Star Drive I - For God & Order

​For God & Order is the first title in the ​Star Drive series of books. It is the prime introductory to the futuristic setting and to the Great Spiral, as the Milky Way is known 9,000 years in the future.

Story
It has been 5 years since the Galactic Consilium ended the violent reign of the Lumini Pirates as a force to be feared in the Galactic Rim. Acting on an appeal from the Rim Worlds Coalition, the Galactic Armada initiated a four-month campaign aimed at whittling the Lumini down in a sequence of local battles, even as the Department of Strategic Services began to feed the pirates a carefully-planned sequence of misinformation, aimed at luring the strongest elements of the raider fleet into an ambush at Minos Corva, 250 light years from Old Earth. After a long and pitched battle, the Armada disabled and boarded the flagship of Belden Kol, the overlord of the Lumini, bringing to an end the tenure of the group's fearsome leader.

During his 13 years as overlord of the Lumini, Kol was responsible for an untold number of deaths as his captains relentlessly overtook private ships carrying both passengers and freight in their search for hard currencies, treasure and even valuable commodities for black market resale. His kidnapping of the prime minister of Tulrinni instigated an uprising that saw 100,000 dead in a short-lived but bloody conflict.

With no other power willing to prosecute him, the Consilium does so on behalf of all affected by his crimes. Based on Corel, his nine-day trial condemned him to death. He was shipped off to Abessios, there to be terminated by disintegration chamber if no sufficient evidence to exonerate him is produced within the next five standard years.

No further thought is given to Kol or his impending death until security forces on Blackpool arrest a man injured in a firefight with them outside the governor's palace. Seriously injured and near death, the man mentions Kol during his questioning and reveals the rudiments of a seemingly impossible tale detailing a conspiracy against the governments of the Great Spiral. Specifically, intelligence agents verify key aspects of the man's testimony and learn that not only was Belden Kol aware of a conspiracy aimed at the highest echelons of the Consilium government, but he was part of it.

The military resolves to investigate this conspiracy, and decides to use officers who are unknown to the criminal elements the man's interrogation suggests are working against the Consilium. A young Guard captain named Balthazar Ophandria, himself a native of Blackpool, is tasked with gaining Kol's trust and learning what he knows, through any reasonable means necessary.

This effort will not just affect the future of the entirety of the Galactic Consilium. It will also affect the futures of those involved in uncovering this conspiracy.

Characters
The following major characters make their first appearances in this book.


 * Balthazar Ophandria - Captain in the Galactic Guard.  Young and recently promoted to his current rank, he has had several successful anti-piracy operations under his belt and has worked with military intelligence in the past.


 * Belden Kol - Former overlord of the Lumini Pirates.  Responsible for the deaths of some 150,000 people, he is condemned to death on the prison world of Abessios.


 * Leomar Turano - Commodore in the Galactic Guard.  Is the handler of Captain Ophandria's assignment.  He is a veteran of the Kyburz War.


 * Vinzer Belesarious


 * Orosea Flavia - The current President of the Council and leader of the Consilium.   Before entering politics, she was a successful naval commander and is a veteran of the Kyburz War.  She is a native of Terra Nova.

Background
The title of the book - For God & Order - reflects the cherished core principles of the Galactic Consilium, also known as the Four Virtues of Aristotle - fortitude, prudence, temperance and justice.