Rogue Command (The Kalahari Series)

THE

KALAHARI

SERIES

FIVE BOOKS
ONE AMAZING STORY

AVAILABLE FROM SELECTED BOOK SHOPS
AND ONLINE
www.mpressbooks.co.uk

Reviews and praise for the Kalahari Series

The pyramids’ origin
; the Atlantis mystery; a quest for clean energy; a travel through space and time . . . It’s been a while since I’ve read such a well-crafted sci-fi book.

Evelyne Van de Camp
,
Air Traffic Controller, Belgium

A rollercoaster finale
to Marshall’s Kalahari Series. Fast, furious, emotional and intelligent. A must read.

Peter Beauchamp
,
Hotelier, Wellington, NZ

Reality or a glimpse into the future
– this book blurs the dividing line. An inspiring novel that opens a whole new world for the reader; nothing less than awesome.

Alex Hartley
,
Medical Services Manager, Somerset

Highly Commended
-
The Yeovil Literary Prize

Richard Reece is tomorrow’s hero
, solving today’s man-made problems, using yesterday’s knowledge of ancient civilizations . . . not your average science fiction blockbuster: fun, racy, pacy and thought provoking . . .

Nicola Wakefield
,
Maritime Event Organiser, Dorset

I jumped in
with The Osiris Revelations and then hung on tight to the fast moving plot that kept me glued to my reading spectacles for the next two books. A fast paced, unstoppable futuristic thriller. Brace yourself for The Bastion Prosecutor and the secret codes revealed about the future of mankind from the Sumerians and the Rosetta Stone, and why someone is trying to sabotage the messages and the mission. You will be gripped. Rogue Command will keep you guessing until its final startling conclusion. You won´t want to put this book down or sleep for a few nights! A great, very real series. What is next, please?

Lucinda Mead
,
Toronto, Canada

A searing indictment
of what the future holds told with precision and verve.

Christopher Powell
,
Garage Proprietor, Worcestershire

The Kalahari Series has got me excited
about reading again! Rogue Command continues in the same thrilling, beautifully-researched vein as the previous books. This is a cleverly written and thought provoking piece of work that combines history, technology and intrigue; it’s a cracking end to the series which certainly doesn’t disappoint!

David Gray
,
Squadron Leader R.A.F. (Retired), Yorkshire

Clearly Marshall did it again
, another gripping page turner. A thrilling sci-fi adventure that keeps you intrigued. Exciting and captivating storyline, a perfect continuation of the previous books.

Niels Stevens
,
Classic Car Restorer, Holland

In short the Earth is in crisis
. Crystals which can potentially resolve the planet’s energy problem have been discovered on Mars by Richard Reece. He is charged with discovering the secret and whereabouts of the remaining crystal, whilst US pilot Tom Race salvages the crystals on Mars. Battling against time, the two men attempt to solve the climatic problem in a thrilling episode, encountering considerable danger and conspiracy. In effect, two stories running excellently alongside each other, brilliantly written and a great page turner that leaves you hungry for the next episode. Fast-paced action, which I found quite technical at times, (but believe me if you are an aviator you will love it!) - all in all a great balance of sci-fi and historical-based writing. I also highly recommend The Bastion Prosecutor trilogy which precedes the story wonderfully!

Susan Hooker
,
School Teacher, Warwickshire

There’s nothing I like more
than picking up a good book, getting totally immersed with the plot and characters and then discovering there’s a whole series! A. J. Marshall’s style of writing grips you from the first page. Follow Richard Reece on his journey and open up a world of science fiction, history, action and adventure . . .

Patrick Hennessy
,
Carpenter and Joiner, Gloucestershire

Rogue
Command

AJ Marshall

M
Press
Books

Rogue Command

First published in 2011 by MPress Books

Copyright © Andrew J Marshall 2011

Andrew J Marshall has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

In this work of fiction the characters, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or they are used entirely fictitiously.

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright holder.

MPress Books Limited Reg. No 6379441 is a company registered in Great Britain
www.mpressbooks.co.uk

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: Electronic book format 978-0-9565077-7-8

Origination by Core Creative, Yeovil 01935 477453
EBook Design by Candescent Press
www.candescentpress.co.uk

AUTHOR’S COMMENT

Time waits for no one. An interesting adage that we know to be true . . . but is it? There are so many facets to time: my time, your time, time at the equator, time at the poles. Our planet's time – referenced to that of the others in this solar system; the time frame of this galaxy or another so far away that we cannot possibly comprehend the distances involved and how long it would take to get there. And does time pass in the same way there as it does here? How long a heartbeat or the blink of an eye?

And then the question of dimension – as interrelated as the sun's energy and chlorophyll, the green pigment in plant cells. We believe that we exist in the third, because of our ability to sense each of them. But what of the fourth, or the fifth, if such places exist; surely there 'time' would be different. Expanded, compressed . . . not as we know it?

Space travel is already a reality; whether we consider man setting foot on our nearest neighbour or NASA's two Voyager probes continuing to send back data decades after their launch and from the extremities of our solar system. In the short term (relatively) many government agencies across the world are looking towards a return to the Moon and also the first manned landings on Mars – each believed to feature much longer stays than the hours or days of previous milestones. But here again 'time' is the critical factor. Time multiplied by speed equals distance travelled, and until light-related speeds are possible, then interplanetary travel will be tedious and debilitating, and interstellar travel impossible. Many eminent scientists, however, hypothesize a link between time, travel at light speed and other, higher, dimensions, despite the limitations imposed by relativity theories.

In this novel, the fifth and final instalment of my Kalahari Series, 'time' is a major player, and as such it enables a number of 'realistic' opportunities that hitherto have remained confined to the realms of fantasy. In essence, time itself will blur the divide between science and science fiction. In
Rogue Command
I merely scratch the surface of this divide, allowing the characters to speculate and formulate, while expressing their time as the backdrop to an adventure that I very much hope you find absorbing and enjoyable.

Be prosperous and of long life.

INTRODUCTION

The story so far . . .

The Osiris Revelations

Lieutenant Commander Richard James Reece is the survey leader for Osiris Base, a permanent encampment on Mars. The year is 2049. There is also a longer established and larger base on the Moon, called Andromeda. Richard Reece is a former military and space shuttle pilot, having previously served on Andromeda Wing; he is British. Appointed to Mars for three years, he envisaged a quiet, uncluttered time. Two things happened, however, that would subsequently change his life forever: meeting Doctor Rachel Turner, Osiris Base Principal Medical Officer, and finding, in the wreckage of a remote, long abandoned alien spaceship, a flight log. The writings in the log bear an uncanny resemblance to those of earth’s ancient civilisations. Richard Reece studies the text and succeeds in deciphering it.

Close to the wreckage, Reece also finds a number of strange, fractured, crystals. They contain latent energy of enormous potential. Knowledge of the discovery, and its implications, soon reaches earth and not only the government agencies for which it was intended, but also unscrupulous, corrupt, multinational conglomerates. Their aim: to gain possession of the crystals, harness their electricity-generating potential and hold the world to ransom. The race is on.

Earth’s natural resources are almost exhausted. Anxious governments press into service an experimental spaceship before it is ready. Capable of incredible speeds,
Enigma
reduces a Mars retrieval flight to mere weeks. However, its highly sophisticated systems computer EMILY, has another agenda. Major Tom Race, an American and the ship’s commander becomes embroiled in a prophetic struggle against synthetic intelligence.

Misplaced trust and eventual betrayal allow the International Space and Science Federation to secure the first valuable consignments of crystals, but impatience and political conceit degrade their potential. Now the remaining crystals must be retrieved from Mars. The race sees new competitors, but there can only be one winner.

The Bastion Prosecutor – Episode 1

Richard Reece has been incarcerated on earth pending court martial. He is accused of misappropriating ISSF property – namely the flight log of the crashed spaceship
Star of Hope
. Called to London by the British Secret Service he survives two attempts on his life. The first is by agents of a corrupt international conglomerate and the second, by a sinister figure dressed in religious clothing. During the subsequent meeting, he is offered a deal: Help recover an ancient Ark believed to contain a lost crystal, and in return, all charges against him will be dropped. He also, however, realises that his fiancée, Rachel Turner, lives a double life. Emotionally devastated he accepts the mission. Thereafter, ancient text, historic monuments, agents of the conglomerates and their deadly machines and a beautiful, mysterious woman, manipulate his destiny until his mission becomes a quest.

The Bastion Prosecutor – Episode 2

Whilst inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu, Richard Reece begins to realise that his beautiful guide Madame Vallogia and her unlikely aide Asharf Makkoum, have a hereditary role as mysterious as the monument itself. He is unaware that mechanical predators have sealed the entrance to the pyramid and now stalk him with a directive to interrogate and then eliminate. After a near-death struggle, Richard and his party escape the mausoleum and begin to assimilate long lost and seemingly meaningless clues that coax him south; first to the deserted Valley of the Kings near Luxor in southern Egypt – more particularly the tomb of the Pharaoh Rameses II – and then, after another narrow escape, to the ancient kingdom of Kush – a region now known as the Sudan. During a briefing in Khartoum, given by his MI9 controller, Richard is confronted by more evidence of wayward and illegal computer programming: an astonishing hologram. The encounter confirms the existence of the so called "Ark of the Light" and directs him east to Eritrea and the ancient and long forgotten seaport of Adulis.

Meanwhile Tom Race, who is on board the Federation Ship
Enigma
for the Kalahari crystal retrieval flight to Mars, has forged a dubious alliance with EMILY, the ship's autonomous and self-aware systems computer – a relationship based on misconstrued human traits. After an incredible voyage through the solar system and with the ship subsequently established in orbit around the red planet, Tom visits Osiris Base – only to find that both the consignment of crystals and the flight log are missing. A secondary mission to explore the pyramidal structures on the Plane of Elysium sees an attempt on Tom's life. By his own resourcefulness he survives and upon his return, he is able to point an incriminating finger at the base Security Officer. This, in turn, leads to the recovery of the lost items. Along with the cargo, Tom reluctantly agrees to return the officer to Earth. EMILY, however, sees opportunity in this incarceration.

The Bastion Prosecutor – Episode 3

Richard Reece is continuing in his search for the Ark of the Light. Time, however, is against him: the World is about to run out of energy. Carbon-based fuels are all but exhausted. The first consignment of Kalahari crystals consisted of five stones, but each is now irreparably damaged – due to ill-designed and inadequate installations – and their output is diminishing.

Following a clue, Richard arrives in the old town of Adulis in Eritrea. He is accompanied by his colleague Preston, Madame Vallogia and Asharf Makkoum. He is met by the local British Secret Service agent who takes them first to a safe house to formulate their plans and then on to an ancient scriptorium.

In the scriptorium, and by examining 16th-century financial accounts and tax documents, the Chief Curator helps solve the mystery of the Ark's fate. Richard discovers that the ancient artefact, together with its surviving 'Guardians' – all of whom are women – departed centuries earlier on a sea voyage from Adulis to the Far East. While navigating the ancient spice route across the Indian Ocean, however, they were pirated by a French galleon based in the colony Île de France – now known as Mauritius. While in Adulis, Richard also crosses paths with a Humatron robot. He disguises himself, follows it, and discovers a conspiracy. Subsequently, Richard and Preston narrowly escape an attempt on their lives and, with the help of Charles Marretti, the local agent, they escape Eritrea bound for Mauritius.

Meanwhile, the ISS
Enigma
, having journeyed from Mars, is in close proximity to Earth. Tom Race and EMILY wait for a shuttle to approach and dock; it supposedly carries EMILY's 'disciples' – eleven Humatron robots. Tom Race and EMILY have an agreement: the safe, accelerated, passage to Earth for the final consignment of Kalahari crystals in exchange for the robots that will run the ship in the absence of humans. However, EMILY discovers that the shuttle is fitted with an assault pod and that there are heavily armed storm troopers on board. They have orders to take the
Enigma
by force. Blaming Tom for the betrayal, she first destroys the shuttle and then tries to kill Tom. When gassing fails, she releases the imprisoned Security Officer, Gregory Searle. There is a struggle; Tom escapes the
Enigma
and returns to Earth in his orbital craft, while EMILY, fearing for her survival and with her main laser weapon disabled, flees into space and obscurity.

On Earth, further clues found in Mauritian Government archives dating back to the island's French colonial past, indicate that the Ark was taken to Europe. More specifically, Richard discovers links to the Vatican in Rome. With the help of a foreign Air Force and using a developmental method of inserting Special Forces operatives, Richard and Preston land in Rome. As their search begins, Richard is abducted by a shadowy religious figure. This man is a member of a secretive order that dates back to the heresy trial of Galileo. Sworn to protect an earlier and purer ideal, Brother Ignazio sees Richard as a contemporary heretic who must be erased. But during his incarceration Richard discovers evidence that the final resting place of the Ark of the Light is, in fact, Venice and not Rome. He negotiates his release but a curse now hangs over him. Richard is found by Preston wandering the streets and contacts London, where their Controller coordinates a helicopter flight.

In Venice and with the help of a senior member of the Church – who has essential knowledge of the Renaissance period – Richard discovers the whereabouts of the Ark. After a convoluted search the 'old world relic' is found, inside of which is a single crystal. This crystal and the three retrieved by Tom Race are installed in more advanced reactors. The electricity they produce gives hope to the planet's population. They will serve as a stopgap until a more reliable source is found.