Steel for All: A Female Lead Space Opera

By Richard Fierce

Earth is lost.

Captain Jayde Thrin and her mercenary crew return to Earth to find a lost cause. The government has given up on the planet and turned its focus to the war brewing at the edge of humanity’s borders.

A small group of survivors are still on Earth fighting for survival and it’s up to Jayde and her crew to rescue them, but an army of undead and alien worshippers are all that stand in their way.

Steel for All is the third episode of Galactic Mercenaries, a space opera series about zombies, space battles, alien invasion, and a misfit crew trying to survive in a dangerous universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dragonfire Press
• Release date: Aug 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781947329225

Richard Fierce

Richard Fierce is a fantasy author best known for his novella The Last Page. He's been writing since childhood, but became seriously vested in it in 2007. Since then, he's written several novels and a few short stories. In 2000, Richard won Poet of the Year for his poem The Darkness. He's also one of the creative brains behind the Allatoona Book Festival, a literary event in Acworth, Georgia. A recovering retail worker, he now works in the tech industry when he's not busy writing. He has three step-daughters, three huskies and two cats. His love affair with fantasy was born in high school when a friend's mother gave him a copy of Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.  

Book preview

STEEL FOR ALL

GALACTIC MERCENARIES BOOK 3

RICHARD FIERCE

Steel for Hire © 2019

This is a work of fiction. All events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form without the express permission of the publisher.

Cover art and design by 100covers.com

DRAGONFIRE PRESS

eBook ISBN: 9781947329225

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Other Books

1

Jayde was sitting in Loch’s customary seat on the Determination, waiting on the containment shield around Earth to be lowered. She felt odd piloting her own ship again. It had been a few years since Loch had joined her crew, and he had piloted the ship ever since. It wasn’t like she didn’t remember how to fly her own ship, it just felt … odd.

What’s taking so long? Jayde demanded over the comms link.

We’re working on it, Loch’s voice came back at her. Are you sure Logan isn’t really a doctor? I can barely read his handwriting.

Just hurry up. I don’t want to miss our window and have to try again tomorrow.

She stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at Earth. It was difficult to tell if the planet really was blue and white as she had seen on the holoscreen. The containment force field that surrounded the infected planet gave everything a lurid orange tint.

I think we’ve got it, Loch’s said. Yeah, we got it. The shield is preparing to open.

Jayde hurried back to the console and sat down. She wasn’t as quick on the screens as Loch was, but she didn’t need to be quick. She just needed to be accurate. A long line grew across the shield, splitting it in half, and the two sides began to recede from one another.

Logan didn’t leave any other codes, did he? Loch asked.

No, why?

The shield won’t open very much. I think it’s going to be a tight fit.

It seemed nothing was ever easy, at least not for her and her crew. Jayde began tapping buttons on the console screen and the Determination moved forward slowly. As the vessel got closer to the opening in the shield, the ship’s alarm blared loudly. Jayde flinched in surprise and saw a notification on the screen, alerting her that the right side of the ship was in danger of striking the shield.

Loch, please remind me which button turns on the right-side thrusters?

It’s the button that says ‘Adjustment Right.’

Of course. She remembered now that Loch said it. So, she was a little rusty. She wouldn’t admit that to Loch, of course, but she was worried now that if she needed help, she might make a mistake. The shield affected communications from Earth, and if she couldn’t get ahold of Loch, it could result in a disaster.

Breathe, she whispered aloud. I’ve got this.

Jayde pressed the adjustment button and the Determination’s right side lowered until the alarm turned off. She surveyed the screen. Everything aligned correctly, and she increased the speed of the ship. The vessel passed through the opening with only a few feet to spare and Jayde exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

We’re through, she said.

I see that, Loch replied. Nice job.

The containment field was a few hundred feet above Earth’s atmosphere. Jayde’s eyes widened at the beauty of Earth. Wisps of clouds dotted the otherwise mostly blue landscape. From this distance, the spots of land looked like giant islands. Jayde had read that seventy-one percent of the planet was covered in water. No wonder the land looked like islands. She blinked a few times to clear the growing tears, then entered the coordinates Logan had given her into the ship’s computer: 34.013071° N, -85.030200° W.

Jayde adjusted the trajectory of the vessel and watched as flames erupted around the ship as it entered the atmosphere. The Determination’s shields held steady under the fiery temperatures and the ship burst free and plummeted quickly through the sky. Jayde tapped the screen and slowed the ship as it neared the ground. She spotted the open space Stefan had told her about and flew the ship toward the area.

Even when she had piloted the ship herself, landings had always been a problem. She tried her best not to worry about it, but she could feel the dread creeping into her stomach. The radar beeped as it picked up several forms moving in her direction. Thankful for the distraction, she focused in on the forms and quickly realized they were sleepers. She tapped the intercom.

McCready, we’ve got incoming! I’d rather not land us in the middle of an army of sleepers.

On it, the veteran soldier replied.

Jayde kept the ship in place and waited for McCready to man the plasma turrets. She was surprised when the cargo bay doors opened instead.

What are you doing? she asked.

I’m taking the mech for a drive. It’s a beautiful day, don’t you think?

Without another word, McCready leaped from the ship. Jayde quickly shut the bay doors and flew to the landing spot, worried more than before. She struggled with the controls and tried to land straight, but she wasn’t sure what she was doing and the ship slammed down hard on the ground.

She turned the engines off and sprinted out of the observation deck to her personal quarters to grab her pistol. It was completely charged, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough. Not even close. She grabbed a few cartridges and hurried to the elevator where she found Isa waiting. Four armed men, her personal guards, were with her.

Do you need a weapon? Jayde asked.

No, thank you, Isa replied. I’ve got my own. The young woman lifted a Silver