Ambassador (Jansen)

24 October 2114: the day that shocked the world. Young diplomat Cory Wilson narrowly escapes death in the assassination of President Sirkonen. No one claims responsibility but there is no doubt that the attack is extraterrestrial. Cory was meant to start work as a representative to Gamra, the alien organization that governs the FTL transport network, but now his new job may well be scrapped in anger. Worse, as Earth uses military force to stop any extraterrestrials coming or leaving, as 200,000 extraterrestrial humans are trapped on Earth, as the largest army in the galaxy prepares to free them by force, only Cory has the experience, language skills, and contacts to solve the crime. But he's broke, out of a job, and a long way from Earth.

Second book in the series. Listen to Seeing Red: Ambassador, Book 1 first. 3 December 2114 Cory Wilson is woken in the middle of the night with a summons to appear in the president of Nations of Earth's office. An aid worker in Djibouti has discovered a shipment of alien guns. As ambassador to gamra, the extraterrestrial organization which controls the Exchange, the FTL wormhole network, Cory has often been critical of Earth's handling of extraterrestrial problems. This is his moment to shine, to apply his knowledge about alien customs, to, in the words of the president, "get those idiots out of there". Except the usual suspects, the Zhori mafia who have caused trouble on Earth for a long time, are nowhere to be seen. This is something far more dangerous, something that involves all of northern Africa, something that provokes the anger of Asto, gamra's largest world. Asto's army is already prowling in orbit, ready to strike.

Book 2 in the Space Opera Thriller series The second-quickest way to get yourself killed when dealing with Coldi people of the planet Asto is to look a superior in the eye. The Coldi people possess an instinct that demands the formation of hierarchical networks in which every person has a prescribed place. These networks provide stability. They also place one person at the top. Ezhya Palayi is that person. After having been released by his previous employers, Cory Wilson not only depends on Ezhya Palayi for his income, but he has developed an unusually friendly relationship with this man whom people on Earth would call an absolute dictator, but whose reign is benign. The third-quickest way to get yourself killed when dealing with Coldi people is when the leader you depended on for support is suddenly no longer there, as when he goes missing because the system society relies on for interstellar travel goes down. In a highly-strung hierarchical society, it won't be long before someone else tries to claim the top spot, someone less benign, someone aggressive who is likely to destabilise peace between Asto and other worlds. But by far the quickest way to get yourself killed is, as a non-Coldi outsider, to visit Asto and try to interfere in their hierarchical system, to mess with instincts you don't feel yourself, and people who are much stronger than you. Oh, and did you know that the average daytime temperature is well over 50 degrees C?

The worst possible things arrive at the worst possible time. Cory is not the only person who dislikes the new president of Nations of Earth, Simon Dekker. Many people at gamra and even within Nations of Earth have similar issues. In fact, the discontent was so bad that there was talk to unseat the president. Then war arrived from space in the form of the rogue and highly organised SCAC, and people are looking to their leaders for guidance. But can a mistrusted leader provide protection? Dekker is aligned with the north American countries, who are not members of Nations of Earth and may even support SCAC. But when Cory decides that it's probably best not to wait for Nations of Earth to sort itself out to officially ask for help from gamra-after all, he's done this before-that's when the proverbial hits the fan. Because Cory's decision assumes that Earth will eventually come into line behind gamra. Or that Asto's massive army can defeat the rogue SCAC.

Fifty thousand years ago, a meteorite hit the planet Asto, giving its Aghyrian inhabitants mere days of notice. Three ships escaped the Armageddon. Two went to the neighbouring planet. The third, a massive generation ship, refused to take on refugees, and then vanished without a trace. It's coming back. Its initial burst of communication caused the outage of the Exchange, the FTL network for transport and communication, but since then the ship has been silent. It jumps about at random, using wormholes it generates with a drive the likes of which no one has seen before. Meanwhile at the gamra assembly, people jostle to be in the best positions when it inevitably turns up in inhabited space. What the ship wants or whether there is anyone on board no one knows, but diplomat Cory Wilson knows one thing: when it turns up, he must avoid a conflict at all cost. If only gamra presented a united viewpoint. If only Asto's army wasn't keen to get involved. If only the Aghyrians at gamra didn't do what they do best: manipulate and play games with everyone. While the ship approaches, the delegates bicker, and the time for negotiating is fast running out.

The world as we know it is on a certain path to war... Delegate Cory Wilson has returned to gamra headquarters from deep space with a rather unwelcome guest: Captain Kando Luczon of the mammoth Aghyrian ship that has returned after mysteriously vanishing 50,000 years ago. On board the ship only 400 years have passed, in which they have visited another galaxy. But the captain isn't willing to share what they found there or why they decided to come back. In fact, the captain does his utmost best to live up to his infamous historical reputation as an utter jerk, having lived through 400 years to cultivate his jerkery. Cory had hoped that by isolating the captain from his ship, mostly still in stasis mode, he could start a conversation, but Kando Luczon isn't interested in a conversation. He views the modern version of his home world Asto as inferior, its inhabitants the Coldi as nothing but a placeholder race and all other races as savages. Meanwhile the ship is showing signs of waking up, ancient satellites in orbit in the space junk clouds around Asto and Ceren sputter into life, and Asto's Chief Coordinator and Cory's friend Ezhya Palayi makes it clear that if pushed, Asto's formidable military fleet will take defensive action.

As Cory takes a well-earned rest and finally submits to proper weapons training, he and a couple of people from his household go on a hunting trip in the marshland between Barresh and the turquoise sea. A bad storm has come through recently and on a deserted beach, Cory finds something Earthly that doesn't belong there: a message in a bottle, a piece of paper with HELP scratched on it with a sharp object. In Isla. Cory has a list of all humans in Barresh: it's very short and no one is missing. A few days later, he receives a curious message through official channels, from a woman on Earth whose rich businessman husband went on a trip of a lifetime "in a place where you can surf with plesiosaurs in turquoise waves". Cory knows the guy advertising the trip. He's a shady character. He also knows where the "plesiosaurs" are. They're not particularly friendly. Not to mention that the area is on the land of a viciously territorial Pengali tribe. As it turns out, those are the least of his worries.

Two men went on a surfing trip in a remote area. Only one came back, accused of murdering the other. Sounds simple, right? Not quite, because the alleged murder happened on another planet, the accused is a member of the secretive Pretoria Cartel of super-rich business tycoons, with illegal off-Earth ventures, and the only person who can remotely be called a witness is an alien, the elder Abri from the Pengali Thousand Islands tribe. Diplomat Cory Wilson is asked to accompany Abri to the Nations of Earth court, but when he and his team arrive there, their contacts have been moved to different cases, their rooms are bugged and their movements restricted. No one is answering their questions, but it is when a lawyer is murdered and Cory's team captures a mysterious stalker that things get interesting. Just as well they are prepared in the usual way: alert and highly armed.

Never has there been more at stake for the people on Earth. The referendum is simple: does Earth join gamra, the organisation that governs the Exchange, the FTL space travel network? A "yes" vote would mean substantial changes to Earth's governments, but a "no" vote would leave Earth open to those who want no rules and no laws. As diplomat living off Earth, Cory Wilson is one of the few people who understands the threat posed by the giant businesses of the Pretoria Cartel and the alien forces allied with them, but he and his team went on a holiday to New Zealand and communication has been mysteriously cut off. Someone is taking control of the world's communication channels, bringing the campaign to its knees. By the time Cory finds out that the race is on, the only hope for the "yes" vote is a hard-hitting, negative campaign that requires him to go into the lion's den: the homelands of the obscenely rich members of the Pretoria Cartel, where gun-crazy hunters, lions and elephants are just the start of his problems.

Deadly creatures, hostile climate, and that is just the scenery. For many years, mysterious things have happened on the ice world of Tamer, but when a scientist goes missing from Barresh thought to be on Tamer, Cory is forced to take the issue by the horns. Problem is, he is dealing with unexpected side effects of his fertility treatment, and, like his Coldi companions, he's lost much of his night vision, and has trouble tolerating low temperatures. Trouble is, a recent addition to his team has sent shockwaves through his group of loyal companions and things are still sorting themselves out. Not his healthy self, under-resourced, frozen and half-blind, that's not the best preparation to visit a world where humans are not at the top of the food chain, let alone dealing with enemies who will go to any lengths to hide their activities.

The conflict has brewed for generations, until it has become too big to handle. Cory and his association finally return to Asto on the invitation of his father-in-law, for his official induction ceremony into the Domiri clan. They are housed in a magnificent villa overlooking a valley, away from the hustle of cities or the military base. But why can't they stay with their host? Is it for security? Is it because their host fears upsetting his household? With Thayu heavily pregnant, Cory has no appetite for adventures. But something is brewing, and listening bugs, a nightly attack and invasion are all part of the deal. Wouldn't it be nice if for once Asto's elite was upfront about the nature of the problem?

Ceren, the world that's the home of the city of Barresh, has vast swathes of untamed wilderness, most of it tribal land belonging to meta-human tribes like the Pengali. For many years, illegal organisations have seen these tribes as inroad into the lucrative gamra economy, abusing the local population with next to no payment, inflicting damage on their society. Sadly, Cory knows far too much about this, having studied Earth's history. Cory's Pengali worker Ynggi has indicated he'd wanted to visit his home tribe, giving Cory the perfect reason to check out Pengali involvement in smuggling activities. However, if he thinks Ynggi's Thousand Islands tribe is secretive and hostile, he will soon be corrected in a big way. Another tribe, the Misty Forest tribe, has made hostile overtures to the fiercely independent but peaceful Thousand Island settlements. Someone has been selling these people hostile propaganda. Not just that, they appear to have received some help from off-world and are on a mission to expand their territory by force. For Cory and his team, an anthropological excursion turns into a battle to leave the forest alive.

Cory has made several commitments to members of the Asto inner circles. He needs to spend time with Thayu's son. He has also been asked to give a favour to a boy of the Azimi clan. What better to do with a couple of pre-teens than to visit the theme parks that are historic relics from the 21st century on Earth? Of course he has a hidden agenda. On a previous trip to the south of Barresh, Cory and his team found disturbing evidence that people from the former Southern California Air Corps made it to Ceren about fifty years ago. He needs to find out about them. Except this is 2125, and the former city of Los Angeles is in Mexico, and the interesting places are across the heavily guarded and impenetrable border in America Free State. While he's investigating, while he's being shadowed and occasionally threatened, while the kids are having old-fashioned fun going on rides and starting rebellions (oops), something is about to come to a spectacular crash. It's not that the highly armed rebels of America Free State want to take back land that they consider theirs, although they do. It's not the fact that Nations of Earth president Simon Dekker hates Cory and the fact that he's poking around in what Dekker considers his territory, although he does. It's that the Southern California Air Corps is about to pull a very large and nasty surprise.