“Would serve him right,” said Rear Admiral White. “I just feel uncomfortable with him out there running around loose.”
“We all do,” said Spalding.
Kurt was in agreement. Even after nearly two months, no word had been heard on High Profiteer Creed’s location. Dolman had sent a brief message, indicating he had confirmation Creed had purchased a fully updated battleship and then disappeared. Dolman was fairly certain the Profiteer had gone to Marsten immediately after the attack on the embassy. The military intelligence team had fared no better. Profiteer Creed had vanished.
-
The meeting lasted for another hour as the small group discussed defense strategy, the new trade agreements with the other worlds in their small Alliance, as well as what technology could be given to Earth. When the meeting was over, Kurt walked to the large window overlooking the capital. The others had gone, leaving Kurt alone with Governor Spalding.
“Twenty-three million people,” said Spalding, walking to Kurt’s side to gaze out at the busy city. “We’ve greatly curtailed immigration over the last month as we don’t want to drain the solar system of too many of their talented people. We still have long lists of individuals wanting to come to Newton.”
Kurt watched the street below. The wide thoroughfare was full of afternoon traffic, with many heading home. Amazing how the new hydrogen-powered cars were so much quieter than the old ones. The noise from the street was very minimal. “We have enough people on Newton that, if something happened to the rest of the solar system, the Human race would continue.” He didn’t want anything to happen to Earth, but, in recent years, the Human race had discovered their galaxy was a very dangerous place.
“You’re worried about the Vorn?”
Kurt nodded. “Yes, with Earth’s dense population, it would be a prime target, should the Vorn learn of it. Fortunately we’re in a desolate sector of the galaxy where very few inhabited worlds are.”
“Didn’t the Glaymons mention this region was once the home to a highly advanced race?”
“Yes,” responded Kurt, recalling the conversation. “I haven’t really had the opportunity to ask them about that. It is something I’m highly curious about.” Kurt was considering paying the Glaymons a visit to see what they had accomplished in their new solar system. From what Tasid had told Kurt, the Glaymons were building a large habitat for their people. Kurt was curious to see how much progress they had made. It might also be a good time to ask them about this mysterious race.
“We have our Alliance and the resources of five solar systems to work with. At least we’re not alone.” Governor Spalding paused as he looked out the window. “Every day we grow stronger.”
“No, we’re not alone,” replied Kurt. While the other three new worlds in their Alliance were light-years away, they were still close, considering how fast Newton ships could now travel in hyperspace. “It’ll take a while to get all the other worlds up to the same level of technology.” The goal was to get all of them up to the same level of technology as Earth.
Newton had established embassies on all three of the new worlds. Teams of specialists were working with their counterparts on each planet, deciding how best to bring each world up to the point where their technology would be on comparable levels. On each world it varied. One world was ahead in medical science, another might be in computers, and still the third could be ahead in advanced energy production. This all needed to be balanced out without throwing their economies into chaos.
“We’ve already made some progress, particularly on Julbian. They’ll be on the same level as Earth in another few years, and Sertez and Maldon aren’t far behind.
Kurt clasped his hands behind his back. “This thing with High Profiteer Creed is worrisome. He attacked Earth twice, and, as a result, over forty million people died. What if he’s not finished with Earth? There are some very large Profiteer clans, particularly on Marsten. What would Earth do if a thousand Profiteer warships showed up over the planet?”
Governor Spalding looked surprised. “You don’t think that’s possible, do you? With the defense grid around Earth now, it would be suicide for them to attack. They would lose too many ships to make an attack worth while.”
Kurt let out a deep breath. “Of course you’re right. I just wish Creed had died on Earth like we all thought.” Some way or another Kurt was going to find Creed and end this threat permanently. He still had a nagging feeling that as long as Creed was alive, Earth might still be in danger. “I should travel to Earth in a few more days to inspect the new defensive platforms Rear Admiral White placed in orbit. I just need to see them myself so I’ll feel Earth is secure.”
“I’m sure President Lambert will be pleased to hear you’re coming. I’m also certain Fleet Admiral Colmes would like to speak to you as well.”
Kurt nodded. He also wanted to speak to Colmes about the defense of Earth and the rest of the solar system. The Mars colony as well as the ones on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn must be defended as well. The Human race in the solar system was spreading out every day with colonies set up on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn as well as the massive expansion of the Mars colony. Terraforming was well underway due to technology purchased from Kubitz. In twenty more years a person would be able to walk on the surface of Mars without a breathing mask.
Kurt exhaled a deep sigh. So much was changing. He wondered if he would even recognize the Human race in a few more generations. With Kubitz, the Protector Worlds, the Enlightened Worlds, and now Glaymon technology, the Human race was about to take a giant leap into the future.
-
A few hours later Kurt pulled into the driveway of his home, ready for a good night’s rest. As soon as he opened the car door, he heard a child’s voice scream out his name.
“Uncle Kurt!” yelled his nephew who flew out the front door, running toward the car.
“Bryan,” said Kurt as the boy ran up and wrapped his arms around Kurt in a powerful hug for one so young.
“We came over for supper. We’re having fried chicken and mashed potatoes!”
Kurt laughed. Fried chicken was Bryan’s favorite meal and one Kurt enjoyed as well. “Let’s go into the house and, maybe after we eat, we can play catch in the backyard.” Kurt enjoyed spending time with Bryan—something he didn’t get to do as much of as he would like.
Going inside, Kurt found his sister, Denise, sitting next to her husband, Alex, on the couch. He was surprised to see Dalen and Meesa as well. “Where’s Keera?” He could smell the tantalizing aroma of chicken cooking and noises coming from the kitchen.
“In the kitchen,” Meesa replied as she stood. “She’s determined to cook this meal all on her own, but I’ll go help just to be on the safe side.” Meesa went into the kitchen and began speaking to Keera.
“Meesa’s a really good cook,” said Dalen, smiling. “I’ve been designing a house for us, and one of her requirements is a gourmet kitchen.”
“I would love one of those,” said Denise jealously, looking at her husband. “Two ovens would be nice.”
“Maybe someday,” Alex said, his eyebrows wrinkling in a frown. “We have to get the house we’re in now paid off first.”
“When you’re ready, I’d be happy to design it,” said Dalen. “It might be cheaper than you think. The new construction methods we’re using have drastically reduced the price of building a home.”
“How soon ’til we eat?” asked Bryan, looking at his mom. “Uncle Kurt promised to play catch with me afterward.”
“A little longer,” said Denise, shifting her gaze to Bryan. “Why don’t you go play in the backyard until supper’s ready?”
Bryan looked disappointed but took his ball and glove and went out the back door. A moment later they heard the ball being tossed up on the roof and then rolling down.
“I should have known better,” muttered Denise, shaking her head. She stood, but Kurt stopped her.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, grinning. “Wh
en I was his age, I used the roof as well. It will keep him occupied.”
“How’s everything going?” asked Alex. “Keera says you’re staying pretty busy.”
“Busy enough,” Kurt replied. He didn’t want to worry them about his growing concerns about the Vorn or High Profiteer Creed. Looking toward the kitchen, he saw Meesa and Keera hovering over the stove. Keera was trying really hard to learn how to cook all of Kurt’s favorite foods. “How’s your work going, Alex?”
“Same as usual. With all the new technology being implemented all over the planet, a big demand for systems analysts has evolved. I’ve had to take several crash courses to keep up with everything.”
“He’s putting in a lot of overtime,” added Denise, shaking her head. “Sometimes too much.”
Alex grinned. “If you want that gourmet kitchen someday, this will get it done.”
Denise reached out and took Alex’s hand and said in a softer voice, “I want the kitchen.”
-
They continued their small talk until Keera came in, announcing supper was ready. Denise went outside and returned with Bryan, who had found dirt somewhere in the backyard. Denise merely shook her head and took him to wash up.
Sitting at the dining table, Kurt was amazed at the huge platter of chicken Keera placed in the center of the table. Meesa placed a large bowl of mashed potatoes next to it and a steaming bowl of white gravy. In addition to that were hot rolls, a leafy salad, green beans, fried okra, and corn on the cob. Sitting beside the stove were several cobblers.
“You really went all out,” Kurt said as Keera sat next to him. He was amazed she had cooked all this.
“We bought this house so we could have dinner parties like this,” replied Keera, reaching out and squeezing Kurt’s hand. “I want to do this more often.”
Denise returned with Bryan in tow, and the two of them sat. “This looks great,” she said, complimenting Keera and Meesa.
Bryan promptly reached for a chicken leg and plopped it in the middle of his plate.
“Green beans and potatoes too,” said Denise, watching her son.
“Do I have to eat the green beans? I’d rather just have the corn.”
“Either green beans or the salad,” replied Denise firmly.
Bryan let out a deep sigh as he reached for the green beans. “I’ll pass on the salad.”
As Kurt ate his meal, he marveled over how much Keera had learned about cooking foods common on Newton. “This chicken is really good.”
Keera looked pleased with his compliment. “Cooking here is very different than on Kubitz.”
“The food on Kubitz is a mixture of what’s available on hundreds of worlds,” explained Meesa as she took a bite of mashed potatoes and gravy. “While some foods are very common or similar on many worlds, others have their own unique tastes.”
“Meesa still cooks a lot of the foods we ate on Kubitz,” said Dalen. “We have to get some of the ingredients from Lomatz’s stores as he brings in a lot of supplies from Kubitz.”
Kurt was aware of this. Under constant urging from Lomatz, Governor Spalding had allowed the weapons dealer to open up several stores in the capital city on a trial basis. These stores sold food products and other items that could only be found on Kubitz or other worlds. The governor had people monitoring these stores very closely to ensure nothing nefarious was going on. Each store had one or two of Lomatz’s people running it, while the rest of the staff was made up of Humans from Newton.
“I understand when Grantz was here, he wanted to open up a pleasure house,” said Alex, looking at Kurt.
Kurt laughed. “Yes, he wanted Captain Randson to go in as partners.”
“No pleasure houses on Newton,” Keera replied firmly. “Grantz needs to quit suggesting that to Andrew.”
“The pleasure houses on Kubitz weren’t so bad,” Meesa said. “The employees were treated well, and the pay was good.”
Denise looked embarrassed. “I forgot you worked at one. I’m sorry Alex brought it up.”
“No problem,” Meesa said, smiling. “On Kubitz and many other worlds, that work is very well accepted. Dalen was even one of my main clients.”
“What’s a pleasure house?” asked Bryan, a curious look on his face.
“Wait until you’re older, and your dad will explain,” replied Denise, glaring at Alex for bringing up the subject.
“Where is Grantz?” asked Dalen. “I haven’t seen him around anywhere.”
“Back on Kubitz,” Kurt answered. “At the embassy doing some research for me.” Kurt didn’t mention the research involved finding out where High Profiteer Creed was hiding. After all, Creed had tried to kill Grantz so he had personal motives as well. Still the ten-million-credit bounty would ensure Grantz would use all his black market connections to locate the elusive Profiteer. Kurt had also given Grantz a handful of gold coins as additional encouragement, plus he could use them as bribes.
“I’ll bet Andrew is glad Grantz is gone,” commented Denise as she buttered a roll.
“I think Andrew likes Grantz a lot more than he admits,” Kurt replied. “Don’t forget Grantz saved his life once on Kubitz when he was shot.”
“I really wish you would stay away from Kubitz,” said Keera with a sharp frown. “That planet is just too dangerous.”
“Are you going to Kubitz anytime soon?” asked Meesa.
“I’m not planning on it. I’ll make a short trip to Earth soon and then visit the three worlds we’ve added to our Alliance.”
“I was at the Westside Mall yesterday, and I saw a number of people from Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon,” commented Alex. “I was surprised at how much they resemble regular Humans.”
“A lot of humanoid races are spread across the galaxy,” explained Keera. “Forty-four percent of all humanoid races are genetically related and are capable of having children together. It’s a big mystery as to how this happened. There’s no good rational explanation. Several thousand worlds are inhabited by Humans. Thousands of others are inhabited by humanoid races who can nearly pass for Humans.”
“So many,” said Denise, her eyes opening wide. “I didn’t realize that.”
“It’s strange to know all of this now,” commented Alex as he laid down his fork and took a sip of his tea. “Just think, a few years ago, all we had were Earth and Newton. People believed aliens didn’t exist. Now we find out thousands of inhabited worlds are out there, many inhabited by Humans.”
“There are a lot of alien races as well,” added Keera. “It’s one of the reasons I went into medical practice on Kubitz. Numerous races from all across the galaxy visit there.”
“For the black market and the pleasure houses,” explained Dalen. “Anything and everything is available on Kubitz for the right price. That’s why the planet draws so many visitors.”
Denise shuddered. “Let’s change the subject. I don’t want to talk about that vile place. Meesa, I understand you and Dalen have been talking about starting a family.”
Meesa nodded, smiling brightly. “Yes, I’ve always wanted children. Newton seems to be a wonderful world on which to raise them.”
Denise looked at Bryan, building a tower out of his potatoes. She sighed deeply. “Yes, it is.”
Kurt was enjoying himself immensely as he listened to everyone talk. Keera was right; they should do this more often. Next time he would invite Andrew and his family. The more the merrier.
-
Later that night Kurt and Keera laid in bed, talking.
“You’re seeing the Glaymons, aren’t you?”
Kurt was surprised Keera had figured that out. He hadn’t said anything to her about his plans. “Yes, I want to speak to Tasid about a few things as well as see how they’re doing building their new habitat.”
“The Glaymons frighten me,” said Keera, her head on Kurt’s chest. “They’re so advanced. To them we must seem like children.”
“They don’t look at us that way,” Kurt replied. “Or at least t
he ones that came with Fleet Captain Waelt don’t seem to.”
“Yes, but you said these Glaymons are more like what they were millions of years ago.”
Kurt had to agree. The other Glaymons who had planned on keeping Kurt and his crews captive on the Dyson Sphere were definitely not like Waelt and his people. Kurt often wondered what had happened to Waelt’s people who had stayed behind after the fleets left the Dyson Sphere. Marshton and Valan had stayed behind to work out an agreement with the other Glaymons, knowing they would face a stiff punishment for allowing Kurt and Fleet Captain Waelt to leave. They had spoken of the population of the Aggressives being drastically reduced.
Kurt put his arm around Keera. Her body felt so warm. Keera almost always slept naked. “I’ll leave again in a few more days. Why don’t we go shopping at the mall tomorrow and eat at one of the nice restaurants in the food court?” While there were many small establishments in the food court, there were also several very nice restaurants as well.
“That sounds nice,” Keera replied as she moved her hand across Kurt’s chest and then down lower. “But I want to do something else tonight.”
Kurt rolled over on top of Keera, smiling to himself. He was pretty sure he could accommodate her.
Moments later the two were wrapped up in passionate lovemaking with any worrisome thoughts pushed to the back of their minds. Right now, there were only the two of them, and the world could wait.
Chapter Nine
Prince Caluume gazed at the viewscreen, showing the shattered remains of the enemy space fleet. The battle had been brief, and the results the same as the others. The enemy fleet had been easily obliterated as its primitive weapons were no match for the Vorn.
Enemy fleet eliminated, reported Military Leader Jattal. Four shipyards are in orbit of the planet, and scans indicate they are lightly armed.
Prince Caluume looked at one of the viewscreens through his multifaceted eyes. The shipyards looked primitive and weak. Destroy them and place the fleet into orbit above the food world. I am anxious to begin the harvest.
The Star Cross: The Forever War Page 12