*****
Meanwhile, for readers who have been faithfully
Following the weekly episodes all these months
Here is the FINAL EPISODE! The Grand Finale.
After you read this, please jump over to Amazon.com and
Tell other readers how much you enjoyed the story.
*****
AN IMPERIAL DECREE
When
Mahoney entered the Eternal Emperor’s study, he didn’t quite know what to
expect.
The
young Gurkha officer who’d come to fetch him gave no hint, but only stood,
impatiently shifting from foot to foot as Mahoney climbed laboriously out of
the sack.
Mahoney
checked the time. Snorted. It was the middle of the clottin’ night. Oh, well.
This wouldn’t be the first time his boss and interrupted his sleep. And it
certainly wouldn’t be the last.
He
donned his uniform, thought about stalling long enough to grab a Go Cup of
caff, but took a look at the long kukri dangling from the little Gurkha’s belt
and decided against it. He had been told they could lop of a bullock’s head
with one stroke. Mahoney added this to the fact that the young officer looked
as just sleepy and cranky as Mahoney felt and decided this was probably not the
best time to test the claim.
The
Emperor’s study was lit only by a large holoimager at the far side of the
room—against a shelf of leather-bound books that only someone like his boss could
afford.
As he
came closer, he could see that the image was that of the Possnet Sector and
what a glorious, but frightening sight it was. Utter desolation amidst a
shatter of flaming comets, dying suns and great fiery clouds of rock and ice
and dust.
In
the center of all this chaos was a large area of relative calm. Objects
maintaining sensible orbits. Blips of light showing vessels in transit.
Flashing red blips where fighting ships and missiles were kept. And a dozen or
more planetoids that had been turned into habitats. This was the Himmenops
Colony, where Venatora’s women lived.
“That’s
her fortress,” he heard the Emperor say.
Mahoney
came closer and found the Emperor sprawled in a long leather couch set in front
of the holoimager. He had a shot glass in one hand, which he drained as Mahoney
approached.
“Where,
sir?” Mahoney asked. “I didn’t see where you were pointing.
The
Emperor gestured at a dirty gray planetoid at lower edge of the Colony. Mahoney
caught it.
“Ah,”
he said.
“Get
yourself a drink, Ian,” the Emperor said.
Mahoney
nodded. He knew where to go and what to do, which included bringing a bottle
back with him. He was guessing stregg.
To
his relief the Emperor nodded when he saw the bottle and held out his glass. At
this hour, Mahoney’s innards weren’t ready for Scotch.
Without
being asked, he sat on the other end of the couch. Took a honk of his drink.
Shudder. God, it was early! Another hit. No. Not yet. Downed the rest. Better
now.
Easing
back, he refilled his glass and looked over at his boss, hoping he was semi up
to his boss’ speed.
He
said, “I’m supposing she’s why you wanted me to have young Sten hang around the
Possnet Sector a little longer.”
“You
supposed right, Ian,” the Emperor said. “He’s going to have to kill her for
me.”
“Yessir,”
Mahoney said. He suppressed a sigh. There had been so much killing of late.
“I
know what you’re thinking, Ian,” the Emperor said. “And I don’t like it,
either.”
“I
just wish we had more discretion,” Mahoney said. “Some of Gregor’s crew were
just kids. Didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.”
“Couldn’t
agree more,” the Emperor said.
“And
then there’s Gregor—who caused the whole thing,” Mahoney added. “And his old
man who took it right up to Treason’s door and blasted on through it.”
“Yep.
Looks like they’re getting away with everything, doesn’t it?” the Emperor said.
“Sometimes
it seems like there’s no justice to be had,” Mahoney said.
“I’m
with you, brother,” the Emperor said.
He
emptied his shot glass and held it out for more. Mahoney complied, not
forgetting himself. The fiery Bhor drink had a way settling the world about
you. No matter how crazy it was.
“So,
instead of putting father and son in front of a firing squad,” Mahoney said,
“we make them both emissaries to the Tahn. Month or so from now they’ll be
swilling champagne and noshing finger sandwiches in the finest hotel rooms on
Heath.”
The
Emperor snorted. “You ever been to Heath, Ian?”
Mahoney
allowed that he hadn’t.
“The
Tahn think they are the Spartans reborn,” the Emperor said. “Or, closer still,
the ancient Samurai. There are no luxuries, much less champagne and finger
sandwiches, anywhere near their capital city.”
Mahoney
made a rude noise. “Wichman’s a billionaire,” he said. “Probably build one of
his resorts on Heath just for himself.”
“Wouldn’t
doubt it,” the Emperor said.
Mahoney
thought on it for minute or two. Then he said, “I suppose you’ll want Sten to
kill them too,” he said.
“You
astound me, Ian,” the Emperor said. “Once again, you have supposed correctly.”
Mahoney
started to chug his stregg, then paused.
“Uh,
one other suppose, boss?”
“You
have the floor,” the Emperor said.
“I’m
supposing you want them all gone at the same time. In the same operation.
Wichman. Gregor. And Venatora.”
“That
would be the best way to go,” the Emperor said. He paused, then added, “Maybe
with fewer casualties this time around. If Sten can manage it, that is. Bloody
trails draw suspicious eyes.”
“And
we don’t want the Tahn to catch on, right boss?” Mahoney said.
“That
would be my fondest hope,” the Emperor said. “But, if he can’t, he can’t. Don’t
want to make the job too impossible for him.”
“So,
killing people is fine, just not too many if he can help it. Are those to be my
orders, sir?”
“Exactly
so,” the Emperor said. “Gregor and his old man shouldn’t be too hard a task.
Relatively speaking. Sheer clotting greed will no doubt be the end of them.”
“I
feel bad about the woman,” Mahoney said. “I was starting to grow fond of her.”
“So
is Sten,” the Emperor said. “At least, that’s what Rykor said.”
“It’s
a pity she has to die,” Ian said. “To cut all that talent and beauty short.”
“So
it is, Ian,” the Emperor said. “So it is.”
He
knocked back his stregg, took a long breath, then added: “Look at it this way,
Ian. The moment she was born, she was old enough to die.”
“Sure,
boss,” Mahoney said. “Sure.”
But
what he thought was: Except for you, boss. Except for you.
And
he poured them both another drink.
THE END
****
COMING SOON:
STEN & THE PIRATE QUEEN
****
COMING SOON:
STEN & THE PIRATE QUEEN
*****
NEXT:
THE RETURN OF MY HOLLYWOOD MISADVENTURES!
By popular demand we're bringing back the blog that entertained more than 300,000 readers in its first incarnation. These are tales, sometimes tall, but certifiably true of my years in Hollywood with my late partner, Chris Bunch. See how a naked lady almost became our first agent. How we survived La-La Land with only the loss of half our brain cells. How Bunch & Cole became the ultimate Fix-It Boys. How an alleged Mafia Don was very, very good to us. The guy who cornered the market on movie rocks. Andy Warhol's Fire Extinguisher. The Real Stars Of Hollywood. Why they don't make million dollar movies. See The Seven Pi$$ing Dwarfs. Learn: how to kill a "difficult" actor… And much, much more.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23, 2016
MY HOLLYWOOD MISADVENTURES
BE THERE, OR BE SQUARE
*****
STEN OMNIBUS TRILOGY
MAKES ITS AMERICAN DEBUT
Ever since my British publisher put all eight novels in the Sten series in three omnibus editions, American readers have been clamoring for equal treatment.
Well, my American publisher – Wildside Books – was listening and is issuing all three omnibus omnibus volumes on this side of the Atlantic. Sten Omnibus #1 was published
last month. Sten Omnibus #2 debuts this week. Stay tuned for the publication for Volume Three.
THE TIMURA TRILOGY: When The Gods Slept, Wolves Of The Gods and The Gods Awaken. This best selling fantasy series now available as trade paperbacks, e-books (in all varieties) and as audiobooks. Visit The Timura Trilogy page for links to all the editions.
NEWLY REVISED KINDLE EDITIONS OF THE TIMURA TRILOGY NOW AVAILABLE. (1) When The Gods Slept;(2) Wolves Of The Gods; (3) The Gods Awaken.
*****
Can't wait to read the blog each week? No problem. Click the following link and buy the book.
Can't wait to read the blog each week? No problem. Click the following link and buy the book.
Tales Sometimes Tall, but always true, of Allan Cole's years in Hollywood with his late partner, Chris Bunch. How a naked lady almost became our first agent. How we survived La-La Land with only the loss of half our brain cells. How Bunch & Cole became the ultimate Fix-It Boys. How an alleged Mafia Don was very, very good to us. The guy who cornered the market on movie rocks. Andy Warhol's Fire Extinguisher. The Real Stars Of Hollywood. Why they don't make million dollar movies. See The Seven Pi$$ing Dwarfs. Learn: how to kill a "difficult" actor… And much, much more.
Here's where you can buy it worldwide in both paperback and Kindle editions:
United Kingdom ...........................Spain
Also: NOOK BOOK. Plus ALL E-BOOK FLAVORS.
WANT A REAL TREAT?
Hear voice artist Colin Hussey's
Bring all the stories and people
To life in the audiobook version
Of My Hollywood MisAdventures.
CLICK HERE TO
*****
A NATION AT WAR WITH ITSELF: In Book Three Of The Shannon Trilogy, young Patrick Shannon is the heir-apparent to the Shannon fortune, but murder and betrayal at a family gathering send him fleeing into the American frontier, with only the last words of a wise old woman to arm him against what would come. And when the outbreak of the Civil War comes he finds himself fighting on the opposite side of those he loves the most. In The Wars Of The Shannons we see the conflict, both on the battlefield and the homefront, through the eyes of Patrick and the members of his extended Irish-American family as they struggle to survive the conflict that ripped the new nation apart, and yet, offered a dim beacon of hope.
A True Story About A Boy,
A Teacher, And Earthquake,
Some Terrorists And The CIA
LUCKY IN CYPRUS is a coming-of-age story set in the Middle East during the height of the Cold War. An American teenager – son of a CIA operative – is inspired by grand events and a Greek Cypriot teacher.
He witnesses earthquakes and riots and terrorist attacks, but in the end it is his teacher’s gentle lessons that keep him whole.
Here's where to get the paperback & Kindle editions worldwide:
Here's what readers say about Lucky In Cyprus:
- "Bravo, Allan! When I finished Lucky In Cyprus I wept." - Julie Mitchell, Hot Springs, Texas
- "Lucky In Cyprus brought back many memories... A wonderful book. So many shadows blown away!" - Freddy & Maureen Smart, Episkopi,Cyprus.
- "... (Reading) Lucky In Cyprus has been a humbling, haunting, sobering and enlightening experience..." - J.A. Locke, Bookloons.com
*****
NEW: THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION OF
THE HATE PARALLAX
What if the Cold War never ended -- but continued for a thousand years? Best-selling authors Allan Cole (an American) and Nick Perumov (a Russian) spin a mesmerizing "what if?" tale set a thousand years in the future, as an American and a Russian super-soldier -- together with a beautiful American detective working for the United Worlds Police -- must combine forces to defeat a secret cabal ... and prevent a galactic disaster! This is the first - and only - collaboration between American and Russian novelists. Narrated by John Hough. Click the title links below for the trade paperback and kindle editions. (Also available at iTunes.)
*****
THE SPYMASTER'S DAUGHTER:
A novel by Allan and his daughter, Susan
After laboring as a Doctors Without Borders physician in the teaming refugee camps and minefields of South Asia, Dr. Ann Donovan thought she'd seen Hell as close up as you can get. And as a fifth generation CIA brat, she thought she knew all there was to know about corruption and betrayal. But then her father - a legendary spymaster - shows up, with a ten-year-old boy in tow. A brother she never knew existed. Then in a few violent hours, her whole world is shattered, her father killed and she and her kid brother are one the run with hell hounds on their heels. They finally corner her in a clinic in Hawaii and then all the lies and treachery are revealed on one terrible, bloody storm- ravaged night.
BASED ON THE CLASSIC STEN SERIES by Allan Cole & Chris Bunch: Fresh from their mission to pacify the Wolf Worlds, Sten and his Mantis Team encounter a mysterious ship that has been lost among the stars for thousands of years. At first, everyone aboard appears to be long dead. Then a strange Being beckons, pleading for help. More disturbing: the presence of AM2, a strategically vital fuel tightly controlled by their boss - The Eternal Emperor. They are ordered to retrieve the remaining AM2 "at all costs." But once Sten and his heavy worlder sidekick, Alex Kilgour, board the ship they must dare an out of control defense system that attacks without warning as they move through dark warrens filled with unimaginable horrors. When they reach their goal they find that in the midst of all that death are the "seeds" of a lost civilization.
*****
TALES OF THE BLUE MEANIE
NOW AN AUDIOBOOK!
 |
Venice Boardwalk Circa 1969
|
In the depths of the Sixties and The Days Of Rage, a young newsman, accompanied by his pregnant wife and orphaned teenage brother, creates a Paradise of sorts in a sprawling Venice Beach community of apartments, populated by students, artists, budding scientists and engineers lifeguards, poets, bikers with a few junkies thrown in for good measure. The inhabitants come to call the place “Pepperland,” after the Beatles movie, “Yellow Submarine.” Threatening this paradise is "The Blue Meanie," a crazy giant of a man so frightening that he eventually even scares himself.
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