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Triumph's Ashes (The Cassidy Chronicles Volume 5)
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Published by Adam Gaffen
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Cover Art © Emily’s World of Design
Creature Designs © Olha Bondarenko
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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Triumph's Ashes (The Cassidy Chronicles Volume 5)
PROLOGUE | Cislunar Space, ANS Young
Book 1: | The Salted Earth
July, 2120
CHAPTER ONE | TFS Enterprise, 40 Eridani System
CHAPTER TWO | Council of Ministers, Artemis City
CHAPTER THREE | UE Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
CHAPTER FOUR | Habitat Njord
CHAPTER FIVE | Tycho Under
CHAPTER SIX | Habitat Njord
CHAPTER SEVEN | Freyr (40 Eridani A c)
CHAPTER EIGHT | Tycho Under; Artemis City; UE Headquarters, Geneva
CHAPTER NINE | Habitat Njord
CHAPTER TEN | TFS Enterprise
CHAPTER ELEVEN | TFS BonHomme Richard
CHAPTER TWELVE | Artemis City; Tycho Under
CHAPTER ELEVEN | TFS Enterprise
CHAPTER THIRTEEN | Habitat Njord
CHAPTER FOURTEEN | Habitat Njord
CHAPTER FIFTEEN | Artemis Council Chamber; Tycho Under
CHAPTER SIXTEEN | UE Headquarters, Geneva
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | Cislunar Space
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN | Habitat Njord; Artemis City, Council Chamber
August, 2120
CHAPTER NINETEEN | TFS Enterprise
CHAPTER TWENTY | Habitat Njord
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE | Tycho Under
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO | Cislunar Space
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE | Council Chambers, Artemis City
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR | Tycho Under
Book 2: | Blood Moon Rising
CHAPTER ONE | TFS Enterprise; TFS Defiant | Stardate 12008.07
CHAPTER TWO | Tycho Under; Council Chambers, Artemis City | Stardate 12008.07
CHAPTER THREE | TFS Enterprise; Freyr (40 Eridani A c) | Stardate 12008.07
CHAPTER FOUR | Habitat Njord | Stardate 12008.08
CHAPTER FIVE | TFS Defiant | Stardate 12008.11
CHAPTER SIX | Council Chambers, Artemis City; Johnson Warren; Tycho Under | Stardate 12008.13
CHAPTER SEVEN | Tycho Under | Stardate 12008.13
CHAPTER EIGHT | TFS Enterprise | Stardate 12008.14
CHAPTER NINE | Council Chamber, Artemis City | Stardate 12008.14
CHAPTER TEN | Habitat Njord | Stardate 12008.15
CHAPTER ELEVEN | Cislunar Space | Stardate 12008.16
CHAPTER TWELVE | UE Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland | Stardate 12008.17
CHAPTER THIRTEEN | Council Chamber, Artemis City | Stardate 12008.17
CHAPTER FOURTEEN | Habitat Njord; Cislunar Space | Stardate 12008.18
CHAPTER FIFTEEN | Habitat Njord | Stardate 12008.19
CHAPTER SIXTEEN | TFS Enterprise | Stardate 12008.20
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | TFS Defiant | Stardate 12008.22
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN | Tycho Under | Stardate 12008.22
CHAPTER NINETEEN | TFS Enterprise; Freyr | Stardate 12008.24
Book 3: | Storm Flags Flying
CHAPTER ONE | TFS Enterprise; Habitat Njord | Stardate 12008.24
CHAPTER TWO | Council Chambers, Artemis City | Stardate 12008.26
CHAPTER THREE | Habitat Njord; Cislunar Space | Stardate 12008.28
CHAPTER FOUR | Tycho Under | Stardate 12008.28
CHAPTER FIVE | TFS Defiant; Cislunar space | Stardate 12008.28
CHAPTER SIX | Tycho Under | Stardate 12008.29
CHAPTER SEVEN | Habitat Njord; Tycho Under; Council Chamber, Artemis City | Stardate 12008.29
CHAPTER EIGHT | TFS Enterprise | Stardate 12008.29
CHAPTER NINE | Habitat Njord; Geneva | Stardate 12008.29
CHAPTER TEN | Tycho Under; Artemis City | Stardate 12008.29
CHAPTER ELEVEN | Tycho Under; Cislunar Space | Stardate 12008.29
CHAPTER TWELVE | Habitat Njord; Artemis City | Stardate 12008.31
CHAPTER THIRTEEN | TFS Enterprise | Stardate 12009.04
CHAPTER FOURTEEN | Artemis City; Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.04
CHAPTER TWELVE | TFS Defiant; TFS Defender II; TFS Enterprise | Stardate 12009.05
CHAPTER FOURTEEN | Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.05
CHAPTER FIFTEEN | Translunar Space; TFS Enterprise | Stardate 12009.06
CHAPTER SIXTEEN | UE Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland | Stardate 12009.07
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | Admiral’s Quarters, TFS Enterprise; Council Chambers, Artemis City | Stardate 12009.07
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN | Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.08
CHAPTER NINETEEN | Low Earth Orbit; Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.13
CHAPTER TWENTY | Tycho Under; Approaching Earth Orbit | Stardate 12009.13
Book 4: | The Triumph | Of Hope
CHAPTER ONE | TFS Enterprise | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER TWO | Artemis-Tycho Tunnels; Tycho Under; Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER THREE | Artemis City; Cislunar Space; Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER FOUR | Tycho Under; Cislunar Space; Habitat Njord; Artemis City | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER FIVE | UE Headquarters; Habitat Njord; Cislunar Space; Artemis City | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER SIX | Tycho Under; Cislunar Space; Artemis City | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER SEVEN | Artemis City; Tycho Under; Cislunar Space | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER EIGHT | Artemis City; Cislunar Space; Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER NINE | TFS Endeavour; Cislunar Space; Artemis City | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER TEN | Tycho Under; Artemis City; Cislunar Space | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER ELEVEN | Tycho Under; Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER TWLEVE | Tycho Under; Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER THIRTEEN | Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN | Habitat Njord | Stardate 12009.23
EPILOGUE | TFS Constitution | Stardate 12102.02
AUTHOR’S AFTERWARD
Playlist
CAST OF CHARACTERS | CASSIDYS – The family at the center of it all
TERRAN FEDERATION | The organization founded to press the boundaries of human exploration and knowledge | AI’S – Artificial Intelligences, all of whom have their own personalities
OUTLOOK – the de facto intelligence agency for the Federation
STARFLEET STAFF – based on the habitat Njord
TITAN COLONY
ASTEROID MINER’S GUILD
TFS ENTERPRISE OFFICERS & CREW
TFS ENDEAVOUR OFFICERS & CREW
TFS DEFIANT OFFICERS & CREW
TFS DEFENDER II OFFICERS & CREW
WOLFPACK/WOLF SQUADRON (by boat) – composed of Wolf-class Multipurpose Orbital Vehicles, based aboard Enterprise when deployed, Njord when not
FLYING TIGER SQUADRON (by boat) - composed of Wolf-class Multipurpose Orbital Vehicl
es, based aboard Njord
NYMERIA SQUADRON – Direwolf fighters, based on Njord
RED SQUADRON – Direwolf fighters, based on TNS Endeavour
STARFLEET MARINE CORPS
CUSSLERNAUTICS/ TFS Missouri – Renovated battleship based aboard Njord
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE TFS ROOSA – a frigate in Starfleet
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE TFS YOUNG – a frigate in Starfleet
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE TFS BEAN – a cruiser in Stafleet
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE TFS BonHomme Richard – a cruiser in Starfleet
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE TFS AVERROES – a dreadnought in Starfleet
UNION OF ARTEMIS | The political entity formed by Artemis and the Martian Colonies for mutual support, trade, and defense | ARTEMIS – oldest member of Union
Revolutionaries
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE ANS MATTINGLY – Frigate
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE ANS HAISE – Frigate
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE ANS EVANS – Frigate
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE ANS ANDERS – Frigate
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE ANS STAFFORD – Frigate
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE ANS LOVELL – Frigate
Officers and crew of the ANS MITCHELL – Cruiser
Officers and crew of the ANS IRWIN – Cruiser
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE ANS EL-BAZ – Dreadnought
OFFICERS & CREW OF THE ANS AL-BATTANI – Dreadnought
TERRESTRIAL PERSONNEL AND OTHERS | UNITED EARTH GOVERNMENT – the primary unifying force on Earth and successor to the United Nations. Modeled after the European Union
OTHERS
NATIVES OF FREYR (40 ERIDANI A c)
Dedication
To those who looked at Death
And decided the price was not too high
PROLOGUE
Cislunar Space, ANS Young
“Captain, they’re coming up the corridor!”
“Ensign Starks!”
The petite blonde turned from her watch on the starboard hatch.
“Captain?”
“Get down there and help Lieutenant Luehrs! We can’t let them get up to the bridge.”
“Aye, Ma’am.” She ducked past her and out the portside hatch.
“Ensign Saxton, guard the other entry. You’re not doing any good on helm, not with the bridge controls cut off.”
“Ma’am.” He tapped a few commands out of habit before taking station where Starks had vacated.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” muttered Auburn, checking her ship’s speed and heading. They were still on course for the Federation’s habitat, but the engines had shut down when the shit hit the fan so they weren’t accelerating. That reminded her.
“Walker.”
“Go ahead.”
“Situation?”
“Well, they’re not getting into Engineering, but we might need an assist to get out.”
“Oh?”
“We sealed the hatch and disconnected the overrides, but one of the bright boys on the other side must have liberated a laser, because they tried to burn their way through. All it did was warp the hatch.”
“Great. Can you kill our momentum?”
“Sure, if they haven’t cut the control runs.”
“You think they did?”
“They cut yours.”
Auburn couldn’t argue with that, but Walker was still talking.
“Harmon was one of the bastards who turned on us,” Walker said. “He commed me, trying to get me to ‘come back to Artemis’. I told him where he could put Artemis, and then he was less polite.”
“Damn.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
It was supposed to have been easy. Over the past Lunar, Young’s crew roster had been thoroughly churned, with nearly three quarters being transferred out, including Auburn’s XO and Chief Engineer. The reason was made clear a scant two days earlier when she’d been sketchily briefed by Captain Newling of the ANS Averroes about the plans afoot.
“Are you in?” she’d been asked.
It was a simple question for her but she’d temporized.
“My crew?”
“You and another ship have been chosen to serve as, well, lifeboats. Without telling you too much, you’re not going to be safe in Artemis in forty-eight hours. Your crew has been chosen with that in mind.”
It had been a crash course in bonding, with a graduation exercise kicked off when the Averroes had suddenly defected, broadcasting their truth back to the rest of the assembled fleet.
There were only about a dozen loyalists and MinSec plants left aboard, but in a crew of fifty that was plenty to scramble plans. Now, by her best estimates, there were less than half that number.
Sounds of gunfire echoed up the portside corridor.
“What stupid shits brought a gun into space?” Auburn said.
“MinSec,” answered Saxton without turning from his post.
“Point,” grunted Auburn.
“Attention approaching Artemis frigate, respond or be destroyed,” announced the speaker.
“And there’s another problem.”
The one system the loyalists held was communications, and Auburn was sure they were screaming bloody murder back to Artemis for help. She didn’t expect any of the other ANS ships to turn; they were wholly outclassed by the Federation’s Starfleet and were running for home as fast as they could. On the other hand, she couldn’t communicate with the Federation to tell them to please not blow her tin can out of space, thank you very much.
If they could just stop, show they weren’t going to be a threat, they might have a chance to deal with the loyalists.
She heard a scream from port.
“Luehrs!” she yelled.
There was another scream, abruptly cut off.
“Saxton, with me, now!”
She pulled the three-shot laser from its storage.
“I’ve got high. You get low. On two.” She waited for Saxton’s nod. “One, two!”
She pushed through the hatch, laser pointed down the corridor, and dashed a few meters to her ‘office’ and ducked in. Saxton followed, staying low.
Nothing.
She gestured that she’d take high again, flashed the count on her fingers, rushed forward again, around a corner, and then diving for cover as her mind registered the group facing him and the bodies of Luehrs and Starks. Behind her Saxton rounded the corner a hair too high and caught a laser bolt squarely in his chest. He fell to the deck, releasing his grip on his laser.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Auburn swore. Her people were down, and all she had were three shots to take out at least four loyalists.
“Give up and you don’t have to die,” one of them called. Marcels, she thought, though it was hard to hear through the roaring in her ears.
“Fuck you and fuck the Primus!” she yelled back. Maybe not the most original, but certainly heartfelt.
“There’s only one of you left.”
Silence. Auburn thought furiously. Four targets, three shots. Wait. Saxton’s gun?
“Fine.”
There. Just a meter away, but out from cover.
Shit.
Maybe she could...She wished Walker were here. Engineering wasn’t her skill set.
“Wait!” she called, stalling, turning the laser over in her hands and searching for the charging port.
“For what? You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and out of time.”
“It’s a big decision,” she said, stripping the cover off.
“Maybe you should have thought of that before betraying the Primus.”
She needed a conductor. She always wore her hair nearly shaved, but maybe...She stole a glance back at Starks; her hair was pinned back, and she was out of sight of the loyalists. Silently she crept over to her and, thinking an apology, ran her hand through Starks’ hair.
Ha.
She pulled out a pin. Flexible. Good.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she called, jamming the ends of the pin into the charg
ing point. She felt it start heating immediately and hoped it would last long enough before melting.
“Toss your weapon out,” Marcels called.
“You want my weapon?”
“What, do you think I’m stupid?”
Yes, she didn’t say. The pin was nearly glowing; it couldn’t be much longer.
“Fine!” she called, and slid the gun down the corridor toward them.
“Smart move, Auburn. Stand up. I promise we won’t shoot you.”
Why hadn’t it blown yet?
She stood, hands behind her head.
Marcels was standing in front of four other loyalists. Three had their three-shots aimed at him, while one held what looked to be a projectile weapon. That must have been what she heard earlier.
The laser she’d tossed lay at Marcels’ feet.
“I charge you, Lieutenant Joy Auburn, with mutiny and rebellion against the rightful government of Artemis. You will be held until the return to –”
The short-circuit Auburn had jury-rigged finally reached a critical point.
Lasers are incredibly energy-intensive weapons, which is why even the largest ships carried capacitors to provide power for firing. Laser rifles typically used replaceable cartridges, much like the magazines of old, to provide their power. The power packs used for the rifles were large and bulky, unsuitable for use in sidearms, so they had integral and rechargeable power cells which provided enough juice for a few shots. As with most power cells, though, they reacted badly to being cross-wired.
The equivalent of a kilo of TNT exploded in front of Marcels, wiping out whatever he was about to say, most of his body, and a fair portion of the deck and bulkheads. The explosion continued to knock three of the others backwards, one slamming bonelessly into the bulkhead and all three being shredded by fragments of durasteel.
Auburn and the fifth loyalist were both blown to the ground but were otherwise uninjured.
She scanned the deck. Where was that other laser? There!
She scrambled to grab Saxton’s gun before the loyalist recovered.
Got it!
Auburn turned, levelled the gun, and fired. The stunned loyalist caught the bolt in his gut as he tried to rise. It staggered him but he still tried to lift his own weapon to fire.
She shot again. This time the loyalist dropped.
“Damn,” she panted. “That sucked.”
She stumbled up the corridor to check on her fallen crew. Saxton’s eyes were wide and unseeing; the bolt had probably stopped his heart, if it hadn’t hit it squarely.