Behind Enemy Lines (Empire of Bones Saga Book 7) Read online

  Behind Enemy Lines

  Book Seven of The Empire of Bones Saga

  Terry Mixon

  Contents

  Behind Enemy Lines

  Also by Terry Mixon

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Mailing List

  About Terry

  Behind Enemy Lines

  Book Seven of The Empire of Bones Saga

  by

  Terry Mixon

  Cut off from home, Princess Kelsey Bandar needs a place to hide from the vengeful Rebel Empire.

  The secrets she stole give her people a fighting chance in the war that brought down the original Terran Empire. If she gets them home. If her prisoners cooperate.

  Should that prove impossible, she must then convince a long-hidden people to help her. After she finds them, of course.

  Behind Enemy Lines

  Copyright © 2017 by Terry Mixon

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including information storage and/or retrieval systems, or dissemination of any electronic version, without the prior written consent of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review, and except where permitted by law.

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

  Published by Yowling Cat Press ®

  Digital edition date: 2/23/2018

  Print ISBN: 978-1947376007

  Cover art - image copyrights as follows:

  DepositPhotos/innovari (Luca Oleastri)

  DepositPhotos/cobalt88 (Bozena Zuchowska)

  Donna Mixon

  Cover design and composition by Donna Mixon

  Print edition design and layout by Terry Mixon

  Editing services by Red Adept Editing

  Reach them at: http://www.redadeptediting.com

  Audio edition performed and produced by Veronica Giguere

  Reach her at: [email protected]

  Also by Terry Mixon

  You can always find the most up to date listing of Terry’s titles on his Amazon Author Page.

  The Empire of Bones Saga

  Empire of Bones

  Veil of Shadows

  Command Decisions

  Ghosts of Empire

  Paying the Price

  Reconnaissance in Force

  Behind Enemy Lines

  The Terra Gambit

  The Empire of Bones Saga Volume 1

  The Humanity Unlimited Saga

  Liberty Station

  Freedom Express

  Tree of Liberty

  The Fractured Republic Saga

  Storm Divers

  The Scorched Earth Saga

  Scorched Earth

  The Vigilante Duology with Glynn Stewart

  Heart of Vengeance

  Oath of Vengeance

  Want Terry to email you when he publishes a new book in any format or when one goes on sale? Go to TerryMixon.com/Mailing-List and sign up. Those are the only times he’ll contact you. No spam.

  Dedication

  This book would not be possible without the love and support of my beautiful wife. Donna, I love you more than life itself.

  Acknowledgments

  Once again, the people who read my books before you see them have saved me. Thanks to Alan Barnes, Michael Falkner, Michael Goad, Cain Hopwood, Jay Nedds, Kristopher Neidecker, John Naiser, Bob Noble, Andrew Olivier, Jon Paul Olivier, Bill Smith, Tom Stoecklein, Dale Thompson, and Jason Young for making me look good.

  I also want to thank my readers for putting up with me. You guys are great.

  1

  Why the hell did you sneak aboard one of our ships?” Kelsey Bandar shouted once she had her mother alone in her office on Persephone. “We’re at war!”

  Justine Bandar sat without asking, smirking as she lounged in a chair in front of her daughter’s desk. “I’m making certain that we have the opportunity to talk without you using your supposed duty as an excuse to avoid me.”

  She’d even had the nerve to use air quotes when she’d said “supposed.”

  Kelsey rubbed her face tiredly. “You’ve lost your mind. Do you even understand the situation you’ve inserted yourself into?”

  Her mother made a pooh-poohing gesture. “I’m certain it’s not nearly as dire as you’d have me believe. In any case, I refuse to let you go away angry. You’re my daughter. I’m not going to allow you to deny me.”

  The woman leaned forward a little. “I’ve known you all your life, baby girl. You can’t fool me. You’re hurting inside, and you need your mother.” Her expression allowed a little distaste to show through. “That has to be what’s behind some of your more questionable choices recently.”

  Kelsey counted slowly to ten in her head before she spoke. “As hard as this may be to believe, you’re not my biggest problem right now. Let me lay it out for you, Mother. While you’ve been hiding aboard Audacious, we’ve traveled deep inside the Rebel Empire.

  “At this very moment, there’s probably an enemy fleet trying to find and kill us. Let me emphasize that a little bit, just in case it’s too subtle. They’re going to try to kill us.”

  Her mother huffed. “Don’t be so dramatic. I’m sure the situation isn’t nearly as bad as you’d like me to believe. You’re trying to distract me from this unhealthy mind-set of yours.”

  Kelsey slapped her hand on the desk and stood. As short as she was, that wasn’t nearly as impressive as she’d prefer. Still, it would have to do.

  “It’s exactly that dire, Mother. Forget Jared Mertz. He’s the least of your worries right now. We’re currently behind enemy lines, and I just stole an entire Rebel Empire research station. One I’m sure they’re desperate to keep out of our hands.

  “Once they figure out how I did it, they’re going to come after us. If they catch us, they’re not going to politely ask me to give it back. They’re going to start shooting.”

  For the first time since they’d discovered her mother hiding aboard the carrier, Justine Bandar looked a bit less certain. She squirmed in her seat. “What’s a research station? Why are you taking it?”

  “That’s the kind of thing I don’t have the time or patience to explain right now, Mother. The only purpose of this meeting is to tell you how badly you’ve screwed up.

  “Until I have more time, I’m going to see that you get housing that
’s more suitable to your current circumstances.”

  Her mother smiled a little. “That little room was on the small side, and I can think of a few furnishings that would make life a little easier. These ships of yours are so…functional. Fleet should hire a few interior decorators. Add some soothing colors and make things a little more comfortable.”

  “I don’t have time for this.” Kelsey signaled for the marines through her implants. The door to her office slid open, and two hulking men stepped inside.

  She pointed at her mother. “Justine Bandar is under arrest. Take her to the brig.”

  Her mother shot to her feet. “You can’t arrest me! I’m your mother!”

  “Oh, allow me to assure you, I can. Let’s start with your unauthorized presence on a Fleet carrier. You’ve already admitted to that crime. I’m sure there are plenty of other regulations you’ve violated, but that will do for now.

  “Once I’m certain we’re in a relatively safe place, we’ll have that little chat you so desperately want. Until then, you can contemplate your sins in a cell. If I have to, I’ll send someone down to explain precisely how bad your situation is.

  “In fact, that’s a great idea. You should speak to someone in the Fleet Judge Advocate General’s office. They can explain the severity of your crimes to you in exquisite detail. I’m sure the legal officer on Audacious can help you out. Marines, take her away.”

  The two men firmly grasped the ex-empress by her arms and dragged her gently from Kelsey’s office. Her mother struggled and ordered them to release her until the hatch slid closed behind them. Kelsey was certain the woman would scream, demand, and promise retribution all the way to her new accommodations.

  She slowly sat back down and rubbed the bridge of her nose. How in the hell had her mother even gotten on board the carrier? Obviously, someone had helped smuggle her aboard, but that didn’t explain how she’d managed to stay hidden for two weeks. No, someone had been providing ongoing support.

  It really didn’t surprise Kelsey that some people in Fleet still saw her mother as an authority figure. After all, the woman had ruled the Empire at her father’s side for decades. For many people, she still had that aura of command. Or they thought she could give them something in return for their support.

  They needed to learn the error of their ways in the strongest of terms.

  “Persephone, signal Audacious for me. I want to speak to Commodore Anderson.”

  “Signaling now, Colonel.”

  Kelsey’s father—Emperor Karl Bandar—had decided that she needed to be a marine to command marines. So, he’d worked with Admiral Yeats to make that happen.

  Her ship—Persephone—was a Marine Raider vessel from the Old Empire. Its computer would allow only someone with the appropriate codes and Marine Raider implants to command it. Kelsey was the only person in the New Terran Empire that met those criteria.

  That wouldn’t be true for very much longer, though. Her executive officer, Major Angela Ellis, was almost halfway through the implant procedures required to become a Marine Raider. She’d had the requisite cranial implants already. Last week, she’d gotten the pharmacology unit, ocular, auditory, and olfactory enhancements.

  Over the next three weeks, she’d go through additional procedures to coat her bones with layers of graphene and weave artificial muscles through her natural ones. They’d start with her legs, and then move to her arms and upper body over two additional sessions. That would give the woman time to master her upgraded body.

  Learning to use the new muscles was going to be challenging, but Kelsey had no doubt the marine would master them quickly. If a pampered little princess could do it, Angela Ellis could.

  “This unit has Commodore Anderson on the line for you, Colonel,” Persephone said.

  “On my screen.”

  An image of Zia Anderson appeared on Kelsey’s screen. The young woman smiled wryly. “Have you gotten your unexpected guest comfortably situated?”

  “You could say that. I just had the marines take her down to the brig.”

  Zia’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You locked your mother in the brig?”

  “Damned right I did. She’s got to learn that she can’t just throw her weight around like that anymore.”

  “You mean she’s got to learn she can’t mess with you like that, don’t you?”

  “That too,” Kelsey said with a grimace. “I’m going to put the fear of God into her. It’ll do her good to sweat for a while.

  “But that’s not why I called. Someone on Audacious aided and abetted her. If they’re willing to stash an ex-empress on your ship for two weeks, what else might they do?”

  “That’s a good question,” Zia said. “I’ve already told Brandon to find them, though he has other things going on. He’ll eventually get to the bottom of this.”

  Brandon Levy was a by-the-book kind of guy. Kelsey expected he’d find the people who’d hidden Justine Bandar. He’d make them suffer for it too.

  “We’ll let him take care that, then,” Kelsey said. “I’d prefer administrative punishment.”

  “That pretty much sums up the orders I’ve already given him.”

  Technically, Zia was the senior Imperial officer in their task force, so that was really her call to make. Kelsey could make big picture decisions, but if she meddled in the details, Zia would have every right to smack her hand. Like she’d just delicately done.

  “Right. Sorry. They’re your people to discipline. I do, however, insist you leave my mother to me.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me,” Zia said solemnly. “I’d prefer not to tangle with her.”

  Kelsey nodded. “We have a deal, then. I want you to send your legal officer over, though. He needs to explain the regulations my mother violated and tell her the penalties she faces for breaking them. I think she needs a wake-up call.”

  “I’ll talk to him as soon as we’re done,” Zia said with a nod. “He can come over with Carl.”

  She frowned. “Why is Carl coming over?”

  Zia shrugged. “I’m not sure. Something about Ned Quincy.”

  “Maybe that means he’s figured out how to relocate the program. That would be awesome. Having some privacy would be nice.”

  Ned Quincy had been an officer in the Marine Raiders before the Fall. He’d saved a lot of memories using an as-yet-unknown method devised by one of his people.

  When Kelsey had taken those memories into her implants and allowed Marcus—the sentient AI in command of Jared’s flagship—to change the operational program to enable her to search the memories, Ned had come to pseudo-life.

  He wasn’t quite a person, but he was far more than a computer program. He seemed to have genuine emotions.

  Unfortunately, he lived in Kelsey’s head. Which made going to the bathroom awkward, to say the least.

  They’d come to an agreement about him accessing her implants, but it wasn’t the same as being alone.

  Carl had been working on some secret project to relocate the programs in a manner that kept them active. Perhaps his visit was to get that rolling.

  “Ned is in hibernation at the moment,” Kelsey said. “He doesn’t sleep like a real person, but we found out that he had to have downtime every week or so. So, I can freely say that I’ll be damned happy to have him out of my head.

  “I like him, but no one needs to have someone potentially looking over her shoulder all the damned time. Or actually hearing the more focused thoughts in your head. That’s too intimate.”

  “I can’t imagine why it hasn’t driven you crazy. Or Talbot.”

  Kelsey laughed. “Who says it hasn’t? In any case, don’t let my mother distract you from finding us a hidey-hole. That has to be your first priority.”

  She rose from behind her desk. “I’m certainly not going to let her distract me. Maybe I can help find us a weak flip point so we can get the hell out of here.”

  Major Russ Talbot tried not to hover as Carl Owlet hunched over the main c
omputer in the captured research center. “What’s taking so long? I thought you were the master of breaking into computers.”

  The young scientist glanced back peevishly. “I’d be done a lot faster if you’d stop asking me that every five minutes. This kind of work takes time under the best of circumstances. Which, I’ll point out, this isn’t.”

  Since Talbot really didn’t know anything about computer hacking, so he couldn’t dispute any of that.

  “Why is this one so much harder?” he asked. “You’ve gotten into a lot of Old Empire computers before. Don’t you have a bunch of tools to make this easy?”

  Carl set the tablet he was using onto the locked console and turned to face him. “I do have tools, but I’ve had zero luck breaking into every military computer we’ve captured from the Rebel Empire. Whoever programs them is paranoid, and I mean that literally.

  “I only got into the AI at Harrison’s World because Kelsey killed its power so abruptly. It didn’t have time to lock its memory. The storage was still accessible. If the AI had sent a command to lock it up, I’d be banging my head there too.