Dark Knight
Knight is a dedicated Sergeant, but her world is shaken when on a recon mission her crew are slaughtered by aliens that merge into the night. And the only person that can save them is an alien himself.
Darius, a former colonist and sole survivor is determined to find a way to defeat the aliens that landed on Thorus and wiped out his community. But with his unusual looks that are more alien than human, he faces the paranoia of the camp. He’s in a battle to stay alive and will do anything to possess the lovely woman named Knight.
.:Excerpt:.
The beep registered at the back of Kristin Knight’s subconscious. The familiar soft rumble of the ship’s engine would’ve been enough to lull her back to sleep but the constant beep of the computer system forced her awake.
With a groan, Knight opened her eyes and stared at the domed glass of her sleeping pod. Licking her dry lips, she searched for the familiar ECG electrodes attached to her chest and pulled them off with a grimace. The flat line bleep of the vitals monitor echoed in the small booth. Leaning over, she hit the red button and entered a quick code only she knew and the monitor fell silent.
A holographic screen appeared above her and a sequence of letters rolled forth.
GOOD EVENING, SERGEANT KNIGHT.
TODAY’S TIME AND DATE IS: 04:00 HRS : OCTOBER 31, 2583
APPROACHING PLANET THORUS.
APPROXIMATE LANDING TIME: 1 HR AND 33 MIN.
HAVE A NICE DAY.
Knight chuckled at the last words as the screen faded out and the pod opened with a loud hiss. Sitting up, she stretched and peered across the room. Florescent lighting gave the compartment a washed out feel. Smooth alloy grates lined the sleeping deck walls and white laminate flooring glared off the lighting. At the furthermost end of the room, lockers painted the most hideous mix of yellow and browns imaginable stood out in stark contrast to the otherwise drab room.
Beside her stretched a line of sleeping pods with the rest of her unit slumbering within. Rubbing her hands over the goose bumps that rose against the regulated air, she wondered who’d thought to reduce the temperature. Wearing nothing but her underwear, she felt the cold bitterly. Five years in stasis was a long time, and despite three hundred years of space travel, the military still required minimal clothing for long journeys.
Sliding her feet over the edge, she drew in a sharp breath as her toes touched the floor. God damn it was cold! Standing, she brushed a lock of auburn hair from her face and yawned.
Scuffling over to her locker, she pressed her thumb on the touch screen and waited for the confirming ding. The door clicked open, and she turned the handle and peered inside at the line of standard issue wear. Choices, choices, she thought with a wry grin. Pulling out a pair of olive green pants and a jacket, she eased into them. Quickly tugging on her boots, she pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail and headed for the door.
The stainless steel panel slid open then shut behind her and she made her way down the narrow hall. Her footsteps echoed off the grate as she followed the winding walkway to the main deck. The hall opened out to a set of stairs leading to the captain’s deck. Before her, the windows that lined the deck revealed the expansive emptiness of outer space and the blue, white and green hues of an approaching planet.
Sitting at the helm of the ship, the Multi-tasking Android Technician sat in the pilot’s seat, his attention focused on the panel before him. Descending onto the deck, she approached him. “Hey, Matt.”
Blue eyes, almost as crisp as the crystal clear waters of the ocean stared up at her. “Good morning, Sergeant Knight. I trust you had a good sleep.”
Although Matt was by standards, simply a machine, the unit had embraced him as one of their own. With his russet locks and Caucasian textured skin, one would mistake him for a human unless they knew to look for the brand on the back of his neck. “Good enough. Is anyone else up?”
“General Black and a few others are on the slop deck,” he said, turning to punch some more buttons on the touch pad.
Smiling at the reference to the kitchen, she gave him a quick pat on the back and exited the room. Traveling down the maze of halls, she entered the eatery. White plastic tables and chairs lined the polygon room. At the center of the room sat the General, a well built man, whose thirty years of service showed clearly on his features and his body.
Beside him, Lieutenant Vaughn looked up, his soft brown eyes crinkling at the corners. “Welcome to the world of the living, Knight.”
Smiling, she approached the two. “Morning. What are we having?”
Vaughn spooned the food in the metal tray. “Mystery E. Spoon isn’t up yet.”
Glancing down at the ready to eat meal, she scrunched her nose, but then covered it with a grin. “Well, I’ll have you know, I don’t mind MRE.”
Vaughn pushed the plate across the table, hooking his arms behind his closely shorn blond locks. “Be my guest.”
Sitting, she stared at the five year old porridge. She took a deep breath, and spooned the bland substance into her mouth. “Mmm,” she mumbled.
Vaughn nodded, eyes glimmering with amusement, and indicated for her to take another bite. Never to throw down a challenge, she did. On the third mouthful, the food turned bitter, the taste burning her tongue.
“Yuck!” Spitting out the contents, she jerked upright, the chair tumbling behind her. “God damn! This tastes like shit. I thought they improved MREs.”
Vaughn flipped the lid by his elbow and pointed to the small expiration date on the bottom right corner. JUL 20 2578. Her eyes narrowed on his features as he released a hearty chuckle. Known for his mischief-making, she should’ve expected something like this from him. Bastard. “Prick. You just wait. I’m gonna get you back,” she promised.
“I look forward to it.”
“What’s so funny?” someone asked behind them.
Knight turned to see Spanish stroll into the room, his dark gaze switching between her and Vaughn.
Knight grinned. “Nothing. Just the usual with this asshole,” she said pointing to Vaughn.
Nodding in understanding, Spanish took a seat beside her. “When’s the briefing, General?”
Black leaned back in his seat and fingered his silver mustache. “As soon as the other gaggle-fucks get their shit together.”
Knight cringed under the General’s displeasure. With ETA approximately an hour away, she and the rest of the men understood why he was irritated. Black stood, his ice hard gaze stabbing into the three of them. “I want you to get those men up. I expect you all on the loading dock at 0530 hours.”
As the General marched from the room, Vaughn turned to her with his ever-present grin. “Well, you heard the man.”