Rogue Shepherd: The Hornet's Nest: Rogue Shepherd Space Opera Series Prequel Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright © 2014

  Dedication

  The Hornet's Nest

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  The Cover... I Feel The Same Way

  ROGUE SHEPHERD: HORNET'S NEST - PREQUEL

  A Note from Chris Vaughn-1

  About The Author

  ROGUE SHEPHERD:

  THE HORNET’S NEST

  ROGUE SHEPHERD SPACE SERIES

  PREQUEL

  By

  Chris Vaughn

  Copyright © 2016

  ROGUE SHEPHERD:

  THE HORNET’S NEST

  ROGUE SHEPHERD SPACE SERIES

  PREQUEL

  By

  Chris Vaughn

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission from the author, Chris Vaughn, or the Publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Chris Vaughn (2016-09-28)

  DEDICATION

  To my wife Lisa Renee, who has always encouraged me

  to chase my dreams, and to write those dreams down.

  To SB, MA, and LC for giving life longevity and meaning.

  To my Daddy and Mama.

  One gave me the strength of convictions, thanks Daddy;

  one gifted me with the ability to tell a story, thanks Mama.

  The Hornet's Nest

  This is my first science fiction/space opera series, and I hope you enjoyed reading it!

  If you did, please consider signing up to the mailing list. I promise to honor that trust and update you on the next books of the series as well as others projects I’m working on and those of others that I hope you’ll enjoy! Don’t worry… I also promise to never sell your email to others, and to never spam you.

  Join the Rogue Shepherd Mailing List for next in the series…

  Chapter 1

  Luke scanned through his thermal binoculars, watching the massive herd of cattle grazing in front of him on the plains. The bright moon shined in the distance, giving the valley a low glow.

  Proximity monitors placed on the far edges of the valley were set to alert him if the cattle wandered off, but he still liked to look for himself to see where they were and how close they grazed to the monitors. The heat signatures of the beacons were visible in the thermal binoculars, and outlined the wide perimeter Luke had set up for the cattle.

  He propped his back against the saddle on the ground as his horse stood nearby. There was no need for a fire this time of the season, as the night was just as hot as the day. The only break in the heat was the occasional cool breeze and lower humidity of the night air.

  He scanned all around him again before deciding there wasn’t any reason to be worried. The cattle were still, and nothing seemed to be in the distance to spook or scare them off. The thermal binoculars would have given him a hint if wolves or banshees were close by, but scanning again, he saw nothing to bring him concern. The only heat registering in the thermal binoculars was the red glow of the distant and mammoth Vespian Cave and the errant heat signature of its residents.

  At twelve, Luke Shepherd had the job his brothers would not take. This section of his father’s people’s valley was remote and relatively safe for him and the herd. Home was a good day’s ride away, and there wasn’t anyone to keep company with, or anything to mixed up in while tending the cattle. It was the boring and weary section of the plains his brothers hated, and the training ground for all the Shepherd boys during the transition of being a boy to a man.

  In the Twelve Clans, Luke was the son of Jefferson Shepherd, Chief Elder of the planet Bethel 5, of the Iodian Clan. The Iodian Clan were great warriors in battle, but their livelihood of being ranchers in the Bethel Star System gave them the same stigma of the farmers of the Splendor Star System. The beef from the herds of Bethel was highly prized, and often raiders would come from other clans and other systems in ships, hoping to steal a portion of cattle that roamed the fertile plains of Bethel. The Shepherds and other ranchers of Bethel 5 always fought them off, although their losses increased in recent years.

  Luke’s thoughts wandered as he scanned the horizon again in hopes of something to stir his attention. Boredom caused his mind to wander as he watched the heat of the cave dwellers darting out of the cave entrance. His father and brothers all warned him of the dangers of the Vespian Cave, but watching the dwellers for the first time dart out and around the entrance captivated his attention. Only through the thermal binoculars could he see the heat signature of them as they traveled through the air. Taking the binoculars off his eyes, he stared through the night sky, looking to catch a glimpse, but even with the low light, he couldn’t see anything from this distance but the dimly lit canyon and the stars.

  As he leaned back to sleep for the night, he heard the voice of his father. “Luke! Don’t go near the cave. Many a man has entered to never be seen again.”

  His thoughts drifted away as sleep came over him, with one thought running through his young mind.

  Who will know if I go in the cave?

  Chapter 2

  In the morning, Luke checked in on the radio with his father as his custom, and his father’s stern commands reminded him that he was not to be disobeyed. He scanned the horizon for the cattle again to make sure they were secure. He placed the proximity monitors on extra high sensitivity as he’d done before when he wanted to ride off and explore. Although only twelve, Luke Shepherd was a resourceful boy with a keen eye and hand for making things work, handling animals, machinery and ships; it was a trait his father was proud to boast of, and his brothers envied.

  Luke whistled loud and waited for his big herd dog, Destin, to come to him. He waited in a crouch as Destin ran at a full gallop, leaping onto him at the last moment. Anyone watching might have thought Destin would attack Luke, but the dog and boy were more than workers on the plain, but friends to each other’s company. Destin knocked Luke over, and covered him with licks and kisses as Luke petted him.

  Luke mounted his horse and whistled again, this time to command Destin to follow him. He approached the mouth of the cave, tying his horse off with a long lead rope and then unsaddling her.

  “No reason for you not to stretch your legs while I'm gone,” he said to his mare.

  Luke and Destin walked to the entrance of the cave. He turned to scan the cattle one last time off in the distance.

  The top of the cave was as if a giant hand had dug the opening in the side of a mountain. Old timers in town talked of the cave as being the door to the center of Bethel 5. The cave opening was so large to Luke this close he pulled out his binoculars to measure the distance of almost three kilometers from the bottom to the what would have been the top. The opening though angle
d about forty-five degrees, and so large the sun shown down the throat of the cave.

  With his binoculars again, he peered down inside the cave hoping to see any heat signatures. He saw none. He threw a rock and listened off into the distance to see if he could hear it bounce as it went out of the light and out of sight down the cave floor. The faint echo was deep and thin sounding.

  “Come on Destin. Let’s explore. I won’t tell anyone if you won’t,” he said to the large dog. Luke was already the size of a young man in stature and Destin was half as tall as him.

  After just a few meters, Luke pulled out the binoculars. Placing them to their highest thermal setting he scanned the cave to see if he could see any heat from anything living in the cave. Old timers in town, like Old Man Sorley, had told stories of the Vespian Hornet’s that lived in the caves of these parts, but the stories and legends he heard were bigger every time he heard them again and again.

  Vespian Hornet’s were a meter long, and their stings were as hot nails in a person's skin causing searing pain and paralysis in that part of your body. A sting to the chest could cause a man’s heart to stop beating, and once immobile swarms of the hornet’s would come and tear the meat from the bones. Luke had heard the stories before, but had never seen a Vespian Hornet, but his father had never lied to him. He’d said he had seen them when he was young boy and clearing the plains. Luke had seen carcasses of the cattle in his life on the plains alone and half eaten. He thought back on those half eaten cattle and wondered if they were the victims of wolves or banshees as was the usual case, but his father said at night the hornet’s would do the same to beast and to men.

  “Haven’t ever seen a Vespian Hornet, Destin. See nothing now either,” Luke said to Destin who’s tailed wagged against Luke’s leg. “Come on. Let’s go slow.”

  The two made their way deep into the cave. Every so often Destin would stop and smell, and Luke would check for thermal signatures but after several of those moments the two continued on down the cave with no more concern. He thought of using a flashlight as they left the glow of the sunlight, but their eyes soon grew accustomed to the low iridescent glow from the walls.

  Luke checked his watch and saw an hour had passed. He checked the proximity monitors, and they hadn’t gone off either.

  “Let’s keep going Destin. We're good to go. But don't tell.”

  With just barely enough light to see, they made their way down the center of the cave. The air was cool and a great break from the heat of the plain, and the air felt damp. He let out a yell to hear the echo, and Destin barked. The sound carried and echoed for minutes as they continued to walk and then their ears heard nothing as the ground gave way under their feet.

  The fall caught Luke and his dog off guard as they tumbled down the long side of the underground mountain. Down they rolled end of end, Destin whelping and Luke shouting from the hits their bodies made until they splashed into the swift current of an underground river.

  Luke grabbed around and found the collar of Destin as the two of them fought the swift current. Water and waves rushed over their heads as the two choked on the cold water now not being able to see anything above them, or around them.

  The only thing Luke could think to do was to swim with the current at an angle and hope to find land. He pulled and pulled against the water as the quick rapids threw him and Destin about.

  “Destin. Destin,” he cried out as the collar slipped from his hands.

  For almost half an hour he fought the cold water as it kept taking his breath. He lashed at the current coming over his head and torrents of current pulling him under and throwing him back up. Gasping for air with every stroke, he swam not knowing how far he would have to swim to reach land. His mind raced and wondered if he ever would reach land with each stroke. Finally his hand to hit the bottom. His arms thrashed about so hard he rapped his knuckles against the hard smooth steel like bottom of the river.

  He made his way out of the water on his hands and knees gasping for breath. Rolling on his back, he felt his backpack still there as his lungs heaved for the dark air of the cave.

  “Destin!” he cried out.

  In the distance he heard the sound of his dog splashing and swimming. He continued to cry out until Destin made his was over to him. Destin too was tired from the hard fight against the river current. To tired to bark or be lick his master to show his joy at being beside his master.

  The faint glow of light shown off in the distance and Luke wondered how far down the cave they’d traveled. He tried to figure out how or it they would get out, but the ice-cold river water had taken all of his fight out. Luke's thoughts dimmed as he passed out with the feeling of water on his feet and his hands touching on the steel like bottom of the cave.

  Chapter 3

  In a daze Luke’s mind dreamed and remembered the smell of the smoke from the fire pit in the center of Capital of Bethel 5. The surrounding crowd gathered for the public display that played out on the stand in front of the crowd. Luke remembered feeling his father’s hand on his shoulder and his father whispering in his ear.

  “Son, never leave the path of El-Gibhor. Never leave the path of The Twelve Clans. And never leave the path of your family or father. Or this will be your fate.”

  The smell of the fire and hot steel drifted through the air as an Elder stood and read the declarations and indictments against the young man that stood before the crowd. Luke looked at him during the declaration, their eyes locked for a moment, as the Elder speaking spoke of loyalty to El-Gibhor, to the Clans, and loyalty to his father.

  To the nations not of the Twelve Clans it seemed a strange belief to hold dear sacred and intertwined in the everyday life of the people. Honor To God. Loyalty to Family. Obedience to Parents.

  Honor to God could not be judged in public for who knows the intents of a man’s heart.

  Loyalty to family could be measured, but with maturity everyone eventually grows up and away from their family, marrying and raising children, and becoming their own family. This requirement of the Twelve Clans had its limitations with age, but could be seen in the daily actions of a son.

  But obedience to parents was where the law of El-Gibhor started. El-Gibhor didn’t require a son or daughter to give unyielding obedience to parents who were unfaithful to His laws or unjust as parents. He required obedience to parents who kept the law, and to learn the path of obedience. The ancient teachings spoke of a natural father, being a representative of El-Gibhor himself.

  Luke thought about the teachings of his father through the years as the young man on the platform had his history of disobedience read aloud for public knowledge. He was a thief, a liar, disobedient, and self-centered without regard for his family, his parents, or others. He would now carry the mark now of a rogue and Luke looked up and watched the boy's father as he nodded in agreement to the declarations, and the boy's mother stood by as tears flowed down the woman's face.

  Luke loved his father Jefferson Shepherd, the Chief Elder of Bethel 5, and wondered how a young man of twenty could be so rebellious to turn away from his parents and family to bring dishonor to them. He looked up at his father and promised himself he wouldn’t bring the smear of shame to the name of Shepherd as his eyes distracted by the sight of ion ships flying low overhead in the distance.

  Luke’s head jerked back to look at the platform as the young man cried out as the red-hot brand scorched the skin of his forehead with the ancient letter R. The mark of a rogue and one not to be trusted, but shunned by all the peoples of the Twelve Clans.

  An old man of the city stood by Luke named Sorley. Sorley seemed to be an intermittent wanderer to Bethel 5 who appeared at various events and the seasons of celebration, and a sometimes guest at his father's ranch. The old man’s worn and frayed clothes looked out of place at the dress of the people during this solemn gathering. The citizens of Bethel 5 endured his long stories of the ancient days and the stories of the Wars of The Flight but most considered him a nuisance. Luk
e liked the old man, his worn face, and his gentle tone.

  Sorley leaned down to Luke’s ear, “Luke, a good father is one who has mercy as El-Gibhor does for us, but his patience and mercy isn’t everlasting as neither your natural father. Since before your father’s father’s father was born, those who desire the blessing of Him upon their lives, they obey the law, serve others, and help those in need. But do not fear son. El-Gibhor knows the heart of a man, and if this boy's father is wrong in this declaration of him being branded a rogue… El-Gibhor will redeem him, and punish the father. Life begins with obedience son; not sacrifice. He cries out now for mercy from pain, but he should have cried out with obedience to his father.”

  "How would old man Sorley know if he should have been obedient?" Luke thought to himself.

  The comment from Sorley caused Luke some peace, but the image of the boy crying out for pain was too much. He put his head down only to have his father give him a hard tap to continue watching. His father being the Chief Elder always instructed his sons, and he required them all to walk to a stricter standard than those of the other families of Bethel 5. "You are the son of an Elder," he told them. It was a statement that all the sons of Jefferson Shepherd resented and regretted to hear so often from the hard voice of their father.

  "Why should I be required to live to a higher standard than those around me? Father says El-Gibhor treats all the same. Why can't father?"

  Jefferson always entertained the old man Sorley whenever he came around and welcomed him today to stand with him at the front. Both men spoke of how sad to see a son bring such shame to his parents and the Iodian Clans on Bethel 5.