{"id":33,"date":"2015-05-18T03:23:54","date_gmt":"2015-05-18T03:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/?page_id=33"},"modified":"2025-11-21T20:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T01:51:11","slug":"five-moons-nexus-of-fates","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/?page_id=33","title":{"rendered":"Five Moons: Nexus of Fates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B08CQCJM38?notRedirectToSDP=1&amp;ref_=dbs_mng_calw_3&amp;storeType=ebooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1216 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Five-Moons-Nexus-of-Fates-Cover.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"413\" height=\"620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Five-Moons-Nexus-of-Fates-Cover.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Five-Moons-Nexus-of-Fates-Cover-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px\" \/><\/a>\u201cWe come in peace,\u201d they told us when we first encountered humans. In peace, indeed, they came, but evil followed after them in their jump wakes like a foul stench. It all started out with the best of intentions, but in the end, I had the blood of four innocents on my hands. Across the vastness of space, that vile Clay of Earth did drag five nameless moons to destroy them. They flew an unmarked ship into Union Fleet space docks and marked the ship for destruction to hide the evil they had done.<\/p>\n<p>At the very gates of hell, in that vast sea of despair embroiled in the wake of chaos did I find hope \u2013 a single Leaf in the Wind \u2013 Dallas Blake. In our darkest hour, did Dallas Blake first step foot upon the decks of the Five Moons and change everything. He didn\u2019t know that the ship was never meant for sale. He only knew that this ship was nothing he expected but everything he needed, so he bought it. He knew nothing of the evil that was done. Even so, he found the crew that evil men thought were lost and gone forever. And save the Five Moons? To use his own words: Damned straight he did.<\/p>\n<p>Dallas Blake and the crew of the Five Moons went where they were needed because making a difference started with them. They fought pirates and battled Mercs in deep space. Each life they saved added to the Nexus of Fates that the Five Moons had become. When people had nowhere else to turn, they knew where to find Dallas Blake and the crew of the Five Moons \u2013 at the Pig and Whistle on Panara-5.<\/p>\n<p>But the Five Moons had become more than just the Nexus of Fates. It had become Evil\u2019s worst nightmare. So Evil set in motion his grand plan. It was more than just a plan; it was a masterpiece of evil. Dallas Blake may have been a warrior without equal, and the Five Moons a ship like no other, but this time dark forces hunted them. They were seriously in over their heads. Despite their best efforts, like the gears of a clockwork angel of death, Evil\u2019s plan moved relentlessly toward its inevitable conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>Leaf in the Wind found beauty in the light of four moons and set them free, but he didn\u2019t find me. Only my Leaf in the Wind can do what it takes to set me free. Unless he does, none of us will survive. I am the fifth moon.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Five Moons: Nexus of Fates\u00a0<\/strong><\/em> Copyright \u00a9 2016 by Bill Parker<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Nexus-of-Fates-No-11-Amazon-20210810.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1387\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Nexus-of-Fates-No-11-Amazon-20210810.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"501\" height=\"187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Nexus-of-Fates-No-11-Amazon-20210810.jpg 1154w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Nexus-of-Fates-No-11-Amazon-20210810-300x112.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Nexus-of-Fates-No-11-Amazon-20210810-1024x382.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Nexus-of-Fates-No-11-Amazon-20210810-768x286.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/a>Five Moons: Nexus of Fates was No. 11 on Amazon&#8217;s Best Sellers List 8\/10\/2021.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Please Purchase my Books Here&#8230;<\/h2>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Five-Moons-Nexus-Fates-Book-ebook-dp-B08CQCJM38\/dp\/B08CQCJM38\/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&amp;me=&amp;qid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1132 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/amazon_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"103\" height=\"36\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/amazon_1.jpg 899w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/amazon_1-300x104.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/amazon_1-768x267.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 103px) 100vw, 103px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B08CQCJM38?notRedirectToSDP=1&amp;ref_=dbs_mng_calw_3&amp;storeType=ebooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Five Moons: Nexus of Fates on Amazon as an eBook, Paperback, Hard Cover, or AudioBook<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Book-Icon.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1091\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Book-Icon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"67\" height=\"67\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Book-Icon.png 370w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Book-Icon-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Book-Icon-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 67px) 100vw, 67px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp-B08CPLF55K\/dp\/B08CPLF55K\/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&amp;me=&amp;qid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>\u00a0Paperback Version at Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/1031903\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Buy this book on Smashwords<\/a><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Smashwords.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1117\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Smashwords.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"48\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/x\/id1522976566\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">APPLE BOOKS<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/s\/2940164181659\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BARNES &amp; NOBLE<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gardners.com\/Search\/KeywordAnonymous\/eBook?Keyword=9781005406196\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GARDINERS<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-us\/Search?Query=9781005406196\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KOBO<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/search?query=9781005406196&amp;language=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SCRIBD<\/a><\/h5>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-388 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Readers-Favorite-5star-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Readers Favorite 5star\" width=\"124\" height=\"124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Readers-Favorite-5star-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Readers-Favorite-5star-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Readers-Favorite-5star-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Readers-Favorite-5star-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Readers-Favorite-5star.jpg 1830w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 124px) 100vw, 124px\" \/><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/readersfavorite.com\/book-review\/nexus-of-fates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Readers Favorites gave this Novel a glowing 5-Star review!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Review By Romuald Dzemo for Readers\u2019 Favorite &#8212; &#8220;This story is the work of great imagination and the author\u2019s genius comes across in the tantalizing plot lines, the suspense, and the powerful imagery that fill the pages of this gripping story. The writing is beautiful, with intelligent and engaging dialogues that help to tighten the pace. Bill Parker creates a setting that reflects a very fertile imagination, but the curious thing is that he makes readers believe in it and see themselves in it. The characters in Nexus of Fates are compelling and readers will stick with Dallas even after they have completed the story. This is the kind of book for sci-fi lovers looking for a fast and entertaining read.&#8221; He also wrote, &#8220;A book that successfully combines sci-fiction with fantasy to entertain and set the hearts of readers afire.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Available in audio format 5\/8\/2019 on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/pd\/Nexus-of-Fates-Five-Moons-Book-4-Audiobook\/B07RJ15ZSX?plink=a59e93a0-e77d-47&amp;ref=a_pd_Convol_c5_adblp13npsbx_1_3&amp;pf_rd_p=10be84a5-3a35-458a-8529-0c4e5c3dcd9c&amp;pf_rd_r=52B5MQVNT564E8S39RDS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Audible.com,<\/a> Amazon, and at Apple iTunes Store.<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_829\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-829\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/pd\/Nexus-of-Fates-Five-Moons-Book-4-Audiobook\/B07RJ15ZSX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-829\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Nexus-of-Fates-Audibook-Cover-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Nexus-of-Fates-Audibook-Cover-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Nexus-of-Fates-Audibook-Cover-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Nexus-of-Fates-Audibook-Cover-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Nexus-of-Fates-Audibook-Cover-1024x1024.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-829\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nexus of fates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Amazon Kindle<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>File Size:<\/b> 4427 KB<\/li>\n<li><b>Print Length:<\/b> 190 pages<\/li>\n<li><b>Publisher:<\/b> Five Moons Publications; 2 edition (July 8, 2020)<\/li>\n<li><b>Publication Date:<\/b> July 8, 2020<\/li>\n<li id=\"sold-by-merchant\"><b>Sold by:<\/b>\u00a0Amazon.com Services LLC<\/li>\n<li><b>Language:<\/b> English<\/li>\n<li><b>ASIN:<\/b> B08CQCJM38<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Amazon Paperback<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Series:<\/b> Five Moons (Book 4)<\/li>\n<li><b>Paperback:<\/b> 195 pages<\/li>\n<li><b>Publisher:<\/b> Independently published (July 9, 2020)<\/li>\n<li><b>Language:<\/b> English<\/li>\n<li><b>ISBN-13:<\/b> 979-8665057385<\/li>\n<li><b>ASIN:<\/b> B08CPLF55K<\/li>\n<li><b> Product Dimensions: <\/b> 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Please visit my other site too <a href=\"https:\/\/fivemoonscifi.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fivemoonscifi.wordpress.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Sample Chapters<\/h2>\n<h2>Definition<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Nexus<\/p>\n<p>noun: nexus; plural noun: nexuses<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>A connection or series of connections linking two or more things.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>As in: &#8220;the Five Moons was the nexus of humans and anoza.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>A connected group or series.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>As in: &#8220;the Five Moons was the nexus of Evil\u2019s defeats.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>The central and most important point or place.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>As in: &#8220;the Five Moons was the Nexus of Fates.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Prologue<\/h2>\n<p><em>Clay of Earth, yours were the people cast into the outer darkness because of the evil in their hearts.\u00a0 By their evil was the blood of four innocents on my hands.\u00a0 Across the vastness of space did that vile Clay of Earth drag five nameless moons to destroy them, to hide their evil deed.\u00a0 At the very gates of hell did the One Who Stands at the Center of Five Moons\u2019 Shadows find a single leaf in the wind.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>As much as by fate you were sent to us, I did indeed choose you.\u00a0 In my choice of you, I am well pleased.\u00a0 We found you an empty vessel, so we poured into you the light of truth.\u00a0 To our great joy, the one who was dead in his heart but still walking was reborn in love.\u00a0 In your resurrection, we do rejoice.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The Five Moons saved Sophie and Emma.\u00a0 It fought pirates and battled Mercs in deep space, all to make the Outworlds a safer place to live.\u00a0 Every soul that it saved added to the Nexus of Fates that the Five Moons has become.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Even more than the Nexus of Fates, we became Evil\u2019s worst nightmare.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Leaf in the Wind was of them but not like them.\u00a0 He found beauty in the light of four moons and set them free.\u00a0 My soul sings songs of joy in that, but he didn\u2019t find me.\u00a0 Only my Leaf in the Wind can do what it takes to set me free.\u00a0 Unless he does, none of us will survive.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I am the fifth moon.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Captain\u2019s Log: 5768.05.11<\/h2>\n<p>As I look back on it now, I was pretty messed up since that day they called me aside to tell me that my whole family was killed.\u00a0 They told me that the expeditionary forces of Sarsen Tabbot had literally leveled my homeworld, Enara-4.\u00a0 I hoped and prayed that maybe Fleet was wrong.\u00a0 I hoped that my family was somewhere safe in hiding, but Fleet assured me everything that could be done had already been done.\u00a0 They told me that Union Fleet Search and Rescue had combed the entire planet but could find not a single human life-sign.<\/p>\n<p>The Corporate War was raging all around me.\u00a0 At that point, I was angry beyond measure.\u00a0 I took my pound of flesh and then some, but all that did was leave me empty and sad.\u00a0 I did what I could to bury the pain.\u00a0 I lost myself in getting a degree in Starship Engineering, but that wasn\u2019t enough.\u00a0 I went to Union Fleet\u2019s own War College for a Master\u2019s Degree, determined in my heart to find a way to inflict upon Sarsen Tabbot the pain and anguish that she had inflicted on me, but then the war came to an unexpected end.<\/p>\n<p>One more time, my whole life was swept away when Fleet no longer needed millions of veterans.\u00a0 They surplused us all out just like they got rid of thousands of ships.\u00a0 I was once more called aside as I mustered out.\u00a0 Sole Survivors were due reparations by the War Commission.\u00a0 As if any amount of money could make up for what I had lost! It couldn\u2019t, they agreed but suggested that maybe it could bankroll a fresh start.\u00a0 They dumped me out at the space docks orbiting Etron along with millions of other veterans.\u00a0 The place was utter chaos.\u00a0 Where would I even begin to start my life over?<\/p>\n<p>As I walked down the long exit passageway lugging everything I owned in a duffel bag, the answer was staring me right in the face \u2013 a huge animated 3D sign advertising all of the war surplus ships that Union Fleet was now selling at rock-bottom prices.\u00a0 After all, I was a pilot.<\/p>\n<p>I remember sitting with my buddy Kip, talking his ear off for hours on end about buying a war surplus scout-class ship and starting over.\u00a0 Yeah, I know.\u00a0 Me doing all that talking.\u00a0 I was more thinking it through out loud.\u00a0 But Kip had family to get home to, and so we parted ways.<\/p>\n<p>Fleet Material Command was in total pandemonium when I tried to buy a surplus ship, but I was determined.\u00a0 I calmed myself down and set my cap to get this done.\u00a0 My father would have been proud of me.\u00a0 I was a leaf in the wind.\u00a0 That is where everything went sideways.<\/p>\n<p>I know, this sounds screwy, but it all started with some yellow caution tape that I tore down in total frustration.\u00a0 As I later discovered, it was there to mark this ship to be scrapped out.\u00a0 But hey, what the hell did I know? Then this ship turned out to be way bigger than a scout-class ship should have been, but as I was later to discover, that was only the inside.\u00a0 This ship was nothing I expected but everything I needed, so I bought it.<\/p>\n<p>I thought that I chose this ship myself, but later Mariah told me that she hacked the Fleet records across the network.\u00a0 She said that she had set the sale up.\u00a0 So, in essence, Mariah chose me.\u00a0 But hey! That was back when Mariah was artificial and damned well knew that she was artificial.\u00a0 So were Jessica, and Jane, and Henry.\u00a0 They were all artificial back then when I first bought this ship.\u00a0 I am not the crazy one here.\u00a0 I know what they were when I found them even if they don\u2019t remember now.\u00a0 I just needed to get this down on the record.\u00a0 I am the sane one here, or so I keep telling myself.\u00a0 As I was later to discover, they were four \u2018moons.\u2019 \u2018Moons\u2019 you ask? That\u2019s a long story in itself.\u00a0 I would sure like to ask the anoza what the hell they were thinking with that.\u00a0 There is still one more that I have yet to find, but I will.<\/p>\n<p>This ship \u2013 the Five Moons \u2013 is the nexus of fates.\u00a0 It joined my fate forever to theirs and to the saga of its own existence.\u00a0 When it found me, I was a man with nothing left to lose.\u00a0 When I found it, I had everything to gain.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t know that evil men had conspired to destroy this ship to hide the evil they had done.\u00a0 I had no idea that they flew an unmarked ship into space docks and marked it for destruction with that damned yellow caution tape.\u00a0 They intended for its crew to disappear forever without a trace.\u00a0 They thought that would be the end of it, but in all of that chaos, I found the Five Moons and it found me.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know any of that when I bought a ship that was never meant for sale.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know any of that when I first stepped foot upon its decks and changed everything, but I know it now.\u00a0 And save the Five Moons? Damned straight I did.<\/p>\n<p>And you know that crew they thought was lost and gone forever? Well, think again.\u00a0 I found Jessica, Jane, and Henry.\u00a0 I am still not sure if I found Mariah or if she found me but does it really matter anymore? Together, we all saved Sophie and Emma.\u00a0 Today was their birthday.\u00a0 It filled my heart with joy and reminded me that saving them was the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>This ship \u2013 the Five Moons \u2013 is the nexus of fates.\u00a0 It connects us all together for a reason \u2013 to make a difference.\u00a0 Mankind was cast into the outer darkness because of the evil in his heart.\u00a0 Union Fleet protects the civilized pilgrim worlds, but in the Outworlds, where civilization is thin, evil thrives.\u00a0 We will change that where we can.\u00a0 The Five Moons flies to wherever we are needed.\u00a0 Making a difference starts with us.\u00a0 Word is getting around.\u00a0 People know where to find us &#8212; in the Pig and Whistle on Panara-5.\u00a0 They have a damned good Reuben, too.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Captain Dallas Alton Blake<\/p>\n<h2>Chapter 1: This way evil comes.<\/h2>\n<p>Aeon-6 was as beautiful and perfect a T-10 class planet as ever there was.\u00a0 By all measures, it matched the standard \u2018Earth\u2019 classification for being habitable.\u00a0 It only lacked any real tilt to its axis, but that was really a major plus.\u00a0 Its climate was mild the whole year with only a hint of seasons.\u00a0 Its native plants bloomed all year as randomly as they grew, making Aeon-6 a lush paradise.\u00a0 Man\u2019s imported plants were the stark exception with definite growth cycles.\u00a0 So, the farmers learned to take advantage of the climate to stagger their crop plantings for year-round harvests.<\/p>\n<p>Life was good for Mark Jackson on Aeon-6.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTime to get up,\u201d Layla, his girlfriend, called Mark through his 3D wall display, but he didn\u2019t hear her.\u00a0 His android, Sprocket, heard her.\u00a0 Layla\u2019s sandy brown hair and big brown eyes suited her soft oval face to a tee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will wake him up,\u201d Sprocket volunteered as he went to do exactly that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMister Mark,\u201d Sprocket nudged him.\u00a0 \u201cTime to get up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark opened one eye and looked questioningly at Sprocket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMiss Layla told me to wake you up,\u201d Sprocket fibbed.\u00a0 He knew Layla would back him up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah.\u00a0 I have to get up and get going.\u00a0 Busy day today.\u201d The words came out, but he was slow to move.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like him to oversleep, but he had been stringing long days together and it caught up with him.\u00a0 A quick shower put him back on track, as did a quick breakfast.\u00a0 His house droid, Nikki, spoiled him with a hot breakfast every day, but he did his part, too.\u00a0 He never left her a mess to clean, he always put his dirty clothes in the hamper in the bathroom every night, and he always tidied up his bed in the morning.\u00a0 These were habits ingrained in him since he could remember.\u00a0 His Uncle Hank had raised him to be a strong, self-reliant outworlder.\u00a0 His Uncle Hank loved him as if he was his own son.<\/p>\n<p>Mark made his way out to the steel building that housed his equipment.\u00a0 His two android helpers already had the transport loaded by the time he got there.\u00a0 They were snapped into their places in the transport, waiting for him.\u00a0 Layla already had his work schedule up on the main display of the transport waiting for him too.\u00a0 The Rackmann farm was listed as his first stop.\u00a0 It showed as the destination in his Nav display.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConfirmed,\u201d he told it.\u00a0 The transport lifted and off they went.\u00a0 The suborbital hop took all of a half-hour.\u00a0 Just enough time for Mark to read the trouble report.\u00a0 Their android tractor had just stopped out in the field yesterday and was not responding to any commands.<\/p>\n<p>Mark\u2019s transport landed next to the Rackmann\u2019s house.\u00a0 Jim came right out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat seems to be the trouble?\u201d Mark asked Jim Rackmann even though he had read the report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cActually,\u201d Jim Rackmann explained, \u201cas I think about it, the damned thing had been acting funky for days before it quit.\u201d That was not in the report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFunky? What do you mean by funky?\u201d Marked asked for more of a description.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would suddenly stop, and then start right back up as if nothing was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark flew his transport out to where the tractor was sitting and began to troubleshoot.\u00a0 The android\u2019s intelligent processor was down.\u00a0 There was no power.\u00a0 In the meantime, his android helpers removed the covers that Mark had pointed out to them.\u00a0 A broken power cable was the main problem.\u00a0 That became quite obvious as the covers were removed.\u00a0 The android helpers pulled it out while Mark got a new piece of cable.\u00a0 After they had installed the new cable, Mark reloaded the android tractor\u2019s programs and got that much back up and running by lunch.\u00a0 After Mark had run it through its paces, he was sure that the android tractor was fine again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all back working,\u201d Mark reported to Jim Rackmann over his com.\u00a0 \u201cIt was your main power cable, but then I had to reload your android his brains back.\u00a0 The AI program must have been corrupted by the power surges.\u00a0 That\u2019s what made it act funky.\u00a0 All you will have to do is give it a new work schedule and it will be back on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay, I can do that.\u00a0 Then you will bill me through the co-op?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSure thing,\u201d Mark replied.\u00a0 He gave the co-op a good rate for his time.\u00a0 In exchange, they made sure that he got paid in a timely manner.\u00a0 That worked for everybody.<\/p>\n<p>Mark went on to his next call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are coming to my place for a nice dinner tonight,\u201d Layla insisted over the com as dinnertime drew near.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u00a0 I just need to finish this service call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He wanted to see Layla anyway, so he made short order of the work, packed up and was once more back in the air for another suborbital hop.\u00a0 That is when he got his first glimpse of several starships pulling into orbit.\u00a0 Starships did not come this way very often, so he paid particular attention to them when they did.\u00a0 These were older, frigate-class ships and heavily armed from what he could make out.<\/p>\n<p>Trust nothing and then don\u2019t trust that, his Uncle Hank would often tell him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUncle Hank,\u201d Mark paged him through the com.\u00a0 Several seconds later, his uncle\u2019s face appeared on the display.\u00a0 He had wild gray hair to match the look in his eyes and his out-of-control eyebrows.\u00a0 His wrinkled face gave away his age, but he had a resonant, deep voice that hadn\u2019t aged a day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am looking at a couple of ships that just pulled into orbit,\u201d he told his uncle after sending him their pictures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s strange, no transponder IDs,\u201d he told his uncle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, that does not look good at all,\u201d his uncle commented.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t like this one bit.\u00a0 Are you headed for home?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u00a0 I am on my way over to Layla\u2019s place for some dinner,\u201d Mark told him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, okay but stay in touch.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like the looks of those ships at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay.\u00a0 Will do.\u00a0 I will call you after dinner,\u201d Mark told his uncle.\u00a0 Everybody thought that Uncle Hank was a bit weird, but Mark only thought he was maybe a little eccentric.\u00a0 He was very smart.\u00a0 A lot of people are intimidated by that.\u00a0 Uncle Hank taught him everything he knew about androids.\u00a0 To Mark, the man was a genius.<\/p>\n<p>Layla looked at Mark when he finally arrived.\u00a0 He was 185cm of pure man to her.\u00a0 He was muscularly built because he worked with his hands all day.\u00a0 His classic face and beautiful blue-gray eyes lit up her day.\u00a0 He looked a lot better with his coveralls off and his hands washed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDinner is ready,\u201d Layla\u2019s house droid announced moments later.<\/p>\n<p>Layla talked on about her day.\u00a0 Mark didn\u2019t say much while he ate, but he listened to her every word with interest and nodded his head.\u00a0 Out of her window, a glorious sunset was slowly unfolding before their eyes.<\/p>\n<p>~~~<\/p>\n<p>Hank Jackson knew full well that people thought he was a paranoid nutcase, but quite frankly, he didn\u2019t give a damn.\u00a0 He knew better.\u00a0 He was brought up in the Outworlds and raised during difficult times that he would never forget.\u00a0 The war came and the war went.\u00a0 The whole time, Hank Jackson prepared for the worst that never came.\u00a0 People said, \u201cWe are too far off the beaten path.\u00a0 The war will never get this far.\u201d This time people were right.\u00a0 The war never did make it out as far as Aeon-6 but nonetheless, Hank was prepared.<\/p>\n<p>Uncle Hank made the best use he could of his sensor array to analyze the ships in orbit.\u00a0 He watched them intently for hours.\u00a0 Something about them was not right.\u00a0 They had no transponder IDs.\u00a0 It was not legal to fly a ship anywhere in Union space without a transponder ID.\u00a0 While Aeon-6 had no Approach or Departure Control, the ships had made no effort whatsoever to contact anyone dirtside at all.\u00a0 They all just sat there, ominously, in orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Hank\u2019s house droid brought him a big dish of great smelling pot roast.\u00a0 Hank ate his dinner and watched his display.\u00a0 The hour grew late.\u00a0 It was just about 23:00 Zulu when the activity began.\u00a0 First, one of the ships in orbit launched a shuttle.\u00a0 It made straight for the surface while ten more staged in orbit.\u00a0 Hank Jackson knew exactly what was going on.<\/p>\n<p>~~~<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark! Layla!\u201d Hank called frantically, over and over, through the com to her house.\u00a0 In desperation, Hank called up Mark\u2019s transport and told one of Mark\u2019s helper androids to go wake them up.\u00a0 Finally, a sleepy looking Layla walked over to the 3D display.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUncle Hank? What\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDear Lord, girl, where have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark and I curled up on the couch.\u00a0 He fell asleep.\u00a0 I guess I did, too.\u00a0 Why? What\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPirates are invading us! They landed at the co-op! You and Mark better get the hell out of there right away while you still can! You need to come to my shelter right now!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Layla\u2019s house was not at all that far from the co-op.\u00a0 She walked over to the window and opened it.\u00a0 After all, her father had warned her repeatedly that Hank Jackson was a paranoid nutcase.\u00a0 She was about to close the window back up when she heard a loud explosion and pulse-rifle fire.\u00a0 Maybe Hank Jackson wasn\u2019t so crazy, after all!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark! Mark! Get up!\u201d she yelled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d he asked with eyes at half-mast.\u00a0 Then he heard the pulse-rifle fire, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPirates!\u201d Layla told him.\u00a0 \u201cUncle Hank called \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood Lord!\u201d Mark exclaimed as he grabbed his stuff.\u00a0 \u201cGet your emergency bag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmergency bag? My father told me I didn\u2019t need one,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, your father was wrong! Come on!\u201d he told her, but it was already too late.\u00a0 Two men in black leather coats landed an old Union assault bike in front of Layla\u2019s house.\u00a0 They were drawn by her house lights.\u00a0 They jumped off their bike and headed right for the front of her house with pulse rifles locked and loaded.<\/p>\n<p>[M and M, Red Alert!] Mark commanded them through his network.\u00a0 [To the front of Layla\u2019s house, on the double! Take out the two men in black leather coats with pulse rifles.]\u00a0 Mark\u2019s two helper droids responded immediately.\u00a0 Grabbing their weapons, they came up behind the two pirates trying to break down Layla\u2019s front door and summarily took them both out in a hail of pulse-rifle fire.<\/p>\n<p>[All clear,] his helper droid reported to Mark.<\/p>\n<p>Mark and Layla came out her side door and ran to Mark\u2019s transport with his helper droids covering them front and rear.\u00a0 The helper droids snapped into their places in the transport while Mark and Layla buckled in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRun silent!\u201d Mark commanded.\u00a0 The transport shut off all of its lights and turned its transponder off.\u00a0 In response, Mark\u2019s display filled with a combination of night vision, infrared, and forward-looking radar.\u00a0 Mark grabbed the controls, piloting the transport himself.\u00a0 Layla looked back toward the co-op buildings.\u00a0 There were bright flashes and loud bangs.\u00a0 While Mark wove in between buildings for cover, Layla called her father.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad! Dad! Pirates! You need to get out of there right now!\u201d she told his sleepy looking face in the 3D display.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHave you been talking to that paranoid nutcase Hank Jackson again?\u201d he scolded her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad! You have to listen to me! They came to my house with guns! They almost broke down my front door! We barely got out of there alive! They are invading the co-op right now! You need to get out now! Stop being so damned bull-headed!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was when her father heard the explosions and gunfire for himself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHead for my Uncle Hank\u2019s place,\u201d Mark told him.\u00a0 \u201cStay low.\u00a0 Go from cover to cover.\u201d But the com went dead when the local wi-fi network suddenly went down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d Uncle Hank asked Mark through the quantum-com, which was still working, of course.\u00a0 Uncle Hank was not about to trust the local wi-fi.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEdge of town,\u201d Mark told him.\u00a0 \u201cI am headed for the Goodwin\u2019s farm to make the first suborbital hop.\u201d Mark maneuvered between the last of the buildings at the edge of town with his Nav screaming at him the whole time about being too low.\u00a0 When his transport broke into clear space, Mark jammed the speed up to just under supersonic, allowing his altitude to increase just enough to stop the screaming Nav alarms.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being strapped in, poor Layla was holding on for dear life.\u00a0 Mark was intent on following Uncle Hank\u2019s exact instructions, doing exactly what he practiced.\u00a0 With the transport in Silent Mode, he needed to get as far as possible before gaining any real altitude, but that limited his speed.\u00a0 Now, in the distance behind him, he could just barely make out two speeders and they were gaining on him.<\/p>\n<p>He pushed it as hard as he dared and pulled up on the nose just a bit with the two craft behind him in hot pursuit.\u00a0 There was no sense waiting until he got out to the Goodwin Farm anymore.\u00a0 Mark set the suborbital target to Emergency 2 and hit the Confirm button on his virtual display.<\/p>\n<p>The transport nosed suddenly up.\u00a0 Mark could hear the engines whine as the transport leaped briefly above the atmosphere.\u00a0 The less-than-perfect gravity fields did their best to keep up with his wild maneuver but still put them back in their seats and then momentarily weightless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid we lose them?\u201d Layla asked him when she could breathe again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShit, no,\u201d Mark replied.\u00a0 An alarm sounded when the shields deployed automatically, just ahead of the first round of pulse-canon fire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis transport has shields?\u201d Layla asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt sure does,\u201d Mark confirmed as he maneuvered as hard as possible, dodging pulse rounds as they plummeted toward the ground.\u00a0 The two craft behind him were not gaining anymore but still did not relent one bit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am going to come in real hot,\u201d he warned Layla.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t be scared.\u00a0 I have practiced this maneuver a hundred times.\u00a0 I know what I am doing.\u201d That was all well and good, but Layla closed her eyes and held onto his arm so tight she nearly cut off the circulation.<\/p>\n<p>They were still headed nose down as two missiles launched straight at them from the ground.\u00a0 Layla opened her eyes just in time to see them and then wished she hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 To Layla\u2019s shock and horror, Mark headed straight for them.\u00a0 Her eyes got big as the missiles suddenly separated, just barely enough for Mark to pass between them.\u00a0 In the rearview camera, Mark saw the missiles strike their targets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you really have to scare the shit out of me like that?!\u201d Layla complained to Mark.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought you had your eyes closed,\u201d he teased her.\u00a0 She hit him in the shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Mark flattened out his trajectory, still at supersonic speed, awfully close to the hard deck.\u00a0 He kept that speed up for a half-hour, maneuvering many times while looking at his tactical display for any signs of pirates.<\/p>\n<p>Layla had looked any number of times at the display before she asked, \u201cYour transport has a tactical display? What kind of transport has a tactical display?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis one,\u201d Mark grinned.<\/p>\n<p>Layla just rolled her eyes and shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou did well,\u201d Uncle Hank\u2019s voice came through the com.\u00a0 \u201cYou can come in now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark flew directly toward a canyon through the mountain range below, trimming back hard on his speed the whole time.\u00a0 He flew right into that canyon.\u00a0 Layla was fine with this.\u00a0 She knew that Mark was an excellent pilot.\u00a0 Mark followed the canyon to where it opened up considerably.\u00a0 The canyon wall ahead and to their left suddenly had a large opening as Uncle Hank put down the camouflaged force field.\u00a0 To Layla\u2019s sincere relief, Mark finally landed inside the hideaway.\u00a0 Nothing felt better to her at that moment than solid ground once more under her feet.<\/p>\n<p>When Layla glanced back at the entryway, the force field was already back up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about the others?\u201d Layla now asked Mark.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go ask Uncle Hank,\u201d he told her.\u00a0 They walked up a winding stairway to the main level of Hank Jackson\u2019s hide.\u00a0 It was hardly what you would expect.\u00a0 While the other settlers here worried about only their day-to-day business, Hank had taken his hide from a very spartan minimal shelter to a spacious, modern home with all of the comforts.\u00a0 In fact, his shelter was now Hank Jackson\u2019s main home.\u00a0 Uncle Hank\u2019s \u2018little house on the prairie\u2019 was nothing more than a decoy.<\/p>\n<p>Hank sat at his desk with the wall-sized 3D display broken up into tiles with various content.\u00a0 One had his overhead satellite view.\u00a0 Another was a view of town.\u00a0 That didn\u2019t look good at all.\u00a0 There were armed men walking around.\u00a0 One of them was dragging a body out of what had once been the co-op building.\u00a0 It now had several large blast holes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about my family?\u201d Layla asked Hank.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey made it to their hide, but like I tried to tell them, it is way too close to town.\u00a0 Eventually, the pirates are going to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are we going to do?\u201d Layla asked Hank.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWE? WE? If people would have listened to me, all they would have had to do now would be to wait them out, but that won\u2019t work anymore.\u00a0 Too many families are way too close to town, and I would venture to guess that some of them had no hide at all.\u00a0 They will be out there like a bunch of little, lost puppies, wandering around with their heads up their asses, wondering what the hell to do.\u00a0 Well, good luck to you with that.\u00a0 It\u2019s a day late and a dollar short for that now, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, we can\u2019t just sit here.\u00a0 We have to do something,\u201d Layla complained to Hank.<\/p>\n<p>Hank got all exasperated.\u00a0 \u201cYeah! That\u2019s the damned problem now, isn\u2019t it? Well, I hate to tell you this, but for right now, all that WE can do is sit and wait.\u00a0 We can\u2019t venture out until dark or they will spot us for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pirates have sensors, too,\u201d Layla countered.\u00a0 \u201cLight or dark, they will still spot us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot really,\u201d Hank came right back.\u00a0 \u201cWe have that covered, don\u2019t we, Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYes, we sure do.\u00a0 Our transports are all Union Fleet war surplus landing craft.\u00a0 They are totally stealth.\u00a0 If I turn the transponder off, no one can spot us with sensors.\u00a0 We tell that to no one.\u00a0 When Uncle Hank was gone last year, he bought them on Panara-5 and brought them back here.\u00a0 Without all of the military markings, no one could tell.\u00a0 Uncle Hank sold our old transports at a good price to some folks here that really needed them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlan ahead,\u201d Hank told Layla.\u00a0 \u201cThe whole thing about being an outworlder is to plan for the worst and hope for the best.\u00a0 We needed new transports anyway and Union Fleet was selling these at rock bottom prices.\u00a0 I got a hell of a good deal and they were all like brand-new.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Layla sighed.\u00a0 \u201cAll we can do now is wait?\u201d She wasn\u2019t very happy at all with that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, of course not.\u00a0 You can go get some sleep so you are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when you do go out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, yeah,\u201d Layla grumbled.\u00a0 \u201cLike I can sleep now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, you better at least get some rest then,\u201d Hank told her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you and Mark going to do?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 They were obviously headed back down to the landing pad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to get all of Mark\u2019s equipment out of his transport and put some seats back into it if we are going to have to go get your folks,\u201d Hank replied without looking back.\u00a0 Hank was aggravated that after all of his warnings to these people, he was still going to have to go bail their sorry asses out of this problem of their own damned making.<\/p>\n<p>~<\/p>\n<p>Layla never slept a wink and was still wide-awake as evening twilight fell onto her family\u2019s hide.\u00a0 She followed Mark down to the landing pad only to be led further on to what she discovered was Uncle Hank\u2019s armory.\u00a0 Mark quickly suited up in recon armor \u2013 another of Uncle Hank\u2019s Fleet surplus acquisitions.\u00a0 Mark then began holding up pieces of recon armor for Layla.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will never fit into this,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, yes you will,\u201d Mark insisted.\u00a0 \u201cBelieve me; it will adjust to all of your beautiful curves.\u00a0 Just put it on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I am no warrior,\u201d she insisted despite his compliment.\u00a0 But Mark kept handing her more pieces of it.\u00a0 True to his word, the armor adjusted and fit all of her curves perfectly.\u00a0 She was still grousing about it when Uncle Hank came in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLayla my dear, this will protect you from pulse weapon fire.\u00a0 We sure don\u2019t want you full of blaster holes, now, do we?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I guess not,\u201d she finally gave in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can adjust its camo to make you almost invisible,\u201d Mark told her as he handed her a sidearm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs this why it was so important when you taught me how to shoot?\u201d she asked Mark.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes!\u201d Uncle Hank answered for him.\u00a0 \u201cHe loves you enough to do what\u2019s best for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That made Layla smile.\u00a0 \u201cHe loves me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes,\u201d Uncle Hank confirmed for him.\u00a0 \u201cOf course he does.\u00a0 Even an old fool like me can see that.\u00a0 So, come on now.\u00a0 Stop all of your hemming and hawing around.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get you two on the move.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Layla boarded the transport, she noted that Mark\u2019s two helper droids were clicked into their racks in the back.\u00a0 They looked different to her, but there was no time for questions.<\/p>\n<p>Mark maneuvered out into the canyon.\u00a0 Where Uncle Hank had built his hide, the canyon was almost two kilometers wide, with a flat open field and stream down below.\u00a0 You would think to simply fly up and out, but that would surely give away the hide\u2019s location.\u00a0 So instead, Mark made his way to the far end where it narrowed back down.\u00a0 He followed the canyon to where it exited the mountain range onto the flat prairie.<\/p>\n<p>He stayed low and kept his speed just under supersonic while he swung a wide arc.\u00a0 Suddenly the nose of his transport went up as they made the suborbital hop toward Layla\u2019s family hide.\u00a0 Layla kept silent the whole way, not wanting to distract Mark one bit, but as they arced over the top, her curiosity kicked in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are we going to do?\u201d she asked Mark.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, the plan is to sneak in, get your folks, and sneak out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The transport arced over the top.\u00a0 It came down over a hundred klicks out from the hide but began maneuvering right away.\u00a0 It wove its own complex path toward the ridgeline that hid Layla\u2019s family hide until it settled a hundred meters short of the hide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s over there,\u201d Layla pointed at it in the dim light of Aeon\u2019s two moons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did we land all the way over here?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo we can check it out on foot first,\u201d Mark told her. \u00a0\u201cCome on, M and M,\u201d Mark called his two droids.\u00a0 They unclicked from their racks and followed Mark with pulse pistols at the ready.\u00a0 Layla led the way carrying the pulse pistol that Mark insisted that she needed.\u00a0 She walked right up to where the hide\u2019s door was concealed.\u00a0 It looked just like the rest of this rock face, but she knew what she was doing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom? Dad? It\u2019s Layla!\u201d she said in a loud whisper.\u00a0 After several long seconds, the door opened up.\u00a0 Before Layla could react, two nasty-looking men in long, black leather coats jumped out at her.\u00a0 She screamed but did not use the pulse-pistol in her hand.\u00a0 When the lead man grabbed her, Mark\u2019s android, Mack, dropped him on the spot with two quick pulse-pistol shots.\u00a0 Mike, the other android, dropped the second man before he could move.<\/p>\n<p>Mark snatched Layla, quickly hauling her back to cover as pulse rounds flew all around them.\u00a0 Someone inside the hide tried to close the door, but now the two dead pirates on the ground blocked it.\u00a0 Mark quickly looked inside the open door.\u00a0 There were twelve people, at least, being held by eight men all dressed in those same long black leather coats.\u00a0 Mark sent the images to his androids with the bad guys and friendlies clearly marked for them.\u00a0 He was set.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have hostages!\u201d a gravelly voice from inside the hide shouted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to live, throw out your guns and come out with your hands up!\u201d Mark boldly demanded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you crazy?! What the hell are you doing?!\u201d Layla asked him in shock.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrust me,\u201d he simply whispered back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want your people alive, then you better send someone in to negotiate,\u201d the gravelly voice shouted back, \u201cunarmed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am coming in,\u201d Mark shouted back, \u201cunarmed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark tucked his pistol into the back holster on his camo.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, M and M.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go do it.\u00a0 Layla, cover my back.\u201d She had forgotten all about the pulse-pistol in her hand.\u00a0 Now she fumbled with the safety but turned it off.\u00a0 Her mind was in shock.\u00a0 She really was not thinking at all, let alone prepared to cover him.<\/p>\n<p>Mark moved boldly into the open doorway flanked by the androids.\u00a0 The man with the gravelly voice raised his gun to fire at Mark.\u00a0 In the next quarter-second, the androids identified the unfriendlies.\u00a0 In the following half-second, their pulse rounds flew, taking them all out.\u00a0 It took a few more seconds for the pirates to actually fall down dead where they stood.<\/p>\n<p>When they dropped to the floor, the women and children all screamed but everyone was unharmed.\u00a0 As everyone gathered their senses back from what they had just been through, Layla\u2019s father asked Mark, \u201cWhere did you learn to negotiate like that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy Uncle Hank,\u201d Mark told him.<\/p>\n<p>Layla came in crying but was relieved to find everyone okay.\u00a0 So much for her providing Mark any cover.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am sorry, folks,\u201d Mark announced, \u201cbut we really don\u2019t have time to dawdle.\u00a0 Please gather your emergency bags and follow me.\u201d Needless to say, not a one of them had an emergency bag.\u00a0 Not a one of them was prepared for this at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho are all of the extra people?\u201d Mark asked Layla\u2019s father as he led them all back to the transport as fast as he could keep them moving in a group.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I couldn\u2019t just let the damned pirates get our neighbors, so I told them to come on over to our hide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did the pirates find you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pirates must have followed one of the neighbors,\u201d Layla\u2019s father admitted, still pissed off about that.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone piled into the transport and Mark got it moving just in time.\u00a0 In the distance, Mark could see another one of those damned pirate speeders headed right for them, but this time he was not about to turn tail and run.\u00a0 Instead, he broke pedal-to-the-metal straight toward them.\u00a0 Pulse cannon fire went by all around them, deflected by angled forward shields, as the speeder opened fire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis thing has shields and pulse cannons?\u201d Layla\u2019s father asked him in total disbelief.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, yeah,\u201d Mark replied quietly.\u00a0 \u201cThis is really a war surplus Union Fleet landing craft.\u00a0 Fleet had thousands of them for sale on Panara-5.\u00a0 The Union was selling them to outworlders, but I guess only my Uncle Hank gave a crap enough to buy some.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood thing he did,\u201d Layla\u2019s father now agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody buckle in!\u201d Mark warned them.\u00a0 \u201cThe artificial gravity in this thing isn\u2019t very good.\u201d Mark armed the first missile and watched it acquire the oncoming speeder.\u00a0 He broke hard left and up as he let the missile fly.\u00a0 Somewhere down below him, the missile did its job as Mark pushed his engines hard to gain suborbital altitude.\u00a0 This time, he lucked out \u2013 there was no one following him.<\/p>\n<p>They arced up over the top still in the upper atmosphere.\u00a0 Mark would not go directly back to the hide but instead, weaved a twisted path.\u00a0 His next suborbital jump was much closer.\u00a0 The artificial gravity was just fine when he wasn\u2019t making extreme maneuvers.\u00a0 An hour later, as morning twilight was just barely breaking at the hide, Mark approached the end of the canyon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNav Auto Hide,\u201d he commanded.\u00a0 The transport took over the rest of the way in and landed them in the hide\u2019s hanger bay.\u00a0 When the doors popped open, a whole group of weary, exhausted people slowly exited and looked around.\u00a0 Hank Jackson stood there to greet them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are we?\u201d a young woman with two children following after her asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFar enough away from town to be safe\u2026 at least for now,\u201d Hank assured her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat makes you so sure of that?\u201d Ben Caradine, one of the \u2018neighbors\u2019 asked sarcastically.<\/p>\n<p>Hank bluntly called him out.\u00a0 \u201cThey got your sorry ass in short order while I was sitting here laughing at them the whole time.\u00a0 I was ready for this, and obviously, you were not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ben didn\u2019t like that answer at all.\u00a0 \u201cI say we take a vote,\u201d he started to say to the others, but Hank caught him short.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first vote you take will be for where else you plan to wait this out! This is my hide! I am the boss here.\u00a0 You are more than welcome to leave any time you want, but while you are in my hide, you will live by my rules\u2026 period\u2026 end of that discussion.\u00a0 So, I am calling for the first vote.\u00a0 Who wants to leave?\u201d Not one hand went up.<\/p>\n<p>Hank looked at them all for a second.\u00a0 He was making a point, but he meant it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOkay, now that we have that settled, I have plenty of food, but I only have one house droid.\u00a0 So, she is going to need some help cooking for all of you.\u00a0 Any help in the kitchen would be greatly appreciated by everyone else, me included.\u00a0 Come on with me, please.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They all followed him up the winding stairs and were amazed at the size of his place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are rooms down that hall.\u201d Hank pointed at it for them.\u00a0 \u201cThere should be plenty of beds, but they are war surplus cots.\u00a0 There are plenty of pillows and blankets too.\u00a0 At the end of that hall is a laundry.\u00a0 The kitchen and dining room are this way.\u201d\u00a0 That is where Hank went to get some java and let them sort out their new surroundings for a while.<\/p>\n<p>Mary Richards organized the cooking while the rest tried to settle in.\u00a0 She found Hank in the dining room relaxing quietly and drinking his java.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wish we could contact Union Fleet,\u201d she told Hank quietly, \u201cbut the only quantum-com was in the community center.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have already contacted Union Fleet to let them know exactly what was happening here,\u201d he confided to Mary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey gave me exactly the answer I expected.\u00a0 They told me they would get here as soon as they could get a ship free from one of their other overwhelming disasters.\u00a0 That is what they told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long will that be?\u201d she asked him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I certainly would not hold my hand on my ass waiting,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat will we do until they get here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe best we can,\u201d Hank told her.\u00a0 \u201cThe best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later, over a really good dinner, Ben Caradine reopened the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kind of got off on the wrong foot,\u201d he admitted to Hank.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo offense taken,\u201d Hank replied and offered his hand.\u00a0 They shook on it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was making a point,\u201d Hank told them all.\u00a0 \u201cI have worked very hard to be prepared for something like this, so when it comes to running my hide, I am firm that I am in control of it.\u00a0 If you all want to vote on housekeeping and other items, please feel free to do so.\u00a0 For all able-bodied adults, Mark will help me train you on weapons so that we can all defend the place should it ever come to that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have surveillance cameras and sensor displays everywhere, but if you see something, tell me right away.\u00a0 Let me sort it out.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you go looking yourself and get yourself nabbed by the damned pirates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After Hank\u2019s talk, they all settled in and settled down to business.\u00a0 They were all outworlders, even if things did get off on the wrong foot.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_48\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48\" style=\"width: 183px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/DDP_logo.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/DDP_logo.jpg\" alt=\"Double Dragon Publishing\" width=\"183\" height=\"216\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Double Dragon Publishing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Released July 20, 2016 by Double Dragon Publishing<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>ISBN-10:<\/b> 1-77115-321-0<br \/>\n<b>ISBN-13:<\/b>\u00a09781771153218<br \/>\n<b>Genre:<\/b> Science Fiction\/Fantasy\/SF<br \/>\n<b>eBook Length:<\/b> 181 Pages<br \/>\n<b>Published:<\/b> July 2016<\/p>\n<p><strong>The paperback was released 8\/15\/2016 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Nexus-Fates-Five-Moons-Book\/dp\/1537076027\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1471310159&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=9781537076027\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Paperback:<\/b> 198 pages<\/li>\n<li><b>Publisher:<\/b> CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 13, 2016)<\/li>\n<li><b>Language:<\/b> English<\/li>\n<li><b>ISBN-10:<\/b> 1537076027<\/li>\n<li><b>ISBN-13:<\/b> 978-1537076027<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe come in peace,\u201d they told us when we first encountered humans. In peace, indeed, they came, but evil followed after them in their jump wakes like a foul stench. It all started out with the best of intentions, but in the end, I had the blood of four innocents on my hands. Across the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/?page_id=33\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Five Moons: Nexus of Fates<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-33","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":56,"href":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1674,"href":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions\/1674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fivemoons.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}