Breaking the Trust: The MacCollie Series, Book Two
Dennis E. Smirl
- Thinking
- he's
- satisfied
- with
- running
- his
- retirement
- business
- as
- a
- hunting
- guide
- in
- the
- high,
- snowy
- mountains
- of
- Reno
- Bright—a
- planet
- well
- off
- the
- main
- roads
- of
- commerce
- in
- the
- Fellowship
- of
- Humanity—Rennie
- Mikovich
- isn't
- looking
- for
- a
- job.
- But
- when
- a
- mysterious
- stranger
- named
- Maki
- Honamatsu
- offers
- him
- a
- berth
- as
- astrogator
- on
- a
- mission
- to
- a
- distant
- and
- unknown
- star
- system,
- Rennie
- signs
- on.What
- he
- finds
- on
- Thendara,
- one
- of
- Reno
- Bright's
- moons,
- is
- a
- salvaged
- and
- modified
- alien
- starship.
- In
- short
- order,
- he
- meets
- the
- young,
- cute,
- tough-talking
- pilot,
- Karla
- Formanti,
- and
- then
- the
- rest
- of
- the
- crew.
- The
- Captain,
- Jahn
- Prudeaux,
- is
- a
- man
- used
- to
- giving
- orders,
- and
- having
- them
- obeyed.
- Rennie
- can
- live
- with
- this
- but
- he
- doesn't
- trust
- Prudeaux's
- motives.
- The
- ship's
- engineer,
- Leta
- Niemeroff,
- is
- also
- the
- Captain's
- mistress.
- The
- ship's
- nanotech
- specialist,
- Nikolas
- Omstead,
- takes
- an
- immediate
- dislike
- to
- Rennie,
- and
- isn't
- shy
- about
- his
- feelings.When
- Rennie
- asks
- about
- the
- objectives
- of
- the
- mission,
- he
- gets
- half-answers
- and
- incomplete
- information.
- When
- he
- asks
- about
- the
- origin
- of
- the
- ship,
- he
- gets
- lies.
- When
- the
- ship
- flies,
- he
- gets
- a
- shocking
- introduction
- to
- the
- way
- other
- beings
- solved
- the
- problem
- of
- faster-than-light
- travel.Once
- their
- ship
- makes
- the
- first
- planetfall,
- Rennie
- begins
- to
- understand
- the
- scope
- of
- the
- lies
- he's
- being
- told.
- As
- members
- of
- the
- crew
- plunder
- a
- building
- in
- hope
- of
- finding
- the
- secret
- to
- manufacturing
- the
- FTL
- engine
- in
- their
- ship,
- they
- meet
- failure,
- and
- then
- armed
- resistance.
- In
- the
- ensuing
- melee,
- Maki
- Honamatsu
- is
- killed
- and
- Captain
- Prudeaux
- is
- badly
- wounded.
- Rennie
- manages
- to
- save
- the
- day
- through
- forceful
- action,
- and
- what's
- left
- of
- the
- crew
- escapes
- into
- space.Prudeaux
- and
- his
- crew
- haven't
- found
- what
- they
- want,
- so
- they
- tell
- Rennie
- they
- are
- continuing
- the
- mission.
- He
- tries
- to
- talk
- them
- out
- of
- their
- plans,
- but
- when
- he
- can't,
- goes
- along
- with
- their
- agenda.
- On
- a
- planet
- in
- a
- different
- star
- system,
- Prudeaux
- and
- his
- crew
- find
- the
- secret
- of
- the
- FTL
- drive,
- but
- again,
- they
- meet
- with
- resistance,
- and
- in
- the
- ensuing
- firefight,
- get
- separated.Rennie
- and
- Karla
- Formanti
- locate
- Prudeaux
- and
- Leta
- Niemeroff
- and
- set
- of
- on
- a
- rescue
- mission.
- The
- operation
- is
- a
- partial
- success,
- because
- only
- Nimeroff
- is
- still
- alive,
- but
- greviously
- wounded.
- Nikolas
- Omstead
- may
- still
- be
- alive,
- but
- is
- among
- the
- missing.When
- Rennie
- and
- Karla
- take
- Niemeroff
- back
- to
- the
- lander
- for
- medical
- treatment,
- Omstead
- is
- waiting
- for
- them.
- He
- tells
- Karla
- that
- he
- is
- going
- to
- get
- rid
- of
- Rennie,
- and
- Karla
- identifies
- herself
- as
- an
- undercover
- Fellowship
- officer
- and
- tries
- to
- place
- Omstead
- under
- arrest.
- He
- shoots
- her,
- and
- Rennie
- shoots
- him,
- killing
- him
- instantly.Rennie
- places
- Leta
- Niemeroff
- and
- Karla
- Formanti
- in
- autodocs,
- and
- engages
- in
- the
- horribly
- difficult
- job
- of
- piloting
- and
- navigating
- the
- unfamiliar
- ship
- back
- to
- Reno
- Bright.
- Both
- women
- are
- seriously
- wounded,
- and
- Rennie
- wonders
- if
- either
- will
- survive
- long
- enough
- to
- reach
- their
- destination.As
- they
- approach
- Reno
- Bright,
- Rennie
- knows
- that
- the
- ship
- is
- far
- more
- trouble
- that
- it's
- worth,
- that,
- indeed,
- knowledge
- of
- its
- presence
- might
- precipitate
- an
- interstellar
- war.
- As
- he
- struggles
- with
- decisions,
- Leta
- dies.
- Rennie
- decides
- to
- take
- Karla,
- in
- the
- autodoc,
- and
- a
- flash-frozen
- Leta
- back
- to
- his
- lodge
- on
- Reno
- Bright
- in
- the
- lander.
- He
- will
- sacrifice
- the
- star
- ship
- by
- using
- autopilot
- to
- crash
- it
- into
- the
- airless
- moon,
- Thendara.After
- a
- disastrous
- landing,
- Rennie
- manages
- to
- get
- Karla
- back
- to
- his
- lodge
- without
- being
- spotted.
- He
- then
- cremates
- Leta's
- remains,
- scatters
- her
- ashes,
- and
- over
- what's
- left
- of
- a
- long
- winter,
- he
- nurses
- Karla
- back
- to
- health.
- As
- the
- spring
- comes,
- she
- tells
- Rennie
- that
- she
- has
- to
- report
- back
- to
- Fellowship
- HQ
- on
- Reno
- Bright.
- As
- she
- prepares
- to
- leave,
- he
- asks
- if
- she
- will
- tell
- her
- bosses
- about
- him.
- She
- assures
- him
- his
- secret
- is
- safe,
- but
- won't
- promise
- to
- return.
- He
- can
- only
- hope
- that
- she will.
