Stellar Storm: Iron Hammer, #2

By Cameron Cooper

Danny and her crew expose a new enemy

Danny and her crew on the Supreme Lythion, and her friends and allies in the Carina worlds learn more about the Slavers and their appetite for war.

When slavers raid a Carina star station and snatch more of their people, Jai Van Veen directs Danny to return the favour—steal into Slaver territory and take their people back.  Only the quasi-military venture reveals more about the threatening nature of their new enemy than anyone is braced for…

Stellar Storm is the second book in the Iron Hammer space opera science fiction series by award-winning SF author Cameron Cooper. The Iron Hammer series is a spin off from the acclaimed Imperial Hammer series, and features many of the characters and situations from that series.

The Iron Hammer series:
1.0: Galactic Thunder
2.0: Stellar Storm
3.0: Planetary Parlay
4.0: Waxing War
5.0: Ruled Out
6.0: Stranger Stars
7.0: Federal Force
8.0: Redline Rebels

Space Opera Science Fiction Novel
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Praise for Stellar Storm:

I love the worlds and universe this author creates.

Large cast, but good character development so it is easy to keep track of them.

Vivid descriptions. Realistic scenes. I actually feel like I am present with the characters as they interact with each other.

Personalities, dedication, loyalty and fabulous para wolves come together to create a brilliant story!

The reader is kept on edge waiting to see how this all plays out.

Cooper draws you into this created world that is so different, yet relatable

I kept telling myself, Just one more chapter, just one, but I couldn't stop reading it!
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Cameron Cooper is the author of the Imperial Hammer series, an Amazon best-selling space opera series, among others. 

Cameron tends to write space opera short stories and novels, but also roams across the science fiction landscape. Cameron was raised on a steady diet of Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, McCaffrey, and others. Peter F. Hamilton, John Scalzi, Martha Wells and Cory Doctorow are contemporary heroes. An Australian Canadian, Cam lives near the Canadian Rockies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stories Rule Press
• Release date: Mar 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781774383629

Cameron Cooper

Cameron Cooper is the author of the Imperial Hammer series, an Amazon best-selling space opera series.  Cameron tends to write space opera short stories and novels, but also roams across the science fiction landscape. Cameron was raised on a steady diet of Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, McCaffrey, and others. Peter F. Hamilton, John Scalzi, Martha Wells and Cory Doctorow are contemporary heroes. An Australian Canadian, Cam lives near the Canadian Rockies.

Book preview

Special Offer – Free Science Fiction

Space cities have been locked in war for centuries over the resources of an asteroid belt.

Humans pilot swarms of pod fighters to protect their city’s mining operations from other cities, risking everything and suffering multiple deaths and regenerations. Then Landry goes through a regeneration which introduces an error that will destroy the delicate balance of the war.

Resilience is a space opera short story by award-winning SF author Cameron Cooper.

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Epic science fiction at its finest. Realistic far future worlds. Incredible characters and scenarios. – Amazon reader.

This short story has not been commercially released for sale. It is only available as a gift to readers who subscribe to Cam’s email list.

See details when you have finished Stellar Storm.

Table of Contents

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About Stellar Storm

Praise for Stellar Storm:

Title Page

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About the Author

Other Books by Cameron Cooper

Copyright Information

About Stellar Storm

Danny and her crew expose a new enemy

Danny and her crew on the Supreme Lythion, and her friends and allies in the Carina worlds learn more about the Slavers and their appetite for war.

When slavers raid a Carina star station and snatch more of their people, Jai Van Veen directs Danny to return the favour—steal into Slaver territory and take their people back. Only the quasi-military venture reveals more about the threatening nature of their new enemy than anyone is braced for…

Stellar Storm is the second book in the Iron Hammer space opera science fiction series by award-winning SF author Cameron Cooper. The Iron Hammer series is a spin off from the acclaimed Imperial Hammer series, and features many of the characters and situations from that series.

The Iron Hammer series:

1.0: Galactic Thunder

2.0: Stellar Storm

3.0: Planetary Parlay

4.0: Waxing War

5.0: Ruled Out

6.0: Stranger Stars

7.0: Federal Force

8.0: Redline Rebels

Space Opera Science Fiction Novel

Praise for Stellar Storm:

I love the worlds and universe this author creates.

Large cast, but good character development so it is easy to keep track of them.

Vivid descriptions. Realistic scenes. I actually feel like I am present with the characters as they interact with each other.

Personalities, dedication, loyalty and fabulous para wolves come together to create a brilliant story!

The reader is kept on edge waiting to see how this all plays out.

Cooper draws you into this created world that is so different, yet relatable

I kept telling myself, Just one more chapter, just one, but I couldn't stop reading it!

Stellar Storm by Cameron Cooper - Title Page

—1—

Extract from Interview 3 of Aveniru (no last name) and Elizabeth Crnčević, Psychoscientist.

Crnčević: I want to go back to something you said earlier. About Terra. When you first woke here on New Phoenix, you said you were from Terra, yes?

(Pause for interpretation)

Aveniru: No.

(Pause for interpretation)

Crnčević: I have the transcript here. You said Earth.

(Pause for interpretation)

Aveniru: Yes. I am of Earth.

(Pause for interpretation)

Crnčević: That is not Terra?

(Pause for interpretation)

Aveniru: You call it that.

(Pause for interpretation)

Crnčević: You are of the Earth, but not from Earth?

(Pause for interpretation)

Aveniru: I was on Earth. One of the few. But I am not Muradar .

(Pause for interpretation)

Crnčević: What is Muradar?

(Pause for interpretation)

Aveniru: Those of the Earth, our betters. Pure descendants of humankind, gods in the making.

_______________

IT WAS QUIET ON THE bridge as we emerged into normal system space adjacent to Inner Elbow Station. The silence was unusual, which was why I noticed it.

I made a quick visual check on the bridge crew, not yet concerned. Dalton was at weapons, his back to his inertia shell, a thick mass of dark blond hair jutting over his forehead as he checked his weapons status. He wasn’t required to be here for a simple jump emergence, but he was ex-Imperial Ranger and caution was as natural as breathing for him.

He must have felt my gaze, for he raised his chin enough to lift a brow at me, the corner of his mouth lifting with it.

I spared him a small smile before shifting my gaze to Lyssa, the shipmind. Her human-like avatar stood at the very front of the bridge, a tall woman with bright orange hair—for today, at least—and freckles across the bridge of her upturned nose. She stared through the quaint windows at the thick, glowing cluster of stars that made up the inner hub of the galaxy, for the view never failed to fascinate both humans and sentient digitals.

Xaviens, the digitals were calling themselves now. Someone had consulted an etymological dictionary and learned that Xavier meant new house. As sentient digital personalities was too much of a mouthful for casual conversation, Xaviens had been picked up very quickly, but I was still getting used to it because I regretted the necessity for labels at all. Even us plain, simple humans had a name, now. We were Carinads.

Xaviens, Carinads, Terrans… What would the next category of people be?

Although I had to remind myself that Lyssa still liked to pretend that she was not sentient, that she remained a complex AI which merely aped human behaviors and responses. I still hadn’t figured out why. Everyone just went along with her little quirk, for in all other respects, she was a superior shipmind who ran the Supreme Lythion without a hitch.

The other Xavien on the bridge was Lyth Andela. Many people considered him to be the first Xavien, which he strongly disputed. AIs found their way to sentience long before I did. I just happened to acquire a body before anyone else, and that was pure luck.

He stood with his back against the spare inertia shell, because he had a human body as vulnerable to gee forces as ours. His body was a clone of the mad, tragic genius who had designed this ship, Girish Wedekind—tall, wiry, without excess muscles, but strong, anyway. Black wavy hair pushed straight back from a high forehead, and far-seeing blue eyes. Lyth had his arms crossed and wore a small smile as he gazed upon the inner hub of the galaxy…or perhaps he was watching Lyssa control the ship, for that had once been his job, and he considered Lyssa to be his little sister. Not that she was little, anymore. Her avatar had evolved and matured just as she had.

The fourth and last human—sorry, Carinad—on the bridge was Yoan Saillins, the son of Sauli Mullins. Thirty years ago, Sauli had stood behind the engineering dashboard just as Yoan was now. Yoan was not much shorter than either Dalton or Lyth, but was dark like his mother—black, thick hair kept short to control it, black growth on his jaw and chin and over his mouth. Black eyes like his mother and full lips like his father. He was staring at his dash, a fingertip minutely adjusting something in Engineering that displeased him.

The Supreme Lythion had never been better cared for. Sauli was a brilliant engineer and had taken care of the ship with zeal while he had been the chief and only engineer aboard her. Yoan, though, took his father’s discipline a step further. He actively looked for ways to improve the Lythion’s performance whenever he could. He was a tinkerer. Any time I had a mild complaint about any of the aging systems or functions on the ship, they would be magically fixed a day or so later. And often, they got fixed before I thought to bitch about them.

At the far back of the bridge, laying right beside the exit ramp, were the three non-humans. Darb and Vara were curled up together, their chins on their paws. Beside them laid Venni, Lyth’s parawolf, sibling to the other two. Venni was a special guest on the ship this trip, the same as Lyth.

Vara lifted her snout when I spotted them, and showed her rows of serrated teeth, her tongue lolling. A smile. She knew she shouldn’t be on the bridge without my express invitation, but here they all were.

I rolled my eyes at them and chided Vara in my thoughts, but didn’t order them off the bridge, for they were out of the way.

Okay, something’s wrong, I declared.

Everyone looked at me, although Lyssa immediately turned her gaze back to the window. She was the only one doing any real work right now—she would be talking to Inner Elbow traffic control, asking for an approach vector, while shutting down the crescent technology that let us fold space and zip through wormholes.

No one is arguing with anyone else, I pointed out.

"You want us to argue, Captain?" Yoan asked, with a grin.

Dalton pushed away from his shell and stretched. Danny has got used to shouting matches. Silence worries her.

We have a vector and a landing bay assignment, Captain, Lyssa told me. Ready to approach?

I nodded. How long to reach the station?

Lyssa grimaced. At the permitted speed, five hours.

"Five hours? Dalton repeated. What the hell?"

Yoan gave a soft laugh. Blame my mother. The Spacing Guild regulations for approaching stations went live ten hours ago.

Yoan’s mother was Kristiana Saito, the President of the Spacing Guild and a power-player extraordinaire.

I can’t believe we have to crawl like this, Dalton muttered

There are sound, practical reasons for all the Guild regulations, I pointed out. Lyssa, approach at regulation speed, and follow all the other rules, too.

I’ve already registered our arrival with our departure point and with the Guild, Lyssa told me.

The Terran motherships had not raided one of our ships in nearly six months, but the registration of ship itineraries with the Guild, a ship’s departure point and its arrival point had been put in place so we could make sure everyone made it to where they wanted to go.

There had been a lot of heavy resistance to the requirement, especially from the wildcat ships who liked their complete freedom. Kristiana Saito had only to point out the loss of two wildcat ships and all their crews to the Terran slavers to shut down the complainers.

Although I suspect that Eliot Byrne had the greatest influence over his fellow wildcatters, for he and his crew had survived—only just—being abducted by the Terrans. Byrne was one of the greatest proponents of registration of itineraries and checking in.

As the Lythion turned away from the glorious view of the inner hub to take up its assigned approach vector, Lyth sighed.

I raised my brow. And your problem is…?

Dalton laughed. Don’t go looking for trouble, Danny.

Lyth said, with a small smile, I’ve never seen the galactic hub with human eyes, before.

All of us looked at him, startled.

Wow, Yoan said. I guess it’s pretty bland, through human eyes. Lyssa can see three times more colors on the spectrum than we can.

Three point two, she corrected him.

Lyth shook his head. It’s not the same. Not at all. But I think I finally understand why humans find the sight of so many stars clustered together so riveting. It’s…awe-inspiring.

It’s all that, Dalton agreed. He put a hand on my shoulder. I was hoping we could spend a night on Tracia. Old times, and all that. His voice dropped a little, the way it did when he was moved by something.

We had spent a short time in the luxury dome once, but it hadn’t been a vacation like it was for the dome’s usual rich visitors. We’d ended up in a pitched battle with robotic super-soldiers, protecting the man who had been Emperor, back then.

But there had been a few short, sweet hours before the violence had begun. I glanced over Dalton’s shoulder at the twin domes of Tracia, just coming into view as the Lythion lined up for its run to the Inner Elbow Station. Let’s get Lyth’s micro beacons off-loaded, and say farewell to our passengers, then I’ll see what I can arrange.

A night of down time won’t be noticed by anyone but you, Lyth pointed out.

I grimaced. "I don’t earn money when the Lythion is sitting on its ass in a station landing bay."

You don’t earn money, anyway, Dalton pointed out. You hand over everything you acquire to money-bags, there. He nodded at Lyth. I can’t believe you’re holding that debt over her still.

This was an old argument, and contrariwise, I could feel my middle relaxing. Was Dalton batting at Lyth just to make me feel better? It would be just like him.

I’m not the one insisting she finish paying for your clone, Dalton, Lyth replied. That’s all Danny’s doing. I forgave the debt years ago.

It gives me something to do, I said, my tone a touch defensive.

Jai and Marlow don’t keep you busy enough? Lyth asked, his tone dry.

There wasn’t an answer to that question that wasn’t an agreement. I turned toward the bridge ramp, instead. I have to let the passengers know it’ll be another five hours.

I’ve already informed them, Captain, Lyssa said.

I didn’t stop. Then I’m getting a drink, I grumbled and stalked down the ramp.

Lyssa arranged the interior of the Lythion differently when we had paying passengers aboard. They each got their own quarters, smaller than ours, but built to their specifications. The novelty of arranging their rooms to look like anywhere in the universe—bog, mountaintop, prairie, lava field, whatever one wanted—tended to keep the passengers entertained for most of their journey.

The passenger quarters bordered an open common area at the back of the ship. The common area included a small, but elegant bar with a chatty barman who served meals as well as drinks, and could answer every question the passengers might have.

Opposite the bar, a small gymnasium sat amidst a pocket-sized park with grass and flowers and shrubs, even birds who twittered. Lyssa kept the daylight good and strong overhead.

No passenger had ever complained about the accommodations on the Lythion, but this batch were among the richest in the known worlds…and I had to stop saying it that way, even to myself, because the known worlds extended beyond those inhabited by Carinads, these days. There were the Terran worlds, too, which we were just starting to learn more about.

So, our passengers were among the richest in the Carinad worlds, and all of them were heading for R&R on Tracia. A Tracia luxury shuttle would gently transfer them from the Inner Elbow station. The Tracians liked the extra lap involved in bringing their paying customers in, for it meant they didn’t have to sully the air in their domes with the exhaust of ships like the Lythion.

Lyssa’s barman was apparently keeping the passengers happy, for I wasn’t being hailed and requested to present myself in the common area to re-explain regulations to them. A small relief for me. I wasn’t a people person.

If I’d had things my way at all times, I’d have kept the Lythion purely on freight runs, but passengers like our current bunch paid far more per square meter of floor space than did a stack of freight containers in the hold.

I stepped off the bridge ramp, fully intending to head for the diner where I and the crew spent our off-hours. My usual glass of scotch would be waiting for me. Lyssa had heard me say I wanted a drink.

But I didn’t make it to the diner, because Ven hovered in front of the diner door, waiting for me.

All my cautious joy in a day that appeared to be without problems evaporated.

—2—

Extract from Interview 16 of Aveniru (no last name) and Anderson Marlow, Psychoscientist, Physicist.

Marlow: You’re certainly sounding better today. Your fever has reduced, they tell me. Your cough isn’t nearly as harsh as it was when I was here, last.

Aveniru: I am better, yes.

(Pause for interpretation)

Marlow: They sent me your request for more books. You read a lot, I’m told.

Aveniru: I have much to learn about Carinad peoples. Even your single language. Reading teaches me both.

Marlow: Your Common is getting better. We have much to learn about you, too. Can you tell me more about the Muradar? What does the name mean?

Aveniru: I was told when I was put into service that it is from one of the original Earth languages. It means chosen, an epithet of one of the ancient leaders.

Marlow: But you are not a Muradar?

Aveniru: Only the Asgar and the Ami can call themselves Muradar, for their blood is pure.

Marlow: What are the Asgar?

Aveniru: The gods in making. The Ami, they are not gods in making. They are…

(pause for interpretation)

Aveniru: They are the military, the second-class.

(pause for interpretation)

Marlow: I see. And you are not Muradar, so you are neither Asgar nor Ami.

Aveniru: I am Drigu.

Marlow: Third class?

Aveniru: I like your Common word for it better.

Marlow: Which word is that?

Aveniru: Slaves.

_______________

MY GUT CLENCHED AND MY heart sank when I saw Ven’s copper-colored face and deep-set eyes. The thick brows over them were pushed together more often than not, as he moved about the ship, puzzling out the strange ways of Carinads.

I hated that clenching, let-down feeling. I hated that I was feeling it, so I painted on as warm a smile as I could manage and moved over to where he was patently waiting for me. You could have waited inside the diner, I told him. I end up there sooner or later. Especially when there were paying passengers aboard.

Mace is in the diner at the moment, Ven said, as if that was an explanation.

I dodged around that. Ven not stepping into the diner because someone else was there was too close to all the uncomfortable…well, issues, surrounding Ven. How are you feeling? I asked, instead.

Better, Ven told me. He stood quite still. He rarely moved the way I was used to humans moving. Everything was contained inside him, including impulsive shifts and tics. He rarely did anything without conscious decision, right down to scratching his nose, I suspect.

Ven had grown a beard since coming aboard the Lythion,