Kríe Captivity (The Nira Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  KRÍE CAPTIVITY

  The Nira Chronicles

  Book One

  KORA KNIGHT

  Copyright © 2016

  Kora Knight

  ASIN: B01CF6SXN2

  Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the author. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional. Any similarity to real persons, living and or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  Astrum Industries Search & Rescue

  Location: Planet Nira of the neighboring star system, Siri

  “Thirty thousand feet and looking good.”

  Exiting the stratosphere’s dense orange gases, Garret Scott and his co-pilot maneuvered their aircraft into the lower atmosphere. After miles of descent in virtually zero visibility—the high altitude cloud cover having been thick as pea soup—it was reassuring and incredible to finally see what they were heading toward.

  “Whoa. Damn. Would you look at that.” Kegan scanned the alien planet, awed by its beauty.

  A tapestry of rich purples, oranges and blues, intertwined in a backdrop of green. It was stunning. What’s more, with nearly the same land to water ratio as Earth, it had an unexpectedly comforting appeal. Like home, but not quite, albeit definitely just as beautiful.

  Not that Garret missed Earth all that much. He’d left a lot of bullshit behind when he joined the space program. Had been more than happy to get the fuck out of dodge. Too much drama and backstabbing, whether from family members or company politics. Not the kind of excitement he’d been hoping for, making him one bored-off-his-gourd commercial airline pilot. So when he got that call for the search and rescue job he’d been gunning for, he’d nearly shit himself.

  Goodbye stagnant lifestyle, hello grand adventure.

  To be fair, though, being a couple years in, there were some things he did kind of miss. Real G. Solid ground. True home-cooked meals. That and sex whenever he wanted it. Up on the space station, or traversing Earth’s neighboring star systems, he didn’t exactly have much opportunity. Sure, there were just as many girls abroad as guys, but beside the fact that the dudes were better looking—which was saying a lot since Garret wasn’t gay—everyone was just too busy. Had he known that space life would be so demanding, he never would have—Ha! Shit yeah, he fucking would have. Minimal to no sex or not, this was still way better than the doldrums. Besides, he had five fingers that worked perfectly well.

  “Twenty thousand feet,” Kegan stated absently, eyes shifting back to the view.

  Garret stared on, too, as they continued their descent, raptly taking in the new world. Lush and teeming, it exuded not only life, but an exhilarating air of promise. For discovery, and advancements, but most importantly, sentient engagement. No wonder the scientists Garret’s team was tasked to locate had wanted to go there so bad. As soon as the company’s scouting department had mapped it out as new territory, they’d busted down the doors shouting first dibs for an expedition. And their loud, determined asses had gotten it.

  Although, now Garret couldn’t help wondering if they wished they hadn’t. After all, it’d been a year since the scientists had come there, and nearly just as long since their distress beacon had been picked up. Hell, they’d fallen off the grid damn near the moment they arrived. Unfortunately, the concept of traveling through wormholes was still just that; a concept, a puzzle yet to be solved. So even though Garret’s team had been dispatched almost immediately, it’d taken them a good year to get there. Would’ve been a whole lot longer, though, had their base of operations not relocated to the same star system just before the scientists departed. Either way, even though Garret’s spacecraft moved fast, it didn’t move that fucking fast. But, hey, they were there now, all ready to search and rescue, and that’s what ultimately mattered.

  Shouldn’t be too hard an endeavor, either. They had the scientists’ distress beacon blinking clear as day on their scanners. Get in, find their boys, all quick as a snap. Maybe they’d even have some time to sight-see.

  Garret’s vessel lurched, then started to shudder.

  Kegan frowned and hit the intercom. “Picking up unexpected turbulence, guys. Make sure you’re buckled up tight.”

  The aircraft quaked harder. Garret looked at his co-pilot. “This shit wasn’t coming up on the radar.”

  Kegan shook his head and scanned the controls. “Nah, man. It wasn’t. Not sure where it’s coming from.”

  Another vicious shake, then a sharp drop in altitude. Nothing that as pilots they weren’t accustomed to, but the intensity of it was still disconcerting.

  “Hang tight,” Garret shouted over the vibrations. “Lower elevation should help.”

  But it didn’t. Not really. Continued for so long, in fact, that Garret started to worry screws would start shimmying free. Turbulence, after all, wasn’t known to take planes down, but malfunctioning equipment was.

  The unsettled voices of their teammates in back peeled through the pilots’ earpieces.

  “What the fuck, guys? You trying to make milkshakes?”

  “Goddamn! Please tell us you still got this.”

  “Yes, we still got this,” Garret irritably bit back. “Turbulence is something we just gotta ride out. You boys ain’t green. You know how this works.”

  “Whatever. Just get us to the ground in one piece. Preferably with my organs still intact.”

  “And my nut sac still outside my fucking body. You got us slamming around so hard back here, they’re trying to seek fucking shelter.”

  Kegan choked back a laugh, even as he warily eyed the wide spread of controls. “T-t-ten thousand f-f-feet,” he stammered, teeth clattering hard. “Not seeing an end to this shit.”

  “Me, neither,” Garret muttered, readying the landing gear. “But we’re almost at our destination.”

  Out of nowhere something big slammed them from underneath.

  “Whoa!” Kegan shouted. “What the fuck was that?”

  System failure alarms wailed to life.

  Garret gaped. “Holy shit. Whatever it was, it just wrecked our right burner.”

  A massive flying creature flew into view ahead of them. Then another joined it. And another.

  Kegan’s mouth fell open, eyes going wide. “Good God! What the fuck are those?”

  Good question. With bodies as big as Clydesdales, they sort of looked like dragons, but didn’t appear to have any scales. Looked more like lion hide, while their gargantuan wings didn’t look to have any fur at all. They did have talons, though, big eerie sharp ones, spiking out from each of their wings’ large joints. And their heads, God, their heads looked like ravenous wolves. With smaller ears and a lot more teeth.

  The creatures twisted and dive-bombed the craft. “Shit! Cutting right!” Garret barked. “Hold on.”

  But despite his swift dodging efforts, the large vessel just couldn’t maneuver like its agile aggressors. Another brutal collision as one rammed them from the side, followed by multiple jarring impacts. Goddamn it. Those fuckers just latched onto the craft’s wings. The screeching sound of tearing metal resounded all around.

  “Motherfucker!” Kegan yelled, scrambling with the controls. “They’re ripping our fucking ship apart!”

  Alarmed voices instantly inundated their headpieces.

  Garret hit the intercom icon. “Hold on, people. We got some unidentifieds going hostile on our asses.”

  “Are you shitting me?” one yelled.

  “Blast the fuckers!”

  “Can’t!” Garret shout
ed. “They’re not in firing range. Gonna try and throw ‘em with a spin maneuver instead.”

  Kegan shot him a wary look. “Sure that’s wise with the right engine out?”

  “Got any other bright ideas?”

  Kegan cursed and shook his head. “Fuck. Alright. Do it.”

  Garret threw their vessel into a roll as they tore toward the ground, adjusting the maneuver to accommodate for the damaged burner. The monstrosities flew off with angry squawks, but the second he straightened shit out again, they were right back like white on freaking rice.

  “Son of a bitch,” Garret snarled. “That didn’t deter them at all.”

  Their ship lurched violently left and right as if the creatures were playing tug of war. More ripping metal, followed by electrical blasts. Blood-curdling screeches penetrated the cabin.

  Kegan grinned through tense features. “Sounds like they just shocked the shit out of themselves.”

  More blaring alarms wailed to life, red lights flashing over the entire navigation panel.

  “That’s not all they did,” Garret bit out, eyeing the left engine’s display. “Those big ornery bastards just took out our last burner.” His hands flew with purpose from one control to the next, then once again hit the intercom. “Prepare for impact, boys. Gonna be making an emergency landing.”

  “Five hundred feet,” Kegan shouted. “And I don’t see anywhere even remotely open!”

  “Me, neither. Goddamn it. All fucking forest.”

  “Nose dipping hard! We’re coming in fast!”

  “Gonna cut the craft vertical, Kegan, to slice between as many of these trees on the way down as possible. Help me hold her steady.”

  Kegan nodded anxiously, grimacing as they tore toward a never-ending sea of treetops. “Alright. Let’s do this. One hundred feet and dropping fast.”

  “Twisting her ninety degrees NOW!”

  Angry screeches resounded as they knifed into the foliage. Jesus, the beasts’ claws were like nails scraping down a chalkboard as they begrudgingly released their hold. Back into the sky they flew as Garret’s team plummeted in the opposite direction. Evidently those fuckers were too damn big to fly through such densely wooded areas. In rapid succession, branches cracked and snapped, spider-webbing the craft’s reinforced windshield.

  “Initiating emergency shock absorbers! Everyone better have their fucking helmets on!”

  “Fifty feet! Forty!” Kegan yelled. “Twenty-five! Oh, shit! Brace! Brace! Brace!”

  Garret squinted hard as the ground flew up to meet them, impact coming fast and hard.

  “Uh!” Air punched from his lungs. Then silence. Groaning, he gingerly turned to his co-pilot. “Fuck me… Kegan… You okay?”

  Kegan nodded stiffly and grimaced. “Yeah, man. I’m okay. Gonna be feeling that for a while, though.”

  Through their earpieces, other unhappy voices emerged.

  “Motherfucking son of a bitch…”

  “Jesus. Don’t ever wanna do that again.”

  “Shit. My helmet’s busted. I think it’s fucking leaking.”

  Garret reached forward and quickly ran tests on the environment. “S’okay. Air quality’s coming up as breathable.”

  “Oh, thank fuck.” The sound of a helmet sliding off. “Hate this big thing anyway.”

  More groans as unlatching harnesses resounded. Garret and Kegan unbuckled, too, and headed back into the main cabin. Four men’s faces stared warily back at them.

  Black-haired and blue-eyed, Paris was their tracker.

  Eli was their brown-haired, brown-eyed bodyguard. As was Helix, who stood beside him, looking more than a little bit pissed. Both men were tall, cut, and covered in ink, with broad jaws and dark spiky crew cuts. And both were badass soldiers.

  In contrast, the team’s medic was a blue-eyed blond. Sasha, the nicest, most chilled guy Garret knew. But if push came to shove, you better believe he could turn on the badass, too.

  Like everyone in their unit, Garret was trained in a little bit of everything, but his primary job was that of top-dog captain. He’d quickly been recognized for his leadership skills after entering the space program with five years of first officer under his belt, but it wasn’t until after he’d headed a dozen successful missions that he rose to permanent captain status. And a better-equipped captain he couldn’t be with Kegan riding second in command.

  Unlike Garret and his dirty blond mane, Kegan had a head of ginger with an ever scruffy five o’clock shadow to match. And where Garret’s eyes were a mix between blue and gray, Kegan’s were a mix of green and gold. Sharp and efficient, he’d been Garret’s right-hand man ever since Garret made it to superior. And the guy was awesome. Damn near like a brother. So yeah, Garret couldn’t want for more.

  Kegan eyed their flight crew. “Anybody injured?”

  All shook their heads as if suddenly at a loss for words.

  Paris was the first to speak up. “So what exactly was it that attacked us? Times like this make me wish we had windows back here.”

  Garret and Kegan swapped looks. “I dunno,” Garret finally answered. “For lack of a better description, let’s just say they were pterodactyls.”

  The team’s eyebrows lifted in perfect unison.

  Garret grunted. “Would you rather go with dragons?”

  “As a matter of fact,” Sasha chuckled apprehensively. “I actually kind of would.”

  “Why?” Eli muttered. “You like French fried nuts?” He frowned at Garret. “Those fuckers were spouting fire, were they?”

  “No, but they had some serious jaw strength. Pretty sure they tore our aircraft a new one.”

  Collective curses filled the cabin.

  “So we’re stranded here?” Helix bit out. “No better off than the dudes we came to rescue?”

  “Let me check out the damage,” Kegan offered. “Maybe by some miracle I’ll be able to fix it.”

  Skeptical frowns darkened every face.

  Garret exhaled as he headed over and opened the side hatch. “Paris. How far away is the distress beacon from here? Hopefully we’re not too far off course.”

  Paris scrolled through the data bank on his bulky wristband, then tapped its screen a few more times. “Yeah. You did good, considering. It’s only about four klicks north of our position.”

  “Four kilometers.” Eli nodded, exiting the ramp. “Not too bad at all.”

  But as the men filed out, profanities abounded as each got a good look at the damage.

  “Goddamn it,” Garret growled. “They fucking shredded her.”

  “Maybe we should go shred them in return.”

  Garret looked at Helix. “I think we’ve got more pressing matters to deal with.”

  Kegan sighed, frowning at their aircraft. “Guess I’d better fire up our own distress beacon.”

  Garret dragged a hand down his face. He couldn’t believe this shit. Was this what had happened to the first team? It’d make sense. Pilots had to be insanely skilled to qualify for missions like these, so no way had it been from inept flying. Too bad distress signals couldn’t send out specifics. Because if those creatures are what took down the first crew too, then what’s to stop the same thing from happening to all other rescue teams that came? Nothing. There was no real way to give headquarters a heads up. The distance for communications was just too far.

  Fuck it. If home base had any brains at all, they’d be able to read between the lines. Two units down right off the bat? Hello, something was definitely going on. If the second-round rescue team didn’t come with guns blazing, Garret was seriously going to kick some idiot ass.

  Gripping his hips, he turned to the team. “Alright, guys. Clearly there’ll be no fixing Charlotte today. So gear up with as much as you can possibly carry, and let’s get moving while there’s still ample light.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  ONE YEAR EARLIER

  Astrum Industries Science & Exploration

  Location: Planet Nira rainfore
st, after emergency landing

  “Emergency landing, my ass,” Chet bit out irritably. “Is that seriously how you’re gonna log it?”

  Co-pilot, Zaden Ryes, cut their bodyguard a sharp look. “Yeah. I am. Got a problem with that?”

  “Actually I do, since we straight-up fucking crashed.” The accusation in his tone was impossible to miss. He blamed the pilots for the state they were in.

  Alec Hamlin, first officer in command, turned from inspecting the wreckage. “You want full disclosure, Chet? Fine. Be my guest. Go on, tell headquarters we were attacked by dragons. I’m sure once you do your credibility will soar—right after they tie your ass up in a straitjacket and toss you in a padded fucking cell.”

  Chet scowled, but didn’t say anything more, just broodingly got back to gathering his gear. Massive, ripped, with a mean looking skull cut—and gray eyes as sharp as razors—he wasn’t one people made a habit of messing with. Or getting on the bad side of. But Alec didn’t give a shit. He had bigger things to worry about than if soldier boy was PMSing. For fuck’s sake, Chet wasn’t the only one marooned on this fucking planet.

  Dragging a hand through his light brown hair, Alec exchanged unsettled looks with his second in command. Zaden just shook his head and turned back to logging the report. Got to get all the details down while shit was still fresh in the head. Not that they’d be read for another fucking year.

  Alec cursed under his breath and walked over to the team’s three scientists. “You guys packed up and ready to move? Once we find a place to set up camp, we can go out and do a little exploring.” He sighed and scanned their alien surroundings. “God knows we have plenty of time.”

  “Technically,” Noah pointed out, tightening his small ponytail. “One year is not plenty of time. At least not to those in the scientific community.” The American beauty, with his honey blond hair and brown eyes, was as attractive as he was intelligent. Or in other words, a hot fucking nerd. At least, that’s what the girls—and guys alike—always said.