Exploration

by Sarah Noffke

  Not able to contain his excitement any longer, Eddie stepped forward. “Can I take it out for a test spin?”

  Hatch turned to him, arching an eyebrow. “Do you promise to be careful?”

  Eddie made a motion over his heart. “Cross my heart.”

  “I need to do a few more system checks on it. Run a few more diagnostics.”

  “Please, Hatch?” It was Julianna who asked this, her eyes wide with eagerness.

  Hatch blew out his cheeks, seeming to resign a bit of his hesitation. “Oh, okay. You kids take it out for a spin.”

  Julianna had climbed onto the ship before Hatch was done speaking. “You got shotgun, Teach. I’m taking this one out first.”

  “I don’t think so, Fregin.” Eddie snapped at Harley who scrambled after Julianna, distracting her and giving him a chance to jump ahead and dash for the captain’s chair.

  ~~~

  Once locked in, Eddie turned to the back where Harley was strapped into his own seat. “You ready to go pal?”

  With his mouth open and tongue hanging out, Harley barked cheerfully in reply.

  “All system checks complete,” said Julianna, scanning the controls.

  “It’s really a beauty,” admired Eddie. This Q-Ship was like the other two, and also not. It felt cleaner, sleeker, like everything was in the right place.

  The Q-Ship rose up. It was almost silent, like the engines weren’t even running. The expression on Julianna’s face said she’d noticed it, too. With a slight touch of the controls, the ship took off, speeding through the loading dock.

  Hatch was right. This ship wasn’t like the first one. It didn’t have the looseness of the controls of the Alpha-line. This ship was something new. It didn’t compare to anything Eddie had ever flown. It was perfect.

  The ship shot out into the darkness of space, twinkling with stars. It flew along, the engine smooth, almost seeming to purr with delight. With only a slight touch of the controls, the ship turned, almost instantly, like it was in touch with Eddie’s thoughts. He imagined that the first Q-Ship was a dream, but this one—this was the thing dreams were made of.

  Eddie turned to Julianna, giving her a wide smile. “We’re going to have some fun with this bad boy.”

  “We’re going to kick ass, you mean,” she corrected.

  Eddie laughed. “Yeah, that too.”

  EPILOGUE

  Felix Castile marched along the corridor of the Unsurpassed. The ship was old, but its technology was brand new. Felix had employed the very best to ensure his ships had technology that was simply a dream for most. Unsurpassed was one of the very best weapons. He could only imagine how perplexed those rogue Federation soldiers were when they realized their attacks were useless against his shielded ship. They’d only gotten a small taste of what one of his drop ships could do. Imagine when they encountered his fighters.

  Soon, those assholes would be coming face-to-face with a whole squadron of his strike ships. Federation deaths would be swift. That was the price for what they’d done to his weapon armory.

  Blew it to fucking bits, he thought.

  He ground his teeth together, his jaw clicking. “Fucking fuckers,” muttered Felix.

  “Sir?” asked Commander Lytes.

  Felix shook his head as he walked into his office. It was a large space with windows that looked out over the stern of the ship. “Just thinking about those Federation soldiers who blew up the moon where the armory was located.”

  Commander Lytes cleared his throat. “It was most unfortunate.”

  “Unfortunate? Losing a ship or two is unfortunate! Navigation controls steering a bit off course is unfortunate. This was a disaster.”

  “I agree that it’s a setback,” said Lytes. “However, I’m confident we can reclaim what was lost in time.”

  “I don’t have time!” snapped Felix. “I’d been stockpiling those weapons for years. Now, I have to start over.” He paced to the window.

  “What if I told you that through the Brotherhood there might be ways to refill your supplies even faster?” asked Lytes.

  Felix paused, turning slowly to measure up the Commander. He was strange-looking with his reddish scale-like skin and long arms and legs. Kezzin were mostly arms and legs, now that he thought about it, with thick torsos and hard shells. “Go on.”

  Lytes nodded. “Although General Vas was good at his job, he relied heavily on the Trid for supplies.”

  “Vas is dead…and therefore useless to me,” muttered Felix. “Stop tiptoeing and get on with it.”

  “The Trid are helpful,” continued Lytes. “I think that utilizing the Stingrays and some of their other technology is good, but—”

  “Get on with it!” Felix yelled, cutting the commander off.

  “I have a source. One that could replace your artillery in no time, should we decide to reach out to him.”

  “Why are you just now telling me this?” asked Felix.

  “B-Because, sir, there was no need to until now, and to be completely honest, the source is quite dangerous. A real live wire. I didn’t want to contact him with this sort of request unless it was absolutely necessary.”

  Felix smiled to himself. The ability to make grown men stutter was a gift that most didn’t appreciate. It meant they didn’t just fear him in the moment, but they feared what he could do in the future. Commander Lytes knew his future rested in Felix’s hands. He’d been funding the Brotherhood for quite some time now. Even the Trid were in great debt to the entrepreneur. This would all pay off because he’d made the right friends. The enemy of his enemy was, well, not a friend, but an asset, to be sure.

  “I don’t have time to shiver over this supplier. I need names. If they have what I want, then we’ll make a deal. Plain and simple,” said, Felix, pulling his blue fedora hat from his head to reveal a scalp of smashed down gray hair.

  “The Defiance may only deal with those they’ve dealt with before,” explained Lytes. “I’ve had limited experience with them, many years ago, but I believe I can get in contact with them again.”

  “The Defiance, you say? I’ve heard of them. They’ve been quiet for some time.” Felix was impressed. He had no idea the commander had such contacts.

  “They’ve been lying low, operating mostly outside of the Federation’s control.”

  “How cowardly of them. How are we supposed to overthrow the Federation if we don’t create problems within their own space?” Felix asked, shaking his head.

  Commander Lytes nodded, seeming to try again and again to swallow. “I agree. But the Defiance could re-supply you,” he continued. “The only problem will be setting up a meeting. We will need to handle things delicately, as they are rather quick to spook. Furthermore, you’ll have to travel far outside Federation territory to meet with them, should they accept.”

  Felix laughed. “Creating a rebellion but being too afraid to do it inside of the colonies is pathetic. Sounds like I’ll be doing their job for them by taking their weapons. What’s the point in being defiant and not be in the enemy’s face?”

  Lytes nodded. “I’m sure they’ll demand a great deal for the weapons, sir.”

  “I’m sure they will,” agreed Felix. “But since they’re cowards, we’ll just wipe them out and take the weapons.”

  “W-Wipe them out, sir?” asked Commander Lytes.

  “It will be a win-win,” said Felix “I get my weapons and knock out a sad operation who can’t cut it on their own.” He sat down behind his desk. He was tired of cowards. Those who said they wanted to fight the fight but would hang around in safe territory. The Federation was here, and that’s where he was going to be.

  Until the bitter end.

  “In that case, I’ll set up a meeting for you, sir,” said Commander Lytes.

  “Yes, do that and quickly. I want my supply chamber filled as soon as possible. We’ll be setting up a command base soon. The weapons will go there.”

  “You’re moving fast now.” Commander Lytes looked impre
ssed and worried all at the same time.

  “Of course, I am,” said Felix, stroking the edge of his desk with his thumb. The cold metal surface was cool beneath his fingers. “I’m done hiding in the shadows. The time for action is now. I’m going on the offensive against the Federation.” Felix Castile leaned forward, sharpening his eyes on the Kezzin before him. “General Lance has gone unpunished for far too long for what he did to us. To humanity. To the universe, itself. Soon, he’ll meet his end, and all those who fight for him will be punished. I’m going to see to it.” He dug his finger into the desk, chipping a splinter of the wood away. “Even if it kills me, I’ll make them all pay.”

  FINIS

  Author Notes - Sarah Noffke

  Written November 30, 2017

  I wished I would have saved the log of questions I sent to JN when we were writing this book. I sent some pretty gnarly questions to Michael too. I hope I didn’t make his head hurt. The questions I sent JN went something like this:

  “Is it possible to boost the boosters?”

  “Can we call it a tri-rifle? Is that too simplistic?”

  “Can we still call it a tri-rifle if Hatch makes it do four things?”

  “Why don’t you live closer? I need nachos.”

  That last one was after a long writing session of sprints. That’s how JN, I call him Jeff (you might remember. I used to call him Chaney. It’s very confusing), write the majority of our books. We set aside four to five hours in a day and sprint in thirty minute increments. I used to think that sprinting was some sort of an ego game where authors tried to outdo each other’s word counts. I’ve learned now, thanks to Facebook (aka time suck), that it’s a way to stay focused. On the days I write alone, I’m like a new born puppy distracted by the shadows and ambient noises of a room. However, when we sprint, I’m committed to the craft. I can’t goof off because putting up a three-hundred word total after a thirty minute sprint is sad. It meant I slacked off while Jeff pushed himself. If we’re in this, then we’re in it together. So that’s how we get it done. There’s no magic to it. No cigars and overflowing glasses of wine. Just sprint after sprint after sprint until we’re brain dead. Oh, and there’s nachos. Some girls like chocolate, I like cheese.

  You always get more than you bargained for with my author notes. Maybe way more than you wanted. Speaking of getting more than you bargained for. A huge thank you to James Caplan for all the help with the book. You went above and beyond to help with prose and your input is always valued.

  Here’s something you didn’t bargain for. A dirty, little secret. Actually, it’s not dirty. Pretty clean. JN, or Jeff, or whatever his name is, doesn’t drink. Please pull your hand away from your mouth and stop gasping in disbelief. It’s true. Hemingway just rolled over in his grave. Oh yes, a writer who doesn’t drink. If the sauce was good enough for Fitz, well it’s good enough for me. And I digress. My point here is that when Jeff wrote about Eddie getting drunk he kept calling it alcohol. “He spilled his alcohol.” “Get another round of alcohol.” I told him I taking him for shots of whiskey so he can understand that drinking people just call it a drink, because that’s much more civilized. We’re not disinfecting a shotgun wound, am I right?

  Okay, I do have a point here. When we were writing this book we ran out of drink names and calling it alcohol wasn’t cutting it. So we polled our fans on Facebook, yes, there’s a Facebook group and yes you can join. They supplied us with enough awesome names to keep us busy for the next dozen books. The flaming shots were named by Micky Cocker who brilliantly came up with baba yagas vengeance. And Thorsten Wiegand was the mastermind behind the Tullamore dew which was Chester’s first whiskey. Oh, and because our fans are incredibly awesome and talented, we had one go so far as to write an entire description for the whiskey. A HUGE thank you to the creative prose offered by James Gartside for Dead Man Walking a Queens Bitch Space whiskey. That was probably my favorite part of the book, and I didn’t even write it. Thank you to everyone for the suggestions. It’s much more fun when you write the books for us. Keep your eyes peeled (honestly, I loathe that expression) because we will be using more suggestions from the fanbook group.

  Okay, I’m told that I need to go and write book 3 because it’s coming out soon. I’m going to take my shot of whiskey like a good girl and get to work. Thank you to you all for being amazing and not running from my ramblings.

  Sarah

  Check out Sarah Noffke’s Sci-fi Paranormal series:

  Olento Research

  Twelve Men Went Missing

  Six months later they awake from drug-induced stupors to find themselves locked in a lab. On the night of a new moon, eleven of those men - possessing new gifts of speed, strength and inhuman powers - break out of their prison and race through the streets of Los Angeles. They disappear one by one into the night.

  Werewolves Are On The Loose

  Mika Lenna - a powerful dream traveler and head of Olento Research - wants to control the world. To do that, he must create an army of assassins. Capturing the twelve men was easy, as was experimenting on them while keeping them in drug-induced stupors. But now all hell has broken loose - wolf-like men have been spotted across the nation, leaving fatal attacks in their midst. Mike must tear every city apart until his invaluable werewolves are back under his control.

  The Race Is On

  The Lucidite Institute's main mission is to save the world from injustices. Their best agent, Adelaide Lewis, needs to find these mutated men and protect them and society, and fast. Adelaide realizes that she has to find the Alpha Wolf. Only once she's located him can she stop whoever is behind this experiment to create wild beasts out of human beings.

  Alpha Wolf has a taut storyline combined with action-packed scenes. This spellbinding YA supernatural fantasy is a must read for the young and not so young alike.

  Author Notes - J.N. Chaney

  Written November 30, 2017

  There’s a lot to be said for collaborations. Depending on who you work with, it can be a smooth or difficult process. Ghost Squadron was really my first attempt at such a thing, but it proved to be a ton of fun, and it also gave me an excuse to work with my best friend. That alone has made it worth the journey.

  Sarah and I have always enjoyed brainstorming ideas together. For me, her input and perspective has been a vital part of my developmental process. When she offered to step in and help me work on Ghost Squadron, I jumped at the chance, because it meant taking that relationship to the next level. A lot of couples tend to celebrate moving in together or meeting each other’s family—something they consider the next leap forward. For us, that meant writing together, sharing ideas, developing and creating something we could both be a part of.

  Something all of you can be a part of, because none of this would exist with a group of readers to keep us going. I’ve always been a huge scifi fan (it’s basically all I’ve written to date), but I’ve never read or written anything like the Kurtherian Gambit books. The universe is so massive, so expansive, that it really feels a bit overwhelming when you’re first sitting down to carve out your own little section of it. Sarah and I were fortunate enough to have a group of dedicated Kurtherian readers who knew the universe backwards and forwards, which allowed us to stay true to the original world. They helped us make corrections, avoid contradictions, and generally stay in line with the core concepts of the universe. That’s something you just don’t see with most other fandoms. These readers care.

  Book 3 is only a few short weeks from releasing, and boy, what a story. The twists and reveals are going to seriously shake things up (in a good way) as we continue to develop our team and build toward this growing threat. I hope you’re ready for one doozy of a story.

  Until then, here’s to the next step,

  JN Chaney

  Check out J.N. Chaney’s Space Opera series:

  Renegade Star

  Jace Hughes is a Renegade.

  That means taking almost any job that comes his way, no mat
ter the situation. So long as he can keep his ship floating, he's free to live the life he wants.

  But that all changes when he meets Abigail Pryar, a nun looking for safe passage out of the system.

  Too bad there's something off about the cargo she's carrying.

  Jace knows he shouldn't ask too many questions, but when strange sounds start coming from inside the large, metal box, he can't help but check it out.

  Big mistake.

  To make matters worse, he's being pursued by unknown ships--people who want that cargo. Does Jace give up the goods and hand over the nun...or does he risk it all for an even bigger payout?

  Experience the beginning of a sprawling galactic tale in this first entry to The Renegade Starseries. If you're a fan of Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, or Leviathan Wakes, you'll love this epic, space opera thriller.

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Written December 3rd, 2017

  First, let me say thank you for not only reading through the story but reading through both Sarah and Jeff’s author notes to read mine as well!

  Let me copy a couple of sentences from Sarah’s author notes so that I can write a few of my thoughts I had when reading them for the first time.

  First, we have:

  “Can we still call it a tri-rifle if Hatch makes it do four things?”

  And we follow it up with:

  “Why don’t you live closer? I need nachos.”

  One of the benefits of being the last person to write his author notes is seeing my collaborators and what they have written before me. I will admit when I read Sarah’s sentences above; I laughed out loud. I can just imagine some of my characters (specifically anyone from Team BMW) asking that exact question, “Can we still call it a try rifle if Hatch makes it do four things?”