I’ve decided to change up these weekly snippets and go through my backlist, sharing the first meeting between the two main characters in each book. It’s always fun for me to revisit the books and I hope it will be for you too! Or if you’ve never happened to read a certain book, maybe I can entice you into giving it a try.
COLONY ON FIRE is book two in the Haven Colony series about the only doctor assigned to a remote colony world. In this one she gets caught in a wildfire while visiting a patient in a rural area (although there are other subplots and the ongoing romance with the Chief Ranger). I did a lot of research into wildfire episodes (this was before the tragic Lahaina, Hawaii fire) and also drew on my own wildfire experiences here in Southern California.
I also got to research mobile medical clinics and then had fun adapting what I learned to fit a futuristic medical romance scenario.
The excerpt – I should mention Sassia and Micah are living together after book one so this isn’t their first meeting ever, but it’s the first dialog with them in the book:
Haven Two had an unusually large spaceport for being a small colony on an outer rim world. The huge luxury vacation resort and playground of the rich located on the planet was the explanation for almost everything that happened on Haven Two and this was no exception.
As she rode in her fiancé’s groundcar to the spaceport to collect her delivery, Dr. Saffia Mandell gazed in awe at the array of sparkling, fancy space yachts and small cruise ships spread out on the landing pad. “Usually there’s just the weekly freighter, if anything. This is amazing. I feel like you’re driving me through a used spaceship lot here.” She laughed. Her friend the spaceport manager must be going out of her mind with all the logistics involved in juggling the takeoffs and landings and servicing. Not to mention bigger ships parked in orbit, whose bored, wealthy passengers arrived on the planet in shuttles.
Micah Navonn, Chief Ranger for Haven Two, glanced at her. “The resort keeps the spaceport a going concern too, you know, like the colony itself. Gotta make the credits during the season. Time to sleep and relax later. You’re lucky you’re funded by the Sectors Medical Service.”
Saffia gave vent to an unladylike snort. “Says the man whose people own the damn planet. You don’t depend on the tourists either.”
“We do in a way, since we want to be a valued member of the Sectors. The resort gets us all the attention we need and we make valuable high level contacts.” His answer was serious but Saffia knew the treaty between Micah’s people and the Sectors had been written with great care, to restrict the footprint of both colony and resort and to preserve the wealth and beauty of the world for the indigenous owners. They tolerated the humans up to a point.
Of course since she and Micah were engaged, they tolerated her a little more enthusiastically.
“Aren’t we there yet? How much further?” With an effort, she kept herself from bouncing on the seat like an impatient child but deliberately made her question a whine.
Laughing, Micah said, “Patience, my good doctor. Kayla told you the cargo pannier was in berth 146 and we’ll be there in two minutes.”
“I’ve waited so long for this to arrive. I can hardly believe it’s actually here.”
He covered her hand with his own and squeezed. “You really are taking this seriously even though it means more work for you. You’re not contractually required to travel to the mine or the remote settlement—they have to come to you here in town.”
“Which requires a three hour flight or a six hour drive one way so no one ever comes down except for emergencies and that’s not practicing good medicine at all. The best thing is to be proactive, treat problems and conditions when they’re minor,” Saffia said. “There are children up there who’ve never had a well-baby checkup or are overdue for the required inoculations. The doctor assigned here before me was incredibly lax about not even doing the annual physicals on those people.” Her medical Artificial Intelligence, Warby, had been reluctant to tell her the astonishing fact and when he did her own blood pressure had spiked through the roof, she was sure. “Oh, I think I see it! Is that it over there?”
Micah brought his groundcar to a sweeping halt in front of the robo cargo hauler and shut off the engine. “Your new chariot awaits.”
Saffia practically tumbled out of the car and hastened to the control panel on the front of the gigantic container. “Do you know how to operate this? I mean, Warby loaded the instructions onto my handheld but I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Remember who you’re talking to, doc. We used to get shipments like this on our behind the lines missions when I was in the Special Forces, only of course the pannier was delivering something a lot more lethal than a traveling medical clinic.” As he went to work punching in the proper codes from the notes on her handheld, Micah grinned. “Any chance the freight forwarder sent you an armored personnel carrier instead?”
“Better not have.” Saffia wasn’t worried. The basic chassis of the vehicle might be the same but it was used for so many purposes the refurb center’s catalog had made her head spin. “I bought the top of the line mobile medical configuration. Second hand but with guarantees and warranties.”
The panel slid open, revealing the interior of the cargo hauler. Her new acquisition was a tight fit, securely grav clamped in place to avoid problems during delivery from the main cargo ship far above in orbit.
“Hurry up,” she said, fidgeting. “I want to see the whole thing and take it for a test drive.”
Micah activated the hauler’s systems and a moment later the huge vehicle Saffia had purchased slid out of the interior on an antigrav sled and smoothly settled to the surface of the landing pad as the servos detached and zipped inside to their roosts.
Saffia stood stunned. She’d known the mobile clinic would be large but the ground vehicle in front of her was huge. “I’m not sure I’m prepared for this.”
The Blurb:
When she came to Haven Two Dr. Saffia Mandell expected to grimly do her five years of medical service as the colony’s only doctor, work off her medical school debt and leave. Then she’d fallen in love, handled an epidemic and become an accepted member of the community. Now, in her second year, she faces new challenges as the tinder dry planet heads into a fire season and a mysterious food allergy threatens the local restaurant’s reputation.Chief Ranger Micah Navonn of the Calinurra never expected to fall in love with a human woman but Saffia was a special person who captured his heart and now means everything to him. Not all of his people are as enthusiastic about the situation and his efforts to handle the politics are getting complicated. Add to that an infestation by insects from another world, causing portions of the forest to die off and his plate is full.
When the jet stream shifts course and the fires rage, will the colonists and the Calinurra set aside their differences? With Saffia’s life hanging in the balance, can Micah arrive in time to save her and the colonists in jeopardy?
Life on Haven Two never lets up…
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