Page 1 of Subchief Flander

Prologue

Flander was being considered for subchief, and his boss, Ranni, was on the short list for the Chief's position. They would pass or fail together in the worst area of space. Majuri Warriors considered it the most likely place to die. Most would reject the option because they didn't want to take the risk. He was sure that Ranni's father, the Emperor, wanted him dead. There was no better place to put him if that was the case. As Ranni's closest friend, he didn't intend to let that happen.

He would keep his friend alive as he worked to claim his mate. It was a tall order, but he knew he could do it. His mate was called Hel, short for Heloise. An apt name since she was putting him through hell. She flirted with other males, but as far as he knew, she hadn't gone out with any of them. If he found out, she did. He would kill the male. It was a known fact.

She was on his team, and they were back in the area she had come from because this had turned into one of the most dangerous areas at the edge of the Empire. This was where Ranni might soon be chief. If he were, he would be responsible for enforcing the law in this area and the other section claimed by the Empire.

They were about to go on a patrol, and he worried about her. Hel was a distraction. He should have kicked her off his team, but he didn't want her around all those males without him to protect her.

Chapter 1

Back Home

Hel watched out the window as the surface of her old home grew closer. The landing was easy since only the best was allowed to fly the latest military shuttle. She flew sometimes, but Jaird was flying today. Flander sat next to her, keeping a close eye on her. He'd been like that since her training had been completed, and she was now an LT on his team. Being on his team wasn't a big deal because she'd been on his team as a trainee. Trainees were protected. They were only used in low-risk places. Now, she was an officer. One of low rank, working just like the others on the team. For team members, the risk was high.

Apparently, Flander didn't like that. He wanted her locked away somewhere safe where there was no risk. She turned eighteen, and everything had changed. When she was sixteen, she would have done anything for his attention. He treated her like a sister. Now, he wanted things to change. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that easy. She wasn't sure that things would change at all. Hel would admit that he had been an excellent teacher and adviser as far as the military went, but he had left much to be desired as a friend.

She put her mind back on what they were doing. The planet had never properly recovered. Everywhere she looked, there was chaos. Most of the decent, hardworking people had resettled elsewhere. There were too many criminals, many of whom had come from elsewhere. It was not the world of her childhood. It was not even the world that she had left. Nothing was the way she remembered it. She felt like she was in another world altogether.

As they exited the shuttle, everyone was on high alert. There was no doubt that if a person couldn't fight and protect themselves, they would die or be taken, and that might be worse. They hadn't been told precisely what they would do here. Only Flander knew. Her best guess was they would recover something. There were still places locked down by primitive means and would not allow entrance. Some places would be research centers like the one her sister had run.

The Majuri were big on technology. Some of the things her sister had created were probably still cutting-edge technology. They were headed in the direction of that research facility. Flander began moving faster just as she saw a group of males. It was a gang of some kind. Those were the most dangerous of the groups that had moved there. Many were backed by off-world interest groups looking for things like technology or other valuables left behind.

The Majuri knew about these groups and the various supporters who had brought them there. Hel had studied them and learned how to recognize several. Those who headed their way were not one of the groups she was familiar with. They were a rough bunch. That was probably why Flander was trying to get them to cover before the group got to them. It wasn't that they couldn't handle them. He simply wasn't willing to take the chance since she was with them. He would have to get over that, or she would have to move to another squad.

If Ranni knew, he would not allow them to continue working together. When they returned to the ship, she would have to decide if she wanted to snitch on him. He'd caused her a lot of grief when she'd been sixteen, and he showed no interest in her, but she still cared about Flander, and she knew this would upset him. For some reason, even though they had no real relationship, they cared about each other.

The problem was that she didn't want to be his sister, and he didn't want to be her lover. When she turned eighteen, and he still hadn't shown the interest that she wanted, Hel had decided that she needed to move on, and she knew for some reason that he wouldn't like it. Maybe some guys wanted their sister to stay virginal forever. She'd never had a big brother before and didn't want one. So, she didn't know his problem. The place before them was familiar, but it had taken some hits. It was amazing the place was still standing.

This was one of the places where her dad and her sister Kasey had worked on some of the technology they had come up with. Her dad had been a structural engineer there. He had worked on the practical aspects while Kasey devised the theories and plans for the things he built. She moved ahead of Flander, put in the code, and opened the door. They all hurried in, closing the door behind them, leaving the gang in the cold.

“I thought you would know how to get in here," Flander observed.

“Lane and I spent time here while my dad and Kasey worked. What are we looking for?” Hel asked.

“Those things that they were working on right before the attack.”

“I'm not sure exactly what that was, but I know where it might be. They tended to either hide downstairs or on the roof. My bet is downstairs in the basement.”

“Lead the way," Flander suggested.

There had been a cool elevator, but that no longer worked, so they had to take the stairs. The basement was six levels down, and that was a lot of stairs. Hel and Lane used to slide down the stair rails, and she remembered it had been a lot of fun. She suspected her dad and Kasey had made them that way so theycould. It used up a lot of their excess energy and made it easier to be around them after they had gone down six floors. Now that she was older, it was just tiring and not so fun, even though she slid down a few levels.

“This is interesting. Did they build the rails for exercise?”

"No, just for Lane and me so we could have some fun," Hel admitted.

“You were spoiled, weren’t you?”

Hel shot him an irritated look and continued until they hit the basement. It looked just like it had before. The door had sealed off that section, not even letting in air. When it opened, the air rushed in. Where was the safe that had held all those plans Kasey had made? There it was, and she hurried to it. In a way, it was odd that Kasey had made her, and Lane remembered how to access the safe. When she did, the large round door rolled to the side, and it was a huge room full of all kinds of things. There were plans, a robot, weapons, and many other things, all of which were useful.

She didn't understand why her sister hadn't come with them. This place had been her baby. It was where she achieved the most, and her best ideas came to fruition. Neither she nor Ranni had come along, and she found that odd. She may have to get used to being a follower because no one told her anything anymore. At least she got to go out into the field. She was the only female on any of these kinds of squads, and at least that was something.

“You remember all that?” Flander looked surprised.

“Kasey made it like a game. She wrote a little song for each code needed in this facility. We were just playing around and didn't realize we were memorizing what was needed to enter in case something happened to her dad. Crazy, isn't it?”

“Brilliant. You didn't even realize what you were doing, and yet you got all the important information memorized.”

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