Exploration_Age of Expansion Read online

  CONTENTS

  LMBPN Publishing

  Dedication

  Legal

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Author Notes - Sarah Noffke

  Sarah's Sci-fi Paranormal Series

  Author Notes - J.N. Chaney

  J.N. Chaney’s Space Opera Series

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Acknowledgements

  About Sarah Noffke

  About J.N. Chaney

  Michael Anderle Series List

  Michael Anderle Social

  EXPLORATION

  The Ghost Squadron Book 2

  By Sarah Noffke, J.N. Chaney and Michael Anderle

  A part of

  The Kurtherian Gambit Universe

  Written and Created

  by Michael Anderle

  DEDICATION

  For Lydia. My greatest treasure in the universe.

  -Sarah

  For Mom and Dad. Thanks for the telescope.

  -J.N.

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  To Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  To Live the Life We Are

  Called.

  - Michael

  EXPLORATION

  Team Includes

  JIT Beta Readers - From all of us, our deepest gratitude!

  Alex Wilson

  Belxjander

  James Caplan

  John Findlay

  Kelly O’Donnell

  Keith Verret

  Kimberly Boyer

  Larry Omans

  Micky Cocker

  Paul Westman

  Peter Manis

  Sarah Weir

  Tim Bischoff

  If we missed anyone, please let us know!

  Editor

  Jen McDonnell

  EXPLORATION (this book) is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2017 JN Chaney, Sarah Noffke, Michael T. Anderle and Craig Martelle

  Cover by Andrew Dobell, www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, December 2017

  The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015 - 2017 by Michael T. Anderle.

  PROLOGUE

  General Lance Reynolds’ Office, Onyx Station, Paladin System.

  “Chief? You there?” asked General Reynolds.

  “I’m here. Comms out here aren’t secure, but I don’t have to tell you that,” said Chief Jack Renfro.

  “I’ll keep it brief,” said General Reynolds. He chewed on the end of his stogie, a slight smile on his face. He’d taken to Jack early on. There were very few you could trust when everyone was out to serve themselves or have the Federation serve them. However, Jack Renfro didn’t do something to get something. He’d passed up many promotions because they didn’t make sense for his real ambition. This was a man who wanted to serve in the right position, not the one that got him a better title and more money. At the core, he had always been a servant to the cause.

  “I’ve got a job for you,” said Lance.

  “When and where do I need to be?” asked Jack.

  “You haven’t even heard the details yet.” Lance laughed.

  “When did that ever matter between the two of us? If you need my help, then I’m there.”

  “I wouldn’t normally ask, but I have a squadron that needs some oversight. I was taking care of it, but I’ve been pulled away for more…pressing matters. I’m sure you know why and by whom,” said Lance.

  “I believe I do,” responded Jack.

  Lance rose and began pacing his office. “Anyway, I wouldn’t trust anyone but you to handle this group. They have an incredibly important mission, and I’ve handpicked them myself. I’m sending over the details of the team right now, along with their previous mission assignments. You’ll find that they’ve been quite busy.”

  “The report is just coming through. Give me a sec,” said Jack, a shuffling sounding over the comms. “Holy shit, General. You can’t be serious?”

  Lance chuckled. “I’m completely serious. See, I thought you’d have fun with this.”

  “Those two working together?” he asked. “I’m impressed, boss.”

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “And you’ve given them the ArchAngel?” asked Jack.

  “They have an important mission,” said Lance.

  “Damn, and you even brought back Hatcherick, I see. Damn impressive, sir. Haven’t seen a team like this since…well, you know. It’s been a long time.”

  “Just wait and see who else I have lined up for this crew,” said Lance.

  “Don’t leave me hanging, boss. Send over the report.”

  “Does that mean you’ll oversee them?” asked Lance.

  “I already told you I was committed, and that was before you gave me the details,” said Jack.

  “I knew I could count on you, Chief,” said Lance. “Sending you the rest of the report now. Good luck, Jack.”

  “Thank you, sir,” said Chief Jack Renfro. “It’s always an honor to serve.”

  CHAPTER ONE

  Harbor District. Trinidad City, Axiom 03, Axiom System.

  The warehouse was filled with dust and age, the scent of industry still lingering in the air. That was the case with many of the old buildings in this city, ever since the Alegro Corporation packed up its bags and left the system for better financial opportunities. Less money meant less security, which meant more opportunity for criminals.

  Captain Edward Teach stood quietly in the middle of the warehouse, waiting for the Trids to unload the merchandise.

  “Here you are,” said the Trid named Doka. He set a crate down in front of Eddie and stepped back.

  Eddie looked to his left at Lars Malseen, a massive Kezzin in full body armor. “Check it.”

  Lars nodded, bending down to the crate and popping the lock. He opened it, revealing a set of rifles, and took one out to examine it. “Looks good.”

  “What about the grenades?” asked Eddie, glancing back at Doka.

  “All here, all here,” Doka assured him. He waved at his associates, who brought three smaller boxes.

  Lars checked those, too, and gave Eddie the all-clear.

  “Good,�
�� said Eddie. “Mind if I ask where you got these?”

  “What do you care?” asked the Trid.

  “I just like to know where my guns come from.”

  “From me. That’s all you need to know.”

  “Is it?” asked Eddie. “Because you’re the middle man, last I checked.”

  Doka tapped the small device on his hip, a piece of tech that kept his body hydrated. Trids evolved on an ocean planet and required a very specific chemical to prevent them from drying out. If they went too long without it, they’d die. The device was essential for this reason, as it monitored their vitals and injected the chemical when levels were low. “You insult me,” Doka finally said. “That isn’t wise.”

  Eddie chuckled. “Maybe you’re right. Sorry, I was just messing around.”

  “Are you satisfied with these weapons?” asked Doka, who was ready to end this meeting and move on.

  “Just about,” said Eddie, looking around. “My associate should be here soon to help me square this.”

  “Your associate?” asked Doka. “You never mentioned—”

  “I know, I know. I thought she’d be here by now. I don’t know what’s taking her so long.”

  “Maybe she was held up,” suggested Lars.

  Eddie nodded. “Could be. I guess I could call.”

  Doka looked at both of them. “What are you talking about? Which one of you has the money?”

  Eddie ignored him. “You know, she always does this. I bet she and Hatch are at a bar right now. Probably forgot all about this job.”

  “I don’t think she’d do that,” said Lars. “But Hatch might.”

  “Hey!” barked Doka. “Are you even listening to me?”

  Eddie felt his stomach growl. “Speaking of bars, remind me after we’re done here to stop and get some grub. I’m fucking starving.”

  “Me too. I could use a good slab of meat,” said Lars, almost drooling at the thought.

  Doka snarled, taking a step closer to Eddie. “If you don’t tell me right this second what exactly is going on, I’m going to kill both of you and strap your guts to the side of my fucking ship! Are you listening to—”

  The door in the back of the warehouse flung open, and an athletic-looking dark haired woman walked in carrying what could only be described as a big fucking gun. She hoisted it up, cocking the rifle, which must have been half her size, with little effort. “Afternoon, boys. What did I miss?”

  Doka and his men reached for their weapons. “What’s the meaning of this?”

  “That’s Julianna,” explained Eddie. “She can be a little dramatic.” He swept beneath his coat and, in a single motion, brought a pistol out and aimed it squarely at Doka’s forehead. “She’s also my backup.”

  Doka froze where he stood. “B-Backup?”

  “That’s right,” Julianna said, twisting where she stood and firing the rifle at the alien to Doka’s left. The bullet hit his hand, cutting two of his fingers off and sending the pistol to the floor. The alien screamed in pain.

  Lars ran at him, slamming his chest into the alien’s, knocking him to the floor.

  The thug to Doka’s right took this distraction as an opportunity, attempting to shoot Julianna. But Eddie was already prepared. He shot the alien in the leg, downing him, and quickly went for his wrist, grabbing him and twisting, forcing him to let go of the weapon. Eddie pressed his pistol to the thug’s forehead. “Easy,” he told him. “Don’t want to lose your head.”

  Doka started to back away but froze when he saw Julianna’s barrel in his face. She was aiming her massive gun at the arms dealer. “I wouldn’t test me, if I were you.”

  He raised his hands. “O-Okay! I’m sorry!”

  Eddie smirked. “Now, that went better than expected.” He glanced at the other alien on the floor, who’d just lost two fingers. “Well, maybe not for everyone.”

  Evidence Locker, QBS ArchAngel, Axiom System.

  Eddie and Lars were back aboard the ArchAngel, stowing the weapons cache they’d collected from the warehouse.

  There were at least two hundred small and medium arms, not to mention enough grenades to blow up a small city.

  Eddie shoved one of the crates with his foot, pushing it into its designated spot. These still weren’t Federation grade weapons. Soon they’d have to steal some advanced guns off of a dumb pirate. It would be a win-win situation. Shiny new weapons taken from evil aliens. “You think any of these guys got into the whole gun trade thing because they just liked guns?”

  “I’ve never found much success in trying to understand the criminal mind,” admitted Lars.

  Eddie entered a security code on the crate’s lid, locking it down. Then he secured it with a large harness in order to ensure it wouldn’t budge later on. “I think most of them are in it for the money, but I bet there’s like one or two guys who just enjoy a good gun, you know? Just a couple of halfwits who like to blow shit up.”

  “You’re talking about yourself, aren’t you?”

  Eddie grinned. “Tell me you don’t like it.”

  “Violence has never been something I take pleasure in,” Lars countered. “Though, I will say, there is a certain satisfaction in delivering justice.”

  “Like today?”

  “Especially so,” agreed Lars. “We confiscated enough weapons to wage a small war, arrested a dozen criminals, and—”

  “And found our target,” finished Eddie. He glanced towards the door. “Which, if I’m not mistaken, Julianna is interrogating as we speak.”

  Interrogation Room, QBS ArchAngel, Axiom System.

  Julianna slammed Doka against the wall, holding him by his collar. “You’d better tell me what I want to know, bitch-ass, before I get medieval on you!”

  “Please don’t kill me!” screamed Doka in sheer horror.

  Julianna snarled, pressing him further against the wall. “Tell me who your supplier is!”

  “I don’t know!” insisted Doka. “They have the weapons shipped to us anonymously! We just put the money into an account. I don’t know their names!”

  She let go, suddenly, and he fell to the floor. “What account?”

  He cringed, ducking under his hands. “I-It’s a foreign bank. The Trids run it. They have a strict privacy policy, so all the big organizations use them. But I—”

  “Give me the account number,” ordered Julianna.

  He gulped. “I don’t know it off the top of my—”

  She squatted down and looked him directly in the eyes. “You’re going to tell me the number you use,” she told him, suddenly calm. “If you don’t, I’m going to cut off your leg—” She touched his ankle. “—and I’m going to beat you to death with it.”

  “Y-You wouldn’t really do that…would you?”

  “Do you want to find out, Doka?”

  He hesitated, then shook his head.

  “Good, because I would,” she said, matter-of-factly. “And trust me when I tell you, you’d be getting off easy.”

  “Although I believe you’ll keep your word, I can’t help you because I don’t have the account number memorized.”

  “Tell me something else then. Tell me where we can find Vas.”

  Doka blinked up at her, a calm expression on his face. “I can’t tell you that either.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Julianna slammed the door to the interrogation room upon exiting. She had to get out of there before she did something she’d regret to the dumb Trid. He wasn’t talking, almost like he wanted her to re-arrange his shark face. Ever since seeing those imprisoned by the Brotherhood, she had a new passion to stop them. Julianna had seen it all, but that didn’t mean seeing children starved or families separated and imprisoned was something that didn’t faze her. She was human after all.

  Well, kind of.

  Julianna pulled back her fist and launched it at the wall. The force of her punch should have hurt. Would have made a normal person flinch with pain. Julianna only considered doing it again to further relieve the
frustration.

  “Some things never change,” said a voice at her back.

  Julianna straightened, tightening her jaw. She turned around, knowing full well who was speaking. “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Julianna, running her eyes over Jack Renfro.

  The spymaster for the Federation hadn’t changed a bit. Still the same muscular physique and discriminating expression covering his face.

  He smirked. “It means, you’ve still got the same fire I remember.”

  Julianna allowed herself to grin, her shoulders relaxing. “Some things never die, about like you.”

  Jack chuckled, a warmth spreading over his features. How long had it been since she’d set eyes on him? A long while, no doubt. “The same could be said about you.”

  “What brings you aboard the ArchAngel?” Julianna asked. One reason she hadn’t seen Jack for quite some time was that he had been sent on a series of classified missions. This was a guy who fixed things. Made shit happen. Everyone respected Jack, and those who didn’t never stuck around for long.

  “I’ve taken on a new assignment,” he responded.

  “Oh? General Reynolds hasn’t disclosed anything to us,” said Julianna, referring to her and Eddie. The ArchAngel was under their command and, therefore, anything happening on it should be of knowledge to them.

  He nodded. “That’s why I’m here. I’m taking over for the general.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Bridge, QBS ArchAngel, Axiom System.

  Eddie was in his quarters when the A.I. pinged to inform him that Julianna had requested his presence. He hoped she’d beaten some useful information out of Doka. So far, they’d had zero leads on where to find Vas since he’d escaped during their battle on the Northern Continent. Usually, a report would have come in through General Reynolds by now, but he’d been unusually quiet since their return.