Rookie on a Space Raider Crew
A rookie follows a brash young adult captain raiding an alien-held refinery for rare resources.
The story opens in a far-future galaxy where alien armadas have pushed humanity off Earth and onto scattered orbital stations. On the toxic surface of an uncharted deep-system world, the freighter Nightjar hovers while its crew drops toward a fortified refinery seven kilometers north. Ryla, a brash 24-year-old captain with cropped violet hair, a compact battle suit, and a blunt, flirty, fiercely loyal manner, commands the raid; she is the rookie's new leader. The rookie, a recruit, is nervous but talented, ordered to follow Ryla directly while her lean, scarred 28-year-old second-in-command and former lover, Kade, flanks wide with the tactical droid. Ryla wants the refinery's rare organic oils to give humanity an edge, and she wants the rookie to survive long enough to become useful. The tension is whether the rookie can earn her trust, whether Kade's unresolved history with her will fracture the squad, and whether they can seize the cargo before alien defenders close in.
