Alpha Class: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Etheric Academy Book 1) Read online
CONTENTS
Dedication
Legal
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
Author Notes - TS Paul
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Chef Norman's Key Lime Pie
Series List
Social Links
DEDICATION
From Michael
To Family, Friends and
Those Who Love
To Read.
May We All Enjoy Grace
To Live The Life We Are
Called.
From Scott Paul
To my wife, Heather Paul
Alpha Class - The Etheric Academy Book 02
Team Includes
Beta Readers
Dorene Johnson (US Navy (Ret) & DD)
Diane Velasquez (Chinchilla Lady & DD)
Development Editors
Dorene Johnson (US Navy (Ret) & DD)
Diane Velasquez (Chinchilla Lady & DD)
Editors
Kat Lind
Candy Crum
JIT Beta Readers - From both of us, our deepest gratitude!
Micky Cocker
John Raison
Alex Wilson
Trista Collins
Keith Verret
Ginger Sparkman
Lee Durrnace
If I missed anyone, please let us know!
Alpha Class Book 2 (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 © 2017 TS Paul and Michael T. Anderle
Cover by Jeff Brown www.jeffbrowngraphics.com
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 [email protected]. 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, 2017
The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2017 by Michael T. Anderle.
CHAPTER ONE
The boy was running!
Small creatures scurried out of his way scenting danger. He had no idea why those that chased him were after him, he only knew he had to flee. He ate when he had to, and slept if possible, but running was all he knew.
Why hunt me?
The forest gave way to rocky ground causing him to stumble and fall, clawing at the earth as he went down. The boy lay on the ground panting. He paused for just a moment to listen to the sounds of the forest and his surroundings. A faint breeze wafted across the clearing and he took a deep breath. His conscious mind screamed in terror as he scented his pursuers yet again.
“Which way did it go?” The heavily armed man stopped running and scanned the tree line around him.
The second man, gasping for breath, reared back so he wouldn’t get sick. “Not sure.”
Scowling, the first man gave his companion a hard push knocking him to the ground. “What good are you then? I need to catch this thing!”
“Why? Our orders were to secure the technology and eliminate the subjects. This thing can’t possibly have any of what we seek.” The man on the ground sat up and stared at his companion.
“I hunt what I want. This thing has eluded me for far too long. If I catch it, you can have the head. Your masters will be satisfied.” The hunter scanned the ground for signs of his prey. Its usual wild uncaring trail now was hidden by the rocky ground. Smiling to himself Chang nodded his head.
Challenges were good.
“Why are you smiling? Do you see the trail?” Jìshù looked around, scanning for movement.
“No trail. Just a challenge. I like challenges.”
Jìshù pulled his pack off his back and dug through it. “Do you even know where we are? It’s been two days since we left Dunhuang. Did we cross the border into Mongolia already?” He pulled out a GPS unit and began to fiddle with it.
Chang looked at his adviser with disgust. He would have caught the beast already without this man’s interference.
The small electronic instrument made a beeping noise. Jìshù stared at the numbers not recognizing any of them. He grabbed his hard-copy map book and started tracing the numbers. “Chang! Do you realize where we are?”
Chang smiled down at the scientist they’d saddled him with. “Yes.”
“We are already across the border! Our orders were very specific. Do not cross into Mongolia. Now according to this, we are there. China is that way.” He pointed to the South.
“Quit your bellyaching. We both know this section is patrolled and that your masters laid claim to it years ago. National borders are fiction, isn’t that what that little red book of yours teaches?” Chang pulled out his hunting knife. He made long sharpening motions with a tool from his pocket.
Jìshù’s eyes followed each stroke of the knife. It made a short screeching noise as each stroke was finished. Like nails on a chalkboard, it chilled him to the bone. The realization that he was alone in the middle of nowhere with this man was starting to be frightening.
Beijing would never even ask if it were reported he died. His hand clutched the satellite phone but didn’t remove it from the pack. He would wait a short while to call. Jìshù looked down at the small electronic device in his hand. “Chang, what if we capture the creature alive? There is an army outpost at Loulan we could take it to.”
“Loulan?” Chang looked at the rock-covered hills around them. Sparse greenery and short, parched trees littered the landscape. “This is paradise compared to Loulan. It’s in the middle of a desert!”
“But the map says…” Jìshù stopped talking at the look he received from Chang.
“Maps don’t tell the entire story. The detachment at Loulan is mostly security used to watch the tourists. I doubt the Intelligence unit even knows what year it is there. Westerners only care about broken rocks and ruined cities in Loulan. This thing is heading North. No need to involve outsiders in our hunt. Finish your rest. We have a beast to track.”
Jìshù put his GPS away and stood. Chang was checking his gun and preparing to move out. Surreptitiously he palmed his phone. His work was too important to waste on a pointless hunt. The beast they sought was alone and couldn’t possibly be carrying anything of value.
There would be a chance to call.
Bai Hu, for that was the boy’s name, watched as his pursuers went off in another direction. The tree he lay in barely bent with his slight weight. Maybe he could rest for a moment. He was so very tired. His eyes closed thinking of his parents and home. The times he could barely remember now.
&
nbsp; “Bai Hu, come.” His mother? A large woman and man grabbed him by his hand and yanked him from the house. His entire world was in that dwelling. No playmates were allowed, that were not clan, according to his parents.
He gazed in wonder at the town he had never seen as they hurried him along the sidewalks. Soldiers were coming!
“Why mama, why?” Bai Hu cried to his mother as she stuffed him into a large truck he had only seen pictures of before. She didn’t answer as he crawled through the small hole and found himself surrounded by others of the clan.
Shhhh, they all whispered at him.
He tried to ask and speak, but a cousin he could barely remember put a hand over his mouth. Looking up he could see the gleaming eyes of his family. Many of them had produced claws and sharp teeth to counter a threat he couldn’t see. Suddenly they all relaxed as the truck jerked and swayed.
“Good boy, Bai Hu, good boy.” A large hand tousled his hair.
“Mama, where’s mama?” Bai Hu whimpered.
“You must be quiet. She and your father are driving the truck. All must look normal. Soldiers are hunting us.” The speaker was an Auntie that watched him occasionally.
“But why?” Bai Hu didn’t understand at all.
“They think we have something. Something that will make them powerful. We cannot live among them anymore. Settle down and stay quiet. We have a great distance to travel.” She pushed him down and threw a blanket over him.
Bai Hu listened to the adults as he drifted off to sleep they talked of many things he didn’t understand. What was an Empress? And what did TQB stand for?
~~~~~~~
Boom!
The boy’s eyes jerked open in surprise as he almost fell off the tree branch.
Boom!
His head came up as he scanned in all directions. The sun had been overhead when he lay down, and now it was setting. Birds rose in panic from the tree line behind him. Bai Hu slipped from the branch and scampered across the rocks. He barely knew his directions but North had saved him before, and North was where he was going.
“Did you get it?” Jìshù looked at his companion. He understood the need for guns, especially with what they hunted. But the scientist in him didn’t like them.
“If you aren’t going to kill it, why shoot? Of course, I got it. No more nasty food bars tonight.” Chang slung his rifle over his shoulder. “Let’s get dinner started.”
Jìshù looked at the huge white and speckled bird on the ground. He recognized the species but was unaware that it was found this far North. “Did you have to kill it?”
Chang knelt on the ground with his skinning knife in his hand. He stared up at the wimpy scientist and thought, not the first time, of killing him. “A moment ago you wondered if I killed it. Now you ask why? We need food, and this is it.”
“Of that I am aware, but this is, was, a Dà b. It’s rare in our country. Endangered even. You shouldn’t have killed it.”
Shaking his head, Chang began cleaning the very large bird. He had eaten this sort before, and it tasted much like the chicken this city dweller must eat daily. “If you don’t like it, you may eat the food bars again. I want fresh food.”
Jìshù watched as his companion butchered what the Westerners called a Great Bustard and felt his stomach rumble. He would eat the meat, but try not to enjoy it.
~~~~~~
The cooking fire was obviously a great distance away, but Bai Hu didn’t care. He needed to increase the distance. Those that hunted him were relentless.
CHAPTER TWO
“How’s the hand?” Ron stood in line in the cafeteria. Hearing the question, he turned to see Craig from Bravo class standing behind him.
Craig held up his hand and turned it. Chef Norman smiled and shook his head. “That is an incredible ability to have. Did you get into a lot of trouble because of it?”
Craig frowned. “The Queen yelled at me personally. When her eyes go all red like that you do get a new perspective on life. I got it into my head that I was special. She corrected that notion. I now understand the reason we do the things we do. We are the future of this place. But we still have to earn it.”
“Good to know. Our Queen is a wonder that must be respected.” The Chef smiled again. “Pizza?”
“Yes, please.” Craig took several plates from the chef.
Ron turned back to the line. There had been rumors about Craig and his hand. Good to know he actually learned his lesson. ‘Stupid is as stupid does,’ was something his mother always said. He never really understood what it meant before. Not really paying attention Ron took the dishes that were offered to him and carried them back to what was becoming team Alphas’ table.
“Ugh, how can you eat that, Ron?” Yana point to his tray as Ron sat down.
“Huh? What?”
“That! Liver and onions, pickled beets, tuna casserole, and Key Lime pie? That would make even one of them sick.” Yana pointed to Maxim and Nestor who were stuffing hot dogs into their mouths.
“Mmmmph dwiid voo tak too meup?” Maxim looked up at his name and struggled to swallow the very large mouthful. Nestor laughed as his cousin nearly choked. “Did you say something to me Yana?”
Yana laughed at the expression on his face. “Yes, you big oaf. Would you eat all this?” She pointed at Ron’s tray.
Nestor leaned over the table and gave it a big sniff and instantly recoiled. “Tuna and liver? Ugh. It’s your stomach, man.”
“I wasn’t paying attention. The pie doesn’t look too bad…” Ron trailed off as he actually looked at what he’d chosen to eat. “I guess I can get more food. Chef Van won’t care. What do I do with this? Are you sure you don’t want it?”
The two Wechselbalg boys pulled back away from the table.
“Not us. Dump it.” Maxim pointed at the trash receptacle. All waste on the asteroid base was recycled. All uneaten food was sent to the recyclers to be composted.
“What is it you’re dumping?” The new voice caused all at the table to look up. A large, young looking man, stood behind Ron looking down at all of them. Their classmate Tina stood next to him, blushing slightly.
Tina introduced Peter. “Guys, this is Peter. He’s one of the Queen’s Bitchs and the leader of the Queen’s Guardians.”
Maxim and Nestor immediately bowed their heads in submission to the Guardian leader. Peter only smiled.
“No need for that yet, boys. Soon, though. Tina here was telling me the true story about your little adventure down on the moon. She claims you have some good moves.” Peter said to the young Wolves.
“Uh,” Nestor glanced at Tina with wide eyes. “Aren’t we not supposed to talk about that?”
Peter replied. “It’s an open secret around here. The Queen’s ‘conversation’ with Bobcat and his merry men was heard over half the station. She can be quite loud sometimes. What is secret is what you found down there. My advice is to keep your lips zipped about that. We can talk more about it later. One of my jobs this term is to drain all of you dry of any details that you remember about that base. You would be surprised what even the smallest detail might yield. So start remembering. Use your tablets to jot down notes if need be.”
Ron immediately pulled out his and began typing.
“One of your jobs? Why else are you here?” Yana looked at the very muscular man. Her eyes narrowed as she digested what he had already stated.
Peter stared at the young Russian girl. After a few seconds, he nodded. “I can see why the Queen thinks the lot of you have potential. Your next assignment is with Jeo and the orbital construction division. The last term, while you five were blowing up the moon.” He paused and held up his hand when Ron started to say something.
“Just write.” He pointed Ron back to his tablet. “As I was saying. While you were running loose on the moon. Delta class was neck deep in lessons about orbital construction and engineering basics. They too did a small bit of traveling. Delta went from France to Dubai to Panama during their lessons. Getting
them there and to several other places took coordination and planning. Team BMW has loaned me the two prototype 5 person pods to use this term.”
All five members of Alpha Class stared at Pete in confusion. Why would he need the pods?
Peter chuckled. “I’m tagging along for this class. There will be times when I leave to take care of Pack issues or those related to the Guardians. You five are my primary assignment this term.”
“What did we do to deserve you?” Maxim blurted out what he and the others were all thinking.
Peter just arched an eyebrow at him and cocked his head to one side.
“Oh, right. The moon thing.” Maxim said then blushed.