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Pirates of the Milky Way #1
Digital Assassin
New technology allowed humans to reach for the stars. Now technology has led to war.
Opposing AI systems battle in a monumental struggle for control of the galaxy. But one planet remains a refuge of independent thought. Lute is home to pirates, harboring ruthless companies of warships hunting for prey.
The pirates are offered the spoils of war, for a price. Captain Christopher Raleigh leads his crew in an effort to snag a lucrative transport on the opposing side. Along with the ship, he snares the Tetrarch’s daughter and several hundred indentured servants.
But not all are who they seem. As the bodies pile up, Raleigh has to figure out who is telling the truth and decide if the spoils of war are truly worth it.
Opposing AI systems battle in a monumental struggle for control of the galaxy. But one planet remains a refuge of independent thought. Lute is home to pirates, harboring ruthless companies of warships hunting for prey.
The pirates are offered the spoils of war, for a price. Captain Christopher Raleigh leads his crew in an effort to snag a lucrative transport on the opposing side. Along with the ship, he snares the Tetrarch’s daughter and several hundred indentured servants.
But not all are who they seem. As the bodies pile up, Raleigh has to figure out who is telling the truth and decide if the spoils of war are truly worth it.
205 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2019
About the author
Jaxon Reed
104 books184 followersJaxon Reed is a speculative fiction author and two-time winner of Amazon's Kindle Scout program.
Jaxon is an Aggie, living in Texas on a ranch with his wife and boys, several cats, and one pound dog.
Sign up for new release alerts, sales and freebies at https://jaxonreed.substack.com
Jaxon is an Aggie, living in Texas on a ranch with his wife and boys, several cats, and one pound dog.
Sign up for new release alerts, sales and freebies at https://jaxonreed.substack.com
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 26, 2019
The writing in this book is excellent, with fantastic setting descriptions, clever dialog, and some unexpectedly profound observations about humanity, besides the action packed, page turner and twisted factions. The sociological and political theme is vastly descriptive, with tremendous AIs’ influence in governing aspects. I felt both drawn and repelled at its implications. A very thoughtful and thorough sci fi story, therefore, highly recommended! This is promising a great space opera saga.
March 4, 2019
Rodrigo Diego-Rodriguez, "Roddy", contacted Captain Christopher Raleigh to report finding a huge ship, one much bigger than a typical spaceship. Researcher Elixabeth Wu, working for Louisiana State University, had the brilliant idea of attaching a teleportation device to a space ship to move a ship from point to point instantly. Computers plotted courses to keep ships from popping up in the middle of a star or other undesirable location. Deep space travel became possible and easy to accomplish.
The Captain, an authorized pirate from Lute, looked at the huge ship and asked for information. Scans showed 1,102 humans onboard, with about 800 wearing biocollars which would mean these were indentured servants valued at perhaps 20,000 credits per “indent” – maybe more with the war going on. The Captain sent out 200 attack drones armed with energy cannons. Slowly the transport’s shields weakened and Lute’s AI system LuteNet reported confidence of their successful capture of the ship. All of the ship’s engines were disabled, but their Captain would not surrender. So Captain Raleigh had his First Officer Elijah Maxwell send in the “Intangibles.” The Intangibles were twins, brother and sister, accepted as part of the pirate crew, even though they were a bit unusual. They were survivors of the Gemini experiment, early teleportation experiments of living beings across a planet; some of those early experiments had been devastating and most did not survive. Transporting humans short distances in a ship, from ship to ground, or from ship to ship became fairly safe; but transporting individuals across a planet was not advisable. The twins would be taking the lead once they boarded the other ship. As the rest of the small boarding party glanced at them, Samuel and Skylar blinked in and out of existence, flickering once. As they boarded the other ship, everything was quiet – until a door swished up and ten bots stormed out, shooting. Would this small team of five men and one woman be able to capture this huge ship? What would they possibly find if they were successful? There were still 200 unidentified individuals according to the initial scan – who or what might be among them?
The writing in this book is excellent in many ways. The detailed descriptions of what the reader is seeing really bring the story to life. As with many science fiction stories, the reader can find it a bit prophetic in how real it all seems and how easy to believe it could happen in our own world here and now. Really well done by the author! With this being Book 1, it is a goldmine of information that the reader should have to prepare for moving forward in the story. I would strongly advise not trying to skip around but to read the books in their proper order. I truly enjoyed this one and intend to stick with the series to see where it goes.
The Captain, an authorized pirate from Lute, looked at the huge ship and asked for information. Scans showed 1,102 humans onboard, with about 800 wearing biocollars which would mean these were indentured servants valued at perhaps 20,000 credits per “indent” – maybe more with the war going on. The Captain sent out 200 attack drones armed with energy cannons. Slowly the transport’s shields weakened and Lute’s AI system LuteNet reported confidence of their successful capture of the ship. All of the ship’s engines were disabled, but their Captain would not surrender. So Captain Raleigh had his First Officer Elijah Maxwell send in the “Intangibles.” The Intangibles were twins, brother and sister, accepted as part of the pirate crew, even though they were a bit unusual. They were survivors of the Gemini experiment, early teleportation experiments of living beings across a planet; some of those early experiments had been devastating and most did not survive. Transporting humans short distances in a ship, from ship to ground, or from ship to ship became fairly safe; but transporting individuals across a planet was not advisable. The twins would be taking the lead once they boarded the other ship. As the rest of the small boarding party glanced at them, Samuel and Skylar blinked in and out of existence, flickering once. As they boarded the other ship, everything was quiet – until a door swished up and ten bots stormed out, shooting. Would this small team of five men and one woman be able to capture this huge ship? What would they possibly find if they were successful? There were still 200 unidentified individuals according to the initial scan – who or what might be among them?
The writing in this book is excellent in many ways. The detailed descriptions of what the reader is seeing really bring the story to life. As with many science fiction stories, the reader can find it a bit prophetic in how real it all seems and how easy to believe it could happen in our own world here and now. Really well done by the author! With this being Book 1, it is a goldmine of information that the reader should have to prepare for moving forward in the story. I would strongly advise not trying to skip around but to read the books in their proper order. I truly enjoyed this one and intend to stick with the series to see where it goes.
March 5, 2019
"Ghost in the machine."
After trapping, boarding and taking over an huge luxury liner, the crew of the pirate ship anticipate huge rewards when their cargo of indentured biocollared women are sold and the wealthy passengers are re somed. If only it were that easy!
Well drawn and quirky characters, colourful surroundings and a touch of the 'beam me up, Scotty's ' make this a refreshing, easy to read and enjoyable adventure. Not entirely original but great fun. Look out for 73 years old Granny Wilcox, the quartermaster and second in command, and the twins, Samuel and Skylar who have some special tricks of their own. Looking forward to the next in this series.
After trapping, boarding and taking over an huge luxury liner, the crew of the pirate ship anticipate huge rewards when their cargo of indentured biocollared women are sold and the wealthy passengers are re somed. If only it were that easy!
Well drawn and quirky characters, colourful surroundings and a touch of the 'beam me up, Scotty's ' make this a refreshing, easy to read and enjoyable adventure. Not entirely original but great fun. Look out for 73 years old Granny Wilcox, the quartermaster and second in command, and the twins, Samuel and Skylar who have some special tricks of their own. Looking forward to the next in this series.
March 15, 2019
Technology helped improve things but now that same technology has lead to war. There is only one planet that is not ruled by AI. One ship is given a mission which seems good at first but may not be so good when people start dying. What is going on? Follow them
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 3, 2019
As always, technology isn’t a sure thing. Now it brought the humans to war. Exciting, non stop reading.
July 19, 2025
And so the adventure begins
Alternate universe, SF advanced technology, space opera, ultra capitalism, space pirates
Our MC is Christopher Raleigh, pirate captain of the starship Ultima Mule, a play on words Ultima Thule. Makes me wonder is the captain's name is a portmanteau of Walter Raleigh and Christie Marlowe. Granny is a memorable character, and these upstanding pirates will kill and rob, but they act like pirates from The Sea Hawk and The Black Swan, having a strict code they won't cross -- unlike real pirates. But is a space opera with fantastical science at play. Enjoy the story and don't question the emphasis on libertarian capitalism as the best model to live under (which currently is the PRC, not America, where every couple of years people or pets die from adulterated food or drugs because the PRC doesn't have an FDA). As The History Guy says, aren't more things fun with pirates?
Excellent editing. Fun, if you can ignore the politics. Enjoyed.
Alternate universe, SF advanced technology, space opera, ultra capitalism, space pirates
Our MC is Christopher Raleigh, pirate captain of the starship Ultima Mule, a play on words Ultima Thule. Makes me wonder is the captain's name is a portmanteau of Walter Raleigh and Christie Marlowe. Granny is a memorable character, and these upstanding pirates will kill and rob, but they act like pirates from The Sea Hawk and The Black Swan, having a strict code they won't cross -- unlike real pirates. But is a space opera with fantastical science at play. Enjoy the story and don't question the emphasis on libertarian capitalism as the best model to live under (which currently is the PRC, not America, where every couple of years people or pets die from adulterated food or drugs because the PRC doesn't have an FDA). As The History Guy says, aren't more things fun with pirates?
Excellent editing. Fun, if you can ignore the politics. Enjoyed.
January 24, 2025
Good sci-fi romp
May 7, 2019
In exchange for a review I received this from Voracious reader. Lots of neat tech and futuristic pirates . I found it a little hard to follow with all the characters, but enjoyed the characters I could keep track of . Not sure how I felt about the “assassin” as there wasn’t much backstory on her and would have liked more details on the experiments , that made her that way. Maybe that is where the next book comes in?
Should be an interesting series to read .
Should be an interesting series to read .
March 11, 2019
Digital Assassin by Jaxon Reed is an action packed,high tech, great story to read. This is book number one in this great start to a brand new story that I highly recommend to anyone who likes action packed, high tech and great stories to read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 19, 2025
Good story and interesting characters !
Recommend ! A page turner ! Going for book 2 soon !
Going to read more of this author Jaxon Reed books…
Recommend ! A page turner ! Going for book 2 soon !
Going to read more of this author Jaxon Reed books…
April 1, 2025
First book in the series
Privateers in space during a war between the two major powers. Spoils can be very large but the risks are high. A great story.
Privateers in space during a war between the two major powers. Spoils can be very large but the risks are high. A great story.
March 11, 2026
Reed blends piratical space combat with espionage, creating science fiction that focuses on sweeping plot rather than the minutiae of living beyond Earth.
Christopher Raleigh and his crew have no interest in living under either of the interplanetary governments that vie for control of the galaxy; however, the letters of marque offered by the Republic to target the League offer plenty of opportunities for profit. His latest jaunt seems another piece of legal piracy: capture a transport, ransom any rich or important passengers, sell the ship and cargo. But when a rich young woman claims to be secretly working against the League and an entire deck of indentured servants turn out to not be quite who their records claim, Raleigh and his crew must deal with an infiltrator who definitely wants to kill them while puzzling out whether they can trust this supposed rebel.
Reed’s setting is a galaxy where humanity has spread to multiple systems, which have almost all become—some more enthusiastically than others—members of one of two multi-system governments. A few years before the novel opens, the political struggle between the League and Republic became open war.
Both sides (and the independent system Raleigh is from) are run by a pervasive general AI that is subservient to the government. In contrast to deceit practised between members of the human governments, these AI communicate openly and honestly between themselves except where loyalty keeps them silent. In addition to making the AI feel like a different form of being from humans, this networking centres the way that the governments perceive the war as a score-keeping exercise where things change sides rather than a visceral struggle between people; this also emphasises the contrast with the individualism of the pirates.
In addition to pervasive AI, Reed’s setting features teleportation that can cover approximately one astronomical unit with reasonable accuracy. This makes inter-system travel a chain of many short jumps that, even with AI to do the calculations, takes days rather than seconds. Thus, Reed’s space combat is an interesting mix of needing to predict where the enemy will be well ahead of time and needing to find ways around a losing ship being able to simply blip away.
Building on the idea that matter can be transmitted rapidly by turning it into energy and back, two members of Raleigh’s crew are escaped subjects of a secret project to create humans who can teleport themselves without needing the massive machines that ships and planets use. While this does give them a significant edge, it is slower and shorter-range than the teleporting of people using normal methods, so does not render boarding actions and such trivial.
Reed presents a not-implausible picture of the consequences of the technologies and conflicting ideologies, creating a plot that—if not a deep exploration of the socio-politics—is an engaging blend of ship-to-ship battles, small-unit combat, and espionage thriller. This is enhanced by use of a range of point-of-view characters, creating dramatic ironies that enhance the tension.
The ending resolves the immediate challenges the protagonists face; however, it leaves a number of other arcs—beyond the war itself—unresolved and so the book has a strong feel of being part of an ongoing series rather than a standalone novel.
Reed’s narrative style slants more toward the immediate and factual than average; this is perhaps most immediately noticeable in his habit of introducing most significant characters with several sentences describing their physical appearance, including their height in both metric and Imperial measurements. While this provides an accessibility for the harder-scifi aspects—such as space combat—and the raw exposition somewhat has a lantern hung on it by narration commenting on someone sharing something everyone knows, some readers might find the greater focus on statements of fact rather than hints of internal feelings makes the characters feel flatter.
While this description of physical appearance might make Raleigh and his crew feel a little like stereotypes layered with a signature shtick to begin with, patterns of behaviour emerge over the course of the novel that give them a greater sense of being real people rather than tropes.
Although Reed’s supporting cast are not one-dimensional, their lesser page-time means they do not have quite the same room to display these patterns.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to readers seeking science fiction that blends tense conspiracy with fast-paced action.
Christopher Raleigh and his crew have no interest in living under either of the interplanetary governments that vie for control of the galaxy; however, the letters of marque offered by the Republic to target the League offer plenty of opportunities for profit. His latest jaunt seems another piece of legal piracy: capture a transport, ransom any rich or important passengers, sell the ship and cargo. But when a rich young woman claims to be secretly working against the League and an entire deck of indentured servants turn out to not be quite who their records claim, Raleigh and his crew must deal with an infiltrator who definitely wants to kill them while puzzling out whether they can trust this supposed rebel.
Reed’s setting is a galaxy where humanity has spread to multiple systems, which have almost all become—some more enthusiastically than others—members of one of two multi-system governments. A few years before the novel opens, the political struggle between the League and Republic became open war.
Both sides (and the independent system Raleigh is from) are run by a pervasive general AI that is subservient to the government. In contrast to deceit practised between members of the human governments, these AI communicate openly and honestly between themselves except where loyalty keeps them silent. In addition to making the AI feel like a different form of being from humans, this networking centres the way that the governments perceive the war as a score-keeping exercise where things change sides rather than a visceral struggle between people; this also emphasises the contrast with the individualism of the pirates.
In addition to pervasive AI, Reed’s setting features teleportation that can cover approximately one astronomical unit with reasonable accuracy. This makes inter-system travel a chain of many short jumps that, even with AI to do the calculations, takes days rather than seconds. Thus, Reed’s space combat is an interesting mix of needing to predict where the enemy will be well ahead of time and needing to find ways around a losing ship being able to simply blip away.
Building on the idea that matter can be transmitted rapidly by turning it into energy and back, two members of Raleigh’s crew are escaped subjects of a secret project to create humans who can teleport themselves without needing the massive machines that ships and planets use. While this does give them a significant edge, it is slower and shorter-range than the teleporting of people using normal methods, so does not render boarding actions and such trivial.
Reed presents a not-implausible picture of the consequences of the technologies and conflicting ideologies, creating a plot that—if not a deep exploration of the socio-politics—is an engaging blend of ship-to-ship battles, small-unit combat, and espionage thriller. This is enhanced by use of a range of point-of-view characters, creating dramatic ironies that enhance the tension.
The ending resolves the immediate challenges the protagonists face; however, it leaves a number of other arcs—beyond the war itself—unresolved and so the book has a strong feel of being part of an ongoing series rather than a standalone novel.
Reed’s narrative style slants more toward the immediate and factual than average; this is perhaps most immediately noticeable in his habit of introducing most significant characters with several sentences describing their physical appearance, including their height in both metric and Imperial measurements. While this provides an accessibility for the harder-scifi aspects—such as space combat—and the raw exposition somewhat has a lantern hung on it by narration commenting on someone sharing something everyone knows, some readers might find the greater focus on statements of fact rather than hints of internal feelings makes the characters feel flatter.
While this description of physical appearance might make Raleigh and his crew feel a little like stereotypes layered with a signature shtick to begin with, patterns of behaviour emerge over the course of the novel that give them a greater sense of being real people rather than tropes.
Although Reed’s supporting cast are not one-dimensional, their lesser page-time means they do not have quite the same room to display these patterns.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to readers seeking science fiction that blends tense conspiracy with fast-paced action.
May 11, 2021
Wow! This has been fun! 💢🚀
The beginning of the book was both fun and unnerving. The idea of teleportation used on ships for space jumps was the start of the adventure. Then, you have the "intangibles". That's what humans survivors of an experiment called " Gemini" are called. They tend to have special, unique abilities. The writing I found excellent. The details were so vivid, it made the story come alive without being boring. It also made me feel disgusted at humanity for their greed and destruction. Victims of war and indentured biocollared women servants, an AI controlling people's lives in political games. It was disturbing how it felt so real, and something that could happen.
As great as I thought it was, I thought there were too many characters to keep up with. Oh, it was action packed and an amazing adventure for me. Just hard for me to follow all of them. The cliffhanger was gold! I could see Raquel's evil smile as if she were in front of me. 😈
Ready for next book!
The beginning of the book was both fun and unnerving. The idea of teleportation used on ships for space jumps was the start of the adventure. Then, you have the "intangibles". That's what humans survivors of an experiment called " Gemini" are called. They tend to have special, unique abilities. The writing I found excellent. The details were so vivid, it made the story come alive without being boring. It also made me feel disgusted at humanity for their greed and destruction. Victims of war and indentured biocollared women servants, an AI controlling people's lives in political games. It was disturbing how it felt so real, and something that could happen.
As great as I thought it was, I thought there were too many characters to keep up with. Oh, it was action packed and an amazing adventure for me. Just hard for me to follow all of them. The cliffhanger was gold! I could see Raquel's evil smile as if she were in front of me. 😈
Ready for next book!
May 19, 2026
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
3.75*
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
3.75*
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
September 24, 2024
Great story, horrid plot holes.
The characters are very likeable, and the story is original. I found the plot to be annoying and the mistakes being made were simple and outright foolish. The character Roddy already showed how gullible he was, so you give him back his " assassin in a box"?
The characters are very likeable, and the story is original. I found the plot to be annoying and the mistakes being made were simple and outright foolish. The character Roddy already showed how gullible he was, so you give him back his " assassin in a box"?
May 16, 2019
This is a good start to this series. It will hold you and keep you reading. It is slow in spots and hard to get through, but eventual it changes. All in all a good read.
Want to Read
October 5, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/5/2020)! 🎁
October 10, 2020
Assassins galore
Even if it leaves off in a cliff hanger it was a good story. Pirates in the future still have heroes and villains.
Even if it leaves off in a cliff hanger it was a good story. Pirates in the future still have heroes and villains.
October 29, 2020
I suspect it's meant for a young adult read, but it is readable.
July 8, 2022
It takes awhile for the characters to develop but it is a quick enjoyable read.
June 3, 2023
Really struggled with this and really could not get interested in it .
November 18, 2025
Meh plot. AI narration…and then time travel! For some reason. Not worth it.
May 4, 2026
Men write women so horribly. I’ll continue though, maybe it will evolve.
June 28, 2020
For me this book (and hopefully this series) is the perfect science fiction adventure/Space Opera. The length is just right, the short, pacy chapters, give a sense of flying of/thought the pages with reckless abandon. The author weaves many interesting concepts, a fun cast of characters and a solid overall storyline together to equate a fun, 4 star read for me.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews