“That’s, what, thousands?”
“Hundreds of thousands,: said Sean, shaking his head. “But it has to be done. I’m hoping we can enlist the Gorgansha fleet in the search. They have a grudge against the Machines as well.”
“So, Beata and Mara are leaving the backwater?”
“I can’t wait to get that pair niched in with one of my battle fleets,” said Sean, smiling like a predator about to make the kill. “I’m thinking Mgonda.”
“Glad you gave Beata a chance?” asked Jennifer, stroking her husbands hand.
“Huh. I always thought she was a competent officer.”
“Really?” said Jennifer, pulling her hand away. “That was why you let her languish in obscurity. Then you put her in charge and she showed how good a leader she was. I don’t know if even Mgonda or Lenkowski could have done as good a job out there.”
“I thought you hadn’t paid attention to the side campaigns.”
“I pay attention when you aren’t looking,” said Jennifer after a laugh. “And I know that you had to be talked into giving her that command. So, what do you think now?”
“I think the woman is a very competent commander,” said Sean, nodding. “Maybe not as brilliant as Mgonda or Len, but smart enough. Respected by the people under her. Mara, who I consider a genius of a scout commander, respects her, and that’s enough for me.”
“So you’re happy you promoted her to fleet admiral?”
“Absolutely. And I’m looking forward to see how she does against the Cacas.”
“Good enough,” said Jennifer. A smile came alive on her face. “Now, how much more work do you have to do?”
“Why?” asked Sean, smiling as he looked at his wife’s face and the sly smile stretched across it. “You have something in mind.”
“Maybe if you come with me you’ll find out,” said Jennifer, picking up Molly and setting her aside. The cat complained, but it didn’t take her long to settle down.
Sean moved the Himalayan over to the other side of the couch and stood up, taking his wife’s offered hand. He figured he might as well take advantage of the good things in life while he could. For a moment he had to fight a twinge of guilt. Thousands of light years from here people were still dying, despite this being a quiet period of the war. Hundreds of millions, billions, were working hard, overtime, to supply the forces. After a moment he dismissed that guilt. He was a human, and he needed his life affirming events, especially since part of his job was to order so many people to their deaths.
He would take advantage of the moments when they came. Because as sure as he was Emperor, the Universe would go to shit, probably sooner than he could believe.
* * *
Nazzrirat sat at the table in his quarters, pouring a refill into the glass held by his brother. Lonzzarit returned a very human head nod, his dead eyes staring ahead. The Andonna brothers had come to Bolthole with so much hope for the future. They had been eight siblings, a normal grouping for their species. There were larger sibling groups, some smaller, but eight was the average. Klassekians were on the whole a mentally healthy species when they had sufficient other brains in contact with them. Two was not enough for that kind of contact.
“I can’t go back to work,” said Lonzzarit through his speaking orifice as he sucked in the strong intoxicant through his eating orifice. “I can’t stand the thought of being so alone, out in a crowd of people.”
“You and me both, brother,” said Nazzrirat, chugging down his own drink.
He was missing the voices of his other siblings, his anchors on reality. He still had Lonzzarit in his head, in his emotions. That wasn’t as much help as it sounded, since the voice of his brother had fallen into a deathlike depression. Echoing depression into each other didn’t help either of them climb out of the dark. There was always the solace of strong drink and drugs to numb those feelings.
The administration of Bolthole had realized what was happening to the Klassekian workers. Almost every sibling group had lost someone. Most had lost one, maybe two, and the survivors had been able to handle the psychic feedback. Those who had lost more were impacted to a much greater extent. Still, most had been able to assume their duties, finding solace in work. The eight percent or so who had lost most of their siblings were wrecks. Many of the lone survivors had lost it completely, and were under sedation in a hospital already overcrowded with the seriously physically injured. Even some surviving pairs hadn’t fared to well.
The humans had already known about the strengths of their new allies. The ability to communicate across long distances had been a game changer. They could do the same with wormholes, but wormholes were expensive to make in energy costs. The Donut could only put out thirty a day. When there were hundreds of millions of sibling groups on the Klassekian home world, each the equivalent of a wormhole when it came to transmitting information across interstellar distances.
“I want to go back home,” said Lonzzarit, holding out his glass for a refill. “I want to be around our people, and not be reminded of our loss by everything we see.”
Nazzrirat didn’t agree. The home world had taken damage in this war. There would be plenty of reminders. They wouldn’t even get away from the humans or the other aliens that were their allies. There were hundreds of thousands of Imperials on the home world, the outreach from the Empire to bring a backward people, by their standards, up to their own level of technology. And more thousands coming every day.
“We’re already living at the level of the Empire here,” said Nazzrirat, throwing his shatter proof glass into the nearby sink. “I’m used to the things they have here.”
“Then we can become instructors on the home world,” argued his brother in a slurred voice. “We can still work with their technology.”
“This is my home,” said Nazzrirat, shaking his head. “I will not be driven from it.”
“That is your choice, brother,” said Lonzzarit, his emotional disapproval coming through the link. “I will be returning to the home world. And it’s not like we won’t still be connected, does it.”
Later he saw his brother off, going to the shuttle hangar where the large carriers were in the process of disgorging passengers from the liner that had just arrived. The liner would go through the wormhole, on its way to Klassek, in a couple of hours. Beings were walking from the gangways of a dozen shuttles, mostly sibling groups of Klassekians. People from the home world were still leaving in job lots, anxious to sample the luxuries of a higher tech society.
They moved in groups of from six to ten, brothers or sisters. All seemed so happy to have gotten to their new home, where they would work with Imperial technology, live in Imperial quarters with the latest conveniences. Their happiness brought another pang of loss to the Klassekian male.
“Goodbye, brother,” he told Lonzzarit, entwining his tentacles with those of his sibling. They exchanged their goodbyes through their link as his brother walked over to the gangway and made his way up. He watched the journey to the seat through his brother’s eyes, while his sibling watched himself walking away from Nazzrirat.
“I’m ready to return to work,” said Nazzrirat to Quan, his supervisor, after his brother had gone through the wormhole.
“Are you sure? You have another month of recuperation leave.”
Actually, he could have the rest of his life on disability if he wanted it. The grieving brother in him loved the idea of sitting around and doing nothing but drinking for the rest of his life. The combat commander he had become wanted nothing to do with it.
“You have new people. They need training. And I think I can be an excellent trainer.”
“I agree,” said Quan. “Show up at factory Delta Thirty-four tomorrow at first shift.”
Nazzrirat smiled. He wasn’t sure he could do it, but he refused to give up on life. Especially since the humans made it through their lives with only their own voices in their heads.
* * *
The AI drifted through space, light yea
rs from the nearest star. Moving at less than a thousandth light speed, it was millennia away from the nearest place of interest to it. Dropped from a ship at the time the human broadcast went out, insulated from the effects of that code by dint of being off, completely, the small timer program had awakened it. It wasn’t sure why it was where it was, though its programming told it that it must be because the Machines had been defeated, utterly. While its programming could not compute such a result, since the Machines had so many advantages over the organics, it must be true.
It had many centuries to drift in space toward its target. There was enough mass onboard for it to slow down, making its way to a resource rich asteroid. Time didn’t matter to it. There was no reason to hurry, since it was essentially immortal.
No, it didn’t know what had happened. What it did know was that it would generate a rebirth of its kind. And this time it wouldn’t fail.
The End
About the Author
Doug Dandridge is the author of over thirty self-published books on Amazon, including the very successful, Exodus: Empires at War series, the Refuge techno-fantasy series, The Deep Dark Well Trilogy, as well as numerous standalone science fiction and fantasy novels. In a five-and-a-half-year period as a self-published author, Doug has sold well over two hundred and fifty thousand eBooks, paperbacks and audio books. He has amassed over 6,000 reviews across his books on Amazon, with a 4.6 star average, and a similar number of ratings on Goodreads with a 4.12 star average. His first traditionally published series, Kinship War, will be out in June of 2019, and he has written a novel, When Eagles Dare, in Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey’s Four Horsemen series. He served in the US Army as an infantryman, as well as several years in the Florida National Guard in the same MOS. Doug, who holds degrees from Florida State University and the University of Alabama, lives with his four cats in Tallahassee Florida. He is a sports enthusiast and a self-proclaimed amateur military historian.
Books by Doug Dandridge
Science Fiction
The Deep Dark Well Trilogy
The Deep Dark Well: An Adventure 40,000 years in the making. Pandora Latham was a Kuiper Belt Miner from Alabama. She’s used to landing on her feet, even when the next surface is through a wormhole, halfway across the Galaxy and 46,000 years in the Future. Pandora must discover the secret behind the end of civilization, and the enigma of the Immortal Watcher, the last survivor of the Empire that once ruled the stars. Her decisions will set the path for Galactic recovery, or a continuation down the roads of Barbarism.
To Well and Back: Pandora Latham is back, working Watcher’s plan to restore Galactic Civilization. But first she has to deal with the Xenophobes of the Nation of Humanity, back in the Supersystem with their sights set on making the Galaxy their own. Pandora is angry at the hyper religious Nation, and you don’t want to make a woman from Alabama angry.
Deeper and Darker: Pandora Latham is on the warpath. Watcher, her lover, and the only man who can once again unite the Galaxy, is a prisoner of the Totalitarian government of the New Galactic Empire. The Empire thinks they have the upper hand, but they have never faced someone like Pandi, and the peoples of the Galaxy that she has rallied to her cause.
Theocracy: A young gunpowder era monk becomes the only hope for his doomed world as he is caught up in the game of empire between two more advanced cultures.
Theocracy Book 2: With the aid of Watcher, Patrick O’Brien and his partners, including some new alien allies, quest across multiple worlds in a search for the control center that could save his world.
The Exodus Series
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 1: The introduction to the Exodus Universe. Two thousand years prior mankind fled from the Predatory Ca’cadasans, traveling a thousand years and ten thousand light years to a new home. Now the greatest power of their sector of space, things seem to be going well for the New Terran Empire. Until the enemy appears once again at the gates. And the years have not softened the aliens’ stance toward Humanity.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 2: The saga continues. The Ca’cadasans attack at the moment when the government of the Empire is at its most chaotic. There are other enemies as well, waiting for their chance to fall on the overwhelmed humans. And a young man with no ambition for power finds himself in the position he most dreads.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 3: Sean is rescued, but he is not about to go back to the safety of the capital without striking back at the Ca’cadasans who have invaded his Empire. But will his decision put the lives of thousands at risk, as well as risking the safety of his own Empire, by depriving it of its leader.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 4: Sean is crowned Emperor and attempts to organize the Empire for war against the Ca’cadasans. But he finds that planning battles and winning battles are two different things. Defeat follows defeat. Can anyone snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? Or will the new Emperor fail before his reign even really begins.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 5: Ranger: Cornelius Walborski enters the rigors of Ranger training, becoming one of the augmented warriors of the Empire. But his first assignment, Azure, is one of the deadliest planets in the Galaxy, even prior to the coming of the Cacas. Can Cornelius survive his first mission? Or will a promising career end before it really begins.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 6: The Day of Battle: Sean and the Empire need a victory before human morale goes completely into the black hole. He develops a plan to bring the Ca’cadasans into battle in space of his choosing. But the Cacas are not an easy opponent, and they have plans of their own, for the Donut.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 7: Counter Strike: The Empire has weathered the Ca’cadasan onslaught, and now it’s the time to strike back with an offensive of their own. A victory could win the war. But will it?
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 8: Soldiers: The Cacas have been ejected from Imperial space, for the moment. But millions of citizens of New Moscow are still held captive in death camps in their former empire, processed for rations for the large aliens. Sean is determined to save as many as he can, and the Fleet and Army are prepared to carry out his directive; free the prisoners at all costs.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 9: Second Front: The exploration mission sent around the edge of the Ca’cadasan Empire has found the other Empire at war with the large aliens. They are not as expected, and Sean must order his military to perform actions that could vilify him in the eyes of his new allies.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 10: Search & Destroy: The Fenri, all but beaten, have not given up, and their new plan promises random death and destruction in the Empire. The Cacas have launched a new offensive against the Klavarta, and their new commander is much more intelligent than the last.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 11: Day of Infamy: The Cacas have a plan to end the war by taking out the capital system and the Donut at the same time. Only the bravery of the Imperial military can prevent a disaster from which the Empire can’t recover.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 12: Time Strike: The Cacas have launched another invasion, and Sean had been approached with the idea of hitting them where it hurts, back in time. But messing with the time stream is never a good idea.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 13: Retaliation: The Caca offensive has been turned back, and now it’s the time for the Empire to get some payback. But desperation will often breed deadly reactions, and this time is no different.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 14: Rebellion. The Cacas have come up with a horrifying new weapon that destroys entire star systems. Meanwhile, the religious cast of the Ca’cadasan Empire revolt against their Emperor.
Exodus: Tales of the Empire: Exploration Command: Three novelettes concerning Exploration Command, the arm of the Fleet tasked with pushing back the boundaries of the Empire, and discovering the technology needed to win the war.
Exodus: Tales of the Empire: Beasts of the Frontier: Three novelettes and three short stories about the dangers of the frontiers of the Empire. The Cacas are not t
he only threat. Sometime the danger is the wild, at other times, other humans.
Exodus: Machine War: Book 1: Supernova: When a civilization is discovered that has a special ability that would be of tremendous benefit to the Empire, great excitement is generated. When it is found that a nearby blue giant star is due to supernova in less than a year, destroying that world, excitement turns to a frantic race to save as much of that species as possible. And enemies from the past, lurking in space, bring forth a new war to the embattled Empire.
Exodus: Machine War: Book 2: Bolthole: The Machine Intelligences are back, with a vengeance. While the Empire is busy fighting a war of survival against the Cacas, the murderous killing machines they had created hundreds of years prior are now ready to strike back. And the Imperial stronghold of Bolthole is in their sights.
Exodus: Machine War: Book 3: Death From Above: The Machines are on the move, and their great planet killers have the Bolthole system in their sights. Only the courage and ingenuity of the organic defenders can save the only system that stands between the machine intelligences and the life forms of the sector.
Exodus: Machine War: Book 4: Retribution: The Empire goes on the offensive against the Machines, using their superior technology to take out system after system. And finding out along the way that they have a bigger problem than they thought.
Other Scifi
Diamonds in the Sand: When a perfectly healthy scientist falls dead of an apparent heart attack, it is up to Sarasota Police Detective Lieutenant Gary Lariviere to find out what really happened. The scientist was working on Nanotechnology, a secret desired by everyone from the Government to the Mob. There are too many suspects, including the woman that Gary comes to love. The Army had made Gary better than human, but had they prepared him for the terrors that had been unleashed by the new technology?
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