Generation Read online

  Generation

  Cage’s Wreckers Book 1

  E.M Garcia

  Copyright © 2018 by E.M Garcia

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Contents

  Stay in Touch

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Stay in Touch

  About the Author

  Stay in Touch

  E.M.’s Newsletter

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  1

  Dear reader,

  If you are reading this note, then there has been a problem with the version Amazon has sent you. This note is only included in the unfinished preorder version of my novel.

  Please contact Amazon support to have them send you the correct file or you won’t get the satisfying ending that you paid for.

  Thank you for your purchase,

  2

  In ten years, I’ve never gotten to like Aurora Station and I hope I never will. A blast of stale, conditioned air hit me in the face as I stepped through the containment doors. The refresher unit’s programmed floral notes were supposed to evoke a feeling of peace and serenity. If they worked, I’d never felt it. It always felt like clinging to nature all of our species abandoned long ago. There was nothing natural about the sleek curves and gleaming durasteel of Aurora Station.

  “Smells like Cantherian lilies this year,” Izzy said as she hefted her pack higher on her small frame. “Maybe with some lilac thrown in for Federation citizens. What do you think, Tam?"

  "Smells the same to me," I said, hoisting my back higher on my shoulder.

  I hated Aurora. For five years I had been making the annual pilgrimage to Remembrance Week, the time when all of the galaxy paused and noted in reverent horror the time we got our asses handed to us. We never found out what the species called themselves—at least nobody in my pay grade seemed to know, but the survivors said their weapons packed a hell of a punch. One look at the shredded exterior of the station backed up the stories.

  The galaxy survived, mostly, and once a year, we made sure to thank the people who put their lives on the line to make it possible and the ones who never made it back home. The galaxy loved a hero, and they didn’t come any bigger than Commander Jackson Cage. If he had lived, Jack would have hated having the spotlight on him. He would have shit himself laughing if he knew his baby sister took it on in his place.

  "I love the lilies," Izzy said, a dreamy tone creeping into her voice. "I love all the flower scents. They remind me of home."

  “With a little stale piss for the working stiffs.” Mac spat. “Doesn’t matter how much you try to cover it, Doc. Bullshit doesn’t come off easily.”

  Izzy glanced over her shoulder at Mac, her face a perfect replica of genuine, though mild, offense. "That's a hell of a thing for a decorated veteran to say."

  Mac shrugged. "So the Federation will dock my pension check next month. The check from the GA will keep me fed. If not, there's always a young sweetheart who wants to hear a war story as a lullaby."

  The wink he threw at Izzy made her face turn almost as red as her hair. She rolled her eyes and grumbled about men being pigs as we approached the security checkpoint.

  A human man in the black and turquoise uniform of the Galactic Alliance stood at the end of the gangway. He threw me a sideways look as if he expected me to defend the station, the Alliance, or maybe the hypothetical young women headed for a broken heart. From the daggers in his eyes, he agreed with Izzy, but he knew better than to say so out loud. Mac’s attitude marked him as a grunt, but the silver hair meant he had enough years of service under his belt to be important.

  "Put your hand under the scanner,” the guard said. “Don't move.”

  Mac did as requested. The monitor embedded in the wall blinked, then displayed his GA identification. Lt. Marlin Calhoun, honored war hero, pilot of the ship that saved the galaxy. The guard's mouth flopped open in pure shock before he could stop himself. The silver-haired, beer-gutted smart ass wasn't just a veteran. He was one of the most respected pilots in the galaxy. The only man to ever fly the Calypso.

  The color drained from the guard's face as he stammered an apology. Mac waved him off and kept moving. Sometimes, I was sure he got off using his much hated fame to make other people uncomfortable.

  Izzy stepped forward and slid her hand beneath the monitor. Doctor Isabela Kimball, Galactic Alliance Diplomatic Corp. The guard's expression shifted from confusion back to disapproval.

  "You ladies keep strange company," he said as he waved Izzy through. I caught a glimpse of her rolling her eyes as she turned to follow Mac out of the docking area. "I know guys like that, it's better for you to stay away from them."

  Since Izzy and Mac have long since moved out of earshot, the guard had no audience for his lecture besides me. His eyes moved over me once more, stopping at the silver angel wing charm at my throat.

  "That's a pretty necklace, miss," he said. "Did you're boyfriend give it to you?"

  I resited the urge to roll my eyes at possibly the worst pick up line of all time. "No, my brother."

  "Well, he's a lucky man to have such a gorgeous sister."

  Ugh. I slid my hand out of my pocket and eased it toward the scanner.

  "Bite your tongue, man. You're standing in the presence of Federation royalty." He stepped out from behind the security and burst of fury comes over me with so much force it stunned me. I was over Galen. Except the one week every year where I had to live through it all again.

  The guard didn't outright say he thought Gale was full of shit, but his expression spoke loud enough. I shoved my hand under the scanner. A few seconds later my ID flashes across the wall. Ambassador Tameron Cage, Galactic Alliance Diplomatic Corp. I looked at the glorified hall monitor and tilt my head to the side, waiting for a flush of embarrassment to stain his cheeks a ruddier shade of red. Instead, sadness and something almost like empathy filled his eyes.

  He rose to attention and jerked his hand up in a salute. "I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am."

  Everywhere else in the galaxy I was Tameron Cage, Commanding Officer of the GA's flagship diplomatic vessel. But whenever the Cal pulled into Aurora, I was just the sister Jackson Cage left behind. It had become a habit to drop the bomb on my own terms as a little way to reclaim some of myself. Gale just took that away.

  My eyes snapped to him. Gale stood six-feet-tall with mahogany skin and an elect
ric smile that could tease even the strongest woman out of her panties. I never got the knack of self control around Gale, but the anger made me feel like I had a chance this time. The smirk on his lips faded, leaving a stunned expression behind. Whatever he had been planning by ambushing me in the dock, a reminder of Jack wasn't it. Part of me wanted to be happy that he could still be so considerate, but it was hard to be generous with bile and acid washing over my stomach.

  "Thank you," I whispered as I shoved my hand into my pocket and walked away from the checkpoint as fast as my legs could move without looking suspicious. People tended to notice when you fled from offers of condolence. Then again, most people didn't spend a week every year picking at the wound.

  Gale fell into step behind me. His long legs bridged the distance between us in two steps. The last time I saw him, he was in a worn pair of military fatigues. Sometime in the last ten years, he had swapped them out for a set of dress grays and a fancy insignia on his neck. Commander, the same rank as Jackson when he died.

  "Don't apologize." Without even looking in his direction, I knew that would be Gale's first move. In his book, it was safer to sin first and beg forgiveness later. My icy glare and tone should have been enough to warn Gale away from his usual antics. "And don't bother saying you didn't expect to see me here. The Calypso the schedule wouldn't be hard for you to get, Commander Howard."

  "It took me twenty minutes of small talk and expert charm to get that." The smirk returned to his face as he watched me from the corner of his eye.

  "From what I've heard, in the old days, you’d have done it in ten.” I didn't want my voice to sound as bitter as it did. I wanted to be the bigger person. People all over the galaxy broke up every day, but when they dropped out of each other's lives, they had the sense to stay gone.

  Gale grabbed my arm and pulled me into the side corridor where he had hidden. "Don't get excited, Tammy. I just wanted to talk and there's a gang of people on the other side of that door. We can't have a conversation around them."

  "It's just reporters, Gale. Memorial Week gets a lot of coverage on Aurora. They aren't stupid. If one of the Wreckers heads for the dock, they follow. Worst case scenario they get a heartwarming shot for the end of their show. Best case, they get something juicy. You know, like a TF Commander making goggly eyes?"

  "Not just reporters," he said. "I saw a few rough looking characters out there carrying signs and shouting slogans."

  I slid past him and kept walking. "Protesting is legal on Aurora, Gale."

  "Colder than deep space. Nice to see the years haven't gentled you down, Tammy." The smile came back to his face, free and easy as ever.

  I rolled my eyes and raised my hand beside his head, snapping my fingers in his ear to bring him back to reality. When his eyes moved back to my face, I plastered the sweetest smile I could manage. Pissed as I was, I've spent the last decade working in galactic politics. I could be sweet when I tried.

  "Call me Tammy again and I'll shatter your rib cage." I continued on my path out of the loading area in the the main dock lounge. Gale wasn't joking. There were at least twice as many people crammed into the space as there should have been. Some of them carried signed emblazoned with the swirling emblem of Radiance Lives, an AI right group that had been staging increasingly violent stuts over the years.

  Izzy gestured toward me from across the room. I shook my head quickly. I did not want him turning on the charm around my friend. Mac could handle it. Izzy was likely to succumb to his charms.

  Gale broke into a full grin as if he couldn't help himself. “All right, you’re pissed because I ambushed you.”

  “No, I’m pissed because you tried to play hero.” I stopped just long enough to look at him over my shoulder. “ I don’t know who you thought you’d find down here, but I’m not eighteen anymore. Maybe I needed saving then, but trust me, I don’t now.”

  I didn’t mention the ten years of pain in between then and now. The nights wondering what happened at the top of Aurora Station the night my brother died. The gnawing anger as his team dropped off the galactic radar one by one until only she and the Cal were left. I didn’t mention them, but I couldn’t keep the weight of them from making my voice shake. I should have walked away while my emotions were still in check.

  He released a soft sigh and closed his eyes, a clear motion of defeat. “I didn’t come here to fight, Tam.”

  Nothing I had said or done in the last few minutes justified a victory. Why Gale would offer it, I had no way of knowing.

  “Why did you come?”

  “To the dock? Who knows. Maybe I got nostalgic. Maybe I wanted to piss Mac off for old times’ sake. Maybe I knew the Lady would forget to give you a heads up.”

  I froze. The anger came again, but this time I wasn’t sure where to direct it. I wanted to believe Gale was lying, but I had to admit that sounded like her. I closed my eyes, willing my heart rate and breathing to slow, begging for some semblance of calm to return to my body so I can turn around without giving myself away. Nothing in the galaxy got under my skin quite like my family. For the last ten years, the family I had to speak of was J’Selle, my brother’s widow.

  “So I was right,” he said, taking a breath. “In that case, I’m sorry. You’ll find out the rest of it soon enough.”

  Before I could say anything else, Gale turned and walked away. I followed him with my eyes, torn between being relieved he was gone and glad he'd finally left me in peace.

  Izzy walked over to me, her brow furrowed in worry. "Was that who I thought it was?"

  "It's gonna be a long week." I grumbled. My eyes wandered over the gathered protestors.

  "Look on the bright side," she said. "It's only once a year.

  A human man in the center of the crowd caught my gaze and held it. His fingers dipped into his color to scratch the black swirled tattoo on his neck. A Radiance Lives brand. He slid his hand into his jacket, pulling a small cylinder from it's depth.

  "Izzy du--"

  The tattooed man pressed down on the cylinder. A light flashed across the waiting room. I grabbed Izzy and pulled her to the floor. The shock wave from the concussion grenade tore through the waiting area, scattering belongs and sending half the patrons flying. An eery silence descended on the room. It held for a few second the broke as shaken and injured passagers took their barings.

  Izzy coughed below me. I rolled off her, bending down grabbed her wrist and help my friend to her feet.

  "Was it an attack?"

  "Yeah," I said, taking in the chaos around me. "I think so."

  3

  The GA docks were in the outermost part of Aurora Station. Station security's offices were in the lower wards. Heavy plating kept the lower corridors a state of constant night. A massive screen bathed the Hub in daylight regardless of the hour, feeding lush gardens and planters nestled on the hundreds of walkways below. Between the quirks of the environment on Aurora and the residual pain from the concussion bomb, neither of us was in the mood for Memorial Week festivities when we walked away from the security station. We made our way to the Hub together, Izzy to get a hotel room and me to my sister-in-law's apartment

  Izzy shielded her eyes from the harsh artificial rays. I lowered my head and waited for my implants to adjust. As she came back into focus I smiled and tried to act as if my stomach wasn't still churning.

  Izzy opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. The last thing I needed was to hear my best friend offer her support for the third time since we left the docks.

  "I know what you're going to say and you don't have to. I'm fine."

  Her eyes crinkled at the corners in obvious doubt. "Between the what happened downstairs and Commander Charming, how can you be?"

  I couldn't be, but if I wanted to avoid an evening spent with Iz making puppy dog eyes at me, I needed her to believe otherwise.

  "Compartmentalization is part of the job," I said with a shrug. "You know that. Ask me how I am tomorrow. Probably won't be as good then
."

  "You'll fake it then too." She frowned as she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug before I can move or argue. "You forget I know you."

  Part of me didn't want Izzy to be right. I wanted to be the friend she wanted. The kind that spilled the details of their lives as freely as wine and savored the juiciest bits of yours twice as greedily. I hated wine. Other than Izzy, I didn't have friends.

  "I really am fine, but I'll tell you if that changes."

  I pulled away and bolted for the lift to the Qu'ren sector before Izzy can scratch any deeper beneath the surface.

  Normally, it took my J'Selle several minutes and half a dozen frantic chimes to answer the door when I arrived. This year, it swung open before the melodic ring faded away. J'selle had braided her hair and arranged like ropes of pure silver draped over her shoulders. Her pale pink robes and blue skin shimmered in the bright light from the corridor.

  For a second, the encounter with Gale down at the docks evaporated from my mind. The slight smile on J'Selle's face jumped to mine, where it doubled in size as I hugged her. My arms could wrap around her lithe waist twice with room to spare.

  "You're late," she said, her voice one smooth tone as she patted my head. "I had almost given up on you. Doesn't it hurt when you wear your hair so tight?"

  I rolled my eyes and shifted my bag to my other shoulder. "I'm here for a week and I always sleep here. Exactly where else would I go?"