Okay, here goes. When Jaf Daskal betrays the sinister fellow who paid him to recover a mysterious ‘treasure,’ he feels like he’s being pursued by the Valkyries of Andromeda as he and his little band are launched into a bizarre adventure of fraud, power, sex, drugs, and religion that culminates in a battle for planet-wide freedom.
Valkyries of Andromeda is a science fiction adventure story that begins the saga of Jaf Daskal, an orphan brought up by a poor elderly woman on the afterthought planet Kipple. From her he learned some appreciation of universal feminine attributes; from the city he learned to adapt and fit in, to be everybody’s friend, and to bend ethics in order to survive.
He goes into free-lance work, doing whatever pays, contracting to recover a mysterious treasure on the desert planet of Mobahey. There he signs on two drifters, one oh-so-sharp and one oh-so-peculiar, and the three head out on a hunt. But first, Jaf also arranges with the original discoverer of the treasure map, an eccentric old sort, to betray Jaf’s sponsor so the two can make off with the treasure themselves.
Once the ‘treasure’ (two big rubbery balls [?]) is brought back to town Jaf's sponsor figures out what’s up, and comes after them like the mythical ‘Valkyries of Andromeda’! Jaf and his buddies have to make a hasty uncharted escape to equally uncharted Caliuga, a planet settled by wayward travelers over the past couple centuries. There they are mistaken for the Empire’s Inspector General, Caliuga’s first contact with the Empire ever, bringing joy that the planet of castaways will soon be re-connected to civilization, and all its blessings.
The Caliugan settlements have mostly prospered peacefully, but the latest arrivals (before Jaf and crew) are trying to consolidate and gain power over the others by forming a Planetary Union and coercing other colonies into joining, unintentionally drawing Jaf and his cohorts into their vortex. Fraud, confusion, intrigue, schemes and plots ensue as Jaf and company are sucked into the politics of Caliuga, culminating in battles and bloodshed.
Valkyries of Andromeda is the first in a series of stories told by Jaf Daskal, a man of the 24th century who has been many things in his life, often mistaken for noble or heroic. Here he takes a shameless look back at his hundred-year career that made him famous enough that people would care about his life, and candid enough that they would enjoy his account.
The Adventures continue in Banshees of Basoolah.
Jaf Daskal, part-time secret agent, part-time thief and full-time rogue, is back and he’s on the run again. For five years the ruthless criminal kingpin Basoolah has been hunting Jaf and the mysterious artifacts he stole. Where does one hide from the nastiest, most vindictive man in the entire galaxy?
Jaf decides to lie low by working for another shady honcho who hires Jaf to spy on his two wayward daughters, demanding detailed and exhaustive first-hand reports on their affluent, depraved lifestyle. Oh, what horrors Jaf must endure to survive!
Then one of the daughters mysteriously disappears. Was she kidnapped, killed, or just bored? Intrigues, sex and power games abound, and Jaf finds himself entangled in them all. No matter how Jaf tries to hide, he finds himself starring on the biggest and most terrifying stage of all – revolution!
Part two in the Jaf Daskal series.
Valkyries of Andromeda is a science fiction adventure story that begins the saga of Jaf Daskal, an orphan brought up by a poor elderly woman on the afterthought planet Kipple. From her he learned some appreciation of universal feminine attributes; from the city he learned to adapt and fit in, to be everybody’s friend, and to bend ethics in order to survive.
He goes into free-lance work, doing whatever pays, contracting to recover a mysterious treasure on the desert planet of Mobahey. There he signs on two drifters, one oh-so-sharp and one oh-so-peculiar, and the three head out on a hunt. But first, Jaf also arranges with the original discoverer of the treasure map, an eccentric old sort, to betray Jaf’s sponsor so the two can make off with the treasure themselves.
Once the ‘treasure’ (two big rubbery balls [?]) is brought back to town Jaf's sponsor figures out what’s up, and comes after them like the mythical ‘Valkyries of Andromeda’! Jaf and his buddies have to make a hasty uncharted escape to equally uncharted Caliuga, a planet settled by wayward travelers over the past couple centuries. There they are mistaken for the Empire’s Inspector General, Caliuga’s first contact with the Empire ever, bringing joy that the planet of castaways will soon be re-connected to civilization, and all its blessings.
The Caliugan settlements have mostly prospered peacefully, but the latest arrivals (before Jaf and crew) are trying to consolidate and gain power over the others by forming a Planetary Union and coercing other colonies into joining, unintentionally drawing Jaf and his cohorts into their vortex. Fraud, confusion, intrigue, schemes and plots ensue as Jaf and company are sucked into the politics of Caliuga, culminating in battles and bloodshed.
Valkyries of Andromeda is the first in a series of stories told by Jaf Daskal, a man of the 24th century who has been many things in his life, often mistaken for noble or heroic. Here he takes a shameless look back at his hundred-year career that made him famous enough that people would care about his life, and candid enough that they would enjoy his account.
The Adventures continue in Banshees of Basoolah.
Jaf Daskal, part-time secret agent, part-time thief and full-time rogue, is back and he’s on the run again. For five years the ruthless criminal kingpin Basoolah has been hunting Jaf and the mysterious artifacts he stole. Where does one hide from the nastiest, most vindictive man in the entire galaxy?
Jaf decides to lie low by working for another shady honcho who hires Jaf to spy on his two wayward daughters, demanding detailed and exhaustive first-hand reports on their affluent, depraved lifestyle. Oh, what horrors Jaf must endure to survive!
Then one of the daughters mysteriously disappears. Was she kidnapped, killed, or just bored? Intrigues, sex and power games abound, and Jaf finds himself entangled in them all. No matter how Jaf tries to hide, he finds himself starring on the biggest and most terrifying stage of all – revolution!
Part two in the Jaf Daskal series.