Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)
This will be the last excerpt from The Fated Stars, because I had a new release this past week. Details below!
The excerpt – skipped ahead a bit from last week, to a point after Larissa has had a short telepathic conversation with the seer, where he asked for her help:
By the time she was walking through town back to her ship, tossing the sickly sweet candy in the nearest recycler, Larissa was even more convinced something ominous lay behind the traveling fair’s agenda.
She had the Valkyrie’s AI begin a crawl through all the databases accessible to her, a few of which were authorized for mercenaries, the general ones the entire Sectors used, and a few classified areas Sectors command wouldn’t be happy to know she could still access.
Searching for data on the carnival, Larissa was surprised how little information existed. From all indications, the operation appeared full blown about four years ago, traveling an interesting route along the Sectors frontier in this area of the galaxy, visiting the colonies in a leisurely itinerary. The AI reported there was another traveling show with the same name, in an adjacent, slightly more settled portion of the Sectors’ border.
“There can’t be many credits in carting mangy animals, cheap rides and attractions around the galaxy. Not to mention the risk of holding illegal slaves, if the seer is telling me the truth about his situation.” She leaned back in her chair at the control console and sipped her coffee.
Larissa had to admit she was intrigued on several levels now, not just because of her innate compulsion to help a sentient in trouble. There could be deeper implications for the security of the Sectors at stake here.
The story:
Larissa Channer, a tough no-nonsense mercenary in the Sectors, is celebrating success on her last job and a big bonus, with no slightest thought of taking on another assignment anytime soon. Out for a night of carousing with her friends at a third rate carnival on a backwater planet, she walks into the tent of a fake fortune teller and finds herself confronting the most intriguing man she’s ever seen. But something’s wrong, ominous currents lie beneath the surface of their encounter and Larissa can’t leave well enough alone.
Samell, a powerful, high born empathic priest, has been kidnapped from his own primitive planet along with a number of his people, and sold to the shady operator of an interstellar carnival. Kept enslaved, pretending to be a fortune teller while forced by his captor to steal information from the minds of all who come before him, Samell despairs of every breaking free.
Until Larissa walks into his tent and he recognizes the warrior who might mean the difference between life and death.
The situation becomes dire when Larissa and Samell come to the attention of the Shemdylann pirates who kidnapped him in the first place and the deadly Mawreg, aliens who threaten the Sectors. Can she save herself and the empathic alien noble, and derail the Mawreg plot against the Sectors? And will the soldier end up with her prince when all’s said and done?
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NEW RELEASE: Aydarr (A Badari Warriors SciFi Romance Novel): Sectors New Allies Book 1
Jill Garrison, a maintenance tech at the Sectors Amarcae 7 colony, goes to sleep one night as usual only to wake up in her nightgown stranded in the middle of a forest on an unknown world. There’s no time to think as she’s stalked by carnivorous predators and rescued by genetically engineered warriors calling themselves the Badari. Turns out they and she, along with her whole colony, are now prisoners of the Khagrish, a ruthless race of alien scientists. Working for enemies of the Sectors, the Khagrish have created the Badari to be super soldiers.
Aydarr, the Badari alpha, isn’t sure he can trust Jill but his attraction to her is undeniable. He impulsively claims her as his mate to prevent her death at the hands of the Khagrish.
Can he continue to protect her from the experiments already underway? Will his claiming her put his pack in jeopardy from their alien masters?
As Jill searches for a way to rescue her fellow humans and get them all to safety, she finds herself falling for Aydarr, despite the secrets he’s keeping. She has a few of her own.
The situation becomes dire when Aydarr and his pack are sent offplanet on a mission, leaving Jill unprotected, prey for the senior scientist. Can she escape the experiments he has in mind for her? Will she be able to thwart the Khagrish plans and liberate humans and Badari alike? How will she and Aydarr reunite?
I like how this snippet takes an intriguing situation and gives it an ominous twist.
Definitely an intriguing snippet! And congrats on your new release in a new series! 🙂
Oh, yeah, there’s something rotting in the core of that. Great snippet, Veronica. 🙂
Intriguing indeed. Great snippet!
There’s no way she’s going to be able to leave this alone. Great set-up in this snippet, Veronica. Congrats on the new release!
The whole concept of a traveling space carnival is interesting, especially if things aren’t on the up-and-up. Congrats on the new release!
I found it interesting that there was another carnival of the same name operating as well. Are they connected? Are they somehow the same? So many levels of curious in this snippet! Great job!
Great snippet – it sets up so much up cause you know she isn’t going to walk away.
Tweeted.
There definitely seems to be something suspicious about the carnival. Intriguing.
Hasn’t she ever watched American Horror Story or Supernatural? Nothing good comes from carnivals! Nice developing suspicion, Jean!!
So much interesting information in this snippet, and then that great teaser of a last line. Well done!
Great teaser. And here’s wishing you mega sales of the new release.
Great story-telling!
There is something suspicious about it. I’m intrigued to find out what it is. Congrats on the new release!
From the information she’s uncovered, this sounds decidedly suspicious!
I hope her curiosity doesn’t land her in hot water.
Congratulations on the new release. I think her curiosity is about to take her on a big adventure.
Oh what an intriguing teaser – love it! Congrats on the new release, too.
She’s just starting to realize there’s more to that circus than she saw. Great story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
People generally don’t take a risk without some kind of reward making it worth it. I’d be wondering what the carnival’s real purpose is!
Thanks for all the comments! I’m glad the concept of the carnival worked for people and yes, everyone was right to be suspicious! It’s definitely NOT on the up and up…I had fun with the idea for sure.