Peter looked down, “I’dd liikke himmm to suffferrr, buutt wee caann’tt leett himmm looosse.”
“Oh, well. Then change,” she told him. He looked at her for confirmation, and seconds later he was back in his human form. She pulled her sword’s hilt back out, aiming it away from Peter and infusing the blade with energy. “I’d suggest,” she said as she handed it to him, “you don’t let that touch you. Take off his hands and it will cauterize…”
Before she could finish the statement, Peter had taken off both hands and a leg at what would be his knee on a human. The commander’s screams of pain reverberated through the room. “Ok, I guess that works, too.”
Conclek couldn’t believe how easily the energy blade had sliced through his armor, which was busy pumping him full of painkillers. He was just getting his focus back, even if it was a little fuzzy, when he looked up at the two standing above him. Where the one called Baba Yaga had been, there was now a different woman. A beautiful woman.
One he recognized, his eyes opening wide. She had a blue ball of energy in her hand.
“You!” he spat.
“Know the truth,” she said, her voice not quite as gravelly as before, but close enough, “and take it to your grave.” She hit him with the blue ball and his body spasmed. “That will keep you quiet.”
Bethany Anne, Empress of the Etheric Empire, reached out and took the sword from Peter. Shutting it off, she slotted it back into its compartment, allowing it to disappear behind the protection of the armor that closed over it. She reached out and took Peter’s hand. “ADAM, send the pucks,” she commanded as the two of them disappeared. The banging on the door continued while the commander convulsed on the floor, unable to move as rock from the ceiling started to fall.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, the Open Court
Bethany Anne stood on the podium that had been built for her in the middle of the bottom floor of the Open Court, surrounded by her people—her Guardians and those who had passed the security checks. She looked out over those standing on this level, as well as turning her head to look up at the Etherians on the higher levels of the Court.
“Merrek is now free of Leath. The last thousand or two were entombed forever as a pointed reminder that you do not disrespect my warriors.” Her eyes glimmered red, sparking from time to time. “We have personal confirmation of their deaths, and have provided video of what happened to all news agencies which adhere to the truth.”
She turned to her left, then to her right.
“The Leath military treated our fallen in the most despicable way possible, and we have replied. We killed everyone responsible for committing the atrocities, and other Leath who had worked to subjugate Merrek to satisfy their own ambitions.”
Bethany Anne’s speech was being broadcast galaxy-wide as fast as the news agencies could send it to their relay sites and through the gates to continue beyond the Yollin system.
“However,” she continued, and then her visage changed, her eyes taking center stage as they glowed with power, “let me explain that my real fight is with the Kurtherians of the Phraim-’Eh clan, one of the Seven Kurtherian Clans. The Etheric Empire has declared war to the knife with that clan, not with the Leath who have been subjugated by these aliens, acting as their ‘gods’ for generations. To those Kurtherians I say: know that I am committing our complete focus to your eradication, to uprooting you and killing you one by one, however long it takes. Should you seek safety, I will attack your location until I find you and kill you.”
Her face crackled with energy, vehemence dripping from her words. “I have been granted a long life, and I will use that life to make sure you suffer for killing my people both on Earth and in space. Every member of your clan is now our enemy. You wanted to see if you were good enough to help a species? Well, you failed. Congratulations! You now have the attention of the Etheric Empire and the Queen Bitch.”
Her hair floated in the calm air as the cameras focused on her face. “Baba Yaga is coming,” she assured the galactic audience.
She turned and walked off the stage, the roaring of her people signaling their willingness to continue the fight.
Whole space systems learned an important lesson that day: that their people should never, never, disrespect the Etheric Empire’s warriors.
QBBS Asteroid R2D2, R&D
Bobcat looked down at his table, up at the images projected above it being discussed by Tina and Marcus, and back down at his tablet.
William was sitting on a stool shaking his head. “Sonofabitch.”
“It’s fucking genius,” Bobcat breathed. “Holy shit on a popsicle stick.”
“Ok, that’s just gross,” Tina told him, making a face.
“Yeah, but it has a nice cadence,” Bobcat pointed out. “Now focus. Why did you go this route?”
She pointed to the third set of figures. “This was where Marcus found my mistake, but it was also the area that just…just…” She stopped a moment.
“Felt right?” Bobcat asked. “Where your gut was saying you needed to look?”
She tilted her head and shoulders left and right just a little before shrugging, “Yes?”
“Good!” Bobcat smiled. “It’s fucking beer-thirty somewhere, motherfuckers.” He grinned and reached for the beer he hadn’t yet opened. “R2, I need Bethany Anne.”
“She asks if it is important. She is in the middle of something.”
“Yes, it is. Tell her it has to do with portable Eat-Shit-and-Die weapons.”
A microsecond later, the Empress’ voice was heard in their meeting area. “Bobcat, you better not be fucking with me.”
“No, my Empress,” Bobcat told her. “We absolutely are not shitting you.”
“Well done, then. Well done indeed!” she replied. “I’ll be there to discuss it in six hours. Bethany Anne out.”
There was silence in the team office as they each stood there thinking their own thoughts, just drinking up their success at cracking the impossible once again.
“What’s wrong?” William asked Tina, who was wiping away a tear. Marcus stepped closer and put an arm around her, hugging her gently as she spoke. “I just realized I have now contributed in my own way to paying back those bastards on Merrek.”
“Well,” Bobcat spoke softly, “Baba Yaga did those jackasses well enough, but with this breakthrough we can create defense systems that will protect worlds for what are pennies on the dollar compared to what we have now.” He used his beer bottle to scratch his cheek. “What are we naming it? If we don’t do it ourselves, you know damned well Bethany Anne will call it something like Little ESD or Tiny ESD or something inane like that.”
Tina smiled and wiped away another tear. “BYPS.”
Marcus released his hug to look down at her and ask, “BIPS?
“No, BYPS.” She chuckled. “Baba Yaga Protection System. The Witch of the Night, the Darkness of Space.”
The men looked at each other and William pointed to the screens they had been reviewing. “R2, print the records from Tina and Marcus. Print everything out so we can bind it. Put Project ‘BYPS’ on the cover sheet.”
R2 replied, “Understood, William.”
Bobcat held up his beer. “To BYPS!”
Tina, Marcus, and William grabbed their drinks and raised them in honor of Bobcat’s toast.
“TO BYPS!” they agreed, Tina adding, “May she blow the shit out of unwanted Kurtherian assholes forevermore.”
FINIS
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
August 22nd, 2017
As always, I want to say THANK YOU for not only reading this book, but also reading through to these author notes, as well.
Today, I recorded the audio author notes for Release The Dogs of War, Book 10 in The Kurtherian Gambit series and I learned an important lesson.
I should be careful what I type in these author notes, for one day I will have to record them. Should I happen to put in really large multisyll
abic words, I will have to pronounce them.
And there lies the sucky part. At least, it did today when my tongue tripped over speaking some of the words I typed nine months ago.
Perhaps I should gather a program that highlights any words with more than three syllables.
Oh well, I’m too lazy to deal with that, I’ll just have to work on my reading abilities.
A huge “THANK YOU” to the Double-D’s (Diane and Doreen - you might remember them from TS Paul’s series The Etheric Academy) who helped me eons ago. Well, I suppose it was about five or six weeks ago, to express how to shape the emotion behind the Guardian Marines and their sacrifice. I hope I took the essence of our conversation, ladies, and did you proud with Brooklyn, Addison, Caden, Carter, and Chris.
Writing Might Makes Right
This book was both difficult, and enjoyable to write. The book was difficult to write because I had to start dealing with time lapses.
Easy because once I figured out Baba Yaga, it helped me nail down what was going to go on with Bethany Anne.
The challenge, like so many authors before me have encountered, is when your main character gets too high in rank, how do you allow them to go on these missions that could get them killed, when they SHOULD be working out how to be King, or Queen, Empress, General or Emperor?
It’s hard.
However, I knew that I needed to explain how Bethany Anne, who was an unruly Empress in the last book, would come up with another way to get out and get to be herself, while still pretending she was being a good Empress, and staying back in the Meredith Reynolds.
Thus, we get her alter-ego, the Baba Yaga.
Now, the real Baba Yaga character is a bit enigmatic. She can be benevolent, evil or ambiguous. Rarely is she ever young or attractive. Pretty much the opposite of Bethany Anne.
I like the opportunity to keep her vague, in the shadows and out of the video if possible. Perhaps out of focus video like our versions of UFO video capture where (and why the hell is this always true?) the videos are out of focus, and always shaking.
I’m going to explore more of Baba Yaga, and I want to continue the line of questioning I asked back in book 01:
My thought behind Bethany Anne’s character was ‘what happens when you provide a person overly sensitive to injustice and give her the ability to kick ass and ignore the names? I’m sure she could effect change, but it doesn’t automatically follow that it will be good change. The fight she has might not be with a ‘boss’ at the end of each book, but rather with herself. Will she become that which she loathes? Will she be able to recognize humanity in enemies or will she become desensitized like Michael? How will her friends react if that occurs?
I think Bethany Anne is in a good place with her closest friends. However, the alien friends and enemies are starting to make up their own stories about the Etheric Empire. We start to understand where some of the other Species, and specifically those that wield their own power, are starting to band together against the two powers that are burning up space with their battles.
And their bloody peace agreements.
For those wondering, we have foretold how this ends, we are just playing it out.
For those pestering…ooops, sorry…. Asking politely WHERE IS MICHAEL’S NEXT BOOK? It is the next story I need to write: Darkest Before the Dawn - The Second Dark Ages Book 03 (Michael’s next book). I will be working on that with collaborator Ell Leigh Clarke.
For those curious about the Kindles for the Military program – look in your email inbox for an update (for those on the email list.) The short message is I haven’t stopped trying, but getting them over to the sandbox has been challenging. Right now, we have a fan who has contacts (I almost want to put air quotes around that, it sounds so cool) that might be able to move Kindles to a Red Cross location in Spain, and from there to locations that need it. I am still sending (as needed) Kindles to the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Tx.
I have a Bethany Anne letter to write later for the next Ascension Myth book (Ell Leigh Clarke #6) which is due out Monday.
Further, on the family side, Joey Anderle (son and author himself) is safely setup at the University of Texas at Arlington and our last son at home, Jacob Anderle, will be heading to Texas A&M at Texarkana on Thursday.
Then, the mysterious beyond is waiting for me.
It has been almost twenty-five years since I didn’t have one of the children at home and frankly…
I have no idea what is on the other side of that existence, anymore. But I’m about to find out!
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael
Michael Anderle
Kurtherian Gambit Series Titles Include:
First Arc
Death Becomes Her (01) - Queen Bitch (02) - Love Lost (03) - Bite This (04)
Never Forsaken (05) - Under My Heel (06) - Kneel Or Die (07)
Second Arc
We Will Build (08) - It’s Hell To Choose (09) - Release The Dogs of War (10)
Sued For Peace (11) - We Have Contact (12) - My Ride is a Bitch (13)
Don’t Cross This Line (14)
Third Arc (2017)
Never Submit (15) - Never Surrender (16) - Forever Defend (17)
Might Makes Right (18) - Ahead Full (19) - Capture Death (20)
Life Goes On (21)
**New Series**
The Second Dark Ages
The Dark Messiah (01)
The Darkest Night (02)
The Boris Chronicles
* With Paul C. Middleton *
Evacuation
Retaliation
Revelation
Restitution 2017
Reclaiming Honor
* With JUSTIN SLOAN *
Justice Is Calling (01)
Claimed By Honor (02)
Judgement Has Fallen (03)
Angel of Reckoning (04)
Born Into Flames (05)
Defending The Lost (06)
The Etheric Academy
* With TS PAUL *
ALPHA CLASS (01)
ALPHA CLASS - Engineering (02)
ALPHA CLASS (03) Coming soon
Terry Henry “TH” Walton Chronicles
* With CRAIG MARTELLE *
Nomad Found (01)
Nomad Redeemed (02)
Nomad Unleashed (03)
Nomad Supreme (04)
Nomad’s Fury (05)
Nomad’s Justice (06)
Nomad Avenged (07)
Nomad Mortis (08)
Nomad’s Force (09)
Nomad’s Galaxy (10)
Trials and Tribulations
* With Natalie Grey *
Risk Be Damned (01)
Damned to Hell (02)
Hell’s Worst Nightmare (03) coming soon
The Ascension Myth
* With Ell Leigh Clarke *
Awakened (01)
Activated (02)
Called (03)
Sanctioned (04)
Rebirth (05)
The Age of Magic
The Rise of Magic
* With CM Raymond / LE Barbant *
Restriction (01)
Reawakening (02)
Rebellion (03)
Revolution (04)
Unlawful Passage (05)
The Hidden Magic Chronicles
* With Justin Sloan *
Shades of Light (01)
Shades of Dark (02)
Storms of Magic
*With PT Hylton*
Storm Raiders (01)
Storm Callers (02)
Tales of the Feisty Druid
*With Candy Crum*
The Arcadian Druid (01)
The Undying Illusionist (02)
Path of Heroes
*With Brandon Barr*
Rogue Mage (01)
The Revelations of Oriceran
The Leira Chronicles
*With Martha Carr*
Quest for Magic (0)
Waking Magic (1)
Release of Magic
(2)
SHORT STORIES
Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 01 (7.5)
You Don’t Touch John’s Cousin
Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 02 (9.5)
Bitch’s Night Out
Bellatrix: Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 03 (13.25)
Might Makes Right Page 24
