New Canaan: A Military Science Fiction Space Opera Epic: Aeon 14 (The Orion War Book 2) Read online

  NEW CANAAN

  THE ORION WAR – BOOK 2

  M. D. Cooper

  Copyright © 2017 M. D. Cooper

  Cover Art by Laércio Messias

  Editing by Brenda Tippin Deliantoni & Amy DuBoff

  All rights reserved.

  FOREWORD

  I recently found some original notes for this book, which were dated mid-2007. It surprised me that the ideas for this story had been brewing for so long, and it is fitting that it should finally make its way into the world on the tenth anniversary of its inception.

  I am continually excited that Tanis’s story is being received so well, and growing quickly in both readership and scope. There are many more tales to come, stories which follow both Tanis and the Intrepid and ones which expand on the broader tapestry of what is occurring in the human sphere of influence.

  Sometimes it seems as though I spend more time with Tanis and company than I do in the physical world around me. For that I thank you, the reader. Without your investment in my stories, this tale would never have come to light.

  Lastly, as I’ve mentioned before, this book stands on the shoulders of giants. Writers whose stories and imaginations have forged a shared vision of the future, and our destiny, that we call Science Fiction.

  CONTENTS

  ASCENSION

  DEPARTURE

  ASCELLA

  MACHINATIONS

  ERRANT AGENT

  THE DEAL

  THE REAL DEAL

  WATCHPOINT

  AGENT ELENA

  A SIMPLE CHAT

  AWAKE

  ESCALATION

  REUNION

  DETERMINATION

  SURRENDER

  PARTING

  TRANSCEND TRADERS

  LOST IN SPACE

  AIRTHA

  THE HAND

  PRESIDENT TOMLINSON

  AN INTIMATE OFFER

  COURT

  RELATIONS

  DIRECTOR

  HERSCHEL

  THE HEGEMONY OF WORLDS

  SABRINA

  CHITTERING HAWK

  TRADING IN DANGER

  A NIGHT OUT

  CAGE FIGHT

  OUT OF DODGE

  MOVING ON

  GRADUATION

  NEW CANAAN

  MACHINATIONS

  LANDFALL

  ASSAULT ON TRISAL

  RECOVERY

  AN UNEXPECTED VISIT

  SAANVI

  DETERMINATION

  THE PORCH

  CLOSING IN

  IKODEN

  LAST STAND

  THE ROAD HOME

  DWARF STAR MINING

  INVASION

  ADMIRALTY

  ORDERS

  OBSERVATION

  FEINT

  A MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS

  HELEN

  THE NEXT GENERATION

  THE I2

  A FAMILY COOKOUT

  HELLESPONT

  A WARNING

  TRUTH

  NEGOTIATIONS

  DISSEMINATION

  LAID BARE

  STRIKE

  ORION GUARD

  INSERTION

  KENT

  THE BRIDGE

  APPENDICES

  TERMS & TECHNOLOGY

  GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS

  PLACES

  PEOPLE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  THE WORLD OF AEON 14

  For the seasoned science fiction reader there will be little here which they have not seen in another story, be it planetary rings, nano technology, AI, or mind-to-mind communication.

  However, for those who may not know what a HUD is, understand the properties of deuterium, or cannot name the stars within the Sirius system, I encourage you to reference the appendixes at the rear of the book as you read.

  You may also visit www.aeon14.com to read the primer, glossary, and timelines.

  To get the latest news and access to free novellas and short stories, sign up on the Aeon 14 mailing list: www.aeon14.com/signup.

  ASCENSION

  STELLAR DATE: 02.29.8928 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: ISS Intrepid

  REGION: Interstellar Dark Layer below the Galactic Disk

  Three months after the Intrepid left the Bollam’s World System

  The request came directly into his mind over a secure connection, one which would not be visible to any AIs on the ship other than the one who had just addressed him.

  The Intrepid’s multi-nodal AI noted the request and considered its origin. It came from the not-AI, Helen—the creature which resided within Sera. He knew both what it was, and why it was there, but he had not pressed the issue, content to let her reveal herself to him on her terms.

  he responded as quietly as possible. He could tell that Sera was sleeping, and in his experience, he tended to wake people when he spoke to the AI with which they shared their minds.

  Helen said.

 

  He felt the microsecond pause from Helen as she considered his words, and tended to a thousand other things while he awaited her response. If there was one thing he actively disliked about talking with lower forms, it was the constant pauses before their responses.

  Helen finally said.

  Bob asked.

  The delay from Helen was longer this time, but he had anticipated it and mapped out her possible replies. It was difficult to make a prediction, given her extended exposure to Tanis, but he still had an elevated level of certainty regarding what she would say.

  Helen replied.

  Her words were as he had predicted, though not those he had selected as most likely—even with Tanis’s influence taken into account. He began to calculate whether or not she created her own rift in probability, or if Tanis’s influence was greater than he thought.

  Bob replied.

 

  Bob was not surprised. Her mind was an open book to him and there was little she could say that would be net-new information. She was not AI and did not think like one—though she had lived within machines for so long that she could mimic one with near-perfect accuracy.

  Bob replied.

  He detected a sigh from Helen. She had just grasped his understanding of her true nature, of where she had come from, and who she really was to Sera—a relationship of which Sera remained unaware.

  ip, or within the Transcend. If Sera’s father learns of what I am…of who I am…things will go badly for both of us.>

  Bob passed an affirmative matrix of thought to Helen.

 

  Helen asked.

 

  Helen was silent for a fraction of a second and he knew what she would ask, and waited patiently for her to say the words.

  she finally asked, with trepidation in her thoughts.

 

  Helen asked.

  Bob replied solemnly. It was not information he had shared with anyone, and none would hear it from him before he spoke of it to Tanis. No one must know what she would ultimately do.

  He could not predict Tanis’s actions, could not see her future, but he knew where destiny would drive her. She would end up at that place, in that time, because she must.

  Helen replied.

  Bob sent an affirmative thought and ended his direct connection with Helen’s mind.

  He gave several entire minutes of thought to what the future held for Tanis and Sera, for what they would ultimately do. He would never reveal it to Helen—she would not understand, and it would devastate her. Perhaps the full being—not this shard, which resided within Sera—could grasp it, but he was not certain. Her attachment to the young woman was very strong.

  One thing was certain. New Canaan was not Tanis Richard’s final destination.

  DEPARTURE

  STELLAR DATE: 03.01.8928 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: ISS Intrepid

  REGION: Interstellar Dark Layer below the Galactic Disk

  Tanis walked onto the Intrepid’s main dock and cast an appraising look at the two rows of cruisers nestled safely in its six-kilometer-long space. Directly in front of her sat the Andromeda—seven-hundred meters of sleek, matte-black hull, hunkered in its cradle.

  The warship was a thing of beauty, and possibly the only thing that gave Tanis any competition for her husband’s affections. She passed a greeting to Corsia, the Andromeda’s AI, over the Link before stepping into a groundcar for the ride to her destination.

 

  Corisa replied, her steely blue avatar appearing in Tanis’s mind.

  Tanis asked as she settled into the car’s seat, shifting uncomfortably when the baby in her womb picked that moment to give a solid stretch.

  Corsia replied, referring to the AIs embedded with the ship’s crew.

  Angela added from within Tanis’s own mind.

  Tanis said.

  Angela’s laugh filled Tanis’s mind.

  Tanis chided her internal AI and noted that Corsia was smiling, as well—something the Andromeda’s XO rarely did.

  The groundcar rounded a mountain of crates and dock machinery, and Sabrina came into view. The yacht-turned-starfreighter bore the same name as its AI, which could get confusing at times, though Tanis found how strongly the ship’s AI identified with its vessel to be endearing.

  After spending several months on Sabrina following her abduction by pirates, Tanis had grown especially fond of the ship and her crew.

  The ship had changed since she last saw it. Sabrina was still characterized by long, sleek lines, but its engine bulge was larger, expanded to house the upgraded antimatter drive and the additional reactor needed to power the ship’s new stasis shields.

  Other changes were visible, though more to disguise the ship than the result of any upgrades. After the Battle of Bollam’s World, Sabrina would be known and sought after across the Orion Arm. With its stasis shielding, it would be the most feared and coveted ship in any system it entered.

  Using the updated ident box that Tanis had provided back in the Silstrand Alliance, the ship could change its designation when desired. Currently, it broadcasted as the Eagle’s Talon—likely Sabrina’s choice, she had been all about claws and wings since her weapons upgrade in the Silstrand system.

  The groundcar stopped beside the two-hundred-meter ship’s main cargo hatch, and Tanis opened the car door and eased herself off the seat.

  A hand reached in through the open door to assist her, and she looked up to see Sera’s smiling face.

  “Thanks,” Tanis said with a smile as she rose to her feet.

  “You’re built for war, not babies.” Sera smiled. “Though, motherhood does look good on you so far.”

  Tanis’s hand absently strayed to her distended abdomen and she sighed. “I think I’m well into the get it out of me stage. I swear, the day after she’s born I’m going to go kick a training bot’s ass.”

  Sera laughed. “I bet you will—though, maybe you should give it two or three days.”

  The two women turned and stared at the starship, both taking a moment to admire the view before walking toward the cargo hatch.

  “I feel like I’m seeing her for the last time,” Sera said softly. “I know it’s not true, they’ll be fine, but I still can’t help it.”

  Tanis took Sera’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “They’re a good crew; they can do this. They’ll find your Finaeus and bring him to us—wherever we’ll be.”

  “My guess is Messier 23 or 25. Probably 25. They have a number of systems with worlds wrapping up stage four terraforming there. It’s also close enough that it won’t take the Intrepid too long to get there.”

  Tanis did the calculations in her head and came up with three years, depending on their exit velocity from Ascella.

  “I guess not too long, given the fact that we’ve been out here for hundreds of years already. But, do you think that’s far enough from the Inner Stars?” Tanis asked.

  “It’s outside the Orion Arm,” Sera replied. “Inner Stars expansion hasn’t even reached the edge of the Arm in that direction. Even if they go whole hog, there’s a big buffer between us and them. It’ll take their civilizations hundreds of years, maybe thousands, to get to M25.”

  “If you say so,” Tanis said as they reached the lift within Sabrina that would take them to the bridge deck.

  “I do say so,” Sera said with a nod. “The FGT is very skilled at hiding the planets they terraform. We’re a long way from the bulk of humanity, but they can still tell if planets move around in distant systems. Our engineers have become very good at masking our systems from distant eyes.”

  The lift doors opened and they walked silently down the short corridor to the bridge where Sera stepped across the threshold first, followed by Tanis.

>   What greeted them brought tears to Tanis’s eyes on behalf of her friend. Every member of Sabrina’s crew was standing on the bridge, smiles on their faces, as they clapped for their captain.

  Cargo, Sera’s former first mate and now captain of Sabrina, stepped forward, a bright smile flashing against his dark skin, and wrapped Sera in a fierce hug.

  To his right stood Jessica. Once a ‘reluctant stowaway’ on the Intrepid, Jessica was now one of Tanis’s most trusted friends and was filling in as first mate on Sabrina. She snapped off a crisp salute, which Tanis returned, before reaching out an arm, which Jessica slid into for a heart-felt embrace.

  “You guys are all going to make me tear up here,” Cheeky, Sabrina’s pilot, said.

  “No chance of tears here,” Thompson grunted from where he leaned against the scan console. “Unless you’re counting tears of boredom, after months of being cooped up on this ship.”

  Flaherty elbowed Thompson and flashed a rare smile at Tanis and Sera. “What he means to say is that he’s going to miss the beer on the Intrepid. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s ruined for that crap you get on most Inner Stars stations.”

  “Is that why you’re staying behind with Sera?” Thompson asked.

  Flaherty cast a dark look Thompson’s way, but he didn’t respond.

  Sera had moved on to embrace both Nance and Cheeky at the same time, and Tanis stood by with a smile until Cheeky reached out and pulled her in.

  “Finding you in that crate was the best thing that ever happened to us,” Nance said when they separated. “I know I’ve been…touchy…from time to time, but I want you to know I feel that way.”

  “You all finding me was pretty damn good for me, too,” Tanis said with a laugh that spread through the group.

  She looked to Sera and saw that the former captain’s smile wasn’t quite reaching her eyes. Tanis knew how hard it would be for Sera to send her crew on a mission she couldn’t join—she felt the same way about Jessica. Yet, here they were, ready to embark on a hunt across the Orion Arm for a man who would help secure the future of the Intrepid and its colonists.