Free SevenintheSky by Viola Grace Page A

belongings tucked around the storage areas.
    Her voice shook as she asked for clearance, but the moment it was given, she sailed out of the bay and into the vastness of space without a backward glance.
    A quick scan of the area showed her two small planets and a moon that were inhabitable. On instinct, she made for the moon.
    As she approached it, she had second thoughts. Tiny orbital bodies spun around the moon in a debris field that could cause her some problems.
    "Hells!" Just as she realized that she was flying into a shower of hypersonic rocks, the ship skewed sideways with the blaring of warnings that she was losing atmosphere.
    Skeeter strapped on a breather and gripped the controls. She needed to bring her shuttle down in one piece and that was becoming less likely by the second.
    She flipped the toggle that would seal the breech with foam and aimed for the moon with saving her life in her mind. The ship bucked and fought her on the way down, but she kept her grip on the shaking controls and aimed for the few life signs that she ship had picked up.
    The ground rushed up beneath her and her shuttle struck hard, skimming along the grassy surface before striking a tree and spinning her around. Her ship rotated in a quick horizontal spiral until slowly rocking to a halt.
    Unbuckling her harness and stumbling to her lav while ripping off the breather, she threw up for ten minutes before her body gave up and she was able to douse her skin with cold water.
    She looked at her pale features in the mirror and scowled at her reflection. Her lips were surprisingly red for her illness. The unrelieved black in her eyes was highlighted by the Bascu markings that were the obvious sign of her species. The black hair completed her spectral look and she flicked damp strands back behind her shoulders.
    Her battle armour grated against the floor as she fought to get to her feet. The ship was hissing softly and she wasn't sure how much atmosphere it would be able to give her.
    On automatic, she took her packs and rations as well as an emergency shelter with her and blew the door to expose her to the outer environment.
    "Oh, wow." Huge trees, mushrooms, vines and rocks met her gaze and she walked out to examine the moon she was stuck on.
    * * * *
    The cluster of Regens watched the newcomer examine the hunting moon of the Overlord of Priznik. Their brother-in-law had insisted that they use it for some recreation while their sister, Hellara, adapted to her pregnancy. She had been bordering on physically hostile for the last month and it was getting worse.
    Kai had politely offered them an out and now, they were here watching an unknown woman trespassing on their vacation.
    Kenner asked, "Do we invite her for dinner?"
    Razer commented, "She doesn't look well. Perhaps she needs medical attention. That was not a good landing."
    Lorik and Neer agreed. "She could be hurt or disoriented."
    Josu watched his other brothers nod in agreement. Zeen and Maro were in complete agreement with Razer.
    Josu rubbed his forehead. "Fine, you want the pretty to come for dinner, you clean up after her. I am going for a swim."
    Striding off to the wide pool near the hunting lodge, Josu stripped off his ship suit and jumped into the pool, hoping that his raging hard-on would fade in the cold water. From the moment that the atmosphere had vented out of her ship, he had been rock hard. Based on the eagerness of the rest of the Neering foundlings, he wasn't the only one.
    As the water closed over his head, the crash replayed in his mind. He and his brothers had seen disasters and battles, but they had never before been forced to simply watch a crash happen.
    He came up and started doing laps, considering the origins of his fellow Regens. They had all been designed for battle--flesh and metal in a form that mimicked the beings that commanded them.
    Hellara Neering had found him battered and abandoned on some nameless world. She had taken him to the Dust Up, convinced her