by Justin Sloan
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
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Author Notes - Justin Sloan
Author Notes - PT Hylton
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Other Books by Justin Sloan
Other Books by PT Hylton
Other Books by Michael Anderle
Michael Anderle Social
PRIME ENFORCER
Valerie’s Elites Book Three
By Justin Sloan, PT Hylton and Michael Anderle
A part of
The Kurtherian Gambit Universe
Written and Created
by Michael Anderle
DEDICATION
To Ugulay, Verona and Brendan Sloan
-Justin
To Kim
-P.T.
To Family, Friends and
Those Who Love
To Read.
May We All Enjoy Grace
To Live the Life We Are
Called.
- Michael
PRIME ENFORCER
Team Includes
JIT Beta Readers - From all of us, our deepest gratitude!
John Ashmore
Kelly O’Donnell
Joshua Ahles
Larry Omans
Paul Westman
Kimberly Boyer
Timothy Bischoff
Peter Manis
Micky Cocker
If we missed anyone, please let us know!
Editor
Lynne Stiegler
PRIME ENFORCER (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 Justin Sloan, PT Hylton, Michael T. Anderle and Craig Martelle
Cover by Andrew Dobell, www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk
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, February 2018
The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015 - 2018 by Michael T. Anderle.
CHAPTER ONE
Valerie glared at the man running along the alley—the Pallicon she had told to meet her at the exact spot he was running away from. Dammit, how was she supposed to make any progress when these bastards kept betraying her?
“Didn’t I tell him he had one hour to get back to me?” Valerie asked.
“I still say that was generous,” Robin replied. She stood next to Valerie on the rooftop under this wide dome of the moon’s hybrid space station on the outskirts of the Vurugu planetary system. Her body armor hid her petite but curvy frame, and Valerie was glad—fewer distractions always meant for better mission results.
And at times, the younger woman’s body was definitely a distraction.
Their mission was paramount—a journey through a foreign galaxy to find a legendary Lost Fleet, while also hoping to track down an evil shapeshifter and stop him from raising an army to face off against the Etheric Federation. Hell, if that wasn’t a challenge worth writing home about, Valerie wasn’t sure what was. Lately, though, they had been spending a lot of that time simply flying to reach their destination, which had meant a lot of downtime. It had been a time of getting to know her team better—finding out, for example, that Corporal Flynn enjoyed air drying and wasn’t bashful in the slightest, or the fact that Sergeant Garcia snored like three bears trying to kill a fourth with loud snores.
And while she and Robin weren’t as close as they had been when they were on Earth, this trip had made her miss the woman more and more. Although she was right next to her, the fact that they didn’t touch or kiss made her feel farther away than ever. She missed the days when they’d been back home on Earth, where it had been different between them—at least for a little while.
On that note, she wondered if anyone from home had been writing to her, and if there was a way for a letter even to reach her.
No matter—at the moment, she was pretty sure Talrok was on this space station, but she wasn’t sure how to find him. He’d no doubt taken on a different persona, since he could change his face at will. Maybe finding him would keep her mind focused; allow it to drift to nostalgic moments less often.
“You’re letting him get away,” Robin reminded Valerie. “He might be the only one who knows if Talrok is actually here, or be able to point him out.”
“I’m not letting anyone get away,” Valerie replied with a wistful smile. “I’m just making a game out of it. Giving him a head start.”
“You…have issues.”
Valerie laughed. “Oh, dear—you have no idea.”
With that, she nodded at her friend and took off along the rooftops. These weren’t the normal sort of buildings from back on Earth; they were more like domes of glass. Some had views, so that when the two went across the roofs, nearly losing their footing more than once, they received several odd looks from the Pallicons inside. They must have been wondering what these strange alien women were doing.
Valerie lost her footing completely and started sliding toward the ground. Her vampire claws emerged to help her hold on but they simply scraped along the glass, so Robin grabbed her by the wrist and swung her to the next roof before following.
“Thanks,” Valerie said when her friend landed nearby. They took off again, but were close enough now that they could move to the ground and not worry about losing sight of him.
“Oh, Ernid!” Robin shouted when they were less than twenty paces away. “Looks like we have a problem.”
The Pallicon who was running from the duo looked over his shoulder in terror and yelped, then threw himself forward as if sliding to safety. He came to a stop in the middle of a circular area with buildings around it. Several had balconies full of other Pallicons.
Valerie and Robin were on him in a minute, and Robin tossed him into the sky, where he took on the form of a scared child scrambling for something to stop his fall. When he came back down Valerie caught him by the shirt, and he instantly transformed into an image of her to fight back. She backslapped him and pulled him close, eyes glowing red and vampire teeth showing for full effect.
“Where?” Valerie demanded.
“He’s... He’s…” The Pallicon’s eyes rose to one of the ledges nearby, and he cringed. The Pallico
ns along the balconies backed away from the edges as two on each side stepped forward with large missile launchers on their shoulders.
“Oh, shit,” Robin said, eyes wide. Flames erupted from the back of the launchers and the missiles came at them.
Valerie acted fast, tossing the Pallicon aside as hard as she could, since there was no point letting their only informant be killed—even if he wasn’t a great one. She figured there were two options, since the missiles were moving almost as quickly as her brain—jump out of the way, or shoot the fuckers out of the sky.
She opted for the former, turning to Robin and grabbing her hands. “Kick with both legs when I say. Ready? NOW!”
The two leaped into the air, brought their feet together, and kicked off each other. With their vampire speed and power, they flew in opposite directions as the missiles exploded where they had been standing a split-second before.
Sure, Valerie landed on her back and skidded across the ground to thunk her head into a nearby wall, but at least she hadn't been blown to chunks. Jumping up, she quickly assessed the situation. The two ledges where the attacks had come from held Pallicons.
Talrok had to be nearby, but why wasn't Aranaught attacking? Was it a trap? Was she waiting for the right moment to execute the perfect kill?
Maybe, but Valerie wasn’t going to wait around to find out. She had to take those Pallicons out. Doors had already opened on the first floor and a wave of them were running out with weapons—blades and guns. Puffs of dirt kicked up as bullets hit the ground.
Valerie didn't want these Pallicons, though. She wanted the ones on the balcony. She was glad to see an advanced sort of dune buggy charging for her, one Pallicon at the wheel and another firing a mounted gun on the back. The one up top was cheering, and a second later his gun went off—but Valerie dodged out of the line of fire, running to the left and then pushing off a building to catch the shooter. She broke his neck, and dropped him off the back.
She let loose a barrage of bullets before the driver realized she was there, then jerked the gun off its mount. The overheated barrel slammed into him.
She didn't wait to see what the effect was, because they had just reached the position below the ledge. Using the vehicle’s momentum she leaped, putting her enhanced strength behind it, and grasped the edge of the balcony. A Pallicon tried to get her with a blade, but hadn't accounted for her speed and strength. She threw herself up and over and kicked out his legs, then grabbed the knife as it arced down. Her momentum brought her around so she could drive it into his neck, and leaping for the next. One spun on her with missile launcher ready but froze, realizing what firing that at this close a range would mean for his continued survival.
"Should've sacrificed yourself," Valerie told him, quickly stepping to his right and taking the weapon as she push-kicked him from the balcony. A glance showed her that Robin had managed to claw her way up to the opposite balcony, which meant the ground below was clear of friendlies.
The Pallicons down there were confused and turned back to the doors to rush up to the balconies, but Valerie had another idea for them. She mule-kicked a female Pallicon behind her to give herself some room, then fired the launcher at the door below.
The missile hit the center of the group and the doorway, and those who weren't hit were caught in the collapse of large stones. Part of her felt badly, but then again, they had been trying to kill her. Worse, they were trying to kill Robin.
When she turned to the three who remained on the balcony with her, one turned and ran out through the door while another jumped from the side. This left only the female, who was still kneeling and holding her ribs where the mule-kick had caught her. Since the situation below was taken care of and Valerie saw bodies falling from the opposite balcony where Robin was, she was fairly confident everything was under control.
"Where's Talrok?" she asked the wounded Pallicon.
The Pallicon glared up at her and shifted forms to look exactly like Talrok. "Here I am! Come and eat my face, you piss-ant piece of—"
Valerie used the missile launcher like a baseball bat to slam the Pallicon’s legs out from underneath her. When she landed she was in her own form again, not Talrok's.
"I appreciate that you're loyal and trying to protect him," Valerie told her, jamming the missile launcher into the Pallicon's chest, "but here's the thing… He wouldn't do the same for you."
"You're wrong," a voice said. She half-expected to see Talrok in the doorway when she turned in that direction, but it was Ernid, her source. "Or maybe he wouldn't, but I would. Let her go, please."
Valerie frowned, caught off-guard by this, but lowered the missile launcher. "You've got something for me now?"
"Don't do it," the female said, but Ernid took a step to her, collapsed to his knees, and took her hand. He didn't address her protestations, but looked up at Valerie. "He has a hideout—a setup a few cities over—and he’s heavily armed. He knew it would only be a matter of time."
"The dick knew you'd fail in this little ambush, and yet he still tried it?" Valerie shook her head. "Do your deaths mean nothing to him?"
"Do our deaths mean anything to anyone?" the female asked. "Get it over with." She closed her eyes, waiting, and Ernid stared up at Valerie with pleading eyes.
"I should kill you all in case one of you is really Talrok," Valerie said, "but that's not my style. You aren't bad just because you chose the wrong side, but pull a gun or blade on me again, and I'll show you what a space vampire is capable of."
She let her eyes glow red, then stood. "The name of this place where he'll be?"
"You can't miss it—it’s an old dome that was set up by the first colonists." Ernid leaned over to help the female up, but she cringed in pain. "Will she be okay?"
"You can all heal, right?" Valerie asked.
"Only the most advanced of us," he admitted. "And it's more of a shapeshifter thing than healing, but yeah."
"But not her?"
He shook his head. "We're still learning."
"Then get her to a bed. She should get some rest. If you're built anything like us there'll be a broken rib or three, so watch over her. Don't let her move too much or laugh, and she'll be fine."
The female Pallicon stared up at Valerie, baffled that she was leaving them alive and offering medical advice. "Who are you?"
Valerie smiled. "Haven't you heard yet? I'm nobody…just this system's new Justice Enforcer. Some call me ‘the Prime Enforcer.’" With that, she smiled and put her helmet on before turning to find Robin.
"You tried it out, huh?" Robin asked through her helmet's comm. She was sitting in the driver's seat of the dune buggy. The former driver was on the ground nearby. He was moving and holding his head so he was still alive, apparently, but he was going to have a killer headache for a couple days at least.
"The Prime Enforcer thing?" Valerie laughed, dropping into the seat beside Robin. "Yeah, and I kinda liked the feel of it. You?"
"No, I'm not going to use a made-up title for myself. Sorry." Robin got the dune buggy out of there and they headed back to the Grandeur.
"I'm telling you, it's okay if it's a name someone else gives you," Valerie protested. "On Earth I was Michael's Justice Enforcer, but here it's like a whole other level, so—"
"Give it a rest. Nobody is going to be calling me ‘Ms. Justice’ or ‘the Queen of Justice,’ or whatever stupid name you want to give me."
Valerie laughed and said, "Nobody but me, Captain Justice."
"Ughhhh," Robin replied, gripping the steering wheel hard and doing her best to focus on driving. "I can't wait to find that douchebag. It’ll keep you focused on killing bad guys instead of coming up with lame names for me."
“A month of traveling through space, if that was really all it was, gives a lady a lot to think about. Some of that happened to be a cool title for you. Hate it or not, but I think it's perfect.”
Robin sighed, but she couldn't hide her smile.
When they reached the Grandeu
r they ditched the dune buggy and quickly climbed inside, ready to be done with this wild goose chase.
CHAPTER TWO
Kalan gazed up at the small hut built into the mountain high above them. “Are we sure about this?”
Jilla nodded. “As sure as we can be.”
They were in the heart of Chmara, a city built on the side of a steep mountain. The city was connected by a complicated network of steep ladders, elevators, and boardwalks rather than roads. The rocky terrain made it a near-certainty that anyone who stepped off the walkways would take a quick and violent trip to the bottom.
Like many of the less expensive homes in the city the one they were approaching was set far back from the main boardwalks, which meant a long climb up a ladder to get to the front door.
“I don’t like it,” Bob complained. “If this guy looks out the window and decides he doesn’t want visitors, he could drop a rock on our heads.”
“Maybe that’s the point,” Kalan said. “Works better than a Keep Out sign.”
The team had been working leads for weeks, trying to dig up any information that would give them a clue about where to find this so-called Lost Fleet. While Valerie focused on tracking down Talrok, Kalan and Jilla were working their network of connections from their days on SEDE, the prison ship they’d both grown up on. SEDE babies, or “sabies,” tended to look out for one another and share information.
Jilla knew a guy who had gotten post-prison work in the largest shipyard in the system, which had led them to a network of pirates who tracked the movements of large ships. That had brought them to the bottom of this mountain. The Skulla male living in the house at the top of this ladder was a former smuggler who had supposedly had dealings with a mysterious fleet from outside the system.