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    Uncharted Territory: Ardent Redux Saga: Episode 3 (A Space Opera Adventure): Ardent Redux Saga, #3
    Uncharted Territory: Ardent Redux Saga: Episode 3 (A Space Opera Adventure): Ardent Redux Saga, #3
    Uncharted Territory: Ardent Redux Saga: Episode 3 (A Space Opera Adventure): Ardent Redux Saga, #3
    Ebook141 pages2 hoursArdent Redux Saga

    Uncharted Territory: Ardent Redux Saga: Episode 3 (A Space Opera Adventure): Ardent Redux Saga, #3

    By J. L. Stowers

    ()

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    About this ebook

    If it's not one thing, it's another… or another… or another.

    The hits just keep coming as Captain Dani Devereaux and the rest of Osirion's crew take being lost in space to a whole new level.

    Once again, Dani is faced with a tough decision and little time to weigh her limited options. Doing what she believes is best for her crew is her motto but her choice takes them into an unexplored star system with challenges of its own.

    How will Dani and her crew survive the unknown, and more importantly, how will they get home?

    Find out what dangers await for the crew of Osirion in Uncharted Territory!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSixth Moon Publishing
    Release dateAug 12, 2018
    ISBN9781393042969
    Uncharted Territory: Ardent Redux Saga: Episode 3 (A Space Opera Adventure): Ardent Redux Saga, #3
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      Book preview

      Uncharted Territory - J. L. Stowers

      Uncharted Territory

      Ardent Redux Saga:

      Episode 3

      Uncharted Territory

      Ardent Redux Saga:

      Episode 3

      ––––––––

      By

      J.L. Stowers

      Copyright © 2018 by J. L. Stowers

      All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

      First Edition, 2018

      Editing: Keri Karandrakis

      Cover Art: Tiffany at Dark Matter Book Covers

      Visit the author’s website at www.jlstowers.com

      Dedication

      For my parents: Dennis and Beth.

      Because raising me was a true journey into Uncharted Territory.

      Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      ​Chapter 1

      Captain Dani Devereaux paced back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling display in Osirion’s bridge, stopping to examine the black, gelatinous mass slowly engulfing the Raleigh. How about now?

      Still nothing on the long-range scanners. Cassia Simpkins sighed, tossing herself back in her chair.

      Well, shit. Dani briskly made her way to Cassia’s station, peering over her shoulder. How long ago did you pick up the distress signal?

      It started broadcasting about six hours ago, after we exited the wormhole. It’s not the pre-recorded message we got earlier, just the standard distress signal any Galactic Conglomerate ship can activate after systems failure when communication is not possible.

      That’s activated manually. If someone’s alive over there, shouldn’t we do something? Jag Reinhart was nose-to-nose with the image of the blob on the screen. It looks like it’s eating the ship.

      Zadria Swift piped up from her corner, "That’s not advisable. Protocol dictates we are to wait for our commanding ship to find us. Once Houston is here, I’m sure they’ll know what to do."

      Except it might be too late by then, Dani mumbled as she rejoined Jag at the screen.

      There is a small airlock on the untouched side of the ship, Cassia said as she projected a detailed view through the holographic display.

      Dani squinted at the docking bay. It’d be tricky, even for the cruiser.

      I’m sure I could ease it in there. Zadria gave me a pretty good lesson, Jag said as he winked at her, which caused her to slouch down in her seat further.

      Dani rolled her eyes and redirected her attention to Daemon Cruz. Any idea what it is or where it came from?

      "No luck yet. Still researching," Cruz signed quickly before putting his head down and furiously typing away at his console.

      Howard Glenn returned to the bridge with a tray of beverages and snacks. He carried a small bag of jerky over to Dani. Here, eat this. You need to keep your energy up.

      Thanks, Howard. She accepted his offering and bit into the sweet, salty meat.  What do you make of this whole thing?

      I don’t want it on my ship, I can tell you that much. He nodded to the screen. It’s reaching to grab onto anything it can.

      He was right. The black, churning blob was still pushing itself outward and away from the ship occasionally in an effort to reach Dani and her crew on the Osirion. She had purposefully kept them well out of range while maintaining control over the Raleigh by carefully alternating use of their gravitational beam and their thrusters.

      Dani stared at the screen as she chewed. She wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, whoever sent the distress signal could still be alive. On the other hand, she couldn’t risk contaminating her own ship or crew with whatever that thing was. Going for help was out of the question, too. Osirion’s gravity beam was the only thing keeping the Raleigh from drifting through space. If they tried to go anywhere, then who knew what would happen to the ship and its parasite? Besides, there was the fact that she was supposed to be dead and Osirion wasn’t supposed to exist to complicate things. She sighed.

      You know what we need to do, Jag whispered at her side.

      Dani nodded. She knew he was right. "You want to try your hand at flying Osirion?"

      Jag shot her an angry look. You know that’s not what I meant. I’m not letting you go over there alone.

      Dani stared into his eyes for a moment. His intense gaze let her know he wasn’t kidding around. Jag was serious about protecting her after things went sideways with their first wormhole trip. "Zadria, Howard, are either of you capable of flying Osirion?"

      I spent some time on the simulator just in case a situation like this would arise. Patrick and I agreed it would be beneficial to have a backup. Howard placed his hand on her shoulder as he joined her to look out over the Raleigh.

      I’ve had far more hours in the simulator than Howard, but I’m not comfortable with this, at all. Zadria frowned.

      Dani’s eyes lingered on Zadria’s face as she spoke before turning to Howard. Thanks, Howard. You shouldn’t need to do a whole lot, just keep the ship safe, don’t get to close to that... whatever it is. We’ll be back as soon as we can.

      "Good luck." Cruz gave an encouraging smile.

      Cassia stepped over her therapy cat Carl, who was protesting as he looped around her legs. She hugged Dani and gave a reassuring smile. Be safe and stay on the comms. Let us know what you need.

      Will do. Dani smiled as she looked around the bridge at her crew. She was lucky to have such an incredible team to work with. And, even though Zadria was reluctant, Dani was hopeful that she’d begin to mesh better as she learned more about how they operated.

      You ready? Dani’s eyes met Jag’s once more. He seemed more at ease now that Dani had accepted his company, even though they had no idea what they were heading into.

      Absolutely, he replied without an ounce of fear.

      They collected their comms and silently made their way down to the cruiser’s docking hatch. Once inside, they helped each other suit up.

      Hey. Dani turned to Jag before he put his comm on. Thanks.

      Jag gave his familiar cheeky grin. Oh come on, you knew this is how it was going to go. I’m surprised it took you so long.

      Dani’s smile faded and she bit the inside of her lip. When she worked for the Galactic Conglomerate, she was always the first one in on a rescue mission. In fact, she didn’t usually even give it a second thought. But the destruction of her previous vessel, Alaska’s Vengeance, her time in prison, and her ‘execution’ were taking their toll on her self-confidence. She wanted to make the right choices for everyone, but it was getting harder and harder to know what the right choices were.

      Dani shook her head back and forth, trying to clear the self-doubt from her mind as they grabbed their helmets and slipped into the cruiser.

      The cruiser itself wasn’t very large. The exterior wasn’t made of glowshard, like Osirion, but of standard issue Galactic Conglomerate materials. The theory was that building it out of standard materials would let them pass unnoticed among other similar ships should they need to dock or land anywhere. Inside there were six seats, two captain’s chairs and two small benches along the side that could each hold two additional passengers. Between the benches was a small cargo hatch.

      I see why there wasn’t room for more than two people when you went to pick up the trackers, Dani said as she slipped her comm device over her ear.

      Yeah, it’s a bit cramped for sure. He turned on his comm and took his place at the controls.

      Dani could have flown the cruiser herself; she quickly adapted to a variety of spacecraft. However, she hadn’t done any test runs or simulation time for the craft, and their docking target was quite small. She was also thankful for the company, as she didn’t know what was waiting for them on the other ship.

      Wait. Jag got up from his seat and climbed out of the cruiser, returning after a moment with two energy rifles and hand-held energy pistols.

      Just in case? Dani asked.

      Just in case. Jag smiled and began the disengage protocol to loose them from Osirion. "Osirion, do you read?"

      Loud and clear, Howard’s voice emitted from the speakers on the cruiser and in their comms.

      Disengaging now, Jag said as he lowered the ship away from Osirion’s belly.

      As he slowly approached the Raleigh near the docking bay, Dani’s eyes were locked on the organism that had now spread across three-quarters of the ship.

      I don’t think we’ll have much time in there, Dani said as it bubbled and stretched.

      We’ll keep you updated on how it looks from the outside, Cassia reported over the comm.

      Dani initiated a scan on the ship to try to get an idea for exactly which style of GC ship they were about to board. It was comparable in size to Alaska’s Vengeance, but a sizable portion of the ship was missing while the rest was mostly obscured by the blob.

      No conclusive data and nothing on record about the interior design of the ship. I’m not getting any life signs under any of the exposed area, so if they’re still alive I’m guessing they’re under the obstructed part. Dani analyzed the situation. Cassia, with the way this thing interferes with our scans, our comms may not work in there.

      Understood.

      Also, Dani continued, "If anything weird happens or if that thing comes after Osirion..."

      We know what to do, Cassia replied once more.

      Wait, what are we going to do?

      Don’t worry about it, Z. Dani smirked at the girl’s innocence.

      Docking now, Jag announced as the nose of the cruiser started its way into Raleigh’s docking bay.

      Dani sat quietly, not wanting to disturb Jag’s concentration. There was little room for error at the small airlock. She cringed as the cruiser jolted,

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