Gamma Raiders: Storm Squadron Alpha: Scifi Alien Romance Novel Read Free Page B

me I’m not qualified to fly for the Storm Squadron.
    “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Kira. Ja’al would be lucky to have a woman like you.”
    Ja’al, the first officer of the Gamma Raiders, was Adaar’s closest friend. And Kira had her eyes on him since they first set foot aboard the ship. The chemistry between them was obvious. Or it was obvious to her, at least. Maybe he was just being friendly, but there were times Kira swore she saw the desire for something deeper in his eyes. Sometimes, he looked at her like he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off into his bedchamber. She would definitely be on board for that, but it wasn’t something either of them had ever acted on.
    But if she wasn’t going to be a Storm Squadron pilot after all, she had nothing to lose. Maybe it was time to make her move.
    Kira glanced in the mirror, adjusting the lines of her dress. She had to admit that she looked pretty stunning. She’d never worn such an ornate gown. The long, flowing silks and intricate lace work brought out the softness of her full-bodied curves in all the right ways. It was unlike anything she’d ever worn before. Beauty and luxury weren’t easy to come by for an orphan growing up alone under the iron thumb of Imperial rule.
    “You’re damn right he would,” said Kira. “But today isn’t about me, Lana. This is your day. I can’t believe you’re getting married! Are you ready?”
    Before Lana could answer, the opening chords of the Kamaran Ceremonial Waltz hummed through the speakers, filling the ship’s cabin. Kira took a last glance at the bride and kissed her on the cheek. “Congratulations, Riley,” she said.
    “I’m lucky to have a friend like you.”
    Kira stepped through the plush crimson velvet curtain and out into the training hall. The largest room on the ship, the training hall was the only sensible place on the Vendetta to hold the ceremony. Outfitted with a vast array of holographic projectors, the room could be easily configured to simulate any scenario. The Raiders used it to stage mock battles, but there was no reason it couldn’t simulate a majestic wedding ceremony, too.
    No one had ever expected that the high-end technology would be used to create wedding decorations, but the faintly shimmering holographic tapestries projected on the walls ballroom looked magnificent.
    Tyrus, the crew’s youngest member and chief mechanic, had a rough time conjuring up an image of an appropriately elaborate wedding ceremony, having never seen or attended one himself. But fortunately, he had Kira to help him. And between them, they’d created a ceremony fit for royalty.
    Adaar might have abandoned his official claim to the Kamaran throne when he left the Empire, but he was still a prince. Lana was living a fairy-tale, and Kira wanted her friend to have the full-blown fairy-tale experience. At least, as much as she could aboard the cold metal ship. Kira was proud of her handiwork, all things considered.
    As she walked down the aisle to take her place at the front of the room, Kira looked out at the Raider crew seated before her. Everyone’s idea of formal wedding attire was different, but that was to be expected when the crew hailed from so many different home worlds with their myriad traditions. But despite the lack of uniformity, the site was strangely perfect. All the diversity of disparate cultures coming together in one place, each adding their own unique flavor, seemed appropriate to celebrate the wedding of the Rebel leader who had united them.
    Yamao, the Artruvian who served as the ship’s counselor, stood at the front of the room. He had been a priest before joining the Raiders. He looked happy to lead a ceremony again. Kira smiled at him, and took her place at the head of the room, waiting for Lana’s entrance.
    She felt Ja’al’s eyes on her as she waited for the waltz to conclude. Her skin flushed as she tried to maintain her composure. Damn complexion