The Pawn Series Book Three: The Pleiades Guards

By Rik V. Sandman

In a dystopian world, Earth, Moon, Mars and Asteroid-belt population fights against a new enemy, the Venatores. The enemy is the descendants of the DNA altered humans, the runaway Super soldiers that the Companies had produced inside their military Labs. Some of them look like humans, but most of them were like monsters to normal humans.
The last Super soldier Series in the development, the P-Series, was an all female Super soldiers group. The P-Series was a secret military Lab project and the last Series produced before a rogue military group with the help of Venatores purged it. The P-Series soldiers were 12 years old when they all were terminated... Except one, P31x2.
Almost ten years have passed and P31x2, the Pawn, is still searching for her place in the world. She had finally met the Player and the Queen in a battle zone on the Moon. Former enemies collide and others around them pay the price. It all depends on the outcome of the Player's move, whether the M45 will survive or if the Pawn has planned something for the M45...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rik V. Sandman
• Release date: Aug 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9789526987248

Rik V. Sandman

The author is Nordic who has worked on computers and networks most of his career. He has also done some odd jobs, served his conscription in the Army, worked in a steel factory and studied in the USA.His favorite things are reading, sports and hiking in nature. He collects graphic novels and is a friend of Japanese culture.

Book preview

The Pawn Series Book Three:

The Pleiades Guards

By

Rik V. Sandman

The Pawn Series Book Three:

The Pleiades Guards

By Rik V. Sandman

Copyright 2023 Rik V. Sandman

Cover Copyright 2023 P. Santala

Published 2023 by Pekka Santala at Smashwords

ISBN 978-952-69872-4-8 (EPUB)

ISBN 978-952-69872-5-5 (MOBI)

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 01 THE CHANGE OF PLAN

CHAPTER 02 THE DAYS AFTER TYCHO

CHAPTER 03 THE SOROBAN

CHAPTER 04 THE KING, THE QUEEN AND THE PAWN

CHAPTER 05 THE SHINIGAMI

CHAPTER 06 THE HONEY TRAP

CHAPTER 07 THE HAWK

CHAPTER 08 THE FOX

CHAPTER 09 THE SECURITY HANDOVER

CHAPTER 10 THE SHARK

CHAPTER 11 THE OSPREY

CHAPTER 12 THE ALPHA

CHAPTER 13 BATTLE TRAINING

CHAPTER 14 MARY’S TRAINING

CHAPTER 15 THE MEC-HANIC

CHAPTER 16 THE MEDICAL EXAMINATION

CHAPTER 17 THE VIPER

CHAPTER 18 THE BLOOD UNDER THE CRIMSON MOON

CHAPTER 19 THE END OF WAR

CHAPTER 20 BUNNY

CHAPTER 21 THE PACKAGE

Terminology

About the author

Other books by Rik V. Sandman

INTRODUCTION

The human population on Earth, Moon and Mars is less than 3 billion after the several epidemics and wars that coincided in the last two centuries. It started when the scientists began to fix the non-coding DNA of Human genome to get rid of diseases. About half of the Earth population had their DNA changed or fixed. These changes in DNA also caused unwanted results, immunity to several old diseases was weakened. The only ones who survived the pandemics were those whose DNA was not fixed. In the aftermath of the pandemics, several wars followed, in which more than 3 billion people died.

The wars collapsed the civil, national and state structures, and the corporate structures replaced them. As the wars progressed, the Earth, Moon and Martian governments changed, and the international Companies took over. The Companies had their own Defense Forces and Armies and used them to resolve their disputes with other Companies. Soon the disputes grew larger and eventually a full-scale war broke out, a war lasting over 150 years.

The Companies produced Lab-grown test-tube soldiers whose body parts were replaced with animal tissue. The Lab scientists made changes to the soldiers DNA to make them more agile and stronger. Controlling the new Super soldiers was unsuccessful, some Super soldiers ran away and began to gather, forming a new force on the battlefields. The children of the escaped Super soldiers had brought a new breed of humans, their descendants Venatores, who were born with Super soldier abilities. Some of them look like humans, but most of them were like monsters to normal humans.

The Planetary Trade Association issued a purge order for every Super soldier. Under its supervision, the military killed all the product Series except the few who had managed to escape from the purge. These were the N-, O- and K-Series. These Series were the base for the Venatores population, which grew fast and began to hunt humans. There was also another Series in the development, the P-Series, an all female Super soldiers group.

The P-Series was a secret military Lab project and the last Series produced before a rogue military group purged it. The infamous Dr. Luka Popov was the project leader who had developed the DNA enhancement to a higher level than anyone before. The P-Series was ten times more advanced than any other Series before it. It was even more advanced than the Venatores, who took a part in purging the P-Series before they were fully grown up to become a major force on the battlefields.

The P-Series soldiers were 12 years old when they all were terminated... Except one, P31x2.

P31x2 survived the Purge, but the termination of her little sister changed her. She became the Pawn.

From the Super soldiers about 1/64000 individuals has abilities that make them exceptionally stronger or mentally superior compared to others. These individuals are anomalies among the DNA produced Super soldiers. They are called the Pawns and the Queens. They can have a lower Code in their Series, but still be physically and mentally stronger than their peers. The strongest Pawns and Queens are the ones who have also their Code at the top of their Series. The higher the Code is, the stronger the Pawn or the Queen is. There are differences between a Pawn and a Queen, the Queen’s powers are her intelligence and her ability to use telepathy that is called the Mental Pressure, MP. The Pawn’s powers are speed, strength and intelligence. The Pawn can also use MP, but the Pawn’s way of using it is much more limited.

Normal humans could not work with or fight against these anomalies, who were monsters compared to normal humans. Only a few humans have abilities that make them capable of working or even controlling the Pawns. These persons are called Players. The Pawn can accept orders from the Player if the Player is at least at the same level as the Pawn mentally, but the Queens usually killed the Players. There can be only one leader in the Hive.

The Battle of Tycho was in full force on the Moon when M45, the Pleiades Guards, had managed to sabotage the plans of the warring companies. P31x2, Pei Pei, had finally met the Player, Captain Jon Eriksen. She had also found a little girl, Mary, with the Player and realizes that the girl is the Queen she had been searching for. To get them safely out of the battle zone, she had allowed the M45 take them both to Carrier C0126. She follows the military unit back to Earth. A new Game begins, and Captain Eriksen realizes that the Pawn, Pei Pei, is after her Queen. He makes a decision that could destroy everything the M45 has been planning for years. It all depends on the outcome of the Player’s move, whether the M45 will survive or if the Pawn has planned something for the M45...

CHAPTER 01

THE CHANGE OF PLAN

Carrier C0126 was motionless in space in its orbit round the Moon. Just below it on the surface of the Moon a battle was going on, the Zeven Sterren Company had attacked the Tycho Base. The war had lasted over 150 years and this would be the last major battle between the two rival companies. The ECT/TMM Group that owned the Tycho Base fought hard against their bigger rival Zeven Sterren and the battle had already lasted for several hours. The Tycho Base and its surrounding areas had been destroyed, but the fighting continued. There was also a third party on the battlefield, the Venatores. They took advantage of the situation and attacked their targets while the big companies were busy with each other.

On the Carrier there were the fourth party to the war, a group that was changing the rules of the war. They also played the situation to their advantage. The M45, the Pleiades Guards, had taken its final steps to separate from its parent company, the Zeven Sterren. Their leader, Captain Jon Eriksen, had landed on the surface of the Moon and attacked the Tycho Base. His Unit’s attack had destroyed the ECT/TMM Group’s communications center and most of the power distribution at the Tycho Base. It was only a matter of time before the Base will collapse. The Zeven Sterren will not win the battle either, it has also lost its communications center on Earth. Captain Eriksen had sent a pair of agents from his Unit to change the targets of the troops and their orders related to the battle. After that, the agents’ task was to destroy the parent company’s communication center. Both companies were fighting with false information and attacked the wrong targets. This left a clear path for the M45 to attack the Tycho Base. Incorrect commands were also diverting the Zeven Sterren’s attack out of the path of the M45’s attack.

The Captain’s plan was to bring down both companies and then leave with his Unit, the M45, and find a new future for them. It had taken years for the M45 to finally get to this point. It had come at a heavy price, they had lost more than half of their comrades along the way. This would be the moment they would all be free or die fighting. The group that was on the Bridge of Carrier C0126 was quiet, they were waiting for the Captain and the others to return from the Moon mission. There was one man on the Bridge who felt the most pressure in the Captain’s absence.

Robert Sakai was a calm person, some would say he was made of ice and could not be shaken by anything. He was a big Asian man with a thick black beard and a bald head. His Code was Uncle Bob because he was kind to the other M45 members. Robert was sitting in the Captain’s chair on the Carrier C0126’s Bridge and watched the screens as if relaxing on a nice day in the meadow. It couldn’t be further from that, he was worried, his heart was beating over 100 beats per minute. He tapped the control buttons on the small screen next to the chair. It was a way to ease his nerves and hide his feelings from others. He looked at the others on the Carrier’s Bridge, they were all nervous and constantly checking their monitors and the messages on the main console screen above the front windows of the Bridge. So he had to be calm. Even though everything had turned sour just a few minutes ago, the Captain had changed the plan. Why? Then Dave Rechner, who was monitoring the battle communications, turned to him:

M1 and Team Black are returning from the Moon. The Crow is with them. The Red Angel is flying the other C-Fighter.

Robert started to breathe easier, maybe they will get through this after all. Tycho’s battle was in full force on the surface of the Moon. The Unit had changed the tactical plans of the warring companies just as it all began. They had already lost a few friends, and he hoped they wouldn’t lose any others. Soon they will start their travel back to Earth. It was the final stage of the plan, the escape from the Moon. It was the Captain’s Plan that they had practiced several times over the past few months. Then, just a few minutes ago, the Captain had changed the Plan, and no one knows why. His thoughts were interrupted, Dave’s voice was calm:

Uncle Bob, M1 and Team Black are also bringing civilians, four adults and one girl. The Captain has asked Doc to be ready to do a medical examination of the girl.

Robert stared at Dave for a moment, then moved from his chair and said:

Dave, take control. I’ll go to see Doc, let me know when they’re close enough to land on the rear launch pad. After they land, send the decoy missile with the nuclear device, we must follow the plan.

I understand, Uncle Bob.

Dave moved to the Captain’s chair and glanced at Robert, who was already at the door and leaving the Bridge. He saw Robert’s face just before the big man disappeared behind the closing door. Dave saw something that made him nervous, was Uncle Bob as nervous as the others? Dave then looked at the console next to the Captain’s chair and began transferring screen data from his own workstations to it. A sudden explosion right in front of the Carrier caught everyone’s attention. George Singh, a communications specialist sitting next to pilot Rik Eriksen, was surprised:

Where did that come from?!... It was a C-Fighter... Rik, did you see that?

Yeah... It came from somewhere on the port side, the front guns took it out. It must have been one of the returning C-Fighters and it had no transponder beacon! The C-Fighter was flying in ghost mode and the radar didn’t show it!

The young pilot, Rik Eriksen, was a blond, blue-eyed teenager who was handling the helm of the Carrier. His father, Captain Jon Eriksen, was the man who was the leader of the Unit. Rik was just waiting for the command to activate the spaceship’s massive engines to get the Unit back towards Earth. Rik glanced at George who was checking the screens on his workstation, the Indian man’s eyes were studying the scrolling data lines on the screens. He was trying to figure out why the C-Fighter was able to come so close to the Carrier without warning. George was a former university professor who had joined the M45, and was working as a security guard and communications specialist. George then commented:

It was one of the C-Fighters on this Carrier, it flew out when a false evacuation alert was activated. For some reason it deactivated the transponder beacon just as it got close, the Carrier’s AI thought the Fighter was the enemy...

Dave examined his own screens and found the same, he did some further checks, but then George announced:

M1 and Team Black are a minute from the rear launch pad. Ms. Xu and Ms. Fou are flying the C-Fighters. I already sent the information to Uncle Bob.

OK. Rik, get ready to get us out of here, there may be other stray C-Fighters that may try to approach.

Rik started checking the messages and gauges on his console again, everything seemed to be in order. He was ready, he just hoped that his father and everyone else would get to C0126 safely. They were only a minute away from safety, but there was no certainty. The C-Fighter that exploded just a minute ago reminded them all of the danger they were still in. Rik heard a woman’s voice just a few steps away to his right, it was Cheung Min:

Remember the fusion engine gauges, Rik. Don’t push them too hard, and watch the fuel cell pressure levels when you activate the burners!

The young pilot nodded, he had already checked them several times. Cheung Min was a civilian and just as nervous as everyone else on the Bridge. She was a former university professor in her twenties who had turned her life into a part-time partisan. Her mother had died in an attack, and she had begun her own revenge against those who were responsible for her mother’s death. When she joined the M45, she got her Code, Mahjong, thanks to her intelligence. She was a genius like Dave, both were part of the M45 Tactical Team. When Dave was young, he was a child prodigy kept in an institution where his daily routine was to calculate the tasks his caretakers gave him. He managed to escape from them and traveled the world for several years before joining Captain Jon Eriksen’s Unit. Dave’s Code is Soroban, he could calculate anything in his brain easily. Realizing how nervous everyone was, Rik calmly said:

Dave, the pilot is ready, just tell me when.

Dave stared quietly at the screen next to the Captain’s chair. He watched the camera feed from the rear launch area where the group from the Moon should be arriving. Seconds felt like minutes and Dave felt sweat running down his back, the Bridge was quiet, everyone was waiting. Dave then saw both the Transporters and the two C-Fighters land on the launch pad. The Transporters and C-Fighters were attached to magnetic hooks that pulled them inside Carrier C0126. He waited until he saw a green light on his screen and said to George:

George, deactivate the Carrier’s transponder and make sure the decoy missile’s transponder has the Carrier’s code activated. Once the change is made, send the decoy missile with the nuclear device. We need this for the plan to succeed. Make sure the decoy missile is far enough away from the enemy spaceships... and from us.

Understood. The transponder code change is done... now. The decoy missile is being sent... now. It’s going to explode in about two minutes, we need to get out of this area, Dave.

Dave had been watching George work and then said to Rik:

Rik, let’s go home!

Rik activated the fusion engines and C0126’s large rockets began to push the Carrier out of lunar orbit and towards Earth.

Meanwhile, Robert Sakai had gone to the Carrier’s Crew Area and given orders to prepare a couple of rooms for the civilians. He thought about the changed situation, Jon had made sudden moves that were not in the Plan. They need to make sure that the civilians with the M1 and Team Black are vetted. The enemy may be devious and try to infiltrate the M45’s troops on the Carrier. He needs to talk to Megumi, the young security officer in charge of the Unit’s security guards. She is with Team Black and is probably already taking care of the necessary security measures for the situation. Upon arrival, the civilians must be escorted to the interrogation room and the girl to the Medical Office.

Robert glanced at his ComUnit, it had beeped, and he read Dave’s message. M1 and Team Black with two C-Fighters had arrived safely on the Carrier. He let out a sigh of relief and then went to see Doc who was already getting ready for the girl’s medical examination. He was surprised to hear that Jon was bringing a child with him. Robert also thought about the strange order Jon had sent. The girl is not allowed to talk to anyone until Doc sees her. Robert felt the pull as Carrier C0126 began to move towards Earth, at least they were getting out of the battle zone.

Several kilometers away, the decoy missile flew away from the battle area and the Carrier C0126. The decoy missile was flying its last flight. Inside its metal shell, a timer was ticking towards the moment when hell would show its face in the lunar sky. Soon the timer ran out and the nuclear device inside the decoy missile received its last command. The explosion was bright and silent, but powerful enough for the Zeven Sterren military in space to detect it. The transponder code of the Carrier C0126 disappeared from space along with the explosion. Jon’s Plan continued, and the M45 systematically carried out every step of it. Carrier C0126 flew in ghost mode towards Earth without transmitting its transponder code.

* * *

Carrier C0126 had already been traveling towards Earth for a couple of hours when one of the maintenance hatches on the outer shell was opened. The person in a pilot’s spacesuit moved into the spaceship and closed the hatch. The pilot quickly moved towards the back of the spaceship where the secondary bridge, rocket control and maintenance areas were. A few minutes later the pilot quickly moved into one of the storage rooms. After closing the door the pilot took off her helmet and started looking around. Her yellow cat eyes missed nothing, she had entered the spaceship and was now studying her surroundings. The room was the perfect place to hide for the next three days before the Carrier will reach Earth. The Pawn, Code P31x2, was in the Carrier again. A few hours earlier, after the false evacuation alert was issued, she had taken a C-Fighter and flied out of the spaceship. She had parked the C-Fighter on the Carrier’s outer shell, and she had been waiting. When the M45’s maintenance crew flew out of the spaceship and towards the Moon, she had followed them.

She knew they were somewhere on this Carrier, the Queen and the Player. Now she has to get them both separated from the others before... Then she checked her ComUnit and walked over to the control box on the opposite wall of the room. She opened it and checked the wiring and ports. It didn’t take long for her to connect her ComUnit to the internal systems and see the situation. The Player’s Unit seemed to be in control of the Carrier. P31x2 was satisfied and then checked the room before arranging her stay. She changed the key code of the door locking mechanism so that no one else can enter. She then checked the spaceship’s manifest to see if there was any food in the storage rooms nearby, she needed water and food.

The flight from the Moon had been hard, she had taken everything out of the C-Fighter’s engines. The plane had managed to pass the two Transporters and the other C-Fighters from far enough. When approaching the Carrier, she had turned off the C-Fighter’s transponder beacon. She had moved out of the cockpit as she turned the C-Fighter towards the front of the Carrier. It was intended to cause enough confusion to the crew so that she could land on the spaceship’s outer shell. She had used her DryPack’s gas to propel herself towards the spaceship. The Carrier had shot down the C-Fighter, which was expected, and she had managed to get to the spaceship undetected. She had to wait for a long time outside the Carrier until the spaceship was on its way to Earth. The rest was easy, the only thing she had to be careful about was suppressing her Mental Pressure. The Queen was in the Carrier and so was the Player, if she enters the spaceship in her normal active mode, they will feel and sense her. It wasn’t easy, but so far they haven’t detected her.

She moved to the corner of the storage room and climbed up the wall to a place where there was a large beam parallel to the ceiling. It was a support beam for Carrier’s main inner tube, she found a flat space on the beam. She laid down on it and began to rest, the trip to Earth would take about three days, and she needed to conserve her energy. It was time for the Pawn to stay dormant.

* * *

Several hours later, Captain Jon Eriksen was alone in his room changing gear. The wound on his shoulder still hurt, it will take a few weeks to heal. His spacesuit was damaged on the Moon, and he still wondered why the Pawn had fixed it. Why did she leave him alive? She could have just killed him and taken the girl with her. What is behind her strange behavior? He knew that sooner or later the Pawn would come back to get the girl. What happens then? Will it attack the M45 and kill everyone? Do they stand a chance against her? Does this change the Plan? He only had questions, but no answers.

Jon thought of the girl he had found on the Moon, she was a Queen with a Code that was impossible. A fourth level Queen?! She was just a little girl! All the military produced Queens so far had been at the M0 or M1 level, but she was at the M4 level?

He sat down for a moment as he inspected the damaged spacesuit’s O2 and Control Unit. Then he noticed something strange on the cover of the spacesuit’s Control Unit, scratch marks? He examined the metal cover and saw that the scratches were actually text. He stared at the text for a few seconds. Then he sat quietly and thought about the situation. The Plan had just changed, she had changed it. The message was something he hadn’t expected, it would change his and the M45’s life forever. He examined the scratched text again and just stared at it:

You are the Player. She is the Queen. I am the Pawn.

CHAPTER 02

THE DAYS AFTER TYCHO

The tent was hot, the air was humid, and he could feel his sweaty shirt sticking to his skin. He sat on a small container box and leaned against a small table that consisted of two larger container boxes and a metal plate on top of them. Captain Jon Eriksen held in his hand a small black stone that hung from his neck on a silver chain. Centuries ago, one of his ancestors had found a meteorite and turned it into a necklace, a family treasure that was passed down to the next generation. The original chain had been replaced by a silver chain hundreds of years ago, but the history value of the black stone was greater for the family than its monetary value. He studied its smooth black surface with his fingers and his thoughts were on his wife, Mari, who had been killed a few years ago. He was still blaming himself for not being there on time to stop the attackers, the burden of it was still slowly killing him from the inside. The constant what ifs after the attack was burning his mind. It didn’t get any easier even after the culprits had been killed, and their companies were collapsing, nothing can bring her back.

He sighed and put the black stone back inside his shirt, where it hung against his heart, the place that was as black as the stone. Losing Mari was the worst thing he had ever experienced, it changed him. Rik, his son had noticed it, the boy was trying to keep his father as he used to be. Jon sighed again and looked out the open door of the tent, the dunes were basking in the sunlight. It was clear and sunny outside, but he couldn’t get out, the darkness inside his heart kept him in the shadows. If it was just him, he’d just stay in the dark and... but no, he has others to take care of. Rik and the M45, they are the only things he has left, his Unit... the only family he has.

Jon sighed again and then stretched his arms up for a moment before looking around. He stood up and walked over to the tent door and put his sunglasses on before stepping out and observing the camp. The vehicles and Transporters had been covered with camouflage nets and the crew was working normally on maintenance. The planes were between a couple of large sand dunes, the group had a camp in the European desert where they had landed the night before. It was the M45’s research group checking out a few possible Base locations on Earth. He walked up to one of the Transporters and stepped in, inside the plane it was as hot and humid as in the tent. Jon noticed two people sitting in the back of the plane and walked over there. They were members of the Unit’s Tactical Team, going over their plans for the M45’s next moves. One of them was Dave Rechner, a young blond man who noticed Jon and said:

We have followed the news on the Net, both companies are collapsing, even other companies are taking them apart. The Planetary Association has authorized the dissolution of the two companies. The Zeven Sterren and the ECT/TMM Group are both collapsing in a big way.

Jon nodded and sat in front of the two on one of the seats attached to the Transporter’s frame. Then he asked:

Have they apprehended the leaders?

Dave looked at the other man next to him, George Singh, an Indian man. He was working with an InfoUnit that was on top of a container box they were using as a table. Dave had his own InfoUnit in his hand and had just checked the Net for news about the two collapsing companies. George looked at Jon and his voice was cheerful:

They have executed General Liao, he tried to escape, but the AIU got him. The General got a speedy trial and sentence, he was shot on the spot, Captain.

Jon grinned and said:

I suppose they had their reasons, maybe the AIU had something to hide, and they were making sure that there will be no leaks that could harm them. For once, they were useful. What about General Bishop? Any info on him?

George glanced at his InfoUnit before commenting:

Nothing yet, Captain. It seems he had managed to escape. We are still keeping a close eye on his business associates, he may try to contact them, and then we can go after him. His organization has basically been wiped out, sooner or later he will have to contact one of his business associates.

George saw how coldly Jon looked back at him, and he went pale. When the Captain is angry, you should stay away from him. Dave quickly commented:

We’ll get him! All the other leaders have already been arrested and will be prosecuted as we had planned.

Jon tried to calm down, he shouldn’t put too much pressure on the members of the Unit. He took a deep breath and then asked:

What is the situation with our plans, do we have a place to go?

Dave showed his InfoUnit to Jon and pointed to an area that was in the middle of the abandoned terrain. After the World War III, radiation destroyed some land areas and the places were uninhabitable for several centuries. Even when radiation levels dropped to normal levels, people still avoided the areas. There were many abandoned military Bases in the area and Dave had found one that was a good fit for the M45. Jon studied the Base’s information and then said:

OK, this looks promising, Dave. We should send one of the special teams to check it out. There might be others hiding there, we need to make sure it is available to us.

Dave made some notes on the InfoUnit after Jon handed it back to him. Then George said:

Also the plans for Carrier C0126 have been made, we will send it towards its space hideout once we have settled into the Base, Captain. We can use the Carrier later when we are ready for the next phase of your Plan.

Jon smiled and then looked at both and said:

You have done an excellent job. Thanks to the good work of the Tactical Team, our Unit is now free, and we can finally do what we have been planning for so long. I am grateful to all of you! Keep up the good work!

Jon stood up and then walked out of the Transporter. The two men sitting in the back of the plane felt their spirits lift. It wasn’t often that their work was appreciated. They were the computer geeks who planned the missions, but the others were the ones who executed the plans. It was rare for them to receive praise for their work, and when it came from the Captain, it was special. His words will make them work even harder to make sure their plans will work without a hitch. George turned to Dave:

We need to tell Lau sisters and Min at the Carrier how pleased the Captain is, Dave. They’ve earned it.

Dave nodded and grinned widely, he was going to say the same to George. The three women were on the Carrier in the satellite orbit, where the Carrier was still moving around and avoiding other military spacecrafts.

* * *

Jon returned to his tent and read the reports that Jasmine had brought him, the young Asian woman was efficient as always. Years ago, Jon had saved her and her brother Lei from assassins, and the two orphans found refuge in Jon and Mari’s home. Years later, they joined the M45 and became leading members of the group. Jasmine was a trained assassin and Lei worked in the security guards, they both were deadly. Their parents had taught them most of their martial arts skills before the children had to escape the assassins who killed their parents. They just continued to train with the best fighters, the M45. Jasmine became Jon’s secretary when she decided Jon needed one, he had no say in the matter. Jon was satisfied with Jasmine’s work, she was efficient and punctual. The only thing he had a problem with was the way Jasmine showed her displeasure, she shouted her opinion out loud. Very loud. Her voice could scratch paint off a wall. No one wanted to get into an argument with her, if they did so, it meant that their ears would receive painful torture.

Jasmine walked in and Jon looked at her, she had a stack of reports in her hands, and she said:

Lei informed from the Carrier that they are moving further away from Earth, a few Earth Defense Force’s ships are getting too close. Otherwise, they have no problems, Captain.

Jon saw the reports Jasmine put on the table and sighed:

More reports? What are these? I thought we already went through them?

Yes. I did. You didn’t, Captain. That’s why these are on your table again. You must sign the forms before I can upload the information into the system. We’ve been through this before, Captain, you have to do what I asked you to do!

Jon saw Jasmine getting annoyed and decided to avoid her yelling and do the job. He sighed and started going through the reports. Jasmine walked out, leaving him to sweat with the reports. After a few reports, Jon stopped and began to read one of the comments Dave had made in the report. It was in his weekly status report on Venatore movements on Earth. There were only a few lines of comments, but it made him feel a little uncomfortable. A few months ago there had been several V’s battles that did not involve humans. They were fighting among themselves? Was there a power struggle between the Venatores? He was most bothered by the comment about V’s who had been found dead. They all had half of their faces scratched off. That only meant one thing, she’s done it. The Pawn, who had almost killed him on the Moon. Why does she kill V’s, and who sent her? It’s only a matter of time before she is after the M45 and her Queen.

The message she had left on the cover of his spacesuit’s Control Unit was clear. She will come to get her Queen, but then what? She is unstoppable and can wipe out the M45 if she thinks the Unit is between her and her Queen. There has to be a way to avoid it, and he knows there’s only one way to play the Game. It’s a game with only two options, the same ones he always gives to potential new members of the Unit. Join or die. This time she is giving the options.

* * *

There it was again, it had appeared several times over the past few days. He knew she wasn’t hiding from him, just from others. She knows that no one else can sense her but him and the little girl, Mary. It’s like a bold statement directed at him, showing the strength of her Mental Pressure, it was obvious to Jon. He had felt it on the Moon and now on Earth as the M45 moved around looking for a place to set up their new Base on Earth. Jon had walked