Rika Conqueror Read online

  RIKA CONQUEROR

  RIKA’S MARAUDERS – BOOK 7

  BY M. D. COOPER

  Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Readers

  Copyright © 2018 M. D. Cooper

  Aeon 14 is Copyright © 2018 M. D. Cooper

  Version 1.0.0

  Cover Art by Tek Tan

  Editing by Jen McDonnell, Bird’s Eye Books

  Aeon 14 & M. D. Cooper are registered trademarks of Michael Cooper

  All rights reserved

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  FOREWORD

  PREVIOUSLY…

  MAPS

  ORDERS

  HAL’S HELL

  PAYBACK’S A BASTARD

  REORIENT

  GENEVIA

  EKING INTEL

  THE PINNACLE

  CHANGE OF COURSE

  DIVERTING

  A SUGGESTION

  DEFENDING DEKAR

  BLACKJACK!

  A VIEW OF THE FUTURE

  THE RESISTANCE

  AN IDEA

  REUNION

  DIVISION

  HIT AND RUN

  CAPETON COMMAND

  THE CALL

  ESCAPE

  TRANSFER

  PLAN OF ATTACK

  INSPECTION

  ROCK AND ROLL

  DROP AND A CLIMB

  BATTLE FOR GENEVIA

  RIKA CONQUEROR

  EPILOGUE

  AFTERWORD

  MECH TYPES & ARMAMENTS

  3rd MARAUDER FLEET 4th DIVISION

  7th MARAUDER FLEET 1st DIVISION

  COLONEL BORDEN’S MARINES

  9th MARAUDER BATTALION

  THE BOOKS OF AEON 14

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  FOREWORD

  Back when I wrote my first few books, I did dedications in them and named my wife and daughter, as they’re the real reason I do most things. But for some reason, I stopped, and I’m not sure why.

  I suspect that it felt both cheesy and pretentious to have a dedication in each book, and I didn’t want to start making things up just to fill a spot on the page.

  That being said, I suppose that forewords (in the books that contain them) function in much the same way, though sometimes it’s a dedication to an idea or a mote of inspiration rather than a person.

  And while all of my books, and my labor in general, is made with my wife and daughter (Jill and Eva) in mind, I want to take the time to dedicate this book to someone else, someone who is a huge part of the Aeon 14 universe: Jen McDonnell.

  Jen first started editing Aeon 14 books in the summer of 2017, and the first tale she laid eyes on was Rika Mechanized. Jen made an immediate connection to Rika, and though she developed a strong connection to many of the other Aeon 14 characters, it’s safe to say that Rika is Jen’s favorite.

  Though Jen hates spoilers, and I do my best not to send any her way, she has a large influence on the direction the Rika books take, and the final words on the page that come your way. Not only has Jen come up with the titles for all of the Rika books (barring two, I think), she’s named a vast swath of characters and added a bit of her own flair here and there in the editing process.

  Normally, having an editor take a lot of creative license with a story isn’t ideal, as it can muddy the author’s ‘voice’, but in the case of Rika, Jen really gets her, and it is exceptionally rare that I don’t take her suggestions when it comes to this story.

  This is the final book in the Rika’s Marauders series (don’t worry, it’s not the final Rika series by any stretch), and I think it’s fitting to give Jen credit for all the hard work she’s put into making sure that the Rika you read is the best possible version of our favorite mech that we can bring to you.

  There’s definitely a little bit of Jen in Rika, and I’d like to think that there’s a bit of Rika in all of us. A woman with an unwavering spirit and a heart of gold.

  A lot like Jen.

  Michael Cooper

  Danvers, 2019

  PREVIOUSLY…

  Rika and her Marauders have cut deep into the Nietzschean empire. Though they were ostensibly hired by Tanis Richards and the Scipio Alliance to push the Nietzscheans back, Rika and her mechs would have gleefully taken on the job for free.

  After defeating the remnants of the Nietzschean armada at Sepe, the Marauders traveled to the Blue Ridge System, where they uncovered the location of a secret shipbuilding operation. There, they met a multi-nodal AI named Piper and saved him, while also destroying the shipyards.

  That action was aided by Admiral Carson and an ISF fleet that jumped in and assisted in the defeat of the Nietzschean forces, ultimately destroying the six moons of the Epsilon System (not to be confused with the ascended AI, Epsilon). Carson’s fleet is now on standby to aid Rika when she arrives at Genevia.

  From Epsilon, Rika and her Marauders traveled to Iberia, where they rescued Alison’s team and arrested Lieutenant Colonel Alice, who had gone AWOL. Through a series of unfortunate events, the Nietzscheans realized the Marauders were in the system, and a battle for control of Iberia ensued.

  Ultimately, Rika and her Marauders won, and, like the people of Blue Ridge before them, Iberia declared itself to be a part of New Genevia.

  Rika has been resisting these declarations, worried that the people who make them are going to see retribution from Nietzschea. Her goal is to carve a path to the Genevian System; however, taking the time to secure and bolster each system she passes through would make her assault on Nietzschea take years rather than months.

  Meanwhile in Nietzschea…

  The Battle for Pyra (where Rika saved Tanis) occurred only a few months prior, and word of the Nietzschean defeat in the Albany System is spreading. However, it is still many months from reaching Pruzia, where Emperor Constantine of Nietzschea reigns.

  Because of this, Rika assumes that Constantine is unaware of the loss of his armada at Pyra. But what she doesn’t know is that General Garza of the Orion Freedom Alliance has used jump gates to reach Pruzia well ahead of the regular flow of information. He has already paid Constantine a visit, informing the emperor of his crushing defeat.

  During that meeting, Garza threatened Constantine, demanding that the emperor build a second fleet to destroy Septhia. This time, the Nietzscheans were to follow his directive and strike multiple systems at once in an effort to distract the Allied forces arrayed against Orion (of which Nietzschea is a proxy nation).

  To ensure compliance, Garza informed Constantine that he has infested the emperor’s body with advanced nanotech, undetectable by his people’s medicine. The Orion General made clear his intention to kill Constantine and replace him if the emperor does not launch a broad attack across dozens of Septhian systems by the end of the year.

  With enemies on every front, and his shipyards at Epsilon destroyed, Constantine reactivates the shipyards in Genevia (the former capital system of the old Genevian Alliance) in an effort to build up the fleet his masters demand.

  But Constantine chafes under Garza’s control and is seeking a way to rid himself of the Orion general at every turn.

  Across the stars at Iberia, Rika has determined the Parsons System to be the next location her Marauders will strike. In order to prepare for that assault, she’s sent Chase ahead on the Asora.

  His mission is to scout the system, gather intel, and prepare a plan to liberate Parsons. Chase, of course, decides to begin with Dekar Station. The very place where he and Rika met.

  Because, in addition to gathering intel, he has a score to settle….

  Prominent Members of the Marauders

  Though there is a full list of all the mechs, pilots, and members of the Marauders at the end of the book, this is a l
isting of some of the more prominent characters and their current role in the battalion.

  9th Marauder Battalion Leadership

  Rika – Colonel, battalion commanding officer

  Silva – Lieutenant Colonel, executive officer

  Barne – Sergeant Major, command sergeant

  Leslie – Captain, intelligence officer

  Niki – AI, Lieutenant, operations officer

  M Company Leadership & Key Personnel

  Chase – Captain, company commanding officer

  Karen – Lieutenant, company executive officer

  Potter – AI, Chief of Tactics and Strategy

  Chris – Lieutenant, First Platoon Leader

  Alison – Sergeant, First Platoon Squad One Leader

  The Seventh Fleet, First Division

  Heather (Smalls) – Captain of the Fury Lance

  Travis – Captain of the Republic

  Ferris – Lieutenant, commander of the Undaunted

  Vargo Klen – Lieutenant, commander of the Asora

  Ashley – CWO, bridge crew aboard the Asora

  Buggsie – Lieutenant, commander of the Capital

  MAPS

  For more maps, and full-size versions, visit www.aeon14.com/maps.

  ORDERS

  STELLAR DATE: 11.05.8949 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: Chamber of Lights, Valhalla

  REGION: Capitol, Pruzia System, Nietzschean Empire

  Two months ago…

  Emperor Constantine regarded the man standing before him with barely contained disgust. There was something different about General Garza this time, something that was out of alignment compared to his prior visit.

  Constantine couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but the Orion Guard general seemed…twitchy.

  “It was clever to use the old Epsilon facility to build your fleet,” Garza said after the two men had stared at each other in total silence for several minutes.

  Constantine glanced at Admiral Hammond, who was the only other person in attendance, and nodded for the man to speak.

  Hammond stepped forward and cleared his throat. “We weren’t getting resources fast enough from other sites, but Epsilon and the facilities on its six moons had suffic—”

  “They’re gone now,” Garza interrupted.

  “The facilities?” Constantine’s brow furrowed, hating the game the odious general was playing with him.

  “The moons.”

  “The moons,” Constantine repeated. It wasn’t quite a question. The emperor wasn’t going to supplicate himself before Garza, seeking answers, but not knowing was already causing a tight knot to form in his chest.

  The man from Orion nodded as he turned to pace across the emperor’s private audience room, a space only fifty meters across at the top of Valhalla’s spire. Above, the brilliant lights of the Praesepe Cluster shone through the clear dome over their heads. He strode to the edge of the chamber, stopping on the sheet of transparent gold that ringed the space, and looked down on the world of Capitol.

  Garza ambled toward Constantine, an expression on his face that was half anger, half smug satisfaction. “The moons of Epsilon are gone. Well, almost. Epsilon won’t last long, either.”

  “Enough, Garza. How?” Constantine demanded, turning to glare at the General.

  He knew there was only one way the moons and brown dwarf star could be destroyed so quickly: the black holes in the moons. What he wanted were the specifics.

  “When you killed General Mill of the Marauders, you paved the way for a union that has not been beneficial to Nietzschea. From what my sources can discern, Admiral Tanis Richards met one of those mechs the Genevians made, a woman named Rika. With support from New Canaan, she’s cutting a swath through Old Genevia.”

  “Fuck.” Constantine spat the word as he turned back to the perimeter of the room. “Those damn Genevians. I should have just razed their worlds when we defeated them.”

  “Probably,” Garza replied. “And now the force you were building to hit Septhia is gone, and you only have nine months to meet my deadline to crush that nation. How do you plan to proceed?”

  The feeling of being called to the floor in front of his father came over Constantine—a feeling he very firmly recalled hating. Rather than respond himself, he glanced at Admiral Hammond.

  The admiral took the hint. “My Emperor, General Garza. Once we received word that the fleet sent to the Albany System was lost, we stepped up our manufacturing in the old Genevian home system. We have nearly fifty thousand ships there, though only half are combat ready at present. But in six months, they all will be, and we’ll be prepared to take them through the jump gates and into Septhia. Per your instructions, General Garza, the Septhians will fall before the year is out.”

  Constantine’s skin crawled to hear the head of his military speak so deferentially to Garza. He wondered if it was an affectation or if his own people were beginning to treat the Orion general as their master.

  “I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t simply trust in the efficacy of your work there,” Garza said as he turned his gaze up to watch a destroyer slowly circle above Valhalla.

  “We believe that with strike forces of—” Admiral Hammond began.

  “Fifty thousand ships is a force that Septhia can’t hope to stand against,” Constantine interrupted.

  “You thought that when you sent seventy thousand ships to Albany.” Garza didn’t turn away from the window as he replied.

  “We intend to follow your plan—hit them in dozens of systems at once,” Constantine countered. “You argued that if we don’t mass, there is no way that the ISF and its allies can protect Septhia.”

  Garza shook his head, finally turning to look at Constantine. “Except that Tanis Richards has sent this Rika into Old Genevia with the same purpose in mind: to distract and disrupt. She’s clearly angling toward the Genevian home system itself.”

  “Let her come,” Constantine growled in response. “Unless she’s bringing the I2 along with her, there’s no way she’ll prevail.”

  “Would you have said that same thing about your shipyards at Epsilon?”

  The emperor pursed his lips and didn’t respond, though he sent a pregnant look toward the admiral, hoping the man could say something that would appease Garza.

  The man didn’t disappoint. “With my emperor’s permission, I will travel to Genevia myself to ensure that we’re ready for the mission. From Genevia, I’ll be better prepared to respond to the situation as it unfolds.”

  “A man of action,” Garza said, inclining his head in gratitude. “I think you should go as well, Emperor Constantine. It would do your people good to see their leader out on the front lines.”

  “I—” Constantine began, but Garza cut him off.

  “Don’t forget about our meeting in your garden,” the Orion general whispered, “when I displayed how far beneath Orion you are. Something you know intimately. I’m not requesting that you go to Genevia.”

  Constantine understood the general’s meaning. He was being given an order he dared not refuse—but perhaps it was a situation he could turn to his advantage.

  “Admiral Hammond. Prepare my ship.”

  HAL’S HELL

  STELLAR DATE: 02.05.8950 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: Dekar Station, Merchant Docking Ring

  REGION: Parsons System, Old Genevia, Nietzschean Empire

  “You ready?” Chase glanced at Staff Sergeant Tex, receiving the RR-4’s calm nod in response. “OK, then. Here goes nothing.”

  Tex gave a short laugh. “Or a whole lot of something.”

  Chase would have laughed as well, except that they were deep in Nietzschean-held territory, docking at a station where he was well-known.

  Potter said in a soothing tone.

  Chase replied, unab
le to resist a glance down at his torso, still adjusting to the fact that there was an AI nestled somewhere next to his digestive system…what was left of it.

  Though he still marveled at the change, Chase had no regrets over becoming a mech. He quite enjoyed being an FR-4. But sometimes the knowledge that he’d volunteered to be turned into a half-machine weapon of destruction made him wonder if he was just a bit crazy.

  Having Potter in his gut only served to drive home how strange his life had become.

  All because of the incredible SMI-2 I met on this very dock.

  Chase drew a deep breath.

  The AI didn’t reply, and Chase stepped out of the airlock into the all-too-familiar organized chaos of Hal’s Hell.

  Hal’s docking bay on Dekar’s merchant berthing ring was every captain’s dream, and every dockhand’s worst nightmare. Hal ran his domain with an efficiency that bordered on maniacal. His crews could load a ship in half the time it took any other on Dekar.

  ‘Nothing lost and nothing late.’ That was Hal’s motto, and he made sure everyone knew it.

  His efficiency was rewarded with gifts from captains and shipping companies. Gifts that rarely made their way down to the stevedores doing the actual work.

  Though he admired the man, Chase couldn’t stand Hal. A part of him suspected that most of his dislike was based on how the dockmaster had always treated Rika. The resounding cry of ‘Tin Head!’ still echoed in Chase’s mind, and the thought of it brought about the same anger it once had.

  Drawing a deep breath, Chase palmed the airlock control and tugged at the long coat he wore to hide his mechanized body. Hal’s Hell had security systems that could see through such a simple disguise, but with the help of the ISF’s stealth tech, Chase would appear to be a normal human.

  When the pinnace’s outer door opened, Chase was treated to a view of Hal himself ambling toward the ramp leading up to the ship.