The Rhumgold Sagas: Destination Antares - The Combine

By Tim Conley

Destination Antares - The Combine is the first book in the Rhumgold Sagas, a 28 volume anthology. Ten books in this series have been completed so far. The series is related to the Dark Moons on Chimera series and details the ups and downs of a transplanted society from Earth. They became stranded after arriving in the Antares star system and had to use the metal and machines from their spacecraft to set up a society that slowly blended into a much less mobile society ruled by ruthless men who became known as the Guild or Combine.
Normal rules don't really apply - there are witches and warlocks and everything in between. The original inhabitants, the Marconians, manipulate and distort reality - as the Earthmen remember reality. They have devices that need to be kept from the slippery hands of mankind and over time lose control of a world they think they were destined to rule forever.
The Guild makes enemies while trying to suppress dissidents within their population. This first book details some of the machinations of the Guild as they seek to suppress their own people.
Stay tuned for more of this exciting adventure series. Read and Enjoy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tim Conley
• Release date: Jul 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463356524

Tim Conley

Hi, my name is Tim Conley. I live in Philadelphia, MS with my beautiful wife, Carmela. My son,James (JD) is in the Air Force and has a son Joshua who is 21/2 with another boy on the way. Carmela's son - Enrik just graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Teaching.I have been writing for over twenty years and have published 67 books so far - two recently with Amazon/Kindle. I'm currently working on a fantasy anthology of 28 books called The Rhumgold Sagas.I have always been interested in publishing via eBook format but just haven't found the venue until now. I'm really looking forward to participating in the eBook experience. There are 22 e-books available now and 16 more that are being prepared for release in 2020. Read, explore and enjoy!

Book preview

Destination Antares:

The Combine

TIM CONLEY

Copyright © 2016 Tim Conley

Dragon’s Breath Publishing

All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

C1 – Asteroid 6957

C2 – Combine Designs

C3 – Shakedown Cruise

C4 – Launch

C5 – Domination

C6 – Establishing Control

C7 – Lake Coco

C8 – Snares & Traps

C9 – On the Watch List

C10 – Peasant Stomping

C11 – Under the Radar

C12 – Introspection

C13 – Kidnap & Release

C14 – Cat Fight

C15 – The Grand Master

C16 – That Niggling Feeling

C17 – A Botched Attempt

C18 – Client Infuriation

C19 – Fleeing the City

C20 – Sanctuary

C21 – Running

C22 – Skinned Alive

C23 – Into the Badlands

C24 – Crucifixion

C25 – The Legend

C26 – The Prophesy

C27 – Royal Travel Plans

C28 – Spreading the Word

C29 – Arrival at Caperne

C30 – Escape

C31 – Locked Manacles

C32 – A Guild Promotion

C33 – Escaping Notice

C34 – Discovery Sneaking In

C35 – On Trial for Treason

C36 – Wrapping Up

Acknowledgements

Dedication

About the Author

Other Books

C1 Asteroid 6957

Lao Tze joined Sammy Zane on the small bridge of the Terminator II and swallowed hard to equalize his eardrums. He was just getting over a head cold that he had gotten from his wife – who had dragged it home from the children in her daycare. Now he was paying for kissing her while she was still in the ‘I can pass it on stage.’

Space was no frontier to be harboring a virus. It seemed to be able to transfer from one host to another more quickly than planet-borne illnesses. Lao shook his head as he looked out of the front view screen at the monster interstellar ship that was taking shape. Asteroid 6957 was getting smaller and the Albert Einstein was taking shape before their eyes. She would soon go in-system to Earth Central and Moon Base Charlie to have her electronics installed and tested.

Then it would be back out to Titan 1 to pick up and shake down the crew. Lao and Sammy would go in-system with the skeleton crew – then pick her up again after their period of leave – becoming plank members of the crew upon arrival at Titan 1. Lao was excited about the prospect of seeing his village once more. It kind of bubbled over.

Do you ever miss you ever miss your folks and the home place?

Sammy Zane shook his head. "Nope. Nobody to miss. Been an orphan since I was three years old. Don’t know anything permanent. Why you ask, man?’ He mimicked Lao’s accent and then smirked as the small man tried to puff himself up and become huffy. It was a game they liked to play with each other – kind of made time go by faster.

Did you notice those rafters that went up to the Einstein while you were outside? Looked kind of subpar from here.

Not to worry, my friend. The foreman said they’re using a simpler technique to construct the forms. Makes the titanium stronger – according to him.

Well, that may be – but its your ass if the structure it’s used in fails when they shake the old lady out. You know that. Just don’t be naïve and accept all the crap they try to make you swallow.

The duo continued with their rounds of duty – ensuring all parts that went up to the first interstellar ship were top notch. They had to be on their toes because a lot of the contractors liked to cut corners. Money was to be made furbishing the ships – but only if you could cut the occasional corner and bring compartments in under budget.

Back on Earth Naomi Bradley was taking her glasses off to massage the bridge of her nose. The figures just didn’t add up. Earthside Steel & Coal had bid low on the contract and now the girders were costing a small fortune. There were overruns everywhere and goods and services were beginning to melt from the over-pricing that was going on. She sighed and knew she had to blow the whistle on the gouging.

Her heels clicked on the marble slab as she made her way into the inner sanctum and approached the mile-wide desk of Duncan Riley. She stood in front of a mahogany desk that was wider than her bed. The man’s ego almost exceeded it.

He asked from a motorized chair almost half a room away. Well, you obviously have something you want to tell me. Who is trying to pull one over on the government now?

Naomi gulped as she realized the only time she actually came back to his inner sanctum was to blow the whistle on someone. She started to speak but he interrupted.

Oh, come now, Miss Bradley. We both know you are a member of our team because you can make sense out of all the numbers. So, spill it!

She got her voice back and explained to him what she had found. He listened carefully and then stated. Old skinflint Rockefeller can always be counted on to low-ball the works. Get my man to get him on the horn.

She slid the computer printouts across the width of the table and turned to leave. Behind her she heard a low whistle but didn’t bother to turn around. Duncan Riley was known to be a letch and this wasn’t the first time he had let her know how much he appreciated her skirt and heels. Her face was warm as she passed on Riley’s message and went back to her own desk.

Back out on Asteroid 6957 Lao Tze stepped down off his speeder and waited for Stan Roberts to finish up with one of his foremen. Then he stepped up and plugged in his suit so they could hold a conversation.

Thank you for seeing me, Stan. We got a problem with the last batch of struts that were sent up to the ship. Seems the Alpha crew have figured out how to use less material.

Shit! You don’t get half to the point quickly, do you?

No sense beating around your bushes, Lao remarked.

Yeah, I guess not. Have you reported it?

Not yet. Wanted to run it by you first. See if you could maybe bring them back into line without us getting their panties in a twist.

Glad you did, son. Stan looked around him at all the deconstruction work that was going on. He spread his hands and drew Lao’s attention to the magnamity of the projects.

You would think the bean counters would get the idea. Course – most of them have never been out here to see how ginormous this hunk of metal actually is.

How much of it will be left when you finish the ship?

Stan snorted and immediately wished he hadn’t – a small glob of snot bobbed its way to the top of his facemask. He tried to ignore it but knew it would be back down in his field of view sometime soon. He turned his attention back to his guest.

Lao, there’s enough material here for another dozen ships. Probably be enough for a couple dozen before they finish with this hunk of rock. More than enough and that’s saying they double down on the thickness of everything. Boy, we got plenty.

Lao Tze went back to his speeder and looked around before stepping up on the small platform. They said that Asteroid 6957 was over a mile long and perhaps half a mile thick at the widest part. It had been drug in out of the Oort Cloud because it was solid metal. The only thing that had to be done was melt and reform the molten metal. There wasn’t even a significant amount of residue present in the process. Just melt, pour and cool. Simple!

He glanced up again at the Albert Einstein and realized they had to get it right. If it meant tearing out the substandard stuff – it had to be done. That was his job and he intended to see it done right.

The stars awaited.

C2 Combine Designs

Back on Earth a top-secret meeting was taking place in a secret location that also doubled as a vacation getaway for most of the members of Guild who had been called to the meeting.

Guild Grand Masters were very territorial. Their deliberations usually took longer because of that. They didn’t like to give an inch in any closed meetings with beings of their kind. Most of them had already spanned a couple centuries of enhanced life. They were jealous of every grain of sand that was under their domain and gave up no advantage without a fight.

Such a fight had just taken place during the opening statements made for the conference. Tempers were already flared – hurt feelings already apparent as everyone settled in for the long haul. All participants knew they had a lot to discuss and a ton of compromise to get through.

The biggest item on the agenda was who was going to get the new system in the Antares star belt.

Campagne knew he should be given first crack at the system since he had been passed by for the expansion into the Neptune ice shelves. He also was middle aged so would arrive at Antares in much better shape than a lot of the more senior members of the Combine.

But he also knew there was no accounting for righteousness when it came to dividing up the spoils. Earth vicinity was growing stale as all of the good money-making resources were being consumed by the daily hunger of the masses.

They would have to move quickly before the next population spurt. It seemed the more territory they gained – the more mouths to feed.

At one time in the history of the human race – those in control had been able to use wars to balance the population with their resources. Since the 18th Interregnum when the ruling classes had been overthrown, those who would have been used as cannon fodder were no longer obliged to go to war with their brethren. All they wanted to do now was fuck with their face and make babies.

Campagne scoffed and considered what the new expansion would do for humankind. New territories to conquer, new releases for the masses as they adapted to new surroundings. The next wave of humanity reaching outward to the stars. The heady consideration from that thought was enough to make him swoon at the possibilities.

Not only was there money to be made from the venture – there was a ton of money to be made. Just the tickets for the outbound passage was enough to fill his coffers