Soldiers of God

By Steven M. Moore

She discovers interesting connections: one man is behind it all! And she has to stop him.

Caitlin Murphy is that F.B.I. agent. Like all the author's strong female characters, she's smart, determined, and good at solving problems--except her own. Her relationship with the priest troubles her. She worries about the future of the country. And she knows one person can only do so much.

With mystery, political intrigue, thrills, and romance, this completely rewritten e-book second edition of the sci-fi novel Soldiers of God constructs the bridge between the author’s “Clones and Mutants Trilogy” and his “Chaos Chronicles Trilogy.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven M. Moore
• Release date: Sep 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781772420524

Steven M. Moore

If you’re reading this, thank you. Not many people find me...or recognize me as an author of many genre fiction novels. Maybe it’s because my name is too common—I thought once about using a pen name...and probably should have. Maybe it’s because I don’t get many reviews. (It's not hard to write one once you've read one of my books: just say what you like and dislike in a few lines, and why.) I know you have many good books and good authors to choose from, so I’m honored and humbled that you are considering or have read some of mine.You’re here on Smashwords because you love to read. Me too. Okay, maybe you’re here to give someone the gift of an entertaining book—that’s fine too. I love to tell stories, so either way, you’ll be purchasing some exciting fiction, each book unique and full of action and interesting characters, scenes, and themes. Some are national, others international, and some are mixed; some are in the mystery/suspense/thriller category, others sci-fi, and some are mixed-genre. There are new ones and there are evergreen ones, books that are as fresh and current as the day I wrote them. (You should always peruse an author's entire oeuvre. I find many interesting books to read that way.)I started telling stories at an early age, making my own comic books before I started school and writing my first novel the summer I turned thirteen—little of those early efforts remain (did I hear a collective sigh of relief?). I collected what-ifs and plots, character descriptions, possible settings, and snippets of dialogue for years while living in Colombia and different parts of the U.S. (I was born in California and eventually settled on the East Coast after that sojourn in South America). I also saw a bit of the world and experienced other cultures at scientific events and conferences and with travel in general, always mindful of what should be important to every fiction writer—the human condition. Fiction can’t come alive—not even sci-fi—without people (they might be ET people in the case of sci-fi, of course).I started publishing what I'd written in 2006—short stories, novellas, and novels—we’d become empty-nesters and I was still in my old day-job at the time. Now I’m a full-time writer. My wife and I moved from Boston to the NYC area a while back, so both cities can be found in some novels, along with many others in the U.S. and abroad.You can find more information about me at my website: https://stevenmmoore.com. I’m also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorStevenMMoore; and Twitter @StevenMMoore4.I give away my short fiction; so does my collaborator A. B. Carolan who writes sci-fi mysteries for young adults. See my blog categories "Steve's Shorts," "ABC Shorts," and the list of free PDF downloads on my web page "Free Stuff & Contests" at my website (that list includes my free course "Writing Fiction" that will be of interest mainly to writers).I don't give away my novels. All my ebooks are reasonably priced and can be found here at Smashwords, including those I've published with Black Opal Books (The Last Humans) and Penmore Press (Rembrandt's Angel and Son of Thunder). I don't control either prices or sales on those books, so you can thank those traditional publishers for also providing quality entertainment for a reasonable price. That's why you won't find many sales of my books either. They're now reserved for my email newsletter subscribers. (If you want to subscribe, query me using [e-mail].)My mantra has always been the following: If I can entertain at least one reader with each story, that story is a success. But maybe I can do better than that? After all, you found me!Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

Book preview

The Clones and Mutants Trilogy

Full Medical

Evil Agenda

No Amber Waves of Grain

The Chaos Chronicles Trilogy

Survivors of the Chaos

Sing a Samba Galactica

Come Dance a Cumbia…with Stars in Your Hand!

The Chen and Castilblanco Series

The Midas Bomb

Angels Need Not Apply

Pop Two Antacids and Have Some Java (anthology)

Teeter-Totter between Lust and Murder

Aristocrats and Assassins

The bridge to The Clones and Mutants Series

The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan

Other works

The Secret Lab (young adult novel)

Pasodobles in a Quantum Stringscape (anthology

Reviewers’ Acclaim

Full Medical

Moore has a solid grasp of the science behind his future, and it makes this book all the more frightening and believable. It's a cautionary tale, one that hopefully is not too late to take heed of. I strongly recommend this book. I immediately purchased the other book in his Clones and Mutants series. I hope it's close to being as good as this one was; if it is, I will be very satisfied.

—S. D. Beallis, in his reader review

Survivors of the Chaos

Steve masterfully weaves layer upon layer of what appear--at first--to be disassociated people, until he immerses you with an uneasy feeling that his tapestry will unfold into a frightening picture of a universe struggling to virtually become one with machines. It does. Along the fear-provoking voyage, three hesitant heroes ascend beyond the madness. A mild Midwesterner becomes a vigilante, an astrophysicist struggles to save alien artifacts, and a mob enforcer finds a new life aboard a starship. The events of this novel launch you through a disquieted galaxy peppered with a roster of characters that would make a casting director envious, highly detailed space scenes, and an inspiring plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

—David W. Menefee, Pulitzer-prize nominated author and reviewer for Book Pleasures

Don’t Miss Steve’s Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series…

The Midas Bomb

[This book] is a very well-written, action-packed thriller. The author quickly introduces some very interesting characters. It took a few chapters for me to sort them all out. The plot is intriguing and thought provoking with many twists and turns along the way. I found myself wondering if something like this scenario could really happen? I do have one little criticism. The author chose to change scenes in the middle of pages without notification. Sometimes it took a few paragraphs before I realized the scene had changed, particularly early in the story. However, once I figured out the author’s style, I really got into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

—Paul Johnson, for Readers’ Favorite

Angels Need Not Apply

I enjoyed this thriller featuring Detectives Chen and Castilblanco, who are put on a murder investigation that ends up tied into a larger scale terrorism investigation. It had a lot going on but brought the various storylines into a satisfying conclusion. Interesting characters abound in this tale, and that makes it even more fun to read. This was a sequel of sorts to The Midas Bomb, but stands very easily on its own. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys intrigue and action in thrillers.

—S. D. Beallis, in his reader review

Teeter-Totter between Lust and Murder

Chen and Castilblanco together again—this time in a police crime thriller—loved it! This is solid work—two lead characters who are as opposite as can be but who form a perfect crime fighting combo. What I especially like about this book is that everything was laid out in front of the reader—there were any number of suspects—and I let myself be led down a trail only to be shocked at who actually did it! Great writing—wonderful character development—I think the best yet from this author!

—Annie Laurie, in her reader review

Pop Two Antacids and Have Some Java

If you're familiar with Detectives Chen and Castilblanco from this author's other books…, then this collection of short stories provides some insight into their relationship as friends and partners. It's a nice way to get to know the characters better. If you haven't read [the other] books, this collection still stands on its own….

Either way, this book is great for anyone who enjoys a good thriller/detective story but doesn't have a lot of time to spend solving the case. The individual stories (some featuring both detectives, and some occurring before they partnered up) are still very gripping and exciting without confining you to one case for an extended period.

—Serenity Carson, in her reader review

Aristocrats and Assassins

You know all those traditional things in plots, like the beginning, the turn, the rise of the conflict, the middle, the raising of the stakes, the twist, the final battle, the climax, and the catharsis? Well, this story has them all. And it is all woven very expertly together. There are also a few surprises along the way. Characters die when you don’t expect. Characters escape from situations where you don’t expect. Characters that you thought weren’t important turn out to have pivotal roles. In short, there’s plenty of little twists and turns along the way.

--GoodBadBizarre, from their reader review

Watch for another new Chen and Castilblanco adventure, The Collector—to be released in 2014.

And here’s a book related to, but not part of, the Chen and Castilblanco series, the bridge to The Clones and Mutants Series…

The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan

Let me begin this review by saying that I really enjoy dystopian fiction. 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and the like are all favorites of mine. Without giving too much away, this book contains several elements of near-future dystopian fiction with a plotline that involves a conspiracy that is obviously science fiction, but is still just plausible enough to make you think.

Chen and Castilblanco, the protagonists of previous stories set in the same fictional universe, play relatively minor roles here. Instead, the focus is on middle-aged Homeland Security agent Ashley Scott who rather inadvertently stumbles into a government facility playing host to some highly suspicious activity. Several chapters give you a look into the shadowy characters of Raven and Hawk, who are somehow related to the mysterious operation Scott uncovers and eventually becomes a victim of.

This book is a page-turner that keeps you guessing until the end. Late in the story, a bombshell is dropped that will make you gasp if you've read the Chen and Castilblanco books. Even if you haven't, there's plenty of suspense and thrills to go around. Ashley Scott, despite her age, is a strong leading lady who you'll almost certainly develop an admiration for by the end of the book.

—Serenity Carson, in her reader review

If you like conflicted, kick-ass female protagonists like Ashley Scott, meet ex-Master at Arms Mary Jo Melendez, who will make her debut later in 2014, in Muddlin’ Through…watch for it!

Dedication

To all those courageous people willing to stand against hate and extremism of all kinds, I salute you. May you have the numbers and strength to yank mankind from its dark and tribal past and save our planet for future generations.

Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.—Tacitus

Prolog

Wichita, Kansas, November 2037

The President has been shot!

Sheila Remington appeared asleep. A small pool of blood beneath her right cheek signaled the nation’s loss of a great leader. Secret Service Agent Bob Nash hung his head. He had failed her.

He knew the news would be displayed on diverse infonets almost as soon as it happened. Text messages would scroll with details. Live video would stream onto screens of TVs, computers, smart phones, and other devices. The marquee in Times Square would announce it to astonished New Yorkers. Hosts would interrupt mid-afternoon talk shows with news from the scene.

He had risen from the stage and hurried to the President. Even with the wind knocked out of him, he rushed to give assistance. As he knelt beside her and tested for a pulse, he soon realized he could do nothing. He looked back at other dignitaries who had sought cover. Only the President’s Chief of Staff was injured.

***

Bob Nash’s day had started badly. He nearly missed the plane at Andrews. The President had kidded him about it. As Air Force One taxied, he received a call from his girlfriend announcing she dumped him. Next, to complete fate’s smack down, before the plane landed in Wichita, he saw a report on the CNN investment infonet where he learned he lost a ton of money on some stock he had put in a buy-order for the previous evening.

With all the bad news, he already knew the day wasn’t one of his better ones. He never imagined it could become worse.

The good news was the report from the advance team that the city and university campus were quiet, somewhat surprising because the rest of the Midwest was in crisis. St. Louis had been under martial law for three months. Chicago had quieted down after gangs of young men and women rioted four days earlier when the local pro soccer team lost the national championship to Houston. Kansas City was in the fifth week of a sanitation workers’ strike that made the city smell like fermented human waste.

Yes, Wichita was peaceful. Expectant about the visit from their favorite daughter, yet peaceful. There were the usual protestors with hastily drawn and sometimes clever signs proclaiming a number of causes; they were few and self-restrained. Radical, but not violent. At least for the moment.

The President’s entourage deplaned and climbed into three sleek new black hydrogen-fueled limos that came onto the tarmac to greet them. The first car was filled with Secret Service agents, the second with some staff and press. President Remington and her Chief of Staff climbed into the third, along with Nash.

They had done this many times. The President liked to travel around the country and meet her constituents face to face. She also took many trips outside the country and often flew in late to conferences and diplomatic meetings on the Presidential scramjet long after her entourage landed on Air Force One. She enjoyed popularity overseas, although the US didn’t. Now she was home.

The drive to campus took about a half hour. After their arrival at the large auditorium, it took another ten minutes to position everyone and allow the President enough time to adjust her hair and makeup so she could meet the public.

They set up a small area for her backstage. As she composed herself, she studied Nash.

You look tired, Bob.

Not a good day so far, he explained.

Personal problems?

My girlfriend dumped me, for one. Nothing I won’t get over. Comes with the job. You’re a little pale yourself, Madame President.

Yes, I could use a drink. Nash offered her his flask. I presume this is the usual?

Twelve-year-old Jameson’s, he replied.

She sniffed, sighed, and took a swallow. In seconds, her color returned. She handed the flask back to him.

Now I’m all set. Shall we do it?

Knock ’em dead, Madame President.

He put the flask away without drinking any. He kept it for her. He never drank on the job. She didn’t even drink enough to satisfy her cardiologist.

He moved around behind stage to the edge where he could watch both behind and front. He had done this so many times he needed to be careful not to go on automatic pilot.

Always expect the unexpected.

***

As dignitaries moved onstage, Bob surveyed the crowd. His comrades spread throughout the auditorium did the same. Advance team members had moved among the audience for hours. All were nervous, much more so than the President. She never seemed nervous—always trusting her bodyguards and too trusting of her audiences.

Bob looked at the President, who smiled back at him. They understood each other, although his roots were in Maine and she was from Kansas.

Maybe my luck changed and this will be a piece of cake.

***

A gifted public speaker, President Remington was on the debating team in both high school and college and did lots of summer theater. Her formal speeches were all notable as far as Nash was concerned. For example, he knew her first inaugural address was already studied as an important one in American history. She had proposed a plan for the nation and stuck to it, getting most of her initiatives through Congress by sometimes cajoling, sometimes dealing, and sometimes taking the battle to the public via media and internet. They were already calling her Lady Solomon for her artistry in bringing about compromise.

Her gift for public speaking was remarkable considering she had overcome a childhood lisp. Born in Wichita, Kansas, she moved to Omaha, Nebraska with her family when she was two. There she grew up loving the great outdoors. Her lisp disappeared as she became more involved in environmental activities. Those led to politics by way of work in public policy and law degrees. In her first major political job as district attorney for Omaha, her colleagues knew her for the logic and eloquence of her arguments, even in cases she lost. Her career took off from there.

Yes, she lost her first try at a congressional seat, and yes, she lost her first run for governor, but she had won every election since then. She became President in 2032 in a contested and dirty election, her opponent claiming a woman would be soft on crime and terrorism. The same opponent challenged her again in 2036, but she won again—most of the American public liked what they saw during the first four years. In spite of growing energy and national security problems, most people respected her and wanted her leadership. She was the steady hand at the helm the ship of state needed.

She was no Lincoln, but she managed to hold back the tide of balkanization, a cancer eating at the rest of the world as quarreling ethnicities and religious groups demanded the right to govern themselves. She was a populist in many ways, socially liberal and fiscally conservative. She didn’t like big government and often spoke in favor of states’ rights, the latter winning her favor with growing separatist and radical factions spread across the US promoting secession from the union for various reasons, mostly economic. She had tried to appease various other radical groups, attempting to bring them to the bargaining table with promises of amnesty if they laid down their arms. Many from the far right wing of her own party stated these attempts to broker peace were evidence that maybe her electoral opponent had been right about her being soft on crime.

Sheila Remington in many ways didn’t fit the professional politician’s mold from either party. She had her own agenda and her own thoughts on the way the country should be run. She also paid attention to what people thought. She seemed unafraid of big business and unions and did her best to lead the charge against government waste and corruption.

Both she and her husband had been helicopter pilots in Afghanistan and Iraq. She left the service, but her husband stayed on to fight. A widow at twenty-nine, she raised three children alone. She never remarried. She was a steady churchgoer yet deplored fanaticism in all forms. She especially disliked those who appealed to people’s religious fervor for political gain.

***

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Sheila Remington.

She strode to the podium with confidence. Even without high heels she was a half-head taller than the Provost of the University of Southern Kansas, who wasn’t a small man. She often wore flats because of foot problems that tormented her since her basketball days at the University of Wyoming. Her auburn hair was its natural color. At fifty-two, she was still a striking woman.

She was also intelligent enough to be a research scientist, an important surgeon, or CEO of a major corporation. She had chosen to become CEO of the United States government instead.

Mr. Provost, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is good to return to the heartland. I didn’t stay here long as a kid, but Wichita and Omaha are more home to me than Washington DC.

There were some cheers and whistles. She seemed to relax and looked around the auditorium, finally setting her gaze on the first rows. It was a diverse audience of shining young faces. She did well among the young. They worked for her in election campaigns, their efforts often generating resonance far beyond what she or political pundits expected.

The press corps treated her fairly, but the media wasn’t what it used to be. Infonets and ezines with their cryptic stories and streaming video had diminished the ranks of traditional reporters and photographers, so much so the traditional newspaper was mostly replaced by online computer and cell phone freebies and subscriptions. Most people used electronic butlers to sift through news to find what fit their personal profiles. Infonets and ezines still needed to approach sources of the news, though, so they had managed to squeeze an impressive number of reporters and videocam operators into the auditorium. Most of those weren’t seated.

My new Chief of Staff, Jimmy Ito, he’s from Hawaii, ladies and gentlemen, and he’s just confessed he’s never been to the heartland. Jimmy, take a bow.

Jimmy, sitting next to the Provost, stood and bowed. There were boos, yet applause was still warm. Jimmy had been seen on infonets a lot since she named him Chief of Staff. A lot of people across the country believed she had chosen well. He was a solid family man with a pretty wife and three children. Bob Nash also knew the man could throw down a few and tell some good jokes.

He’s flown over it many times, but this is first time on the ground here. He says he likes it a lot. Now there were cheers. Hey, I’ve promised him a big juicy steak tonight. Do you think Wichita can deliver on that?

There was a chorus of yeas and more cheers and whistles in response.

’Course, it’s a wonder there’s any real beef left in the Great Plains after the last administration.

The comment brought a chorus of laughs and catcalls. In his last year in office, Sheila’s predecessor had failed to help cattle ranchers when a series of blizzards hit Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming, and almost ruined the cattle business. Because beef was now forty-five dollars a pound, thirty thousand dead cattle represented a substantial investment. Many ranchers declared bankruptcy.

Well, enough of the culinary theme. I have come to talk to you about space. Now, you ask yourselves, why does this old hag come all the way to Wichita to talk about that?

She looked around the audience. The young faces looked expectant. The reporters were ready to pounce on any US policy change, but the topic was a surprise. The media’s pundits already predicted for Wichita a safe talk about cattle, pork, and grain futures, or something similar.

There was a time when Missouri and Kansas began the great American frontier, the starting place for new expansion for this nation. Two centuries ago pioneers battled tremendous odds to push west. In them was the same adventurous spirit of our forefathers who braved stormy seas of the Atlantic and settled Plymouth and Jamestown. We lost that spirit because we don’t have a frontier anymore.

There was also a time when the US was a leader in space exploration. Not any more. We don’t do much space exploration now. We have become indifferent, people think it costs too much, and it’s become too commercialized. Frankly, national consensus is Europeans and Asians do it better. In a strict scientific or business sense, I suppose that’s a correct assessment, but it isn’t my point today.

She turned and used her remote to key on a big overhead projector, a huge flat screen panel more like a clear window into another universe.

Ladies and gentlemen, and especially young students in the crowd, I believe we are ignoring our destiny. Our destiny is to populate the solar system, to explore and colonize. Americans were always explorers. If we stop now, we will stagnate.

A magnificent picture of the hundred meter high frozen methane dunes on the equator of Titan with ringed Saturn poised overhead filled the screen. She paused for effect. If she could make her conservative constituents in the heartland understand this message, if she could motivate them, she knew she could win the battle in DC.

Yes, space is the last frontier and everything we do there seems to help us here. I remind you that, before those blizzards came, my predecessor saved the cattle business in the heartland from a plague by using new drugs developed in microgravity research aboard the International Space Station. He did some things right, you see.

There were some smiles and knowing nods from some audience members. She knew many were still surprised by the topic and wondered where she was going with her speech. Some would also notice she didn’t mention how resistant ranchers had been to using those new drugs. They were forced to use them by a desperate government.

***

Bob Nash remembered those past events well.

It was like making your children take their daily vitamins. Afterwards, sometimes years later, they realized it was good for them.

His alert eyes focused on a student in the second row who seemed a little fidgety. Were those beads of sweat on his brow? He pulled out a small pair of binoculars, not much more than old-fashioned opera glasses. He used them for crowd control.

Nah, only a youthful sheen on that forehead.

He kept surveying the crowd with the glasses though, studying faces.

What can the President do about it? How can I get you motivated? Well, we all know Congress is often motivated by money. The formula is simple: when people at home make money, their congressman is re-elected. Well, there’s money to be made in space. We can no longer afford to let Europeans and Asians monopolize its exploration and its exploitation. I think excitement about the exploration will return once we’re out there again. The bill I’m trying to move through Congress, co-authored by your representative and one from Nebraska, will pour money into space research in much the same way NIH works hand-in-hand with drug companies to develop new drugs. Not very efficient even with all the reforms, but effective. So, here are details on how we’ll do it.

She clicked to the next slide, one filled with four cartoons with arrows connecting them. It was a slide one spoke to, using the cartoons to help people remember relationships.

She paused to take a sip of water. Nash assumed his Irish whiskey had probably left her mouth a little dry. As a polished public speaker, she would know the dangers of that.

When she put down the glass, the young student in the second row of seats jumped to his feet. Without a word, he pulled a gun and fired six shots. Three hit the President.

When the student raised his arm, Bob Nash reacted instinctively. For a big man, he could move fast. By the fourth shot, he was between the President and the student. He took that shot and the fifth one. The sixth hit Jimmy Ito.

Before the shooter could fire again, other vigilant Secret Service agents were helping members of the crowd who already had disarmed him and thrown him to the ground.

***

Attempts to assassinate a President or a member of his family had already been made several times in the 21st century. In spite of extreme security, one or two had been wounded. Sheila Remington had already escaped an attempt at the beginning of her first campaign.

With the increase in crime and the Supreme Court decision of 2008, the number of private citizens carrying concealed handguns increased. Various states passed laws not only allowing private citizens to carry weapons but also giving them special legal protection in cases of violent response to perceived threats. Technological improvements in firearms made them more deadly. Guns, rifles, vibrablades, and high powered tasers were sold online. There weren’t enough cops around to ensure they were sold only to law-abiding citizens. Authorities became more reactive and less proactive as the century wore on. In many ways, US society was at war with itself.

At the same time, as personal weapons technology developed and gun laws became less restrictive, technology responded by creating more and better ways to protect a person’s body. For example, the same tasers became a powerful deterrent against muggers. Lightweight body armor progressed to the point where a public figure like the President could wear it and not feel uncomfortable.

As a consequence, two shots striking Sheila Remington in the torso did little more than knock the wind out of her. The third went high.

In New York City’s Soho district or Chicago’s high crime areas, she might have been wearing a helmet that would save her. She couldn’t do that on a Wichita college stage.The third bullet hit her in the head. The President was dead by the time she hit the stage floor. Chief of Staff Jimmy Ito later died in the ambulance enroute to the