The Aztec Eagle

by Catherine Wells

Born into poverty and despair, young Enrique is an unlikely candidate to become an ace fighter pilot on an alien world.  But El Capitán is his inspiration, and a psionic talent—extrasensory perception—is his edge.  Determined to join his hero in the war against rebels on distant Alpha, Enrique pursues his dream only to have it shattered by a stunning betrayal.

 Yet the dream will not die, and Enrique struggles on to overcome hardship and prejudice for the chance to fly.  With the help of an Alphan refugee named Miriam, he gains entry to a secret training facility where he convinces an underground organization to give him a “spider”— a neural implant that allows his brain to interface with an aircraft’s computer.  Combined with his psionic gift, the spider catapults him past other recruits.  Even so, his future is in doubt, for he is still an outsider, and his nemesis Blake is determined he should fail.

Perhaps his greatest enemy, though, is himself.  Cocky and overconfident, he drags three friends on an escapade that endangers their lives and his future.  Will an error in judgment clip his wings?