Chapter 1
The Trials of the Starbreaker
I woke to dim, warm light filling my quarters. I blinked and turned toward the far wall, where a yellow sun was peeking through the large bay windows that spread across it. One week until the Reach. One week until I met the woman who wanted to put our entire relationship on trial.
I stretched my arms above my head, letting out a loud sigh.
I sat up, looked at the windows again, and squinted.
Too bright.
I needed coffee.
"Computer, change the visualization program to a mountain chalet on Zoth Prime, please. Also, can you make me a cup of coffee? Cream, sugar, whipped cream, and a dash of cinnamon on top?"
Hello diabetes!
Too early for you.
Too early for a heart attack!
Go away. I haven't had my morning coffee.
You act like you aren't talking to yourself.
You are incredibly annoying.
You know what's annoying? The fact that we are going to the Reach, and nobody on this ship wants to talk about it.
Okay, that's a fair point.
So get in there and make it about yourself!
After my coffee. Now, back to your box.
The fabricator pinged, and the warm, earthy scent of a hot cup of coffee filled my nose.
I walked over, grabbed the mug, and took a long sip.
My lips twitched up as the sugar flooded my veins.
Lucky for me, diabetes was something my future self would have to deal with.
Current me was going to enjoy this coffee guilt-free.
After the infusion of sugar, I jumped in the refresher unit, then put on my jumpsuit.
I had fully embraced my role as a leader on the Starbreaker, so I might as well dress the part, right?
Luckily, there were no real uniform requirements, so I could design mine however I wanted, even though the Knights had some weird obsession with black leather.
I listen. I don't judge.
After putting on my loose-fitting, black-and-pink jumpsuit, which had functional pockets and pouches and wasn't so tight as to leave nothing to the crew's imagination, I headed toward the bridge.
The corridors were empty. No chatter from the mess hall, no clanking from maintenance bots.
It could have had something to do with Torvyn's sister not allowing non-Zorathi to enter the Reach.
Why didn't I know her name yet?
We had been en route for a week now, dropping folks off at their home planets or space stations of choice.
We had advanced them six months of salary, plus a generous bonus, and promised them their jobs would still be here once we finished our visit.
Nobody would be forced back on board, but all were welcome.
The doors to the bridge slipped open, and I was met with dead silence.
It was so quiet I could have heard a pin drop on the carpeted floors.
Torvyn was sitting in the captain’s chair, staring at an empty point in the distance.
The yellow glow of the nav console cut shadows across his face.
New lines around his eyes I hadn't noticed before.
I reached out through the tether, but got nothing. Not even static.
I glanced around the bridge, studying the other Knights.
They were all acting the same. I was used to them muting their feelings so they didn't send any spikes of pure emotion through the tether, but this was different.
The tether hummed with something tight and sour.
Like a wound they kept picking at. I pushed harder, but I hit a wall. They'd shut me out.
I wasn't a fan.
I cleared my throat. "I've heard of men being emotionally unavailable, but you lot are really trying for a galactic record, aren't you?"
Torvyn stood. "Good morning, Kira. I apologize, it's just going home. It's not easy."
"What?" I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. "Going home is hard? Well, thank god I have you here to tell me that, cause little old me never would have guessed!"
His eyes narrowed. "You are mocking me."
"Sweetheart, no," I said, with a soft smile. "I'm mocking the idea that going home is only hard for you. Quick question: did you consider talking to me about it?"
"We didn't want to bother you," Kaedren said.
"So your master plan was to freeze me out from your feelings and mope around hoping I wouldn't ask questions?"
"When you put it like that, it doesn't sound like a logical plan," Vaelix said.
"First smart thing I've heard today! Conference room, all of you, now."
"We don't have time for this," Torvyn said.
"My god, do all men, across all species, across the entire galaxy, get a 'how to respond to therapy' script when they are born? What are you so busy doing, Torvy, sulking in your big boy chair?"
"Torvy?" he asked.
"It's my new pet name for you if you don't get your ass off the chair and into the conference room now," I said, then looked at the rest of the Knights. "Anybody else want a pet name?"
The other three quickly stepped away from their stations and beelined to the conference room. Torvyn stood slowly, looked at me, then walked over. He stood in front of me for a moment, studying my eyes.
"We have a lot to talk about," I said, reaching for his hand. "But there is one thing I need to know, right now."
He clasped my hand. "Anything for you."
I leaned in and put my hand on his chest. His muscles flexed as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. His warm breath brushed against my cheek, and I tilted my chin up, stood on my tiptoes, and let my lips graze his earlobe. His body shuddered.
We held each other for a moment. His heartbeat slowed against my palm. Then I spoke.
"What is your sister's name?" I murmured.
He pushed me to arm's length.
"What?"
"I thought the question was pretty straightforward. I can ask more slowly, if that helps."
"No, it's not that. It's just, I thought you wanted..."
I patted his chest and smiled. "See what happens when you don't communicate effectively? You create misunderstandings! So, sister's name?"
He dropped his gaze, lips twitching.
"Hey, come on, this is a safe space. You can tell me," I said.
He met my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Lady Aesira Virel."
I smiled. "Lady? That's a little pretentious. Is she a performer?"
"She is the first prefect of the Zorathi Matron."
"God, I love it when you say things I have no context for."
"Imagine Director Voss, but somebody with the ear of the CEO of all the corporations in the galaxy."
"So she's important."
"She's single-minded and ruthless. She will do everything possible to accomplish her goals."
"So she's ambitious."
"She lives to serve the Zorathi Matron."
"What is that?"
"Who. The leader of the Zorathi Reach."
"She definitely sounds important."
"She is my mother."
I blinked.
I blinked again.
Before you say anything, and I can't believe I'm the one saying this, take a deep breath and remember you love this man.
Do I?
I'm 78% sure you do.
Thanks for your feedback. You know where to go?
To my box.
"The Zorathi Matron is your mother?" I needed a second to let that sink in. "Do you think, in that quark-sized brain of yours, that telling me who your mother is would have been information I should have considered before joining a Zorathi tether?"
He studied his boots.
"Nope, eyes up. You aren't a child being sent to your room. You are a grown-ass man who omitted a very, very important fact when you offered me a bond for life. All this bullshit about choice, and being chosen, and blah, blah, blah."
"It was a choice," Torvyn said.
"Was it, though? It was more the idea of a choice with a huge mystery box behind it that I didn't even know existed until right now."
"I didn't want it to influence your decision."
My jaw clenched so hard my teeth ached.
"Get in the conference room, now."
"Are you mad at me?"
I sent a burst of emotion through the tether, and Torvyn flinched. I pointed to the room, my chest heaving.
"Yes, Kira," he said.
I followed him in. The recycled air felt cold against my flushed skin, and the low hum of the ship's engines seemed louder in the silence.
He moved toward the head of the table, then hesitated, looking back at me.
Part of me wanted to demand the chair. Assert control. But this wasn't about power. It was about getting them to talk.
I pulled out the chair beside him and sat. "Fine. You can have the chair. But you don't get to have silence."
Something shifted in his expression. Surprise, maybe. He sat down slowly.
"So I just learned that Torvyn's mother is the queen of the Zorathi Reach."
"The Matron," Torvyn said, looking up.
“Do you think speaking right now is in your best interests?”
He dropped his gaze again.
"Who wants to tell me what else is causing all this anxiety?"
The Knights exchanged glances. Kaedren shifted in his seat. Vaelix studied the table. Lyrin's jaw tightened.
"The Reach is a complicated place for us," Lyrin said finally. "There are traumas that haven't healed. Traumas we will have to face."
"Thanks for sharing that. But I think you, all of you, owe it to me to tell me what these traumas are. I'm your ally here. I am your advocate. I can help, but only if I know what we are facing."
"It's my father," Vaelix said. "He is the prime assistant to the Zorathi Ambassador to the Qarrema Ascendancy."
"That's a mouthful. What's the Qarrema Ascendancy?" I asked.
"Our sworn enemy," all four Knights said in unison.
"So your father, what, wanted you to follow in his footsteps and become an assistant?"
"A diplomatic assistant. It is one of the most prestigious positions a Zorathi male can hold."
"Why does it have to be a male position?"
Vaelix blinked. "I don't understand. Who else would hold an assistant position?"
"A woman? Jesus, I didn't realize the Zorathi were so sexist."
"A woman would never hold an assistant position," Lyrin said, tilting his head.
"Why? Are they not good enough? I feel like I've shown how much women can actually do in the last few months."
Torvyn raised his hand.
"What?"