron than just some fancy flying,” he said. “To be the best, we have to