Dragon's Run Read online

  Hunted and desperate, they must team up to survive. Together Mason and Sadie can save the world. Apart, both are lost. They must trust each other or die.

  Megacorps. Cyborgs. AI. Gene-spliced monsters. Syndicate enforcers. Off-grid illegals. Supersoldiers. Rock music. Violence. Einstein-Rosen bridges. Liquor. Enhanced reflexes. Power armor and energy weapons. Full body replacements. Swearing. Mind control. Telekenetics. G-Men. Drugs. Neural links. Orbital cannons. THIS IS CYBERPUNK.

  Book 1: https://www.books2read.com/ChromedUpgrade

  Book 2: https://www.books2read.com/ChromedRogue

  Book 3: https://www.books2read.com/ChromedRestore

  City Stories 1: https://www.books2read.com/ChromedConsensus

  City Stories 2: https://www.books2read.com/ChromedDelilah

  City Stories 3: https://www.books2read.com/ChromedMeltdown

  Night’s Champion

  Could just one night change your life forever?

  Valentine Everard and Danielle Kendrick have the Night’s Favor: they are werewolves. There are many who would steal the Night’s dark gift from them. The Night’s Champions must face down the corporate interests of Big Pharma, battle with masters of dark Vodou, and make their last stand against both vampires and the Riders of the Apocalypse. Armies fall. Zombies roam the street, and no one is safe. The world is close to its final Judgment. What can a handful of souls do against the powers of the heavens?

  Book 1: https://www.books2read.com/NightsFavor

  Book 2: https://www.books2read.com/NightsFall

  Book 3: https://www.books2read.com/NightsEnd

  Glossary

  Acceleration Couch Crew couches support crew members during high-G maneuvers. They are fitted with gimbals allowing free movement. Their dynamic gel system supports all points of the body in both positive and negative G, providing some protection against grayout, blackout, redout, and G-LOC (G-force induced Loss of Consciousness). They remove the need for G-suits in modern spacecraft, although many space suits are still equipped with anti-G technology anyway.

  Artificial Gravity Artificial gravity is generated through use of a configurable energy density field of positive mass at the defined base of the ship. It uses the same technology as an Endless Drive, except in reverse (Endless Drives use negative energy, whereas positive is needed to simulate gravitational effects). Artificial gravity can be used in any situation where a significant power source exists to create a configurable energy density field (typically a reactor, although large yield capacitors and fuel cells have been known to work for brief periods).

  Blaster A weapon that fires streams or bolts of plasma (high energy ionized gas). They deliver high energy to targets in the form of heat. They are effective weapons against most targets, although heat-shielding (ablative or insulating) has been shown to be an effective armor against them.

  Bridge see Guild Bridge.

  Cargo Freighter (also, Merchantliner) A large cargo starship used by traders in and between systems.

  Carrier The largest class of warship, carriers stock many smaller fighter craft for deployment.

  Ceramicrete A composite construction material commonly used in the manufacture of structures. It is very strong and durable, and can be manufactured to be impact and heat resistant (even to weapons fire levels).

  Console Any type of personal terminal. Keyboard and gesture controls are still prevalent. Keyboards are especially useful on consoles mounted to the arm of a ship suit.

  Corvette A smaller, lighter attack craft than a destroyer, corvettes are mostly used for coast guard duties in-system.

  Crust Spacer slang for planet.

  Crustbuster A large payload thermonuclear weapon, deployed against planets to disrupt the surface crust. Typical designs yield energy sufficient to crack most Earth-sized worlds to the core, yielding wide scale destruction and loss of life. Their use in war or insurrection has typically been infrequent and as a last resort, because the world they are used on becomes inhabitable for most forms of life forever. More common uses include destruction of enormous asteroids.

  Destroyer A large warship. These are reconfigurable bastions of destruction. They can be deployed solo or as a part of a fleet, often alongside carriers.

  Empire The ruling dictatorship of the wider human civilization.

  Endless Drive The Endless Drive creates negative space energy (a “bow wave”) to pull a vehicle at effective superluminal speeds. Endless ships don’t exceed the speed of light, but rather contract space in front of them and expand space behind it (space is doing all the hard work). The exigent concern with Endless jumps is the violation of linear time. Endless Drives are equipped with buffers to stop crews exceeding human tolerance for the experience of linear time; while human perception of linear time may be an illusion, it is a convenient one. If the buffers break, allowing the ship to move too fast, then human consciousness falters (resulting in mild to severe mental illness) or is extinguished entirely. Endless Drives are difficult to use near gravity wells and in such circumstances are guaranteed to malfunction. This and other safety concerns has shifted common FTL to the Guild Bridges, although privateers still often run free traders with Endless technology. The Empire Navy also use Endless Drives as it is often inconvenient to disclose locations of sensitive operations to the Guild.

  Esper Slang for those considered abhorrent creations of the Empire. Esper is a term taken from Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP, hence ESPer). Espers can read minds, and often control them. Espers were created through genetic manipulation.

  Fab see Fabricator.

  Fabricator Similar in concept but not scale to our 3D printers, fabricators (or ‘fabs,’ for short) are capable of printing components out complex materials. Part forge, high quality fabs can manufacture materials to high levels of precision. They are the preferred method of component construction. Military vessels of sufficient size often carry fabs for repair and outright construction of everything from hull metal to dropships. The Guild has the best fabricators available, high precision devices some say can print to the demanding levels required by AI mind crystal.

  Faster than Light Travel (FTL) There are two discovered forms of FTL; Endless Drives (using theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre’s concepts), and Guild Bridges (Einstein-Rosen Bridges).

  Fergelic, Dominic Dominic is Emperor in Waiting, son of Emperor Prirene III.

  Free Trader A starship that operates under legal Guild charter for commerce or transport.

  FTL see Faster than Light Travel.

  G Slang for gravity or gravities. A unit of measurement based on Earth’s 1 standard gravity.

  Grav see Artificial Gravity.

  Guild Bridge The Guild maintain a set of Einstein-Rosen bridges throughout human space. These allow instantaneous travel without violating the concept of space time, as they create wormholes through space. Einstein-Rosen Bridges require endpoints (the Guild Bridge) which are operated on a strict schedule between star systems. They are used for transferring everything from whole starships right down to small messenger probes.

  Guild The Guild is the dominant technology provider in the Empire. They have a rigid code of conduct that governs all members awarded and maintaining a Shingle. The primary source of Guild revenue is via the Bridges (see: Guild Bridge) they maintain for safe, instant FTL. Many merchant vessels prefer the use of Guild Bridges over the use of Endless Drives due to safety concerns. The Guild is best known for their Engineers who breathe life into starships, but they also provide Shingles for other practices such as medicine.

  Hard Black Slang for outer space, especially as it relates to the vast expanse of vacuum between solar systems.

  Heads Up Display Any display type that overlays instrumentation across a user’s field of view, removing the need to check auxiliary readouts. The most common types utilize augmented reality to highlight items of interest in the user’s field of view. Normally they are projected light onto visors within helmets or on starship windscreens, but holo designs are
not uncommon.

  Heavy Lifter A freight starship capable of atmospheric drops. They derive their name from “lifting heavy” loads from crusts into orbit. They can be used to ferry items to orbiting craft such as freighters or destroyers that are not atmosphere-capable. They can also be used for direct runs to other systems, although their small cargo bay (as compared to freighters) makes them less efficient. Captains using them for this purpose would prefer the term, “boutique.”

  Holo Slang for items such as shows and movies displayed on holo stages.

  Holo Stage A 3D projection stage. These are common across the known universe as they provide a more natural method of content consumption than older 2D display styles. 2D displays are still prevalent especially in HUDs.

  HUD See Heads Up Display.

  Hypo Slang for a jet injector, a type of medical injecting syringe that uses high pressure instead of a hypodermic needle.

  KG Kilogram.

  Kilo Abbreviation for kilogram.

  Kinetic A type of weapon that fires physical rounds. Many PDCs use kinetic rounds as opposed to lasers, masers, or particle beams, due to their efficacy against most types of object.

  Klick Slang for kilometer.

  Laser A type of directed energy weapon using coherent light. Ship-mounted lasers tend to be used for carving through ablative shielding or surgical strikes against critical systems. Hand-held laser weapons are designed to superheat the liquid inside humans into steam very quickly, causing an explosion of the remaining tissue.

  LIDAR Acronym for LIght Detection And Ranging. LIDAR uses coherent light to make digital 3D representations of objects.

  Luna Latin name for the Moon.

  Maser A type of directed energy weapon using microwave radiation. Ship-mounted masers are most effective at disrupting enemy comm arrays and personnel in equal measure. They are out of favor as hand-held weapons due to a longer time to death as compared to blasters.

  Navy The Empire space fleet. The Navy patrol human space to protect against threats like pirates.

  Nuke A thermonuclear weapon of mass destruction. Very old but reliable technology, used in configurable payloads for ship-to-ship combat, city assaults, and the destruction of entire worlds (ref: crustbuster).

  Organics Slang for organic life, but most typically referring to intelligent life. Humans are ‘organics.’

  Particle Beam A type of directed energy weapon that fires particles with minuscule mass.

  Plasma Cannon see Blaster.

  Point Defense Cannon (PDC) PDCs are installed on almost every starship to protect hulls from impacts from things like meteoroids. They are also useful defense against torpedoes, although generally ineffective against railguns due to the high velocity of railgun rounds. PDCs can be kinetic or directed energy weapons.

  Power Armor Armor that is motor-assisted, often used for deployments on high-G worlds. Configuration often includes vehicle weapon mounts, allowing a higher degree of flexibility for infantry deployment.

  Prirene Dynasty The Prirene Dynasty has stretched back over two hundred years. It holds the ruling seat of the Empire.

  RADAR Acronym for RAdio Detection And Ranging. RADAR uses radio waves to determine the range, angle, and velocity of objects.

  Radiation Sickness A constant hazard of space. Many crews take daily medication to ward off radiation sickness. It’s as much a part of shipboard life as making sure your O2 is topped up. This means that a mild dose of radiation is unlikely to kill you if treated in time, but massive doses are still dangerous.

  Railgun A kinetic weapon that fires high velocity rounds by way of a pair of conductive rails. They are often mounted on larger ships and make a dramatic statement when fired against enemy vessels.

  Reactor Starships use fusion reactors. The most common design is the ICF (Internal Confinement Fusion) style of reactor. These have a variety of safety functions that make them suitable for spacefaring needs, including containment fields in case of malfunction. Larger starships can eject faulty reactors into the hard black.

  Rig Slang for maintenance equipment commonly worn by Guild Engineers about starships. These double as space suits for zero atmosphere maintenance on the exterior of a starship’s hull. The design incorporates a visor with configurable HUD for instrumentation and telemetry, and a set of programmable servitor arms for complex manipulation of equipment.

  Shingle A guild badge of practice, allowing the holder to a) claim they are Guild certified and b) ply their trade as a Guild craftsperson. They are notoriously hard to get, requiring years of study and excellence in your field.

  Ship Suit Slang for spacesuit. Generally denotes a space suit for a specific ship carrying crew logograms and/or color themes.

  Sol Latin name for the Sun. Often used to describe Earth’s solar system (e.g., “The Sol system”).

  Space Suit Clothing worn to keep humans alive in the hard black. They provide protection against vacuum, temperature extremes, and radiation. Military models are often fitted with armor to protect against blasters, lasers, masers, and kinetic rounds. They often provide additional protection against high-G maneuvers.

  Spacer Slang for those who crew on a starship, civilian or military.

  Terra Latin name for Earth.

  Tonne Metric ton, equivalent to 1,000 kilograms.

  EXCERPT: GANYMEDE PLUNDER

  Shooting Stars

  The first sign a hundred souls were lost was dust flaking from the ceiling of Triage Tearoom.

  Nate eyed his beer, feeling little sorrow at the added silt. Vera’s liquor had never been the selling point of the Tearoom. Privacy and a blind eye to roguish activities were the attraction. He raised his gaze to Dom. “How fast can you get into a ship suit?”

  Dom, heir apparent to the Empire, pursed his lips in distaste. He pushed his beer away. “Fast enough. Why?”

  “Because here in Cadence the domes don’t rattle. Never have, and never will.” Nate cast a guarded look at the other patrons, most of which looked frozen in fear. Vera’s Tearoom was popular enough, ten others nursing noodles or a brew. “A rattling dome is a sign of impending death, Dom.”

  “We won’t need suits.” Dom tapped his fingers on their table’s worn surface. He tossed his personal console to land beside his beer. “What we’ll need is Valerie. Why isn’t she here?”

  Nate leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. “Because you said, ‘Nate, we’re going to haul a load of plunder.’ Valerie’s in a wheelchair. She’s not loading plunder for anyone, leastways not since you haven’t delivered the Personal Augment you promised.”

  Dom winced. “About that.”

  “I don’t want to hear it. Emperor of all humanity and you can’t get a Personal Augment? No wonder you need my help.” Nate flashed a grin.

  He was rewarded with a sour look from Dom. “Emperor in Waiting. We need her skills to hack the cargo.”

  “The cargo containing Personal Augments, the very thing you promised as payment for the last job, or some new fanciful collection of illicit wares we’ll no doubt have to fight off a mob of angry pirates for?”

  “Umm,” offered Dom.

  “I thought so. I don’t even know why I asked.”

  “Most people give the Emperor of humanity more respect.” Dom fingered the stitching on his expensive jacket.

  “Emperor in Waiting.” Nate frowned as the floor gave another slight tremble. One shake was enough to send Nate’s blood cold, but two? It was a bad sign. “What’s going on?”

  Before Dom answered, the tremble grew to a roar, answered by a few tentative screams from outside. Nate was on his feet and through the door before his brain could pull him back. The street was awash with people, not unusual for mid-morning on a Tuesday. Instead of the usual hustle and theft, people ran for cover.

  The dome above shone a burnished orange, fire in the heavens beyond. Nate stopped short, mouth open, watching a trail of fire blaze above Cadence’s dome. He spun, intent on making it back inside. Nate collided with Dom.
“We’ve got to get Valerie.” She was upstairs in the room they rented. She’d need his help to hustle out in a hurry.

  Dom shook his head. “It won’t hit us.”

  “What won’t hit us?” Nate jabbed a finger skyward. “There’s a huge ball of burning starship up there!”

  “The Cataphract won’t hit Cadence. She’s been shot down by enemies of the Empire.” Dom offered a tentative smile at odds with his usual confidence. “She carries plunder from a thousand worlds.”

  Nate’s eyes narrowed. He ignored the growing cries of alarm on the street behind him. People from the Tearoom washed out to join the general circus of citizens in panic. “And?”

  Dom’s shoulders slumped. “Weapons, Nate. The Cataphract is an Empire Navy ship. Her hold is full of anger and might designed to bring the enemies of my father’s throne to kneel. If the pirates of Ganymede get hold of what’s in her hold, the Empire will raze Cadence to the waterline.”

  Nate thought that through as the screaming behind him took shape and urgency, fear and anger welded together into a powerful force for harm. “And you need Valerie to cut her hold open, so we can get the guns first.”

  “No, Nate. I need Valerie to cut the Cataphract open, so no one gets those weapons. My father can’t be trusted with them either.” Dom’s face was earnest, holding no hint of a lie, but Nate figured on his new friend being practiced in courtly ways. “If we get there first, we can self-destruct the hull.”

  Nate straightened, adjusted his sword belt, and grinned. This was more his kind of party. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  Treat yourself to Ganymede Plunder today!

  [https://www.books2read.com/GanymedePlunder]