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

smile, but with the eyes of the room on her, she maintained her composure.
    Looking out to the crowd, she saw Tyrus standing with the mechanics, watching her closely. She’d be happy to run over and celebrate with him. Tyrus had become a great friend. She hoped he didn’t let the position of power go to his head. Though, if he did, she could always kick his ass at Traps again to put him back in his place.
    “Kira Thorne,” said Adaar.
    She swallowed against the dryness of her throat. Nothing to be nervous about. Her fate was sealed when she botched the test flight in the Battery.
    “Storm Squadron.”
    Kira’s eyes went wide. She must have heard wrong. The applause that filled the room faded into the background of her mind as her thoughts spun. That can’t be right.
    Adaar smiled wide. “Congratulations, Kira,” he said, clapping her on the shoulder. “Go to them.”
    She saw Ja’al in the distance, beckoning her onward.
    Looks like I’m going to be a pilot after all. She hoped she was up to the challenge.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
     
    Ja’al kept his office cold. Too many creature comforts would make him sloppy. He couldn’t afford to get soft. The cool air invigorated him. Challenged his willpower. The small room was sparsely decorated and barely finished. The exposed guts of the ship and cabling hanging from the ceiling reminded him that his work was never finished. It helped to keep his mind on the mission. Besides, there weren’t any trinkets or memories he wanted to keep around. There was no use dwelling on past regrets. He was here to create a better future.
    Ja’al sat on the cool steel floor for his morning meditation, trying to clear his mind to prepare on the day ahead. But anxious thoughts assailed him. Reina’s arrival was a complication he didn’t need. Guilt was a useful emotion when it motivated him to action, but soldiers and leaders had no room for rumination or regret. He had to live in the present and create a better future. A future with Kira in it.
    And now that Kira was officially part of the Storm Squadron, he’d need to be careful with his emotions. The sight of her sent the blood pumping through his body, filling him with a desire more intense than he knew how to handle. It would be a challenge to keep his passions cool around her.
    There were too many stray thoughts in his awareness. Ja’al returned his attention to his breath, but the surge of arousal still pulled at him. This would be more challenging than he thought. He directed his attention to the rise and fall of his chest. Grounding himself in his body helped when his mind ran amok.
    The harsh buzz of the comm system rang through the room, pulling him from his trance. The gods were conspiring against his meditation this morning. But letting go of his attachment to the results gave him a chance to practice acceptance. And besides, anyone visiting him this early in the morning must have something urgent to discuss.
    Ja’al reached over to the small wooden table and released the door lock. Its hydraulics hissed as the door slid open.
    “We need to talk, Ja’al,” said Kira.
    That’s never a good way to start a conversation. Ja’al pushed himself up off the floor. He didn’t want to leap to unhelpful conclusions, but the look on her face betrayed concern. “Of course, Kira. Come in.”
    She brushed a wisp of hair from her cheekbone and glanced around the room, her eyes resting anywhere but on his face. “You put me in Storm Squadron. After I failed the test. Why?”
    “Because it’s where you belong, Kira.”
    She sighed and shook her head. “I asked for this. And it’s what I want. But I don’t think I’m ready,” she said. “For Storm Squadron, I mean. I don’t think it’s the right place for me.”
    He smiled to ease the tension, but it didn’t seem to help. “Why would you say that?”
    “No matter how much experience I get and how many times we drill the maneuvers, I don’t have what it