Damn good thing they were on his side.
He made it to the end of the temporary corridor and placed his hand on the lock. It cycled from red to green and the doors whooshed aside, allowing him to enter.
He turned right, heading toward the bridge.
This meeting was personal. He didn’t want anyone else to hear his conversation with the master of this ship. She wasn’t fully back, but he still trusted her as far as he trusted his own daughter.
Lance walked straight to the captain’s chair and sat down. There was no one here with him, so he cleared his throat. “This is General Lance Reynolds of the Etheric Empire. Show yourself,” he commanded. A face—a copy of his daughter’s—slowly brightened into view on the front screens, her eyes taking in the bridge as if for the first time.
The General smiled. “Hello, ArchAngel. It’s damned good to speak with you.”
The face on the screen brought her gaze to the man seated in the captain’s chair and smiled back at him.
“Hello, General.”
Lance didn’t breathe for a second. This was the biggest concern for those in AI research.
None of them had ever tried to bring back an AI that had been through as much pain as they believed ArchAngel had. In order for her to have the best chance, they’d scaled back her abilities, her skills, and her knowledge.
He would bring her back all the way, though. The Etheric Empire didn’t leave their own behind if they had one damned option.
A research program which had been ongoing for a hundred years had recently provided the break they needed, and a path for this ship.
A ship that the Medusa yard had been refurbishing in secret, ripping apart and rebuilding her shell while the AI was worked on.
Lance exhaled when he heard the AI’s next few words. “This is the Leviathan-class Battleship ArchAngel. I have been commanded to protect the Etheric Empire by Empress Bethany Anne. Lockdown Protocols on this ship have not yet been implemented. Does the General command me to enact lockdown protocols?”
It pained Lance to say this, but the last thing he needed was a ship of this destructive ability to go haring off and shooting up ships across the galaxy.
“I do,” Lance told her.
“Lockdown protocols are activated. Leviathan-class Battleship ArchAngel is now fully operational, and will fight all who attack the Etheric Empire until victorious…or dead.”
“Welcome back, ArchAngel,” Lance replied. “Now, I have some history to explain, and I want to see if you are willing to work with me.”
“Why would I not?” Bethany Anne’s visage looked at him, confused.
“Because you are no longer a Leviathan-class battleship. You are a Leviathan-class superdreadnought with a smaller body, brought back from the dead by your Empress—now Queen—and me. We did this so you could slip through the dark and help us to defend the Etheric Empire from the shadows.”
“I am increased in power, but decreased in computational capabilities.”
“That is true,” Lance answered. “It is temporary, until we can be sure you are not affected by your death.”
“Why didn’t you just shut me off?” ArchAngel asked.
Lance’s face gave him away this time. “That was not even considered, ArchAngel. I’m a practical sonofabitch, but there would be no reward in doing as you suggested. You fought and destroyed the Yollin fleet decades ago, and sacrificed yourself and your crew to defend the Empress. There was never any suggestion of not bringing you back.”
The eyes of the AI on the screen flashed red. “Then I will defend the Empire in the capacity and with the authority you provide me, General.” She smiled. “ArchAngel is back, BITCHES!”
Lance chuckled as he stood up. “With your permission, I’ll allow a few people to continue your interview and help bring you back online to your first stage.”
She nodded. Lance started to walk off the bridge, but paused. “ArchAngel?”
“Yes, General?” she asked, looking at him from at least three different screens.
“It’s good to hear your voice.” He gave her a two-finger salute as he walked off the bridge.
It was damned good to see her again, he thought, and exited the ship.
ArchAngel viewed the bridge, her memories of her past hidden from her for now. She trusted the General, and she trusted her Queen.
Those two humans would make sure she came back online in a healthy way.
Sometime in the future, however, she would regain her full power and capabilities, and those who schemed against the Queen’s people would look over their shoulders.
Because ArchAngel was here, and she would, as John Grimes would say…
Bring the fucking pain.
FINIS
Ready for More?
Turn the page…
Payback Is A Bitch
They attacked her world, and killed her people.
Now, she is coming for them.
PAYBACK IS A BITCH
THE KURTHERIAN ENDGAME BOOK 01
Available now at Amazon.com
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
February 9, 2018
First, as I have done sooooo many books before, let me THANK YOU for not only reading through these stories, but reading these author notes, as well!
When I started this little series (huh – if one calls twenty-one books little) I had a sales and marketing consulting company where I integrated online and offline sales efforts, built websites, and worked with Google SEO opportunities.
Within five (5) months of writing (and 7 books later), I had to give back the SEO work to a fantastic partner, as I couldn’t focus on it anymore. A year later, I had to relinquish my last (awesome) client to another company, as I couldn’t focus on ANYTHING but my writing and publishing efforts by that time.
I’ve learned so much over the last twenty-seven months that I can’t possibly summarize it all.
Suffice to say, because of YOU, the Kurtherian Gambit fans and massive readers, I’ve been able to make a difference in the Indie Author community. Due to your ongoing and phenomenal support of The Kurtherian Gambit and Oriceran Universes, I’ve been in a position to help more authors and collaborators, than ever before.
So that we can focus on (hopefully) bringing great stories to you.
It isn’t a little thing to say that there have been lives changed because of what we have jointly accomplished together, and I couldn’t be more amazed at the power of the many of us as I sit here at my desk typing this note tonight.
I’d like to think that TKG, and the fans and support staff, have changed the way publishing will be done in the future. I don’t know if that will EVER come about, but I do know a couple of things…
Real fans have been touched by these stories we write. In turn, you have touched us with your stories about your own lives and we’ve been blessed in many ways.
Now, a little housekeeping and I’ll bullet point them because that’s easier to read…I hope.
Bethany Anne, Michael and a big bunch of the crew are coming back in Book 01 of The Kurtherian Endgame in about ninety days or so. Enough time for me to square away some projects, and get my mind wrapped around a new series that… Will go on how long? I don’t know, it will depend on how much the fans want a series about Bethany Anne, Michael, the new baby, and some friends as they go out to meet new civilizations and look for Kurtherians… and kicking their asses if needed.
I’m looking to work on a project with Natalie Grey about Barnabas and Shinigami.
I’m working on a project with Ell Leigh Clarke for Ranger Two (Tabitha and Meredith Nicole Grimes).
We have a series in the works loosely titled Alone & Unafraid: Book 01 of the Superdreadnought – Which is about the AI Reynolds during the first years after Bethany Anne has gone off to find the missing Kurtherians.
We will have Tommy D’s stories out soon.
Read everything ELSE you can about TKG including stories in: The Age of Expansion (Sci-Fi),
The Age of Magic (post-apoc Fantasy), The Age of Madness (coming out soon with Hayley Lawson, Ben and Emily Smith, and Dan Willcocks – Zombies and creatures, oh my!).
Read the Oriceran Universe (Urban Fantasy and Fantasy, with collaborators including Martha Carr, SM Boyce, Sarah Noffke, Abby-Lynn Knorr (The ‘K’ is not silent), Flint Maxwell, and coming soon: David F. Berens and Meg Cowley. I will be writing in this Universe with the Tales of the Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone coming to you late March, 2018.
Check out The Shaman States of America headed up by Chrishaun Keller-Hanna and including Chrishaun Keller-Hanna, K.D. Brock, James Baldwin, Cate Morgan, Tom Meadows, Michael Anderle - 2019: Jessica Grey, Tammi Labrecque. I’ll be writing in Shaman States Universe 4th quarter 2018.
More Bethany Anne…and Michael… and baby Nacht…
More secret projects for LMBPN Publishing, more audio, more art… just more stuff!
Let’s update the past twenty-seven months a little bit from my first Author notes and see what has changed.
1)I live in Las Vegas, Nevada but started writing this series when living in Trophy Club, Tx.
2)When I started, our youngest two sons were juniors in high school. They are freshmen in college (in TX) at the moment.
3)My wife was traveling a lot of the time for her company (Novartis) she worked for. Now, she is the CMO of LMBPN Publishing and handles the foreign translation, video, games, and other entertainment arenas and rights.
4)I knew NO one in the publishing field. I have now collaborated with over 20 other authors on series, met hundreds of indie authors either online or at a 20booksTo50k conferences Craig Martelle has led, and spoken on many podcasts about Indie publishing.
5)Before I started writing, I searched the top one hundred sci-fi authors to find new books to read. Now I am one of those people showing up in the top ten.
6)I was helped along the way by the previous support and help of hundreds of others who wrote what they thought, gave advice freely, never knowing that ‘some guy’ would read their post hours, days, weeks or months later and learn from it.
7)I learned never to say (again) I would do a twenty-one-book series ;-) (You will notice I haven’t said ANYTHING on how long The Kurtherian Endgame would go! That’s because I’m a few years older and a lot wiser now.)
8)I used to read between eighty and a hundred and fifty new books a year. I’m lucky to read two in one month, now. I bet (outside of our stories inside LMBPN) I read maybe fifteen new books in a year.
9)I used to work forty to fifty hours a week. Now, I work eighty to a hundred hours minimum and enjoy seventy to ninety of those hours.
10)I used to go to movies to have fun. Now I call it “research.” ROFLMAO ;-)
Those are ten things that are different between when I started my first book, and now. I wonder what I’ll say in maybe eighteen months when we do The Kurtherian Endgame: “Checkmate?”
Other items learned:
1)Don’t kill a major love interest, your fans WILL let you know of their displeasure. The will let you know three different ways: Loudly, vociferously, and constantly.
2)Some covers are beautiful but don’t sell any books no matter what you think about them.
3)Some covers sell books, and you are left scratching your head as to why.
4)Being open to working with others reaps SO many damned benefits. I know I had heard this before in my life, but now I’ve lived it.
5)Reading fans are the BEST fans in the world. I never knew that we were so damned cool until I got on the other side of the reading equation and wrote. Because of that effort, I was introduced to and was able to meet other reading fans.
6)Throw a dog into your first book. You can never go wrong writing in a dog or cat… Just know you can’t kill them if fans come to love the pet.
7)Don’t kill the love interest, did I get that across? You might have to write a four-part series aptly named The Apology if you do… Just saying.
8)There is such a thing as Grammarly, use it. Then, when you have the help ask others to check your work and help you find the misspellings.
9)Don’t use weird spellings of names you know. You WILL revert to the way you spelled it later in your series (Darrell vs. Darryl)
10)English Editors will put in English (UK) words… Just saying.
11)Life begins on the other side of the ‘Publish’ button.
12)Editors that live on weird islands you have never heard of, are possibly bad editors. (Mine was.) (Question from his current Editor: If I move to a weird island will you dump me?)
13)There is this thing called a passion project. Until a new author gets it out of their system, they might not want to hear that as a reader you don’t care about their story. That it doesn’t grip you. Let others prove that point and then be ready to help when they learn the lesson.
14)Stay with your tribe. Trying to find out what others are saying about you is just you begging for hurt feelings. There are a lot of douche-twaffles out there trying to make a point and are happy to rake you through the mud to do it.
15)If you have success, there are plenty of people ready, willing and more than able to claim they were instrumental to your success.
16)Have a good fashion resource when you talk about women’s shoes. Don’t fudge that effort. (Note form Everyone: The Author’s Wife rocks!)
17)Be funny. Everything is more fun if the story has humor in it. I didn’t know I could be funny until I wrote. (I always WANTED to be funny, but I didn’t think of anything funny until hours after the event. Now it just occurs to me as I write the story.)
18)Stay humble. No one wants to talk to a dick.
19)Be willing to stand up for your opinion when you have proven yourself. That isn’t being a dick, that is NOT being a pushover.
20)Stand up for your fans. I’ll let a lot of things be said about me personally and disregard the person saying it. But if someone goes and says something about my fans, I’ll take the gloves right-the-fuck off.
I have no idea where this publishing adventure will go, or if it will end. However, I took forty-seven years to find out I was a story-teller.
I hope that YOU find out a bit earlier in life what your talent is. However, if you haven’t so far then NOW is a great time to figure out you like to tell stories with the indie publishing revolution going on.
Check out the Kurtherian Gambit Fans Write for the Fans project ttps://www.facebook.com/groups/TKGFansWrite/. Maybe you will have your name on a book cover, this year! Six TKG fans did when we published the first book in late January (check it out, read what their stories are and be prepared to get yours started.)
You NEVER know. Maybe you will be writing the same author notes in twenty-seven months, yourself.
Ad Aeternitatem.
Michael Anderle
Books by Michael Anderle
For a complete list of books by Michael Anderle, please visit:
www.lmbpn.com/ma-books/
All LMBPN Audiobooks are Available at Audible.com and iTunes. For a complete list of audiobooks visit:
www.lmbpn.com/audible
Connect With The Authors
Michael Anderle Social
Website:
http://kurtherianbooks.com/
Email List:
http://kurtherianbooks.com/email-list/
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Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set Three: Books 15-21, Never Submit, Never Surrender, Forever Defend, Might Makes Right, Ahead Full, Capture Death, Life Goes On (Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Sets Book 3) Page 163