Galactic Gale

Chapter One

Captain's Orders

When Kael Galtionie turned his back on his former life of luxury, he had thought the ship he had decided to run away on would actually work.

As it turned out, the Rapid was not a functioning ship – not that Kael would ever admit so to the captain.

The Rapid lurched and Kael was thrown from his seat. His open palms met the wall as he braced himself. Travelling through space was never safe, but this last mission had cost Kael and his small crew too many brushes with death.

"Switch to emergency power," Amara Lee called from her seat at the control panels. She was calm, despite the ghastly rattling sound coming from the left engine. Smoke drifted past her window and Amara shrugged. "Must be a broken circuit somewhere."

One of Kael's photographs fell from the wall. The glass frame shattered on the polished floor tiles. He struggled to pick up the pieces, cutting his hand in the process and muttering a short curse under his breath.

Last year he wouldn't have so much as considered using such language, but gone were the days in which Kael would sit with his mother in the assembly chamber of Uterca, talking politely with politicians. In deep space, swearing was almost second nature.

"Emergency power isn't working." Amara's co-pilot, a tall and thin girl with dark hair tightly spun, threw a glare over her shoulder at Kael. It had been months since Kael had become a permanent addition to Amara's crew and Cyre Mars was yet to warm up to him.

"Make it work," Amara said as she snapped two leavers down from the roof.

Red lights flicked on overhead, bathing the Rapid's circular chamber in crimson. Kael shuddered as he tucked the photograph into a safe spot, then tried to make his way to Amara. His feet stumbled gracelessly across the polished tiles.

"You told me the ship was ready to fly," he protested, bouncing with his companions as the Rapid lost its landing ramp. The metal sheet was ripped from the underside of the ship with a clattered. One of the camera screens reflected a live image of the ramp spinning into the distance.

"Aren't we flying now?" Amara shot, her choppy white hair cleanly sliding over her shoulders.

"Barely." Kael's shoulders sagged and he pointed to a shape out the window. "Is that the Watch?" he flattered. Things could not have gotten worse as they were, the last thing they needed was the Celestial watch to pick them up on their scanners.

"One vessel," Cyre growled. "Not a threat."

"Relax, we'll be fine." Amara kicked her feet up onto the control panel. She punched a flat button and spare a smile. Kael was relatively unexperienced with flying, but he knew enough about ships to understand Amara had shut down the Rapid's thrusters.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" he blurted.

Amara raised her eyebrows. In the captain's chair, she looked like a child who had gone astray. Her youthful features and small frame did nothing to help highlight her true age – not that Kael could judge her. He was also often mistaken for a child. The uniform she was wearing was stolen from one of the pirates whose vessel they had just robbed, and it hung oddly from her shoulders. Kael himself still wore his disguise, the dark fabric clinging to his clammy skin.

There was not much honour in the line of work Kael and his friends undertook. The life of a rogue was about as fair as it was safe. They would rob the Watch, steal from other criminals and dip into the odd bit of smuggling - if the price was right.