Shadow Stalking by Amber Forbes

Author:Amber Forbes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: space opera female leaders space opera female lead, heroine suicidal mental health rep fiction survive, complex ptsd from surviving found family fantasy, heroine becomes powerful scifi feline alien friend, scifi military space adventure romance subplot fun, galactic empire science fiction secret powers win, genetic engineering science fiction rescue mission
Publisher: Amber Forbes
Published: 2022-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

EVERYONE ALWAYS GRAVITATED to the rec room when ship bound. The size of the room was a big draw on an otherwise cramped ship. The area was multi-purpose, with the all-important mess dominating the space, but it also featured collapsible gym equipment and an entertainment console, as the ship was too small to have a VTS room. Which is why it was the first place Daku went to check in with his team.

Scout Kath Arker sat astride the weight bench, working on her quads, as she talked to Scout Rance Upot. The Ghelpen tinkered with the treadmill, his four arms moving swiftly. No big surprise there. He forever seemed to put things back together again, invariably after he'd ripped them apart, and Arker never let a workout opportunity pass her by. They seemed an unlikely duo but shared a long friendship, having grown up in the same town, on the fifth moon of Ghelp. Their easy camaraderie was essential on a small team. They were adept at diffusing strained tempers, and when eight people were jammed together on a tin can halfway to anywhere, it became even more important.

Especially when one person was an outsider.

Scout Lombre Dua Malk sat at the mess table, his four limbs folded under him, making a chair unnecessary. He was one Bithran not to be crossed, and Eternity help anyone that called him by his family name; the entire team knew to just call him by his given name.

“Malk, how's the wellbeing of the team?” Daku asked, crossing to the pantry. It was unusual for a Bithran to serve in the Jade Fleet; normally, they joined the Sapphire Fleet and stayed stationed near their family. However, Malk had left his family and moved to the Jade Zone. It was their loss because he was one of the best medics Daku had served with.

“Someone might need a visit to the doc soon,” Upot spat, flinging his four arms out.

Arker caught one of his hands right before it smacked her in the head. “Hey watch it, you bloody windmill. I'm not the one making you send her duplicates of all your reports.”

Daku would have been as equally annoyed at Kara as his team seemed to be if it hadn't been for this morning. “I know she can get on your nerves, but I'm asking you to give her some slack. She has her reasons, and they're solid.”

He got three disbelieving stares in return, and Malk stopped eating abruptly. “Are you running a fever, sir? Because I could have sworn that yesterday you told Sergeant Riz you were three seconds away from locking Valkaith in her quarters.”

But Daku shook his head. “Just go easier on her.”

They didn't look particularly happy with his request, but one by one, they agreed. “Only because it's you asking,” Arker grumbled.

“Good.” And it was; she didn't need their hostility. “Now, we have some promising new intel. Kapur may have picked up a solid signal to track. He passed it on to Phykri and is continuing to search the area for anything else.

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