Kris Longknife: Tenacious (Kris Longknife novellas Book 12) Read online

  Praise for

  Kris Longknife:

  DEFENDER

  “[A] fun and entertaining addition to an exquisitely well-developed space opera saga.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  Kris Longknife:

  FURIOUS

  “The intriguing science fiction novels that comprise this very entertaining series never fail to be peopled with fascinating characters and wonderfully creative worlds. [Shepherd] is adept at world-building and has a complex system in place that is always fun to visit.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  Kris Longknife:

  DARING

  “Shepherd delivers no shortage of military action, in space and on the ground. It’s cinematic, dramatic, and dynamic . . . [He also] demonstrates a knack for characterization, balancing serious moments with dry humor . . . [Daring is] a thoroughly enjoyable adventure featuring one of science fiction’s most interesting recurring heroines.”

  —Tor.com

  “A tightly written, action-packed adventure from start to finish . . . Heart-thumping action will keep the reader engrossed and emotionally involved. It will be hard waiting for the next in the series.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “The story line is faster than the speed of light.”

  —Alternative Worlds

  Kris Longknife:

  REDOUBTABLE

  “Kris Longknife is a hero to the core, with plenty of juice left for future installments.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  Kris Longknife:

  UNDAUNTED

  “An exciting, action-packed adventure . . . Mr. Shepherd has injected the same humor into this book as he did in the rest of the series.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  Kris Longknife:

  INTREPID

  “[Kris Longknife] will remind readers of David Weber’s Honor Harrington with her strength and intelligence.”

  —Genre Go Round Reviews

  Kris Longknife:

  AUDACIOUS

  “Mike Shepherd is a fantastic storyteller who excels at writing military science fiction . . . This is a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience for science fiction fans.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “‘I’m a woman of very few words, but lots of action’: So said Mae West, but it might just as well have been Lieutenant Kris Longknife, princess of the one hundred worlds of Wardhaven.”

  —Sci Fi Weekly

  “Mike Shepherd has a great ear for dialogue and talent for injecting dry humor into things at just the right moment . . . Military SF fans are bound to get a kick out of the series as a whole, and fans will be glad to see Kris hasn’t lost any of her edge.”

  —SF Site

  More praise for the Kris Longknife novels

  “A whopping good read . . . Fast-paced, exciting, nicely detailed, with some innovative touches.”

  —Elizabeth Moon, Nebula Award–winning author of Crown of Renewal

  “Shepherd’s grasp of timing and intrigue remains solid, and Kris’s latest challenge makes for an engaging space opera, seasoned with political machination and the thrills of mysterious ancient technology, that promises to reveal some interesting things about the future Kris inhabits.”

  —Booklist

  “Everyone who has read Kris Longknife will hope for further adventures starring this brave, independent, and intrepid heroine . . . This is outer-space military science fiction at its adventurous best.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Fans of the Honor Harrington escapades will welcome the adventures of another strong female in outer space starring in a thrill-a-page military space opera. The heroine’s dry wit [and] ability to know what she is good at [as well as] her faults, [all] while keeping her regal DNA in perspective, especially during a crisis, endear her to readers. The audience will root for the determined, courageous, and endearing heroine as she displays intelligence and leadership during lethal confrontations.”

  —Alternative Worlds

  “[Shepherd] has a good sense of pace . . . Very neatly handled, and served with a twist of wry. A surprisingly talented read from a very underrated author.”

  —Bewildering Stories

  “Shepherd does a really good job with this book. If you’re looking for an entertaining space opera with some colorful characters, this is your book.”

  —Books ’n’ Bytes

  “You don’t have to be a military sci-fi enthusiast to appreciate the thrill-a-minute plot and engaging characterization.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  Ace Books by Mike Shepherd

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: MUTINEER

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: DESERTER

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: DEFIANT

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: RESOLUTE

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: AUDACIOUS

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: INTREPID

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: UNDAUNTED

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: REDOUBTABLE

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: DARING

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: FURIOUS

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: DEFENDER

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: TENACIOUS

  TO DO OR DIE: A JUMP UNIVERSE NOVEL

  VICKY PETERWALD: TARGET

  Specials

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: TRAINING DAZE

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: WELCOME HOME / GO AWAY

  Writing as Mike Moscoe

  THE FIRST CASUALTY: A JUMP UNIVERSE NOVEL

  THE PRICE OF PEACE: A JUMP UNIVERSE NOVEL

  THEY ALSO SERVE: A JUMP UNIVERSE NOVEL

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  USA • Canada • UK • Ireland • Australia • New Zealand • India • South Africa • China

  penguin.com

  A Penguin Random House Company

  KRIS LONGKNIFE: TENACIOUS

  An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2014 by Mike Moscoe.

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

  ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-13975-6

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Ace mass-market edition / November 2014

  Cover art by Scott Grimando.

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

  Version_1

  Acknowledgments

  As Kris Longknife’s life takes another turn, for better or worse, I’d like to take time to thank some folks who have helped bring to life the tales of Kris, Vicky, and the old folks, back when they were young themselves.

  The gang at the Historic Anchor Inn in Lincoln City has been spectacular. I’ve juggled three books demanding to get on the page for the last two years. They’ve helped me find a place where it all can happen, and
find that place again and again as life made other plans. With my two wonderful grandkids making that break into those teenage years, and all the things that were already competing in my life for time, Kip, Candi, and Misty always found a way to free up my writing space for the week that suddenly appeared.

  I’ve got a great pair of first readers to back up my wife, Ellen. Lisa Kelly not only helps my grandkids with their homework but also helps me with mine. Edee Lemonier is always ready with a good eye.

  Jenn Jackson is now and always has been the best agent a busy writer could ask for. She’s found homes for Kris in Japan and Germany, Poland and Spain. She’s seen that Audible contracts were done in time for the books to come out for listeners as well as readers.

  Ginjer Buchanan is just about the best editor a writer could have. She’s really stepped up to the plate to get three books out to you this year. I couldn’t ask for better support. Even when I’m a bit reluctant to make this or that minor change she’s telling me I really want to make. And she’s right about it, too! Sadly and happily, I am losing Ginjer to a well-earned retirement. She’s been editing for Ace for thirty years, the last twenty of them working with me. She’s surely earned many great golden years. Have fun, Ginjer.

  And, as she has been for forty-seven years, Ellen Moscoe is the support and star in my life, the first editor of my words, and the last thought of my day.

  Contents

  Praise for the Kris Longknife novels

  Ace Books by Mike Shepherd

  Title Page

  Copyright

  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

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  About the Author

  1

  Rear Admiral Kris Longknife relaxed, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her oh-so-vibrantly-alive skin. Two weeks ago, she could have easily ended her days dead and frozen in the dark emptiness of space.

  But she’d won her battle. She and her command were alive, and countless billions of ill-advised alien invaders were dead.

  Now, finally, Kris was free to enjoy the beach with just herself and a smile. Oh, and a just-as-naked Jack, husband of less than a month, beside her.

  It seemed like it had taken forever to get here, to take the third day of her interrupted honeymoon. A honeymoon should be a full month. That was why it had the “moon” thing in it, right?

  Her honeymoon had been interrupted after one single lovely night. To Kris’s way of thinking, when she reported back to duty she was owed twenty-nine more days.

  Kris was most definitely keeping count.

  Now, two days into the rest of her honeymoon, she was enjoying herself. And looking forward to another twenty-seven.

  She deserved the break. It had taken Kris two weeks to shed all of her hats, as well as her clothes and inhibitions.

  What wife needs inhibitions around a husband like Jack? was asked and answered with a smile.

  For two long weeks she had been Commander, Alwa Defense Sector; Senior Executive Officer of Nuu Enterprises in the Alwa System; and United Society Viceroy to the Human Colonists on Alwa as well as Ambassador to the Aliens. For two interminable weeks, she’d worn her multiple hats, burying her dead and tending to the living.

  Collecting the wreckage of both human and alien ships had not taken long. Faced with possible capture, both sides had dropped their reactor containment vessels and blown themselves to atoms. Kris knew why the humans had: The aliens must be denied any scrap of information that could lead them back to human space on the other side of the galaxy.

  But why are the aliens doing it, too?

  Five of Kris’s ships had been blown to bits and another ten had been bled heavily of their Smart MetalTM armor. Two of those losses had been from the six ships spun together from her twelve survey and ore-hauling ships. Thank heavens Admiral Benson, commander Canopus Station and its yard, as well as retired Musashi Admiral Hiroshi, who commanded the Kure yard, had survived. Admiral Hiroshi had been wounded as the Kikukei struggled under heavy alien laser fire. Still, the two yards had already changed the four damaged warships back into seven ore carriers.

  They were now carrying asteroid miners back to their distant claims.

  This made a lot of the people who reported to Kris as Senior Executive Officer of Nuu Enterprises in the Alwa System happy. When the mines shipped ore, the fabricators and mills on the moon made goods, both for war and for the budding modernization of the Alwa economy.

  Sooner or later, there had to be a way to make money off the crazy Alwans. Some very savvy businesspeople were pulling their hair out as they tried.

  Kris, being Navy, would let them worry about that.

  As Viceroy to the humans on Alwa, she’d been happy to report the success of the U.S., Helvetican Confederacy, and Imperial Musashi Navy in defending their lives. Then, as ambassador to the Alwa aliens, she’d been invited to address the Association of Associations.

  That address had not gone well.

  Kris came prepared with visuals, both of the gigantic alien base ship and one of the several hundred monstrous alien fighting ships. She also projected pictures from her battle board of how the fight went.

  Half the aliens in the sunlit plaza where they met stood in one silent huddle, eyes wide, arms, formerly wings, showing their only reaction as they flapped nervously on occasion. The other half of the Association’s members were mostly made up of older Alwans, who did a lot more flapping as they ran around the plaza. Their arms waved wildly, and their long necks ducked up and down as they ran together in small groups that formed and re-formed to no pattern that Kris, or any other human, had been able to figure out.

  KRIS, I’M TRYING TO FIND A PATTERN IN ALL THIS, BUT NEITHER I NOR ANY OF MY KIDS CAN SPOT ONE. Such an admission from Nelly and her family of supercomputers was unheard of, but not to be unexpected. Biological diversity could introduce such random factors that defied rational analysis.

  What came next was more rational, but no less surprising.

  The Alwans had a serious debate.

  For Alwans, that meant putting on wild displays of motion and plumage, what they had left of it. The Alwans may have started as birds, but they hadn’t flown in several million
years, and feathers now were quite vestigial. Still, the plumage was colorful and made for some rather bright displays.

  Among these Alwans, particularly the ones Kris knew as Roosters, all this dancing around and flapping resulted in no actual harm. No doubt among the southern clans, the Ostriches, there would have been some heavy chest butting, maybe even a head kick or two.

  When it was all over, the plaza emptied in a blink.

  “What just happened here?” Kris asked her Granny Rita.

  “Damned if I know,” the old woman replied. Rita was the titular head of the human colony for near on eighty years, a survivor of the Iteeche War as well as a marriage to Kris’s great-grampa Ray, known better to most as King Raymond I of the United Society.

  She turned to one of the Alwans who worked with the humans, and, using Nelly’s translator, repeated her question about what just happened.

  Bringer of Harmony Between the People and the Heavy People waved her own arms in what almost came off as a human shrug. “They have agreed to disagree. They will take this back to their own associations. There will be much more dancing and posing. Then, who knows what will happen? Maybe we will see different elders at the next Association of Associations.”

  And if the news reports were true from the Sharp Eye View, Alwa’s main news network, the debate in the local associations were going long, loud, wild . . . and just about as inconclusive.

  Kris was only too willing to let them do their arm waving while she spent her time on the beach.

  Kris reached for Jack. She found him, fondled what she found, and let her smile grow into a happy leer as he responded to her.

  “Wife, won’t you let a man rest?” Jack said with a groan that failed to reach below his belly button.

  “But you seem ready for more. I’ve learned that you men need a lot of rest, but . . .” Kris said with a pout that she knew had too much eager smile in it.

  Her husband reached over and caressed her closest breast. “Hmm, the wife does seem willing, and it appears the husband is recharged.”

  “Kris, are you decent?” came from the bowl where Kris had put both her computer, Nelly, and Jack’s computer, Sal, so the two supercomputers, easily worth as much as any of the warships in orbit, would not get sand in their self-organizing matrices.

  “Nelly, what does it matter to you? And why are you interrupting my husband and me?” Kris demanded.