BLINK by Sandra Sookoo

BLINK - An action-packed space adventure by Sandra Sookoo.

Which man is her destiny? Charlotte Jackson knows everything about her small portion of the galaxy but nothing about the secrets of her heart.

Her life is as unstable as a supernova when her ship - the Copernicus - is visited by a blue-haired alien who calls himself Garreth. He tells her he'd like to build an alliance with Earth to improve the dire problems of both their planets. As if intergalactic space negotiations weren't complicated enough, Charlotte finds herself more than a little attracted to the man who she should be thinking about in only the most professional terms. This does nothing to make her second-in-command - and would-be lover Jax - any more relaxed about the whole cooperation.

When her ship is attacked by the very beings Garreth wants to save them from, Charlotte and Jax will have to put their feelings for the blue-haired alien aside and focus on saving not only themselves but the entire galaxy. What the three find at the end could be the most valuable commodity of all.

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Excerpt for Blink from Chapter One

Imperfection

Andromeda Galaxy, Daridia, High Council Chamber 2050

“Motion to authorize interference with the Earthlings carries. Supreme Commander Garreth Wallace will organize an expedition at the conclusion of this meeting. Do you have anything else to add, Commander?”

Garreth cocked an eyebrow at the formidable dark-skinned man and his shock of blue, frizzy hair. “If it pleases the council, I will make the trip across our galaxy to the next alone. I do not wish to endanger members of our security force as they are sorely needed here. Our people are already taxed to the limit from constantly defending against the Jurikai not to mention the daily struggle to conserve energy resources.”

The Jurikai were a war loving race of hybrid android-reptiles who fought their way through the galaxy, intent to either enslave weaker peoples or destroy the planets for no more reason than because they could. They had accumulated technology like playing cards, not caring that they oftentimes had no idea how to use it properly or adapt it for their own use. That cavalier attitude made them dangerous because they were unpredictable.

Pre-Jurikai days meant long, idyllic stretches of farming or mining. Life was spent in simple pursuits of leisure. Laughter was always in the background, but those times were gone. The Daridians had been taken advantage of and now conducted life differently. No longer would they live to glorify others.

A glance around the sterile room revealed exactly what it had been designed to show—nothing. With the exception of the panel bench, the chamber was devoid of all personal accoutrements or decorations, just dreary gray walls and unremarkable ceiling tiles of the same color. Nothing about the cold place would signify that its occupants represented a culture strongly steeped in pride of science and knowledge. But then, the Daridians did not cater to outward appearances and had no use for external trappings. Knowing they were a superior race was enough.

It was a necessary evil to survival.

“Fair enough, Commander. You may proceed. Time is of the essence, and the Greater Gallaxian Alliance will wait for no one—least of all you. A representative of Earth must agree to join us if our plan to secure an alternative power source will be successful. Your contact for the water planet is Lieutenant Colonel Charlotte Jackson. Currently, she is located on a starship orbiting Earth’s atmosphere. Take the crystals, explain the basics to her, but under no circumstances are you to put the knowledge into play for them. Our directive is to teach, not do. If they want the partnership with our people, they must be willing to work for it.”

An old-fashioned wooden gavel slammed onto an archaic podium. The sound echoed through the small council chamber. Garreth cringed. He wasn’t accustomed to harsh noises and couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the last time he’d stand in the council chambers. The shimmering light from the teleporting adjudicate did not bother him, it was the abrupt dismissal from the gavel that chilled his insides. The mission ahead would be trying at best. The Earthlings were not the most open of races to deal with. They would rather shoot first and ask questions lat er, which did not make a favorable impression for alliances of any kind. The people of Earth, while bringing with them an unsavory reputation of suspicion and military might, could very well hold the key to the Daridians’ future survival, which made them a prime candidate for trade relations.

With a sigh, he snapped his fingers. Two seconds later, he stood in the utilities outpost at the edge of the settlement. Garreth approached the woman in charge of the facility, and he smiled. His mate often invoked a brief spark of warmth somewhere deep inside his chest when he saw her. Troubling. Why did the sensation project itself whenever she came near?

“Slyka, do you have the Alkarnian crystals ready for transport?”

Surprise registered in the pale blue depths of her almond-shaped eyes. “Garreth. You are not scheduled to be in the lab today.”

“The council has other plans.” He looked at her and frowned. Her dark mahogany-hued skin gleamed with health as if she had just returned from partaking of the nourishment from the dual infant suns the planet circled, and her white hair, bound into a thick braid, hung down her back, swishing about her slim hips. Most of the time she wore it pinned around her shapely head like a crown, but on the days she left the braid to dangle, a rush of longing stirred low in his abdomen. He had been right to select her as his mate. Garreth stifled a groan and wished his personal calendar reflected time alone with her this week. “I am to go to Earth.”

“So soon?” Slyka’s hands stilled. She held his gaze, unblinking. “We were to take the young ones to the Anora Shore in a few days. It is our allotted family togetherness. We will celebrate the tide ceremony.”

“I am aware, but I cannot disobey the council. An alliance with the Earthlings will benefit our people far into the future.” Garreth moved forward to brush her soft cheek with his thumb. “You know this.”

“It is true.” She looked away to focus her gaze on the black tiled floor before her eyes swept the sterile laboratory. “But the next family togetherness will not be scheduled for six months. The young ones will be away at school until then.” She caught her lower lip between small, white teeth. “I am empty inside without them and you.”

For long moments, the only sounds were the slight electronic beeps from the machines scattered around the room. The very lack of other Daridians in the area emphasized the fact that his people didn’t waste time in idle togetherness. He often wondered what background chatter between acquaintances would sound like. “The council says time spent in emotions is wasted. If we are not learning, we are not evolving.” Garreth smiled. “We cannot save our people by indulging in emotional angst.”

“I do not believe that is true anymore. Emotions can allow our people to attain greater depths of understanding and interact with each other on a different level. Some Daridians have expressed interest in leaving this planet to live elsewhere. They don’t like the rigid schedules and time constraints we have imposed on ourselves for the sake of advancement.”

“It is a hard way of life, and not one for the younger generations, but we must be strong and remember our brethren on the outposts the Jurikai destroyed. It is for them we fight.” Garreth moved away from her, wondering why the old emotion of anxiety swirled through his chest. He had banished those years ago, and he did not relish attending a tamping class again. “Regardless of what you and I want, the trip to Earth will be completed.”

She nodded. “When will you return?”

“Within the week. I don’t anticipate anything will catch my attention enough to make me want to tarry longer.” He reached out and grabbed the two Alkarnian crystals from Slyka’s lab table, ever cognizant that the source of their energy supply was in drastically short demand.

Mined from deep in the planet’s core, his fingers swept over the smooth surface once then twice. The unique mineral base had the ability to blend itself under the right circumstances. When broken down in a reactor core or molecule reducer, the mineral imitated missing compounds for formulas that spanned anything from power sources to breathable gases or food. It could only provide one piece of a puzzle, which required the species to learn its unique properties. It couldn’t be integrated with any other crystal in any galaxy the Daridians were aware of. Valuable to anyone who had the technology to use them, the Daridians kept them hidden at all times. “And you are certain these will supplement their shields?”

“Every test I have run indicates this will be the result. Remember, you cannot implement them. The humans must ascertain the answer themselves. You can instruct, you can teach, but they must learn the process otherwise they run the risk of becoming dependent on us and we will stop evolving. Too much of our time wasted on the Earthlings’ incompetence is counteractive to our purpose.”

“You sound like the council elders.”

“That was not my intent. I only wanted to give you facts.”

“I appreciate your concern, and I will not interfere.”

“What will you do if mortality is in the balance?” Her eyes twinkled.

Garreth shrugged. “It will be a complication for study at the time.”

“It will be trying for you. They are not as advanced as the Daridians.” A smile parted her full lips. “You will be bored.”

“Most likely.” Garreth held one of the two-inch crystals to the light, admiring the swirls of pink and white inside. “Very well. Now, our future depends on the temperamental whims of the humans.”

“Be safe, mate, and return home soon.”

“My security is not an issue for concern. I will return in a few days.” He dropped the crystals into a pocket of his tight leather pants then rushed over the floor to his mate. “I will miss you.”

Slyka held up her right hand. “I will miss you as well, Garreth.”

“If the mission goes badly or I am indeed delayed, remember to find a replacement mate in a timely manner. I will not have you mourn for me or disrupt your reproduction schedule.”

He fitted his left hand to her waiting one, matching his fingers to hers, pressing their palms together.

Almost immediately, heat coursed through his body to warm him from head to toe. Blood became hot, like the lava rivers in the Southlands, and Garreth’s nether regions stirred as sexual energy flowed through his veins. An overwhelming desire to bed Slyka became rooted in his mind, but the knowledge that time for mating was not on the schedule held him back.

“Slyka, before I go, perhaps we should—”

“No.” She put her fingertips over his lips. “We dare not lie together at the present time. If the elders found out, we would run the risk of another tamping class.”

Garreth gave a curt nod. Daridians were only allowed the opportunity to mate at certain times during the year when instructed by the council, and Garreth’s number had not been posted for the month. Tamping classes were particularly unpleasant as the elders put great faith in the benefits of electro-shock therapy in the hopes that an erring Daridian would remember the rules of their society and give up the ridiculous notion that emotional response could be considered. In an effort to see that the planet conformed, population was strictly controlled so the culmination of knowledge was not disrupted by constant birthing.

Questions burned through his mind as he communed with Slyka’s soul, not the least of which wondering how long she had contemplated opening the emotional side of herself.

He wished for more time before his mission in order to caution her against the potential folly of that trend.

“Enough.” She wrenched her hand from his, panting slightly. “I had forgotten how intense you can be directly before a mission.” Glittering gold flecks sparkled on her cheeks, a sure indication she was aroused. The temptation to go into her mind and read her hidden thoughts gripped him. He pushed it back with sheer will power. He did not need further complications at this time.

“My intent was not to distract you.” He waited until his own breathing regulated before speaking again. “I must go. Firin ranaia. Until next time.” With one last sweeping glance, Garreth gripped a small, silver transportation device, pressed a button, felt the nothingness of air around him, and then reappeared in the launch bay of the outpost.

“Supreme Commander Wallace, your arrival is not listed on the schedule.”

“The change has recently occurred, private.” He stifled a grin as the young man clicked his heels together and saluted. “Is my craft ready for departure?”

“Absolutely, sir, the Temoc, The Point of Light is prepared and fuelled. Will there be anything else?”

“No, this will be sufficient. Carry on.” Garreth climbed up the lightweight aluminum ladder and settled into the sleek cockpit of his ship. Taking a deep, calming breath, he noted in satisfaction that the leather still smelled new even though the craft was at least five years old. Small and sophisticated, the Temoc had only enough room for two beings and a tiny amount of cargo. It was built for speed and efficiency rather than companionship. That suited Garreth fine. No interruptions. Just business.

There could be no more distractions. The fate of his people was uncertain. He refused to contemplate what failure would mean.

He punched the coordinates into the navigation computer. Supreme Commander Wallace lowered the hatch, fastened his safety belt then pulled on the red launch lever. Two seconds later, the Temoc hurtled through the open doors and ratcheted through the lavender-hued atmosphere at a rate much quicker than the speed of light. Soon, their technology would be such that space travel would fall by the wayside and they could transport themselves to other galaxies as easily as transporting into the next room. Before Garreth had time to draw a breath, the blackness of space surrounded him.

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