Earth Quest: Space Rogue, #7

By Jay Toney

Nathaniel and the crew of the Persephone are getting closer to finding the Earth or so Bob tells Jewel in a dream. They are within 50 light years of Earth, but in which direction. Nathaniel knows that Sol is a yellow dwarf star with eight planets and three planetoids. That narrows the search enough that it makes searching every Sol-like star possible. Searching would be simple. He could start with the closest star system and explore the different solar systems until he finds the one he was looking for.
There are things that are worse spiders. They find Nathaniel, and they are hungry.
Captain Robert's wife and companion leave a space battle to have some fun with pirates. It will take some crafty dealing to get them back. The pirate captain will have to pay, and it will be very expensive.
The Persephone gets harpooned while rescuing a leviathan. Its a thorn (harpoon) in her side and she wants it removed. She doesn't want to wait any longer and insists that the damage is repaired now. While undergoing repairs, the starliner is hijacked with only four people aboard it.
Nathaniel and Persephone visit a planet that is entirely populated by women. They are invited to the capital city for a cultural exchange. On the first day of their visit, they violate the planet's most sacred law.
Persephone recognizes the star, Draco. The Greek gods named it after the dragons that fought with them against the giants. The dragons remember Persephone; of course, she is a dragon princess among other things. Nathaniel must prove himself in a trial by combat against them, and the dragons are playing for real.
Nugget, Nathaniel's second officer, and friend has a fear of snakes, lizards, and dragons. They can sense his fear and give Nugget a new name, Snack. He is convinced that the dragons want to eat him.
Edymoon is a perfect planet for colonization. The people there have welcomed his fleet. They won't reach earth unless Nathaniel can keep his ships and crew from abandoning him.
What will they find when they reach Earth? The pirate captain told him that is lifeless. The Alliance nuked it and used chemical weapons 2000 years ago to make sure no one would ever settle there again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jay Toney
• Release date: Dec 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386008101

Jay Toney

I got hooked on reading early in life, reading nearly everything I could get my hands on including the Encyclopedia Britannica. As well as being an avid reader I enjoyed bicycling, skateboarding, fishing, and building models and puzzles. As far back as I can remember, I loved anything to do with aircraft. I joined the USAF as an aircraft mechanic working on the F-4, T-38, F-117. and the F-16. A knee injury stopped me from working on aircraft. My knee couldn't support me on the odd angles and slick surfaces anylonger. While in the USAF I attended college. My second love was tormenting my English teacher. I found out she had a fear of death, then she was at my mercy. Anything she said not to do I did just to show her I could. Every essay or theme I wrote dealt with the topic of death, from a first person perspective of a person under going an autopsy, being buried alive, and rising from the grave. She was glad when I graduated. Some authors who inspired me are Robert Heinlein, Harry Harrison, Alan Dean Foster, Piers Anthony, and much more.