Anne

## Overview

* Anne had been pulling fireballs from the air since she was seven.
* Her parents hadn’t coped well with her floating baby toys or kitchen utensils, and when one of her tantrums finally set fire to the drapes, that was the last straw and they sent her to a boarding school. Her mother was insistent, her father acquiesced.
* She much preferred hanging out with Giles. He didn’t treat her like a baby. More like an annoyance . . . that he was strangely glad to have around.

## Summary

### The Ascension Myth

#### Cloaked

The Sanguine Squadron find Anne is captured with adult skilled Estarians on what is assumed to be a slaver operation on th Flutningsaðili, The reason for her abduction is not known but Arlene recognizes that Anne has powers similar to hers.

Anne explains that when her powers began to manifest she was sent to The Sacred Ascenders Convent for the Gifted where Estarian Elders were supposed to guide her growth. Instead, they became fearful of how strong she was growing and that Anne should be locked away.

Anne is kept with the Squadron pending a better understanding of her powers and where she would prosper. The challenge for the Squadron is Anne and shift, especially when she wants to accompany them when the they ship out for a mission.

### Confessions of a Space Anthropologist

#### Rogue Operator

Anne is a source of frustration at The Sacred Ascenders Convent for the Gifted where Estarian Elders because her powers are growing faster than her ability to control or their ability to coach her into managing them. The decision is made to exile her to Teshov where she is not able to tap into the planetary power that exist the Convent.

Anne attempts to escape but is captured by a team expecting her. From what she overhears Elder Charles not only arranged her capture but has done this to others. Her rescue is identical to the action that is in Cloaked.

#### Rogue Instigator

Arlene commits to coaching Anne in the use of her powers. Anne still has trust issues and doesn't let Arlene know about some of the episodes she has had exploding things and causing Sean to fall.

Molly asks Anne to stay on the base but when Giles and Arlene head off to find the Talisman Anne uses her powers to fuzz out the cameras and joins them. Arlene senses an extra person and when Scamp checks Anne is found in the hold.

While Molly and most of the Squadron head off to save Sean, Giles and Arlene take *The Scamp Princess* to search for the next talisman on Mallifrax-8 in the Ferrai Quadrant. Mallifrax-8 was originally known to the ancients as Gaumix. Formerly home to the Essiehkor Kurtherian tribe, long before they evolved and became the race we know of today. It currently colonized by the Queegert and is mining colony extracting etheriam and run by a monarchy that controls access to the planet.

They are given permission to go to the ruins of the temple but are forewarned the Queegert had inspected the temple in the past and taken artifacts. When they arrive at the temple they find it guarded by panther like animals with black and purple fur. After a day of searching they find nothing and return to The Crown. He wines and dines them proposing they help him overthrow the company that dominates the colony in return for reviewing the artifacts the Queegert took from the temple.

Arlene goes to talk with the miners while Giles goes to talk with the MacKegans. Arlene finds the miners ready to rebel, Giles finds the MacKegans fixated on a business model that denies the miners a fair return on their labor based on an agreement only The Crown can change. Arlene and Giles approach the Crown about the change and he pushes it back on them to change the mining and refining situation.

Giles goes off to find a mining engineer and Arlene decides to terrorize the MacKegans. Afterward the miners refer to Arlene as Arlene the Terrible.

The last known position of Bill the engineer is on the Phoenix-Delta Outpost. Giles sets the timer with Scamp at 48 hours at which time if Giles has not returned the Scamp Princess will return to Arlene and Anne. Android TRX9978 aka Trixie is at the dock to take Giles to Bill.

Anne meets with the miners while Arlene is away. Based on her questions and comments the miners label her Anne the Wise. They teach her about etheriam. The main use now is for its structural properties but it also is considered magical by some people if highly refined. In a highly refined state it could also store DNA and even information for millennia. As Anne heads back to the compound she sees Queegert guards unloading a large, lethal machine and heads back to warn the miners.

Arlene sees the war Mechs when she returns and goes to warn the minors who tase her unconscious. When she wakes up she is tied down and the miners accuse her of being a traitor because they saw her go to MacKegans. When Anne finds the miners with Arlene she becomes furious and unleashes her power on the miners.

The guards and Mechs attack the miners with Arlene defending them. Just as Arlene is running out of energy one of the Mechs takes out the other remaining Mech. Giles and Scamp gained control and have essentially ended the battle.

Giles does arrange the final settlement where The Crown has changed the rules, the MacKegans have been bought out by a more ethical company and the refining processes are significantly enhanced.

Anne combines research from the miners, from Giles and from her intuition to show the talismen are actually data storage devices made of etherium. Anne reveals she also has a talisman given to her by her uncle meaning the team now has 4 talismen to evaluate.

1. ↑ Clarke, Ell Leigh; Anderle, Michael. Giles Kurns: Rogue Instigator: Age Of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Confessions Of A Space Anthropologist Book 2) (p. 10). LMBPN Publishing. Kindle Edition.
2. ↑ Clarke, Ell Leigh; Anderle, Michael. Giles Kurns: Rogue Instigator: Age Of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Confessions Of A Space Anthropologist Book 2) (p. 8). LMBPN Publishing. Kindle Edition.
3. ↑ Clarke, Ell Leigh; Anderle, Michael. Giles Kurns: Rogue Instigator: Age Of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Confessions Of A Space Anthropologist Book 2) (p. 34). LMBPN Publishing. Kindle Edition.