Destiny Found (Epsilon Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Destiny Found

  Epsilon Chronicles: Book 1

  Beth Valentine

  Copyright © 2017 Beth Valentine

  Published by Beth Valentine

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, events or places is coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form.

  Dedication

  To my rock chick sisters Emily, Britt, Erin, Manny, Holly, and Ashley, thank you for supporting me and telling me to go after this dream. Thank you for putting up with my constant neediness and telling me I’m pretty.

  To Kelsey, the woman that helped me see that passion can influence you in ways you never knew, thank you.

  To Emilia, thank you for helping me with my fight scenes.

  Thank you to my wonderful betas Julia and Jacky. Your beautiful eyes caught some really obvious stupidity.

  Thank you to Susan Garwood of Wicked Women Designs for being an amazing asset and making me a beautiful cover.

  And lastly, thank you to my sisters, S, K, and K, for putting up with me, and being excited for me; for reading the crap that I spewed out and my never-ending list of book ideas. Love you all.

  To whoever reads this: This is for you, you scifi, romance, adventure-loving woman (or man)! I hope this story is as good for you to read, as much as it was for me to write.

  Table Of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Epilogue

  Note From The Author

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Earth 2114

  Confirmation Package

  Congratulations, initiate, you are one of the elite few who have been selected for the piloting program. Welcome to the Intergalactic Forces.

  This is a new branch of the armed forces, tasked with finding Earth a new home. A bit of background before we begin is necessary for you to understand the importance of this program before fully applying yourself. Everything you read now is confidential.

  Should you choose to disclose this information to anyone outside this specialized program, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  Do not read this lightly:

  Over the years, as the population has grown on Earth, so have the many problems we have faced for decades. Pollution has taken over most of the world’s water. Plastic and chemicals have killed tens of thousands of the diverse marine life, and the ocean has become almost uninhabitable for the remaining animals and plants. It’s impossible for any leisure activity to take place on the water with how dangerous the toxicity levels have become. The drinking water has shrunk to a mere three percent of the already meager amount there was before.

  The air has become increasingly harmful to the lungs; oxygen and nitrogen are not the main products in the air, carbon dioxide has taken over as the main ingredient of the atmosphere. The animals on land have started to either mutate or die because of the poisonous air. No longer are they able to roam free, but are now kept in warehouses or biodomes to keep them from becoming extinct. Domes have been built around cities to keep out the acid rain, but still, oxygen masks are required if going out of a sealed building.

  Even though our best and brightest scientist’s have raced to match the rate at which the Earth is deteriorating, it has been a losing battle. So we have turned our efforts toward the stars. Maybe if we can make a planet habitable, or maybe if we can find another planet with a similar physiology to Earth, then we could potentially relocate there.

  And so we have harnessed cold fusion, and will use it to combat the freezing temperatures of Neptune. We have built many small generators, along with a few large ones, which have the capacity to sustain life on the outpost there. The excess heat from the generators’ reaction will produce hot water and enough steam to power a turbine and produce electricity, making life on Neptune bearable while we search the stars for an answer.

  We have built a large outpost station from a new supermetal, called Itronium, a mixture of the strongest metals on Earth: Steel, Tungsten, Titanium, and Inconel. The material will be able to withstand the perilous weather conditions and the extreme cold of Neptune, and is virtually indestructible.

  This new supermetal has helped to build the star ships that will transport the necessary tools and people to populate the outpost. They are powered by cold fusion generators, which are able to produce mass amounts of power and are easily harnessed.

  A new branch of the Armed Forces, called the Intergalactic Forces, I.F., has now been established and troops are being sent to the Neptune outpost called Alpha Station. Those sent are specialized soldiers, doctors, scientists, engineers, and pilots.

  You, trainee, have signed up to be a pilot. You will learn about the cold fusion generators and how to maintain them, with the help of qualified engineers to assist you. You will train in mechanics, space travel, direction and coordinate training, and how to pilot the crafts. You will be put through a series of flight simulations, followed by test flights with your pilot instructors. Once they have deemed you ready, you will come to Alpha Station to test fly the ships there. You will then have a final test, and if you pass, you will become an I.F. graduate pilot.

  We begin our search for a new home. You are the last hope for the continued existence of humanity.

  Good luck, and on behalf of the planet, thank you.

  Chapter One

  Two years later

  She walked down the grated corridor after the meeting, only the sound of her footsteps keeping her company.

  It had been just over a year since her family had died, and she was ready for a chance to do something productive and meaningful again. She was a damn good pilot, she was young, and she didn’t have anyone at home waiting to see her every day.

  So when the General had asked for a volunteer, she was the first in line.

  Too bad Kayla didn’t get the memo. No, the annoying brunette had yelled her ear off about how this was a stupid mission for her to take after coming back from a sabbatical.

  Well, too bad.

  She barged into her small room on Alpha Station, throwing her duffle bag on the narrow bed, followed by the rest of the clothing she hadn’t already packed, and would need on her mission. She grabbed her boots, toiletries, and her little silk kimono she had gotten from her mother.

  She loved that thing and would spend hours just laying in it, thinking of her trip to Japan a few years ago with her mother, father, and older brother. They had all decided to buy matching kimonos to commemorate thei
r trip, even if the men had done it in jest.

  It was the most precious thing she owned.

  She carefully folded the kimono into the bag, grabbed the picture of her family off of the side table, and zipped her duffle shut. She looked around the room, deciding she would leave the rest of her things for when she returned.

  As she walked down the flight deck, she noticed Captain Dillard “Ben” Benson and Officer Kayla Ensom standing in front of the shuttle she would be living in for however long her mission lasted.

  She stopped in front of them, glancing between the two, and wondered what they would say.

  It was awkward for her, not knowing whether she should consider them friends or not; she felt more like a charity case than anything else. They had spent months comforting her after the death of her family; the only two people on the whole station who had even attempted to.

  “Natalie, I trust that you have everything you need?” Ben asked with a raised eyebrow.

  He was a tall, handsome man with broad shoulders, dark hair, and darker eyes. He looked at her with those intense eyes, watching her face for the slightest hint of hesitation.

  “Sir, I am ready and packed. Everything I need is either in my bag or already on board.” She gave a small smile and hoped he wouldn’t try to persuade her to change her mind.

  “Very good. And I’ve told you this before, call me Ben. I may be your Captain, but I’d like to think of us as friends as well. You know we don’t really play to politics unless the General is around. So please, use it.”

  And then he surprised her by grabbing her and tugging her into a bear hug, rocking her from side to side.

  “Be careful, young lady. I expect to see you again soon.” With that, he spun on his heel and left.

  “Wow, babe, that was kind of hot.”

  Natalie looked over at Kayla and blushed. She had forgotten she was even there.

  “Oh, calm your hormones. He thinks of you like a little sister, and I happen to share the sentiment. Just because you really didn’t talk to us when we came over all those times, doesn’t mean we don’t consider you part of our own crazy, kooky family,” she said with a slight smirk on her full lips. “I still think it’s a bad idea, but I know you won’t listen to me. Whatever. Just remember pip squeak, I still have plans to help you lose your virginity when you get back. Keep your hair black, your eyes blue, and that curvy body curvy, and I will handle everything else when you return. Maybe I’ll even have a hot date waiting for you when you get back.”

  She stared at Kayla, a tad stunned by the turn of the conversation. She shouldn’t have been surprised; Kayla always did speak her mind and damn the consequences. As she stared at Kayla, she was surprised to note that the other woman had tears in her eyes.

  When Natalie opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, Kayla spoke.

  “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just getting emotional that my little sister is leaving me, and that I’ll have to wait to help steal your ‘V’ card.” She grabbed Natalie, gave her a hug, a quick peck on the cheek, a whispered, “be careful”, and then she was gone.

  Well, that had definitely not gone according to how she imagined it would, but she felt lighter and happier than she had in a while. Even though it still hurt to think about her family, maybe she wasn’t alone after all.

  With one last glance around the loading docks, she turned and walked into the ship.

  After securing the hatch, she made her way to the small cabin aboard the ship. The bed was more of a small cot and the bathroom was hidden away in a small closet.

  She was going to hate not being able to have a real shower, but she would rather use the water to drink than use it to clean herself. She would just have to use the decontaminating unit and hope that it would suffice.

  Unpacking her belongings, she hung her kimono on the wall and set her picture on the small ledge beside the bed.

  Now everything was perfect.

  She glanced at her watch, and did a double take.

  If she didn’t get a move on, she wouldn’t make deploy time. There was a big storm on its way that would keep her grounded for a week if she delayed.

  As she made her way to the cockpit, she analyzed the consoles along the way, flipping on switches as she went. Doing a quick preflight to make sure everything was in working order, she quickly sat down, strapped herself into her harness, starting her engines. She waited for the hangar doors to open, knowing it was about to be a rough ride.

  And here we go, she thought as they opened.

  White. That was all she saw as she rolled toward the hangar entrance. The storm seemed to be moving faster than they had originally anticipated.

  Well, here goes nothing.

  The ship lifted off the base and she was airborne.

  As she made her way out of the hangar, the storm hit with a vengeance. Multiple alarms were ringing on her console, alerting her to the extreme force, which started spinning her in circles like a top.

  If she couldn’t get control soon, she would probably end up in the mountainous range a thousand miles from the base.

  It pays to be a good pilot, she smiled viciously, certain of her abilities.

  She flicked on her thrusters, halting the spinning, but she was still being swept along with the storm. She maxed out the engines and quickly outran the gale in seconds.

  Well, that was a welcome goodbye to you too, Alpha Station.

  She made her way through the atmosphere, collecting extra hydrogen as she went. All in all, not a bad first trip in almost a year. Now she just hoped that she at least found something more promising than what all others before her had found.

  Which was a whole lot of nothing.

  She was just inputting the coordinates and turning on autopilot when the base hailed her.

  “Nat, you alright? That was a rough start to the mission,” the worried voice of Kayla came from beside her.

  Natalie unbuckled her harness and swiveled her chair to stare at Kayla on the side console.

  Well, she thought, I guess they really did mean it about being a family.

  And for the first time in a long time, she felt her heart crack, letting the concern she heard from Kayla seep into her.

  When her family died, she shut everyone out. What little friends she had managed to accumulate seemed to vanish.

  She was always closer with her family than with everyone else; always preferred spending time with them, talking and laughing, chatting about anything and everything.

  When they died, she kept waiting for her ‘friends’ to step up and support her, but they didn’t. It was almost as if the reminder that they were mortal completely scared them off of having anything to do with Natalie.

  So she shut off, shut down, and ignored everyone.

  It was only the combined efforts of Kayla and Ben that had pulled her back from the ledge. And she never realized how very lucky she was to have them in her life. She supposed it was time to start letting people in again.

  “Kayla. Hi. Yes, it was a rough beginning, but that just makes it more fun. But yes, I’m fine and so is the ship. I doubt I’ll be getting any excitement for a long while, so it was a nice to part ways with such flare.”

  “Well… I wouldn’t go that far. I left you a little present. Don’t hate me, because you know you’d love it if you tried it.” Kayla had a suspicious glint in her eye. Natalie knew she was up to something. “Go get the little box in the drawer under your cot. Don’t open it until you come back to the console. I’ll wait.”

  Natalie gave her a wary look, knowing she was in for something disturbing if it came from Kayla. She got up and walked out of the cockpit, down the small hallway, and into the room.

  Under the bed, from the small drawer, she pulled out a red rectangular box. It had a small sparkly bow on top. As much as she wanted to open it now, she did as Kayla asked and went back to her.

  “Okay. Now you can open it. Wait! I have to grab Ben for this.” Kayla got up and ran out of the screen, yelli
ng Ben’s name as she went. A few seconds later, Kayla, pulling a reluctant looking Ben, was back. “Okay, now you can open it.”

  Natalie looked from Ben to Kayla and then down at the gift.

  Well, no time like the present. Literally.

  She undid the bow, opened the small card that said Enjoy! and took off the lid.

  She felt her cheeks turn a fiery shade of red.

  In the velvet lining of the box was a long thick metal vibrator, and Kayla, upon seeing her red cheeks, burst into a great wail of laughter.

  Ben, looking confused, glanced between the laughing-so-hard she was crying Kayla, and the clearly embarrassed Natalie and shook his head.

  “I knew better than to let her lead me here, and yet here I stand. I do not want to know what is in that box, because I just might have to kill Kayla. I’m glad you’re safe, Nat, but I think this is a girl conversation. I’ll talk to you later.” He turned and left, shaking his head as he went.

  “Kayla,” Natalie hissed. “How could you do that? It’s one thing to give that to me, but why would you bring Ben?”

  Kayla, wiping the tears from her cheeks, said, “Oh babe, I’m sorry but I totally wanted to see his face too. I thought you would have held it up for him to see, but you spoiled it by being too e-em-embarrassed.” Kayla started laughing as she tried to speak.

  Natalie shook her head, exasperated that Kayla wouldn’t let go of the fact she was a virgin.

  “First of all, you need to stop with the virgin stuff. It’s not that big of a deal. And second of all, that thing is huge and there is no way I am going to use that. So you wasted your money.”

  “Babe, you don’t have to use it. It was meant to be a gag… well, mostly. I wouldn’t mind if you got a little something-something from it, but mostly it was to see your reaction, and I got you good! And shut up. I will stop at nothing until I rid you of that pesky virginity. Don’t get me wrong, I totally applaud you and think it’s amazing you’ve held out so long. But you don’t know what you’re missing, and I feel like I need to be your Yoda. Like your sex Yoda.” Kayla dissolved into another round of laughter.