Earthers

by S. H. Jucha

  Another thought occurred to Tacnock, and he decided to immediately return to Rissness.

  At the console, Tacnock sent a shadow through the gate. He waited, and a few minutes later, the shadow returned. He left the nine to guard the dome. Then he set the gate for delayed firing and hurried to hop onto the platform.

  At Rissness, Tacnock stepped between the inactive panels.

  The administrator, the security head, the operators, and the journeyers stared in amazement at Tacnock, as if he’d returned from the dead.

  “Where are the nine?” the administrator asked in awe.

  “Guarding an empty dome,” Tacnock replied.

  “What now?” the security head asked, while he tried to wrap his head around the idea that the Jatouche might have guarded a gate for annuals, if not centuries, with no enemy on the other end.

  “I need a powerful scope with a viewer,” Tacnock requested. “Do you have one here?”

  “Yes,” the administrator replied, and the leader sent two of his security team to collect the instrument.

  When the equipment was placed on the platform, Tacnock eyed it.

  “Problem?” the administrator inquired.

  “I’ve not set up and operated one like this before,” Tacnock replied.

  “With respect, Administrator, I’ve the skills,” Kossitik volunteered.

  Tacnock didn’t wait for the tech to receive permission. He motioned to her, and she jumped on the platform, flashing her teeth at the astounded audience.

  With another firing of the gate, Tacnock and Kossitik were sent to join the shadows.

  “Where would you like the scope set up, Assault Leader Tacnock?” Kossitik asked.

  “Call me Tacnock.” Then he surveyed the dark sky, lit by the brilliance of stars and the dim glow of the dome hemisphere.

  Kossitik followed Tacnock’s gaze, while occasionally glancing his way.

  When Tacnock didn’t find what he wanted, he accessed the console and searched for the dome’s orientation to the Colony home world. He was relieved to find that it would come into view in about another quarter cycle.

  “Place it over here,” Tacnock said walking to a position along the dome’s rim. “Point it out and orient it up about twenty degrees.”

  Kossitik had the scope quickly deployed. “Will you wish a recording?” she asked.

  “Absolutely,” Tacnock replied. He stopped Kossitik from powering the instrument. “We’ve time, Kossitik, before the planet comes into view,” he said. “I’m hungry. It’s time to get some paste.” He chittered, when Kossitik grimaced.

  After eating, Kossitik thought she would have an opportunity to chat with the famous Jatouche, but he stretched out on a palette and quickly fell asleep. She thought to explore the dome, but her fear kept her close to Tacnock, who slept with the Loopah weapon at his side and surrounded by shadows.

  Hours later, Tacnock’s implant chronometer alerted him. He found Kossitik asleep on the palette next to him, and he gently woke her.

  “Is it time?” Kossitik asked, rubbing her eyes.

  “Yes,” Tacnock replied and led the way to the deck.

  Kossitik was mesmerized by the easy manner in which the shadows accompanied Tacnock and her but avoided colliding with either of them. On the deck, she focused the scope on the Colony home world, which had come into view.

  While Kossitik operated the targeting laser and focused the scope, Tacnock followed her actions on a small monitor.

  “Locate a city or a collection of dwellings and go to maximum magnification,” Tacnock requested, when the scope’s view displayed a broad section of terrain.

  Kossitik searched and found a set of long low buildings completely lacking any design imagination.

  Tacnock coaxed the tech. “Slow movements, Kossitik. Follow that roadway. Stop. Back up. There.”

  “What is that?” Kossitik asked.

  “Something, I think, no one has seen before,” Tacnock replied. “That’s a gray curled into a tight ball. I suspect the insectoid might have died of starvation.”

  “Why starvation?” Kossitik asked.

  “It’s a theory of my friend, the outpost commander,” Tacnock replied. “The Colony might have consumed every sizeable creature on the planet that could be found, except for the smallest ones in the ground, the trees, and the waters.”

  “Speaking of which, there are tiny creatures scurrying around the gray,” Kossitik pointed out. “They’re too small for us to gather much detail with this type of scope.”

  “They probably can’t penetrate the exoskeleton,” Tacnock offered. “I suspect that’s why the gray curled up in death’s final moments rather than submit to being eaten by scavengers.”

  Moving the scope along the roadway, Kossitik said excitedly, “There are more bodies. See? Some of them are in pieces.”

  “The insectoids chose to consume their home world’s wild food rather than produce alternate sources. That’s what’s driven them to hunt for other worlds,” Tacnock explained. “The insectoids you’re observing below are those left behind.”

  “All of them dead?” Kossitik asked in wonder.

  “Yes,” Tacnock replied. “This will be an entire planet of bodies.”

  — The Silver Ships series continues in Talus. —

  Glossary

  Crocians

  Bortoth of the Logar – Engineer on Pimbor

  Daktora of the Logar – Engineer on Pimbor

  Gorsatha of the Hagar – Senior project engineer for the Crocians on the outpost

  Dischnya – Sentient species in Omnian system

  Hessan – Squad leader

  Homsaff – Queen, leader of the Dischnya warriors, assault leader

  Neffess – Lieutenant, pilot, heir to Nyslara and Pussiro

  Nyslara – Queen, matriarch of Neffess, mate of Pussiro

  Pussiro – Wasat, patriarch of Neffess, mate of Nyslara

  Simlan – Squad leader

  Dontots – Emerging alliance race uplifted from tree dwellers

  Crixtos – City master of Desterté

  Desterté – Collection of six platform clusters

  Oxnetto – Unoccupied continent on Dontot

  Earthers/Sol – Humans

  Abel Trent – Senior officer, telemetry post, major

  Elbert Munford – Prior president

  Flannery – Trident captain

  Gordon Munford – Trident senior captain

  Jameson – Trooper with plasma rifle

  Jeremy – Telemetry tech

  Jerome Handling – Traveler pilot, lieutenant at Dontot

  Nikki Fowler – President

  Oleg Tenard – Senior captain promoted to commodore

  Patrice Morris – Sol Enclave envoy

  Portia – Nikki Fowler’s executive assistant

  Sharon Reems – Traveler pilot, lieutenant

  Thomas Verne – Design engineer of the colony ship New Terra

  Hyronzy (her-on-zee) – Burly alien race hosting the Tsargit

  Fistonia (fis-tōn-ia) – Hyronzy station director

  Jatouche – Pyreans’ closest allies

  Jaktook – Master Advisor and mate of Tacticnok

  Jastitock – Emissary, mate of Tockitak

  Kossitik – Female tech

  Tacnock – Assault leader, friend of Jess Cinders

  Tacticnok – Ruler in the time of Jess Cinders and Harbour

  Tockitak – Present ruler, female

  Norsitchians – Alien race, dome overtaken by the Colony

  Jarmonin (jar-mon-in) – Tsargit lead councilor

  Menous (men-ous) – Commander of the brassards

  Nemanous (nē-man-ous) – Minister of Planetary Defense

  Omnians – Humans/SADEs

  Alex Racine – Omnian co-leader, partner of Renée de Guirnon

  Celsius – SADE aboard the OS Deliverance

  Cordelia – SADE, rear admiral, captain of the Freedom, partner of Julien

  Darius Gaumata
– Rear admiral

  Darren – OS Prosecutor crew

  Deirdre Canaan – Rear admiral, OS Deliverance

  Descartes – SADE, commodore

  Edmas – Senior engineer, partner of Jodlyne

  Edwin Trattica – OS Prosecutor crew

  Ellie Thompson – Vice admiral

  Emile Billings – New Terran biochemist

  Esteban – SADE, business partner of Edmas and Jodlyne

  Forest Hayward – OS Prosecutor captain

  Francis Lumley – Captain of the Rêveur

  Franz Cohen – Fighter command rear admiral, partner of Reiko Shimada

  Georgette “George” Portis – Lieutenant pilot on OS Prosecutor

  Hector – SADE, Omnia Ships’ second fleet leader, captain of the Our People

  Jodlyne – Senior engineer, partner of Edmas

  Julien – SADE leader, Alex’s close friend, partner of Cordelia

  Juliette – SADE

  Lane – Jess’s pilot on Zista

  Lucia Bellardo – Trident commodore, promoted to admiral, partner of Jess

  Luther – SADE, Mickey Brandon’s assistant

  Mickey Brandon – Chief engineer for Alex Racine, partner of Pia Sabine

  Miranda – SADE, partner of Z

  Miriam – SADE, Mickey Brandon’s assistant

  Nalia – SADE in the medical suite

  Nata – Lieutenant, pilot, eldest of the wild ones on Omnia

  Nightingale – SADE aboard the OS Prosecutor

  Olawale Wombo – Expedition leader, ex-Earther

  Orbit – SADE aboard the Judgment

  Pia Sabine – Fleet chief medical officer, partner of Mickey Brandon

  Reiko Shimada – Vice admiral, partner of Franz Cohen

  Renée de Guirnon – Omnian co-leader, partner of Alex Racine

  Salomé “Sal” Jelany – OS Judgment captain

  Sam Fleetfoot – Security lieutenant on Pimbor

  Tatia Tachenko – Fleet admiral

  Wes Standish – Security major

  Winona – SADE

  Wyleth – SADE

  Z – SADE, partner of Miranda

  Ot-Totlanyans – Agrarian/hunter culture

  Droga (drō-ga) – Village hunter

  Shalma Tsotsia (sōt-sē-a) – Village elder

  Ufrat (ü-frat) – Village hunter

  Packeoes (pack-ē-ōs) – Federacy aliens

  Daminich (dam-i-nich) – Fleet commander, dead

  Gregich (greg-ich) – Lead ship captain

  Rischvoss (rish-voss) – Lieutenant, shuttle pilot

  Stasnich (stas-nich) – Expedition leader

  Pims – Small burrowing aliens

  Oforum (ō-for-um) – Veteran rider of shadows, mate of Phette, president

  Phette (fête) – Veteran rider of shadows, mate of Oforum

  Pyreans – Humans in alliance territory

  Aputi Tulafono (too-la-fōnō) – Security lieutenant, later major, assault leader

  Harbour – First explorer, partner of Jessie Cinders, Pyrean Resistance leader, empath leader

  Jess Cinders – Assault commander, fraternal twin of Kasie, partner of Lucia

  Jessie Cinders – First explorer, partner of Harbour

  Kasie Cinders – Fraternal twin of Jess, empath

  Leslie Finian – President

  Ophelia Tuttle – Security commandant, empath

  Paul Lindstrom – Security, major

  Sylians – Cat-like sentient race

  Salsinona (sal-si-nō-na) – Leader of relief team

  Sastisona (sas-ti-sō-na) – Troop commander, assault leader

  Sonistoma (sō-ni-stō-ma) – Tsargit representative

  Soshona (sō-shona) – Fleet commander

  Talsoma (tall-so-ma) – Monarch

  Veklocks – Elder alliance race, triumvirate of bird-like aliens

  Pardus – Archivist on Hyronzy Station

  Zistarians – A genomically composited race

  Indersan – Patch-vested Zistarian

  Other Items

  Artifice – Deposed ruler of federacy, AI

  Brassard – Twenty trooper unit of Norsitchians

  Cedric – Avatar of Z

  Chistorlans – Federacy sentient race, inventors of rudimentary AIs

  Colony – Alliance insectoid race

  Dorgatha (dōr-gatha) – Monstrous reptiles of the Crocian wetlands

  Frederica – Avatar of Miranda

  House Brixton – Méridien organization that creates SADEs

  Lillians – Alliance race of science-philosophers

  Loopah – Simian race, inventors of gas-projectile launcher of the same name

  Méridiens – Home world of Confederation humans

  Messinants – Ancient race, dome creators, genetically uplifted the alliance races

  Nest – Dischnya tribe under one queen

  Norloth – Ruling body of the Crocians

  Nua’ll – Alien collective living in giant spheres

  Ollassa – Sentient alien lifeform resembling a symbiotic collection of plant parts

  Omnia Ships – OS, business owned by Alex Racine, Renée de Guirnon, and others

  Pyrean Resistance – Alliance organization of young races who fought the Colony

  Quall – Intellectual race destroyed by the Colony

  SADE – Self-aware digital entity, artificial intelligence being

  Sisterhood – Collective of cloned SADEs living on Toral, a federacy home world

  Sol Enclave – New government body ruling the Sol system

  Soma – Collective term for Dischnya nests

  Sotter (sō-ter) – Nocturnal Norsitchian raptor

  Swei Swee – Sentient aliens inhabiting the oceans of several worlds

  Talusians – Talus system inhabitants

  Tolimar – Zista dark-barked tree

  Tsargit – Alliance governing body

  TSF – Terran Security Forces

  United Earth – Previous government body ruling the Sol system

  Usaanans – Alliance Sentient race known as sand serpents

  Wasat – Dischnya warrior commander

  Planets, Colonies, Moons, and Stars

  Alliance – Collection of races uplifted by the Messinants

  Confederation – Collection of Méridien worlds

  Crimsa – Star of Pyre

  Crocia – Crocian home world

  Federacy – Races previously ruled by Artifice

  Libre – Penal colony for Independents set up by the Confederation

  Méridien – Primary world of the Confederation

  Na-Tikkook – Jatouche home world

  New Terra – New Terrans’ home world

  Norsitchia – Norsitchians’ home world

  Omnia – World settled by the Dischnya, Swei Swee, SADEs, and humans

  Pimbor – Pims’ home world

  Pyre – Pyreans’ home world

  Quall – Home world of race lost to Colony

  Rissness – Jatouche dome moon

  Sawa – Original home world of Dischnya

  Sol – Earth’s star

  Sylia – Sylians’ home world

  Triton – Pyrean dome moon

  Usaana – Sand serpents’ home world

  Vinium – Ollassa home world

  Zista – Zistarians’ home world

  Zomastrom – Zista system’s star

  Ships and Stations

  Blakely – Outpost carrier

  Chesterfield – Outpost carrier

  Drake – Outpost carrier

  Freedom – Omnia Ships’ city-ship

  Honora Belle – Colony ship that left Earth, transport of the Pyreans

  Hyronzy Station – Tsargit convenes here

  Idona Station – Preeminent rim station in Sol system

  JOS – Jenkels Orbital Station, pronounced “joss”

  New Terra – Damaged and abandoned Earth colony ship

  Ormand – Outpost carrier

 
OS Deliverance – Omnia Ships’ Trident under Admiral Deirdre Canaan’s command

  OS Judgment – Omnia Ships’ Trident under Commodore Lucia Bellardo’s command

  OS Prosecutor – Omnia Ships’ Trident under Admiral Darius Gaumata’s command

  Our People – Omnia Ships’ city-ship

  Outpost One: Resistance – First peacekeeping station, located in the Pyrean system

  Rêveur – Alex Racine’s passenger liner

  Travelers – Beam-armed shuttles and fighters

  Trident – Omnian tri-hulled, beam-armed warship

  YIPS – Yellen-Inglehart Processing Station, mineral and gas-processing platform, pronounced “yips”

  My Books

  Earthers is the twentieth novel in the interwoven Silver Ships and Pyreans series, which tell the stories of three Earth colonies. It’s available in e-book, softcover, and audiobook versions. Please visit my website, http://scottjucha.com, for publication dates and purchase locations. You may register at my website to receive email updates on the progress of my upcoming novels.

  The Silver Ships Series

  The Silver Ships

  Libre

  Méridien

  Haraken

  Sol

  Espero

  Allora

  Celus-5

  Omnia

  Vinium

  Nua’ll

  Artifice

  Sojourn

  Alliance

  SADEs

  Earthers

  Talus (forthcoming)

  Pyreans Series

  Empaths

  Messinants

  Jatouche

  Veklocks

  The Author

  From my early years to the present, books have been a refuge. They’ve fueled my imagination. I’ve traveled to faraway places and met aliens with Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Herbert, and Le Guin. I’ve explored historical events with Michener and Clavell, and I played spy with Ludlum and Fleming.

  There’s no doubt that the early sci-fi masters influenced the writing of my first two series, The Silver Ships and Pyreans. I crafted my stories to give readers intimate views of my characters, who wrestle with the challenges of living in space and inhabiting alien worlds.