Hi
Good morning. I was going to greet you from the Cotswolds in the west of England yesterday. There was a big family get-together to celebrate my cousin’s birthday on Saturday. Unfortunately, I got separated from my laptop, which was in a guest house, because we got snowed in at the party.
It’s always good to have a real adventure from time to time!
Part Three of the four-part ‘Professor and Doctor’ story follows immediately beneath the list of my books at the bottom of this newsletter. It’s published exclusively here. The concluding chapter, Part Four, will be in the newsletter on Sunday, January 12th.
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Good Reviews and Ratings on Amazon are critical. If you have read ‘Beyond The Shining Portals’ (Book One), then I invite you to request Book Two, ‘The Half-Life Girl’ as part of the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) team.
If you are interested in joining ‘The Half-Life Girl’ ARC team but have not read the first book in the trilogy, you will first need to request to join the ‘Beyond The Shining Portals’ ARC team.
I am only collecting names at this point. If you are interested in joining either ARC team, email me at
Put the name of the book in the heading. I will put a process in place to reduce the number of ‘freebie hunters’.
In due course, I will be setting up the ‘This Is The Time Of Monsters’ ARC team. You will have to have read, rated and reviewed the other two books before you can join that team.
Head over to Beyond The Shining Portals
Book One of the ‘Portals’ trilogy
and read the description and reviews, to get an idea of what other reviewers thought of Book One.
CHAPTER THREE
CHING SHIH: THE PIRATE QUEEN
Ching Shih paced the narrow command deck of her scout ship, her restless energy filling the room like an unspoken challenge. She never waited in her flagship for these kinds of meetings. The Vermillion Empress and its accompanying eight super-battleships were powerful, yes—but also slow. If the Imperium sprung a trap, she would slip away in this scout ship before they had time to act. Let them grind themselves to dust against her fleet. She would survive, as she always had.
Wealth drove her. Vast, insatiable wealth. Gold, jewels, Imperial credits—it didn’t matter. She’d once soothed her dark moods by sitting in her vaults, letting her fingers trace the edges of ingots stacked high as mountains. The tactile reminder of her success calmed her, and reminded her of her power.
Beauty was her other obsession. She purchased only the finest enhancements and treatments, refusing to let time claim her. Ching Shih looked no older than twenty, her youthful appearance a tool as sharp and deadly as any blade. Many had underestimated her, mistaking her smooth skin and graceful movements for naivety. They rarely lived to make the mistake twice.
Then, of course, there were men. Or rather, specific kinds of men. Firmness of body mattered almost as much as sharpness of mind—though she cared little for the latter when it came to temporary distractions.
The Imperium knew her well enough to tread lightly. When the first cloaked ship approached, she ordered it blasted to shards. Let them know who they were dealing with. When the second ship decloaked within the wreckage of the first, she allowed it to stand—for now. It would suit her purposes to hear them out, but not before demonstrating the precariousness of their position.
Months later, Ching Shih reflected on that meeting as she lounged in her private quarters aboard the Vermillion Empress. The Imperium had signed their treaty, granting her free reign over her operations in exchange for a tenuous peace. For now, her fleet roamed unchallenged, her Red Flag casinos thriving on planets across the galaxy.
And yet, she felt unsettled. Power brought enemies, and wealth never brought satisfaction. The gnawing hunger for more whispered in her mind like a siren’s call.
Professor Sebastian Dogtooth stared at his console, lost in thought. Of the three motivations driving the Pirate Queen—wealth, beauty, and desire—only one could be leveraged reliably.
Money.
Her appetite for it was legendary. Even her vast Red Flag empire couldn’t sate her. But how to present an opportunity lucrative enough to draw her attention without becoming prey to her ambitions?
He left his office and returned to his apartment. Wrapping a wet towel around his head, he lay down, letting his thoughts churn in the darkness. When he awoke that evening, his resolve had solidified. He had to meet her. Everything—the future of this universe and countless others—hinged on his ability to activate the "No Fear" program.
The Red Flag Casino stood as a beacon of decadence, its neon lights cutting through the city’s smog like a declaration of defiance. Dogtooth loitered far enough from the entrance to avoid notice from the security staff, his sharp gaze scanning the arrivals.
At precisely 9:00 PM, a sleek limousine pulled up. Three security agents stepped out, their movements precise and practised. The rear door opened, and Ching Shih emerged.
She was breathtaking. Her presence alone drew the attention of punters milling about the casino’s entrance. She waved at them, her smile radiant, genuine. And yet, Dogtooth could sense the shadow beneath the surface—the predator behind the mask.
Her gaze swept the crowd, assessing. For a moment, her eyes locked with his. Dogtooth held her gaze, suppressing the instinct to flinch.
What was she thinking? She didn’t linger, disappearing through a private entrance.
Dogtooth sighed, frustrated. He needed more than fleeting glances. Gathering his courage, he stepped inside the casino.
The interior was a riot of excess—plush carpets, dazzling lights, and staff who moved with practiced attentiveness. The games themselves were carefully curated to evoke both comfort and excitement.
He spent the evening studying the players, their strategies, and the mechanics of the games. When he finally sat at a table, his intent was not to win big but to be noticed.
For four nights, Dogtooth returned. Each evening, Ching Shih’s limousine arrived at the same time. Each evening, their gazes locked briefly before she disappeared inside.
On the fifth evening, his persistence bore fruit.
As usual, her limousine arrived. She emerged, radiant as ever, her security close behind. But this time, after their eyes met, she murmured something to one of her guards.
Dogtooth’s pulse quickened as the man approached. The security agent’s face was pockmarked, his demeanor intimidating—but his smile was disarmingly warm.
“Ching Shih requests the pleasure of your company in her private rooms.”
Dogtooth nodded, suppressing his nerves. “Of course.”
The stairs to the upper floor were narrow and unadorned, a stark contrast to the casino’s opulence. The room at the top was large, functional, filled with operatives monitoring the games below on banks of screens.
Ching Shih sat at the centre, regal and composed. She turned to Dogtooth with a smile that was equal parts warmth and menace.
“Tea for my guest,” she said, gesturing to a servant. “Which do you prefer? Green, jasmine, or chamomile?”
“Jasmine, thank you.”
As the tea was served, her sharp gaze didn’t waver. “What brings you to the Red Flag Casino, Professor?”
Dogtooth hesitated, then met her gaze squarely. Lying wasn’t his strength. “I’m looking for a shiny blue metal box with a handle. About this long and this wide.” He gestured with his hands.
Ching Shih tilted her head, her expression unreadable. She spoke softly to her guard. Moments later, the man returned with a blue metal box.
“This?”
Dogtooth examined it, his breath catching. “Yes.”
“And you know what this is?”
“A cloaking device.”
Ching Shih leaned back, her smile fading. “I was warned someone might come for this.”
“May I ask by whom?”
“You may. But I won’t answer.”
Dogtooth nodded. “And yet you’re giving it to me?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t like mysteries, Professor. But I trust the one who said this would happen.”
Dogtooth stood, cradling the device. “Thank you.”
As he hurried away, one name echoed in his mind. He didn’t know her personally, but there was only one figure he could imagine swaying Ching Shih.
The Little Sister. Sorcha.