by AZ Kelvin
*~*~*~*~*~*
Commander Kendra Varrin sat at her desk in her quarters onboard the Scythe. The jacket of her uniform was open and hung loosely as she leaned forward to study the open files on her datpad. She absently sipped at the Arzian brandy that filled a small tumbler glass halfway. She didn’t feel the gratitude that she supposed she should at being ‘allowed’ to go on her way by the Marlacuer Imperial Guard. Instead she stung from being detained in the first place and from missing out on a very large fortune to boot.
Evermore and his band of do-gooders, she thought sourly to herself as she sipped at her brandy. The file on her datpad showed an old image of the Council Members of the Union of Allied Worlds; behind them stood the statuettes and the Grand Seal of the Union. The same items CJ and the crew found on Arzia Octonus and returned to the Arzian people. She steamed at the turnout of what was supposed to be the biggest score of her career with the Blood Stars. Instead she was run off by what she thought was an Arzian Alliance strike force and her great treasure stolen out from under her by the crew of the Altered Moon.
Varrin closed the file on the Arzian artifacts now that they were well out of reach and back in the hands of the Arzian people. The file on the datpad slid away to leave the next file open on the screen. An image of CJ Evermore and his crew in front of the Altered Moon was there, taken by one of the Blood Star spies on Cantankerous Base.
The many possibilities that opened up after the recent events ran through the Blood Star commander’s head. The Kang aren’t gone by any means, she thought. They got their asses handed to them by the Imperial guard, that’s for sure, but they’ll be back, she continued to think. What then? She sipped again at the brandy in her glass as she thought about the cease-fire between the Marlacuers and the Arzians fostered by Nelson Moon and the Keect’na. A cease-fire that just might open up new territories from which the Blood Stars could ‘collect’ necessary resources.
Another sip of brandy. Yes, many possibilities indeed. The opening of the border meant increased commercial traffic and maybe, after a while, a decrease in military traffic. It also meant that their shadowy little corner of space wouldn’t be so shadowy anymore. The Blood Stars, however, did not rise to glory by ‘giving in’ and more traffic meant more flies for the web…so much the better.
Another sip left behind a glass, now empty of the biting, dark maroon liquor. Kendra Varrin slid the glass across the polished surface of her desk, as she stood up, secured the jacket of her uniform, and closed the file on the datpad. The image of the Altered Moon and her crew was sucked into a corner of the screen and disappeared.
“Our paths will cross again, CJ Evermore,” she said, as the image closed and she headed for the bridge of the Scythe. “Count on it.”
***The End***
What was that? Ah...no, don’t think so…the adventures of CJ and the crew continue in book two of the Altered Moon Series:
Curse of the Altered Moon
-CUL8R-
Acknowledgements
The writing of a story, for the most part, is a solitary work for the author alone. The development of a novel, on the other hand, might require a small crowd to achieve. I am both lucky and grateful to have such a wonderful crowd of supporters not only for Rise of the Altered Moon project, but the works of AZ Kelvin in general.
My deepest gratitude to you all for your support!
The AZ Kelvin All-Stars
Sunny Lee
CJ Lee
Evelyn & Bill Lee
Matt Metzler
Brandy Lowrey
Amy Evans-Stahl
The story and the book containing it, both require several different aspects come together in order to produce a well-designed and well-written novel. Rise of the Altered Moon exists today because of the skills and creativity of the people involved with the project. Thanks to everyone!
Lee Companies, LLC.
Lee Companies, LLC did a terrific job with publishing Rise of the Altered Moon. The Lee team checked the storyline for consistency and designed both the interior content and the cover illustrations.
C.J. Lee – Interior and exterior design, cover illustrator.
Sunny Lee – Story wrangler and creative consultant.
Nikki Busch Editing
Nikki Busch Editing took on the job of editing Rise of the Altered Moon and it was a monster, but Nikki tamed the beast with grace and skill. She was an absolute pleasure to work with. Thank you Nikki Busch!
Find her at www.nikkibuschediting.com
And Thank You!
Thank you reader, for your support as well, through your purchase of the book. I appreciate your support and I hope you enjoyed the story.
Look for more on the Altered Moon Series, along with other stories like The Druids of Arden and Here We Ghost, at: www.azkelvin.com
Cheers! – AZ Kelvin