Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Second Chances
    Second Chances
    Second Chances
    Ebook34 pages44 minutes

    Second Chances

    By Jaleta Clegg

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Paltronis has her heart set on a career with the Patrol, but she can't seem to stay out of fights. It doesn't matter that she wins or that she's only standing up for others who can't fight back. Not until Commander Tayvis pulls her from the brig and offers her a chance to redeem herself.
    But she seems destined to screw that up, too.
    A prequel short story for the Fall of the Altairan Empire series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJaleta Clegg
    Release dateAug 2, 2013
    ISBN9781301320103
    Second Chances
    Author

    Jaleta Clegg

    I love telling stories ranging from epic space opera to silly horror to anything in between. I've had numerous stories published in anthologies and magazines. Find all the details of my space opera series at http://www.altairanempire.comFor the latest updates on my stories, check out my webpage at http://www.jaletac.comMy current day job involves teaching kids to play the piano. I also love piecing quilts together, crocheting tiny animals, and watching lots of bad 80s movies.

    Read more from Jaleta Clegg

    Related to Second Chances

    Titles in the series (13)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Cristina Rivera Garza

      Jun 15, 2018

      She would remember everything, out of the blue and in full detail. She would see the jade ring wrapped around her ring finger and, immediately, she would see the other jade ring. She would open her eyes wide and, without knowing why, would fall silen

      13 min read

    • Article

      The Penalty

      Nov 5, 2020

      The Penalty
      8 min read

    • Article

      “Apparently Life Goes On ...”

      Jan 29, 2023

      “Apparently Life Goes On ...”
      7 min read

    • Article

      “Apparently Life Goes On …”

      Jan 25, 2023

      “Apparently Life Goes On …”
      7 min read

    • Article

      Performance

      Nov 10, 2022

      “Wait here,” the guard said as he shut the door behind him, leaving me by myself. The floor inside the lab was polished, and the air smelled of disinfectant, and yet the room felt unclean. Leaves shook on a tree outside the window, making shadows on

      18 min read

    • Article

      Human Contact

      Aug 10, 2022

      Beer tasted like wet money—or maybe just bad beer did. Viola had never tried any other kind. She preferred white wine, but there was no white wine at this party. “Drink it like medicine,” the guy manning the keg said. “It’ll loosen you up.” He wore a

      18 min read

    • Article

      Six Million Reasons

      Jul 9, 2021

      Six Million Reasons
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Ladies Book Club

      Apr 10, 2024

      “Our brains are shaped with the capability to care deeply but also to kill. This deep ambivalence is potentially problematic. A society filled with people who are inherently very compassionate and very violent might prove unstable.”1 1Emile Bruneau,

      25 min read

    • Article

      The Last Dance

      Feb 1, 2018

      The Last Dance
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Only Punishment

      Feb 10, 2022

      The floor of the room was white, but three of the walls and the ceiling were light blue. His own bland pajamas were light green. It was probably supposed to be calming, but it only angered Rats. He knew what this was—a fregging brainwashing facility,

      16 min read

    • Article

      Choose

      Dec 10, 2021

      “Wake up.” The words shuffled through the darkness of her mind, tugging at her. “Wake up.” Firm, persistent. A trickle of light invaded her senses, growing into a blinding glare as her eyelids fluttered. “Where… Where am I?” Myrah asked groggily, her

      13 min read

    • Article

      Dark Dweller

      Jan 25, 2023

      Dark Dweller
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Feeling Artist

      Dec 15, 2018

      Onstage, I’m thinking about the postman who was so overwhelmed by the amount of mail he had to deliver that he threw it all, and then himself, into the sea. I’m thinking about the agoraphobic grandmother who refused to go outside, even when the fire

      15 min read

    • Article

      Written In The STARS

      Oct 12, 2021

      Written In The STARS
      6 min read

    • Article

      Conveyor

      Jul 10, 2023

      I’m sitting upright in a chair in a bright, white room that makes me think of a clinic. I don’t know where I am nor how I got here. Two people, strangers, stand in front of me. One is wearing a pale blue uniform with a yellow badge on his chest. He s

      9 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems

      Nov 1, 2021

      What is the uncanny valley? asks the student and I draw the graph on the board, and point to the lowest point, and then move up the slope; This is like a scarecrow, it’s kinda shaped like a human but you’re not sure; This is where you’d put a mannequ

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Missing Limousine

      Sep 28, 2021

      The Missing Limousine
      21 min read

    • Article

      Killing Everyone In Hitman

      Dec 28, 2021

      Killing Everyone In Hitman
      7 min read

    • Article

      Peter Mountford

      Dec 15, 2017

      Vivian spends most of the afternoon naked and strapped to the giant ottoman in the interior decorator’s office in Bethesda. When he finally unties her, the sun is low and she’s shaky and exhausted. He paddled her hard at some point, and that hot stin

      28 min read

    • Article

      Dampening

      May 10, 2022

      When I first met Inspector Daria Hunt, I wanted to kill her. Not there and then; I wanted to take as long as possible over it, maximizing the pain whilst leaving her with no hope of survival. Images of horrific injuries leapt into my mind, a catalog

      16 min read

    • Article

      AN EXCERPT FROM The First Line of Dante’s ‘Inferno’

      Dec 1, 2020

      Early forties, tall, self-possessed. Hiking in the woods in search of her missing sister. A young park ranger, late twenties. Pretty. Slim. Strong. The play is formatted like prose; however, it is intended for performance. If actors simply perform th

      15 min read

    • Article

      Planetesimal

      Aug 15, 2022

      Planetesimal
      3 min read

    • Article

      An Afternoon In Her Shoes

      Jul 26, 2022

      An Afternoon In Her Shoes
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Second Chances

    3.5/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Second Chances - Jaleta Clegg

      Second Chances

      Jaleta Clegg

      Copyright 2013

      Kindle edition

      Paltronis paced the narrow cell. The old-fashioned bars mocked her, closing her off from her dreams. The whole fight was stupid, she could admit that, but the satisfaction of beating the smirk from the faces of Jevis and his friends almost made it worthwhile. Almost, if Commander Haywarth didn't kick her out of the Academy. She rubbed the sleeves of her cadet uniform. The fight with Jevis was her fifth in the last two months, enough to land her behind bars. Or maybe it was the number of broken bones she'd left behind this time.

      Paltronis kicked the bars in frustration. The resulting pain only soured her mood further.

      The outer door clanked open. The warden stepped in, giving her a cold stare. You have a visitor. Be civil, if you have any sense at all. He moved aside, letting the visitor pass. Last warning, he said as he left the cell block.

      The man stopped just outside the bars of her cell, studying her with dark eyes. His face was a mask, giving nothing away.

      She planted her feet, crossing her arms over her chest. She couldn't help the belligerent set of her chin. The man's black uniform and insignia scared her. An officer of the Enforcers meant she was fast descending into dangerous territory involving criminal charges, not just expulsion.

      He stood motionless, just watching.

      Paltronis fidgeted, waiting for him to speak. Nervous twitches crawled across her skin. The man was tall, looming over her short, stocky frame without even trying. She looked away, unable to hold his stare.

      Did they send you to press charges or just to scare me? His face could have been used for recruitment posters, except it was too cold, like stone. I know the Commander won't believe me, but Jevis had it coming. He and his friends are running a gambling ring and stealing from the other cadets.

      His impassive expression didn't change.

      What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? Because I'm not.

      The man's lip twitched.

      And the other fights? They had it coming, too. She shifted her weight. "Well? Just

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1