Chapter 158 - Gathering

(Admiral’s Suite, BNS Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, Amazon System)

I awakened to a lovely sight: Slave-Captain Ara Virstina moaning softly as she rode slowly on my cock, doing her best to keep her voice down as she fucked herself with my morning wood. While I had originally intended to break her of some of the conditioning she’d been subjected to as a slave for so many years, I had a change of heart when she and her daughter, the Senator, made me promise to let them have a ‘reunion’ when I next got back to Dimiya. Seems they’d been sharing stories about me with each other. Oh well, who was I to complain, after all the things I’d done in this game?

Reaching up, I gripped the Captain by her hips, causing her to open her eyes in surprise, just before I slammed her down hard. “Such a naughty little slave-captain you are, Ara. Perhaps I should find a way to punish you?”

Captain Virstina moaned louder now, not bothering to keep her voice down. “Whatever you wish, Master. I am just happy to serve you, as always!” Even as I held her hips down against mine, I could feel her grinding back and forth quite nicely. Whoever had trained her had done an excellent job.

Groaning pleasurably, I said, “Well, then I think I will punish you by having you report on the condition of the ship and the group, while I enjoy myself. If you mess up, then I’ll be adding new punishments. So do a good job, or I’ll be forced to get creative.”

“Aahhh! Oh, yes Master! Th-the fleet has finished gathering with the last of the new additions being added in the last six hours. The – ah! — Knight class Destroyers look to be very capable, M-master! They’ve been through f-field trials and are ready for action. The fu-uuull order of battle for First Group has the Ama-no-Murakumo, two Reapers, six Knights, eight Assassins, sixteen Gunboats, the carrier Pandora’s Box, and the heavy logistics freighter Davenport. We-eee also have the First Group of the Black Star Marines and the Nova Eden-class Colony ship Starborn which will follow us once we secure the other side of the Gateway.”

I smiled as she tried to keep things together, despite me becoming more active in this morning play. The ‘order of battle’ she described was the ‘standard’ for the Black Star fleet, but the Second and Third groups didn’t really bother with that as much. The Second Group was the Dimiya defense group, protecting our holdings in Dimiya and performing jobs in that sector. The Third Group was more geared towards support rather than offense or defense, and was typically going to be in rear areas. Neither of them needed the power that First Group had. Fourth and Fifth groups, though, were the ones that would be directly going into harm’s way more often than not, and they needed the boost. “Very good, my pet. I trust your people have made the best use of the last couple months?”

“Oooh! Yes, Master! They are aaaah-ll ready to go. Everything is ready for diving to check the Nineteenth Gate Address. We haaave calculated according to the texts left behind by the aliens which brought the Nuevo Edoans to their world, and we believe that o-one of the gates is nearby, like how the Desolace, Aquarian, and Nania systems were all relatively close, all being in Confederate space.”

I nodded as I moved to change positions, rolling over so that I was on top of the knelfi woman now. “Well done, Captain. You and your crew have worked hard to get ready for venturing through the Gateway. Now, take your reward!”

“OH! THANK YOU, MASTER!”

(Main Bridge, BSN Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, Amazon System)

I looked over the bridge crew, who were all smiles as they saw me enter alongside the Slave-Captain. No doubt the rumor mill had already let it be known that the Captain had spent the night in my quarters. Well, it was the truth, and I saw no reason to deny or be ashamed of it. It wasn’t like I didn’t have the reputation for doing that, and more, by now.

I turned my attention to the screens, seeing the fleet assembled. We’d chosen the Amazon system to launch our first expedition from because we could control access to the system easier than we could, say, Desolace or other worlds with Gateways. Even the pirates stopped trying their luck in getting the planet full of potential slaves, since the Amazon planet was still rich with Greenwave nanites (current estimates had it being another fifty years before colonization efforts could begin). This was important, not just for keeping the Gate address secret as long as possible, but also for not rattling our neighbors more than was needed.

The problem, of course, was that the Black Star Navy now had battleships and real carriers that weren’t war prizes. This was something that made people nervous when I had them parked places they did business. Which is why as soon as the Ama-no-Murakumo had finished construction, I had it ship out for the Gateway as soon as possible. It wouldn’t do to leave it hanging in the public eye and making people nervous.

The other two battleships in the Fleet were the BSN Gugnir in Fourth Group, based at Madrigal Base, and the BSN Banshee’s Wail, in Fifth Group, based at Nuevo Edo. This made the Banshee’s Wail the only one of the battleships that were in more or less constant view of the public. But Captain Windrunner was smart enough to keep the Fifth group from just sitting in orbit like a threat. They were officially there to help protect the planet and Black Star property if the X’thari returned. Unofficially, she was using Nuevo Edo as a staging point as the Assassins from Fifth Group were scouting the nearby systems.

As Slave-Captain Virstina had said, the First Group had grown considerably. Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi was the center of the group, naturally. Of course, many of First Group’s ships were old hands, but there were several newcomers. Shinokage was one of two Reapers in the Group now, with the Shifrat Almawt (a name that meant Death’s Blade) as the second. Six Knight class Destroyers were added to the formation, and I had unilaterally declared that they would be named Lancelot, Galahad, Bedivere, Kay, Gawain, and Tristan, after some of the Knights of the Round Table. The blooded Assasins Shadowdancer, Simo Hayha, Wisteria, and Artemis were joined by the newcomers Spitfire, Whirlwind, Zephyr, and Reliant. Our little swarm of gunboats had risen to sixteen, and the Vicious Return had been shifted into the Marines, while the new carrier Pandora’s Box and the Oregon Trail class heavy freighter Davenport rounded out the ships in our group. The Vicious Return may have gone to the Marines, but Ghost Squadron was now stationed on Pandora’s Box, along with the new Red Guardian, Silver Sentinel, Gold, and Black Dragon Squadrons.

The First Group of the Black Star Marine Corps was going to be joining us on this venture, just in case we found some X’thari we needed to educate on their new place in the world, or anyone else we needed to make the kind of subtle diplomatic approach that only Marines offered you. BSMS Thunderfury led the way, of course, but now she was joined by the BSMS Vicious Return and her new Firelord Squadron. The three Crow class Assault Ships (Threnody, Deliverance, and Wrathgate) added to the Marine group’s firepower, both in space and on the ground, giving the Marines some powerful options. I’ve never once heard about Marines complaining about having more options on the battlefield that weren’t ‘field expedient’ patch jobs that were the product of pure desperation and insanity.

Of course, the final piece of the puzzle for our new expedition was the Nova Eden class colony ship that the Empress had gifted us with as payment for our part in the Civil War. We’d named it the Starborn, not only because it was easier to say than a complex alphanumerical serial number, but also because colonies often took the name of the colony ship that founded them. A Black Star colony being known as Starborn sounded like a nice fit. The Starborn would wait until we cleared the system of hazards before transferring through. There was no way I was risking that ship on the unknown.

Some would probably wonder why I needed a colony ship, if I had things like the Nightforge in Third Group. Well, to be honest, I could make a colony on a world without it. But the Nova Eden ships were designed to be a one-stop shop for setting up a colony overnight. The colony ship itself would form the basis of the colony, essentially landing shelter, defense, communications, manufacturing, food production, and all the other essentials on the face of a world that may or may not be capable of supporting the kind of life found in Known Space. While the capabilities of the facilities were limited, especially when taking into account the potential growth of the new colony, when trade and new settlers beyond the five thousand souls in stasis arrived, it was perfect for providing a secure site where the newborn colony could manufacture their own infrastructure.

Actually, the Nova Eden series were quite a bit smaller and more streamlined than the original colony ships, which would actually separate into sections in orbit, with each section doing a (hopefully) controlled descent to the colony location. The newer ships were only the size of a superdreadnought, instead of the far larger generation ships that were originally launched. Not needing to deal with the life support concerns of the five thousand colonists save for a small support crew made the whole effort far more streamlined, allowing the colony ship to actually land on the surface, which greatly reduced the potential problems in getting all those resources and people down to the surface.

I took a breath, and said, “Sensors, are we alone?”

The sensor officer nodded his head. “Aye, Admiral. No ships on sensors not belonging to Black Star. All satellites and probes not belonging to Black Star have been destroyed or commandeered, according to their origin. Last tachyon pulse of the system was twenty minutes ago, and showed we were all clear.”

I took a breath. “Communications, put me fleet wide.” When the communications officer nodded that we were live, I looked into the camera, and said, “Men, women, and others of the Black Star Fleet, this is the Admiral speaking. We are gathered here on the precipice of history once again. Since the fires of Jagloth, Black Star has been pushing forward, always on the cutting edge.”

“It was no government entity that recovered the address for Nuevo Edo. It was Black Star. It was not an empire which helped Nuevo Edo fight off their ancient foes, and help them stand on their feet again, fighting alongside our forces with no less courage than we showed as we defended their world from the X’thari threat. It was Black Star. It was no Confederate or Terran Marine force that captured the first intact X’thari carrier class vessel. It was Black Star.”

“Once more, we are poised on the brink of history. We have functioned as mercenaries and businessmen as the case may be, hiding in the shadow of larger governments. Now, we are a power that is too large for governments to simply ignore, but too powerful for them to easily take down. Already, we have had to fend off attacks from the rich and the powerful who thought that they could pressure us and take what was not theirs simply because their methods had always worked before. We repulsed them emphatically, and now we have made many people nervous as all hell.”

“Some of you may be wondering why we would push the boundaries again and again. Why should we be the ones to explore, when it is nice and safe living in someone else’s shadow, letting others do the hard and dangerous work of venturing into the unknown? I will tell you why! For over a hundred years, we have known about the Gateways. In that time, only a handful of people have ever tried flying through addresses that were not on the Valoys Tablet found in the Ihm Imperium that gave us the first sixteen addresses in Known Space. The only ones who tried were those so desperate or insane that they tried dialing random addresses, and the overwhelming majority were never heard from again. And then Black Star came along. We found the seventeenth address, and with it, Nuevo Edo. There, we found an address book, containing many, many more addresses.”

“So why hasn’t anyone gone visiting to these addresses? Because it is the unknown. We know that there must be a Gateway with the X’thari homeworld on the other side, but we have no way of knowing where it may be. And that is only considering the X’thari, and not any other threats or hazards that may be out there. After all, a group of aliens was responsible for droping the Nuevo Edoans where they landed.”

“That is why we have gathered here, in order to make history. We have a fleet unlike any that has been assembled before, one capable of defending itself at need, and fighting off a superior foe. We have some of the best people in the galaxy in our fleet, blooded in battle with the Usurper Emperor and the X’thari. We will do what others dare not, for we are Black Star!”

“And should the forces be too great for us, and we are forced to flee away from the Gateway? We believe the gate we are dialing is a little over a month’s travel from Nuevo Edo with conventional FTL drives. So even if the worst should happen, I will not throw you needlessly into the fire. We may get battered, but we will not be broken. We may get pushed back, but we will not be defeated. We are Black Star, and we lead the way where others dare not tred!”

“This is Admiral Mollen to all ships, prepare for Gate travel!”

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Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-stuart-grosse/1128941349?ean=2940161995297

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Chapter 157 - Special Delivery

(BSN Shinokage, Amazon Gateway, Amazon System)

Cali moaned responsively as she bounced upon my lap while we relaxed on the Shinokage. The cruiser, along with the Shadowdancer and Simo Hayha were patrolling the Amazon system to ensure that foolish people didn’t try to land on the surface. Well, other than the group from the Empire.

Actually, we were watching that group with some interest. A group calling themselves the Friends of Humanity had conducted a test on Earth using Nomads as guinea pigs to try and make a new ‘sanctuary’ just north of London. Their methods involved setting off several EMPs to knock out the nanites in the area, and then rushing down with shuttles to try and set up the ‘fence’ before the nanites could fill in the sudden gap. On paper, it should have worked. Unfortunately, the whole thing ended in failure and the shuttles just barely managed to get out of the atmosphere before the nanites could get through their shields.

As for why it didn’t work? Well, I’d made the command decision to leave out a lot of the pertinent information about Greenwave and the fences when Black Star announced anything. Kept it off the forums or chat rooms, too. See, the first thing one thinks of when you talk about trying to defeat some technological menace is an EMP. It is so basic that everyone at least considers it, even if a lot of systems have moved past the point where an EMP will actually affect the circuitry. As an anti-tech superweapon, however, Greenwave was specifically hardened to shrug off an EMP.

So, someone in the Friends of Humanity group got the great idea that if knocking the nanites out didn’t work, maybe they could try blowing them up. The new plan involved actual nuclear weapons. More than a few of them, actually. There was literally no chance in hell that the Empire would allow these idiots to set off a bunch of nukes over North America, where they wanted to build their compound, so they’d come out to currently unclaimed space, to see if they couldn’t create a ‘sanctuary’ on the Amazon planet.

The Friends of Humanity ships (basically commercial freighters given a new coat of paint) flew in what could only be called a ‘formation’ if one took chaos theory and applied it to three-dimensional movement and then had a group of data points somewhere in the field. These were clearly civilian pilots at the helm of the freighters. Probably just people who had a few hours of flight experience before they came on this trip. If this was the level of technical expertise involved with the rest of their operation, I could see why the Nomads had decided not to come along on this leg of the venture.

Well, that, and the fact that apparently these humans were basically the Klan, but in space. They didn’t care too much about race, honestly, though they did have something against people who got cybernetics or other augmentations for anything other than ‘my arm got blown off’ or similar situations. Said it made them ‘impure’ and ‘less human’. They REALLY didn’t like people who ‘dirtied the blood’ by having relations with other species. They’d kept it quiet from the Nomads at first, but nutjobs like them can’t really shut up about their thoughts for too long.

So, this group was all just ‘locals’, who were trying to set up a haven on a new world, where there was no government, by nuking the hell out of the site they wanted to settle. Oh, sure, that pretty much guaranteed that the place would be a radioactive wasteland initially, but these people weren’t entirely stupid. The technology to clean up radioactive hellholes existed, and terraforming was an old process that people knew well. If the nukes actually worked to clear the Greenwave nanites from the area long enough for them to set up the shield fences, then they would have a nice little terrorist base to build up for their little campaign to make things pure again.

OK, maybe it wasn’t ENTIRELY coincidental that my ships were here watching the tests. Or the fact that we remained cloaked, so that they didn’t know were sitting there, watching. I didn’t care for these people, or their ideology, and having a haven for racist nutjobs so close to Nuevo Edo wasn’t something I was keen on. My main hope was that the nukes would fail to do the job, in which case I wouldn’t have to do anything. If they succeeded, though? Then I’d have to get creative in order to keep this from being a problem later on.

Cali’s moan brought me out of my momentary reflections. I’d been leaning back in my chair and letting her do all the work anyway, but now I grabbed her by her hips and slammed her down upon my cock, causing the pour girl to shudder in pleasure. “Mmm. Very good, my pet. I see you’ve been practicing those moves Shearah found in Dimiya’s cultural database. Their version of the Kama Sutra was quite… illuminating, don’t you agree?”

The lithe little warrior moaned happily in response. “Oh, yes, Master! We all had so much fun reviewing the ‘research materials’. Do you want to see what my next move is?”

“Master, this is Captain Inatumal on the bridge. You wished to be informed when the Friends of Humanity began their tests. They will be ready to fire their nukes in ten minutes.”

“Thank you, Captain. Begin recording, all sensors. I wish to see how they do. Maintain full stealth. I want them to think that they’re being sneaky. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Understood, Master.”

As I looked away from the communicator, I smiled at the pout Cali was giving me. “Don’t be like that, Cali. There will be plenty of time for you to show me your moves. But now, you better hurry up if you want to finish the job before I need to be on the bridge.”

Ten minutes later, I was on the main bridge of the Shinokage, standing next to Captain Inatumal, her sister by my side. Shinokage’s tactical team leader looked over to me, and whispered, “Should I have the teams ready to go, Master? We could take their four freighters easily enough.”

I shook my head. “No, I have no interest in prisoners at this time. For now, we’re just observing to see if these people have discovered a way to carve out a ‘safe zone’ in a Greenwave area after the nanites have already spread. I doubt it will be so easy, but we’ll see.”

From the communications console, the crewman who was monitoring the Friends of Humanity ship communications called out, “Captain, the freighter Alamos 20K just reported to the other freighters that they fixed the launch rig that had been improperly installed. Launch commencing in thirty seconds.”

The Captain nodded to the comm officer, and then turned to look at her sensor operator, “Sensors?”

The sensor officer looked up from her screens. “All sensors locked and recording. We’re getting a solid record of everything they’re doing. However, we won’t know whether their plan works until they send the shuttles down with the fence materials.” She paused, and then said, “Freighter Alamos 20K has launched missiles. Counting seven good launches. Reading shields on the missiles, increasing their sensor profile. Detonation in three, two, one, now. We have multiple nuclear detonations.”

Captain Inatumal nodded. “Visual scanners, on the main screen. Let us see what the blast zone looks like.”

The scene that greeted them was just what one would expect in the aftermath of multiple nuclear strikes in the middle of what had probably been a city before Greenwave ate everything, given that there was a distinct lack of large trees in the ‘before’ picture, and any grass was patchy, at best. Now, though, we saw seven mushroom clouds rising over area, in a perfect hexagon with one blast in the middle of the effect. Frankly, I was just impressed that they managed to get seven nukes that actually worked. Figuring out who sold them the material was a job for someone else, but it did make me uncomfortable, having what amounted to racist gangs being able to get weapons of mass destruction was not a good sign about the state of the galaxy at the moment.

“Shuttles entering the atmosphere, Captain. Sensors locked on them. So far, we don’t see any sign of nanite interaction.”

I nodded from where I was watching. “Yes, that much is to be expected. A few nukes in the area are going to knock around and disorient the nanites a bit, to say the least. But the question is whether they’ve been destroyed, or merely knocked around? Every surface in that area was infested with nanites. To make the area ‘safe’, they would have to not merely suppress the nanites, but eradicate them, or you risk any little thing causing them to reawaken and spread throughout your ‘sanctuary’. It is like a cancer patient in remission before the cures were discovered. You could treat it, kill off a lot of it, but even when you cut it out, there was always a chance that it would return. For someplace like the Amazon planet, it would likely not be ‘safe’ for fifty years or more. And I wouldn’t put anything I wanted to keep intact long-term on that planet for at least a hundred years.”

“Shuttles have landed in their designated positions. Looks like they’re setting up the fences now.”

Thirty minutes after the detonation of the nukes, the eight ‘fenceposts’ were placed and ready. Then, the moment of truth, when the fence was turned on, and no one’s suit had been eaten by nanites. So far, the whole situation had been going according to plan. At least, until the first of the freighters, Hand of Five, tried to land in the safe zone, and accidentally broke through a place where underground works had been critically weakened by the nanites eating all the support structures. But those works had also been shielded from the blast waves of the nukes.

The screams of the crew as their ship began to get eaten around them, and then their suits were eaten, exposing them to the lethal amounts of radiation in the area, were horrible to hear. So I ordered the comms officer to mute the audio. “As I said, remission and reinfection. Captain, signal the group. Jam all transmissions from the freighters. Destroy the Alamos 20K, with prejudice. I don’t trust these idiots not to have more nukes to try and ‘cleanse’ the infection. Shadowdancer and Simo Hayha are tasked to disable the Humanis Policlub and Human Nation, and use tractor beams to push them into the atmosphere so they may join their friends on the surface.”

Three warships against three freighters was no contest, and the whole ‘battle’ was really not worth describing more than likening it to swatting flies. One ‘barrel’ of Shinokage’s main weapon was enough to utterly destroy the Alamos 20K, and the two other freighters were soon disabled, and deorbiting nicely as the nanites began to consume their unprotected hulls. “Send a message to news services. Advise them that, while on a routine patrol for pirates, we encountered several freighters that ignored the quarantine warnings around the Amazon planet, and attempted to force a landing in an attempt to set up a new ‘sanctuary’. The result was a failure, with all hands lost. Attach audio of the communications from the Hand of Five, but cut it before it gets to any of the gruesome parts. Make sure to tell them that all hands in the expedition were lost.”

“At once, Admiral.”

The sensor officer looked up, “Captain, the Gateway just activated. Probes register incoming gateway from Alpha Centauri. Three ships exiting… Identifications reading as the corvettes INS Adder and INS Copperhead, but the third ship only has a generic system ID, registering it as a… Nova Eden-class colony ship. It looks brand new, but those things haven’t been made in at least fifty years, not since the second round of expansion after the Gateways were discovered ended!”

I perked up at that. “Ah, good. Captain, if you would please hail the Imperial craft, I believe our waiting here has come to an end. The Empress has just delivered our payment for helping to free Terra from the clutches of the AI.”

Previous Chapter                                       Table of Contents                                     Next Chapter



Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-stuart-grosse/1128941349?ean=2940161995297

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Chapter 156 - Marine

 

(Former Slave Market, Madrigal Base, Madrigal System)

With my spy sent off to go and get kitted out, and then start working with her hacker so they could get some kind of work relationship going, I settled back and waited for my last high priority interview to come in. Oh sure, there were still plenty of slaves to sort through and organize, but most of the surviving station crew were all set to doing much the same tasks they had been doing before, though under new management, and with some retraining going on to get them up to my standards. The various pirate crews, well, they were getting to help tear their ships apart and feed them into recyclers which would then produce ships for the Black Star Fleet. Most of the slaves that had been ‘transferred’ from the pirates to me were unskilled at anything except bedroom work, and so they were going to be getting training as well, same as the first slaves who had been part of Black Star.

The doors opened, and in walked a Marine. I could tell she was a Marine, just by the way she walked. But I could also tell that she’d had a rough time of it over the last twenty years. Alea Pakas had apparently been used as a bodyguard and ‘companion’ for several different pirate captains, but she’d also done some time in pit fights as a slave gladiator. The fact that she was still alive, even if she had scars, said a lot about her. Only problem was, her right arm was missing, just below the shoulder. Nasty fight had made it so they needed to take the arm to keep her from dying, but replacements were expensive, and with her owner short on funds, he decided to sell her.

She stood at ease, as close as she could with one arm, as I examined her. She was still in good shape, despite the arm, and her red hair was cut short, close to her head, which was an interesting look. Her face sported one nasty scar across her left eye, which had been replaced by a cybernetic one. She looked ready to drop into any fight I could send her to, so long as I gave her an arm and some weapons and armor.

“Sit down, Marine. I’m not a pirate captain looking to get you on your back. I am Mirikon Mollen, owner of the Black Star Company, and you. I’m also the Admiral in charge of the Black Star Navy, and we’re expanding the fleet, which means I need people who are skilled at their jobs. You are having this meeting now because the number of military trained people from the slave pens that weren’t psychotic assholes was literally down to just two people, and I wanted them on my team.”

When Alea had sat down in the offered chair, I continued. “I don’t know how much information you’ve got about what has been happening in the outside world, but suffice to say that the Black Star Company is the rising star of companies in the Confederacy at the moment, and the Black Star Fleet is the premier mercenary group in Known Space. Fact of the matter is, we’ve got plans that are making us build up the fleet, so we can take on responsibilities in multiple places at once. But before we get into that, we need to talk about you, and what we are going to do with you.”

Alea looked a bit confused about that, and said, “Master? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a slave. You can just order me, or turn on that damn Stepford setting and make me.”

I nodded. “Yes, you’re a slave, but that doesn’t matter as much in Black Star as it does other places. And the reason we’re talking about you is because Black Star has done work with the Confederacy. As a Confederate Marine, I could work with a friend I have in the Navy to get you returned to them as a free woman. That is an option available to you, but we both know that after twenty years, you’d get sent to counseling, likely get a nice ‘retirement’ ceremony, a basic government-issue arm to replace the one you lost, and then be kicked out into the Civilian world where you’d be on your own, looking to see what work you can find. Sure, you might luck out and be taken back and somehow manage to return to combat status, but you were a Private when you were captured, and you’d be a Private now, with people twenty years younger than you are.”

Leaning back in my chair, I said, “So that’s your first choice. Go back to the Confederacy as a free woman, head out into Civilian life, and find your way. It isn’t a bad choice, if you’ve seen enough and want to just settle down, maybe get a job in an office somewhere answering phones. However, that’s just one of your choices. I’m here to lay out what your other choices are, if you’re interested.”

The Marine frowned, and said, “Well, it might be nice to see home again, or at least let people know I’m alive. But they’ve all moved on, probably thought I was dead. And they’d want to talk about it constantly if I was a civilian. So what are my other options, before I make a decision?”

Smiling, I leaned forward. “Glad you’re at least going to hear me out. All right, so you’ve heard Option 1. Now here’s Option 2. Black Star is a big company, full of a lot of positions. We have people, both slave and free, who have gone through the same as you, or worse. Probably heard something about Jagloth getting an Exterminatus order, right? We have some of the survivors in our company. So you’ll have people around you that know what it is like to lose everything. And some of them have reinvented themselves, stepping into new fields. You want to learn to fly a shuttle? Maybe become a teacher? Pick up a trade? We’ll help you get the training you need. And, of course, we’d be getting you a new arm.”

I grinned at the woman, and said, “Of course, Option 2 might not be your thing. Flying a freighter or learning to tune an engine or becoming an artist might not seem too different from civilian life to you, except for you getting a better-quality arm out of the deal, and not needing to worry about a lot of concerns like taxes or cost of living. I’ve known Marines in two worlds, and I don’t think that’s something you’d go for, but I don’t want you thinking I’m leaving out any of your options, so I’m laying it out for you. But Option 3, well, that’s something I think you might like.” The door chimed, and I smiled, “And I have someone here to help tell you why that might be.”

The doors opened, and in walked Captain Virstina, dressed in her crisp new Black Star Navy uniform, looking worlds different from the slave who had left this same room a couple hours ago. There was a moment of shocked recognition as the two women saw each other, and the Marine shot up to her feet as the Captain walked into the room and then turned to give me a crisp naval salute. “Slave-Captain Ara Virstina reporting as ordered, Master.”

I nodded to Captain Virstina, and said, “I mentioned to Ms. Pakas here that there were two people from the Kyathaela Daven that we managed to retrieve from the pirates. After twenty years, I’m afraid it will likely be next to impossible to find any other survivors, but I thought that, as you are now a Captain in the Black Star Navy, you might like having one of your former Marines as the commander for your Marine detachment?”

Captain Virstina nodded. “Yes, Master, I would most certainly like to have even one member of my former crew under me. Did you give her the same options as you did me?”

I shrugged. “Almost. I thought I’d wait on the ‘join the Black Star Marines’ pitch until she saw you in uniform.” Turning to look at Pakas, I chuckled, seeing the state she was in. “Go ahead, Pakas, and ask Captain Virstina what you want to know.”

Pakas nodded once to me, and then looked back to Virstina. “Is… is it true? You’re a Captain on a warship, even though you’re a slave? An actual warship, in an actual navy, not a glorified pirate vessel?”

Captain Virstina nodded. “Yes, I am going to be the Captain of the BSN Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the Black Star Navy’s first battleship. But it is a big ship, and I’ll need a Marine commander I can count on in order to make sure the crew, slave and free, keep in line. Do you think you’re up to the task, Marine?”

Alea Pakas, former Confederate Marine and slave to pirates, snapped to attention as best she could, and no doubt would have saluted if she still had her arm. Military habits never really go away, after all, even if there’s some rust on them. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am!”

I nodded appreciatively. “I take it, then, you are going to take Option 3, and become a Captain in my Black Star Marine Corps? Of course, on ship you’ll have to be called Major, because we all know there’s only one Captain on a ship.”

The Marine turned crisply in place, and said, “Yes, Master! I will join your Marines.” I could practically feel the salute in her voice.

Smiling, I nodded, and said, “Then Captain Virstina, if you would escort Captain Pakas to where the Thunderfury is docked so that she can begin learning about her new force, and can talk with the Marine doctors about what she wants for her new arm? And when you send out your next message to your sister, you might also send a message to her husband and daughter, if they’re living, and tell them the good news.” I looked at the Marine, and said, “I might suggest holding off on a video message until you’re in uniform, with at least a temporary arm to fill the sleeve. It will make them see you as less ‘victim’ and more ‘survivor’.”

Pakas nodded stiffly, and I could see she was doing her best to maintain that typical Marine composure. Not wanting her efforts to go to waste, I motioned to Virstina, who nodded with a smile. Together, the two women went out into the corridor, and the door closed behind them.

I waited twenty minutes for the two women to move down the hall and around the corner where they could avoid being seen by me as I left. The cameras in the hall showed the Marine’s composure start to slip, finally, and I turned off the feed. I had no need to watch that. Let her have a bit of privacy.

I stood, and slipped out of the room, myself, turning out the lights as I left. With the disposition of the slaves recovered from the pirates done, there were still plenty of things on this station that required attention. But for now, things were going smooth. The shipyards were up and running, and the station wasn’t about to fall apart. And we’d received our payment for the anti-piracy work in this sector.

There was a lot to do, but I’d been away from Nuevo Edo for a while, so it would probably be good to check in on things there, and see how the fleet was rebuilding. Tapping my bracer as I walked, I said, “Raven, what is the status of Fourth Group?”

“All sixteen gunboats crewed and ready, and training together. Three Assassins crewed. The rest of the Fourth Group is waiting on production time in the queue at the shipyard.”

“Transfer Fourth Group production to the Madrigal Base shipyard. Fourth Group will use Madrigal Base as their base of operations. Send the ships here to relieve First Group. First Group will return to Dimiya when they arrive. Have the Starlight Raven prepped for launch as well, and let the girls know. Detach the Shadowdancer to escort us. We’re going to check in on Nuevo Edo. It has been a while since I showed my face there.”

“Understood, Admiral. Deployment orders going out now.”

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Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-stuart-grosse/1128941349?ean=2940161995297

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Chapter 155 - Spy

(Former Slave Market, Madrigal Base, Madrigal System)

Eventually, the poor hacker gathered her wits enough to dress herself, and went off to report for her new assignment. I wasn’t entirely wasting my time while I waited, as I needed to keep up with my paperwork, anyway. Being a starship captain, CEO, and Admiral all at once involves a lot of paperwork, even if you have capable assistants to shoulder most of the load.

Shortly after she left, a short Felisan female walked in, her fur a mottled array of white, tan, and brown patches, though her hands were white. I watched with interest as she sniffed at the room as she entered. The only visible sign of a reaction to whatever she scented was the way her tail drooped slightly. If I hadn’t met Kiki and been talking with the Felisan all this time in game, I would have missed the significance of that.

Deciding to get down to it, I said, “I am Mirikon Mollen, the owner of the Black Star Company, and, now, this station and all those who were on it. Your name is Konia Whitehand, correct?”

The Felisan sighed as she looked at me, and said, “That is the name I was assigned for my mission, yes. You’re the Nomad who introduced the new weapons and tactics that allowed the Empress to win the Terran Civil War, and your actions led to the rise of piracy in this sector. Yes, I am aware of who you are and what you do. Up until my superior turned traitor.”

I nodded. That was all in the basic files I’d gotten, but I wanted to know the full story. “Ah yes, the file my people got on you mentioned something about that. Tell me about your supervisor, and how he betrayed you. What agency did you work for?”

‘Konia’ sighed, and said, “I am… was Alliance Intelligence. With piracy on the rise, and the Kul’tirans losing local mercenary contracts due to being humiliated by you, things have been getting more and more dangerous in this sector. My mission was to infiltrate the pirate organizations on this side of the border, and see if there was some way to turn them against each other, to hopefully get them to kill themselves off and leave merchants alone. But my supervisor betrayed me to that snake Gilwarin. Turns out he was getting kickbacks this whole time, for helping to get the Kul’tirans knocked off some of those contracts!”

“I see. Then I guess it would no doubt please you to learn that Gilwarin is dead, having served his purpose as a means to get my forces onto this station. The pirate clans of this sector have been all but wiped out. At the very least, piracy will be going down back to ‘normal’ levels on this side of the border soon enough.”

The Felisan nodded, and said, “Then if you could arrange for my transfer back to Alliance Intelligence, I would be able to bring my old supervisor to justice.”

“And that is where we start to have problems. You worked for an intelligence group. Tell me, if an agent was captured by pirates, liberated from the pirates by another party, and then just returned to your group, would you trust what they say? Of course not. You’d debrief them, sure, but anything they said would be searched through for counter-intelligence, and you’d put the agent through extensive psychological and other screening to check for conditioning. Especially when the group that returned them is an interstellar group like Black Star, with access to all sorts of things from various places.”

Konia looked like she wanted to argue, but didn’t seem like she could come up with a good argument against what I’d said at the moment. “So even if you went back to your people, you would not be believed, especially if your supervisor was even the slightest bit competent in preparing for your ‘disappearance’ and planted a false trail about you ‘going rogue’. Without evidence that wasn’t tainted by coming from the group you were just released by, you would be seen as compromised, and you’d be very lucky if you weren’t buried somewhere nice and quiet while your supervisor continued his career, though perhaps under a bit more scrutiny.”

Slowly, Konia nodded her head. “Yes, that is probably what would happen, but I have to try. I won’t let him get away with what he did to me, and I won’t leave him in a position where he can do it to other agents, either. He has to pay for what he’s done!”

I smiled at the Felisan. She had some rage, but she didn’t let it rule her. That was good. Rage was helpful, but it could be destructive if it wasn’t properly honed. “Well, in that case, it probably doesn’t surprise you that I know quite a few people who know other people who know how to deal with problems. Call them ‘fixers’, ‘troubleshooters’, or ‘assassins’, but they are able to make problems disappear. And, if you gave me the information you have on your superior, I’d be willing to get in touch with them, and arrange for them to make sure he is no longer an issue for anyone, ever again.”

The Felisan’s eyes narrowed as she looked at me, her ears moving slightly backward as she regarded me with some caution. “And what, exactly, would you want for all of this? I can smell at least two women’s… excitement in this room. You aren’t intending to add me to the harem you are reported to keep, are you?”

I laughed, and said, “Well, there seem to be some misconceptions that came up when a man was sitting here telling female slaves who had been given companion training that he was their new owner. I actually lost twenty credits when you didn’t do as they did and try to at least ‘show off the goods’. Once you heard I was your new Master.”

Seeing the smirk on the Felisan’s face, I continued, “But no, I’m not going to add you to my harem. The reports about that are true, by the way, though they require a lot of attention. At any rate, I am more interested in your abilities as a spy. My forces are becoming more expansive, which requires me to become more mobile instead of staying at a base near Dimiya, or visiting Nuevo Edo. I have people who gather information for me, of course, but that is mostly involving hacking computers or other electronic means of intelligence acquisition. They don’t have the personal touch needed to get turn and manage contacts.”

Konia blinked once, twice, three times, her mouth hanging slightly open. “You want me to come work for you… as a spy? Against who? I was primarily working as a government agent, not corporate espionage.”

I nodded. “As I said, Black Star is expanding. We’re already located in two polities, and we’re likely going to be entering into more areas as time goes by. But a large portion of our personnel and materiel and logistics base is centered in the Confederacy. This means that if things in the Confederacy ever suddenly turned sour for us, that we would be substantially weakened. The best way to keep that from happening is to have the information and analysis we need ahead of time, so we can plan and move forces around, or thwart whatever changes were being talked about. And to do that…”

“You need spies.”

“Exactly. Oh, I’m not saying that it won’t be a challenge. It absolutely will be, especially since both Confederate Intelligence and Naval Intelligence are both aware of my capabilities (at least those I’ve shown them), and they will be watching any new ‘hires’ that get posted to Dimiya, suspecting some of them may be doing just what you will be. You may even have some trying to flip you, and make you a spy against me. But you would be in the field, and you’d be leading your department. Compared to endless psych evals and having people work over you with mental psy to ensure you remain loyal if you went back to the Alliance.”

The Felisan nodded slowly. “And you would actually let me choose? Why not order me to do it and be done? You can do that, since I have this collar on my neck.”

“Of course, I could do that, but unless I used Stepford protocols on you, it would not ensure obedience. A spy that is actively angry with you and working against you from inside your organization is even more dangerous than one from outside, especially if they control what information you hear, and how it is presented. And if I turned the Stepford part on, well, you should know how it makes those under its effects slightly dumb. They simply aren’t able to act as… organically when they’ve been turned into drones with programmed responses. And that simply isn’t tenable in a spy. So I need you willing to work for me. Otherwise, I need to find something else to do with you, whether it is selling you back to the alliance, or finding another part of my organization to put you in.”

Konia nodded slowly, and said, “And if I work for you willingly, you’ll take out my old supervisor? What guarantees do I have that you won’t simply dispose of me like he did?”

I leaned back in my chair, and said, “Because if you come and work for me, you’ll be a Black Star. And whether they are slaves or free, Black Star always looks out for its own. I won’t lie to you. People have died in my service in the past, and more will probably die for me in the future. But I don’t waste their lives or throw them into the fire without support unless the situation is truly desperate. And when that happens, they will know it going in. Because that is what they deserve.”

“And what kind of cover would you be providing for me? What support personnel do you have lined up? Logistics will also be a concern. And technical support?”

“I take it that is a yes, and you’ll be my spy on Dimiya?”

The Felisan took a breath, and then nodded. “Yes, damn it. I’ll be your spy on Dimiya. Now, what about my support?”

“I have already secured the services of a hacker that shows great promise. She will be serving under your direction. As I am not entirely familiar with what is needed for running a spy ring, once the two of you are together I’ll put you in contact with my associate Raven, who will work with you to pull together the basics of what is needed for this to work. And if you will give me the information on your supervisor, then I will have the contract for him in place before you leave for Dimiya.”

The Felisan nodded her head. “Very well. Understand that, like most agents, he goes by a variety of names. However, he is more skilled with information management than physical disguises, which is why he works primarily in an office, rather than in the field. I’m sending you my implant recordings of him, including full sensory mapping. His name is…”

(In-Game Private Chat Line, Smoker’s Den)

M.Mollen: And his name is Edgar Snyder, though he has at least a dozen aliases. However, the intelligence does include full-sensory mapped scans of the target, from a variety of angles, and a list of their favored places for meets, which should allow you to work from there.

Requiesce-in-Pace: I must say that, after how we first met in game, I had not expected to have you contacting me for a job. I have talked with the Smoker’s Club, and they agree that a business relationship between us is agreeable. Your target is rather low profile. Is this a ‘trust-building’ job, or something personal?

M.Mollen: The new asset had scores to settle, and helping zero those accounts makes the asset a reliable worker without the use of Stepford protocols, which are not useful for any skilled position. However, should this happen as agreed, then should any further troubles arise, then you would be the first troubleshooter I look to.

Requiesce-in-Pace: This is acceptable to us. We will take the job. Given the information about the target, and the remoteness of the region, the contract for this job will be 750,000 credits, flat, or 200,000 credits with a line for expenses necessary for reaching and eliminating the target.

M.Mollen: 750,000 is acceptable, provided that the target’s reputation is publicly outed as an Alliance Intelligence agent, and his reputation is destroyed.

Requiesce-in-Pace: Vicious, even for you.

M.Mollen: Traitors don’t deserve memorials.

Requiesce-in-Pace: Very well, we will take the contract.

M.Mollen: The money will be in the appropriate account in 24 hours.

Previous Chapter                                       Table of Contents                                     Next Chapter



Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-stuart-grosse/1128941349?ean=2940161995297

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Chapter 154 - Hacker

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Chapter 153 - Pilot and Mechanic

(Former Slave Market, Madrigal Base, Madrigal System)

With the captain for the new flagship of First Group decided, I sent Captain Virstina back to her room to gather her things and then report to the navy part of the station for processing and an assessment on how much retraining she’d need before she was up to speed on current weapons and tactics. I’d brought her on board for her experience in larger craft, which we lacked as a Navy, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to make sure she wasn’t trained up as well as my current crews.

Looking down at my tablet, I sent a call for my next interviewee to be sent in. Pilots, especially pilots who specialized in craft that were wholly experimental, were always needed in any organization like ours. Frankly, not everyone is cut out to be a pilot. Flying small ships was exhilarating, but not many could handle the pressure of combat in those conditions. Flying a fighter was different from steering a warship, after all.

The door opened, and in walked an Ihm female, standing just over 1.5 meters tall. She was short for an Ihm, even a female, who were generally shorter and slimmer than the males, but according to her files she was an expert in hand-to-hand combat, among other things. Probably done as part of her Bodyguard training. I watched, interested, as she sniffed the air, and then sighed slightly, trying not to let me see the action. I knew that Ihm had a sensitive sense of smell, but it was impressive that she’d clearly figured out what had happened just before.

I pointed to the chair across the table from me. “Sit down.” When she’d sat, I said, “My name is Mirikon Mollen.” Her eyes went wide, and I grinned. “I see you recognize the name. Well, as you know, you are the property of the Black Star Company now. Which means, when it comes down to it, that you belong to me. The reason we are having this conversation is because I think there are better ways to use you than simply making you an exotic sex pet to be rented out as people see fit. Your name is Drah Sross, yes? Or is there another name you wish to be called? Oh, and you may speak freely in this interview unless I say otherwise.”

Drah took a breath, and then said, “Well, fine then. Yeah, the name’s Drah. So, if you’re not here to make me your next conquest, then what is going on here? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not missing getting put up on auction to be some pirate’s bedmate, but I don’t see why the guy in charge would be talking to me.”

“Well, the answer to that is simple. You are listed as a pilot, yes? With a specialty in experimental craft? The attitude it takes to do something like that is not exactly common. That you were a test pilot and still have all your limbs means you were good, and you were lucky, which is even rarer. So, the question I have for you, Drah Sross, is this. Do you want to be a pilot again, instead of lifting your tail for every pirate who wants to try something new?”

Drah bristled at that comment, but then according to the information we had on file, she hadn’t been a slave that long, only a few months, actually. That would explain the difference in her attitude with Virstina’s. “Of course I want to be a pilot! Why in the abyss would I want to do… that with anyone but a proper mate?”

I smiled at her, and said, “Excellent. Then in that case, there are several options for you. If you feel you have ‘settled down’ a bit, and no longer wish to do anything too experimental, there are always warships and freighters that could use an experienced hand at the helm.” The look of disgust on her face was clear enough, so I continued. “On the other hand, there are two different projects you might be attached to, if you’re looking for something ‘interesting’.”

Drah leaned forward, clearly interested at the prospect of doing something new and interesting. “What is it? You’re building some kind of experimental ship?”

“Ah, well, the first option would be for you to join our cadre of fighter pilots. We’ve currently got three basic types of fighters. The Raptor is a stealth interceptor, the Thunderbolt IV is a space superiority fighter, and the Dragon is a bomber. Of course, being a fighter pilot is a lot of excitement and danger, interspersed with a lot of training and boredom.”

I paused, and then said, “The second option, however, is not so much an experimental craft, but one using known technology in new ways. You are familiar with the X’thari, and their anchor drives, yes?” When she nodded her head, I continued, “The four weaknesses of the Anchor Drive is that they have a long charge time, they announce their presence before you arrive, and they must have either the start point or the end point in the vicinity of a Gateway. This need not be right next to the Gateway, of course, but within a radius of about forty light-minutes. Of course, since the arrival is easily detected anywhere within a solar system, these are critical weaknesses on their own. However, the fourth weakness is the reason why the X’thari drives are not typically used in most ships. Any X’thari in the area who detect a non-X’thari using an Anchor Drive appear hardwired to seek and destroy the offending vessel, ignoring everything else, even their own safety or any mission they had been on.”

“You’re building a ship with an Anchor Drive? Why?”

“Oh no. I’m building a ship with two Anchor Drives, charged separately and ready to use within moments of each other. Officially, the ship is an advanced scout ship that we’ll be using to explore the Gateway network and look for planets suitable for colonization. Naturally, that is just a cover, though one we will be actively working on. In truth, the Heartseeker is being built for one purpose, and one purpose alone. To find the X’thari homeworld.”

“I’m in!”

With Drah’s enthusiastic acceptance of the role as the Heartseeker’s pilot, I smiled as I mentally ticked off another box on the checklist of things I needed to do in order to give the X’thari reason not to come wrecking my plans any more. Expanding the Fleet was one thing. But the Heartseeker would give me the ability to reach out and give them something to think about.

After Drah left to get transferred to Fleet control, I summoned the next candidate. Ozman Redmantle was short and stout, like all Gauz males. Unlike most, he kept his beard short and well-maintained. Well, short for a Gauz, at any rate. The beard was about twenty centimeters in length, and didn’t have any of the normal braids or baubles most gauz favored. It was a habit common amongst gauz engineers, as well as other professions where long beards were a safety hazard (such as all lab sciences). He sat in the offered chair without comment, watching me like he was trying to figure out how I worked and what I was up to.

“I’ll keep this simple, since I am well aware that gauz have no patience for pointless talk. My name is Mirikon Mollen, and I’m your new owner. I have a whole fleet of ships, and I’m building more. That means I’m going to need engineers to keep them running and get the most out of them. The fact that you were part of the Consortium Navy is a point in your favor, as their certification process includes working knowledge of a large variety of ship systems, from shuttles to freighters to superdreadnoughts. Is this correct?”

Ozman nodded once. “Aye, that’s right enough, though only on the top level. No secret, but the training goes beyond just familiarity. As I told y’er people during the ‘sorting’ process, I was the chief engineer on the Nateak, which is a frigate. I was on leave, visitin’ me cousin in the Alliance, when the pirates got me. So, what kind of ship are you looking to put me on?”

I chuckled, and said, “Well, if you’re looking for a more sedentary life, after your ordeal with the pirates, I could always find a nice freighter or work in the shipyards for you. Be nice and safe, if a little bit boring.”

The Gauz looked at me like I’d just insulted his mother. “Ugh, no! No way am I ready to go and be put out to pasture with those damned yard monkeys! Those idiots think their precious schematics and manuals have all the answers, and don’t know a thing about being a true engineer!”

Smiling at the man, I said, “Yes, I thought you’d say that. In another life, I was an engineer, as well. You won’t be happy unless you were on the decks of a warship, keeping the engines in tune and making sure that your ship can keep running even with everything going to hell around you, because the people who keep the ship fighting when the damage comes in are the ones who truly decide whether their ship lives or dies.”

“Y’er not wrong about that, Master. You’re definitely an engineer, or ye knew one long enough to pick up on some things. So, now that we’ve established that you and I both know I’m best suited for working on a warship, what kind of ship are you thinking of?”

“Well, have you ever worked on a battleship before, Ozman? The first of our Wrath-class battleships is currently under construction, using plans modified from the Imperial Navy’s Vindicator-class heavy battleships. The Wrath-class incorporates technology Black Star has developed, as well as what we captured from the X’thari to be an incredible force of destruction when it comes to battles in space. It would not be out of line to say that one could go toe to toe with a modern superdreadnought and come out ahead, so long as the engineering staff are good at their jobs. And if the engineers were trained to the standards of the Consortium, which is known for having some impressive engineering…”

“Ah, yes, I can see what you be sayin’. But why go and copy the Vindicators? Those things are twenty years old, and they’ve got nothing on the Dhumal-class.” Ozman blinked, and said, “Wait a moment. Your group was involved in the Civil War the impies had, right? You stole their ship designs? How much did you get?”

I chuckled, and said, “Oh, only all current and historical Imperial Navy designs. Official designs only, of course. Experimental ships that never became production models, or those designed for other branches, like the Intelligence departments, weren’t included in the data we were able to ‘liberate’. Of course, the ship is still being built, so a Gauz engineer to help iron out the details wouldn’t be a bad idea. Especially since he knows what goes into keeping a warship running in battle.”

Ozman nodded slowly. “You’ve mentioned battle a couple times. You planning on going to war with someone?”

I shrugged, and said, “Oh, not any of the groups in Known Space, though if they come at me, then I’m not going to simply sit there and let them hit me without a response. No, I’m primarily thinking about the X’thari, and any other potentially hostile groups that may be out there. We’ve already tangled with the X’thari once, and come out on top, but they bled us plenty. I’d rather enjoy a chance to make them bleed instead.”

“And for that, you need a Navy, and ships that can bring the pain. My uncle fought in the last X’thari wars, and those were nasty as hell. Fine, Master, you’ve got yourself an engineer. Can’t wait to see what my new ship will be like. Stupid pirates don’t know how to keep their ships in order. Even this station is just barely holding together!”

“Well, suffice to say I have people working on that. Now, if you’ll head out the door, the person outside will show you where to go to get situated. And please send in my next interview.”

“Will do, Master.”

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Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-stuart-grosse/1128941349?ean=2940161995297

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T