Rapier

Kathy Masters never expected to journey to the stars. When she does, she experiences the adventure of a lifetime.

That all changes when she is selected by the prestigious Galactic Geographic Society to photograph and record the flora and fauna of a newly discovered class M planet. Filled with hope and enthusiasm, she boards the S.S. America for the trip to Beta 3 Epsilon to begin her new project. On the way she is abducted and brought aboard the privateer Rapier.

Going from captive, to slave, to induction into the infamous Brotherhood, Kathy finds herself raising the adopted daughter of the crew of the Rapier. Given the responsibility to raise their princess, Cindy, they travel among the stars preying on merchant ships, dodging Chinese warships, fighting pirates, visiting strange worlds, and encountering fantastic creatures, all under the watchful eyes of Commodore James Ulysses Black. Trying to raise a young girl among gunfights, swordfights, ship-to-ship battles, slave trades, deals, and some of the most feared raiders in human space is no small challenge.

The only question is, Is Kathy up to the task?

The author was raised in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Eagle Rock High School in June 1970 and entered the US Army in December of the same year. Having served in the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Rhode Island Army National Guard, the author retired from the military in 1993. The author graduated from Colorado Technical University with a bachelor's degree in computer science in 1999. He then worked as a systems and applications test engineer, test lead, and test manager from 1998 to 2009. The author has a number of poems published in various publications. He and his wife have four children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. They currently reside in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.