Andra Nickles has been a Terran courier assigned to the Sector Guard for a few years. The storm that wraps her ship and makes its way inside finds her just outside of Udell. With her body overwhelmed, her mind shuts down and the entity within the storm takes up residence.

  Racked with radiation that she doesn't know how to control, she is relegated to the home of Udell's avatar, Nich, where she learns a little about his race and a lot about his taste in botanicals.

  Using flowers as a tool to visually measure her radioactive output is unorthodox, but everything she is now experiencing is beyond her situational training. With care and control, she becomes the Celestial Storm, now she just needs to rework the name.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Celestial Storm

  Copyright © 2010 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-55487-700-3

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Devine Destinies Books An imprint of eXtasy Books

  Look for us online at:

  www.devinedestinies.com

  Celestial Storm

  Sector Guard Book 13

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  ndra Nickles fired up her engines with a wave Aat the Guardsman watching her leave Morganti. The babies in Fixer’s arms waved back on their momma’s behalf. A fresh batch of suits and armour boxes for Udell base were stowed in the hold and she was on her way.

  “This is the Guarding Flight, Alliance courier, clearing the Morganti base with a flight path for Udell base. Please confirm.”

  It was second nature to check in with the ground crew when she left. The tech she was carrying was highly confidential and experimental to the point of dangerous.

  “Acknowledged, Andra. Keep it in a straight line this time.”

  “Yeesh, play chicken in a meteor storm once and I never hear the end of it.” She was smiling as she lifted off and went through the pre-jump checks on the way out of Morganti’s atmosphere.

  Her halo was implanted in her skull and her controls responded to her thoughts. Working on 1

  Viola Grace

  the Sector Guard support staff allowed her to experience and experiment with tech she had never dreamed of back on Earth.

  It still struck her as amazing that she had been one of the chosen Volunteers to leave her world and family behind. She had been a courier back on Earth as well. Her shining skill was her inability to get lost. It was so much a part of her that she had never even considered that it could be a talent until the assessors threw her into situations, mazes and even blindfolded her in the trials to prove it to her.

  Once out of the atmosphere, she laid on the thrusters while she did final checks on her jump systems. The jump markers loomed and she cubed her position between them. Orientation in three-dimensional space was a skill that came as naturally as her navigational talent.

  Andra leaned back in her seat, relaxed her palms on the sensors at the edge of her seat and took a few deep breaths. She opened the gateway in her mind and pictured her destination. She sent a pulse through the jump beacons via her halo and they synched with those near Udell. A sliding wrench and she was in two places at the same time.

  The Guarding Flight settled into the Udell beacon space a moment before alarms started blaring and the ship started shaking. “What in hell?”

  2

  Celestial Storm

  She was still weak from the jump when air began to hiss out of the seals on the ship. Outer displays showed a brilliant collection of lights and particles writhing around the ship. “Udell base, this is the Guardian Flight, courier Andra. My ship is under attack by a particulate storm and engines are unresponsive. I am in distress. Life support is failing and I have no ability to eject and run.”

  “Andra, stay put. We are coming to get you.”

  Guardian’s voice was calming, but Andra knew that with her seals failing, her life support would soon be useless. She would soon be cold and lifeless in the vastness of space.

  “I will wait with bated breath.”

  “Funny stuff. Do what you can to stay alive.”

  “Will do.” Releasing her restraint harness, she moved as rapidly as she could as her ship lost gravity.

  Particulates flowed into her shuttle and danced around in a light and flowing pattern. Andra batted them out of the way as the grips of the emergency breather fought her.

  Breathable air was becoming scarce, small particulates made their way into her lungs as she fought to free the breather.

  More particles made it into her body. She was faint from the lack of oxygen and ice was starting to pool in her limbs. Her knees gave way and she slumped to the deck with the certainty that death 3

  Viola Grace

  was coming.

  The particulates swirled, becoming thick tentacles that lifted her gently before surging into her mouth and nose. There was no pain, only the feeling of being bathed in warmth as the particles danced outside and within. A curiosity and joy that she knew were not her own filled her from the inside out as the world went dark.

  Andra floated in a dark world with a spiralling nebula hanging in front of her. “Hello?”

  A wordless giggle rippled through the nebula.

  The lights flickered and danced, swirling around her happily.

  “Am I dead?”

  Another giggle lit the darkness as the light grew brighter, brighter and swallowed her whole.

  “Andra. Andra Nickles, wake up.” The low voice was tantalizingly familiar.

  She cracked open one eye and looked up into a face that was easily recognizable. “Nich-Udell? I didn’t die?”

  His expression was worried. “No, you didn’t die. But you are now more than you were and we have no idea what that means.”

  She tried to sit up and look around. Nich slid an arm behind her back and lifted her against the pillows. “Where am I? This doesn’t look like base 4

  Celestial Storm

  medical.”

  “You are too hot for base medical. This is my personal home away from base.”

  Smooth walls rose high, a ceiling covered in carvings depicted a long-dead race. The room she was in was clean and pristine. Andra looked down and blushed, yanking the sheet to her chest. “I am naked.”

  “Your clothing was burned by the radiation your inhabitant is putting out.”

  That widened her eyes and brought her fully awake. “Inhabitant?”

  She looked over her body, but she didn’t know what she expected to find. There were no limbs, no tentacles and even her Terran tattoo was in its proper place under the sheet.

  Nich rubbed the back of his neck, his stone skin moved easily over muscle that could lift an astonishing amount of weight. Andra had seen him in action before. He had helped speed up the process of unloading her shuttle many times during her rounds. She had always admired the flex and twist of his torso, but seeing it up close and knowing that she was naked under the sheet brought a whole new awareness to her.

  Fortunately, he seemed oblivious. “Our medical officer, Helsin, has run a number of scans. Well, he had me do it. You are currently playing host to a most unusual phenomenon. A celestial storm.”

  5

  Viola Grace

  “A what?”

  “Celestial storm. There is only one recorded mention of one recently and it was drifting toward Udell at the time. Apparently, it waited for a likely candidate passing by and picked you.”

  She blinked. “It was waiting for me. It was hovering around the jump zone, near the beacons.”

  “If it was a planet, I would say you had been chosen as an avatar, but all attempts to contact it merely resulted in giggling.” Udell’s deeper tones came through Nich’s lips. The dark metallic purple eyes indicated his possession of Nich, overriding the normal pansy blue.

  “Thank God. I just thought that was me. In my mind, there is a bubbly happiness that doesn’t belong to me. It is most disconcerting.” She rubbed idly at her forehead, her sable hair snaking over her shoulder.

  Udell smiled at her. “So Nich told me when we first joined. He was disoriented by my presence and made no secret of it.”

  “Uh, is there anything for me to wear?” Her voice echoed eerily on the walls.

  “We are waiting on a radiation suit from Morganti, but for now, you can use this.” He smiled and placed a folded jumpsuit on her lap.

  “You haven’t even noticed, have you?”

  She blinked and stared at him. Andra looked around the room and tried to figure ou t what he 6

  Celestial Storm

  was referring to. “Noticed what?”

  “The atmosphere of Udell isn’t compatible with most species, certainly not yours. Yet, here you are breathing it as normally as you would your own oxygen mix. You are no longer what you were.”

  Nich-Udell nodded and bowed. “I will leave you to change.”

  Her gratitude was obvious and he winked with one purple-swirled eye as he left her. She unfolded the uniform with the Udell base logo on the shoulder and slithered into it while still lying down. Once dressed, she stood and wiggled her toes against the stone while she got her balance.

  She certainly didn’t feel any different, but it was not within her scope to assess her body accurately.

  The giggling in her mind was the only obvious clue that she was no longer alone.

  Andra rolled up the cuffs and ankles of the jumpsuit and padded out the door on bare feet.

  Nich was leaning against the wall and he straightened as she approached. His grin wasn’t well hidden. “We will get you some clothing that fits. Fixer is already on it.”

  He gestured for her to accompany him down the hall. “Until there is a suit for confinement and control of your inhabitant, I am afraid you are stuck in the jumpsuit. It is gauged for radiation levels higher than normal fabric can handle. I can do something about your footwear though.”

  7

  Viola Grace

  It was eerie, walking through a large building of shining stone and they were the only inhabitants.

  He led her out the main doors and down an open set of steps. The wide expanse of a courtyard, meticulously kept neat and clean with fountains and statuary, looked out over a valley that tumbled down to the Udell base in the distance.

  “We are on the side of the mountain?”

  He was leading them out of the courtyard and down a path snaking down the mountain.

  “My people enjoyed a nice view with their breakfast.” His tone was wry and she stifled a laugh.

  The pebbles were a little rough on the soles of feet far too used to the boots of the courier uniform, but she hobbled after Nich, confident that he wouldn’t lead her too far.

  She was correct. He stopped and headed into a thicket, “This way. There is some hybrid Masuo here that will probably serve your purpose.”

  The Masuo were unshaped, truly wild and they had a metallic shimmer that Andra was unfamiliar with. “Can I try these?”

  “Please.” Udell was firmly in control, a smile on his face as he seemed to know something about the Masuo that she didn’t.

  It was like picking watermelon-sized grapes.

  With two of them in her hands, she was a little stymied on what to do.

  8

  Celestial Storm

  “Sit down on that rock and push your feet into them. They will do the rest.” Udell was standing and watching her, his head cocked and a silly smile on his lips.

  Suspicious, she took the seat and placed each foot gingerly on one of the globes. She had never seen Masuo of this nature before and it was with only a slight hesitation that she pressed lightly into the orbs.

  The reaction was sudden. The surreal feeling of having a living creature surrounding her feet was odd, but when it didn’t stop at her calves and kept climbing up her legs. “What the hell?”

  The happy thoughts were swirling through the back of her mind and as Nich started laughing, the two separate creatures became one and continued their advance up her body.

  “It will stop before it reaches your head, just relax and let it cover you.”

  Andra could see her feet covered in hard-soled boots in a burnished gold. The baggy jumpsuit covered the rest of the creeping Masuo.

  “Is it resistant to the radiation I am producing?”

  She was worried for the creatures that were slowly covering her.

  “It is. I forgot that it was available. With the new base arriving, it never occurred to me that they would need this plant or its product.” He grinned.

  “But, I am very glad it was here for you.”

  9

  Viola Grace

  It was creeping across her breasts now, a most peculiar sensation. “Oh, this is weird.”

  “It will appear and disappear as you need it, change styles and colours.”

  “Thanks for the fashion tips.” She held her breath as the Masuo snaked down her arms and gloved her fingers.

  The remaining portion snugged up around her neck and mercifully stopped. Andra exhaled the breath she was holding and a happy humming tripped through her mind.

  She opened the jumpsuit and peeked down at her new covering. A gold and black swirl covered her chest and outlined her body faithfully. Most faithfully. “Oh wow.”

  “There, now you no longer need the jumpsuit.”

  Nich was smiling proudly.

  “Oh, I still need the jumpsuit. At least until I figure out how to make this a little less form fitting.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  She looked into his eyes, surprised by the heat in his tone. When it was matched by a warm and appreciative expression on his granite-like features, she shivered in surprise.

  10

  Celestial Storm

  Chapter Two

  mechanical tread broke their locked gazes.

  ANich

  looked around and grimaced. “Tech, how lovely to see you.”

  A large metal woman appeared, making Andra smile. “Hello, Tech. I have never seen you in uniform before.”

  “Andra. You are looking a good deal better than when I jacked into your ship and steered it down.

  You were out cold on the floor, only the occasional twitch gave me signs of life.” The bot bowed low to her.

  “Sorry to have upset you, Tech. If I had been aware of the difficulty my inhabitation by a celestial storm would have caused you, I would have arranged it for a day when you were off base.” She couldn’t help the giggle that formed and spilled out of her lips.

  The blank faceplate looked down at her and cocked her head. “Do you know, they told me you were spiking with radiation, but I don’t read a 11

  Viola Grace

  thing now.”

  “I have just been molested by local plant life.

  Nich is horribly proud of himself.”

  Tech took a few steps back. “I don’t see it.”

  “The turtleneck. I am wearing a Masuo bodysuit and I haven’t learned to adjust it for material mimicry. It’s stuck on the skin.”

  The bot tilted its head in curiosity and then a laugh broke free. “I understand.”

  Nich chuckled. “I still say I need to judge the grafting of the materials. It has been centuries since anyone wore Masuo from Udell. We used to be proud of our work.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him. “You can see your work when I have gotten control of the suit and not before.”

  “Spoilsport.”

  Tech laughed in surprise. “That is a fascinating exchange, but I have come to warn you that Star Breaker is on her way to help you with training.

  Whether you like it or not, you have just been inducted into the Sector Guard by virtue of being inhabited by a celestial entity.”

  Andra grimaced. “Excellent. Does the Alliance medical plan cover acts of a celestial entity?”

  Nich smiled. “Of course it does. We also have dental.”

  The snicker didn’t stand a chance of being stifled and rapidly turned into a howl of laughter 12

  Celestial Storm

  that echoed down the hills. Andra had not had a laugh like that since the day she left Earth. She wiped tears from her eyes and sat on a nearby rock to recover from the fit.

  “Whoa. That was a good one.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6