by M. D. Cooper
Erin said, “So I take it you two have been talking? And I guess you know why I asked you to meet me here,” she added, feeling more somber.
“Well,” said Isa, “it didn’t take us long to figure out our connection to you. I have to say, it cleared some things up for me. I understood why I hadn’t heard from you.”
“Yeah,” Erin said. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s OK. I get it.”
“But what we weren’t sure about,” Martin said, “was exactly why we’re here. I take it you wanted to talk to us about where we go from here.”
Erin’s mood sank further. She nodded. “I’m heading back to the outer system soon. I don’t know when I’ll be back, and I wanted to sort this out before I go. I want to be honest with both of you.” She reached out and took one of each of their hands in hers. “I like you both, so very much, and I can’t choose between you, so I decided to put a stop to things right here. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“You’re going to avoid relationships with us to not hurt us?” said Isa. She gave Martin a puzzled look. “Does that sound screwy to you? Because it sure sounds screwy to me.”
“Sounds screwy to me, too,” Martin said.
“I don’t have a choice,” said Erin, hoping her companions weren’t going to try to make her choose between them. “I can’t be with both of you.”
There was a slight pause, then, “Why not?” Martin asked.
“Because…because…” Erin spluttered. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“Not to me,” he replied. “Humans might traditionally bond in pairs, but monogamous bonds aren’t typical in nature. In fact, I can think of hundreds of marine organisms off the top of my head that don’t use that setup. There’s—”
Erin held up a hand to stop him. “I take your word for it. But we aren’t marine organisms. We’re human beings.”
“Pfft,” Isa said. “Back on the mining platforms, people ended up in all kinds of relationships and mixed families. We took what opportunities we had to be happy. No one cared.”
Erin let go of Isa’s and Martin’s hands and slumped back in her seat. This encounter was not going at all as she’d expected it would. She looked from one pair of eyes to the other. Her companions were completely serious. A wisp of hope appeared in her.
“You really think it would work if I was in a relationship with both of you?”
“It could,” Isa said. “I mean, who knows? But it wouldn’t hurt to give it a go, would it? Besides…” She leaned across the table and put a hand to her face to hide her expression and words from Martin. “I don’t usually go for men, but, damn. I love your taste. I think he and I could be very good friends.”
“And another thing,” Martin said, totally oblivious. “Like you said, Erin, you’re returning to your work in the outer system soon. I’m always busy with my work, too. Do either of us really have time for a full-blown relationship? I’m not the jealous type, and I want you to be happy. If you want to see Isa alone sometimes, I’ve got plenty of other things to do. Or you can both come and stay with me at the promontory. It could be great.”
Erin could hardly take it in. What she’d thought would be a sad, painful goodbye was turning out better than she could have dreamed.
“You really wouldn’t mind?” she asked them. When Isa and Martin shook their heads, she said, “You’re sure?”
“We can try,” said Isa. “If it doesn’t work out, what have we lost? But I think it will work out. I thought I wasn’t going to see you again, Erin, after we had that amazing connection. After spending so long alone. Now it looks like I’ll have not only you, but this goon here to keep me company. That’s what I call a great result. There’s no way I’m letting this opportunity slip by, if I can help it.”
“Same here,” said Martin. “Except I wasn’t interested in much besides fish till I met you. What if another Erin never comes into my life? I don’t get out much, you know. And mermaids don’t exist—I should know.”
Erin laughed and grabbed their hands again. “I can hardly believe it. What did I do to deserve two such great people in my life? OK, let’s try, shall we? The governor said I should take some time off before going back to work, and I told her I didn’t need it, but I’ll let her know I changed my mind. We can spend a week or two together.”
“Great,” said Isa. “I know! Let’s go to Athens. I know an amazing place there.”
“Hmm,” Martin pondered. “It might take some wrangling to get away for so long, but someone I know owes me a favor. Maybe I can manage it.”
“Let’s do that,” Erin said. “But it’s on me. I have about a billion credits that I’ll never spend.”
“No,” Martin said. “I’ll pay. I never spend any money, either.”
“I’ll let you two fight it out,” Isa said. “I’m so happy, I feel like I’m going to burst. This is what I love about New Canaan; you can do anything here.”
EPILOGUE
STELLAR DATE: 12.08.8935 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Landfall, Knossos Island
REGION: Carthage, 3rd Planet in the New Canaan System
Myrrdan’s agent sipped tea and watched the children play at the Party Field while mulling over the failure of that idiot, Hart, to secure the picotech. The man had all the necessary augmentations, and a perfect plan that should not have failed. What had gone wrong? It must have been the merest fluke that one of the Marines—or perhaps that engineer, who had also been present—looked up and saw him at exactly the correct moment.
It could not be helped. The attempt had failed, but losing Nathan Hart was no great disaster. The man was clearly incompetent, or he would have secured the picotech at his first try. It would have been so easy then.
The agent set down the teacup. It was time to return to work. Maintaining a convincing cover was essential. No one could suspect that a scion of Myrrdan lived among them. That much was entirely unknown to the New Cannanites, it was clear. They were only aware that their picotech was at risk from local threats, which they would probably connect to the Transcend fleet that hovered beyond New Canaan’s heliopause.
They had disposed of Nathan Hart, but they were no fools. At that very moment, they would be wondering who had helped Hart in his preparations. Especially Tanis Richards. When it came to the picotech, she wouldn’t be caught napping.
The situation—
A ball hit the table, sent sailing from the field by a child. The agent’s teacup fell off the table to the grass beneath it, spilling the remains of the liquid. The ball also fell. The agent leaned down to pick it up.
A child ran over, a little girl, breathless and flushed, her blonde hair scattered and wild. “Can we have our ball back, please?” she asked.
“Of course,” the agent said, smiling kindly and holding out the ball.
“Thank you!” She took the ball and ran away, but after going a short distance, she paused and looked questioningly over her shoulder, as if something had struck her as odd.
The agent was still watching her. The little girl smiled and waved, and Myrrdan’s agent waved back. The girl ran back to her friends.
Such a sweet little thing.
Carthage really was beginning to burst with life. It would be a pity to have to destroy the burgeoning colony to get the picotech, but if an act so extreme were necessary, so be it. Eventually, others would come who were prepared to do just that. New Canaan would lose its priceless technology in the end, one way or another. It was foolish of them to cling so tightly to it when the only result was that everyone saw them as a threat.
Ah, well.
The agent picked up the fallen cup and placed it on the table before standing up. It was time to return to another kind of work. The Carthaginians would use their precious technology again, or the search for the secret lab where it was prepared would bear fruit.
However long it took, whatever it took, the agent would not rest until the picotech was in the hands of Myrrdan.
THE END
* * * * *
Though Erin and Usef secured the colony’s picotech from nefarious hands and defeated Nathan Hart, Myrrdan’s agent is still working to secure it for his master.
But that’s not the only problem the Intrepid’s colonists face. Building a colony has its fair share of struggles and dangers, even without sinister agents.
Find out where building New Canaan takes Erin next in book 2: Tyre.
AFTERWORD
It seems a long time ago that Michael Cooper and I sat together in a restaurant in Vegas discussing a collaboration set in the Aeon 14 universe. At the time, I felt both privileged and apprehensive about the idea. Tanis Richards, the voyage of the Intrepid, and all the related characters and stories that Michael has crafted are so well-loved, I wasn’t sure that my contribution to the project would meet expectations.
Yet Michael’s universe is so detailed and complete, and the characters so richly drawn, that in the end I found that inspiration took over, and the characters of Erin, Isa, and Martin popped into my mind just about fully fleshed. Of course, Erin’s excellent engineering skills were already hinted at in prior Aeon 14 books, but the new character of Isa Chen developed as a natural consequence of the desperate plight of the Noctus and their escape from the Lumins. And Martin Ryland is an example of the elite scientists who would have had little trouble securing a place in an Aeon 14 colonization project.
Another character who insisted on being a part of Carthage was Usef. His split personality was great fun to work with, and I expect we’ll see more of him in subsequent books in the Building New Canaan series, probably both in uniform and in thong.
The settings in Carthage figured strongly as the story developed. From the Party Field to Landfall and hedonistic Athens, each came to reflect an aspect of the burgeoning society. The Party Field commemorates the momentous moment of arrival after the massive effort and struggle the colonists went through to reach their final destination, Landfall is the heart of the new civilization, and Athens is where the New Canaanites go to blow off steam and be a little uncivilized. (Athens was actually inspired by my current home, Taiwan, which lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the wild hot springs where Usef meets his Marine friends are based on a real place.)
Now that Carthage is complete, I’m looking forward to finding out how Erin, Isa, and Martin get along in their new relationship. I’m also interested to see what’s going to happen on the other habitable planets of New Canaan. I have a feeling that Erin’s problems aren’t over yet.
J.J. Green
New Taipei City, 2018
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: Shore Leave (in Galactic Genesis until Sept 2018)
- Book 2: Operative (Summer 2018)
- Book 3: Blackest Night (Summer 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
- 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: Fallen Empire (2018)
- Book 8: Airtha Ascendancy (2018)
- Book 9: The Orion Front (2018)
- Book 10: Starfire (2019)
- Book 11: Race Across Time (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 (2018)
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 (Sept 2018)
Rika’s Marauders (Age of the Orion War)
- 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 (2018)
- Book 7: Rika Conqueror (2019)
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 3: A Deception and a Promise Kept
- Episode 3: A Surreptitious Rescue of Friends and Foes (2018)
- Episode 4: A Trial and the Tribulations (2018)
- Episode 5: A Deal and a True Story Told (2018)
- Episode 6: A New Empire and An Old Ally (2018)
Season 3: AI Empire
- Episode 1: Restitution and Recompense (2019)
- Five more episodes following…
The Warlord (Before the Age of the Orion War)
- 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)
- 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 (August 2018)
Enfield Genesis (Age of the Sentience Wars – w/Lisa Richman)
- Book 1: Alpha Centauri
- Book 2: Proxima Centauri (2018)
Hand’s Assassin (Age of the Orion War – w/T.G. Ayer)
- Book 1: Death Dealer
- Book 2: Death Mark (August 2018)
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 (2018)
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)
- The Empress and the Ambassador (2018)
- Consort of the Scorpion Empress (2018)
- By the Empress’s Command (2018)
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)
OTHER BOOKS BY J.J. GREEN
Shadows of the Void
- Book 1: Generat
ion
- Book 2: Stranded
- Book 3: Dawn
- Book 4: Shadowrise
- Book 5: Underworld
- Book 6: Burned
- Book 7: Trapped
- Book 8: Mars Born
- Book 9: Shadow Battle
- Book 10: Shadow War
Star Mage Saga
- Book 1: Daughter of Discord
- Book 2: Dark Mage Rises
- Book 3: Wildfire and Steel (Fall 2018)
Space Colony One
- Book 1: The Concordia Deception
- Book 2: The Fila Epiphany
- Book 3: Appears fall 2018
Carrie Hatchett, Space Adventurer
- Book 1: Mission Improbable
- Book 2: Passage to Paradise
- Book 3: Transgalactic Antics
- Book 4: Wrong Side of Time
- Book 5: Carrie’s Calamity
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
J.J. Green was born in London's East End within range of the sound of the church bells of St. Mary Le Bow, Cheapside, which makes her a bona fide Cockney. She first left the U.K. as a young adult and has lived in Australia and Laos. She currently lives in Taipei, Taiwan, with her family and a black cat called Black Cat. When she isn’t writing, she spends her time entertaining the locals with her efforts to learn Mandarin.
Find out about her latest shenanigans at her website: https://jjgreenauthor.com/
* * * * *
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…
