Starsector Distress Call Novels & Stories

she asked, a small, genuine smile curving her lips. "It’s a tactical certainty," Tristan said, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. *Beep. Beep. Beep.* The tender moment shattered instantly as the proximity alarm on Helena’s console began to shriek. The harsh, staccato rhythm flooded the cabin with red light. "Tristan!" Helena yelled, her fingers blurring across the holographic keys. "We have incoming! Fast movers!" Tristan was at the console in a heartbeat. "From the encampment?"

"The Alpha King isn't running blind, Ronan; you are severely underestimating his tactical calculation," Malik Arden stated, turning his heavy glass tumbler on the blood-stained counter as the under-district enforcers dragged the remaining casualties out the back exit. He paused, his sharp gaze cutting through the thick smoke of the syndicate lounge to read my stance. "The Siren of the Vale issues a priority distress frequency, and your master vehicle instantly breaches the perimeter grid. What asset are you hunting that commands this level of exposure?"

I open my mouth to say I don’t know, but she interrupts me before I can begin. “I’ll help you open a way,” Oaestr declares, nodding. “But I need you to do something for me in return.” She pauses and then holds up her band, tapping it as she explains. “I need to send a message to the ship. The navigation system is down, but the communicator will work if I can get more power into it. I used the last power it had to call you here. If you can open the void,” she explains, “the band should be able to connect with the ship and recharge, then I should be able to send a distress signal.”

Aurora smiled, pulling him closer by his lapels. Their lips brushed—a soft, tentative first touch. BEEP-BEEP-BEEP. A shrill alarm sound blasted from Kael’s wrist. They jumped apart. Kael cursed, looking at his watch. The screen was flashing red. "What is it?" Aurora asked, breathless. "More assassins?" "No," Kael’s face went grim. "It's a distress signal. From the Global Guard Network." "Grandpa?" "No," Kael looked at her. "It's a Level 1 Breach at the Sterling Tech Server Farm in Silicon Valley."