The Galactic Sentinel: Ultimate Edition: 4 Books with 2000+ Pages of Highly Entertaining Sci-Fi Space Adventure

by Killian Carter

  Martin and O’Donovan smirked as they looked at Grimshaw sideways.

  Sharing his political views on the bridge probably hadn’t been the best idea, but his head hadn’t been in the best of places since Colony 115. By the looks of things on the Sentinel, even a brief reprieve was too much to ask for. “Still seems like a lot of guards.”

  “Minister Straiya had to fire her entire security personnel after a recent incident. That she doubled down on numbers is…understandable. I’m sure she’ll fill you in on the details.”

  “This way,” the Shanti butler said, leading them to a door to the right of the staircase. They followed him down a narrow winding stairwell and into a dull cellar. A Shanti in a short dress stood at another door at the end of the room. She smiled at the butler and held the door open for them.

  They entered a second cellar that felt several degrees colder than the last. Sheet metal lined the walls and ceiling. On the far wall rested a clock like the one Grimshaw had aboard the Bakura. Three dim lights hung from the ceiling, and ancient books clogged every shelf of an old bookcase in one corner. A table and six chairs made up the rest of the furniture.

  Three people waited at the table. Minister Straiya sat at the head, looking a little grayer than Grimshaw remembered despite the fact that Shanti lived longer than three hundred Earth years—almost twice as long as the average human. She wore a pink floral dress with high copper-colored collars. It wasn’t a practical garb, but such was the fashion sense of bureaucrats and nobles.

  A Shanti male and a human woman sat to either side of Straiya. Grimshaw didn’t recognize either of them, but given their equally flamboyant dress-code, he assumed they were Straiya’s councilors.

  “Glad you could join us, Commander,” Straiya said in her soft purring tones. “Please, have a seat.”

  “Thank you.” He took the chair opposite Straiya while Martin and O’Donovan waited by the door.

  “Do you trust these men?” Straiya gestured to the Fleet officers.

  “With my life,” Grimshaw said without hesitation.

  The Shanti Minister nodded. “What you’re about to hear can never go beyond these walls.”

  “Understood,” Grimshaw said, tapping the table with his fingers.

  “I don’t think you’ve met Second Councilor Klak and Third Councilor Sams,” she gestured to the Shanti and human respectively, and they acknowledged Grimshaw with a nod.

  “Pleased to meet you both.”

  “I’m afraid First Councilor Talori had to leave for an assignment on Shantalla with the Shanti ambassador. They will not be returning any time soon.”

  Assad took a seat on the left. “Since we’re all here, shall we get started?”

  Grimshaw eyed the empty chair. “I imagined that Ambassador Andallis and Minister Jackson would be here.”

  “Andallis is dead,” Straiya said. “His ship exploded last week while exiting G-Gate Alpha on his way to Terra.”

  “That’s…unfortunate,” Grimshaw said, unable to find better words. “What happened?”

  “No one knows for sure,” Straiya hissed. “The investigation is still ongoing. But that hasn’t stopped people from throwing accusations. The Centauri System colonies blame my people.”

  “Why would the Centaurians think the Shanti had anything to do with it?”

  Assad cleared his throat. “It’s no secret that the Centaurians harbor resentment for the Shanti. The first-contact incident happened hundreds of years ago and we humans have short life-spans compared to other species. But we have long memories.”

  Straiya waved a hand. “We supply their Centauri System colonies with fuel, once every rotation, in an effort to sustain good relations with your Terran Star Confederation.”

  Assad sighed. “Unfortunately, the Shanti freight ship happened to be passing through the galactic gate at the same time as the ambassador’s transport, making the explosion much worse. The evidence suggests that Andallis’ core had overloaded in some kind of accident, but certain groups have already made up their minds, claiming that the Shanti freight caused the explosion. Some conspiracy theorists even venture so far as to suggest the Shanti killed the ambassador on purpose.”

  “We suspect it might be more than a mere accident,” Councilor Sams said, her voice sweet and friendly despite her grim news. “But it certainly wasn’t planned by the Shanti. If anything, it was set up to frame them. An assassin made an attempt on Minister Straiya’s life not long after we received word about Ambassador Andallis. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

  Grimshaw couldn’t stop his eyes from widening. “You think someone planned to take out the ambassador and Minister Straiya together?”

  “Let’s just say a lot of people had something to gain from such an outcome,” Straiya said bitterly.

  It frustrated Grimshaw how politicians couldn’t just cut to the chase. But being in their domain meant playing by their rules. “Do you have a particular someone in mind?”

  Straiya’s nose twitched. “Andallis being out of the way has allowed the Galactic Council to vote out Minister Jackson.”

  “Minister Jackson has served the Council loyally for many years,” Assad explained. “But some felt that he was too old and set in his ways. Certain people have been looking for an opportunity to overthrow him. With his most trusted advisor dead, he didn’t stand a chance.”

  Minister Straiya licked a pointed fang. “Jackson’s backside may have warmed the Terran Galactic Council seat, but Ambassador Andallis called the shots from behind the scenes.”

  “If Jackson’s no longer our representative on the Galactic Council, who is?” Grimshaw asked.

  “Petter Foster.” Assad spat the words.

  Grimshaw tried to recall the name. “I don’t know much about politics, but isn’t he former admiral Foster’s son?”

  “He is indeed,” Klak said. “And a serpent if ever I knew one.”

  “All politicians are snakes,” Straiya said dismissively. “It’s more a matter of what breed of snake, but I agree that Petter Foster is among the worst of them.”

  “I don’t see where this is going,” Grimshaw said, growing irritated. “Why have you brought me here?”

  Minister Straiya raised her chin as she spoke. “I’ll get to the point then, Commander. Of the seven Ministers serving on the Galactic Council, none have the majority of power. The races spend most of their time squabbling over meaningless concerns, but such division maintains a kind of equilibrium.” Her right ear flicked. “Recently, that has started to change. Your Minister Foster has pledged the support of the Terran race to the Tal’ri. The Tal’ri seek to consolidate power with the help of other races. They already had the Yalore and Rivarians eating out of their palms. My people will never support the Tal’ri, and Highminister Orren’s people despise the Yalore, so the Challah won’t bend. But the Urlocks and Vargs are sitting on the fence, as always. The Urlocks and Vargs share a single seat, but if the Tal’ri win support from either species, they will swing the majority.”

  The four politicians looked at Grimshaw like he was supposed to know what that meant. “Is that supposed to answer my question?”

  Straiya sighed like she was speaking to an ignorant child. “Anyone with a majority can restructure the Galactic Council as they please. It’ll be the Kragak Revolt all over again, the very same event that eventually led to the Kragak warring with your people, Commander. Once they have control, the Tal’ri will begin ousting what races they deem unworthy. Once they’ve disposed of the Challah, Shanti, and anyone else who refuses to bow, they will turn on their so-called allies. Even you Terrans will not be spared. It seems that Ministers Foster, Farmorai, and Lagore have forgotten how power hungry the Tal’ri can be. All one has to do is read a history book. Yet somehow, Minister Zaqahr has won their allegiance.” She motioned to the library behind her.

  “With all due respect, Minister. I’m just a Confederation Commander: a glorified academy instructor, ferrying cadets between bases. My Galactic
Council representative isn’t even on your side. What do you expect me to do?”

  “You fought in the Kragak War, and because of you, your people came out the other side victorious!” She pounded her fist into her open hand. “You know how to win, Commander.”

  “We need someone who isn’t from the Sentinel, someone we can trust,” Assad added. “An outsider.”

  “Your record is impressive, Commander,” Straiya continued. “I remember smelling your sense of loyalty and honor the first time we met, and I smell it still.”

  “I appreciate the compliment, but I still don’t see how I fit into all of this.”

  “We’re hoping you’ll help us with two matters.” Assad looked at him intently. “Minister Foster’s family are hardcore military. As you pointed out, his father was an admiral during the Kragak War. He’s retired now, of course, but they still have strong links to the Fleet. Given that you were a key figure in the Battle of Gorthore, we hope you can befriend Foster senior. In due course, you might be able to convince him to speak with his son…perhaps get him to reconsider some of his harsher policy changes.” Assad glanced at Straiya and back. “The embargo he has just announced against the Shanti would be a good place to start.”

  “All of the work my people have done to make reparations with the Terrans, gone in an instant,” Straiya growled.

  As realization dawned, Grimshaw raised his hands in objection. “Okay, I understand what you’re trying to do, but I’m no politician. You’ve got the wrong man.”

  Minister Straiya pounded the table with a firm fist. “They’re bent on destroying the bridges our people have worked so hard to build over the decades, Commander Grimshaw. Foster has already repealed several important human-Shanti trade agreements, and to say the Shanti government is displeased would be an understatement. We cannot allow the old wounds of our peoples to be reopened.”

  Second Councilor Klak raised a finger. “Recent events with the Terrans have also aggravated existing problems on the Shanti home world.”

  “Disquiet threatens to hurl Shantalla back into civil war,” Straiya seethed. “The embers of the last war still glow, and the damn high priestess seems bent on fanning them into yet another great fire. She would see the Shanti wiped from existence.”

  “Things are much worse than Aegis Eline suggested,” Grimshaw muttered, briefly cradling his jaw in one hand.

  “We think something more sinister is at work here.” Assad lowered his voice. “Which brings us to the second thing you can do to help us. What do you know about the Chimera organization?”

  “A rogue scientist on Colony 115 mentioned the name before he died, but that was the first I’d heard of them. I outlined everything I know in my report.”

  “Despite the SIA and all their resources, even the Galactic Council knows little about them,” Assad continued. “From what we’ve pieced together, they’re a secret organization. We believe they are responsible for the death of Ambassador Andallis and the attempt on Minister Straiya’s life. We don’t have confirmation yet, but it’s something of a coincidence that Chimera should raise their heads just as the Tal’ri position themselves for a power grab.”

  “How do you know that Chimera are involved?”

  “One of my former security guards,” Straiya said. “I usually hire a mix of Shanti and Terrans for my security detail, but someone planted information on one of my best guards a few months back. The Council used it as leverage against the security company, driving them out of business. The Council assigned me a team of Vargs until I had time to source a new detail of my own, but I’ve been so busy I’ve barely had a minute to think about it. We learned that at least three of those Vargs worked for a third party. They funneled information about my activities. That’s how they almost got me. One of Minister Jackson’s agents and I had arranged to meet in secret to discuss certain matters after receiving news about Andallis, but the third party somehow knew where I would be. They had a sniper waiting. I’m certain Minister Jackson’s agent was in on it too. But we’ve yet to track the Varg down.”

  Grimshaw thought he heard Minister Straiya’s voice quiver, just a little. “I’m glad you escaped unharmed.”

  “If the shooter hadn’t missed, I wouldn’t be here. As soon as I got to safety, I had an old friend investigate the matter. We caught one of my Varg guards leaking information, but before we could get anything out of him, he cracked a poison capsule hidden inside a tooth. He mumbled something about Chimera winning the coming war and died seconds later. We need someone without connections to the Sentinel to look into it. We need someone to track them down and stop them from interfering with galactic affairs. We aren’t sure how, but we fear that they may have a presence on board.”

  Silence passed as Grimshaw thought about it, the politicians nervously waiting for his response. “I can’t see the Fleet letting me stay here for long. You read the report. My ship was destroyed, and we lost a lot of people on Colony 115. I have a lot of work to catch up on back at Fleet Academy.”

  “Let me worry about Fleet,” Assad said. “G-Gate Alpha has been closed since the explosion. After what happened on Colony 115, Confederation High Command will want to see you in person back on Earth. But they’re keeping the Centauri gate closed until the investigation has been conducted. The G-Gate is currently undergoing repairs, but it’ll be weeks before it’s operational again. You can return to Fleet Academy using the S-Gate network, but that’ll take longer than if you remained here until G-Gate Alpha opens again.”

  Straiya purred almost seductively. “If you do this for us, we will lend our full support when it comes to investigating the Aphnai attack on the Terran colony.”

  “Aphnai is what Project Zero’s AI called them,” Grimshaw muttered.

  “The Ancients used the name,” Straiya explained. “It’s hard to believe that such an old species still exists out there somewhere. The archives make mention of them in some of the older documents. It seems that they may have almost overthrown the Ancients in a war that spanned the length and breadth of the galaxy. The price was dear, but the Ancients defeated them in the end, and drove them to extinction, or so they thought. We’ll be more than happy to give you access to what information we have as soon as local matters have been addressed.”

  The politicians weren’t going to take no for an answer, and there was no telling what kind of trouble they would cause him if he refused. Access to the records would help convince Confederation High Command of the true threat the Aphnai posed. “If I do this, I’ll need resources, people, a base of operations. Project Zero would be suitable.”

  Straiya laughed. “As it stands, Project Zero will be locked in that hangar for good. The Tal’ri would sooner see her dismantled than let a Terran or Shanti so much as sniff technology on par with their own. Building Project Zero broke numerous intergalactic laws. On one hand, bringing the ship here was foolish. On the other, it gives us an opportunity to improve relations between our peoples. If played correctly, it could be a blessing in disguise.”

  “Either way,” Assad said. “The Galactic Alliance will feel the consequences of these broken laws for a long time. The Rivarians and Yalore aren’t ones to let things go so easily. But those are battles for another day.”

  “If we succeed in stabilizing Sentinel affairs, we’ll do what we can to see that Project Zero is put in the right hands. Until then...” Straiya’s words trailed off, inviting Grimshaw to wonder.

  “We’ve already established a secure location for you, Commander,” Councilor Sams said. “It’s got everything you’ll need.”

  “What about people? I’ve got some of the best—”

  “We’ve put a team together too. They’re a bit young, but we’ve put them through their paces, and we know we can trust them. It’s hard to find that in Sentinel City these days.”

  “You’ve got to at least let me use some of my own people,” he protested.

  “We’ve worked hard on setting up this operation. Getting the Council
to sign off on the resources was—”

  Straiya silenced Sams with a wave. “The Commander can select some of his own. We owe him that much. He’ll be most careful about who he chooses, of course.”

  “That goes without saying, Minister,” Grimshaw said. He looked to Assad. “How will Minister Foster feel about all of this? He won’t like us running such a project behind his back. I also doubt he’d be happy to learn that his First Councilor is consorting with the so-called enemy. That’s before we even get to a Confederation Fleet Commander working for the Shanti seat.”

  Assad snorted. “I may be a member of Foster’s seat, but that doesn’t mean I have to agree with what he’s doing. So far, I’ve kept my relationship with Minister Straiya secret. The Chimera Project, however, is out in the open. The matter was raised in the Closed Chamber this morning. Minister Foster has invested in the project himself, claiming that the human-Shanti relationship will benefit from such cooperation.”

  “The snake’s words tell one story while his actions tell another,” Klak grumbled.

  “I see,” Grimshaw said, absorbing the information.

  “As for you…” Assad continued. “Well, we haven’t ironed out the details, but we’ve worked out a plan.”

  The human First Councilor looked to Minister Straiya.

  The Shanti Minister purred again. “You will be given a position in the Aegi Order, Commander.”

  Grimshaw could hardly believe his ears. “You want to make me an Aegis?”

  “You’ll remain a Confederation Fleet Commander but becoming an Aegis will allow you to represent any species without breaking Galactic Alliance or Confederation laws. The Aegi Order requires that its members sever all past allegiances, but exceptions have been made in the past.”

  Grimshaw didn’t know how to respond.

  “Should you accept,” Third Councilor Sams said. “You’ll be beyond the reach of SenSec and the SIA.”