Infiltration: Chapter Six Scene Two - Releases Friday

 

 A certain troublesome reporter needs to be watched.

* * * *

Alpha Space Station

“It’s quite easy to get to you, Admiral Piras. Too easy, I’m afraid,” Kuran noted as he stood on the other side of the Dramok’s desk, where a computer and a picture of his clan’s Matara rested.

“Are you here to kill me?” Piras was chipper for a man wearing a bullseye on him while his Nobek was off on a mission. Amusement danced in his gaze.

“I prefer to wait for Captain Kila’s return. It’ll be greater fun if I have to go through him first.”

Kuran could hardly believe he joked with Piras, the man responsible for his youngest brother’s death. The more they interacted, however, the more he appreciated the corner Piras had been backed into during the war. Forced to choose to give up the military installation, where Kuran’s sibling had been stationed, in favor of a civilian colony hadn’t been a choice at all. Piras’ mission to stop the rebellion had robbed him of a safe home for himself and his clan. As the weeks had passed, Kuran’s enmity had begun to ease into respect.

“I don’t accept meetings with those who might take the opportunity to cut my throat because of Laro,” Piras said. “You’re a man of honor, and you’ve sworn to work for the good of Earth. Therefore, I allow you easy access to me so we can guarantee the humans their safety.”

Kuran was tempted to phase and discover who was guarding Piras in his stark, barely decorated office. He had no doubt, despite Piras’ assertion of confidence in his honor, there was someone else there. Another Nobek warrior, ready to unphase and blast Kuran to pieces if he made a wrong move.

He bent his head to Piras in thanks for being complimented. “I’m grateful you agreed to see me on such short notice.”

“That’s all you ever give me, Security Chief. Sit, if you wish. What can I do for you today?”

Kuran didn’t sit. His preference to stand tended to make Stacy antsy, but Piras was well-used to Nobeks who wished to remain on their feet. “I’ve heard it rumored you’ve employed the use of nanospies to great effect. Your Matara engineers the best of those units, and they’re rarely detected.”

“You’ve dug deep in our records since we brought you in as our agent.”

“I wish to be familiar with tools which could help me in my job.”

Piras regarded him. “Who are you thinking of tracking in an up-close manner? Your personal relationship with the governor makes me doubt it’s her. The lieutenant governor? Bryant has questionable ties to supposed Earthtiques.”

Kuran would have loved to set a nanospy on Ken Bryant, but he was aware of the potential blowup between Kalquor and Earth if it were discovered the empire was keeping close tabs on one of Earth’s top officials. As yet, there wasn’t a valid reason to take such a drastic step.

“I’d like to keep watch on a news reporter named Blythe Nelson. She’s come into private information about Governor Nichols she shouldn’t have had access to. I want to know who’s talking to her.”

“Sensitive information?” Piras leaned forward.

“Nothing to put the government or Earth in danger. It’s the potential of her discovering such material which concerns me. If I can find her source in the governor’s circle, I can watch the leak…and remove it, should it become a threat.”

“You’ll confer with me before drastic action, unless the safety of the governor or Earth is in imminent peril,” Piras warned.

“Of course.” Kuran didn’t consider beating sense into a would-be problem as drastic action, particularly when it came to Stacy. Intimidation had its proper place, after all.

“My Matara…Specialist Nath, that is, has developed new nanospies. Better sensors, capable of moving themselves around to escape detection. She’s applied for field testing. As there’s no immediate risk where this reporter is concerned and she’s a civilian rather than someone in an official governmental capacity, this could serve as the opportunity we need.”

“I’d be glad to assist in the devices’ testing.” Satisfaction curled warm in his belly. He’d been worried Piras would refuse him the use of a nanospy.

“I’ll have Hope…” Piras huffed, obviously irritated at himself for using her given name in an official meeting. “Specialist Nath will contact you and go over the parameters of using the nanospy. Since the subject is a civilian, certain personal spaces like the subject’s bedroom will be blocked from your video and audio feed. The information will still be recorded, but only Nath will have access to it.”

“Understood.” Kuran felt relief. He hadn’t considered he might witness intimate moments of Matara Nelson’s routine. The idea he might have when he was committed to Stacy sat badly on his conscience. He was glad Piras had thought of it.

“No one else is to view the rest of the footage except you and Nath. I’ll inspect it if either of you feels there’s a reason for me to. Otherwise, I’ll rely on your regular reports to keep me apprised of the situation.”

“Thank you, Admiral.” Kuran appreciated Piras thought enough of him to allow him so much autonomy. Yet again, he was struck by how much respect he was finding for the man who’d put his brother in his grave. Why couldn’t the Dramok give him the ability to continue hating him?

* * * *

The alien force dubbed the Darks has grabbed control of key positions on Kalquor and the Galactic Council of Planets. Other leaders are still unaware of the threat among them. The galaxy is wide open for destruction by an unfathomable enemy.

Former emperor Nobek Yuder has suspicions, but due to restrictions placed on him after his prison sentence, he can only stand by and watch helplessly. A renegade Royal Councilman has designs to bring him back to the political arena, but doing so could destabilize the Kalquorian Empire, leaving it vulnerable to invasion.

Meanwhile, one man on the brink of death, the only man who can detect the nearly invisible Darks, is pulled from a lifeless shuttle by Captains Kila and Nako. His incredible story tells them they’re in a race against time to save not only the empire but the whole galaxy…but are they already too late?

On Earth II, Governor Stacy Nichol’s relationship with Clan Rihep continues to grow. So does the danger, as opponents make deadly moves against her and the orbiting Kalquorian station where the clan lives. Nobek Kuran is determined to keep his clanmates and would-be lifemate safe, but how can he stop a faceless enemy?

Relationships, old and new, are strained to the breaking point at a time when Earthers and Kalquorians need each other more than ever. The Darks are closing in, and no one is ready to oppose them.

Releasing Friday, November 3!

Pre-order now at Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, Apple, and print.

Infiltration: Chapter Six Scene One - One Week Until Release!

 

A lone witness on the brink of death...what does his cryptic warning mean?

* * * *

The derelict shuttle drifted into the bay, a hideous sight when compared to the marauder’s squadrons of pristine single-man fighters and shuttles lined up in military rows. As Nako watched, pieces off the damaged ship’s hull disintegrated in false gravity’s pull, leaving a trail of black dust as it was maneuvered to a landing pad near the entrance he and Terig had come through.

The ship’s head medic Dr. Zo gaped alongside two members of his team who’d accompanied him. “Someone’s alive in there?”

“We’ll soon find out. Me and my men first, Doctor.” Terig was too well-trained to fidget, but Nako felt his clanmate’s impatience nonetheless.

The instant the blackened hulk settled onto the landing pad, Terig and two other Nobeks of the security complement sprang to the hatch. Attempts to open it proved difficult.

“The damned thing is fused closed,” Terig snarled. “Get some cutters.”

The bay’s repair area was nearby, and industrial metal cutters were quickly employed by a couple of repair techs. Within a couple of minutes, there was a gaping hole in the side of the shuttle where the hatch had been.

Terig waved the techs back and leapt the five feet separating the hole from the bay floor. His security backup followed him into the shuttle’s cabin.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Nako jumped on board. He was nearly smacked in the face by a wiring harness as a member of the boarders called from the cockpit, “Clear. No one up here.”

“Ancestors,” Nako grunted, taking in the shuttle’s interior damage. Wiring harnesses hung like looping intestines from the ceiling, half of which covered the opposite side of the seating area.

“One man on board, Captain.” Terig’s call brought Nako further in the cabin’s environs. He and the other security member knelt next to a slumped figure.

The man’s head hung down, his back propped against the large supply bin taking up the floor space at the back of the shuttle. Remains of emergency food rations and water pouches scattered around him. His chin must have rested on his chest, but it was impossible to see for the loose black hair hanging over his features. His arms, one cruelly bent at the forearm, rested on his splayed legs. His black fleet uniform was trimmed in Dramok blue, and the single chevron bar indicated his ensign status. If he breathed, Nako couldn’t detect it.

“Is he alive?” he asked, ignoring the voice in his head telling him they’d gotten to the crewman too late.

Shockingly, it was the slouched figure who answered in a thready voice. “Darks. Fear…the…Darks.”

“Doctor!” Nako shouted before hurrying to the weakly moving man. He reached beneath the fall of hair and cupped the man’s chin. He lifted it, and the dark strands parted to display a young face.

Mother of All, the ensign was barely more than a kid. Dried blood crusted the chin Nako held, and fresh red warmth drooled from the boy’s mouth, spilling over Nako’s fingers. A glassy gaze drifted to take him in.

“Shadows. Riders,” he rasped. “Darks.”

“Tell me your name, Ensign.” When the boy’s eyes began to drift closed, Nako bent closer, ignoring Dr. Zo’s attempts to wave a scanner over him. “Dramok, who are you?”

“Ilid,” came the answering wheeze.

“Who was your captain, Ilid?”

Zo pushed at him, none too gently. “Captain, I need room to work. He’s badly—”

“Your captain’s name, Ilid!”

“Abgi. Taken by…rider. All command staff…Darks.” A sob broke from him as his eyes began to roll over white. “Darir. Ved. Dead.”

“What happened to your ship, Ilid?”

“Blew up.” The whisper faded at the end.

“Captain!”

Nako got out of Zo’s way. Ilid’s lids slid shut.

“Weapons Commander, if the shuttle is secure, let’s give the medics room to work.” Now that Nako knew it hadn’t been Kila’s ship that was destroyed, he was ready to grant Zo all the space he needed to save the kid’s life.

Captain and weapons commander disembarked. Terig instructed his two men to examine the ship’s hull. Trained in forensics, they unpacked bins full of instruments allowing them to analyze and take samples from the shuttle.

As they began their painstaking work, Nako and Terig loitered near the hatch, listening to Zo and his team mutter over the injured Ilid.

“You were worried it was Clan Piras’ vessel,” Terig whispered.

“Reading my mind, my Nobek?”

“We always wondered what happened to them. It would have made sense they’d been assigned duty far from the home world. Out of the empire was an even better bet.”

“Five years, though? Even if spying on Bi’is was their initial deployment after the war, the fleet surely wouldn’t have left them there for so long.”

“Piras is still a name people hate.”

Nako’s com beeped. “Nako here.”

“Vaskiz, sir,” the communications lieutenant said. “Admiral Tranis responded to your request for orders by text. He says, ‘Stand by.’”

“Understood.” Nako clicked off and snarled at Terig. “Stand by? What the fuck response is that?”

“Well, it was a spyship—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m just not in the mood for mysteries.” He glared at the shuttle’s carcass, willing the damned thing to talk. It ignored him.

* * * *

The alien force dubbed the Darks has grabbed control of key positions on Kalquor and the Galactic Council of Planets. Other leaders are still unaware of the threat among them. The galaxy is wide open for destruction by an unfathomable enemy.

Former emperor Nobek Yuder has suspicions, but due to restrictions placed on him after his prison sentence, he can only stand by and watch helplessly. A renegade Royal Councilman has designs to bring him back to the political arena, but doing so could destabilize the Kalquorian Empire, leaving it vulnerable to invasion.

Meanwhile, one man on the brink of death, the only man who can detect the nearly invisible Darks, is pulled from a lifeless shuttle by Captains Kila and Nako. His incredible story tells them they’re in a race against time to save not only the empire but the whole galaxy…but are they already too late?

On Earth II, Governor Stacy Nichol’s relationship with Clan Rihep continues to grow. So does the danger, as opponents make deadly moves against her and the orbiting Kalquorian station where the clan lives. Nobek Kuran is determined to keep his clanmates and would-be lifemate safe, but how can he stop a faceless enemy?

Relationships, old and new, are strained to the breaking point at a time when Earthers and Kalquorians need each other more than ever. The Darks are closing in, and no one is ready to oppose them.

Releasing in one week!

Pre-order now at Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, Apple, and print.

 

Infiltration: Chapter Five Scene Three

 

 This week, Captain Nako responds to a distress call and finds the crisped remains of a spyship shuttle.

* * * *

Kalquorian Empire space, near the border of the Bi’is kingdom

Dramok Nako, captain of the marauder-class vessel he’d been given command of a mere week before, felt guilty.

He absolutely loved his new ship.

The marauder was faster than his old decommissioned raider-class craft had been. A hell of a lot more dangerous too, thanks to its expanded weapons array. The arrowhead-shaped vessel was the deadliest piece of flying destruction he’d had the pleasure of commanding. The sheer mayhem such a vessel could visit on an enemy was enough to keep him aroused like a teenager. It had done so, as a matter of fact, as his Matara clanmate Piper would attest.

The marauder was a dark mistress, its possibilities exciting him despite the fact he’d be using it to guard a lifeless moon slated for terraforming. His fantasies of using his ship to rip Tragooms to shreds were unlikely to happen.

Nevertheless, he could dream.

His insides squirmed to think of his former ship. Nako’s raider had seen its share of battles and served him well over its many years. Now it sat in a salvage yard, waiting to be disassembled, it parts melted and reformed as something else. The old warhorse had done its duty, but Nako hated the notion he’d abandoned it.

“Maybe RD-1202’s metal will become the hull of a marauder or destroyer,” Piper had said, trying to cheer him up when she’d caught him looking at a vid of his former ship. “It could be it’ll fly and battle again as another class.”

He was grateful for her understanding of his unusual lapse into sentimentality. More grateful she’d kept the knowledge to herself. Nako was categorized as a Dramok, and he certainly possessed the leadership trait in spades, but the Nobek half of his personality would have died of shame to be caught romanticizing a hunk of fighting metal.

What a hunk RD-1202 had been, though.

Sappiness paled when it came to the new ship winning his fierce heart. The marauder was so advanced beyond the raider, Nako suspected it could possibly fly itself. The programming was damned near intuitive, and the weapons systems almost as lethal as a destroyer. The ability to phase and ambush an enemy might have struck Nako as a bit cowardly, but the idea of coming out of nowhere in the midst of an enemy squadron and evening the odds before they knew what hit them?

Heat filled his groin. He barely managed to keep from lustful growling as he stood on his ship’s bridge.

Around him on the triangular-shaped bridge, his crew muttered amongst themselves as they kept an eye on their instruments. There was no reason to reprimand them for their casualness. It was merely a flight from the marauder’s former orbit around Earth II to a dead rock of a moon on the other end of Kalquorian Empire space. They were less than a day’s flight to their destination, next to the Bi’is’ kingdom’s border. With Bi’is an impotent shadow of its former self, the rush was on to colonize and create colonies near what had once been intermittent battlegrounds.

Guarding a lifeless moon as it was terraformed for the next two or three years was hardly an assignment worthy of a decorated captain and crew. It was certainly beneath the status of the empire’s latest state-of-the-art fighting vessel. Nako found no angst beyond a slight sense of disappointment he wasn’t on his way to kick someone’s deserving ass.

His Imdiko Ulof was part of the terraforming crew, a dream they’d once thought impossible for him to realize. Better still, their Matara accompanied them. Having her aboard a fighting vessel would have been unfeasible had the assignment been dangerous, especially since they were trying for a child.

Nako was willing to set aside the aggressive urges of his warrior heart for clan and family. Becoming a father filled him with sentimental warmth that he’d rather die than have anyone beyond his clanmates aware of. Had he been told five years prior he’d be more excited about a baby than blasting the empire’s enemies to bits, he’d have laughed in their faces…just before punching them senseless.

His weapons commander and Nobek clanmate Terig, who stood at a computer podium a couple feet from his right, spoke. “Captain, sensors are detecting an intermittent signal fifty degrees from our route. Artificial source.”

“Intermittent? Could it be a distress call?”

“It matches the parameters. I’m boosting our reception to verify.” Terig’s beard didn’t hide his frown as he concentrated. “It is a Kalquorian craft, too small to be so far from port. Subcommander, get a configuration and see if you can pinpoint where its home vessel is.”

His second’s fingers flew over a second weapons console. “Standard shuttle for transporting away teams from a larger vessel. I detect no other craft in the area it might belong—” Nobek Lon stopped talking, blinking at his readouts.

“Subcommander?” Nako and Terig both barked in concert.

“Apologies. It’s…Captain, the shuttle is phased.”

Nako and Terig exchanged glances. “I’m unaware of any marauders besides ours this distance from Earth and Kalquor. We wouldn’t necessarily know if a spyship is stationed nearby,” the captain noted.

“There’s nothing in the vicinity to spy on,” Terig said. “The closest inhabited areas are Laro Station and Bi’is, each more than three days’ travel in opposite directions.”

“Navigation, can you tell which direction the shuttle is moving from?”

The navigation officer muttered to his computer, then answered. “It appears to be drifting from the Bi’is border, sir.”

“Drifting?”

“Nominal power signature,” Terig confirmed, bringing up multiple holographic screens over his station. “Our readings indicate a power signature adequate for backup life support and little else.”

“I’m picking up no sign of a ship in this quadrant besides ourselves, phased or otherwise,” Subcommander Lon reported.

“Why the hell would someone broadcast a distress call when damned few can pick up a phased craft? Unless the spyship it came from is close, those on board can’t expect to be found.”

“Maybe whoever’s on board doesn’t realize they’re still phased. Or they have no idea they drifted far from their home ship. If sensors are dead, the shuttle’s main computer might have failed to detect the additional drain.” Terig’s fingers continued to fly over his console.

“Which means they’ll lose life support sooner than they realize. I wonder how long they’ve been waiting for rescue. Com, try to contact them.”

Seconds later, the com officer said, “Attempts to hail them have received no answer, Captain. They may have no com ability due to the lack of power.”

“I was afraid of that.” Nako spoke to his navigator. “Can you backtrack their trail, maybe figure out where they lost power? There has to be an ion trail from what little energy they’re emitting.”

“Working on it, Captain. If they’ve been drifting for longer than a couple of days, it could take some time.”

Nako eyed his Nobek. “Which leaves us one question.”

Terig nodded. “Do we answer the distress call. If a spyship’s out here beyond sensor range, High Command doesn’t necessarily want anyone else to know of its presence.”

“I’m betting it has something to do with keeping tabs on Bi’is.” Nako thought of Admiral Piras and his clanmates. Nobek Kila captained a spyship. Because their lives were in danger following Kalquor’s civil war, they’d disappeared soon after the end of hostilities. Nako had often wondered if they’d ended up on a secret detail at Bi’is. It would have kept them from sight and safer than if they’d returned to the home planet.

What if something had happened to the heroic clan reviled by many of their own kind? His stomach curdled to think of them in trouble, especially their innocent and brilliant Matara.

“Helm, set a course for the shuttle, full speed. Terig, watch for its home ship. If it appears, we’ll keep our distance. Otherwise, we’ll take the shuttle on board and try to determine what’s going on. Com, inform Fleet High Command what we’re doing…see if you can send an encrypted message to Admiral Tranis. Inform Medical we might be taking on injured people.”

“One hour until we intercept the shuttle, Captain.”

“Our com will be received at Fleet Headquarters at approximately the same time.”

 

They were still fifteen minutes from reaching the stricken vessel when Terig’s bearded face turned to Nako. “I have a visual on the shuttle, Captain.”

The flat control in his tone betrayed something was amiss. “Bring it up on main vid, Weapons Commander.”

It was immediately obvious why Terig had adopted his most official voice. The wedge-shaped shuttle had taken massive damage to its hull. Its usual silvery exterior was blackened. Panels hung askew, revealing framework and the charred remains of electronics. Nako marveled the battered craft had power at all. It seemed impossible a crew could be alive, but someone had set off the distress signal.

“Mother of All,” someone muttered.

“It’s not battle damage,” Terig said, glancing back and forth from his readouts to the image on the vid. “The craft was in close quarters to a plasma explosion. As close to the center of a major blast as possible and yet not get blown up.”

“Why do I have the suspicion we won’t come across its home ship?”

“A good guess. It might have been leaving the bay when the ship was destroyed. By my estimate, it would have cleared it by no more than a few meters.”

“Can you detect its markings under the residue? Can we determine which ship it was?” Nako had no idea what Kila’s ship’s call numbers had been, but Fleet Command would know.

“Checking. Got it. S-S-nine-two-eight-S.” Terig’s gaze met his again.

A spyship’s shuttle. Kila, Piras, was it yours? What the hell happened to the home ship?

“Coming in grabbing range, Captain,” the helmsman said.

“Get a field around it and haul it in. Carefully.” The damned thing might fall to pieces the instant it was introduced to the shuttle bay’s gravity field. “Medical team to shuttle bay. Terig, let’s see if there’s someone alive to greet.”

Nako and Terig left the bridge. Not at a run, because the shuttle wouldn’t beat them to the bay, but they moved quickly anyway. It was impossible not to, with dread nipping at their heels.

* * * *

The alien force dubbed the Darks has grabbed control of key positions on Kalquor and the Galactic Council of Planets. Other leaders are still unaware of the threat among them. The galaxy is wide open for destruction by an unfathomable enemy.

Former emperor Nobek Yuder has suspicions, but due to restrictions placed on him after his prison sentence, he can only stand by and watch helplessly. A renegade Royal Councilman has designs to bring him back to the political arena, but doing so could destabilize the Kalquorian Empire, leaving it vulnerable to invasion.

Meanwhile, one man on the brink of death, the only man who can detect the nearly invisible Darks, is pulled from a lifeless shuttle by Captains Kila and Nako. His incredible story tells them they’re in a race against time to save not only the empire but the whole galaxy…but are they already too late?

On Earth II, Governor Stacy Nichol’s relationship with Clan Rihep continues to grow. So does the danger, as opponents make deadly moves against her and the orbiting Kalquorian station where the clan lives. Nobek Kuran is determined to keep his clanmates and would-be lifemate safe, but how can he stop a faceless enemy?

Relationships, old and new, are strained to the breaking point at a time when Earthers and Kalquorians need each other more than ever. The Darks are closing in, and no one is ready to oppose them.

Releasing November 3. Pre-order now at Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, Apple, and print.