When Stars Fall (The Star Scout Saga Book 4)

by GARY DARBY

  Shaking his head emphatically, his tone was forceful. “We are not renegades, Elder Ne’roth, and I cannot believe that Tor’al would accuse us of such a thing.”

  Sputtering, he choked out, “We’re his friends, not his enemies. I certainly can’t accept that he would call for an attack on us.”

  Ne’roth stared at Dason, his eyes showing practically no emotion. “Nor could a good many of the council,” he answered bluntly.

  The big alien tapped rhythmically on the gleaming tabletop, each finger striking the wood with a hard thunk. “Our scientists and technicians examined the recording in detail on the premise that it was fake, but they could find no evidence of such.”

  “But Elder Ne’roth,” Dason returned, “I thought that no one could just lay claim to the office of Grand Elder, that it was a matter of debate and vote by the council.”

  “Yes,” Ne’roth answered, “in most cases that is true. But it is also correct that there have been times, when there is a clear successor who has long had the council’s support, and there is a great need for haste, then the council can dispense with the formalities and move forward with the confirmation.”

  “Even if the successor is not physically present?” Jadar questioned.

  Ne’roth gave a curt nod. “Even so,” he answered, “and it has happened before. A rarity, but it is not without precedent.”

  He pursed his thin lips together and sat back in his chair, rumbling deep with his chest. “It is no secret that Tor’al was the chosen successor, long before Ab’nadi took his last journey, and yet, for him to lay claim . . .”

  His voice trailed off in a long sigh before he shook his head in evident perplexity. “It is just not something that I, or so many on the council would expect of Tor’al.

  Laying a hand on his breastplate where his two short swords crossed, he said, “As I have said, I have known him since we were first raised to be take our Viroing Swords and join the warrior ranks.

  “I was with him at the Three Suns Battle, where we were outnumbered five to one and still prevailed. He nursed my wounds; I nursed his.

  “He saved my life in the Battle of Le’gon Ta’ras when the Mongans breached the An’tongi’s hull, and I lay severely wounded until he carried me to safety at the risk of his own life.”

  He gave Dason a small smile and a nod. “You are not the only one who owes Tor’al his life and though I am not of his House, he is like a brother to me and my loyalty to him runs deep.”

  Ne’roth gestured with one hand and let out a humanlike sigh. “There are many on the council who could tell similar tales. And so, when we received this message, it was hard not to believe it was he who spoke. But still, it was as if it were he speaking and yet not.”

  “And now Tor’al is the St’ort He’scher of the Sha’anay?” Dason asked.

  Ne’roth leaned forward, and peered at Dason with hard eyes. “No, he is not,” he stated in a direct and forceful voice.

  Dason was about to reply when Ne’roth held up a hand to stop him. “As much as we wanted to believe it was him; nevertheless, there were some us who knew that Tor’al would never demand of the council that we install him as the Grand Elder.

  “The Tor’al we saw and heard is not the Tor’al we know. Tor’al is one who respects the customs and traditions of the Korha’pec.

  “In fact, it was he who guided us in the careful and solemn consideration of Ab’nadi as Grand Elder when there were many questions as to who should ascend the People’s Throne.

  “If Tor’al were to ask the Korha’pec anything it would be that we dispense with the usual and weighty practice only if all agreed to such a thing.

  “But that is not what he asked. Instead, he all but demanded that we place him at the head of the Sha’anay and that we do so immediately.”

  Ne’roth turned back to Dason; his fingers clasped in a firm grip around his sword sheath. “The other part concerns you, human Dason.”

  Clapping El’am on the shoulder, he pointed to the humans and gruffly ordered, “Explain, cub.”

  El’am gave a respectful nod and turned to Dason. “Among the Sha’anay, our House, our family is the foundation for our way of life. You have become a member of Elder Tor’al’s family, an adopted son and that means you are accorded all the rights of his sept and House.”

  El’am’s mouth turned down and his eyes took on an expression of deep pain and sorrow. “It is virtually unheard of among our people for family to attack family.

  “Arguments, disagreements, disputes—yes, those happen, but acts of violence? And from an Elder of his house toward a cub? This is a rare, rare event and only occurs when a stripling commits the most heinous of crimes.

  “Even so, if Elder Tor’al would wish to do such a thing, he must first invoke at least one of the Four Edicts for Banishment, in essence exiling you from the House of Tor’al, but in this case he did not.”

  Jadar broke the stunned silence that greeted El’am’s pronouncement. “You seem to be inferring that Elder Tor’al broke a fundamental law of your nation.”

  Ne’roth let out a deep sigh in response. “Yes, and from one who does nothing unless it is within our ways, our culture, and our laws.”

  Ne’roth rose from his seat and paced the room in evident agitation. “And that is why the cub and I were sent to seek you out. I know Tor’al—El’am knows you, human Dason.

  “We had to be sure and among our people, where there is a question, two or more witnesses shall be sought out to determine the truth.”

  “And just what is the truth, Elder Ne’roth?” Jadar asked.

  For an instant, Ne’roth was silent, then he slammed a hand down on the table causing the table to quiver under the blow. “The truth is that that hothead To’ran demanded that the council accept Tor’al’s words and elevate him to be the St’ort He’scher!

  “When we refused, To’ran left the council and is now gathering the forces of the House of Tor’al to strike.”

  “To strike?” Dason dared ask in a hard tone. “Strike who? The Imperium?”

  Ne’roth stalked several paces away, turned, and rasped out, “In the message were the coordinates for several specific planetary systems where Tor’al said we could find these so-called human renegades.

  “Once he has gathered a sufficient battle group, To’ran intends to set course for those planets and carry out what he considers the lawful orders of the new Grand Elder.”

  Dason and Jadar locked eyes. “The scout recall sites,” Jadar stated flatly.

  Dason spun back to Elder Ne’roth. “Can’t you stop To’ran? He is going to kill innocent people on the basis of a lie.”

  “Stop To’ran?” Ne’roth growled. “At what cost, human Dason? To have Sha’anay fight Sha’anay? To have our own ships turn on each other, to have House turn on House? Did you not think that the council considered this?

  “We do not know what has happened to Tor’al, to our friend, and more importantly to our nation. This is tearing us apart, and we must stop it,” Ne’roth roared in frustration. “But how?”

  “Elder Ne’roth,” Dason began in an anxious voice, “what was in that message is a lie. I know for a fact that it wasn’t Tor’al that you saw in the recording, it was a trick.”

  “How do you know this?” Ne’roth demanded. “I told you that our scientists detected nothing amiss in the recording.”

  Dason turned to Jadar who spoke to Dason firmly, “You have to tell them, everything. There’s no holding back now.”

  With a little nod of agreement, Dason turned to the Sha’anay and in rapid words explained about their search for Tor’al.

  When he described the SimLife production facilities, Ne’roth leaned forward and held up a hand to stop Dason, his eyes boring into the young scouts. “This ‘SimLife’ that you describe—it can act, speak, as if it were a living being?”

  “That is what we believe, yes,” Dason replied. “Though the SimLifes that we are familiar with are not used to duplicate s
entient beings. That they would use such a creation in the manner that they have is repugnant and evil.”

  “If you know of this,” Ne’roth asked, “then do you know where they have taken Tor’al?”

  Dason glanced at Jadar, who gave him a tiny nod. Dason slowly answered, “For certain? No. But given what we have discovered, my belief is that he is on Earth.”

  “Your homeworld,” El’am stated.

  Dason glanced over at Jadar who faced the Sha’anay fully. “Yes, our home planet, but where on Earth is he exactly? We’re not sure, but I believe it can be only one of two places.”

  “Then we must go there and speedily,” Ne’roth stated in a no-nonsense tone. “The only way to stop To’ran is to find Tor’al and have him put an end to this madness.”

  “That is easier said than done,” Jadar replied. “I’m afraid that if you entered Imperium space with your ships, they would most certainly think that you are an attacking force and would respond in kind.”

  “What of your government? Can we not speak to them?” El’am asked.

  Jadar shook his head in response. “If you could, I would be the first to advise you to do so, but I’m afraid that our government too, seems to be in chaos. Much as you are experiencing division, so are we.

  “And, I hate to admit this, but it appears that at the highest levels of our government, an element of criminality has taken hold. I for one cannot trust them, and so I would caution you in the same vein.”

  “Then how do we resolve this?” Ne’roth questioned. “From my thinking, only the return of Tor’al can set matters straight and that means we either do it by brute force or covert action.

  “If our fleet is to be looked upon as hostile then we cannot take that course. But what if we attempted to slip through one ship to your homeworld?”

  “Improbable that it would succeed,” Jadar explained. “From our understanding, the Imperium has ringed our inner worlds and especially the planetary system where Earth lies, with a large fleet of warships.

  “They are under strict orders not to let any unauthorized ship pass through the interdiction screen.”

  Teng Rhee, who had stayed silent throughout the conversation, now spoke up. “We might not be able to get a Sha’anay ship through,” he quietly said to Jadar. “But there is one ship that we might be able to literally slip through.”

  “Do you honestly think it would work?” Jadar pressed.

  “Of a certainty, I can’t say,” Teng replied honestly, “but, if any ship can do it, then what’s sitting in the Intrepid’s hold is the one.”

  Jadar glanced at Dason who leaned toward him and muttered, “We’ve got to do something and quick or Tor’an will carry out his threat.”

  “Yes,” Jadar replied, “and I can understand now why the Sha’anay were in such a pickle over this. They’re caught right in the middle between an asteroid and a comet.”

  “Never heard that one before,” Teng snorted, “but it’s certainly apt.”

  Grim-faced, Jadar turned to the Sha’anay. “Elder Ne’roth, our companion here has suggested a plan, a way to accomplish what you propose, but we need to confer with several of our comrades on our ship, first.

  “Would you accept our word of honor that we will not try to contact anyone from the Imperium, nor attempt to leave this place, until we have had the opportunity to explore this possibility and report back to you?”

  Ne’roth’s large lips pursed together as he eyed the three humans. He centered his eyes on Dason. “I will accept the word of honor of the human Dason Thorne, of the House of Tor’al, son of Tor’al.”

  “And you have it, Elder,” Dason replied sincerely.

  “Then we will await your report.”

  The three humans rose, gave quick bows to Ne’roth and strode from the room. The ship’s passageways were so broad that they could walk three abreast, but no one spoke until they were in the shuttlecraft headed back to the Intrepid.

  Jadar peered with an intent expression at Teng. “You would be willing to use the SlipShip to try and run the fleet blockade?”

  “It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind initially,” Teng replied slowly. “But it would seem that events have forced our hand.”

  Skewing his mouth to one side he asked Jadar and Dason, “Can you think of a better use for it than to prevent or at least forestall a war between the Imperium and the Sha’anay?”

  He took a deep breath and muttered, “I can’t.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Star date: 2443.109

  In Orbit, Epsilon Four

  Holding himself to one side of the SlipShip control room, Dason stood watching as Jadar and Teng Rhee huddled with Commander Jeth, who sat in the pilot’s chair. On the vu-screen were the remnants of Navy’s scarred and torn fleet.

  Still in orbit around Epsilon Four, they served as grim and sad reminders of the savage battle above the Alpha Prime planet and as portents of what might happen again if the fleet sailed into harm’s way.

  After Dason’s urgent pleadings and solemn promises, Elder Ne’roth had allowed the IntrepidX to boost for Epsilon, though Ne’roth had made it clear that if the humans’ last-ditch effort to rescue Tor’al didn’t succeed, there was nothing he could do to stop To’ran.

  Ne’roth had placed one other condition on the humans—that El’am was to accompany the rescue team. Now he stood quiet and somber next to Dason, both of them observing the comings and goings aboard the SlipShip.

  There was a soft swishing sound to one side and Dason turned to find Admiral Stannick, accompanied by Shar Tuul and Brant Renn coming out of the ship’s liftor.

  Dason called out, “At ease, admiral on deck.”

  The three at the pilot’s console rose and turned toward the admiral. Stannick gave a quick nod to the assembled group and asked, “Ready to get underway? The clock’s ticking.”

  “Just finishing up, admiral,” Jadar replied. “We’re green across the board.”

  Stannick glanced around with a wan smile. “I honestly hate to give this beauty up, and I have to admit, I would love to take her out for a spin around the galaxy. But all things considered, if we lose it but avert a war with the Sha’anay, it’ll be worth the price.”

  She gave Teng a deliberate look. “As I promised, the hyperfold data, and the other, uh, ‘assets’ are in a safe place.”

  “Thank you,” Teng answered gratefully, “that’s one less worry on my mind.”

  “Well,” Stannick replied, “hopefully, when this all settles, we can make good use of what you brought back. I’ve done what I can on my end, now it’s up to you.”

  Shar came over to solemnly shake hands with Jadar. “Good luck, partner,” he said.

  “And the best to you, Shar,” Jadar responded. “Your job is every bit as tough as ours. I just hope you get through to our scouts, get the warning to them in time.”

  “Me, too,” Shar replied gravely. “But with communications being blocked, the only choice is to try and sneak a ship through the blockade and personally deliver the message.”

  They both turned to Stannick and Jadar said, “Admiral, thanks again for your help, without you, we—”

  Stannick cut him off with a quick wave of the hand. “Forget it,” she replied.

  “You just tell Rosberg when you see him that he owes me big-time and that he’s not to get the idea that this is going to be the norm around here. The Navy is not at his beck and call, you know.”

  Jadar grinned in reply. “I will, ma’am.” His face grew serious, and he asked, “Permission to set sail?”

  “Permission granted,” Stannick replied.

  She glanced around the control room with a somber expression. “We have a saying in the Navy that seems appropriate for this crew—may you have a fair wind at your back, may you steer clear of all shoals, and may the stars shine brightly to guide you on your way.”

  She returned their crisp salutes, turned, gave a bow of the head to El’am and then entered the liftor with Shar
Tuul.

  As Ten and Jadar went back to their discussion with Commander Jeth, Brant turned to Dason with a rueful expression. “You’ve been busy, scout.

  “That was quite the job you did, saving your team in that manner. By the way, how’re you feeling, any side effects from that very novel anti-radiation treatment?”

  Dason smiled at him. “None that I can tell. Sami keeps giving me the once-over, I think he’s expecting to see green tendrils or something similar start growing out of my head.”

  “Sami would,” Brant replied with a slight upturn of his mouth. “And your team? How do they feel about this mission? It’s a little different than anything we’ve ever trained for and that’s why it’s strictly a volunteer-only operation.”

  Dason met Brant’s questioning eyes. “A little different?” he replied. “Sir, that’s like saying Luna and Sol are both round, but just a little different in the way they look.”

  In clear terms, Dason understood his question. They were Star Scouts, sworn to uphold the Imperium’s lawful orders, and now they were about to make what could only be construed as an armed attack on the capital of the Imperium government.

  It was unsettling mentally, as well as emotionally and all of them had had to take a deep introspective look at whether or not they could participate in the mission.

  He took several breaths and then answered. “I admit we’re all a little anxious. No one has come right out and said it, but their mood seems to be that if we don’t do something, thousands of scouts could die, not to mention that the whole Imperium could be swept into war.”

  Brant nodded in understanding. “I have to admit that never in my wildest, strangest dreams could I ever have imagined that I would be part of what is essentially a strike team aimed at Earth.”

  Just then, Jadar’s strong voice spoke out, “Captain Federov; we’re ready here. Has the admiral’s shuttle cleared?”

  The vu-screen changed showing Captain Federov’s head and shoulders. “Aye,” he replied, “it has.”

  At that, Federov turned and ordered, “Helmsman, take us out. Course, three two two, mark seven one, one-half gravity.”