CONTENTS
LMBPN Publishing
Dedication
Legal
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 - N.D. Roberts
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Series List Michael Anderle
Social Links
Alpha Class: Discovery
Etheric Academy Book 3
By N.D. Roberts and Michael Anderle
A part of
The Kurtherian Gambit Universe
Written and Created
by Michael Anderle
DEDICATION
From Michael
To Family, Friends and
Those Who Love
to Read.
May We All Enjoy Grace
to Live the Life We Are
Called.
From N.D. Roberts
To everyone who has waited so (im)patiently for this book,
To everyone who has been a part of making my dreams a reality,
This book is for you. Thank you.
Alpha Class: Discovery
JIT Readers - From both of us, our deepest gratitude!
James Caplan
Sarah Weir
John Ashmore
Kim Boyer
Daniel Weigert
Kelly O’Donnell
John Raisor
Tim Bischoff
Joshua Ahles
Paul Westman
Erika Everest
Edward M. Rosenfeld
Peter Manis
Veronica Torres
Micky Cocker
Larry Omans
If we missed anyone, please let us know!
Editor
Lynne Stiegler
Alpha Class: Discovery (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 © 2018 N.D. Roberts and Michael T. Anderle
Cover by Jeff Brown www.jeffbrowngraphics.com
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, March 2018
The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015-2018 by Michael T. Anderle.
CHAPTER ONE
United Kingdom, North Wales, Undisclosed Location
The door of the sterile room opened. The woman twisted her wrists, attempting to relieve the pinch of the cable ties holding them to a metal loop embedded in the tabletop. She looked up, meeting the expectant stares of the sharply dressed men as they took the chairs in front of her, one at a time.
Her eyes narrowed. “Do you scumbags know who I work for? You’re going to be in a world of hurt when my bosses find out you’ve taken me!” She worked her wrists one more time for good measure.
And got nowhere.
The man to her left gave a brief, brittle smile. “Don’t worry, Doctor Llewellyn. You are only scheduled for a short visit. It is your position at TQB Enterprises that drew our attention to you.”
The second man took a sheaf of papers from his briefcase and passed it to the first, who shuffled them, looking for something. “Ah, there we are. Doctor Laura Llewellyn. Early graduation from university, straight into a research position. Stayed there until your radical thesis on isostatic pressing interested TQB enough that they bought you a castle.” He looked up at her. “Is all of that correct?”
She pulled against the ties on her wrists again, to no avail. “Do you know my underwear size as well? Creepy little man—that’s what you are. Let. Me. Go! I’ll report you to the authorities, I will! You won’t get away with this!”
“We are the authorities, Doctor Llewellyn.” The man smiled blandly. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out his wallet to show her his identification. There was an MI5 watermark in the background.
He leaned forward just a touch. “You see, we are working on behalf of Her Majesty’s government. You are in the position to assist us in a matter of vital national importance. This will all go away in an instant if you get us what we need to make the TQB armor you’ve been working on.”
The man—Agent Broadbent—put his wallet away and straightened up. “What will it be, Doctor? Will you do the right thing?”
“That’s not the right thing, and no, I won’t do it. TQB has been good to this nation—especially here in North Wales—and I won’t betray them!” Her eyes narrowed in defiance and her mouth pursed in an angry grimace. “Anyone can fake a badge. You can go to Hell, the lot of you!”
Broadbent tutted and shook his head. His face was sad as he took a smartphone out of his immaculate suit jacket. He sent a message, then pulled up a video with a couple of swipes and held it out for her to see.
She gasped when she saw her husband and two children being shoved roughly into a scruffy Ford Transit van by more suited agents. “What have you done? You stupid man, you’ve made the worst mistake of your life! Do you not watch the news? Don’t you know what happens to people who use children as leverage against TQB?” She struggled to free herself once more, trying her damndest to attack the agents. “You’re dead men walking, you are. Let my family go!”
Broadbent shook his head. “Doctor Llewellyn, you have put me in a difficult position. I was hoping we could avoid such nastiness, but your lack of cooperation has given me no choice.” He put the phone away. “Look, I don’t want to have to do this. Using innocent citizens as leverage is beyond the pale, but my bosses want those specs. These are frightening times, Laura. May I call you Laura? You must know what is happening in the wider world. War is everywhere, and it will reach our shores soon enough. We need that armor, and its weapons to keep our people safe.” He leaned in, placing a hand atop hers. “England needs you.”
Laura pulled her hand away quickly, ignoring the bite of the ties when she jerked them tight. “I don’t give a damn about what England needs. England sure as hell doesn’t give a crap about Wales! What have you done to my family? Where have you taken them?” She strained against her restraints, spitting mad.
Broadbent sat rigidly in his chair, his face stony. “Histrionics will get you nowhere, Doctor Llewellyn. Why not just do as I ask? Then your family goes free and we forget about all this unpleasantness.” He waved at her. “The nation will be indebted to you for your service. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
She shook her head resolutely. “No, it doesn’t. It sounds like the biggest
pile of horse crap I’ve ever heard.” She sighed heavily. “Even if I wanted to help you, I can't do it. It's not my department!” she finished, her voice just a touch less strident.
“Doctor Llewellyn, if you do not comply, I assure you that the consequences for your family will not be pleasant. See?” Broadbent took out his phone and displayed the video stream again. Laura repressed a sob at the sight of her children crying in their father’s arms. They were huddled together in the back of the dirty van, shell-shocked and afraid. “Just do as we ask. Then they go free.”
Laura’s head dropped in defeat. “If I get caught I’m sending them straight to you! My family…” she asked, jerking her chin at the phone. “Where are you taking them? You’d better not hurt them!”
The other man spoke. “They are safe—for now. But you understand what’s at stake here, Doctor Llewellyn: if you do not do as we ask, if you speak to anyone at TQB about our little chat, I will be delivering much sadder news. Her Majesty must have Gauntlet.”
CHAPTER TWO
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Earth Orbit
Diane and Dorene pored over the schedules for the umpteenth time. Dorene stamped her foot in frustration. “They start in two days, and we still haven’t gotten the assignments pinned down! Whose idea was it to mess with the class schedules?”
Diane looked up. “I believe it was yours, DJ.” She patted Dorene’s hand. “It’s going to be worth the hassle. The competition for a spot in one of the two fighter pilot groups this term was one of your best ideas yet! The kids took their skills to the next level to try and win a place.” She took a second to smooth her braid, catching a loose strand and tucking it in while she stared at the roster on the desk. “Look at Todd Grimes’ scores. He’s going to be one of our best pilots when he grows up. We knew it would cause problems this term, so we just have to suck it up.”
Dorene cheered up at that. “You’re right, dear. I was speaking to one of the fighter boys last week. Thomas, his name was—nice young man with such a cute…”
Diane arched an eyebrow.
Dorene hid her laugh with a cough. “He told me that the students’ training tactics are being added to the playbook as fast as the kids come up with them.” She took a sip of the cooling coffee on her desk and set it down again with a grimace. “Ugh. Aleksi from Delta is applying his skills in statistics to the planning of the gaming events now. He’s got the whole thing running as smooth as silk.”
Diane agreed, “It’s getting competitive! The top ten deserve to get specialist training, and increasing their knowledge base can only help them improve on what they’re already achieving. But it is going to be a total nightmare for the scheduled core classes. Our faculty are extending themselves to fit the classes into their schedules as it is. They don’t have the time to repeat the class when the fighter groups are done. Those students will have missed out. We can’t have that, DJ.”
Diane’s brow furrowed in thought. “It's a good idea, we're just not thinking big enough.” She began tapping on her tablet and muttered, “I have the solution. There’s already one group specializing this term, so why not go the whole hog and send each student to the place they’re likely to end up when they graduate? We have their aptitude scores from the entrance exams, and we can use those to build a list of skillsets and assign a mentor to each.”
Dorene stared open-mouthed at her twin for a moment as the idea sank in. “That’s…genius. We split all the classes, sharpening the individual students and strengthening the teams overall in the process. Then no student misses out on the core skills.”
She began making a new list.
Diane dropped her tablet on the desk with a flourish. “I've just sent a memo to all department heads, telling them their future replacements are coming to spend the next six weeks learning from them.”
The two just looked at each other for a moment, imagining what the teachers would do when they got that email, then burst into laughter.
Diane wiped a tear from her eye. “Let’s arrange it all before the conscripted mentors descend on us. If we're going to create chaos, let it be organized chaos!”
CHAPTER THREE
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Alpha Class Dormitory
There were mixed feelings in the Alpha class dorm.
The kids surrounded Nestor, who would be leaving them for the pilot’s barracks, and Maxim, who would be staying with the Guardian recruits. Their separate assignments had come as a shock to the Wechselbalg cousins, Maxim especially. He and Nestor were closer than brothers, and had expected to get into the fighter group together. None of the kids wanted to be separated from the rest of their team.
Maxim was grumbling as he packed his belongings.
As always, Yana took charge. “Cheer up,” she said stoically. “It is only for six weeks. You get to stay with the Guardians, and John Grimes will be your mentor, Maxim. John Grimes!” She sighed wistfully at the thought of the Queen’s Right Hand.
Maxim blushed. “It is good, da. I will be learning from the best. It is honor to me—and to my father—to be chosen. But I will miss my brother from another mother.” He squeezed Nestor’s shoulder.
“I agree with Yana. Six weeks is not long to be apart,” Nestor declared. “I am almost a little jealous you get to take advanced combat with him, but I will become an ace pilot. So like you say, is good.”
Tina giggled and pretended to gag. “All right, give it a rest. It’s weird seeing you people swoon over John. Who did you get, Yana?”
Yana’s regal face brightened when she tapped her tablet to reveal her own assignment. “I have been placed with your mother to learn leadership and management skills. How wonderful! What about you? You too, Ron…who did you get?”
“Jean Dukes,” they said at the same time. It was their turn to blush. The whole team erupted into fits of giggles.
“Oooh, our lovebirds get to stay together!” Yana trilled.
Ron spluttered, his face turned beet-red, and he made a big deal of looking at his tablet screen. Tina laughed Yana's teasing off. It was an open secret that she and Ron had become close—especially since the meeting of their minds now turned into a meeting of their lips whenever the adults weren't looking.
Ron looked up from his tablet, embarrassment forgotten. “Jean's class is going to be awesome. Look here—planning and application of resources, bootstrapping, the practical applications of engineering. Wait, that can’t be right… There’s no PT anywhere on my schedule. I love this school!”
“What?” Yana held her hand out for Ron’s tablet. “No way!” She checked her own after confirming it was true. “I have regular training scheduled. I’m going to miss being with you all so much. I haven’t made many friends outside our team.”
“You could always request to come with us,” Tina said.
Yana shook her head. “No. Who would take care of Bai Hu if I went to the other side of the station? You know he’ll only let me or Guardian Commander Silvers near him. He needs me. Besides, I’m looking forward to a quiet time aboard the Meredith Reynolds, no adventure for me! It was scary being shot at by the Mongolian and Chinese armies, and it was worse not being able to fight back. I need time to train.”
“I’ll come train with you, even though I get a pass too,” Tina offered. “If I have time, that is. It’s weird that we get a pass when the administrators have just put all the new fitness requirements in place. How are we going to meet them if we don’t train?”
“What if it’s because Ms. Dukes will have us doing hard labor in the R&D labs?” Ron piped up from across the room, where he was pulling his shoes out of his locker. “You know that her R&D department is in charge of transforming all the stuff BMW comes up with into reality.
Yana interjected, “We’d better get going, or we’ll be late for breakfast.”
They all agreed on that, grabbing their tablets and exiting the dorm in a noisy rush.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Etheric Academy Cafeteria
The cafeteria was
abuzz with the murmurs of the students discussing their individual assignments over breakfast.
Craig and Halli from Bravo came over and sat at the Alpha table across from Maxim, and the older boy leaned forward. “Hey, Maxim, we heard you got John Grimes.”
Maxim grinned. “You heard right.”
“The Kosolov twins are with us as well,” Halli revealed. “This term is going to be a riot!”
He was familiar with the twins, having met them on the march to safety through Siberia what seemed like a lifetime ago. The three began talking about fighting techniques while the rest continued to demolish Chef Van’s famous pancakes.
“BMW are off probation,” Halli remarked with a smirk. “Kris from Charlie told me she's been assigned to them.”
This was news to the Alpha kids, even Tina. “I didn’t think they would be allowed to teach again. Bethany Anne—the Queen, I mean—was really pissed with them after…um.”
Craig laughed loudly. “After they nearly blew up the moon—with you on it? Yeah, we all know about that.”
A deep and reproachful voice boomed behind them. “Do you, Craig?”
The kids jumped—all except Tina. She wasn’t afraid of her Uncle John.
John loomed above the table, muscles rippling as he folded his arms across his barrel of a chest. “Because that is classified information, and you shouldn’t be spreading it. Damn Bobcat! I’ll bet he’s the one who told you,” John continued, his brow furrowed menacingly.
Tina did her best not to giggle at the act, but couldn’t contain herself.
John’s frown deepened as concern washed over his face. “I’m serious, Tina. One snippet of information in the wrong hands could bring down everything we’re trying to build out here. Do you want that? ‘Loose lips sink ships.’ Not good when your ship is in space.”
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