A New Beginning: An LGBTQIA Military Space Opera (The Unforgiving Stars Book 1) by E.J. Isaacs

Author:E.J. Isaacs [Isaacs, E.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Space Wizard Science Fantasy
Published: 2025-10-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Captain Sheets frowned at the message she received from Excalibur. The shuttle slipped into the atmosphere and headed to the one space port on the planet. As they glided in, they were treated to a whole continent covered in thick jungle with high trees making up the canopy. As they dropped altitude, they spotted houses built into the trees.

Cities were few and clustered in the center of each of the three major continents. The space port was next to the largest city, which contained what looked like a palace. As they passed over a grouping of tall trees and she thought she saw beings leaping from the branches and gliding to the jungle floor.

“Fascinating, eh Captain?” The ambassador sounded almost polite.

“We still know so little about them,” she replied. “I understand all negotiations were done from orbit when the Association made contact with the ChiKanti.”

The ambassador nodded but did not reply. Clear Sky cleanly centered the shuttle over the area designated by blinking strobe lights and softly dropped them down to a landing. He left the pilot seat and went to the side air lock. After a quick check of the atmospheric readings, he popped open the door. The two Marines quickly stood and adjusted their dress blues ready for their duty as honor guards. They walked to the door and called back that no one was waiting for them.

“That’s odd, no formal welcome?” The captain kept her tone neutral, glancing at the ambassador.

“Remember, their customs could be quite different from ours, Captain. That is why they send in experts like me.”

She kept her best poker face and ignored the comment. She let the ambassador follow the Marines while she and Commander Clear Sky brought up the rear. As they stepped out of the shuttle, she glanced over at the commander. Years of working with him taught her to read what little expression he showed, and she could see that he was not happy. They stood out in the open, completely exposed.

Finally, they detected movement as a large ground vehicle drove up and stopped near them. A door opened and stairs deployed automatically. The driver did not get out and could not be seen from behind heavily tinted glass. Ambassador Taft walked to the vehicle and everyone else followed. They all got in. The seats were plush and very comfortable. As soon as they were all seated, the stairs retracted, and the door shut. They drove through an empty spaceport. Not another living being could be seen.

This is very odd. Every instinct told Rena this was wrong. She noted Clear Sky was sitting straight in his seat, his eyes watching everything around them.

They soon left the spaceport and drove on a road that led directly to the palace. She couldn’t think of another word to describe it. It was far too ornate to be a strictly governmental headquarters. At the gate, large doors opened automatically as they approached. They continued through multiple sets of gates, like the layered defenses of a castle.

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