Veklocks

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by S. H. Jucha


  The insectoids had taken the second explorers’ intrusion as a sign of things to come. They’d exploded off their planet to occupy as many domes as they were prepared to defend.

  “You realize,” Jessie murmured, as Harbour lay across his chest, “that by the time we organize a response, the Colony will probably have occupied more domes.”

  “We can expect them to have improved armament and traps,” Harbour added. “They’ll probably have started more construction projects to conquer the planets. That would give them stronger footholds in those systems.”

  “I’m not sure those will be our greatest challenges,” Jessie replied.

  “Why not?” Harbour asked, snuggling closer.

  “We made one exploration, and the Colony expanded their footprint, constructed weapons, and built traps in response,” Jessie explained. “If we think they’ve done more of the same after our second intrusion, we’re deluding ourselves.”

  Harbour sat up. Jessie’s emotions, generated by the sight of her naked torso, inundated Harbour, and she reveled in them.

  “What do you think they’ll be doing?” Harbour asked.

  “Hmm,” Jessie murmured.

  Harbour laughed, tapped his chest, and said, “Focus! What might they do?”

  “That’s where we have to use our imagination,” Jessie managed to reply. “The Colony members will certainly be using theirs.”

  “Well, all isn’t bad news,” Harbour said.

  “No?” Jessie inquired. “I’d love some good news.”

  “I’m pregnant,” Harbour replied, and Jessie grinned.

  — Pyre’s descendants join the Omnians

  in Alliance, a Silver Ships novel —

  Glossary

  Colony Ship (Honora Belle)

  Beatrice “Birdie” Andrews – Comm operator on the Belle

  Bryan Forshaw – Propulsion engineer on the Belle, Assembly delegate

  Claudia Manning – Shuttle copilot, partner of Danny Thompson

  Danny Thompson – Pilot of the Belle, copilot of its shuttle, partner of Claudia Manning

  Dingles – Nickname for Mitch Bassiter, captain of the Belle, partner of Nadine

  Harbour – Envoy to the Jatouche, empath, Assembly delegate

  Helena Garmenti – Mother of Aurelia and Sasha

  Lindsey Jabrook – Previous Harbour, empath, Assembly delegate

  Makana – Artisan who decorates skins

  Mitch “Dingles” Bassiter – Captain of the Belle, partner of Nadine

  Nadine – Older empath, partner of Dingles

  Pete Jennings – Engineer, ex-spacer, Assembly delegate

  Sasha Garmenti – Younger daughter of Helena, Aurelia’s sister, empath, Imian’s friend

  Crocian (crow-she-un) – Alien race

  Dorgatha – Final lifecycle of the Crocians

  Gartora of the Borthar – Norloth member

  Hangor of the Logar – Clutch mate to Mangoth

  Mangoth of the Logar – Clutch mate to Hangor

  Mortara of the Gortha. – Norloth member

  Norloth – Supreme Crocian body

  Pantar of the Hagetha – Senior member of the Norloth

  Downsiders (domes)

  Caitie Gunderson – Leader of underground agri-dome group, wife of Noel

  Delmond – Leader of underground dome maintenance group

  Dorelyn Gaylan – Matriarch of Gaylan clan, council leader

  Eaton – Dorelyn’s security chief

  Gerry Grayson – Recycler foreman, second-in-command to Valeria, Assembly delegate

  Idrian Tuttle – Dome family head

  Imian Tuttle – Idrian Tuttle’s injured son, repaired, Sasha’s friend

  Lise Panoy – Governor of Pyre’s domes

  Luna – Alias of Sika

  Markos Andropov – Former governor of Pyre’s domes, in jail

  Noel Gunderson – Agri-dome foreman, friend of Imian, husband of Caitie, Assembly delegate

  Rufus Stewart – Dome family head

  Sika – Dorelyn’s hired assassin, alias Luna

  Thomas – Department head responsible for the domes’ electric vehicle programming

  Valeria – Leader of underground recycler group, alias Scarlet

  Jatouche (jaw-toosh) – Alien race

  Drigtik (drig-tick) – Chief engineer

  Jaktook (jack-took) – Master advisor to Tacticnok

  Kractik (crack-tick) – Dome console operator

  Pickcit (pick-sit) – Master economist

  Rictook – Former Jatouche ruler, His Excellency, father of Tacticnok

  Ristick – Emergency medical director

  Roknick – Master strategist

  Tacticnok (tack-tick-nock) – New Jatouche ruler, Her Excellency, daughter of Rictook

  Tiknock – Master scientist, representative to the Tsargit

  Loopah – Simian race, possesses needle-launcher weapons

  Eggess – Elderly scientist

  Semgess – Security head

  Other Aliens

  Colony – Insectoid entities, identified as reds and grays, spreading through non-alliance domes

  Gasnarians – Original race on Pyre, extinct

  Latormus – Leather-skinned, tall alien engineer at work on Triton dome

  Messinants – Ancient race that genetically tinkered with species and built the Q-gate domes

  Norsitch – Alien race with dome connecting to the Colony, Norsitchians

  Tsargit (tzar-git) – Alliance governing body

  Spacers

  Aurelia Garmenti – Older daughter of Helena, Sasha’s sister, partner of Devon

  Dillon Shaver – Brother to Tracy, explorer, killed by the Colony in previous journey

  Ituau Tulafono – Captain of the Spryte, Afato’s older sister

  Jessie Cinders – Owner of a mining company, the Miner’s Pit, the Unruly Pearl, the Annie, and the Spryte; Harbour’s advisor and partner

  Tracy Shaver – Sister to Dillon, explorer

  Stationers or Topsiders (the JOS and the YIPS)

  Afato Tulafono – Security sergeant, Ituau’s younger brother

  Brody – Ex-spacer

  Cecilia Lindstrom – Lieutenant in station security, promoted to major

  Devon Higgins – Ex-security lieutenant, explorer, partner of Aurelia

  Dottie Franks – Investor, Assembly delegate

  Emerson Strattleford – Ex-commandant of the JOS, murdered by Sika

  Everett – Ex-spacer, guide to Gerry Grayson

  Henry Stamerson – Head of the Review Board, retired mining captain, presidential candidate

  Janice – Assembly delegate

  Kevin Sorenson – Security guard in third shift

  Liam Finian – Commandant in station security

  Lori – Security corporal, assists Cecilia

  Maggie May – Hostess and manager of the Miner’s Pit, ex-spacer

  Miguel Rodriguez – Lieutenant in station security, promoted to major

  Olivia Harden – YIPS engineer

  Randall “RJ” Jordan – Review Board member working with the downsiders

  Roby – Murder victim, killed by Sika

  Rosa – Ex-spacer, guide to Noel Gunderson

  Theo Formass – JOS medical director

  Sylians – Cat-like race

  Shevena (sha-vena) – Dome administrator

  Solseena (soul-seena) – Tsargit committee administrator

  Tsargit – Alliance Governing Body

  Fessen – Hyronzy Station director

  Illiamus – Senior councilor

  Ulgart – Council head

  Veklocks – Alien race, with dome connecting to the Colony

  Opalus – Female of triumvirate, xeno-sociologist

  Patrus – Male of triumvirate, leader, administrator

  Pesart – Male of triumvirate, scientist

  Triumvirate – Mating of two males and a female

  Objects, Terms, and Cantinas

&nbs
p; Agri-dome – Dome dedicated exclusively to agriculture

  Alliance – Group of races to which the Jatouche belong

  BRC – Bone replacement copy, pronounced “brick”

  Caf – Drink of artificially grown coffee and cocoa with a mild stimulant

  Cap – Transportation capsule

  Coin – Reference to electronic currency

  Coin-kat or coin-kitty – Male or female sex service provider

  DAD – DNA analysis device

  Deck shoes – Shoes with patterned bottoms, which allow people’s feet to adhere to decks

  Downside – Refers to the domes on Pyre

  Dreeson oil – External medical ointment but toxic if taken internally, killed Emerson Strattleford

  E-cart – Electric cargo transport

  E-trans – Electric passenger transport

  El – Elevator car linked between the orbital station and Pyre’s domes

  Empath – Person capable of sensing and manipulating the emotional states of others

  Green – Replenishing drink of herbs and vegetables for empaths

  Hook on – Expression that means pay attention now, response is “Aye, latched on.”

  Miner’s Pit – Cantina owned by Jessie Cinders

  Mist mask – Makeup mask

  Normals – Individuals who have no empath capability

  Ped-path – Walking and electric vehicle transport surface in the domes

  Q-gate – Quantum-coupled gates of the Messinants

  Review Board – Judicial body aboard the JOS

  Skins – Preferred clothing of stationers and spacers

  Slush – Generic term for frozen gases

  Starlight – Expensive JOS cantina

  Stationers – People who live on the Jenkels Orbital Station, called the JOS

  Stun stick – Weapon used by security personnel

  Vac suit – Spacer’s vacuum work suit

  Stars, Planets, and Moons

  Crimsa – Star of the planet Pyre

  Crocia – Crocian home world

  Dantagar – Crocian moon

  Emperion – Pyre’s second moon

  Loomas – Loopah moon

  Minist – Pyre’s first and smallest moon

  Na-Tikkook – Jatouche home world

  Pyre – Home world of human colonists

  Rissness – Jatouche moon, Messinants dome located here

  Triton – Pyre’s third, outermost moon

  Ships and Stations

  Annie – Third ship of Captain Jessie Cinders, officially the Marianne

  Hyronzy Station – Home to the Tsargit, the alliance’s governing body

  Honora Belle – Pyrean colony ship, also known as the Belle

  Jenkels Orbital Station – Station above Pyre, called the JOS, pronounced “joss.” Anchors the El car to downside.

  Rissness Medical Station – Jatouche hospital, aka Rissness Station

  Spryte – First ship of Captain Jessie Cinders

  Triton Medical Station – Jatouche-run station off Pyre’s third moon

  Unruly Pearl – Second ship of Captain Jessie Cinders, referred to as the Pearl

  Yellen-Inglehart Processing Station – Pyrean mineral and gas-processing platform, called the YIPS, pronounced “yips.”

  My Books

  Veklocks, the fourth novel in the Pyrean series, is available in e-book, softcover, and audiobook versions. Please visit my website, http://scottjucha.com, for publication locations and dates. You may register at my website to receive email notifications of my soon-to-be-released novels.

  Pyreans Series

  Empaths

  Messinants

  Jatouche

  Veklocks

  The Silver Ships Series

  The Silver Ships

  Libre

  Méridien

  Haraken

  Sol

  Espero

  Allora

  Celus-5

  Omnia

  Vinium

  Nua’ll

  Artifice

  Sojourn

  Alliance (forthcoming)

  The Author

  From my early years to the present, books have been a refuge. They’ve fueled my imagination. I’ve traveled to faraway places and met aliens with Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Herbert, and Le Guin. I’ve explored historical events with Michener and Clavell, and I played spy with Ludlum and Fleming.

  There’s no doubt that the early sci-fi masters influenced the writing of my first two series, The Silver Ships and Pyreans. I crafted my stories to give readers intimate views of my characters, who wrestle with the challenges of living in space and inhabiting alien worlds.

  Life is rarely easy for these characters, who encounter aliens and calamities, but they persist and flourish. I revel in examining humankind’s will to survive. Not everyone plays fair or exhibits concern for other beings, but that’s another aspect of humans and aliens that I investigate.

  My stories offer hope for humans today about what they might accomplish tomorrow far from our home world. Throughout my books, humans exhibit a will to persevere, without detriment to the vast majority of others.

  Readers have been generous with their comments, which they’ve left on Amazon and Goodreads for others to review. I truly enjoy what I do, and I’m pleased to read how my stories have positively affected many readers’ lives.

  If you’ve read my books, please consider posting a review on Amazon and Goodreads for every book, even a short one. Reviews attract other readers and are a great help to indie authors, such as me.

  The Silver Ships novels have reached Amazon’s coveted #1 and #2 Best-Selling Sci-Fi book, multiple times, in the science fiction categories of first contact, space exploration, alien invasion, and space opera.

 

 

 


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