The Elf Directive - Book Seven of the Magi Charter , livre ebook

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41 pages

English

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It is the year 2761. Our galaxy's starways are claimed by numerous empires all positioning themselves for dominance. On the surface, the politics seem stable, yet war could be touched off at any moment. Despite the vast territories claimed by these powers, countless millions of primitive worlds are left to fend for themselves. It is these remote and discounted worlds that the Santas seek out in accordance with the Mission. A Mission that in nearly three millennia has not once failed. Santa Tiberius, having long overstayed his term, endures threats on multiple fronts; he is determined to resist the internal strife within his own organization that has created conflicting competition for carrying out the Mission. But even these centuries' old issues pale in the face of the disaster that unfolds when rogue elves, long thought dead, emerge to exact vengeance. Nothing will be the same. Not for Santa, not for the Elves, not for the galaxy. The Mission will soon come to a conclusion.

About the series: The Magi Charter

For over two thousand years the legend of Santa Claus has endured. His is a Mission of peace as outlined in the Magi Charter, given to the first Santa by the Child. From humble beginnings, following that First Christmas, the Santa lineage has been passed down through the ages. This epic adventure tells the story of those Santas from the founding of the North Pole and the origin of the ancient elves, to our modern times where the world's problems affect even those in the secluded complex of the North, and concluding in the distant future which finds Santa and the elves committed to their mission on a galactic scale where Christmas traditions are barely recognizable. In every era, those committed to the Mission must find a way to deliver that which is needed most to those most deserving.

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Fiction

Fantasy

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Publié par	eBookIt.com
Date de parution	27 décembre 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781456629861
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	5 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0750€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

The Elf Directive

Jordan David
The Magi Charter
by Jordan David

The Elf Brief
The Elf Archive
The Elf Coup
The Elf Accord
The Elf Legacy
The Elf Resistance
The Elf Directive
The Elf Sojourn
The Elf Revelation

Cover art and interior illustrations by Rob “ Wyndagger ” Bockholdt
-Contents-
Map
Chapter 1
Asteroids
Chapter 2
Chronometer
Chapter 3
Aka
Chapter 4
Khyber
Chapter 5
Inesite
Chapter 6
Pyrite
Chapter 7
Discourse
Chapter 8
Illusion
Chapter 9
Keibetsu
Chapter 10
The Shanlone
Chapter 11
Uuenia
Chapter 12
The Expo
Chapter 13
Illumination
Chapter 14
Waiting for Geode
Chapter 15
Plan 13
Chapter 16
Vega Flight
Chapter 17
Retezat
Chapter 18
Arrival
Chapter 19
Saturnalias
Chapter 20
Second Savannah
Chapter 21
Ambivalence
Chapter 22
Delta Order
Chapter 23
Apparitions
Chapter 24
Prisym
Chapter 25
Adauchi
Chapter 26
Eureka Mine
Chapter 27
Uragiri
Chapter 28
This Island Asteroid
Chapter 29
The Cabochon Cube
Chapter 30
Translucense
Chapter 31
Jade
Chapter 32
Zircon
Chapter 33
Copper
Chapter 34
Jasusi
Chapter 35
Requiem
Chapter 36
Voyager Vega
Chapter 37
Celestial Calling
Glossary

Map
Chapter 1

Asteroids

Asteroids. The asteroids of the solar system ’ s inner belt floated about like lazy potatoes as a small ship zipped around and between them. Massive chunks of grayish rocky lumps so large they might as well be their own planet. Indeed, many of the largest ones tended to keep their own system of smaller asteroids that mimicked satellite moons. In truth, the rocks of the inner belt were placed many hundreds of kilometers from each other and posed little threat to a vessel traversing the Sol System; one had to go out of their way to place a ship in danger of a collision.
As to that, one Kyanite Astro was doing precisely this. Flying the Cephei as close to the clusters of space rocks as he could, as often as the groupings allowed. It was a test, a matter of flight skill, one last chance to prove he had what it took to pilot a vessel and earn his wings. The wings … a set of blue epaulets every cadet coveted that would grant them the right to wear the official uniform of Star Con. The uniform of a commissioned officer, not the silly light gray jumper with the blue shoulders of a cadet; no, the true uniform of dark blue and epaulets of a proven officer. He had been working on that dream for over thirty years. Beginning with a decade spent as a junior Elf, assigned to Star Con but not yet a cadet while his entry education was completed, a requisite for any young Elf. Then, after being accepted into the cadet program, it was onto basic training, which meant another ten years of engineering and naval sciences. And then finally, finally, they allowed him to graduate into the pilot training program which meant another decade of simulators, mastering astrogation theory before they even let him co-pilot a cargo ship around the Sol System.
After all this time, after graduating in the top of his class, after getting behind the controls of a real sortie class vessel, Kyan was going all out to prove himself and earn those wings! For the Cephei was no cargo ship. She was the real deal. A state-of-art, sleek, fast, all-purpose starship designed, built, and used by the Elves for all sorts of missions. It took a special Elf to be selected for the crew of a sortie vessel, and only the best of the best got to be pilots for these ships, and the best of the best of them went on to become commanders.
“ Careful Kyan, ” said Commander Vivianite. “ I have no doubt of your skill, it ’ s not necessary to kiss each asteroid. Poor old Cephei doesn ’ t need any more scratches. ”
He laughed, altered the thrusters, and spun the ship around in a wild spin to chase after another asteroid that caught his eye! This one was rotating, adding to the challenge of it all, but it was the gaping hole going straight through it that the Cephei was steering towards.
“ Watch it! Watch it! ” shouted Linarite, the lad manning the co-pilot station next to Kyan.
The Cephei effortlessly matched her z-axis spin to that of the asteroid, flew straight through the hole and out the other side in the blink of an eye! Kyan throttled up to full power, the extra bit of thrust giving the three a good push into their seats as the ship chased after the next cluster of asteroids some distance beyond sight according to the scanners. These maneuvers had been going on all morning and would continue until the commander said otherwise. This last training mission was really more of a formality. He ’ d done this very thing in the simulator hundreds of times, and when it came to the real thing, there was very little difference. He thought perhaps there was a bit of delay in the controls of simulated ships versus real life, but that could just be the Cephei ’ s personality. The old girl had been regulated as a training vessel for over a hundred years, even Vivian took her cadet tests in this very ship.
The Cephei was an all-purpose sortie class ship designed for carrying out a wide variety of missions around the galaxy. Everything from delivering Elfin Sages and Specialists to remote worlds, to the long-term observation of a populous or even assisting other spacecraft in need. By modern standards of the sortie class the Cephei had fallen behind, she was able to carry only ten people comfortably, whereas the newer sorties could accommodate twice that and even had docking for shuttles. One such vessel, the Vega was newly commissioned having just completed her space trials; the list of officers hoping for permanent assignment to her was long. Kyan put many an hour into the programming and testing of her systems, a privilege he thought might indicate he was being seriously considered for that assignment.
“ Nicely done cadet, but let ’ s not do that again, ” the commander complimented him. Vivianite Astro tapped through the controls at her station, getting a look at the exterior of the Cephei . The aged ship had numerous scratches and dents, and one newly added chip off a wing thanks to Kyan ’ s astrobatics today. Still, it would not be good if he caused an impact that rendered the Cephei disabled and they had to call for a rescue. Nor would it be good for a commander who was up for a promotion and hoping to get the big seat on the Vega or any sortie ship for that matter.
For a moment, there was time to cruise. Kyan checked his power reserves, of which there was plenty for a few more stunts. The cluster ahead was composed of smaller asteroid chunks, the largest about the size of the Cephei . Most asteroid belts were not a problem to fly through for small ships like this, but a prudent pilot did avoid them. It was very convenient the Sol System had not one but two such asteroid belts. This one between Mars and Jupiter and the second outer Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune. In the early days of colonial expansion, the asteroid belt promised a boon to the mining industry back in the early 22 nd century. That fad did not last long. Asteroid mining was tricky; the yields of precious metals and gases were too small to justify the cost of the technology of that era. A hundred years later, mining tech improved but so had interstellar travel, along with the number of attractive planets for resource cultivation. Now here in the 28 th century, all that remained of those ancient miners were the shells of their space platforms and drilling towers, long since knocked to pieces by the asteroids.
Kyan lost himself in the maneuvers that went on throughout the afternoon. Demonstrating how he could plot a course through and around the asteroids. Pretending docking maneuvers, even a few wrangling tricks using the Cephei ’ s gravitational fields to coax the asteroids into one another, like some absurd game of giant marbles. Flying a ship was his life ’ s dream. Even if he ’ d not been given the opportunity to become an Elf, joining this elite organization, he ’ d have found a way to get into space. There were a number of science, exploratory, and military academies he might have joined or tried to. They were picky about who they let in, especially the Earth ones, and someone with his background would have found acceptance difficult. Orphans lacked the necessary family backing and finances. But there were other options. Interstellar freight companies were always in need of pilots. It wasn ’ t a glamorous job, but it would get him into space. But that was a long time ago. He had achieved his dream. Nothing would change that now!
A notification alarm sounded on the commander ’ s station. “ Well gentlemen, it looks like our time is up. Kyan, plot a course back to the Base. An efficient course mind. ”
“ Aye sir, ” he said. Looking out over the stars, his hands moved across the controls of their own accord. In the distance was a bright star, the sun at the center of the Sol System. Not much bigger than the moon was when viewed from Earth. “ We could swing by Earth … I ’ d really like to fly through all that traffic. ”
“ You ’ ll get your chance eventually. I have no interest in going to Earth today, ” Vivian said.
The Cephei altered course and began making its way back to their home. A massive asteroid deep inside the belt with a hidden secret. If he pushed the engines, they could be back in less than an hour. Kyan though was in no hurry to return, that would mean giving up the pilot seat for who knew how long. A new assignment would likely be a few weeks off, what with the epilates coming to him, and the commission ceremony. His friends were planning to take him to Moxie or one of the other popular recreation planets. They ’ d been trying to keep it a secret, but he knew.
“ Kyan, there is a convoy of ships … making for the HyperTransit entrance. Slack off on your speed, come to heading 340 mark