Asbaran Solutions (The Revelations Cycle Book 2)
Page 31
Corporal Ross Sloan
Corporal Harry Meyers
Staff Sergeant Jamie Howe
Sergeant Carlos Marin
Corporal Connie Boehlert
Corporal David Chertloff
Private Frank Watkins
Pilots
Pilot Lieutenant KC ‘Mama’ Seville
Copilot Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Jonny ‘Dark’ Minion
Pilot Lieutenant Tom ‘Harv’ Walsh
Copilot LTJG Michael ‘Salty’ Morton
About the Author
A bestselling Science Fiction/Fantasy author and speaker, Chris Kennedy is a former school principal and naval aviator with over 3,000 hours flying attack and reconnaissance aircraft. Chris is also a member of the SFWA and the SCBWI.
Chris’ full-length novels on Amazon include the “Occupied Seattle” military fiction duology, the “Theogony” and “Codex Regius” science fiction trilogies and the “War for Dominance” fantasy trilogy. Chris is also the author of the #1 Amazon self-help book, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.”
Titles by Chris Kennedy
“Red Tide: The Chinese Invasion of Seattle” – Available Now
“Occupied Seattle” – Available Now
“Janissaries: Book One of The Theogony” – Available Now
“When the Gods Aren’t Gods: Book Two of The Theogony” – Available Now
“Terra Stands Alone: Book Three of The Theogony” – Available Now
“Can’t Look Back: Book One of the War for Dominance” – Available Now
“The Search for Gram: Book One of the Codex Regius” – Available Now
“Beyond the Shroud of the Universe: Book Two of the Codex Regius” – Available Now
“The Dark Star War: Book Three of the Codex Regius” – Available Now
“Self-Publishing for Profit” – Available Now
“Leadership from the Darkside” – Available Now
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Connect with Chris Kennedy Online
Website: http://chriskennedypublishing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chriskennedypublishing.biz
Twitter: @ChrisKennedy110
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The following is an
Excerpt from Book 3 of the Four Horsemen Cycle:
Winged Hussars
___________________
Mark Wandrey
Available from Seventh Seal Press
Spring 2017
eBook, Paperback and Audio
Excerpt from “Winged Hussars:”
“Shields are failing!” Tactical yelled over the blaring alarms. The bridge shuddered as the ship absorbed one titanic impact after another. Alexis hung onto the arms of her command chair; despite the strap around her waist and the other two crossed over her chest, the blasts were threatening to wrench her free and fling her across the CIC.
“Captain,” Paka implored her, “Pegasus is coming apart at the seams!” The ship shuddered and jumped like a wounded animal as another particle beam slammed into her shields. The Veetanho XO was clinging to a control console as was usual in a fight; it allowed him to be more flexible in combat. A big white rodent, flexibility suited him.
“Patience, Mr. Paka,” Alexis said, “patience.” She glanced at him and could see the panic despite his alien features. You didn’t serve with another being for decades and not pick up the clues—his goggles were back on his narrow head revealing wide eyes, his whiskers flicked crazily, and his eyes darted from the tactical board to the captain and back. “Trust me,” she said.
“Do I have a choice?” he said, but not loud enough for the rest of the combat crew to hear him.
“Clear solution on battlecruiser bearing 165 mark 223!” Flipper bubbled, the words transmitted to Alexis from the mask that allowed her aquatic Selroth sensor tech to operate in an oxygen atmosphere.
“Target spinal mount and fire!” Alexis barked without hesitation.
The bridge crew hung on as Pegasus skewed from the powerful attitude reaction thrusters, her nose coming around with shocking speed. The CIC was in the center of the ship, minimizing the gravitational forces on the combat crew. Other crew in the ship, especially those near the front and back, held on for dear life as the crazy maneuver induced as much as nine gravities of force on them. Several thousand miles away, the battlecruiser that had been trying to get into a position to fire on the Pegasus’ weakened ventral shields was surprised to find the enemy ship spin much faster than seemed possible. Instead of facing roughly away, its nose flashed around and they were staring down the maw of a huge spinal-mounted particle beam cannon.
The Pegasus’ main gun fired, the ship’s fusion plants pumping terawatts of pure energy into the weapon, which lanced out at the speed of light. The beam struck the enemy battlecruiser firmly amidships. The other ship tried to alter course to avoid the worst of it and largely failed. The beam sliced though the shields and into the ship’s hull like a 14-terawatt scalpel. The enemy craft’s attempt to spin and maneuver away from the blast only succeeded in the beam carving a corkscrew pattern deep into its hull. The weapon cut off, and an instant later the battlecruiser blossomed into an iridescent cloud of fiery death.
“Clean kill!” Flipper burbled.
“Use the blast debris cloud,” Alexis ordered, and the ship thrust in the direction of the dead battlecruiser. At their speed, it only took a minute before the expanding cloud was between them and the bulk of the enemy force. Maybe they could escape in the confusion. “Resume heading toward the objective.”
Paka looked at her in consternation. She set her jaw and nodded.
“Gravitational waves,” SitCon said. “New ships entering the system.” Alexis sat in the moment’s calm and thought. A wave of fear flowed through her. Fear and desperation. If it didn’t happen soon, it wouldn’t happen at all. the voice whispered to her being.
“Mr. Paka,” she said as the bridge crew turned to look at her, “give me your best speed to the objective.”
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Find out more about Mark Wandrey and “The Revelations Cycle” at:
http://chriskennedypublishing.com/imprints-authors/mark-wandrey/
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The following is an
Excerpt from Book 1 of the Kin Wars Saga:
Wraithkin
___________________
Jason Cordova
Available Now from Theogony Books
eBook, Paperback, and (soon) Audio Book
Excerpt from “Wraithkin:”
Prologue
The lifeless body of his fellow agent on the bed confirmed the undercover operation was thoroughly busted.
“Crap,” Agent Andrew Espinoza, Dominion Intelligence Bureau, said as he stepped fully into the dimly lit room and carefully made his way to the filthy bed in which his fellow agent lay. He turned away from the ruined body of his friend and scanned the room for any sign of danger. Seeing none, he quickly walked back out of the room to where the slaves he had rescued earlier were waiting.
“Okay, let’s keep quiet now,” he reminded them. “I’ll go first, and you follow me. I don’t think there are any more slavers in the warehouse. Understand?”
They all nodded. He offered them a smile of confidence, though he had lied. He knew there was one more slaver in the warehouse, hiding near the side exit they were about to use. He had a plan to deal with that person, however. First he had to get the slaves to safety.
He led the way, his pistol up and ready as he guided the women through the dank and musty halls of the old, rundown building. It had been abandoned years before, and the slaver ring had managed to get it for a song. In fact, they had even qualified for a tax-exempt purchase due to the condition of the neighborhood around it. The loca
l constable had wanted the property sold, and the slaver ring had stepped in and offered him a cut if he gave it to them. The constable had readily agreed, and the slavers had turned the warehouse into the processing plant for the sex slaves they sold throughout the Dominion. Andrew knew all this because he had been the one to help set up the purchase in the first place.
Now, though, he wished he had chosen another locale.
He stopped the following slaves as he came to the opening which led into one of the warehouse’s spacious storage areas. Beyond that lay their final destination, and he was dreading the confrontation with the last slaver. He checked his gun and grunted in surprise as he saw he had two fewer rounds left than he had thought. He shook his head and charged the pistol.
“Stay here and wait for my signal,” he told the rescued slaves. They nodded in unison.
He took a deep, calming breath. No matter what happened, he had to get the slaves to safety. He owed them that much. His sworn duty was to protect the Dominion from people like the slavers, and someone along the way had failed these poor women. He exhaled slowly, crossed himself and prayed to God, the Emperor and any other person who might have been paying attention.
He charged into the room, his footsteps loud on the concrete flooring. He had his gun up as he ducked behind a small, empty crate. He peeked over the top and snarled; he had been hoping against hope the slaver was facing the other direction.
Apparently Murphy is still a stronger presence in my life than God, he thought as he locked eyes with the last slaver. The woman’s eyes widened in recognition and shock, and he knew he would only have one chance before she killed them all.
He dove to the right of the crate and rolled, letting his momentum drag him out of the slaver’s immediate line of fire. He struggled to his feet as her gun swung up and began to track him, but he was already moving, sprinting back to the left while closing in on her. She fired twice, both shots ricocheting off the floor and embedding themselves in the wall behind him.
Andrew skid to a stop and took careful aim. It was a race, the slaver bringing her gun around as his own came to bear upon her. The muzzles of both guns flashed simultaneously, and Andrew grunted as pain flared in his shoulder.
A second shot punched him in the gut and he fell, shocked the woman had managed to get him. He lifted his head and saw that while he had hit her, her wound wasn’t nearly as bad as his. He had merely clipped her collarbone and, while it would smart, it was in no way fatal. She took aim on him and smiled coldly.
Andrew swiftly brought his gun up with his working arm and fired one final time. The round struck true, burrowing itself right between the slaver’s eyes. She fell backwards and lay still, dead. He groaned and dropped the gun, pain blossoming in his stomach. He rolled onto his back and stared at the old warehouse’s ceiling.
That sucked, he groused. He closed his eyes and let out a long, painful breath.
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Find out more about Jason Cordova and “Wraithkin” at:
http://chriskennedypublishing.com/imprints-authors/jason-cordova/
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