The Tau Ceti Agenda

The Tau Ceti Agenda

by

Travis S. Taylor

Table of Contents

One lone operative against a star-spanning

conspiracy to control the fate of the human race!

THE TAU CETI AGENDA

Travis S. Taylor

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are

fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2008 by Travis S. Taylor

A Baen Books Original

Baen Publishing Enterprises

P.O. Box 1403

Riverdale, NY 10471

www.baen.com

ISBN 10: 1-4165-5539-0

ISBN 13: 978-1-4165-5539-1

Cover art by Kurt Miller

First printing, May 2008

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: t/k

Taylor, Travis S.

The Tau Ceti agenda / Travis S. Taylor.

p. cm.

'A Baen Books original'—T.p. verso.

ISBN 1-4165-5539-0

1. Presidents—Election—Fiction. 2. Space

warfare—Fiction. 3. United States. Central Intelligence

Agency—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3620.A98T38 2008

813'.6— dc22

2008002988

Printed in the United States of America

Baen Books by Travis S. Taylor

One Day on Mars

The Tau Ceti Agenda

Warp Speed

The Quantum Connection

with John Ringo:

Vorpal Blade

Manxome Foe

Claws That Catch (forthcoming)

This book is dedicated to all of

freedom's veterans—past, present, and future.

Prologue

'With just three days until the election, it's anybody's guess as to who will take the White House. The polls are solid in most precincts, and the election is likely to hinge on central Florida and Luna City. At this point, the Indies can't take the election, and the race has come down to two parties this time. Will the Dems' nominee, Senator Rita Webb from Queensland, knock down the incumbent, Republican candidate President Alexander Moore? Stay with Earth News Network for up-to-the-second election coverage . . . .'

Chapter 1

October 31, 2388 AD

Tau Ceti Planet Four, Moon Alpha, aka Ares

Madira Valley Beach Spaceport

Saturday, 5:00 AM, Earth Eastern Standard Time

Saturday, 1:00 AM, Madira Valley Standard Time

Kira, behind you! The artificial intelligence voice rang loudly in her mind.

Kira watched the glare in the computer monitor as it suddenly darkened, and the reflection of a soldier filled the screen. She clicked off the direct-to-mind link to the Separatist ship's computer manifest that was displayed virtually around her head and prepared herself for action. She had successfully managed to board the ship, stow away long enough to hack into the Separatist control database, and download what she felt would be extremely important intelligence data on the Seppy regime plans. The plans might enable the United States to counter them—if she managed to escape the ship with them. The Separatist soldier sneaking up on her from behind probably intended to prevent that.

Quickly, Kira ducked and then back-kicked the man in the shin. With a swift and fluid clockwise turn, she slammed an elbow into his rib cage, forceful enough to crack bone, and followed with a backfist to the face.

'Uh!' the man grunted, but he somehow managed to stay on his feet and lunged toward her with blood starting to trickle from his lower lip.

He was a fairly large man. Kira surmised that he was most likely of full-blooded Martian lineage because of his pale skin and dark hair. From the size of his midsection, she also guessed that he had never missed a meal.

The bigger they are . . . , Allison started.

The harder they hit, Kira finished, as she attempted to sidestep his advance, unsuccessfully.

The force of his lumbering weight was enough to push Kira off balance and to the ground underneath him. The man probably assumed that he was going to use his size to overpower Kira easily—a mistake often made by large