Forgotten Empire (Space Raiders Book 2)

Copyright © 2023 by Ken Lozito All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Published by Acoustical Books, LLC www.KenLozito.com Cover design by Tom Edwards If you would like to be notified when my next book is released, SIGN UP HERE ISBN: 978-1-945223-59-4 Do you use Facebook? I’ve also created a special Facebook group specifically for readers to come together and share their interests. I plan to post updates and hope to interact with you there. Click Here to Join Now. STAY UP TO DATE For updates about new releases, as well as exclusive promotions, visit www.KenLozito.com and sign up for the VIP mailing list. SPACE RAIDERS FORGOTTEN EMPIRE KEN LOZITO 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 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Author Note About the Author Also by Ken Lozito CHAPTER 1 The thing I’d learned after traveling with aliens was that they could be a conspiring bunch to work with. The only thing they had in common was that they all thought they knew best, which was how I wound up on this boring planet, fulfilling a salvage contract for not that much money. Another icon flashed on the holoscreen, and I glanced at it for a second before peering ahead through the semi-translucent screen at the grassy fields that went on for miles. I slumped in the chair and sulked. A comlink chimed, and Kaz turned toward me with an arched, thick eyebrow. I stared back at him for a moment, ignoring the chime. Then I straightened, and suppressing a yawn, I declined the request. He grinned a little and shook his head. “You don’t really think that’s going to work, do you?” I inhaled deeply and sighed. “Sometimes it’s the little things.” Kaz Durgen is an Akacian, a race that looked like a cross between a Komodo dragon and a wolf, and he’s my friend. As he adjusted the flight controls and angled the recon skiff toward the new waypoint, his white hair frilled into the air like a lion’s mane. His face was all sharp angles, with eyes that remained fixed ahead. I was the captain of the Spacehog, but I shared ownership with two other people. We’d been abducted from Earth over six months ago, and we not only survived an encounter with a cutthroat alien by the name of Kael Torsin, but we fulfilled a huge service to some very rich aliens. Instead of just taking the money and running away, I convinced the others to invest in a ship to explore the galaxy. I glanced at the atmospheric readings, which I’d configured to show a simplified output because I really didn’t care what the actual composition of the atmosphere was on this planet. I cared whether I could breathe and whether the temperature was too hot or cold. While I preferred a practical approach to exploration, Ben, one of my partners, was well on his way to becoming a brilliant scientist. He would probably have set the maximum data output for sensor readings. Another comlink chimed, and after a few seconds, my gaze slid toward it. “Want me to get it?” Kaz asked, not looking at me. I straightened in my seat and acknowledged the comlink request. “I’m sorry. Nathan Briggs can’t answer the phone right now because he’s died of boredom.” A soft chuckle came over the comlink. “Still pouting, are we?” Serena asked. “Are you kidding? No way! This place is amazing. I mean look at these rolling hills off to the right,” I said. Serena was my other business partner and the daughter of a friend who’d been killed by Kael Torsin. She was in her mid-twenties, very attractive, and way more practical than I was. The Spacehog’s hauler flew in the distance, and he imagined Serena looking out the ship’s window toward him. The hauler was meant for transporting cargo. It had a large storage crate attached to the body of a ship, but otherwise had smooth lines. Without the obnoxiously huge storage container attached, the hauler flew just fine in an atmosphere, but they needed to use the extra-large cargo container because the client had requested that functioning parts of the wreckage also be recovered. The cargo container made the hauler fly like it was dragging its ass, appearing as if it had lost the will to live. “Well, suck it up, Nate. We won’t be here that long.” I snorted. “This is me sucking it up,” I said, waving toward the other ship. Kaz cleared his throat. I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be happier when we get paid.” “That’s the spirit,” Serena said. Her voice sounded like she was smiling sweetly, and she probably enjoyed poking fun at my sour mood. I glided my thumb over the drop button, flirting with the thought of disconnecting it, but shook my head. “The crash site looks like it extends for another mile or so. We’re going to make a sweep of the area.” “Okay. Oh, Kierenbot sent a message asking whether you transferred our permits to the Minoa Star System Authority.” I frowned. Kierenbot was on the Spacehog. I remembered him mentioning that I needed to okay the permits to be sent, but I couldn’t remember if I’d actually done it. “Yeah, I think so,” I said and winced. “You think so!” Serena was very much a by-the-book sort of person. She liked to play nice and didn’t