Dark of Space: Alliance Chronicles, #6

By Frank Carey

Captain Jacob Morley already had his hands full running his freighter, mentoring Urania, muse daughter of the immortal Zeus, and keeping an eye on the flow of illicit artifacts through the sector. Now, with the help of Lord Gregory Alabaster and his Alliance, Jacob must stop the genocide of a race of xenophobes before it's too late.

Dark of Space is the sixth book in the Alliance Chronicles which follows Lord Gregory Alabaster and his Alliance as they protect the League of Planetary Systems from threats from the past, present, and future. 14000 words/ 41 pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank Carey
• Release date: Jun 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386941262

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

CHAPTER ONE

Captain Jacob Morley woke up and immediately grabbed his aching head. He remembered something about a bar, and more than several toasts. Somebody had gotten married or found a particularly valuable wreck or something, and Jacob and several of the local captains had toasted the fella's—or was it the lady's—good fortune.

He slowly got out of the bunk and staggered into the head where he took care of business and swallowed a pair of analgesic tablets. After a quick, cold shower, he staggered out of the tiny bathroom then over to the intercom. Urania! Status report... Please.

By the Valkyries, you said please, Captain. You must be in some kind of pain to allow your humanity free reign.

I'm begging you, just give me a status report!

Hmmmm. You and your little group tied one on to celebrate Captain Marsden retiring. The medbed nearly declared you dead on two occasions during the night, but I pulled you through. We're on course to Orinoco Station—ETA six hours. The old girl is running like a well-tuned watch which is more than I can say for her captain.

Captain Morley patted the wall next to him. Sheba, my dear, don't let that mean, old muse upset you with that old talk.

I didn't catch that last one, Captain.

Nothing. I'll be up in a moment. Can I get you anything from the Galley?

A beer would be great.

The rules of interstellar commerce forbid the consumption of alcoholic beverages by bridge crew when they were on duty. They didn't take into account immortal daughters of Zeus.

A beer it is. Morley out. He stepped out of his cabin and headed to the Galley.

Jacob walked out onto the ship's Bridge. The League Transport Ship Sheba was a converted frigate, so she sported not just a cockpit, but a full-sized bridge. Standing at its center was a woman with a full figure and waist-length blond hair befitting one of the legendary muses. He handed her a beer which she drank in one chug. Damn, that hit the spot, she said as she flipped the empty bottle into a recycling bin. Jacob shook his head. Having an immortal as a first officer was never boring.

He sat down and nursed his coffee. Any messages?

She plopped down in the seat next to him. Let' see... General Spent wants to talk to you when we get to Orinoco.

Spent is there? What the hell is so important that she felt the need to visit the armpit of the League?

She didn't say. Should I break-out the good nutribars.

Yeah, good idea. Anything else?

Captain Muskov wanted to talk to you about a joint run out to something they found in the Elspeth Expanse.

Jacob shuddered. As far as he was concerned, the Expanse was haunted. Great. I'll call him when we get to Orinoco.

Oh, I thought you should see this. It's a recruitment announcement from Space Patrol. They're looking for a few good sapients to join up. She reached around him and tapped a button on the console they were sitting in front of.

An image of a young woman appeared. Hi! My name is Monica, and I'm a member of Space Patrol Alliance. The Alliance accompanies archaeological teams as they explore the edge of League space, and we could use your help... She went on to describe the job and the benefits. When you join the Alliance, you never know who or what you'll meet, she said as she morphed into an amorphous blob.

I don't know why they just don't hire normal people, Urania said.

Normal people who have eight identical sisters or normal people who live thousands of years?

You know what I mean.

Do I have to remind you that tailless, hominid humanoids make up only a tiny fraction of the people of the League of Planetary Systems. And of those, only a couple of hundred are members of the immortals? Your definition of normal is skewed.

Why are you getting so damn angry? You know what I mean.

"And that's why I'm getting so damn angry. You remind me of a Tralaskan woman I once met. She wanted to enslave everyone not of pure Tralaskan blood, including