Nefarious Beginnings: Alliance Chronicles, #2

By Frank Carey

Years before joining the League of Planetary Systems, the Consortium of Planets faced undead invaders from the past, unique ecosystems endangered by greed, and smugglers raising havoc on member planets. Here are three stories of heroism which intersect with the Alliance of Six and the people of the League.

Nefarious Beginnings is the second book of the Alliance Chronicles series which follows Lord Gregory Alabaster and his Alliance as they protect the League of Planetary Systems from threats from the past, present, and future.  53 pages/ 24,300 words.

Planet of the Dead was originally published under the title of The Tomb both as a standalone book and as part of Pulse. Both Maelstrom and Starsa appeared as standalone books and as part of Pulse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank Carey
• Release date: Jun 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386446156

Frank Carey

Frank Carey has been formally writing and publishing works of science fiction since late 2013. Over the years prior, he had dabbled in various forms of writing including haiku poetry, but that all changed when he and his wife, Jo, decided to try their hand at writing and self-publishing. Since then, he has written and published a collection of flash fiction and short stories, two anthologies, a pentalogy, and a trilogy. All his work, to date, has been in the science fiction genre. Most of his stories take place about two centuries in the future when Earth joins the League of Planetary Systems. Many of his protagonists are strong females. He is an inveterate pantser who believes the story will go where the story wants to go. Frank’s background includes degrees in physics and extensive work as a scientific programmer and technologist.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

The League of Planetary Systems doesn’t have a lock on heroic stories. Other planetary alliances also have their fair share of tales of heroes vanquishing evil while saving civilization. Contained within are three such stories, each inextricably linked to a planet named Bentar.

PLANET OF THE DEAD

The Sector 99 Bar & Grill was loud, but what it lacked in quiet, it more than made up for with the best food on the station.

Captain Quist? a voice asked over the din.

Maybe. Who’s asking? I said as I dug through the pile of paperwork, looking for an invoice for an order for ship’s rations.

My name is Cassandra Patoor, and this is my friend, Natalia Frisk. We’d like to talk to you about the disappearance of the Scientific Vessel Tenjin.

That got my attention.

What do you mean by disappearance? I asked all attentive. The Tenjin was a state of the art stellar research vessel with a crew that was the textbook definition of good. Ships and crews like the Tenjin do not disappear.

Six days ago, the Tenjin’s emergency log buoy was picked up near sector 17. The Consortium Science Council put a lid on the news until today when they declared the ship missing. Isn’t your wife the Captain of the Tenjin? she asked, perplexed.

Ex-wife, and yes, Teri is the Captain of the Tenjin. My ship, the Sancus, just got in early from a run to sector 1. We weren’t supposed to be in until tomorrow, so no one knows we’re here except you two. Then there’s the issue that I am persona non grata with the Science Council—something to do with accusations of smuggling. What was the Tenjin’s mission? I asked.

We don’t know. All we know is that my father, Dr. Flavius Patoor, and his assistant, Dr. Sylvia Nock, shipped out on the Tenjin, Ms. Patoor explained. That was two weeks ago. Natalia’s brother, Samuel, is the Tenjin’s navigator. The ship, passengers, and crew left Station Zed two weeks ago without a word to anyone. All hush-hush like. Now, we are told the ship is MIA and the crew has been declared dead. No explanation of where they went, why they went there, or details about what happened.

Look, Captain, Ms. Fisk said as she leaned over the table in a feeble attempt at either impressing me or intimidating me, neither of which worked. Are you going to help us or not?

I choose ‘not.’ I said as I started to put a rescue plan together. The last thing I needed were these two tagging along and getting in the way. 

You’re thinking we’ll get in your way. That you can do this without help. Well, you’re wrong, Ms. Fisk said.

What makes you say that? I asked, impressed.

First, we’ve read your dossier, she replied as she plopped a thick folder on the table. It shows a tendency toward extreme self-reliance.

I picked it up and thumbed through it. It was thicker than the last time I saw it. Pretty soon they were going to have to divide it into volumes. I was glad to see that a chunk of my past had been replaced with nonsense.

Second, I’m ex-marine. I was drummed out for killing a guy who wouldn’t take no for an answer. My only mistake was allowing his two friends to live to testify, she said with the sweetest of smiles. Cassandra has five doctorates and is fluent in ten languages. Her dad is the expert in the history of the area the Tenjin disappeared in, and she was his assistant on several of his most recent archaeological digs.

So, what do you want from me? If you need a ride, you can hire any number of smugglers. I can give you references, if you want.

We need your expertise. We want to gain access to the Tenjin’s log buoy.

Is that all you want? Access to the buoy?

No. We need passage to the last known destination of the Tenjin.

You ask a lot. We would need more than just me and the two of you, I said, pointing out the obvious.

You’re forgetting your crew Sil Morga and Sil Torque. I forgot to mention that we would be bringing along some friends. They’re over there by the bar, the two tall ones with tusks.

I looked over at the bar and saw two of the biggest Mals I had ever seen. The best way to describe a Mal is to say they use bowling balls without finger holes. They can palm the damn things.

By the way, the three guys who tried to take advantage of Nat were Corsican miners, Cassandra said. The mining guild has a price on her head, dead or alive.

Corsican miners. Very impressive. Normally, in any situation involving Corsican miners, my first instinct would be to lead-off with grenades. Ok. You’ve convinced me. Let’s go get the buoy. Oh, and I’m keeping this, I said as I threw my dossier into the fireplace.

Not a problem, Cassandra said with a smile. Boys! With us! she yelled to her two Mal companions, who fell in step behind us.

You really took on three Corsican miners, barehanded and by yourself? I asked Nat as we headed out the door.

Yep, she said with that damn cute smile that sent chills down my spine. I bought a sweater at a shop on our way to the ship.

###

We were lucky, we hadn’t been detected yet. So, where is it, the buoy I mean? I asked as we peered around a corner at a side entrance to Science Council Headquarters. No guards, so far, but that would change if we slipped up.

Inside this door, down a hallway thirty meters to a doorway on the left. It’s stored inside there. How’s it coming, Nat?

Almost there, she replied as she coaxed the last tumbler in place. A single click and we were inside, staring down a brightly lit and featureless corridor. We made our way to a single door which was oddly unlocked considering what it contained. Once inside the room, we found out why the room was unlocked and unguarded. The buoy, a silvery sphere about a foot in diameter, was inside a security enclosure, its armorglass walls impervious to anything short of a nanopulse laser.

Lovely. I assume your source didn’t mention a biometric lock either? You did remember to bring a researcher’s hand with you, didn’t you? I said in a fierce whisper.

Cassie glared at me. It would be worse if she knew I was calling her Cassie. I didn’t know. Nat, can you pick it?

Pick it? Pick what? A palm scanner? Are you kidding? We are so screwed, Nat said in defeat.

I picked up the communicator and called the Mals, Bruce, Sybol, this is John. Do you copy?

Yes, sir, Bruce replied.

I want you two to get back to the ship, and tell Martha and Morga to prepare for emergency liftoff. Tell them to beep me when they’re ready. The three of us are going to be leaving here as if the Seven Hell Hounds are snapping at our heels, and we won’t have time for a warm-up. Got it?

Yes sir, Bruce replied. That kid was incredibly calm for a Mal.

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