Page 1 of Found By the Alien Warrior

Chapter One

SONYA

Arcturus Galaxy, location unknown

"Wanderstar Fleet, here I come.”

Empty space sprawled before me as I pressed my palm against the cool window of the spaceship. White and orange stars shimmered like diamonds and citrine against the darkness. I never thought I’d leave Earth and see stars like this.

I had another opportunity, too. If I nailed my orientation, I could be a resort hostess with the Wanderstar Fleet’s hospitality division. Sure, I still had a trial period to see if I was a good fit working for the alien space military Earth partnered with, but the fact that I made it this far gave me hope.

"Another galaxy. A fresh start," I murmured under my breath, feeling the weight of my estranged family's memory tug at my heart. After our dad died, my younger sister Keisha couldn't understand why I had to sell our old house in Florida and leave. She was so angry, but what did she expect? After caring for our dad, was I supposed to come home to an empty house after work every night and drown in grief?

Keisha was four years younger than me at twenty-five, but she already had a family and job as an accountant in Atlanta. Work kept her busy. My work history, especially what I used to do in college, well, I liked it, but it wasn’t exactly the stuff to write home about.

But this new gig was decent. The pay would be nice, too, nice enough for me to chill when I clocked out for the day. After years of working to pay my dad’s medical bills and my own debt, it was time for me to see what the universe had to offer.

I wouldn’t mind trying to live the Black soft girl life, even if it was in outer space.

"Attention passengers." The captain's voice crackled over the intercom, interrupting my thoughts. "We’re experiencing minor technical difficulties. We need to make an emergency landing to refuel."

How could the words minor and emergency be in the same sentence? My heartbeat quickened as I peered out the window, catching sight of a raggedy-looking space hub looming beneath us. The ship gave a violent shudder, and I gripped the edge of my seat, struggling to keep my balance.

"Remain calm," the captain urged, though his own voice shook.

I shouldn’t have taken this charter flight from Earth’s space hub. That’s what I got for wanting to reach my destination quickly and be cheap. I looked around the cabin. There were only two more human passengers on board the spaceship besides me. The two men’s faces were pale, appearing as though they were about to lose their lunch. The other passengers were alien tourists to Earth. But like me, they were just trying to get from one galaxy to the next in one piece.

As we descended into a storm, rain pelted the ship, sending lightning-veined shadows racing across the cabin. My breath came in shallow gasps, fear trying to take over my mind. This wasn't part of the plan.

"Damn, couldn't they find a better place to land?" I heard one of the human guys mutter.

"Maybe it's not so bad," his friend offered. I picked up on the hesitation in his voice as he tried to inject some humor into the situation. "At least it's not a black hole, right?"

I turned to them, seeking a kind of shared solace. "Right." I forced a tight smile. "Just a little detour. Nothing to worry about."

As the ship finally touched down on the space hub, the wind howled, and the rain was relentless. A shiver raced up my spine as the cabin pressure began to give way to the cold atmosphere outside.

"Welcome to the space hub," the captain announced, his voice barely audible above the storm's fury. The hatch opened to a driving wind and horizontal rain.

At least we were on the ground.

I yanked the hood of my jacket over my head. The wind tore strands of my hair loose from my bun and whipped them across my cheeks. I took a deep breath and braced myself, uncertain of what awaited us outside the safety of the spaceship.

Keep looking for the positive. My dad always gave me that reminder when I was little. I straightened my shoulders. I didn’t come all the way here just to stay centered in doom and gloom thinking.

As we disembarked into the unknown, I clung to what the captain said, that this was just a pitstop. I’d soon be on the road to a brighter future – one where I could try a new path.

"Attention passengers, please remain calm," the captain's voice crackled through the ship's intercom even as we filed outside in the rain.

Mud pooled around the soles of my sneakers. I have to admit, it was hard to stay calm when this space hub looked nothing like the pristine, high-tech facilities of planet Xaxos we were promised. How far from Xaxos were we, anyway? My fingers tightened around the strap of my carry-on.

"Stay close," I heard one of the human male passengers utter to his friend. His eyes darted left and right. "Something isn't right."

Before I could ask what he thought was wrong, four rough-scaled aliens burst out from the darkness beyond us. Their wide-mouth grins revealed sharp teeth as they grabbed anyone within reach. Panic caught me in a chokehold. I dropped my bag and attempted to run, only to be yanked back by one of the invaders.

"Easy, human," he sneered, his breath reeking against my face. "You're coming with us."

"Let go." I struggled against his iron grip. But it was no use – I was just another captive among many.

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