10-book 3D Bookshelf

Retrieval

It’s just a shilling. Just one small, golden, New Caledonian shilling and, other than its unbelievable market value, it serves no purpose.

Yet, this one New Caledonian shilling, sold by Francis ‘Franky’ Warren Chief Engineer of the Resurrection on behalf of one Thomas Andrew McNulty had more value beyond fiscal fantasy.

It was needed to satisfy the honour-bound tradition of passing a shilling to the eldest surviving relative of the family for any apprentice who had lost their life during their training.

Tommy already had five shillings, but there had been a sixth apprentice for whose peaceful rest he must go in search of the last shilling.

That takes him to the slaver’s world, Mercantia, where he must betray every last honourable instinct to become a merciless master of evil, so that he may retrieve the last coin.

That takes him to the slaver’s world, Mercantia, where he must betray every last honourable instinct to become a merciless master of evil, so that he may retrieve the last coin.

Restitution

With six golden, New Caledonian shillings collected, it should have been an easy task to pass a single coin to each of the families related to the six apprentices who had died when New Caledonia was stripped of its protective layers, exposing the world to the harsh direct radiation of its sun.

Except, how do you find relatives to those whose families had also been on New Caledonia at that time?

Important as it was, the issue of the shillings wasn’t the only concern for Tommy, the Marauders and the crew of the Resurrection, nor indeed for the commonwealth.

Mercantia had been liberated and the majority of the heads of the households had been killed or captured and imprisoned.

But not all of them.

One warlord remained at large, and that one was enough of a problem on their own.

Revenge

Engineers work wonders to produce a new class of vessel for the Commonwealth within a very tight deadline.

The 'Raptor' class is a new breed of offensive weapon designed and built with a very specific purpose in mind.

Revenge.

Both the name and the purpose of the new vessel that is to be the new home of the Marauders, manned by the original crew of the 'Resurrection' and focussed on the destruction of the source of the enemy's power.

The laboratory that produces the purest form of 'Death Wish'.

This drug has enabled the growth of the Warlord's powerbase - vast numbers of drug-dependent individuals who are prepared to do anything to earn their next fix.

With their critical censors silenced by the drug the addicts will embark on suicide missions without any concern for their own demise.

And making them go 'cold turkey' is the only viable counter-offensive against such blind loyalty.

Retreat

Retaliation for the destruction of the laboratory is swift, violent and persistent, and is not limited to military targets.

A war, unlike anything previously experienced, takes its toll on both sides.

The Commonwealth loses allies and members in the attrition utilised by the Warlord. Civilian populations suffer due to their allegiance to the union, and many cut their ties to those who had liberated them.

Vessels, manpower and ground-based resources diminish and those loyal to the Commonwealth are forced to retreat in desperation, seeking a defensible position.

Battle lines are drawn as the opposing forces confront each other in preparation for a deciding encounter between them.

Backs to the wall, the Commonwealth forces wait with bated breath for the attack to begin.

Repulse

The battle begins in an all out frontal assault againt the primary defences of the Commonwealth.

True to form, the Warlord employs dirty tricks, deploying hidden stocks of 'Death Wish'.

Commonwealth forces, fully aware of the Warlord's tactics, are prepared for such a devious attack and casualties are kept to a minimum.

Despite some of the heaviest losses of the conflict, the Warlord still has sufficient resources to attempt to outflank the defenders.

Close to exhaustion, and with their resources diminishing almost to nothing, the defenders witness the withdrawal of the Warlord's forces.

Barely daring to hope that the battle has ended, the Commonwealth forces are slow to recognise the silent lack of activity on the battle front.

Respite

The departure of the Warlord's forces leaves the Commonwealth defenders wallowing in the vacuum of their absence.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to regroup and resupply, scouts and shuttles are sent out in search of materials and allies.

But the Warlord's efforts are succeeding in alienating the general populace, setting them to be, at the very least, unwilling to help the Commonwealth. At the worst they are antagonistic even belligerent.

With resources being replenished little by little, the defenders do their best to prepare for the return of the Warlord.

The Warlord's anticpated return brings a reduced armada to confront them and the battleground is established.

Two much-reduced fleets form up even as the first shots are fired and the respite ends.

Renaissance

Desperate battles of various sizes and intensity erupt as the Commonwealth forces fight to preserve the liberty everyone has enjoyed since the Galactic Corporate was defeated.

Heroics beyond imagining hold the Warlord's forces in check, creating a stalemate that is likely to perpetuate the conflict as neither side is prepared to concede to the other.

When the deadlock is broken by the arrival of some unexpected support for the Commonwealth, fortune swiftly favours their efforts and the Warlord is pursued to his last bastion.

Cornered in his lair, the Warlord gives no sign of his intentions until a challenge is issued to the Commonwealth leadership.

One-on-one combat is demanded via one of the Warlord's drug-crazed servants, and the challenge is accepted.

The victory of the Commonwealth is all but assured leaving only one question to be answered.

Who is the Warlord?

Blue Moon

A blue moon shines the night Tembrul and his siblings are whelped.

It is both a portent of doom, and the foretelling of the one who will save the wolves from their end.

But the wolves are hungry, and finding prey is getting harder and harder. Their natural prey are diminishing, their land being taken by man and those creatures he favours. It is not long before there is a need to take prey from amongst man’s creatures.

The pack must survive, but how could this be possible when man has such a thing as the death sound?

If you hear it, you still live. If not, it’s too late.

Those problems faced by the pack are not just caused by man. A new pack leader rises to dominance and it is this leader who is determined to unify the packs to confront man in a war for prey and territory, regardless of their losses.

How can any wolf survive against such circumstances as those?

How then can a pack hope to survive?

Follow Tembrul on the journey of his life through the crises that take him from a new-born cub to pack leader.

Elusive

A businessman's son, Geoffrey Jenks was not in the least bit interested in following in his father's footsteps.

The cold, calculating attitude of his father towards living creatures, including most humans, is contrary to how Geoffrey perceives them.

It is enough to set the young man on a path to his chosen profession; that of being a veterinarian.

But not the city-dwelling, pet-pampering, money-grabbing kind. No. He wants to become a forntiersman kind of veterinarian; treating animals of all species, from domesticated pets to livestock and even the creatures of the untamed wilderness.

When the behaviour of the wolf packs changes, he witnesses the rise of a white, possibly albino, alpha male. One who leads an unusually large pack.

Despite his revulsion towards violence, he is drawn to defend the homesteaders who are being attacked by the new pack.

Then he witnesses something unheard of, incredible, and quite mystifying.

When the white alpha attacks his wife and son, another wolf stands between the alpha and his prey, seeming to defend the woman and her child.

And that is not his last encounter with the wolf who would stand against his alpha in defence of his mortal enemies.