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  “I’m so glad you made it back okay.” Emma squeezed her tightly.

  Nova ran her hand over the girl’s hair. “Me too.”

  “Nova.” James wrapped his arms around her embracing her too. “It’s good to see you.”

  The ship lurched jerking them apart and causing them all to trip over their feet. She grasped each of their arms. “Come with me to my quarters. We can sit in there until the attack is over.”

  “How long until we know something?” James asked.

  “The plan will either work or it won’t. My guess is we won’t have to wait too long.” The ship jerked again. People began to panic even as a voice came over the loud speaker explaining to them what was happening. It kept repeating but each time it appeared to be changing to another language. “Come.”

  She led the pair into the hallway again. They weren’t going to make it to her room. It was several levels down and with the constant shaking of the ship she wasn’t going to risk taking the transporters right now.

  “Here. Let’s have a seat.” She put her back to the wall and sat down. The other two followed her lead putting Emma between her and James.

  “What’s happening?” Emma asked. She looked to Nova with large worried eyes.

  “We are entering Earth’s atmosphere. It’s a part of the plan. There is nothing to worry about. It will be a little rough for a few minutes while we hold our position. It’s probably best to stay here to avoid falling.” Nova offered them a smile hoping it would ease their discomfort.

  James put his hand around Emma and pulled her close. He held his hand out to Nova and she curled her fingers around his. He gave it a squeeze and she leaned into him too, resting her head against his.

  The minutes, or it could have been merely seconds, ticked by at an agonizing rate. Nova wished there was something, anything she could do to help out, but her expertise wasn’t on the bridge, and all the shuttles were docked and grounded until further notice.

  She closed her eyes and found comfort with James and Emma. In just a few days the two had wormed their way into her heart. She couldn’t imagine being here in this moment with anyone else.

  Captain Cree’s voice belted out over the loudspeaker. Nova held her breath listening to his words.

  “What is he saying?” Emma asked.

  James shushed her for which Nova was grateful. She listened to her captain’s words and giggled. “We defeated them. Your planet is safe. There are still some rogue small ships over your planet but the main threat has been neutralized.”

  “You mean we can go home?” Emma asked her voice so loud it made both Nova and James flinch.

  “We can go home but it may take some time. We’ll want the Imanji threat to be dealt with before we return,” James said.

  Nova nodded her head in agreement. “Yes.”

  “Where will we stay until then?” Emma asked.

  “I’m sure I could convince the captain to let you stay with me in my quarters.” Nova didn’t know if Captain Cree would agree to it but it was worth asking about. The people couldn’t stay in the mess hall and cargo hold. They’d have to be allowed into some areas on the ship until order could be restored.

  “I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather stay,” James said. He pressed a kiss to Nova’s temple.

  Chapter 11

  It had been nearly one week since The Retribution had beaten back the Imanji mother ships. She’d spent the past week away from James and Emma except for the few hours she got to sleep. Today was no different, except after she’d gotten off her shuttle duty she’d been given a message to report to Captain Cree’s office. What little time she had with Emma and James was quickly dwindling away.

  The shuttle crews were overly busy and there just weren’t enough shuttles to support the demand. Her time with the two was short lived too. Nova knew that James and Emma would be leaving she just hadn’t anticipated that it’d be so soon. Their tiny country town in Georgia had been unscathed for the most part by the attacks. They had a home to go back to and were shipping out first thing in the morning.

  There were so many people that had been displaced that they needed the room on the ship for those who had nowhere else to go. The shelters on Earth were overwhelmed with homeless refugees. Two of those refugees were James’ parents.

  He had made plans to pick them up and take them back to the farmhouse until other accommodations could be made for them. Both James and Emma were looking forward to reuniting with them. There was no word on Emma’s mother. Unfortunately that was the case for many people. The Imanjis didn’t leave bodies behind. They took them to their ships to feed off them. However, people were still being found in remote areas and broken down buildings. It could be several more weeks before they had a full grasp of the damage that had been done and how many countless lives had been lost.

  The Captain’s office doors whooshed open revealing him. “Nova Tidde. Please come in.”

  Nova pushed off the wall and ambled into the room sinking into the seat across from him. He sat down and leaned back in his chair studying her. She knew the Livstiks fairly well. Maddox better than Orion. While she’d heard Captain Cree speak and he had motivated her she’d never had the pleasure of personally making his acquaintance.

  “Captain Cree.” She bowed her head to him.

  “I’ve heard wonderful things about you, Nova. Orion speaks highly of you and you have quite a…colorful past with the academy.” His lips quirked up with his words and she couldn’t help but laugh. Colorful was one way to describe it, though it was more her parents doing than her acting out.

  “My parents have made things very interesting,” she admitted.

  “The Tidde family has been a huge supporter of the academy…until recently. Can I ask why you decided to join?”

  Nova sighed heavily. “It was against my parents’ wishes; that’s for sure.”

  Captain Cree inclined his head. “I’d already figured that.”

  “Well you already know my parents are very political on Delphi. I was their assistant right out of school and we went to one of your speeches to the council. Your words, your inspiration, are the reasons why I joined.” She shrugged and looked down to the desk.

  “Everyone always tells me I’m very inspiring. I guess sometimes it’s hard for us to see. You are no doubt a valuable member of our crew. It’s my understanding that you have personally become friends with some of the humans aboard our ship.”

  “Yes, I have.” She assumed he was referring specifically to James and Emma, though she had built quite the rapport with other members of his town and even others who she’d help to rescue. Was there a problem with that? She’d heard that Captain Cree was also involved with a human woman.

  “That’s good. It is important that we make friends with the humans. We plan to stay on Earth for the foreseeable future to help them rebuild and prepare in case there is another attack, there is no indication of one yet, but knowing the Imanji there will be.” Captain Cree cleared his throat and leaned forward. “The humans have spoken quite highly of you. We need people like you who can communicate with them and help them feel at ease with our people. How would you feel about a promotion? You and a select few would be liaisons between our people and the humans. Think of it as acting on both species behalves. You would answer any questions they have about us and help them understand our way of living better so they no longer view us as a threat.”

  It sounded too good to be true if she was understanding him correctly. She’d really get to make a difference and help people. Maybe she’d get to spend time with James and Emma, too. After the past week she couldn’t imagine not being able to see them on a daily basis, even if it was just for a few short minutes. “I would get to spend more time on Earth?” she asked.

  Captain Cree nodded. “You would also get your own private, smaller shuttle so you could travel to wherever you’d like during your time off duty.”

  So she could spend time with James and Emma. “That sound
s lovely. I’d be honored.”

  “Good. Get some rest. Take a day off and report to duty in the shuttle bay a day from tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Sir.” She stood up and bowed to him again before hurrying out of his office. She’d get a whole day to spend with James and Emma and she’d start her new job the same day they left, too. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Captain Cree had probably planned it based on what she knew of him. She smiled; she couldn’t wait to share her good news.

  “So we still get to see you?” Emma screeched. She jumped up and down and hugged Nova tightly.

  “Yes. I’m so glad.” She nuzzled the girl and then smiled up at James who had a large grin on his face.

  “I’m glad. I can’t think of another person anymore deserving of this promotion than you. You’ve made the transition so much better for not just Emma and I, but for so many people.” James joined the hug. He placed a kiss to her lips. “You know you can stay at our farmhouse anytime.”

  Nova kissed him. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “You know I love you, right?” James said. He pulled back so he could stare into her eyes.

  She gasped and swallowed hard. Tears pricked her eyes. “I love you too.”

  James closed the distance once again and Emma giggled happily between them. For the first time in her life she had a family, a place to call home, a place to belong. She didn’t know what the future held, but as long as she had James and Emma they could tackle anything.

  About the Author

  Bethany Shaw lives in Ohio with her husband and two kids. Writing has always been her passion and she loves sharing her stories with readers. When she isn't writing, she is spending time with her family enjoying bike rides, bowling, and board games.

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