Release date: February 6, 2017
Subgenre: Space opera
About Coalescence:
Fallon’s back, and ready to settle things with Blackout once and for
all. If she and her team can’t take control, the PAC will splinter and
massive intergalactic war will decimate the populace.
Can one little rebellion save an empire? Avian Unit—and their friends—are sure as hell going to try.
Can one little rebellion save an empire? Avian Unit—and their friends—are sure as hell going to try.
Excerpt:
Fallon kept her attention fully on Nevitt as she settled across from
her. “It was kind of you to give me time to get my bearings. But it’s been over
a week, and we can’t lose any more time.”
“Of course. So say whatever it is you so clearly do not want to say.”
Fallon considered leading into it gradually, but doubted Nevitt would
appreciate the evasiveness. So she dove right in. “I want to set up a rebel
headquarters here on Dragonfire.”
Nevitt’s eyebrows moved toward her hairline. “Is that all?” Her quiet words
blistered with sarcasm.
“Before I left here, you said you wanted to join the upper echelons of
the PAC, so you could make changes for the greater good. This is your chance.”
Despite the bombshell, Nevitt remained composed. The time she took to
respond was the only indication of the magnitude of what Fallon had laid on
her.
“And you have a plan to do that?” Nevitt sounded skeptical.
“Not a precise plan. More like an agenda of potential tactics, each of
which will require their own contingencies. But I need to get your approval
before we go deep into the logistics.”
“What if I say no?” Nevitt’s gaze didn’t waver.
Fallon met her eyes. “Then we select another, less ideal site.
Someplace less protected, where we have fewer assets and allies. But we’ll
still go after Blackout.”
“And if I say yes?”
“Then you’ll be putting the lives of everyone on this station in
jeopardy. You’ll become an enemy of the state. And you might just save the PAC
from intergalactic war.”
The quiet of Nevitt’s quarters roared in Fallon’s ears as she waited
for a reply.
“Agreed.” Nevitt snapped the word out like a stinger blast. “But I have
some conditions.”
“State your terms.”
“Protecting this station and the people on it will be among your top
priorities. You will remain security chief here.” She ticked off the points on
her fingers as she went. “You will not fail to fix whatever’s wrong with
Blackout. And, finally, I will be consulted on all matters regarding the safety
of Dragonfire and the progress of your mission—” she broke off and corrected
herself, “—our mission.”
Fallon opened her mouth to speak but Nevitt cut her off. “Don’t give me
a bunch of scrap about top secret protocols or giving me plausible deniability.
If you want to operate on my station, I’m going to be part of the team. That’s
not negotiable.”
Fallon met her captain’s narrowed eyes. “Agreed.”
Nevitt’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. Or surprise, perhaps. Fallon had
never seen such an uncertain expression on Nevitt, so she wasn’t entirely sure.
Nevitt’s brow smoothed, and her lips curved into a smirk. “I can’t
believe you agreed to that.”
The absurdity of it all struck Fallon, and she laughed. To her
even-greater surprise, Nevitt chuckled.
“Considering that my team has stolen data, broken into a PAC base, and
taken down an illegal research lab manufacturing treaty-prohibited items, I’d
say your lack of proper security clearance is a minor offense. And it makes
sense that you should be informed.”
Nevitt’s amusement faded to seriousness. “It sounds like you need to
fill me in on some things before we proceed.”
For the next two hours, Fallon did her best to bring Nevitt into the
loop on all of Avian Unit’s activities and intentions. Nevitt’s expression grew
increasingly grave.
When Fallon finished, Nevitt said, “There’s one more condition I want
to add.”
“If it’s one I can’t agree to, it would put me in a very tricky
position, given all that you now know.”
Nevitt ignored her. “When you’ve taken control of Blackout and gotten
things sorted, I will be part of the new administration.”
Fallon
wouldn’t have had it any other way. “Agreed.”Amazon
About the Dragonfire Station series:
About Zen DiPietro:
Zen DiPietro is a lifelong bookworm, dreamer, writer, and a mom of
two. Perhaps most importantly, a Browncoat Trekkie Whovian. Also
red-haired, left-handed, and a vegetarian geek. Absolutely terrible at
conforming. A recovering gamer, but we won’t talk about that. Particular
loves include badass heroines, British accents, and the smell of
Band-Aids. Writing reviews, author interviews, and fun stuff at
www.womenofbadassery.com.
