Haraken (The Silver Ships Book 4)

by S. H. Jucha

  “I would not have thought you would have wished him to accompany us,” Renée replied.

  Eleven years in each other’s company, and Alex was still thinking the same thought, a strange but wonderful woman. Renée had taken his question and turned it upside down. They both knew Teague would remain on Haraken, but now they both knew Renée was leaving with Alex. He stood up, popping and rolling stiff muscles, and offered Renée a hand.

  When Renée accepted Alex’s hand, she was quickly pulled off the couch and caught in his arms. She squealed with delight and tucked her head into Alex’s neck and was reminded of their first time together aboard the Rêveur, seemingly a lifetime ago. I could wish for more of these moments, if fortune and the Earthers will only allow it, she thought.

  — Alex and friends will return in Sol. —

  Glossary

  Haraken

  Ahmed Durak – Captain of the Money Maker

  Alain de Long – Director of security, twin and crèche-mate to Alain, partner to Tatia Tachenko

  Alex Racine – President of Haraken, partner to Renée de Guirnon, Star Hunter First (Swei Swee name)

  Amelia – Close friend of Christie Racine

  Angelina Monti – Assembly member, daughter of Tomas Monti

  Asu Azasdau – Assembly member, captain

  Avery Crosser – Last Stand deck commander

  Benjamin Diaz – Pioneer, Minister of Mining, “Rainmaker,” Little Ben

  Bibi Haraken – Assembly member

  Cedric Broussard – Z’s New Terran avatar

  Central Exchange – Haraken financial system

  Christie Racine – Alex Racine’s sister

  Claude Dupuis – Engineering tech, program manager for SADE avatars

  Cordelia – SADE, Julien’s partner

  Dane – SADE

  Darius Gaumata – Fighter captain

  Darrin Hesterly – New Terran TSF surgeon, who immigrated to Haraken, became CMO

  Deirdre Canaan – Wing commander

  Duggan Racine – Alex Racine’s father

  Edouard Manet – Last Stand captain, partner of Miko Tanaka

  Elizabeth – SADE

  Ellie Thompson – Wing commander

  Eloise Haraken – Fiona Haraken’s great-granddaughter

  Eric Stroheim – Ambassador

  Espero – Haraken city

  Étienne de Long – Director of Security, twin and crèche-mate to Alain, partner to Ellie Thompson

  First – Leader of the Swei Swee hives

  Flits – Single person grav-drive flyers

  Founding Day – Celebration of the founding of Haraken

  Franz Cohen – Wing commander

  Helmut – Z’s avatar

  Hive Singer – Mutter singing to the Swei Swee in their language

  House Alexander– Military House Alex and Renée created to offer credibility to their actions in the Confederation

  José Cordova – Rêveur captain

  Julien – SADE, Cordelia’s partner

  Karl Schmidt – Captain, later manufactured flits with Hezekiah Cohen

  Katie Racine – Alex Racine’s mother, Haraken Assembly member

  Libran-X – Warhead

  Lucia Bellardo – Wing commander

  Michael “Mickey” Brandon – Senior engineer, partner to Pia Sabine

  Miko Tanaka – No Retreat captain, sister to Hatsuto Tanaka, partner to Edouard Manet

  Miranda Leyton – Z’s femme fatale avatar

  Mutter – SADE, Hive Singer to the Swei Swee

  Nua’ll – Aliens who imprisoned the Swei Swee

  Pia Sabine – Assembly member, partner to Michael, “Mickey” Brandon

  People – Manner in which the Swei Swee refer to their collective

  Renée de Guirnon – First lady of Haraken, partner to Alex Racine

  Rainmaker – Name for Benjamin Diaz, also called Little Ben

  Rosette – SADE

  Robert Dorian – Assembly member, commander of military pilot training school

  Sean McCrery – Fighter captain

  Shadow – Z’s spider, spying device

  Sheila Reynard – Haraken fighter commodore

  Star Hunter First – Swei Swee name for Alex Racine

  Swei Swee – six-legged friendly alien

  Svetlana Valenko – Wing commander

  Tatia Tachenko – Admiral, ex-Terran Security Forces major, partner to Alain de Long

  Teague – Six-year-old son of Alex and Renée

  Terese Lechaux – Medical expert

  Tomas Monti – Assembly speaker

  Willem – SADE

  Z – SADE

  Méridien

  Albert de Guirnon – Leader of House de Guirnon, brother of Renée

  Assembly – Méridien government assembly of House Leaders

  House – Organization of people headed by a Leader

  Bartosz Rolek – House Leader, food production

  Confederation – Collection of Méridien worlds

  Confederation Hall – Government building housing the Council of Leaders

  Council – Organization of Méridien Leaders

  Con-Fed – Méridien language

  Devon O’Shea – House Leader, terminals and planetside transportation

  Didier – Le Jardin Orbital Platform SADE

  Emilio Torres – House Leader, citizenry records

  Esther – House Diamanté SADE

  Gregorio – Il Piacere SADE

  Gino Diamanté – House Leader, infrastructure and environmental services

  Hector – House Ganesh SADE

  Independents – Confederation outcasts, originally exiled to Libre, rescued by Alex Racine

  Katarina Pasko – House Leader, implants

  Le Jardin Orbital Platform – Platform above Méridien

  Lemoyne – House Leader, Mahima Ganesh supporter

  Lemuel Terminal – Shuttle terminal closest to Confederation Hall

  Libre – Planet invaded, Alex Racine rescued people – Swei Swee now inhabit

  Mahima Ganesh – Confederation Council Leader, House Leader, construction of commercial buildings

  Oren Blumenthal – Le Jardin Orbital Platform director

  Orso Quinlan – Lemuel Terminal manager

  SADE – Self-aware digital entity, artificial intelligence being

  Shannon Brixton – House Leader, SADEs

  Teressi – House Leader, Mahima Ganesh supporter

  Winston – Council SADE

  New Terra

  Clayton Downing – Former president of New Terra, convicted and imprisoned

  Corona Mountains – New Terra

  Darryl Jaya – Minister of Technology

  Hailey Timmion – New Terran shuttle captain

  Hatsuto Tanaka – Dagger pilot killed at New Terra, brother of Miko Tanaka

  Hezekiah Cohen – Joaquin Station manager

  Maria Gonzalez – New Terra president

  Prima – New Terra capital city

  Tara – voice on Alex Racine’s Outward Bound ship

  Terran Security Forces (TSF) – New Terran system police force

  William Drake – Minister of Space Exploration

  United Earth (UE) and Earthers

  African Union (AU) – Earther political system

  African Western Coastal Pac – Earther political system

  Antonio García – Reunion mission commander, UE speaker

  Boris – Wombo’s friend, medical background

  Dimitri Chofsky – Hand of Justice captain

  Doultier – Fighter pilot, captain

  Edward – Wombo’s friend, lead physicist, mathematician

  European-Indian Enclave – Organization of nations that sent a colony ship to GL-137

  Final Wars – Earth’s last series of conflicts in the 26th century

  Francis Lumley – Reunion captain

  Guide – Generic name for the controlling computer on United Earth ships

  Hi
nnicky – Fighter pilot, captain

  Jeffrey Hinsdale – Reunion master sergeant

  Kyros Barbas – Reunion militia major

  Laurent – Reunion comms officer, political appointee

  Nema – Wombo’s friend

  North American Confederation – Organization of nations that sent the colony ship New Terra to Cepheus

  Olawale Wombo – Reunion lead science administrator

  Patricio Bunaldi – Hand of Justice mission commander, UE high judge

  Resource Wars – Nations and states fighting about dwindling resources

  Priita Ranta – Wombo’s friend

  Samara Theostin – Hand of Justice admiral

  Shia Intifada –Fought with the African Union in the Third Union War

  Storen – Wombo’s friend, xenobiologist

  Supreme Tribunal – Earth’s highest political system

  Third Union War – One of Earth’s wars

  Yoram Penzig – Wombo’s friend, philosopher

  Zhang Shin – Wombo’s assistant administrator, Reunion science administrator, political appointee

  Planets, Colonies, Moons, and Stars

  Arnos – System named for Libre star

  Bevroren –Méridien outermost planet

  Cepheus – Original star destination for the New Terra

  Cetus – Last Confederation colony established, first colony attacked by the Nua’ll

  Delacroix – Méridien next-to-last planet outward

  GL-137– Planet circling the star, Mane, where an Earth colony ship was sent

  Haraken – New name of Cetus colony in Hellébore system, home of the Harakens

  Hellébore – Star of the planet Cetus, renamed Haraken

  Libre – Independents’ ex-colony in Arno system, now home to the remaining Swei Swee hives

  Mane – Original name of the home of the Méridien Confederation

  Méridien – Home world of Confederation

  New Terra – Home world of New Terrans, fourth planet outward of Oistos

  Niomedes – New Terra fifth planet outward

  Oistos – Star of the planet New Terra, Alex Racine’s home world

  Seda – New Terra ninth and last planet outward, a gas giant with several moons

  Sol – Star of solar system where Earth is located

  Ships and Stations

  Destiny – United Earth explorer ship, destroyed en route to target star

  Freedom – Haraken city-ship

  Hand of Justice – United Earth battleship

  Il Piacere – Méridien House Diamanté premier liner

  Joaquin Station – New Terra orbital station

  Last Stand – Haraken carrier

  Le Jardin Orbital Platform – Platform above Méridien

  Lemuel Terminal – Shuttle terminal closest to Confederation Hall

  Money Maker – Haraken freighter converted to carrier

  New Terra – Ship that left Earth as a colony ship a millennium ago

  No Retreat – Haraken carrier

  Outward Bound – Explorer-tug owned by Alex Racine

  Reunion – United Earth explorer ship

  Rêveur – Haraken passenger liner

  Travelers – Shuttles and fighters built by the Harakens based on the silver ships of the Swei Swee

  Unsere Menschen – Haraken city-ship, translated as Our People

  My Books

  The Silver Ships series is available in e-book, softcover print, and audiobook versions. Please visit my website, http://scottjucha.com, for publication locations. You may also register at my website to receive email notification about the publish dates of my novels.

  If you’ve been enjoying this series, please consider posting a review on Amazon, even a short one. Reviews attract other readers and help indie authors, such as myself.

  Alex and friends will return in the upcoming novel Sol, A Silver Ships Novel.

  The Silver Ships Series

  The Silver Ships

  Libre

  Méridien

  Haraken

  Sol (forthcoming)

  The Author

  I have been enamored with fiction novels since the age of thirteen and long been a fan of great storytellers. I’ve lived in several countries overseas and in many of the US states, including Illinois, where I met my wonderful wife thirty-five years ago. My careers have spanned a variety of industries in the visual and scientific fields of photography, biology, film/video, software, and information technology (IT).

  My first attempt at a novel, titled The Lure, was a crime drama centered on the modern-day surfacing of a 110-carat yellow diamond lost during the French Revolution. In 1980, in preparation for the book, I spent two wonderful weeks researching the Brazilian people, their language, and the religious customs of Candomblé. The day I returned from Rio de Janeiro, I had my first date with my wife-to-be, Peggy Giels.

  During the past thirty-four years, I’ve outlined dozens of novels, but a busy career limited my efforts to complete any of them. Recently, I’ve chosen to make writing my primary focus. My first novel, The Silver Ships, was released in February 2015. This first installment in a sci-fi trilogy was quickly followed by books two and three, Libre and Méridien. Haraken, the fourth book in the series, has continued the exploits of Alex Racine and company, and begins a two-part story that will conclude in the following book, Sol.

  I hope to continue to intrigue my readers with my stories as this is the most wonderful job I’ve ever had!

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  -1-

  -2-

  -3-

  -4-

  -5-

  -6-

  -7-

  -8-

  -9-

  -10-

  -11-

  -12-

  -13-

  -14-

  -15-

  -16-

  -17-

  -18-

  -19-

  -20-

  -21-

  -22-

  -23-

  -24-

  -25-

  -26-

  -27-

  -28-

  -29-

  -30-

  -31-

  -32-

  -33-

  -34-

  Glossary

  My Books

  The Author