Coalescence
Dragonfire Station Book 3
Zen DiPietro
Parallel Worlds Press
Contents
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Message from the author
About the Author
Copyright
COALESCENCE (DRAGONFIRE STATION #3)
COPYRIGHT © 2017 BY ZEN DIPIETRO
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without express written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations for the purpose of review.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions. Distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.
ISBN: 978-1-943931-07-1 (ebook)
Cover Art by Maciej Rebisz
Published in the United States of America by Parallel Worlds Press
1
Fallon sat in the Outlaw, waiting for the right moment to detach from the belly of the Nefarious. Piloting her little race car of a ship always got her blood pumping. She and her team were closing in on the class-six cruiser and she itched to get to the big moment.
Finally, they got into range. As she initiated the separation she barked, “Ross, break left!”
She dropped just in time to avoid getting hit by the much-larger Nefarious as her old combat instructor banked hard. Then she broke right, allowing the two to double-team their target.
“Hawk, energy charges!”
She imagined him over there leaning into the console while the Nefarious fired on the cruiser. Meanwhile, she used the Outlaw’s size to maneuver close, positioning herself alongside its docking port. She allowed herself a whoop of success when she achieved capture of the smaller craft.
“Target acquired,” she announced to her teammates on the other ship. “Nice job.”
Rather than board the vessel, she released it. “We can do it faster, though. Let’s try it again.”
She imagined Hawk’s groan of frustration and smiled. “Acknowledged,” Ross’ voice came back over the voicecom after a brief pause. “Resetting the drill.”
“Doing the same here. You ready to go again, Per?” Her gaze went to the cruiser, piloted by Peregrine and Raptor.
Peregrine’s voice came over the voicecom. “Let’s do it.”
Three more practice runs had Fallon sure they could pull off the maneuver in a real firefight. Which ticked one tactic off her list and left a few dozen more. She had big plans for her team, and she wanted them to be ready for anything.
“You’re shaping up,” she teased Ross after they’d docked the three ships on the stem portion of Dragonfire Station and gone aboard. She’d had to work at reframing her view of him over the last few weeks. When he’d brought her team proof of Krazinski’s betrayal of the PAC, he’d been a former authority figure, but now, he was just an older colleague, and a part of her team.
“And you’re a relentless taskmaster.” Hawk eyed Fallon with disdain.
“Like you’d want her any other way.” Peregrine smirked.
Hawk’s blue eyes twinkled. “Well, you got me there.”
Fallon and Ross fell in behind Peregrine and Hawk as they walked down the corridor. Raptor trailed behind.
Ross remarked, “I’m already twice the pilot I was when we started a week ago.”
“Flatterer.” Fallon narrowed her eyes at her former instructor. “That’s a good way to make me suspicious. But you don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re a decent pilot.”
Since recovering her memories, she’d had to reconcile her new acquaintance of Ross Whelkin with her older recollections. She’d briefly experienced an odd sort of double vision that caused her to experience a sense of duality. She’d mostly reconciled her two perspectives, which was a relief.
Ross smiled at her. For an older guy, he was good-looking in a beachy way. “Nothing like you. You’re one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen. I always knew you were a fantastic fighter, but piloting skills came as a fun surprise.”
“I didn’t realize you were unaware of my flying abilities.”
He shook his head as they arrived at the lift. “Details on BlackOps are need-to-know. I didn’t need to know. Once you guys left the academy, I was out of the loop.”
The lift opened.
“I’m hungry enough to eat mandren,” Hawk said, and led them onto the lift. “Anyone want to hit the boardwalk for some dinner?”
“Sure, unless you’re serious about the mandren.” Raptor grimaced. “The smell of that stuff turns my stomach.”
“Just an expression,” Hawk assured him. “How about you two?” He looked from Per to Fallon. He could have added one of his mock-sleazy leers just for kicks, but he was all seriousness. For the moment.
Per nodded, but Fallon had to decline. “I have to meet with Captain Nevitt.”
“Better you than me.” Hawk slapped her on the shoulder.
“Your support is underwhelming.”
Raptor and Ross chuckled.
The lift stopped and the door opened to Deck One. Hawk patted her shoulder, gently this time. “You’ll do fine.”
Per gave her an encouraging nod as she passed on her way out of the lift. Raptor smiled at her as the doors closed.
Fallon steeled herself as the lift ascended to Deck Five. She’d gotten a better understanding of Hesta Nevitt, but it wasn’t every day that Fallon asked an upstanding PAC captain to commit treason and turn her station into a rebel headquarters.
This would not be an easy conversation.
Fallon activated the chime for Nevitt’s quarters. She wondered what the captain thought of her request to meet there. She’d never even seen Nevitt’s personal living space. At the least, she hoped her request had given the captain some forewarning of the seriousness of their meeting.
The doors swished open and Captain Nevitt stood there in all her formidable glory. “Chief.” She gave Fallon a deep bow that indicated respect, and Fallon bowed yet lower, showing great esteem.
As the
