~ New Release - Three New 3013 Novellas ~

Surprise! Kali Argent, Susan Hayes and I have three brand new 3013 Novellas available! These stories are perfect for those of you who love the series, and ideal for those of you who haven't yet had a chance to read the 3013 Series. Happy Reading!

3013: SYNERGY by Laurie Roma
3013: ASYLUM by Kali Argent
3013: SCARRED by Susan Hayes

3013: SYNERGY

Morgan Chavez is a Class-A Empath whose gift is her curse. Due to the strength of her ability, she has excelled as a liaison officer despite dealing with constant emotional overload. Her situation makes it impossible to have a relationship, and she’s been forced to give up the dream of having a family to call her own. Or so she believed…

Attending the grand opening of Alpha Station: X21 near the planet Xenthian was D’Aire Ambassador Orion D’Sil’s last assignment before returning home. Tired from a life of duty, Orion never thought he would find the keeper of his heart on the edge of Alliance controlled space. Morgan owns him, heart, body and soul, but can he convince her to give up everything she ever known to live with him in his world?

An Erotic Romance Novella.

“That’s it, I quit.”

Alliance Officer Morgan Chavez’s statement was met with a snort of derision from her commander. Truthfully, she’d expected nothing different from Alliance Commander Olivia Jacobson.

“It must be Wednesday,” Olivia said dryly. “You always quit on Wednesday.”

“It’s Tuesday. That should tell you how bad it is. I couldn’t even wait one fucking day to quit this time.” Heaving out a heavy sigh, Morgan didn’t wait for permission as she sat down on one of the chairs in front of the large desk. She propped her black boots up on the edge of the desk, then lowered the off-center zipper of her uniform jacket so she could breathe better.

There was no need for formality between two women since they were alone in the office. Morgan and Olivia had been friends since their days in the Academy, back when life had seemed much easier. Actually, that wasn’t true. Life had always been pretty fucking complicated, even back when she’d been young.

Her childhood hadn’t been all bad. In fact, she had been surrounded by love and laughter during the first few years of her life. Morgan had been born on an exploration vessel that had been sent out to discover and study other worlds.

After centuries of unrest, the nations had come together with one common goal in mind—to reach for the stars and explore all the possibilities that existed beyond Earth. The creation of space vessels powered by jump drives and other technology had made traveling to other galaxies possible, and humans had strived to explore all they could.

Morgan’s parents had left Earth on a voyage into deep space. Her mother had been a scientist, and her father had been second-in-command on the exploration vessel. She might not have had an average childhood, but she’d loved every second of growing up in space. The ship had been her playground, and the entire crew had been her family.

But things didn’t always go according to plan out in the big black.

The exploration vessel had been scheduled to be away from Earth for a maximum of ten years. They’d explored previously uncharted areas of space, and they had made sure to leave ample time for their return voyage. During their journey, they’d found several uninhabitable planets, and they’d also discovered a few that could have sustained a colony under the right conditions. They’d been on their way back to Earth to report their findings when their ship had encountered a strange anomaly.

A shimmering band of light had appeared in front of their vessel, and before they were able to change course, they’d entered a temporal rift, which created a fissure in space and time. In the matter of seconds, they had somehow lost sixty years, though they hadn’t realized that anything was different until they’d arrived back on Earth.

Then they’d realized everything had changed.

When humans announced to the universe that they were capable of traveling the stars, they had gained the attention of other beings…not all of which were benevolent. While Morgan’s family and the rest of the crew had been caught in the temporal rift, the Zyphir—a colony race of insect-like creatures that stood on two feet—came to Earth in 2960. The Zyphir had planned to annihilate the human race and deplete the world of all resources before they moved onto the next planet that suited their needs.

A brutal three-year war had destroyed much of Earth, and humans had been on the brink of losing the fight until three alien races arrived to help. The Zyphir were defeated as soon as the Dragon Warriors, D’Aire and the Krytos joined the battle, but the consequences of the war had left humans struggling to survive and large portions of the Earth in ruins.

Martial law had been declared, and the world was under the rule of the United Federation Command Alliance, or as it was more commonly called—the Alliance. To make matters worse, the Zyphir had left behind a deadly virus that had killed thousands, and altered the genetics of the survivors left on the planet. More accurately, the virus seemed to attack the female reproductive systems, leaving most women on Earth infertile. No matter how advanced medical technology had become, the cause for the infertility remained untreatable.

When the exploration vessel returned to Earth, they witnessed the aftermath of the war that had been waged in their absence. It wasn’t long before the virus infected every single member of the crew. Morgan and another young boy that had been born of the vessel, Matt Malloy, were the only survivors.

With their families gone and nowhere to go, they had been left at the mercy of the Alliance. While they had been gone from the planet, it had become mandatory for all children to be tested when they turned ten to determine if they would be taken for military service. Only the strongest and brightest were chosen to receive genetic enhancements to become elite soldiers. The elites were bigger and stronger than normal humans, with increased reflexes and heightened senses. These enhancements were encoded into their genes, and would be passed onto their children.

And their enhanced genetics were the future of the human race.

Both Morgan and Matt had been too young to be tested. However, since they were alone in the new world, the Council of Regents—the governing body of the Alliance—allowed for them to receive the genetic enhancements in order to save their lives. The virus had weakened them, but a regiment of enhancement drugs and other medical treatments over a year ensured that Morgan and Matt recovered completely.

Morgan had just turned eight when she and Matt entered the Academy—the place where all elites trained. She’d been the youngest recruit there, however, she’d had the advantage of acclimating to her own enhancements years before her fellow classmates. Since she’d been born in deep space, what Morgan had known about Earth’s history were just stories, so she didn’t miss much of the old ways.

Still, there were some parts of her new life that she didn’t like.

Staring at her friend across the desk was enough to remind Morgan of the one thing she hated the most about Alliance rules and regulations. Both Morgan and Commander Jacobson had been marked with a star tattoo on the right side of their faces, declaring that they were both infertile.

Some human women were tattooed with specialized scroll marking on the right side of their faces, signifying they were what men coveted most—a breeder, one of the few women able to have children. The scroll tattoo became darker with age, turning a mercurial black when they became of age. When a woman was chosen, the two elite soldiers that claimed her would have their initials tattooed on the left side of her face, marking her as theirs for the world to see.

In return, the men would have a similar tattoo placed on their left neck, shoulder, arm and torso as a sign of pride to have claimed a woman. These markings took the place of archaic symbols such as wedding bands to declare them a bonded unit. Fertile females were also implanted with nanotechnology that made it impossible for them to get pregnant until their birth control was deactivated when they were claimed, or if they chose to have it done any time after their eighteenth birthday.

Morgan hadn’t had to worry about that since the virus had robbed her of her chance to have the family she always wanted. She knew that having children was the only way that humans would continue to thrive, but she hated wearing a brand upon her face that showed the world that she was lacking.

“So, what has you quitting this week?” Olivia asked as she swiped her finger across the tablet she held in her hand, bringing Morgan back to the present.

“Actually, it’s all your fault this time.”

“Oh, really?” Olivia lifted a brow as she set the tablet aside. “How am I to blame?”

“Because you asked me to greet Regent Marks’ group to escort them to their quarters this morning.”

“I thought you liked Regent Marks.”

“I do…sort of. I’ve only met him a few times when I was working in the Capital, but he has some new fucktards on his security detail that I really didn’t like. Two in particular. Officers Denver and Brinkman thought I should be willing to share their bed while they’re here since I’m just a star who should be grateful for their attention.”

Olivia tapped her finger to her lower lip before she said, “Are you telling me Officer Fucktard and his sidekick, Officer Scumbag, are currently in the medical unit trying to retrieve their balls after you kicked them into their stomachs?”

Morgan let out a little snort at that. “I should have, but I held back. I did give them a pretty impressive verbal bitch-slap, though.”

“Satisfying, but you could have reported them and made sure they paid for their insult to you. You know I don’t tolerate that shit on my station.”

Shaking her head, Morgan said, “I know. Plus, Director James is still a little pissed at me for what happened last week.”

“Director Tight-ass needs to get over that,” Olivia said sharply. “Those elites were drunk, and you had every right to give them a beat down. I would have done the same if I’d been there, and I told James that.”

Morgan laughed. “Which is just another reason why I love you.”

Last week, she and two female security officers had been asked to escort three Tarin females to Asylum, where they had been granted sanctuary. Tartarus was a relatively new ally to the Alliance. Known as the Dark Planet, Tartarus was home to a barbaric, demon-like race that fed off the energy of others. The Tarins had recently ended a civil war that had been raging on their planet for years, and many of the females that had been kept as slaves now sought to escape to space stations and other planets, far from their old lives.

The three Tarin females had been nervous and frightened when they had landed, and their fear had increased when the group of drunk elites had blocked their path in the hallway. One of the drunk men had stumbled into a security officer, and a fight had broken out. Fueled by everyone else’s emotions, Morgan had lost control of her own temper, and she’d torn into the group of elites like some sort of crazed berserker.

When people were given the enhancement drugs, there was no way to tell exactly how it would affect each individual. Morgan had been one of those that had gotten a little something extra from the genetic boost. She was now considered a Class-A Empath, meaning she could feel or sense the emotions of others.

As a liaison officer, that talent came in handy, which was the reason why most empaths were steered toward that particular division. But Morgan’s abilities had turned out to be her curse. She had to work hard to keep from being swamped by other people’s feelings just being around them, and it was ten times worse if she actually touched someone. It was as if she were a sponge for other people’s energy. Whatever they were feeling, she would feel, almost like a contact high.

But when the rush of emotions faded, it left her feeling sick and shaky.

Her abilities were so strong that she could even read residual emotions off objects right after someone touched them, so Morgan tried to wear gloves to minimize contact as much as possible. But when she was in a situation like she had been in the hallway with the security officers and drunk elites fighting, there was no way for her to stop the barrage of emotions from taking over.

A red haze had taken over Morgan, and in a few seconds all the drunks were groaning on the ground. She had always excelled in hand-to-hand, but there was one tiny drawback whenever she was in a combat situation. After the emotional high was over, Morgan had raced over to an alcove in the hallway, promptly losing the contents of her stomach into one of the waste receptacles.

It was an embarrassing side effect to what she thought of as sensory overload.

Thinking back on the incident, Morgan pushed back one of her wild, chestnut-colored curls that had escaped from her ponytail. When she had been stationed in the Capital, she always had to keep her long hair up in a bun while she was on duty. Her hair was the one vanity she allowed herself, even when it was a pain in the ass keeping the long, unruly curls tamed.

She fought the urge to rub her temples in defense of the low-grade headache that lurked there as she remembered how her new director had reacted when she’d told him that she and the two security officers had put five elites in the medical unit. Director James had been furious with her for acting that way in front of the three Tarin females, although, the females hadn’t been afraid of her.

In fact, the Tarin females seemed to like her quite a bit after seeing her in action. They’d even asked for self-defense training, and Morgan had arranged for some of the female officers onboard to teach them when they were off duty.

“I know Director James means well, but he really is a tight-ass,” Morgan admitted. “I want to like him, but sometimes he makes it so hard.”

“He was just promoted and needs to relax a little. Don’t worry, he’s going to have to ease up while he’s under my command,” Olivia promised with a grin. “I wish I could have seen the fight. You’re pretty impressive when you lose control.”

“Yeah, but then you’d have to watch me throw up after.”

Olivia winced. “I forgot about that part.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I can’t have kids. Could you imagine what would happen if I had a baby who cried all the time? I’d be puking my guts out everywhere.”

Olivia saw the sadness in Morgan’s emerald green eyes, despite her attempt at levity. Since they’d known each other for years, she knew that regardless of what Morgan said, what she desired most was a family. Olivia had gotten her dream of becoming an Alliance Commander, but Morgan’s empathic abilities made it difficult for her get what she wanted.

Morgan was a strong empath, and the Alliance wouldn’t let a talent like hers go to waste even though she hated her job. Until she found what she was looking for, Olivia would shield her friend as best she could so Morgan could live her life in relative peace. It was why she had requested Morgan’s transfer from the Capital to Alpha Station: X21 when Olivia was given command of the new space station.

Olivia looked down as her wrist unit signaled. She read the display, and didn’t hesitate to ignore the incoming call. “I’ve been getting calls all damn week. Sometimes I want to throw my wrist unit against the wall.” When her office link signaled a few seconds later, she sighed. “I love being in charge of a new, state-of-the-art space station, but it means everyone wants to come here to check it out.”

Morgan laughed. “And I know how much you hate dealing with people.”

Olivia shrugged. “They usually want things…and they feel this need to talk about shit I really don’t care about. Like I give a fuck if this is the furthest someone has been out in space. Sometimes, people just suck.”

“Poor Commander Jacobson. How dare people bother you with such mundane information,” Morgan mocked with a grin. “I have no sympathy for you. Compared to the amount of idiots I have to deal with, you have no reason to complain. Besides, most of the people you talk to everyday you can just order to leave you the hell alone.”

“Very true. Or hide in my office like I’m doing now. I was out there earlier, and there were people everywhere.” Olivia shuddered comically. “I’m going to be so damn happy when this grand opening bullshit is over.”

“I can’t wait to hear your speech for that.” Morgan tried to hold back her laughter when Olivia’s face paled slightly.

“I…have to give a speech? You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. Not at all. You’re the commander here. You have to welcome everyone, and I don’t know, declare the space station officially open or something.”

“Can’t I do that with a freaking memo?”

“Not a chance. Speaking of memos,” Morgan began as her own wrist unit beeped. She looked down at the message and sighed. “I have to get going. Some of the off-loaders that recently arrive have space sickness and are out of commission for a few days. Director James offered me up as a temporary replacement to help do inventory in the storage areas as punishment for what happened last week.”

“That man needs to needs to learn how to relax, or he’s not going to last long here. We’ve got enough shit to worry about located near this new planet we know practically nothing about. I don’t need a director that no one can work with here on X21.”

“Everyone else gets along with him okay…he and I just seem to clash. He’s just one of those people that thinks I should be able to control my abilities better. You know, tough love to push me to my full potential,” Morgan said in a mockingly deep tone.

“That’s just stupid.”

“True, but I’ve dealt with it before. Some people don’t understand that my abilities work differently than other empaths.” She sighed. “At least I don’t have to deal with anymore people today. I’m tired of being nice.”

“Suck it up, buttercup. Day’s not over yet.”

“Don’t remind me,” Morgan moaned as she stood and zipped up her uniform jacket.

“Go take a nap in one the storage areas like the rest of the off-loaders do.”

Morgan laughed at that, and headed toward the entrance as the commander’s young, fresh-faced assistant appeared when the doors slid open.

“I’m so sorry to bother you, Commander Jacobson. I was just notified by security that there’s been another…umm, incident at Asylum. You told me you wanted to be informed when—I mean, if it happened again.”

“Damn it!” Olivia’s expression darkened as she slapped her palms down on the desk and rose to her feet. “I can’t get through one damn day without those two males trying to maim their customers. I swear I’m going to kill them this time!”

Morgan wasn’t surprised that security had been notified…again, since the sanctuary was a hotspot of activity. After all, Asylum lived up to its name in spades. However, she was fascinated by the mix of anger and interest that flared within her friend as she ranted. A part of her felt bad that she was peeking into Olivia’s personal feelings, but then again, it’s not like she had a choice.

She was friends with Zade Tavish, one of the two brothers that ran Asylum. The older brother, Axton, was intimidating as hell, but she respected him. The lower level of the sanctuary was probably the most secured and well-protected area on the space station, and that was where the three Tarin females were currently living. Still, the bar upstairs was a favored place for patrons to let loose and have fun. Since all Krytos sanctuary’s operated by their own set of rules, it seemed like the security force on the station still hadn’t figured out how to handle the Tavish brothers.

“I’ve had enough of this shit!” Olivia raged as stormed out of her office.

Morgan followed her furious friend out, then watched as Olivia stomped down the hallway. Her friend’s anger at the two Krytos brothers made her smile, and she couldn’t help to call out, “Suck it up, buttercup!”

“Suck this.” Olivia’s hand shot up into the air.

Morgan laughed when her friend held up her middle finger in an old human gesture that had lasted throughout the years. Feeling lighter, Morgan turned and headed down the hallway in the opposite direction. She wished she could have been at the sanctuary to watch the explosion when Olivia confronted the Krytos brothers, but she had responsibilities to deal with instead.

A nap wasn’t a bad idea, Morgan thought with a sigh. Not that she’d really do that when she was supposed to be working. Maybe. She didn’t mind helping with inventory, though, and dealing with supplies was preferable to dealing with people at the moment. She might as well enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasted.

Perhaps she should plan to get punished more in the future.

BUY LINKS FOR 3013: SYNERGY

AMAZON | B&N | KOBO | ARe | SMASHWORDS

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To read Axton and Zade Tavish and Commander Olivia Jacobson's story, check out 3013: ASYLUM by Kali Argent! 

To read Rhen and Sabar Torven and Laesa Fen's story, 
check out 3013: SCARRED by Susan Hayes