by M. D. Cooper
The AI’s voice was laced with a thread of humor, and Terrance heard Jason snicker at the mental image.
Tobi shot Terrance a baleful glare at the mention—and smell— of her nemesis.
Calista covered a smile, and Jason hooted in laughter at the cat’s words. Terrance heard Kodi apologize to Tobi as they headed toward the entrance of the government building.
* * * * *
Jason nodded amiably to Admiral Berrong as they entered the council chambers that the Meshuggah city governors had made available to them. The admiral smiled when she spied Tobi, and slipped her hand under the table. Jason hid a smirk as the big cat trotted forward, shamelessly taking advantage of yet another proffered treat.
Seated next to her was Senator Bryce Daniels, Galene’s acting president. The man was pale, his arm encased in biofoam. Jason noticed Galene’s surgeon general was seated next to him.
Jason shot the woman an appreciative glance and returned his perusal to the others as they approached the table. Next to Dominica Gonsalves sat the man they’d come from Proxima to see: Noa Sakai.
Beside him were two frames; the AIs they had come to free. In an ironic twist of fate, it had been the AIs who had freed Galene. Bette had been the one to unlock the mystery of the phage, while Charley had been instrumental in the fight to secure Galene’s main elevator.
Terrance told Jason how fiercely Charley had fought alongside them at the spaceport, coordinating with Landon on the Avon Vale. There was something about Charley, though. Something Jason’s AI teammates hadn’t told him. Something that elicited a sense of awe and respect every time they mentioned his name.
He made a mental note to ask Tobias about it later.
As though his thoughts had conjured him from the shadows, the Weapon Born materialized beside him, pulling out the chair to his left and seating himself.
“I see our Tobi-girl has herself a new conquest,” Tobias said, his lilting brogue thick with amusement.
Berrong’s eyes twinkled and her chin rose. “I recognize that voice,” she greeted. “Hello, Tobias. You know they’re calling you ‘Henrick’s Bane’ up on the ring? I’m not sure what you did to that woman, but all we had to do to get her to spill her guts was threaten to send you in to question her.”
Calista made a strangled sound as Jason fought—and lost—to keep the broad grin from spreading across his face. If it was possible for Tobias to look abashed, the Weapon Born did at that moment.
“Ah, it was nothing, lass. I may have lost my temper for a wee moment, is all.”
The admiral tilted her head to one side. “It may have been a bit more than that, to hear her tell the story. Of course, you look a sight different, too, in your regular frame. I believe you were all kitted out in your battle rattle when she saw you last.”
“Ahh….” Tobias began weakly, and Calista came to his rescue.
“I’m sure that has a lot to do with it, ma’am,” she agreed, managing to maintain a straight face.
“Admiral,” Terrance said from behind Tobias as he approached and seated himself, “I want to thank you for your timely intervention.” He sounded every bit the corporate executive as his eyes traveled across Phantom Blade. “Without it, I’m sure we wouldn’t be here today.”
“And we wish to thank you, Mister Enfield.” Bryce Daniels’ voice was a bit reedy, but Jason could hear the statesmanlike qualities the man possessed. “Without the Avon Vale’s assistance, Galene’s very future might still hang in the balance.” His expression darkened, as he added, “And Henrick and deSangro would still be in power, instead of being held for crimes against humanity.”
The man’s eyes cleared and he smiled once more. “The phage may have bested us for a while, but Galene will bounce back. And in the process, we’re proud to have made some new friends.”
Jason saw Terrance’s eyes glint with unexpected humor as the exec responded with a wink.
“Well now, I couldn’t just allow a lucrative new market for Enfield Holdings to slip away. That wouldn’t be very good business, now, would it?”
THE END
* * * * *
The crew of the Avon Vale has completed the mission they took on in Alpha Centauri by rescuing the last of the AIs the Norden Cartel kidnapped from the New Saint Louis.
Now a new goal lies before them. Build a network of trade and communication that does not center on Sol.
Their next stop? Epsilon Eridani
AFTERWORD
Working with Lisa is, as ever, a true pleasure. She has a real passion for the characters, the story, and Aeon 14 itself. Collaborating with her on a book is always a fun adventure for me, because though she and I plan out what will happen in the pages, her spin is always unique and interesting.
Which, in a nutshell, is why I love having other authors working in Aeon 14. They bring a perspective borne of unique experiences that I simply cannot have (both the experiences and the resulting perspective).
Sometimes I think I’m stretching their boundaries, and they’ll come back with a solution or a means to achieve what we want that is really quite fascinating and well thought out. In this book, it was the suspension of the nano in a colloid that really gave legs, so to speak, to what we wanted to do with the nanophage. When Lisa proposed that solution, I knew we had a winner…and that the folks in Tau Ceti were really going to be in for it.
Add to that the fact that sometimes people make mistakes that don’t seem that bad—but later cause disasters—and things can go very, very wrong.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey thus far, and will come along for the second leg, where the crew of the Avon Vale goes to Epsilon Eridani, followed by Sirius, and finally Sol.
Michael Cooper
November 2018, Danvers
THE BOOKS OF AEON 14
Keep up to date with what is releasing in Aeon 14 with the free Aeon 14 Reading Guide.
Origins of Destiny (The Age of Terra)
- Prequel: Storming the Norse Wind
- Book 1: Tanis Richards: Shore Leave
- Book 2: Tanis Richards: Masquerade
- Book 3: Tanis Richards: Blackest Night
- Book 4: Tanis Richards: Kill Shot (November 2018)
The Intrepid Saga (The Age of Terra)
- Book 1: Outsystem
- Book 2: A Path in the Darkness
- Book 3: Building Victoria
- The Intrepid Saga Omnibus – Also contains Destiny Lost, book 1 of the Orion War series
- Destiny Rising – Special Author’s Extended Edition comprised of both Outsystem and A Path in the Darkness with over 100 pages of new content.
The Orion War
- Books 1-3 Omnibus (includes Ignite the Stars anthology)
- Book 1: Destiny Lost
- Book 2: New Canaan
- Book 3: Orion Rising
- Book 4: The Scipio Alliance
- Book 5: Attack on Thebes
- Book 6: War on a Thousand Fronts
- Book 7: Precipice of Darkness
- Book 8: Airtha Ascendancy (Nov 2018)
- Book 9: The Orion Front (2019)
- Book 10: Starfire (2019)
- Book 11: Race Across Spacetime (2019)
- Book 12: Return to Sol (2019)
Tales of the Orion War
- Book 1: Set the Galaxy on Fire
- Book 2: Ignite the Stars
- Book 3: Burn the Galaxy to Ash (2019)
Perilous Alliance (Age of the Orion War – w/Chris J. Pike)
- Book 1: Close Proximity
- Book 2: Strike Vector
- Book 3: Collision Course
- Book 4: Impact Imminent
- Book 5: Critical Inertia
- Book 6: Impulse Shock (Dec 2018)
Rika’s Marauders (Age of
the Orion War)
- Book 1-3 Omnibus: Rika Activated
- Prequel: Rika Mechanized
- Book 1: Rika Outcast
- Book 2: Rika Redeemed
- Book 3: Rika Triumphant
- Book 4: Rika Commander
- Book 5: Rika Infiltrator
- Book 6: Rika Unleashed
- Book 7: Rika Conqueror (Dec 2018)
Perseus Gate (Age of the Orion War)
Season 1: Orion Space
- Episode 1: The Gate at the Grey Wolf Star
- Episode 2: The World at the Edge of Space
- Episode 3: The Dance on the Moons of Serenity
- Episode 4: The Last Bastion of Star City
- Episode 5: The Toll Road Between the Stars
- Episode 6: The Final Stroll on Perseus’s Arm
- Eps 1-3 Omnibus: The Trail Through the Stars
- Eps 4-6 Omnibus: The Path Amongst the Clouds
Season 2: Inner Stars
- Episode 1: A Meeting of Bodies and Minds
- Episode 2: A Deception and a Promise Kept
- Episode 3: A Surreptitious Rescue of Friends and Foes
- Episode 4: A Victory and a Crushing Defeat (2019)
- Episode 5: A Trial and the Tribulations (2019)
- Episode 6: A Deal and a True Story Told (2019)
- Episode 7: A New Empire and An Old Ally (2019)
Season 3: AI Empire
- Episode 1: Restitution and Recompense (2019)
- Five more episodes following…
The Warlord (Before the Age of the Orion War)
- Books 1-3 Omnibus: The Warlord of Midditerra
- Book 1: The Woman Without a World
- Book 2: The Woman Who Seized an Empire
- Book 3: The Woman Who Lost Everything
The Sentience Wars: Origins (Age of the Sentience Wars – w/James S. Aaron)
- Books 1-3 Omnibus: Lyssa’s Rise
- Book 1: Lyssa’s Dream
- Book 2: Lyssa’s Run
- Book 3: Lyssa’s Flight
- Book 4: Lyssa’s Call
- Book 5: Lyssa’s Flame
Legends of the Sentience Wars (Age of the Sentience Wars – w/James S. Aaron)
- Volume 1: The Proteus Bridge
- Volume 2: Vesta Burning (Fall 2018)
Enfield Genesis (Age of the Sentience Wars – w/Lisa Richman)
- Book 1: Alpha Centauri
- Book 2: Proxima Centauri
- Book 3: Tau Ceti
- Book 4: Epsilon Eridani (2019)
Hand’s Assassin (Age of the Orion War – w/T.G. Ayer)
- Book 1: Death Dealer
- Book 2: Death Mark (2019)
Machete System Bounty Hunter (Age of the Orion War – w/Zen DiPietro)
- Book 1: Hired Gun
- Book 2: Gunning for Trouble
- Book 3: With Guns Blazing
Vexa Legacy (Age of the FTL Wars – w/Andrew Gates)
- Book 1: Seas of the Red Star
Building New Canaan (Age of the Orion War – w/J.J. Green)
- Book 1: Carthage
- Book 2: Tyre
- Book 3: Troy (2019)
- Book 4: Athens (2019)
Fennington Station Murder Mysteries (Age of the Orion War)
- Book 1: Whole Latte Death (w/Chris J. Pike)
- Book 2: Cocoa Crush (w/Chris J. Pike)
The Empire (Age of the Orion War)
- Book 1: The Empress and the Ambassador (2018)
- Book 2: Consort of the Scorpion Empress (2019)
- Book 3: By the Empress’s Command (2019)
The Sol Dissolution (The Age of Terra)
- Book 1: Venusian Uprising (2018)
- Book 2: Scattered Disk (2018)
- Book 3: Jovian Offensive (2019)
- Book 4: Fall of Terra (2019)
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Lisa Richman lives in the great Midwest, with three cats, a physicist, and a Piper Cherokee. She met the physicist when she went back to get her master's in physics (she ended up marrying the physicist instead).
When she's not writing, her day job takes her behind the camera as a director/producer.
If she's not at her keyboard or on set, she can be found cruising at altitude. Or helping out the physics guy with his linear accelerator. Or feeding the cats. Or devouring the next SF book she finds.
* * * * *
Michael Cooper likes to think of himself as a jack-of-all-trades (and hopes to become master of a few). When not writing, he can be found writing software, working in his shop at his latest carpentry project, or likely reading a book.
He shares his home with a precocious young girl, his wonderful wife (who also writes), two cats, a never-ending list of things he would like to build, and ideas…
Find out what’s coming next at http://www.aeon14.com
