To Discover and Preserve (Fleet Collection 1)

The ships of the Alliance's Fleet map the galaxy, police its hundreds of worlds, and run its diplomatic and scientific errands. It's also the backdrop for the lives of millions of Pelted, a complex work environment filled with opportunities for development, career and relationship alike. Join the crew of the Stardancer and several other ships, and live a day in their life! You'll take a trip to the vertiginous world of the Phoenix, tour a star nursery, answer several distress calls... you might even run down a pirate or two....

To Discover and Preserve collects nine short stories, including four all new reader-requested stories, from the Peltedverse's military arm, and is a standalone adjunct to the Alysha Forrest series.

Genre (setting): space opera (Pelted)
Tags: leadership, military, adventure, space battles, personnel issues, exploration, humor, AI
Rating: R for violence

Excerpt from To Discover and Preserve

“You have got to be kidding me,” Mike said.

Darian Bakawar, the Cometfencer’s captain and Mike’s superior officer, was leaning back in the conference room chair with his elbow propped on the armrest and his hand supporting his face with elegantly splayed fingers. The Seersa foxine looked supremely amused, which was unfair, because it made Mike want to laugh. “Would I do that to you, arii?”

“You would,” said the Hinichi woman to their right, her ears splayed. That was the second commander, Riley Lennon, a straight shooter whose sense of the absurd wasn’t as finely honed as their captain’s. “But probably not about this. What was the admiralty thinking?”

Bakawar could have won Mike’s weekly poker game with that face. “Admiral Iblis has—perhaps—a mischievous streak.”

“A parsec wide,” Mike said. “God, but you’re not kidding. They’re seriously saddling us with a bunch of peacemongers and sending us off sightseeing?”

“Iblis, in his magisterial wisdom, decided we needed a… lighter… assignment after our recent adventures.”

“Far be it from me to inject a positive note into this gloom-and-doom session,” Kostya, their chief of medical said, “but… a lighter assignment wouldn’t go amiss. I’m not going to complain about morale—”

“—you’d better not,” Mike muttered, but he was smiling.

“—but we’re a lot more worn down than we think,” the C-med finished. “A jaunt to a… where are we sightseeing?”

“The Admiral has suggested this sector’s stellar nursery might make for a lovely outing,” Bakawar said.

“Isn’t the stellar nursery on the opposite side of the sector from the starbase?” the second commander said hesitantly.

“The Admiral also suggests we not rush,” Bakawar said.

“Oh my God,” Mike said, torn between laughing and exasperation. “How long are we going to be stuck with these people? How many people? Not many people? Please say yes, not many people.”

“We are taking on…” Bakawar made a show of consulting his data tablet, pursed his lips. “Thirty-five guests, from three separate organizations. The Powers That Be believe we might make a good impression. The admiral says it would be in Fleet’s best interests.”

The silence in the room was almost comical.

“Thirty-five people from… three separate organizations? That are pro-peace?” the second commander repeated carefully. “For… as long as… wait, how long do they want us to do this? What do they mean ‘don’t rush’?”

“Three weeks,” Bakawar proclaimed. “They believe this is sufficient time for us to perform our magic.”

“Three weeks?” the second commander squeaked. “What are we going to do with them?”

“The admiral has set aside sixty crates of luxury local foodstuffs for us to host properly.”

“Sixty—” Mike began.

“Though one of the organizations is OFRUFF, which technically isn’t anti-unnecessary violence,” Bakawar finished. “They’re dedicated to the responsible use of Fleet funds. I’m sure they’ll find the expensive parties… energizing.” At their expressions, Bakawar grinned. “Come now, gentles… do you think they’d give us the easy assignments now that we’ve proven we can take on pirate bases?”

“Well,” Mike said, resigned, “let’s dig into the meat of this ‘assignment,’ then, and game out how it’s going to affect everyone’s area of responsibility.”

Running the briefing almost allowed Mike to forget the mission’s absurdity. Almost. When it was over, and the second commander and C-med had wandered out, one look at the captain’s face brought it back. Mike started laughing.