Entry Visa (The Department of Homeworld Security Book 5) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  A Note for the Reader

  About the Author

  Look for More Titles by Cassandra Chandler

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  A Note for the Reader

  About the Author

  Look for More Titles by Cassandra Chandler

  Entry Visa

  The Department of Homeworld Security

  Book Five

  Cassandra Chandler

  Copyright Page

  You are a good person! You know that stealing is wrong. Remember, eBooks can’t be shared or given away. It’s against copyright law. So don’t download books you haven’t paid for or upload books in ways other people can access for free. That would be stealing.

  And you’re better than that.

  This book is pure fiction. All characters, places, names, and events are products of the author’s imagination or used solely in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to any people, places, things, or events that have ever existed or will ever exist is entirely coincidental.

  Entry Visa

  The Department of Homeworld Security, Book Five

  Copyright © 2017 by Cassandra Chandler

  ISBN: 978-1-945702-24-2

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used, transmitted, or reproduced in any manner or form without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews.

  First eBook edition: July 2017

  cassandra-chandler.com

  P.O. Box 91

  Mission, Kansas 66201

  Dedication

  For my book club—thanks for waiting.

  Chapter One

  “This is crazy.” Vay repeated the statement as she walked toward the office of Earth’s new planetary liaison, K-58-b7. Or, more simply, Kira.

  Kira’s bondmate, Brendan, stepped into the hallway. Vay quickly plastered a smile on her face. Hopefully, he hadn’t heard her talking to herself.

  “Hey, Vay.” He used the same rhyming greeting every time they interacted.

  “Hey, Brendan. Is Kira in her office?”

  “You’re in luck. She just returned from the Himalayas.” His ever-present smile widened. “I still can’t believe you can get from Asia to Montana in half an hour.”

  “Coalition shuttles are a good bit faster than anything you’ve developed on Earth,” Vay said.

  He chuckled. “Maybe a little.”

  She grinned, happy he was playing along with her understatement. “Is she alone?”

  “Yeah. She dropped off Ari and Rin to look for the Centaurans. We may finally have a lead on where their base is located.”

  “Centaurans don’t have bases. They’re nomadic, even on their own homeworld.”

  “No wonder we’re having trouble finding them. Kira’s lucky Adam left you behind to help out with the search.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t think he was actually planning for me to help hunt down the rogue sentients invading Earth. Having a cultural programmer around was probably more about setting up Earth’s First Contact committee.”

  Brendan arched an eyebrow at her.

  “Oh, right,” she said. “I mean, ‘Department of Homeworld Security’.”

  He stepped around her, walking backward up the hall so that he could maintain eye contact. “See, that’s what I like about you, Vay. You respect our culture.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.” Vay turned as well and took a few steps backward, trying to mirror his motions, but bumped into a table. She twisted quickly and managed to catch a vase that had started to tip toward the floor.

  Brendan chuckled. “See you at dinner.”

  “Yeah.” Vay cautiously stepped away from the table as he disappeared down the stairs at the end of the hall. “Maybe.”

  Hopefully not.

  Her stomach was churning. What was she doing? She wasn’t a soldier like the others. Okay, technically, they were all soldiers in the great fleet of the Coalition of Planets, but she was a scientist. A cultural programmer—one of the lowest ranking, most often denigrated positions in their entire society.

  On a professional level, she found her fellow sentients’ dismissal of her function fascinating. On a personal level, it “sucked ass”, as Brendan would say.

  The populations of new planets adapted to the Coalition’s ways when they joined. It was mandatory. The only exceptions were the sentients who were physically incapable of imitating the dominant culture. And, if she was honest with herself, nobody in power cared about them.

  The only Sadirians who cared about other cultures were the cultural programmers. And their job was supposed to be making life easier for the High Council and others in positions of power, not help the people being ruled.

  “Why is this Antarean clicking at me? Is it an insult?”

  “No, sir, that’s just the noise their mandibles make when they’re trying to form sounds in our language.”

  She was a facilitator, not a hunter. But Kira had limited resources, which presented Vay with an opportunity that she couldn’t let pass by. She walked down the hallway with a more determined stride—being careful not to bump into any more furniture.

  The door to Kira’s office was open. Vay’s heartbeat sped up. She had hoped she would have a few moments to build up her nerve to make her request, but Kira had probably heard her approach a mile away.

  It was just an assignment—one that Vay desperately wanted. There was no harm in asking. Right?

  “Are you just going to lurk in the hallway all day?”

  Vay jumped at the low, strong voice echoing down the hall. There was no more time to second-guess herself. She quickly entered the office, hoping to appear confident instead of unprepared.

  “Hi,” Vay said. “I would ask how you heard me, but you did spend all that time running ‘listening’ stations.” She made air-quotes around the word, the way Brendan had taught her.

  Kira quirked up an eyebrow at the joke. And was that a hint of a smile?

  Her dark hair was pulled back in a disheveled ponytail and there was a faint, yet distinct flush to her tanned skin. But then, Brendan had just been visiting, and Vay doubted he would have left without a kiss.

  A strong pulse of excitement shot through her system at her own memory—a single kiss shared with a special Earthling on Christmas Eve that had changed Vay’s world forever.

  Suddenly fortified, she said, “I wanted to talk to you about the signal we detected today.”

  “What about it?”

  “It’s really close. Minutes away by shuttle. It’s weak and didn’t last more than a few seconds, but I think we should still investigate it.”

  “Yes, and if I had anyone to send, I’d have alrea
dy—”

  “Send me.”

  Kira’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead. “You?”

  “I can handle it. Like I said, it’s only minutes away. It’s probably nothing. A small-time operation or maybe just a signal that escaped from a sentient passing through that area.”

  “What if it’s the Scorpiian bounty hunter that we know is operating on Earth? We still haven’t tracked it down.”

  “I can send a distress call.”

  “You wouldn’t get a chance. You’d never see it coming.” The determined gleam that seemed to live in Kira’s eyes was back. Vay felt her opportunity slipping away.

  “It’s probably nothing,” Vay said.

  “But it could be something.”

  Desperate, she reached for any way she could reassure Kira enough to send Vay to investigate. “A Scorpiian wouldn’t have made the mistake of letting a signal be detected.”

  “No one is perfect. And even if the signal is from another rogue sentient, the Scorpiian might have picked up on it and be headed there to hunt whatever bounty is on the trespasser.”

  “Which makes it all the more important that we act quickly. We can track it down and—”

  “There are too many unknowns.” Kira shook her head. “Of all the assignments I’ve given out so far, this is the most dangerous. It makes more sense to wait and send Ari.”

  “I’ve received the same training, even if my skill set was weighted toward more diplomatic resolutions. Maybe that will work in my favor.”

  “Scorpiians aren’t known for their love of diplomacy. They’re more known for their ability to conceal themselves, get close to their targets, and kill them.”

  “I’m aware of that, sir. I also know that Scorpiians blend in to reach their targets, stalking and studying them so they can fool even the closest of friends. They don’t just murder anyone who gets in their way—it would bring too much attention to them. And they wouldn’t make the mistake of letting a signal like this slip through, no matter how faint it is. Like you said in this morning’s meeting, it’s likely just a false alarm. Why wait and send Ari to confirm that, when you can send me now?”

  “What if it is the Scorpiian and it isn’t following their standard cultural protocols? What if it’s not a false alarm?”

  “Then I’ll gather intel—from my ship, flying cloaked and at night—and let you know what’s going on. I can run passive scans during the day while my ship is safely hidden in the forest of the region. And if it is a Scorpiian, I’ll turn around and come back here immediately. It’ll never see me leaving.”

  Kira snorted. “You’ve been spending too much time with Brendan. His sense of humor is rubbing off on you.” She fixed her dark eyes on Vay, all sense of amusement vanishing. “Why is this so important to you? Really?”

  “I can’t say, sir. But it is important to me. I’ve studied Earth customs enough to walk among them if necessary. I can be there and back in a couple of days.”

  “Vay, if this is about how many of us have pair-bonded with humans—”

  She laughed. “I can honestly say that I’m not asking for this assignment in the hopes that I’ll run into an Earthling and feel some sort of magical connection that I’m compelled to act on, falling hopelessly in love.”

  It was true. Because that had already happened. With a tall, somewhat gangly, brown-haired, brown-eyed Earthling.

  Henry had the greatest smile. He’d made Vay laugh, even when she could tell that he’d been dealing with something that weighed on him. And he’d shared something of himself with her—the ways of his people, and his own kin. He’d made her feel part of something beautiful and special.

  She hadn’t had a chance to ask him what was bothering him at the time. Ari had been waiting for her in a shuttle nearby. They weren’t supposed to make the stop, but she’d been drawn to the festive lights decorating the small town and wanted to understand what was happening.

  Luckily, Kira had been forgiving of the little side-trip, especially when Vay spun it as a cultural observation sub-mission. And it seemed luck was helping Vay out again. Henry lived very close to the signal’s origin.

  He’d given her his phone number. She could use that to triangulate his position. Maybe she could see him again, even just one more time. But only if she received the assignment.

  Vay did her best not to fidget under Kira’s intense stare. After a few more moments, Kira shook her head.

  “Go. Report in every hour when you’re not in your rest cycle.”

  Vay was stunned. Was she really being allowed to go?

  “Standard procedure is every three hours.”

  Kira raised an eyebrow at her.

  “But I’ll report in every hour,” Vay said. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  She turned and practically ran from the room before Kira could change her mind.

  Chapter Two

  “This was a bad idea.”

  Henry stared at the ceiling of his parents’ cabin, his gaze absently following the grain of the wooden beams. They had built most of the place with their own hands, using repurposed or other environmentally friendly materials. The cabin was filled with memories.

  He couldn’t sell it. He couldn’t leave, either. Imagining it sitting empty in the forest was too…lonely.

  “And I know something about that.” He sighed and rolled onto his side. “Hence the talking to myself. Because there’s no one else to talk to.”

  Maybe he could leave the cabin alone for a little while. Just until he’d had more time to grieve properly—around other people.

  He wished he’d thought about the effects of being isolated while dealing with this before quitting his job. He hadn’t been thinking clearly at the time.

  All he’d thought was that his inheritance would be enough for him to live on for years and he could always find another high school that needed a biology teacher. And he’d had something in mind to keep him busy.

  “Get going, Henry.” He spoke in his best imitation of his dad, imagining his advice. Moving into their cabin so Henry could look for evidence of a Sasquatch probably wouldn’t be among it.

  He deepened his voice again. “If you’re going to look for Bigfoot, go look for Bigfoot. Get off the damned couch.”

  Henry laughed, almost feeling like his dad was with him again. He sat up and stretched.

  “Cryptozoology is tangentially related to biology,” Henry said. “So it’s kind of like work.”

  Dad wouldn’t necessarily have agreed, but he would have been amused and supportive. He’d have joined Henry on his walks through the woods, looking for evidence of cryptids—lifeforms that may or may not exist outside of legend. Henry smiled as he stood and walked across the room to grab his coat from the peg where it hung by the door, glad that he’d remembered it this time.

  “Get going, Henry,” he said, in dad’s voice. “Something great is just on the other side of that door.”

  Cold swept over him as he opened the door. Something great was on the other side. Well, someone great.

  “Vay?”

  Her blue eyes were wide as she stared at him, one hand poised as if she’d been about to knock when he opened the door. Her short blonde hair stuck out from underneath the same silly Christmas hat that she’d been wearing the night they met—Christmas Eve. And she had on the ridiculous, eye-jarring moose sweater in half a dozen clashing bright colors.

  All of that came to him from his peripheral vision, because he couldn’t look away from her face. Those beautiful eyes and perfect features. Pert nose, gently curved lips.

  Soft lips… He knew from their experience under the mistletoe. His skin was suddenly tingling, and not from the cold.

  “Hi.” A wisp of a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

  “Hi. Hi,” he repeated, shock giving way to enthusiasm.

  Vay was here. Here!

  Before he could think better of it, he stepped forward and picked her up in a huge hug, swinging her around in a circle and l
aughing. He couldn’t believe how much he had missed her. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her laughter merging with his and ringing through the trees.

  As he set her down, she smiled at him. It warmed him better than any coat would. He loved her smile—especially how her front teeth stuck out just a tiny bit more than the others. It was the one imperfection to her features that made her beauty that much more real.

  “I’m not imagining you, am I?” he said.

  “No. Unless I’m imagining you, too.”

  He shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. What are you doing here?”

  “Working up the nerve to knock on your door?”

  They both laughed again.

  “I happened to be in the neighborhood, and you’d extended that kind invitation…” she said.

  “Of course! Come in.”

  He stepped back into the cabin, drawing her in after him. He closed the door, then helped her take off her coat. There was a rug inside to deal with the snow crusting her boots, some of which had already fallen onto his coat that was lying on the floor. He didn’t even remember dropping it. He picked it up and hung it on a hook next to Vay’s.

  For a moment, he was stunned, looking at their coats next to each other on the hooks. He wanted to keep seeing them that way with a need that made it hard for him to catch his breath—and also was completely ridiculous. How could he have such strong feelings about her after spending less than an hour in her company?

  He knew he’d been smitten with her the night they met. It had felt like more than infatuation, though. It still did.

  Thinking about her gave him the happiest moments he’d experienced in months, even when he’d thought they would never see each other again. She’d left him with the distinct impression that her life was too busy to give her room for socializing. But now she was standing next to him and it felt…right.

  Her gaze drifted from the kitchen area to the rustic furniture, fireplace, and loft above. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes were wide. He hoped that meant she liked it.