((Writers Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. Life. Special thanks to Jimmy for your super kind email!!))

Dr. Rian Jengu sits cross-legged on the cool metal floor of the Orriona's medical bay, his hands resting lightly on his knees. His back stays upright—alert yet relaxed—as he synchronizes his breathing with the ship's quiet rhythm.

He's processing. The weight of the Mark III shield generator still lingers in his muscles. The memory of weapons fire, the plasma cutter's fierce vibrations, the moment the docking clamp finally gave way. The sudden jolt when the Belloros seized them. The terrible certainty of the Goliath cannon charging behind them.

Fourteen years he's practiced medicine on the frontier. Fourteen years in under-resourced clinics where supplies run out and improvisation becomes second nature. Where you learn to steady yourself through meditation because the galaxy's chaos can't be conquered with force—only with stillness.

But yesterday wasn't a clinic. Yesterday was combat.

And now he's here, aboard a sentient starship with technology that makes IMZ facilities look outdated. A medical bay that seems to anticipate his needs before he voices them. Nix at his side, as theatrical and brilliant as ever, making jokes about the transition from their Level 18 clinic to this.

The crew starts filtering through. Each one carrying their own weight from Edgepoint, their own stories written in subtle signs he's trained to read. Kellan's controlled drinking patterns. Kai's wariness of medical scrutiny. Val's pragmatic exhaustion.

They're strangers who just survived impossible odds together. Who signed contracts hours ago and immediately faced death. Who are now trying to figure out what it means to be a crew.

And Rian—temple-trained, frontier-hardened, more accustomed to treating bodies than building bonds—must find his place among them. Not just as their doctor, but as someone they can trust when everything falls apart.

Because if their first mission taught him anything, it's that everything will fall apart. The question is whether they can hold each other together when it does.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Audio drama adaptation of Legacy with cinematic sound design
• A queer-norm galaxy (no homophobia, no coming-out angst—just space adventures)
• A healer processing trauma and finding balance
• The weight of caring for strangers who became crew
• Temple wisdom meeting frontier medicine
• Grand, hopeful adventure with a massive heart

CONTENT NOTES: Reflection on recent combat, medical practice, healing

WHERE TO PURCHASE THE BOOK: Currently in Kindle Unlimited. Visit https://www.orriona.com/ and subscribe to the newsletter for more information about wider availability and free content.

(Not really active atm on social media, but these are it:)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Orriona

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orrionauniverse/

X: https://x.com/orriona

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@orriona

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Welcome aboard. The Driftline awaits.

#MMSciFi #AudioDrama #SpaceOpera