Space Fleet Sagas Foundation Trilogy: Books One, Two, and Three in the Space Fleet Sagas

by Don Foxe

  The people exiting the shuttle greeted Prince Yauni warmly, Coop bringing up the rear.

  He noticed Cindy wore battle fatigues and appeared flush. Mags also wore black BDUs, but could not suppress her snide humor. The black baseball cap keeping her wavy locks under cover had FU embroidered in the same shade of black as the cap’s cloth. When she turned away to talk to Sparks, the small lettering on the back of the cap read FURMAN UNIVERSITY.

  “I came to Fell to show our friends new developments by our scientists,” Yauni said. “I did not expect to see Daniel Cooper. I heard of your attack. I am pleased to see it failed.”

  “It’s good to see you, too, Yauni. I planned on visiting Rys as soon as possible to solve a riddle that has bothered me for months. Why did you give Earth such a large quantity of valuable crystals?”

  The Rys Prince obviously did not expect the question.

  “We gave a fair trade in exchange for your help in defending Rys against the Zenge and their Mischene overlords,” Yauni replied. “We also received twelve tachyon cannons to maintain our defenses. I think the crystals we provided barely sufficient in payment for our freedom.”

  “You are galactic traders,” Coop said quietly, walking away from the others, the giant Lisza Kaugh moving with him. “Your existence revolves around the art of deal-making. Your credo, the goal of every civilization when making a trade, is to get the better deal. You provided top quality crystals, and a lot of them. You sent your best cutters to Mars with them to teach our people ways to better cut and polish them. You provided information and training to help Earth produce smaller crystals to power systems more efficiently than our out-dated energy sources and bulky batteries. Why?”

  “I told you why, Captain Cooper,” the Prince said, standing upright to appear more menacing.

  Coop responded by relaxing. His body language expressing how unimpressed he found Yauni’s greater size.

  “You made a trade with a human-avatar acting as an ambassador. A girl with no experience in deal-making of any kind. I expected her, with Tasha Korr’s assistance, to keep you busy until I returned from Fell. I came back to find an agreement reached. She received everything the UEC wanted for their cannons and their help. Everything, and a lot more.”

  Coop placed his right hand on top of the butt of the knife sheathed on his belt. It did not represent an immediate threat, but the willingness to go further for answers.

  “Yauni,” Coop leaned toward the giant and said, “you, your father, your race are not foolish enough to allow a trade-novice walk away with the better deal, even with a Venterran’s guidance. But you are a fool if you think I don’t recognize a long play.”

  “Long play?” the Prince asked.

  “You gave the UEC technology and help, expecting Earth would become dependent on crystals. They would become our primary source for future technological expansion. A move done to create another world dependent on your product, and improve your position in future trades. I get that. But you also gave us more crystals than we asked for. That is partially why the UEC feels comfortable putting you at arms’ length while they go through a political change. Earth now possesses enough crystals for their current and short-term future needs. That was probably an unexpected development. Monarchies rarely understand governments that change with the whims of the population are apt to set aside the agreements of a previous administration.”

  Yauni listened to Coop’s monologue. He did not stop him to issue denials, but he also did nothing to confirm his story.

  “The long play had to be more than just creating a new market, otherwise you would not have given the amount of quality crystals you did. You have something better, or a way to improve what you have beyond the capabilities of what you sent to Earth,” Coop concluded.

  “Even if that were true,” Yauni replied, “we still acted fairly. We gave more than requested, and we gave quality. We sent our best experts to train your people in new methods of shaping the crystals.”

  “Those same experts could then learn secrets from our people regarding the shaping of crystals for space-fold arrays,” Coop countered.

  “I wasn’t there when you inspected a crystal used for space-fold, but I saw the video. You had never seen one this finely cut and shaped. You admitted your cutters could not have accomplished it. You sent industrial spies, Yauni, not consultants.”

  “I told my father you would have doubts,” the Royal answered.

  The seven-footer tossed something to Coop, who caught it in his right hand. He opened his fist to reveal a black crystal in a marquise cut.

  “A black diamond?” Coop asked.

  “In appearance only,” Yauni answered. “This is not a carbon-based mineral. It demonstrates similar properties to diamonds, such as hardness and brilliance. It possesses enhanced properties for thermal conductivity and electron mobility superior to those of naturally formed crystals, or any synthetic minerals ever tested on Rys.”

  “Silicon-based?” Coop asked.

  “Similar,” Yauni replied, “but more capable than silicon crystals to both conduct and insulate electron flow. It’s something new, and only found on Neuvarusry.”

  “The mining planet colonized by Dwards. Where you were captured when the Zenge attacked,” Coop said. “They knew about this new element?”

  “It doesn’t appear so. They obviously thought we were mining for something valuable. The Dwards they captured told them they were still exploring, and had not yet discovered anything of value. The Zenge recently abandoned Neuvarusry,” Yauni added. “When a scout ship reported the Zenge departure, we sent a team in to help the survivors. The Zenge never realized the black ingots thrown around the surface were the prize.”

  “You have the next generation crystal power source,” Coop surmised.

  “Power source, battery, storage, transmission, insulation, and illumination properties superior to anything else known. Carbon-crystal based, or otherwise,” Yauni replied. “The one you hold can power a laser blaster for one-thousand-hours of continual use.”

  The prince turned and walked back toward the group left standing between the shuttle and the Wraith. He reached out a hand to Shah who handed him her sidearm.

  Turning to Cooper, who followed, he asked, “May I have your laser side-arm, please?”

  Unafraid the big Lisza Kaugh would use his weapon against him, Coop slid it from its holster and handed it over, grip first.

  “Effective weapon, but heavy for even me,” he said. “The battery pack weighs close to fifteen-pounds.” The pack consisted of a large, rectangular block set below the barrel and in front of the trigger guard holding aluminum graphite batteries with gold nanowire cores. “It provides the energy necessary to fire the pistol for ten hours of continual use. It makes the weapon inaccurate because the weight tires your hand and arm.”

  “It also makes it difficult to carry,” Cindy Shah said. “The weight and size is why I rarely carry a sidearm.”

  “The energy passes through a converter to create an electron particle beam. The beam is refocused twice, then emitted as a laser capable of acting as a slice and cut beam by holding the trigger down, or in bursts that burn into targets,” Yauni concluded his review. He produced the pistol he accepted from Shah.

  The grip and trigger much the same, but a small square box set in front of the trigger guard and below a much shorter barrel. Another box, this one rectangular and the same width but three times longer than the first box, abutted the first box, its top against the barrel. The entire length of the pistol eight to nine inches.

  Yauni handed the pistol to Coop.

  “It weighs less than three pounds,” he said; a combination of surprise and respect in the discovery. “Specs?”

  “The small box holds a black diamond. It acts as battery, conductor, and insulator. It is charged by emersion in an electron bath and holds the charge until used. It powers and transmits the electrons into the optical focus array in the larger box. The array focuses and transmits a
laser beam. Cut and slice or bursts. One-thousand-hours of continual use before the diamond must receive a refresher bath.”

  “Yauni gave it to Mags and me to try out,” Shah said. “Easier to carry. Light enough that long-term use is less tiring and aim doesn’t suffer. Speaking of aim, you can hold the pistol in a double-handed grip or place one hand on the front array box like a machine-pistol.”

  Yauni pointed across the open field to several small containers strewn about. A distance of fifty-yards.

  “Your friends set up targets and awaited your return by practicing.”

  “It is too cool to explain, Coop,” Mags chimed in. “The difference is incredible. Do you want us to set more targets out for you?”

  In response, Coop raised the pistol in the rear-grip double hand method and took a shooter’s stance. He locked on half a red container that once held food. A laser burst sizzled into the edge, slicing a bit more alloy off. Coop adjusted for height, movement, wind, the lighter weapon weight, and easy trigger pull. The next ten shots split left-over targets.”

  “Impressive,” Prince Yauni said.

  “You knew about the properties and potential for black diamonds when we arrived on Rys,” Coop said. “But your source was under Zenge control. Why give so many crystals to Earth?”

  “I convinced my Father to part with more than required for the deal. My time among humans was enlightening. I felt we needed to give you crystals to improve your defensive and offensive capabilities.”

  “In order to confront the Zenge,” Coop said.

  “And eventually help us reclaim Neuvarusry,” Yauni added. “I also knew of your ability to shape crystals for use in laser-array technology. Your people tend to boast. We wanted our best cutters to access to your techniques, and then use them on the black diamond ingots.”

  “Which is why you offered their help. You needed to learn new skills from our people on Mars. The long plan was, one, get us to fight another battle for you. Two, become dependent on crystal-based weapons and crystal energy sources. Three, provide you with the means necessary to better develop the raw materials, and, finally, four, demonstrate the new and improved crystals, hoping we would be willing to trade up to including space-fold technology in order to purchase them from you.”

  “Most of which has already occurred,” Yauni said. “Except the Zenge simply left Neuvarusry unaware of what they had within their possession. Then the UEC and Space Fleet cut off communications. We have a tachyon system capable of only receiving transmissions, and not responding. We were told Earth would call when ready to re-open communications.”

  “Don’t call us, we’ll call you,” Coop said. “An old Earth tactic used by people not interested in what you have to say.”

  “Which is too bad,” Yauni said. “While we were acting as traders with, as you say, a long plan, we do not act without honor. It is all part of deal-making, and Earth will learn soon enough how to bargain and protect assets. Rys would have been happy to reach trade agreements. We appreciate what your people did for ours,” Yauni added with emphasis. He wanted, needed Coop to believe him.

  “We would never give up space-fold technology,” Coop told them. “It is our ace against the rest of the galaxy.”

  “One should never say never,” Yauni said. “Space-fold is an ultimate goal, but not the only trade value humans have. We would barter for other goods, and we would honor a mutual-defense pact and alliance at the same time. But now, we have no idea what is happening.”

  “Things happened too fast for humans to grasp,” Coop explained. “We went from slowly moving out into our own solar system to suddenly forced into the middle of a galactic war. Humans had to deal with discovering we were not alone in the universe. It shook the foundations of many of our belief systems. We asked normal people who recently experienced a world-wide pandemic, and a new government to now accept aliens as neighbors.”

  Coop placed the Rys pistol in the huge hand of the hairy mountain in front of him. He accepted his back in return.

  “It festered, but eventually people decided they wanted a break from the pace,” he said, continuing the explanation of the sudden break in communications. “They demanded leaders take charge and reel everything in, calm everything down. Politicians and military people who echoed the call for isolationism moved into positions of power.”

  “My father was right when he once told you,” Yauni said, placing a paw on the smaller man’s shoulder, “it is much better for a population to be ruled by one king and told how best to think.”

  “You will make Rys wealthy all over again,” Sky said, having listened to the conversation between Coop and the Lisza Kaugh, as did everyone else. “If the new black crystals are all as impressive as this little one, every world will want to update their systems.”

  “If the Mischene and Zenge hear about them, they’ll return in force,” Coop added.

  “We have no plans on telling others about our discovery,” Yauni assured him. “Not until the turmoil within our galaxy is much more settled. Rys recognizes Earth represents the best chance for stopping the Zenge, whether they are puppets of the Mischene, or another renegade group. Because we trust you, Daniel Cooper, I came to Fell to deliver a dozen new laser pistols and a dozen shoulder-fire laser rifles with replacement crystals. I also bring the instructions to build an electron bath to replenish the crystals once they are depleted. I intended for your friends on Fell to pass them along to you. Your presence is more than simple luck. Destiny is on our side.”

  “The trade for these weapons?” Coop asked.

  “A promise. You must promise to do everything in your power to bring an end to the Zenge, regardless of who controls them,” Yauni said.

  “I no longer represent Earth, Yauni,” Cooper told him. “In fact, I might be considered a criminal by those in power.”

  “It doesn’t change my opinion or the offer,” the older Lisza Kaugh said. “Earth will need to discover its center, and face these creatures. You must promise to help your people understand Earth arrived earlier than expected to a galaxy in turmoil because they have a role to play.”

  “I promise to try,” Coop said. “I promise to do everything I can to stop the Zenge, with or without Earth’s involvement,” he added.

  “That is enough for trade,” the Prince said. “I have one more surprise we discovered when experimenting with the newly cut black diamonds.”

  CHAPTER 26

  MARS SHIPYARD AND DOCKS

  Benny Claflin pressed his eyes towards the bridge of his nose while the hand beneath his chin pressed upward and the back of his fingertips stitched his mouth shut. His elbow supported the weight of his head, his desk supporting the elbow.

  His dark eyes scanned the arrivals and departures lists for MSD. As Chief of Security he could access everything from shuttle delivery manifests to incoming and outgoing communications, both official and personal.

  “What bothers you?” Muna Halim, Claflin’s First Officer asked. The Sudanese sat on the sofa in the Chief’s office, his feet comfortably crossed atop low table.

  “The last two scheduled shuttles from Earth are delayed,” the Brit answered. “Communications from Fleet HQ are thirty-one-percent below average.”

  “Paranoia,” Halim’s snicker followed the pronouncement. “Hawks is on his way to make history, and the Camarilla is within days of pulling the pins that support the UEC. Shuttles often get delayed, and with the CVBG deployed, communications will be reduced to make sure channels remain open. Fleet will be listening more than talking.”

  “I haven’t heard from our people on Earth in days,” Claflin added, moving his hand to rub his shaved crown.

  “Not unexpected. This near to finalizing years of planning, I’m sure Hadritak is keeping everyone close and quiet.”

  “You’re probably right. A cock up now would pot the whole thing. Still, paranoia has its place. Who do we have on watch?”

  “Current rotation has thirty-six agents on duty. Fourteen are C
amarilla,” Halim answered without need of checking his duty roster. “About the right break since fifty-four of the one-forty-four on staff are in the loop.”

  “This is interesting,” Claflin said. “Coms reports the 89 is requesting dock space.”

  The Sudanese sat up. “Black is supposed to remain on patrol as long as the battle group is gone,” he said.

  “They’re reporting a flaw in a space-fold crystal,” Claflin repeated the information on his screen. “They have a replacement on board, but want to make sure they have a back-up.”

  “Makes sense,” Halim replied. “Amanda Black is the most cautious Captain in the Fleet. You would think shagging the Admiral would make her take more chances.”

  “The Macdonald left EMS2 a couple of hours ago after making another unscheduled stop. They discovered a flawed crystal after departure. Call six of our off-duty people,” The Chief ordered. “Our people, Muna, not regulars. I’m going to meet the 89. Stay here and keep your ears and eyes open.”

  The Security Command Center sat near the center of the MSD hub. Shipbuilding yards fanned out on either side of the axel, with piers extended further into space with dockage for ships and shuttles.

  Claflin, escorted by a half-dozen agents loyal to him and not Space Fleet, needed an hour to travel the distance, arriving thirty-minutes after the 89 engaged magno-locks. They strode down the interior corridor toward the 89’s gangplank. Very few contractors or Fleet personnel worked inside the corridor, the PT-89 the only ship currently docked on this pier.

  Lt. Heidi McCormack passed Claflin’s team headed back toward the pier gates. She gave a nod of recognition, but did not slow down. Benny watched the stunning blonde for a long moment, before returning his attention to the two people in conversation at the airlock ahead.

  Captain Black, long, tall, thin, and serious talking with Lt. Commander Henry Smith, MSD’s Supply Officer. A large, thick contrast to the female officer.