The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril
Page 31
Prince Brollen turned toward Ortumad. His failure to believe that the food species could track our ships resulted in our defeat. I mentioned the possibility to him, and he denied it.
That is unfortunate, responded Ortumad. Queen Alithe will be extremely disappointed when she learns what has transpired.
More important is the fact we have learned of a new and serious threat to our existence.
Yes, replied Ortumad. This older race that attacked your fleet in the system of food species 236. I have watched the videos of the battle, and their ships are very powerful. It may be best for us to recall all our harvesting fleets until it is decided what needs to be done. We have harvested a sufficient quantity of food pellets to get our race by for a few months.
I agree, replied Prince Brollen. It might even be necessary to halt the harvesting in this galaxy and go to another.
However, what Prince Brollen failed to mention was the fact that, if this ancient race, who had intervened on the behalf of food species 236, discovered the location of the Conclave Habitat and the other Vorn habitats, even the Queens might be in danger. He had made it a point not to reveal to Prince Ortumad that the Scythe had been captured. For now he would keep that secret to himself and see how things played out.
By shifting the blame of the failed attack to Military Commander Fraymot, Prince Brollen had given himself a reprieve and had also disposed of the one Vorn who knew the Scythe had been captured. That would give him time to plot his next move. Perhaps he could use his influence with Queen Alithe to turn their efforts toward another galaxy. If Galaxy X241 was no longer being harvested, the ancient race would have no reason to attack the habitats and the Vorn Queens.
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Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers gazed thoughtfully at the viewscreens in the Command Center of the Star Cross. They were in the system of Epsilon Reticuli, some fifty-nine light-years from Earth. The star was an orange-red giant about six times the diameter of Sol. No habitable planets were in the system, though a planet slightly larger than Earth was in the habitable zone. It was in an eccentric orbit due to a large gas giant in the system.
“This star system will work fine,” said Tasid as he gazed at the viewscreens, showing several distant planets. “We’ll put the two colony ships in orbit around the star at a sufficient distance to ensure they are not detected by any exploratory missions that might venture here. They’ll also be protected by sensor-dampening screens so no one can detect them.”
“How long will you stay?” asked Kurt. The majority of the disk ships had accompanied the colony ships to this system. Fifty disk ships and several support vessels had remained behind in the Lakiam System to aid Fleet Commodore Dreen in his ongoing war with the Vorn.
“Indefinitely,” replied Tasid. “We can’t go home, and we would like to stay in contact with Newton. Your people may be useful to us in the future, and, through you, we can monitor the rest of the galaxy without getting too involved. It’s best that, to the galaxy at large, they only see the few warships we will provide the Lakiams.”
“Will you stay in your colony ships or try to terraform the planet in the liquid water zone?”
“While we can’t build another Dyson Sphere, we can build a large habitat suitable for future generations. This system has sufficient resources to allow us to do that. I have spoken to several of the scientists in the colony ships, and they believe it can be done in a few years. It will give us a permanent and spacious home.”
Kurt nodded. He was pleased the Glaymons had elected to make this system their new home. Having such a powerful fleet this close to Newton and Earth would be comforting. Tasid had also promised to help Newton in acclimating to some of the new technologies that were being introduced. That included Protector World technology as well as a small amount of Glaymon tech. Kurt was determined that, when Newton and Earth once more stepped out into the main part of the galaxy, they would meet the other technologically advanced races as equals.
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Later Kurt watched as Tasid and the other Glaymons left the Star Cross. For the first time his crew would be operating the ship without the assistance of or any advice from the ancient race.
“Don’t worry,” Aleea said with a supporting smile. “I can use the repair robots to fix any problems on this ship. The other AIs can do the same for theirs. I can also teach your engineers how everything works.”
Kurt nodded. He was only now realizing just how beneficial it would be having Aleea on the Star Cross.
“Andrew, set a course for Newton. It’s time we went home.” The other three heavy battlecruisers and Lomatz’s two ships had already headed back. They hadn’t come to this star system as the Glaymons wanted to limit the number of people who knew where they had gone. Even on the Star Cross it had been limited to the primary Command Center crew.
Moments later the Star Cross entered hyperspace for the short trip to Newton. Kurt paused to reflect on what had been accomplished on this mission. The Glaymons had been found, and a defense treaty signed. Newton had been recognized as a Protector World, and a major Vorn fleet had been defeated. Keera would be aggravated to learn what all she had missed out on. She would also be extremely upset when she discovered all the danger Kurt had been exposed to.
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The Star Cross exited hyperspace close to Newton Station. The station had been expecting the battleship or Kurt would have dropped from hyperspace farther out. A flight of Lance fighters made a quick flyby, passing close to the port side of the ship.
“Newton Station says welcome back,” reported Lieutenant Pierce from her communications console. “Colonel Simms wants to know if you want to dock immediately. He has a docking port available.”
“Yes,” answered Kurt. “I think we’re all ready to get off the ship and to our homes for a while.” On one of the viewscreens, he saw Lomatz’s two ships in close orbit to the station. When Kurt had the chance, he wanted to talk to the weapons dealer about a number of things. One was ensuring that none of the Glaymon technology on Lomatz’s ships made it to Kubitz.
Kurt watched as Newton Station grew larger on the viewscreen. It was good to be home.
“I assume we’re not going anywhere for a while?” asked Andrew as he watched Lieutenant Styles maneuver the large battleship up next to the station.
“I think our adventures are over for the time being,” answered Kurt with a smile. “Fleet Commodore Dreen has what he needs to combat the Destroyers of Worlds. His alliance will grow rapidly once word of the defeat of the Vorn fleet gets out. When other worlds learn of the presence of Glaymon warships, there will be a stampede to join the Lakiam alliance.”
“So we’ll stay out of the war?”
“We’re going to try. We have a lot of new technology available to us. Not only Lakiam and other Protector World advances but even some the Glaymons are willing to share. I’m curious to see what Earth and Newton will be like in another twenty years.” Kurt was determined to keep Earth and Newton out of galactic politics for as long as possible.
“I wonder when Mara and the Aurelia will show up?”
Kurt grinned. “I understand that Fleet Commodore Dreen has commissioned her a new ship to be used for her diplomatic mission to Newton. It should be ready in a few months, and she’ll return then.”
“Keera won’t like that,” predicted Andrew, cocking his eyebrow. “You should marry Keera before Mara returns. That would solve that problem.”
“What problem?” said Kurt, feigning ignorance.
Andrew shook his head. “You know what I mean. Mara’s a beautiful woman, and she knows how to use her charms. You better be careful around her.”
Kurt nodded. “I’ll be fine.” He noticed the ship had docked. “Let’s get off the Star Cross. I suspect Emily is waiting for you on board the station.”
As Kurt left the Command Center, he noticed Aleea with a sad look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Will I be alone on the ship?”
Kurt laughed. “No, a
few people will always be on duty, including here in the Command Center.” This seemed to cheer up the AI, so Kurt turned and left, heading for the docking port.
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Kurt and Andrew stepped into Newton Station together. A number of people waited there to greet them as well as the rest of the crew.
“Andrew!” a gruff voice called out.
“It can’t be!” muttered Andrew, watching Grantz shove his way through the crowd toward them. Andrew looked at Kurt. “How did he get to Newton again? I thought we told Ambassador Tenner to keep Grantz on Kubitz.”
“It’s Grantz,” replied Kurt, shrugging his shoulder. “It’s what he does.” No doubt the Profiteer had probably bribed someone to bring him to Newton.
“Andrew, do I have a deal for you,” began Grantz as he reached Kurt and Andrew. “There’s a new pleasure house on Kubitz that’s up for sale. I thought, between the two of us, we could purchase it. It will be a sweet operation and will enrich both of us.”
“Pleasure house?” a female said from Andrew’s side. “What’s this about a pleasure house?”
Emily was here. “I don’t know what Grantz is talking about,” Andrew stammered. Once more the mere presence of the greedy Profiteer was going to get him into trouble.
Kurt left Andrew and headed toward the Command Center of the station. He had a few details to cover with Colonel Simms and then he would go to Newton on the first available shuttle. He realized how much he had missed Keera. In the background, he could hear Andrew and Grantz arguing with an occasional interjection by Emily. It was good to be home!
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Later that day Kurt was inside his new house. allowing Keera to lead him excitedly from room to room, showing him what she and Denise had accomplished while he had been gone. The house had a definite feminine element but not too bad. Kurt decided he could live with most of it. There might be one or two items he would change later.
“Uncle Kurt!” yelled Bryan, coming through the front door along with Denise and Alex. “You’re back!”
“Yes, I’m back. How’s school been going?” Kurt was pleased to see Bryan. Something about him always seemed to brighten up his surroundings. Kurt suspected it was Bryan’s boundless youthful energy.
“Boring,” said Bryan, shaking his head. “Why do I have to learn English? I can already speak it just fine.”
Denise walked to the kitchen island and put down a big bucket of fried chicken with all the trimmings. “I didn’t think you would want to cook on Kurt’s first night here.”
“This will be great!” replied Keera, grinning.
“It’s not time to eat yet,” announced Bryan with a serious look in his eyes. He had his glove and ball in his right hand. “We’re going outside and play catch first.”
“Okay, but only for a little while,” replied Kurt as he looked at Keera. He knew she was pleased he was home, though he hadn’t told her yet what all had transpired.
As Bryan led Kurt outside, he paused and looked at his uncle. “Did you kill any aliens this time?”
Kurt smiled. “We’ll talk about that when you’re older. Right now let’s see how well you’ve learned to catch that ball.”
As Kurt and Bryan played catch, Kurt couldn’t help but wonder what was still in his future. The Glaymons were nearby, and they were bound to have a big influence on Newton. The elections on Earth were over, and Ellen Lambert had won, as Governor Spalding had predicted. The Profiteers still existed, and someday they would be punished for what they did to Earth. The peaceful time Kurt longed for on Newton wouldn’t last. However, for now, nothing was pressing to worry about, and he would enjoy his family and Keera.
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Later that night, Kurt and Keera were preparing for bed. Kurt watched as Keera entered the bedroom dressed in a black see-through gown.
“Do you like this?” she asked as she slowly turned around with her hands on her shapely hips. “Meesa helped me pick it out.”
“I think it looks great,” replied Kurt as he took Keera into his arms. “I’ve missed you.”
Keera kissed him passionately as they fell onto the bed. She paused and gazed into his eyes. “Promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” asked Kurt as he ran his hands down Keera’s back.
“Don’t leave for that long again.”
Kurt looked into Keera’s eyes. “I won’t,” he promised. “I’m home, and I have no plans to go anywhere.”
Keera nodded, pleased with Kurt’s answer. Standing, she allowed her gown to fall to the floor, Kurt’s gaze roaming over her body. Moments later they were lost in passionate lovemaking as they forgot about the world around them.
Epilogue
Days later, deep in intergalactic space, Prince Brollen spoke to Queen Alithe. He had told her about the ancient race coming to the aid of food species 236. In my opinion, we should abandon our harvesting of this galaxy and turn to another.
Queen Alithe stood close to Prince Brollen. No other nearby galaxy possesses the food that Galaxy X241 does. If we stop the harvest, we will have to delete most of the Worker Caste and perhaps others.
Prince Brollen considered what Queen Alithe had said. If we continue the harvest of Galaxy X241, we must commit more ships. Many more than what we have committed so far. He would also have to deal with the fact that food species 236 might know where the Conclave Habitat was located.
We have the ships, replied Queen Alithe as she reached out and touched Prince Brollen on his shoulder. Will you lead our fleets to victory over the food species of Galaxy X241 and this ancient race?
Yes, replied Prince Brollen as the urge to mate swept over him. He looked questionably at Queen Alithe.
The Vorn Queen reached out, taking Prince Brollen’s hands. Come with me to the mating chamber. It is time for the two of us to join and create the next generation of Vorn.
Prince Brollen was elated as he followed Queen Alithe. He had succeeded even above his wildest expectations. In time he would return to Galaxy X241 with the largest harvesting fleet ever put forth by the Vorn.
The harvesting had only just begun.
The End
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The Originator War Book One
This is an excerpt from the next book in the Lost Fleet series. The Originator War will be a trilogy and will bring to an end the Slaver Wars series.
On the far side of the galaxy, the empire of the Ralift was preparing for war. It had been brought to their attention the Shari and the Humans had discovered a Dyson Sphere in Shari space that was millions of years old. The sphere held technology far in advance of anything else in the galaxy, even the AIs.
“How soon before your fleets are ready to travel to Shari space?” asked the AI hovering before the Ralift council. Not all of the AIs had perished in the great battle at the center of the galaxy where the AI’s great project had been destroyed by the Humans and Altons. A number of them had fled to Ralift space to consider their next step in conquering this galaxy as well as others. Taking control of the Dyson Sphere could well set them back on their path of galactic domination and spreading their influence across the galaxies.
“Our fleets will be ready in four more weeks,” replied the Ralift who was in charge of shipbuilding. “The last of the upgrades should be finished by then and crew training completed.”
“What of the Borzon?”
“Th
ey too are nearly ready. The fleets from our two empires will overwhelm the Shari and Humans, and the Dyson Sphere will be ours.”
Other Books by Raymond L. Weil
Available at Amazon
Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book 3)
The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)
The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)
The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)
The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars Book 7)
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Dragon Dreams
Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars
Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening
Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon
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Star One: Tycho City: Survival
Star One: Neutron Star
Star One: Dark Star
Star One
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Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)
Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)
Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Book 3)
Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (Book 4)
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (Book 5)
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The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)
The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2)
The Lost Fleet: Oblivion’s Light (Book 3)
The Lost Fleet: Genesis (Book 4)
The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators (Book 5)
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The Star Cross (Book 1)
The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders (Book 2)
The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril (Book 3)
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(All dates are tentative)
The Originator War (Book 1) March 2017