In June 2010, Katherine Allred and EOS published a sequel to Close Encounters. It's called Close Contact and features a new main character, Echo Adams, who is also a GEP, a spaceship named Lillith, a dragon bird named Periwinkle or Peri for short, and a new planet. Yes, it is first person and from the perspective of Echo. Synopsis: GEPs just want to have fun . . . A Genetically Engineered Person
and self-proclaimed "party girl," Echo Adams loves her diplomatic job
entertaining alien bigwigs for the Galactic Federation. But the Bureau
of Alien Affairs has discovered she's much more than she thinks—that a
rogue scientist endowed her with skills and psi abilities dwarfing those
of common GEPs. And suddenly Echo's luxury life is over, replaced with a
far more dangerous one: a special agent expected to not only chase bad
guys but eliminate them. Echo hates being stuck on
Madrea—a planet of technophobes off limits to Federation
visitors—hunting for a stolen quartz crystal with a powerful alien life
form embedded inside. She despises the Bureau's restrictive
rules—especially the one warning her away from the dangerously seductive
commander of the king's army. And if she doesn't learn how to use her
alleged super-psi powers soon, her partying days—in fact all of her
days—will be over for good.
The novel opens with GEP Echo Adams--former party girl, current Alien Affairs agent who hates Kiera Smith for ruining her life because of the events of Close Encounters and the revelation that Gertz-made GEPs have psi abilities--being tested by Dr. Daniels in a room full of Orpheus crystals and is both delighted and bothered when Echo bonds with e Imadei--the little sister to the Sumantti, which is the daughter of the Limantii--and decides which assignment she's going on. Daniels and Kiera tell Echo that the Sumantti was kidnapped and no one, not even the Limantii, can tell where the Daughter Stone (Sumantti) is. The ship Lillith--who's obsessed with Kiera's ship Max--is assigned to Echo and Gem and Rayda's last offspring Periwinkle bonds with Echo, much to Echo's dislike. Using the Imadei, Echo locates the Sumantti on the planet Madrea in the Trinal System on the Sagittarius arm close to where it intercepts the main disc of the Milky Way Galaxy. Madrea is banned and its citizens want nothing to do with the Galactic Federation. Daniels give her permission to go and Echo arrives, dressed as a Madrean and, accidentally agianst orders, runs into the commander of the king's army, Reynard du'Marr. He's also a friend of King Politaus.
Over the next couple of weeks and while searching for the Sumantti via the Imadei, Echo performs at her contacts--Marcus's--bar. She and Reynard start falling in live. Echo psychically finds out that the Suamntii and two girls named Banca and Gaia are held captive in the palace by Politaus's brother, Braxus--who is deformed and also the eldest son--and Losif Strand, leader of Helios One in the Galactic Federation. Echo's psi ability is to travel in ghost for, but only with people who's scent/memory she has picked up. Strand wants the abundant Sunstar gems of the planet for himself to pay for a war against the Federation. Reynard and Echo have sex, somethings that normally done after a promise ring is given to the woman (this giving of the ring counts as marriage). After being trapped for a couple of hours and with the help of allies, and after learning that Strand and Braxus used Echo's knife to kill Politaus, Echo, Reynard, Peri and a soldier loyal to both Politaus and Reynard, fight to free the Sumantti. Gaia is being tortured by the Sumantti--who's scared and pissed off at being trapped in a stasis box--while Banca, the other girl, wants the power and kills braxus. Reynard kils Strand.
Echo fights Banca and the Sumantti to free Gaia. With no other choice, Echo shifts all the power and symbionts into Gaia. This causes Banca to revert back to her quiet self and child-like. Echo and Reynard--because he's now married to Echo and, with Politause dead, has no reason to stay behind--with Peri leave with the girls and crystal. Strand's backers break up and the Galactic Federations cracks their whip, so to speak. Reynard, it turns out, loves the technology of the GF. Dr. Daniels gives Echo the job of being his assistant as she was never happy being an agent in the first place.
All in all, a well paced, decent novel and excellent sequel to Close Encounters: An Alien Affairs novel. Katherine Allred shows us that not all GEPs can measure up to Kiera Smith and that Echo's ambitions are far simpler than otherwise stated. I hope there's a third book in the works because this universe is just too great to end after two books.
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