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Authors: J. L. Doty

A Choice of Treasons

BOOK: A Choice of Treasons
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A Choice of Treasons

 

To save himself he had to save two empires . . . but when he tried,

his options were limited to a choice of treasons.

 

 

by

 

J. L. Doty

 

 

 

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

 

A Choice of Treasons

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This Book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

 

Copyright © 2011 by J. L. Doty
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be
reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled,
reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

 

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

Cover Designed by Telemachus Press, LLC

 

Cover Art Copyright
©
iStockphoto #
12903683 Serjoe

 

Published by Telemachus Press, LLC

http://www.telemachuspress.com

 

Visit the author's website at
http://www.jldoty.com

 

ISBN#
978-1-937387-13-6 (eBook)

 

Version 02011.08.18

 

 

 

A Choice of Treasons

 

 

 

Contents

 

Chapter 1: Interference

Chapter 2: Long Ago

Chapter 3: Confrontation

Chapter 4: Assault

Chapter 5: Hunted

Chapter 6: Dreams

Chapter 7: Remembrance

Chapter 8: Condemned

Chapter 9: Damned

Chapter 10: Old Friends

Chapter 11: Desperation

Chapter12: Reality Lost

Chapter 13: Mistakes

Chapter 14: Illusion

Chapter 15: Choices

Chapter 16: Abandoned

Chapter 17: Escape

Chapter 18: Murderous Need

Chapter 19: Another Choice

Chapter 20: More Choices

Chapter 21: Old Memories

Chapter 22: Gunner’s Blood

Chapter 23: Betrayal Upon Betrayal

Chapter 24: Aagerbanne

Chapter 25: Sarasan

Chapter 26: Tank Dreams

Chapter 27: The First Treason

Chapter 28: Chaos

Chapter 29: Again Treason

Chapter 30: Treason Upon Treason

Chapter 31: Andyne-Borregga

Chapter 32: Homecoming

Chapter 33: Honor Abandoned

Chapter 34: More Illusions

Chapter 35: The Fruits of Betrayal

Chapter 36: Party Time

Chapter 37: Return

Chapter 38: Prisoner No More

Chapter 39: Bait

Chapter 40: Payback Time

Chapter 41: Loyalties Shift

Chapter 42: One Big Party

Chapter 43: The Final Treason

Epilogue: Options

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1: INTERFERENCE

 

 

“Mr. Ballin, is there a fight waiting for us or not?”

The bridge of the imperial heavy cruiser
Invaradin
was silent as everyone waited to hear York’s verdict, but the silence was suddenly broken by the XO’s voice blaring from
allship
, “Down-transition in ten minutes and counting.”

York had spent the last twenty minutes trying to raise the imperial embassy on Trinivan, but had run into some suspicious interference. Ten minutes from down-transiting blind into a supposedly neutral system and Captain Telyekev wanted him to make the call.

“Mr. Ballin, is it Federals?”

“I’d be guessing, sir.”

“Then take your best guess.”

York couldn’t prove anything one way or another, but his gut was telling him this was a trap, an ambush. “I haven’t been able to pick up any kind of interference signature. Just broad spectrum.” But the interference shouldn’t be there at all, though York kept that thought to himself.

“Any idea what’s causing it?”

York turned away from his console, craned his neck to look through the maze of instrument clusters that crowded
Invaradin’s
bridge. He could see only Telyekev’s head, a faint shadow in the darkened lighting, though the captain’s eyes were bright sparks reflecting the dim glow of his console.

Telyekev stared at York and waited. Olin Rame, the XO, peered past one end of the navigation console, while Rame’s two assistants peered around the other end. Anda Gant and her assistants at the scan console had turned almost completely about to look at him. At the weapons console Franklin Stara and Paris Jondee had also turned his way: Frank frowning intently, Paris with a one-sided grin. And Magdalena Votak, encased so completely in helm controls little of her could be seen by the rest of them—York wondered if she too was peeking through some little slit in the instrumentation that enclosed her. They were looking at their
lifer
, York Ballin, their lucky charm, the man who was supposed to guess with clairvoyant certainty if they were going to live or die.

York looked Telyekev in the eyes, nodded. “It’s got to be
feddies
, sir.”

Telyekev seemed to shrink. “Thank you, Mr. Ballin. Sound general quarters. Then contact
Nostran
and the
Diana
and tell them to cut drive and coast while we go in for a look-see.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” York spoke into his pickup. “Watch condition red.”

In his implants the computer demanded,
Confirm status change.

“Red status confirmed,” York said.

A loud, irritatingly unpleasant horn burped once, was followed immediately by the steady clang of the alert klaxon. York switched his implants into
allship
and spoke precisely. “Watch condition red. All hands, this is not a drill. Repeat: this is not a drill.” He repeated the message once more, recording it, then put it on continuous replay and switched his pickup to the exterior com. “
Nostran
, this is
Invaradin
.”

BOOK: A Choice of Treasons
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