by M. D. Cooper
REPERCUSSIONS
AEON 14 FAN FICTION
VOLUME 1
JAMES S. AARON
RICHARD PARRY
HENRY ORION
JAMES R. HAUBENREICH
AARON J. DAVIS
PENNY BROWN
JOHN STRIPE
JOE KOCSIS
M. D. COOPER
Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Readers
Scott Reid
Copyright © 2018 M. D. Cooper
Aeon 14 is Copyright © 2018 M. D. Cooper
Version 1.0.0
Cover Art by Andrew Dobell
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
THE PROMISE - RICHARD PARRY
FROM THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
ABOUT RICHARD PARRY
DAMAGE CONTROL - JOE KOCSIS
FROM THE AUTHOR
SSDD
HEAVY METAL
DANCING
RECYCLED
CONTACT
ISOLATION
ON THE LINE
A PLAN
THE WAIT
ABOUT JOE KOCSIS
KATRINA VIS-À-VIS KATRINA - PENNY BROWN
FROM THE AUTHOR
PARTINGS
HIT AND RUN
SANCTUARY
THE RAID
BOARDING
AWAKEN
ABOUT PENNY BROWN
CRASH IN LOVE - JAMES S. AARON
PART 1 – SERIOUS PUZZLES
PART 2 – THE MATH SORCERER
PART 3 – SEARCH THE MESH
PART 4 – FRIENDLY ADVICE
PART 5 – DECISIONS, DECISIONS
PART 6 – SORDID COMPLICATIONS
PART 7 – EVERYONE’S COMPLICATED
ABOUT JAMES S. AARON
ADIRA’S DEMONS - JAMES R. HAUBENREICH
FROM THE AUTHOR
EASY PREY
DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
PROMISES KEPT
GATES OF HELL
A NEW DIRECTION
ABOUT JAMES R. HAUBENREICH
BLACK ICE - HENRY ORION
FROM THE AUTHOR
UNCARING KINETICS
REALITY CHECK
PRIZE FIGHTING
CLOSING THE DEAL
EPILOGUE
ABOUT HENRY ORION
KNOW THY ENEMY - AARON J. DAVIS
FROM THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
I HAVE NO MASTER - JOHN STRIPE
FROM THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER 4
ABOUT JOHN STRIPE
THE SOUTHERN CROWN - M. D. COOPER
FROM THE AUTHOR
NIGHT OUT
KALI
CHASING FORTUNA
JOB DONE
THE BOOKS OF AEON 14
ABOUT M. D. COOPER
FOREWORD
Thanks for picking up the first volume of Aeon 14 Fan Fiction.
The authors who contributed to this story have put in a lot of work to bring you some new Aeon 14 stories, with their own imaginations and ideas further coloring the universe. I’ve also worked with them to ensure that their tales adhere to existing canon so that they can be taken as such as well.
In addition to the seven stories by fans, there is also a tale by myself, and another from James waiting for you within these pages. And author Richard Parry—who is also a fan of Aeon 14—submitted a story as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading through these stories and working on them with their respective authors, not only because I think that you will like the tales, but because I got to see Aeon 14 through the eyes of fans, and it was amazing how well their vision matched my own.
OK, without further ado, check your harness and the seals on your shipsuit, because things are going to get crazy.
Michael Cooper
Danvers, 2018
THE PROMISE
BY RICHARD PARRY
FROM THE AUTHOR
When Michael said he was putting together a story collection by fans, I had a moment. I won’t say I swooned, but I needed the aircon on for a spell.
Aeon 14 delivers amazing stories, with powerful heroes doing seven impossible things before breakfast. Like life, the lines are blurred: it’s not red versus blue. Writing a story in this universe is an outstanding ride.
Michael’s not afraid to tell unusual stories, or color outside the lines. The story you’re about to read wouldn’t exist without his willingness to open Aeon 14 to us. It takes courage to watch people take your pride and joy out for a spin past the gates of Perseus.
You’re about to board the Promise. She’s a small starship, but with a big heart. Captain Spiller will see you to the end of the journey, alongside Luke, Jaimee, and Kiyoshi. On the way, there’ll be stowaways, secret agents, betrayals, and a heist against the OFA.
This is Aeon 14. I hope you love it.
Richard Parry
M. D. Cooper’s Note:
Richard’s story is a fun tale of a crew working jobs (yeah, those kinds of jobs) in Orion space. You won’t have needed to read any specific books to follow the tale here, but here are a few refreshers for the timeframe in which this story occurs.
This tale takes place prior to the events in Orion Rising, and the OFA (Orion Freedom Alliance) is still locked in their cold war with the Transcend. Captain Spiller and the Promise are plying the black in a region of space on the far side of the Orion Nebula, somewhere between he capital of the OFA, New Sol, and the Spinward Front with the Transcend.
Unlike the Perseus Expansion Districts, this part of Orion space has more access to technology, operating more like relatively prosperous regions of the Inner Stars.
CHAPTER ONE
STELLAR DATE: 04.21.8945 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Mantiquilla Taqueria, Hathern Station
REGION: Bella Deux System, Orion Freedom Alliance
Being balls-deep in Orion space wasn’t always a bad time. They said the liquor was cheaper, for one, although Sean thought that sounded like the kind of lie you’d tell your kids to help them sleep easier at night. She wasn’t here to sleep easy. Sean was here in a crappy bar to get her hands on honest to God gold, and if it happened to belong to the Orion Freedom Alliance, well now…. That would help her sleep easy, no problem. OFA was no friend of hers.
Her contact, a weaselly little man who called himself Wolf Turu, was late. Wolf Turu almost certainly wasn’t his real name, because no parent was cruel enough to name a child ‘Wolf’, no matter how ugly their baby was.
Wolf had suggested the Mantiquilla Taqueria for their meeting, and Sean had agreed, because it was a seedy bar in the belly of a seedier station. When planning to steal something, it was best to go where the law wasn’t.
Wolf had said, ‘You meet me there, Sean Spiller, and I’ll make all your dreams come true. The haul will be epic!’
So, here Sean was, blonde hair already smelling like two-day-old cigarette smoke after just fifteen minutes at the bar, and Wolf still hadn’t showed.
“You look like you’re waiting for someone,” said a short man, sidling up to her.
“It’s not you,” said Sean, watching hope flair as she spoke, crushed just as quickly by her words.
The short man sidled back off the stool, shipping out like he’d never meant to
stay in the first place.
Her first mate wasn’t present in the bar, though. Kiyoshi was a deck up, playing Snark with a group of randoms he’d found at the docks. Kiyoshi had his I-don’t-even-know-the-rules-so-go-easy-on-me face on, and near as Sean could tell from the Link feed, he was already a hundred credits up.
He was ‘shopping’. Sean didn’t know what for, and she’d learned it was best not to ask.
She decided it was best to ignore them both, and proceeded to scan the bar again. A miasma of smoke seeped like airborne tar over everything. It clung to the room, adding to the kind of ambience Sean looked for when trying to do dirty deals. No air scrubbers were this bad. The owner wanted the place to look this way. Sean was sure it helped attract the right kind of clientele. Being a privateer wasn’t always an easy line of work, not with the OFA getting excitable about every damn thing these days.
It probably didn’t help that Sean’s last targets had all been OFA. Sometimes the universe was unfair in your favor.
Another man slid onto the bar stool next to Sean. He was medium height, a little on the heavy side, with stubble that said ‘razors happen to other people.’ Nothing to look at, nothing to shy away from, either. Average Guy didn’t even look at her, just waved the bartender down.
The bartender’s look went just fine with the Mantiquilla Taqueria: a nose ring, half-shaved head, and gold teeth. He drifted in their general direction, nodding at Average Guy.
“Help you?”
“God, I hope so,” said Average Guy. “People say I can order whiskey here that isn’t watered down.”
The bartender eyed Average Guy, and Sean knew the look. The dial was swinging between ‘Do I knock this motherfucker out?’ and ‘This guy wants to spend money and probably doesn’t know watered-down whiskey from antimatter’.
Greed won, and the bartender gave a grin full of gold. “Sure,” he said. “Coming right up.”
Sean knew she shouldn’t take an interest, but couldn’t help herself. Average Guy looked the type to be settled on a nice colony world, a squalor of brats around his feet, working regular shifts at the local government offices. He didn’t strike her as the kind of guy who’d chart a course for a pirate bar. Which, if Wolf Turu was right, was exactly what the Mantiquilla Taqueria was.
Sean leaned forward. “Excuse me.”
Average Guy startled. “Hey.” He blinked, like the smoke was bothering him. “Oh. Hi.”
“I couldn’t help but notice your approach there,” said Sean. “Are you a combat master?”
Average Guy thought about that some. “I don’t think so.”
“Good with a gun?”
“No.”
Sean shook her head, turning back to her own amber-filled glass. “Death wish, then.”
“No,” said Average Guy. He retrieved his whiskey, passing some credit chits over to the bartender. “I mean, not really. Just trying to get a ride.” He looked around. “I was told I could get a ride here, no questions asked.”
“There are always questions,” said Sean. “But you can make ‘em go away with enough credit.”
“Oh,” said Average Guy, looking down. “I mean, OK.”
“Trouble?” asked Sean. “Or looking for some?” Dammit, stop asking questions.
“Not really,” said Average Guy. “I just need a ride.”
Wolf Turu still hadn’t shown, and Sean figured a passenger wouldn’t hurt appearances. “I run a ship,” she offered. “The Promise.”
“You do?”
“I do.” Sean gave a nonchalant nod while taking a sip of her own drink. “We’re heading out in a couple days.”
“How much?” said Average Guy.
Definitely not a shrewd negotiator. Hadn’t asked important questions like ‘Where?’ or ‘How fast?’, which suggested a desperation level off the charts.
“With or without questions?” she wanted to know.
“Without,” said Average Guy, almost tripping over the word in his haste to answer.
“Cost extra, that. You know how it is.”
“What if,” said Average Guy, then stopped. “No. I mean, you don’t look like the type.”
“Try me.” Sean leant back, trying for a bored-and-about-to-walk-away expression.
“I play cards,” said Average Guy. “I’m good at it.”
“Stakes?” She didn’t even blink. She wasn’t good at cards. Cheating at cards, however…
“Free ride,” said Average Guy.
“I know that part. I mean, what’s my take?” Sean swirled her drink. “You look risky, friend.”
Average Guy made a show of patting down his pockets, emptying the contents on the bartop. A couple more credit chits. A half-used pack of gum. An energy pistol, but toy-sized, the kind you’d get from a novelty store rather than a weapon smith. And, finally, a data sliver.
Sean flicked aside everything but the data sliver. She pointed. “What’s on that?”
“Nothing,” said Average Guy. “It’s not part of the bet.”
Then it’s everything. “No deal,” said Sean. “Find another ride.”
“Please,” said Average Guy. “You’ve got to help me. I’ve got OF—” he cut himself off. “I’ve got problems.”
‘OFA’, Sean thought he was about to say. Then, hating herself a little, she thought, It doesn’t matter. OFA or not, credit is what it takes. Reputations don’t make themselves. “I don’t have to do anything,” she said. “Look, it’s the principle of the thing. I don’t know what’s on the sliver, and I don’t care. But it’s the only thing worthwhile. Put the data sliver up as your part of the bet, and we’re on. That’s all there is to say.”
Average Guy looked between the pirate captain and the data sliver, then did it again, and a third time.
“OK.”
* * * * *
Average Guy was looking between the cards and the data sliver that sat between them. Sean leaned back, breathing out. “Well, I guess your data sliver is mine, huh?”
“You…cheated!” he said. “You…you…how?”
“Friend,” said Sean, leaning forward. “Cheating is a strong allegation. We played cards. Hell, you even dealt the hands. Using your own deck. How could I have cheated?”
“I don’t know,” said Average Guy. “But the math, it’s not right.”
“It’s not wrong, either,” said Sean, snaking a hand out to nab the data sliver. She dropped it into a pocket, making it disappear like it had never existed. Time to make this problem go away.
Sean gave a nod to the man-mountain guarding the door. The doorman, coated in tattoos, had accepted the credits she’d offered on entry. When dealing with Wolf Turu, it always helped to have a backup plan. Turns out, the backup plan was needed, but not for Wolf.
Average Guy pushed himself to his feet, face red. “I’m warning you! I’ll—” His threats cut off as the doorman’s hand descended on his shoulder. Average Guy turned, looked up, and then up a little further until his gaze got as far as the doorman’s face.
Hard eyes. No smile.
Sean watched Average Guy do the math.
Can’t win against someone like that. Size alone said so, and the door-muscle of a place like the Mantiquilla Taqueria would pack mods. Taking a swing at that would be suicide, which meant in about two seconds, he’d try and make a rush for Sean.
Sean’s hand was on her sidearm, comfortable under the table, but she didn�
��t want to use it. Not for a game of cards. Not for the unknown contents of a data sliver. There was such a thing as the wrong kind of reputation.
Average Guy spun, lunging across the table at her.
Bingo.
Cards flew as he scrabbled toward Sean. A look of astonishment crossed his face as the man-mountain lifted him up, dragging him away from her. Average Guy was yelling and cursing all the way to the bar’s door, where he was thrown out.
Sean lost interest at that point, pulling the data sliver from her pocket. She turned it over. No markings on it. Nothing to suggest a corporate or military background. Just a cheap data sliver, the kind you could get anywhere.
She cast a glance up at the pinhead-sized monitoring cam she’d stuck by the door on her way in. Paying off door-muscle was one thing, but having Kiyoshi ready to help was even better.
said Kiyoshi.
Sean smiled. Kiyoshi had been with her the longest of her two crew. As far as trust went, he had more than his fair share. But it didn’t make sense to appear soft, not on a pirate ship. Not on any ship, really.
She cleared her tab, nodding to the bartender, who was all gold-toothed grin after her altercation with Average Guy.
“There a back way out?”
“No,” said the bartender.
Sean slid a few more credits his way. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she said. “I meant it in a way that would be profitable.”
“Of course,” said the bartender.
He led the way out the back.
* * * * *
The bridge of the Promise was just like she’d left it, except for one thing.
Her coffee cup was missing.
Fucking Luke, she thought, then chased it with, Fucking Kiyoshi. Either one of them could have taken her cup. It was another prize from a card game, Sean didn’t even remember which one, but it had belonged to a rear admiral in the Orion Guard. Drinking from it made her feel like a queen, and her crew spent a lot of time trying to hide it around the ship. This time, it was probably a team effort. She’d square away that problem later.