Obsolete (Terran Times Second Wave Book 24)
Read Obsolete (Terran Times Second Wave Book 24) Online
Authors: Viola Grace
Tags: #Adult, #Space Opera, #Erotic Romance, #science fiction
Table of Contents
A talent for salvage leads her to the end of the universe where a sleeping alien has been waiting to make her his own.
Olena enjoys taking things apart and repurposing them. She enters the Volunteer Program, and after some coaxing, she agrees to leave to find her fortune in the stars. The fortune she gets is a grimy salvage station where family ties keep her from rising to the top, and her life is a series of endless grey days until she takes apart a chunk of debris that turns out to be a life pod.
Brin Tai Wekk has been waiting for a compatible female to share the burden of the mind of a planet. When the woman who slams the lid of his capsule on his hand wakes him, he knows he has found someone capable of sharing more than her instinct for survival.
A discarded career, a stolen mate and a talent for turning the obsolete into something useful track Olena to a new world with a new start.
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Obsolete
Copyright © 2015 Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0342-3
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Obsolete
Terran Times Second Wave
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Olena Jackobi put the last few touches on the whirligig that she was completing for a client.
“I know they are inviting me. I don’t want to go.” Olena released the strut and watched the creation spring to life at the touch of the wind.
She cocked her head and saw the delicately balanced pieces swing and swirl in all directions in a dance that took the blades perilously close to one another without touching.
Her boss sighed. “Then, why did you apply?”
Olena shrugged and set the gears to slow the rotation. It had to be locked down for delivery. The wind machine had been crafted from found objects that had been sliced into the perfect size and shape.
Margaret persisted. “Why did you apply?”
Olena scowled and looked at her the moment she finished prepping the device for delivery. “I applied because I wanted to play with their toys, to see if alien technology was different from ours. They just gave me normal, boring human technology to play with.”
Margaret sighed. “Then, you must tell them that you are not returning.”
Olena looked at her as she wiped her hands on her work apron. “I will.”
“You should do it soon. No sense in dragging these things out.”
“I said I would do it. Quit bugging me.”
Margaret smiled knowingly and walked away.
Two weeks later, Olena stared out the viewing window on the lunar base and muttered, “How could she do that?”
Her instructor cleared his throat. “Who are you speaking of?”
“My previous employer. Margaret. She knew I was going to end up here, she just had to goad me into it.”
“I am sure that it was a master manipulation. Now, tell me what the parts can be used for.”
She turned and looked at the workbench. The shattered remains of nine weapons and what appeared to be a toaster were in front of her.
With deliberate motions, she stripped the usable parts from the irreparable. Her instructor nodded, but she kept going, splicing the irreparable into useful connections over and over until the pile of recovered pieces was nearly as large as the factory salvage.
Heilos blinked in surprise. “You have done more than I expected. I would not have thought to combine those wires into a usable connection.”
“They are the same metal and will conduct power neatly. The effect of cold and hot will be easily executed through those coils as well; they just need to be nested instead of singular.”
Heilos looked at the coils. “Ingenious. Two completely different species developed that tech, and you made it work together. Continue to assemble it. I want to see what you create out of these obsolete parts.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. Go to it.”
Olena turned her gaze to the pieces on the table, and her hands moved automatically. She made connections, soldered them in place and tested the power throughput as she went. The tabletop environmental controller was without a housing, but it worked well when she finished.
Heilos blinked. “Well, this is disappointing.”
She was fiddling with the coils and glanced at him. “What is?”
“I had hoped to spend a few weeks training you, but it seems you are ready to go.”
“Go where?”
“The moment that you were contracted, there was a position for you at a salvage station. Once I give my report on your competence, you will be on your way.”
Olena sighed. “They are just going to put me where they want me.”
“Yes. Get used to it. For the next three years, you are at their beck and call.”
She flicked a glance at Heilos. “You disapprove?”
“It seems unreasonable to surrender yourself to the control of another species. My kind would never allow it.”
He had leopard-like spots on his skin that were not marks on fur. His body was a random collection of pigments, most of which were concealed by his suit.
She glanced down at her own slightly baggy work suit and shrugged. “I am here to work. I don’t care where I do it.”
“Good. Salvage stations are not known for their amenities.”
Olena shrugged again. “Good. I can make my own.”
He raised his brows and chuckled. “I am guessing you can. Very well, I will process the report today. You have gained your languages and are physically fit for the journey. No time to waste.”
“Just like that?”
He cocked his head. “Did you wish it to take longer?”
She shrugged. “No, I just thought that it would take months, not weeks and days.”
Heilos chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Accept it. You have a talent for this. I wish you success in your future, but I feel that the wish is unnecessary. You are a woman who will make things happen.”
Olena nodded. “I will try.”
“Good. I will send the report and get your transport arranged. You will be leaving within the week. Be ready for it.”
“Are you just trying to get rid of me?”
He grinned and showed off his fangs. “I would love to watch you in action, but it isn’t necessary. I can see what you can do; I want you to show it to others. This is a skill that should be shared.”
“At a salvage yard?”
Heilos chuckled. “A salvage station. You will be taking apart chunks of ancient star ships and seeing what you can make useful again.”
Her imagination suddenly swirled. “Right. That does sound like fun.”
“Then, clean up your workspace while I prepare the report. I will see you for dinner in the commissary.”
She nodded and set about filing and storing her creations. When she was done, she scrubbed her hands and headed for her room to put on a fresh suit. She despised being grimy.
Life was spinning beyond her control, and she was holding on for her own survival. When she offered to join the Volunteers, she had imagined a lot more training and a lot less practical application of her talent.
Meeting new species was her favourite part of the lunar base, but with everyone on different career paths, the Terrans needed to apply their social skills to anyone who wasn’t from their home world. They were going to have to get used to alien races as soon as they could. With some leaving and more arriving every day, it was hard to make friends and keep them.
Her instructor was her constant. Master Heilos Twimath was a male from a blended family. He was married with three children, and his skills in mechanical engineering made him an ideal instructor for the finer points of identifying the pieces she was going to be taking apart. Explaining alien tech was his speciality.
Olena put on her clean outfit, hung her work suit in the refresher and headed for the commissary to select dinner for both of them. Whoever got there first was responsible for foraging.
She nodded at a few other trainees and their instructors before grabbing a tray and beginning the shuttling process. Heilos ate a lot, and he needed to keep his strength up. When he was done training her, it was back to his wife and daughters.
Olena settled at the table and worked her way through the food of five other species that resembled her own in dietary requirements. It was rough to work through some of the legumes, but if she paid attention, she could cobble together the necessary nutrition to get through her days. It was a handy skill to have when she wasn’t sure what the food situation would be where she ended up.
When Heilos joined her, she smiled and nodded her head for him to sit.
He slid into a chair and settled. “You leave tomorrow.”
“What?” She choked slightly and reached for her water to flush the food that had tried to kill her.
“There is a ship going deep into Alliance space, and from Nodak Station, you will head to the salvage station. Three days of travel and you will be in your new home.”
Olena took another gulp of water. “So, that’s it? I was on Earth, I am on the moon, and tomorrow, I head into space?”
“Yes, and I return to my family, so I understand your discomfort, but I am determined that you go so I can return home.” He dug into his meal.
She sat and finished her food while her brain spun. She was about to embark on a new career where she could rip things apart and put them together in any way she saw fit. It was at once the most appealing and most terrifying thing she had ever done in her life.
When she finished her meal and cleared the table, she looked at Heilos and nodded. “I suppose this is farewell.”
He chuckled and got to his feet. “I will see you off, but I will tell you that the short time I have been here, I have been consistently impressed with your skills and self-possession. I can only imagine the amazing feats you will accomplish. I only hope my daughters will do as well when they reach your age.”
Olena blinked back tears at his heartfelt tone. His shaggy purple hair slid forward as he reached out and gave her a hug. “Scavenge well, Olena.”
It wasn’t the most t-shirt-worthy expression, but she smiled and returned the embrace. It made it to her top-ten touching moments in seconds. She would remember this anytime she was unsure about her being away from Earth.
It was good to have a memory of acceptance to haul out when she needed it. It joined the current six other times that she had been welcomed for being herself. With luck, that count would expand in her future.
It was a shame that her future was uncertain.
Chapter Two
Olena was a little offended when the Terran being sent to a political post in the Nyal Imperium didn’t want to hang out with her during their voyage.
The moment that the empath started vomiting, Olena was happy to be on the other side of the shuttle.
The crew took the empath to sickbay and set a bot to scrubbing the spot she had been sitting in.
Shaking her head at the unfortunately sick Terran, Olena continued to study schematics of some of the more commonly salvaged vehicles from a variety of species. Having a cast-iron stomach was surprisingly important in her line of work. The dead often arrived inside a wrecked ship. She had to be comfortable with bodies and doing situational scans for any legal action. She had learned the protocols on her first day.
