Chapter 1

The natives call it Thelia

Hannah.

Okay, it’s nearly time for my group to go through. I sat with my hands on my knees and tried not to look as anxious as I really am. I’m definitely an imposter from what I hear the others talk about in idle chatter around me. Surgeons, soldiers, and specialists from every field imaginable filled the waiting room with me. They all have at least one degree or vital trade mankind needs to establish successful colonies out here. Me? I’m here because my sister is one of these people and demanded I came too, or she wouldn’t leave Earth. I didn’t even really get a choice in the matter. One day I was serving vegan frappuccinos, and the next I was being bundled up into a fancy car and driven to the colony training facility in the Nevada desert. In the end, Billie didn’t even have to try to convince me to say yes. I mean, I didn’t have a partner or kids to leave behind or even a cat, but I wasn’t leaving my sister behind for anyone. Why the private security jerks that picked me up couldn’t have told me Billie was the one who insisted I came along too in the beginning, I don’t know. She begged me, and Billie has never asked me for anything. I knew she’d been working for the government as some sort of analyst for a while, but space exploration? After I signed a none disclaimer the size of a doorstop, the scariest gag order imaginable, we had firm words about what she’d kept from me. She was only a year younger than me but since our parents passed away, I took the role of big sister way more seriously. I thought I knew everything that girl did, even after she went off to college and became headhunted for her programming skills. I think I’d remember any conversation involving Billie and outer space… I look around the waiting room. It’s plain. Dull metal walls with plain white plastic chairs and two doors into the room. Behind the rows of chairs with me and all the other anxious passengers is the door that we all came through after being discharged. In front of us is another door leading to orientation. That’s what the medical officers told us anyway. Upon discharge, we were given a ticket and told to wait for our number to be called up. My ticket was burning a hole in my pocket and said G-3, for group 3 I assume. “-whole new life. I can hardly believe it.” I smile as I listen to another colonist oozing with excitement at the adventure awaiting them. “It’s a tropical planet, AU 471?” “The natives call it Thelia.” That was news to me. Natives? I don’t remember the planet having a name or a native race. I remember it having a mostly tropical climate from the training, though. I remember joking with Billie that I’d finally get to drink from coconuts and work on my tan. I chuckle to myself, remembering the serious way she answered me and without any hesitation. “Hannah? It’s a miracle we’ve found another planet capable of supporting life. Especially within our space fairing capabilities. The likelihood of finding anything even remotely similar to a coconut is so statistically insignificant it’s negligible.” That was my Billie. She’s always been more comfortable interpreting 1s and 0s than conversational humour. 

“But they’re friendly, right?”

“So friendly. I’m looking forward to seeing their approach to architecture engineering to see-”

The others around me were all at various stages of post-cryo acclimatisation, from what I could see and hear. By looking around I could tell who hasn’t been long out of the thawing room. They were still pale and rubbed the stiffness from their limbs groggily. They didn’t tend to speak, and if they did, they were still mumbling with numb lips. The ones who had been hours from discharge were like me. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Eager to get out of these white sleepsuits and through orientation. I drummed my fingers on my knees and looked up at the announcement screen. G-2 was still being displayed from the last group and had been for the last 30 minutes, from the clock display in the corner. 

“This is taking forever.” Some guy tapped my shoulder and I turned curiously to see him smiling at me. “I hate being bored. I’m Charlie O’Hara. Immunologist.” He offered his hand and I dutifully shook it. He was the first person to try and talk to me, and I was bored too, so why not? He had prince charming dishevelled blonde hair. You know, like fantasy knights used to have with no parting and that constant windswept look. His eyes were piercing green, his cheekbones were high and his lips plump and teasing as he smiled at me. This dude wasn’t in my league on so many levels. Immunologist? Yeah, too smart for me. His face was way too pretty and he was way too smooth. I’m not bad looking, with my messy block fringe and my long black hair, pale skin, and brown eyes, but I’m also not delusional. Mentally I put Mr. good looking Immunologist into the acquaintance box, with the possibility of upgrading its location to the friendship zone, but no further.

“Hannah.” I didn’t bother telling him my specialism because I don’t have one. Having the luck of the draw of having a super-smart sister doesn’t count. Though at times I feel like I need a degree to keep up with having a conversation with Billie. I’m not qualified to do much more than make a decent cup of coffee, and balancing the books. I like to think I’m street smart, but I’m willing to bet that won’t count for much on an alien planet. Speaking of which?

“Did I hear that right? One of the others just said that the AU- 471 has natives and they call it something? As in, they can talk?”

“Oh, you must have been on one of the earlier ships.” Charlie chuckled and his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Just before my cryo-bus headed out we got word back that the pioneer team had made first contact and negotiated a settlement agreement with the indigenous people of Thelia.” I turned in my seat with excitement. In my training beside Billie, we were told AU- 471 was a perfect Super-Earth. Four times as large as our planet and the right distance from its sun to have the right temperature, an atmosphere, magnetic field, atmospheric pressure, and water reserves, to be easily terraformed upon arrival for humans to colonise. Earth was past breaking point for our current population, despite our best efforts to deal with climate change and adopt renewable energies. Too much damage was already done, and we humans just kept on breeding. There were space station colonies established within our solar system long before this expedition, and it was so costly that a private company was footing the bill. Allico Inc ran this outfit, thus the letters AI were printed on all of our white sleepsuits. They had government investors of course, but Allico Inc pulled all the strings.

“You’re right, I was in the second wave of ships. I remember being told that we’d dock at a waystation set up by the pioneers and the first wave of colonists as the rest of the fleet arrived.” I had to wonder how long I and Billie had been frozen here and waiting for the rest of the Allico ships to dock before being thawed out. It also hadn’t escaped my notice that Billie wasn’t here with me. “Third-wave, myself.” Charlie shrugged with a smile. “Thelia is everything we were promised, but the pioneer team found a sentient race already living on the planet. It was touch and go for a while but apparently, but we won them over with tech and got a deal.” “They’re not as advanced as we are?” In my head I started to think of little green men wielding clubs and wearing loincloths. “It didn’t sound like it in the mission brief. They were especially interested in our medical capabilities and surgical tech.” “Oh.” I nodded with interest. “At least they didn’t ask for guns?” I chuckled. In every SciFi film I’ve ever watched, weapons are the thing the lesser species ask for. Not medicine. “That bodes well?” “Agreed.” Charlie looked up at the screen and whispered ‘yes’ beneath his breath. “Finally.” I checked for myself and saw G-3 in large pixels on the screen. I got up with the rest of group three, and we were herded by green arrows on the walls towards an auditorium. I groaned, seeing a woman in a pristine grey suit, her hair in a bun, and a slide show on the screen behind her. “Yay, another lecture.” I muttered sarcastically to myself as I took a seat near the back, and Charlie followed me with a snicker. “Oh, I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship.” He chuckled and winked at me. “I zone out for this sort of thing too. I hate being bored. It usually leads to mischief and mayhem. Want to be my wing-woman? I’m thinking we make up a game where we pick a word she says and count how many times she says the buzzword. The winner is the one who has the highest count at the end, and the first round of drinks is on the loser.” “Sounds slightly less mind-numbing.” I chuckle with amusement. “I could go for a drink. I can’t remember the last time I actually went to a bar.” “I do, and the answer is too long.” He widened his eyes dramatically and folded his arms over his firm chest. “And I’m not even including cryosleep.” I narrow my brown eyes up at this dude. He’s flirty, but I don’t think he’s being flirtatious? I’ve always been too jaded for the pretty boys to talk to me so I’m out of my comfort zone. I used to get told off by my old boss for not smiling enough when I’m serving customers. My natural setting is cynical, and I’m okay with that. But golden boy here seems to have taken a shine to me and I have no idea why. We may not be on earth anymore but sure he’s not so blue balled that he would latch onto the first woman to engage him in conversation? Even I can tell I’m not his type. Charlie chuckled and leans closer to me as he catches my curious gaze. “Hannah, I feel like you’re scanning me.” Charlie whispered with a chuckle and tousled my hair like I was his kid sister. “What’s up?” “…guys like you don’t talk to girls like me, unless they are after something.” I decided that I didn’t have it in me to lie. I’d rather be myself and know if he’s put off now than later. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. My two favourite weapons are being sceptical and blunt about my opinions. Not offensively. I’m just not a fan of being dishonest or wasting anyone’s time. Charlie snorted and the lights dimmed as Allico Inc barbie began her presentation. “Huston, I have found my new bff.” He licked his lips and chewed on a grin as he slid along the back wall to whisper by my ear. “Firstly, don’t assume that you’re not hot enough for me to just hit on you because we have chemistry, and I bet you look great in a skirt. Secondly, don’t assume I’m hitting on you because I’m a guy and you’re a girl. It’s not automatic, you know. Friendships are possible even if we have opposite ‘parts’. It is entirely possible that I might think you’re interesting enough to befriend without wanting to fuck you.” I raised a brow at him. I mean, he had a point, but both points contradicted each other, so where was this going? “And three, don’t worry, I’ll take you under my wing and teach you how to hone your gay-dar. Either you’re rusty, or a lovely camp fellow like myself has never had the pleasure of your company before.” 

Note from the Author- 

Hello! Would you like to find out more? There are four books in the series that are live right now on KU, or, for £1.50 a month, you could come to my Patreon page, and they are ALL on there. Book 5 will be exclusively published in advance there very soon! ^_^ Here is a taster of the book covers so far.