The Dave Brewster Series

by Karl Morgan

  “Well, I can’t wait to get there,” Dave said. “So far this adventure seems a lot like our journey to Andromeda. Something strange happens every minute. When do we leave?”

  De-o-Nu laughed, “We left already, Dave. I told Ka-a-Fa to leave orbit as soon as you two appeared in this cabin. My breather is running out of air, so I’m heading back to the bridge now. Outside your door, there is a pressure chamber. When you want to leave the room, put on your breather in here. There is a short delay to open the door while the chamber atmosphere is changed to match yours. Once you are in the chamber and the door is closed behind you, the atmosphere will change again and the outer door will open. Please have Jake double-check your equipment though. We don’t want any surprises. I’ll see you later. We are dining in Fa-a-Di’s cabin at 1800 hours. Feel free to wander the ship and talk to my crew or come to the bridge. As our Supreme Fleet Admiral and an honorary Gallicean Marine, everyone will be thrilled to meet you. Bye now.” De-o-Nu pressed the button on the door. After a few seconds, it opened and he left the room.

  “Here we are, old friend,” Dave told Jake. “The good news is there will be plenty of Gallicean whisky for you here.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Jake laughed. “We maklans can’t eat normal food with our tendrils. But can I talk to you about something, Dave?”

  “Certainly Jake. What’s on your mind?” he replied.

  “All of this seems oddly familiar to me,” Jake began. “The Galliceans get strong feelings from the two planets. Something external is definitely affecting Fa-a-Di. His reaction to the plight of the Boley is too strong. I know the Predaxians have given up their mind control and there is no evidence the Maklakar have that ability. But something is going on here.”

  “Have you heard about the time eddies now affecting some of the portals?” Dave asked. “That seems to be another anomaly that can’t be explained.”

  “No, I hadn’t heard that. But time eddies are a strong sign that tampering with space-time is occurring. Do you remember Fola Untor, the shopkeeper and Chief Engineer?” Jake asked.

  “Of course. I’m still confused by his comment that Chief Engineers can mask events to Hive agents,” Dave replied. “I think it was Rence Rialto who told me traveling in time and returning at the same moment can create time eddies. Do you think that’s part of this?”

  “Probably, Dave,” Jake sighed. “Right now we have many more questions than answers. Hopefully we will learn more on Gallicea. Time travel and contact with time travelers can negatively affect mood and health. We maklans are very sensitive to those things, so my presence should be helpful.”

  “Jake, since Fa-a-Di is already impacted, do you think we should have Mitch jump over and keep an eye on him?” Dave asked.

  “Great idea, Dave. We should still be in range of Nightsky. I’ll communicate with him now,” Jake said, who began to glow bright blue. After a moment, he said, “Here’s Mitch now.” The second maklan floated through the air and landed next to Jake.

  “Perfect,” Dave said. “Mitch, please go find Fa-a-Di and ask him to let you stay with him. Jake will give you all the details. In the meantime, I’m going to put on my breather and take a look around.”

  “Just let me know if you need us,” Jake said.

  “Of course, my friend,” he replied as he slipped the breather over his face and checked the readings on the heads-up display. Then he walked to the door and went to explore the ship.

  Chapter 7

  The battle station Mondor continued its trek from Zia-Makla, some fifteen thousand light years behind them. Ambassador Ont Valoo sat quietly in his office deep in the center of the massive planetoid. It had been months since they had left home on their journey to find and make peace with their neighbors. In their desperate attempt to mask their point of origin, they had side-stepped two maklan planets which were deemed too close to Maklakar space to risk contact. The top priority Ont had received from Supreme General Ulon Porto was to keep the location of the Maklakar systems a secret. All Maklakar knew if the Paxran found them, the genocide would begin again. Ont was still confused how he would maintain secrecy while negotiating for peace with another civilization. But he was an old man who had been given the job he had always dreamed of. The Maklakar could not remain hidden on the edge of the galaxy forever. Other civilizations were bound to find them eventually. He was saddled with the responsibility for forging alliances with others who would fight the Paxran with them.

  A tone sounded on his control panel and he pressed a button, causing the door to open. Vard Kalak, his trusted assistant and commander of the battle station entered the office with a bottle of whisky and two glasses. “Lord Valoo, I have brought a drink for a celebration,” Vard said. “We are approaching a system that includes a valakar civilization. I have just received approval from Oti-Makla to make contact.”

  “That is great news, Vard,” he replied. “I could use a drink. We’ve been traveling a long time without reaching out to anyone. I was beginning to think this trip was a waste of time. Have we been hailing the planet or have they attempted to contact us?” Ont asked as Vard passed him a glass of whisky.

  “We began hailing them a few minutes ago, Ont,” Vard replied. “Our sensors indicate several star cruisers are headed this way to intercept us. That’s a great sign! They have a sophisticated stellar fleet. They may have the capability to help defend us from the Paxran.”

  A second tone sounded on the ambassador’s panel and he pressed another button. The image of Uli Habol, the communications officer appeared on his view screen. “Lord Valoo, we are receiving communication from the valakar planet. I’ve sent the signal to our computers to develop a translation protocol. We have sent a translation signal to them as well.”

  “Excellent, Uli,” Ont replied. “What is the status of their approaching ships?”

  “They will intercept us in one hour, sir,” she said. “Their defensive arrays are fully active, but their weapons systems are offline. What are your orders, sir?”

  “Steady as she goes, Uli,” Ont replied. “Commander Kalak is here with me now. As their ships get closer, bring down our speed so we are at a full stop when they arrive. Hopefully, that will give us enough time to have a large translation database available. The commander and I will be on the bridge soon. Valoo out.” He smiled broadly and turned to face the commander. “This is the beginning my friend.” He raised his glass to touch the other and sipped the drink. “This is exceptional whisky, Vard. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

  “Lord Valoo, you have been my mentor since the academy. This is only a minor token of my appreciation for your support,” Vard smiled. “But may I speak to you in private for a moment?”

  “Of course, Vard. We are alone now,” Ont said, somewhat surprised by the turn of the conversation.

  Vard pulled a small device from his pocket, set it on the desk, and pressed the single button. The button began to glow red. “That’s better,” he said.

  “You need a privacy shield?” Ont asked. “That seems very irregular, old friend.”

  “Lord Valoo,” the commander began, “you have to know Supreme General Porto has filled this ship with his spies. I believe he has a different goal for this trip and has his agents here to make certain you and I don’t get in his way.”

  Ont laughed heartily. “Of course I know all of that, dear friend. Remember that I trained Ulon and his protégés at the academy. But you and I know our current situation in the Maklakar region is untenable. Eventually, the Paxran will find us. That may happen many generations in the future, but our inaction will still be the cause of our ultimate destruction. If you recall, I fought strenuously against the attack on Tak-Makla and the Gallicean system. How stupid could Ulon be to attack civilizations that don’t know or care about us? That’s why I sent the fleet of old ships to the Nom-Kat-La system. If Ulon had investigated further, he would have found the ships were unmanned. Even if the Galliceans turned out to be timid and peaceful, I couldn�
�t let us attack them. It would have been the same on Tak-Makla, but Ulon insisted that his grandson lead that attack. That stupid decision will make it virtually impossible to get the alliances we need.”

  “You don’t think the spies on board will try to attack other planets and blame it on us?” Vard asked.

  “No, not at all,” Ont replied. “They are here to keep an eye on us and make certain we don’t divulge the location of our systems. I’m no fool. I would never do that. They will likely try to glean any information from our new contacts about the Paxran or the Hive technology we destroyed on Tak-Makla. If they are caught by our new partners, our mission will likely fail utterly. You and I will be blamed for that here and on Oti-Makla. I don’t mind that happening to me. I’m an old man and the opportunity to take this voyage has already made my life worthwhile. However, I want you to get to know the spies better. I want you to be their friend. If all of this falls to pieces, I hope the blame will be placed entirely on me. You should be able to go home and keep your honor.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that, Lord Valoo,” Vard said. “I don’t think I can stand by while you are disgraced.”

  “Let’s not think about any of that now. Please pour some more whisky for me, Vard.” Both glasses were refilled. Ont leaned back in his chair and savored the whisky. “Let us concentrate on doing our job right. If we can find some new friends to be a buffer between us and the Paxran, we will be heroes to all the Maklakar worlds. We will deny and rebuff any actions of the spies that threaten our treaties. Even General Porto would expect us to do that. If we overcome those issues, we will find more worlds to partner with. And if we are extremely lucky, we will be able to befriend the maklans of Tak-Makla and the Galliceans, and overcome the events of the past.” Both men sipped their whisky again. “Vard, you should go back to the bridge now. I will join you shortly.” He tapped the button on the privacy device and the light went out.

  Chapter 8

  “Rainor, my old friend, I think you are being difficult on purpose,” Passor Valka said. “You have to remember I was your predecessor as President of the Ela High Council. You wouldn’t be sitting in that chair if not for me and my friends.”

  “Things have changed in the Society, Passor,” Rainor smiled. “The High Council of the Society is in shambles. You have been disgraced and expelled from Earth Prime. Your precious Brotherhood has been outlawed. Now you not only want me to allow you to stay here on Narta Ela, but you also want us to give asylum to Brotherhood agents. I think you ask too much, old friend. I do appreciate your mentorship and support, but I don’t think I can do what you ask.”

  “The asylum is temporary, Rainor,” Passor replied. “I keep saying that but you do not hear. The Brotherhood has other plans, but we need time to make bring them to fruition. Now, planetary leaders around the Society are rounding up agents and throwing them in prisons without charges. This is a great miscarriage of justice that cannot be allowed to continue.”

  “I feel your pain, Passor, but these times are very difficult for everyone. None of us can count on defense from the Society. We have been acquiring new cruisers as quickly as the Ulu planets can produce them. There are thirty ships in orbit here now to protect the Ela Council,” Rainor said. “We used to rely on Lagamar Ulu to sell us a cruiser every two months. Now, they are building ships for their own defense.”

  “Please don’t mention the Lagamar system, Rainor,” he replied. “Those planets and Nan are responsible for the current situation. That’s why I need to protect the Brotherhood agents. They are the only ones who understand the situation and can get those planets to pay for what they have done.”

  “Now you are being foolish,” Rainor laughed. “I have seen the video of the Grand Conclave. Admiral Dave Brewster and the Galliceans had hard evidence to prove the High Council was at fault all around. They made you and the Brotherhood look like fools. The Lagamar planets were the victims, not you.”

  Passor laughed. “Rainor, you are the foolish one. The Brotherhood will not go quietly. I have spoken with the Supreme Leader and he is already devising plans to extract our revenge from those who have harmed us. Which side do you want to be on when that day arrives?”

  Rainor went to his credenza and withdrew a bottle of whisky and two glasses. He poured two glasses and offered one to his guest. “Please be reasonable, Passor. You know you are putting me and this planet in a terrible position. Being known as the only planet giving asylum to the Brotherhood will make us a pariah in the galaxy. We will lose all of our trading partners. The enemies of the Brotherhood will accelerate their purchases of cruisers and come here to attack them. Eventually, the other Ela planets will abandon us and another will be named the capital. Is that what you want?”

  “You know I don’t want that, old friend,” Passor replied. “There is no need to advertise any asylum for the Brotherhood. The Supreme Leader and I will let the agents know. Perhaps there is an out of the way spot where we can settle temporarily. We will also need two Hives, but the Supreme Leader can manage that. Hopefully, we will all be off Narta Ela within six months. Then you can go back to your normal life, confident that the Brotherhood will always count you as their friend.”

  “Okay, Passor, I can support that plan,” Rainor sighed. “Please keep this very quiet and make certain the agents do not try to mingle with the permanent residents, unless they are Ela, of course. There is no need to raise any suspicions. And six months is the limit. After that, you all need to be gone.”

  “Thank you, Rainor. That will be satisfactory. I told you we could negotiate to an acceptable solution for both of us,” Passor said as he raised his glass to touch the other. “Let’s drink to our success.”

  “Cheers,” Rainor said as he tapped the other glass. “Passor, you know more about the situation throughout the Society than I. What do you think the future looks like? Frankly, I’m terrified that we will collapse into anarchy.”

  “It’s not good,” he replied. “Without the semblance of central command and control, the planets are lost and confused. The Councils for the different races are totally ineffective, since their planets are so widely disbursed. You are very lucky to have five Ela planets close the Narta Ela. The only strong spot is the Lagamar-Nan Alliance. Other regions are trying to do the same thing, but it’s a slow process, as most of the races never have trusted one another.”

  “It is a real tragedy that the High Council did not embrace Wendo Balak’s plan for the Free Society long ago. Perhaps this could have all been avoided,” Rainor sighed.

  “I know that now,” Passor replied. “But Wendo’s plan never had a chance when he was on the High Council. By that time, the Council was so entrenched with their personal power they could not see the end coming. When I was elected President, my predecessor told me to just try and hold things together and to use the Brotherhood to help. And that’s what I did. Unfortunately, my term coincided with the end. Fate has not been kind to me.”

  “I have heard relationships with the nearby valakar planets are also at risk,” Rainor said. “Once again, I’m fortunate to be deep in Society space.”

  “Only the Bandabar are causing trouble,” Passor replied. “They have been trying to develop Hive technology for a long time. Now they see the opportunity to steal it from us while we are weak. My last executive order was to remove all mobile Hives from their frontier; however, there is one planetary Hive in the region. That is a big problem.”

  “Well, taking over a Hive is not the same as understanding it,” Rainor said. “Let’s hope they fail in their efforts or at least can’t understand what they have.”

  “Hope is a rare commodity in the Society these days,” Passor replied. “That is why we have decided to flee the home galaxy. Without a miracle, it seems likely that military dictatorships will rise and fight among themselves for ultimate power. I have heard that High Priest Obu Neela of Lagamar Ulu has predicted ten thousand years of conflict. Although it pains me, I must agree with him. We need a
strong defense to protect our frontiers from invaders now. Instead, those forces will be focused on infighting, leaving our borders exposed. We may lose hundreds if not thousands of planets before we wake up and fight the invaders.”

  “Leaving the galaxy seems extreme, Passor,” Rainor replied, “Although I can’t argue with the conclusion. Unfortunately, with trillions of Ela counting on me for leadership, I cannot run and hide.”

  Passor laughed. “We won’t be hiding, old friend. We will be planning and rebuilding in preparation for our return. If we stay here though, our enemies in the Society will not give us the luxury of time. Any delay in our plans will make the remnants of the Society weaker. Plus, we have other enemies who must pay for their crimes.”

  “You’re going after Admiral Brewster and the Galliceans, right?” Rainor asked. “I think that’s a terrible error, Passor. I think they were more than a match for you the first time. Why risk a second embarrassment?”

  “First of all, I cannot comment on where we are going,” Passor replied. “As you know, the Brotherhood has enemies in other galaxies besides Ulagong. The Supreme Leader knows best and I’ll leave it to him to make those decisions. I must caution you not to ask more questions in this regard. The less you know the better. Call it plausible deniability. But if you must know more, I can call the Supreme Leader to initiate you into the Brotherhood?”

  “That won’t be necessary, old friend,” Rainor said. “Let’s end this meeting before I put my foot in my mouth again.” He stood and stuck his hand out. “I wish you luck, Passor. And I hope you fulfill your promise to leave within six months.”

  Chapter 9

  Kong-Fa was due to arrive in the Gallicean system in a few minutes. Due to the blackout of communications in that system, Dave was calling Darlene one last time. He pressed a button on his console and her image appeared on the screen. She was wrapped in a towel and her hair was wet. “Oops! I hope I didn’t catch you in the shower, sweetheart,” Dave laughed.