Determination: Age Of Expansion – A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Precious Galaxy Book 3)

by Sarah Noffke

  He sucked in a quick breath and pressed a button, pulling down his goggles in time to shield his eyes. The lasers flashed so bright, he had to turn his head. Then came the roaring of the GAD-C. And the blue light.

  The minute seemed to stretch on for a long time. He should have expected that it would take longer to print her body; she was, after all, not human.

  He had his head down when the train-like sound ended. That’s when he heard the squealing he associated with M’din Tillous. She was always making noise, like a cat in a litter box.

  Hatch lifted his head, pulling off the goggles. There, scooting off the bed of the GAD-C, was M’din Tillous. The first Londil he’d seen in a long, long time.

  “Oh, wow!” Pip said beside him. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  She looked around, still disoriented. “W-w-wa! Eh-eh-eh! Where am I?”

  Hatch cleared his throat. “M’din Tillous, I can explain.”

  Her attention spun in his direction, her large eyes widening. She was beautiful for a Londil, her tentacles long and flexible, and her skin a shimmering turquoise color. However, her face didn’t look so pretty when she narrowed her eyes at him.

  “You! What are you doing here?” she yelled.

  “I rescued you,” Hatch nearly stammered. He pointed to Pip. “Well, we did.”

  Her tentacle reached across the space and struck him across the face. “I told you if I never saw you again, it would be too soon. And I meant it!”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Loading Bay, Ricky Bobby, Hapeti System

  Dejoure caught the ball that Vitos threw across the long space, and Harley followed, running after it. They had been successfully playing a game of ‘keep away from the canine’.

  Bailey laughed and turned to Lewis. “So it all worked out.”

  He let out a breath. “I’d say. I think between the two of you, my blood pressure has risen dangerously.”

  “Your blood pressure is fine,” Ricky Bobby cut in overhead.

  Bailey patted his arm. They were sitting on the floor, watching the “kids” play in the distance. “Oh, you care. That’s nice.”

  “I didn’t think I did,” Lewis said, like he was admitting it to himself. “I thought I’d severed all feelings.”

  “Yeah, but that’s the thing. You’re human. A good one. We can’t disconnect from our feelings.”

  “I guess you’re right,” he stated.

  “And wouldn’t you rather it be that way?” Bailey challenged. “Wouldn’t you rather have people you don’t want to lose, rather than lead a safe life on a ranch?”

  Lewis pursed his lips at her. “You don’t have to keep reminding me that I escaped to a ranch.”

  “Don’t I?” she teased.

  “I’ve been thinking about it,” Lewis said, shifting gears. “I get that it’s sudden and a bit unorthodox, but if DJ wants us to watch out for her, I’m game.”

  Bailey didn’t look surprised. “Does that mean you’re sticking around?”

  “Well, my uncle is having a child, and I haven’t cleared my name yet.”

  “And what about when you do?”

  Lewis laid his hands in his lap and looked out at Dejoure as she threw the ball to Vitos. “Even then. If Ghost Squadron will have me, then I’ll stay. More than anything, I want to stay here with you all. Even if everyone we bring back from the crew is an asshole, I’ll hang with you all.”

  “Because?” Bailey pressed, fishing.

  “Because for the first time, it feels safe to trust the people around me. You’re my friend. Dejoure needs me. Vitos has a lot of growing to do, and I’d like to see it happen. Pip is freaking hilarious. And when I’m honest with myself, I need all of you a lot more than I ever expected.”

  Bailey smiled, her eyes full of warmth and understanding. “Yeah, it’s good to know where your place is and want to be there.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Hatch’s Lab, Ricky Bobby, Hapeti System

  “So she hates you,” Pip said, referring to M’din Tillous. He brought an ice pack over to Hatch.

  He took it and nodded. “Yeah, we dated in school. We were supposed to get married, but I had a great job opportunity. It was taking that chance that led to the life I have now.” Hatch swept his tentacle around at his lab.

  “Glamorous,” Pip said, no inflection in his tone.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway,” Hatch continued dismissively. “I’ve been married five times and have a dozen children. So what if she was going to be the first? It didn’t work out.”

  “But it appears that she isn’t letting go of grudges,” Pip observed.

  M’din Tillous had scurried out of the lab and to the lower decks straight after slapping Hatch. She needed time to cool off, but Hatch was certain that she’d come around. They could really use her help.

  “Well, we better get to printing,” Hatch said, slightly defeated. “It’s not a lot, but it will matter to the ones we print.”

  “About that,” Pip said, a sly tone in his voice. “I’m loading up a print job.” He typed something into the main workstation.

  Hatch had felt so frustrated since learning there were no crew members in the databases they’d recovered, and then M’din Tillous had assaulted him, that he did something he’d rarely ever done. He sat.

  “Go ahead. Actually, I might go take a nap or something,” he said. “You can handle printing this batch on your own, right?”

  “I can,” Pip sang.

  Hatch peeled himself out of the chair and waddled for the exit. He didn’t like to sleep, but right then, he wanted to put his head under a pillow. Even fiddling with a car wouldn’t help to calm his nerves at this point. He needed to close his eyes. Maybe even listen to piano music. Anything to mask all the emotions he was starting to feel.

  “Thing is, I might have found something you’ll want to be here for,” Pip added at Hatch’s retreating form.

  The doctor waved him off. “I’ll see it later.”

  “Okay, fair enough,” Pip said, nearly yelling to be heard over the sound of the GAD-C operating.

  Hatch was glad he was facing the opposite direction when the bright lights flashed on the machine. He saw them, but only barely.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to hear the funny thing I figured out?” Pip asked at Hatch’s back.

  “Not really. Not in the mood for a silly mistake,” Hatch grumped, nearly at the exit.

  “Well, the thing I remembered is that ‘Knox Gunnerson’ wasn’t the real name of your apprentice,” Pip continued, like he hadn’t heard Hatch. “If you remember, he changed his name to protect himself. His real name was Dominic Cheng, a name that happened to come up in one of the databases I took.”

  Hatch froze. His tentacles turned to stone. This can’t be true. So much had gone wrong. He was tired of getting his hopes up, just for everything to fall apart again.

  With his back still to Pip, he said, “Please don’t mess with me.”

  “Hatch?” a familiar voice said.

  He couldn’t help himself. Hatch spun around and there, sitting on the GAD-C and looking disoriented, was his apprentice, staring back at him with those kind eyes.

  Knox rubbed his face, staring around. “Where am I?”

  Hatch looked at Pip, who was wearing a proud smile. “Hatch. You. Are. Welcome.”

  Hatch hurried over, taking in the boy in front of him, who was holding a robe given to him by Pip.

  Knox was eighteen and had a black mohawk, but more importantly, he had a mind that Hatch could respect. Knox paid attention to his intuition, and working with him…well, it had been some of Hatch’s favorite times. The boy was good, through and through.

  Knox blinked, his focus finally clearing. His eyes found the Londil. “Hatch? Is that you?”

  “Yes, son, it’s me. You’re back,” Hatch said, his heart wanting to leap out of his chest.

  Things were going to be okay. They had what they needed to move forward. To recover the re
st of the crew.

  They had hope.

  FINIS

  Ren Series

  Check out Sarah Noffke’s Paranormal Thriller:

  Get it here

  He is the most powerful man to ever live, and therefore doomed to misery. Born with the power to control minds, hypnotize others, and read thoughts, Ren Lewis, is certain of one thing: God made a mistake. No one should be born with so much power. A monster awoke in him the same year he received his gifts. At ten years old. A prepubescent boy with the ability to control others might merely abuse his powers, but Ren allowed it to corrupt him. And since he can have and do anything he wants, Ren should be happy. However, his journey teaches him that harboring so much power doesn't bring happiness, it steals it. Once this realization sets in, Ren makes up his mind to do the one thing that can bring his tortured soul some peace. He must kill the monster.

  Read Ren: The Man Behind the Monster.

  Author Notes - Sarah Noffke

  August 18, 2018

  Thank you to all of you for reading. For the support and encouragement. And more than anything for being amazing readers who constantly blow my mind with your dedication to LMBPN.

  Okay, now to pick up where we left off with the last author’s notes. First, I’d like to say, well played, Michael. I threw you a random challenge and once again you didn’t disappoint.

  You all are wondering what happened to the monkey that I sent to Michael and he sent back to me, right? I know you’ve thought of nothing else since the last book. The monkey was dead when I received it back. Michael had taped the box up too much, not leaving any holes for the sweet guy to breathe. End of story.

  On a side note, Michael is going to China soon. I hear you can get a monkey easily over there. And since someone killed my monkey, maybe they will get me a replacement monkey? Just saying. I really like monkeys. I don’t kill them.

  Also, Michael, when in China, don’t ask for Chinese food. They just call it food over there. You. Are. Welcome.

  Okay, now on to book business and inspirations:

  Dave Pruitt, the CEO of Precious Galaxy Coffee, is one of my favorite characters in the series. He’s a great manager, who really cares about his people. He’s also innovative and cutting edge. This character was inspired by my first manager. Here’s a fun fact. That same manager inspired the ringmaster in my Vagabond Circus series who is named Dave Raydon. So yes, in a way, I’ve reused a character, although they are different, just based on the same person.

  In Vagabond Circus, Dave enjoys all things that were before his time: firelight, tents and the circus. He also is known for his top hat. In this series, this Dave, is all about tech and advancements and wears a cowboy hat. However, the thing that remains the same is that they are extraordinary managers. The real Dave, my old manager, influenced me a great deal. I hope he knows that. I tell him sometimes on Facebook. Anyway, he would always say, “Employees don’t quit jobs, they quit managers.” And also, “You lead people, you manage processes.” He is a very warm and welcoming man, and that’s why I keep making him the manager in books.

  Also, if you thought the tour of Precious Galaxy Coffee headquarters had a Willy Wonka feel to it, then I did my job. I nearly put squirrels in the sorting room and made up some lie that they were better sorters than humans. Anyway, I thought the whimsy would be a nice touch to the strange galaxy. That reminds me, Michael, weren’t you working on the coffee label for that brand? I realize you have nothing to do, so I thought I’d ask.

  Speaking of fantasy inspiration, I stuck a few Harry Potter references in this book for those fans. My daughter and I are on book seven, so it’s sort of fresh. It’s her first time to read, not mine. That would be atrocious! I read the books when they came out, before they were cool. My stepmother gave me the first four books (that was all that was out) when I was 19 and told me to read them. No one had heard of Harry Potter then. I thought they were middle grade rubbish, but man, was I wrong. So there! That’s the one thing I can brag about. I read Harry Potter before it was cool. That, by the way, is the ONLY thing I’ve ever done before it was cool. I’m sort of like Dave Raydon and stuck in olden times. If I could, I’d be typing this on a type writer. Oh, and I still have a DVD player. Not a Blue Ray, mind you. I don’t even know what that is.

  Speaking of kangaroos and awesome Australians. I have to thank Veronica Helen, a wonderful reader for giving me the inspiration for using the Holden Sandman, aka the “shaggin’ wagon.” She actually sent me a lot of cool stuff that Hatch will be working on in the next book—all Australian. It’s good to give a nod to our friends who live down under. Oh, and it was her genius who thought to reference the polarizer, a cool, yet controversial bit of technology. Thanks, lady! Keep the good ideas coming.

  And where would I be without the help of Jurgen Moders, who by the way has the quickest turnaround time of any reader I’ve ever met. Great ideas, speed and efficiency. Thank you!

  It is with great pleasure that I turn this over to the worldly Michael, who is also a great manager. Maybe I should give him a top hat or cowboy hat and put him in a book… No, wait! A fedora!

  Thanks everyone!

  Sarah

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  August 18, 2018

  First, THANK YOU for not only reading this story, but also reading through the back to our Author Notes, too!

  Holy crap! The monkey was alive when I sent it, complete with air holes. I’m an author for goodness sakes. I know you should allow monkeys to have air! However, since “someone” taped up the holes (and it wasn’t me) I suppose I should get you a monkey while I’m in China.

  It will be one of those that look like Curious George with cymbals in its hands that CLANG CLANG CLANG when you twist the knob in the back. That way, you never have to worry about accidentally shutting the air vents when you want to sleep.

  As a collaborator/publisher, I work on multiple projects at the same time. With this series, my collaborator has a huge amount of freedom to make things happen. Normally, the covers are one area that I get more involved.

  Except on this book.

  Last Monday (13th—It is Saturday the 18th today) Sarah dropped the cover for this book in the SLACK channel we share. She said, “Cover for book 3. You don't have a floating skyscraper on any books yet, right? I thought I'd switch it up. Do you approve? We have plenty of time to make changes if needed.” First, it was FANTASTIC. So, no changes.

  However, it was the question “You don’t have a floating skyscraper on any books yet, right?” that I found a bit funny. While the question, taken at face value, is appropriate (LMBPN has over 250 books out now) I just thought to myself who puts floating skyscrapers on their books? Space stations, sure. But floating skyscrapers?

  Sarah does. And it looks awesome. Awesome enough that I’m annoyed I didn’t think of it before.

  So, Sarah wins for having the first cover with floating skyscrapers on any LMBPN book.

  Damn you, Sarah! ;-)

  Ad Aeternitatem,

  Michael

  About Sarah Noffke

  Sarah Noffke, an Amazon Best Seller, writes YA and NA sci-fi fantasy, paranormal and urban fantasy. She is the author of the Lucidites, Reverians, Ren, Vagabond Circus, Olento Research and Soul Stone Mage series. Noffke holds a Masters of Management and teaches college business courses. Most of her students have no idea that she toils away her hours crafting fictional characters. Noffke's books are top rated and best-sellers on Kindle. Currently, she has eighteen novels published. Her books are available in paperback, audio and in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. http://www.sarahnoffke.com

  Acknowledgements

  Sarah Noffke

  Thank you to Michael Anderle for taking my calls and allowing me to play in this universe. It’s been a blast since the beginning.

  Thank you to Craig Martelle for cheering for me. I’ve learned so much working with you. This wild ride just keeps going and going.

  Thank you to Jen, Tim, Stev
e, Andrew and Jeff for all the work on the books, covers and championing so much of the publishing.

  Thank you to our beta team. I can’t believe how fast you all can turn around books. The JIT team sometimes scares me, but usually just with how impressively knowledgeable they are.

  Thank you to our amazing readers. I asked myself a question the other day and it had a strange answer. I asked if I would still write if trapped on a desert island and no one would ever read the books. The answer was yes, but the feeling connected to it was different. It wouldn’t be as much fun to write if there wasn’t awesome readers to share it with. Thank you.

  Thank you to my friends and family for all the support and love.

  Books By Sarah Noffke

  Sarah Noffke, an Amazon Best Seller, writes YA and NA sci-fi fantasy, paranormal and urban fantasy. She is the author of the Lucidites, Reverians, Ren, Vagabond Circus, Olento Research, Soul Stone Mage, Ghost Squadron and Precious Galaxy series. Noffke holds a Masters of Management and teaches college business courses. Most of her students have no idea that she toils away her hours crafting fictional characters. Noffke's books are top rated and best-sellers on Kindle. Currently, she has thirty-three novels published. Her books are available in paperback, audio and in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. http://www.sarahnoffke.com