Blockade Read online

  CONTENTS

  LMBPN Publishing

  Dedication

  Legal

  Characters and Timeline

  The Podder

  The Crenellian

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Author Notes - Craig Martelle

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Craig Series List

  Michael Series List

  Social Links

  BLOCKADE

  The Bad Company Book Two

  By Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle

  A part of

  The Kurtherian Gambit Universe

  Written and Created

  by Michael Anderle

  They say behind every great man, is a great woman,

  but what if the woman is a Werewolf?

  DEDICATION

  We can’t write without those who support us

  On the home front, we thank you for being there for us

  We wouldn’t be able to do this for a living if it weren’t for our readers

  We thank you for reading our books

  Blockade

  Team Includes

  JIT and Beta Readers - From each of us, our deepest gratitude!

  Maria Stanley

  Leo Roars

  Sherry Foster

  James Caplan

  Kelly O’Donnell

  Larry Omans

  Joshua Ahles

  John Ashmore

  Micky Cocker

  Paul Westman

  Keith Verret

  Kimberly Boyer

  Sarah Weir

  If we missed anyone, please let us know!

  BLOCKADE (this book) is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2017 Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle

  Cover by Andrew Dobell, www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, December 2017

  Editing by Mia Darien, www.miadarien.com

  The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2017 by Michael T. Anderle.

  CHARACTERS & TIMELINE

  Find the high-res version of the Kurtherian Timeline here:

  http://kurtherianbooks.com/timeline-kurtherian/

  World’s Worst Day Ever (WWDE)

  WWDE + 20 years, Terry Henry returns from self-imposed exile. The Terry Henry Walton Chronicles detail his adventures from that time to WWDE+150

  WWDE + 150 years – Michael returns to earth. BA returns to earth. TH & Char go to Space

  Key Players

  Terry Henry Walton (was 45 on the WWDE) – called TH by his friends, Enhanced with nanocytes by Bethany Anne herself (now Empress of the Etheric Empire), wears the rank of Colonel, leads the Force de Guerre (FDG), a military unit that he established on WWDE+20

  Charumati (was 65 on the WWDE) – A Werewolf, married to Terry, carries the rank of Major in the FDG

  Kimber (born WWDE+15, adopted approximately WWDE+25 by TH & Char, enhanced on WWDE+65) – Major in the FDG

  Her husband Auburn Weathers (enhanced on WWDE+82) – provides logistics support to the FDG

  Kaeden (born WWDE+16, adopted approximately WWDE+24 by TH & Char, enhanced on WWDE+65) – Major in the FDG

  His wife Marcie Spires (born on WWDE+22, naturally enhanced) – Colonel in the FDG

  Cory (born WWDE+25, naturally enhanced, gifted with the power to heal)

  Her husband Ramses – Major in the FDG

  Vampires

  Joseph (born 300 years before the WWDE)

  Petricia (Born WWDE+30)

  Pricolici (Werewolves that walk upright)

  Nathan Lowell (President of the Bad Company and Bethany Anne’s chief of intelligence)

  Ecaterina (Nathan’s spouse)

  Christina (Nathan & Ecaterina’s daughter)

  Werewolves

  Sue and Timmons (long-term members of Char’s pack)

  Shonna & Merrit (long term members of Char’s pack)

  Ted (with Felicity, an enhanced human)

  Weretigers Born before the WWDE

  Aaron & Yanmei

  Humans (enhanced)

  Micky San Marino, Captain of the War Axe

  Commander Suresha, War Axe Department Head – Engines

  Commander MacEachthighearna (Mac), War Axe Department Head – Environmental

  Commander Blagun Lagunov, War Axe Department Head – Structure

  Commander Oscar Wirth, War Axe Department Head – Stores

  Lieutenant Clodagh Shortall, War Axe engine technician

  Sergeant Fitzroy, a martial arts expert and platoon sergeant

  Kelly, Capples, Gomez, Fleeter, Praeter, & Duncan – mech drivers

  Other Key Characters

  Dokken (a sentient dog)

  The Good King Wenceslaus (an orange tabby who thinks he’s a Weretiger, all fifteen pounds of him)

  K'thrall – a Yollin who works on the bridge of the War Axe

  Bundin – a four-legged, shell-backed blue stalk-headed alien from Poddern

  Ankh’Po’Turn – a small, bald humanoid from Crenellia

  The Podder

  The Crenellian

  CHAPTER ONE

  Aboard the heavily modified Defender-series destroyer War Axe

  “I’m a big fan of free trade, Nathan,” Colonel Terry Henry Walton said, pacing the captain’s briefing room.

  The holographic projection of the space around Alchon Prime troubled Captain Micky San Marino. Too many ships of unknown capability stood between the second planet and the third.

  A blockade.

  The War Axe was capable, but it was only one ship. The potential client represented the second planet and his request required the removal of the foreign ships.

  “And we have no idea where these ships came from or what they can do?” Terry asked, even though he already knew the answer.

  “Aliens from Planet X,” Charumati intoned from beside her husband, purple eyes sparkling. Terry looked fondly at his wife of nearly one hundred and thirty years.

  Nathan Lowell looked at the group from a two-dimensional screen to the side of the projection. “Alchon Prime is a human colony, growing, integrated with an alien population. It’s the melting pot model that shows such a thing can work. I’d hate to see some outsider screw everything up,” Nathan said in measured tones.

  He wou
ldn’t plead or try to influence Terry Henry Walton beyond giving him the facts.

  “What other fleet support can we count on?” Terry asked.

  Nathan held up his hand, giving the ‘zero’ sign.

  “What kind of timeframe do we have to work with here?”

  “Alchon Prime is moving toward self-sufficiency, but they still need repair parts for their atmosphere generators. The planet’s air supply isn’t stable, yet,” Nathan replied. “But I think they can manage for a month or two.”

  “I think we’ll give it a shot, Nathan. I’m a big fan of free trade.”

  “So I’ve heard, TH. Send your requisition through appropriate channels. I can’t wait to see what that looks like. Lowell out.”

  Micky frowned as he stared at the projection floating above the table.

  “Don’t sweat it, Micky. Tell me what you want, and we’ll put it on requisition and charge it back to the client,” Terry said flippantly, before looking concerned. “We’ll do what we have to do. Sure, Alchon represents paying clients, but this is the right thing to do. Could it be the first step of an alien invasion? Maybe, and you know we can’t let that happen. We’re expanding the Federation outward, not collapsing it. If it is an invasion, then the Federation will ride to the rescue with a billion tons of dreadnoughts and these ass-monkeys will wish they never existed.”

  “Is there some reason why that isn’t the first plan?” Micky wondered with one raised eyebrow.

  Terry opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again. “I got nothing, but I’m sure Nathan has a good reason.”

  Char pointed to the comm station in the middle of the conference table.

  Terry rolled his head back and forth before deciding he had no choice. “Fine,” he declared. “Smedley, get Nathan back on the hook, please.”

  “What’d we forget, TH?” Nathan asked almost instantly.

  “How come the Federation doesn’t go in with a massive show of force? Let the aliens know who’s boss out here?”

  Nathan looked surprised, before saying matter-of-factly, “Alchon isn’t a member of the Federation. We’re prohibited from using Federation assets in support of non-Federation worlds. When you break the blockade, they’ll hopefully submit their application. And if you have issues with the blockade, they’ll hopefully submit their application. In either case, if there is a hostile alien fleet nearby, we need Alchon as a buffer. It’d be nice to station a dreadnought out there, don’t you think? Didn’t you see that in the brief?”

  Terry looked away from the screen and twisted his mouth sideways. “I hadn’t quite gotten that far in the packet, Nathan.” He locked his gaze on Char, giving her the stink-eye.

  She looked back with her sad face, purple eyes sparkling. TH shook his head and smiled. He mouthed the word “sex,” and she nodded with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

  When Terry turned back to the screen, he found that Nathan was still watching.

  “I don’t know what the bet was, TH, but it looks like you won. Any other questions?”

  “Sorry to bother you, Nathan,” Terry replied, his cheeks flushing red above his stubbly beard. “Walton out.”

  Smedley killed the link.

  “The Bad Company’s Direct Action Branch is a private conflict solution enterprise. The leaders of Alchon Prime are paying us to break the blockade. The Federation is paying us to bring Alchon Prime into the fold. It’s a win-win. All we have to do is take one ship against a fleet and convince them to leave. You’ve done this kind of stuff before, haven’t you, Micky? Pretty simple?” Terry asked hopefully.

  The captain looked at Terry Henry Walton as if he’d grown a second head.

  Keeg Station in the Dren Cluster

  Felicity and Ted looked out the window, admiring the War Axe as it sat stationary in space beside the Direct Action Branch’s home port.

  No casual visitors stopped by Keeg Station since there wasn’t a gate into the system. This area of the Dren Cluster was well off the beaten path, in the middle of a sector that bordered the frontier of Federation space. A vast area, in which it was easy to hide. A few light years here or there helped something as large as a multi-million metric-ton space station disappear.

  Felicity kept grabbing Ted’s arm to keep him from leaving.

  “Won’t you stay here with me while we wait for Terry and Char’s shuttle from their big ship?” she drawled softly. Ted shifted uneasily, his eyes darting from one thing to the next.

  “That drive isn’t going to design itself. I’m close! I can feel it.” He shook his head while looking at the hand on his arm, wondering why he didn’t pull away and go about his business. He pursed his lips as he contemplated his next move.

  Felicity waited. “If I let go, you’re going to bolt, like a mouse released from a trap.” She smiled at her husband. Over the decades, she’d learned how to deal with him. She had no intention of letting go of his arm. She moved to face him, wrapping her free arm around his waist. Gripping his butt playfully, she closed for a kiss.

  He studied how she’d attached herself to his front during the time he was contemplating his escape.

  She had outmaneuvered him again.

  Since Keeg Station didn't have an EI, Ted reached out to Smedley.

  Smedley, please help extricate me from indigenous life form foxtrot sierra, Ted said using his implant to relay to the EI on the War Axe.

  >>You mean the station manager? You know I can’t do that,<< the EI replied.

  There has to be an emergency that requires her personal attention. There has to be, Smedley. Do I need to adjust your programming again? Ted asked.

  Felicity’s wrist device buzzed. Her eyes narrowed as she looked into Ted’s eyes. She glared at him as she raised her wrist close to her head. “Felicity here,” she drawled pleasantly, continuing the stare down with her husband.

  A blank expression was his only reply. He didn’t back down as he counted the seconds until he could return to his lab.

  “I do declare, that sounds like an emergency,” she said in mock exasperation. “Maintenance can take care of it, or you could do it yourself, Smedley, since you caused the failure.”

  Felicity glanced at the comm device to see that she was still connected despite the silence. She continued to hold Ted’s arm in her right hand. She felt a tug and looked down to see him leaning backwards.

  “Ted! If you think I’m falling for your fake death routine, you’re wrong. You are going to take it like a man. Come with me to the shuttle bay and let’s receive our guests like the dignified first couple we’re supposed to be. Don’t you dare make me out to be the bad guy. I will kick your ass so hard, your ears will be holding up your butt-cheeks!” Felicity snapped.

  Ted put a hand to his head and felt above his ears. “I don’t think that could happen,” he said matter-of-factly. “And maybe you are the bad guy. I have work to do, and you’re keeping me from it.”

  “You always have work to do. Now, come!” she ordered. With his head bowed, Ted bit the inside of his cheek and stumbled along behind his wife. She maintained a firm grip on his arm as if he were a petulant child.

  In some ways, he was. In others, he held the future of the Federation in his hands.

  ***

  After the drop ship’s rear ramp descended, Terry and Char walked off, hand in hand. Dokken bumped past their knees as he ran onto the station.

  Terry’s leg buckled, but he caught himself. He was angry only for an instant. “Note to self, let the dog go first.”

  Char chuckled. “I wonder what Felicity had to do to get Ted to join her.”

  “Judging by the look on his face, it was either one inch of fingernail embedded in his arm or constipation,” Terry whispered.

  Felicity tipped her head down and raised her eyebrows.

  “For the record, Ted came of his own free will because that’s what first couples do when greeting their most important guests,” Felicity lied smoothly, before breaking into a wide smile. “You look
radiant!”

  Ted opened his mouth, but Felicity elbowed him in the ribs. He closed his mouth and resigned himself to his fate.

  Terry and Char both laughed loudly. Felicity’s smile disappeared and suddenly Ted seemed interested. A blue, stalk-headed, turtle-shelled, stubby-legged alien ambled from the shuttle pod with a small, bald humanoid by his side.

  “I need you to work with Smedley to figure out how to integrate a comm chip with Bundin’s neural cortex,” Terry said. “Only Joseph can talk with the Podder now, and that needs to change if he’s going to be an integral member of the Bad Company. And this little guy here is Ankh, and he’s going to work with you.”

  “I work alone,” Ted said with a dismissive wave. Felicity released Ted’s arm so he could approach the Podder. Ankh’s expression didn’t change.

  “He’ll warm up to you, little buddy,” Terry told the Crenellian. Ankh looked blankly at the colonel.

  “It’s plenty warm in here already. Very pleasant, mind you,” he replied in a monotone.

  The rest of Terry’s inner circle worked their way from the shuttle. The werewolves and weretigers waved and greeted Ted and Felicity warmly as they passed. Members of the Bad Company had permanent quarters on Keeg Station and they were heading for their bunks to change before availing themselves of the station’s nightlife.

  The New Yorkers were jonesing for a good party. They’d had a small taste on Onyx Station, but had chosen to spend most of their time shopping. Shonna, Sue, and Char, the werewolf pack, had new dresses that they couldn’t wait to wear. Char would drag Terry Henry along, even though he wouldn’t want to go.