by S. H. Jucha
This evening, Mutter was in her glory. She sang a song of celebration for the Harakens—human, SADE, and Swei Swee—and for herself. Her dream, her wish, the first she had held in her long existence, was one step closer to coming true.
One evening, she thought, I will stand before the hives when I sing.
— Alex and friends will return in Hellébore. —
Glossary
New Terra:
Alex Racine – Admiral of the Libran flotilla, Co-Leader of House Alexander
Amy Mallard – Ulam University professor and Alex Racine’s university mentor
Andrea Bonnard – Senior Captain of the Libran flotilla, Captain of the Rêveur
Arthur McMorris – ex-President, resided at Prima’s Government House
Benjamin Diaz – Pioneer, Minister of Mining, “Rainmaker”
Bobbie Singh – New Terran who saves Amelia on board the Freedom
Charlotte Sanderson – Producer at By-Long Media House
Christie Racine – Alex Racine’s fourteen-year-old sister
Clayton Downing XIV – ex-Assemblyman, then the new President until voted out
Damon Stearns – TSF Colonel and ex-outpost Commander of Sharius
Darryl Jaya – reinstated Minister of Technology
Delacroix – Pioneer emigrating to Haraken
Duggan Racine – Alex Racine’s father
Eli Roth – Rêveur’s starboard bay Flight Crew Chief
Eugene Pritchard – Assemblyman
Frasier Brothers – Criminals hired to spirit away Sebastien Velis after the engineer stole the TS-1 database
Fujio – Joaquin Station tech
Gary Giordano – Dagger-9 pilot lost during Libran exodus
Hatsuto Tanaka – Dagger pilot, brother of Miko Tanaka, Sheila Reynard’s second
Hezekiah Cohen – Joaquin Station Manager
House Alexander – Méridien House created by Alex and Renée
Jaime – Joaquin Station tech boss
Jason “Jase” Willard – Dagger pilot killed by a silver ship
Jerold Jameson – Naval Base Commander, stationed on Barren Island
Katie Racine – Alex Racine’s mother, Haraken Assembly member
Lamont – Haraken tech
Leonard Breslen – Pioneer, shuttle manufacturer
Levinson – New Terran engineer
Lyle Stamford – Outward Bound engineering tech
Maria Gonzalez – ex-Terran Security Forces General and new President
Marshall – TSF Colonel and new outpost Commander on Sharius
Michael “Mickey” Brandon – Rêveur’s Chief Engineer
Miko Tanaka – Copilot of Outward Bound, sister to Hatsuto Tanaka
Nemea Lorne – Senior Assemblywoman
O’bour – New Terran alcohol
Orma – Maria Gonzalez’s Chief of Staff
Peters – Terran Security Forces Captain
Prima – New Terra’s capital, named after the first colonist baby to survive one year
Randolph Oppenhurst – ex-TSF Captain
Robert Dorian – Dagger pilot who trains the Independent volunteers, Haraken Assembly member
Samuel B. Hunsader – CEO of Purity Ores, a mining company
Sean McCrery – Dagger-10 pilot
Sebastien Velis – TS-1 engineer who stole the Méridien database
Sheila Reynard – Dagger Squadron Leader, promoted to Commander
Stanley Peterson – Rêveur’s port bay Flight Crew Chief, Haraken Assembly member
Tatia Tachenko – Commander and XO of the Rêveur, ex-Terran Security Forces Major, new Haraken Admiral
Terran Security Forces (TSF) – New Terran system police force
Ulam University – University in Prima named after Captain Ulam
Wayne – student at Ulam University
William Drake – reinstated Minister of Space Exploration
Yoshiko Ishikawa – Finance Minister
Zeke Krausman – Outward Bound engineering tech
Confederation:
Ahmed Durak – First Mate of the Money Maker
Alain de Long – Rêveur security escort for Renée, twin and crèche-mate to Étienne
Albert de Guirnon – Leader of House de Guirnon, brother of Renée
Alia – Bergfalk tech treated by Terese
Amelia – Independent teen girl, organizer of the runners
Angelina “Lina” Monti – daughter of the Independent Leader, Tomas Monti; Haraken Assembly member
Asu Azasdau – starship passenger liner Captain and Haraken Assembly member
Bertram Coulter – engineer and Independent on Libre
Bibi Haraken – daughter of Fiona Haraken, Haraken Assembly member
Clarion Seas – ocean waters on Libre
Claude Dupuis – Rêveur engineering tech
Cordelia – SADE (self-aware digital entity) of the Freedom
Dane – starship passenger liner SADE
Darius Gaumata – Libran Dagger pilot trainee, ex-shuttle pilot
Deirdre Canaan – Libran Dagger pilot trainee, ex-shuttle pilot
Delores – Libran tech
Deter Schonberg – Libran philosopher, Haraken Assembly member
Devon O’Shea – House Leader, Planetside Transportation
Diada – Libran tree and Eloise’s “perch”
Edouard Manet – Rêveur navigation specialist
Elizabeth – starship passenger liner SADE
Ellie Thompson – Libran Dagger pilot trainee, raced atmo-ships
Eloise Haraken – thirteen-year-old great-granddaughter of Fiona Haraken
Eric Stroheim – Director of House Alexander and Haraken Ambassador
Ernst Hummel – Haraken Minister of Energy Production
Étienne de Long – Rêveur security escort for Renée, twin and crèche-mate to Alain
Fabrice – Libran implant engineer
Federico – Ore transport Captain
Fiona Haraken – Libran sky-tower building engineer and Elder of Libre’s Independents
Gratuito – Libre’s only city
Geneviève Laroque – Rêveur passenger
Gino Diamanté – House Leader, Infrastructure and Environmental Services
Giovanni Tetra – Libre’s Elder prior to Fiona Haraken
Gregorio – an elder left on Libre
Guillermo De Laurent – father of young man at Libran town meeting, Haraken Assembly member
Heinrich – young tech aboard the Unsere Menschen, who dies fixing jets on the hull
Helena Bartlett – Libran weaver and friend of Cordelia; Haraken Assembly member
House Bergfalk – House responsible for the Independents’ colony on Libre
House Brixton – House responsible for the design and creation of SADEs
House Diamanté – House responsible for infrastructure and environmental services
House Ganesh – House responsible for construction of commercial buildings
House de Guirnon – House responsible for building passenger liners
House O’Shea – House responsible for terminals and planetside transport
House Pasko – House responsible for implants
Jason Haraken – grandson of Fiona Haraken
José Cordova – Captain of the Freedom
Julien – Rêveur’s SADE
Karl Beckert – Station Director on Orbital Station Ein over Libre
Karl Schmidt – starship passenger liner Captain
Katarina Pasko – House Leader of Implants
Lazlo Menlo – new Captain of the Money Maker and Haraken Minister of Transportation
Leeson Darden – Captain of the flotilla’s second freighter
Leo Tinto – Haraken Minister of Fabrication
Lillian Hauser – starship passenger liner Captain
Lucia Bellardo – Libran ex-Captain, now a shuttle pilot
Mahima Ganesh – Council Leader of Confederation
Marcel Lechaux – Terese’s brother and an Independent on Libre
Miriam Dubois – Haraken Minister of City Design and Infrastructure
Mutter – SADE of the Money Maker and Hive Singer to the Swei Swee
Patrice – Fiona Haraken’s close friend
Pia Sabine – Rêveur passenger, Haraken Assembly member
Rayland – psychopathic SADE left behind on Libre
Renée de Guirnon (gir∙nōn) – Co-Leader of House Alexander
Reinhold – Captain of the Unsere Menschen
Rosette – starship passenger liner SADE
SADE – Méridien AI (self-aware digital entity)
Sawalie – Elder singer on Libre
Sergio De Laurent – young man at Libran town hall meeting
Simone Turin – Ben Diaz’s Méridien partner
Sophie Sabine – Pia’s niece and an Independent on Libre
Svetlana Valenko – Copilot of a Haraken harvesting ship
Tomas Monti – Director of House Alexander, Haraken Ambassador
Terese Lechaux – Rêveur medical specialist
Willem – starship passenger liner SADE
Z – SADE of the Unsere Menschen
Ships and Stations:
Freedom – Libran city-ship headed by Leader Monti
Full Load – Benjamin Diaz’s New Terran ice asteroid tug
Il Piacere – House Diamanté premier liner
Money Maker – House Bergfalk freighter converted to Alex’s Dagger carrier
Outward Bound – explorer-tug owned by Alex Racine
Rêveur – Méridien House de Guirnon passenger liner; Jacques de Guirnon was prior Captain
Unsere Menschen – the Our People, a Libran city-ship headed by Leader Eric Stroheim
Planets, Colonies, and Moons:
Bellamonde – sixth and latest Confederation planet to be attacked by the silver ships
Cetus – last Confederation colony established, first colony attacked by the silver ships
Cressida – New Terra’s metal-rich moon circling Ganymede
Ganymede – New Terra’s sixth planet outward, a gas giant with metal-rich moons
Haraken – New name of Cetus colony in Hellébore system, home of the Harakens
Libre – Independent’s colony in Arno system
Méridien – home world of the Confederation in the Oikos system
New Terra – home world of New Terrans, fourth planet outward of Oistos
Niomedes – New Terra’s fifth planet outward and site of the habitat experiments
Seda – New Terra’s ninth and last planet outward, a gas giant with several moons
Sharius – moon circling Seda and TSF support outpost for explorer-tugs
Stars:
Arno – star of the planet Libre, home of the Independents
Cepheus – original star destination for the New Terra
Hellébore – star of the planet Cetus, location of the first Confederation colony attacked by silver ships
Mane – original name of Oikos
Oikos – star of the Méridien home planet, Renée de Guirnon’s home world
Oistos – star of the planet New Terra, Alex Racine’s home world
My Books
The Silver Ships and Libre, the first and second books in this series, are available as an e-book, a softcover version, and an audiobook. Please visit my website, http://scottjucha.com, for publication locations. You may also register at my website to receive email updates on the progress on my upcoming novels.
Alex and friends will return in the upcoming novel, Hellébore, A Silver Ships Novel.
The Silver Ships Series
The Silver Ships
Libre
Méridien
Hellébore (forthcoming)
The Author
It’s been an eventful journey from Anchorage, Alaska, where I was born over six decades ago, to San Diego, California, where I currently reside with my wife.
Between these two destinations, I’ve spent years overseas, earned two college degrees, held many jobs, and found a wonderful marriage partner.
My first attempt at a novel was entitled The Lure. It was a crime drama centered on the modern-day surfacing of a 110-carat yellow diamond that had been lost during the French Revolution. In 1980, in preparation for the book, I spent two wonderful weeks in Brazil researching the native people, their language, and the religious customs of Candomblé. The day I returned from Rio, I had my first date with my wife-to-be, Peggy Giels.
Over the past thirty-four years, I’ve outlined dozens of novels, but a busy career limited my efforts to complete any of them. Now the time has come, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed planning, researching, and writing each book in this series.
I was a young teenager when I discovered the joy of reading. Today I hope, through my stories, I’m sharing that joy.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
-1-
-2-
-3-
-4-
-5-
-6-
-7-
-8-
-9-
-10-
-11-
-12-
-13-
-14-
-15-
-16-
-17-
-18-
-19-
-20-
-21-
-22-
-23-
-24-
-25-
-26-
-27-
-28-
-29-
-30-
-31-
-32-
-33-
-34-
-35-
-36-
-37-
-38-
-39-
-40-
-41-
-42-
-43-
Glossary
My Books
The Author
