Triple Strike: A Gathering Storm

By G.M. Gray

Romance may be in the atmo when Colin joins the Merry Swallow's crew on the beautiful ocean planet of Merak, but for Alan, it's just another day working the most important and stressful case of his career. Yet Alan's woes are only beginning. Not only does the pirate confederacy have ties to both the pyrean navy and human corporations, pyrean sep

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akula Games LLC
• Release date: Nov 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798987621356

Book preview

Operation 1: A Gathering Storm

Alan awoke with a start. Even in the darkened room, he could sense he was alone in bed. He blinked, patting the mussed sheets beside him as he tried to get his bearings. The sheets were already cold from Sven’s absence.

Warning sirens went off an instant before the whole ship jolted. Half-asleep though he was, Alan had been on interstellar vessels long enough to react without thinking — curling his arms around his head and neck to brace himself as he tumbled out of the bed. The Merry Swallow’s bells chimed right before time slowed. A few seconds later, the sirens quieted, and silence enveloped the ship.

They’d entered Gatespace.

Alan rolled out his neck with a sigh before rising to his feet. Once he’d tossed his blanket back onto the bed, he walked over to Eric’s perch to check on his roommate.

You okay?

Eric did not answer, because he was an iguana. By now Alan’s eyes had adjusted to the room’s low light, so he saw how the lizard opened one beady eye just enough to give Alan a baleful look before closing it.

Oh, sorry, Alan whispered.

He took a step back as if to give Eric space, then felt ridiculous. Yet the fact that Eric could sleep through a projectile colliding with the ship only to get irritated when Alan asked a softly spoken question seemed unreasonable. One of the many mysteries surrounding genetically-engineered space iguanas, Alan supposed.

Alan picked up his watch, which was set to Standard Pyrean time, and confirmed it was well before the dawn bell. He forced himself to lie back on the bed, doing his best to ignore the adrenaline pumping through him. After a few minutes of counting his racing heartbeats, Alan realized sleep was hopeless.

He turned on a small reading light by the bed and pulled out one of Sven’s paperbound novels at random. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, and it was in the original English. Did Sven actually know English? Was this book’s presence coincidence, the Fates, or Sven’s deranged sense of humor?

Hard to tell, Alan mused as he flipped to the middle. David was just about to encounter the Red Fox when the door to the hallway opened.

Sven stood, silhouetted by the corridor’s dim lights. He remained comically quiet as if to avoid waking Alan, and only halfway through tip-toeing into the room did he notice Alan’s reading light.

Oh! Alan! There was a long, awkward pause. You’re awake!

Mmm, Alan murmured. Strange as it sounds, I couldn’t sleep through what I assume was a shell strike.

Despite the low lighting, Alan could see Sven’s embarrassed smile. Ahaha, oh that? Ma’jenn love bites we call them. As sweet as a shore lad’s parting kiss. Sven ran a hand through his mess of hair. They got us pretty good, huh?

They did. Alan glanced up after flipping to the next page. No one’s hurt?

Praise the Spirits, no. A few bruises here and there, and the ship’s damage is nothing that can’t be fixed. Ian’s grouchy at the prospect of repairs, but he’ll pull through.

Alan paused.

So… he said.

So… Sven replied.

Alan sighed, closing the book before him and placing it on the corner of the bed. He sat up to direct his full attention at Sven. Maybe next time you’ll warn the off-duty crew when you’re making a midnight strike?

Sven flopped down next to Alan and closed his eyes. Of course I notified the off-duty crew.

Alan regarded him with a look of mild irritation. Just…not me?

Sven opened one languid green eye. You get so…tetchy about it. I was hoping we’d, er, you know…finish the job before you woke up?

Alan’s lips curled into a small, condescending smile. Too many love bites.

It was true that the Swallow’s acts of piracy, whether or not they were committed on ma’jenn targets, made Alan uncomfortable. But to call him tetchy…that was completely unfair.

Sven, I understand that ‘collecting tolls’ is part of your Piracy Division duties, but —

Sven reached up, slinging an arm around Alan to pull him down to the bed. Alan half-expected Sven to kiss him, maybe cause some mischief — something to distract Alan from what he was about to say. But though their noses were separated by a mere hairsbreadth, Sven’s expression was serious. He gently touch Alan’s face with his gloved hand.

I’m sorry, Alan. I get it. You’re Elite.

You can imagine why this is awkward, Alan agreed, murmuring the words against Sven’s lips.

But the Piracy Division is self-funded, Sven insisted. And your investigation isn’t cheap.

At last the conversation had come full circle as it inevitably did. Alan currently worked with the Pyrean Navy to investigate an unsanctioned pirate confederacy, but at the end of the day, the Merry Swallow’s crew were pirates — privateers at best. This sort of strike was unavoidable, even if it went against everything Alan stood for as an inspector in the HIA’s Elite Anti-Piracy Agency.

It was also true that the Elite didn’t concern itself with the type of theft the Merry Swallow committed for its day-job. The Elite tackled the most egregious cases of piracy, and the sad truth was that, even if Sven hadn’t been avoiding human territories since Alan joined the crew, the Elite would still turn a blind eye.

I’m not tetchy, Alan insisted.

Sven regarded him in silence. His large, luminous eyes were inscrutable as he leaned forward to give Alan a slow, deliberate kiss.

You’re not tetchy, Sven conceded. But the sooner you crack this case, the sooner we can go back to doing what you want to do instead of passing the time flirting with imperial ma’jenn vessels.

Urgh, Alan groaned, rolling onto his back. I would love to do that, I assure you.

A month had passed since the Plant 2 raid. This strike proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the Earth-based conglomerate, Lionshead Industries, was involved in the manufacturing process of unsanctioned pirate vessels. This raid also confirmed that human-made vehicles could be equipped with pyrean-manufactured Gates. It was this revelation in particular that made the investigation’s already substantial complexities even more politically rife.

The ramifications from a personal perspective weren’t much better. First Ulrich had pointed a gun at Alan, then Sven confiscated Alan’s information to prevent the LHI technology from reaching the HIA. To say it had been a rough patch in the budding romance between Alan and Sven was an understatement.

Yet there was little point holding a grudge over it. The interests of the Human International Alliance and the Inter-tribal Pyrean Confederacy might have aligned for tracking down this unsanctioned pirate activity, but the organizations were not on good terms.

But however tenuous the joint venture between the IPC and HIA was, Alan’s immediate concern was puzzling out the next piece — where the pirate confederacy had gotten pyrean Gate engines in the first place. The records confiscated from Plant 2 suggested the facility had built several dozen ships over the past twenty years, but it wasn’t clear if all of them were equipped with unique Gate engines, or if their newer ships reused Gate engines from older vessels. Since Alan didn’t have direct access to the reports, he had to rely on Ian to look into both possibilities.

All Alan knew was that four pyrean facilities were on record as able to manufacture Gate engines, and of those, only one constructed the military-grade engines used by the Navy. As multiple ships in this pirate confederacy had gone head-to-head against Navy vessels, Ian believed their Gate engines were likely comparable to those manufactured for the Navy.

Despite such concerns, the Navy remained reticent when Alan requested reports on Navy vessels that had gone missing or been reported as destroyed over the past few decades. They’d provided him with no more than a handful of case files, and none of these contained enough details for Alan to draw conclusions. Thus for the past month, he’d been flailing — looking for anything that might give him some insight.

Things will become clearer once we reach Merak, Sven said as if reading Alan’s thoughts.

Although Alan nodded, he was not convinced. Colin’s intel from Earth suggested the LHI had some under-the-table dealings with pyrean mining companies on the planet of Merak in the QB system. It wasn’t clear what sorts of ore they’d acquired, or for what purpose, but QB was deep in the heart of pyrean territory. It was not a place where human companies had many, if any, operations. As far as clues went, it was a long shot, but Alan’s other leads had long since dried up.

Let’s hope, Alan murmured. I’m running out of ideas, and I have a lot of people to impress.

I’m impressed, Sven said helpfully, snaking his arms around Alan to pull him closer.

No offense, Sven, but you’re pretty easy to impress. I’m a bit more concerned about my boss, your dad, and I don’t know….High Priest Corandisham of the Crescent Moon Court, who’s going to decide whether or not to acknowledge humanity’s existence in the galaxy based solely on my competency solving this case?

Sven looked vaguely offended. "I’m not that easy to impress."

Believe what you want, Alan laughed with a shake of his head. Oh, Sven, by the way…

He picked up Kidnapped. I didn’t know you knew English.

I don’t.

Alan blinked. But this copy is in English.

"Oh, Kidnapped? Yeah, I read it in United Pyrean as a kid. Absolutely loved it. Was my favorite book for years and years, so I picked up a version in the original language. This copy has pictures," Sven added as if that explained everything.

It’s a fun novel, Alan admitted. He enjoyed the old human adventure books of that era, but he couldn’t claim a deep obsession like pyreans had.

It is, Sven agreed. His eyes turned just a little wicked. Ever since I read it, I’ve wanted an Alan of my own.

Alan, shirtless, and Sven in his usual clothes are face to face lying on the bed together. Sven is saying something as he touches Alan’s cheek with his gloved hand, and Alan is smiling with amusement.

Alan half-expected Sven to kiss him, maybe cause some mischief — something to distract Alan from what he was about to say.

Yay! Vacation! Natalia exclaimed. About time we got some R&R.

She settled her hands on her hips, and a pleased smirk flickered across her face as she gazed out the large space station windows. The curve of Merak shone above them. She’d disembarked from the Swallow along with Alan’s team (composed of Dirk and Gunnar), as well as several other crew members who were taking shore leave for the duration of Alan’s investigation. Among them was Valtra, but she’d been unusually quiet since entering the QB system — a noticeable change given her typical enthusiasm for shore leave.

As a binary star system, QB had at its heart two red dwarf stars. A scattering of planets and moons existed within the system, but the most noteworthy were the twin planets, Merak and Altym. Like their parent stars, Merak and Altym were also binary, orbiting each other as they circled QB Alpha, the larger of the two stars. Since the planets were tidally locked together, they maintained a day-night cycle despite their close orbit of Alpha, which in turn resulted in habitable planet-wide temperature regulation.

This confluence of planetary factors had made Merak into something of a tropical paradise. With Merak’s vast seas and temperate climate, life formed long before pyrean sailors arrived. Mining and terraforming operations were thus limited in accordance with IPC laws, but the atmosphere supported pyrean (and presumably human) life without the use of biospheres.

It had a number of small, permanent settlements scattered across its many island-continents, and due to the planet’s distance from both Pyre and the pyrean inner colonies, it had become a hub of activity for the sector. Merak provided a base of operations for mining expeditions on Altym, as well as access to the other mining planets within the system. The guide books claimed Merak also made for a pleasant (if remote) holiday, and the Swallow’s crew assured Alan it was a popular destination for shore leave when sailors happened to be in the system.

Thus it wasn’t a surprise that Natalia insisted on disembarking. Sven had already excluded her from the fun on Psyche, so she’d made it clear she wouldn’t take no for an answer this time.

We won’t be able to join you for R&R, Alan remarked in a droll tone. But from what I’ve seen sailing the Swallow, an observation tour looks a lot like semi-permanent vacation to me.

Natalia humphed, but the comment got a laugh out of Gunnar and Dirk.

It depends on the captain, Gunnar murmured. His face twisted as if remembering his own tour. Trust me, it varies ship to ship.

Hey, I work as hard as the rest of the crew, Natalia insisted. Right, Valt?

Eh? Valtra pulled her eyes away from the windows for the first time since disembarking. It was clear from her expression that she hadn’t heard a word of the conversation, but after a moment, she shrugged. Sure.

Alan regarded Valtra out the corner of his eye but said nothing. It was impossible not to notice her glum look, but they had a cordial working relationship at best. Alan didn’t think he was close enough as a friend that she’d appreciate meddling.

Valtra, is everything okay? Gunnar asked, articulating what everyone was thinking. His eyes were so soft and genuine, and he spoke with such straightforward concern, Valtra did her best to rally. She managed a small, fanged smile.

Yeah, it’s fine, Gunn. I’m not really big on family holidays is all.

She shifted her backpack — a hulking hiking bag complete with an external frame and a multitude of straps that went down the length of her back. It was far larger than the bags the other Swallow crew mates had taken for shore leave, and it was loaded with presents to distribute once she reached her destination.

There you are! a familiar voice shouted from across the station’s corridor.

Alan almost jumped. Having known Colin for nearly a decade, Alan should’ve been used to his partner showing up at unexpected moments, but these sudden appearances still came as a shock. All of the Swallow’s crew turned in unison as he made his way toward them. He was a single human in a sea of pyreans, but like Alan, he ignored the curious looks.

Colin?! Alan blinked. How? Why?

Alan continued to stare in confusion, but Valta’s mood immediately brightened.

My favorite planker! she exclaimed in a chipper voice that belied her earlier dark mood. What in bloody star dust are ya doing all the way out here?

Colin laughed as he stopped before them. He carried nothing but a small duffel bag sewn in the pyrean sailing style. Ah, you know. I got antsy waiting for Beringer’s calls back on Earth, so I figured why not join my handsome partner in the field?

Colin winked at Alan, who continued to regard Colin with open suspicion.

How’d you convince the Finance Department to burn money on your frivolous travels? Alan inquired in a deadpan tone.

Ah, but is it frivolous travel, or is it an essential expense that gets us one step closer to cracking the case? Who can say really? After giving Alan a friendly poke in the ribs with his elbow, Colin moved to Valtra’s side to snake an arm around her waist. Despite the bulk of her backpack, he managed to make the motion look elegant. Not to mention I’d hoped to show the most beautiful crew member of the Merry Swallow an old-fashioned, Earth-style Valentine’s Day.

Definitely frivolous, Alan decided with a sigh.

What’s Valentine’s Day? Natalia asked with sudden interest. Valtra raised an eyebrow as if curious as well. Valtra was more reserved than Nat, and she shared at least some of Alan’s skepticism, but she also found Colin’s foolishness amusing.

Before Colin could answer, Alan explained, It’s a festival that presumably came from one of the old Earth religions, but it’s now a consumerist tradition that forces people to buy gifts for their romantic relations.

Colin smiled airily as if Alan’s response neither surprised nor bothered him. Yes, I suppose a more cynical person would call it a ‘consumerist tradition’ forcing people to buy presents for their sweethearts.

Natalia cocked her head. What do you think?

I love consumerism! Colin beamed, producing a box of chocolates from his bag to hand to Valtra.

Presents?! Natalia’s voice squeaked. She bounced on her heels, making no pretense about her love of materialism.

Valtra’s eye flashed with mild interest, as if even she were not immune to gifts, before her black gaze narrowed. Despite the mistrustful look, she took the box before asking, And yer telling me this ‘Valentine’ holiday just happens to be today on Earth?

Alan checked his watch, flipping the time back to Standard Earth so it would handle the conversions. He arched an eyebrow at Colin.

He’s only five months and nine days late by Earth time, but who’s counting?

Exactly! Colin threw an arm around Alan’s shoulders. The galaxy is enormous. It’s probably February 14 th somewhere.

Valtra and Dirk laughed, but Gunnar shook his head. He too was smiling, but it was halfway between amusement and exasperation — a feeling Alan knew well. Natalia took the moment to demand a present of her own, and Colin did not disappoint. He produced additional gifts using his keen abilities to be prepared for all situations and contingencies.

Colin insisted Dirk and Gunnar take presents as well, but the only thing he gave Alan was a wink. I could have brought you chocolates too, but your present is my company.

Lucky me.

It’s going to be fun, Colin insisted, gripping Alan’s arm just long enough to give him a shake. When Alan rolled his eyes, Colin took a step back. Since you’re looking into the pyrean side of things, being in the outer territories makes gathering intel easier than if I’m on Earth. Don’t worry, Alan. A scoundrel I may be, but I promise I’ll work hard during the day. He gave Valtra a meaningful look. Fun will only happen off hours.

She laughed, patting him on the cheek. Sounds nice, but it ain’t gonna work out this time.

Colin’s eyes widened in a rare moment of visible surprise. Oh?

As much as Alan felt bad for Colin, he also felt smug. It was unusual for him to know more than Colin. He explained, Valtra has another bus to catch. Solar transit.

Alan watched the wheels begin to turn. He could see Colin checking off all the other colonies in the system. When Colin glanced at Valtra, the lightbulb clicked. He ran a hand through his thick spikes of hair with a resigned look.

Vodnee, he declared.

You Elite ain’t half bad, Valtra admitted playfully, but her expression remained a little tense.

Vodnee was the farthest colony from Merak in the system. Merak and most of the other colonies circled a single star, QB Alpha, in non-circumbinary orbit. Vodnee was a moon of the gaseous planet, QB-2011, which followed a circumbinary orbit around both QB Alpha and QB Beta. Vodnee was a moon of oceans, storms, and ice. It was known for its volatile, harsh weather, which was why all permanent biospheres were constructed underwater — built using the same technology that allowed pyreans to make a home in space.

Vodnee would have been no more noteworthy than any of the other multitudes of