Behr's Rebel: featuring the prequel Raia's Pets Read online

  BEHR’S REBEL

  FEATURING THE PREQUEL RAIA’S PETS

  S.E. SMITH

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to thank my husband Steve for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also, to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Jackie, Christel, Sally, Jolanda, Lisa, Laurelle, Debbie, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!

  And a special thanks to Paul Heitsch, David Brenin, Samantha Cook, Suzanne Elise Freeman, and PJ Ochlan—the awesome voices behind my audiobooks!

  —S.E. Smith

  Behr’s Rebel

  featuring the prequel Raia’s Pets

  Copyright © 2021 by Susan E. Smith

  First E-Book Published October 2021

  Cover Design by S.E. Smith

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission of the author.

  All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations are strictly coincidental.

  Summary: Raia’s Pets: An orphaned human girl living in an alien world befriends two adorable pets with very unusual powers.

  Summary: Behr’s Rebel: A dangerous commission to rescue an imprisoned rebel leader entangles a skillful freighter pilot and her two powerful pets in a fight against the might of the Marastin Dow military.

  ISBN: 978-1-956052-21-3 (ebook)

  ISBN: 978-1-956052-22-0 (paperback)

  {1. Romance—Fiction. 2. Science Fiction Romance—Fiction. 3. Paranormal Romance—Fiction. 4. Short Story—Fiction.—5. Fantasy}

  Published by Montana Publishing, LLC

  & SE Smith of Florida Inc. www.sesmithfl.com

  CONTENTS

  Raia’s Pets

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Behr’s Rebel

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Note from the Author

  Additional Books

  About the Author

  RAIA’S PETS

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Marastin Dow:

  Behr De’Mar: Leader of the Marastin Dow Rebellion

  Evetta Marquette: Former Marastin Dow Engineer Technician First Class

  Hanine Marquette: Former Marastin Dow Engineering Programmer Third Class

  Inez Reddick: Marastin Dow medic murdered by Kejon Hands

  General Mieka Reddick

  General Marus Tylis

  Captain Taylah Marks

  Berman De’Mar: Scientist and father to Behr

  Nayua Cooper: Young daughter of Hanine and Aaron

  Marastin Dow warships:

  Traitor’s Run: Commanded by Captain Tylis

  Nebula One: Commanded by General Behr De’Mar

  Humans:

  Raia Glossman: Short-haul trader captain, explorer, and trader of rare antiquities.

  Ben Cooper: mated to Evetta Marquette; living on Curizan home world of Ceran-Pax.

  Aaron Cooper: mated to Hanine Marquette; living on Curizan home world of Ceran-Pax.

  Curizan:

  General Razdar Bahadur: Spy and Commander of an elite division of Curizan Special Forces.

  Ha’ven Ha’darra: Prince and leader of the Curizan

  Adalard Ha’darra: Prince and brother of Ha’ven and twin brother of Jazen Ha’darra

  Jazen ‘Arrow’ Ha’darra: Prince and brother of Ha’ven and twin brother of Adalard Ha’darra

  Kejon Hands: Traitor and mercenary trying to overthrow the Curizan, Valdier, and Sarafin royal families.

  Captain K’lard Astar: Captain of the Curizan Escort Ship Challenger

  Zebulon: Valdier dragon-shifter; Prince Mandra Reykill’s Chief Security Officer

  Alien Species:

  Ander Ray: Tearnat; a large blue-green reptilian species known for their fierceness, agility, and stealth.

  Chummy: A small, black and white spotted Quazin Chumloo. Quazin Chumloos are endangered. They are extremely intelligent with telepathic, psychoscopy, and levitative abilities.

  Pi: A tan and white Marica Peekaboo. Thought to be extremely rare. Marica Peekaboos possess telekinetic, precognitive, and apportational abilities, making the exact numbers of Marica Peekaboos in existence difficult to calculate.

  Glub: Gelation Shopkeeper on Sanapare

  Willia: Glub’s wife and Shopkeeper owner on Sanapare

  Frope: Tiliqua shopkeeper on Sanapare

  Orb: Hoggian assassin from the Keltar regions

  He’lo: a Triloug assassin

  Akita Maradash: Enhanced Marastin Dow assassin and sister to General Reynar Maradash

  Spaceports:

  Yardell: located on the far side of Curizan star system

  Kardosa: Large spaceport known for its robust trading

  Sanapare: Lavish spaceport frequented by the wealthy

  Language:

  Trinorsis helo! Traitor’s hell!

  Chimaigchi tie mol lot. You speak Chimaigchi.

  Non-sentient Species:

  Rougeworms: disgusting subterranean creatures with no eyes and large round mouths filled with teeth that devour everything in their path.

  RAIA’S SYNOPSIS

  Friends from other worlds…

  Although Raia Glossman is human, she only remembers one world—the alien one where she was raised by her Tearnat Guardian, Ander Rays. Her love for exploration and new discoveries comes from Ander.

  While on a quest to find the perfect birthday gift, she instead finds two very unusual, and powerful, furry friends. Now all she has to do is explain to her Tearnat guardian why they should be allowed to stay despite his ‘no pets’ policy!

  Chummy, a Quazin Chumloo, is a rare species with powerful abilities that few know about. Captured by poachers, he is rescued from certain death by the inquisitive and equally talented Pi. Unfortunately, not even Pi has the ability to completely free him.

  Pi, a Marica Peekaboo, loves the marketplace. It is a treasure trove of goodies to eat and wonderful shiny objects to steal. With each new arrival, she finds something unique to add to her hidden collection of stolen goods—including Chummy and a strange alien girl named Raia.

  Three very different worlds collide, and freedom for an entire species is at stake. Can a friendship forged in a back alley be powerful enough to survive an immense alien universe where danger lurks at every turn?

  CHAPTER ONE

  Fourteen years ago:

  Sanapare Spaceport

  “Raia, don’t go far. We won’t be here long,” Ander Ray cautioned in his deep, gritty voice.

  “I won’t,” Raia replied.

  Ander shook his head as he watched his strange ward disappear into the crowd. He would probably end up spending half of his time at the Spaceport chasing after her. He winced when the merchant he had come to visit slapped him on the shoulder
with a beefy hand.

  “You know, if you ever wanted to sell her, I could probably get you a large sum of credits in exchange,” Glub casually mentioned.

  Ander pulled back his thick lips to reveal rows of sharp white teeth. A shudder ran through Glub’s gelatinous green body.

  “Raia is off limits,” he snapped.

  “Of course, Ander. I meant no offense. I know how much that girl means to you. It was a poor joke,” Glub hastily replied.

  “Do you have the items I requested?” Ander demanded.

  “Yes, in the back. Have a seat, I will bring them to you,” Glub hurriedly answered.

  Ander looked over his shoulder, hoping Raia would be somewhere in sight. As usual, she wasn’t. He pulled a small metal tracking device from his waistcoat, flipped the top open, and pinpointed Raia’s location. She was at the Odds and Ends store five buildings down.

  “Would you like a nice cup of tea, Captain?” Glub’s mate inquired politely, her voice soft and feminine.

  He nodded. “Yes, please, Willia. Do you have any Mythroot?” he asked.

  “Of course. I keep some here for your visits. Is Raia with you this trip?” Willia responded, looking around the shop.

  He chuckled and nodded. “Yes, but she is off exploring,” he replied.

  “I hope she stops by. I have some fresh Buttersweets that she might enjoy,” Willia said, placing a tray with the cup of hot tea and the tea kettle on a small, antique table with two chairs on either side of it.

  “I’ll let her know,” he replied, tucking his long blue-green tail aside and sitting down.

  He placed his dark brown, wide-brimmed hat in the other chair and set the tracking device on the table, idling stroking the casing. Raia was on the move again.

  Ander picked up the cup of steaming tea. The fragrance of the thick, creamy brew teased his senses, causing the thin slits of his nostrils to open and close rapidly as he inhaled the delicious scent. He flicked out his long tongue and almost groaned aloud with pleasure as the first sip of tea slid down his throat.

  He sat back in the chair and absently studied the pedestrians walking along the sidewalk outside of the antiquities shop. His mind drifted to Raia, and he traced the fragile cup with the tip of his sharp claw as he mulled over how fast Raia was growing up.

  At fourteen, she was beginning to… develop in ways that were going to make his life very interesting in the next few years. He lifted a hand and ran his claws along his ridged brow. It was hard to believe that Raia had only been with him for ten years.

  “Here are the items you requested, Ander,” Glub announced.

  Ander blinked, nodded, and motioned for Glub to place the box on the table. He moved aside the fine porcelain tea cup and kettle so that Glub’s gelatinous body wouldn’t accidentally knock it off the table. It was ironic that such a large man owned a shop filled with delicate treasures.

  He opened the box as soon as Glub slid back several feet and carefully examined the objects inside. All the items he had requested were there, plus one more that he hadn’t. After a moment, Ander withdrew a bag of credits from his coat and tossed it to Glub.

  Glub caught the bag and shimmered with delight. “Is there anything else you are looking for?” he eagerly inquired.

  “Perhaps some wrapping for a gift,” Ander requested.

  “Of course, I have some in the back,” Glub said.

  “Take your time. I would like to enjoy my tea while it is still hot,” Ander replied.

  “No hurry. I’m sure Raia would enjoy more time to explore,” Glub chuckled.

  Ander nodded and waited until Glub moved away before he reached for the silk wrapped item inside the box that he had not asked for. He carefully removed a small, cheap glass sculpture of a Tasier from the cloth wrapping.

  He frowned as he turned the sculpture over in his hand. He rubbed an odd etching along one leg with the edge of his thumb. Looking up, he scanned the area outside of the store. Nothing suspicious stood out.

  He glided the pad of his thumb over the spot again. Dipping the tip of his finger in his tea, he coated the imprints with the liquid and revealed a series of markings that he hadn’t seen in years. Two encrypted words appeared.

  Keep safe.

  There was only one person who had ever communicated with him in this way—Berman De’Mar. A fellow scientist with the same passion for history that he had. He had lost touch with Berman nearly ten years ago.

  He was curious as to why Berman would contact him now after such a long absence. He was even more curious about why a man with such a great passion for antiquities would be sending him a cheap tourist bauble. Checking again to make sure he wasn’t observed, he lifted the glass sculpture and hit the top of it against the corner of the metal table.

  The head of the Tasier snapped off. Holding the figurine over the palm of his hand, he turned it upside down and caught the intricate crystal disk and small folded message hidden inside. Memories flooded him—along with a growing sense of urgency to depart. He quickly slid the disk in the spine of a book he had bought for Raia.

  “Here you go, my friend,” Glub announced. “Willia found some colorful paper for Raia’s gift.”

  Ander quickly rewrapped the broken figurine in the silk, returned it to its place beside the other items, and resealed the box before he reached for the paper Glub had placed on the table.

  A commotion sounded outside, and Glub chuckled. “You may want to hurry. I believe your Raia has found herself some trouble.”

  Ander glanced at the crowd and grimly nodded. “I fear you may be right. Please thank Willia for the tea,” he said as he gathered up the book and the box.

  “Come back again!” Glub called after him.

  Raia worried her bottom lip as she studied all the items on the shelf in the curiosity shop. She was looking for something special. After all, today was her birthday, and she would never be this age again. Well, she would be for a whole year, but today was super special because it was the first day of that year.

  She clutched the small bag of credits that Ander had given her right before they disembarked from their ship. There were so many cool shops filled with all kinds of really awesome things to buy that she didn’t know where to start. Just when she thought she found one thing she wanted, something else would catch her eye.

  “Hey, we don’t allow pets in here,” the shopkeeper growled in annoyance.

  Raia scanned the room, searching for the cause of the shopkeeper’s irritation. Her eyes widened when she realized he was glaring accusingly at her. She lifted her hand and pointed a finger at her chest.

  “Are you talking to me?” she inquired with raised eyebrows.

  The two-headed Tiliqua gave her a sharp nod with both heads. “Who else would I be talking to? Hey! What are you doing? You a thief?” the other head barked.

  Raia opened her mouth to retort that she had credits when she saw a flash of sparkles out of the corner of her eye. She uttered a startled squeak when a ball of tan and white fur rolled across her feet and shot out the door. She gaped in awe when the creature unfurled and grinned at her with large, luminous eyes before taking off on four legs.

  “You owe me for that!” the shopkeeper yelled.

  Raia looked back and forth in disbelief at the Tiliqua and the spot where the creature had just been. The shopkeeper scurried around the counter with a large pole in his hands, and she backed up instinctively, bumping into a small table. The backpack she was wearing knocked over several items and they fell to the floor with a sickening crash. She twisted around and hurriedly straightened the few items she hadn’t knocked off the shelf while she kept an eye on the furious merchant.

  “That creature wasn’t mine. I don’t have any pets,” she defended, scrambling to untangle her backpack from the scarves caught on the zipper.

  “I saw you two come in together. You better have credits for the items that beast stole and those you broke!” the shopkeeper shouted.

  Raia winced when she
swung around and her arm knocked a dozen small black containers to the floor. Dozens of small black crab-like creatures poured from the boxes, their large double pincers snapping furiously at her boots. A squeak of alarm slipped from her as she hopped and twisted to get away from them.

  “I’ll have you arrested for destroying my store! Security! Security! Thief!! I have a thief!” the Tiliqua roared from both of his mouths.

  “I’m s-sorry. I’m sorry,” Raia said before she twirled and fled from the shop.

  She turned to the left, cringing when she heard the yelps of the shopkeeper and the sound of crashing behind her. Searching wildly for a place to hide, she noticed two security officers heading her way.

  She pulled in a shaking breath and darted behind a large stack of woven baskets. After waiting for the two guards to pass by, she threaded her way through the alley between the two shops. Once she was certain they couldn’t see her, she took off at a rapid pace through the crowded market.

  She was nearly ten stores away when one of the guards behind her yelled loudly. Glancing over her shoulder, she cringed when the two security guards pushed through the crowd, heading in her direction. Panic coursed through her, and she took off, sprinting through the crowd while desperately searching for a place to hide. She spotted a wide structural beam and slipped within the contours of the h-shaped beam. Seconds later, the heavy pounding of booted feet slowed and paused on the other side of the beam.