All That Glitters Ch. 11

All That Glitters -- Ch 11

Alien home worlds.

The fan is turning, but nothing is sticking to it yet. The FTL probes return with information on not one but two alien home worlds.

Because of the amount of abbreviations in this story, I include a glossary:

Adm. Admiral, naval rank (see Cmdr.) -- above a captain

Capt. Captain, in this series a naval rank -- usually a ship's commander

CCO Chief Communications Officer, corporate position

Cdr. Commander, naval rank -- one grade below captain

CIO Chief Information Officer, corporate position

CIWS Close In Weapons System, close in ship defensive weapons

CP Confederation of Planets, referring to the losing side of the Terran Unification War

Cmdre. Commodore, first of the admiral ranks (one star), it is followed by Rear Admiral (RAdm. Two star), Vice Admiral (VAdm. three star), Fleet Admiral (FAdm. four star, in this story a Sector Commander or equivalent), and Admiral (Adm. five star, usually senior command positions such as Chief of the Navy)

Comp Communication device / personal computer, usually worn on the wrist. Everyone has one, though there are levels of sophistication above the ordinary

Coms O Communications Officer, naval position in charge of comms

CV Cargo Vessel (supply ship)

CPV Corporate Yacht, Corporate Private Vessel (i.e. CPV Liramor One)

CPO Chief Petty Officer, a naval rank, in this story it usually refers to the Boatswain, the senior enlisted rank of a ship, who literally owns the ship, he/she signed for it. The ship's captain commands, the Boatswain makes sure everything gets done

CSec Chief of Security, corporate position

Dir. Director, as in Director of Operations, corporate position

EA/PA Executive / Personal Assistant, corporate position

Exec, Ex O Executive Officer, a ship's principal administrative officer. On small ships the 2^nd in command and Ex O can be one and the same. On large ships, they will be separate positions

FTL Faster Than Light, referring to the multi-light year jump drive, military warships and some private/corporate yachts have a thirty-five light year jump capability, while large supply ships usually vary between fifteen to twenty light year capability

HRRC The Human Resources and Refugee Committee, standing TGA committee dedicated to supporting people in natural disasters and conflicts that are beyond the capabilities of planetary recourses

HR Human Resources, an administrative function

IFF Identify Friend or Foe, electronic identification system used between naval vessels to identify friendly vessels

IPPF Interplanetary Police Force, future parallel to Interpol. Union police force dedicated to interplanetary criminal matters

JAG Judge Advocate General, military legal system of judges and lawyers

LMC Liramor Mining Corporation, the owner of Liramor-23 Mining Platform and owns the rights to the Piscium Star System

Lt. Lieutenant, naval rank, one grade below LtCdr.

LtCdr. Lieutenant Commander, naval rank -- one grade below Cdr.

M/A Gen Marilon/Aruna generator, significantly improved Marilon generator designed by Dr. Aruna and business partner to Clark and Samson

Maj. Major, a military rank in the Army or Marines, equivalent to navy LtCdr.

Nav O Navigation Officer, responsible for plotting a ship's course

Nav Tech Navigation Technician, responsible for plotting a ship's course, does not have the same levels of responsibilities of a Nav O

NS Naval Ship (i.e. NS Wimple)

PSec Head of Personal Security, usually the team lead

PV Personal Yacht, Private Vessel (i.e. PV The Princess)

Ops O Operations Officer

SLO Senior Legal Officer, corporate position

SLt. Sub-Lieutenant, a naval rank one grade below Lt. and one grade above Ensign

SPV Passenger Ship, Space Passenger Vessel. Luxury passenger vessels would have cabins available to the passengers and would sometimes be used for interplanetary cruises

SOps Senior Operations Officer

Tac O Tactical Officer, naval position in charge of tactics

TGA Terran Union Governmental Authority

TUSN Terran Union Space Navy

UDC Union Diplomatic Corps, the TGA interplanetary diplomatic corps

VSC Veterans Security Company, a personal security company that Liea uses

There are now a number of navy and other ships, that are directly involved in this story. It might be difficult to track all of them, so here is a list of ships important to the story in order of their appearance:

RH 149 Rockhound 149, ore survey vessel. Raymond Clark's mining vessel in which he found his claim and evidence of aliens. Rockhounds are based on the old navy Felton Class ship tug and can literally push one kilometer of rock. First seen in the prologue.

CPV Liramor One Ex Tung Class corporate yacht. Principal corporate yacht of Liramor Holdings. First seen in Chapter One.

NS Wimple Fairling Class Frigate, Capt. Bouyé Whatt commanding. Support ship for the Piscium Scientific Investigation Team. First ship in Cmdre. Marsh's command. First seen in Chapter Two.

NS Dewfall Burgan Class Battle Cruiser, Capt. Steven Pickering commanding. Often used by FAdm. Thenton or the Sector Forty-Two JAG for transport. First seen in Chapter Four.

NS Kindalla Fairling Class Frigate, Capt. Liana Dostier commanding. Second ship in Marsh's command. Dedicated to Piscium system security. First seen in Chapter Five.

NS Kologn Fairling Class Frigate, Capt. Cèleste Dauphine commanding. Third ship in Marsh's command, dedicated to Piscium system security. First seen in Chapter Seven.

NS Claridge Fairling Class Frigate, Capt. Richard Dent commanding. Fourth ship in Marsh's command, dedicated to Piscium system security. First seen in Chapter Seven.

SPV Katran Luxury Passenger Ship. She is sent to Liramor-23 by the President of the Union to retrieve former slaves. Unfortunately, she also carried Senator Andjuran to Liramor-23. First seen in Chapter Eight.

NS Korman Korman Class Interdiction Ship. A large and formidable interdiction ship designed to lay siege to planetary systems. She was built late in the war and never saw action. She was sold to Raymond and Liea as a private yacht with a difference. First seen in Chapter eight.

PV The Princess Princess Class private yacht owned by Annette Liramor. Small yacht designed around the old diplomat runabout ships. Capable of planetfall and huge bounds. First of her class. Is the smallest of the Princess Class, subsequent ships of the class being built to slightly larger dimensions. A gift from Liea Samson. First seen in Chapter Nine.

PV The Wanderer Wanderer Class private yacht. Ex Korman Class interdiction ship. Private yacht visibly owned by Raymond Clark and Liea Samson but in reality, partially owned, maintained, and controlled by the TUSN. First seen in Chapter Nine.

PV Delilah Princess Class private yacht owned by Liea Samson. She is the second ship of the class and sets the pattern for subsequent ships of the class. The name is derived from the historical story 'Samson and Delilah', wherever Delilah is, Samson will also be. First seen in Chapter Ten.

PV The Valour Princess Class private yacht owned by Fiona Marsh. The name drives from Marsh's highest award to date, the Civilian Cross of Valour. A gift from Liea Samson. First seen in Chapter Ten.

PV The Valiant Princess Class private yacht owned by Raymond Clark. The name is derived from his actions in combat. Clark is one of the most decorated Navy Officers of the Terran Unification War. First seen in Chapter Ten.

Here is the promised list of characters for Glitters:

Andjuran, Wasim Senator to the Union Senate for the planet Anuura, Senior Elder of the Church of Andanii, his clique controls the church. Important character who has his fingers in too many pots. He is in league with pirates and is bribing or blackmailing his fellow Union Senators. Right wing religious fanatic, he is against contact and friendship with what he considers the 'heathen aliens'. He is planning a religious war against the aliens in order to seek the Chair as President of the Union. First seen in chapter eight.

Aruna, Ohiraha Doctor of Electrical Engineering. Minor character who finds a way to significantly improve the efficiency of the Marilon Generators, the principle power source in the future. The new generators are now known as Marilon/Aruna generators or M/A Gens for short. Business partner to Clark and Samson. First seen in chapter eight.

Blanche, Lissette EA to Liea Samson. Formerly a head of shift at the Eclipsa Hotel, she is drafted into Liea's service with a significant pay raise. She proves herself quite competent. Minor character but constantly in Liea's shadow. First seen in chapter three.

Clark, Raymond Rockhound, Captain in the TUSN, Doctor in Engineering, and multi-billionaire, half of the partnership of Clark and Samson. A main Character who was once a member of the Black Lighting Combat Engineer Brigade, the elite of the elite. Hiding at Liramor-23 mining platform to heal after the Terran Unification War, he is recalled to service in chapter one based mainly on his location and his history as a highly decorated officer. He finds one of the richest strikes in LMC history and proof of the existence of not one, but two separate species of aliens. Is a love interest to many of the characters. Owner of PV The Valiant, and part owner of PV The Wanderer. First seen in the prologue.

Dostier, Liana Captain TUSN commanding NS Kindalla, responsible for Piscium system security. Minor character who interacts with others. Lover to Fiona and Watt. First seen in chapter five.

Hannison, James Admiral and Judge Advocate General of the TUSN. Important character but not a main character. He keeps popping up to offer useful insight and guidance. First seen in chapter seven.

Heist, Rallond Admiral and Chief of Naval Intelligence. Minor character but keeps popping up to affect the storyline usually with significant intelligence for the main characters to act on. First seen in chapter seven.

Heyya Nurse, now medical doctor. Minor character, who was Sean Murphy's original private nurse until she attained her medical doctorates. She is from Hollander's World and is emphatic, a huge help in her medical career which becomes more evident now that she is a doctor and is actually diagnosing patients. Lover to Ayesha Seito and Sean Murphy. First seen in chapter two.

Hitron, Silvia Head of the Piscium Scientific Investigation Team, doctor in epidemiology and has a doctorate in administration. She is responsible for the team's detailed analysis of the aliens and their technology. First seen in chapter three.

Justine, Carolyn a.k.a. Celia Corden, Special Operations Officer, IPPF. Minor character who originally is working for Senator Andjuran, until she finds out he is bribing and/or blackmailing fellow senators and doesn't have an apparent source of funding for the money he is using. First seen in chapter nine.

Liramor, Annette Director of Operations for Liramor Holdings, the parent company of LMC, has a doctorate in administration. A main character who helps Liea learn to live at the rarefied levels she has attained. Good friend to Liea, Raymond, and Fiona and a lover to Raymond and Liea. Owner of PV The Princess. First seen in chapter one.

Liramor, Antoine President and CEO of Liramor Holdings. Annette's father and head of the Liramor family on Liramor Prime. Minor character who keeps popping up. First seen in chapter two.

Marsh, Fiona Director Liramor-23 Mining Platform, has a master's in business administration, Commodore commanding Piscium System. A main character and very competent and decorated administrator for the mining platform Liramor-23. She earns the right to be commissioned a commodore in the TUSN and is decorated almost immediately, proving her metal. She made her presence known right from the start and the storyline partially revolves around her work on the platform. Friend to Annette, Liea, and Raymond. Lover to Dostier and Watt. Owner of PV The Valour. First seen in the prologue.

Murphy, Sean Space miner. Minor character who loses his legs in the prologue proving the subtitle "Mining in space can be hazardous to your health". LMC pays to regenerate his legs in order to forestall a possible costly lawsuit. Despite the fact he is a very minor character, he keeps popping up in the storyline and has become a favorite sub-plot of the readers. Lover to Heyya and Ayesha Seito. First seen in the prologue.

Noor, Henadi Captain in the TUSN waiting for command of a ship of her own, former aide-de-camp to Cmdre. Marsh, now Civilian Liaison Officer to Liramor-23. Friend and lover to Raymond Clark. Important character who interacts with many others in the storyline. Noor is from the planet Anuura and is an apostate member of the Church of Andanii. First seen in chapter seven.

Ouihya, Fayad Runner on Liramor-23. Minor character who is a member of the Church of Andanii. Offers his assistance to Senator Andjuran but is suspicious of the senator's intent when he learns what is requested of him. First seen in chapter eight.

Oshiiru, Kimiko (Kim) Liea's personal Bodyguard. She is quite skilled and teaches the other security members of VSC. Gives Raymond a serious run for his money in a martial arts bout. Minor character but is always in Liea's shadow. First seen in chapter six.

Ramison, George Admiral and Chief of the Navy. Minor character who keeps popping up with significant impact on the storyline. First seen in chapter seven.

Riley, Siobhan Gourmet navy cook and Senior Chief who works as a spy of sorts for FAdm Thenton. First seen in chapter nine.

Samson, Liea Space miner and multi-billionaire. A main character and half of the partnership of Clark and Samson. Made her fortune by staking Raymond Clark who found one of the richest strikes in LMC history. Her antics learning how to live at the multi-billionaire level are a plot interest to the storyline. Owner of PV Delilah, part owner of PV The Wanderer. First seen in the prologue.

Seito, Ayesha Nurse. Minor character who takes over the duties as Sean Murphy's private nurse during the regeneration of his legs after Heyya becomes a doctor. Lover of both Sean Murphy and Heyya. First seen in chapter five.

Sprawl, David Master Chief working for FAdm Thenton. Minor character who outfits The Wanderer and provides some ideas to Pallanders Shipyards that makes everybody happy. First seen in this chapter.

Stewart, Cynthia Independent News Reporter for Interplanetary News Services. She's a good reporter but has never really found a big story that held appeal for any length of time. She's hoping to change her luck on Liramor-23. First seen in chapter eleven.

Talbot, Analisa Bodyguard for VSC, head of Liea's private security (PSec) and coordinator for her security watch. Total badass femme who's fighting skill is surpassed only by Kim. Minor character but is responsible for Liea's security and is frequently in Liea's shadow. First seen in chapter four.

Thenton, Charles Fleet Admiral commanding Sector Forty-Two and Cmdre. Marsh's direct navy superior. Important character but not necessarily a main character. First seen in chapter four.

Watt, Bouyé Captain, commanding NS Wimple support ship to the Piscium Scientific Investigation Team, ex slave who hates pirates and slavers. Minor character who interacts significantly with major characters. The storyline revolves around the exploits and discoveries of the science team. Lover to Fiona and Dostier. First seen in chapter two.

There is little attempt to explain the back story, so it is necessary to read previous chapters to fully understand where we are.

As before, I claim sole responsibility for the story line. This story is a fantasy, with no basis in reality. Any similarity that you may perceive to current events, people, or situations real or imaginary is completely unintended. Look no further than the story line for its intent and purpose.

A big shout out to SaddleRidder for all the help she has provided in editing. She has been with me from the start of this story and has been instrumental in improving the flow of the story. Any errors still left in this chapter are mine.

Please rate and comment. But keep your comments respectful. If you rant and rave or are disrespectful in your commentary, it will be deleted.

'Nuff said...enjoy.

Conference Room One, Liramor-23 Mining Platform, Piscium System, 106 Light Years from Terra

Fiona Marsh was in Conference Room One with her ship's Captains and Ex Os, her senior administrators for Liramor-23, Annette Liramor and her EA, Liea Samson and her EA and bodyguard Kim Oshiiru, Raymond Clark her Civilian Liaison Officer, and her aide-de-camp Cdr. Henadi Noor.