War in the Fringe - Chris J Pike Read online

  WAR IN THE FRINGE

  PERILOUS ALLIANCE – BOOKS 3.5 - 6

  BY M. D. COOPER

  & CHRIS J. PIKE

  CONTENTS

  CONTENTS

  DECISIVE ACTION

  FOREWORD

  PREVIOUSLY…

  CLEAR AND PRESENT

  HARD DAY’S NIGHT

  AID

  ATMO TOWER

  MEANWHILE, IN HEAVEN

  THE SHADE

  WELCOME TO HELL

  AN UPGRADE

  MAN WITH A MISSION

  OUTSIDE

  THE PINCER

  TO GROUND

  STRAND

  AN OLD FRIEND

  TOWER DEFENSE

  CRASH AND BURN

  FINAL FAREWELL

  IMPACT IMMINENT

  FOREWORD

  PREVIOUSLY…

  THE TWO FATHERS

  HUBEI

  DINNER AND A FIGHT

  ORDERS

  CHIMIN-1

  THE CHIEF

  EVIDENCE

  THE CAT

  KARAOKE NIGHT

  RED HANDED

  BREWING TROUBLE

  GOATS AND SCAPES

  CIRCUMSTANCE

  THE MISSING

  RE-SEARCH

  GELATIN

  GOOD KITTY

  COLD STORAGE

  BREAKOUT

  FACILITY 99

  STORM

  RECRUITING

  HOSPITAL

  CLOSET

  EXPRESS

  SANDWICHES

  BOTTOM

  THE HOLE

  REJOINDER

  SHOTGUN

  THE CLIMB

  ERROR

  VECTOR

  RECRIMINATION

  BETTER

  SOLUTIONS

  THE DEAL

  DEFENSE

  THE QUEEN

  GIVE ME LIBERTY

  RESTITUTION

  FAREWELL

  SIGHT

  CAPTAIN

  GRAYSON

  CRITICAL INERTIA

  MAPS

  LITTLE FREIGHTER THAT COULDN’T

  THE SCORE

  IMPRISONED

  THE MAN IN CHARGE

  DEPARTURE

  THE CAVALRY

  A LONG TRIP IN THE DARK

  BETTER AND WORSE

  BEHIND ENEMY LINES

  LOST IN THE FOG

  SANDWICH KING

  CLOSE QUARTERS

  A LONGER TRIP IN THE DARK

  GEONOVA

  MEETINGS & DISTRACTIONS

  DATE WITH AN EMPRESS

  FRIENDS AND FOES

  LONG TIME COMING

  CHANGING OF THE GUARD

  DANGEROUS ALLIES

  THE RUSE

  THE HYPERION

  WINTER’S PLIGHT

  DISBELIEF

  ARRIVAL DAY

  FATE

  STALWART HERO

  FAMILY SQUABBLE

  CHECKMATE

  IF BY FORCE

  LAST CHANCES

  MISSION GUARD

  CHECKING IN

  DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

  CONFIRMATION

  MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

  PURSUIT

  CAREFUL BALANCE

  BYE ASSHOLE

  THE ACE SHOT

  LAST CHANCES

  DIE ANOTHER DAY

  ESCAPE

  REKINDLING HOPE

  GROWING PAINS

  THE BARBARIC QUEEN

  BEST SERVED HOT

  ALL HANDS ON DECK

  THE EMPRESS’S NEW CLOTHES

  HOME

  IMPULSE SHOCK

  MAPS

  RETURNING HOME

  DELIVERY

  TARGET

  SECRETS

  CELEBRATION

  PLANS

  VISITING

  THE ROCKET

  BULLETS AND WINE

  DIVERGING VIEWS

  COFFEE

  REPERCUSSIONS

  FAMILY COMPLICATIONS

  VISITING DAY

  THE PLOT

  BACK DOWN

  A WELCOME RESPITE

  THE RUSE

  MORNING AFTER

  METAL ASSHOLE

  CROSSROADS

  THE STING

  BEER!

  TESTIMONY

  DEAL

  RETURN TO DEL REY

  ESCAPE!

  FIGHT!

  EXTERMINATE

  REVOLUTION

  NOT AGAIN!

  ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS

  MORE SECRETS

  THE BOOKS OF AEON 14

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  DECISIVE ACTION

  PERILOUS ALLIANCE

  BOOK 3.5

  BY M. D. COOPER

  & CHRIS J. PIKE

  Special Thanks

  DECISIVE ACTION

  Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Readers

  Scott Reid

  Timothy Van Oosterwyk Bruyn

  IMPACT IMMINENT

  Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Readers

  Jim Dean

  Marti Pannikar

  Lisa Richman

  Steven Blevins

  Manie Kilian

  David Wilson

  Timothy Van Oosterwyk Bruyn

  Gene Bryan

  CRITICAL INERTIA

  Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Readers

  Jim Dean

  Scott Reid

  Marti Panikkar

  Gene Bryan

  Timothy Van Oosterwyk Bruyn

  Steven Blevins

  David Wilson

  IMPULSE SHOCK

  Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Reads

  Scott Reid

  Steven Blevins

  Gene Bryan

  Marti Panikkar

  Jim Dean

  Cover Andrew Dobell

  Copyright 2016-2020 M.D. Cooper & Chris J Pike

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

  All rights reserved

  FOREWORD

  I’ve wanted to write this story for some time, to come back to Montral and spend some time on its dark and gritty streets.

  Gedri is an interesting star system. A large, orange star, with a low-mass red dwarf named Townsend orbiting it. The planets are spaced widely enough that Townsend is tucked in amongst them, making the star more like a planet.

  And in orbit of Townsend, we find Jericho. A planet that had been—mostly—terraformed in the past, but due to a poor foundation and neglect, has regressed back into a near-lifeless rock.

  The surface cities have been domed over, and few people live beyond their protective shielding.

  Ancient riverbeds, crevasses, and canyons are the only places on Jericho where life remains, hardy species of plants engineered to thrive even in thinner atmosphere. We encountered one of these in Collision Course when the Dauntless crashed on Jericho.

  I spent a lot of time crafting this setting, and I have a strong urge to write more stories here. We’re going to meet some new characters in this book, denizens of Montral, the capital city on Jericho, and perhaps we’ll see some of them get their own books. Maybe a gritty noir detective type of story….

  We’ll just have to see where the characters take us.

  M. D. Cooper

  Danvers, 2019

  PREVIOUSLY…

  Decisive Action takes place roughly in the middle of the Perilous Alliance series, directly following the events of Strike Vector and Collision Course.

  If you recall, at the end of Strike Vector, Kylie was forced to help Maverick become president of the Gedri Freedom Alliance (the local government in the Gedri System). Upon receiving the title, Maverick promptly declared Gedri’s independence from the Silstrand Allianc
e and declared war on Silstrand.

  Though the Silstrand Space Force had a fleet present in the Gedri System, many of those ships were recalled to the Silstrand System to defend the capital against the Revolution Fleet, led by Kylie’s father.

  A few SSF ships remained in Gedri, falling back to a half-dozen stations that were far enough from Freemont and Jericho—Maverick’s two major power bases.

  Unbeknownst to Maverick, the SSF—along with help from the Intrepid Space Force—defeated the Revolution Fleet at Silstrand, and joined Tanis Richards’ alliance. The Transcend’s Field Marshal has mandated that Silstrand take control of the Fringe systems between Scipio and the ASN. If Gedri falls to chaos, then the SSF will have no hope in securing the Fringe.

  Tanis knows this, and tasks two of her ISF destroyers to escort a fleet of ships into the Gedri System to take control of the situation there before it devolves further into chaos.

  After his exemplary performance—and aided by Tanis’s recommendation—Colonel Grayson is given command of the SSF fleet, a command he is all too eager to have, for one reason only: it puts President Maverick squarely in his crosshairs.

  But Maverick has an ace up his sleeve. Grayson’s former AI, Jerrod, has been shackled and placed in Maverick’s mind, giving him direct access to everything he could ever want to know about the Silstrand Space Force….

  CLEAR AND PRESENT

  STELLAR DATE: 09.26.8948 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: GFS Satisfaction, en route to Jericho

  REGION: Gedri System, Silstrand Alliance

  “Francis!” Maverick called out from the low couch where he sipped his wine while watching the slow-motion dance still unfolding around Freemont and The Futz.

  The battle with the SSF and the opposition forces was over—for the most part. A few ships were still taking potshots at one another, a lot more were looting any hull not capable of putting up a defense, and still others were chasing off the remaining Silstrand Space Force ships, hoping to disable and capture one of the military cruisers.

  Idiots, Maverick thought with a laugh.

  There were few ships in Gedri capable of going toe-to-toe with a Silstrand Space Force cruiser while it was surrounded by a destroyer escort. The scavengers chasing after the SSF fleet would only meet with destruction.

  The time isn’t ripe yet to make that sort of strike.

  Of course, the composition of the pursuers was entirely of his design. The ships he’d sent to chase the enemy out of Silstrand all belonged to interests that he wished to weaken. Everything was a game, every faction, ship, and even person in Gedri a pawn for him to move about the board.

  “Yes, Mister President?” Francis gasped breathlessly as she appeared in the room’s entrance.

  “What the hell took you so long?” Maverick asked in annoyance, not bothering to glance at the collared woman.

  “I’m sorry,” her eyes were cast downward as she walked forward slowly. “I was just coming back down from the bridge. Captain Lawrence says we’re on time for our rendezvous with the Icapus.”

  “Good,” Maverick replied. “And Sylvia is aboard? With the package?”

  “Yes, Mister President. I confirmed it personally.”

  He nodded, flicking his gaze to her for a moment, taking in her lithe body. She was—for the moment, at least—his favorite girl, which meant that she ruled his brood of women. It was a task to which she was well-suited, though it also made her dangerous.

  He’d watched how effectively Francis commanded and corralled his other slaves, yet she could turn those airs off in a moment and be totally subservient to him—which meant her obedience was an act. She was biding her time, waiting until the perfect moment to strike out at him.

  That, as much as anything else, was what made her his favorite.

  Today, she wore a skintight, pink bodysheath that complemented her lavender hair. Her feet were perched on heels that held her feet en pointe, and the collar around her neck held her head high. The corset she wore drew her waist down to a circumference he could almost wrap his hands around, the restriction causing her to constantly be out of breath.

  It was also impossible for her to sit down in the outfit, though she could perch on stools and the edge of tables. Not that he ever let her do so in his presence.

  Another part of the game. Let her rise up above his other slaves, but remind her at every turn that she was his creature. She would never be free—not until he was done with her. Then death would be her final release.

  She’d reached his side, standing on the tips of her toes with expert precision as she waited his pleasure. Years ago, when he’d first forced her to wear shoes that held her feet that way, Francis had barely been able to walk, often crying from the pain as she minced about.

  But over time, she’d gotten used to it, and now lorded her ability to walk on her toes over the other slaves. He suspected that she’d bribed someone for surgery at some point to re-enforce her toes, but he didn’t care enough to investigate. If she’d managed that, then it was a small enough reward that he’d let it slide.

  She’d proven herself useful enough for that.

  Thoughts of useful slaves brought to mind Harken and Kylie, two women who had once held positions similar to Francis’s. He’d made the mistake of uncollaring both of them, removing his ability to inflict instant and excruciating pain.

  He regretted granting either of them any measure of freedom. Both had ultimately rebelled, a testament to the mistake of granting any woman freedom.

  Grasping creatures.

  While Harken was dead, Kylie still lived. Somewhere out there, she was hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. How the bitch could be so ungrateful was beyond him, but when the time came, she’d beg to be granted a fraction of the mercy he showed Francis.

  As he thought of her, the woman at his side shifted, and the rage he felt at Kylie intensified, needing an outlet.

  “Why can’t you stand still, bitch?” he muttered, glancing at the pink-clad legs that were now frozen half a meter away. “Should I just cut those things off? Put you on a little hover board?”

  Francis sucked in a breath and shook her head. “No, Mav—Mister President. Please. It would impact my ability to carry out your orders.”

  He snorted. “You always say that about everything I propose. Still, it’s about time I reminded you who’s in charge around here. I can’t have you getting a big head.”

  The slave didn’t respond, though he could see her knuckles whiten as she clasped her hands tightly together.

  “Maybe I should take your voice?” he suggested. “Seal your lips shut. You can use the Link to talk.”

  “If you wish,” Francis nodded as much as her collar would allow. “Though not all of your servants and slaves have the Link. How would I instruct them?”

  He snorted a laugh. “I’ll give you a little voice box. Make sure it sounds robotic. What do you think of that?”

  Her lips pursed for a moment, but she replied dutifully, “If you wish.”

  “I mean,” he continued as though she hadn’t responded, “I could take your eyes, but I really like the way they glint with rage when I beat you.”

  At his words, her gaze shifted, darting from the floor to his face, and he saw the anger she’d been working to hide.

  “Yes, just like that. I certainly wouldn’t want to deprive myself of that final spark of freedom you have.”

  Her stance shifted, widening slightly, and he snapped his fingers. “Of course! I know what would be perfect. You pride yourself in turning my punishment into a victory, the way you can now walk on your toes. I wonder how well you’ll manage if you can no longer bend your knees? That should be fun to watch.”

  “My knees, sir?” she stammered. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll have them fused. I can only imagine what your strut will look like then. Maybe we’ll do your elbows, too. You’ll look like some sort of malfunctioning automaton.”

  A ragged
sigh escaped Francis’s throat. “As you wish, Maverick. Should I report to the autodoc?”

  Coarse laughter filled the room as Maverick rose and strode toward Francis. “Yes, but not until after the Icapus docks with the Satisfaction. I want you mobile—as much as you are—until then.”

  He stopped centimeters from her and placed his hands on her shoulders, running them down her sides to wrap around her waist and then cup her ass, pulling her close.

  “And then I’m going to beat you every day for being too slow. How do you like the sound of that?”

  “I love it,” she said, her voice a perfect mixture of obedience and fear. “I love everything you do to me, Maverick.”

  He stepped back. “Of course you do. Speaking of things I do to people, is Mercedes finished with her procedure?”

  “Soon,” Francis replied. “The collar is fitted, now the doctors are working on splicing the control systems into her pain receptors. Then she’ll be fully under your control, like she should be.”

  “Good.” Maverick turned and walked back to the couch, collapsing onto the cushions. “Then we’ll find out if she shared everything she knew of the former president’s plans. I still think she might be a plant from Scipio. If that’s the case, she’ll be exceptionally useful.” He glanced at Francis. “Maybe more useful than you.”

  She paled slightly, but nodded. “If that is your wish.”

  “Don’t presume to know my wishes,” he said, waving a hand at her in dismissal. “Now get the fuck out of here. Let me know if there are any delays with the Icapus.”

  “Yes, Mister President.”

  With the woman out of the room, Maverick began drawing up orders to disperse amongst his ship captains. Their time as rag-tag pirates and privateers was over. Gedri’s space force would require order and discipline if they were to hold out against Silstrand in the long run.

  * * * * *

  Francis sagged against the bulkhead, her breath coming in shuddering gasps that were fueled by a mixture of fear and rage. That Maverick would inflict more torture and humiliation on her after all she’d done for him was enough to make her see red.

  She’d hoped that by proving to be indispensable, she could earn the same freedoms he had granted the others, and then she’d be able to escape his sickening clutches.

  That hope was dying a slow death.