Turnabout & Temerity, page 1
PRAISE FOR THE DAUNTLESS GAMBIT
I could see elements from some of my favorite stories all pulled together - Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and Guardians of the Galaxy to list a few.
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The first chapters of this book immediately serve to transport our minds to a familiar yet new reality, that of the Imperium, Fringe and Gulf and the endless struggles for balance between power and equality in that corner of the universe.
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Even after reading the first four books, I can open to any page and still smile - this is the kind of adventure where rereading it is a delight, not a chore.
PAPERBACK READER
"The Dauntless Gambit was a tight, fast-paced romp! This sort of soft sci-fi is just what I needed, a blend of cowboy-diplomacy and swashbuckling adventure."
KINDLE READER
Like a new Bladerunner, very Phillip K Dick. Found myself hooked after chapter five and just kept going.
PAPERBACK READER
Listening is like a TV show beamed right into my mind. The level of detail and immersion makes this a must-binge series!
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Couldn't stop listening, I binged the entire series!
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The books are super fun and engaging. By 10% of the first one, I was already hooked and needed to get to the end to know what was going to happen
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TURNABOUT & TEMERITY
THE DAUNTLESS GAMBIT
BOOK 3
ERIKA FLOWERS
TEAM CONTENT PRODUCTIONS
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
TURNABOUT & TEMERITY
The Dauntless Gambit, Book 3
By Erika Flowers
Version 2.0 - October 2023
Copyright © 2023 TeamContent Productions
www.teamcontent.pub
All rights reserved.
Edited by Hannah Reedy. Cover art by Ryan Moeck. Audio narration by Chris Lynch - listen at audible.com
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THE DAUNTLESS GAMBIT
Book 1: KESTREL & CLAW
Book 2: LEGACY & LIES
Book 3: TURNABOUT & TEMERITY
Book 4: ASCENSION & ASH
Book 5: Coming Soon
CONTENTS
Previously…
A Note on chapter numbering
31. All on the same team
32. Now is the time to cooperate
33. A real mission
34. An unofficial ancillary asset
35. This sort of crusade
36. Welcome to the conspiracy’s conspiracy
37. Maybe take a breather here
38. Time to go
39. One disavowed, one disgraced
40. Shoemaker linear boxwood
41. Everything was for nothing
42. An investigative black hole
43. A long, selfish tantrum of violence
44. He didn’t remember blood
45. No sense of victory
The story isn’t over…
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About the Author
PREVIOUSLY…
Samantha, Decker, and the crew of the freshly repaired Matilda are on their way to Senali with Red Kestrel leader Kat Basara in their sights. She has the answer to Samantha’s question: who is the leak within the Imperium that sacrificed The Dauntless and its crew?
On Kestris, Clarke and Julian are forced to pull their attention away from the big picture to focus on a growing problem—Renic. Running low on options, they must consider new allies in the Navy.
At the same time, Renic has worked his way into OS-9’s Indigo investigation to thwart it from the inside, but when he tries to draw attention to Samantha, things don’t add up.
Living a double-life aboard the Terminus, Qin must ask herself: who is she? The decorated Navy lieutenant, or the covert 5E agent? Or is she another person who finds herself drawn to Lieutenant Yadav in ways that could jeopardize them both?
Aboard the Terminus, Renic introduces himself to OS-9…
A NOTE ON CHAPTER NUMBERING
The Dauntless Gambit is a continuous story, broken into books with 15 “episodes” each, sequential across the entire series.
TURNABOUT & TEMERITY starts with Episode 31…
31
ALL ON THE SAME TEAM
Renic stepped through the open elevator doors, Operative Kogan following as they exited onto the landing. This was Renic’s first visit to the Terminus as a collaborator with OS-9. His previous visit, in which Admiral Elliot met his ignoble end, was not a part of any official record. Neither had Elliot’s been. Renic had checked. Elliot’s personnel file currently indicated he was on classified assignment, unable to be reached. Half of that was true, at least.
On this visit, Renic was free to walk the corridors of the Terminus openly, a guest of OS-9, there to conduct business critical to the security of the Imperium. The Indigo investigation was starting up, and OS-9 was in charge of coordinating it. This was to be Renic’s official introduction to the Indigo team, but Fleet Marshal Gallow had already made him aware. Renic knew who the Indigo investigation was looking for—him. It was his unofficial job to thwart them.
Major Drake’s invitation to attend his recurring staff meeting had arrived the day before. Meetings like this could easily be attended remotely, but if Drake thought that commuting into orbit twice a week was going to prevent Renic from attending in person, the major would be sorely mistaken. Renic was a Navy commander, free to come and go from the surface of Kestris to the Terminus as he pleased.
A navy officer approached Renic and Kogan from across the landing at a brisk pace, hands clasped behind her back, hair pulled into a tight bun at the base of her neck. She stopped a few paces away, nodding curtly to each of them.
“Commander Tau, welcome. I am Lieutenant Yadav. I work for Major Drake as a senior analyst on our,” Yadav paused, turning her eyes momentarily toward Kogan, “joint effort. Is the rest of your attachment on their way?”
Renic exchanged a bemused glance with Kogan. “Excuse me, Lieutenant?”
Yadav tilted her head. “The rest of your staff, commander. We were not told how many to expect.”
Renic scoffed. More bureaucratic nonsense from desk-bound analysts. He and Kogan probably had a body-count that was higher than the entirety of Drake’s staff.
“It will be only us today,” he said, chuckling as if Yadav had made some mistake.
The lieutenant nodded, giving no reaction. “Of course. If you would follow me, I will escort you to the conference room.”
Renic smiled. “Lead the way.”
Yadav spun on her heel, and proceeded across the landing with the same brisk pace as before. Renic gave Kogan a satisfied grin, and they fell into line behind her. OS-9 had a presence on every Navy ship and every Navy base, but Major Drake’s division was special. They were stationed aboard the Terminus, the very place they had failed to protect from compromise. Not that they could have stopped Gallow. Or Renic, for that matter, and they were now inviting him right inside their own home, unaware of his true intentions as an agent of the empire’s downfall.
As they passed, the eyes of Terminus crew members flitted to Renic and Kogan, each in their unadorned Navy Special Investigation Division uniforms. The glances of the crew did not linger; the NSID uniforms might not have displayed rank or station, but they did send another, more powerful message—who you are looking upon has the fleet marshal’s favor.
Lieutenant Yadav led them across the landing and into a corridor, leaving the scattered onlooking crew behind. She turned her head as she walked, catching Renic’s eye. “I trust your journey from the surface was without incident?”
“Yes, thank you, Lieutenant,” Renic said with a forced smile. He had to keep up appearances of cooperation with Drake and his team, even if it felt like a distraction from his real duty. But this was what Gallow wanted. Besides, Renic had planned a way to make today’s meeting interesting.
The corridor opened into the lobby outside of the OS-9 offices. Yadav led them across the room to a closed door with a security checkpoint. She placed her hand on the pedestal near the door, the light on the scanner turning green as the doors slid open. Renic followed, placing his hand on the black-glass surface, and the light turned green once again.
Kogan followed, placing his hand on the surface. A gentle chime sounded from the checkpoint panel, the light now softly pulsing orange.
Kogan looked to Renic. “Commander?”
Renic huffed, glaring at Lieutenant Yadav. “Lieutenant, is there a problem with the checkpoint?”
Yadav double-timed it back to the checkpoint, confusion on her face. Renic turned, catching a member of ship’s security approaching from across the lobby.
“Excuse me, Commander Tau,” the security agent said, voice lacking any actual remorse, “but our records show that Staff Sergeant Kogan does not have clearance pre-approval for RCA—restricted compartmentalized access. He will not be permitted beyond until that is granted.”
Renic glowered at the agent. “I know what RCA is. Operative Kogan has top-secret clearance granted to him through my organization. Your system is mistaken.”
Lieutenant Yadav took a step forward, holding up a placating hand. “Commander, while this is true for standard restricted areas, Major Drake has placed a status of restricted access on the content of our joint project. I am afraid that without the major’s express approval, no one can be allowed to enter without relevant business beyond the checkpoint. Did your office receive the major’s request for enhanced access privileges?”
Renic’s eyes narrowed; he had no idea if his office had received it or not. “I have no time to personally check every request that comes through my division. It must have slipped past my administrator. I’ll be sure to rectify that.” He turned to Kogan. “Operative, wait here until we are finished.”
Kogan nodded, giving a baleful eye to the guard before turning and taking up a position at the edge of the lobby.
Lieutenant Yadav politely cleared her throat. “Apologies, Commander. The nature of the project has very little precedence, as I am sure you are aware. We are all adjusting.”
Renic was aware, more than she could ever guess. He adjusted the cuffs of his jacket and motioned for Yadav to lead. She led him through the OS-9 outer offices, a large room with rows of desks and closed offices lining the walls. Its decor was nicer than his underground offices, better staffed as well. The lights were dim, giving the place a more serious, authoritative atmosphere. Perhaps he could try adjusting the lighting for the division offices. After all, he didn’t just have a single office any longer, the entire facility was his to control.
“We are in here, Commander,” Yadav said, gesturing to an open door that led into a large conference room. Several other OS-9 staff passed, giving Renic a slight nod as they entered, but otherwise offered no further show of respect for the commander who surely outranked them all.
Yadav led Renic into the room, gesturing to a chair near the front, with several more empty seats next to it. “Commander. We had more available for your staff, but… well, your seat is next to the major’s,” Yadav said, bowing her head and proceeding to her own empty chair at the black-glass table that stretched through the center of the room.
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Renic said as he seated himself, pretending the empty seats next to him did not exist. The meeting room had the same slick, smooth features of everything on the Terminus. Displays were embedded seamlessly into the walls, and the lighting was soft and warm. Soft. Renic reversed his idea about adjusting the lighting of his division’s headquarters. The sleepy feeling in this room now made him want to make them brighter.
A dozen or so officers were already seated, some studying datapads, others talking softly to each other. Renic glanced at the empty seat next to him where Drake would be sitting at the head of the table. It figures the major would be late to his own meeting, that was the privilege that leadership granted.
Renic took a moment to scan the rest of the attendees. He did not recognize any, but he did not expect to. These people were strangers to him, meaningless and…
Renic paused. He did recognize one person. At the end of the table was a young woman with cropped black hair, a blank expression on her face as she studied the screen of her datapad. She had been in the closed council meeting with Drake, the day of the High Imperius’s address. The memory of her strange scrutiny arose. What was her name? Meredessi, that’s right. A lieutenant. She bothered Renic, an unusual thing, and the fact that he didn’t know why bothered him more.
Curious and bored, Renic picked up the datapad on the table in front of him and entered his personal credentials. The screen came to life and routed his individual profile to the display. He opened a program to access the naval records database and pulled up the record for Lieutenant Meredessi, scanning for anything of interest.
Qin Meredessi. Graduate of the Imperium Naval Academy with the highest honors, special commendations in digital forensics, linguistics, mathematics, statistics, psychology, and behavioral economy. Renic snorted at the list; Meredessi was a walking computer, an intelligence officer who had probably requested a tutor for the weapons range in order to meet the lowest criteria needed in combat training. He knew the type. All work, no play.
Out of curiosity, he looked through her qualifications, grimacing. She had also been a competitive university grappler. Renic rolled his eyes; that didn’t mean anything. Anyone could learn to grapple.
He scanned further. Meredessi had been placed on the Terminus shortly after completing her mandatory rotation upon graduation and had not left since. Altogether a model naval officer, if not a dreadfully boring one. She would be swept aside by Gallow’s new republic like all the rest if she chose not to accept her place. Renic tapped the screen and the record disappeared. He brushed any more thoughts about the strange lieutenant from his mind, setting the datapad back onto the table with disinterest as a voice sounded from the door behind him.
“Commander Tau, I see you found your way here. Welcome to OS-9.”
Drake strode into the room, four separate staff members trailing behind. He pulled out his chair at the head of the table and sat, scanning a datapad and muttering something in hushed tones to one of his aides. Renic smiled pleasantly at the conversation he was obviously not invited to participate in; if this was how their game was going to be, so be it.
Drake was out of his depth. He was an administrator and people-manager with graying hair and a career whose best days were years, if not decades, behind him. Drake might have seniority, but Renic had the secret graces of the most powerful man in the Imperium. If Renic had had the capacity for pity, he would have felt it for Drake and the rest who had no idea what was in store for them. But he didn’t. Feeling sorry for the weaknesses of others was a trait he’d excised from his psyche long ago. Those gathered would fall into line with Gallow’s wishes, or suffer the same fate as Admiral Elliot.
“Everyone, let’s get started,” Drake said. He turned to one of his attendants. “Corporal Prado, any absences?”
“Two. Lieutenant Blake is on a medical stay and Sergeant Rang is having her clearance level reviewed. RCA had not been renewed for Indigo.”
Drake harrumphed. He tapped his datapad a few times, finger thumping against the glass. “There. Renewed. She can be briefed later. Waiting on clearance elevation is a waste of our time.” He gestured to the conference room door. “Okay. Lock it up.”
Prado nodded, tapped a few commands on his datapad, and the doors slid shut, a red light turning on above the doorway. Closed doors were mandatory, but the locking seemed extreme. Drake couldn’t think that this deep in the Terminus there was any risk of unauthorized entry. Besides, the major’s biggest threat had already walked right in, unimpeded.
Drake interlocked his fingers, placing his hands on the table and addressed the attendees. “We are here to talk about Indigo, joined by our collaborator from the surface, Commander Renic Tau. The commander is the newly appointed acting leader of the Navy Special Investigation Division, per Defense Minister Archer and Fleet Marshal Gallow’s Imperium defense edict. Commander Tau has been granted top-level security clearance and full RCA. Please cooperate with whatever requests he and his division may have, within Indigo guidelines. Commander, this is the OS-9 Indigo team.”
Drake nodded at Renic, who then smiled graciously at the attendees in the room, hiding his irritation at Drake’s phrasing; newly appointed, acting leader, per Archer and Gallow, granted clearance. If Drake wanted to undermine Renic’s authority, he would have to try harder than using dismissive wording.
