Gamma Raiders: Storm Squadron Alpha: Scifi Alien Romance Novel by Calista Skye

experience for this. The only time she’d ever done a fighter sim was here, and she’d only been practicing a few weeks at most. Ja’al had taught her a lot during that time, but she didn’t have years of experience. Maybe she’d be better off sticking to what she knew best. Good flight mechanics were important.
    Even if that meant she wouldn’t get to spend time with ….
    Ja’al entered the room, along with the rest of the squadron leaders. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. The way the cut of the fabric emphasized his muscular physique, the line of his shoulders and his broad chest stretching the suit firm against him. It was the build of a man who knew how to work, to push himself beyond what he thought was possible.
    It was a lesson she’d do well to learn. Not that she didn’t work hard—Kira was no stranger to spending long hours buried beneath the belly of a ship, repairing and upgrading critical systems. She’d designed mods that allowed her freighter, the Endurance, to handle maneuvering through the Dennegar belt.
    But that was a far cry from handling a fighter in the heat of combat. The lives of others depended on a pilot’s split-second reactions and the strength of her instincts.
    “I don’t know,” she said. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for the Storm Squadron.”
    Reina shook her head. “That’s too bad. I guess you have to do what’s right for you, but …” She hesitated, weighing whether to finish. “Don’t sell yourself short, Kira. I saw your test scores. You’ve got good instincts.”
    I’m not so sure about that, she thought. My instincts told me not to trust you. And look how wrong I had it.
    “Thanks, Reina.”
    “And besides, we women need to stick together, right?”
    But Kira didn’t have a chance to answer before Captain Adaar stepped out onto the stage. A silence descended over the crowd as they waited for him to speak. He looked majestic in his full dress uniform. And though he wore it naturally, it was obvious to Kira that he would have preferred to be back in the loose-fitting, easy clothes of a pirate.
    She chuckled to herself. All the pomp and formality would be better left to someone else. This rebellion had its own flavor. They needed to own it. To be themselves.
    “Good morning, everyone,” he said to the cadets lined up in front of him. “This is an important day for all of you. Taking on a force as massive and thoroughly entrenched as the Kamaran Empire is no easy task. It’s going to take all of us, working together. And every part of the machine has to perform optimally, or the whole thing falls apart. Every job is important.”
    Kira felt as though he was speaking to her innermost fears. Don’t feel bad about it, Kira. Not everyone is cut out for Storm Squadron. We need mechanics, too. Well, she’d be the best damn mechanic they’d ever had.
    “Every one of you has unique talents and gifts, and every one of you will play an important role in toppling the Empire. We want each of you to make the most of your potential.”
    Kira closed her eyes. She wasn’t cut out to be a fighter pilot. But she couldn’t give up, either. And Ja’al … there was something growing between them. She was sure of it. It was more than the hungry looks he gave her when he thought wasn’t looking. More than chemistry. A connection born out of respect. And if she chose to be a mechanic, she wouldn’t be seeing him much anymore.
    No, dammit. I won’t let it happen. I won’t give him up.
    “…And as you all know,” Adaar continued, “the Kamarans haven’t taken the news of our insurgency lightly. Even as our ranks grow, the Empire remains busy securing alliances of their own. Every day we allow their growth to continue unabated, the stronger they become. We don’t have time to waste. We need to strike them before they root us out. And they will, given enough time.”
    He paced around the stage, speaking with same authority that had ignited the rebellion on