Through the static, they could hear Woodward count down. He reached zero. They continued to watch, but nothing happened.
Burnwall glanced at the mountain of falling ash, it was halfway to them.
He looked at the radio, but nothing more came from it.
Then the beam blinked out for a fraction of a second, then shot off in a different direction at half its former width. It winked out again then, at a fourth of its original width, it shot out again. This time the beam hit the larger moon actually causing it to both move and rotate. They could see chunks of the moon break away. Then the beam vanished.
The Slayers had fired on the Loud’s sun for thirty minutes, and three weeks later it had exploded. Yet, they had fired on the human’s sun Iceis for only a few minutes before Adamarus had seemingly stopped them. If the Slayers had not completed their attack on their sun, Adamarus had perhaps just saved them.
Burnwall watched in awe as the larger moon continued to slowly rotate and move across the sky. Small chunks, actually the size of mountains, drifting away.
That’s when the realization came to him.
The Loud claimed that twelve billion years ago the Spiral Slayers had reached the final stages of scientific and technological advancement and that they knew and understood everything. And Burnwall knew, with startling clarity a truth so obvious he was surprised no one else had seen it.
The Spiral Slayers were Gods compared to the humans and the Loud.
No matter how it might appear, the battle for Amular and their Iceis Star System could have gone only one way… exactly the way the Spiral Slayers had wanted it to go… in every detail.
Then the tsunami of ash devoured the two men, and the realization was lost.
PART One – The Whiteship
“We can grow a Blackship, except we will make a slight change to the molecule, we will make the ship white, a Whiteship. White…for the good guys, right?”
The Loud named Bugs
Chapter One – Birth
“Probability fold in your favor. It is how the Loud wishes each other well. It refers to the fabric of the universe. The way in which the universe moves forward is determined by the way the probability waveform folds. All things that can happen…do happen—both good and bad. Your actions and attitude can help the probability waveform fold or collapse in directions favorable to you.”
The Loud Named Bugs
First meeting with Admiral Adamarus Maximus
Source: The Archive
Eighteen months after the Battle of Amular
Location: The Larger Moon, New Axis Station
Adamarus saw the blue pixilated galaxy at the edge of the visible universe. He saw the pale blue spiral as it had been, alive with vast spiraling arms of brilliant white stars shimmering like jewels carefully set within the rich browns of complex dust plumes. Deep within, brilliant explosions could be seen as stars died along with the wisps of stellar nebula that marked their graves.
And, at the base of the arms, at the very center, a hemisphere of unparalleled luminance rose, so thick with stars, it seemed surrounded by mist—the central hub—the hiding place of the spiral’s massive black hole. Breathtaking in its beauty, Adamarus could only stare at it in wonder.
It came to him that he was dreaming. He’d had this dream many times. He tried to shake himself to wake himself up, but this never seemed to work.
Then he saw two plasma jets burst from the center of the spiral galaxy, one going upward and one down, forming what could have been an axle for the spiral to turn on and again the dream took him.
A dark, ugly smear appeared at the center of the spiral and began to spread outward. As the blackness reached the base of the galactic arms, above it all, a strange wisp of plasma erupted from the upper plasma jet. As the blackness spread through the arms and finally devoured all of the spiral’s shining stars, he saw a black sphere emerge from the small plasma off-shoot.
The black sphere headed for another distant group of galaxies.
He watched in silent horror as the sphere went from one cluster of galaxies to another, leaving its ugly black stain spreading upon each one.
Looking around, Adamarus could now see other spheres, at first thousands, then millions, then they seemed endless. All of them doing the same thing over and over again. They formed an enormous devouring wall of darkness, and as the hands of time swept forward, the wall crept across the cosmos, spreading outward to swallow larger and larger areas bringing darkness and death.
An enormous gas giant swam into view. At first, the swollen planet looked like a bubble that a pinprick could pop.
There was a large swirling red spot within the banded pastel clouds, and Adamarus realized that a person stood at the center of it. Even though gas giants don’t have a surface, in his dream, he floated down and stood there beside the person. He looked down, below his boots the red storm swirled. He tried to look over at the person beside him, but he could not. He knew who it was though. It was Evelyn.
His eyes were drawn back to the heavens, countless spheres coming at them. Just before the leading sphere hit them, he closed his eyes.
The first one hit and then the next.
So Adamarus was shocked when instead of waking up as he had always done before, the dream continued.
Before him, floating above the clouds of the gas giant was a strange sphere…not one of the black spheres though. This one was paste white with pink lines running through it.
Adamarus stared at it. Then something hit Adamarus in the stomach, and he doubled over and…
Adamarus woke up.
He sat up on the edge of his bunk and rubbed his eyes.
His first thought was that this actually wasn’t the worst dream he had on a regular basis. This one had started right after the meeting where they learned the truth from the Loud Bugs.
It was always a little different, but this time it had continued on to something completely new.
He sat in the dark and listened to the hum of the air vent. The air was fresh and cool. He missed the smell of natural air, of forests and even cities. Who was he fooling? He couldn’t remember them.
Adamarus had blue eyes and chestnut hair parted on the side. He stood six-foot-one inch and had kept himself trim and fit.
But he had changed since the battle. Rarely did he smile or joke now. The loss he endured had chipped away some edge he’d had before.
Then, as always, the images began to come. The faces of his dead wife and daughter. Grace’s hand reaching up from a one-inch crack in the stone, his son in a wheelchair and the ruins of his fighter command.
He rocked forward and again that strange feeling came to him.
It seemed like he was in a boat that had been racing full throttle through the battle driving mighty wakes to each side through all the unbelievable death and destruction. The annihilation of his entire fighter force, the loss of his elite Jumper Division. The loss of his entire crew, his family, friends… then the loss of his entire world.
His own actions that had saved the star system but had resulted in a huge chunk of the Larger Moon hitting Amular and killing a billion people.
It was like he had been in a speedboat going at top speed through the madness and fog of war and then, when the battle was over, the speed boat’s engines simply cut out and the boat had stopped abruptly.
At first, you’re pulled forward, you feel you have to keep fighting, and you remember you don’t but it feels like you must.
Then the boat’s wake catches up and at first just rocks you back and forth… all that has happened… all that’s been lost. Then the full wake is upon you adding all the loss, the wreckage, and regrets. It hits you in the back, filling you with what-ifs, what if he’d gotten to Grace and Isabella little sooner… and all the loss washes over you, submerging you until you can’t breathe.
He sucked in a breath and forced himself to breathe in and out. After a few minutes, he calmed down to his normal state of suppressed gloom, at least whe
n he wasn’t distracted by work.
He tried to keep busy.
Adamarus wondered again why Evelyn was keeping her distance from him. Had he done something? Or, was it just all the loss, her husband, his wife, and daughter…he hung his head.
All of it left a big hole in Adamarus’ soul and a restlessness in his heart.
He got up and leaned in front of the viewport which showed his homeworld, Amular. Now ruined from the Blackship’s orbital bombardment and the staple ships energy weapons. His once beautiful planet, Amular, was a uniform ash gray… uninhabitable. Dead.
Adamarus glanced at the clock and sighed. In an hour the awards ceremony would start. Well, at least a large number of medals were going to be awarded. But of course, the highlight would be Amular’s highest medal, The Presidential Medal of Valor.
At least two others were getting this award. Adamarus was getting his second Medal of Valor for stopping the Blackship from destroying their entire star system, and he knew his would be the last medal awarded and get the most attention.
Adamarus groaned and thought, by tomorrow it will just be a bad memory.
He got in a hot shower.
The dream had been forgotten.
---
The awards ceremony was held on the third level of the Smaller Moon in the large auditorium the Loud nanite swarm had created for the Second Council of War. It was a large area with seating for over 200, but 400 had crowded in.
Voices, laughter, and glasses tinkling echoed off the cavernous walls making the crowd seem even larger then it was.
The ceremony was a sorely needed distraction.
The President’s special team were all present at the large conference table in front. All the medal winners were seated on one side and on the other side, top government and military heads. Beyond this, it was standing room only in the large room.
Shelly White had brought in cameras to broadcast the event system-wide. Anderson and Bernard Shipyards plus the Smaller Moon, as well as the scattered human stations around the Iceis star system, were all watching and having similar festivities.
President Wicker walked to the podium and brought the gathering to order by hammering an antique gabble.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As usual, the President’s thick brown hair was neatly parted to the side, his brown eyes were clear.
“Good evening everyone and welcome. We are here to honor those who went above and beyond duty in our recent conflict…”
Brandon Eden, Evelyn’s deceased husband, got the Silver Star for efforts and ultimate sacrifice aboard the Stellar Cannon, as did General Joseph (Joe) Burnwall, who was still missing in action and presumed dead, for his defense of Amular’s surface.
First Lieutenant Matt Dolton received the second highest medal, the Badge of Courage for the continuous fire on the only Slayer staple ship to be destroyed by Amular’s weapons (the other staple ship ultimately destroyed by a mountain-sized chunk of the moon didn’t count).
Finally, it came time for the Presidential Medal of Valor. President Wicker called the names. “Admiral Radin Talvin.”
This was for Talvin’s efforts at Echo Charlie Seven, ultimately the biggest disaster of the war costing Amular seventy percent of its space force. However, Radin had handled the complex engagement brilliantly, and even after the Blackship had fired its energy weapons wiping out almost everything, Radin had made some out of the box moves to save his own ship and a dozen more. He was well liked and got a standing ovation.
The President called the next name, “Brigadier General Rodger Allen Whitehall.”
Whitehall walked to the stage and came to attention in front of the President.
Whitehall stood six-foot-five inches and was a big man. He had a bulldoggish face and a crewcut. He towered above President Wicker.
Wicker continued, “For your quick thinking on initiating rescue operations and ultimately saving over two million lives, I’m proud to present you with The Presidential Medal of Valor.” Wicker hung the medal around the General’s neck. Once again, a standing ovation. The applause died down.
“Probability fold in your favor,” the President said.
Wicker called out the last awardees name, “Fleet Admiral Adamarus Max…” the exploding applause drowned the President’s voice out. Everyone was on their feet. The noise only got louder as Adamarus walked stiffly up on stage.
Wicker tried to quiet the auditorium, but the applause went on and on. Finally, it subsided, but everyone stayed on their feet. “For finding a way to damage the Blackship and interrupting its attack on our sun, Iceis, and saving our star system and everyone in it…” the applause came again drowning out Wicker but he said the words anyway and hung the medal on Adamarus.
---
General Whitehall felt on top of the world as his shuttle slowed for docking. He had just won Amular’s highest medal. He had never won anything and to be fair, he hadn’t won this medal fairly either. What’s fair anyway he thought?
There was a soft bump as docking completed with the Leviathan II class battleship ‘The Lancaster.’ As one of the few undamaged battleships from the Echo Charlie Seven engagement, ‘The Lancaster’ had become Amular’s flagship and she housed many of the top military command structure.
Whitehall disembarked and headed for his meeting with Admiral Leewood. He had a definite bounce to his step and a relaxed smile.
As he entered Leewood’s outer office, he smiled and nodded at Leewood’s secretary but then saw someone else in the outer waiting room, someone he recognized.
The man was standing looking at a large aquarium filled with tropical fish. Bubbles rose in the water and the aquarium glowed making ripples on the ceiling and carpet.
Whitehall approached and offered his hand before the junior officer could salute thereby keeping it informal, “Lt. Matt Dolton.”
Dolton was tall and lanky. He stood six-foot-four, had black hair and dark blue eyes. He reminded Whitehall of a choirboy.
Dolton took his hand and shook it. “General,” he smiled easily and nodded, “Congratulations.”
“Likewise.”
The fish tank gurgled.
“Attending the festivities tonight?” Whitehall asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“How’s your arm?”
Dolton had broken it during the battle, he was surprised Whitehall knew. “Good as new, sir.”
It occurred to Whitehall why both of them might be here, and he frowned.
“Something the matter General?” Dolton asked.
A beep from Admiral Leewood’s secretary’s desk interrupted further talk as she rose and announced, “The Admiral will see you now.” She motioned towards a large wooden door which clicked and opened a couple of inches.
Whitehall and Dolton glanced at the door then at each other. Dolton gestured with his hand opening the door, and the General went through followed by Dolton.
The office was large with expensive wood paneling and furniture. Pictures of Leewood with various friends and important people adorned the walls. Leewood’s desk was large and completely clean. The Admiral who had Presidential Authority sat behind it.
They both came to attention and saluted.
---
Leewood returned the salute then leaned back in his seat and looked the two men over.
Leewood liked Dolton but Whitehall… he wasn’t sold one hundred percent on the man. He’d heard about the famous General who had won the last inter-planetary war of course.
It’s just that every once in a while, Whitehall would hold his mouth and move his body… and hands perhaps, in a way that looked out of character… downright prissy Leewood thought… if he had to put a name on it. That led Leewood to think that Whitehall had some inner layer that Leewood wouldn’t think highly of.
Then there was the fact that the actions he had just won the Presidential Medal of Valor for had a little cloud over them. The General who ordered Whitehall to take that action had been kill
ed and no one could confirm the order. Furthermore, it was an unlikely order despite the number of lives it saved. Many thought Whitehall had just run and there was a lot of dislike for him.
“At ease,” Leewood said and the two medal winners changed to the at ease position. “General,” he looked at Whitehall, “I’m assigning one of our best and bravest men to be your second in command. I’m sure you’ve heard of Lt. Matt Dolton.”
---
Whitehall forced a smile and said, “Yes sir.” Inside Whitehall was cringing. It’s what he’d been afraid of and the last thing he wanted was Dolton as a second in command.
“Also,” Leewood continued, “you’ll both be aboard the first Whiteship to leave the system. Well, should the Loud figure out how to cone the DNA and build… or I should say grow this ship.”
Both Whitehall and Dolton were smiling. This is what everyone wanted—assignment to the first Whiteship. Whitehall’s smile broadened as he looked at the man standing next to him…the trick wouldn’t be finding a way to get rid of Dolton, no, the trick would be finding some useful way of doing it.
---
The post-awards gala was held in the main ballroom of the Iceis-Sister, one of the grandest interplanetary cruise ships in the fleet. Like thousands of other ships, she had hidden out in the outer system during the battle.
The gala was a formal affair and dancing dominated the first hour.
Adamarus’ only dance-mate target was Evelyn Eden, but he failed the first few times to get to her first. Then she seemed to disappear.
Evelyn was a beautiful woman—one of those that turned heads. She had brown eyes and a high forehead was of medium height and had a slim figure.
Adamarus, despite the recent loss of his wife, daughter, just wanted her company right now. However, after a while, she appeared again, and he could tell that she was making efforts to avoid him. This hit him hard, and he wondered again if he’d done something wrong. He stopped trying. Didn’t want to make things uncomfortable.
Odyssey (The Spiral Slayers Book 3) Page 2