Storm Girls (The Juniper Wars Book 4), Aaron Ritchey [best beach reads txt] 📗

on my way to Armageddon and the final battles in what people started calling the Juniper Wars.

It wasn’t a war to me, though. It was just life and living, and the real battles I won didn’t involve guns, bombs, or blimps.

The real war I fought was within, and I was the villain ... and I was the hero ... and some days I know exactly who won and who lost.

Other days? I don’t know.

I glance at the Pains whiskey bottle on my desk.

Some days, I just don’t know.

To be continued ...

Cavatica Weller will return in War Girls (Book Five of the Juniper Wars series)

Glossary of Historical Figures, Slang, and Technology

Angel, June Mai—The most powerful of the Outlaw Warlords and the most organized. Her past is a mystery, but her soldiers are fierce. She controls the Denver area, from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins.

ASI Attachment—A steam engine that can interface with the drivetrains of larger vehicles such as trucks or minivans. Manufactured by the American Steam Ingenuity Company.

ARK—The American Reproduction Knowledge Initiative—A publicly funded corporation researching the Sterility Epidemic and running insemination clinics across the world.

AZ3—The next generation of assault rifle manufactured by Armalite Industries. Includes self-correcting laser targeting, tactical readout/ammunition count, and water-cooled barrels.

Beefsteaks—Cattle.

Besharam—Shameless (from the Hindi word).

Besiya—Prostitute (from the Hindi word).

Burke, Sally Browne—Co-founder of the New Morality movement.

Chalkdrive—Removable computer storage devices.

Cargador—A large steam-powered vehicle used in the Juniper for salvaging operations and later as military vehicles.

Colton, Anna—Professor of Sociology, Princeton University, and a firm supporter of women’s rights outside of religious or domestic roles.

Corfu, Archbishop Jeremy—An archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. and highly critical of the ARK and any artificial insemination outside of marriage.

CTRA—The Colorado Territory Ranching Association—An organization created by Robert “Dob” Howerter, presumably to ensure high quality beef and ethical ranching practices, but in reality was used to fix prices and drive other ranchers out of business.

EMAT—Emergency Medication Absorption Tape—A delivery system for medication during combat situations.

Eterna Batteries—A perfectly clean power source created by General Electric. Named after Chinese food, the most powerful and efficient is the Kung Pao. A weaker version is the Egg Drop.

Frictionless Automobiles—The next generation in automotive engineering, frictionless cars float thirty centimeters off the ground.

Gillian—Lesbian (from the Mandarin phrase tong xing lian).

Girly ’strogen—Excessively feminine (’strogen is short for estrogen).

Headcount—The number of cattle owned by a ranch.

Howerter, Robert “Dob”—Founder of the Colorado Territory Ranching Association and the largest cattle baron in the Juniper.

Hoyt, Tiberius “Tibbs”—President and CEO of the American Reproduction Knowledge Initiative.

Jankowski, Maggie—Lead engineer on the Eterna battery project funded by General Electric.

Johnson—A derogatory term for a male.

Jones, Calvin “Crush”—Founder of the Old Glory Salvage and Renewal Company and the first to become what was later known as the Juniper Millionaires.

Juniper—1,438,577 square kilometers in the middle of the United States of America comprising what once was Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and sections of surrounding states. Due to the Yellowstone Knockout and the subsequent flood basalt, electrical current does not function in this area.

Kanton, Jack Anthony—48th President of the United States of America and the second president to hold four terms in office.

Kutia—Female dog (from the Hindi word).

MG21—Standard issue assault rifle in the Sino-American War.

Male Product—The male reproductive cell.

Masterson-Wayne Act—Signed into law by President Jack Kanton in 2033, this act of Congress relegated the five states affected by the Yellowstone Knockout back to being territories.

Meetchum, Mavis—Second largest cattle operator in the Colorado territory. Located in Sterling, she has established treaties with the Wind River People and is a strong advocate for Native American rights. She introduced buffalo back into Wyoming in the mid-2030s during a critical time for the Wind River People.

MRE—Meal, Ready-to-Eat.

Neofiber—A variant of carbon fiber but stronger and lighter.

New Morality—A religious movement with socio-political connections that encouraged women to remain chaste, dress appropriately, and behave in a conservative manner.

New Morality Dress—A dress of a neutral color (usually gray, brown, or cream-colored) that covers as much of a woman’s body as possible to comply with New Morality etiquette.

Old Growth—A synthetic coal created from wood taken from old-growth forests.

Parson, Reverend Kip—Co-founder of the New Morality movement.

RSD—Reality Simulator Displays—Video screens with near-perfect resolution.

Sapropel—A weak fuel used for heating and lighting in the Juniper. Chemically manufactured by using remnants of oil shale.

Shakti—Raw female power (from the Hindi word).

SISBI—The Security, Identity, and Special Borders Injunction (SISBI) is a set of laws enacted by a special executive order that requires all U.S. citizens to register eye scans with the government. It also allows for border fences around the Juniper and military units to secure the perimeter of the territories.

Skye6—Diacetylmorphinesextus (a synthetic morphine).

Slate—Tablet computer.

Sterility Epidemic—First cases discovered in January of 2030. One in ten births are male. Of males born, 90 percent are sterile.

Thelium—Theta-helium—Synthetic helium manufactured to give zeppelins greater lift.

Thor Stunner—Eterna-powered electrical non-lethal weapon.

Viable—Non-sterile (refers to males).

Weller, Abigail—Growing up in the family business (The Buckeye Urban Recycling and Reclamation Company), Abigail Weller chose to enter the Juniper to run salvage for Crush Jones. After the Salvage Era, she operated the third largest ranch in the Colorado territory until her death in the winter of 2058. She had three daughters: Sharlotte, Wren, and Cavatica.

Wind River People—The general term for all Native American tribes living in the Wyoming and Montana territories.

Yellowstone Knockout—A term used to describe China’s missile attack on the Yellowstone caldera and the subsequent flood basalt.

Zeppelins—Four classes of airships: Jonesies, Jimmies, Johnnies, and Bobbies. All manufactured by Boeing for use in the Juniper. Jimmies are engineered for maximum speed and Johnnies for maximum cargo hold. Bobbies are a mid-size zeppelin. Lastly, Jonesies are the most customizable. Also known as dirigibles or blimps, the airships have rigid skeletons of Neofiber covered with next-generation lightweight Kevlar. The superstructure contains air-cells filled with thelium.

Zeus 2 Charge Gun—Eterna-powered electric rifle for short-range lethal combat and area-of-attack demolition.

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