The Last Empress of Mars

The Last Empress of Mars

By Rex Augustine Lord

The Last Empress of Mars Book 1

by Rex Augustine Lord

Free World Press Costa Rica 1st edition 2024

San José, Costa Rica +506 7266 7558 - hcarazo55@gmail.com

Partial or total reproduction is prohibited. All Rights Reserved

Prelude to Adventure – The Last Empress of Mars Book I by Rex Augustine Lord

Beneath the surface of Mars – Fifty-One Thousand Years Ago

“Quickly Commander Ruthaar, we must leave now before it´s too late!!!” Shouted Akitaah, Empress of Mars, the only surviving royalty of a once proud, powerful, and just empire that ruled the planet in peace and harmony for millennia, overseeing a variety of races that called Mars home. Ruthaar, head of her Imperial Guard, and overseer of the Imperial Starships, had the duty to protect her and the mission but it was becoming painfully obvious to him that he had failed and had failed miserably. “My shame is infinite your Exalted Highness, it appears that agents of the Lizariums have sabotaged our Hyper Star Drive propulsion by lowering the containment capacity of the anti-matter fuel storage to such a degree that it would cause a massive explosion if we try to use it and they have done this on all 3 Starships, we cannot reach the Tiuran sector 60 light years away, all we have is standard plasma propulsion systems operational and our Shield generator has also been damaged as well as our weapons systems!” For a moment, Princess Akitaah drifted back to memories of happier times when she played at her Father´s side and the only worry she had was keeping her three older brothers from playing mean tricks on her. Then they came, a single ship apparently damaged and claiming to come from somewhere in the Sirius quadrant, a reptilian type of aliens who were given refuge from their alleged plight as Martians had a long tradition of hospitality to strangers.Little did we suspect it was all a ploy to plant the seeds of an invasion and turn our idyllic planet into the sad nuclear wasteland it was today, and now her father, mother and her brothers were all dead and only she was left to look out for her people. “Forgive me Exalted One, what are your orders?!” Princess Akitaah, the last Warrior Empress of Mars, was snapped out of her daydreams by the hoarse voice of her Commander and the uncharacteristic worried look on his face.

“We must leave, Commander, we have no choice, set a course for the blue planet, we should reach it in a couple of days using our standard plasma drive propulsion, we must protect the artifacts and what little remains of our people!” shouted the Empress. “Your command is law Exalted One, it will be done!” answered Commander Ruthaar, as he gave orders to the other two starships to set a course for the Blue Planet. As the gigantic subterranean hangar doors slid apart, all three starships lifted one by one into the thin and irradiated Martian atmosphere but the deafening sound of explosions going off all around and the blinding light of laser canons coming from every direction, conspired to prevent this escape to a haven and a new beginning. One of the starships was torn in half by laser cannon fire and fell mortally wounded, like a stone, back to the surface of the planet, emitting a dull thud as it hit the ground and she could almost hear the echo of hundreds of thousands of her loyal subjects issuing a last heart-breaking scream. The other ship as well as her own flagship were also hit to a lesser degree but both ships managed to escape due to the valiant sacrifice by the third ship which had positioned itself in such a way as to take on the brunt of the laser canon fire in a last act of loyalty and courage to their Princess and their fellow Martians. Small Lizarium short range attack ships continued firing at them and inflicted slight damage to the surface but not enough to cause any serious problems or impede their getaway and being short range ships, they had to cut off their attack when they reached the Martian stratosphere, as they were not designed to go beyond that range. Fortunately, none of the Stellar Class Lizarium ships were around. Even those, would not have been a match for an Imperial Starship under normal circumstances but with shields in-operational, all weapons systems compromised and no Hyper Star drive, it would have been a suicidal fight but fortunately they were elsewhere subjugating other planets, and thus, an escape to the blue planet was now a reality. It was Plan B, as they would still be within easy reach of their enemies but there was no choice now since they could no longer count on their Hyper Star Drive systems to reach a truly safe haven and who knows how long it would take to fix them, if they could even be fixed. They had lost over eight hundred thousand of their fellow Martians on that fallen Starship but there was no time for grieving, that would have to come later. It was time to concentrate on protecting her

remaining subjects and the precious artifacts carried onboard as well as the other surviving Starship. Empress Akitaah also wondered what they would find on the blue planet since it had been many centuries since any communication had taken place with the Martian colonists living there. Regardless, her primary mission was the protection of her remaining subjects and of course the protection of the artifacts. Artifacts that would guarantee lasting freedom and protection for their soon-to-be new home, the incredibly beautiful Blue Planet.

San Jose, Costa Rica - Present Day

Nikolai “Niko” Gunn was not your run-of-the-mill private detective. In fact, he really wasn’t your run-of-the-mill anything. Born in Scotland, only child of a Scottish father and a Russian mother, he had always struggled to find a good fit, a former French Foreign Legionnaire, and a part time chef when not running his own detective agency, he was not an individual you could easily fit into any particular category. He was his own man and the world be damned. Still, like a chameleon, he could make himself adapt as needed, and he spoke nearly perfect Spanish. How he had ended up as an on-call consultant for the Homicide Division of the OIF, the Oficina de Investigación Federal, a kind of creole home-grown version of the FBI, was a mystery, even to himself, and yet, he felt extremely comfortable in this position, as if he had finally found the calling, he was always meant to have. Not that he had come to it by an easy or direct road, not by a long shot! In reality, he started very late at it and had taken many forks in the road on the way, but he was born to it. For him, every new case was a challenge that begged a timely and neat solution and in a bureaucracy like this one, especially since many considered him an outsider, a man could get extremely frustrated on the way to this kind of top notch results, but he saw this as just another obstacle and dove right in each time, full of gusto, like a kid visiting Disneyland for the first time.With a success rate close to 100%, this was his chess game, and he was the Grandmaster, the go-to-man when a particularly unusual murder took place or when a foreign national was involved and the case he had just been called in to investigate definitely fit both profiles. For someone who was supposed to be enjoying an early retirement and living a life of leisure in tropical, laid-back Pura Vida Costa Rica, this was a truly wonderful way to start off the week! As he walked into the downtown San José Las Cuatro Reinas Hotel, Niko wondered why anyone would want to kill an American tourist and his newly found lady-friend and especially in such a violent manner, as described by the preliminary report texted to him by the first beat cops on the scene, but no use getting ahead of himself, he would have plenty of time to investigate, or so he thought at the time. He had only heard the

vague details from his OIF boss, Coronel Guardia, who had emphasized the need for a speedy investigation, as the last thing the Coronel wanted was the American Embassy hounding him about this case on a daily basis. The bodies had been found by the chambermaid who, after not getting any answer, had proceeded to open the room to get the place cleaned up and nearly fainted at the sight of the two dead bodies. She had barely managed to keep her shaky legs from giving out under her while she ran out screaming and frantically waving her arms, down the dimly lit hallway. The day manager had been sensible enough to immediately call the police and not allow anyone else to go in the room. So, hopefully, there was little or no contamination of the evidence since the police officers on the scene had been instructed to guard the door and not allow anyone in the room. Making sure that officers were posted at each entrance and exit to the hotel, he headed for the elevator. It was a slow, old elevator with a hotel security guard standing to one side and it always took a long time to arrive but unfortunately the stairs were not an immediate option since they were locked from the inside and could only be used by people exiting the upper floors. This was done to make sure all guests paid, more specifically, the short-term ones, like the many bubbly young ladies running around the lobby, the bar and the casino, which were all located on the ground floor. A guest needed to check in a girl or girls before he could take them up to his room. This was touted as being done for the security of the guest since the girls were required to produce a valid ID and the details were written down, but it was also meant to extract an extra 20 dollars per girl that signed in as an additional guest. This was a tidy extra profit for the hotel that most times surpassed the normal room rate income. After the usual long wait for the creaky old relic of an elevator, he was finally headed up to the fourth floor, very, very, slowly. As he approached Room 405; a small but nicely decorated corner room, he was greeted by an affable and extremely large officer who he immediately recognized as Sergeant Avila, not the brightest banana in the bunch but honest as they come and always ready to help. Next to him stood a new young officer, who he had never seen before, but that was not unusual, since the new Presidenta was trying to make good on her campaign promise of 5000 new police to stop a rise in petty crime, which according

to polls, was the number one concern of the population, even more so than the current economic crisis. He had not considered her the best possible choice, maybe a tad of machismo had influenced his decision, although he preferred to believe that he had not found her to be the best candidate at that time. However, after a year in office, he had come to the conclusion that he had been right all along, but with politics it really made little difference, vote for Tweedledee or vote for Tweedledum, either way you were likely to get Tweedled! Personally, he did not agree with the policy of bringing more police as the solution to the growing crime problem. It was a simplistic solution to a very complex problem. These new officers were poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly paid. Much better to bring in 1000 well trained, well paid and well equipped officers than these 5000 and to invest some of the remaining money in improving the conditions and opportunities in poor neighborhoods which were a potential breeding ground for new criminals but 1000 would not sound as impressive as 5000 and improving the barrios would take time to show the positive results. Impressive and fast, those were the key words for politicians, especially when looking to get re-elected or at least to help their party stay in power. Politics were not too different here than in the larger countries, just scaled down, less sophisticated and more in your face. Niko really didn’t care much for politics or politicians and just saw them as a necessary evil, some more evil than others, but certainly no angels in the mix. At least he had not come across any so far, but he had more important matters to worry about and he could see this case was going to be a challenge, especially with the Coronel riding him for some quick results. However, even in the wildest of imaginings, and for a man who thought he had seen everything, he could never have expected the surprises and the twists and turns that this case would have in store for him down the road. Seeing Sergeant Avila blocking the entire entrance with his massive frame, he was pretty sure nobody had squeezed in to trample on the evidence. In fact, he was wondering just how he would manage to get past this immovable object in a polite and expedient manner, but just then, the

Sergeant flashed a big smile and stepped to the side to let him pass.

“I trust Sergeant, that you have not allowed anyone into the room?” Niko asked.

“No, mi Detective, I know better than that, Gonzales and I have been here making sure none of these chepitos (slang for curious bystanders) gets in!” Sergeant Avila said. “Excellent Sergeant, I’m going in and if the Investigación Criminal team shows up to gather evidence, tell them to wait outside until I am done!” Niko said.

“Si mi Detective, but they are noooooooooooooooooot going to like it!” The Sergeant said.

“Well Sergeant, I am not a monedita de oro, (a gold coin) to make everyone happy all the time. When I am done, then they can come in and not a minute before, is that perfectly clear?” Niko said.

“ SI! mi Detective, crystal clear, they are not getting past me!” The Sergeant stated in a booming voice while flashing a big toothy smile.

Looking back at Sergeant Avila blocking the door again, Nikolai smiled to himself and had no doubt that was true.

“Mi Detective, should we keep everyone from leaving the Hotel to question them?” asked the Sergeant.

“No, Sergeant, that won’t be necessary. The odds are the killer or killers are long gone but do tell the officers downstairs to check everyone’s ID and write down a list before you let them leave the hotel and to also send a couple of officers to take down the same information in each room. Have the Hotel Manager get us a copy of the video surveillance tapes and a copy of the guest registry and have him send someone along to open the rooms that don’t answer and make sure it’s done in a polite manner. No reason

to upset the guests needlessly!”

As Niko closed the room door a crowd was already starting to gather nearby as both guests and hotel personnel wondered what the excitement was all about with all the uniformed police running around the hotel. Walking into the room, Niko was finally in his element. For him this was the crucial moment when he took the entire, still virginal crime scene in, and started to deduce the sequence of events that led to this final unfortunate outcome. Most others only saw the end result and the Investigación Criminal team would be very efficient about gathering all the evidence, taking photos, prints, etc. but they did not have the gift of insight that Niko had been born with, which could take notice of details that would seem meaningless to others and tie them together days, weeks and even months later into a final “Eureka!” that put it all in place and solved yet another difficult case. Taking out a set of surgical rubber gloves and a small but very sophisticated Canon Elph camera, he began to snap pictures. Sure, the Investigación Criminal team would take ample photos of the crime scene, but these particular photos were his and his alone. Taken from his unique perspective, to be studied calmly afterwards while digesting all the details and thus making sure nothing was missed. Running a detective agency had sharpened his innate abilities and unique attention to detail, and his deductive mind was a God given gift that had nothing to envy Sherlock Holmes legendary abilities. As he took pictures, he noticed that someone had conducted a wild search for something in the room. Clothes from the closet were strewn on the floor, drawers had been pulled out and their contents were scattered everywhere. Suitcases emptied and generally it appeared that no part of the room had been left untouched. The question was, just what were they searching for and, even more important, had they found it? It was not valuable items, at least not ordinary ones, since the man’s money clip, which was still full of money and a very nice Omega Seamaster watch, were still on the nightstand in plain sight. The girl’s purse also had a valuable cell phone and a roll of American dollars mixed in with about another 60 dollars in Colones, the local currency. Also, the

man’s American passport was there on the floor, probably tossed about during this frenzied search. Opening it up, Niko read the name as he snapped a picture. Daniel Walker, born in Oklahoma City on the 13th of May 1950. An unlucky Taurus, this one was. This gentleman´s face seemed very familiar, but he could not place it right then and there, although the name did not ring any bells. He would have to do an Internet search to see if this was someone well known and check on Interpol just in case this was a wanted man. It was amazing nowadays what a simple and quick Internet search could turn up right away. Maybe that search could shed some light on what this victim might have had in his possession that someone wanted so badly. Of course, there was always the remote possibility that it was something the girl had, that the killer or killers were after, but the odds were in favor of the man being the one they were targeting since it would have been easier to get to the girl in a less public place. Looking at her Cedula (national ID card) there was nothing unusual, she seemed to be just another chica looking to make some fast bucks from a tourist. Prostitution was legal as long as you were over 18 and most of these girls were supporting one or more children and probably one or two parents to boot and some even had a lazy, young boyfriend who was always in need of money. Many of the girls did this out of necessity and most had few other marketable skills and certainly none that would pay as much, at least when business was good; although, for the last couple of years business had been slightly down as the influx of tourists had dwindled somewhat due to the economic crisis but it was apparently starting to steadily pick back up again. Still, there would be 3 or 4 girls chasing each tourist and his Franklins. This chica, was a fairly young one, born November 3rd, 2001, according to her Cedula, she was just twenty-two, but Hilda Martinez would never see her twenty-third birthday and looking at the baby picture in her wallet, there was at least one orphaned child who would never see or be held in the loving arms of his mother again. Niko was not an overly sensitive guy, particularly in this line of duty, where one would see death often enough that it lost its shock value, but orphans were his Achilles heel, and seeing this young mother sliced to death pushed all his buttons. Right then and there, he was determined to

track down those responsible, because having lost his own father to an assassin’s bullet when he was only 2 years old, made him carry a cross all his life. He had never been able to identify that killer or track him down, so the next best thing was to hunt for similar types and in a way, this almost gave him a sense of closure. Albeit a temporary one, until he came across the next victim who left an orphaned child behind. Both victims had been surgically slashed by what appeared to be a large knife or a medium sized machete. Hilda showed deep cuts on her arms as well. The type of defensive wounds typically exhibited by people attacked with a machete, a knife or a blade of some kind. Daniel, on the other hand, apparently never saw it coming, because he only had that one major cut across his throat. Maybe he was caught by surprise, or possibly, was too inebriated to react. One thing was clear, whoever killed him expected to find what they were looking for in the room, since it didn’t appear that they had bothered to keep the victims alive long enough to question them. From the looks of things, they simply came in, finished them off and then proceeded to turn the room upside down and left. The question remained, did they find what they were looking for and, even more important, did they leave any kind of evidence that could be used to track them down. He would have to examine the hotel security tapes, unfortunately, those were only used on the ground floor and not on the upper floors where the rooms were located, so that meant a lot more possible suspects would have to be investigated. Well, maybe he would get lucky and see someone suspicious talking to Mr. Daniel Walker on the tapes. Nothing in the bathroom seemed out of the ordinary. There was some aspirin, suntan lotion and the usual assorted toiletry items one would bring on a trip. Strangely enough there did not appear to be any used condoms, condom or Viagra packaging around. The room did not offer up anything unusual either, some empty bottles of Imperial beer and a nearly empty quart sized bottle of Johnny Walker Black, the remains of some roasted chicken, a few French fries plus all the assorted clothes and shoes strewn about on the carpeted floor. Checking the entry stamp on the passport, Daniel had entered the country Friday morning, three days ago almost to the hour. This was probably not how he saw himself, three days later, when he arrived at the Juan Santamaría International Airport that

Friday morning. The previous entry and exit stamps showed he had spent a week in Nicaragua prior to his arrival here and just maybe, trouble had followed him across the border. Looking at the girl nothing appeared out of place, except for the unnatural tilt of her head due to the deep cut. She had a tattoo at the bottom of her back with two dolphins facing each other and separated by a sun in the middle. In the front, she had a pierced belly button with a small cross hanging from a tiny chain and she was on the floor lying sideways. Daniel was on the bed looking up at the ceiling on a mattress that had been clearly moved during the search. Nothing unusual about him that he could see, other than a very thick beard with more than a few white hairs. However, while examining the beard closely something under the chin had caught his attention. It looked like a paint smudge just on the edge, but closer examination showed he had what appeared to be a possible tattoo underneath. That seemed to be a strange place for a tattoo and stranger still, one that was covered by a full beard. Of course, if the tattoo said Karen and his current lady was named Maria, well that could be a very good reason to keep it covered! He would have to make sure Dr. Robles back at the Medicatura Forense lab checked that out. He was done with his examination and the boys from the Investigación Criminal unit were probably at the end of their rope waiting to get in. He would remind them to take full fingerprints of the two victims just to confirm their identities. No reason to delay them anymore, he had plenty of his own work to do while they did theirs and it wasn’t in this room any longer. As he crossed the street to the hotel parking lot, he was picturing the look of utter disappointment on Coronel Guardia’s’ face when he heard this was not an open and shut case, but he was already used to that look anyway. El Coronel was old school, in his late sixties, and always expected an instant solution to every murder case and always looked terribly shocked and deeply hurt when this was not the case. Counter-balancing that negative thought was the smile that came to his face as he stepped into his baby, a burnt orange 2007 Nissan Special Edition 350Z 2-door sports car. He bought it used in Miami two years ago and had it shipped down but it was in pristine condition and only had thirty-eight thousand miles on the odometer. In a land of 4x4’s, pickups,

buses, motorcycles and 4-door sedans, this little jewel stood out. It was a pleasure to drive and even standing still, he could take in its sleek lines and keep a smile on his face all day long. Niko was not one for luxuries. He lived in a medium size rented apartment in the upscale Rohrmoser neighborhood, a very nice area just a few blocks from the recently finished National Stadium and La Sabana Metropolitan Park and close to the center of town and the offices of the OIF, but it could hardly be termed luxurious, albeit very comfortable, unscrupulously clean and quite homey and full of gadgets and tech toys, in other words a full-on man-cave! However, he had splurged on his automobiles and never regretted a single centavo spent on them. He always made sure they were both in pristine

condition, finely tuned and spotless in appearance. His automobiles and his martial arts and weight training along with his love of history and geography were his passions. He was still single and so far, had not come across a lady that could keep up with his hectic lifestyle. Sure, there was the occasional quicky but nothing of substance just fleeting pleasure and pleasant memories. He was sure the right woman was out there somewhere but until now, she was doing a great job of evading him. As usual, the drive to his apartment was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, shifting the gears, hearing the finely tuned engine humming and purring through its paces and leaving behind all those humdrum vehicles that were crowding his streets. He was anxious to get home and sit behind another item he had recently splurged on, an Apple G5 Tower computer with a 30-inch screen and a very fast connection to the Internet. Not one to waste time, he wanted to look up Mr. Daniel Walker and see why he seemed so familiar. It was a good way to use the time for the next few hours while the data recovered by the Investigación Criminal unit was analyzed, fingerprints were checked and the examination by Dr. Robles was completed on the two vics and on that possible hidden tattoo. He had equipped this computer with all the extra goodies including the latest software so that he could download and manipulate his pictures from the crime scene and meticulously examine every detail. Time was precious in cases like this, the first 48 hours were crucial and the sooner he could home in on a possible motive, the sooner he could narrow down the suspect list and cut to the chase. One thing for sure, he had every intention of nailing these bastards and could almost feel an increase in the temperature of his blood as it coursed through his veins in anticipation of reaching this extremely satisfying result! Plus, if they put up a fight so much the better, although he would not admit this to anyone else.

Peking, China - Early in the Year of our Lord 1421

Zheng He, Head Admiral of the Ming Emperor´s Treasure Fleet, with over 300 ships and nearly 28,000 persons under his command, was preparing his massive fleet for what would surely be an epic voyage. The sixth voyage to be exact but unlike the previous ones dating back to 1405, this one had many nuances that made it extremely unique. For starters, it was the largest fleet ever gathered anywhere in the World, so much so, that entire forests throughout the kingdom had been decimated just to provide sufficient teak and other woods for building the fleet. This particular voyage would begin by returning to their respective homes the top emissaries and heads of state from dozens of countries and territories in Asia, India and Africa, who traded with and had pledged tribute and allegiance to the Supreme Ming Emperor Zhu Di, who had just finished a month-long celebration to honor the completion of the Forbidden City. These distinguished guests had in fact been in Peking for over two years, having been brought here by the previous Treasure Fleet voyage in 1418 1419 so that they could be here to join in the celebration once the Forbidden City was completed. They had been provided with the best food, wines, luxurious accommodation and with concubines who were very highly skilled in the amatory arts. All of it designed to keep them happy and to impress them with the opulence and generosity of the Chinese Empire and the magnificence of its heavenly designated Emperor. Zhu Di did not believe in doing anything halfway, whether it was rebuilding a large portion of the Great Wall or building this magnificent Forbidden City, unfortunately this meant lavish outlays of royal treasure and this caused serious friction with the conservative Confucius-inspired Mandarin class who ran the day-to-day operations of the Empire outside the Forbidden City while his more liberal eunuchs managed everything inside. Another reason this voyage was unique was its mission to circumnavigate the entire globe by breaking up into several smaller fleets and thus create more accurate maps, and introduce the wonders of China to other people around the World and bring them into the fold reaping the benefits of becoming part of this great empire and of all the advantages and advanced knowledge that it had to offer and of course, as new tributaries to the

royal coffers. While tribute was a part of the reason for adding new regions to the fold, the Chinese felt that what they shared in culture and technology far outweighed what they received in return so that these people would be benefitting greatly. It was also designed to create new colonies of Chinese settlers all around the world. A further reason for this voyage was to find and establish a southern counterpart to the Polar Star that the Chinese could use in the same way to calculate latitude anywhere in the world. Currently, once this Star was out of sight just past the equator, they would lose their ability to do such calculations. Achieving these goals would, however, require sailing to mostly uncharted and possibly highly dangerous waters and unknown to them at the time of departure, only one in ten departing sailors would ever return to see China again and in fact, even those survivors could hardly fathom that they would return to a very different China than the one they were preparing to leave. However, the principal reason for this sixth voyage was truly top secret and only a handful of individuals knew the real reasons for this enterprise. The order came straight from Zhu Di, the exalted Ming Emperor himself, who had been entrusted with the care of 8 most unusual and wonderful artifacts by his father, the second Ming Emperor. The story was that these artifacts had in fact been left thousands of years ago by wise men with long white beards who had emerged from the depths of the earth and were the last survivors of a highly advanced race that ruled the world 20,000 plus years ago and which had been destroyed by massive floods and gigantic earthquakes causing the sea level to rise over 80 meters worldwide overnight and it was all caused by the shifting of the poles as a result of what could have been a comet or meteor shower striking the earth. These wise men had left very precise instructions that these artifacts must be safeguarded from the Deceivers and used for the good of mankind and that whoever possessed and protected them would also be granted power, riches, wisdom, and longevity. The Ming Emperor was getting old and was worried that he could die or be overthrown and these precious artifacts would fall into the wrong hands, either Mongol hordes or those of his nemesis, the Mandarins, who had managed to sway

his favorite son and the heir to the Empire, to their way of isolationist thinking and that if such a loss occurred, he would be blamed for it in the afterlife. Thus, he had entrusted this mission to Zheng He, his most loyal right-hand man and most highly trusted Admiral. A man, well actually a eunuch to be exact, who stood over 7 feet tall and had a razor-sharp mind and the will and courage of ten men despite his missing anatomical parts. He was fiercely loyal to the emperor, a somewhat curious fact since his father had been killed by the emperor’s troops and he himself had been taken prisoner as a boy and castrated along with several thousand other boys. He had however, been given the opportunity of a good education and his natural talents had allowed him to rise to the top and to become the emperor Zhu Di´s most trusted and loyal servant. However, the final mission would not be carried out by Zheng He as this would require his absence from the Imperial Court for far too long and this was something the emperor could not bear to deal with, so Zheng He would lead the fleet only so far and had given the actual carrying out of the mission to his most trusted and capable Admirals, Hong Bao and Zhou Man. It was their mission to find 8 separate spots in these new lands where they would hide each artifact and secretly save those locations for posterity by picking their most trusted man. Since the two Admirals were also eunuchs, it would be their duty to each select a man with a family or the capability to have a family and who would swear to protect with his life the secret of the locations of these artifacts and pass down that sacred duty to his descendants until such time as those artifacts would be needed to protect mankind. It would also be these two family's duties to protect anyone who came from a third selected family whose duty was to always be ready to find the artifacts when called upon to do so. Thus, three family lines were established: the North Star and the Southern Cross to keep the secret clues to each of the locations and also to offer protection and aid to the third family, one chosen by Zheng He himself. This family line would be known as the White Dragon Celestials, who, when the proper time came, would oversee finding, safeguarding and if called upon, using the powers of the artifacts handed down from antiquity. For this third family line, Zheng He made a most unusual choice which he expected would someday prove his foresight…

New Schwabenland, Continent of Antartica - January 1947

The very last mega U-Boot of the Kriegsmarine, the pride of the Nazi submarine fleet, had just unloaded its cargo including the last of the key players in the now defunct Nazi regime. These stragglers had been in hiding and had finally arrived on these very last submarines, while in Europe the ashes of the once seemingly unstoppable Third Reich still smoldered, here in Antarctica, the foundation of a Fourth Reich was being firmly established with the last supplies and personnel arriving throughout 1945 and 1946 on over 100 of the most modern submarines in the Nazi war machine. This was a plan that was set in motion even before the war started, when in 1938 the Deutsche Antarktische Expedition began to explore, map, and claim large areas of this white continent and established the basis for NeuSchwabenland in an area previously claimed by Norway. Hundreds of miles were mapped in all directions, but the key event was the discovery by German U-boots of an underwater passage that led to a hidden tropical oasis miles under the permafrost. A system of gargantuan caves and tunnels, as well as ancient structures dating back to a time before the ice cover, this paradise was fueled by underground volcanos providing geothermal heat for energy, with gigantic freshwater lakes and extending for hundreds of miles, capable of providing a future home for thousands of displaced Nazis and their descendants. An ideal place to make a last stand if need be, but even more meaningful, a place to begin a new Reich which could one day regain the lost glory and finally culminate in the dream of an Aryan led World where Germania would rise again and defeat the lesser races as they had once done in decimating three Roman Legions who had had the audacity to come into their homeland to try and conquer them. It was an error that Rome never cared to repeat. This was a place where the best scientists could refine the most advanced weapons for the new Reich, a place where the young could be properly educated, grow strong and multiply, all with the future goal of world domination. It was also a place where the remaining members of the Thule

and Vril societies could put into motion their plan to find the missing 7 artifacts of Antiquity, as they had already found one of the artifacts right here in Antarctica using information given to them in Tibet, it was an anti-gravity device which they had managed to reverse engineer to a certain degree over the last 6 years and thus had been able to constantly improve their flying discs and wings. They knew from additional information gathered during their expeditions to the Tibet that the other 7 artifacts had been hidden in the American continent under imperial orders of the Chinese Ming Emperor centuries before and it was just a question of time until they could uncover the missing clues needed in order to find them. Their discovery would guarantee the supremacy of the Fourth Reich. It might take them fifty or even a hundred years but that was insignificant in the grand scheme of things and anyway they needed time to increase their population, develop even more advanced weaponry and manipulate world events in their favor with the fifth column elements they had put into place throughout South America, especially in Argentina, Chile and Brazil and of course throughout Europe and even in North America. Time, greed and the element of surprise were on their side, and they had the discipline to wait until everything was ready. General Dr. Hans Kammler, head of the SS and the Kammler stab, the Nazi super-secret Weapons Black Projects think tank, would see to it that this dream would become a reality and, in the process, keep the promise he had made to the Fuhrer himself when they had met in an underground bunker in Berlin and months later in a remote section of Argentina. The Fuhrer himself had handed him the reins of this budding new empire and he was not a man who would take such an honor and responsibility lightly. If the puny Americans believed they could defeat him here in Antarctica where Nazi ingenuity and advanced knowledge had built the ultimate fortress under the permafrost, with this pitiful fleet they had sent down to find and destroy them, they would soon experience the might of Nazi technology and experience firsthand the magnitude of their error in that presumptuous assumption!

Outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada - Present Day

Heading for Costa Rica was not on Felicity´s agenda for this Thursday morning but she had been worried sick after not hearing from her grandfather for several days, she felt it was an urgent matter to seek him out and make sure he was okay and she had started to make travel arrangements when that heartbreaking call came in. The American Embassy in San José called to inform her that her grandfather had died and the worst part, that he had been found murdered! She would soon likely be, the only person other than his murderers who had any inkling of the reasons behind this apparently non-sensical crime. Before that fateful call came in, she had imagined he might be languishing in a jail unable to contact her or the outside world, or even worse, in a hospital in critical condition since it was not his modus operandi to be out of touch for so long. As his only family, she had become accustomed to having him run off across the world on a moment’s notice but he had always remained in contact and checked in every other day at least. A PhD in Archeology graced his office wall but more than an academic, he was an adventurer and a dreamer at heart. In particular, he was a treasure hunter and had gained international fame for some of his amazing finds. However, lately, he had been more secretive than usual and appeared nervous about someone or something. Felicity had tried to pry some information from him, which she had always been very successful at in the past since he had passed on to her his deep passion for archeology, history and lost treasures, but this time he would not reveal anything at all, claiming it was better for her not to be involved at this stage of the game and it was this extremely unusual attitude on his part that had her most worried when he had broken contact so abruptly. Adding to the mystery was the small sealed Chinese box and a diary which he had given to her a few days earlier with explicit instructions that the box should be opened, and the diary read, only in the case of his death. Curiously enough, finding wealth had never been the reason for her grandfather’s treasure hunting, as he came from a very wealthy family. He did it for the challenge and for the satisfaction and sheer thrill of finding what nobody else had been able to find and in the process, he had discovered

that he also enjoyed being in the limelight, but his primary motivation was solving puzzles and shedding light on historical unknowns and places and treasures lost in time. Felicity and her grandfather were extremely close, as he had raised her when her parents and younger sister died in a bizarre auto accident when she was only 7. He had seen to it that she was well educated in the best private schools, but he had also made sure she was highly trained in other less conventional ways. Ways that would prove in the coming days just how wise his foresight had been. As she drove her little German convertible through a seemingly endless stretch of desert road on the way to Las Vegas, a sad folk song, Bobby Bare ´s classic “500 Miles Away from Home”, came on, it was one of her grandfathers´ all-time favorites and Felicity lost control of her emotions and cried like she never had before. Even when her parents had died, she had cried but it was the sorrow of a 7-year-old trying to understand a loss no child should ever have to. This was different, she was nearly an adult now and this man, her grandfather had been everything to her, father and mother, mentor and hero, as well as inspiration and meaning for about as long as she could remember and now, she felt truly orphaned, completely alone in the world. These tears welled up from a dark place deep inside her soul and she felt her life would never be the same again. Her only consolation was the thought of revenge, to find those responsible for his death and to put an end to their earthly existence as they had done to her only remaining family, yes that would surely help bring closure. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but she had no patience to wait, she wanted satisfaction now, served hot and steamy. It would not bring her grandfather back, it might not even make her feel better, but it had to be done, it would be done! It was the least she could do to honor his memory. She had yet to open the box he had left her, but she would have time for that when she was on the plane. She was traveling light, a backpack with a cleverly hidden and fully lined compartment and the box and diary. She had everything she needed. She wondered about this Private Detective who the Embassy said would be meeting her at the airport, a Mr. Gunn, funny name for a Costa Rican. It seemed kind of strange, she had expected an Embassy employee would meet her but the Ambassador himself had assured her this was absolutely the best person

to meet her under the circumstances. He had not bothered to go into details, and she had not pushed him either, as she was more concerned with seeing her grandfather, even if it was for one last time to positively identify him and arrange for his body to be sent back to the States for a proper burial on the family estate. It was ironic, she had wanted for quite a while now to visit and tour Costa Rica, having read up on the country and amazed by its variety of places and microclimates with places like the Osa Peninsula, a protected area which National Geographic had referred to as the most biologically intensive place on the planet and which just begged exploration. There was so much she wanted to see and discover there, including places her grandfather had mentioned as possible lost treasure locations or places that had mysterious origins and purposes. She had always imagined she would share this trip of discovery with her grandfather and now she was headed there, but not as a tourist and the whole situation was tinged with a feeling of unreality. She had to get her act together during the flight, as it was imperative that she was fully focused upon arrival. She had a clear mission, and it left no room for anything but total concentration. Her many years of training would now be put to the ultimate test. Detective Gunn was puzzled. This case was getting more convoluted by the minute. The more facts he uncovered, the more confusing the overall picture became. Usually, it worked in reverse! He had found out who Walker really was and why he seemed so familiar. Dr. Daniel Walker, world renowned archeologist, treasure hunter and all around bon vivant, was now a murder victim and it was up to him to find out why. This would definitely turn up the heat and the pressure to solve this case was growing by the minute. The young lady with him in the room was in fact not a lady of the night but rather a graduate student and a teaching assistant for Professor Rex Augustine Lord Carazo-Chavarría, a professor of Archeology at the local university. The professor was a character in his own right and definitely a person he needed to interview right away. However before getting around to that he had a favor to do. His longtime friend, the US Ambassador, had asked him to meet and protect a young lady, Daniel Walker´s granddaughter, Felicity Walker, who was arriving to identify and claim her grandfather’s body. Being a nanny was not something he looked forward to, but he could not refuse his friend and,

just perhaps, the young lady could contribute some tidbit that would help him understand and solve this case. At this point even the smallest detail that could help point him in the right direction would be very welcome! At least he would not have to babysit alone, he had been able to speak to Dr. Carazo-Chavarría who expressed that he had been a longtime friend of Dr. Walker and so Dr. Carazo-Chavarría had offered to send his grandson Cid to help him meet Felicity since they were about the same age, and it might make her feel more comfortable in such a difficult time. That was fine with Gunn as he did not imagine he would have much in common with an 18-year-old who was probably a spoiled rich brat. He did feel sorry for her as she was now orphaned and from the information the Ambassador had given him, Dr. Walker had been her only living relative. Yet another orphan because of these murdering bastards! Felicity had taken a short nap as the plane began its journey south, she was now awake and feeling better and decided it was time to do as her grandfather had instructed her and read the diary and then open the Chinese box.Breaking the wax seal on the envelope that held the diary within brought home the fact that her beloved Gramps was truly dead. She had always admired how he used the old-fashioned method of pouring wax on a sealed document and then stamping down his personal metal seal on it to guarantee its privacy, just like they used to do in times past. It was such an elegant method and in fact her grandfather had given her a seal of her own as a present on one of her birthdays. As she pulled out the rich leather covered diary and ran her fingers down the front feeling its supple and soft surface, she unlatched the gold clasp and opened it to the first page and began to read… ¨My Beloved Felicity, if you are reading this then it means that I am no longer among the living and for this I cannot even begin to express my feelings of sadness in leaving you alone and passing unto you this great burden and responsibility along with its inherent dangers as I shall explain in the following pages. You, my beloved, are the person whom I love the most and I wish that I could bestow upon you a normal life of happiness and tranquility but alas this is not to be because our family history is not an ordinary one and above all your duty and honor calls.

I will be making revelations to you that will change your life as well as the perception of the World around you and most importantly, will put you in the eye of the storm and expose you to great dangers but all is not negative and in this endeavor you will also be provided with great allies, new and old, who will be there to protect you and to help you achieve your destiny. Perhaps the most important revelation I must make to you at this time is the truth about how you parents died in that so called automobile accident. It was not an accident and your parents died protecting you and your baby sister. Yes, my dear, your sister is alive and reuniting with her is something you must do at the appropriate time. When your parents died, you and your sister were taken to the hospital, she was only suffering from slight burns and I decided it would be safer to separate you, so I took the difficult and painful decision of sending her to live with Marrese, a trusted friend on the other side of the country. Like you she has been receiving the best possible education and like you she has been receiving the best martial arts and weapons training available. As the elder daughter, the mission I will shortly explain falls to you but in case anything should (God forbid!) happen to you, it would pass on to her. She can also be your most powerful ally and she is your only remaining blood relative, so it would be wise to meet her as soon as it is safely possible. She is also being informed upon my death of all the facts so that both of you will know the magnitude of what lies ahead. Let me begin by telling you that your true name is Felicidad Caminante (for various reasons we anglicized the name to Felicity Walker) and that you are in fact the direct descendant of Venetian explorers with a long and proud family history of bravery, truth, curiosity, duty and honor. It was your ancestor, Valentino Caminante, who was a trusted friend of Zheng He, the legendary Admiral of the magnificent Chinese Treasure fleet of the early fifteenth century. Valentino was given the honor and duty of being selected as the third family that would protect 8 artifacts handed down from antiquity. Artifacts that could mean the difference between a happy and free world or a sad dictatorial world and could also protect the