Velal
My Favourite Character? I’ll Let You Into a Secret
Readers often write to ask who my favourite character is, and where the creative part of the process starts.
Well, I’ll let you into a secret.
If you’ve read Return of the Star Lords, you’ve met her. Her name is Kya.
She was originally a side character in my third book, Seek the Galaxy, but she was so fierce, funny, and full of courage that she demanded her own story. That story became Return of the Star Lords, the first piece of fiction I ever published, less than four months ago.
At the suggestion of my editor, I entered it into six writing competitions.
It went nowhere in one.
Runner-up in another.
And, to my amazement, it won the other four. Gold awards, no less.
I owe Kya a lot.
So much, in fact, that I wrote a follow-up about what happened when she and her younger sister Syla returned to Earth with Ewan and the crew of the Dagger. It follows Kya trying to blend in at a Florida high school, posing as an English public schoolgirl, with amusing and exciting consequences.
But here’s the catch: it’s 11,000 words long. (About 35 pages.)
Too long to include in a fast-paced space opera. It’s still a bit raw and unpolished. So, I’ve never published it. I might never.
But if you’d like to read it, just hit reply to this email and ask. I’ll send it to you with a smile.
And where do I write? Well, at my computer, of course.
But the creative part, the fun part, that starts somewhere else.
The ideas, the characters, the spit-balling madness? That often begins here:
The King’s Arms in Prestbury, my local country pub just outside Cheltenham. (Yes, that picture below is the real place.)
I sit with a blank page and mind-map story arcs, character dilemmas, alien cultures. Sometimes I write out scenes freehand.
The pub’s great for ideas. Less great for actual writing.
I’ve learned I need to stop after two pints. After that, the page starts to look like a drunken spider dipped all eight legs in the inkwell and staggered across the paper writing in Swahili.
Still, more than a few scenes in Return to the Galaxy were born at that very table.
Right. It’s late on Saturday afternoon here. Time to get creative.
I wonder if they’ve opened the door at The King’s Arms yet?
I might go see if Ewan, Velal, or Jera are in, and if they fancy a pint.
...Oh, and before I go, I'm starting to get some good reviews in, too. I've added one of them from the British review service Wishing Shelf lower down. See what you think of it.
Still missing one of the short stories?
Some stories unfold centuries apart. Some on distant worlds.
Some right under our noses, here on Earth.
But they’re all part of a shared timeline, a single galaxy where choices ripple, tech evolves, and empires rise and fall.
Return of the Star Lords – Kya will do anything to save her sister, even help kill a god
When the Going Gets Tough – A mission gone wrong. A soldier pushed too far
The Honeytrap Protocol– Seduction, betrayal, and a target who won’t play along
School Trip to the End of the World – He stole a starship to save his family
Chasm City– This city breaks people. Not all of them stay broken
You can download any you missed by clicking on the books on my website right here:
This email is already long so I’ve shortened my normal science article to a 3-minute read, placed down below. I had quite a dark article planned for today, but I received a lot of emails thanking me for the positive tone of the last one, so I changed tack. This one is uplifting, too.
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
EDITORIAL REVIEW 15th May 2025
TITLE: Return to the Galaxy
AUTHOR: BA Gillies
Star Rating: 5
I must say, this is a very enjoyable sci-fi novel. In fact, I started reading it on Monday morning and kept going till I finished it on Monday night! And I loved every word of it.
Now, it’s not ‘literary’ in any way – thankfully – the author smartly offering sci-fi readers what they want: fast pacing, short chapters, accessible vocab, a complex, slightly broken protagonist (Ewan), and a thrill-a-page plot.
So, what did I enjoy the most? Well, Ewan is fab! Written from his POV, we first meet him during the Falkland’s conflict back in 1982, when the British sent a taskforce to retake the islands from the invading Argentinians.
Later, when he’s dying of cancer, he gets the opportunity (with the help of a little nanite tech) to stop a powerful enemy which is hunting for Earth. For me, he was very much the strongest character in the story – strong, brave; basically, fit for the fight! The perfect protagonist.
I also enjoyed the pacing of the novel. The cover for the book – a spacecraft being destroyed in battle – suggests one thing: this is going to be a non-stop, lots of things happening all the time, sort of novel. And that’s very much what you get.
So, all you sci-fi nuts out there, I’d strongly recommend this novel to you.
I see from the website, www.bagillies.com, this is the first book of three. They all look FAB! So much so, I’m going to be checking out book two (Reach for the Galaxy) and book three (Seek the Galaxy) myself.
I love it when an author knows his/her readership and what they want – and that’s exactly what you get here.
All in all, a bit of a gem!
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
The Tiny Revolution
(3-minute read)
Right at the beginning of Return to the Galaxy, Ewan is dying. Seventy-seven-years-old, broken, forgotten. Until the nanites bring him back. They don’t just heal him. They rebuild him.
Piece by piece, cell by cell, until he’s stronger, faster, sharper than he ever was. A soldier again. But not quite the same man.
In the book, that’s science fiction.
But just beneath the surface, it’s already becoming science fact.
Because the real revolution in medicine isn’t happening with scalpels or miracle pills. It’s happening with machines so small you couldn’t see one if it flew past your eye.
They’re called nanobots. Or medical nanites, if you’re speaking in fiction. And they aren’t coming. They’re already here.
Researchers around the world are building microscopic devices that can:
Target and destroy cancer cells with extreme precision.
Dissolve arterial plaque without surgery.
Deliver chemotherapy directly to tumours, bypassing the healthy cells entirely.
Detect viruses in the bloodstream days before symptoms appear.
Repair damaged tissue at the molecular level.
Transmit live diagnostic data from inside the body, silently, wirelessly.
Some of these devices are still in clinical trials. Others are already in use.
A team in California recently tested a nanobot that navigates through blood vessels using magnetic fields, like a microscopic submarine, piloted by code.
In China, researchers launched a swarm of bots into infected lung tissue. The result? Five times the effectiveness of standard antibiotics.
And we’re just getting started.
In the next ten to twenty years, we could see programmable nanites that live inside us long-term. Always on. Always scanning.
Like immune system companions, spotting problems before they start, correcting chemical imbalances before symptoms ever appear. Keeping us steady. Quietly nudging us back toward health.
They won’t replace doctors. But they might prevent the emergency.
And what’s striking is how human this technology feels, not cold, not clinical, but intimate. For centuries, we’ve fought sickness with brute force. Sawbones. Syringes. Scalpels, even leeches. Now, we’re beginning to heal from within, not with violence, but with understanding.
That’s what drew me to nanites in Return to the Galaxy. Not as miracle tech. Not as magic. But as a symbol of something deeper.
That maybe we don’t need to become gods. Or machines. Maybe we just need to become a little better at fixing what we used to break. A little better at restoring what was lost.
But we should always remember to believe in good people and the hope they bring. All around the world brilliant doctors and researchers are advancing medicine constantly, turning the science fiction of our parents into science fact for the next generation.
Because sometimes the most powerful changes don’t roar in. They arrive silently. On machines too small to see.
But too amazing to ignore.
P.S. Don’t be shy. If you'd like to read Kya’s secret story, just hit reply and say so. Just say "Kya at school story please." and "I’ll send it your way happily.
ExporeReach for the Galaxy
Velal battles alien fleets while her Space Marines defend her new colony. On Earth, bored deskbound analyst Darya must enter the field to help the SAS find nuclear-armed terrorists as all-out nuclear war looms. Ewan navigates a steamy love triangle while corrupt governments try to seize his alien-tech-powered company. He regenerates old colleagues and upgrades new friends, preparing for interstellar space.
An Ancient Federation Dies
Recently, Commodore Velal Farn patrolled the frontier commanding a single frigate. Now, she leads a ragtag fleet of overcrowded refugee ships. As her people flee her dying world, Velal must hold the line against relentless alien monsters and rally her fractured Space Marines to defend her new colony or watch millions perish.
Earth Burns
GCHQ analyst Darya Clarke was bored until a flash of intelligence plunged her into a nightmare. Inserted behind enemy lines and fighting beside the SAS in the UK, she races to stop terrorists before nuclear fire consumes Britain. One mistake could doom humanity before the aliens even arrive.
Interstellar War Is Coming
Former SAS captain Ewan Scott has a plan. Reborn by alien tech, he’s building a secret megacorp to arm Earth for the stars. As assassins close in, his next discovery will shake the foundations of human history. The Federation is dying. Earth is next.
Thousands of readers gave Return to the Galaxy a 4.5-star rating, calling it “better than Scalzi” and “the best book since Heinlein died.” Grab Reach for the Galaxy today and discover why this award-winning series is taking the sci-fi world by storm.
Order on Amazon NowSeek the Galaxy
Ewan finds a secret base brimming with futuristic technology and an alien warship. Exploring nearby stars, he gets drawn into battles with vicious warlords and murderous God-Kings. On Earth, his team expand their megacorp and fight secret battles with massed jihadi terrorists. Velal battles alien starships to protect forgotten colonies while Beryn embarks on an unde
They found the tech to reach the stars. But the galaxy they enter is burning.
On Earth, the team suffers betrayal, torture, and death at the hands of brutal enemies.
Ewan and his companions discover a hidden Saret asteroid base brimming with futuristic technology. When they uncover a fully operational interstellar warship, humanity’s dream of returning to the stars finally seems within reach.
Armed with advanced ships and weapons, they set out to find lost human colonies, hoping for allies. Instead, they find bloody chaos.
On Kifrun, a malevolent God-King rules through dark sacrifices and ancient terror, plotting to invade a peaceful republic. To stop him, Ewan’s team must fight on two worlds, and their best chance may lie with a desperate girl thief with fire in her heart and nothing left to lose.
Admiral Velal leads her Space Marines in desperate clashes against hostile alien powers, fighting to protect a fleet of vulnerable refugees and keep her people alive.
And in the outer reaches, Beryn, medieval prince turned starfighter ace, must choose which civilizations live or die, as the Ranid wipe out human worlds in waves of nuclear annihilation.
If Earth is to survive, allies must be found, old wounds must heal, and humanity must face its darkest hour.
Not all of them will make it. But if they fail, Earth burns next.
Perfect for fans of John Scalzi, Orson Scott Card, and Jack Campbell, Seek the Galaxy delivers cinematic action, epic battles, and brutal moral choices in a galaxy where survival is never guaranteed.
Return to the Galaxy
An ancient Federation. A deadly alien war. A man reborn to save Earth from annihilation. A woman trying desperately to lead her people to freedom. Dive into a galaxy of colossal battles, inter-species love affairs, lost colonies, and a mission that will determine the fate of humanity.
The Humans Are Coming. The Galaxy Better Be Ready.
The astonishing truth? The human race didn’t evolve on Earth.
Ewan Scott was a dying SAS veteran, until a 300-year-old alien AI Avatar offered him a second chance: rebirth in a bio-engineered body, fitter, stronger, and movie-star handsome. His mission? Reunite humanity with its parent civilization, the Saret Federation, before merciless enemies erase all life on Earth.
Frigate Captain Velal, haunted by her past and bound by impossible orders, fights to save what’s left of her civilization. As worlds fall to alien invasion and nuclear fire, the ancient monsters she dreads are hunting for Earth.
An ancient empire falls to betrayal. A merciless enemy closes in. Earth lies defenseless. Its last hope a flawed hero reborn, and a woman who will fight until the stars go dark.Join Ewan, Velal, and wise-cracking Jera in an epic, fast-paced space opera packed with:
- Savage interstellar war
- Planetary colonization
- Special Forces warfare
- Found alien tech
- The secrets of a dying empire
If you love John Scalzi, Craig Alanson, and David Weber, the epic scale of Peter F. Hamilton, and the military brilliance of Elizabeth Moon
When the Going Gets Tough
When an ambush in hostile space thrusts Velal into command, every decision could mean life or death. Surrounded by merciless pirates and their alien allies, can she outsmart her foes and free their captured slaves, or will her bravery be her downfall?
Her First Command, Their Last Chance.
For years, Velal dreamt of reaching the top ranks, but her first mission as Executive Officer becomes a nightmare when her battleship, the Patient Watchman, is ambushed by pirates in a chaotic asteroid field.
As missiles tear through their defenses and the captain falls, Velal suddenly finds herself in command. Every choice she makes pulls her ship deeper into the pirates’ web. Abandoned by a cowardly superior, Velal and her multi-species crew find themselves alone, outnumbered, and trapped, surrounded by ruthless pirate ships and their deadly alien allies.
Facing wave after wave of missiles, with her ship’s shields weakening and the crew teetering on the edge of panic, Velal faces the impossible choice: flee to safety or risk everything to free the hundreds of desperate slaves held hostage by the pirates.
With a relentless enemy targeting them from every side, Velal must rely on her tactical skills and the loyalty of her crew to survive. With survival on a knife edge, it’s a brutal test of courage, where one misstep could doom them all.
Get Your Free Copy TodayExplore the Galaxy
The sky is on fire. Nuclear firestorms rip through towns and villages. Ranid Marines descend through the ash, armored mandibles slick with human flesh.
Admiral Velal Farn commands the last great Saret fleet. Every hesitation costs thousands of lives. Every mistake could doom millions when another Wild Colony burns. Attack too soon, and she may lose everything.
On the Orion frontier, Ewan Scott uncovers the truth. The lost colonies aren’t havens. They’re slave pits, hunting grounds, killing fields. To save them, he must fight enemies with spears and chariots… and enemies with dreadnoughts.
The Orion Federation is rising. The Ranid are hunting. Humanity stands in their path, untested, outnumbered, but unwilling to kneel.
If you love Jasper T. Scott’s alien wars, Craig Martelle’s space fleets, or Scott Bartlett’s high-stakes battles, Explore the Galaxy will be your next obsession. Packed with ruthless enemies, desperate survival, and characters you’ll never forget.
Brandon Sanderson Gave Me Some Writing Tips
These Are the Scenes They Said You Shouldn’t Read Before Bedtime Secret Chapters of Book 4 Revealed Below!
Brandon didn’t email me personally (I wish!), but I did read an article where he described how he stays creatively sharp by working on several books at once. He might be outlining one, editing another, writing the first draft of a third, and marketing a fourth. The constant rotation, he says, keeps the ideas fresh and the momentum strong.
To my surprise, I realised I’d been doing the same thing, just less deliberately. Since reading his method, I’ve reorganised my own process to follow suit. It’s already paying off.
Here’s where I am right now:
- Book 1 – Return to the Galaxy is up for pre-order and goes live in one week’s time
- Book 2 – Reach for the Galaxy is finished and with the formatter
- Book 3 – Seek the Galaxy is going through its final detailed edit
- Book 4 – Defend the Galaxy has a full first draft completed and is being polished
- Book 5 – (working title classified) is already 60% written
I thought you might enjoy a sneak peek at what’s coming. Below, you’ll find the opening chapters of Book 4. They’re dark, emotional, and full of tension, and they hint at just how far Velal is willing to go to protect what’s left of the galaxy.
Here are the chapters. Let me know what you think. It’s a seven-minute read.
Book 4: Defend the Galaxy
Chapter 1: At This Time of Year?
The fire crackled low in the hearth, casting golden light across the stone walls and creaking beams. Jufin’s voice dropped into a gravelly growl as he read the giant’s lines from Little Pelin and the Giant, making Ternu and Filun giggle even as their eyelids drooped. The twins shared a bed, blanket tucked beneath their chins, grinning in anticipation of the ending they knew by heart. It didn’t matter that they could read the story themselves. What mattered was hearing it from him.
In the next room, six-year-old Chela had hugged him tight before she crawled in beside Sanba and baby Renva. They were sprawled together like puppies, the warm contentment of a good day wrapped around them like a quilt. Dulma’s hand had found his as he backed out of the room, her eyes still glowing from the news she’d shared last month. Their family was growing. Again.
Ten years ago, he and Dulma had come north with nothing but tools, seeds, and stubbornness. The forest had been thick, the land rough. Fourteen miles from the swelling settlement of Botis, they’d cleared the trees by hand and burned the stumps into ash. That first winter nearly broke them. But the soil had turned rich and dark, the harvests good. And now they had a home.
Their thousand-acre grant had seemed impossibly vast then. He’d managed to bring just over three hundred acres under plow. The rest would come, a few acres at a time. Every field carved from the wild felt like a gift he could hand to his children. He'd heard the newer settlers only got four hundred acres now, and half of that poorer land. He didn’t feel smug about it. Just lucky. And tired.
Dulma’s parents were talking about joining them. She was thrilled. Jufin had mixed feelings. Burin was a skilled carpenter, sharp-witted despite his age, and always ready with a rough joke and a helping hand.
Rusma was endlessly kind to the children, but her tongue never stopped wagging. Jufin figured a few crates of ale might convince Burin to build a men’s room extension, his first project on arrival.
His favorite place was the raised porch. He’d hammered every board himself, rough but honest work. From here, he could see over the gentle rise of cleared farmland, all the way toward Botis. The night air was warm, carrying the scent of turned earth and growing crops. Dulma had brought out chilled mead and a plate of cold meat and pickles.
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She held her hand out for him to hold, but as soon as he took it, she pulled him down for a warm, happy kiss.
They sat in silence, the kind built from long days, hard work and deeper love.
"I just saw some meteors," Dulma said, her voice low. "High ones. Odd for this season."
Jufin took a sip of the mead, wiped his mouth, and looked up. A streak of white light arced across the stars. Then another. Then five.
"Ooh," Dulma whispered. "Those are brighter. Lower, too."
More came. Dozens. Then hundreds. The sky lit up as if burning threads were being pulled down from the heavens. Jufin rose slowly, the mug forgotten in his hand. He felt the earth shift beneath his boots. A soft rumble, deep and far away.
Then came the flashes.
Over the hills, in the direction of Botis, a string of lights burst in rapid succession. White, then red, then black columns rising like thunderheads. Dulma stood beside him, hand clamped to her mouth.
"My parents," she whispered.
His last thought was that it was strange that the rapidly rising clouds seemed to be shaped like mushrooms.
The Ranid missile struck three miles west. Eighteen seconds. That’s what they had.
A firestorm raced through the farmhouse. Their skin vaporized before they could scream. Their bones blackened, their dreams incinerated. Twenty seconds later, the shockwave followed, flattening everything that remained, and extinguishing the fire.
And then, like nothing had happened, the stars blinked on again.
Two weeks after the last plume of radioactive ash settled over Botis, the Ranid returned.
An angular, gunmetal-gray assault shuttle drifted through the irradiated haze before descending on rust-stained landing struts. Its underside cracked open, spilling out a full company of Ranid Marines. The arachnids moved with crisp coordination, each wearing a chitinous black battlesuit that shimmered faintly as it adjusted to the toxic atmosphere.
Their mission was simple: locate and recover any advanced technology the Saret might have hidden. Their commanders knew the odds were low, but Ranid doctrine did not allow for assumptions. And more than tech, they hunted for survivors. A colony could regrow from a few individuals. Their task was to stamp out every last spark.
One platoon fanned out toward the northern perimeter, where farmland met crater-rim. The lead Marine paused at the edge of the ruins that had once been a farmhouse. His ocular cluster rotated slowly, scanning the collapsed structure and scorched soil. No heat signatures. No movement at all.
He advanced.
His armor hissed and shifted around him, adapting to the ambient radiation. He moved with methodical grace, legs clicking as he skittered over what remained of the porch. Ash rose in plumes beneath his clawed feet. The wooden boards had fused into warped, blackened slabs. A scorched ring marked where the fire had consumed everything in seconds.
He bent low and probed the debris. He found Filun’s left leg. With a faint hydraulic sigh, he quickly opened his face mask to chew on the appetizing mouthful. He searched for more but only found Chela’s right foot, which was barely a morsel.
He uncovered a larger leg, half-charred. His faceplate opened again. He ignored the painted toenails and brought it to his mandibles. The meat was dry, but edible. He bit off a chunk and chewed slowly, savoring the smoky flavor.
Beneath a warped beam, he spotted a book. The paper had baked into brittle curves, the cover still partially legible. He tapped it once. A scanner in his chest blinked, sent data to the orbiting dreadnought. A second later, the reply came: no value. Little Pelin and the Giant. Children's story. No military relevance.
He discarded it without another glance.
The Ranid soldier moved on, eyes sweeping the horizon for movement, his claws already hungry for more.
Forty-three years later, the Saret survey ship fell into orbit. They found a poisoned world, lifeless and still.
Missing Persons Velal Farn
I was walking on the streets of a small town on a destroyed Wild Colony planet. We didn’t know its name, and now it didn’t matter. It would never matter again.
Gray dust clung to the soles of my boots, rising in slow, lifeless spirals with each step. The air tasted of old ash and broken stone. No wind. No sound. Just the silence of extinction.
The Bugs had done their work thoroughly. Nuclear fire had swallowed every city. Dirty bombs had poisoned the sky. The soil would reject life for ten thousand years.
I walked through what had once been a town square, trying not to think about how much of this dust had once been human. A flicker of movement caught my eye. A girl in a red dress. Small, maybe six. Black shoes, black belt, red ribbon in her hair. She was walking away from me.
"Wait," I called. My voice sounded too loud, like it didn’t belong here.
She didn’t stop. Just turned a corner and vanished.
I broke into a jog, boots crunching over debris. Gray powder sprayed with each stride. I rounded the corner and froze.
Twenty figures stood in the road. Clusters of men, women, children. All dressed in simple medieval garb. Most had their backs to me. The few who faced my direction stared down at the ground.
"Who are you? How did you survive?"
The girl turned. Her face was a horror of peeling skin and raw lesions. Her eyes were nothing but dark, glistening sockets.
The others turned too.
One had tumors bulging from his neck and arms. Another’s mouth oozed yellow pus. A woman opened her lips and white maggots spilled out, writhing down her chest.
They stepped toward me. I backed up and felt a wall behind me. Nowhere to run.
The girl pointed at me. "You could have saved us,"
An old man dragged himself across the broken pavement, his elbows scraping stone. "You were too slow."
"Too lazy," said a crone with skeletal hands, her claws twitching.
A younger woman nursing a baby said, “Too late to save my child.” She pulled the baby away from her withered breast and opened the baby’s shawl to show a tiny skeleton mewling pathetically with hunger.
The crowd surged. Bony fingers clawed at my uniform, tearing, grabbing, reaching for my face.
"Velal," they screamed. "Velal, why didn’t you save us?"
I tried to draw my sidearm.
But all I found were sheets, soaked with sweat and tangled around my legs.
“Velal, Velal, wake up, you’re screaming again.” I felt gentle hands caressing my face and stroking my hair. As I drew in a ragged breath, Vana gathered me in a gentle embrace. As soon as I realized where I was, I wrapped my arms around her in a fierce grip. Even though I knew I must be hurting her, I couldn’t let go.
After a few more deep breaths, I was able to relax my grip and sit up in the large bed in the Admiral’s quarters. My body was completely soaked, sticky sweat running off my sides into the sheets on the floating bed. I could feel more pooling under my breasts and sliding unpleasantly down my spine. Vana said, “Was it the same dream?”
I could only draw in a breath and nod, completely drained and dispirited. Before we’d gone to sleep, we’d made love for two hours, starting with a long, relaxing massage. Vana tried everything she could think of to help me unwind and get the restful sleep that kept evading me.
Before Vana could say anything else, I stood up from the bed and said, “Thank you so much, Vana, but I need a shower. If you can make me a coffee, that would be great. I need to do something about this. If any of Stane, Leris, or Morin are available, could you ask them to come to our lounge in half an hour?”
“Of course. You go and relax and make yourself feel better. I’ll ask Qinas to reach out to anyone who’s awake. Now go.” She gave me a quick kiss and looked on worriedly as I went for a shower.
I stood in the huge shower cubicle while cold water blasted my flesh, pummelling me. The fierce jets battered my head, and icy needles of spray deluged my shrinking flesh.
After five minutes, I felt I’d punished myself enough and allowed the water pressure to reduce and the temperature to rise. I was just in time as Vana walked gracefully into the cubicle. Even in my miserable state, I marveled at how smoothly and elegantly she moved.
I said, “Vana, I’m so sorry; I’m just not in the mood to make love again.”
“That’s just as well,” she said, “Because neither am I. I just wanted to share a hug and a warm shower with my beautiful wife. You have so many responsibilities. You need someone to look after you. Now turn around and let me wash your back.”
I was grateful she wouldn’t take no for an answer, as the pampering was exactly what I needed. As she sponged my body, I had to lean against the wall because my legs were shaking so much. I felt as weak as a newborn kitten.
After a couple of minutes, she kissed me passionately. Suddenly, I wished we had time to go back to bed, but she slapped me lightly on the buttock and said, “Go get dressed, Admiral; the Navy needs you! I’ll join you in a couple of minutes. Now get.”
She gave me a quick peck on the lips and shoved me out the shower.
Ten minutes later, I stood looking out over the large central park that made up the middle of my dreadnought, Quiet Strength. I could see the waterfalls and the gentle simulated evening light glinting off the surface of the larger lake
I returned to the circular stone table and sat beneath the glowing canopy of JJ's garden design, its flowering vines releasing a subtle fragrance that curled through the night air. The villa’s lighting was low, mimicking dusk, though the dreadnought’s internal clock never stopped. My hands were still damp. The cold water hadn’t rinsed the nightmare from my skin.
Stane joined me first. He'd been pulled from a strategic meeting on Anadroid production; an issue that could wait. Our freighters had enough units in hibernation to outfit a dozen systems. Now he sat beside me at the stone table, not as my officer, but as my partner. He took my hand, said nothing. It was enough. Vana gave him a kiss and sat down on my other side.
Footsteps approached. Morin arrived next, already in uniform, eyes sharp from duty. Suna followed, fresh from her shift, her captain’s uniform slightly rumpled. Then came Leris, his jacket half-fastened, hair tousled with sleep. I felt a pang of guilt. He should have been resting. I gave Qinas no instruction to wake him. Still, I was relieved he was here. Of them all, Leris had been with me the longest. He understood the weight I carried, even when I said nothing.
I hesitated. The silence stretched. Then I said, "I need to tell you something."
Their expressions shifted. No one spoke. Good. Let it hang.
"The dreams haven’t stopped. They're worse. Clearer. And they’re not just echoes. My psyche’s been pressing me, warning me. Not with logic. With guilt."
Suna leaned forward. Her eyes never blinked when she was locked in.
"We've been in orbit over Trimon for months," I continued. "First to study them, then to insert our reconnaissance teams. And I still believe that was the right call. We have to understand how these Wild Colonies think. How they’ll react when they learn how dangerous the galaxy has become."
I looked up at the artificial stars. They were perfect, but distant in all the wrong ways.
"But in that time, we’ve confirmed the destruction of six other colonies. Poisoned. Burned. Gone. The Bugs didn’t wait. They never wait. And while we were studying, they were killing."
I let that settle. The scent of the vines drifted between us.
"We have the ships now. More than enough to defend this planet. We can divide our forces. We can act. We must."
My voice was steady. My decision, final.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are going on a bug hunt."
I hope those short chapters whetted your appetite for Book 1, Return to the Galaxy, released on Amazon on the 17th of June.
Expore