A quiet maintenance man with dangerous reflexes. A brilliant botanist on the run. And a dead asteroid that is slowly waking up.
She knows him only as Lael and thinks him to be a grim, silent mechanic who pulled her out of a dying space station before it went dark. He claims he’s just trying to survive. But a simple maintenance worker doesn't move like a shadow, track like a predator, or carry a sealed data drive taped to his soul.
The only name she’s willing to admit is Sanda, and she isn't a helpless passenger. Fleeing across the sector, their only refuge is a massive, abandoned asteroid mine swallowed by cataclysm of unknown origins. Trapped together in the depths of space, Sanda begins to strip away his guarded walls, finding a man who would burn the galaxy to keep her safe.
The worldbuilding is fascinating, the characters are believable and likeable, and Tallulah was one of two loveable surprises. The story is well-written and filled with mystery, danger, thrills, exploration, some violence, and a little romance. I read Cataclysm in KU but will definitely buy it to reread. I already own the other Lilania Begley Space Patrol short stories and enjoy rereading them.