Thought I'd present you with an excerpt from my new best-selling science fiction romance adventure, STAR CRUISE: MAROONED (A Sectors SF Romance) Only 99 cents!.
Here's the story:
Meg Antille works long hours on the charter cruise ship Far Horizon so she can send credits home to her family. Working hard to earn a promotion to a better post (and better pay), Meg has no time for romance.
Former Special Forces soldier Red Thomsill only took the berth on the Far Horizon in hopes of getting to know Meg better, but so far she’s kept him at a polite distance. A scheduled stopover on the idyllic beach of a nature preserve planet may be his last chance to impress the girl.
But when one of the passengers is attacked by a wild animal it becomes clear that conditions on the lushly forested Dantaralon aren’t as advertised – the ranger station is deserted, the defensive perimeter is down…and then the Far Horizon’s shuttle abruptly leaves without any of them.
Marooned on the dangerous outback world, romance is the least of their concerns, and yet Meg and Red cannot help being drawn to each other once they see how well they work together. But can they survive long enough to see their romance through? Or will the wild alien planet defeat them, ending their romance and their lives before anything can really begin?
And the excerpt, where Meg gets the first hint that things may not be the way she expected:
Moments before she was ready to
serve lunch, Red checked in with her again.
“Anything else you need?”
She realized her party hadn’t cleared
their presence yet with the park rangers. Pushing her bangs off her forehead,
she said, “Yes, can you do me a favor and run to the ranger station on the far
side of the landing field? Usually, someone would have come by to check our
permit, but maybe there’s a staff meeting running long or something. Tell the
person at the desk our permits are in order, and I can show them after I’ve
served lunch. Our line has a good reputation, so the ranger should be okay
about it.”
“No problem.” Despite his
cheerful answer, he hesitated. “What does Drewson do on these trips ashore?”
“As little as possible, believe
me. Privilege of rank, or so he says. Actually, he’s not too good with the
guests, so his absence is probably better for all of us, as far as the size of
the tip at the end of the voyage.” Meg hoped she hadn’t said too much to the
rookie, but her frustrations with Drewson grew every time he was assigned as
the pilot bringing her ashore with passengers.
As Red walked away, she served
the buffet luncheon, which met with approval from their guests. The Far Horizon featured one of the Virochol
Lines’ most experienced gourmet chefs—he shipped out as a package deal with
their Captain, so her ship was much sought after for charters.
Red came to report in the
middle of lunch service, a puzzled frown on his face.
“What did the ranger say?” Meg
asked, plating more mini sandwiches.
Shaking his head, Red said, “No
one there.”
“What?” She paused in the
middle of drizzling artful condiments on the individual Azrigone beef patties.
Laughing, thinking perhaps he was kidding, she said, “Are they out to lunch or
something?”
“Place is all closed up. I
knocked, on the off chance someone was left as a caretaker, but the station
shows all the signs of being abandoned." He ran one hand through the dark
maroon hair that gave him his nickname.
“Impossible. The rangers and
their families live here year round. I’ll go check for myself later.” Annoyed
at his failure to complete the simple task, she said, “Mr. Trever asked to go
fishing, and that’s your job.”
“Any hints on the best spot?”
Red surveyed the lake.
“I never paid much attention. I
think there’s a sand bar off to the left. Try there.” She gestured vaguely.
“The fishing gear is in the boat module, which you’ll have to bring from the
shuttle.”
Red departed to handle the task
and she kept serving lunch and drinks. A few minutes later, she heard the purr
of the small boat’s motor and raised her head long enough to watch Red
skippering three guests onto the beautifully colored lake.
Finishing the lunch service, she
had a bit of free time before the mid afternoon snack. Mingling with the
passengers held no appeal for her. She wasn’t working charters to try and snag
a generational billionaire or intergalactic businessman. Meg sent as many of
her credits as she could to her family, on their home world, to buy more land
for the Antille spice farms. Scanning the beach for a moment, she considered
the primary guest and the men he’d brought along on this cruise. A mix of
businessmen like himself and faded celebrities to fawn over him and impress the
men he wanted to do deals with. Shaking her head, she couldn’t wait to see the
last of this bunch.
Taking a glass of the
refreshing faquilada fruit drink, she wandered toward the TDJ pavilion, hoping
she knew a few of the cruise staff or crew. A woman in the other line’s uniform
came to meet her, waving cordially. Delighted, Meg recognized Sallira, a casual
acquaintance in the Guild. Their circle of mutual friends was wide, so catching
up on gossip took a few minutes. Then Meg said, “Hey, what’s the deal with the
ranger station? My guy said it was closed. Did you see anyone official when you
landed?”
Sallira shook her head. “No, he’s
right, the staff is all gone.” Making a funny face of regret, lips scrunched,
she sighed. “Too bad, I had a flirtation going with the senior ranger last time
I was here.” One eyebrow raised suggestively, she sipped her drink. “I was anticipating
more fun and games this trip, if you know what I mean.” She nudged Meg in the
ribs with her elbow. “Harmless fun, but he sure was cute.”
Meg stared at the Falls and
then the lake. The park gave the appearance of order, serene and beautiful as
always. Maybe the Sector Thirty government had decided to cut costs by
eliminating the rangers? But then why hadn’t she seen a bulletin to that
effect? The captain gave her the permit token before the shuttle left the Far Horizon this morning, so he must not
have known the permanent staff was gone either.
