Adventures of a Greenie Off Planet Vol 2 Chapter 18 Tanya Schwartz
- 3 years ago
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Lamax system was only 61 lightyears distant to Faysummit system. Meaning the superfast Colt reached Faysummit only 136 minutes.
Roy was getting more anxious by the moment. The closer he got the more he felt convinced that his mother was close and that she was in great peril.
The Colt was brand-new and by law, it was his ship. The Phantasian who piloted the ride was an employee or more precise a contractor.
Tanya was right, this passenger cabin was not big enough for Partner, but then this Colt was a customized high-speed version of the already famously fast ship and stripped to the bare minimum in passenger comfort to increase fuel load capacity.
He sat in the first seat row right behind the tiny operations deck.
“Can we go any faster?”
“I am running it at redline already, Mister. Your brand-new ship will need new engines if I nudge it any higher. Not that there is much room on the speed slider for that.”
“Do it. Max her.”
“It’s your ride and I warned you. That will be a big repair job and most likely mean new engines. Since this ship is basically a hull with oversized engines, Attikans no less, that be a million-credit job for each pod.”
Roy for a moment hesitated, that was more than both his parents and their colleagues at the institute made annually and together, but in his hurry, he had not registered the amount Tanya forked over. Now his inner eyes remembered seeing the amount of 14 million credits she swiped from her credit strip into the receiver of the ship dealer. To the pilot he said. “Never mind repairs.”
It didn’t take much time and they were hailed by System control. “Sorry Citizens, the Faysummit is currently closed for all traffic. You may redirect to Lamax, the closest port and wait for system clear. You may also fill out the requested pre-check form for Phantas while you are there.”
The Pilot said.” I transmitted the CITI data from my passenger and me. I am Phantasian and my passenger has first-degree family ties.”
“We have no authority to deny you access to your home but be warned war-related activity takes place as we speak, threat level unknown.”
The Pilot turned. “Did you hear that, Mister? War-related activity. This ride isn’t armed.”
“Is it shielded?”
“With the best shields, a craft of this size can carry.”
“Then get us to Phantas as fast as possible. Call Phantas Port to make sure they let us land.”
“I think we should turn around. This is a serious warning.”
“You turn around and I will break your neck.”
The pilot grunted insulted, but the size of Roy’s hands and the TKU now pulled made him swallow any further comments and approached Phantas.
Phantas Port gave them landing permission without any hitch or personal interaction, by extending a guide beam.
The Colt sank below the surface moments later and underwent a rather intensive decon process, nothing new or noteworthy to a Greenie where Connection shuttles underwent a similar process, but nothing like this happened on other spaceports he had experienced since he left home.
The miffed pilot said. “Been here before?”
“Yes, I think two times, while I was really little, I can’t really recall either visit to my Grandparents. I think I was one or maybe two years old.”
The pilot pointed out the super-heated pressure steam cleaning. “It’s to make sure we don’t drag in the ‘you know what’ from the atmosphere.”
“The ‘you know what’?”
Just then the decontamination process was complete and two dark blue-uniformed officers and four S-22 Security robots appeared outside...
“I somehow knew you were trouble.” The pilot said. “Well, I won’t be bullied or intimidated anymore.” With this, he opened the side ramp. “Go get him, Officers, whoever he might be.”
“The officers were all Phantasians in Union Border Control – Port authority uniforms.
The lead officer made a stiff motion with his arm. “Mr. Masters we were informed that you are on your way to Phantas, your family ties have been confirmed and you may move freely on our world. That is under normal conditions. We are under lockdown as we speak.”
“And?”
“It means we are forced to restrict your movements until the very unclear situation has been under control.”
Roy became loud. “I crossed half the Galaxy to find my mother who crash-landed on this freak ball. She is Phantasian, she is on this world somewhere and there are Kermac after her. You try to restrict anything, and I show you how pissed a Greenie can get.”
The officer responded. “Your grandparents are currently somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy and your mother is listed as missing, possibly dead.”
The second officer held up his PDD. “However, Professor Aaron Berezovsky is present, he is the young man’s great grandfather. He wishes to meet Mr. Masters.”
That seemed to impress the officer and he made a clouded face. “I see, the Berezovsky household is expecting you and lists you as an authorized resident.
We let you go, Mr. Masters but restrict your movements to the city.”
Roy slowly unclenched his fists, gave the other officer a thankful look and lied.” Yes, Officer, I will sit in the residence and wait for news.”
“That’s all then. You are cleared for entry.”
Past the security barriers, the concourse was not as busy as any of such places he had seen so far. While there were the usual businesses and shops. The same gleaming floors and the islands of vegetation and trees that appeared to be a common theme in facilities like this, yet there weren’t many beings about. Roy noticed there were no non-humanoids about.
He consulted his Wrist-Com for the address of his grandparent’s place and after checking with an Info-Bot, found the Bubble-Taxi stand.
Abraxas was a nice city, with large but not overly tall buildings, wide throughways, lots of water features and parks. Roy, however, had no mind for the scenery. His anxiety grew, he simply knew his mother was close and she was in deep trouble.
Moments later he arrived at a cliff-hugging modern villa. The robot voice of the Taxi informed him that this was indeed the residence of the Berezovsky residence.
Roy wondered about his great grandfather, he didn’t even know he had one, but he did remember his mother speaking about him. And if memory served him right, the man was 139 years old.
The old man waited for him right there at the entrance to the villa.
His great grandfather was a tall lean man, immaculately dressed in something elegant, dignified and perhaps a little old fashioned. The angular face clearly showed kinship to his mother.
Roy was greeted after he received a taxing gaze. “So, you are Roy, Martha’s boy?”
“Yes, Sir. I really want to get to know you, but Mother has crash-landed into the Forbidden forests of Phantas. I need to find her.”
The man gestured him to come inside. “Everyone heard about two unidentified ships. One of them is suspected to be a Kermac warship full of their best warriors. The planet and all cities are on the highest alert.”
Both had reached the luxurious lobby. Roy said with urgency. “Sir, she sent me psionic dreams, now that I am here, I can feel she is pursued by those Kermac. The police won’t let me search for her.”
The old man touched his perfectly groomed salt and pepper beard. “It is the Forbidden Forests for a reason, Son. The local police will do their best, till professional help arrives.” His Great Grandfather slowly nodded. “I can sense your thought. I believe you. The Jungles are very dangerous.”
“Sir, I am a Greenie.”
“Oh yes, I heard. My beloved wife Georgia passed on, neither my son Moses, not Martha ever bothered to call or visit, but no matter what. Family comes first.”
“Sir, time is of the essence, please.”
“Roy, we are on the northern hemisphere on the First Continent, if you are correct and I don’t doubt you, Martha is on the Sixth Continent on the southern hemisphere. 7000 miles from here. There are no transport connections. I understand the urgency and I am working on a solution.”
The old man pointed to a seat. “I will call a few people and see if we can get you an exemption and a ride.”
“Alright, Sir. Thank you.”
“There is a serve-Matic integrated into that seat group. Why don’t you have a drink or a snack, while I contact the planet council? I have some influence here.”
Roy nodded. “Alright, Sir.”
The old man left the room.
Roy felt as if he was sitting on a nest of Dragon Ants. Part of him simply wanted to run outside, steal a skimmer or something, but this ancient old man who turned out to be family. He was stiff as a Trapper Palm showed no real emotions.
He had crossed half the galaxy, was chased by agents of alien origin and now he was here, separated by a measly 7000 miles. Roy was about to get up and see if the Old Geezer had skimmer or something, his Wrist-Com chirped and half a second later, he stared in Tanya’s face. She smiled at him. “Partner and I managed to buy a DeNoir Le-Mans, but we are stuck just outside the Heliopause marker, they won’t let any civilian traffic in right now.”
Roy had just begun to tell her about his troubles when he heard a bang of forcefully pushed air-molecules, Partner appeared out of thin air.
The one they called Eternal Warrior, could not find anything wrong with his new orders, but his guts told him that there was more to it and that it had to do with his recent address to the Assembly.
The USS Devastator and the Alpha Red Battlegroup of First Fleet had been ordered on a special mission. It was highly unusual to separate a Battlegroup from its cluster and its fleet. Usually, the assignment and the objective were given and revealed to the Commanding officer of a fleet and it was that Commandants decision which Battlegroup Clusters and how many ships to assign to accomplish the mission.
It was even more unusual to combine ships from different number fleets into a task force with very obscure orders and mission envelope.
While Union politics and the Assembly elevated him to take on the tasks and responsibilities of Commander in Chief, much to the thinly veiled disagreement of Fleet Command, specifically the Admiral of the Fleet. The Assembly was still discussing what aspects to be added or assigned to other offices and positions.
Of course, Stahl could have taken a much more active role in all this, even in Fleet Command matters. He never made a big deal out of it, but he was a realist. He knew of his popularity and if he wanted he could declare himself emperor and change the Union into an Empire, much of the fleet, all marines and a good number of high profile leaders would follow him, but that was impossible even to consider. He was picked to serve the Union and that is what he would do till he died, whenever that might be.
However, his lack of interest in political and administrative paths never elevated him into the inner circle of Fleet Command, the tip of the pyramid with Admiral McElligott on the top. While Stahl was among the most popular celebrities when it came to established rules and the proper chain of command, he was just the commandant of a Number Fleet, a high ranking Five Star General, but there were others with this rank. There was only one Six star, Admiral of the Fleet.
Over the thousands of years, a working relationship emerged. McElligott would build the fleet, manage the fleet and do all those important administrative things that made an organization of this size run smoothly.
When it came to battle, combat or war, this was Stahl’s territory.
No one, and certainly not Stahl questioned the herculean labor performed by McElligott. In all history there wasn’t anything comparable to the Union Fleet. It was the largest organization of any kind. Billions upon billions of beings serving, bases, outposts, ships, logistics. Yet it all operated smoothly and with the precision of a Swiss wristwatch. Every Starman got his or her compensation at exactly the right date. From the request of an environmental officer for a can of Stick-N-Seal to the procurement of new battleships. The decommissioning of old units and every detail in between. What looked so simple on a requisition form was multiplied the factor of several million times every moment of the day. Every personnel transfer request, promotion, demotion, discharge every report. No this was not him and this was the reason he never wanted McElligott’s job. He was a warrior, a fighter and a leader. He found solace and satisfaction dropping onto an enemy-infested planet, joining first wave, something no Admiral should ever do. He felt more at home, raising a glass of beer with the men than in a conference room full of high-ranking officers.
But he didn’t like McElligott. Power corrupted, he knew that only too well. He was fighting the temptations diligently ever since he left that cave underneath the Himalayas. Stahl clung to rigid military forms and adhered to the law to make sure he would not succumb ad become a tyrant. With McElligott, he was not so certain, the power o being an immortal and the head of the fleet might have corrupted the Old Highlander a long time ago. That old submarine commander of Earth’s distant pre-Astro past always was a politician and a turncoat, turning with the flow and never against it, and always making sure his position was not affected.
The Devi led a task force of the most advanced and latest battleships on a path towards Coreward and a vast region of space east od Klack space that had not been explored.
Before him in a sealed order form, the destination. A moist garden world, supposedly the home of a yet to be openly contacted species.
While he had the benefit of having the Tri of Science and Alegar the First among the Saresii aboard and they had shared their knowledge about a secretive group of xenomorphs and he had a strong feeling the Narth Supreme was keeping a close eye on things, neither of them knew where to find these aliens. Then suddenly and within hours after his address to the Assembly he received these classified marching orders from the Admiral of the Fleet no less, to a very specific location in a region of space, no Union ship officially ventured so far.
But as long as he had no evidence, the Eternal Warrior would execute orders given as diligent as a first-year cadet.
Someone used the Com signal to ask for admission and pulled him out of his brooding thoughts.
The handsome dark-haired human establishing his avatar was a typical Terran perhaps of Hispanic origin. While such national distinctions were not noticed in a society where no one saw a difference between Sarans, Saresii and Terran humans. But Stahl himself was from Earth and had been born before the ascent, he noticed of course. The young man wearing a customized Condor class flight suit in the so typical fashion of a Wolfcraft pilot, meaning there was little left of any regulations regarding the proper wear and display of a Condor suit.
This was Lt. Commander Aaron Duarte, also known by his call sign, Hellhound. Filled to the toe tips with that special unexplainable vigor only real Terrans seemed to have. For Terrans, there was no star too far, no mountain too high and no enemy too big or too scary.
This good-looking bane of female personnel, deeply respected Admiral Stahl but was very little intimidated. “Admiral, Sir you wanted to see me the moment I came back. Well, Sir here I am.”
The view was awesome, absolutely awesome. He could see the entire ocean of trees and far in the distance the shimmering of an ocean, a river meandered in a green valley far below. He saw tiny houses there and on the side of a mountain, he saw tiny dots sliding down that white stuff. On top of the other mountain was a building of sorts. Connected with little gondolas traveling up and down suspended on cables. He wondered what they were doing and said to Partner. “It’s freaking cold up here...
Roy returned to the hotel to find Cara in the sitting room of their shared suite. She was lounging in a comfortable chair with her legs up gathered in a feminine fashion. A field screen displaying apparently local news floated before her. Cara had her long silvery hair open and wore something soft caressing her curves. To Roy, she had always been an exceptional beauty of exotic grace, but now his mind compared her to his Tanya, and in his mind, no female could compare to her. Just as he was...
Siebzehfie, a high ranking Wizard in the Ministry of Information just finished consuming a detailed intelligence report and then looked up and noticed a new participant just taking a seat at the perfectly round, white table at the top of the Ministry of Information tower. There was a shocked hushed silence because it was the Supreme Wizard himself. No one knew how to react, this was unprecedented. The Supreme leader of all Kermac was accompanied by two other Kermac. The one to his right was...
Cara and Roy had left their seats for a ight meal in the main lounge. Partner insisted to be there as well. While the huge black animal never wanted for any sort of food, it was happily consuming the leftovers and wrappers Roy tossed its way. Cara had finished most of her Muuhn cakes, which were a traditional Saresii lunch item. She educated him, that these vegetarian-based air baked protein dumplings were considered spicy on Sares. He tried, and to him, it was as if eating something...
Paul no longer looked like a slave. He was clean, well-groomed and wore a loose-fitting, light brown colored shirt and pants combination underneath an open seamed dark brown dust cloak, that was so common on Alvor’s Cove. The belt pouch contained an Alvor’s Cove resident license, officially purchased and verified. The colony officials selling these and a host of other permits and licenses only cared about the Iridium chips or the Fullweights they charged and did not ask any questions at...
Roy had learned that the ship he was on was a Saresii Courier and officially operated under the charter of the Science Council. It was a Henjiitah Class cruiser and 600 meters long. It had the outer appearance of an elongated bulbous plant leaf and reminded him of the thick water filled fleshy leaves of the Glow bush. The ship was not green however but had an iridescent color of pearly pale orange. The ship was called the Gayimeera and since it was not a Union Fleet unit it did not carry the...
The trip back to Belle Station was eventless and so was boarding another long-range shuttle to the outermost planet of the system a few hours later. The intersystem trip would take only 35 minutes as the shuttle did have FTL engines and would bridge most of the six light hours in Quasi space. Sobyr did not even bother finding a seat and went straight to the shuttle’s small lounge for a burger. Roy was too excited to eat or feel hungry, so he opted for a cup of water. “What are they doing...
“Nice to meet you, Sir. I have to tell you my mother is dead. She and my father were killed in a pirate attack, a little while ago.” The alien creature paid no attention to what Roy had said. “I am a very old Bellebee and I still get confused using the Avatar technology. This is why I wanted to meet you like this, young Masters. Let Cara and Ukdu talk while I show you a few magnificent sights.” Roy carefully adjusted the thrusters and slowly followed the huge being. “Alright, Mr. Moke-Die....
Roy found himself waking in a huge bed, Tanya snuggled close to him, Partner behind them both like a giant living pillow. The window across the bed provided a vista over a green mountain meadow. It took him a moment to get oriented and remembered taking a shower and crawling more tired than he realized he was into this bed. A glance on his Wrist-com told him, that was six hours ago. The enormous bed, greatly expanded to accommodate Partner was part of this uber-lux master bedroom. The window...
Two hours just weren’t enough to find a man who knew this rock and did not want to be found. Sam knew the Bennett’s were quite serious about their warning. Even with Charles, he could not win. This wasn’t an open planet where he could hide in the wilderness somewhere. This was a closed environment with areas not accessible to him, and with too many eyes and ears. He had asked all the usual sources and while they all knew something about Dimon, no one really knew where he was. Sam did find...
The subject of that angry interchange inside the hidden chamber beneath the tower of Wizards was strapped into his command seat, a good 60,000 Light year distance. Einulsiebzwe was a Kermac, and like the current Supreme Wizard Zwhehzwheneu he could trace his roots all the way back to Koken and he was proud of his heritage. As his T-cruiser, the very latest of its kind with the finest and best technology the Galactic Council had to offer, was accelerating to punish that impudent Union Police...
There were those who doubted the Union could win this war. The Galactic Council led and controlled by the Kermac, was a powerful entity, with hundreds of Thrall species, massive fleets and many millions of warriors. The Larkami were no exception, difficult to control but tremendous fighters. Ninsibfiv, the High Wizard of the Military himself had traveled to Lark, the homeworld of the Larkami to coordinate. He planned to use Larkami manned Kermac warships to counter-attack several Union...
Nijaii plaza was just like everything else, a perfectly groomed, perfectly clean open space multi-leveled space connected with sweeping two or three-step stairs. Interconnected with water features, gurgling fountains and more of those artistic shaped, but not very natural-looking trees. There wasn’t a single leaf on the ground, no one walked or sat on the carpet like grass. Some of the grass was not even green, but pink and peach-colored. The TMT Gazebo centrally located on that plaza had...
The Unth had reached Bhrama Port and rested against the long mooring arm. Groghr nu Trrmphka, the Togar shipmaster stood by the open passenger hatch, accompanied by his Kakth Oghr mate. He watched the tall human debark. “Have a nice time on Brhama, Human and thank whatever gods you may worship that we actually made it.” Sam turned. “I noticed the alarms, but it seems you mastered the situation, whatever it may be.” The Togar shipmaster brushed over his whiskers. “Turned half my fur gray,...
All the anxiety he had felt over the past months melted away, there before him was his mother, kneeling between vegetation, almost completely naked, covered from head to toe in sod, small cuts, and welts. Her once carefully coifed hair a filthy mop. Yet he recognized her like only a child could recognize its mother, this bond was older than thought and as powerful as psionics. He dropped to his knees, “Mom, it’s me, Roy. Everything will be alright now.” Martha came to her feet. “Roy, oh my...
Martha and her new friends did not run into anyone as they made their way to the hangar deck. While the Union scientist would have never found anything on this alien ship. It was evident Geha did not have the same problems. She unerringly used elevators and corridors as if she had been raided on this Karthanian. Geha said as they emerged from an elevator shaft. “I wonder where the rest of the crew is. I am sure there are more than the dead goons up in Command and Control.” “There aren’t...
Space bus travel was subsidized and tightly regulated under the Travel Assistance Act of 2224. Union Citizens took this service for granted, as it connected virtually every possible destination within Union Space, but the envy of so many other societies. Roy had his head turned to the viewport on his right, rather than using the field screen he could have activated. The local sun was settling behind the distant horizon and sent its last rays of light over a sprawling orderly Union city....
Kukur Nurop found himself covered with bruises from a severe beating and completely naked in the lizard scat composter. His hands tied to his back, it took him quite some effort to get his head over the lid, only to receive a shovel load of more of the revolting greenish lizard poop into his face. He yelled and cursed on the top of his lungs and his racket alerted an Oghr overseer. “What have we here? Trying to escape by hiding in the shit box? Couldn’t handle the stench eh?” I am Kukur...
Harlex had his arms crossed before his chest and leaned with his right shoulder against one of the supports that held up the sheet of heavy gauge translucent Dura Plast. It once had been translucent, but a thick layer of slimy green algae covering most of it made that a mood feature. Heavy rain poured from the lead colored sky thick with billowing clouds and the rushing sound of the downpour almost drowned the poor quality transmission of classic Bombast music coming from inside the...
Phil Decker pushed his hat back and scratched his hair line as he had done countless times in his very long live and with his other hand in his coat pocket he turned from the carnage and destruction before him and said to the tall woman standing a few feet behind him. “Roast me an Ult if that was done by Shiss pirates.” The tall woman brushed a silver strand of hair out of her face the wind kept blowing back. “When I heard legendary Phil Decker was in a system nearby I could not resist and...
Green Hell didn’t have a spaceport, just a shuttle pad on top of Merchants Tower, the highest building of Ant Hill. A daily shuttle service-connected to Harper’s Junction. He felt a little forlorn as he stood there on that platform from where he had a breathtaking view over the shimmering lake and the jungles lining its shores in the distance. Partner nudged him in the side, and a feeling of warmth spread in his mind. At least he was not alone; he had Partner. According to the woman behind...
The ship must have gone trans-light, so far they had not spaced anyone. Roy and everyone else had been left behind in one of the destroyers cargo holds. As Cara walked by Partner he saw something his four-legged friend has never done, he flashed his formidable teeth and growled deeply at the Saresii woman. From his animal, he received emotions of confusion and anger towards Cara. She hissed at Partner. “Shut up, stupid beast.” Then she walked out the door. Partner had always liked Cara,...
Stahl “If that is an Army Exercise then my name is Donald Duck.” Stahl grunted from the command seat. “Sir we getting thousands of calls for help from short range GalNet PDD’s. They are coming from Desolate, Harper’s Junction and Green Hell.” “There are nine Capital Kermac Units and there is debris of at least seven civilian craft including a space bus, Sir” “We are detecting Energy Weapon fire from the surface of Green Hell.” Stahl interrupted the flow of reports. “Launch Wolfcrafts,...
This was the first time Supreme Wizard Zwhehzwheneu noticed that the seven xenomorphs in their hidden chamber right beneath the Tower of the Supreme Wizard were not as arrogant and aloft as they usually acted. It almost seemed the seven were disturbed and perhaps even afraid. They had summoned him and he of course obeyed. “I have heard your call and here I am.” “Our assets, the eyes we have developed within the society known as the Union disappear at an alarming rate. We lost contact with...
Roy followed the living legend, he knew very little about. He remembered of course what Stahl did for him at Belle Station. He also remembered the tough questions after the pirate attack on the Silver Swan. Now he was actually walking right next to him towards a waiting D-20 shuttle, that had made landfall right in the middle of a sports field with a red track surrounding it. The shuttle was not the usual kind, but a tough-looking Lister-Class with fixed forward-facing guns and a small gun...
The house he called home was a dome shaped Ultronit sphere; made out of the same material they made battle ship armor out of. The house had two levels and once had been a forward research outpost on Green Hell and served as his families’ home ever since he was born. Roy switched on the outside visual sensor and waited for the Institute Floater that would take his parents away. The visual sensor was on a sturdy telescopic mast and inside a strong protective housing and could be steered and...
Dr. Ivan Harrow disconnected the Comm-Link with a forceful gesture, reflecting his feeling of annoyance. He really respected Paul Masters and he simply adored Martha, but he hated to be called while he was attending a lecture at the annual Galactic life-sciences Conference. This time it was being held on Earth (Terra) and the ancient hallowed grounds of the famous Cambridge University. Even though he was unable to attend in person this year, and he was there only via GalNet tele-presence...
Everything really did feel larger than life to Roy. There he was on Summit-Peak, a world known to spacefaring societies even before the formation of the First Galactic Council, being in the company of the most revered and beloved Immortal of the Union, a living legend only a handful of people ever met in person. To top it all off, he was wearing an old pre-Union uniform of the Eternal Warrior. The place was buzzing with activity. There were sentient beings he could identify and there were...
(Checked by Glenn) Martha watched as Cherubim once again entered the main lounge of the small ship. “Cherubim, you say we are on our way back to Green Hell?” “No, Martha, we are not, your son is. Official Union authorities, as well as several very dangerous groups, are after the three of you.” Martha waved towards the viewport. “I thought we were going to Green Hell, so my son can find that guardian and a way for us to find that Techno Mage?” “Your son is about to reach Green Hell, and he...
Roy had left his animal with heavy heart and foreboding gloomy thoughts in the mostly gutted ruin of Research Outpost 2. Even though he was sure the animal understood and would wait for him, he feared he might have seen his new friend the last time. Bob always left Wobbler here, when he had to go inside and Wobbler was always there the next day. Norm’s Zisch always came right out of the water; so Roy sighed and petted the humongous head of the black beast and received a dry lick across the...
Roy and the others were still outside and while the pebble beach here at the Big Lake was far safer than the jungle; even here it was not a good idea to stay too long at the same spot. A Stomper crushed through the thicket into the open, what made him storm onto the pebble beach was not clear to Roy and he wondered about it. As Stompers rarely if ever actually came into the open, they feared nothing except Water Snakes. There was a collective scream of fear going through the crowd at Ma...
Celyciia, the Federal Police officer of the Recksnostal precinct was on her way to the interrogation room where she had the Warden of Penal Colony 23. Phil Decker the old detective wanted to question the Warden and not eat him, as she now knew. They had returned from Planet Parajsa after over two days of detailed investigation. She was completely fascinated with this man who had lived on the Human world Earth before they even knew there were other sentient life forms in the Galaxy. He wasn’t...
Far from Green Hell, an asteroid without a corresponding solar system slowly made its way to a region called Ballard’s Expanse in Union galactic maps. The asteroid would reach this dense dust cloud around the year 5020. The asteroid was a wanderer on a course across the Galaxy for many eons. This big chunk of rock and ice was hollow and known as Sobody’s Seat. One of the fabulous Galactic Markets operated by this neutral and enigmatic civilization. Some claimed that the Golden were somehow...
The Admiral was gone, and so was the Devastator so the Silver Swan was once more on her way to its next destination. Roy was back in his suite, Cara sat next to him on his balcony. They had both watched the Devastator accelerate and go to trans light in a flash. Even though there was no sense of size in deep space as there was no reference. The immense ship had dwarfed the Silver Swan to insignificance hanging next to her and then as the most famous ship of the entire Galaxy accelerated they...
Martha tapped the activation sensor and established connection. Geha did not use an Avatar connection. “Martha, I managed to get away from the ones that tried to capture me again, but this is not why I am calling. I wanted to let you know that I am trying to get back into Freespace.” “Geha, Sister is alive.” “I am glad, it appears I gathered enough of her and it appears there was enough life in her for them to keep her alive. What will they do to her once she can be regrown?” “Geha, she...
Ieshia pressed a sub-dermal contact on the base of her jaw and tapped it twice and with that she activated her Data Brain connection to GalNet. She now could make GalNet calls directly using her minds speech center without opening her mouth. It took a little practice to separate what you were thinking and what you wanted to say without using your vocal cords or your mouth, but she had been doing it for a long time and because of that she earned a very generous salary. She was an employee, but...
The two Mercenaries had left Desolate a few hours ago and arrived via shuttle on Green Hell. They both were Pertharian. They had accompanied Ms. Yeager to the prison colony and now their mutual employers wanted them to make an initial survey of this world. Neither of the Pertharians believed there was a planet in the universe they could not survive, especially with the nice equipment their employers got them. All these stories about Green Hell were made by weak and fragile humans of course...
Roy never really thought he would ever meet the Eternal Warrior, the man Uncle Sam respected so much, and now he was sitting across from the legendary man and was questioned. Stahl appeared to be a normal human being but Roy’s back hair stood on end whenever he looked into the eyes of that man. It was just as if staring into deep space. The legendary Admiral wasn’t exactly friendly and his voice had a razor sharp edge. Cara had left to talk with the Wurgus delegates. Ship crew was starting...
Ken Kener, the Triple Strong was the first who had his rack inspection ready. He was always first in things like that. Ken somehow managed to have his boots shined, his footlocker squared exactly to specifications and his bunk looked like the image in the recruit handbook. Faragon, was on the opposite spectrum and struggled with these things. Ken grinned and even found time to help the Drach before their instructor called them all into attention. Their drill instructor was a Botnaar. Roy...
Martha stared at the small man standing in the door of her cabin, holding a small Neuro Ripper. Her former colleague had closed the door behind him and his face was graced by a smug and evil smile. “I am asking nicely, but only once: Where are you meeting the Experiment exactly?” Dr. Evans was quite assured of himself. She was helpless and he was in charge. But the Martha he knew was not the same that stood before him. She had gone through quite an ordeal, an ordeal that had taught her a few...
Sergeant Leven had second thoughts as he was leading his platoon of recruits away from the damaged dropship. None of them had ever worn a Destroyer suit before. The first introduction to these marvels of Union military technology was planned for tomorrow and then the first planet drop would commence. That was the plan at least before the Basilone dropped into a system filled with angry Larkami battleships. Glancing back his heart sank as he saw the proud dropship trailing a cloud of debris....
Roy doubted there could be a moment more perfect than this one. There beneath the invigorating light of a GIII type yellow sun, standing at attention, wearing his dress uniform, he and the other 22 were officially decorated in recognition of their heroic deeds. However, that he was the one receiving the Navy Cross was not the source of this feeling that made him almost explode with pride. It was the fact that Admiral Stahl, commemorating his Marine roots and wearing an old fashioned but still...
Sam could not deny a sense of deep friendship as he saw the towering Cerberus standing there by the entrance. Even though it was a Mark IV, made obsolete quite a while ago with the Union military now using the Mark IX, it still was an impressive combat system. The fact that Charles was truly sentient made the Cerberus much more dangerous than any known main battle system in Sam’s opinion. Sam has just stepped out of a TMT booth and onto Treasure Island Plaza, right before the sky-reaching...
Sybil, Martha, and Sister Sybil, formally known as Geha was no longer confused. She now knew who she was and how it all started. The one thing she and her alter ego had in common was their origin. She was born on a planet named New Olympus colonized by the Privileged. She once again knew that the Privileged were exiled from a society known as New Gods who had split into three distinct societies, the Standards, the Outcasts, and the Privileged. The Privileged split into four groups and left...
Geha melted and faded away, dissolved like a puff of smoke in a strong breeze. As they raised the helmet-like apparatus she had been under, it was as if she woke from a long deep sleep. She could remember everything and in a clear order. She also remembered what she had experienced while she was Geha. Including the lasting impressions of her ending up on Alvor’s Cove and meeting her new friends, Martha and Sister. She remembered meeting them again in an old secretive satellite in an orbit...
Celyciia Paydhal and Sergeant Ruddick sat on a picnic blanket in the soft ankle deep grass of North Africa Park, the largest Terran style park of Reckno City. The capitol of Recksnostal Colony. Ruddick said after he devoured another sandwich. “This is how I dreamed police work would be, before I ever joined the force.” Celyciia smiled. “Having a picnic in the park and eating while on duty?” He shook his head. “Of course not, I eat all the time on duty or not. No I mean us listening in on...
Paul felt the fine stinging sensation of the suit’s Auto Doc administering drugs and injecting tissue and medical repair Nanites into his back. He tasted blood in his mouth and opened his eyes. He lay sprawled on the vegetation covered ground of Green Hell. He saw the wrecked skimmer not far away, a smoking and twisted wreck. Then he saw something he had never wanted to see up close, hundreds of Dragon Ants crawling over the faceplate of his helmet. The suit must have automatically sealed...
Roy and his friends arrived a little early. No one said much and had a gloomy mood, already fearing they were about to lose their animals. Roy was especially depressed, even if all other parents said yes. He was certain his would never allow it and most likely take Partner away and dissect it. So he had already made up mind; he would run away and live in the jungle for good. They’d never find him there. There was plenty to eat, if you knew what was consumable, and he had heard there were...
Thanks to the course and flight plans the Green Snake and her crew knew exactly when the Explorer Cruiser would be here. The ship was known as the Green Snake; Captain Coldblood commanding her was feared and known as a ruthless pirate. That he was sponsored by the Kermac was a careful kept secret, not even his crew knew about. Taking on a Union Explorer ship was actually a number too big for even him, and he knew it would stir up the Union hornets like nothing else, but he had his orders and...
Phil Riddick felt like a child in a shiny world of really big adult things, The Federal Police Precinct responsible for Blue Moon had its very own Minimon Space Station and it was busier than Silver Hawks Emporium two days before Union Week. He marveled at the rows of shiny Victoria Class Police Cruisers, the latest models, with all the bells and whistles. Back at the Recksnostal they had two almost 100 year old units. Granted they were still perfectly alright and they had never needed more...
Roy Roy came around and felt awful. There was a metallic taste in his mouth and his tongue felt three times as big as normal. Every muscle and every nerve ending was hurting in his body. Now he knew why Neuro Rippers were illegal. It was more a Torture device than a weapon. He found himself sitting in a reclining chair of sorts, his hands and legs wrapped with memory tape. Cara was in a similar seat, and also tied up. Including a layer of tape across her mouth and eyes. He strained his...
Roy stopped his own impulse. There were simply to many of the Kermac elite commandos on the platform and there were a few civilians and innocents as well, not to mention the 200 plus Kermac already in the City. He also did not forget Cara who had remained on Desolate, tied up in the office of a fat man he had only briefly seen. He was certain Cara would die if he could not do something to get her rescued. It was better to gather more information and then he could try to contact Uncle Sam and...
Phil Phil, Celyciia, Riddick, and Cherubim had been shoved into the elevator guarded by five muscular aliens. As the elevator was moving, Cherubim said. “No worries, those are just Krthar. I take them out now and then we discuss what we can do to solve this dilemma.” Ruddick snorted. “They might as well be Holdians, we are tied up and their guns are active” One of the Kermac soldiers grunted. “You will be dead if you just lift a finger, human.” Phil rolled his eyes. “Just get it over with...
Sol Hub positioned right at the edge of the so-called heliopause. Almost exactly one lightyear from the actual star at the center of this system. As star systems went, this one was without question one of the most important. While every rock and floating pebble big enough to put a boot on was occupied or utilized. It was all about the third planet; by all accounts, he heard, one of the most beautiful and perfect garden worlds in existence, with a rich diversity of climates and life forms....
The United Stars of the Galaxies, more commonly and simply referred to as the Union, was as societies went, still young, and had only existed for about 2700 years. This was not a very long time even in human terms. There had been empires and societies existing for much longer than that. Compared to other galactic societies and empires past and present, the Union had not even really started. In this short time, however, it managed to spread over a considerable region of space and even into...
McElligott was not certain what talents the Glou might have, but he was pretty sure they were based on Psionics, and this latest Union shield technology was not only opaque to it, but an effective way to isolate a psionic user from accessing that trans-spatial condition where Psions could be accessed. The small humanoid, sure enough, fell to the ground, no longer able to levitate himself. The Old Highlander got up and gestured towards a visitor chair that established itself. “As I said,...
The planet and the system had many names, but to most it was known as Summit Peak. Like the Planet of Universal Peace, this world was also famous for being a place for important meetings between space-faring societies. It was almost forgotten during the height of the First Galactic Council, as such trans-society meetings took place on the Planet of Universal Peace. However when the Original Galactic Council became a farce to most because of the Kermac demanding sole control and the rise of...
“My ship?” Roy repeated the question. The Wurgus made the confirming gesture again. “Yes, Masterun. The All Patriarch has gifted you a Pod ship. You can’t be a Patriarch without a Podship.” Roy sighed. “You Wurgus value honesty right?” “Yes, above all,” “We humans like to be asked about things like that. This should go both ways you know. I want to become a Marine and I don’t need a ship or want to make a career out of becoming a surrogate Wurgus. I think you guys are very nice and go out...