Cosmic Honor Read online

  Copyright © 2020 Jade Waltz

  Cosmic Honor is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  All rights reserved.

  Published by: Jade Waltz

  First Edition: March 2020

  E-Book ISBN: 978-1-7335136-8-5

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7335136-9-2

  Cover Artist:

  PreMade Book Covers by Atlantis Book Design

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  Editing and Proofread by:

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  Formatted by:

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  Contents

  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

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Connect with me at

  Other Works found at

  Chapter 1

  A single grain of rice can tip the scale. One man may be the difference between victory and defeat.

  The Emperor of China (Mulan, Walt Disney Studios, 1998)

  Space.

  Humans have always looked up at the stars in wonder, curious about the nature of those dim lights in the night sky, and made stories about the images and patterns they formed from them. Soon after, they studied them and dreamed about leaving Earth to wander amongst the stars in hopes of finding a new world.

  Nowadays, space was nothing special. It was common to travel the galaxy—to board a vessel and leave planetside. Most of Jaiya’s life had been spent within metallic walls, constantly moving between space stations and ships. She had forgotten what it felt like to plant her feet upon solid ground and breathe in unfiltered air.

  Most people would feel unsettled, roaming the unknown with a high risk that something could—and most likely would—go wrong, and they would be lost to those who knew them.

  She glanced out the waiting room’s window and sighed. A transport shuttle was coming in to land as a pair of fighter wings were taking off for practice maneuver runs.

  She would rather be out there, in her own fighter, than trapped inside these cold walls.

  What does the Rear Admiral want with me?

  Jaiya hadn’t done anything to put any spotlight on her back, so it was strange for him to notice her. Her wing was barely above average compared to the others in the fleet, so there was no reason for them to be given a special assignment. Important tasks were left to the veteran unit, a more skilled unit of wings that had been together for years. While she may not have been a rookie, she wasn’t delusional when it came to the skill sets her wing had to offer. They were still working on cohesion with the three brand new recruits.

  “Rear Admiral Dias will see you now.”

  Jaiya glanced at the secretary and nodded. The middle-aged woman returned a quick smile before returning her focus to her computer.

  Jaiya took one last look at the stars before standing. After a quick inspection of her uniform, she went to face her destiny.

  She walked through the Rear Admiral’s office doors and halted in the middle of the room.

  “You requested me, Sir?” she asked as she stood at attention.

  The peppered, brown-haired male gazed up from his tablet. His eyes traveled along Jaiya’s body, lingering at her womanly assets longer than necessary before meeting hers.

  Jaiya would’ve shivered from such display or made a brazen comment about where her eyes were located, but after growing up surrounded by males and the military, she had become accustomed to the disrespect. Sometimes she would defend herself anyway, just to get a rise from the offending male.

  “Yes, Captain Lian. Thank you for reporting to me in great haste.” He stood and offered his hand.

  “It was no problem, Sir.” Jaiya shook his hand and sent him a small smile. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

  “I believe you will want to sit for the news I am about to share with you.” He gestured to a chair in front of his desk and sat down on his own.

  Jaiya followed his advice, feeling a sense of dread creep up within her. This wasn’t going to be a simple meeting.

  Dias opened one of his drawers and placed a pair of shot glasses on his desk before pulling out a clear flask of amber-colored liquor. “You will want a drink for this,” he said, shooting her a look as if daring her to reject the offer.

  She nodded, accepting, and swirling the beverage as she waited for him to take the first sip. He lifted his glass in a toast before slamming it back. Jaiya mirrored him, sucking in a deep breath as she tried to cool the bitterness burning her throat.

  “I am not going to waste any more of either of our time,” Dias said, placing his glass onto his desk. “What I am about to tell you is top secret and should not be repeated outside these walls. Do you understand me, Captain?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “The Daextru want us to agree to a cease-fire and try to settle our differences.”

  She placed her empty glass down and stared at him, trying to decipher his words. “You mean after twenty-five years of fighting they finally want to sign a peace treaty?”

  “Correct.”

  “I am assuming that is not why you requested me.”

  “You are just like your father. Always thinking ahead.” He gave her a gentle smile. “No. You are here because I wanted to personally warn you about the mission that you are about to be given.”

  Jaiya nodded. “I appreciate it. It’s—”

  He held a hand up, stopping her. “Don’t thank me yet.”

  “Sir?”

  “We are sending a diplomat tomorrow to the Daextru’s nearest starbase as our representative. The reason why you are here is that I wanted to be the one to tell you, in person, that your brother was chosen to go. He is the most junior diplomat we have, and none of his seniors want this mission.”

  “You mean they are cowards and don’t want to risk history repeating itself,” she muttered, gripping her chair’s arms hard. “You are telling me the fate of our species lies on my brother’s shoulders? You are entrusting a vital peace treaty to your most inexperienced diplomat?”

  “I knew you were going to respond like this.” He sighed and refilled the empty glasses. “We can’t afford for the talks to turn violent again, but we also can’t sacrifice our best, in case they do. Sending your brother is the only logical move for us until we know if peace is truly what they want.”

  He offered Jaiya her second round with an apologetic look.

  She stared at the offered drink in frustration.

  “Let me guess.” She grabbed the glass, swirling it in her hand as she tried to calm herself once again. �
�You want my wing to escort him to his destination.”

  “Correct, as always,” he chuckled. “Your wing is to protect him throughout the whole duration of the mission.”

  “Can I make a suggestion, Sir?”

  “Proceed.”

  “Leave my wing out of it,” she urged, keeping her voice controlled. She didn’t want to sound desperate or pleading. “If everyone believes this may be a suicide mission, then reduce the potential losses now instead of chancing others’ lives.”

  He leaned back and tapped his fingers on his armrests. His lips pursed in deep thought, blue eyes drilling into her.

  As they sat in silence, Jaiya wondered if she had pushed her boundaries too far. Life as the only daughter of a retired—demoted and dishonored—space admiral wasn’t easy. Her family name was a disgrace, not only useless to her but also an obstacle when it came to advancing in the ranks.

  No. It had taken years of blood, sweat, and tears to reach her current position. She wasn’t going to let the not-so-subtle chauvinism that still permeated the space military ruin her chances of achieving the same rank her father once held. Her dream was to one day earn an even higher rank than him, a feat few women had accomplished.

  If she could somehow convince the Admiral to allow her to flank her brother, then perhaps she could assist him with the talks, even if only by guarding him.

  This mission couldn’t fail. She’d been waiting years for such a perfect opportunity for promotion. If her brother did well enough, both of them would be rewarded. They would be heroes. All she needed to do was to make sure her brother succeeded in his mission.

  “So, you are saying that you want us to trust you, a fighter squad captain, to escort your brother, alone?”

  “Why risk more lives than needed?” She challenged. “Two lives lost versus a potential thirteen. If history does repeat itself, you will need as many able pilots for a counterattack and to continue the war efforts.”

  “How are you planning on transferring him?” He leaned forward, asserting his dominance in rank. “Showing up in your fighter will raise alarms.”

  “One fighter against their whole starbase?” she chuckled. “They would be fools to think they are in danger.”

  “Or you are the fool for trying at all.” He raised his eyebrow in question.

  She sipped her drink, letting out a small gasp at the bitter liquid, its effects calming her. “It’s either that or let me pilot his diplomat transport. I am fully capable of doing either, Sir.”

  “As you should be,” he sighed and refilled his glass. “I accept your suggestion. It may look impractical to outsiders, but your points are valid. If the talks turn sour, we will need as many fighters prepared for the aftermath as possible.” Dias raised his drink to toast her. “I will let your squadron leader know that the orders have changed. You will receive your updated mission file details, including the clearance codes and coordinates.”

  “What about my brother?”

  “Feel free to tell your brother the news.”

  She shot him a smile and lifted her glass, clinking it against his, as a sense of relief flooded her. They both threw back their drinks simultaneously, slamming the glasses on the desk.

  “Thank you, Sir. I won’t fail you.”

  Jaiya stood and shook his hand.

  He nodded and released his grip. “May the Stars shine upon you.”

  She saluted him and made her way to the office doors, releasing a deep calming breath. The doors opened automatically as soon as she reached its threshold.

  “Captain.”

  Jaiya halted and peered over her shoulder. “Yes, Rear Admiral?”

  “How are you planning to break the news to your father?”

  The question shocked her. While it was true her father still had old acquaintances in the military, she was a grown woman and had earned her rank. It wasn’t her fault that the family’s name was worthless.

  “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She smirked. “He will have to understand that the fate of our species is more important than a couple of lives.”

  “Open up!”

  Jaiya pounded on her brother’s apartment door.

  “I know you’re in there, Aydin! Open up!” Jaiya growled.

  They didn’t have much time, and Jaiya didn’t want to waste what was left of the night dealing with her brother’s bullshit. Too much to be done before they left in the morning.

  “Aydin!”

  Just as her fist was about to land on his door again, it opened. Jaiya stilled.

  “What the Stars, Jaiya?” Aydin hissed, flinching back.

  She rolled her eyes and shoved her way past him.

  The apartment was a mess. Dress robes and capes were thrown haphazardly all over the furniture. A half-filled bottle of liquor sat next to an empty glass on top of a table scattered with holodisks. Multiple travel cases were spread out on the couch, opened and partially packed.

  “Why are you asking me, ‘What the Stars?’ when you are the one with a destroyed apartment?” Jaiya turned toward her brother. “I came here to talk to you about our mission and find you like . . . this?”

  His styled black hair was in disarray as he watched her, confused. The top half of his dress shirt was unbuttoned, untucked, and barely covering his boxers.

  “Why are you—” He combed his hair back with his fingers and sighed. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your mission,” she hissed. “Is now ours. I was just assigned to escort you to the Daextru starbase.”

  Aydin jerked his hand away in shock. “What? You can’t!”

  “Yes, I can and will, Brother.” Jaiya narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t going to prevent me from going on this mission. It’s the opportunity I have been waiting for to bring honor back to our name. You know how hard I’ve been working to raise my rank.”

  “You don’t understand,” he mumbled, turning away. “You can’t come with me.”

  “And why not?”

  Silence filled the room.

  Aydin shook his head and growled in anger, turning away from her.

  Jaiya watched as he aggressively shuffled through his belongings. Something troubled him. Her bold brother always had something to say, which sometimes got him in trouble.

  Aydin was always the worrier of the two. Even though they were twins, their appearance was the only thing they shared. While she dreamed about flying a fighter into battle and leading the Cosmic Trinity Alliance to victory, he wished to stay planetside and resolve social issues through laws and treaties.

  Their father was disappointed in both of their dreams. He didn’t want either child involved in the military—or dealing with any alien species. Whether it was because of his own personal failures or an attempt to protect them from the war, Jaiya didn’t know. Once they had both chosen their careers, she started to believe it was because their father thought each of them was better suited to the other’s role.

  None of her achievements mattered to him. Father’s focus had always been on Aydin and how he could support his life as a diplomat, especially since he was following in their late mother’s footsteps.

  Now both of his children had been chosen to fix a twenty-five-year-old mistake.

  Jaiya crossed her arms and sighed. “Why can’t I come with you on this mission?”

  Aydin dropped the holodisks he was holding onto the table, a loud crash resounded as they clattered in all directions. His face scrunched in anger as he stormed toward her, feet stomping. He clamped his hands onto her shoulders, locking his stormy hazel eyes with hers.

  “Don’t you understand?” he hissed. “I am not coming back.” He shook her with each word, as if he tried to drill them into her. “You can’t come with me because this mission was doomed to fail from the beginning.”

  “You are being over-dramatic, little brother,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “How are you supposed to succeed with that attitude?”

  “Don’t ‘little brother’ me, Jaiya,”
Aydin grumbled, dropping his hold from her shoulders as he looked away. “Just because you were born first—and eleven minutes before midnight—doesn’t mean you can keep calling me that. We are both adults with respectable careers.” He slumped his shoulders and sighed. “Not that it matters anymore.”

  “So, is that how it’s going to be?” Jaiya shoved his chest. “You’re just going to give up now, without even trying? What kind of diplomat are you?”

  Aydin returned to his table and poured himself a drink. He downed it in one gulp before slamming the glass onto the table.

  “I am not like you, Jaiya. I’m not the brave warrior that you have become, following in father’s footsteps.” He gripped the table, leaning forward with slumped shoulders and head hanging. “I didn’t volunteer, but since no one else wanted to take this mission, it was placed upon my shoulders. They decided that rather than risk any of their valuable diplomats, they’d just send me. Alone. I was supposed to spend my first few negotiations assisting a senior diplomat and learning the ropes. Now I’m supposed to somehow put an end to this war?”

  Jaiya sighed. She hated seeing her brother like this. He always doubted himself when it came to major decisions, shied away from conflict, and detested being put on the spot. He was a genius when it came to reciting history and laws, using the lessons of the past to help change the future for the better.

  This is why he was on the verge of a breakdown; he was stuck in the past, thinking he was going to end up dead like Mother. Combined with the pressure of his first solo negotiation, if he didn’t get his act together, he was just going to fall apart and ruin everything.