Warrior's Valor

Another thrilling saga in the Supreme Constellations romantic sci-fi adventure series. Environmental activist Dwyn Izontro and law enforcement officer Emeron D'Artansis instinctively dislike everything about each other, even though the attraction between them is unmistakable. While Dwyn surveys an endangered region of a remote planet with Emeron as her security escort, Ambassador M'Ekar has bribed his guards to facilitate his escape from the planet where he is incarcerated. As part of his escape plan, he kidnaps one of the individuals he holds responsible for his humiliation, Dahlia Jacelon. When a spacecraft carrying unexpected cargo crashes to the surface in the region where Dwyn and Emeron are working, the two women are unexpectedly hurled into a search and rescue mission where the fate of millions rests on their ability to work together. The stakes go up when Rae Jacelon and Kellen O'Dal, the Protectors of the Realm, join in the hunt.

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Course of Action

Coffee Sonata

Sheridan's Fate

September Canvas

Fierce Overture

The Supreme Constellations Series:

Protector of the Realm

Rebel's Quest

Warrior's Valor

Warrior's Valor

Supreme Constellations Book Three

© 2008 By Gun Brooke. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 13: 978-1-60282-384-6

This Electronic Book is published by

Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

P.O. Box 249

Valley Falls, New York 12185

First Edition: July 2008

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

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Credits

Editors: Shelley Thrasher and J. Barre Greystone

Production Design: J. Barre Greystone

Cover Image: Tobias Brenner (http://www.tobiasbrenner.de/)

Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])

Len Barot, aka Radclyffe, publisher and owner of Bold Strokes books, thank you for believing in me, and for the enthusiasm with which you approach every new project. Your continued faith in my writing, as well as the example with which you lead, inspire me.

Dr. Shelley Thrasher, editor and my guiding light. You also serve as the copy editor for Warrior's Valor, and your double duties are not going unnoticed. We make such a great team, and I already long for our next project!

Sheri, the cover is awesome. I'm delighted that you thought my 3D painted cover art was good enough to use for this book.

My beta readers and friends, Lisa, Sami, Ruth, Georgi, Jan, and Mary, all helped save me from myself

Thank you also to the gang of proofreaders and other BSB associates who helped this project along. I think Lori (Andy) deserves special thanks for everything she does for the BSB newsletter and the online bookstore.

To William, our first grandchild, whose birth coincided with the creation of this story.

If this doesn't work, you must avenge my demise, Desmond.” Hox M'Ekar, the former Onotharian ambassador, glowered at his manservant.

“Don't worry, Your Excellence. Kyakh, who sold me the device, assured me it's foolproof.”

“Let's not waste any time then. No matter how infallible this procedure is, it'll still alert the SC law enforcers. The chip emits signals on a regular basis, and if it's shut off, they'll appear like hawks from the sky.”

“We'll be gone from Jasin long before then.” Desmond looked convinced, but given the man's youth, M'Ekar wasn't inclined to take his optimistic statement at face value. “Kyakh owns a nearly brand-new Legacy-class vessel, the
Viper
, perfect for escaping SC space. Once we've captured that Jacelon woman, Kyakh will fly us successfully across the border to intergalactic space in less than three days. The SC has never intercepted the
Viper
.”

“I hope you're correct, young man.” M'Ekar rose and rubbed his neck, a habit he had begun the day that damn SC doctor implanted the lethal microchip in his spinal cord. If he strayed outside his designated area on this godforsaken, mosquito-infested planet, the microchip would receive a signal that released a minuscule amount of a highly lethal substance. It would kill him within a few hours, unless any of the law-enforcement forces that carried the antidote found him.

“I would never trick you, Your Excellence.”

When M'Ekar had promised Desmond a glorious career as one of his most trusted aides, the young man had quickly capitulated. M'Ekar's guardian-turned-accomplice wouldn't join him in his escape, however. It almost saddened him to think of Desmond's early death.
It is a necessary sacrifice for me to reach the greatness I was born to enjoy
. “Excellent,” he said with a nod. “How long?”

“Kyakh's crew is three weeks away from this sector.”

M'Ekar stood, motioning Desmond closer. “Then we should prepare.” He chuckled. “Not that I have much to pack.”

Desmond suddenly looked nervous. M'Ekar knew that a lot depended on his manservant, who was probably realizing what he was undertaking. It was important to reassure him. If Desmond turned on him, M'Ekar wouldn't know how to get in touch with this Kyakh. He placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder. “What would I do without you, son? You have proved that you'll make a fine aide de camp.”

Desmond appeared more self-confident. “Thank you, Your Excellence. I look forward to serving with you.”

M'Ekar wondered if the sting he felt was one of remorse at the hopeful and admiring expression on Desmond's face, but shrugged it off. People were useful for a moment, and when they weren't—they were expendable.

“You have to recognize the severity of this threat, Your Honor.”

“I don't
have
to do anything, Ms. Izontro.” Supreme Constellations Judge Amereena Beqq regarded Dwyn Izontro haughtily from behind her desk in the luxurious hotel suite. Outside the window, the Cormanian capital, Corma Neo, glimmered like an enormous jewel. “It's late in the evening, and I'm tired after my journey. You managed to bypass the proper channels and see me directly only because I'm visiting Corma unofficially.”

Dwyn knew the esteemed judge was peeved, but butting heads with authorities around the SC for more than fifteen years had toughened her. “I know, and I'm grateful,” she said, and wasn't entirely lying. She had half expected the judge to close the door in her face.

“Judge Beqq, the importance of what I have to say makes up for my audacity. The Disi-Disi forest is one of the few untouched territories within the Supreme Constellations, and the Cormanian government has always protected it and its natives from any interference. It sustains the indigenous people who are living as they have for thousands of years, but it also keeps this planet stable. I work for the Aequitas group, a pro-bono activist organization that attempts to save the environment and supports other worthy causes.”

“‘Justice,' in the ancient Earth language of Latin. Appropriate.”

Dwyn couldn't tell if Beqq's words were cynical. Instead she continued. “Aequitas has received credible intel that the Cormanian government already is cutting parts of the forest.”

“That would go against the SC decree regarding such measures.”

“No offense, Judge, but you of all people should know how greed and the hunger for power make men and women regard a law as merely a suggestion.”

“True enough.”

“Corma is overpopulated, like so many other worlds within the SC. Lobbyists are pressuring certain Cormanian politicians to pass a bill that allows prospectors to purchase real estate that will diminish Disi-Disi territory. If our intel is correct, the Disians, the natives of the forest, will suffer greatly when their natural habitat shrinks. We risk losing a society that is entirely unique. But the destruction of the forest will also alter Corma's climate and cause tornadoes, hurricanes, inland storms, and plasma cyclones—disasters beyond anything the Cormanians have ever experienced.”

Dwyn swallowed her impatience because she knew this woman could best help her deal with this mess. “Lives will be lost, Your Honor, and Corma will experience an uncertain fate. New deserts will form where the land is now lush and green. Glaciers will appear all the way down past the northern hemisphere.” As Dwyn rattled her facts, she leaned forward to emphasize the severity of her words. This senior judge of the Supreme Constellations had to understand.

“I know the SC Council has discussed this topic extensively.” Beqq spoke quietly and as if she weighed every word that passed her lips. “Possibly someone has offered the Cormanian rulers substantial sums of money to allow various prospectors access to the protected area. Officially, the Cormanians have declined, but if your group is correct…” Beqq looked resolute as she twirled the obsidian-embedded titanium ring on her left index finger. “From what I remember, you've been right a lot lately. We in the court system have also questioned some of your methods.”

“Serving the greater good is worth any possible risk.”

Judge Beqq blinked. “Really. Well, Ms. Izontro, I'll investigate the situation. I'm not as well connected on Corma as I used to be, but I still have a few strings to pull. Will you be satisfied if you get to see the forest for yourself?”

Dwyn frowned and shook her head. “Depends on what I find, ma'am.”

“All right. I'll speak to you as soon as I've taken the matter into consideration and run it by some of my contacts. Hopefully, by then I'll know if it's possible to grant you permission.” Beqq laced her fingers loosely and rested her chin on her joined hands. “I sympathize with your concern for this planet, Ms. Izontro. But since you approached me, you probably did your homework well enough to realize that I do things correctly or not at all.”