Unconventional Beginnings: Black Swan Series, #0.5

Unconventional Beginnings

A Black Swan Novella 0.5

Kalyn Cooper

Published 2017, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-970145-13-7

Ebook Published by KaLyn Cooper 2017

Print Published by Black Swan Publishing, LLC 2020

Copyright © 2017, KaLyn Cooper.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Cover Artist: Drue Hoffman

Editor: Marci Boudreaux Clark, Trenda London, and Rebecca Hodgkins

Contents

Dear Reader,

Acknowledgments

About the Black Swan Series

True Facts

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Unrelenting Love - Sneak Peek

Unrelenting Love - Chapter 1

Unrelenting Love - Chapter 2

Unrelenting Love - Chapter 3

Also by Kalyn Cooper

About the Author

Dear Reader,

Unconventional Beginnings is the prequel to the Black Swan series. It is meant to give you a taste of my writing style if you are new to my books. It also introduces you to the Ladies of Black Swan, a highly trained team of active duty women warriors. Throughout the series, you will meet each one of them in depth and the men who dare to love them.

Please note that Unconventional Beginnings is meant for mature audiences as it contains explicit sex and adult language.

Thank you for reading my books. If you have enjoyed Unconventional Beginnings, please consider telling others with a review. You may also want to read my other related books, especially those in the Black Swan series and the Guardian Elite series. You will find a complete list and links available at the end of this book.

Always,

KaLyn

I dedicate this book to every military wife who has lost her husband to war.

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank my lunch bunch, authors Trista Ann Michaels, Rachel Rivers, Kimberly Grace, and Vikki Vaught who doubles as my critique partner, for naming this book. It’s perfect! A special thank you to Drue Hoffman for pushing me to write this book as a gift to all my readers. As always, I couldn’t publish a book without the wonderful editing of Marci Clark and awesome cover by Valerie Tibbs.

About the Black Swan Series

Rara avis in terries

is Latin for

a rare bird in the lands.

In the ancient world, it was believed that the landing of a single black swan

created a change that would affect the entire world.

In today’s world, that change can be seen almost instantly…9/11 is the best example.

True Facts

Fact:  A woman can get a man alone within hours

          ...and kill him in seconds.

Fact: Men always underestimate beautiful women.

Fact: In February 2013, the United States military opened combat roles to women but no woman has officially been trained in Special Operations.

Fact: The military doesn’t do anything without years of successful testing first.

1

Marine Corps Brigadier General Ava Standish smiled as she peered through infrared night vision goggles watching the team of five women maneuver through the thick woods of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. She could hear every nuance of the young women’s conversation through the small headphones tuned to their channel. She was so damned proud of everything they had endured…and accomplished.

Twelve tangos approaching from the east along the road. Lady Eagle’s whispered words were clearly transmitted through tiny communication units the all-female team wore deep inside their ears. They were testing the new equipment for the manufacturer.

Affirmative, Lady Hawk, the team leader for this exercise, replied. Hold position.

Those stupid fuckers are walking right down the middle of the road. Lady Harrier scoffed. They think just because it’s the middle of the night no one can see them. The moon is so bright tonight I don’t even need IFR.

The team medic was right. Even though the moon was only half-full, the cloudless night provided plenty of light once their eyes adjusted to the darkness. Ava internally chuckled. Leave it to Lady Harrier to say it like it is, with unfiltered language. In the field, the team talked to each other just like men. Swearwords were the norm rather than an anomaly.

Lady Falcon, do you have the team leader in your sites? Lady Hawk asked as much as she ordered.

I have the asswipe who thinks he’s in charge in my crosshairs, but he’s no leader. The true leader is the man on point. You can tell he’s seen action, Lady Falcon reported.

You got that right, Lady Kite piped in. He moves as though he’s aware of everything and everyone. Well, everyone except us.

Keep the chatter down, ladies, Lady Hawk warned.

Ava grinned. The new Marine Corps officers attending The Basic School had no idea what was about to hit them. Within ten minutes, they’d all be dead. Virtually. No one actually died in these training exercises.

Her girls were magnificent. For all intents and purposes, they were her girls. The secret test program had been Ava’s idea, and she’d easily convinced the senior female generals from all the other services to help her in creating JAFSOS, the first Joint All Female Special Operations School.

She wished the Joint Chiefs of Staff had approved any of the names they suggested for the pilot program. But, no. Like all other military names, it had to be boiled down to its simplest words, although individual service flourishes were permitted. MarSOS was the Marine Corps’ version of special operations school. Not to be outdone, the Navy added a few extra words to become Naval Warfare/Naval Special Operations School of which the famous BUD/S is only one segment. In an obvious attempt to show more American pride, the Air Force extended theirs to U.S. Air Force Special Operations School. Stepping up their game even more, the Army’s SpecOps training is called U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

Ava shook her head at the hours spent simply naming the project. Personally, she didn’t care what it was called, just as long as women were able to compete for the highly coveted title of special operators.

Morning, Ava, newly promoted Army Major General Nancy Burkhoff said as her boots hit the elevated viewing platform in the midst of acres of the training ground. Wearing the shades of black and gray night camouflage uniform, like Ava, she immediately moved to the railing and scanned the woods below.

Right behind her came Rear Admiral Betsy Willett. When are we going to tell her? Anger wove through sympathy in the most senior Navy female officer’s voice.

We can’t afford to interrupt their training right now, Air Force Brigadier General Janet Nichols insisted as she moved to Ava’s other side and lifted a pair of NVGs to her eyes. The show of support was greatly appreciated. They were all in uncharted waters and every decision had a decisive impact on the future of the tenuous program. There were countless men who wanted to see this experiment fail miserably. The tenacity of