Read Online The Lost Command (Lost Starship Series Book 2) by Vaughn Heppner - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Vaughn Heppner
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Company.
“Octavian Nerva,” Maddox said to himself.
The captain quietly mulled that over. Before his voyage into the Beyond, he had fought a viper stick duel with Caius Nerva, Octavian’s heir. Octavian just happened to be the richest man on Earth, one of the wealthiest in the Commonwealth. Caius had cheated during the duel by wearing a body suit. Worse, he’d attacked while Maddox’s back had been turned. Riker had shot the heir with a stunner. Riker’s blow had caused Caius to fall down, and his viper stick had landed on his face. The proton discharge had accidently killed Caius Nerva.
That night, Nerva man-hunters had almost kidnapped Maddox in his apartment. Octavian’s revengeful nature was well known. Maddox’s departure from Earth as he left on the mission into the Beyond had cut short any further repercussions concerning Caius’ death. Had that now resurfaced to haunt him?
The captain pondered the Chabot-Nerva connection. Could Octavian have ordered Meta’s kidnapping in order to get to him?
With a start, Maddox began to type. He searched for an hour before he found what he was looking for. He couldn’t believe such an obvious clue.
It appeared Octavian had planted Beth Paris into Dempsey Tower security. The interesting thing was Octavian had done it two years ago. That would eliminate the possibly of Paris’s posting in the Tower to grab Meta.
Why would Octavian plant an operative in the Dempsey Building? The answer was simple. Many of his major competitors lived in or used Dempsey Tower while vacationing in New York City.
Was this about industrial espionage? Maddox didn’t think so. Octavian clearly had connections with the New Men. Nerva Conglomerate actions against him over a year ago made perfect sense now. Nerva hunters had not only tried to snatch him, but in orbit a conglomerate Ventra -class shuttle had launched drones at the Geronimo .
Naturally, on his return to Earth, Maddox had spoken with Nerva representatives concerning the shuttle. They had reported it missing weeks in advance of the assault. That held up under scrutiny. It looked now as if Octavian carefully covered his tracks.
Maddox sat back, trying to piece this together. Had Octavian only recently learned of Meta’s stay in Dempsey Tower? With the enemy’s secret service order to begin Operation Odysseus, had the tycoon decided to act? If Octavian had captured Meta and the man worked for the New Men…
Maddox nodded. That meant he had to act fast to save Meta. One of the enemy’s greatest powers was the speed at which he moved. They would hurt Meta sooner rather than later in order to extract her usefulness.
If the New Men were involved, the enemy would have covered his tracks well. Notice how there wasn’t any video evidence of Meta or her captors. That pointed to the enemy’s secret service.
Maddox’s eyes narrowed. If there was no way to track Meta…how could he rescue her? Maybe he could negotiate directly with Octavian Nerva. Clearly, the tycoon would deny all knowledge of this. Yet…
Shaking his head, Maddox knew what Brigadier O’Hara would say to his idea. He could hear her voice in his head.
“ No, Captain, you’re quite wrong about the link between Octavian and the New Men. It’s all circumstantial evidence. We need concrete proof of their cooperation. Octavian has too many powerful friends in the government and the Star Watch for us to act in any other manner. We will have to move softly, searching for implicating clues. Just because Paris used to work for him won’t sway any judges .”
“Sergeant,” Maddox said, standing. The captain had come to a decision. He would risk dealing directly with Octavian. “Is the air-car ready?”
“It’s on the roof, sir,” Riker told him.
“Then let’s go. We have a long drive ahead of us.”
“Where are we headed for, sir?” Riker asked.
“Monte Carlo,” Maddox said.
“Sir?” Riker asked, surprised.
“Let’s hurry, Sergeant. We have to
“Octavian Nerva,” Maddox said to himself.
The captain quietly mulled that over. Before his voyage into the Beyond, he had fought a viper stick duel with Caius Nerva, Octavian’s heir. Octavian just happened to be the richest man on Earth, one of the wealthiest in the Commonwealth. Caius had cheated during the duel by wearing a body suit. Worse, he’d attacked while Maddox’s back had been turned. Riker had shot the heir with a stunner. Riker’s blow had caused Caius to fall down, and his viper stick had landed on his face. The proton discharge had accidently killed Caius Nerva.
That night, Nerva man-hunters had almost kidnapped Maddox in his apartment. Octavian’s revengeful nature was well known. Maddox’s departure from Earth as he left on the mission into the Beyond had cut short any further repercussions concerning Caius’ death. Had that now resurfaced to haunt him?
The captain pondered the Chabot-Nerva connection. Could Octavian have ordered Meta’s kidnapping in order to get to him?
With a start, Maddox began to type. He searched for an hour before he found what he was looking for. He couldn’t believe such an obvious clue.
It appeared Octavian had planted Beth Paris into Dempsey Tower security. The interesting thing was Octavian had done it two years ago. That would eliminate the possibly of Paris’s posting in the Tower to grab Meta.
Why would Octavian plant an operative in the Dempsey Building? The answer was simple. Many of his major competitors lived in or used Dempsey Tower while vacationing in New York City.
Was this about industrial espionage? Maddox didn’t think so. Octavian clearly had connections with the New Men. Nerva Conglomerate actions against him over a year ago made perfect sense now. Nerva hunters had not only tried to snatch him, but in orbit a conglomerate Ventra -class shuttle had launched drones at the Geronimo .
Naturally, on his return to Earth, Maddox had spoken with Nerva representatives concerning the shuttle. They had reported it missing weeks in advance of the assault. That held up under scrutiny. It looked now as if Octavian carefully covered his tracks.
Maddox sat back, trying to piece this together. Had Octavian only recently learned of Meta’s stay in Dempsey Tower? With the enemy’s secret service order to begin Operation Odysseus, had the tycoon decided to act? If Octavian had captured Meta and the man worked for the New Men…
Maddox nodded. That meant he had to act fast to save Meta. One of the enemy’s greatest powers was the speed at which he moved. They would hurt Meta sooner rather than later in order to extract her usefulness.
If the New Men were involved, the enemy would have covered his tracks well. Notice how there wasn’t any video evidence of Meta or her captors. That pointed to the enemy’s secret service.
Maddox’s eyes narrowed. If there was no way to track Meta…how could he rescue her? Maybe he could negotiate directly with Octavian Nerva. Clearly, the tycoon would deny all knowledge of this. Yet…
Shaking his head, Maddox knew what Brigadier O’Hara would say to his idea. He could hear her voice in his head.
“ No, Captain, you’re quite wrong about the link between Octavian and the New Men. It’s all circumstantial evidence. We need concrete proof of their cooperation. Octavian has too many powerful friends in the government and the Star Watch for us to act in any other manner. We will have to move softly, searching for implicating clues. Just because Paris used to work for him won’t sway any judges .”
“Sergeant,” Maddox said, standing. The captain had come to a decision. He would risk dealing directly with Octavian. “Is the air-car ready?”
“It’s on the roof, sir,” Riker told him.
“Then let’s go. We have a long drive ahead of us.”
“Where are we headed for, sir?” Riker asked.
“Monte Carlo,” Maddox said.
“Sir?” Riker asked, surprised.
“Let’s hurry, Sergeant. We have to
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