by Karl Morgan
Fa-a-Di slumped down in the seat. He turned to the captain, saying, “Je-e-Ka, I must apologize for taking your place.”
“General, there is no need for that,” Je-e-Ka replied. “I have studied your life since I was a young girl. My grandfather, Je-e-Bo, told me many tales about your exploits during the First Predaxian War. It is an honor to have you command my humble ship.”
“I don’t understand why those Palians chose to die for their Predaxian overlords,” Fa-a-Di said. “They could have run or surrendered. One ship facing forty is not survivable, even for the greatest general like your grandfather. What a waste of life!”
Kondimakaleys Manadeles, the lead maklan on Fa-a-Di’s team interrupted, “General, if I may tell you, we discovered the ship had one maklan for each Palian. The two hundred Palians on board had no hope for survival unless their masters gave up.”
“Now I have the blood of two hundred innocents on my hands,” Fa-a-Di said with his head down. “The Predaxians are a murderous parasite on our galaxy. God willing, we will win the day and stop their heinous crimes.”
“General, if I may interrupt you again,” Kondi said. “You have suffered a number of internal and external injuries. You need to be taken to sick bay immediately.”
“But what of the battle, Kondi?” he asked, the blood flowing more heavily from his head wounds.
“The battle for today is won, General,” she replied, but he did not respond. Kondi floated up and landed on Fa-a-Di’s chest. The general was unconscious. She glowed bright white and both jumped to sick bay.
Chapter 25
Dave Brewster was reviewing the latest reports on the odd Beings that attacked Ambassador Petrodus’s ship. There had been little progress over the last two days on deciphering their language. Three Kalidean star cruisers had arrived at the scene of the encounter to repair the Manila and assess the situation. After Manila had been repaired, one of the cruisers escorted her back to Kalidean space. Dave sipped his coffee as he flipped the pages. The remaining cruisers took high orbits over Planet 4 in the nearby system from which the fighters had come. Without landing on the planet or deciphering the language, there was little else they could do.
Charlie Watson entered the ready room with a bottle of Gallicean whisky and two glasses. He opened the bottle and sniffed the booze. His head snapped back. He poured two glasses and took a seat with Dave. “Hey Dave, this is on orders from Ambassador De-o-Nu. He wants us to contact him,” Charlie said.
Dave pressed a contact on his control panel and said, “Lia, please get De-o-Nu for us and put it in here.”
After a moment, the image of De-o-Nu appeared on their view screen. He had a glass of whisky in front of him as well. He looked very somber. “Brothers, I am happy you called. I have much news from the Alliance frontier, and not all is good.”
Dave looked at Charlie and then back to the screen, saying, “Please tell us, brother.”
“My brother-in-law has been badly injured during the attack on Localus,” De-o-Nu said. He raised his glass toward the screen. “I have been told that he will recover, but I would like to offer a toast to the greatest general in Greater Gallia’s history.”
Dave and Charlie raised their glasses. “To Fa-a-Di, our brother and dear friend,” Dave said. All three drank. “What happened, brother?”
“The battle for the planet had already been won. A single Alliance star cruiser chose to sneak behind the fleet and attack one of our ships. One ship attacking forty was a clear desire for death. Unfortunately the ship they chose to attack was the one that Fa-a-Di had moved his flag to,” De-o-Nu said. He poured himself another glass. “There were twenty Gallicean cruisers in that battle. The likelihood they would pick that one ship was very small. On that day, the course of God’s Will ran against my brother-in-law and that ship. One hundred other Galliceans died in the attack, along with forty maklans.”
“This is truly a terrible tragedy. The doctors have said that Fa-a-Di will recover though,” Charlie said.
“Yes, brother, but he has been evacuated to Gallia in order to get the very best medical attention. My wife is totally distraught. She is on one of my cruisers headed from Jupiter to the home world now. She will arrive there tomorrow,” De-o-Nu said. “Brothers, I am a soldier. I should have been with him fighting for my civilization. I feel so helpless being this far away. I have petitioned the Chiefs of Staff to go to the front, but they have denied my request.”
“We are very sorry about all of this, brother,” Dave said. “Any one of us would have gladly taken Fa-a-Di’s place if we could. What do we do now?”
“We sit back, drink a little whisky, cry a little, and then get on with our mission,” De-o-Nu said. “Fa-a-Di always told me a soldier must follow orders. Although it pains me greatly, I will follow mine.”
“We will pray for Fa-a-Di and all of the others who are fighting this battle in our place,” Charlie said. “In a few days, we will arrive at Tak-Makla, and hopefully we will find something that can help us in the crusade against Predaxian tyranny.”
“One maklan against another,” De-o-Nu sighed. “It reminds me of the textbooks I read as a child about life on Gallia before we moved into space. One tribe would try to kill others just for the shape of their wings or their accents. That same insanity has now followed us into space.”
“Our human past is littered with examples of the same thing, friend. Let us hope the maklans are an exception, brother,” Dave said. “After all, their society is billions of years old, and was forced to separate into five hundred different societies long ago.”
“I know Dave,” De-o-Nu said. “It is just the tears in my wife’s eyes and my many wonderful memories of the general have caused me to be very melancholy today.” De-o-Nu forced a smile onto his face, “Tomorrow will be a better day. I’ll drink to that,” he said, drinking the last of his glass of whisky. “I do have more news. Fa-a-Di sent a message while on Localus, after they had liberated the prisoners of war.”
“Please continue, brother,” Dave said.
“Apparently, Captain London, Commander Washington, and the maklan Mitch Nolobitamore had been prisoners on Localus,” De-o-Nu said. “According to the warden, they were moved elsewhere deep in Predaxian space weeks ago. I know that Commodore Washington, Captain Lake and Jake would like to know this.”
“We will let them know, De-o-Nu,” Dave replied. “It’s good to know they were alive not long ago. What was it that Lauren always used to say?”
“While there is life, there is always hope,” Charlie answered. “I heard her say that several times.”
“The captain is a smart woman,” De-o-Nu said. “Let us hope fate allows us to find them alive and return them to their loved ones. As a soldier, I know we must be prepared to deal with death and injury any time we wear our uniform. We all hope when the battle ends we will be able to resume normal lives. It is my sincere hope that ending Predaxian tyranny will usher in many millennia of peace for us all. Brothers, I have to admit my mood is greatly improved after talking to you both. I’ve been drinking since I heard the news about Fa-a-Di, so I must assume our friendship made the difference. Thank you for that.”
“It is our pleasure, brother,” Charlie said.
“One more thing I almost forgot, my brothers,” De-o-Nu said. “I sent one of my cruisers to help the Kalideans learn more about those crazy little humanoids that attacked us two days ago. This is amazing. The Kalideans are focusing on Planet 4 where the Beings live. My ship has sent probes and teams to the other worlds. We believe we have found evidence of ancient maklan ruins on three of them.”
“This is unbelievable,” Dave said. “I should tell Jake about this.”
“Don’t bother, Dave,” De-o-Nu said. “When I told Ambassador Cara about this, she started jumping teams from our ships to those planets. She told me we will still be in their jump range for two more days.”
“Great. When you said maklan, did you mean like our friends on No-Makla?” Charlie asked.
“That is the interesting part, brothers,” De-o-Nu smiled broadly. “Planet 5 is a Mars-like planet. Those ruins appear to be designed for Predaxian maklans. Planet 3 is more Earth-like. Those structures are similar to what you found on Golden Dawn. Planet 6 is more like Nom-Kat-La, a large solid planet with a dense atmosphere. The ruins there seem to have been built by a new species unlike anything we have seen. Do you remember those creatures grazing on the Ka-la-a on Jupiter?”
“Of course, brother, they were as big as trucks,” Dave said. “You don’t mean the maklans were that big?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean, Dave,” De-o-Nu said. “We have found fossils of exoskeletons where the body was five feet across, and the leg span was twenty feet. That’s as big as me!”
“This is incredible news, brother,” Dave replied. “If I discount the Tak-Makla and giant maklans, it still appears that Predax penetrated the galaxy more than we could have imagined. That is very dangerous.”
“Let us hope that Predax hasn’t already contaminated Tak-Makla. If they could turn such an advanced species into slave masters, all of our worlds are in desperate trouble. Fortunately, I don’t believe that could be the case. With their technology, they would have already taken over our home worlds. I’ll keep you updated on what we learn. Kong-Fa out!” De-o-Nu said as the screen went dark.
Chapter 26
Emperor Nokalez Zendo was insane with anger. He learned about the invasion and capture of Localus within hours of the battle. He cut short his vacation on Parax and immediately returned to Predax where he had his brother and Chief of Staff, Altamar and his son Dokalak arrested and exiled to Thuk, the prison planet. Knowing all of his generals to be incompetent, he assumed the job of Chief of Staff himself. Despite the pleading of his senior generals, he ordered almost all war ships to divert to Palus to push back the invaders. For their insubordination, the Emperor executed the generals who were not family members. The rest were sent to prison colonies throughout Predaxian space.
Admiral Branak Zendo, the emperor’s great nephew cautiously entered the throne room. Two days ago, he had been a Lieutenant on a cruiser protecting Predax, only six months out of the military academy. Now it was his job to manage the entire fleet. There had been constant complaining from the ship captains until they learned the fate of their former generals. “Your Majesty,” he squeaked, “you wanted to see me?”
“My dear nephew Branak, how are you today?” the emperor asked.
“I am well, Great Uncle,” he replied, keeping his eyes focused on the floor. “How can I help Your Majesty today?”
“Have our traitorous troops been incarcerated?” he asked.
“Yes sir,” Branak said. “Except Altamar and Dokalak. Their vessel is to arrive at Thuk in four hours.”
“Excellent! With those fools out of our business, we can win the day at Localus, don’t you think?” Nokalez smiled.
“Of course, Majesty,” Branak said. “We will have one hundred star cruisers on their way by the end of the day. The entire fleet is due to arrive at Palus in five days.”
“We can’t get there more quickly?” Nokalez asked.
“No, Majesty. The ships are coming from all different coordinates, some from as far as a thousand light-years. They need to find portals and make a series of jumps, while sharing the portals with other cruisers,” Branak said.
“Very well, I know it is complicated to move so many ships quickly. You are doing a fine job, nephew. I am very proud of you,” Nokalez smiled. “Pour us some brandy, Branak.”
Branak scurried over to the cabinet and filled two glasses. He realized that both had the same amount, so he carefully poured some of his back into the bottle. His great uncle, Altamar, had always trained him that the emperor must have the largest portion of everything. He walked quickly back to the emperor and handed him the full glass. The emperor pointed to a chair near the throne, and Branak gratefully sat down.
“To Predax and our victory,” the emperor said as he raised his glass toward Branak, who carefully touched his glass to the other. They both drank. Branak almost choked, since he seldom drank alcohol. “There, there boy, take it easy.”
“I am sorry, Majesty, I guess I’m not much of a drinker,” he replied.
“The taste of battle will change that. Now tell me of the enemy,” Nokalez said.
“They have thirty-eight surviving ships in orbit over Localus. Thirty five ships full of traitors will join them within the day,” Branak replied. “I can also report there are rumors that General Fa-a-Di of Gallia was killed in the attack on Localus.”
“Wonderful!” the emperor shouted. “That slug has been a stain on our civilization since our first encounter fifty years ago. If we can eliminate his friend, Je-e-Bo, we will have the advantage. It sounds like we have a strong edge for the coming battle. Pick our best ship and I shall move my flag there.”
“Emperor, do you think that is wise?” Branak asked. “You are far too important to lose in this battle. The empire will collapse without you at the helm.”
Nokalez patted Branak on the head gently, saying, “My great nephew’s concern is heart-warming. Thank you for that. However, I must put an end to the Gallicean threat once and for all. My other admirals and generals have proven themselves to be cowards and fools. With my leadership, we will win the day.”
“Yes, Majesty,” Branak replied, “in that case, I recommend the battle cruiser, Pondi. She is our newest ship with the best systems we have available. She also does not need aliens to man the systems. It was built for our species. I have served on her protecting the home world since I graduated.”
“That is an excellent choice, Branak. Please advise Captain Borka that I will join him on this trip. When is Pondi due to depart for Palus?” Nokalez asked.
“In six hours, Majesty,” he responded. “After our meeting, I will go there and make certain adequate preparations are made for you, Emperor.”
“Thank you, Branak. I was saddened to hear that your mother was captured on Localus. She is a loyal Predaxian. I sincerely hope we will rescue her after our glorious victory. Now go off and do what you need to do. Your great uncle is tired and needs some rest. Please have Captain Borka send a shuttle for me when Pondi is ready,” Nokalez said. Branak left as quickly as his legs would carry him. Nokalez refilled his brandy glass and swallowed the contents. He sat down and smiled broadly. Now was the time for his revenge on the filthy Galliceans. All of his ships would descend on them like locusts and kill them all. Then it would be time to move against the Kalideans and the humans.
Chapter 27
Sirens sounded in the darkness of the cell buried in the center of the dead planet, Thuk. Lauren, Wally, Mitch and Pan were jostled awake by the sounds, and they crouched in the darkest corner of the room. A brilliant flash of light blinded them and they turned their heads away. Pan touched the sensor to activate the room’s lighting.
In the far side of the room were five Predaxians and ten pallets. Three of the Predaxians were wearing battle gear and armed, while the other two were in shackles. After a moment, Pan’s eyes grew accustomed to the light. He smiled and walked toward the group. “Uncle Altamar and cousin Dok, what a pleasure to have you come to visit,” he said.
Commander Bandamar Nostra, the leader of the armed Predaxians, leveled his blaster at Pan. “Don’t come any closer prisoner, or I will be forced to stun you!” he shouted.
Pan stopped in his tracks. “Relax pal,” Pan began, “can’t a guy say hello to his family without getting shot around here? Besides, you guys have the guns and someone up in space to jump you out. I’m not a threat to you.” He turned to Dok and asked, “What’s going on here Cousin?”
“Dad and I were arrested, Pan,” Dok said. “The Galliceans and their allies invaded our territory and captured Localus and thousands of our agents. Your dad got so mad that he killed or exiled all of his generals. We were lucky enough to be the emperor’s family, or we’d be dead now. Do you remember o
ur dorky nephew Branak?” Pan nodded. “He is now an admiral in charge of the entire fleet! Can you believe that?”
“Enough chatter, you two,” Bandamar said. “We need to set up our quarters now.”
“Quarters? You mean you are going to be staying here? Why in heaven’s name would you want to stay here?” Pan asked.
Bandamar thought for a moment and shook his head. He put his blaster in its holster and dropped his weapon belt to the floor. He signaled for the other two guards to do the same. “Prince Panoplez, we are stuck here with you now,” he whimpered. “We were ordered by the emperor to bring these two here and leave them and these supplies. It’s crazy out there. The emperor has ordered all war ships to Palus to mass and take back Localus and then invade Greater Gallia,” he continued as he removed the shackles from his prisoners. “With no deterrents, pirates and other societies are starting to attack our frontiers. A Pryrrian cruiser caught up to us two hours ago. They fired at us repeatedly until our shields failed. We barely had time to pull these supplies together and jump ourselves down here before they boarded. I set the self-destruct, but they may have disabled it, I just don’t know.” He slumped down to the floor and covered his eyes.
“Hey pal,” Pan said as he sat next to the other. “Don’t sweat it, man. I’ve been here ten solar cycles. You brought a ton of supplies and I’m sure someone will find us eventually.” Pan rose and looked through the pallets. He pulled a box off one and opened it, pulling out a bottle of brandy. He sat next to Bandamar again and opened the bottle, taking a big drink. Then he passed the bottle to the distraught commander. “Here, drink some of this. It will improve your mood. And just call me Pan. I am certainly not a prince anymore.”
Bandamar took a long drink, sat back and sighed. “Thanks, Pan. You can call me Bandy. The other guys on my team are Kanka and Faloo.” The others waved weakly at Pan, who smiled back at them. “Somehow I doubt that. Not that many people know about Thuk. It was kept very secret because your father didn’t want anyone to find and rescue you. I am only one of four ship captains who know where this place is. Several generals knew it, but they are all now dead or imprisoned. I think this will be our tomb.”