CONTENTS
LMBPN Publishing
Dedication
Legal
Characters and Timeline
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Author Notes - Craig Martelle
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Craig Series List
Michael Series List
Social Links
PRICE OF FREEDOM
The Bad Company Book Three
By Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle
A part of
The Kurtherian Gambit Universe
Written and Created
by Michael Anderle
They say behind every great man, is a great woman,
but what if the woman is a Werewolf?
DEDICATION
We can’t write without those who support us
On the home front, we thank you for being there for us
We wouldn’t be able to do this for a living if it weren’t for our readers
We thank you for reading our books
Price of Freedom
Team Includes
James Caplan
Kimberly Boyer
Timothy Bischoff
Peter Manis
Micky Cocker
Paul Westman
Kelly O’Donnell
John Ashmore
Veronica Torres
JIT and Beta Readers - From each of us, our deepest gratitude!
If we missed anyone, please let us know!
PRICE OF FREEDOM (this book) is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
Copyright © 2018 Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle
Cover by Andrew Dobell, www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact info@kurtherianbooks.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109
First US edition, February 2018
Editing by Mia Darien, www.miadarien.com
The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015-2018 by Michael T. Anderle.
CHARACTERS & TIMELINE
World’s Worst Day Ever (WWDE)
WWDE + 20 years, Terry Henry returns from self-imposed exile. The Terry Henry Walton Chronicles detail his adventures from that time to WWDE+150
WWDE + 150 years – Michael returns to Earth. BA returns to Earth. TH & Char go to space
Key Players
Terry Henry Walton (was forty-five on the WWDE)—called TH by his friends. Enhanced with nanocytes by Bethany Anne herself, wears the rank of Colonel, leads the Force de Guerre (FDG), a military unit that he established on WWDE+20
Charumati (was sixty-five on the WWDE)—A Werewolf, married to Terry, carries the rank of Major in the FDG
Kimber (born WWDE+15, adopted approximately WWDE+25 by TH & Char, enhanced on WWDE+65)—Major in the FDG
Her husband Auburn Weathers (enhanced on WWDE+82)—provides logistics support to the FDG
Kaeden (born WWDE+16, adopted approximately WWDE+24 by TH & Char, enhanced on WWDE+65)—Major in the FDG
His wife Marcie Spires (born on WWDE+22, naturally enhanced)—Colonel in the FDG
Cory (born WWDE+25, naturally enhanced, gifted with the power to heal)
Her husband Ramses—Major in the FDG
Vampires
Joseph (born three hundred years before the WWDE)
Petricia (born WWDE+30)
Pricolici (Werewolves that walk upright)
Nathan Lowell (President of the Bad Company and Bethany Anne’s Chief of Intelligence)
Ecaterina (Nathan’s spouse)
Christina (Nathan & Ecaterina’s daughter)
Werewolves
Sue & Timmons (long-term members of Char’s pack)
Shonna & Merrit (long-term members of Char’s pack)
Ted (with Felicity, an enhanced human)
Weretigers born before the WWDE:
Aaron & Yanmei
Humans (enhanced)
Micky San Marino, Captain of the War Axe
Commander Suresha, War Axe Department Head – Engines
Commander MacEachthighearna (Mac), War Axe Department Head—Environmental
Commander Blagun Lagunov, War Axe Department—Structure
Commander Oscar Wirth, War Axe Department Head—Stores
Lieutenant Clodagh Shortall, War Axe engine technician
Sergeant Fitzroy, a martial arts expert and platoon sergeant
Kelly, Capples, Fleeter, Praeter, & Duncan—mech drivers
Other Key Characters
Dokken (a sentient German Shepherd)
The Good King Wenceslaus (an orange tabby who thinks he’s a weretiger, all fifteen pounds of him)
K'thrall—a Yollin who works on the bridge of the War Axe
Clifton—human pilot of the War Axe
Bundin—a four-legged shell-backed stalk-headed blue alien from Poddern
Ankh’Po’Turn—a small bald humanoid from Crenellia
General Smedley Butler – EI/AI on the War Axe, who they call the general
Plato – Ted’s AI from R&D
Dionysus – the AI tasked to assist with running Keeg Station
CHAPTER ONE
Keeg Station
“We need more intel, Nathan,” Terry Henry Walton told the image on the monitor.
“Life or death struggle, the security of the universe, the Queen needs it? How many different ways do I have to say that this one is non-negotiable?”
“We’re two for two in shitstorms, and I’d like to break that streak. We want on-the-ground intelligence so we can get inside their heads before they get into ours.” Terry ran a hand through his hair—which was getting long—and shook his head, imagining a lion’s mane. He turned his attention back to the screen. “Once we’re in orbit, we’ll collect intel and plan our attack before we get thrown into the middle of someone else’s mess.”
“It’s no one’s mess, TH.” Nathan waved at the colonel to calm him.
“The Benitons didn’t cause this by messing around with a miniaturized Etheric power source?” Terry looked down his nose at Nathan.
“That hasn’t been confirmed.” Nathan leaned forward, his face filling Terry’s screen.
“Nice passive voice, Nathan. Like I said, we’ll go in before the month’s out and clean up someone else’s mess, but we’re not going to race to our own demise. I am amazed we didn’t get anyone kill
ed out here. I know how to fight a battle—hell, a whole war—but I feel like I don’t know jack shit now that we’re in space. Micro-sized explosives, tanks that cover a city block, unmanned wars. Son of a bitch, Nathan!” Terry’s gaze swept the room, as if someone might have snuck into his and Char’s quarters when he wasn’t looking, then with his hand over his mouth, he said, “I might be in over my head.”
“Nonsense! No one else would have had a chance on those last two missions. You made chicken salad, my friend, and you’ll do the same thing in this next engagement. These creatures need to go back to where they came from. We don’t want them in our universe. We need to keep them from establishing a foothold on Benitus Seven.”
“They already have a foothold, so now we have to drive a determined enemy from a battlefield of their choosing.” Terry gritted his teeth. “MORE INTEL!”
“I expect you’ll choose the battlefield. Even if you don’t think you are, you are. They won’t know what hit them. If there’s nothing else, Nathan Lowell, signing off.” The screen went dark before Terry could reply.
He sat down on the bed with little intention of leaving his quarters on Keeg Station. After their arrival, Ted had made a beeline for Felicity and Terry had run for his life. He had not left his quarters since.
That had been two days ago.
He thought about taking another shower, but decided against it. He hadn’t worked out since they’d been here. He hung his head between his knees. TH did not want to leave his quarters, but he had to. Everything he wanted to do was out there, beyond the door.
“This is crazy! It’s only Felicity.” He stood up and marched to the door, but stopped short. “Only. Felicity.”
He looked at the door, chuckling at his conundrum. Neither he nor the door moved. “Ted might have a point. Damn. She’s going to tear me a new asshole. Come on, one foot in front of the other. Go take your medicine.”
But I don’t have to take it alone, Terry thought. He accessed his comm chip. My lover, are you there?
Are you? Charumati replied.
Ouch!
Come out to the promenade. Felicity is waiting, and she’s got Ted by the ear. I’ll make it worth your while, Char crooned.
Terry wasn’t sure, but thought he heard purring. Is Dokken with you?
Of course. We’re all here, waiting on you. Come on, TH. We have stuff to do. It’s only Felicity.
I tried that argument already, and it didn’t work. But all right. I’m coming.
Terry took a deep breath and tapped the access panel, and the door opened. He stuck his head out and looked both ways down the residential corridor as if expecting an ambush, but no one was there so he stepped out, then strode briskly toward the lift to take him to the deck with the shops. He wondered what treasures his family had acquired this trip…and he wondered how angry Felicity was.
Maybe she could channel her angst against the red devils on Benitus Seven. He was still chuckling when the lift’s door opened.
Felicity’s sour expression instantly turned hostile. “What’s so funny?” she demanded. Terry’s family and the pack were arrayed around her as if watching a prizefight. He gave them all the stink-eye before turning to Felicity and delivering his most winning smile.
“You look magnificent!” TH told her, but he couldn’t help himself. “You don’t look a day over a hundred.”
“WHAT?” she howled.
“I don’t understand,” Ted said softly. “You are well over a hundred years old.”
She turned on him. “You shut up.” She stabbed a finger repeatedly in his direction. He looked at it clinically, but didn’t say anything further. She swiveled her head casually and locked her eyes on the colonel.
He pursed his lips and looked anywhere but at Felicity. Someone behind her snorted. Felicity held two fingers over her shoulder, pointer pressed against thumb. Zip it.
Terry looked for support, but the response from the peanut gallery was less than overwhelming. At least twenty of his family and friends were in view. “Come on,” Terry pleaded. “Not a single one of you?”
Headshakes or blank looks.
“That should tell you all you need to know, Terry Henry Walton.” Felicity continued to glare.
“No one will take a bullet for me. Check.”
Felicity’s lip twitched.
“By all that’s holy and the nine levels of Hell…”
“It’s nine circles of Hell,” Terry interjected.
“All the levels of Hell!” Felicity continued, face as red as if it were on fire. “You almost got my husband killed!”
Terry opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He couldn’t argue with her—not about that—because he thought she was right.
Her lower lip started to tremble.
“No… Don’t.”
The tears started to flow, followed by sobbing. Ted looked as uncomfortable as Terry Henry felt. TH pulled her into a hug but she resisted, pounding on his chest with both hands.
Ted started to move away, but Char grabbed his arm and held on. He pulled weakly, but she held him in place.
Felicity gave in and let Terry embrace her. His eyes glistened, and he blinked rapidly.
After Felicity pushed herself away, she shook one finger at TH in warning. “Don’t you ever do that again! You are responsible for him, so you keep him safe.” She wrapped her arm around Ted’s and ushered him away.
Char hurried to Terry and put her arms around his neck. “You can handle getting shot at—even getting shot—but you break down into a blubbering mess whenever there’s a crying woman?”
“And needles, but thank the fucking stars for the apocalypse! We don’t have any more of those.”
A nearby mother covered her toddler’s ears and glared at Terry Henry. He wondered for only a moment.
“Oh, shit! I’m sorry, ma’am.” The woman picked her son up and hurried off. “That’s it. This is a family station, so I’m going to swear off swearing!”
Terry’s voice carried. Kim and Kae looked at each other and started to laugh, then pointed at their dad and laughed even harder. Dokken appeared, wagging his tail, and looked up at Terry.
That was the funniest shit I’ve seen all day, the dog told him.
“Is it that unbelievable that I could go without swearing?” Terry held his hands out to the assembled group. The werewolves shook their heads, and Cordelia approached and slapped her father on his shoulder.
“The word you’re looking for is ‘inconceivable.’ Ramses is taking bets over there on how long you’ll last.”
Terry looked over Cory’s shoulder at her husband, who was making annotations in a small notebook.
“I’ll be damned,” TH said.
“See? You can’t help yourself.” Cory called, “Time!” and Ramses threw his hands up in frustration.
“Come on, TH! No one thought you’d lose it this soon. Do over,” he declared, and started writing again.
“It is a tall mountain you’ve set out to climb, but I’m here for you,” Char said, her purple eyes twinkling under the artificial lights of the shopping level.
“I could ask for no better support for my journey to clean living.”
“For shame, Terry Henry,” Christina said as she walked by with the werewolves.
“Bullshit,” Timmons murmured from the back of the pack.
Terry resisted the urge to give him the finger.
“Yes, that counts,” Char declared.
Terry curled his lip. Sometimes his wife read his mind. He was convinced she was a telepath, but in all the time they’d been together she’d never admitted it. “How about dinner? Just us. I don’t want to look at any of these turncoats!”
“They are not turncoats.” Char waved the others away with a smile and the group broke up, each couple heading in a different direction. Only Ankh’Po’Turn and Bundin remained. Terry hadn’t noticed them before.
Ankh looked at Terry and
Char for a few moments before heading toward the lift.
“Going to the lab, buddy?” Terry asked. The Crenellian waved over his shoulder. “What about you, Bundin? Where are Joseph and Petricia?”
“They were supposed to meet me here. They will be disappointed that they missed the show,” the Podder replied.
Terry clamped his mouth shut and closed his eyes.
Joseph, are you on your way to the promenade? Char asked over her comm chip.
“Just arriving now. No! Don’t tell me we missed it?” Joseph replied, looking at Petricia for sympathy.
“It was epic,” Char told them. “TH has sworn off swearing, too.”
“No kidding? Good for you, Terry Henry Walton. I always thought you were far too educated for such language. Gentlemen simply do not speak that way,” Joseph said, his natural British accent adding emphasis.
Terry’s hand quivered. It wanted once again to dial up a middle finger, but he held it down.
“We’re going for dinner, and you can’t come,” he said, raising his head.
“Don’t be Dickensian,” came Joseph’s retort. “We were on our way to the Seppukarian place. They say it twists one’s stomach so much it feels like you’re committing seppuku.”
Terry looked closely into Joseph’s eyes. “I think he’s serious.”
Char nodded in agreement.
“Come on, Bundin, tell us all about this epic throw-down we missed…” Joseph, Petricia, and Bundin ambled away.
Somewhere Deep in the Etheric Federation
Nathan stood up from his desk, pumping his fist in triumph. “R2D2 does it again!”
He pointed to the computer screen, where a three-dimensional image of a Pepsi container rotated. The image morphed to Coke before his eyes.
The next shipment was on its way through the core of the Federation, hidden in plain sight.