Release date: April 18, 2019
Subgenre: Space Opera
About Condor Rising:
The Republic has a new type of ship. The Condor-class is huge, deadly, and carries a secret weapon.
One spy has all the details, but he's trapped and unable to share with his handler. She sets the wheels in motion to get him to Lute, the pirate stronghold, where they can meet and freely transfer information.
As the League gathers an overwhelming force to take Gotha Mu, the tiny golden planet in the Seychar system, Captain Christopher Raleigh and his crew race to prevent League spies from leaking the surprise in store for them.
Action, thrills, spies, gadgets, and deception await in this third installment of the Pirates of the Milky Way saga!
One spy has all the details, but he's trapped and unable to share with his handler. She sets the wheels in motion to get him to Lute, the pirate stronghold, where they can meet and freely transfer information.
As the League gathers an overwhelming force to take Gotha Mu, the tiny golden planet in the Seychar system, Captain Christopher Raleigh and his crew race to prevent League spies from leaking the surprise in store for them.
Action, thrills, spies, gadgets, and deception await in this third installment of the Pirates of the Milky Way saga!
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Biffender Jones walked out of the Embarkation/Disembarkation Zone
in Petra Roe’s spaceport carrying a single duffel bag. He stopped
for a minute to gain his bearings.
The place looked like a spaceport on any other world, built for
functionality over aesthetics. He made his way down a large
corridor to the line forming at Customs and endured the contraband
scanner while he waited.
The line progressed rapidly. As per usual Customs was manned by a
human, this one a middle-aged woman who gazed at her holoscreen as
he approached, no doubt looking over his information.
“State your business on Petra Roe, Mr. Jones.”
“Um, tourism.”
She nodded and said, “Enjoy your stay.”
He walked past her and followed the crowd toward the exit.
Tourists were clearly evident, what few there were in the crowd.
They were dressed for travel, wearing bright colors, chatting
happily amongst themselves. Petra Roe was known for incredibly
beautiful scenery, with green snow-capped mountains and beautiful
white sandy beaches. The wealthy often vacationed here, although
during the war their numbers had declined significantly.
Stepping outside, Biff blinked in sunshine for the first time in
weeks. He had almost forgotten how good natural daylight
felt.
Skycabbies approached him, offering to take him to any hotel in
town. They were human, for the most part, but the cabs they
directed people to were drones.
Biff had no plans, and no hotel reservations. He really had not
thought much beyond getting here. All he knew was that his wife
Andi, the prime suspect in Tetrarch Lopez’s murder, was likely on
Lute by now. And the only way he could get to Lute was through
Petra Roe. But how? There were no departures for Lute listed at the
spaceport.
He ignored the cabbies when he caught sight of a flickering
holosign down the street, showing two cocktail glasses floating in
a circle. He took off on foot, deciding to worry about a hotel
later. Bars were often a good source of information in his line of
work.
The door to the bar slid open and his eyes adjusted again, this
time to dim interior lighting. A handful of customers sat drinking
in opposite corners. Everyone looked at him as he entered, but Biff
sensed no hostility. The bar area was empty, with several vacant
stools from which to choose. Biff picked one and headed for it,
setting his bag on the floor near the middle of the bar,
equidistant from both groups.
The bartender arrived, and Biff realized he was an android. He was
an older model, with a decent looking face but it was before
manufacturers perfected the eyes. The human eye, it so happens, is
one of the more difficult things to replicate. Older models were
often criticized for having “dead” or “spooky” eyes. This one
indeed had spooky looking eyes. They were functional, but they gave
Biff the creeps. Obviously, this was at least one of the reasons no
one sat at the bar.
The proprietor must have decided to keep the old unit around for
whatever reason. Maybe it filled in when human bartenders were
unavailable, Biff thought.
The droid said, “What can I get you?”
“Beer.”
It nodded, pulled out a frosted mug and headed for the taps.
Conversation between the groups had muted somewhat, Biff thought.
Both sets were eyeing him, and maybe discussing him. He could not
make out what was being whispered in either corner.
When the bartender returned with his beer, Biff said, “I’m looking
for passage on a ship. I wonder if you might know anything.”
Both groups stopped talking altogether. Mentally, Biff shrugged.
There did not seem to be a better way to do this.
The android said, “All departures are noted on the main holosign at
the spaceport. Perhaps you could find a ship heading for your
destination there.”
Biff nodded and said, “I already checked. Where I want to go is not
listed.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Lute.”
Dead silence reigned in the bar. No one said a word.
Finally the android said, “I’m afraid you won’t find many ships
going there. That’s pirate territory. It is a restricted zone.
Petra Roe only flies one official vessel there, and it’s not due
for another week.”
Biff took a sip from his beer and said, “I’m sure other ships head
that way from time to time. I just need to book passage with one,
as soon as possible.”
A chair from the table on Biff’s right scraped back on the floor
and a tall, ugly man stood up. He sauntered over toward Biff,
covering the distance in a few long strides. For the first time,
Biff sensed open hostility brewing.
The man stood taller than Biff. He had a paunchy middle and the
tattoo on his shoulder was clearly visible with the sleeveless
jacket he wore: a stylized E, the symbol for League Marines.
He leaned down on the bar, invading Biff’s personal space. His body
odor came along with him, assaulting Biff’s nose. The man evidently
had not showered or shaved in days.
He said, “Lute’s pirate territory. Now, why would you want to be
going there?”
Biff took another sip of beer and looked at the man.
He set the mug down and said, “I have my reasons.”
The chairs from the other table scraped back, and all five people
who had been sitting there approached the bar. Biff noted they were
dressed identically, with tan t-shirts and dark brown pants.
Probably crewmembers, he thought to himself.
When they began moving, Big Ugly’s companions stood up and headed
that way, too. In seconds, every person in the place hovered near
Biff’s barstool.
At this point, Biff decided to announce his affiliation with law
enforcement.
He looked up into Big Ugly’s face, who was now staring daggers at
the other group. He said, “I am a—”
Before he could finish, someone from the other table slammed their
fist into Big Ugly’s jaw. It knocked his head back, but he did not
go down. Instead he roared in anger and started swinging.
Both sides threw punches, and Biff ducked down out of the way,
carefully holding his beer. The fight quickly spread throughout the
room, everybody knocking over tables and chairs.
The android bartender said, “Police are on the way. No fighting is
allowed. Police are on the way.”
Two men ganged up on Big Ugly and threw him back across a table,
which buckled under their combined weight. All three went down to
the floor with a crash.
A young woman of Asian descent, wearing a tan shirt from the group
at the other table, grabbed Biff’s arm and pulled him up.
“Come on,” she said. “We need to get out of here.”
Biff set his beer down, grabbed his duffel bag and followed her
out. They weaved between fighters trading blows, fists and faces
connecting with thwacks and thumps.
Out on the street, the woman hurried him along until they were half
a block away. Then she slowed to a walk. They heard the sound of
sirens as a squad car landed near the bar. A human cop and his
android partner exited and rushed inside.
“Will your friends be alright?” Biff said.
“Oh yeah. We’ll pay the fine and spring them from jail before we
leave. I’m Melanie Polansky, by the way.”
“I’m Biff.”
They shook hands.
“So, you’ll be wanting to come with us,” Melanie said. “We’re on
the Salamander, an independent freighter. The reason you won’t see
any departures heading to Lute from the spaceport is, there’s
nothing authorized to go that way right now.”
Biff thought for a moment and said, “But you’re going
anyway.”
She smiled, her entire face lighting up in a wide grin.
She said, “That’s right. And our Captain will be happy to take
along a paying passenger, as well. I’m kind of new myself, but I
know the Captain is always looking for extra fares.”
Smugglers, Biff thought. Bending the rules, and finding ways around
laws and regulations. All for a profit. And I’m in law enforcement,
not evasion.
They walked the remainder of the block in silence while Biff
reached a conclusion. He thought about Andi, and how he needed to
find her.
They stopped at the next crosswalk and he said, “So, how much do
you think your Captain will charge me to tag along on your trip to
Lute?”
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About Jaxon Reed:
Jaxon Reed is a science fiction and fantasy author. Amazon's digital imprint, Kindle Press, selected his book The
Empathic Detective for publication through Kindle Scout. Recently
the sequel, Ghostsuit, was also awarded a publishing contract
through Kindle Scout. He is the author of Thieves & Wizards, an
epic fantasy, and The Redwood Trilogy, a science fiction series.
Jaxon is an Aggie, living in Texas on a ranch with his wife and
boys, several cats, and one pound dog.
