What were the chances that she was about to be given a hero’s welcome instead?
“That’s one scenario,” she finally replied quietly. “But I knew that when I ordered the attack on Ao–Shun. Court Martial was almost a given.” She took a breath. “This feels bigger. We might have actually succeeded in our original mission.”
“Well, Command Centurion Keller,” he said, “if this is the end, it has been my pleasure to serve with you.”
He smiled and stuck out a hand.
She took it fiercely. “There’s no way I’m not going down fighting, Denis.”
He nodded. “That’s what I’m counting on.”
A sound interrupted her.
The great bolts holding the hatch were finally retracting. It was a slow, noisy event, designed to make sure everyone in hearing range knew it was happening.
Jessica looked back over her shoulder. Normally, senior officers would be lined up behind her to debark, but today, pride of place had been reserved for Moirrey Kermode. Nina Vanek and Marcelle Travere flanked her, with the entire Flight Wing, in proper uniforms for once, lined up behind that. The rest of her officers were in back.
It looked wrong, but felt so very right.
The big door opened by swinging out into the drydock bay.
Jessica could see Senatorial Gendarme in full uniform lining both sides of the walkway. It did not look pleasant.
Still, she was an officer in the Republic of Aquitaine Navy. These people could not intimidate her.
She still knew her duty.
As Jessica stepped across the threshold, she spotted a small cluster of officials where she would normally have expected to find the Supply Yeoman.
First Lord Nils Kasum stood at the center of the group.
The man beside her was one she knew from pictures, but never expected to meet. Why would the Premier of the Republic Senate be standing there?
Beyond them, held back by the Senatorial Gendarme, a large group of people had gathered. They were mostly fleet–types in uniform, but there was also a large ratio of civilians for such a gathering.
Stranger and stranger.
As Jessica stepped into view, the crowd erupted in cheers.
She stood there, in absolute shock, as the First Lord and the Premier stepped forward.
Nils Kasum smiled down at her. The noise was so intense she couldn’t hear anything, so she had to read his lips instead.
“Welcome home, Jessica.”
Auberon Cast List
Auberon
Name
Rank
Position
Jessica Marie Keller
Command Centurion
Commander
Marcelle Augustine Travere
Yeoman
Jessica’s Personal Aide
Denis August Jež
Senior Centurion
First Officer
Enej Zivkovic
Centurion
Flag Centurion
Tamara Strnad
Senior Centurion
Tactical Officer
Tobias Brewster
Centurion
Gunner/Emergency Tactical
Aleksander Afolayan
Centurion
Gunner
Nina Vanek
Centurion
Defenses
Nada Zupan
Centurion
Pilot
Vilis Ozolinsh
Senior Centurion
Chief Engineer
(Phillip) Navin Crncevic
Senior Centurion
Dragoon
Dr. Zephan Samara
Senior Centurion
Surgeon
Daniel Giroux
Centurion
Science Officer
Moirrey Kermode
Yeoman
Evil Engineering Gnome
Nicolai Aoiki
Senior Chef
Chief Chef of the Wardroom
Naoki Ungaretti
Yeoman
Diplomatic Courier
Command Centurion
Former commander, Auberon
Others
Name
Rank
Position
Alber’ d’Maine
Command Centurion
Commander, Rajput
Tomas Kigali
Command Centurion
Commander, CR–264
Pilots
Name
Rank
Position
Iskra Vlahovic
Senior Centurion
Flight Deck Commander
Jouster / Milos Pavlovich
Senior Flight Centurion
Flight Commander
Uller / Friedhelm Hannes Förstner
Flight Centurion
Jouster’s Wingmate
Vienna / Avril Bouchard
Flight Centurion
Jouster’s Wingmate
Southbound / Marta Eka
Senior Flight Centurion
Wing Commander
Ironside / Gustav Papp
Flight Centurion
Southbound’s Wingmate
Bitter Kitten / Darya Lagunov
Flight Centurion
Southbound’s Wingmate
da Vinci / Ainsley Barret
Senior Flight Centurion
Scout Pilot
Gaucho / Hollis Dyson
Flight Centurion
Commander, Cayenne
Anastazja Slusarczyk
Senior Flight Centurion
Commander, Necromancer
Republic Officials
Name
Position
Nils Kasum
First Lord of the Fleet
Kamil Miloslav
Personal Aide to First Lord Kasum
Bogdan Loncar
First Fleet Lord
Bogusław Tesar
Fleet Lord, retired
Tadej Marko Horvat
Premier, Republic Senate
Andjela Tomčič
Senator, Republic Senate
Brant
Aide to the Chairman
Milon Postovich
Sergeant At Arms, Republic Senate
Johnathon
Doorman, Loncar’s Club
Matthias
Concierge, Loncar’s Club
Samantha
Waitress, Loncar’s Club
Imperial Officials
Name
Position
Dr. Yuda Alyona
His Sovereign Imperial Majesty Karl VII of the House of Wiegand
Emperor, Fribourg Empire
Prince Klaus Wiegand, Grand Duke
Younger Brother of Karl
Emmerich Wachturm
Admiral of the Red. Hereditary Duke of Eklionstic. Commander, Amsel
Hans Huff
Grand Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations
Kunibert Marquering
Admiral of the Blue
Sigmund Dittmar
Captain, Imperial Naval Staff
Reinner Rapp
Captain, Imperial Naval Staff
Artur Marquering
Admiral of the White
Gunther Wachturm
Captain, Imperial Naval Staff
Hendrik Baumgärtner
Flag Captain, Aide to Admiral Wachturm
Henrietta (Heike) Wachturm
Daughter of Emmerich Wachturm
Tomas
Day Flight Control, 2218 Svati Prime
Evgeny
Swing Flight Control, 2218 Svati Prime
Also read Queen of the Pirates, volume two of the Jessica Keller chronicles.
If Jessica Keller wants to advance in the Republic of Aquitaine’s Navy, she must become more than just Aquitaine’s best fighting commander: she must learn diplomacy.
The First Lord sends her to a safe backwater ally, Lincolnshire, to le
arn.
However, Jessica finds herself neck deep in an Imperial conspiracy to over throw the King of the Pirates and ignite the entire border.
Jessica and Auberon must go to the very edge of the galaxy and far beyond mere diplomacy to stop them.
Available at your favorite retailers.
Read about Henri Baudin, one of the founding fathers of The Republic of Aquitaine in The Story Road.
Henri sets out across space to find the perfect wood for his violins. However, star travel takes time, as humanity still digs itself out of the Great Darkness.
On his quest, he gets help both from his shipmates and his muse, the unreachable lady of his dreams. Until his visions lead him to Suvi, the last genie in the last bottle, and they forever alter the course of human civilization.
Available at your favorite retailers.
About the Author
Blaze Ward writes science fiction in the Alexandria Station universe as well as The Collective. He also write fantasy stories with several characters and series, from an alternate Rome to epic high fantasy in the desert. You can find out more at his website www.blazeward.com, as well as Facebook, Goodreads, and other places.
Blaze’s works are available as ebooks, paper, and audio, and can be found at a variety of online vendors (Kobo, Amazon, and others). His newsletter comes out quarterly, and you can also follow his blog on his website. He really enjoys interacting with fans, and looks forward to any and all questions—even ones about his books!
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About Knotted Road Press
Knotted Road Press fiction specializes in dynamic writing set in mysterious, exotic locations.
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Table of Contents
Overture: St. Legier
Overture: Iger system
Overture: St. Legier
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XIX
Chapter XX
Chapter XXI
Chapter XXII
Chapter XXIII
Chapter XXIV
Chapter XXV
Chapter XXVI
Chapter XXVII
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter XXIX
Chapter XXX
Chapter XXXI
Chapter XXXII
Chapter XXXIII
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter XXXV
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter XXXVII
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter XXXIX
Epilogue: Ladaux
Auberon Cast List
About the Author
About Knotted Road Press
Table of Contents
Overture: St. Legier
Overture: Iger system
Overture: St. Legier
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XIX
Chapter XX
Chapter XXI
Chapter XXII
Chapter XXIII
Chapter XXIV
Chapter XXV
Chapter XXVI
Chapter XXVII
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter XXIX
Chapter XXX
Chapter XXXI
Chapter XXXII
Chapter XXXIII
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter XXXV
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter XXXVII
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter XXXIX
Epilogue: Ladaux
Auberon Cast List
About the Author
About Knotted Road Press