Chapter One

Grantz sat at a table in his favorite Kubitz pleasure house, enjoying the entertainment and the food. He was a Marsten Profiteer, bipedal, and slightly taller than a Human. His skin was a light blue color with coarse white hair on his head. Grantz’s face, while humanoid, had larger-than-normal eyes.

He also had a signed contract with the Humans from Newton to act on their behalf.

Since entering that agreement, Grantz had become quite wealthy. Because of that, he was meeting some new associates who had offered him a partnership in a new pleasure house they were building. The deal was very lucrative and would make Grantz even richer. He liked the idea of being a part owner as it would mean unlimited access to the entertainment, the food, and the women.

Reaching forward, he picked up a drink the server had just placed before him on the table beside his appetizer of Jalot eggs, a rare delicacy from a distant Enlightened World. Taking a long drink, he felt the burning liquid go down his throat to be replaced by a pleasant warm buzz in his head.

Leaning back, he looked toward the stage, where several young scantily clad women provided entertainment. One seemed to be completely Human and the other nearly so. The music was loud and the room full of patrons, some enjoying their meals and drinks, and others waiting for their pleasure appointments, reserved for the upper levels of all the pleasure houses. Grantz had one scheduled for later with a humanoid woman he had been seeing on and off over the last three months. Her skills at lovemaking were the best he had encountered in all the pleasure houses he patronized.

Four months had passed since Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers had returned from the big Vorn battle in the Lakiam home system. Rumors flew that the mythical Glaymons had been involved and had even formed an alliance with the Lakiams and also the Humans from Newton. Grantz knew this was more than just a rumor as he had seen Glaymon disk ships at Newton. Other than that, he knew little, as Fleet Admiral Vickers wouldn’t talk about the Glaymons to anyone, though more rumors at the Newton embassy here on Kubitz spoke of major work being done in all the shipyards orbiting the planet. Grantz had tried to learn more while he was at Newton, but that had come to an abrupt end.

Once Fleet Admiral Vickers landed on Newton, he had returned Grantz to Kubitz on the next available ship. Grantz had failed in several attempts afterward to sneak himself on board a Newton-bound vessel to see for himself what was going on there. He had even tried to coax some information from Ambassador Tenner at the embassy, but he had been tight-lipped and told Grantz that he could ask Kurt the next time he came to Kubitz. A few of the Marines at the embassy compound had dropped a few hints on what was going on, but that only tantalized Grantz’s interest.

“Profiteer Grantz?” a man with a rough voice asked.

Looking up from his drink, Grantz saw one of the two people he was supposed to meet. This one was a Profiteer.

“Yes,” Grantz replied, eager to discuss the new pleasure house.

The man nodded and then pulled a hidden pistol from the inside of his jacket and, with a sneer, said, “High Profiteer Creed says hello.” The man pulled the trigger, the first round knocking Grantz from his chair and to the floor. The Profiteer fired another round into Grantz’s chest and then turned and bolted for the door.

-

Ambassador Marvin Tenner sat in his office as a loud explosion went off nearby, and then the embassy building shook. Alarms rang out, followed by the sound of people running down the corridors, yelling to one another.

His office door suddenly flew open, and Captain Briar charged in. “We’re under attack. The main gate’s been breached! We must get you to the underground section of the embassy, where you’ll be safe.”

Tenner stood. From his window, which overlooked the compound, he heard gunfire. The two guard towers outside, equipped with M240K machine guns, began firing nonstop. “Who’s attacking us?” As long as he had been here, no serious threat had been made on the embassy. The building shook again from a second powerful explosion, and the lights flickered. Tenner smelled smoke—the embassy was on fire. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

-

“We don’t know,” Briar replied as two Marines dressed in battle armor and carrying assault rifles entered the room, awaiting orders. “Go with Corporal Binger and Private Morales. They’ll get you to safety.” Briar turned and hurried out the door. He needed to get this battle under control and figure out just who was attacking the compound.

-

“Come with me, Ambassador,” said Corporal Binger, gesturing toward the open doorway.

Taking a deep breath, Tenner nodded and headed for the door. He had just stepped into the corridor when a massive blast erupted in his office, sending fire and debris out the door and slamming him into the wall. Marvin fell to the floor and lay there, gasping for breath. Looking to his side, he saw Private Morales, lying beside him with a look of shock on his face. His right arm was missing at the elbow. His eyes had that pale staring look of someone who wouldn’t be getting back up.

“Ambassador!” called out Corporal Binger as he rushed over and checked on Private Morales, then turned toward Tenner. “Are you okay?”

With a grimace, Marvin forced himself to stand. “I’m fine, just a little shaken up.” His body felt like it had been run over by a truck. He thought he might have one or two broken ribs from the pain in his chest.

“Let’s get out of here.”

As they moved along the corridor, Marvin was convinced he was the primary target of this attack. The destruction of his office proved that. If the explosion had occurred a few seconds earlier, he would have died. “Get me to the Communications Center. We need to contact the Sydney and have Captain Danforth send a message to Newton.”

The Sydney was a light cruiser in orbit above Kubitz. They would get word of this attack as quickly as possible to Governor Spalding as well as Fleet Admiral Vickers.

-

Corporal Binger hesitated. His orders from Captain Briar were very explicit. Take the ambassador to the lower levels where he would be safe. Before Binger could say anything, Tenner headed toward the Communications Center. Taking a deep breath, Binger turned to follow him. Who was he to tell the ambassador what to do? He quickly sent a short message to the Security Center, informing them where the ambassador would be.

-

Captain Briar made it to the small Security Center inside the embassy. The walls were covered with viewscreens, revealing portions of the outside of the embassy. Checking all the screens, he felt sickened to see the number of Marines lying unmoving on the compound grounds. Another large explosion suddenly struck one of the guard towers, sending a fireball high into the sky.

“What do we have?” he demanded. “Who’s attacking us?”

“Unknown,” Lieutenant Jarsky replied. “They hit the main gate with explosives, blowing it open, and then came charging through. They’re armed with short-range missiles and heavy weapons.”

Several more explosions shook the building. The lights flickered, went out, and then came back on.

“We’re on the secondary generators,” reported Private Lan as he checked the console in front of him. “Main power is out.”

More explosions shook the building, threatening to bring it down.

“Our perimeter wall has been penetrated in six areas,” reported Lieutenant Jarsky as he listened to reports coming in over his comm. “More attackers are pouring through the breaches. Our Marines are setting up a defensive perimeter around the embassy.”

On one of the screens, the compound’s six Humvees suddenly appeared. Each was armed with an M240K machine gun. The Humvees came to a quick stop directly in front of the embassy, and all six machine guns started hammering away at the attackers. Briar saw a number of the attackers go down from the intense fire. However, for every one who died, two more poured through the gate.

“Captain, we have fire-suppression systems activating all over the embassy,” reported Private Lan. “Alarms are going off, and we have major fires in some areas. The building’s structure is unstable. It could collapse at any moment.”

“Can we evacuate the compound?” Captain Briar knew they were rapidly running out of options.

Lieutenant Jarsky shook his head. “No, the only vehicles safe enough to evacuate in would be the Humvees. Between our Marine personnel and the embassy staff, we just don’t have the needed capacity.”

“I don’t suppose there’re any signs of Enforcers?”

The Enforcers were from Lylan Six, a high-gravity world, and were the police force for Kubitz.

“No,” replied Jarsky, shaking his head.

Captain Briar frowned. The Enforcers had a habit of not showing up until the fighting was done. Then they would assign fines to the guilty parties, which had to be paid to the Kubitz government or to a Controller. “Zoom in on those attackers. Let’s see if we can identify them.”

On one of the screens, a humanoid figure dressed in dark gray battle armor fired a large projectile-type weapon at the embassy.

“Damn, that looks like a Dacroni mercenary,” said Lieutenant Jarsky. The Dacroni were the most dangerous of the Profiteers as they hired themselves out to the highest bidder. “He’s firing explosive rounds at the embassy.” Even as Jarsky spoke, the mercenary was cut down by machine-gun rounds from one of the Humvees.

“Someone paid a hell of a lot of credits for this hit,” Captain Briar said as he watched the battle on the screens. He was worried his Marines would be overrun by the hundreds of attackers in the compound. Some were in plain sight, and others were using the buildings and vehicles for protection from the Marines’ defensive fire.

On one of the viewscreens, a Humvee suddenly erupted in flames and then blew apart, sending flaming debris across the compound.

“That was a damn missile,” said Jarsky, his face turning pale.

The embassy shook violently, and the lights went out in the Security Center. After a moment the emergency lighting kicked in, and the consoles and screens powered back up.

“The west wing of the embassy’s gone,” reported Private Lan in shock. “We’re running on batteries now. We’ll lose power completely in another ten minutes.”

Captain Briar made a quick decision. “Order everyone out before they bring the entire embassy down onto our heads. Has Ambassador Tenner made it to the lower levels?” The lower levels should be safe even if the upper floors of the embassy came crashing down.

Lieutenant Jarsky turned toward the captain. “No, sir. He went to the Communications C enter to contact the Sydney.”

Captain Briar felt his heart stop. The Communications Center was located in the west wing of the embassy. “Let’s get outside. The sooner this battle is over, the sooner we can rescue the ambassador.” Briar greatly feared Tenner hadn’t survived the west wing collapsing.

It only took Captain Briar and the other Marines still inside the embassy a few minutes to exit the building. Rushing outside, Briar saw a number of his Marines sprawled on the ground, not moving. Others fired from behind the Humvees and any other cover they could find. The remaining guard tower was firing nonstop at the attackers, who seemed relentless in their determination to destroy the embassy. Staying low, Briar ran to the nearest Humvee, where Sergeant Hunter was directing the defense.

“What’s the status?” Briar asked as he ducked behind the Humvee.

Explosions were going off everywhere, and heavy weapons fire was being exchanged between the attackers and the Marines.

“I’m glad to see you got out of the embassy,” said Hunter, breathless. “The damn Profiteers blew open the front gate with a missile and then charged through. The guards and the front tower took out a number of them, but they kept coming. Heavy missiles are launching at us from somewhere outside the compound. That’s what brought down the west wing. A few of the attackers on the inside are carrying small shoulder-firing missiles as well. I think we’ve taken out most of them. We’ve identified at least two groups. The largest is a Profiteer clan residing here on Kubitz, who hires out to take on the really dirty jobs no one else wants. The other is a clan of Dacroni mercenaries. They’re the ones equipped with the heavier weapons, doing the most damage. The Profiteer clan is being used as cannon fodder. We’ve nearly wiped them out.”

A sudden loud explosion erupted behind them. Turning around, they saw the rest of the embassy erupt in flames and then collapse, showering them with burning debris.

“Another heavy missile,” said Hunter as he stood with his assault rifle, seeking a target. Aiming carefully, he killed one of the attackers near the destroyed gate. The firing in the compound was still heavy but dying down. “It looks as if they’re pulling back.”

Captain Briar nodded. He wasn’t surprised. The embassy was gone, its crumbled remains on fire. He just hoped the people who had taken refuge in the underground levels had survived. However, if Ambassador Tenner had truly gone to the Communications C enter, then the possibility of his survival was very remote.

With a deep sigh, Briar gazed at the burning rubble. As soon as the fire was out, they would search for survivors and bodies. A number of Marines, as well as embassy staff, had lost their lives here.

“Let’s get the rest of the attackers out of the compound. We have some people in that rubble who need rescuing.”

Sergeant Hunter nodded and quickly passed on new orders. Two of the remaining Humvees turned and moved toward the last of the enemy, their machine guns raking across the compound. Occasionally one of the attackers would scream and drop to the ground as machine-gun rounds penetrated Profiteer body armor.

The fighting grew heavy for a few more minutes as the Marines pushed the rest of the attackers through the destroyed gate, killing six or eight more before the enemy vanished from sight. The firing died out, and it became strangely quiet, other than hearing a few Marines call out for medics.

“We must find out who was behind this attack,” said Briar grimly. Tonight would be a sleepless night as he thought about the Marines killed in this brazen attack on the Newton embassy. This should not have happened, even here on Kubitz.

Sergeant Hunter nodded. “We’re on Kubitz. All information is for sale for the right price.”

Briar knew Sergeant Hunter was right. If they were willing to pay enough, someone would have the information about who organized this attack. “Let’s get our wounded treated and see who we have left. We have a lot of work to do to get this mess cleaned up. We should also send a Humvee to the spaceport and use our shuttle there to contact the Sydney.” Captain Briar turned toward the burning and smoking rubble of the embassy. Somewhere beneath that was Ambassador Tenner. With a deep and dejected sigh, Briar knew Tenner could not have survived.

-

In orbit aboard a brand-new battleship, Profiteers watched the embassy attack, courtesy of the live videos sent by the Dacroni mercenary clan involved in the destruction inside the compound.

In the Command Center, High Profiteer Creed gazed in elation at the burning rubble of the Human embassy. It had cost him four times the normal price for his new ship, but he was determined to have a battleship as his flagship. He rubbed the stump of his left arm, where it had been removed below the elbow. When he had time, he would return to Marsten and have a new lower arm and hand regrown. But, for now, he was more interested in revenge.

“The main embassy building has been destroyed,” confirmed Second Profiteer Hurkler. “The Jalon Profiteer Clan is pulling out as well as the Dacroni mercenaries. Not many of the Jalon Clan survived.”

This didn’t concern Creed. He had paid them a fee, and, if they suffered far more casualties than expected, that was their problem, not his. “What about Grantz? Did we get that deceitful worm?”

Hurkler nodded. “We received confirmation a few minutes ago of the hit. Grantz took two bullets to the chest. When our agent left, Grantz was lying, unmoving, in a pool of blood on the floor of the pleasure house.”

Creed grinned. “A fitting place for that lowlife scum to die.”

“Should we leave orbit?” asked Hurkler. “The Kubitz government will order a major investigation over this hit. We took out a key embassy compound, and the fines, if they find out we’re responsible, will be outrageous.”

“We’ll stay in orbit for now,” Creed replied. “We took precautions to ensure this attack couldn’t be traced back to us.” Besides, he wanted confirmation that Ambassador Tenner was dead.

Creed looked at one of the viewscreens, showing the burning embassy. Admiral Vickers would be furious when he found out what had happened. Creed had taken meticulous steps to ensure Vickers, at least for now, would not know Creed had escaped from Earth.

He still felt unrelenting anger at what Vickers had cost him. Earth had meant enough wealth to allow Creed to live a life of affluence on Marsten. He would have been one of the esteemed Profiteers who others came to for advice or to help fund major raiding expeditions. Now all of that was lost.

Fortunately he had enough credits still on Kubitz to allow him to purchase his new battleship as well as to repair his former raiding fleet. It was much smaller than what it once was, but it would do for now. In time, Creed would correct that. The current crew of his new battleship was made up in part of some of his surviving crews who had escaped from the battle over Earth.

“We’re detecting communications from the surface to the Human light cruiser,” reported the Profiteer at Communications. “The communication originated from the spaceport.”

Creed nodded. The mercenaries had deployed communication jammers to ensure the Humans at the embassy could not contact their orbiting warship during the attack. Now it no longer mattered; Creed had achieved his objective. His first blows against Admiral Vickers had been delivered. There would be many more.

-

Captain Danforth looked at the communications officer in disbelief. “Are you certain of that?”

“Yes, it’s been confirmed. One of the embassy’s Humvees is at the spaceport. The main embassy building has been destroyed, and Ambassador Tenner is missing. Captain Briar believes the ambassador was killed in the attack while attempting to reach the Communications Center. They’re in the process of searching for his body.”

Danforth shook his head. Fleet Admiral Vickers would be livid when he found out. “Ready the FTL transmitter. As soon as we know more, we’ll send a message to Newton.”

The FTL transmitter was a new one based on Glaymon technology. It wouldn’t take Vickers long to learn what had happened. What his response would be, Danforth had no way of knowing. He did know Vickers and Tenner were close, and the admiral wouldn’t take lightly the news of his friend’s death.

“Should we evacuate the survivors?” asked Lieutenant Candace Burls.

“No,” Danforth answered, shaking his head. “If we leave the system, there’s a good chance whoever did this will take us out as well. We’ll wait for the arrival of one of our new battlecruisers before we evacuate anyone.”

“We could at least bring them up to the ship, where they would be safe.”

“It may come to that,” answered Captain Danforth. “Let’s wait until we hear more from Captain Briar.”

Danforth sat in his command chair, wondering exactly what response would be coming from Fleet Admiral Vickers over this. He wouldn’t allow this crime to go unpunished. There was a chance, when the fleet admiral arrived at Kubitz, he would bring an entire warfleet with him. How unfortunate for the Gotham Empire that they didn’t know the extent of the firepower the admiral now wielded in his new warships. With the combined technology of several Protector Worlds as well as the Glaymons, Kurt had the most powerful ships in the galaxy.

-

Captain Briar looked at the updated casualty list. They had finally reached the people who had taken refuge in the lower levels and found them still alive. They were shaken up by their ordeal, but they had survived. Looking toward the destroyed main gate, Briar saw a group of Lylan Enforcers standing there. He had informed them his Marines were in the process of recovering the dead, and the Enforcers could either help or remain at the destroyed entrance.

The head of the Enforcers had decided they would stay at the gate until the Humans had finished, and then they would investigate who was responsible for this attack. It was against the laws of Kubitz for certain weapons to be used inside the city—exactly those used against the embassy—particularly in this part of the city protected by an environmental dome. Heavy fines would be levied.

“Captain,” called out Lieutenant Jarsky, coming over to the captain. “We’ve found Ambassador Tenner and Corporal Binger.”

Briar turned to see several Marines carrying out two body bags from the smoking ruins of the embassy. The building still smoldered, and there was still a lot of smoke. The Marines carried the bodies to a long line of other body bags and carefully laid them down. Briar felt a cold chill pass through him at the confirmation that Ambassador Tenner had, indeed, died.

“Where did you find Ambassador Tenner and Corporal Binger?”

“In the hallway just outside the Communications Center. They never made it inside.”

Looking at the increasing numbers of their dead, Briar realized he had failed in his mission. He was supposed to keep the embassy and the ambassador safe; he had not done either. “What’s the body count?”

“We lost thirty-nine Marines. We’ve found twenty-six of the embassy staff who died, as well as Ambassador Tenner. We still have twelve Marines missing and sixteen staff members.”

Briar felt as if he had been struck in the gut. Nearly half his Marines had died in the surprise attack. “What’s the condition of the compound?”

“The barracks are still intact, as well as most of the secondary buildings. Some holes from weapons fire need to be repaired if we plan on using them. We have six breaches in the compound walls, and we’ve lost one of the guard towers as well as two of the Humvees.”

“Move the surviving embassy staff members into one of the secondary buildings, whichever is the least damaged.” Two of those buildings were set up to house people taken from Earth to be sold in the Kubitz’s slave markets. Fortunately the Profiteers no longer captured people from Earth to be sold. As a result, the two buildings hadn’t been used much recently. They would serve for now to house the surviving staff until something better could be found or the embassy rebuilt.

“Get a couple squads busy sealing up those breaches in the compound wall,” ordered Briar as he gazed at all the damage. “I feel too exposed with those holes in our defensive perimeter.”

“Captain,” said Sergeant Hunter as he neared Briar, “Avery Dolman is outside and wants to know if he can do anything to help.”

Dolman was humanoid and heavily involved in the black market. He had been extremely useful at times in assisting Ambassador Tenner as well as Fleet Admiral Vickers.

Standing among the ruins of the embassy, Captain Briar was willing to take any help he could get. “Have the Enforcers let Dolman in. I’ll speak with him.”

A few minutes later Dolman appeared, escorted by half a dozen of his security people. He stopped next to Captain Briar and stared in shock at the destroyed embassy and the long line of bodies. “I don’t see Ambassador Tenner.” Dolman had done a lot of business with the ambassador in the past.

“He’s dead,” Briar replied in a cold voice. “We were attacked by a Profiteer clan and some Dacroni mercenaries. I believe their target was the ambassador.”

“Ambassador Tenner was a good man,” Dolman said, a deep frown appearing on his face. “Whoever did this has a lot of connections and spent a small fortune in credits. I’ll have my people make some discreet inquiries. With what was done here, there will certainly be a credit trail.”

Captain Briar nodded. “I’m sure Fleet Admiral Vickers will want the names of whoever was involved in this.”

“This has all the indications of a hit,” said Dolman, looking around at the damage to the compound. “Fleet Admiral Vickers or Ambassador Tenner must have angered someone high in the Kubitz government or in one of the major Profiteer clans.”

Captain Briar was about to say something when the head of the Lylan Enforcers came over, carrying his handheld device used to hand out fines. Briar didn’t intend to pay any fine for what had happened at the embassy.

“I’ll handle this,” said Dolman, gazing at the approaching Enforcer. “It’s the least I can do for Ambassador Tenner.”

Captain Briar watched as Dolman intercepted the Lylan Enforcer. They immediately became involved in a heated argument. After a few moments the Enforcer turned and left, and Dolman headed to Briar.

“There will be no fines,” Dolman reported. “They have no idea who attacked the compound, and I got the impression they don’t want to know. For tonight, they’ll keep Enforcers on patrol outside the compound and will limit entry to authorized personnel only. Once you’re ready, they want to come in and inspect the compound to determine exactly what weapons were used.” Dolman paused, gazing at the destroyed gate and several of the large gaps in the compound wall. “I know of a construction crew I can get here tomorrow. They can have the compound wall repaired and the guard tower back up inside of thirty hours. As to the embassy, that’ll take longer.”

“I suspect Fleet Admiral Vickers will have a say in what he wants done with the embassy. However, I would appreciate the construction crew showing up. I would feel much better with a secure perimeter around what remains of the compound.”

Dolman nodded his understanding. “I’ll have them here first thing in the morning. In the meantime, I’ll start some inquiries to find out who was responsible for this.” Dolman paused, looking, as if searching for someone. “Have you seen Grantz around anywhere?”

Briar shook his head. “He left earlier to go to one of the pleasure houses to conduct some business.”

Dolman’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know which one?”

“No idea. That crazy Profiteer goes to several.”

“Yes, he does have an appetite for partying. I’ll have some of my people look for him. Is anyone else missing from the compound?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Briar answered, and then he looked sharply at Dolman. “You don’t think they would have targeted Grantz as well?”

“Possibly,” Dolman said. “He and Tenner were pretty close.”

Captain Briar remained silent. He wondered just what the hell was going on. Why would someone attack the embassy and kill the ambassador? He was certain, when Fleet Admiral Vickers found out about this, he would show up at Kubitz with a fleet. The Profiteers had no idea of the danger Vickers now posed to their little empire. Because of this incident they were about to find out.

Chapter Two

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers was in his home on the outskirts of the capital, enjoying some quality time with Keera. The four months since his return from Lakiam had been busy. The Glaymons had willingly shared certain aspects of their technology with Newton. Perhaps the most important were the changes made to Newton Station and the other two new shipyards that now orbited the planet. Ship construction had greatly sped up, with Newton Station producing a steady stream of battlecruisers and the two new shipyards building battleships. Other changes had been made too as Protector World technology and additional Glaymon technology had been implemented across the planet.

“Bryan has a ball game tonight,” said Keera, snuggling up close to Kurt on the couch. “He will expect us to be there.” Keera and Kurt had gotten married a few months back in a small and private ceremony attended by a few close friends.

Kurt enjoyed watching Bryan play ball. The ballpark was only a few blocks from their new house. “What are Dalen and Meesa doing?”

“They’re coming,” Keera said, smiling. “Dalen’s turned over a new leaf. I can’t believe how much he’s changed since coming to Newton. Meesa told me the other night they’re thinking about starting a family.”

Kurt’s eyes widened. Dalen didn’t seem like the family type to him, though Meesa would be a good mother. He was about to mention that when his cell phone rang. “Yes,” he said, answering it. He listened for a moment, a knot grow in his stomach. “I’ll be right there.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Keera, seeing the shocked and pale look on Kurt’s face.

“That was Governor Spalding’s office. “There’s been an attack on our embassy at Kubitz.” Kurt was still processing what he had just been told. Not only had Ambassador Tenner been killed but so had a number of Marines and some of the embassy staff. He felt as if he had been blindsided. Over the last several years, he and Tenner had become close friends.

“The Vorn?” asked Keera with fear on her face. “Have they attacked the Gothan Empire?”

“No, someone else did. Marvin Tenner was killed in the attack.”

“Oh, no!” cried Keera, her eyes widening in disbelief. “How?”

“Dolman’s looking into it. I’m going to Spalding’s office for a briefing. You’ll have to tell Bryan something important came up, and I couldn’t come to his game.”

Keera was silent for a long moment, and then she spoke. “Are you going to Kubitz?”

Kurt stood and walked to the large window that faced the city. From here he could see the tall buildings as well as Government Center where Spalding had his office. “Probably. If I do, I’m taking one of the new battlefleets. It’s time someone showed the Profiteers this murderous activity must come to a stop.” He felt anger at Tenner’s death. Someone would pay!

A strange look passed over Keera’s face. “The Profiteers will resist you, particularly the Controllers. They will not accept any changes.”

Kurt turned toward Keera with a grim and determined look on his face. “I won’t give them any choice.”

-

An hour later Kurt entered Governor Spalding’s office.

“It’s a sad day,” commented General Mclusky, rising from his chair and shaking Kurt’s hand. “Ambassador Tenner will be missed. He was a good man.”

Kurt sat in the chair next to Mclusky in front of the governor’s desk. “Do we know anything else?”

“I have a complete casualty list,” said Spalding, handing it over to Kurt. “Captain Danforth of the Sydney sent it just a few minutes ago.”

Kurt took the list and read over the names. Quite a few he recognized. “Did Captain Danforth have any idea who might have done this?”

“The captain indicated in his report that it seemed to be the Jalon Profiteer Clan and a group of Dacroni mercenaries,” answered General Mclusky. “Our Marines nearly wiped out the Profiteers, but most of the mercenaries escaped. They took their dead with them so we can’t confirm for sure which Dacroni clan hit the embassy.”

“What do we know about the Jalon Profiteers?” So many Profiteer clans were on Kubitz that it was almost impossible to keep them straight. However, since setting up the embassy on Kubitz, the staff had created a database of the different clans, in case it was ever needed in the future.

“They’re a minor clan who hires out for a lot of the dirty work that occurs on Kubitz. I don’t think they realized what they were getting into when they attacked our embassy, considering how many of them were killed.”

“The mercenaries used them as decoys,” Kurt surmised, thinking about how the Dacroni clans operated. “Probably to draw the fire of our Marines, while the Dacroni mercs concentrated on taking out their primary targets—Ambassador Tenner, individually, and our embassy building in general.”

“Tenner hadn’t reported any problems or even a threat against the embassy,” said Governor Spalding, frowning. “I don’t understand why they singled him out.”

“A message,” said General Mclusky, looking over at Kurt. “Someone is sending us a message that they want us off Kubitz.”

“But who?” asked Kurt, his eyes narrowing. “All our fines have been paid, and we’ve purchased a lot of automated factories and other items from the planet. They’ve made a small fortune off us. Why would anyone react this way?”

Governor Spalding leaned forward, gazing at Kurt. “There’s only one way to find out. Go to Kubitz and get to the bottom of this. I want whoever is responsible for this atrocity.”

“I know.” Kurt sighed. He had already decided another trip to the Gothan Empire was on his agenda. “I’ll take one of the new battle groups. I can promise you that we will find the person who did this.”

“What about taking one of the new Marine assault ships?” asked General Mclusky. “If the two of you want to maintain a presence on Kubitz, I would recommend doubling the size of our Marine force at the embassy compound, reinforcing those Marines with heavier weapons and some of our new armored vehicles. Those old Humvees are fine vehicles, but they’re really outdated.”

Kurt leaned back in his chair. Everything General Mclusky suggested seriously violated what was legally allowed on Kubitz. But, then again, the weapons used against the embassy had been outlawed as well.

“Is Lomatz still on the planet?”

Lomatz was from Kubitz and ran a very lucrative weapons business. He had settled twenty thousand of his people on an island on Newton and had willingly provided advanced technology as well as some very advanced weapons platforms to help protect the planet. He had been instrumental in finding the Glaymons.

General Mclusky nodded. “The Golan Four is currently in orbit. I don’t know if Lomatz is on board or if he’s at the island.”

“Either way I want him and his pet Controller Nirron here tomorrow for a meeting.”

“The Controller?” said Governor Mclusky in confusion. “Why him? He makes me feel like I’m being audited.”

Kurt took in a deep breath and then replied. “It’s time the Controllers and the Kubitz government receive some of their own medicine.”

“What do you have in mind?” asked Governor Spalding, looking curious.

Kurt explained what he wanted to do. He had thought long and hard about this on his drive to Spalding’s office. At first, both Governor Spalding and General Mclusky couldn’t believe what they were hearing. However, after Kurt went into additional details of his plan, they nodded. Looking at each other, they realized, if Kurt succeeded in doing this, Kubitz and the Gothan Empire would never be the same again.

-

The next day Kurt returned for the Government Center meeting with Lomatz, Nirron, Governor Spalding, and General Mclusky.

“I am deeply troubled to hear about Ambassador Tenner,” said Lomatz. He looked nearly Human, except his eyes had a yellow tint to them. “He was a very able negotiator.”

“That he was,” Governor Spalding replied. “Fleet Admiral Vickers will shortly return to Kubitz to bring home Tenner and the others who died in the Gothan Empire. However, we wish to conduct some business beforehand with the Controllers and the Kubitz government.”

“What type of business?” asked Lomatz, his curiosity piqued.

“Contractual. That’s why I asked Controller Nirron to attend this meeting. He’ll draft some documents for us to present to the Controllers on Kubitz as well as the Kubitz government.”

Nirron’s ears perked up. Nirron was seven foot tall and humanoid. His head was slightly larger than a Human’s and completely bald. His eyes were of normal size, though his lips were a little slimmer. Nirron’s body was slender, and his hands had six long digits. Nirron was also a little pale as though he very seldom saw any sunlight. “What documents?”

A stern look crossed Kurt’s face as he answered. “We’re levying a fine against the Controllers and the Kubitz government for what happened at the embassy.”

Nirron’s eyes bulged at this revelation. “You’re fining the Controllers and the government! It’s never been done before. I don’t believe they will even consider it. They’ll consider such a demand outrageous.”

“I’m not giving them any choice,” Kurt answered evenly, his eyes narrowing. “I want these documents prepared in the legal form required on Kubitz. Certain items will be added to protect our people in the future and ensure another incident of the type that occurred at the embassy can’t happen again.”

Lomatz nodded in sudden understanding knowing there was only one way Kurt could do this. “You’re taking one of your new battlefleets to Kubitz. You’re going to ram this document and the fine down their throats.”

Kurt nodded. “Yes. This might be called gunboat diplomacy, but the Gothan Empire is about to learn the status quo has changed.”

Lomatz grinned. “This just might work. I would give anything to see the looks on the Controllers’ faces when you present them with this document and they see your fleet orbiting overhead.”

Governor Spalding handed Nirron a sheaf of documents. “These papers contain our demands.”

Nirron spent a few minutes going through the documents, his eyes widening in disbelief the more he read. When he was done, he looked from Lomatz to Fleet Admiral Vickers. “This will take some time, as what you’re asking me to do has many legal ramifications. I cannot guarantee what reaction you will get when you present these documents to the Controllers on Kubitz.”

“You have forty-eight hours. Then we leave for Kubitz.”

Nirron looked at Lomatz. “You have a number of legal experts on the island. I will need their assistance to finish this in time.”

“I will make them available to you,” Lomatz replied.

-

The meeting lasted for another two hours as Kurt and Governor Spalding described in more detail what they wanted in the documents. Even Lomatz made a few suggestions, since he had a lot of experience in dealing with the Controllers. Nirron recorded everything to ensure nothing was left out. In the end, he asked for an exorbitant fee for his work, which was agreed to.

-

“Two million credits,” Spalding said after Lomatz and Nirron left. “That’s steep.”

Kurt grinned. “I figured he would want something like that, so I increased the fine we’ll impose.”

Spalding laughed. “So Kubitz and the Controllers are paying for Nirron’s work.”

Kurt nodded. “It’s only right.” He folded his arms over his chest. He would get his fleet ready and inform his command crew of their new mission. He suspected Captain Randson would be enthusiastic when he learned what Kurt had planned for Kubitz and the Profiteers.

-

Two days later Captain Randson came on board the new Star Cross. The Newton flagship was 1,700 meters long and heavily armed. It had been built by the Glaymons in their Dyson Sphere, hidden in a nebula in the galactic center.

“Hello, Captain Randson,” spoke a beautiful young woman, her hologram standing upon a small platform directly in front of the command console.

“Aleea,” replied Randson.

She was the ship’s AI and a creation of the Glaymons. In many ways she almost seemed Human.

“Nearly all the crew is on board. We should be ready for departure in 4.6 hours.”

“The other ships?” Randson knew twenty of their new heavy battlecruisers would be going as well.

“In formation, including the troop assault ship Tarawa.”

Randson looked at one of the large viewscreens. The Tarawa was a massive ship and bulkier than a normal warship. It had heavy shields and strong point defense weapons as well as extra armor. The ship was also armed with KEW batteries for surface bombardment. The ship was capable of carrying one thousand Marines and all their equipment. Kurt had ordered two of the ships built, just in case they ever boarded a ship in space or took on a hard target on the surface of a planet.

“Admiring our new Marine assault ship?” asked Kurt, coming into the Command Center.

Andrew turned toward Kurt, nodding. “She’s something. Do you think we’ll need her at Kubitz?”

“I hope not. I just received another message from the Sydney. It seems as if Grantz is missing.”

“What do you mean, missing?” asked Andrew, a hint of concern in his voice. Grantz had been attempting to get Andrew to go to the pleasure houses with him from the very beginning of their one-sided relationship. Andrew had shied away from the offer, fearful of what his wife, Emily, might do. “Did he run away when all the fighting started?”

Kurt shook his head. “No, unconfirmed reports indicate he was shot at one of the pleasure houses at the same time the embassy was attacked.”

Andrew drew in a sharp breath. While he didn’t care that much for Grantz, he did serve a purpose. “Do you think it was related to the embassy attack?”

“Yes, I now believe someone is sending me a message.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. Avery Dolman is trying to find out. Maybe by the time we reach Kubitz, he’ll have some answers for us.”

“It could be Dacroni Clan Leader Jarls,” suggested Andrew. “He was involved in the invasion of Earth and even the attack on us when we were on Kubitz. From the reports, Dacroni mercenaries were also involved in the attack on the embassy. Jarls lost a lot of credits because of us. He could be evening things up.”

“It’s possible,” admitted Kurt, sounding doubtful. “But where’s the profit in it for Jarls?”

Andrew remained silent, not knowing how to answer. Kurt was right; there was no way Jarls would be involved unless a lot of credits had changed hands. Andrew also wondered if Grantz might have gotten involved in something nefarious which had resulted in his death as well as caused the attack on the embassy. Grantz was a wild card, and you never knew the trouble his shenanigans might cause.

The main viewscreen was focused on Newton Station—3,000 meters in length, 1,600 meters in width, and 800 meters from the bottom of its hull to the top. The station contained four repair and six construction bays; all had been modified by Lomatz and his construction ships as well as the Glaymons. The upgraded station was now capable of producing twelve heavy battlecruisers every four weeks. Two smaller shipyards in orbit had also been built by the Glaymons. Each was capable of building a new battleship every three weeks and each was completely automated and controlled by several of their AIs.

On another screen, Newton was visible. The blue-white globe held over twenty-three million people, their children being raised in a school system like no other. With the help of the Glaymons, a new education curriculum had been established. While the Glaymons had not turned over all their highly advanced technology, they would help Newton advance several centuries in just a few decades. In order to do so, the children’s education had been radically changed. When this generation grew up, technology that now seemed like magic would be the norm for them, placing Newton on an equal footing, technologywise, with the Protector Worlds and even some of the more advanced Enlightened ones.

Andrew thought about his sixteen-year-old daughter, Alexis. She was a sophomore in high school and had told him about some of the changes. While they were not as mind-bending in the upper grades, they were in the lower ones. What also concerned Andrew at the moment was his daughter getting ready to attend another school dance, only this time she had a date with a junior. This dating thing was causing him more headaches than he imagined possible. He had disapproved of three of the dresses his wife and Alexis had picked out for the dance. They either exposed too much or accented the wrong parts of her body. Andrew was acutely aware that his daughter was becoming a young woman. This was something he definitely wasn’t ready for.

“All ship systems are ready for hyperspace travel,” reported Aleea. “Total travel time to the Gothan Empire will be 11.7 hours.”

Andrew was impressed. The old Star Cross would have taken 5.7 days to reach the empire. Andrew let out a deep sigh. He hoped Grantz was okay. While Andrew didn’t want to admit it, he enjoyed the banter he shared with the greedy Profiteer.

-

“Admiral, will we be engaging in combat in the Kubitz System?” asked Lieutenant Mays from Tactical.

Kurt turned toward the lieutenant. “It’s possible. It’s high time someone put the Gothan Empire in its place. After the attack on our embassy and the loss of life we suffered, we are not coming for a friendly visit.”

Lieutenant Mays nodded in approval. “I just wanted to confirm that since we’re carrying both antimatter hypermissiles as well as dark matter missiles. I suspect the Controllers will levy some major fines on us when they realize how powerful our weapons are.”

“We will pay no fines,” Kurt replied firmly, his eyes narrowing and turning cold. “Today we are dictating the terms.” Kurt had already decided on his course of action. Earth had been invaded twice by the Profiteers, and millions of innocent people had lost their lives. It was time to avenge some of those deaths and make Kubitz pay.

“I have uploaded the past scans taken of the Kubitz System,” added Lieutenant Mays. “Particularly the defenses around Kubitz which are the most powerful in the Gothan Empire, as well as those on the Controller Station. There are also a number of Lomatz’s new defensive platforms in orbit.”

Kurt nodded. “Aleea, please study those scans and see if anything might be a danger to the ships of this fleet.” He doubted it. The people of Kubitz nearly panicked anytime a Protector World vessel entered their system. Kurt’s new ships, based on Protector World and Glaymon technologies, were much more powerful.

Lomatz’s platforms might be a slight problem as these new ones he had sold to Kubitz were capable of damaging or destroying a Vorn vessel. However, Kurt had a method to neutralize them. He had Lomatz install a back door into the new platforms’ computer systems. If necessary, a simple code word would shut them down.

“No,” Aleea replied after a moment. “I don’t see anything that can penetrate our energy screens.”

Kurt sat in his command chair, taking note of his command crew. They were all busy preparing the ship for hyperspace. He had spoken briefly with Keera before coming to the Star Cross. She had begged him not to blame the people of Kubitz for what the Profiteers had done. While Kubitz was a harsh world, with its economy based on the piracy of the Profiteers and the mass sales of weapons, the average citizen was no different from those found on many other humanoid planets. They had families, children, and worked to make ends meet. It was just unfortunate they lived on a world the Controllers and the Profiteers used to exploit the rest of the galaxy.

Kurt had promised he wouldn’t harm the civilian population, but those responsible for the attack on the embassy would pay for what they did. Even if Kurt had to invade the environmental dome that protected the heart of the capital city, he intended to bring to justice those responsible.

-

The hours passed by, and the fleet was ready to enter hyperspace. Kurt looked at the nearby tactical display, showing everything out to a range of thirty-two light-years. Numerous green icons were visible representing ships traveling to and from Newton, Earth, Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon; the latter three were the nearby humanoid systems, which had formed an alliance with Newton and Earth. All three shared a similar technological development, just a little bit behind Earth. Since Newton now had Glaymon technology available for its use, the other worlds would be allowed a limited amount of Protector World technology, particularly for their shipyards and warships.

Kurt was well aware the Vorn were still out there and an ever-present danger—even though Vorn activity across the galaxy had diminished substantially since the battle at Lakiam. Only a few attacks on smaller worlds were still being reported. Kurt greatly feared the Vorn were only preparing themselves for something more.

“Ready to enter hyperspace,” reported Captain Randson. “All systems working at optimum levels.”

Studying the screens, Kurt could see the other ships of his fleet. Twenty heavy battlecruisers plus the Marine assault ship. This fleet was very powerful, armed with weapons and energy shields developed by the Glaymons. “Set a course for the Gothan Empire and take us into hyperspace.”

-

A few moments later the Star Cross accelerated forward and made the jump into hyperspace. The other ships of the fleet did as well, taking up defensive positions around the flagship and the Marine assault vessel. It was time to pay the Gothan Empire and Kubitz a visit. This time Fleet Admiral Vickers and his fleet would make demands of the empire, ones they had better agree to or they would feel the wrath of Vickers’s fleet. The Gothan Empire was about to learn they were no longer the major power in this region of the galaxy.

Chapter Three

Kurt gazed at his ship’s main viewscreen. The star cluster containing the Gothan Empire was directly ahead—some 5,500 light-years from Earth and Newton. The empire was a loose Federation of 118 star systems, many of its planets heavily fortified with defensive grids and powerful fleets. The stronger worlds routinely sent out raiding fleets to attack convoys of weaker planetary systems throughout the galaxy and also plundered many of the civilized races for profit and slaves. However, since the advent of the Vorn, the frequency of Gothan pirating raids had dropped precipitously.

“I was hoping to not return to this place for a long time,” muttered Andrew from where he stood next to Kurt. “Kubitz is the worst hellhole of depravity in the galaxy.”

“I am not so sure of that,” said Aleea, turning to face Kurt and Andrew. “From the data I have access to, other worlds are even worse in some of the smaller more barbaric empires. That is one of the reasons most of the Protector Worlds and Enlightened Worlds have nothing to do with them.”

“Perhaps,” replied Kurt. “The problem with Kubitz is that the entire Gothan Empire is behind it.”

Kubitz was a world where anything could be bought and sold for the right price. It held the major slave markets for the empire as well as black markets for nearly anything one could imagine. The world was protected by a massive orbital defensive system with a powerful fleet of battlecruisers and battleships. No attacks against competitors were allowed once a ship contacted the Controller Station and declared their intent to trade at the planet. Any ship that violated the rule against attacking another vessel would be immediately destroyed by Kubitz’s powerful defenses. A minimal fee was paid to the Controllers by every ship that came to trade—a highly profitable system as hundreds of ships came and left Kubitz daily.

“Shall we make several jumps to Kubitz, or do we want to jump directly into the system?” asked Lieutenant Styles from the Helm.

“Straight in,” Kurt ordered. “Put us one hundred thousand kilometers from the Controller Station.” Normally, due to the star density in the cluster, it took several jumps to reach Kubitz. However, with the new navigation system and computers the Glaymons had furnished the Star Cross with, it was now possible to do it in one. “Activate our sensor-dampening field. I don’t want anyone in the empire knowing we’re coming to Kubitz.” Kurt was determined to make this visit a complete surprise. Though, since the attack on the embassy, he strongly suspected someone on Kubitz was waiting to see what his response would be. They were about to find out.

“Our appearance will be a shock to them,” Andrew said with a wolfish grin. “It’s about time we collected some payback.”

Kurt nodded. The Controllers and the Kubitz government were about to learn of a new power in this corner of the galaxy, and it was not the Gothan Empire.

“Setting up the jump,” reported Lieutenant Styles.

“Jump coordinates confirmed,” added Aleea. The AI was capable of checking every system on the ship instantaneously.

“Initiate the jump,” ordered Kurt. It was time to pay Kubitz a special visit.

Moments later Kurt felt the familiar wrenching sensation as the battleship made the transition into hyperspace. The rest of the fleet followed and took up their standard escort positions.

-

The Star Cross, the Tarawa, and their escort of twenty heavy battlecruisers emerged from hyperspace 102,000 kilometers from the massive Controller Station just outside the orbit of the sixth planet in the Kubitz System. As soon as they exited, all ships raised their energy shields and powered up their weapons. After all, this would not be a friendly visit.

“Fleet is at Condition One,” reported Andrew as the individual ships reported in.

Aleea updated tactical information on Kurt’s console screen, which also made things easier. Each heavy battlecruiser had an AI similar to Aleea on board, and she was in constant contact with each one. Pertinent information could be relayed to Andrew almost instantaneously.

“I’m detecting 347 ships in the vicinity of the station,” Lieutenant Brooks reported. “That does not include the small patrol ships that protect the station.”

“Shields are up, and weapons are charged,” added Lieutenant Mays. “Are you sure you don’t want to put a KEW round into the Controller Station?”

Kurt shook his head. That Zero-Point Energy round would completely annihilate the station in a massive explosion. “No, let’s wait and see how they react. Lieutenant Pierce, when the station contacts you, put them over to me.”

“Yes, sir,” Pierce replied as a light on her comm blinked. She reached out and pressed an icon, sending the message to the admiral’s command console.

“This is Kubitz Traffic Control. State your business and how many ships will continue on to Kubitz. A standard fee will be charged for all vessels.”

“This is Fleet Admiral Vickers from Newton,” Kurt replied in a steady voice. “We are here to investigate the unwarranted attack on our embassy and why the government of Kubitz did nothing to prevent it.”

Silence reigned on the other end of the comm.

Kurt suspected his response was far different from what had been expected.

“Your ships are to remain here while we contact the Kubitz government,” the traffic controller ordered. “It will take some time to substantiate your claims.”

“No,” Kurt replied. “My entire fleet will jump into orbit around Kubitz.”

“No! No ships are allowed to make a jump within the orbit of the sixth planet,” responded the traffic controller, “or your world will face a heavy fine and penalty, and your ships will be destroyed as soon as they exit hyperspace. Maintain your current position and prepare to be boarded by Lylan Enforcers. For your obstinacy a fine will be levied.”

“Kurt, a squadron of patrol ships are moving toward us,” reported Andrew as he watched twenty-five small red threat icons leave the vicinity of the station and head toward the Star Cross and her fleet. The small ships were two hundred meters in length and heavily armed.

“Order your patrol ships to turn around, or I will destroy them,” Kurt said calmly. “If they approach within ten thousand kilometers, my fleet will open fire.”

“We could just jump to Kubitz,” suggested Andrew as he watched the tactical display anxiously.

“No,” Kurt replied. He still felt the anger over the senseless deaths of Marvin Tenner, the Marines, and the staff at the embassy. He intended to show the Controllers and the Kubitz government they had made a serious mistake. It was time for an example to be made.

No response came from the traffic controller, and, on the tactical display, the twenty-five patrol ships steadily drew closer. Behind them several hundred more gathered. It was obvious, if this first squadron failed, then others would be sent.

“I’m picking up a marked increase in communication traffic between the other ships around the station,” Lieutenant Pierce informed the admiral. “Some are talking about jumping out if there’s any weapons fire.”

“Patrol ships have raised their shields, and I’m detecting targeting scans,” reported Lieutenant Mays, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t believe they’ll turn around. Permission to fire?”

“The ships around the station are powering up, and a few are moving away,” reported Lieutenant Brooks. “They must want to avoid getting between any weapons fire from the Controller Station and our fleet.”

Kurt looked at the nearby tactical display. Normally hundreds of ships were around the station, conducting business. Now a large number were moving away.

“Twenty thousand kilometers and closing,” reported Lieutenant Brooks. “No indication the patrol ships are slowing.”

This didn’t surprise Kurt; the patrol ships were equipped with the best weapons and shield technology known to Kubitz. The crews probably felt they were safe behind their energy shields.

“Fifteen thousand kilometers and closing,” said Lieutenant Brooks in a steady voice.

“Fleet weapons are locked on targets,” reported Lieutenant Mays. “All ships will fire force beams. We should achieve a 100 percent kill rate on the inbound patrol ships.”

“From my analysis of their energy screens, the force beams will cut right through them,” said Aleea. “They do not understand the power source of our ships.”

“This is your last warning,” Kurt said into his comm. “If your ships don’t turn back now, I will destroy them.”

No reply came, and, on the tactical display, Kurt saw the ships crossing the ten-thousand-kilometer mark.

“Ninety-eight hundred kilometers,” reported Lieutenant Brooks in a subdued voice.

“Lieutenant Mays, they’re all yours,” Kurt said coldly.

“Firing,” said Lieutenant Mays as she pressed several icons on her tactical console.

-

From the Star Cross and the twenty heavy battlecruisers, beams of deadly energy shot out, striking the energy screens of the incoming patrol ships. The beams cut through the shields as if they weren’t even there. In twenty-five blinding explosions, the patrol ships simply disintegrated as the force beams disrupted the atoms which comprised the ships’ structures. When the explosions died away, all that remained were a few small clouds of glowing space dust. The battle had lasted less than ten seconds.

-

“Targets destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Brooks.

“No damage to any of our ships,” added Andrew. “They didn’t get a shot off.”

“Their other ships have stopped,” said Aleea. “I believe they recognize they’re outmatched. I’m detecting an increase in communication between the station and Kubitz.”

Kurt gazed at one of the viewscreens, showing the rapidly fading glow from the site of the destroyed patrol ships. “Set a course for Kubitz. Put us into orbit ten thousand kilometers above the capital. Keep the fleet at Condition One and bring our energy shields up as soon as we exit hyperspace.” In the past it would have taken a few seconds for the screens to power up. However, with the Glaymon technology made available, the screens would snap into place as soon as the ships exited hyperspace.

“All ships are ready to jump,” confirmed Andrew.

“Course set,” reported Lieutenant Pierce.

“Confirmed,” added Aleea.

“Initiate jump,” ordered Kurt as he stared anxiously at the main viewscreen.

Kubitz was the fourth planet out from the system’s sun, so it would only take them a few seconds to reach their target. Kurt felt a slight wrenching sensation and then almost immediately afterward a second one. On the main viewscreen, a planet appeared, slightly larger than Earth and rotating a bit faster, making the days only twenty-two hours. The gravity was also slightly less at 96 percent Earth normal. The planet was heavily industrialized with a lot of pollution. A muddy and acidic rain fell several times a day. The primary sections of the larger cities had an environmental dome protecting them from the extreme weather the planet was known for. Several remote areas of the planet practiced weather control where crops and food animals were grown. These areas were far away from the cities to make controlling the weather less expensive.

“In orbit,” reported Andrew as he gazed at one of the viewscreens showing the planet.

“Shields are up on all ships, and we’re at Condition One,” added Lieutenant Mays. “Weapons are ready to fire.”

“We’re being hit by numerous targeting scans,” reported Lieutenant Brooks. “Scans are coming from defensive platforms and several squadrons of Kubitz warships. The nearest squadron is coming around and is heading toward us.”

“Lieutenant Pierce, set the comm for a general broadcast on all frequencies.” Kurt waited a moment and then spoke. “Attention, this is Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers of Newton. We are here to investigate the attack on our embassy which resulted in the loss of numerous lives. No interference will be tolerated. Any vessel or defense station that fires on this fleet will be destroyed.”

Lieutenant Brooks studied her sensors, then looked at the admiral. “I don’t think they’re listening. Two of the Class One defensive platforms are powering up their weapons in preparation to fire.”

“Their weapons cannot penetrate our shields,” Aleea informed Kurt. “Nothing in orbit is a threat to our vessels.”

“Admiral, should I destroy those two platforms?” asked Lieutenant Mays, her fingers poised over her console.

Kurt shook his head. “No, not yet. Let them fire so we can demonstrate their weapons are no threat. Target the two platforms with our particle beam cannons. On my command, we will destroy them. Then send the code word to all the platforms Lomatz sold them and shut them down.” That should shake them up.

“Platforms are firing,” reported Aleea.

-

Direct energy cannons fired from two of Kubitz’s large defensive platforms, sending beams of intense power toward one of the Newton ships. The beams slammed into the energy screen of the warship but failed to penetrate. For several minutes the beams continued, and then the platforms fired their hypermissiles. Fifty-kiloton explosions ravaged the screens of several Newton ships, including the Star Cross, lighting up space from the brilliance of their detonations. Nuclear energy raced across the defensive screens, seeking a weakness. None were found. The attack stopped, and the fiery glow of nuclear energy faded away, leaving Kurt’s fleet in full view of Kubitz.

-

“Shields are holding at 92 percent,” reported Lieutenant Mays.

“Fire!” ordered Kurt, leaning forward in his command chair. “Destroy those two platforms, and shut the others down.”

On the main viewscreen, two dark-blue energy beams darted from the bow of the Star Cross. Both beams struck the protective energy screen of one of the defensive platforms. For a moment the screen flared up brightly, and then the two beams penetrated. They played across the platform’s structure, ripping it open. Then, in a titanic explosion, the platform blew apart.

“Target the second platform,” ordered Kurt, his voice firm and determined.

Once again, the two beams lashed out with the same result. The second platform blew apart, sending flaming debris across space. Several nearby ships hurriedly moved away to escape the flying wreckage.

“Sending the code word,” reported Lieutenant Mays. “Platforms are shutting down.”

Kurt nodded. He suspected they were causing quite a commotion in the defensive Commander Center on Kubitz.

“A lot of the ships in orbit are powering up and pulling away from the planet,” reported Lieutenant Brooks. “Everyone’s afraid of what’ll happen next.”

“Some of those ships are talking about jumping out,” added Lieutenant Pierce.

“Contact Kubitz’s Traffic Control and inform them, if one more of their defensive platforms or any of their ships fire on any ship of this fleet, we will completely destroy their defensive grid.”

Lieutenant Pierce spoke on her comm and then turned toward Kurt. “They will not fire on us again.”

“Inform them we will be visiting the Controller Exchange and will land at the main spaceport. We will not accept any resistance, or the planet will be targeted.”

Andrew looked at Kurt in surprise. “Would you really target the planet?”

“Yes,” Kurt replied, his focus on Andrew. “The slave auction sites first.”

Andrew nodded his agreement at this. His wife and daughter had nearly been sold at one of the slave auctions. He had no problem seeing them destroyed.

-

A few hours later Kurt exited a shuttle on the surface of the main spaceport on Kubitz. Andrew had stayed on board the Star Cross in case something went south on the planet. A second shuttle also touched down close by.

“Everything looks secure,” Lieutenant Jones reported from Kurt’s side. The lieutenant had brought with him twelve Marines, all in body armor, to protect the fleet admiral.

Sergeant Evans exited the second shuttle, followed by ten large combat robots, imposing and towering over the Marines.

Surveying the spaceport, Kurt noticed a substantial lack of activity from the norm. Usually work robots were busily loading shuttles and small spacecraft. Vehicles would be zooming back and forth, hauling freight. Today the only movement he saw was on the far side of the spaceport, away from where the shuttles had landed.

“Let’s get to the Controller Exchange,” Kurt ordered. “I have some papers to present to Controller Kelmor.” He had been the one to assess the fines on Newton the last time Kurt was on Kubitz. This time it would be the other way around.

It took a few minutes to arrive at the entrance to the Controller Exchange, where they found a large “welcoming” committee. A number of Lylan Enforcers stood at the entrance, barring their way.

“Hold,” demanded the one in charge. “You are not allowed inside the exchange.” The Lylans were humanoid with large muscular arms and legs and a squat chest. They came from a high-gravity world and served as Enforcers for the Controllers and the Kubitz government.

“On whose orders?” Kurt was curious how this would play out. The Marines and combat robots moved closer, standing just behind him.

“By orders of the government of Kubitz and the Controllers. You may have your people at your embassy brought to the spaceport for transport to your ships. Your embassy compound has been confiscated by the Kubitz government, and the presence of your people will no longer be allowed on the planet. However, before your people are allowed to leave your former embassy, Controller Kelmor has instructed me to inform you that all your assets have been confiscated, including all credits registered with the exchange. There will also be a forty-million-credit fine for destroying the patrol ships. Once the fine has been paid, your people may leave.”

“And if we refuse?” asked Kurt, his eyes narrowing sharply.

“Your people will be seized and sold on the slave markets as a down payment on your fine.”

“I wish to see Kelmor.” Kurt had no intentions of playing games with the Enforcers or the Controllers. Kurt would be the one making demands, not them.

The Enforcer shook his head. “No, there will be no admittance.”

Kurt sighed and looked at Lieutenant Jones and nodded.

At a signal from the lieutenant, the combat robots immediately raised their arms and stunned all the Enforcers, dropping them to the ground.

Kurt gazed at the prostrate Lylans. “Sergeant Evans, take four combat robots and clear a path to Kelmor’s office.” Sergeant Evans had been here before with Kurt and knew where Kelmor’s office was.

Sergeant Evans immediately took the four robots and entered the exchange building. Almost instantly, the sound of stunners going off could be heard.

“Lieutenant Jones, remain out here with the rest of the combat robots and our Marines. If any Enforcers come near, stun them.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Jones replied.

Kurt turned and entered the building, escorted by Corporal Edison and two Marines.

As Kurt walked through the corridors to the Controller’s office, he was surprised to see all the Enforcers that Sergeant Evans and his combat robots had stunned. Evidently the Controllers had decided not to take any chances on Kurt reaching Kelmor. Finally Kurt reached Kelmor’s office, finding two combat robots standing guard outside. Kurt ordered the Marines with him to join the two robots and guard the corridor. “I don’t want to be interrupted while I’m talking to the Controller.”

“You won’t be,” promised Corporal Edison.

Opening the door and stepping inside, he saw an enraged Controller sitting behind his desk with two Lylan Enforcers standing close by. Neither reached for their weapons as two combat robots had their stunners pointed at them. Sergeant Evans was also in the room standing behind the robots.

“I will not stand for this outrage,” said Kelmor, his voice angry. “I am a Controller, and, as such, my word is law. No one may challenge or threaten any of us. I am assessing an additional fine of fifty million credits for what you have done.”

Kurt stood before Kelmor. He eyed the Controller coldly, his expression showing no mercy. “There will be no fine, not now or ever! All assets belonging to Newton will immediately be returned to us. I am not asking. I am demanding.”

Kelmor laughed. “Fool, this is Kubitz. We are the law here.”

Kurt studied Kelmor for a long moment. “Very well, it’s obvious you need some encouragement.” Reaching into his pocket, Kurt took out a small transmitter. “Andrew, begin phase one. Destroy the target.”

Kelmor’s eyes widened in concern at hearing this. “What are you doing?”

“Your comm unit will buzz shortly. I suggest you listen to what they have to say but take no actions.”

-

On board the Star Cross, Andrew grinned with anticipation. Finally the Gothan Empire would pay for what they had put his family through as well as for nuking Earth.

“Lieutenant Mays, destroy our primary target.”

“With pleasure, Captain,” Mays responded as she targeted the largest shipyard in orbit above Kubitz. The planet maintained a large number of shipyards, most of them automated. There would be no loss of life but the shipyard by itself would cost Kubitz several billion credits.

“Locking on with our direct-energy projectors.” In the past these weapons would have been stopped by the shipyard’s protective energy shield. However, due to the Glaymons’ equipping the Star Cross with a Zero-Point Energy module for power, the beams were now twenty times more powerful than they were before.

“Fire!” ordered Andrew, his gaze glued to the main viewscreen, which was focused on the target.

-

Instantly, from eight locations on the hull of Kurt’s battleship, direct-energy projectors fired, sending a massive stream of energy toward the huge shipyard. For a few moments the shipyard’s energy screen glowed brightly as it resisted the sudden surge of energy striking the screen, and then it collapsed. The energy beams struck the hull of the shipyard, melting the material and penetrating deep inside.

Very slowly the beams moved across the shipyard, opening up numerous compartments to space. For nearly a minute the beams methodically carved the shipyard into dozens of pieces. Occasionally an explosion threw fiery debris away from the structure. When the beams finally stopped, the shipyard was a twisted mass of glowing debris and drifting wreckage.

-

“Target destroyed,” confirmed Lieutenant Brooks. She grinned and looked at Andrew. “A lot of ships are activating their hyperdrives and jumping away from Kubitz.”

Andrew nodded. He watched the main viewscreen, which showed the wreckage of the destroyed shipyard. Reaching forward, he activated his comm, putting him in direct contact with Kurt. “Target destroyed, and a lot of ships are leaving orbit. Hundreds are entering hyperspace and fleeing the system.”

“Sounds as if the Controllers will have a lot of fines to issue,” commented Lieutenant Mays with a satisfied grin. “I have the force beams locked on the secondary targets. Shall I fire?”

“No, not yet,” Andrew replied. The secondary targets were the slave auction houses. He really wanted to destroy them. He hoped he got the opportunity.

-

Kurt looked at Kelmor as his comm unit buzzed, demanding his attention.

“Yes?” Kelmor said as he listened to the message. His face turned pale as he disconnected and looked at Kurt in disbelief. “That shipyard cost over four billion credits to construct. That will be added to your fine. You are a fool to come and threaten us. This is Kubitz, and we will not allow such behavior. Your world will be forever banned from trading here, and your ships in orbit will be destroyed. At a command from me, our entire defensive grid as well as our planet-based weapons will fire on your fleet. Not even your ships can withstand that.”

Kurt shook his head. “There will be no fine, and your defensive grid will not fire. You see, our ships were built by the Glaymons, and just one of them could destroy your world.”

Kelmor turned even paler at hearing the word Glaymons. “The Glaymons built your ships?”

“Yes, you are aware the Glaymons were instrumental in defeating the Destroyers of Worlds at Lakiam. We were there as well.”

Kelmor was thunderstruck and sat in silence, lost for words.

“However, I am levying a hefty fine against Kubitz and the Controller organization.” He opened up the small briefcase he carried. Reaching inside, he pulled out a thick sheaf of documents. “I want these filed immediately, and the payment of the fines put into Newton’s account.”

Kelmor looked at Kurt in disbelief. He took the offered set of documents and began looking over them. He frowned at Kurt. “Controller Nirron filled these out.”

“Yes,” Kurt answered. “He was paid a fee to do so. I believe you will find everything in order.”

For nearly twenty minutes Kelmor studied the documents and then faced Kurt. “The documents are in order, and I will file them. But I should tell you that neither the Controller organization nor the Kubitz government will agree to pay this exorbitant fee. “You’re asking for 2.7 billion credits.”

Kurt leaned forward, his voice cold and threatening. “Our planet was attacked twice by your Profiteers. Our people were taken to be sold in the slave markets here on Kubitz, and twice I have nearly been killed while conducting business here. Now our embassy compound has been attacked and Ambassador Tenner killed, as well as numerous Marines and embassy staff. I am not giving you an option. The Controller organization and the Kubitz government will pay the fine stated in the documents.”

“Admiral,” Lieutenant Jones’s concerned voice came over the comm unit in Kurt’s hand. “We have hundreds of Lylan enforcers surrounding the Controller Exchange. They’re keeping their distance, but we have no way to make it to the shuttles.”

“There’s your answer,” gloated Kelmor. “Surrender and pay the fines for what you have done. You and your people still on Kubitz will be taken into custody and sold as slaves. That is the penalty you shall pay for the desecration you have done to this facility and for destroying the shipyard. Your ships will not fire as long as we have you in our custody.”

Kurt slowly shook his head. “You still don’t understand, do you? You’re in no position to make demands.” Kurt activated the transmitter once more. “Andrew, take out the secondary targets. Send Colonel Sewell with his Marines and combat robots. I want the entire spaceport as well as the Controller Exchange placed under our control.”

Kelmor stood, glaring at Kurt. “We are the Controllers. You will not dictate terms to us!”

Kurt stared into Kelmor’s eyes. “In this instance, that’s exactly what I’m doing, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

-

On board the Star Cross Andrew smiled in jubilation. Finally he could destroy the slave auction houses. These huge buildings were in the center of the capital, where thousands of slaves were routinely sold. The number of slaves sold had dropped sharply recently due to the danger of raiding fleets running across the Vorn.

“Target the slave auction houses with our force beams. Set the beams to the narrowest aperture as Admiral Vickers doesn’t want to bring down the environmental dome. Even though this is Kubitz, a lot of innocent people live inside.” Andrew knew from talking to Keera that not everyone on Kubitz was a Profiteer or even agreed with their thieving ways. Since there were no active sales occurring, there would be few people in the auction houses. Most of the slaves were held at the slave training facilities outside of the dome, like his wife and daughter had been.

“The dome will not collapse,” Aleea said in her youthful voice. “I detect an energy shield just beneath the dome holding it in place. I’ve confirmed each auction house remains empty, except for work robots.”

Andrew nodded. Twenty-six separate buildings were to be destroyed. Targets had been sent to the twenty heavy battlecruisers supporting the Star Cross for a coordinated strike. “Colonel Sewell will launch his assault shuttles as soon as we stop firing.” The assault shuttles were heavily armored with two small turrets capable of firing energy beams and protected by an energy shield. Each shuttle could hold twenty-two Marines and ten combat robots. Colonel Sewell would be sending twenty of the shuttles to the spaceport.

“All targets have been acquired,” reported Lieutenant Mays. “Ready to fire on your order.” Her eyes focused on Andrew.

“Fire!” ordered Andrew, leaning forward and gazing in anticipation at the main viewscreen, showing a magnified view of the large dome. For the first time he felt that the kidnapping of Emily and Alexis at the hands of the Profiteers was about to be fully avenged.

-

From the twenty-one warships in Kurt’s fleet, pencil-thin force beams flashed downward, cutting through the large environmental dome that protected the center of the Kubitz capital city. Several ships, including the Star Cross, had more than one target to destroy. The beams slammed into the tall structures, which were the blockwide slave markets. The beams, upon striking the buildings, spread out, disrupting the atoms holding the structures together. In a matter of a few minutes the buildings collapsed, sending towering pillars of dust high up into the dome. Alarms sounded, and people panicked.

The beams shut down, and where the slave auction houses had once stood were piles of rubble, most of it in the form of massive dust mounds. Twenty-six city blocks lay destroyed.

-

“Targets destroyed,” confirmed Lieutenant Brooks. “They won’t be selling any more slaves there again.”

“Lieutenant Pierce, send a message on all frequencies that we will destroy any ship or defensive platform which fires on our shuttles. Also inform them, if a shuttle is fired upon, we will target the planet again.”

Lieutenant Pierce got busy and then reported, “Message sent.”

“Shuttles launching,” reported Lieutenant Brooks as twenty small green icons appeared on a nearby tactical display.

Andrew leaned back in the command chair. Now it would be up to the Controllers and the Kubitz government to decide what happened to their world. The next targets would be all the defensive platforms orbiting the planet, rendering Kubitz nearly defenseless. Andrew hoped they refused. He would like nothing better than to reduce this world to a near state of helplessness. If the Vorn showed up to harvest Kubitz, Andrew would feel no pity. He probably should feel guilty about that thought, but he didn’t.

-

The twenty shuttles landed, and the Marines and the combat robots stormed out from each. They spread out across the spaceport, and, anytime they encountered a Lylan Enforcer, they stunned him. Seeing the Marine takeover of the spaceport, many of the other ships and shuttles frantically took off, several nearly colliding. In forty minutes the spaceport was under control of the Marines and their towering robots. All work at the spaceport was at a complete standstill. Workers cowered, waiting to see what would happen next.

At the Controller Exchange, the Lylans had laid down their weapons and surrendered. They recognized their resistance was useless. They stared at the intimidating combat robots waiting to see what would happen next.

-

“Perimeter is secure,” reported Colonel Sewell over the comm to Fleet Admiral Vickers.

Kurt looked at Kelmor, who was speaking on a conference call with other Controllers and the Kubitz government. When he found out about the destruction of the slave auction houses, the fight had gone out of him.

Kurt casually mentioned the same could be done to all Controller facilities on the planet as well as government ones.

At last Kelmor ended his conversation and looked up at Kurt.

“The Kubitz government and the Controllers agree to your demands.”

Kurt let out a slow exhale, which he hid from Kelmor with his frowning glare. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if they had refused.

“Very well.” Kurt reached into his briefcase and handed over another document smaller than the first one. “This describes what we want from this point forward. I should also inform you that Newton has been granted Protector World status.”

Kelmor’s eyes widened in shock at this announcement. For centuries the Gothan Empire had gone out of its way to avoid angering any Protector World.

“If you doubt my word, you may contact Fleet Commodore Dreen of the Lakiams for confirmation.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Kelmor said hastily. With a deep sigh, he took the newest document and read it. When he was done, he looked at Kurt in disbelief. “You claim your vessels can destroy Vorn ships. What proof do you have of that?”

“The Lakiams will confirm that statement too.”

Kelmor frowned and then looked again at the document. “You want to rebuild your embassy and protect it with modern weapons. You also want to bring in special armored personnel vehicles far in advance of anything currently on Kubitz.”

“They will only be used to transport embassy staff or to pick people up from the spaceport. Other than that, they will stay inside the compound.”

“You also want to double the number of Marines which guard the embassy.”

“After the attack on the embassy, it’s prudent we do whatever is necessary to ensure nothing like this happens again.”

“You also want a free hand in finding and capturing all Profiteers or Dacroni mercenaries responsible for the attack on the embassy compound.”

“Yes,” Kurt answered and then made a surprising announcement. “We are also willing to leave two of our heavy battlecruisers at Kubitz to protect it from Vorn attack.”

“For a fee,” mentioned Kelmor, pointing to a paragraph in the document.

“Of course,” Kurt answered evenly. “Those are very expensive ships.”

Kelmor shifted his gaze to Kurt. “I believe the Controller organization and the Kubitz government will agree to this, primarily because we currently have no weapons other than perhaps the new defensive platforms Lomatz provided us that can stop a Vorn vessel. I will contact the necessary Controllers and the people in the government to seek their approval. I will notify you when a decision has been made.”

Kurt nodded. “I’m bringing down two large shuttles. They contain the vehicles I feel are necessary to safely travel in the capital.”

Kelmor nodded. He knew he was in no position to object. “I will notify the Lylan Enforcers these new vehicles are permissible.”

“Then our business for today is complete.” Kurt motioned to Sergeant Evans and they left the office.

Kurt breathed out a huge sigh of relief. Things had gone much better than he had imagined. While it had been tempting to pull all the Newton embassy staff from Kubitz, the black market world still held a lot of resources that might be useful. It was also a good place to gather information. For now Kurt intended to keep a Newton presence on the planet.

-

Two hours later Kurt arrived at the embassy complex, riding in one of the new armored personnel carriers. They were equipped with spacecraft battle armor, two small energy turrets on top, and room to carry eight Marines if needed. Sergeant Evans was with Kurt as well as two other Marines and four of the large combat robots. Exiting the personnel carrier, Kurt paused as he gazed at the ruins of the embassy. Smoke still rose from a few areas of the rubble.

“Admiral,” said Captain Briar as he stepped forward. “I’m sorry about the embassy. We did everything we could.”

“I’m sure you did,” Kurt replied. It felt strange for Ambassador Tenner not to be here to greet him. “Do we know who did this?”

“Maybe,” Briar replied with a strange look on his face. “But you need to hear that from Avery Dolman.”

Kurt looked around the compound. Marine guards were present wherever he looked, and the wall had been rebuilt. The new guard tower was in place with two machine guns in obvious sight. “Where’s Dolman?”

“He arrived a short while ago. As soon as he heard your fleet was in orbit, he came here. He’s in one of the buildings we’ve set up with offices for the survivors of the embassy staff.” Briar gazed with interest at the four towering combat robots, standing behind Kurt. “Where the hell did you get those?”

Kurt grinned. “Our new combat robots are courtesy of one of our latest friends. We’ll rebuild the embassy, and, when we leave, I’ll leave some of them here with you. We’ll also equip the embassy compound with more modern weapons, including energy turrets for the guard towers.”

Briar’s eyes lit up at the news. “What about those personnel carriers you arrived in? Any chance of a few of them staying? We lost two of our Humvees in the fighting, and I’ve never felt that secure in them anyway when traveling in the city.”

“Yes, we’ll leave at least four of them. Now let’s go talk to Dolman.”

“I saw a lot of dust in the air earlier,” Briar said as they walked. “At first we thought the Star Cross was destroying the city, and then we heard over the media channels that the slave auction houses had been destroyed. Good riddance to those. They were a travesty.”

“Captain Randson destroyed them from the Star Cross,” confirmed Kurt. “I suspect he is very pleased at the moment.” Kurt knew how much Andrew hated the slave auction houses, and Kurt had been with Andrew when they had rescued Emily and Alexis as well as thousands of others from a slave training center earlier.

Entering one of the smaller buildings, Kurt noticed a number of holes that had been repaired, where stray weapons fire had impacted the walls. A lot of work still needed to be done.

Briar escorted Kurt to a room, opened the door, and indicated for the admiral to go in. Stepping inside, Kurt came to a sudden halt upon seeing the two individuals waiting for him.

“Admiral!” boomed an all-too-familiar voice.

“Grantz! I thought you were dead!” Kurt couldn’t believe his eyes. There, standing next to the conference table, was the Marsten Profiteer.

Grantz’s face took on a somber look. “It takes more than a few bullets to kill me.”

Avery Dolman shook his head. “What Grantz failed to mention is that he nearly always wears a bulletproof vest whenever he goes out. He got lucky his attacker didn’t shoot him in the head. That’s what my people would have done.”

“But unconfirmed reports stated you were lying in a pool of blood,” blurted out Kurt, confused.

Grantz nodded. “You have to fool these attackers. My vest has an inside lining of a thick liquid that looks like blood. When I was shot two times, the lining was punctured, and the liquid leaked out, making it appear I was mortally wounded. Clever, isn’t it?”

Kurt merely shook his head. Leave it to Grantz to plan to fake his own death. Kurt’s attention focused on Dolman. “Do we know who was behind this?”

Dolman sat, indicating for Kurt to do the same. “We know. It wasn’t easy as the person behind this took a lot of precautions to keep his identity secret. I had to spend several million credits to find out.”

“You’ll be well compensated,” Kurt promised. “Now tell me. Who do I need to kill?” Whoever was behind this, Kurt had no intention of allowing them to live. Marvin Tenner had been a good friend. On top of that, a lot of Marines and embassy staff had died in the attack as well.

Dolman took a deep breath and pushed a sheaf of papers over to Kurt. “It’s all in there. The credits that were paid and every Profiteer who was involved. I traced the credits and one name kept coming up. High Profiteer Creed.”

“Creed!” uttered Kurt, feeling the blood drain from his face. “That’s impossible. He was killed on Earth.”

“Was he?” asked Dolman. “To the best of my knowledge his body was never found. Also an unknown Profiteer recently spent an exorbitant amount of credits on a new battleship, with the credits coming from Creed’s account. I’ve also received confirmed reports of all Creed’s former ships in his Profiteer fleet being updated with the most modern weapons available in the Kubitz shipyards.”

Kurt let out a deep breath. “Creed’s body was never found. We always assumed he died in one of the shuttles, trying to escape Earth. Looks like we were wrong.” Kurt couldn’t believe Creed had escaped. It explained the attack on the embassy as well as the attack against Grantz.

Dolman had a serious look on his face. “Creed is a dangerous individual, and all he wants now is revenge. He’ll keep coming for you and your people until he either kills you or you kill him. I would recommend you place a bounty on his head, a large enough one that would keep him away from Kubitz.”

“How large?” Kurt asked.

Placing a bounty on someone’s head was something that sounded barbaric, but they were talking about High Profiteer Creed, the individual directly responsible for millions of deaths on Earth plus what had happened at the Newton embassy here on Kubitz. Bounties were a common practice on Kubitz and in the Gothan Empire.

“Ten million credits will keep him far from Kubitz,” replied Dolman. “It will also keep him away from a number of other Profiteer worlds, where any number of small clans would find the bounty very tempting to collect.”

Kurt thought about the suggestion for a moment and then nodded. “See that it’s done. I want Creed dead!” As long as he was alive, he was a threat. A threat to Kurt, the embassy here on Kubitz, as well as to Earth and Newton and their new alliance.

-

Later Kurt toured the embassy compound with Captain Briar, Grantz, and Dolman.

“I can’t believe Marvin is dead,” Grantz said as he gazed at the part of the building where his quarters had been. “He was a fine man and paid in gold for my services.”

“Don’t forget. High Profiteer Creed tried to kill you as well,” Dolman reminded Grantz.

Grantz let out a deep sigh. “I may have to stay away from the pleasure houses for a while. At least until Creed has been dealt with. Putting a bounty on his head should at least deter him from Kubitz, but he still has a lot of connections.”

“Captain, I want you to submit a plan that ensures the safety of this compound. If we need to install multiple energy turrets on the perimeter wall, that’s what we’ll do. We will leave twenty of the new combat robots here as well as another full company of Marines. Replacement staff and a new ambassador will arrive once the compound is secure.”

“A new ambassador,” muttered Grantz unhappily. “I wish Tenner was still here.”

“We all do,” replied Kurt. He felt a dull ache inside knowing Tenner was gone.

“So the Controllers agreed to all your demands?” asked Dolman, his eyes widening. “I would have liked to have listened to that conversation.” Kurt had informed them of what had transpired in Kelmor’s office.

“They didn’t have a choice,” answered Kurt, pointing upward. “Not with my fleet in orbit.”

Dolman stopped and looked at Kurt sharply. “So the Glaymons came through. I have heard rumors of the battle in the Lakiam home system and that a Glaymon fleet as well as Newton ships were involved.”

“Most of that’s still confidential,” Kurt answered, knowing Fleet Commodore Dreen was visiting numerous Protector Worlds in the company of several Glaymon disk ships to bring more worlds into the Lakiam Alliance to fight the Vorn. It would soon be general knowledge that the Glaymons were taking an active part in the war against the Vorn.

Dolman nodded his understanding. “I imagine the offer to keep two of your new heavy battlecruisers in orbit was the deciding factor. The new defensive platforms Lomatz is building only offers a limited option against the Vorn. I’m surprised you’re keeping an embassy on Kubitz.”

“A lot of information is available here as well as technology and products from thousands of worlds,” answered Kurt. “For the time being, we will remain on Kubitz. At some point that might no longer be necessary.”

“Someday the Vorn will come to the empire,” predicted Grantz gravely. “I greatly fear when that day arrives.”

Kurt didn’t reply. Attacks from the Vorn had greatly diminished since the battle in the Lakiam System. Yet Kurt was deeply concerned the Vorn were reevaluating how to conduct their harvesting after their decisive setback. In Kurt’s mind, they hadn’t heard the last from the Vorn.

Chapter Four

Fleet Commodore Dreen was aboard his flagship, the Lakiam battlecruiser Basera. He was in his office, meeting with council member Shriel Marl. Marl had been a council member for over twenty years and was one of the few politicians Dreen trusted.

Commodore Dreen was seven foot tall with bright blue eyes, golden hair, and a slim stature. His arms were double jointed with long nimble fingers on his hands. Most Lakiams looked down on all races which were not as advanced as they were. Commodore Dreen was not of that opinion and lacked the arrogance many of his people felt toward less-developed cultures.

“Twenty-eight Protector Worlds are now in the Alliance,” Dreen said, his focus on Marl. “We have eight more, highly interested in joining.” Dreen felt better about the growing Alliance with each passing day and their chances against the Vorn.

“It helps that several Glaymon disk ships, as well as Fleet Captain Waelt, have made the rounds with you,” Marl said. “I’m still awed that the Glaymons have made an appearance and have agreed to share some of their technology with us. It’s made a huge difference with the council.”

Commodore Dreen sighed. “I wish they would share more. Some of their weapons are astonishing in their power. Just one or two strikes from their beam weapons can destroy a Vorn battleship.”

“But they have helped to increase the power of our ships’ weapons,” pointed out Marl. He had been briefed on what the Glaymons were willing to share and how the Glaymons thought it wise not to turn over all of their highly advanced technology. It could disrupt the economy of the entire galaxy.

“They have given us a better power system. The upgrades to our ships’ antimatter chambers have increased the power available to our weapons and shields by over 200 percent. We’ve also added the new KEW cannon to all new ship construction. While its rounds are not as powerful as the ones the Humans use, the cannon still generates over one thousand megatons of explosive force on impact, enough to knock a hole even in the Vorns’ energy screens.”

“How are the ship updates coming to our regular fleet?”

“Seventy-two percent complete,” answered Commodore Dreen. “The Andocks are at 80 percent, the Bascoms 58 percent, and the Parmonts 43 percent.” The new technology had been shared with all the members of the original Alliance. Dreen knew all three of the other Protector World civilizations were upgrading and building new ships as rapidly as possible before the Vorn returned.

Marl nodded. “What about the Hanorians?”

This race lived close to the galactic center and was responsible for many of the Enlightened World civilizations in that region.

“We’ve furnished them with the technology for the improved antimatter chambers,” Dreen replied. “They only recently began converting their fleet and have presently upgraded 37 percent of their ships. They have also shared the antimatter technology with two other major Protector Worlds in their area.”

“Progress,” commented Marl, nodding in satisfaction. He studied the fleet commodore. “What’s your assessment of the Glaymons? In the discussions I’ve had with them, they seem very guarded in some of their responses.”

“I’ve noticed the same,” replied Dreen, his brow furrowing in a deep frown. “We still don’t know where their home world is, though I’m certain Mara as well as Fleet Admiral Vickers know. Due to the immunity given Mara as liaison between us and the Humans, she can legally keep that information to herself.”

Marl nodded. “The Glaymons are still a big mystery. While they have made some of their ships available to help in the war against the Vorn, I still can’t help but feel something major is being hidden from us.”

“Perhaps,” said Commodore Dreen. “But without their help and the Humans, we would all be dead.”

“There is that,” admitted Marl with a grimace. “We should be grateful for the help they’re willing to give.”

“What are the opinions of the other councilors on our Lakiam Alliance as to the war with the Vorn?” Dreen spent as little time as he could speaking with the councilors. Marl was the exception, as was Lead Councilor Atratis.

“As you would expect, many believe the path you have placed us on will never lead us to reaching Enlightened status, particularly Councilor Darmas. He brings up that point in every council meeting. A few other councilors agree with him, while most realize the survival of our race depends on us turning away from Enlightenment, at least for a while.”

“How do you feel?” asked Dreen. He had seen many Enlightened Worlds, and all, while highly advanced, seemed sterile and their culture uninteresting, as if they had given up their innermost dreams to reach the Enlightened state.

“I don’t know,” admitted Marl with a slight frown. “The goal of all Protector Worlds is to become Enlightened, though some never make it. It’s been like that for millions of years.”

“When I spoke to Mara, she mentioned that perhaps Enlightenment was the wrong route for us. She’s coming to believe Enlightenment is a dead end, and we should embrace diversity in the galaxy.”

Marl mulled over that suggestion for a long moment. “She could be right. However, council member Darmas and a few others will never agree. Darmas suggested the other day that we send a delegation to the Vorn and ask for a permanent cease-fire. He suggested that, since we defeated them so easily, they might agree to leave us and a few other worlds alone.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen shook his head in exasperation. “That battle wasn’t simple, and we could have easily lost. We and our allies lost several thousand valuable warships and lots of lives. If the Glaymons and the Humans from Newton hadn’t shown up when they did, our fleets would have been defeated. As to speaking to the Vorn, from what we’ve learned in the computer files of the captured mothership, we are nothing more than food.”

Council member Marl was silent as he digested those fateful words. “Another meeting of the council is set in two days. We’ll be voting for the new fleet appropriations bill. At last count, it has just barely enough votes to pass. Many of our people are still confused about this war. Council member Darmas and his group have been berating this turn in direction for our race. They claim we are moving toward barbarism, and, once we reach a certain point, there will be no turning back. They have even suggested that someday we won’t even be a Protector World.”

Dreen scoffed at that suggestion. “Maybe we should send council member Darmas to speak to the Vorn. If he is so blinded in his desire for Enlightenment that he can’t accept the danger the Vorn represent, then perhaps the best thing we can do is let the Vorn have him.”

Marl shook his head. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that. While I might agree with the supposition, he is still a council member and is free to have and express his opinions.”

“True, but he better get his head out of the ground before the Vorn eat him.”

“I’ll be going to Lakiam shortly. Is there anything else you need?”

“No. I’ll attend the council meeting and speak about the need to add to the fleet and increase our orbital defenses. I promise not to insult anyone on the council.” Commodore Dreen knew that would be hard not to do, especially with council member Darmas in the chamber as he made it a point to object to every suggestion Dreen put forth.

Council member Marl stood to leave. “If you can do that, I believe the appropriations bill will pass without any hang-ups. I would make one suggestion. Have Fleet Captain Waelt come with you. Having a Glaymon in the council chambers should silence Darmas and his group. They won’t dare risk insulting him.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen grinned. He liked that idea. He would even help Fleet Captain Waelt with a speech to give to the council. “I think I can arrange that.”

Marl nodded and left the fleet commodore’s office.

Commodore Dreen let out a deep sigh. He hated playing politics. He felt more at home in his Command Center, directing his fleet. However, he was well aware of how things worked, and, if he had to take time from his busy schedule to placate the councilors, then he would.

-

A couple hours later Fleet Commodore Dreen was again in the Command Center. Sitting in his command chair, he looked around the large room. “Alborg, what’s the latest status on the Vorn?” Thanks to the Glaymons, Dreen now had an interstellar communications system which allowed for much faster communication than before.

“They’re still hitting worlds on the outskirts of the galaxy and staying away from any major Protector Worlds.”

“Scavenging,” muttered Jalad from Navigation. “They’re harvesting totally defenseless worlds.”

“Even some barbaric worlds,” added Camol from Damage Control. “No loss there.”

Commodore Dreen turned toward his damage control officer. “Every world is a loss. Someday those barbaric worlds could be very important. No one knows how they might develop.”

Camol lowered his head and nodded. “You’re right, Commodore.”

“I’m afraid we’re running out of time,” said Alborg. “The Vorn activity in our galaxy has been reduced by nearly 90 percent since the battle here in our home system. However, just the fact that small Vorn fleets are still active in distant sections of the galaxy suggests they aren’t through with us. They may be reevaluating their harvesting methods due to what happened here. When they return, we may face much larger Vorn fleets as well as more of their battleships. I also wonder if the battleships we fought in that Vorn fleet are their largest vessels.”

“Fleet Captain Waelt has invited me to his flagship later today,” Dreen said. He was excited about this invitation as it would be the first time he boarded one of the one-thousand-meter disk ship of the Glaymons. “We’re going to discuss strategy on how to deal with future Vorn incursions. It will give me additional information to present to the council two days hence.”

“Politics,” muttered Alborg, shaking his head. “I’m glad I don’t have to mess with that.”

Dreen nodded in agreement. The entire crew of his flagship was comprised of the more aggressive Lakiams. Their views and words didn’t reflect the general attitude of Lakiam civilization. That was why Dreen had chosen them.

-

Later Fleet Commodore Dreen took a small shuttle to the Glaymon ship. As the shuttle approached, a hatch slid open, allowing the small vessel entry. The pilot expertly landed the shuttle where a series of yellow lights flashed.

“We’re down,” the pilot reported. “Outside atmosphere and gravity are normal.”

Taking a deep breath, the fleet commodore opened the hatch and descended the ramp. Normally in a situation like this, he would have several combat robots as escorts. However, this was no normal situation, and he wouldn’t do anything to risk offending the Glaymons. As he reached the bottom of the ramp, a hatch on the far side of the small flight bay slid open, and Fleet Captain Waelt and several of his officers stepped out.

Waelt was a typical Glaymon—nearly seven foot tall and unusually thin with a larger-than-normal but bald head. Their eyes were nearly round with no eyebrows. The Glaymons’ arms were long with hands ending in five slim digits. They had been a civilized culture for over twenty-four million years. The average lifespan for a Glaymon was over twelve thousand years.

“I am glad to see you,” Captain Waelt said as he reached the fleet commodore. Gesturing to the two Glaymons with him, he continued. “This is my tactical officer Duran Aubree and my communications officer Ravol Minth.”

“Thanks for the invitation to come aboard your ship,” replied Dreen, acknowledging the three. “It is something I have been hoping for.”

“We should have done this sooner,” Captain Waelt replied. “If you will follow me, we will take a quick tour of the ship, and I’ll answer as many of your questions as possible.”

As they walked through the ship, Commodore Dreen felt as if he were walking in a ship built by the Lakiams in another thousand years or more. The evidence of extremely advanced science was everywhere. What amazed Dreen the most were the replicators throughout the ship. The small devices seemed capable of producing almost anything. Caption Waelt took Dreen into one of the ship’s dining areas, and, pressing a button on one of the room’s replicators, a bowl of fruit materialized.

“The patterns are stored in the replicator’s buffer system, and the computer simply recalls them and then reconstitutes the desired food product atom by atom.” Waelt handed a small yellow fruit to the commodore. It was one common on Lakiam.

Commodore Dreen took a bite, and surprise spread across his face. “It tastes like the real thing. This is amazing.”

“The replicators are very power-consuming,” Tactical Officer Aubree explained. “Other Enlightened Worlds have experimented with such technology, but the energy requirement makes units such as these impractical. We use a Zero-Point Energy module, which generates nearly unlimited power. The Vorn use this to power their intergalactic vessels.”

Dreen turned toward Aubree. “Are you saying the Vorn ships we’ve encountered are powered by a Zero-Point Energy source?”

“No,” replied Aubree, shaking his head. “Only their intergalactic transport vessels. They haven’t managed to make a Zero-Point Energy module small enough for their warships. At least not yet.”

Dreen nodded his understanding. “That explains how your weapons could penetrate the Vorns’ energy screens. An energy beam energized by such a power source would be nearly unstoppable.”

“The increased power from your new antimatter power plants should have nearly the same effect. In combat, I would suggest using your new KEW cannons to blow a hole in Vorn shields and then use your energy beams or a dark matter missile to finish off the vessel.”

“My fleet officers and I have been discussing battle strategy. We have several attack variations we want to try the next time we encounter the Vorn. It should allow us to evaluate the most effective way to engage the Vorn with the increased power of our weapons and energy shields.”

“Our ship’s AI can run some battle simulations to determine the most effective attack method,” commented Aubree. “I will have that done later today and will notify you of the results.”

“I would appreciate that,” replied Commodore Dreen. He hadn’t got to meet one of the AIs, although he had heard a lot about them.

Captain Waelt led them to a small conference room where they all sat. “The Vorn are still harvesting worlds along the galaxy’s periphery,” Dreen said. “Their fleets are spread out over a large region of stars, so it’s nearly impossible to locate them until the damage has been done. They seem to be hitting worlds indiscriminately, making it difficult to predict their next target. Stars and civilized worlds are few and far between in those regions, which adds to our problem in locating the Vorn fleets.”

“They are harvesting the weaker worlds,” Captain Waelt said with a deep sigh. “For the time being they seem to be avoiding a major fleet action.”

“I have discussed this with my own people as well as several of our allied Protector Worlds,” Dreen said. “Fleet Leader Arlak Moor has suggested we do nothing to defend those outlying systems. He believes it may be necessary to sacrifice those civilizations while we build up our own forces and update our warships. If we attack too soon, we could lose everything. I have mixed feeling about sacrificing those worlds without at least trying to resist the Vorn.”

-

Captain Waelt let out a deep sigh. “We came here to fight the Vorn. Unfortunately we don’t have the resources to defend the entire galaxy.” Waelt looked at Aubree and Minth. All three knew sufficient ships were at the Glaymon Dyson Sphere to do just that. Unfortunately the other Glaymons didn’t believe now was the time to deal with the Vorn. They had a long-range plan, but it would be several million years yet before that could be implemented.

Captain Waelt shifted his gaze to Fleet Commodore Dreen. “What offensive plans have you and your people come up with? No doubt the Vorn will shortly return and probably in greater numbers than before.”

Commodore Dreen nodded in agreement. “Yes, that is our view as well. We are currently setting up three main offensive response fleets as well as one grand fleet. The three offensive fleets will be commanded by Captain Callast, Captain Veen, and Captain Swiffe and will consist primarily of Lakiam vessels with some ship units from our allies. Our grand fleet will be commanded by me, with Lakiam as its homeport. We will use the grand fleet to oppose any incursion by a Vorn fleet too large for our other three fleets to handle. In addition, the Andocks are organizing the same number of fleets. Once again, a number of our Alliance Protector Worlds will be adding ships. That will give us eight major fleets to oppose the Vorn. I would like you to assign ten of your disk ships to the six smaller fleets and twenty to each of the two grand fleets if you are willing to.”

Captain Waelt considered the suggestion. “Where will the six smaller fleets be located?” He had one hundred ships available to him, and he could call for more if needed. At the moment all the others were with the two colony ships, helping in the construction of a new habitat the Glaymons would soon call home as they could never return to the Dyson Sphere.

“With the addition of the Protector Worlds which have agreed to join the Alliance, we will position them so they can reach any Protector World or Enlightened World the Alliance is responsible for. All the Protector Worlds have agreed to provide fleets that will respond immediately to any attack. However, it will take time for the newer members of the Alliance to update their ships. Eventually I hope to have twelve quick response fleets plus an additional grand fleet.”

Captain Waelt nodded approvingly. “I would suggest we make available the designs for the improved antimatter chambers to all members of the Alliance as quickly as possible. That will give their ships a fighting chance against the Vorn and the ability to slow their advance until our fleets can reach the besieged system. If necessary we can send work robots to help in the conversions.”

-

Fleet Commodore Dreen sucked in a deep breath and then asked his next question. “You brought nearly one thousand of your disk ships to the battle here in our system. If you could commit another one hundred, it would greatly augment the strength of our warfleets.” Dreen hoped Fleet Captain Waelt would agree to this. If the Alliance lost ships too quickly, it could easily fall apart. The presence of more Glaymon disk ships would ensure that didn’t happen.

“I will speak to our leaders,” Waelt replied.

“That’s all I’m asking,” Commodore Dreen replied. “This is a battle for our galaxy. Either we win or the Vorn will harvest every inhabited planet.”

“We may have another option as well,” said Aubree, glancing at Fleet Captain Waelt, who gave him a nod. “From the information our scientists have gleaned from the encrypted files on the captured Vorn mothership, we know where their staging area is. If we strike it, we might set back their attacks on this galaxy by several years.”

Commodore Dreen had been informed about the staging area system shortly after the mothership had been captured. His mind raced as he considered Waelt’s and Aubree’s suggestion to attack it.

“An attack on their staging system will not be easy,” Waelt continued. “It will be heavily defended, and many of their warships will be present. However, if we can destroy a large number of their motherships, Collector ships, and intergalactic transports, we can seriously hamper their harvesting of this galaxy, at least for a while.”

Commodore Dreen pondered Waelt’s words for several long moments and then replied. “I don’t believe we can launch such an attack immediately. We need to scout the system to see what we would be facing. I assume this system is in intergalactic space?”

“Yes,” Aubree answered. “It would take your ships over three months to reach it.”

Commodore Dreen winced at hearing that. It would mean whatever ships he committed to battle in the staging area would be gone for at least six months. It would be dangerous to send a large fleet that distance for such a length of time. If he sent too many warships, the Vorn could cause a lot of damage to this galaxy, even in the regions controlled by the Alliance.

“Can you send one of your ships to this system to see what we would be up against?” Dreen wasn’t sure an attack on the Vorn staging system would even be practical.

Waelt thought for a moment and then replied, “I will have our leaders speak to the Humans. They are better suited for such a mission.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen nodded. It still amazed him at the trust the Glaymons had in the Humans, particularly in Fleet Admiral Vickers. “I will speak to some others about what you have told me concerning this staging system. I will work on a plan to send a fleet, if the scouting mission shows we can successfully attack the system.”

“We understand,” Fleet Captain Waelt answered. “While our ships are very powerful, you have far more experience in conducting fleet battles than we do. We will adhere to your superior knowledge in what needs to be done about the staging system. We will also furnish you any information on the staging area if Fleet Admiral Vickers agrees to carry out the mission.”

-

After more discussion about fleet logistics and strategies, Fleet Commodore Dreen returned to his flagship, leaving the three Glaymons alone in the small briefing room.

“You did not mention to him that other information of the Vorns’ home system was also in the encrypted files,” commented Minth.

“No, I didn’t,” Waelt replied evenly. “The staging system by itself will be difficult enough to destroy. I did not want to overwhelm the fleet commodore with what is in the Vorns’ home system. At the moment, that system is out of Commodore Dreen’s reach as well as the other worlds of his fledgling Alliance. It would take a fleet with Zero-Point Energy drives to reach it. Only we and the Humans have such ships at the moment. We also have no idea how many warships the Vorn may have stored in their habitation spheres in that system. It could very easily be hundreds of thousands.”

“No power in this galaxy can stand up to what’s in that system,” said Aubree, shaking his head in despair.

“I disagree,” replied Waelt, frowning. “There is one, but I fear they would never consider such an attack. We were fortunate they allowed us to leave.”

Aubree blinked and then realized Waelt referred to the massive fleet of disk ships in the Glaymons’ hidden Dyson Sphere. It was disheartening to know there was a power that could possibly defeat the Vorn permanently, but it would never be used, at least not for a few million years until the Glaymons in the Dyson Sphere were willing to enact their final solution. They would send the Vorn back to the universe they had fled from, allowing those who had defeated the Vorn in the distant past to destroy them once and for all.

“What if they commit all those ships to harvesting this galaxy?”

“We will deal with that threat when it occurs. Personally I can’t see them leaving their home system defenseless.” Of course this was the Vorn they were talking about; a species which saw all others only as a source of food. Captain Waelt wasn’t sure the Vorn could be expected to act as other races would. They were from another universe, and their thought processes were far different.

-

Prince Brollen was in the Royal Court of Queen Alithe, who was the ruling Queen of all the Vorn. They were in the Conclave Habitat, a huge artificial structure over ten thousand kilometers in diameter. There were 116 of these massive habitats which held the Vorn race in orbit around the dim red star of this system.

The average Vorn stood upright, having a basic humanoid form with two legs and two arms. That was where the resemblance ended. The Vorn looked like a cross between a humanoid and a wasp. The triangular-shaped head was covered with very short hair and topped with two antennae. Its eyes were multifaceted and could see in several different light wavelengths. They had small wasplike wings, normally folded on their backs. Their hands consisted of seven thin digits with which to manipulate equipment. But the most shocking aspect of the Vorn race was that they were telepathic. They could sense each other’s thoughts over short distances.

During the past few months Prince Brollen had repeatedly mated with Alithe, ensuring his progeny would play a major role in the future of the Vorn. He had also used these months to carefully ensure his rise to power. He had secretly orchestrated the deletion of a number of Vorn in the Military Caste and even the ruling Royal Caste. Many had just vanished with no explanation, and others had been deleted due to failure to perform adequately in the planned harvesting of Galaxy X241.

Now that the mating period was over, Prince Brollen would resume his duties as war leader of the Vorn. No one dared to question his orders for fear of being deleted. Rumors had spread throughout the Royal Court that it was suicidal to oppose the prince. If Queen Alithe was aware of this, she never mentioned it. Her only desire was to produce new offspring and to ensure a sufficient food supply for the trillions of Vorn living inside the habitats.

We will shortly return to Galaxy X241 and resume the harvest in full, Brollen announced telepathically for all in the massive chamber containing the Royal Court.

Telepathy in the habitats was strictly controlled as too many thoughts could easily overwhelm a Vorn. Short-range telepathy between high-ranking Vorn was permitted and only by the Royal Caste and a few select military leaders. The rest of the Military Caste and the Working Caste were not allowed to use telepathy inside the star system.

In our last battle in Galaxy X241, our fleets were attacked by what we believe to be an ancient race who has remained hidden from our harvesting fleets for millions of years.

Brollen noticed this announcement caused looks of concern and fear on many of the faces of his fellow Vorn. No doubt they were thinking of the ancient enemy who had driven them from their home universe over twenty-two million years in the past. The Vorn had nearly been exterminated before escaping through a wormhole in the heart of an all-consuming black hole.

Where has this race been hiding? asked one of the military leaders who had voiced his support of Prince Brollen numerous times in the past few months.

We do not know, Brollen replied. When we return to Galaxy X241 to renew the harvest in earnest, we will send exploration ships to seek out this new and dangerous enemy. It is our belief they have only a small fleet, committed in the battle in food species 236’s home system. If they had more, they would have sent them.

Prince Brollen has my full support, announced Queen Alithe from the egg chamber she was currently inspecting. He advised that we only harvest food worlds on the periphery of Galaxy X241 so we could continue to feed our people. As a result of that decision, wide-scale deletions of our military and working class have been avoided.

Every Vorn in the Royal Court looked concerned at the mention of massive deletions to the Vorn population.

We have done everything we can to strengthen our warships, continued Prince Brollen. We have even added extra armor to our motherships to ensure their survival against this dangerous new enemy. In addition our shipyards have been working nonstop, building new and more powerful battleships to ensure the harvest can continue. Galaxy X241 has enough food species to provide a stable supply for all Vorn for several centuries.

Then let us begin the harvest, sent several Vorn military officers telepathically. Our harvesting fleets are ready, and our cargo holds are empty.

Be patient, replied Prince Brollen, his twin antenna standing high above his triangular-shaped head. Our fleets are nearly ready, and, when we return to Galaxy X241, we will return in such numbers that the Protector Worlds—which stand between us and the food worlds—will be swept away by the unrelenting power of our fleets.

Brollen noted the rapid acceptance of his plan by all the members of the Royal Court. Those who would have objected had long since been singled out and deleted. He had also gone to great lengths to ensure all Vorn who knew of the capture of the Scythe—and possibly of Prince Lantoll, who was aboard—had also been eliminated. No Vorn could know a Protector World had one of the Vorns’ motherships in its possession. If this fact was uncovered, then Prince Brollen himself would be in danger of deletion, particularly if the enemy found the location of the Vorn staging system or the Vorn home system. So far he knew of no indications of that having occurred. No unknown ships had been detected in or around either system. Prince Brollen was convinced the enemy couldn’t decipher the highly encrypted files in the mothership’s computer which held that valuable information.

In the coming few weeks Brollen would select a new military commander for his flagship, the Reaper, in preparation to return to Galaxy X241 to continue the harvest. When he did, he would take with him the largest Vorn fleet ever to harvest a single galaxy. He would become the greatest war leader the Vorn had ever known. If things worked out as he hoped, someday it would be he who ruled all the Vorn. The Queens would be put in their proper place to serve only as breeders for the Vorn. It was only right that a prince with military experience be the leader. Prince Brollen fully expected to be that Vorn.

Chapter Five

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers breathed out a sigh of relief as the Star Cross, the Tarawa, and their escort of heavy battlecruisers dropped from hyperspace in the Newton System. It had been a busy two weeks as construction had started on the new embassy at Kubitz, and several meetings were held with the Controllers as well as a representative of the Kubitz government. The meetings had been tense and provocative at times, but, in the end, the Controllers and the Kubitz government had agreed to all of Kurt’s demands.

“Course set for Newton Station,” reported Lieutenant Styles.

“We’ve been assigned to docking port seven,” added Lieutenant Pierce.

“Take us in,” ordered Kurt. He was glad to be home. He had left two heavy battlecruisers in orbit around Kubitz along with the light cruiser Sydney.

“So the Controllers actually rule the government of that pirate planet?” said Andrew. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”

“So it seems,” answered Kurt. “In every meeting was a Controller, including the one with the government official. Even in that meeting, the Controller did most of the talking.” Those meetings had been quite contentious. Kurt had literally held guns over their heads until they acquiesced to his demands. The guns, of course, being the fleet of warships orbiting Kubitz which could obliterate the planet if Kurt so ordered. The Controllers had grudgingly admitted Kurt had the upper hand due to his fleet.

“A puppet government,” muttered Andrew, shaking his head. “I wonder if the rest of the Gothan Empire knows?”

“Most likely. The actual government of the empire is based on Marsten. They probably tolerate this arrangement as it keeps all the focus on Kubitz.”

Andrew gazed at the nearest viewscreen, showing a magnified image of Newton. The area over the capital was covered in white clouds. “I still can’t believe they agreed to pay that fine you levied against them.”

Kurt grinned. “They had no choice, and they knew it. We had already shown we had the ability to destroy their defensive grid. The Controllers are extremely fearful of the Vorn. The main reason they finally agreed to our demands is because we offered to leave two of our heavy battlecruisers in orbit as protection.” Kurt felt odd about defending the black market planet. It went against everything he believed in, but so much technology and information was available on Kubitz that he dared not abandon it completely. For now it would serve a purpose.

“I understand Captain Briar was pleased with the additional Marines, those robots, and the new personnel carriers.”

“Yes, with two hundred Marines and the upgrades we’re making to the perimeter wall, he won’t have to worry about the compound being attacked again. Avery Dolman has arranged for the additional construction and is ensuring the new embassy building and wall is made from the strongest substance on the planet. He claims not even explosive rounds can penetrate.”

Andrew still watched the viewscreens as he and Kurt talked. His eyes suddenly widened, and he shifted his attention to Kurt. “Looks as if we will have company in orbit.”

“Who?” asked Kurt, glancing at the viewscreen. These days a lot of ships were always coming and going. With a shiver, he recognized the Lakiam battlecruiser Aurelia and another larger Lakiam vessel.

Andrew grinned. “If I had to make a guess, I would say that’s Mara’s new ship.”

Kurt sucked in a deep breath. This would not be a good day.

-

Kurt went on board Newton Station. He wanted to speak with Colonel Simms, the station’s commanding officer. Stopping in one of the construction bays, he spent a moment watching the work robots and some technicians building one of the new heavy battlecruisers. He was amazed at the rapid pace of construction. The new technology being used was quite impressive.

“Quite a sight, isn’t it?” commented Colonel Hayworth, who was in charge of ship construction. He had noticed the admiral walking into the bay and came over to him. As Hayworth spoke, several of the larger robots placed a hull section in position while two others welded it in place.

“Yes, it is. I never dreamed we could build ships so rapidly.” If you stood here long enough you could actually see the ship beginning to take shape.

“Twelve heavy battlecruisers every four weeks and two battleships every three weeks,” said Hayworth. “Those two shipyards the Glaymons helped us build are remarkable. Each shipyard can build a new battleship without any Human involvement in the construction process.”

Kurt nodded, watching a large robot carrying a heavy metal beam across the construction bay to the ship. “Keep in mind both of those shipyards has an AI in charge. It monitors every bit of construction twenty-four hours a day.”

“Yes, I was on board one of the stations yesterday, talking to the AI. It’s just like speaking with a regular person, except they’re a lot smarter and never get tired.”

Kurt grinned. “Aleea on the Star Cross is much the same. We’re still getting used to her.”

“I understand Grantz returned with you?”

“Yes, he was afraid, if he remained on Kubitz, he might really be killed next time. We know for certain High Profiteer Creed was responsible for the attacks on the embassy and Grantz.”

Hayworth was silent for a long moment and then spoke. “We all had hoped Creed died on Earth. How did he escape?”

“We don’t know,” Kurt replied. “During the battle at Earth, the Profiteers and the Dacroni mercenaries had a lot of shuttles flying around, stripping the planet of its wealth. Creed may have made it to one of those shuttles and then to one of the orbiting Profiteer ships before it jumped out. There’s also the possibility he bribed someone on Earth to smuggle him off-planet in a cargo ship, where he could have signaled for a pickup. We’ll be investigating that.”

“A lot of people will be upset when they find out he survived, particularly after all the harm he caused to Earth.”

“The Newton Princess will return to Kubitz in another week, transporting the new embassy staff plus a special team of military people tasked with finding High Profiteer Creed. Once we know where he is, I’ll take a fleet and kill him.”

“Not capture him?”

Kurt shook his head, his expression revealing his determination. “No. On board the Star Cross are the bodies of Marvin Tenner, the embassy staff who were killed, as well as the Marines who died in the battle. I will not show High Profiteer Creed any mercy. With his attack on the embassy, he has signed his own death warrant. I’ve also placed a large bounty on his head with the Controllers on Kubitz. If he’s anywhere in the Gothan Empire, we’ll find him.” This was a hard-line approach, but Creed was one of those individuals who was better off dead. Unfortunately there were probably a number of similar Profiteers in the empire who were just as deserving.

They were interrupted by two loud, boisterous voices. Turning, Kurt saw Andrew with Grantz in tow.

“I caught him wandering around the station, asking questions about the Glaymons.”

Grantz didn’t seem too concerned over his current predicament. “I was just curious. It’s been a while since I was here last, and I wanted to see if anything had changed.”

Kurt sighed. He would have to deal with Grantz. “In one week the Newton Princess will return to Kubitz. You will be on the ship. I will also have Controller Nirron make out a new contract for you to sign.”

Grantz’s face turned pale at hearing this. His current contract had made him a very rich Profiteer. He eyed Kurt and then spoke. “Keep in mind I won’t sign anything that risks my life or lowers my current earnings.”

“You will sign what I give you,” Kurt responded evenly. “Or you can pay for your own passage to Kubitz, and you will no longer have the enhanced safety of your living quarters at the embassy.”

Grantz took a step back and then slowly nodded. “I trust you to be fair.” He then turned toward Andrew. “Have you ever considered building a pleasure house here on Newton? I’ll go in as a partner with you. This is virgin territory. We could make a fortune in just the first year.”

Andrew looked flustered. “No. Newton will have no pleasure houses.” The two of them had discussed this before.

“You don’t know what you’re missing out on. I’m sure we could work something out. We could bring in entertainment from Kubitz and food from over a thousand different worlds. I know some women who would be willing to come as well. I tell you, we could make a huge profit and set ourselves up for life.”

“Come on, Grantz. Let’s get you settled into your quarters here on the station.” replied a flustered Andrew.

Kurt watched as Grantz and Andrew left. Grantz had been useful in the past, and a new contract would ensure the greedy Profiteer kept his mouth shut about anything he might hear or see while he was on Newton. It was one of the reasons Kurt had allowed Grantz to come back with them. It would be easier to get Grantz to sign the contract while he was here. By the time the Newton Princess returned to Newton, the reinforcing of the outer buildings in the compound should be finished. New living quarters were also being added. Grantz would have a secure place to stay without the fear of being killed.

“I don’t see how you deal with that scoundrel,” Hayworth said with a deep frown.

Kurt laughed. “Grantz takes some getting used to. As hard as this may be to believe, he has actually saved our lives in the past while we were on Kubitz. He can also go places on that planet we can’t. He has a lot of connections within the Profiteer organizations.”

“Well, I’m just glad you have to deal with him and not me.”

Kurt nodded. “Just one more thing. Make sure two Marines are assigned to keep an eye on him. Grantz has a habit of going into areas he has no business being in.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Hayworth promised.

-

A short time later Kurt was in the Command Center of Newton Station.

“So when did the Aurelia and Mara’s new ship show up?” Kurt had been expecting her for the past month. He had felt a little uneasy since she and several of the scientists on board the Aurelia knew the secret location of the Glaymon Dyson Sphere, even though they had sworn never to reveal it or the other secrets the Glaymons had shared.

“Three days ago,” Colonel Simms answered. “She asked if you were here at Newton, and, when I told her no, she asked if she could go to the surface. From what I understand, she’s been touring the planet, visiting various cities and even went to the new Westside Mall in the capital. She’s also met with Governor Spalding.”

“Who took her shopping at the mall?” Kurt was surprised Mara would be interested in—what would be to her—a very primitive shopping area.

Simms’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why, your wife and Captain Randson’s wife.”

Kurt felt the blood drain from his face. He tried to keep his voice normal as he asked Simms the next question. “And how did that go?”

“From what I heard, they nearly bought out the mall. Mara had one of her shuttles land in the mall parking lot to load up everything she purchased.”

Kurt let out a deep breath, relieved to know the women hadn’t killed each other, particularly since Mara had tried to seduce Kurt while they were in the Lakiam System—something he hadn’t mentioned to Keera. He was wondering now if he had made a mistake in not telling her.

“How is the installation of Lomatz’s new defensive platforms going?”

Lomatz had been providing Newton with a number of advanced defensive platforms, able to resist a black ship of the Vorn. With the arrival of the Glaymons, a different power source had been provided, and one of Lomatz’s construction ships had been modified to build the newer platforms. There were two variations. One could be sold to anyone, including planets in the Gothan Empire, and the other was strictly for Newton and Earth.

“We have twenty of the updated platforms currently deployed in orbit around Newton and six around Earth. Governor Spalding is suggesting we make the ones Lomatz sells in the Gothan Empire available to the other three worlds in our Alliance.”

Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon. “If we do, Lomatz will demand some sort of payment.”

While Lomatz had been extremely helpful, he still ran a very lucrative arms-selling business back on Kubitz.

“Governor Spalding thought our ambassadors to the three planets should speak to them about payment. Right now, if a black fleet appeared in any of those systems, it would cause substantial damage before we could respond.”

With a deep sigh, Kurt knew he must ensure the safety of those worlds. The defense system each currently had was designed to keep Profiteer fleets at bay, not the black ships of the Vorn. “I’ll return to the Star Cross and speak to Aleea. Perhaps between the two of us, we can come up with a way to better protect the three planets.”

Kurt had hoped to go to the surface and speak with his wife, particularly since learning she had been in the company of Mara. He was afraid to even guess what they’d talked about. With Mara certain subjects weren’t off-limits, and, to a point, the same was true with Keera, since she had spent time on a few Enlightened Worlds as well as Kubitz.

Sighing again, he would have to put off his trip home for a few more hours. He would speak with Aleea and have her prepare a report for Governor Spalding on what it would take to defend Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon. While he was deeply concerned about what Mara might have said to his girlfriend, he was more concerned about the safety of the worlds in the Newton Alliance.

-

Kurt returned to the Star Cross, still docked to one of the ports of the station. As he entered the Command Center, Aleea looked at him in surprise. She was standing on the small dais, which projected her holographic figure.

“Admiral, I did not expect to see you for at least a few days. I’m currently running diagnostics on all ship systems while the crew is off the Star Cross.”

Kurt sat in his command chair, feeling it adjust to his body. “Aleea, we have five systems in the Newton Alliance—Earth, Newton, Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon. Governor Spalding suggests we sell some of Lomatz’s new defensive platforms to Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon. In the computer data banks is a list of the defenses of all three planets. Run some simulations on what it would take to defend those three systems against an attack by the black ships—or at least slow down the attack so a Newton or Glaymon fleet could reach the endangered system in time.”

Aleea looked thoughtful. “Either Newton or the Glaymons could reach any of the three systems in less than two hours. With our detection systems we can identify any Vorn fleet within thirty-two light-years.”

“True,” replied Kurt. “But we don’t have that detection system in any of those three systems as it is classified Glaymon technology.” This particular technology Kurt planned on speaking to the Glaymons about. He would like to share it with all the worlds in Newton’s Alliance.

It had been shared with Fleet Commodore Dreen as it would aid in detecting a black fleet before it dropped from hyperspace. However, its use was to be limited to only Protector Worlds in Dreen’s Lakiam Alliance. The Glaymon sensor system could even detect a Vorn ship using their hyperdrive-masking technology.

“It would be available if we deployed one of our heavy battlecruisers in each of the systems,” Aleea responded. “That way we would know if a Vorn fleet was approaching, and the endangered system could call for help even before the Vorn arrive.”

Kurt nodded. Newton ships were deployed in all three systems already but not any of the heavy battlecruisers. A light carrier and two or three light cruisers were in each system. In addition a task force—consisting of one heavy carrier, several heavy battlecruisers, and some light cruisers—always patrolled between the three systems in case a Profiteer fleet showed up.

“Run some simulations on what we must do to ensure those systems survive until we get adequate forces there to either destroy the Vorn ships or force them to withdraw.”

Aleea nodded. “It will take some time as I need to run numerous possibilities. I may also require additional information not currently available in the ship’s computer system.”

“No problem,” Kurt replied. He had been expecting this. “Contact Colonel Simms on Newton Station. I have instructed him to furnish you with any additional tactical information you may need.”

“Very well, Admiral. I will run the simulations immediately. When I have the answers to your question, what should I do?”

“Send it to my home,” Kurt ordered. He had a secure computer in his study, which he routinely used to set up fleet deployments and where he could work with classified information. “I’ll review it and then speak to Governor Spalding.”

“One other thing, Admiral,” Aleea said as Kurt stood to leave. “This Grantz person who has been in the company of Captain Randson? He is the first Profiteer I have met. I must say he is highly unusual.”

“In what ways?” asked Kurt suspiciously. While Grantz had his uses, Kurt still didn’t fully trust him. If Grantz could turn a profit by selling information he deemed did not apply to his contract, he would not hesitate to do so. Aleea was classified Glaymon technology.

“He had me run some gambling permutations on a number of card games he likes to play. I provided him with several options to increase the percentage of games he can win.”

Kurt nodded. He didn’t see any harm in that. “Just be careful of Grantz. His main goal in life is to accumulate gold.”

Aleea nodded. “Yes. Captain Randson told me the same thing. The captain also mentioned Grantz might attempt to duplicate my program if he thought it was possible. I have installed additional firewalls to ensure the Profiteer cannot access or tamper with my program without my permission.”

“A wise move,” Kurt said approvingly. He would include a number of items and technologies as off-limits to the greedy Profiteer in the new contract being prepared for Grantz. “Run those tactical simulations. I’m heading to Newton to see my wife.”

“I’ll contact you when I’m done,” Aleea replied.

Kurt noticed Aleea’s eyes narrowed and almost closed. He knew she was already working on the simulations. With another deep sigh, he left the Command Center; time to see what Mara had told Keera.

-

An hour later Kurt entered his home with trepidation. He hoped Mara hadn’t mentioned anything to Keera about attempting to seduce him. Kurt didn’t need a diplomatic incident, particularly with the Lakiams. Walking through the house, he didn’t find Keera anywhere. Going into the bedroom, he opened the main closet, relieved to see all her clothes still there. He had just shut the closet door when he heard the front door open. Going into the living room, he saw Keera, holding several shopping bags. Surprisingly Mara stood next to her. For the first time in a long while, he found himself speechless.

“Kurt, I heard you were back,” said Keera, putting down her packages and coming over to give him a hug and a welcome-home kiss.

“Kubitz,” said Mara. She too was carrying several shopping bags. “I don’t know why you keep going to that barbaric world.”

“It has its uses,” replied Kurt, his voice normal. “I saw your new diplomatic cruiser in orbit.”

“Yes,” Mara replied with a pleased smile. “It’s quite luxurious even by Lakiam standards. I was wondering if it would be possible to get the Glaymons to update its weapons systems?”

“The Glaymons?” replied Kurt, trying to sound confused. “I don’t know where they went.”

Mara shook her head. “My dear admiral, you don’t lie very well. You know perfectly well where they are. Can you contact Tasid and see if it’s possible to do as I ask? I would feel a lot better if my new ship could take out a Vorn vessel if needed. That’s one of the reasons I brought the Aurelia along. It has many of the updates I’m interested in, and, besides, if I left it at Lakiam, the council would probably have disassembled it to reach the Glaymon technology on board.”

Kurt remained silent for a moment and then asked, “How did you talk Fleet Commodore Dreen into using the Aurelia as your escort? I thought he would have kept it since it’s the most powerful ship in his fleet.”

“Commodore Dreen is a very pragmatic leader. He does not wish to do anything to offend the Glaymons. His entire Alliance depends on the presence of the Glaymon disk ships. Already he has added a number of Protector Worlds to the Alliance.”

Kurt noticed that Mara’s clothing was not as formfitting as she often wore. He wondered if she had dressed this way so as not to offend Keera. Turning to his wife, he noticed a look of amusement on her face. “How was shopping today?”

“Fantastic,” Keera replied, grinning. “We went to the Westside Mall and ate at the food court. Some fifty or sixty little restaurants are there. We ate until we were stuffed.”

Mara nodded. “I will say one thing about your world. It has some interesting food products. I tried three different tea types Keera recommended. We have nothing like them on Lakiam. I purchased a wide variety of different teas and had them delivered to my new ship. They will be very popular on my world.”

“I know,” commented Keera, eyeing Kurt intently. “I’ve told Kurt as well as Governor Spalding they could make a fortune exporting tea.”

“It would have a good market just on Lakiam,” said Mara, nodding. “Well, I should return to my ship. Kurt, if you have the time, I have a few things I would like to discuss. Also please talk to Tasid about updating the Limeira.”

Kurt nodded. “I’ll see what I have scheduled for the next few days, and I’ll check into what can be done to update your ship.” Kurt didn’t mention who he would be contacting. He suspected, if he talked to Colonel Hayworth, the Limeira could be taken into one of the new shipyards the Glaymons had built and updated there. Kurt also would have to decide what updates he was willing to share with Mara. So far she had been very trustworthy where the Glaymons and their technology were concerned.

Kurt watched as Mara left, getting into the vehicle waiting for her outside. With resolve, he turned around to Keera, who now had a glaring look in her eyes. Kurt felt his heart skip a beat.

“So, what did you do when Mara stripped off her clothes in front of you? And why didn’t you mention it to me earlier?”

Kurt gulped, not sure how to respond. After seeing the two of them together and acting so friendly, his fears about what had happened had vanished; now they all came rushing back. “I was shocked,” he said, deciding truth was the best option. “She invited me to her quarters, and I thought she wanted to discuss our mission. I wasn’t expecting her to take off her clothes.”

Keera shook her head with her hands on her hips. “It wasn’t the mission she wanted to discuss. It was something more intimate.”

Kurt didn’t know what to say or how to extricate himself from this mess.

Keera gazed at Kurt for a long moment and then burst out laughing. “It’s my fault. I was aware Lakiam women have no problems sharing themselves with people of equal rank or those they respect. It’s a common practice on their home planet and their colony worlds. They don’t have the sexual hang-ups present in many humanoid cultures.”

Kurt stared at Keera, aghast. “You knew and didn’t warn me?”

“I never thought it would be a problem. Very few Lakiam women share themselves outside their own race. Mara must have found you very special. From my own experience I can see why.”

“How did you find out?” asked Kurt, his mind still reeling from everything Keera said.

“She told me,” Keera answered. “Mara is a very confident Lakiam woman, and she told me about the incident. Fortunately I’m familiar enough with Lakiam culture that it didn’t shock me. Mara does not think she did anything wrong.”

“Well, I’m glad that’s out in the open, and I don’t have to worry about it.”

“Oh, it’s not over,” Keera said, her eyes sparkling. “The reason Mara told me is she still wants to share herself with you. She was asking for my permission.”

Kurt was stunned. It seemed as if this nightmare would never end. “What did you tell her?”

“I didn’t want to cause a diplomatic incident so I told her I would discuss it with you and see how you felt about it.”

“You did what?” Kurt blurted out, not believing what he had just heard. “I have no romantic interest in Mara.” Keera could have solved all this by telling Mara that Keera was not willing to share him.

Keera shook her head. “You forget that I’m from Kubitz, or at least I spent a number of years there. Remember, Meesa even worked at a pleasure house for a few months. While I would never have done that, it’s not frowned on like it would be here.” Meesa was her brother’s wife.

“I don’t think I want to do such a thing with Mara.”

“You don’t find her attractive?”

“Of course I do,” Kurt replied uncomfortably. “She’s a beautiful woman.”

Keera nodded. “If you ever do decide to take Mara up on her offer, just let me know first.”

Kurt was confused. “You wouldn’t object?”

“With Mara, no, because of who she is. She’s a Lakiam and from one of the major Protector Worlds. Their culture is so much different than ours.”

Shaking his head, Kurt replied. “I will not be taking her up on her offer. You’re more than enough woman for me.”

Keera grinned. “I know, but I wouldn’t be jealous if something did happen. Now I’ll prepare you a welcome home dinner. Your sister was over the other day and showed me how to make chicken fried steak. I’ve been waiting for you to get here so I could try it out on you.”

“Cook away,” said Kurt. “I need to do a little computer work in my study.”

“I’ll come get you when it’s ready.”

Kurt watched Keera carry her packages into the bedroom and then head for the kitchen. This was one of the strangest conversations he had ever had. He realized, even after all this, he still had no idea what to do about Mara.

Chapter Six

The Fralix Empire was on the outer fringes of the galaxy. Twenty-seven worlds in eighteen solar systems bound together by culture and isolated from most of the other civilized worlds of the galaxy. For generations they had explored the space around them, finding resources and a few other isolated worlds to trade with and occasionally another world to colonize. Due to their location on the outer-fringes of the galaxy, the Fralix Empire had very little contact with the more advanced worlds farther into the galaxy.

During their explorations they became embroiled in a small interstellar war against a more barbaric world in their region of space. After multiple difficult battles and the loss of several million citizens on each side, the war ended in a stalemate. As a result, they had created and built a fleet dedicated to protecting the area of space they felt was theirs.

The Fralixians were a species which remotely resembled canines. They walked erect, and, instead of paws, they had fur-covered hands with five short digits. Their heads resembled a canine’s but a little flatter. Their ears stood erect, and their hearing was excellent.

-

“All scans are negative,” reported Third Officer Gandon, who stood in front of the sensor console.

“Still no sign of the mysterious black ships reported scanning the Datox System,” added First Officer Matob. “They seem to have vanished.”

Commander Damalb shook his head in confusion. “We have searched the entire region of space around Datox outward to ten light-years and have found nothing.” Damalb commanded a small fleet of ten battlecruisers and twenty-six light escorts, one of four such fleets the Fralix Empire possessed. “We have received reports of freighters encountering these mysterious ships from several of our worlds.”

“We can continue to expand the search,” suggested First Officer Matob. “The reports have been too widespread to be false. They must be out here somewhere.”

Damalb considered the suggestion and then shook his head. His large brown eyes focused on his first officer. “No, it would be best if we returned to Datox. If the black ships are part of a larger exploratory mission, they may return there. That’s where the most recent sightings occurred.”

“What if they’re like the Aatvox and are a hostile civilization?” asked Matob worriedly. “We could be looking at another war. It would collapse our economy.”

“Let us hope that is not the case,” replied Commander Damalb. The war against the Aatvox had lasted for seven years and strained the resources of the Fralix Empire. Another war might send the fragile economy of their empire over the edge. Already discussions were in progress to reduce the fleet by 50 percent to help rein in the budget. “Set a course for Datox Three.”

Matob nodded. He turned toward the helm officer. “Set a course for the Datox System and prepare to enter hyperspace.” He then used his ship-to-ship comm to pass on the same message to all the other ships in the patrol fleet.

-

Prince Caluume studied the latest reports from his fleet’s scout ships. For weeks he had searched the outlying regions of Galaxy X241 for an area where he could harvest sufficient food to completely fill up his fleet’s motherships. Now it seemed he might have found a rich harvesting region where several dozen inhabited worlds beckoned his ships. It was aggravating he could not proceed deeper into the galaxy where myriads of inhabited worlds were located. But, after Prince Brollen’s disastrous attack on a major Protector World, most of the harvesting fleets had been recalled to the staging system for repairs, with only a few remaining to harvest the periphery of Galaxy X241—harvesting just enough to ensure sufficient food for the Vorn in the home system.

The fleet is ready to harvest the first target, reported Military Leader Jattal. The fleet consisted of three motherships and four hundred of the five-hundred-meter-long cruisers. The cruisers were spindle-shaped and armed with the deadliest weapons known to the ancient race.

Take the fleet into hyperspace and activate our sensor-dampening field, ordered Prince Caluume. It is time to harvest another world. We are the Vorn, and this galaxy will feed us for centuries.

-

Moments later the Vorn fleet entered hyperspace and headed toward the Fralix star system of Datox.

-

Commander Damalb was asleep in his quarters when the alarms sounded. His eyes snapped open as he jumped from the bed and grabbed his uniform. With one hand he reached over and hit the button on the comm unit. “Report!”

“Freighter Darden has reported encountering a large fleet of ships outside the fifth planet of the system. The captain reports the fleet is using a sensor-dampening field. He only spotted them because his freighter nearly collided with one.”

Damalb felt his blood turn cold. Datox was the third planet out from the system’s sun and had a population of six hundred million. The fact these mysterious ships were using a sensor-dampening field indicated their intent was most likely hostile. “How many?”

“We lost contact with the Darden almost immediately after the first report. The ship has vanished from our long-range sensors. The only thing we’re picking up is what appears to be a small debris field.”

“Take the fleet to full combat alert. Notify Datox Orbital Control we may have a hostile fleet in the system.”

Commander Damalb was greatly concerned. He had no idea how large of a fleet he might be facing or its technology level. The fact they could avoid sensor detection was worrisome. He quickly finished dressing and then rushed to the Command Center. Stepping inside, he could see the frantic activity of the ship’s officers as they attempted to control this rapidly developing situation.

“What about all the civilian ships in the system?” asked First Officer Matob, seeing the commander’s arrival. “What should we tell them?”

Commander Damalb thought for a few moments and then answered. “General broadcast on all frequencies. Order all ships to jump to the Belmar System.” It had an inhabited planet with three hundred million Fralixians and was nearby. The civilian ships would be safe there for the time being.

First Officer Matob hurriedly moved to comply. It took him several minutes to get the messages sent.

“Both orbital shipyards have activated their energy screens and weapons,” reported Second Officer Sheller from Communications. “They hope to locate the inbound fleet using their astrometric departments.”

Damalb nodded. “Order all our ships to maximize magnification of their viewscreens. We must find those ships before they get within weapons range.” Damalb was growing more concerned every moment. How could you target a ship you can’t detect with the sensors? “Tactical, use manual targeting for our weapons.”

“Manual?” Fourth Officer Pomal said, his eyes widening in shock. “That will be very difficult. Our systems are designed to be fired when our weapons lock on a target.”

“Not today,” responded Commander Damalb, raising an eyebrow. “Override the systems if needed.” He knew this was a desperate measure, but it was the only option he could think of.

Pomal shook his head and spoke to his weapons officers as well as those on the other ships of the fleet.

“The freighter Abloss has encountered the enemy fleet,” reported Third Officer Gandon. Then his face turned pale. “Communications lost. The captain did report the enemy ships are painted black, spindle-shaped, and approximately five hundred meters in length. He also reported spotting at least fourteen before we lost communications.”

First Officer Matob put up a system map on one of the viewscreens, depicting where both the freighters had been destroyed. The Abloss was disturbingly close to Datox. “At their current speed, the enemy fleet will be in combat range in twenty-six minutes.”

“All freighters and passenger ships equipped with hyperspace drives are jumping from the system,” reported Third Officer Gandon. “That still leaves quite a few only capable of sublight speeds.”

“Order them to power down their systems and operate life support at minimal levels,” ordered Damalb. “Perhaps that will protect them from detection.”

“Sirens sounding on Datox Three,” added Second Officer Sheller. “People are being told to take shelter underground. Mass evacuations have begun in all major cities.”

“The Savolt shipyard reports their astrometrics department has located at least 120 of the black ships,” reported First Officer Matob. “They also report spotting at least one unbelievably large vessel.”

“How large?” Commander Damalb had hoped his fleet would only face the original sighting of fourteen ships, those five-hundred-meter-long vessels. His own battlecruisers were nearly eight hundred meters in length.

“The ship is dumbbell-shaped, with two enormous globes at each end connected to one another by a short cylinder. The ship is painted black as reported earlier. Each of the globes is two thousand meters in diameter, and the cylinder connecting the two is four hundred meters long and three hundred in diameter.”

Commander Damalb felt his heart stop beating. That ship by itself had as much tonnage as nearly his entire fleet. Any hope he had of defending the Datox System slipped away. “Have Orbital Control send a hyperspace message to our other worlds and to Fleet Command of what data we’ve gathered.” At least he could warn the other worlds of the empire what might be coming their way. “Matob, have the fleet go to defensive formation D-02. We need to see what weapons we’re facing before we go on the attack.” Defensive formation D-02 placed the fleet in a small cylindrical formation with the escorts on the wall of the cylinder and the battlecruisers sheltered inside.

“Viewscreens are active, and we’re searching for the inbound enemy fleet,” added Third Officer Gandon. “Still negative on Sensors. They’re not picking up anything.”

“Communications, contact that fleet. Maybe we can find out what they want.” Perhaps there was still time to prevent a catastrophe. Maybe this was all a simple misunderstanding.

“Commander, Orbital Control reports all hyperspace communication frequencies are jammed,” reported Second Officer Sheller from Communications. “They’ve also been attempting to contact the incoming fleet, and there has been no response.”

Commander Damalb sucked in a deep breath as he saw a military disaster in the making. No communications, his fleet outnumbered, and their weapons could not lock on the enemy ships. His fleet was in a hopeless tactical situation.

“Found one!” called out Third Officer Gandon excitedly.

On the main viewscreen, a black spindle-shaped ship appeared. It had numerous weapon turrets as well as hatches that indicated hidden missiles. This ship was obviously designed for one thing and one thing only: to destroy any vessel it attacked. This was a warship, plain and simple.

“Our other ships are reporting spotting black ships,” reported First Officer Matob. “Recommend we initiate firing.”

“No,” replied Commander Damalb. “We won’t start an interstellar war. We’ll let them fire first.”

“But, Commander,” protested Matob, his expression showing great concern. “They’ve already destroyed two of our freighters. They’ve demonstrated their intent!”

“We don’t know for sure why they destroyed the freighters. Keep trying to contact them. I fear, if this goes to combat, we will be on the losing end. If there is any chance of resolving this through communications, we will attempt to do so until the very last second.”

-

Prince Caluume gazed at the main viewscreen, showing the waiting enemy ships. Evaluation of the enemy vessels?

Weak, replied Military Leader Jattal. Our own scans indicate they have no weapons which might be a threat to the vessels of our fleet.

Very well, take the fleet in. We will destroy the enemy fleet, annihilate the two orbiting shipyards, and then harvest the planet. This species inhabits twenty-seven worlds, according to our scout ships. Our three motherships will soon overflow with food cubes to take to our Queens.

We will deploy our dark matter energy beams, replied Military Leader Jattal. This opposing fleet will be space dust in just a matter of a few minutes. We are in combat range.

-

From the four hundred Vorn cruisers, black beams of deadly antimatter energy flicked out toward the waiting Fralix fleet. The beams struck the defensive energy shields and easily penetrated. Fralix escort ships began to die in fiery explosions as the outer wall of the defensive cylindrical formation was ravaged by the black beams. Glowing and mangled debris was sent flying in all directions.

-

“Return fire!” ordered Commander Damalb frantically as his flagship shook violently. Warning alarms sounded, and he could hear secondary explosions rattling his ship. On the viewscreens, he could see the carnage the black fleet was inflicting on the vessels in the wall of the defensive cylinder. Already enemy weapons were penetrating the wall and striking the battlecruisers.

“They’re firing some type of black beam which is going right through our energy shields,” reported First Officer Matob, his eyes showing panic. “We’ve already lost twenty-two escorts and seven of our battlecruisers.”

Commander Damalb was about to reply when the lights went out in the Command Center. Dim red lighting came on, illuminating the crew’s frightened faces.

“Main power is out,” reported First Officer Matob.

“Shield is down, and all weapons are offline,” added Pomal from Tactical.

“Communications?”

“Nothing,” reported Second Officer Sheller. “My console is dead as well.”

Commander Damalb leaned back in his command chair, accepting his defeat. He didn’t know what these aliens had planned for the Fralix Empire, but his fleet could not stop them. Never had he imagined a weapon of such power as what was obliterating his ships. His flagship shook violently, and Damalb closed his eyes. This was the end.

In a massive explosion the flagship blew apart, becoming the center of an expanding field of wreckage which once contained thirty-six Fralix warships.

-

Enemy fleet destroyed, reported Military Leader Jattal. Proceeding to the planet and the two orbiting shipyards.

Excellent, responded Prince Caluume. He already felt the anticipation of trying out a food pellet from this new food species. He would make it a point to be in one of the converter rooms so he could sample the first pellets when the harvesting began.

-

The Fralixian commander in the largest of the two shipyards stared in shock at the debris field where only a few moments before a major part of the Fralix fleet had been. Now all that was left was a slowly expanding cloud of wreckage. Already bright arcs of light were visible where some of the Datox fleet remains were entering the planet’s atmosphere.

“Energy shield?” he asked, knowing it would be useless. He had witnessed how the black ships’ weapons had cut through the fleets’ shields as if they didn’t even exist.

“Fully functional and all reserve power has been diverted to it. Power plants are operating at 120 percent,” reported the tactical officer.

“Fire all missiles. Empty the pods,” ordered the station commander. In the brief fleet battle, not a single missile had been launched. Perhaps the station’s missiles could make a difference and force the black fleet to turn away from Datox.

-

From the missile tubes of the shipyard, forty small missiles darted toward the enemy ships. Each missile contained a twenty-kiloton warhead. While not extremely powerful, it had served the Fralixians well in their one and only interstellar war. As soon as the first forty cleared the tubes, the next forty were loaded and launched.

The first missiles slammed into the shields of the black ships, exploding and releasing their nuclear energy. The explosions seemed to begin, and then their power was absorbed by the energy screens of the enemy ships. Missile after missile struck the shields with little or no effect. Then, from several of the black ships, black spheres appeared and hurtled toward the two stations. The spheres struck the stations’ shields and absorbed their power. In moments the shields failed, and then the spheres struck the hulls. Lights went out, and systems shut down. Soon both stations drifted powerless in space.

From the black ships, small antimatter missiles launched, and brilliant flashes of light appeared from the detonation of the missiles’ warheads against the hulls of the stations. The metal of the stations was vaporized, and two glowing balls of uncontrolled energy appeared where the stations once were. When the light faded, all that remained were a few wisps of glowing plasma and twisted wreckage.

-

The shipyards have been destroyed, reported Military Leader Jattal. There is no defensive grid or other weapons deployed in orbit.

Prince Caluume nodded his satisfaction. Place the fleet in orbit so the harvest can begin.

-

The Vorn cruisers and the three motherships went into orbit. On each mothership, fourteen large hatches slid open. From each a black ray flashed forth to strike the surface of the helpless planet below. Wherever the beams struck, any usable organic material was transformed into a black ashy substance, which was then sucked up by an embedded tractor beam. Across the planet the beams swept, transforming all animal life and the hundreds of millions of Fralixians into the raw material that would become food for the Vorn.

-

On board the flagship, Prince Caluume was in one of the large converter chambers. He watched expectantly as the tractor beams inside the black rays brought the converted organic substance into the mothership and fed it into the converters. The converters classified the different organic substances and then changed them into appropriate food for each of the three castes of the Vorn race.

The prince walked over and pressed a button on a small control panel. Instantly a receptacle slid open and a gray pellet in the form of a small cube was ejected onto the tray. Prince Caluume took the pellet and popped it into his mouth, crunching the pellet with his mandibles and feeling the invigorating strength which instantly flowed through him. While he had tasted better food pellets in the past, this one was acceptable. From the number of gray pellets being converted, there would be sufficient numbers for the Royal Caste to make harvesting this entire food species worthwhile.

When the harvest is complete, destroy all vestiges of civilization on the planet, he sent to Military Leader Jattal, still in the Command Center.

It will be done, responded Jattal.

-

Two hours later, the orbiting Vorn cruisers dropped hundreds of white spheres of energy on the vacant cities. The spheres burst like a bubble, expanding outward, destroying everything in their path. Buildings were knocked down, and others were simply turned into a heavy dust that settled upon the ground. Across the planet, the deadly spheres wreaked their destruction on cities, dams, power stations, infrastructure, and anything that might indicate the planet was once inhabited.

-

Prince Caluume gazed at one of the viewscreens with his multifaceted eyes, his twin antennae moving slowly back and forth. The atmosphere of the planet was already turning dark from all the ash rising from the surface. The use of the white energy spheres had ignited numerous fires, sweeping across the planet. Forests were burning as well as the large grasslands.

The harvest of this world is complete, he sent. Set a course for the next world of this food species. We have found a rich harvesting ground, and we will harvest all of this food species’ worlds.

As you command, responded Military Commander Jattal with a slight bow.

A few minutes later, the Vorn cruisers and the motherships made the transition to hyperspace on their way to the next world of the Fralix Empire.

-

All across the periphery of the galaxy, Vorn harvesting fleets were wiping out civilized planets. While, in most regions, the harvesting was severely limited due to the distance between stars and the few inhabited worlds, they did not have to concern themselves with any major Protector World threat. World after world was dying with no one coming to their defense.

Chapter Seven

Prince Brollen gazed with deep satisfaction at all the ships now under his command. Since he had become Queen Alithe’s consort and had secured his place in the chain of command for the Vorn race, his word was now law. It had been a blissful four and a half months with repeated matings with the Queen. In between attending to Queen Alithe’s needs, Brollen had also been solidifying his power base. He had spoken with key military leaders as well as a few of the younger Queens. Others were always seeking power; all they needed were the right inducements.

-

In the Royal Court none dared to challenge him. To do so might mean another mysterious disappearance—occurring with unusual regularity since Brollen became the Hive Queen’s consort. Only a few days earlier Queen Alithe had gone to the birthing chamber to lay her eggs and would be indisposed for the next several months. Normally during that time one of the other senior Queens would take the ruling Hive Queen’s place. However, Brollen had taken the appropriate steps to ensure that didn’t happen.

A senior military leader who was completely dedicated to serving Prince Brollen would rule the Vorn. Prince Brollen had convinced Queen Alithe that, in this desperate time of war, it was the prudent thing to do. He had used the threat of this new and ancient race in Galaxy X241 to explain the wisdom of following his advice. Queen Alithe had agreed and then gone off to the birthing chamber.

-

Standing in the Command Center of the Vorn mothership Reaper, he was now prepared for the assault and harvesting of Galaxy X241. On the viewscreens, as far as his eyes could see, were thousands of Vorn spindle-shaped cruisers. However, the strength of his fleet lay in the massive force of battleships he had ordered activated. Twelve thousand of the large 1,200-meter-long spindle-shaped battleships were now under his command. In addition, nearly forty thousand cruisers would be accompanying the fleet. It would take nearly a month for the intergalactic transports to take all the ships to the staging system. From there, the different fleets would be sent to Galaxy X241 to renew the harvest with renewed vigor, and 230 motherships would be at the heart of the fleets. This would be by far the largest harvesting fleet ever launched by the Vorn.

For months Vorn technicians had labored over the battleships, increasing the strength of their shields and adding extra power plants to power the weapons. Now the Vorn armada was ready to descend upon the target galaxy and strip all its inhabited worlds of food. The Vorn race would have enough food pellets to last for centuries, long enough to find other rich sources of food or even to move to another part of this universe if necessary.

Status? asked Prince Brollen. He was anxious to get underway.

Cruisers and battleships are docking to the transport ships, answered Military Leader Ansolk. First ships will leave within the hour.

It will take four weeks to transport all our warships and motherships to the staging system, added Military Leader Gallet.

Prince Brollen now had two military leaders on the Reaper. After the failure of his last two military leaders, he would not take the risk this time of another failure. Both of you shall devise battle plans for dealing with the ships of the ancient race that attacked my fleet in the system of food species 236. Assume it will take at least six of our battleships to destroy one of their vessels.

Prince Brollen had kept it a secret that the Vorn mothership Scythe had been captured and that the ancient race even now might have the coordinates to both the staging system as well as the Vorns’ home system where the habitats were located. He had kept this a secret even to the point of arranging for the deletion of every member of his ship’s crew who might have been aware of this. If Queen Alithe had found out the home system might be compromised, no doubt she would have ordered Brollen’s immediate deletion.

From the scans taken by the Reaper and the surviving battleships from the battle, we both believe this was all the ships this ancient race possessed. If they had more, those would have been committed to the battle, responded Military Leader Ansolk. We have twelve thousand battleships to deal with a little over nine hundred of these vessels. While the cost to destroy these ships might be heavy, we have the ships to do so.

Prince Brollen nodded. That is why we will divide the harvesting fleet up into a number of different units. For the time being, we will avoid the section of space where food species 236 resides. It is essential we harvest sufficient quantities of food for the Queens and the other castes in the Vorn habitats before committing our fleets against this ancient race. When the time comes, we will draw their ships into a battle of our choosing. We will use our superior numbers and firepower to destroy them once and for all. Then we will search the galaxy for their home world, and, when it is found, we shall harvest it. The food pellets from that world will be the most highly coveted of any in Galaxy X241.

Prince Brollen turned toward the viewscreens. One of them was focused on a massive intergalactic transport ship with numerous Vorn ships docking in preparation for transport to the staging system. The intergalactic transport vessel was ten thousand meters in length and had a Zero-Point Energy drive. A journey that would normally take a week in hyperspace could be done in just a matter of hours with that powerful drive.

Unfortunately the drive was too large to be used on other Vorn ships. Prince Brollen was determined to remedy this. Already thousands of Vorn from the scientist caste were busy doing research. They would either succeed in building a smaller drive or be deleted. If they were all deleted, then the next group would be chosen to continue the research.

Brollen planned on gathering all the fleets at the staging system and then launching a massive attack against dozens of food worlds simultaneously. They would move across Galaxy X241, harvesting hundreds and then thousands of worlds before moving against the sector of space that contained food species 236 and the ships of the ancient race.

He did have one other major concern. In another few months Queen Alithe would have finished laying her eggs. At that point, she would return to the Royal Court and soon afterward choose another consort. Of course if she were to die before naming another consort, Prince Brollen might just step in and be named ruler. He had taken the necessary steps to solidify his power base, ensuring the right Vorn—those who supported him—were now in positions of power, including a few of the younger Queens. Now he would just wait and see how everything played out. Even on the Vorn habitats, accidents occasionally occurred.

-

Fleet Commodore Dreen was inspecting the new defenses placed around the Lakiam world of Oprell—with its population of 820,000,000 and being the outermost major colonized Lakiam system. The Lakiam Federation was spread out over thirty-two star systems with sixteen habitable worlds. Major mining operations and scientific outposts were in all of these systems, and, even where no actual colonies were, a few small domed cities existed.

Lakiam was also responsible for the defense of eighty-seven Enlightened Worlds and their colonies. Due to the Vorn threat, Lakiam defensive fleets had been pulled back from most of the Enlightened colonies to better defend the Lakiam home system and Lakiam’s major colonies.

On the main viewscreen of Commodore Dreen’s 1,700-meter-long battlecruiser a large defensive platform was being put into orbit. The new platform had an improved antimatter chamber as a power source. The upgrade was the result of technology provided by the Glaymons. In addition, the platform had new shields, which should be capable of standing up to Vorn weapons for a short period of time.

“That platform can take out a black ship as well as resist their weapons,” Alborg from Tactical informed Commodore Dreen. “The improved antimatter chamber will power the platform’s weapons. The platform is also equipped with dark matter missiles. The new manufacturing techniques the Glaymons have shown us have greatly increased the production of the missiles. We finally have enough for all of our ships as well as the platforms.”

Commodore Dreen watched as several large tugs gently moved the defensive platform—two hundred meters across and forty meters thick—into its permanent orbit. A crew of twelve as well as a complement of repair robots would oversee its six large direct energy projectors and two powerful force beam cannons. It also had twenty missile tubes, all loaded with five-hundred-megaton dark matter missiles. Ten of the large platforms were being placed around Oprell.

In addition, a small Lakiam fleet of 140 battlecruisers was responsible for defending the system. Fleet Commodore Dreen was satisfied that, with the new defensive platforms and the Lakiam fleet, they could buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive, which could deal with any black ship incursion.

“With these platforms, all our worlds will be safer,” commented Sheera Keenol from Communications. “Even our major mining operations will have these defensive platforms in place.”

“And we’ll continue to build more,” said Alborg, folding his arms across his chest. “Every month the defenses around our worlds will grow stronger.”

“I’m sure the Enlightened Worlds we’re responsible for will be pleased to receive them as well,” said Sheera. “Defending them will be much easier.”

“We’ve already moved a few small Lakiam fleets to some of the larger Enlightened World colonies,” Commodore Dreen said as he watched the tugs disconnect from the platform and move away. Lights flashed on, and the platform came alive as its power system was activated. A small shuttle approached, carrying the platform’s crew. A large hatch opened, and the shuttle entered.

Dreen gazed at the world of Oprell. Like so many other inhabited worlds, it had large oceans and white clouds covering much of the planet. The visible landmasses were covered in greens, browns, and nearly every color one could imagine. A few of the larger cities were even visible from orbit.

Over the last two months, another 14 Protector Worlds had joined the growing Lakiam Alliance. That made a total of 42 of the 173 Protector Worlds that had become members. Most of the Protector Worlds that had joined were in close proximity to Lakiam or the Hanorians in the galactic center. Commodore Dreen was worried the Alliance was growing too fast. It would take over a year to disseminate the necessary technology to all the new worlds that had joined and to get their ships updated.

For the time being, the defense of the galaxy would fall to the core group of Alliance worlds which had banded together from the very beginning. The Lakiams, Andocks, Parmonts, and the Bascoms would bear the brunt of the defense until the other Protector Worlds were ready. The Hanorians were the exception, as a large number of Lakiam technicians and several Glaymon disk ships had traveled to the Protector World to help rapidly advance its ability to update their ships and build new ones with the updated Glaymon technology.

The central part of the galaxy was too densely populated to risk it falling to the Vorn. Commodore Dreen had found it strange that Fleet Commander Waelt had volunteered to send Glaymon ships to the Hanorian region to aid in the updates. Dreen wondered if Waelt had an underlying reason for doing so.

“We are still getting reports of Vorn activity on the periphery of the galaxy,” said Alborg with concern in his voice. “Our latest intelligence reports indicate at least seven Vorn harvesting fleets are at work. Every day more worlds are being attacked and their populations turned into food.”

Commodore Dreen let out a deep sigh. The periphery of the galaxy covered such a large area that it was impractical to send a fleet. It would be next to impossible to locate the Vorn harvesting fleets. They were striking indiscriminately, sometimes hundreds or even one thousand light-years from their last attack. Dreen shuddered when thinking about what the Vorn were doing—feeding on the intelligent inhabitants of the galaxy. How gruesome and it had been going on for millions of years, and not just in this galaxy but countless others.

“I have spoken to Fleet Captain Waelt,” said Dreen. “Unfortunately we can do nothing to defend the outer worlds at the present time. There is no clear target for us to attack. Our goal for now is to build the Lakiam Alliance so we can defend as many worlds as possible. At the moment those inhabited worlds on our galaxy’s edge are on their own.” For many of those worlds, this would be their death warrant. He felt horrible knowing he could do nothing to prevent their harvesting by the Vorn.

Alborg was silent for a long moment. “Is there any chance of the Glaymons sending more warships?”

“No,” Commodore Dreen answered. “I have asked Fleet Captain Waelt about that, and he said the Glaymon fleet currently here is all that’s coming.”

“And we don’t know where their world or worlds are located?”

Commodore Dreen shook his head. “All we know for sure is that it’s very well hidden.” Dreen suspected the Glaymon fleet captain wasn’t being entirely truthful about his home world. Every time the subject was brought up, a pained look appeared on Waelt’s face, as if he never expected to see home again. However, Dreen wondered if this thing with the Hanorians was a clue as to the location of the Glaymon home world. Why else would they be so anxious to make sure the Hanorian fleet was fully updated?

“Jalad, set a course for Andros. We need to check on how the Bascoms are coming along with their defenses.” Commodore Dreen was more concerned about the Bascoms since their twin home worlds had been destroyed by the Vorn. It had substantially weakened their ability to defend themselves, though new shipyards had been built, and additional warships were now coming online. Currently, with the additional Protector Worlds that had joined the Alliance, an area nearly twenty thousand light-years across was now committed to a joint defense against the Vorn. Dreen just hoped that would be enough to turn the tide of destruction.

-

A few minutes later the Basera and her attending fleet of 170 Lakiam battlecruisers entered hyperspace. Commodore Dreen was touring the Protector Worlds nearest Lakiam to ensure they were ready for an attack by the Vorn. In Dreen’s mind, there was no doubt one was coming. His greatest fear was how overwhelming the Vorn’s next attack on the Lakiam system would be.

Since capturing the Vorn mothership and decrypting the files in its computer, much had been discovered about the Vorn. The Lakiams now knew the location of the system the Vorn were using as a staging area for attacks on the galaxy. Several discussions had already been had with Fleet Captain Waelt about sending an exploratory force to the staging system to see if something could be done about it. Waelt wanted to send the Humans. After seeing their ships in action, Commodore Dreen could well understand why the Glaymons wanted them for this mission. Dreen felt growing tension in his shoulders. He greatly feared their months of being free from Vorn attacks was about to end.

-

On Marsten in the Gothan Empire, High Profiteer Creed was in the Command Center of his battleship, speaking with Second Profiteer Hurkler, who had been with Creed for many years, commanding one of the Profiteer fleet’s battlecruisers.

“Ten million credits,” reported Hurkler, shaking his head in disbelief. “That’s the amount of the bounty Fleet Admiral Vickers has placed on your head.”

Creed looked at the viewscreen showing Marsten—the fourth planet of seven and the capital of the Gothan Empire. The planet was slightly larger than Kubitz with 15 percent higher gravity. Marsten had several small oceans but, for the most part, was an arid world. Some areas around the planet’s equator and the more mountainous regions were lush with vegetation. These regions were the prime real estate on the planet and highly coveted by Profiteers who had made their fortunes leading the raiding fleets.

With that size of a bounty on his head, Creed might not even be safe on his home planet. He was surprised Vickers had actually gone that route. It was something a Profiteer would do. Vickers was learning to think like a Profiteer, which made him even more dangerous.

“I suspect Avery Dolman had something to do with getting Vickers to set the bounty,” muttered Creed. He clenched his fist, gazing at his missing left hand and arm. A modern medical facility was in one of the large shipyards orbiting Marsten. He had already arranged for the medical procedure to regrow his missing limb.

“It is a substantial sum,” said Hurkler. “It’s one of the largest bounties I know of. A number of the smaller clans will be interested in collecting it, particularly on Kubitz.”

“We’ll have to stay away from Kubitz for a while,” replied Creed. This aggravated the High Profiteer because he did so much business on Kubitz, or at least he did before he became involved with Fleet Admiral Vickers. Gazing at the viewscreen, he stared at the lush areas around Marsten’s equator. He had hoped to make his home on a mountain range there with a small green valley, retiring as one of the greatest Profiteers of all times. Vickers had crushed that dream, and now Creed was determined to destroy the Newton fleet admiral.

Hurkler hesitated and then spoke again. “Unconfirmed rumors state Profiteer Grantz survived the attack on him, though he was shot twice in the chest.”

“Body armor,” muttered Creed with a deep frown crossing his face. “Grantz was never the kind to take chances. At least we know we got Tenner and a lot more of the Humans living at the Newton Embassy.”

“It’s being rebuilt,” Hurkler said, “with thicker walls and better defenses. We won’t get another shot at it.”

“We accomplished our goal of taking out Tenner and inflicting pain on Vickers,” replied Creed dismissively. “The embassy isn’t of concern to me anymore.”

Hurkler stepped up to a control console and pressed an icon. A 1,700-meter-long battleship appeared. “This is Vickers’s new flagship. From our scans that ship possesses weapons equal to or more powerful than any Protector World we know of. He managed to threaten the Kubitz government and the Controllers into paying a huge fine for what we did to the embassy.”

“After he demonstrated he could blow their defensive platforms and the slave auction houses into oblivion,” replied Creed, his eyes narrowing. “He’s gained access to some very advanced technology.”

“There are rumors the Glaymons are involved,” said Hurkler uneasily.

“Plhtup!” growled Creed. “The Glaymons aren’t real. No, he’s gained the technology from one of the more advanced Protector Worlds or an Enlightened World. Vickers is very cunning, and his new ship confirms that.”

Hurkler was silent for several moments and then spoke again. “This technology puts Vickers beyond our reach. As long as he remains in his flagship or on Newton, we can’t touch him.”

High Profiteer Creed turned toward Hurkler, his eyes turning red with anger. “No! Vickers must die! He’s cost me too much.”

“But how?” asked Hurkler with a puzzled look on his face. “There’s no way we can reach him.”

“We can’t, but the black ships can.”

Hurkler took a step back. “The black ships? Surely you jest? I’ve seen the secret reports of Dacroni Clan Leader Masak’s attack on one of them. He lost fourteen of his battleships and only managed to destroy one black ship. His ships were destroyed in just a matter of seconds. It’s too dangerous for us to approach a ship of the Destroyers of Worlds. They will destroy us on sight.”

“We don’t need to approach them. Just send them a message describing Earth and Newton.” Creed already had a plan, and it would strike Vickers where it would hurt the most.

Hurkler looked thoughtful. “First we need to find a black fleet, which in itself will not be easy.”

“Easier than you might think. A black fleet is operating a few thousand light-years from here, toward the edge of the galaxy. It’s currently attacking the Fralix Empire.” Creed had heard of this from an informant on Kubitz who had spoken to a captain of a freighter that had recently fled the region. The freighter captain was known for trading with the worlds on the galaxy’s edge where he could collect higher profits by trading technology for gold and other valuable metals.

“That’s more like six thousand light-years from here,” corrected Hurkler. “It would take us at least ten days to reach that area of space. Longer if we take a fleet with us.”

High Profiteer Creed nodded. His new battleship had the latest and most powerful hyperspace drive available in the shipyards above Kubitz. “Then we’d better get going. Contact one of the orbital shipyards and arrange to have us resupplied. We will not take any other ships, just the Ascendant Fury.”

“How do you intend to send a message to the black ships?”

“I acquired several advanced message drones while we were at Kubitz. I bought them from Toblan.”

Toblan was the weapons dealer Creed normally dealt with. The two drones had been expensive but not nearly as much as the message program he had acquired to send a message to the black ships. Where Toblan had obtained a program of the language of the Destroyers of Worlds was something Creed didn’t inquire about. Some things you just didn’t ask a weapons dealer.

“I’ll contact the shipyards and see which one has an open docking port. It shouldn’t take long to load the supplies.”

Creed nodded. If this worked, not only would Fleet Admiral Vickers die, so would everything and everyone Vickers held important to him, namely both Earth and Newton and every Human in both systems.

Chapter Eight

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers was in Governor Spalding’s office, discussing the latest developments in the war against the Vorn as well as the status of the defenses around the worlds of Newton’s small Alliance.

“We’re putting the new defensive platforms in orbit around all our worlds,” reported Rear Admiral Susan White. Her battlecarrier, the Ranger, had been overseeing this installation. “These are much more powerful than the ones originally designed by Lomatz and what he is currently selling to the different worlds in the Gothan Empire.”

“How are Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon paying for their defenses?” asked Governor Spalding. “Our budget is already strained from all our own defense expenditures.”

“We’re selling them the defensive platforms at cost,” replied Rear Admiral White. “Since we’re now producing the basic platform for Lomatz in one of the fabrication bays on Newton Station, we’re raking in a considerable profit from those. Lomatz is using his connections to sell the platforms to all the worlds in the Gothan Empire and is even in the process of arranging for sales to some Enlightened Worlds which have shown an interest. The profits from the sales are already adding up. They should help to offset what we’re spending to modernize our fleet and to build new warships. We’re also producing the newer platforms in the bay as well. We’ve retrofitted Lomatz’s construction ship to be as it once was, since it’s no longer needed to build these newest defensive platforms.”

“Lomatz,” said Spalding with a deep sigh. “Having so many of his people on Newton still makes me sleep uneasily at night. I’m always afraid, when I wake up, they will have stolen the planet.”

Kurt laughed. “Most of his people are not Profiteers. Keera is using many of their medical specialists to train people in our med centers. They’re doing a fantastic job. A few of them have already been given unlimited access to travel wherever they want.”

“Only a few,” said Spalding. “Granted, the ones helping Keera seem okay, but twenty thousand more of them are on the island. I can’t believe we don’t have a few bad apples in that bunch.”

“I don’t think we have anything to fear,” Kurt said reassuringly. “In a few more years they’ll be acclimated to living on Newton and will have forgotten what their life was like on Kubitz.”

Lomatz’s people had been very useful in helping with the new technology being installed across the planet and in the shipyards. They were working alongside Human and Glaymon technicians, adapting more advanced technology for widespread use. So far, all the new technology based on Glaymon science had been restricted to Newton.

“President Lambert has requested access to more of our technology,” continued Spalding, “as it will help stimulate the planet’s economy and aid Earth to recover quicker from the devastation caused by the attacks of the Profiteers.”

“If we grant the North American Union access, the other world powers will want the same,” commented General Mclusky, his eyes narrowing sharply. “They were hit pretty hard as well.”

“That is a problem,” Spalding said, his brow wrinkling in a frown. “I would suggest we make accessible some of the technology Lomatz has brought to us but continue to keep all Glaymon technology restricted to Newton.”

“We need to consider what part of Lomatz’s technology we’re willing to share,” said Kurt. “We know the NAU is highly interested in some of our new educational methods.”

“Earth will soon be turning out a quite a few new warships,” said Rear Admiral White. “The last time I was in the system, the shipyard was operating around the clock on new construction.”

“The new shipyard above Earth is officially completed,” Spalding added. “We did provide two construction bays, using the same shipbuilding technology the Kubitz shipyards employ.”

Kurt nodded. The Newton shipyards were equipped with Glaymon technology. “I suggest we make available to the NAU the new updated antimatter power chambers. That will allow them to equip their warships so they can destroy a Vorn cruiser.” The new shipyard above Earth had been funded by all the major world powers. Kurt hoped that cooperation continued in the future. It would be nice to see Earth someday have a united world government.

Governor Spalding leaned back in his chair, a serious look on his face. “If the Vorn were to attack Newton with a major fleet, would we survive?”

“Yes,” Kurt answered. “We’re keeping the majority of our fleet here, plus we have ten Glaymon disk ships in the system. If we call for help, the Glaymons can have a major fleet here within the hour.”

Spalding eyed Kurt for a long moment. “I still wish I knew just where the Glaymons are hiding.”

Kurt slowly shook his head. “They wish that to remain a secret. Only myself and a few others know, and the Glaymons have requested it stay that way.”

“I guess I have to accept that,” Spalding said. “They’ve done so much for us, and I’ll not risk offending them.”

“The Vorn have been relatively quiet as of late,” Kurt said. “Since the battle in the Lakiam System, the Vorn have pulled back from attacking any Protector Worlds or Enlightened Worlds. A few Vorn fleets are still operating on the periphery of the galaxy but nowhere else.”

Kurt still relied on the Newton embassy on Kubitz and Avery Dolman to keep him informed of what was going on in the galaxy. He also received regular reports from the Glaymons as to Fleet Commodore Dreen’s progress with his Lakiam Alliance.

Of course there was Mara, and she had made it a point, since her return to Newton, to spend more time with Kurt and Keera. So far—other than the “sharing” discussion with Keera—Mara hadn’t done anything that might make Kurt feel uneasy. However, the fact she was acting so proper had Kurt on edge. Mara was extremely intelligent and used to getting her way. The few times they had been alone, she had been extremely polite but forceful in her discussions about possible trading agreements.

“What is the latest report from our embassy on Kubitz?” asked Rear Admiral White.

Susan spent much of her time in space, going from one Newton Alliance world to another. Particularly of late, as she and her fleet were placing more of the new defensive platforms into orbit. Her fleet and Rear Admiral Wilson’s were rotating this responsibility, sharing the patrol duty and defensive platform installation around the three worlds of Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon. Both fleets had been substantially increased in size, in case they had to go up against a black fleet. Susan’s own fleet now consisted of the Ranger, two other light carriers, two battleships and ten battlecruisers. The light cruisers had been pulled back to Newton, with serious talk of discontinuing their production. The light cruisers were just too small to be a threat to the Vorn.

“All the reconstruction is finished, and Kyla Brent has assumed the role of ambassador. Jarman Juarez is serving as deputy ambassador,” replied Spalding. “We replaced all the staff who were killed and increased the size of our security detail at the embassy. We now have two full companies of Marines present.”

“We added modernized weapons as well,” Kurt said. “I don’t think we have to worry about the embassy being attacked again. Also two heavy battlecruisers are in orbit as well as several light cruisers.” Kurt was still using the light cruisers to shuttle people back and forth between Kubitz and Newton.

General Mclusky leaned forward. “I wish we could find High Profiteer Creed. I still find it extremely disappointing he escaped from Earth.”

“We all do,” Kurt replied solemnly. “I placed a ten-million-credit bounty on his head with the Controllers on Kubitz. That’ll severely restrict where he can go in the Gothan Empire. If I had to make a guess, the only safe refuge he has left is Marsten. Even on his home planet, a few Profiteers may be interested in collecting the bounty.”

“Would serve him right,” said Rear Admiral White. “I just feel uncomfortable with him out there running around loose.”

“We all do,” said Spalding.

Kurt was in agreement. Even after nearly two months, no word had been heard on High Profiteer Creed’s location. Dolman had sent a brief message, indicating he had confirmation Creed had purchased a fully updated battleship and then disappeared. Dolman was fairly certain the Profiteer had gone to Marsten immediately after the attack on the embassy. The military intelligence team had fared no better. Profiteer Creed had vanished.

-

The meeting lasted for another hour as the small group discussed defense strategy, the new trade agreements with the other worlds in their small Alliance, as well as what technology could be given to Earth. When the meeting was over, Kurt walked to the large window overlooking the capital. The others had gone, leaving Kurt alone with Governor Spalding.

“Twenty-three million people,” said Spalding, walking to Kurt’s side to gaze out at the busy city. “We’ve greatly curtailed immigration over the last month as we don’t want to drain the solar system of too many of their talented people. We still have long lists of individuals wanting to come to Newton.”

Kurt watched the street below. The wide thoroughfare was full of afternoon traffic, with many heading home. Amazing how the new hydrogen-powered cars were so much quieter than the old ones. The noise from the street was very minimal. “We have enough people on Newton that, if something happened to the rest of the solar system, the Human race would continue.” He didn’t want anything to happen to Earth, but, in recent years, the Human race had discovered their galaxy was a very dangerous place.

“You’re worried about the Vorn?”

Kurt nodded. “Yes, with Earth’s dense population, it would be a prime target, should the Vorn learn of it. Fortunately we’re in a desolate sector of the galaxy where very few inhabited worlds are.”

“Didn’t the Glaymons mention this region was once the home to a highly advanced race?”

“Yes,” responded Kurt, recalling the conversation. “I haven’t really had the opportunity to ask them about that. It is something I’m highly curious about.” Kurt was considering paying the Glaymons a visit to see what they had accomplished in their new solar system. From what Tasid had told Kurt, the Glaymons were building a large habitat for their people. Kurt was curious to see how much progress they had made. It might also be a good time to ask them about this mysterious race.

“We have our Alliance and the resources of five solar systems to work with. At least we’re not alone.” Governor Spalding paused as he looked out the window. “Every day we grow stronger.”

“No, we’re not alone,” replied Kurt. While the other three new worlds in their Alliance were light-years away, they were still close, considering how fast Newton ships could now travel in hyperspace. “It’ll take a while to get all the other worlds up to the same level of technology.” The goal was to get all of them up to the same level of technology as Earth.

Newton had established embassies on all three of the new worlds. Teams of specialists were working with their counterparts on each planet, deciding how best to bring each world up to the point where their technology would be on comparable levels. On each world it varied. One world was ahead in medical science, another might be in computers, and still the third could be ahead in advanced energy production. This all needed to be balanced out without throwing their economies into chaos.

“We’ve already made some progress, particularly on Julbian. They’ll be on the same level as Earth in another few years, and Sertez and Maldon aren’t far behind.

Kurt clasped his hands behind his back. “This thing with High Profiteer Creed is worrisome. He attacked Earth twice, and, as a result, over forty million people died. What if he’s not finished with Earth? There are some very large Profiteer clans, particularly on Marsten. What would Earth do if a thousand Profiteer warships showed up over the planet?”

Governor Spalding looked surprised. “You don’t think that’s possible, do you? With the defense grid around Earth now, it would be suicide for them to attack. They would lose too many ships to make an attack worth while.”

Kurt let out a deep breath. “Of course you’re right. I just wish Creed had died on Earth like we all thought.” Some way or another Kurt was going to find Creed and end this threat permanently. He still had a nagging feeling that as long as Creed was alive, Earth might still be in danger. “I should travel to Earth in a few more days to inspect the new defensive platforms Rear Admiral White placed in orbit. I just need to see them myself so I’ll feel Earth is secure.”

“I’m sure President Lambert will be pleased to hear you’re coming. I’m also certain Fleet Admiral Colmes would like to speak to you as well.”

Kurt nodded. He also wanted to speak to Colmes about the defense of Earth and the rest of the solar system. The Mars colony as well as the ones on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn must be defended as well. The Human race in the solar system was spreading out every day with colonies set up on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn as well as the massive expansion of the Mars colony. Terraforming was well underway due to technology purchased from Kubitz. In twenty more years a person would be able to walk on the surface of Mars without a breathing mask.

Kurt exhaled a deep sigh. So much was changing. He wondered if he would even recognize the Human race in a few more generations. With Kubitz, the Protector Worlds, the Enlightened Worlds, and now Glaymon technology, the Human race was about to take a giant leap into the future.

-

A few hours later Kurt pulled into the driveway of his home, ready for a good night’s rest. As soon as he opened the car door, he heard a child’s voice scream out his name.

“Uncle Kurt!” yelled his nephew who flew out the front door, running toward the car.

“Bryan,” said Kurt as the boy ran up and wrapped his arms around Kurt in a powerful hug for one so young.

“We came over for supper. We’re having fried chicken and mashed potatoes!”

Kurt laughed. Fried chicken was Bryan’s favorite meal and one Kurt enjoyed as well. “Let’s go into the house and, maybe after we eat, we can play catch in the backyard.” Kurt enjoyed spending time with Bryan—something he didn’t get to do as much of as he would like.

Going inside, Kurt found his sister, Denise, sitting next to her husband, Alex, on the couch. He was surprised to see Dalen and Meesa as well. “Where’s Keera?” He could smell the tantalizing aroma of chicken cooking and noises coming from the kitchen.

“In the kitchen,” Meesa replied as she stood. “She’s determined to cook this meal all on her own, but I’ll go help just to be on the safe side.” Meesa went into the kitchen and began speaking to Keera.

“Meesa’s a really good cook,” said Dalen, smiling. “I’ve been designing a house for us, and one of her requirements is a gourmet kitchen.”

“I would love one of those,” said Denise jealously, looking at her husband. “Two ovens would be nice.”

“Maybe someday,” Alex said, his eyebrows wrinkling in a frown. “We have to get the house we’re in now paid off first.”

“When you’re ready, I’d be happy to design it,” said Dalen. “It might be cheaper than you think. The new construction methods we’re using have drastically reduced the price of building a home.”

“How soon ’til we eat?” asked Bryan, looking at his mom. “Uncle Kurt promised to play catch with me afterward.”

“A little longer,” said Denise, shifting her gaze to Bryan. “Why don’t you go play in the backyard until supper’s ready?”

Bryan looked disappointed but took his ball and glove and went out the back door. A moment later they heard the ball being tossed up on the roof and then rolling down.

“I should have known better,” muttered Denise, shaking her head. She stood, but Kurt stopped her.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, grinning. “When I was his age, I used the roof as well. It will keep him occupied.”

“How’s everything going?” asked Alex. “Keera says you’re staying pretty busy.”

“Busy enough,” Kurt replied. He didn’t want to worry them about his growing concerns about the Vorn or High Profiteer Creed. Looking toward the kitchen, he saw Meesa and Keera hovering over the stove. Keera was trying really hard to learn how to cook all of Kurt’s favorite foods. “How’s your work going, Alex?”

“Same as usual. With all the new technology being implemented all over the planet, a big demand for systems analysts has evolved. I’ve had to take several crash courses to keep up with everything.”

“He’s putting in a lot of overtime,” added Denise, shaking her head. “Sometimes too much.”

Alex grinned. “If you want that gourmet kitchen someday, this will get it done.”

Denise reached out and took Alex’s hand and said in a softer voice, “I want the kitchen.”

-

They continued their small talk until Keera came in, announcing supper was ready. Denise went outside and returned with Bryan, who had found dirt somewhere in the backyard. Denise merely shook her head and took him to wash up.

Sitting at the dining table, Kurt was amazed at the huge platter of chicken Keera placed in the center of the table. Meesa placed a large bowl of mashed potatoes next to it and a steaming bowl of white gravy. In addition to that were hot rolls, a leafy salad, green beans, fried okra, and corn on the cob. Sitting beside the stove were several cobblers.

“You really went all out,” Kurt said as Keera sat next to him. He was amazed she had cooked all this.

“We bought this house so we could have dinner parties like this,” replied Keera, reaching out and squeezing Kurt’s hand. “I want to do this more often.”

Denise returned with Bryan in tow, and the two of them sat. “This looks great,” she said, complimenting Keera and Meesa.

Bryan promptly reached for a chicken leg and plopped it in the middle of his plate.

“Green beans and potatoes too,” said Denise, watching her son.

“Do I have to eat the green beans? I’d rather just have the corn.”

“Either green beans or the salad,” replied Denise firmly.

Bryan let out a deep sigh as he reached for the green beans. “I’ll pass on the salad.”

As Kurt ate his meal, he marveled over how much Keera had learned about cooking foods common on Newton. “This chicken is really good.”

Keera looked pleased with his compliment. “Cooking here is very different than on Kubitz.”

“The food on Kubitz is a mixture of what’s available on hundreds of worlds,” explained Meesa as she took a bite of mashed potatoes and gravy. “While some foods are very common or similar on many worlds, others have their own unique tastes.”

“Meesa still cooks a lot of the foods we ate on Kubitz,” said Dalen. “We have to get some of the ingredients from Lomatz’s stores as he brings in a lot of supplies from Kubitz.”

Kurt was aware of this. Under constant urging from Lomatz, Governor Spalding had allowed the weapons dealer to open up several stores in the capital city on a trial basis. These stores sold food products and other items that could only be found on Kubitz or other worlds. The governor had people monitoring these stores very closely to ensure nothing nefarious was going on. Each store had one or two of Lomatz’s people running it, while the rest of the staff was made up of Humans from Newton.

“I understand when Grantz was here, he wanted to open up a pleasure house,” said Alex, looking at Kurt.

Kurt laughed. “Yes, he wanted Captain Randson to go in as partners.”

“No pleasure houses on Newton,” Keera replied firmly. “Grantz needs to quit suggesting that to Andrew.”

“The pleasure houses on Kubitz weren’t so bad,” Meesa said. “The employees were treated well, and the pay was good.”

Denise looked embarrassed. “I forgot you worked at one. I’m sorry Alex brought it up.”

“No problem,” Meesa said, smiling. “On Kubitz and many other worlds, that work is very well accepted. Dalen was even one of my main clients.”

“What’s a pleasure house?” asked Bryan, a curious look on his face.

“Wait until you’re older, and your dad will explain,” replied Denise, glaring at Alex for bringing up the subject.

“Where is Grantz?” asked Dalen. “I haven’t seen him around anywhere.”

“Back on Kubitz,” Kurt answered. “At the embassy doing some research for me.” Kurt didn’t mention the research involved finding out where High Profiteer Creed was hiding. After all, Creed had tried to kill Grantz so he had personal motives as well. Still the ten-million-credit bounty would ensure Grantz would use all his black market connections to locate the elusive Profiteer. Kurt had also given Grantz a handful of gold coins as additional encouragement, plus he could use them as bribes.

“I’ll bet Andrew is glad Grantz is gone,” commented Denise as she buttered a roll.

“I think Andrew likes Grantz a lot more than he admits,” Kurt replied. “Don’t forget Grantz saved his life once on Kubitz when he was shot.”

“I really wish you would stay away from Kubitz,” said Keera with a sharp frown. “That planet is just too dangerous.”

“Are you going to Kubitz anytime soon?” asked Meesa.

“I’m not planning on it. I’ll make a short trip to Earth soon and then visit the three worlds we’ve added to our Alliance.”

“I was at the Westside Mall yesterday, and I saw a number of people from Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon,” commented Alex. “I was surprised at how much they resemble regular Humans.”

“A lot of humanoid races are spread across the galaxy,” explained Keera. “Forty-four percent of all humanoid races are genetically related and are capable of having children together. It’s a big mystery as to how this happened. There’s no good rational explanation. Several thousand worlds are inhabited by Humans. Thousands of others are inhabited by humanoid races who can nearly pass for Humans.”

“So many,” said Denise, her eyes opening wide. “I didn’t realize that.”

“It’s strange to know all of this now,” commented Alex as he laid down his fork and took a sip of his tea. “Just think, a few years ago, all we had were Earth and Newton. People believed aliens didn’t exist. Now we find out thousands of inhabited worlds are out there, many inhabited by Humans.”

“There are a lot of alien races as well,” added Keera. “It’s one of the reasons I went into medical practice on Kubitz. Numerous races from all across the galaxy visit there.”

“For the black market and the pleasure houses,” explained Dalen. “Anything and everything is available on Kubitz for the right price. That’s why the planet draws so many visitors.”

Denise shuddered. “Let’s change the subject. I don’t want to talk about that vile place. Meesa, I understand you and Dalen have been talking about starting a family.”

Meesa nodded, smiling brightly. “Yes, I’ve always wanted children. Newton seems to be a wonderful world on which to raise them.”

Denise looked at Bryan, building a tower out of his potatoes. She sighed deeply. “Yes, it is.”

Kurt was enjoying himself immensely as he listened to everyone talk. Keera was right; they should do this more often. Next time he would invite Andrew and his family. The more the merrier.

-

Later that night Kurt and Keera laid in bed, talking.

“You’re seeing the Glaymons, aren’t you?”

Kurt was surprised Keera had figured that out. He hadn’t said anything to her about his plans. “Yes, I want to speak to Tasid about a few things as well as see how they’re doing building their new habitat.”

“The Glaymons frighten me,” said Keera, her head on Kurt’s chest. “They’re so advanced. To them we must seem like children.”

“They don’t look at us that way,” Kurt replied. “Or at least the ones that came with Fleet Captain Waelt don’t seem to.”

“Yes, but you said these Glaymons are more like what they were millions of years ago.”

Kurt had to agree. The other Glaymons who had planned on keeping Kurt and his crews captive on the Dyson Sphere were definitely not like Waelt and his people. Kurt often wondered what had happened to Waelt’s people who had stayed behind after the fleets left the Dyson Sphere. Marshton and Valan had stayed behind to work out an agreement with the other Glaymons, knowing they would face a stiff punishment for allowing Kurt and Fleet Captain Waelt to leave. They had spoken of the population of the Aggressives being drastically reduced.

Kurt put his arm around Keera. Her body felt so warm. Keera almost always slept naked. “I’ll leave again in a few more days. Why don’t we go shopping at the mall tomorrow and eat at one of the nice restaurants in the food court?” While there were many small establishments in the food court, there were also several very nice restaurants as well.

“That sounds nice,” Keera replied as she moved her hand across Kurt’s chest and then down lower. “But I want to do something else tonight.”

Kurt rolled over on top of Keera, smiling to himself. He was pretty sure he could accommodate her.

Moments later the two were wrapped up in passionate lovemaking with any worrisome thoughts pushed to the back of their minds. Right now, there were only the two of them, and the world could wait.

Chapter Nine

Prince Caluume gazed at the viewscreen, showing the shattered remains of the enemy space fleet. The battle had been brief, and the results the same as the others. The enemy fleet had been easily obliterated as its primitive weapons were no match for the Vorn.

Enemy fleet eliminated, reported Military Leader Jattal. Four shipyards are in orbit of the planet, and scans indicate they are lightly armed.

Prince Caluume looked at one of the viewscreens through his multifaceted eyes. The shipyards looked primitive and weak. Destroy them and place the fleet into orbit above the food world. I am anxious to begin the harvest.

This was the twenty-sixth world of this food species they would soon be harvesting. Only the capital world remained, and it would fall just as easily as all the rest. Prince Caluume was pleased with how this harvest had progressed. All three of his motherships were nearly full of food pellets. When this world and the food species capital world were added, the three ships would be fully loaded with food for the Queens and the rest of the Vorn race. It would be time to rendezvous with a Collector ship to unload and then move on to new targets. Soon Prince Brollen would be returning, and the harvest would resume in full force across this galaxy. The prince’s fleets should already be at the staging system. Once the harvest resumed in full, Prince Caluume intended to take his fleet deeper into the galaxy into richer harvesting grounds. However, until then he would have to be satisfied with the meager gleanings from the rim of this galaxy.

-

The fleet moved in closer to the planet with four of the spindle-shaped cruisers peeling off and speeding toward the small shipyards. The crews inside watched helplessly as the Vorn ships approached. Over the last few weeks they had watched helplessly as their people were slaughtered on numerous worlds by these deadly ships. Every effort to resist had failed. On the capital planet an evacuation fleet was organizing so part of the Fralix race might survive. The young and some of the brightest of the race were being selected to establish a new colony far away from this region of space.

The spindle-shaped cruisers entered weapons range and immediately launched their black spheres of antimatter. Around the edges of the spheres, small discharges of energy were evident. The spheres struck the energy shields of the shipyards and immediately drained them of power. It didn’t take long for their energy shields to fail, allowing the black spheres to reach the hulls. Very quickly lights went out as the power was steadily siphoned away.

Inside the shipyards, the crews sat or stood in growing fear as the lights went out and the ventilation systems shut down. Life support was gone, and soon even the emergency lighting vanished. The stations were left in darkness, with their crews having no hope.

From the four spindle-shaped cruisers, small antimatter missiles launched. The missiles struck the stations, and, in their places, miniature suns appeared. When the light faded, all that remained was twisted wreckage and a few clouds of glowing gas, which promptly faded away. The work of years had been wiped away in seconds.

-

Shipyards eliminated, reported Military Leader Jattal. Fleet going into orbit above the planet. We can begin the harvest in ten minutes.

Excellent, replied Prince Caluume. I will be in converter chamber two, waiting to test the first suitable food pellets. Even though he had tasted numerous pellets from this race, he made it a habit of sampling a pellet from every planet they harvested. He had his own private collection of food pellets stored in his quarters. It was small but steadily growing.

-

The fleet went into orbit above the planet, and, from the three motherships, black rays darted toward the surface. Wherever the beams struck, all organic substances were turned into a black ash, then collected and transported to the motherships by an embedded tractor beam.

Across the planet the beams moved. Frightened inhabitants stood paralyzed with nowhere to run to escape the deadly beams. They watched in terror as the beams swept toward them, seeing their neighbors and friends turned into ash.

For three hours the beams swept across the planet, leaving no area untouched. When the beams finally stopped, the planet held no animal life; only the plants and a few small microorganisms survived. The world stood in silence, devoid of all sound except the wind.

From the orbiting ships, white energy spheres fell, wiping out the cities and the infrastructure. The cities were leveled with a dark, heavy dust covering everything. Tens of thousands of fires filled the atmosphere with a lighter ash and pollutants. Soon the sky turned dark as the light from the sun diminished.

-

Aboard the mothership, Prince Caluume watched as the world below became uninhabitable. In a few years the atmosphere would clear, and life could begin again. Sometime in the far future, the Vorn might return to this system to harvest the next food species which would come into being on this planet.

Take us out of orbit and set a course for the last planet of this food species, ordered the prince. This had been a very successful harvest, and he was ready to move on. Once they unloaded their food pellets, he had another region on the edge of this galaxy he intended to harvest. Scout ships had located several more primitive worlds, ones which would still qualify as a food species.

We are receiving an unidentified hyperspace message, reported the Vorn at Communications.

Prince Caluume turned toward Communications. Messages from planets begging to be spared the harvest were quite common. Where does the message originate?

Outside the system, reported the Vorn at Communications. The message is a set of spatial coordinates indicating the location of a densely populated food world.

The message is being transmitted by a drone at the edge of the system. Farther out is a large ship that must have sent the drone, confirmed the Vorn at Sensors.

Prince Caluume looked confused. Who would send such a message?

Possibly the capital world of the food species we are currently harvesting, suggested Military Leader Jattal. They may hope, by offering us another world to harvest, we will spare their own.

How far away is this world? Military Leader Jattal turned toward the Vorn at Navigation. Well?

Some 6,247 light-years.

That’s not the home world of this food species, sent Caluume.

Jattal took a minute to call up the specified region of the galaxy on one of the viewscreens. That region of this galaxy has few food worlds. Yet this message speaks of a world with over eight billion inhabitants!

A tempting offer, conceded Prince Caluume. Very few food worlds held that many of a food species. He spent a moment in thought. Send a few scout ships to investigate. If it is true, we may harvest that world after unloading our food pellets with the Collector ship. For now, we will finish the harvest of this food species.

What about the mysterious ship? asked Military Leader Jattal. Should we destroy it?

Ignore it. It is of no consequence, replied Prince Caluume. Destroying the ship would not add to their supply of food pellets, and one ship by itself was not a danger to the Vorn fleet.

-

Aboard the Ascendant Fury High Profiteer Creed watched the ship’s long-range sensors as the Vorn fleet entered hyperspace and headed to the next world on its schedule to harvest. The Vorn ships were visible on Creed’s sensors as the Vorn were not using their sensor-masking technology. Why should they? Nothing threatened them in this region of the galaxy.

“Did they receive our message?” asked Creed, his eyes alight with anticipation of what he may have just set in motion.

“Yes,” confirmed the communications officer. “The drone sent it several times, and they should have received it.”

Creed gazed at the tactical display, showing the receding Vorn fleet. With interest, he saw four ships break off from the Vorn formation and go on a different course. “Where are those four ships going?”

The navigation officer spent a few minutes calculating the probable course of the Vorn ships using the Ascendant Fury’s navigation computer. “In the general direction of Earth.”

Creed’s face broke out into a broad smile. “Yes! Once they see how heavily populated Earth is, I’m sure they will attack it. I will have my revenge yet on Fleet Admiral Vickers.” This had worked out just as Creed had planned. The Destroyers of Worlds would see Earth was heavily populated and then direct one of their harvesting fleets there. They would harvest Earth and most likely Newton as well.

Second Profiteer Hurkler studied the course of the four Vorn ships and then, with a deep frown, turned toward High Profiteer Creed. “Those four ships will pass within two hundred light-years of the Gothan Empire. What if they stumble across our worlds?”

Creed grew silent. He had never considered that possibility. He had been too interested in destroying Fleet Admiral Vickers. “Two hundred light-years,” he repeated a little nervously. “That’s still far enough away that they most likely won’t notice our worlds.”

“I hope so,” Hurkler replied. “The ships of our empire are not capable of taking on a Vorn harvesting fleet.”

“Set a course for the planet the Destroyers of Worlds just left,” ordered Creed, sensing a chance to pay for this long trip. “Scan the surface of that planet and the wreckage around it. Perhaps some of the larger Marsten Profiteer clans as well as the government of the Gothan Empire might be interested in paying for such information.”

“What if the Vorn come back?”

“They won’t,” replied Creed. “They’re finished here and are moving on to the next world. We’ll take scans of the planet they attacked and then return to Marsten.” He rubbed the stump of his left arm. “I need to get this arm taken care of.”

The arm served as a constant reminder of everything Fleet Admiral Vickers had cost him. Creed would return to Marsten and have the arm fixed, and then the Destroyers of Worlds would finish enacting Creed’s revenge against the Human fleet admiral. There was another thing to consider. Even if the Vorn destroyed both Earth and Newton, all that gold would still be in the vaults on Earth. Just maybe he could return to Marsten sometime in the future as a very rich High Profiteer.

-

The Ascendant Fury dropped from hyperspace near the target planet and was soon in orbit. The crew took scans and photographed the destruction.

“Not a single city left standing,” muttered Hurkler, gazing at one of the viewscreens showing a city in ruins. Most of its buildings had been leveled with only a few walls still standing here and there. A dark dust covered the ground, and numerous fires were burning. “It’s the same across the entire planet. Every city and village has been destroyed. Only a few farmhouses are still standing. The growing ash in the planet’s atmosphere will soon cause a nuclear winter.”

“Any signs of life?” Creed couldn’t believe everything had been wiped out. He had heard rumors of that being so, but he didn’t see how that could happen. A few living creatures must have survived. It was difficult to accept a planet could be gleaned so thoroughly of life.

“No, nothing,” replied the sensor officer. “There may be some microbes or life in the deeper parts of the planet’s oceans, but there’s nothing on the landmasses. No animals, no birds, and not even any insects. Everything’s gone.”

High Profiteer Creed gazed long and hard at the viewscreen. This was what the Destroyers of Worlds would do to Earth and, with a little luck, also to Newton. Fleet Admiral Vickers would either die defending his worlds or be left with nothing. Once Creed was certain the Vorn had done their work, the two worlds would be open to plunder. This time Creed would only use his ships. He would not include any other Profiteer clans.

“Let’s go home. I’ve seen enough, and we’ve gotten what we came for.” After seeing the destruction wrought by the Destroyers of Worlds, Creed’s concerns grew about the four scout ships heading toward Earth and passing within a couple hundred light-years of the Gothan Empire. While the possibility of them discovering the star cluster that contained the empire was slight, the risk was still there. Of course no one in the empire knew what he had just done, and those of his crew who knew would keep their mouths shut.

-

A few minutes later the Ascendant Fury entered hyperspace for the long journey home. Only time would tell if High Profiteer Creed’s message had the desired effect. If so, then Earth and Newton only had a few more months to exist.

-

On Kubitz, Grantz was meeting with several of his old contacts about the attack on the embassy. He also wanted to find out where the Profiteer was who had shot him. That insult Grantz intended to address. After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

“I see you’re still alive,” said Profiteer Lazzal, tipping back his glass and draining the amber-colored liquid. He coughed and rubbed the sleeve of his shirt across his mouth.

“I’m not so easy to kill,” Grantz replied evenly. He glanced over a couple tables, where two of Avery Dolman’s security people sat. Grantz had paid a sizable sum of credits to have a couple bodyguards follow him everywhere. What Grantz liked about Dolman’s people was that they were very discreet and blended in well. They were also very good at their job.

“So I’ve heard,” said the second Profiteer. “You’re fortunate to be alive.”

Grantz leaned forward as if he didn’t want to be heard. The music was loud enough there was little chance of that. “I already know High Profiteer Creed paid for the hit on me. What I want is the name of the individual who shot me.”

Lazzal leaned back as a server refilled his glass and stepped away. His gaze wandered up and down her scantily clad body. He grinned leeringly at her.

Grantz noticed the look on Lazzal’s face. “Do you like her?” he asked. “I have some connections here in this pleasure house. I can make arrangements for you to meet her upstairs later.”

Lazzal turned toward Grantz as he picked up his drink. “Ten thousand credits and the girl for the night, and we have a deal.”

“Two thousand credits and the girl for one hour,” countered Grantz. He knew never to accept a Profiteer’s first offer.

“Eight thousand credits and the girl for the entire night.”

“Never will happen,” Grantz replied as he picked up his glass and drained it. With a deep satisfied smile, he gestured for the server who stood nearby to come fill it.

Grantz watched as Lazzal gazed hungrily at the girl as she refilled his glass. “Stay for a moment,” said Grantz, gesturing for her to sit next to Lazzal. Grantz knew this server very well and had paid her a gold coin to ensure she was available for Lazzal’s enjoyment. He watched as she sat next to Lazzal, close enough to touch him. Lazzal’s face flushed, and his breathing sounded heavier.

“Five thousand credits and the girl,” spoke Lazzal determinedly.

“Thirty-five hundred credits and the girl for half the night,” Grantz countered. He grinned as the girl ran her fingers gently across Lazzal’s chest.

Lazzal looked at the girl, who blinked at him and smiled suggestively.

“Yes,” Lazzal said. “You have a deal.”

“The name first,” Grantz said as he took a thick sheaf of credit notes from his pocket.

“Fourth Profiteer Tierman,” Lazzal said. “He’s with the Jalon Profiteer Clan.”

“The Jalon Clan,” said Grantz softly. The clan that had helped the Dacroni mercenaries in their attack on the embassy. Taking his time, Grantz counted out the 3,500 credits and then handed them to Lazzal. “There’s your money, and the girl is yours for the next six hours. Enjoy.”

Grantz stood and walked toward the exit, followed a few moments later by Dolman’s two people. Stepping outside, Grantz waited for them to catch up. “We’re looking for Forth Profiteer Tierman of the Jalon Profiteer Clan. I want him brought to me alive.”

“I’ll pass the word,” one of the two security people replied. “We’ll find him if he’s still on Kubitz.”

“Fine. Let’s get back to the embassy. It feels chilly standing out here in the open.”

Grantz was satisfied with how the night had gone. He had the name, and, with the help of Avery Dolman’s people, he would shortly have Tierman. Grantz wanted the Profiteer alive as he had a few questions he wanted answered. If things worked out as Grantz hoped, sometime in the future he would be the recipient of a ten-million-credit reward. He planned on delivering High Profiteer Creed’s head to Fleet Admiral Vickers.

-

Fleet Commodore Dreen watched as another Lakiam battlecruiser join his fleet formation. His fleet was home in the Lakiam System, and they were putting the final touches on the new fleet deployments. His gaze shifted to another viewscreen, showing one of the two hundred new defensive platforms that had been put into orbit around Lakiam. He felt better about the defense of the home system, knowing these platforms could destroy a black ship.

“I’m growing nervous,” said Alborg from Tactical. “It’s been too quiet as of late. The Vorn must be up to something.”

“I fear you’re right,” Dreen answered. He was thankful for the time the Vorn had given them to prepare for the next attack. A lot of work had been done in a relatively short time, more than he had thought possible.

“Captains Callast, Veen, and Swiffe are ready to begin their patrols,” reported Sheera from Communications.

“They have my permission to depart,” replied Dreen.

Dreen was sending the three fleets out to the edge of Lakiam-controlled space. From there they could respond to any attack in the territories controlled by the nearest Protector Worlds. Dreen was aware Fleet Leader Moor of the Andocks was deploying three similar fleets as well as building up a massive home fleet. Moor had reported only the day before that the entire Andock fleet had been updated.

“I’m afraid the Vorn are planning something big,” said Laylem from his sensor console. “They must be building up their forces for an attack. It’s the only explanation for their continued absence.”

“We need several more months to allow more of the newer Alliance worlds to finish updating their fleets and put into orbit sufficient numbers of the new defensive platforms around their systems,” added Alborg. “And I agree with Laylem. After their defeat here, the Vorn must be updating their ships and preparing their fleet to return and finish their harvest.”

Dreen let out a deep and troubled sigh. “I don’t believe we’ll get that extra time. In recent days we’ve received reports of Vorn ships spotted all over the galaxy. Not entire fleets, just one or two vessels. I fear whatever they were doing in their home system is finished.”

“They’re scouting us,” said Alborg knowingly. “It’s what I would do. They want to know where the fleets with the Glaymon vessels are located. From a strategical standpoint, the Vorn will do one of two things. Either attack us and the Glaymons in massive force, trying to eliminate both of us, or stay away and launch harvesting attacks against worlds more lightly defended.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen turned toward Alborg. He trusted his tactical officer’s advice as he had years of experience studying tactics. “What would you do?”

Alborg hesitated for a moment and then spoke. “I would stay away from us for now. The Vorn need an immediate food source, so it makes more sense to attack lightly defended worlds to build up their food supply. Once that’s been accomplished, they will turn toward us.”

“My thoughts also,” Dreen replied. By attacking other worlds across the galaxy, it limited the number of new worlds Dreen could pull into the Alliance.

“Where did Captain Waelt go?” asked Laylem.

The fleet captain had left a few days ago, saying he would return in two weeks. He had explained to Dreen that he would talk to his people about providing more ships as he was deeply concerned about what the absence of Vorn ships might mean. The fleet captain wanted to embed additional Glaymon disk ships in more Alliance world fleets as he feared a great battle was coming. He also wanted to talk to the Newton Humans about scouting the Vorn staging system.

“Back to wherever his people are,” Commodore Dreen replied. He felt uneasy whenever the fleet captain left Lakiam space. While it was true the other disk ships remained, the fleet captain seemed very determined to destroy the Vorn.

“What about the captured mothership the Lakiams have?” asked Jalad from Navigation. “Anything new?”

“Fleet Leader Moor contacted me yesterday,” Dreen answered. “We’ll take a quick trip to Andock Prime for a briefing on the latest intelligence gleaned from the Vorn ship.”

Andock, Lakiam, Bascom, Parmont, and Glaymon scientists and technicians were combing through the captured Vorn ship, studying its weapons, technology, and the systems used to harvest planets of organic life. They even had samples of food pellets. It was quite gruesome thinking about what those pellets had once been. Dreen was also curious what had come of the interrogation of the prisoners. The Glaymons had been heavily involved in this as the Vorn language was very difficult to speak, even with advanced language translators. Their thought processes were extremely foreign to the galactic norm. Earlier reports on the interrogations had indicated the Vorn were unresponsive. They merely gazed at their captors as if they didn’t exist.

“Captain Callast’s fleet is entering hyperspace,” reported Laylem. On the large tactical display, hundreds of green icons blinked out, only to reappear on the hyperspace tracking display.

Thanks to Glaymon technology, they could now track ships out in hyperspace to a distance of thirty-two light-years. Also a massive hyperspace tracking system had been put in place by the Lakiams, the Andocks, and several other Protector Worlds. It was now possible to detect ships exiting hyperspace for several thousand light-years around Lakiam.

“Captain Swiffe reports he will depart for his patrol coordinates in ten minutes,” added Sheera. “Captain Veen will depart shortly after that.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen nodded. He was expecting the Vorn to resume their attacks on the Enlightened Worlds very shortly. A number of worlds thought that, after the battle at Lakiam—where the Vorn had been soundly defeated—the Vorn had left the galaxy for less-hostile feeding grounds. Yet Vorn harvesting fleets were still in the outer regions of the galaxy. The Vorn would come back, and, when they did, they would return with a vengeance. Fleet Commodore Dreen was convinced this increase in scouting activity was the prelude for the appearance of the Vorn harvesting fleets.

Coming for more food!

Chapter Ten

Prince Brollen gazed with deep satisfaction at the massive Vorn fleet gathered in the staging system. Over 52,000 Vorn warships and 230 motherships were ready to resume the harvest. In addition to the warships, there were forty of the Vorns’ largest ships, the ten-thousand-meter-long intergalactic transport ships, as well as sixty of the valuable two-thousand-meter-long Collector ships.

Impressive, sent Prince Ortumad, who was in charge of the staging system. I congratulate you on bringing the forces necessary to complete the harvesting of Galaxy X241. The food gleaned from that galaxy will feed our people for generations.

Many more warships are in reserve at the home system, if they are needed, replied Prince Brollen. Since he had become Queen Alithe’s consort, Prince Ortumad’s attitude toward Brollen had changed. Ortumad now fully supported Brollen. We will send the first fleets to Galaxy X241 tomorrow. The intergalactic transport ships will take them deep into the galaxy to a region rich in food worlds. We will attack twenty different systems at once, overwhelming any defenses that may be present and harvest the inhabited worlds. The systems I have chosen will provide excellent sustenance for the Queens and the Royal Caste living in the Conclave Habitat. If his future plans were to succeed, Prince Brollen must keep the Royal Caste content, particularly the other Queens, and also certain members of the Military Caste.

Prince Brollen intended to ensure the Conclave Habitat had an excess of food pellets, particularly those in the Royal Court who had shown him support. He would have special cases containing some of the best quality food pellets delivered to the quarters of those who had shown him loyalty. His future plans depended on their continued support.

We must provide for our Queen and those of the Royal Court, replied Ortumad respectfully. I will make the arrangements for the intergalactic transports to take our fleets to Galaxy X241. I wish you success in the harvest.

Prince Brollen turned toward his two military leaders. Have the two of you finalized our battle plans? He did not want another mishap such as what happened in the system of food species 236.

Yes, replied Ansolk, who was the senior of the two military leaders. The region of space we will harvest only has three of these so-called Protector Worlds. Our scout ships have confirmed the more heavily populated food worlds are all defended by orbital grids, but we do not believe any of them are a threat to our fleet. We found no indications of any ships of the ancient race or ships of food species 236 or 111 around any of these worlds.

There will be some minor resistance, and we may lose a few of our cruisers, but the losses will be small and inconsequential, continued Military Leader Gallet.

This suited Prince Brollen. The region of space he had selected was far from food species 236, where he assumed the ancient race still had a large portion of its fleet. With the fleet he had at his disposal, the entire target region, containing several hundred food worlds, could be harvested in just a few short weeks. Once that area was depleted, Prince Brollen intended to harvest another one just as rich in food species next. A steady stream of Collector ships would be returning to the Vorn home system with an abundance of food pellets.

His multifaceted eyes turned toward one of the large 1,200-meter-long battleships under the command of Military Commander Vasterus, showing on the main viewscreen. A military commander was higher in rank than a military leader, as he commanded many more ships. Vasterus had been with Prince Brollen during the battle in food species 236’s home system. Vasterus had also sworn loyalty to Brollen.

Military Commander Vasterus will keep a fleet of two thousand battleships and six thousand cruisers in reserve to respond to any encounters with the ancient ships or food species 236 or 111, explained Military Leader Ansolk. If any vessels from those three races interfere with our harvesting of the region of space we have chosen, Military Commander Vasterus will respond with his fleet and destroy those species’ warships.

With the firepower he has available, not even the ships of these ancients will prevail, continued Military Leader Gallet. With superior firepower and overwhelming numbers, Military Commander Vasterus will destroy them.

Has this plan been communicated to Vasterus? asked Prince Brollen. He did not want any mistakes if there were, indeed, a battle with any ships from those three races. They had shown to be dangerous in the past and would eventually have to be dealt with.

Yes, replied Military Leader Ansolk. He fully agrees with it.

Prince Brollen looked at the viewscreens. Several of the large intergalactic transport ships were already fully loaded with ships to take to Galaxy X241. It was time for the harvest to resume at a highly accelerated rate. This time nothing would stop the Vorn from harvesting the entire galaxy.

-

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers was in Earth’s solar system, amazed at all the changes made since the Profiteer fleet had been defeated. The new shipyard was in orbit; the older defensive platforms from Newton had been moved to Earth; and a number of the newer ones had recently been placed in orbit as well. It would be impossible for a Profiteer fleet to ever endanger Earth again. However, the Vorn were another matter and were the main reason Kurt was here.

“What’s the current status of Earth’s defensive grid?” Kurt asked Fleet Admiral Aaron Colmes.

Aaron had taken over command of the system’s defensive fleet after Fleet Admiral Tomalson had formally retired and gone to Newton to live near one of its pristine ocean beaches. Aaron had demonstrated in the past to be a very dependable and talented officer.

“Better than ever,” Aaron replied, confident the system could defend Earth. “We currently have sixteen Class Two Orbital Defense Platforms, two hundred and thirty satellites with dual firing energy turrets, and one Class Two Command and Control Center. The platforms can fire upon anything that comes within forty thousand kilometers of the planet.”

“What about the new platforms?” asked Kurt. He was really interested in these as they could destroy a black ship.

“We have six of the new platforms installed as well as a Class One Command and Control Center to coordinate their firing,” Aaron replied. “The plans are to install sixteen more as soon as they become available.”

Kurt looked a little confused. “I thought we had sent more of the Class Two platforms as well as more of the new ones?” Lomatz had purchased more at Kubitz before the demand from worlds in the Gothan Empire had overwhelmed the market. He knew more of the new platforms had been built at Newton Station and delivered as well.

Aaron nodded. “You did. However, we thought it prudent to ensure Mars as well as the colonized moons of Jupiter and Saturn are protected. Six Class Two Orbital Defense Platforms and four of the new ones are currently in place around Mars with a Class Two Command and Control Center. Ten more Class Two platforms are in orbit around the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Also defensive satellites have been deployed as well.”

“I thought you would have put everything around Earth since it has by far the largest population.” Kurt had not been informed of this change in deployments.

Aaron sighed and slowly shook his head. “Politics. Many nations on Earth helped construct our new shipyard. They demanded their colonies be protected from attack as well. After the Profiteers nuked Earth, everyone realized how vulnerable the colonies are, particularly the domed cities. One well-placed nuke would destroy the largest of them. The European Union— along with Australia, the United Kingdom, and Japan—have placed colonies on Mars. The Russian Collective has colonies on four of the moons of Jupiter, and the Chinese Conglomerate has colonized three of Saturn’s moons. Hell, even a few large asteroid colonies are requesting protection.”

Sometimes Kurt forgot how many countries were on Earth. It made dealing with the planet extremely complicated at times. Newton had even blocked Earth from trading directly with Kubitz because of it. An attempt by several Earth governments to send a mission to the black market planet had ended in disaster. Since then the Earth governments had gone along with Newton’s request not to go to Kubitz and to allow Newton to conduct their trade for them.

“How many people are on Mars now?” The Mars colonization project had received a lot of publicity since terraforming would soon make the world habitable. The planet would be very similar to Earth but only smaller. Terraforming projects were also beginning on two of the moons of Jupiter and one of Saturn’s.

“Twelve million,” answered Aaron. “Domed cities are all over the planet. A few will need to be moved due to the location of future oceans, rivers, and lakes.”

“Where will the water come from?” Kurt found it strange to be thinking about oceans on Mars.

“From the Kuiper Belt,” replied Aaron. “Enough blocks of ice are floating around out there to give Mars all the water it needs.”

“Solid ice?”

“No.” Aaron laughed. “It won’t be that simple. But some of the rocks out in the Kuiper Belt are nearly one-third pure water ice. There has been some discussion of allowing the rocks to enter the Martian atmosphere on a shallow trajectory so the ice would melt, but the rest would continue back into space. Terraforming and weather control would take care of the rest.”

Kurt wondered what technology the Glaymons might have to speed up the process. He would have to speak to Tasid about it. “How’s President Lambert doing?”

“Fine,” Aaron replied. “She’s been very supportive of our defensive program as well as making funds available to build new ships.”

“What’s the current status of your fleet?”

“Not as many ships as I would like,” Aaron confessed. “New construction is ramping up, particularly with the two construction bays Newton sent us. This time next year I’ll feel a lot better. Currently we have five battleships—all of Kubitz construction but updated in our shipyard—plus fourteen battlecruisers, and two of your light carriers.”

The light carriers helped control traffic in the solar system since so much trade now occurred between all five of the Newton Alliance worlds. Cargo ships were required to drop from hyperspace in two general areas where fighters from the two light carriers would give them a quick once-over before allowing them to proceed to Earth.

Kurt nodded. He was deeply concerned about the size of the Earth fleet, particularly if a black fleet appeared. Fortunately Newton was close enough that a reinforcing fleet of battleships and battlecruisers could be in the solar system within an hour. “I’ll speak with President Lambert about placing several of our new battlecruisers in the system.”

Aaron looked concerned. “Because of the Profiteers? I heard a rumor High Profiteer Creed is out there somewhere.”

“He is,” admitted Kurt. “But it’s not the Profiteers that I’m worried about. Earth’s current defenses and your fleet can handle them.”

“The Destroyers of Worlds,” said Aaron in sudden understanding, taking a deep breath. “You’re afraid they may find Earth.”

Kurt nodded. “I hope they don’t, but Earth has a population far in excess of most Protector Worlds or Enlightened ones. Earth would be a very tempting target if they ever became aware of it.”

“Let’s hope they don’t,” Aaron replied. “Earth’s been through enough as it is.”

Kurt and Fleet Admiral Colmes spent a few more minutes discussing various defense deployments and the locations of all the defensive platforms in the system. Kurt had already decided, when he returned to Newton, he would rush those new battlecruisers to Earth for its defense. What worried him was how much damage a black fleet could do before a fleet from Newton could arrive to help.

-

A few hours later Kurt was escorted into the office of President Ellen Lambert. As Kurt entered, she stood. “Hello, Admiral. I’m glad you could take time from your busy schedule to come see me.”

“I’ve been intending to for a while.”

The president indicated for Kurt to sit in a chair in front of her desk. “How’s Admiral Tomalson enjoying his retirement?”

“He loves it,” Kurt replied. “I visited him a month ago, and he was doing some fishing. This is good for him.”

“Yes,” the president agreed. “The stress of his job was more than most people could handle. I still don’t see how he did some of the things he accomplished. He is an amazing individual.”

Kurt nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“I spoke to Governor Spalding yesterday. Our new communications system is amazing. There’s very little delay.”

“We have it now to all the worlds of the Newton-Earth Alliance,” Kurt said. He didn’t go on to mention the new communication system was a result of Glaymon technology. No Glaymons had been to Earth or any of the other worlds of their Alliance, only Newton. The perceived view was the new system was a result of technology gleaned from Kubitz.

“Where are you heading after you leave Earth?”

“A routine patrol,” Kurt replied.

He didn’t want to tell her that he was going to Epsilon Reticuli, some fifty-nine light-years from Earth—where the two Glaymon colony ships and the majority of their fleet had taken up residence. They were building a new habitat to live in on the outskirts of the system. Kurt was anxious to speak to Tasid and see what progress they were making. Kurt hadn’t been to the system since leaving the Glaymons there.

-

For the next several hours Kurt and President Lambert discussed the trade treaties they had with the other Alliance worlds as well as what technology Newton would share with Earth.

When they were done, the president looked at Kurt and sighed deeply. “I understand we can’t introduce too much advanced technology on Earth all at once as it would collapse our economy. But I would like to form a committee of business people as well as a few others in the government to discuss what technologies could be safely introduced.”

“That would be acceptable,” Kurt answered. “I’ll mention it to Governor Spalding when I return.” With all the nations on Earth and the disparity in development in some regions of the planet, the introduction of any new technology was difficult. Everyone wanted it, but he didn’t think some of them understood the risks.

As Kurt prepared to leave, the president came around her desk and put her hand on his shoulder. “Admiral, Governor Spalding has told me about the Destroyers of World, and Fleet Admiral Colmes and I have had some long conversations about that threat. How real a danger are they to Earth?”

“It’s real,” Kurt replied somberly. “They’re a threat we should all be afraid of. This race is from another universe, and, to them, we are nothing more than a food source.”

The president shuddered and blinked her eyes. “That’s what Governor Spalding said. Admiral, please keep them away from Earth.”

“I’ll do my best,” Kurt answered. He could promise nothing more.

President Lambert nodded. “I know you will.”

With that, Kurt left the president’s office to return to the Star Cross. Time to see the Glaymons.

-

Several hours later the Star Cross dropped from hyperspace into the Epsilon Reticuli star system. 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 and in an eccentric orbit due to a large gas giant.

“Ship is operating at top efficiency,” reported Aleea as she accessed the ship’s systems.

“No contacts on the sensors,” added Lieutenant Brooks.

This didn’t surprise Kurt as the Glaymons used a special sensor-dampening field on all their ships to ensure they were not detected. However, the Star Cross was equipped with a special sensor which could penetrate the field. The device had been furnished by the Glaymons for use with the Vorn. The device could easily penetrate any dampening field to reveal what was hidden.

“Activate the Glaymon sensor device,” Kurt ordered.

“It won’t be necessary,” Aleea said as her eyes narrowed slightly. “I just received a message from another AI, and she told me where we need to go.”

The AIs had a method of instantaneous communication when they were in close proximity. “Aleea, you have control of all systems. Take the Star Cross to the indicated coordinates.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Aleea responded, smiling. She loved it when the admiral allowed her to fly the ship.

A few moments later the Star Cross entered hyperspace and made a short jump to the outskirts of the system.

On the tactical display, showing the results from the new sensor, a number of green icons appeared. Some were obviously larger than others, and one was massive and shone yellow on the screen.

“What is that?” asked Andrew, peering sharply at the tactical display.

“I’m putting it on the main screen,” replied Aleea. “I think you will be impressed.”

On the main viewscreen a huge sphere appeared, made from metal. In a few areas metal beams were visible where protective hull plating hadn’t been installed.

“Is that a ship?” asked Lieutenant Mays. “If so, it’s the largest one I’ve ever seen.”

Aleea shook her head. “No, it’s their new habitat. It’s 140 kilometers in diameter, and, when they’re done, it will resemble the inside of a Dyson Sphere, just much smaller.”

Andrew shook his head. “I will say one thing about the Glaymons. They don’t do things in a small way.”

“I have a message from Tasid,” reported Lieutenant Pierce from her communications console. “He requests you take a shuttle to the colony ship he’s on.”

Kurt was pleased with this request. He had never been on one of the two colony ships the Glaymons had brought with them. They were seven kilometers in length and three kilometers in diameter at their widest point. From what Tasid had told Kurt, each ship contained 33,000 Glaymons of childbearing age.

Kurt nodded. “Inform Tasid I’ll be over shortly.”

“Fleet Captain Waelt is also here,” Aleea informed Kurt. “His disk ship is docked to the colony ship Tasid’s on.”

Andrew looked surprised. “The fleet captain’s here? I thought he was staying at Lakiam with his fleet to support Fleet Commodore Dreen’s Alliance.”

“I’ll find out what’s going on when I get over there,” Kurt said as he stood. “Lieutenant Mays, want to come along?” Since they would be discussing tactics and the Vorn, it might be good to have the tactical officer tag along.

“Yes, Admiral,” said Mays, getting up from her tactical console.

“Andrew, keep the Star Cross at Condition Five. I don’t believe we’ll be facing any threats in this system.”

“I did activate our sensor-dampening field,” reported Aleea. “I’m sure the Glaymons don’t want anyone to detect the Star Cross as it might give away the location of their new habitat.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Kurt replied. “Lieutenant Mays, let’s go.”

-

It didn’t take long for the shuttle with Kurt and Lieutenant Mays to land in the colony ship’s spacious flight bay. The shuttle sat down gently, and the sound of the engines died away.

“I wonder if this ship is armed?” asked Lieutenant Mays as she waited anxiously for the hatch to open. “I didn’t notice any evidence on the hull as we approached. There were no weapon turrets though there were a lot of hatches of various sizes.”

Kurt smiled. The lieutenant always had weapons on her mind. “I’m sure it is. Its strong point will be its defensive energy screen, since it’s more of a civilian ship.” The hatch slid open, interrupting Kurt’s words. “Let’s go. Maybe we can talk Tasid into giving us a tour.”

“I hope he will,” Mays said as she stood, her eyes alight with excitement.

The two exited the hatch and walked down the ramp. The flight bay was large, much larger than the one on the Star Cross. Dozens of shuttles of various sizes were parked in the bay with a number of small repair robots darting about. A few Glaymons were in evidence as well on the far end of the bay, overseeing the loading of equipment into a large shuttle.

As the two Humans reached the end of the ramp and stepped onto the armored deck of the bay, Tasid appeared from behind one of the shuttles. It only took him a few moments to reach Kurt and Lieutenant Mays.

“Admiral, Lieutenant Mays,” he said in greeting. “I’m pleased you paid us a visit today. Fleet Captain Waelt has something he wishes to discuss.”

Kurt was surprised. He wondered what the fleet captain could want. “Let’s not keep Fleet Captain Waelt waiting.”

As they made their way through the ship, they took several small transport shafts to reach their destination. The shafts nullified gravity and used small transport beams to take everyone to their destinations. Tasid had given both Kurt and Lieutenant Mays a small disk to wear so they could use the shafts safely. Kurt still recalled the first time he had used such a shaft on the Glaymons’ Dyson Sphere. It had literally scared him to death to be floating in the air with no visible means of support.

After a few minutes they reached the end of a short corridor and, upon stepping inside, found themselves in a huge Command Center. Dozens of Glaymons sat in front of consoles, and numerous AIs were present.

“We’re controlling the building of our new habitat from here,” Tasid explained. “If all goes well, we should have it completed sometime next year.”

“That soon?” said Kurt in amazement. He couldn’t imagine building a structure the size of their habitat in such a short time.

Tasid smiled. “Almost all the construction is automated. Even the mines we’re using to provide material are automated.”

“Fleet Admiral Vickers,” a man said, his voice coming from behind them.

Turning, Kurt saw Fleet Captain Waelt. “Fleet Captain,” said Kurt, reaching out and shaking his hand. “I understand you have something you wanted to discuss with me.”

“A small conference room is nearby,” said Tasid. “I suggest we go there.”

As Kurt turned to follow Tasid, he glanced at a viewscreen, showing several large cargo ships docking to the new habitat. He didn’t recall those ships being with the Glaymon fleet when they left the Dyson Sphere. Obviously they had been built recently.

-

Once they reached the conference room, they all sat. Tasid took a deep breath as he prepared to reveal shocking information to Fleet Admiral Vickers. However, these Humans had surprised him in the past, and he was confident they could handle what he was about to reveal.

“Our scientists working on the captured Vorn mothership have recovered some of the encrypted files. The Vorn ships have a computer log that records everywhere the ship travels.” Tasid pointed to the main viewscreen. “This is their staging system where their fleets gather before launching their harvesting attacks against our galaxy.”

On a large viewscreen a desolate world appeared. In orbit around it were hundreds of Vorn vessels, including several that were gigantic.

“What are those big ships?” asked Kurt. The only ships he had ever seen larger than those were the Glaymons’ colony ships.

“Their intergalactic transport ships,” Tasid answered. “Those ships have a Zero-Point Energy drive. They transport the smaller Vorn ships between their home system and the target galaxy.”

Kurt leaned forward, studying the vessels. “They can’t have too many of those,” he said.

“They have enough, and we’re not sure how many may still be in their home system,” said Fleet Captain Waelt. “We believe it is nearing time for the Vorn to recommence their harvesting of our galaxy at a highly increased rate.”

Tasid looked at Kurt, who was deep in thought.

“What would happen if those transport ships were destroyed?”

Fleet Captain Waelt blinked his eyes and then answered. “It would delay their harvesting. We don’t know how many they possess.”

“That information wasn’t in the computer files we’ve unlocked,” added Tasid. He wondered what Kurt was thinking. The Humans were used to war. Their home planet’s history was full of conflict. He was certain Kurt would use this information to their advantage. “They are bound to have a few more in their home system, but the total number is unknown.”

“So, what do you want to see me about? It can’t be just to share this information.”

Fleet Captain Waelt looked directly at Kurt. “We want you to scout the Vorn staging system and report what’s actually there.”

-

Kurt felt a cold chill run through his body. “Why?” This sounded extremely dangerous.

“As you just speculated, if we could destroy their intergalactic transport ships, we might delay or even stop the attack on this galaxy for several years,” explained Fleet Captain Waelt. “It would give Fleet Commodore Dreen time to better prepare the entire galaxy to fight the Vorn.”

Kurt mulled over what the fleet captain said. He hadn’t planned on taking an active part in this war unless Earth, Newton, or one of the other three worlds of Newton’s Alliance was endangered.

“With the sensor-dampening system on the Star Cross, the Vorn will never know you’re there,” Tasid said. “We want you to scan the system, observe their ship movements for a few days, and then return.”

“That’s asking a lot,” Lieutenant Mays said. “Thousands of Vorn ships may be in that system. We may not so easily escape detection, even with the sensor-dampening field. Our ship may be spotted on a Vorn viewscreen.”

“They won’t be expecting you,” explained Fleet Captain Waelt. “I doubt if anything like this has ever been attempted before. Even if they do detect you, your ship can outrun them in hyperspace. Their battleships and cruisers don’t have Zero-Point Energy drives.”

“Did the files on the captured mothership mention anything about defenses in the system?” asked Lieutenant Mays.

“None we are aware of,” replied Tasid.

Fleet Captain Waelt looked intently at Kurt. “The Vorn will doubtlessly start their harvest of our galaxy shortly. This time we expect their fleet to be far larger than before. We need more time to prepare. That’s why this mission is so important and you’re the only one I trust to accomplish it. The Star Cross may be the most powerful ship in the galaxy, and we desperately need to know what’s in that system.”

“I need to think about this,” replied Kurt, feeling uneasy about the idea of scouting the Vorn staging system. Just too many things could go wrong. However, the tactical information gathered from such a mission could be instrumental in delaying the Vorn attack on the galaxy. It seemed he would be pulled into this war whether he wanted it or not.

-

They spent another hour discussing the proposed mission. When they were through, Tasid took Kurt and Lieutenant Mays on a tour of the colony ship.

The ship was amazing. It had large totally open areas. The ship was more like a city in space. Kurt was surprised to see Glaymon children playing and laughing, almost like Human children.

“Are you so surprised to see our children playing?” asked Tasid, noticing Kurt watching them.

“Yes. I thought they would be in a more structured environment, learning Glaymon science and technology.”

Tasid laughed. “You forget our lifespans are over 12,000 years. The children will have plenty of time to learn. Now is the time for them to be children and to enjoy what it means to have little or no responsibility. All of that will change in time.”

-

After Fleet Admiral Vickers returned to his ship, Tasid and Fleet Captain Waelt sat down for another meeting.

“We still have told no one what is in the Vorn home system,” Fleet Captain Waelt said.

“How can we?” Tasid replied. “I ordered the files containing that information on the captured mothership destroyed. While Fleet Commodore Dreen may have the coordinates to both the staging system and the Vorn home system, it would unhinge the entire war effort if they knew what was actually in the system. That red star is orbited by 116 massive habitats. Each one of those habitats has the potential population and industrial capacity of over one thousand planets, possibly more.”

“It is frightening,” admitted Fleet Captain Waelt. “Those habitats combined have nearly the capacity of our home Dyson Sphere.”

“How can we tell Fleet Commodore Dreen they have only faced what may be a tiny fraction of the Vorn fleet? We have done some studies and believe it’s highly likely the Vorn have a fleet in excess of one million vessels. Most of those ships are probably kept in a stasis field on board their habitats until needed.”

Fleet Captain Waelt shook his head. This was the first time he had heard those numbers. They were far larger than he had believed possible. “We have only one real hope for victory. We need more of our ships from the Dyson Sphere.”

“Impossible!” said Tasid, shaking his head. “The ruling council would never agree to it.”

“We have to try,” insisted the fleet captain. “At minimum they can allow more ships from our own group to reinforce what we already have here. We can show them what Fleet Admiral Vickers and Fleet Commodore Dreen accomplished with our help in the battle at Lakiam against the Vorn. Perhaps that will sway the council.”

“By now Marshton and Valan have agreed to whatever terms the council demanded after our own departure,” said Tasid grimly. “I’m not sure even our own people would want to see any of us come back. It could bring even harsher penalties.”

“Tasid, if the Vorn attack in overwhelming numbers, we will lose ships. Maybe just one or two in various battles, but, over the course of several years, our fleet will eventfully be decimated.”

Tasid leaned back and closed his eyes. He slowly opened them. The fleet captain was right. “Very well, we’ll send a ship to speak with Marshton and Valan. Maybe they can speak to the council and at least let our people send some warships. I think both of us should record a message for them as well as for the council.”

“I will do so immediately,” replied Fleet Captain Waelt.

Tasid drew in a deep breath. “You do realize that, whoever we send, we may never see them again. There is a very good chance the ruling council will not allow the ship to return, and we will hear nothing.”

Fleet Captain Waelt nodded slowly. “I understand.” He pointed a finger toward the wall of the small conference room where the viewscreen showed the new habitat. “If we fail to stop the Vorn, even our people in that construct may not be safe. Our people must respond. Now is the time to take the battle to the Vorn, not millions of years from now!”

“We shall see,” Tasid replied. “Fleet Admiral Vickers will leave tomorrow. He promised to give me an answer about the staging system mission before he goes. I also want to take him to the habitat and show him what we have accomplished and what it will look like when it’s finished. He would also like information on the advanced race that once inhabited this part of the galaxy.”

“Their worlds were destroyed millions of years ago. I doubt if anything remains on any of their former planets.”

“I will give him the information if only to satisfy his curiosity. Now, do you have an idea on who to send back home to the Dyson Sphere?”

“I have a captain who is willing to return and plead our cause,” said Fleet Captain Waelt. “I must go and speak with her.”

“Do so,” replied Tasid. “Make sure she understands the risks of accepting this mission.”

They were facing insurmountable odds, and their only real hope was with the Glaymons in the Dyson Sphere. However, Tasid deeply feared that, no matter how hard they pleaded their case, the ruling council would be deaf to their pleas for help.

Chapter Eleven

Prince Brollen gazed at the Reaper’s main viewscreen with unbridled anticipation. On the screen was a blue-white world with over one billion inhabitants. It would be a fine beginning for the harvesting fleet he had brought with the Reaper. One hundred Vorn battleships and 1,400 cruisers protected the six motherships at the heart of the formation. Fleets of similar size were preparing to attack other worlds across this sector of space. In only a few more hours, word would spread across the galaxy that the Vorn were back and more powerful than ever. These multiple attacks were designed to spread fear and to demonstrate how pointless it was to resist the Vorn.

Enemy fleet has formed into a defensive formation directly between us and the planet, reported Military Leader Ansolk. I have directed twenty of our battleships and four hundred of our cruisers to advance and destroy it.

Numbers and estimated weapons? demanded Prince Brollen. It was not unusual for an opposing enemy fleet to be in a food system.

Enemy fleet is composed of sixteen battlecruiser-size ships and seventy smaller support vessels, reported Military Leader Gallet. Most are smaller than our own cruisers. Scans indicate the ships are armed with sublight missiles equipped with nuclear warheads as well as energy cannons. None of their weapons will penetrate our defensive energy screens.

Very well, replied Brollen, his multifaceted eyes focused on his two military leaders. What of the defensive grid around the planet?

It consists of the same platforms we have encountered in the past, responded Military Leader Gallet. Twenty platforms are in orbit as well as sixty small defensive satellites. Scans indicate the satellites are armed with a single twin-energy beam turret. While the satellites might be good for shooting down missiles aimed at the planet, they pose no danger to our ships.

As Prince Brollen expected. This region of Galaxy X241 had not seen a harvesting fleet before, and, as a result, their worlds were weakly protected. His harvesting fleets would sweep through this region, harvesting all its worlds. Collector ships would be sent immediately to the Vorn habitats with plentiful food supplies as well as his special gifts for those Queens and other members of the Royal Court who had pledged their loyalty to him.

Our fleet is nearly in engagement range, sent Military Leader Ansolk.

Prince Brollen turned his attention to a viewscreen showing several ships of the defending fleet. Even as he watched, the first black antimatter beam flicked out from a Vorn cruiser and struck one of the smaller vessels. The beam cut right through the ship’s meager energy screen and piercing the hull. Moments later a brilliant fireball appeared as the ship blew apart. The fireball instantly dissipated as the oxygen in the ship was consumed. More Vorn antimatter beams struck other ships with the same deadly result.

-

The enemy fleet quickly retaliated as energy beams leaped toward the Vorn ships. The beams struck the Vorn energy shields and seemed to dissipate as the screens simply absorbed the energy. The ships intensified their firepower, hitting the Vorn with every energy beam they possessed. The results were the same; the energy was merely absorbed by the Vorn defensive screens.

-

Military Leader Ansolk sent additional commands to the attacking Vorn ships. Telepathy made contacting the other Vorn ships a simple matter. More black antimatter beams appeared, and a large number of the defending ships were blown into oblivion. Ship after ship blew apart as Vorn beams tore through the screens and into the hearts of the defending vessels. The Vorn ships continued to bear down on the now ragged defensive formation, continuing to destroy ships with their deadly beams.

-

The defending fleet commander realized his fleet was now in a precarious situation and in danger of being annihilated. He quickly ordered his ships to launch every nuclear-tipped sublight missile in the fleet’s missile tubes.

Missile tube hatches slid open, and the missiles launched, targeting the approaching Vorn fleet. Many of the missiles were destroyed by antimatter beams just short of the Vorn ships but a few managed to reach their targets. In brilliant flashes of light the warheads detonated, but the flash rapidly shrank and then vanished altogether, as the energy was absorbed by the defensive screens. The defending fleet commander watched in dismay, knowing he could do nothing else. These were the Destroyers of Worlds, and they had come for his people.

-

Military Leader Ansolk ordered the attack to be ramped up. He wanted to end this battle so Prince Brollen could begin the harvest of the food world. He was well aware of what had happened to the prince’s previous military leaders. Both had been deleted for failing to do their duty. He had no intention of meeting the same fate.

-

Black energy spheres appeared and latched onto the defensive screens of the surviving defending warships. The screens were rapidly drained of power, and then the spheres reached the hulls of the vessels. Shortly the ships were left powerless, drifting in space. Vorn antimatter missiles arrived, and the last few ships in the defending fleet died as they were consumed by the antimatter energy. When the light faded away, the defending fleet was gone. Only a few drifting pieces of wreckage indicated anything had ever been there.

-

Enemy fleet has been eliminated, reported Military Leader Ansolk.

There is one very large space station or shipyard in orbit, added Military Leader Gallet, looking at Prince Brollen. Should we target it?

Eliminate it and then clear the space around the planet of the defensive platforms and the small defensive satellites. I wish to taste this food species to see if it is worthy to be added to my private collection. Prince Brollen was always looking for new food species to be added to his private cache. He had a number in his collection which had very unique tastes.

-

On the surface of the planet, the inhabitants looked into the night sky in fear. Small fiery explosions indicated the ongoing destruction of the few defensive platforms and satellites which were supposed to protect them from incoming missiles or the occasional pirate ship that preyed on this sector. Rumors flew on the few operating media stations that a fleet of the Destroyers of Worlds had arrived in orbit.

“What is our situation?” asked the president of the ruling council.

“It is over,” answered the planet’s military leader, lowering his head. “Our fleet has been destroyed, and the defensive platforms and satellites have been wiped from orbit. We are defenseless.”

“Surrender!” called out one of the councilors. “Contact these Destroyers of Worlds and offer our unconditional surrender. Surely they will accept that.”

The military leader looked at the councilor with pity in his eyes. “They will not accept our surrender. They have come for us.”

“But why? What can we offer them that they don’t already have?”

The military leader shook his head. Many of the people had paid little attention to the threat from the Destroyers of Worlds, since none of their black-ship fleets had harvested a world in this region of space. He had tried to warn them of the danger, but they had refused to turn away from the path of Enlightenment and to accept the reality of the situation. Too many centuries of peace would be their downfall. They had conducted themselves as if everything were normal instead of putting all their efforts into adding to the defenses of the planet. Rumors and reports of entire worlds being culled by the Destroyers of Worlds had been met with disbelief and an adamant refusal that it could happen here to their world. Now it was too late.

The president of the ruling council knew why the Destroyers of Worlds had come. He had listened to the military commander for many long hours, refusing to believe they could be in any danger. “We are food for them. They will take all our race to be consumed.” The president could not face the military commander and looked toward the floor. He had failed his people, and, because of that, they were all doomed.

The councilor pleading for surrender turned pale in disbelief. “I don’t believe that. There must be something we can do! Something we can offer them.”

Before the president could reply, a black beam swept through the council chambers. Moments later all that was left of the president, the military leader, and the council members was a black ashy substance, which was pulled from the room through an open window. They had become food for the Destroyers of Worlds.

-

Prince Brollen walked over and pressed a button upon a small control panel in converter room three. Instantly a receptacle slid open, and a gray pellet in the form of a small cube was ejected onto a tray. The prince took the pellet and popped it into his mouth, crunching the pellet with his mandibles and feeling the invigorating strength that instantly flowed through him. This pellet was made from the organic material of one of the civilized inhabitants of the planet they were culling. It had a slight sour taste to it which was intriguing but not to the point that it would be a good addition to Brollen’s private collection. The prince was disappointed, but not all food species were suitable for the prince’s palate. He was very particular in what he considered to be suitable for his private cache.

How much longer until the culling is complete? he sent to Military Leader Ansolk, still in the Command Center.

Another hour and then we will drop the planet-cleansing spheres. Will we be adding any of these food pellets to your private collection?

No. While many are suitable for the Royal Caste, they are not what I desire. We will turn the entire lot over to one of our Collector ships.

-

An hour later white spheres of energy fell on the planet. Everywhere they touched, they popped like giant bubbles, releasing uncontrolled energy that swept across the surface of the planet. Buildings were leveled and dams knocked down. Power grids and roads were annihilated as the planet’s infrastructure was ruthlessly destroyed. When the white energy spheres stopped falling, much of the world was on fire. The atmosphere turned dark, as ash and other pollutants blocked the sun. In one hundred years the planet would once again be a green and habitable world, but there would be few signs of the constructions of the former inhabitants.

-

In orbit, Prince Brollen looked at the handiwork of his fleet. His multifaceted eyes held no sadness and his cold heart no sympathy over what had been done. This was the way of the Vorn and how it had been since they had come to this universe. On the main viewscreen, most of the planet was now obscured by ash and smoke from the burning fires.

Take us out of orbit and set a course for our next target, he ordered. Perhaps the next food species will be more to my taste.

-

Moments later the Vorn fleet pulled away from the planet and soon after that entered hyperspace. The harvest would continue.

-

In the far reaches of Earth’s solar system, four Vorn cruisers dropped from hyperspace. Their sensor-dampening fields were operating, and they had no fear of detection. The ships came to a full stop as their sensors picked up massive amounts of communication traffic as well as hundreds of ships moving about the star system.

I want a full sensor scan, ordered Military Leader Renwarld, in command of the four-ship scouting squadron. I want to know everything there is to know about this system. Renwarld had been on several scouting missions and knew exactly the information Prince Caluume wanted.

Moments passed, and then the Vorn at the Sensors turned toward the military leader. The third planet of the system is heavily populated. It is as the message said. Long-range scans indicate the planet has a population in the billions. Also millions are upon the fourth planet. Both worlds would be suitable to harvest.

Continue the scans. We will approach no closer as we do not want to risk detection in a system with so many ships. If Prince Caluume chooses to harvest this world, we need to have the advantage of surprise.

A very powerful defense grid is above the third planet, and we are detecting a number of large warships as well, added the Vorn at Sensors.

Renwarld’s twin antennae stood up straighter. He wondered if there were colony worlds in the vicinity. From the coming and going of the ships in the system, there must be other food species they were trading with. We shall stay here for a while. I want the courses of all inbound and outbound ships recorded. Perhaps they will lead us to other food worlds in this sector. If this mission was a success, perhaps Prince Caluume would increase Renwarld’s responsibility by placing more ships under his command. The higher one rose in rank and responsibility, a wider range of food pellets became available.

-

On board the Class One Command and Control Center in orbit above Earth, Colonel Aubrey McMasters sat in the command chair in the small Command Center. Six others were in the room besides him. He was startled when an alarm sounded on the sensor console. “What’s that about?” Alarms very seldom sounded, and, when they did, it was generally due to a ship missing its jump point.

“I’m not sure,” replied Lieutenant Jensen, spending a moment studying the sensors and then turned toward the colonel. “The new sensors are picking up four ships out past the orbit of Neptune.”

“Who are they?” asked McMasters. He suspected one of their trading partner’s cargo fleets had miscalculated the jump, and, instead of emerging where they were supposed to, ended up near Neptune. It happened occasionally.

“I’m running the sensor results through our ship’s database. I should have the results shortly.”

“Communications, as soon as we have their identity, send them a message, directing them to make a short hyperspace jump to the location of either the Dante or the Wasp.” Those were the two light carriers currently in the system.

Suddenly, without warning, alarms sounded, and the Condition One alert was announced.

“Colonel, the entire defensive grid is going to Condition One. We’re also broadcasting a general alert to all our warships.”

“What?” said Aubrey as he rose from his command chair and hurried to the sensor console to see what was going on. Only one type of ship would cause the automatic activation of Condition One.

“They’re Vorn,” confirmed Lieutenant Jensen, his face turning pale. “We have four Vorn cruisers scanning the system.” The crew in the Class One Command and Control Center had been briefed about the Vorn. Specific safeguards had been put in place in case of a Vorn ship or fleet being detected. One of those was the Command Station automatically sending out a Condition One alert upon detecting a Vorn ship. The station’s sensors had also been modified so they could detect a ship hiding behind a sensor-dampening field.

Colonel McMasters felt his heart skip a beat. How had the Vorn found Earth? “Communications, send a message to the shipyard about what we’ve detected. They can notify the necessary governments on Earth. Then get me Fleet Admiral Colmes. We’ve got some Vorn ships we need to destroy. I also want to know why we didn’t detect those ships sooner. ” McMasters suspected, due to the number of ships coming and going from the solar system, no one had noticed the four Vorn ships approaching. He would take steps to make sure that error never occurred again.

-

Fleet Admiral Colmes took a deep steadying breath. “How many ships are we detecting?” The Atlas also had the new sensor system which reached out thirty-two light-years and could detect ships running under a sensor-dampening field. They had already confirmed the data Colonel McMasters reported. It seemed that a simple programming error had failed to allow the Vorn ships to be identified.

“Four Vorn cruisers,” answered Lieutenant Madison Reese. “They are holding their current position and scanning the system.”

Colmes looked at his executive officer, Tamara Scott. She was up for a promotion and would soon be commanding her own ship. “Recommendations?”

“All our ships have been updated with the new antimatter chambers. We have the firepower to take out those four vessels.”

Admiral Colmes knew as soon as the Command and Control Center detected the Vorn cruisers, a message would have been sent automatically to Newton, notifying them of the appearance of Vorn ships in the solar system. Currently Colmes had eight ships escorting the Atlas, two more battleships plus six battlecruisers. The rest of the fleet was scattered across the solar system on routine patrol duty.

“All ships,” Colmes announced over the ship-to-ship comm to the escorting vessels. “We have four Vorn cruisers near Neptune. We will make a short hyperspace jump to engage them. All ships stand by to receive jump coordinates.”

“Coordinates transmitted,” reported the navigation officer.

“Ships are tied in to our computer for a simultaneous jump,” reported Captain Scott. “All ships are at Condition One.”

Admiral Colmes nodded. He hoped he was doing the right thing by engaging the Vorn and not waiting on a more advanced fleet from Newton to arrive. However, the Vorn were scanning the system, and he had to stop that. He could not let them escape with valuable military data on Earth’s defenses. He hoped to surprise them before they left the solar system.

-

Military Leader Renwarld watched patiently as the data accumulated on the system. He was surprised at how heavy the defenses were, considering how isolated this world was from the more populated regions of this galaxy. Renwarld called up data on this region of space and was surprised to learn that millions of years in the past a very intelligent food species had occupied hundreds of nearby worlds. That species had become food for the Vorn, and all traces of their civilization eradicated. Advanced science and technology could not be allowed to fall into the hands of newer food species who might arise from the ashes of the old.

Alarms suddenly sounded, and red lights flashed. On the tactical display, nine glaring red threat icons appeared.

Report, he demanded, shifting his triangular-shaped head toward the Vorn at the sensor console.

Warships, confirmed the Vorn. Three battleships and six battlecruisers. Their power readings indicate they may have weapons dangerous to us.

Renwarld looked toward a viewscreen which showed an 1,100-meter-long battleship turning toward his fleet to bring its weapons to bear. Emergency hyperspace jump, now! Renwarld had no desire to risk any of his four ships. His mission was to scout this system, and that was what he had done. Now he would return to Prince Caluume and report his findings. It was also disconcerting this food species had detected the Vorn cruisers through their sensor-dampening fields.

-

“Vorn ships are jumping,” warned Lieutenant Reese.

“All ships fire!” ordered Admiral Colmes, leaning forward in his command chair, his gaze glued to the ship’s viewscreens. He didn’t want any of these ships escaping and reporting what they had found.

Energy beams and particle beams reached out, striking one of the Vorn ships. Simultaneously a dozen hypermissiles left the missile tubes, detonating against the energy shield of the Vorn cruiser. For a moment, the ship’s shield managed to absorb the energy, but the particle beams and energy beams were too much. The beams penetrated, and the ship exploded in a glaring fireball, hurling debris in all directions. Before Colmes’s fleet could shift its attack to the next Vorn cruiser, all three vanished as they made the jump into hyperspace.

“Damn, they got away!” cried out Captain Scott in anger. “They must have had their jump drives on standby.”

Admiral Colmes let out a deep breath. He would report back to President Lambert, and she could inform the rest of Earth’s major governments. There was now a very real chance the Vorn would be coming to Earth. Admiral Colmes felt a cold chill spread through him. The Vorn would make the Profiteers look like a minor nuisance. This had the makings of a major disaster.

-

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers was on board the Limeira, visiting with Mara. The ship was quite large and luxurious. The crew had every amenity one could imagine. Mara had requested he come over to her ship to discuss some trade agreements she was working on between Newton and Lakiam.

Stepping inside Mara’s quarters, his breath caught in his throat. Mara was dressed in one of the outfits she bought on Newton which had been modified to fit her—a short skirt that came to just above her knees but the blouse was something else—formfitting and slightly see-through. It left little to the imagination. Kurt hoped Mara was interested in discussing the trade agreements and not something else. However, her clothes suggested she was not interested in business.

Mara smiled at Kurt. “I see you like the clothes I’m wearing. Do they please you?”

Kurt took a deep breath and nodded. Mara was absolutely ravishing. “I understand you want to discuss some trade agreements?”

“Yes,” she replied with a knowing look.

Kurt was outmatched. Mara was extremely intelligent and could probably see right through him. He was having a hard time not staring at her. He wondered if she knew the effect she had on him.

“Sit next to me, and we can discuss them. I have copies for both of us.”

Mara sat on the comfortable sofa with her skirt sliding up a little too high.

Kurt walked over and joined her, trying not to stare.

Mara suddenly burst out laughing. “I won’t seduce you, even though Keera has indicated it would not bother her. I have made it very clear to her that I will never endanger your relationship. If you ever do agree to share with me, it will be for physical pleasure and enjoyment. I think we would both enjoy the sharing very much.”

Kurt was highly uncomfortable. He was not sure how to respond to Mara. Just knowing she was there for the asking—and Keera had told him it would not bother her—made him feel so unsure of himself. He was acutely aware of the perfume Mara wore and her closeness. His thoughts were interrupted by the comm unit on her wall going off.

Mara frowned but stood and walked over to it. She spoke for a moment, and then a look of deep concern spread across her face. She turned toward Kurt. “That was the captain of the Aurelia. Four black ships have been detected in Earth’s system.”

Kurt stood, the color draining from his face. This was totally unexpected. “I need to return to the Star Cross.”

Mara nodded. “If you’re going to Earth, which I expect you are, take several of the Glaymon ships. I don’t want any harm coming to you.”

“I will. I’ll take one of the new fleets as well as a number of the Glaymon disk ships. From the way it sounds, this may only be a scouting force.” Kurt hoped that was all this was. It was bad enough the Vorn might now know where Earth was. At least a scouting force would not be attacking the planet.

-

Mara watched as Kurt left her quarters. Knowing he was in good hands, she smiled, satisfied with herself. She had noticed the look of desire in his eyes. Someday she would succeed in getting Kurt to share himself with her. There was no doubt in her mind it would be fabulous. She was also very patient; all Lakiams could be when necessary.

-

Kurt arrived in the Command Center of the Star Cross, now on full alert.

“Minimal crew is on board, and we can depart at your discretion,” reported Aleea.

Kurt noticed Andrew’s absence; the captain was on Newton with his family. All the command stations were manned by a mixture of first and second shift officers. Kurt was pleased to see both Lieutenant Mays and Lieutenant Brooks at their consoles.

“We have received an additional message from Fleet Admiral Colmes,” reported Lieutenant Mays. “Four black cruisers were involved. He destroyed one of them, but the other three escaped into hyperspace. He tracked them long enough to determine they were on a course that would take them close to the Gothan Empire but no other worlds of our Alliance.”

Kurt nodded. “We need to check with Lomatz and Colonel Hayworth and see what defensive platforms they have available. I want all of them going to Earth.” The two heavy battlecruisers he was assigning to the solar system were scheduled to leave Newton for Earth by the end of the week. Several of the Earth governments had balked at having two of Newton’s newest and most powerful warships assigned to the solar system. Only in the last two days had the objections been rescinded.

“You think the Vorn will attack?” asked Lieutenant Brooks worriedly.

“Yes, Earth with its population numbers will be too tempting a target. I’ll ask the Glaymons to position twenty of their disk ships just outside the solar system. I’ll also assign one of our new fleets as well. I think it would be wise to have both our battlecarriers on patrol near Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon.” Kurt wanted all their worlds covered. No way to know the size of the harvesting fleet the Vorn might return with.

“What about adding a couple Glaymon ships to those two fleets as well?” suggested Lieutenant Mays. “It would give them a lot more firepower.”

“I’ll contact Tasid and see if I can arrange that.” Kurt was certain the Glaymons would help, as they had taken an active interest in what was happening on Newton, particularly since asking him to undertake the scouting mission to the staging system. He had finally agreed, but now it would have to wait until he saw what happened with this latest development. If the Destroyers of Worlds attacked Earth, Kurt planned on being there to defend it.

Chapter Twelve

Fleet Commodore Dreen looked at the latest reports with a deep frown on his face. The Vorn had returned and were ravishing a distant part of the galaxy. The nearest Lakiam Alliance Protector World was over twenty thousand light-years distant from where the attacks were taking place. Unfortunately that Protector World was still in the process of updating its fleet and didn’t dare send any forces to engage the Vorn.

“This is depressing news,” council member Marl said as he studied the same reports as Commodore Dreen. “These reports indicate the Vorn fleet is massive, numbering in the tens of thousands.”

“Their fleets are concentrating on one small region of space.” This concerned Dreen as it looked as if the Vorn were purposely avoiding regions where they might face heavy resistance. With the distances involved, it would be risky for the Lakiam Alliance to send a fleet to help. Any fleet would have to number in the thousands in order to be a threat to the Vorn. Plus, while the fleet was away from the Lakiam Alliance, the Vorn might attack an Alliance World.

“They are in the Rumii Sector,” council member Marl continued, his eyes narrowing in concern. “Over two hundred heavily populated worlds are in that sector. Many of them have populations in the billions.”

“The Vorn are filling their larders,” said Dreen, trying not to imagine the horror occurring in that sector. “They know we can do nothing to stop them.”

Council member Marl shook his head. “We must! We can’t let the Vorn run wild across the galaxy, harvesting world after world. If we do, the Alliance you have built will be all that stands against them in the end. Seventy to eighty percent of the galaxy will be lifeless.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen looked across his desk at the councilor. “What does the council say?” This Vorn attack had put him in a difficult position. While the Lakiam Alliance worlds were prepared to defend Alliance space, it would be next to impossible to send aid to worlds so far away. In all likelihood, if a fleet was sent, the Vorn would destroy it with their superior numbers. However, the Vorn could not be allowed to run amuck across the galaxy.

He had met with the Council and explained the needs of the fleet as well as the danger of not resisting the Vorn wherever they might strike. However, he had not expected the Vorn to attack just one small sector of the galaxy in overwhelming force. The Council had asked a lot of questions. Many counselors were concerned about sending any fleets too far away from Alliance space. Fleet Captain Waelt had accompanied him and addressed the council on the danger presented by the Vorn and the need for increased ship building as well as more powerful defense grids.

Marl let out a deep sigh. “They are at an impasse. Council member Darmas is against sending any aid, saying we need to keep our fleets close to home. He is still suggesting we send out a diplomatic mission to speak to the Vorn. He firmly believes they would agree to leave the Lakiam Alliance worlds alone if we did not resist their aggressions in other regions of the galaxy.”

Commodore Dreen could not believe what he heard. “The Vorn would either destroy such a mission or eat the crew for desert. Such an idea is foolhardy and dangerous.”

“Most of the council is in agreement with you,” Marl replied. “Is there anything the Glaymons can do to help? Can they send a fleet to attack the Vorn in that sector?”

Dreen thought about it for a minute. Only the day before Fleet Admiral Waelt had returned to Lakiam, bringing an additional 115 Glaymon disk ships. “If we send a fleet, the ships must be from the Lakiam Alliance as well as the Glaymons. It is the only way. It will also have to be a very large fleet if we hope to achieve success against the Vorn. If the fleet is too small, the Vorn will destroy it. Yet even a large fleet will be in danger. It would have to be prepared to flee rather than risk heavy losses.”

Marl looked thoughtful as he considered Dreen’s words. “Would the other Alliance worlds be willing to send ships?”

Commodore Dreen settled in his chair, studying the councilor. “Such a mission would be fraught with danger. The fleet would be traveling far from its home worlds with no hope of any reinforcements running to its rescue. With the sheer number of Vorn vessels in the Rumii Sector, there is no guarantee of its safe return. I greatly fear, as soon as the Vorn learn of the fleet, they will do everything in their power to destroy it.” Commodore Dreen wasn’t happy with the situation. If they did nothing, hundreds—perhaps thousands—of worlds would be harvested by the Vorn. But if the Alliance committed its fleets too far from home, they could easily be destroyed by superior Vorn numbers leaving the Alliance defenseless.

“I will speak to the council,” said Marl, realizing how difficult such a mission would be. “Is there anything else we can do to force the Vorn to pull back, like they did after being defeated here?”

“No, I believe we bought the only reprieve we are to be given. The Vorn have returned to our galaxy in far vaster numbers than before, and this time I don’t know of anything which can force them back.”

Council member Marl stood, still holding the reports Dreen had given him. “I wish to study these some more before I make my recommendations to the council.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen nodded. “Let me know of the council’s decision.”

After the councilor left, Fleet Commodore Dreen knew of only one possibility to force the Vorn to retreat, but it was so dangerous Dreen was hesitant to mention it. Fleet Captain Waelt had informed Dreen that the Human fleet admiral had agreed to a scouting mission of the Vorns’ staging system. If that system could be destroyed and a number of their intergalactic transport vessels annihilated, it could slow down or temporarily stop the Vorns’ harvesting of this galaxy. It was a long shot, but it seemed the only one they had.

Dreen could do one thing now though. They had a general knowledge of the approximate size of the new Vorn fleets. He would meet with Alborg and a few more tactical officers to determine some workable combat scenarios. Brute force and slugging it out against superior numbers was too costly in ships and crews. No, there had to be a better way to destroy the Vorn. Commodore Dreen took a long breath. He activated his computer screen, watching some of the combat videos he had of different fleets engaging the Vorn. Perhaps he could find something there. Another long shot but they needed a strategy which would give the Lakiam Alliance an advantage in fleet battles.

-

After the discovery of the Vorn scouting party, Kurt had boarded the Star Cross and immediately set out for Earth accompanied by ten of the new battlecruisers, six Glaymon ships, and two of Lomatz’s construction ships. The construction ships were escorted by four light cruisers. The construction ships were two thousand meters in length and four hundred meters in diameter.

“A lot of Earth governments will be highly upset when they see those two Kubitz ships,” commented Fleet Admiral Colmes as he gazed at a viewscreen showing one of the large vessels. There was still a tremendous hatred of the Profiteers and the Gothan Empire across the planet for the nuclear destruction of some of Earth’s major cities.

“They’ll get over it,” Kurt said evenly. “If we don’t get enough defensive platforms around Earth and do it quickly, the planet could lose tens of millions—or possibly even billions—of people to the Vorn. The governments will just have to hold back their irritation until we’re finished.” Kurt understood their anger, but he needed the two Kubitz construction ships so Earth could be adequately defended.

Colmes was silent as a number of shuttles exited the two construction ships. “How serious do you think the danger is?”

“It’s very serious,” answered Kurt. “The Vorn scout ships know a heavily populated world is here. They had to notice the heavy ship traffic coming and going. On their departure course, they didn’t pass by any other Newton Alliance world, but the Vorn have to know they are here just from the ship traffic. We will see a Vorn harvesting fleet. We just don’t know when.”

“How many more defensive platforms are we adding?”

“We brought six of the newest ones with us, and another ten should be available by the end of the week,” Kurt replied. Production on board Newton Station had been changed to manufacture only the newest and most powerful versions to ensure Earth had the platforms it needed. Those that Lomatz sold to Kubitz and the other worlds of the Gothan Empire would have to wait. “We must update the Class One Command and Control Center—changing out its old power source to the new improved antimatter one, replacing its current weapons with stronger ones, and also updating the shield with the new Glaymon technology.” If it came down to a battle with the Vorn that control station had to survive. These improvements would greatly increase its chances.

“What about our fighters and bombers?”

“The bombers can be used to take out heavily damaged Vorn ships. Other than that they’re useless. They don’t have the firepower to inflict any real damage on a ship with an active energy screen.”

Kurt switched his attention again to the main viewscreen. Already sections of a defensive platform were being removed from the construction ships by the tugs. The platform would be put in its proper place in orbit, and then the tugs would use manipulator arms, welders, and other remote-controlled devices to finish the assembly. It would take a full day to complete, but, when done, the platform would be fully operational and ready for its twelve-person crew.

“What about Mars?” asked Admiral Colmes. “Can we strengthen its defenses?”

“Some cargo ships will arrive tomorrow, carrying two hundred defensive satellites. I want to put at least 120 more around Earth, and the others can be divided up between Mars and the colonized moons of Jupiter and Saturn.” The satellites would be useless against Vorn ships, but they could stop missiles from getting through.

Fleet Admiral Colmes gazed at a viewscreen, showing a Glaymon disk ship. These too had caused a furor when the main governments on Earth realized who they belonged to. The rumors of a highly advanced race helping Newton had now been confirmed.

“Will the Glaymons help defend Earth?”

“They will,” replied Kurt. The Glaymons had agreed to help defend all the worlds in Newton’s small Alliance. “They’ll put twenty of their ships just outside the solar system with their sensor-dampening fields on. The Vorn won’t detect them.” The Glaymon dampening field was far superior to the Vorns’ version.

“How long do we have?”

Kurt paused as he considered Fleet Admiral Colmes’s question. “The Vorn know they were detected, so they won’t give us time to strengthen our defenses. Fortunately they don’t know about Newton. I would say we have between two to three weeks before we might see a Vorn harvesting fleet.”

“Two to three weeks,” repeated Admiral Colmes, his face turning pale. “That soon?”

Kurt nodded. “I’m afraid so.” Kurt had hoped the Vorn would never discover Earth or Newton; now that hope had been obliterated.

-

Out in space around Earth the small tugs from the two construction ships were busy assembling two new defensive platforms. The tugs would maneuver the sections together and then weld them in place with their manipulator arms.

Over the next twenty hours a pair of massive particle beam cannons, four direct energy projectors, and eight large defensive energy turrets were attached to each platform. On both platforms, six pods containing eight hypermissiles, each with an automatic reloading system, were carefully positioned. Everything was computer-controlled, and a crew of twelve could operate the entire platform.

When the platforms were finished, they powered up, and a pair of shuttles with the platforms’ crews docked. Moments later the defensive platforms were officially online.

-

Over the next several days, four more platforms were assembled and brought online. Defensive satellites were placed in orbit around Earth and linked to the two control stations. The satellites were capable of shooting down any missile that reached the planet’s atmosphere. Work also continued on the large Class One Command and Control Station updating it to the latest specifications.

During all this time the Star Cross stayed in orbit, overseeing the construction of the platforms as well as keeping the Earth governments calm over the two Kubitz construction ships doing the work. Several smaller countries threatened to shoot down any of the shuttles from the ships if they came too close to Earth. Kurt was careful to make sure that didn’t happen, even to the point of having fighters fly patrols directly above the space of the complaining countries. This work had to be done, and the two Kubitz construction ships were the best suited for the job. He also kept two light cruisers close to each construction ship, in case they were needed to defend them. Of course both construction ships were heavily armed with their own defensive weapons, a fact Kurt didn’t mention to any of the Earth governments.

-

A few days later Kurt was on board the new shipyard in orbit above Earth. He was in the Command Center speaking to its commanding officer, Major Edmund Collins of the United Kingdom. Since the shipyard had been built and paid for by a number of different nations on Earth, its command crew comprised officers from several nations.

“We just received a message from Rear Admiral Wilson, and he reports no signs of Vorn vessels in his patrol area,” Collins informed Kurt.

“Rear Admiral White reported the same earlier,” Kurt replied. He wasn’t expecting a Vorn attack this quick, but the fleets from Earth were on alert just in case.

The fleets of both rear admirals had been radically changed with the increased threat of the Vorn. Each fleet was now comprised of one heavy battlecarrier, two battleships, and ten heavy cruisers. In another day or two, ten Glaymon disk ships were scheduled to join the two fleets and participate in the patrols. In addition, eight light cruisers—equipped with the Glaymon long-range detection system—had been deployed in an arc in the general direction the Vorn were expected to come from. With any luck the Vorn fleet would be detected at least sixty light-years out from Earth, which should give Kurt sufficient time to prepare for their arrival.

Kurt gazed at the numerous viewscreens which showed Earth, the station, space, and some of the different ships in orbit above the planet. Earth space was full of cargo vessels, passenger ships, and ships of every nature going back and forth between the planets and moons in the solar system as well as other worlds in the Newton Alliance, including Newton.

On the far side of the Command Center, a group of officers were in front of a large communications station which held a number of sensor screens, showing the locations of all ships in the system, including new arrivals.

“It can be quite a mess sometimes,” confided Major Collins as he noticed what had attracted Kurt’s attention. “Dozens of ships are coming and going each day, as well as many more moving about the system. It’s rather daunting at times to keep track of all of them. Multiple asteroid mining ships are privately owned, and they keep pretty much to themselves. Some of those miners have struck it rich and often don’t want to report where they’re going to or coming from.”

“You can track them, can’t you?” asked Kurt. He couldn’t imagine the small mining ships hiding from the sensors of the shipyard or the control stations.

Major Collins smiled. “Of course we can, but they don’t know that. It would just be easier if they would file a flight plan so we would know for sure who is going where.”

Kurt knew trade with the other Newton Alliance worlds was booming. Interest in new products and even the sharing of different technologies was opening up broad avenues for the expansion of numerous industries. The number of ships traveling between the worlds would only grow.

“Four Julbian cargo ships have just exited hyperspace,” reported one of the sensor operators in front of the large console. Each sensor operator was responsible for a different section of the system. “Two fighters from the Dante are giving them the once-over.”

-

Just outside the orbit of Mars, two Lance fighters broke away from their patrol route and accelerated toward the four Julbian cargo ships that had dropped from hyperspace. Visiting ships were asked to exit at two regions in the solar system. The Dante and the Wasp were responsible for confirming the identities of all inbound ships. This normally involved a quick inspection by a pair of Lance fighters to confirm the ships were who they said they were.

The Dante was a six-hundred-meter-long light carrier with thirty Lance fighters on board. At one time the light carrier would have had ten Scorpion bombers on board as well, but the bombers were unloaded to make room for more fighters. The battlecruiser Lexington—built in the Kubitz shipyards, then updated in the new shipyard over Earth—provided escort for the Dante. The battlecruiser now possessed modern weapons and shields.

Outside the cockpit window of his fighter, Captain Wertz could see his wingman, Lieutenant Everton. Glancing at the Lance’s sensor screen, Wertz could see they were nearly to the four cargo ships.

“Got ’em,” reported Lieutenant Everton. “Straight ahead.”

Captain Wertz looked up, and, sure enough, there were the four Julbian transports. They were bulky ships and not designed to land on the surface of a planet, though they might be able land on an asteroid or a small moon. “Take it down their port side, and then we’ll circle back,” he ordered.

The two fighters rapidly neared the four cargo ships which were moving slowly forward in a column. The fighters passed within one thousand meters of the four ships, visually confirming their identity.

“I wonder what they’re carrying?” Everton asked.

“They’re from Julbian, and, this time of year, the Talo plants are being harvested.” The Talo plant produced a fruit similar to an orange only smaller and a little sweeter. They had become very popular on Earth.

“My sister likes those,” Lieutenant Everton answered over the comm.

“A lot of people do,” Wertz replied as they completed their turn and flew down the other side of the four cargo ships. He was satisfied everything was kosher, and the four ships could continue to Earth, where they would dock with the shipyard. Once at the shipyard, the cargo would be inspected, a value placed on it, unloaded, and then it would be sent to Earth. Plans were in the works to construct a large space station where incoming vessels would dock instead of at the shipyard. Construction was supposed to start sometime in the next year.

“Dante Control, this is Alpha flight,” Wertz spoke over the fighter’s comm system to the light carrier. “Julbian cargo ships confirmed.”

“Very well, Alpha flight,” the control officer replied. “We’ll set them on their course for Earth. Complete your patrol and then bring your flight home. You’re scheduled for forty-eight hours of downtime.”

Captain Wertz smiled to himself. It would be nice to get a few days off, though he really loved flying the Lances. He looked out the cockpit window. Already the four Julbian cargo ships were receding from sight, steadily growing smaller. Around him, space seemed full of stars. They were twenty million kilometers from Mars, and the view was fantastic. It almost seemed as if he could reach out and touch the thousands of stars that were visible. With a deep sigh he changed course so they could finish their patrol.

-

Fleet Admiral Vickers had listened to the conversations between the pilots and the Dante. “We have the same traffic-tracking situation at Newton but not quite as bad.” Newton’s population was much smaller than Earth’s, so the amount of trade was considerably reduced.

“I’m concerned about the number of ships we might have in the system when the Vorn attack,” said Major Collins. “How do we get them to a place of safety?”

“How many ships, currently in the system, have hyperspace drives?” In the more civilized sections of the galaxy, the ships in an attacked system normally jumped to their nearest colony. Kurt wasn’t sure if he wanted hundreds of ships jumping to Newton.

“Sensor readings indicate 187,” Collins said as he looked at his command console. “That’s pretty much average.”

Kurt thought for a long moment and then answered. “Once the Vorn appear, we’ll have any ships in the system jump to the Proxima Centauri System, where I’ll place a couple battlecruisers. That should provide adequate protection. I don’t believe the Vorn will be interested in chasing after a lot of cargo and passenger ships.” It would also help make it simpler to conduct a battle in the solar system if all the civilian ships were out of the way.

“What about the ships without hyperdrives?”

Most of the mining ships as well as some of the cargo ships only had sublight drives, just to make runs between Earth, Mars, the asteroids, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. “Once the Condition One alarm has sounded, have them power down and wait until the battle’s over. Just make sure they get far enough away from Earth and the other colonies to avoid Vorn ships.”

Major Collins nodded his understanding. “Are we certain the Vorn will come here?”

“Nothing is certain,” Kurt replied. “But I would say the odds of a Vorn fleet showing up are very good, particularly after they sent a scouting mission.” Kurt’s brow wrinkled in a frown. Why had the Vorn sent scouts to Earth’s system? How had they learned of it?

With sudden certainty, Kurt had a suspicion his answer lay on Kubitz. Only the Profiteers and a few Lakiams knew of Earth’s location, and Kurt was certain the information hadn’t come from Fleet Commodore Dreen or the few other Lakiams who possessed it. No, somehow the Vorn had to have learned from the Profiteers where Earth was. With a cold chill running along his spine, Kurt knew that High Profiteer Creed had been involved.

-

On Kubitz, Grantz waited outside the Sandshree Pleasure House. He had it on good information that Fourth Profiteer Tierman was inside, visiting one of the girls. Grantz looked at his timepiece, noting he had been waiting for over an hour. Looking across the street, he saw the two bodyguards Avery Dolman had furnished. They were keeping an eye on Grantz as well as anything else that might look suspicious in the vicinity. Since that one attempt on his life, there had been no others. It had been strangely quiet on Kubitz. Word had it that two Human battlecruisers were in orbit, and the Enforcers had been unusually stringent in enforcing laws recently. Violence in the capital city was way down.

The door opened, and a number of people exited the pleasure house. Grantz noticed the final one to leave had a furtive look about him. It was Tierman! As he stepped onto the sidewalk, he looked at Grantz and froze. “What are you doing here?” he stammered, glancing around as if seeking a place to run.

“Look across the street,” said Grantz, stepping closer to Tierman.

Tierman looked where Grantz had gestured, seeing the two men watching him. He took a deep breath and looked at Grantz. “It was nothing personal,” he said, a pleading look in his eyes.

“Nevertheless we’ll take a little walk and have a discussion about how much you were paid to shoot me.” Grantz shoved Tierman toward a nearby alley. Other people on the wide sidewalk paid little or no attention to them; after all, this was Kubitz.

Walking to the alley, Grantz gestured for Tierman to get in the vehicle parked in the center. Grantz’s two bodyguards took positions outside the alley to make sure Grantz wasn’t bothered.

Getting into the large back seat, Grantz studied Tierman. The Profiteer was sweating and had a panicked look in his eyes. “If you want to live, you will tell me everything I need to know.”

“They’ll kill me,” said Tierman, his voice quivering.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll kill you and send your head to your nearest relative.”

Tierman gulped and looked at the floor of the vehicle. “What do you want?”

“Who hired you?”

“It was a hit put out by the Jalon Clan.”

“You’re a member of that clan, are you not?”

“Yes.”

“Who made the payment to the clan?”

Tierman’s eyes moved back and forth, still searching for an escape route. He could see the two men blocking the alley. “It was a weapons dealer.”

This surprised Grantz. He had been expecting it to be High Profiteer Creed. “Which weapons dealer?”

“Toblan. He made the payment to the clan, and I was told to make the hit.”

“How do you know it was Toblan?” Grantz knew of Toblan. He often dealt in some very shady weapons deals. He also did a lot of work for High Profiteer Creed.

Tierman shook his head. “Toblan will have me killed if I say anything else.”

Grantz gestured to the two bodyguards at the entrance to the alley. “If you don’t talk, they’ll kill you and leave your body in this alley, minus your head.”

Tierman’s shoulders drooped. “The hit on the Human embassy went badly. Most of our clan, including our High Profiteer, were killed. Only a few of us are left. I had a few contacts and asked some questions. It took me weeks to find out who was behind the attack on the embassy. Toblan had made the payment and ordered the hit, but he was only following someone else’s orders.”

“Whose?” demanded Grantz, his eyes narrowing. He was certain now he would hear High Profiteer Creed’s name.

“It was a Dacroni clan leader.”

Grantz took a deep breath. Now it all began to make sense. “Was it Clan Leader Jarls?”

Tierman looked surprised. “Yes, Jarls made the initial payment to Toblan, who made all the arrangements with the Jalon Clan. Mercenaries from Jarls’s clan were involved in the hit on the Human embassy. They wore different uniforms and patches to make them seem to be another clan. They were very careful to take all their wounded and dead with them. Once the hit was over, they went to the spaceport and took shuttles to their orbiting ships. As soon as all their people were on board, they left the system.”

Grantz leaned back, deep in thought. Dacroni Clan Leader Jarls and High Profiteer Creed had a long history. If anyone knew where Creed was, it would be Jarls. “You can go. Don’t tell anyone about this conversation.”

“I won’t,” Tierman said as he opened the door and hurriedly got out. “I won’t say anything.”

Grantz knew he wouldn’t as a gunshot rang out, and Tierman slid to the ground with a bullet hole in his forehead. The two bodyguards shut the door and moved the body over behind some refuse containers. They then got in, started the car, pulling into the street and heading toward the Human embassy. Grantz had found out what he wanted. He had two ways to go from here. At some point in time High Profiteer Creed would be contacting either Toblan or Jarls. When he did, Grantz would be ready. A ten-million-credit bounty awaited, and Grantz intended to claim it.

Chapter Thirteen

Prince Caluume listened with interest to the report of Military Leader Renwarld. He was surprised to hear of a world rich in food so far from the other civilized areas of this galaxy. One thing that did concern him was Renwarld had lost one of his cruisers in a brief skirmish with the inhabitants of that system. It indicated this particular race, even though isolated, might have heard of the Vorn and the harvesting fleets.

I believe other worlds are close by as well, Renwarld sent. He was on board his cruiser and communicating telepathically with Prince Caluume. We observed numerous ships coming and going from the system. From the flight paths we recorded, as many as three or four more food worlds are nearby.

You say this primary world has several billion inhabitants?

Yes, the third planet has an estimated four to seven billion of the food species living upon it.

Prince Caluume considered this new information. Just the one world would be well worth harvesting. Also none of the large Protector Worlds were nearby, so all the harvesting fleet would have to worry about were the warships and the defenses of this single world. He would have Military Leader Jattal study the sensor recordings Renwarld made of the system to see how powerful the defenses of this particular food species were.

The harvesting fleet of Prince Lakat was nearby and could be called upon for a joint harvest if necessary. A thousand Vorn cruisers and six motherships should crush the defenses of one isolated world—or possibly five. If all had similar populations as the one Military Leader Renwarld had observed, the trip would be certainly worth it.

Two days previously Prince Caluume’s fleet had rendezvoused with a Collector ship and unloaded its bounty of food pellets. A large number had been found to be suitable for the Royal Caste. He had also been informed that Prince Brollen had returned to the galaxy with a large harvesting fleet and was already processing food world after food world.

This pleased Prince Caluume as it meant his fleet could now return to the richer food harvesting regions of this galaxy. After he harvested the world or worlds Military Leader Renwarld had found, and if he continued to bring in successful harvests, perhaps Prince Brollen would secure Caluume a higher position in the Royal Court.

He had met Prince Brollen once, though Caluume doubted if the prince would remember him. Rumors swept the fleet that Prince Brollen had risen to a high level of power in the court and might someday even replace Queen Alithe if she decided to step down from her lofty position.

Many of the princes in the court had always questioned why the Queens were allowed to rule. Most believed it was biological since the Queens produced the young of the race. Prince Caluume would not mind seeing Prince Brollen rise to power and become the High Ruler of the Vorn.

Caluume spent some time wondering how he could bring himself to Brollen’s attention to secure himself a better position in the Royal Court. Perhaps this new food world would aid him in that goal. All it would take was to find one world which contained a food species the Royal Court found highly desirable. It all came down to the taste of the food pellets. Caluume was determined to find such a food species.

-

Fleet Commodore Dreen had been summoned to a meeting of the Lakiam Council to discuss the latest developments in the Vorn war. Council member Marl had informed Dreen there was a lot of confusion as to what to do about the Vorn attacks in the Rumii Sector. The few Protector Worlds in that sector had recently sent requests for help as they were powerless to stop the Vorn—their fleets being annihilated by the Vorns’ superior weapons and shield technology.

Taking his seat, Dreen waited for the council to begin the meeting. Looking around, he noticed several other officers of the fleet were present, sitting in the seats designated for military personnel. Dreen was familiar with most, though several he had never seen before. That confused Dreen as he thought he was familiar with all the primary officers of the fleet. Perhaps after the meeting was over, he would see where they came from and why they were here.

Lead Councilor Harlus Atratis stood and called the meeting to order. “We are here today to discuss the current attacks of the Destroyers of Worlds in the Rumii Sector of our galaxy. The Protector World of Zumwald has requested our aid in pushing the Vorn out of that sector.”

“We should send no aid,” stated Councilor Brewl Darmas, rising to his feet. “We have stretched our own resources to the breaking point in this foolish war of Fleet Commodore Dreen’s. We have strayed so far from the path of Enlightenment it will take us decades to return. I still say a more diplomatic approach will save all of us a lot of regret in the future. The Vorn will recognize the wisdom in leaving our worlds alone in order to avoid losses such as they suffered when they last attacked our system.”

Several other members of the council voiced their approval, applauding the councilor’s statement.

“The Vorn will not accept peace,” countered Councilor Marl, staring at Darmas. “They have come to harvest our galaxy for food, and we are that food. Our ancient history tells us the Vorn will spare no one. A mission to speak to the Vorn would be suicidal.”

“Ancient stories we can’t confirm,” uttered Darmas, shaking his head. “There is no proof in any of that. I believe the Vorn would listen to us if we attempted to communicate with them.”

“The Glaymons are the proof of my words,” replied Marl with several other councilors nodding their agreement. “Fleet Captain Waelt has told us in this chamber how the Vorn have come every few million years, harvesting the intelligent species of this galaxy.”

“If that is true, how did the Glaymons survive?” countered Darmas, glaring at Marl. “How did they avoid the Vorn for millions of years?”

“They remained hidden. They hid from the Vorn where they couldn’t be found.”

“Did they?” questioned Darmas, folding his arms across his chest. “Or did they sign an agreement like the one I’m suggesting which allowed them to continue to exist without conflict with the Vorn?”

This caused an uproar in the chamber as several councilors stood and shouted accusations at one another.

“Stop!” demanded Lead Councilor Atratis, banging a gavel upon the conference table. “This is no way for the Lakiam Council to behave.”

The room became quiet as everyone turned their attention to Atratis.

“Fleet Commodore Dreen, in your opinion, what would happen if we sent a ship to speak to the Vorn?”

“They would destroy it on sight,” Dreen responded calmly. “The Vorn cannot be negotiated with. Hundreds of worlds have tried, and all have failed.”

‘How do you know that?” demanded Darmas. “Have you tried?”

Dreen stood, his eyes focused sharply on Darmas. “Numerous worlds have attempted to speak to the Vorn. All were harvested. If you are so set on speaking to the Vorn, I’ll be glad to make a battlecruiser available with a Glaymon AI on board to act as your crew. You may lead the mission and see what happens.”

“Me?” stammered Darmas, his face turning pale. “I was thinking of someone else.”

“If you’re so certain the Vorn can be spoken to, who else but you would be best suited to lead such a mission?” countered Dreen. “I can furnish you a ship and tell you where to go to meet the Vorn. They have tens of thousands of ships currently in the Rumii Sector. It shouldn’t be difficult to find a world being harvested. Just listen to the pleas for help from the worlds being destroyed. They will lead you straight to the Vorn.”

Darmas sat, defeated. “I will not lead the mission.”

“Of course not,” replied Dreen, wanting to put an end to this foolishness. “It’s easy to put someone else’s life at risk as long as it’s not your own. Just remember, my offer stands. If you want to meet the Vorn, I’ll be more than glad to make the necessary arrangements. Just make sure your life is in order before you leave as you won’t be coming back.”

Darmas did not reply. He just sat there, staring at the table, knowing he had made a serious error in challenging Fleet Commodore Dreen on this issue.

“What about the Rumii Sector?” asked Lead Councilor Atratis. “Is there anything we can do for them?”

Fleet Commodore Dreen took a deep breath. He had been expecting this question. “I have spoken to some of the other worlds in the Lakiam Alliance. Many of them are still in the process of upgrading their fleets to the new levels with the improved antimatter chambers and energy shields. If we send a fleet, the ships must come from the Lakiam Alliance worlds that have finished the updates. Currently ten of them can be expected to furnish ships. However, there are some dangers if we send a fleet.”

“What kind of dangers?” asked one of the other councilors.

“What if we are successful in driving the Vorn from the Rumii Sector? Where will they go next? What if they come here to stop our interference with their harvesting?”

Several councilors looked worriedly at one another.

“But we’re talking about hundreds of billions of sapient beings in the Rumii Sector,” objected Councilor Tessa Caselt. Tessa had been on the council for ten years, and she was a stout supporter of Lead Councilor Atratis.

“By the time we have the fleet assembled and the fleet can arrive in the Rumii Sector, most of their worlds will have been harvested,” Fleet Commodore Dreen replied. “When our fleet arrives, it will face the combined fleets the Vorn sent to harvest those worlds. We will be outnumbered by at least a ten-to-one margin. Even with the help of the Glaymons, it is doubtful we could withstand those numbers. In all likelihood our fleet would be destroyed.”

The council became very quiet as Dreen’s words soaked in. It was difficult to imagine they were powerless to prevent such a disaster.

“As of today we defend an area of space twenty thousand light-years across,” continued Commodore Dreen. “In addition, the Hanorians and several other Protector Worlds are defending an area two thousand light-years across in the galactic center, where the population density is immense. I have spoken to some of the other worlds in our Alliance, and we believe, once all the Alliance worlds have updated their ships, we can expand the area we’re defending to twenty-four thousand light-years across.”

“So we let everyone else die?” asked Councilor Banal Croiss, an ardent supporter of Councilor Darmas.

“I’m listening if you have a solution,” replied Fleet Commodore Dreen. “My staff and I have spent many long hours discussing our current tactical situation. We are at an impasse on what to do about the Vorn outside of our Alliance.”

“I have a suggestion,” said one of the military officers sitting in the visitor’s section of the chamber.

Commodore Dreen shifted his attention to the unfamiliar man, possibly from one of Lakiam’s colony worlds. Dreen was surprised he had spoken up. There was a chain of command, and, if the man had a suggestion as to how to deal with the Vorn, he should have come to Dreen first.

“Fleet Commodore Dreen, I was told you know the location of the Vorns’ home system. Why don’t we attack it? Wouldn’t that force the Vorn to withdraw to defend it?”

Councilor Darmas suddenly looked up, his eyes full of excitement. “Yes, if we attack them, they have to pull back! It’s about time we received some good advice from the military.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen shook his head. He didn’t know how this information had gotten out. Only Lead Councilor Atratis and a few other trusted members of the fleet knew that information. “The Vorn home system is too far away. It’s located in intergalactic space, and it would take one of our fleets over eight months to reach it at our fastest hyperspace speed.”

“What about the Glaymons?” asked the military officer. “From what I understand, their ships are much faster. They could reach it in a few weeks. Why not send them to attack the Vorn home system?”

“The Vorn home system is too heavily defended to attack. Any ships we send would doubtlessly be destroyed.”

“But we’re not sending ours,” pointed out the military officer. “We’re only sending the Glaymons.”

The room became very quiet as everyone looked at either the military officer or Commander Dreen, waiting for his response.

Commodore Dreen frowned. He looked at Councilor Darmas, who had a gleeful and content look on his face. Dreen had a sudden suspicion the military officer had been planted by the councilor. This had been his plan from the very beginning. The Glaymons and the hope they represented was forcing Lakiam to pull away from Enlightenment. With them out of the way, Darmas could force his plan to contact the Vorn through the council and set Lakiam back on its original course to becoming an Enlightened World.

The only problem was the plan wouldn’t work. The Vorn would never agree to leave Lakiam and her colony worlds alone. Darmas was putting them on a path that would end in certain destruction. The man was so blinded by Enlightenment he couldn’t see the danger he would place Lakiam and the colonies in.

“No,” replied Dreen, shaking his head. “Even the Glaymons would fail in attacking the Vorn home system. Not only that, if we were to do so, the Vorn might retaliate by attacking our own worlds.”

“We cannot in good consciences ask the Glaymons to take such a risk,” said Lead Councilor Atratis, his focus on Darmas. “We owe them our lives. If not for the Glaymons, we would have become food for the Vorn in the last attack on Lakiam.”

“We don’t know that,” argued Darmas. “I still feel our own fleet and the defenses around Lakiam would have prevailed.” Darmas looked at the military officer who had suggested the attack. “What do you say?”

“I have studied the battle, and I firmly believe our defenses would have held. We do not need the Glaymons.”

“Then I propose Fleet Commodore Dreen order the Glaymons to attack the Vorn home system,” Darmas said, “and remove this menace once and for all. Once the Vorn are gone, we can return to our path of Enlightenment which we should have never left.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen sat, smiling inwardly to himself. Darmas had made a colossal mistake. He had allowed the arrogance of one seeking Enlightenment to show. The Lakiams were not the superior race but the Glaymons, and Darmas had forgotten that.

“I second the proposal,” said Councilor Croiss. Several other councilors echoed the same sentiment.

“What says the council?” asked Lead Councilor Atratis with a frown.

The council quickly voted, and the measure narrowly carried with councilor Marl, Caselt and several others voting against it.

Lead Councilor Atratis sighed and turned toward Fleet Commodore Dreen. “Inform Fleet Captain Waelt of our decision. He is to take his fleet and attack the Vorn home system.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen stood and laughed. “Very well, I will tell him the services of his fleet are no longer needed. You seem to forget they are the superior race, not us. We have no command over his fleet. However, I am certain, if this order is passed on to the fleet captain, he will gladly take his ships and leave Lakiam controlled space. Keep in mind that someday, probably not too far off, the Vorn will return, and we will not have the Glaymons fighting with us.” Dreen noticed the smirk on the face of Darmas suddenly vanish. Dreen then turned and walked toward the door.

“Wait!” called out Darmas. “Perhaps we were too hasty in our decision.”

Dreen paused and looked back. “I will be on board my flagship. When this council quits being so foolish, I will listen.” Dreen then paused and looked at the military officer supporting Darmas and addressed him. “You will come with me. We have much to discuss, particularly how you got hold of classified military information.”

“What?” the officer said, his eyes widening in surprise and in fear. “I’m not going with you.”

“Oh, but you are.” Dreen spoke into the small comm unit he always carried with him. Instantly two combat robots stepped through the doors. “You can come peacefully, or they will drag you.”

“I object!” called out Councilor Darmas, his face turning red with anger. “You have no right to remove him. How dare you bring combat robots into the council chambers! You have also not been dismissed from this meeting of the council.”

“I have every right,” said Dreen, giving Darmas an icy glare. “I am the fleet commodore, and all Lakiam military forces answer to me, including this officer here. Do you dare to challenge that?” Dreen was tired of this bickering and game-playing by the career politicians in this room, particular of Darmas and his cronies.

Dreen looked at the two towering combat robots. “Seize that officer there and bring him along.” Dreen pointed to the now-cowering fleet officer, looking desperately toward Darmas for help. All he received was silence.

-

Moments later Dreen, the two combat robots, and the mysterious fleet officer left the council chambers. All eyes were on them as they departed. One thing Dreen missed was the amused look on Lead Councilor Atratis’s face.

-

Several hours later Commodore Dreen was in his office, still aggravated at what had occurred in the council meeting. Upon returning to the Basera, he discovered the fleet military officer wasn’t in the fleet after all but someone in the employ of council member Darmas. After getting a full confession on video with witnesses present, Dreen placed the man in one of the ship’s containment cells.

A short while later, Dreen received a message from Lead Councilor Atratis that the council had reconsidered the resolution on sending the Glaymons to attack the Vorn home system, and it had been tabled. Dreen had a strong suspicion, as long as he held on to the fake military officer, Darmas would be hesitant to cause any more problems. Dreen knew that Darmas had to have panicked when Dreen took the fake officer with him. As a precaution, he was going to send a copy of the video confession to both Lead Councilor Atratis as well as Councilor Marl. That should keep Darmas and his cronies in check for the time being.

Reaching forward on his desk, he activated the comm unit, which connected him immediately with the ship’s Command Center. “Have the ship and our escorts prepare to enter hyperspace and go to Andock Prime. I want to pay Fleet Leader Moor a visit. Also contact Fleet Captain Waelt and ask if he and all the Glaymon disk ships can accompany us.”

“All of them?” asked Alborg, surprised.

“Yes, all of them,” Dreen replied with a wolfish smile.

He wanted to put a little more fear into the council. When they saw Dreen had left the system and taken all the Glaymon ships with him, maybe then they would realize just how foolish they had been. He also wanted to talk to Fleet Leader Moor about the Rumii Sector. He had been doing some research, and the Protector World of Zumwald was very powerful. It also had a massive defensive grid surrounding it. Unfortunately its ships and weapons were no match for the Vorn. Commodore Dreen wondered if he could do something to change that. Perhaps he could lure the Vorn into a trap with a little help from the Glaymons.

-

Prince Caluume had just finished communicating with Prince Lakat about harvesting the new food world Military Leader Renwarld had found in an isolated section of Galaxy X241. After studying the sensor scans, Military Leader Jattal suspected there were at least five different systems containing food species that could be harvested, possibly more. Jattal had pointed out the different designs in some of the ships that had been scanned by the scout ships which indicated additional worlds possibly worth harvesting.

Five worlds minimum, plus possibly some additional colony worlds, sent Caluume.

He had spoken to Prince Lakat telepathically, and they had decided to join together. They would harvest these food species and then head toward a richer section of the galaxy where numerous worlds were waiting to be harvested. By then Prince Brollen would have drawn the attention of those few races that had demonstrated they were a threat. It should allow Caluume and Lakat to harvest at will with no fear of repercussions from the races who had defeated Prince Brollen months before.

With nearly one thousand cruisers and six motherships, this harvest will be fast and easy, Military Leader Jattal predicted. He put up a map of the target region of the galaxy on one of the viewscreens. A star blinked. That is our objective. Our two fleets will drop from hyperspace near the target world. While their ships are dangerous, there are not many of them. We may lose a few cruisers, but the food species’ warships will be quickly overwhelmed. We will then move in and eliminate the planet’s defensive grid, allowing the motherships to go into orbit and conduct the harvest. Once we have harvested this world, we will send scout ships along the paths of the vessels observed leaving the system. That should lead us to the other food worlds we want to harvest.

A sound plan, approved Prince Caluume. We will leave tomorrow. I am already curious how this new food species will taste.

I will prepare the fleet and notify Prince Lakat, sent Jattal. I will confer with his military leader on our battle plan and see if he has any suggestions to improve upon it.

See to it, ordered Caluume. This new food planet and its large population would be a good start to filling his motherships with new and intriguing food pellets. Perhaps this new food species would be worthy enough for the Royal Court and the Queens. What does this food species call their planet?

Earth, Jattal replied. They call it Earth.

Chapter Fourteen

Prince Brollen was deeply satisfied with the harvest so far. Over 170 worlds had been harvested, and a number of Collector ships had already been sent to the staging system. From there they would be taken by the intergalactic transports to the Vorn habitats. Brollen had taken care to include a number of specially sealed cases to be delivered to certain members of the Royal Court and the military. Soon something would have to be done about Queen Alithe if Brollen wanted to become the High Ruler of the Vorn. He was still debating what his new title would be.

Exiting hyperspace in eight minutes, sent Military Leader Ansolk.

This is a Protector World, added Military Leader Gallet. They had long ago perfected a universal translator for languages. While they never responded to messages from food species, they did monitor their communications, so they were very familiar with what a Protector World and an Enlightened World were. Long-range sensors indicate several large fleets near the target planet.

Prince Brollen nodded. He had seriously considered bypassing all the known Protector Worlds. Not many were in this sector, and, for the most part, they had not been a challenge for his fleets. In time, the Protector Worlds would be isolated and easier to deal with. However, he felt uncomfortable leaving an enemy behind him which someday could become a threat. Easier to deal with them now rather than later. For that reason he had decided to destroy the one in the system his fleet was about to enter.

We will drop from hyperspace four million kilometers from the target planet, reported the Vorn at Navigation.

Fleet is ready for battle, reported Military Leader Ansolk. We do not believe this food world has any ships with weapons dangerous to us. We have encountered some of their ships before as we have harvested several of their colony worlds. Their weapons could not penetrate our energy screens.

This suited Prince Brollen just fine. Since coming to this sector, the combined Vorn fleets had suffered very few losses. For the most part, the few enemy fleets that resisted had been annihilated with impunity. Over the last several weeks Brollen had added considerably to his private collection of food pellets. Fourteen food species had been found which were pleasing to his palate. He was certain, over the coming weeks, he would find more.

-

Fleet Admiral Baalish gazed at the tactical display with dismay. The Destroyers of Worlds were coming to the Abold System which contained the Protector World of Abold Three, responsible for twenty Enlightened Worlds as well as seven of its own colonies.

Already twelve of the twenty Enlightened Worlds had been harvested by the Destroyers of Worlds as well as three of its seven colony planets. Fleets placed in front of the black fleets had been crushed and, in most cases, never heard from again. Scout ships sent to the systems after the Destroyers of Worlds had departed found destruction and a total absence of life.

In several instances a few survivors were found, having taken refuge in deep underground cave systems or bunkers. However, finding any living creature was rare, and the degraded conditions on the planets made any hope of long-term survival nonexistent.

“Status?” asked Baalish, looking at his second in command, Tamil.

The Abold species could live both on the land or in water. While most of their cities were located on land, a few were still located in the deep blue oceans of Abold. The average Abold stood five foot tall with webbed feet and hands which allowed them to swim very fast.

“The Destroyers of Worlds fleet will egress hyperspace shortly,” Tamil replied, “between four million to six million kilometers from Abold Three. They are not using their sensor-dampening fields.”

“Our own fleets?”

“On War Footing One,” Tamil replied. “The defense grid around Abold has been activated, and as many of our citizens as possible are being evacuated to the underground shelters.” On Abold a number of deep underground shelters had been constructed in the hope they would protect the people inside them from the Destroyers of Worlds’ harvesting rays. Reports from other worlds stated some people deep underground had managed to survive, though only a handful had been found.

“Prepare the fleet,” ordered Fleet Admiral Baalish. “As soon as the Destroyers of Worlds’ fleet exits hyperspace, we will attack.” Baalish had over two thousand ships available to him. He had pulled all of Abold’s fleets from the colonies as well as the Enlightened Worlds they were supposed to protect. Abold could not be allowed to fall.

-

The Vorn fleet dropped from hyperspace, and instantly sensor alarms sounded.

Enemy fleet detected, confirmed the Vorn at Sensors. Short-range sensors show 2,217 ships.

A powerful fleet by most standards, sent Military Leader Ansolk. This will be the largest fleet we have faced since coming to this sector.

Enemy fleet is equipped with standard energy weapons and hypermissiles, reported Military Leader Gallet. Strength of the missiles is unknown until they use one, but, from previous encounters with similar ships, the missiles should be of the fifty to one-hundred-kiloton range.

No danger to our shields, added Military Leader Ansolk. They will easily absorb the power of warheads that size.

Very well, responded Prince Brollen. Take us in and eliminate the enemy fleet. A food world awaits us.

As you command, replied Ansolk with a slight bow as he communicated telepathically with the rest of the fleet—100 Vorn battleships and 1,400 battlecruisers protecting six motherships, including the Reaper. The motherships were at the heart of the Vorn battle formation.

-

Fleet Admiral Baalish waited expectantly as the Destroyers of Worlds’ fleet approached. His ships were gathered into one massive fleet, barring the path of the enemy to Abold Three. He had heard rumors of a new Alliance being formed by the Lakiams and the Andocks to hold the line against the Destroyers of Worlds in their sector of space. An even wilder rumor was circulating that the Glaymons were involved. He didn’t believe that as the Glaymons were merely a legend.

“Combat range in two minutes,” reported the sensor operator. “Detecting 1,500 enemy ships. The majority are their standard five-hundred-meter-long cruisers, but I’m also detecting one hundred of their twelve-hundred-meter-long battleships.”

Baalish’s own fleet consisted primarily of eight-hundred-meter-long battlecruisers. He looked at his hand, four fingers all connected by a fine webbing. Useless in space but great for swimming. He wondered if he would ever swim in the warm ocean waters of Abold again. “Stand by to fire weapons. Hit their lead ships with our energy weapons first, followed by a full strike from our missiles. Empty all tubes. Each ship is to target one enemy ship and continue to fire until it is destroyed.”

“Orders sent,” replied Tamil. “Should we spread our fleet formation?” The fleet was pretty bunched up with energy shields nearly touching.

“No,” replied Baalish. “It will give us added protection from their weapons. Our energy shields are extended to maximum range, and they’re nearly overlapping.”

“Weapons range!” called out the sensor operator.

“Energy weapons firing,” reported the tactical officer as his hands flew over his console. “Missiles launching.”

Admiral Baalish leaned forward in his command chair, watching the viewscreens intently. Energy beams struck the shields of the enemy ships, and then brilliant flashes of light appeared as eighty-kiloton nuclear warheads detonated. Baalish’s eyes narrowed as he watched the explosions. They seemed to vanish almost as soon as they appeared. That wasn’t right. He had seen warheads detonating in space before, and they didn’t behave like this.

“What’s happening to our missiles? The detonations don’t seem near as powerful as they should be.”

“The enemy’s energy screens seem to be absorbing the energy from our missile strikes,” reported the sensor operator. “Even our energy beams are ineffectual. None of our weapons are penetrating the enemy’s screens.”

As Baalish watched the viewscreens, black rays suddenly shot out from the enemy ships toward his fleet. He felt an icy shudder pass through him. The beams looked like death.

“Antimatter detected,” warned the sensor operator. “Of a type I’m not familiar with.”

Baalish had heard of this weapon; it was one of the reasons he had tightened his fleet formation, hoping the deadly beams would be stopped after passing through one energy screen. It should allow some of his ships to escape destruction. “All ships fire as squadrons and target one enemy ship.” His fleet was divided into squadron groupings of fifteen vessels. Perhaps by concentrating his firepower on fewer targets, they might destroy some of the enemy warships.

His flagship shook violently, and the lights dimmed. “What was that?”

“The Arils just exploded,” reported the sensor operator. The Arils was the battlecruiser nearest the flagship. “We were struck by some of the debris.”

Baalish looked at the tactical display; an uncomfortably large number of green icons blinked out—Abold warships dying in space.

“And results of our own attack?” Baalish was certain by attacking the enemy in squadron-size units he could destroy some of their ships. He looked at the sensor operator expectantly.

“Nothing,” reported the sensor operator, shaking his head. “All our weapons fire is still being absorbed by the enemy energy screens.”

“We can’t keep them from Abold,” said Tamil with great concern in his voice.

“Yes, we can,” answered Fleet Admiral Baalish. His expression looked determined as he gave his next order. “All ships are to accelerate to full sublight and ram the enemy ships.”

“Ram!” cried out Tamil, horrified. “You don’t mean that. Surely there’s another way.”

“Yes, ram. If we do not, we will all die here on our ships, and the enemy will then advance on Abold. Perhaps this way, we can keep them away from our home planet. Our weapons are ineffective. Let’s hope our ships are not.”

Tamil nodded and then passed on the order to the other ships. “Awaiting your command.”

Looking at the tactical display, Baalish saw another twenty ships of his fleet die. “Implement. Helm, target one of their battleships. Today we die for our world.”

The Command Center went strangely silent as the helm officer activated the ship’s sublight drive and then aimed the ship toward the nearest Destroyers of Worlds’ battleship.

-

Prince Brollen watched the viewscreens, showing highly magnified views of the enemy fleet. Ship after ship was exploding in bright fireballs of released energy as black antimatter beams pierced their hulls.

Enemy weapons having no effect on our screens, reported Military Leader Gallet. It is as we expected.

Enemy ships are breaking formation and accelerating toward us, warned the Vorn at Sensors.

They’re attempting to ram! sent Military Leader Ansolk as he quickly sent new commands by telepathy to all the Vorn ships. Other races had attempted to ram in the past, and the Vorn had developed a defensive strategy to handle it.

-

Suddenly thousands of black antimatter spheres launched from the Vorn fleet toward the incoming ships. The globes struck the shields and instantly drained them. Moments later the Vorn ships emptied their missile tubes of their small antimatter missiles. The missiles passed through the weakened energy shields, detonating against the hulls of the ships. Small novalike explosions swept across the onrushing formation of enemy ships.

-

Fleet Admiral Baalish felt his flagship shake violently. The lights dimmed, then brightened, and then died out to be replaced almost immediately by the dim glow of the emergency lights. Even the sound of the air moving through the ventilation ducts died to a bare murmur.

“Energy shield is down. Main power is out. I have no response from anyone in the rear half of the ship,” reported Tamil as he frantically listened to damage reports coming in. “There are also reports of multiple breaches in the hull, and numerous compartments are inaccessible. We have massive casualties throughout the ship.”

“All weapons are nonfunctional,” added the tactical officer from his darkened console. “We have no power for the weapons.”

The ship shook again, and Baalish could hear the sounds of tearing metal.

“Can we get power to the viewscreens?” He had to see what was happening to his fleet. By now some should have rammed the black ships.

“Maybe one,” the sensor operator reported. “I’ll have to adjust the emergency power.”

Moments later the lights dimmed even more, and the sound of air moving through the ducts faded completely. One of the viewscreens flickered and then came to life. It showed a disaster. All around the flagship was the wreckage of Abold warships. Even as he watched, an explosion rocked the partial remains of a battlecruiser, causing it to come apart in hundreds of pieces. All across the ruins of the fleet were bright flashes of light, indicating antimatter missiles still detonating.

“Did any of our ships manage to ram?” Baalish couldn’t believe the black fleet had stopped all his warships. Surely a few had gotten through.

Tamil slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so. The Destroyers of Worlds launched some type of black spheres that drained the power from our shields. They then fired thousands of antimatter missiles at our fleet. We never stood a chance.”

Baalish stared in anguish at the ruins of his fleet. Tens of thousands of fleet personnel were dead. “Did we destroy any of their ships in the battle?”

“No,” Tamil replied. His eyes widened in sadness. “These are the Destroyers of Worlds, and they have come for Abold. There is nothing more we can do.”

Outside the Command Center Baalish could hear screams of pain as another explosion rocked the ship, and then there was silence. The metal hatch to the Command Center groaned and buckled. Before Baalish could call out a warning, the hatch gave way, and the air rushed out, leaving the Command Center in a vacuum and killing everyone inside.

-

Prince Brollen gazed at the viewscreen with his triangular-shaped head, his twin antenna swaying slightly from side to side. All the enemy ships had been annihilated just short of the Vorn fleet. On the viewscreens, secondary explosions occurred in the wreckage of the destroyed fleet, hurling debris in every direction. Some of it had already impacted the energy screens of Vorn cruisers.

Enemy fleet destroyed, confirmed Military Leader Ansolk. None could ram.

Prince Brollen was pleased with this report. In the past, several food species had used cargo ships to ram his fleet, such as food species 236 where his fleet had been defeated. New strategies had been developed to prevent such an occurrence from happening in the future.

Move us past the wreckage and to the planet, Brollen ordered. He was growing impatient to sample this food species. He had not eaten in several days just so he could enjoy the taste of this species’ food pellets.

Three shipyards and a large space station are in orbit as well as an orbital defense grid, Military Leader Gallet reported. Sensor scans indicate none of the weapons on the shipyards, the station, or the defense grid are a danger to our fleet.

Destroy all the orbital structures and the defense grid so we can begin the harvest.

-

The fleet moved closer to the planet and came under heavy energy weapons fire from the shipyards, the station, and the orbital defense grid. The overall commander of the Abold military was on board the large space station and directing the defense of the planet. He had observed the recent battle between the Abold fleet and the Destroyers of Worlds.

In an act of desperation he had every energy weapon under his command fire at just one of the approaching spindle-shaped cruisers. Hundreds of energy beams struck the small warship, causing its energy shield to glow and fluctuate. Then a massive barrage of nuclear missiles slammed into the wavering shield. The shield suddenly collapsed, releasing all of its stored energy. In a sudden flash of light, the cruiser ceased to be.

Before the military commander could feel elation at destroying one of the black ships, numerous black energy spheres appeared. The spheres struck the shields of all the remaining defensive installations, including the shipyards and the space station. In only moments the shields failed. Shortly afterward the lights slowly faded, and then they went out completely.

Emergency lighting came on, but, after a few moments, it faded and then died. Inside the Command Center of the space station the military commander stood in darkness, listening to the frightened voices of his officers. Then a roaring sound came, and a bright flash of light pierced the Command Center with searing heat.

-

In space, the shipyards, defensive platforms, and the space station blew apart as small antimatter missiles detonated against their hulls. Large pieces of glowing wreckage were hurled across space, much of it captured by the planet’s gravity. Over the course of the next few days, most of it would burn up in the planet’s thick atmosphere.

-

All orbital structures have been destroyed, confirmed Military Leader Ansolk.

Still a few small defensive satellites are in orbit, and our fleet is targeting them with our black antimatter beams, added Military Leader Gallet. Orbital space should be clear within the next three minutes.

Take us into orbit so we can begin the harvest, ordered Prince Brollen. He was ready to taste a food pellet of this world. However, none would be added to his collection. He had already tasted this food species when one of its colony worlds had been harvested. While the food pellets were acceptable, nothing made them special.

-

The Vorn fleet went into orbit, and, on the six mother ships, fourteen large hatches slid open. From each a black ray flashed forth to strike the surface of the defenseless planet below. Wherever they struck, any usable organic material was transformed into a black ashy substance and transported to the ships. In less than two hours the planet was devoid of all living beings, including animals, birds, fish, and even insects.

From the Vorn fleet white energy spheres dropped through the atmosphere toward their targets. The condensed balls of energy burst like bubbles just before reaching the surface. When they burst, they released a torrent of energy which swept outward, annihilating everything in its path. Buildings collapsed, others blew apart, and fires erupted, turning the center of the cities into firestorms. Dark clouds of smoke and ash rose into the atmosphere, blotting out the sun.

-

Prince Brollen had just returned from one of the converter chambers, where he had eaten a food pellet from the recently harvested food species. He looked at the viewscreen, seeing the handiwork of his fleet. Another world had been harvested, and it was time to proceed to the next one on the list.

Take us out of orbit and back into hyperspace, he ordered. We have more worlds to harvest.

Brollen was satisfied his strategy of staying away from the sector where food species 236 and the ancient ships were was, indeed, the correct one. In the coming few months he would continue to harvest sectors of the galaxy rich in food species but too far away from food species 236 for them to interfere. In time, only that region of Galaxy X241 would remain, and then he would turn the full might of the Vorn against the worlds which had defeated him. The food pellets from those worlds would be his most highly prized possessions. He had already set aside a pair of special cases for their storage.

Chapter Fifteen

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers was in Governor Spalding’s office, discussing the possible Vorn attack on Earth. In the office with him were General Mclusky, Captain Henry Watkins, Captain Randson, Lomatz, and Colonel Roger Simms from Newton Station.

“What’s the current situation with the defensive platforms around Earth?” asked Spalding as he looked through a thick sheaf of papers on his desk. “Has installation of the platforms been completed?”

“The assembly of the last one was finished two days ago,” Lomatz replied. His yellow-tinted eyes focusing on the governor. “My construction ships have fully updated both control stations above Earth as well as the one orbiting Mars. In Earth orbit, we now have twenty-two of the new stations as well as sixteen of the older Class Twos. It was not practical to update the Class Twos.”

“What about the shipyard?” asked Captain Randson.

“Fully updated with the most modern weapons and shield technology.”

This was all they could do for now. Newton Station was still working around the clock, producing more of the new platforms, but Kurt expected the Vorn to show up any day. Time was running out. He didn’t know if they would be given the time to install more.

“What about fleet units?”

“Earth has its updated fleet, but their ships are still far behind our new battlecruisers. I’ve stationed ten of our battlecruisers near the Moon, hiding behind their sensor-dampening fields. The Vorn won’t know they are there until it’s too late.”

“What size fleet are we expecting the Vorn to attack Earth with?”

“Between four hundred to six hundred vessels,” Kurt answered and hoped this was so since it had been reported that those Vorn fleets didn’t have battleships with them. “That’s the fleet size operating on the periphery of our galaxy. We’re certain it was one of their scouting squadrons that found Earth.”

“What does that leave us with to respond when the Vorn show up? We’ve put some of our new battlecruisers in all three of the new Newton Alliance systems as well as with Rear Admiral White and Rear Admiral Wilson. Seems as if we’re spread pretty thin.”

“We’ll divide what remains between Newton and Earth,” Kurt answered. “I wish I could take the entire fleet to Earth, but we don’t dare risk the Vorn coming here. If just one mothership made it to Newton, it would be a disaster.”

“How many ships are we talking about?”

“The fleet I’ll be taking to Earth will consist of twenty-six battlecruisers and seven battleships.”

General Mclusky’s eyes widened in concern. “You’re taking thirty-three ships to fight four hundred to six hundred Vorn ships? That doesn’t sound like near enough.”

Kurt shook his head. “Don’t forget we already have ten other battlecruisers at Earth’s Moon plus Fleet Admiral Colmes has a fleet of nineteen warships in the system plus the Dante and the Wasp.”

“The light carriers won’t be of much use against the Vorn,” pointed out Captain Watkins. “They don’t have any weapons that can penetrate a Vorn energy screen, and the carriers only have fighters on board.”

“No, they won’t be used to engage Vorn warships,” Kurt answered. “As soon as the Vorn are detected, the light carriers will retreat beneath the defense grid and use their fighters to help take out any inbound missiles.”

“Are you sure you don’t want the Vindication and our other light carriers to tag along?” asked Henry. “My crew is itching for some action.”

Kurt shook his head, looking at Henry. “No, I need you and the other light carriers here at Newton just in case the Vorn show up. As soon as we’ve confirmed the Vorn have arrived in Earth’s system, Rear Admiral Wilson will return to Newton as quick as possible and assume command of all our forces in the system. You will be his second in command. Rear Admiral White will jump her fleet to Earth to help in its defense.”

Henry looked disappointed but nodded. “We’ll keep Newton safe.”

“What about the Glaymons?” asked Colonel Simms. “How many of their ships will be involved?”

“Ten with my fleet as well as twenty more already stationed near the solar system. They’ll send more when the Vorn are detected.”

“We’ll still be badly outnumbered,” said Andrew with a deep frown. “Any chance the Glaymons can send all of their disk ships? That would even the odds and almost guarantee a victory.”

“Tasid told me that he would send what they could. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Kurt suspected the Glaymons would send a large fleet as soon as the Vorn were detected. However, Tasid was concerned about the Vorn discovering there were a large number of Glaymon vessels in this sector. It might encourage them to do a more detailed search of the region sometime in the future. Tasid had said that, once the new Glaymon habitat was finished, and its offensive and defensive weapons installed, they wouldn’t be that concerned if the Vorn did find them, but it would be over a year before the habitat was done.

“If the Vorn show up here, all my construction ships as well as my flagship will move to just beneath the defense grid,” added Lomatz. “Newton is now the home to my people, and I’ll do what is necessary to defend it.”

Kurt nodded. The construction ships were decently armed and the Golan Four, Lomatz’s command ship, had been rebuilt and armed by the Glaymons, and was nearly as powerful as one of Kurt’s battleships.

-

The group continued to talk for several hours, making plans in case the Vorn attacked Newton. When they were satisfied they had done everything possible, the group broke up with Kurt staying to say a few more words to Governor Spalding. However, Spalding asked the first question.

“How did the Vorn find Earth?”

Kurt let out a deep breath. “I’m not certain, but I believe High Profiteer Creed was involved.”

“Creed! How?” Spalding’s eyes showed anger at hearing that name.

“I had our people on Kubitz make some discreet inquiries. It seems someone purchased several highly advanced communication drones a few months back. Very likely it was Creed, and he used the drones to send a message to the Vorn.”

“But no one knows the Vorns’ language. They’re telepathic.”

Kurt walked over to the window and looked out. Governor Spalding had a fantastic view of the city. “The Vorn also have a spoken language. The Andocks have a captured mothership in their system and have been going through it with the aid of the Lakiams and some Glaymons.”

“A captured mothership,” muttered Governor Spalding, shocked. “How come I didn’t know about that?”

“The Lakiams and the Andocks want it to be a secret. We’ve found out a lot about the Vorn from studying it. We’re not certain if the Vorn know we have it or not. Not only that but the Andocks are holding a number of Vorn captive, including a few from their Royal Caste. So far they’ve refused to cooperate. The Vorn look at us as food and beneath them. We only learned of their spoken language from the computer files on the mothership.”

“That still doesn’t explain how Creed managed to send a message the Vorn could understand. Where did Creed get the information on the Vorn’s language?”

“It seems a copy of the Vorn language has been translated and is floating around on Kubitz. I’ve since made sure it disappeared, but there’s a chance High Profiteer Creed purchased a copy before we got rid of the original version which was in the possession of one of the arms dealers on the planet.”

“How did he get it?”

“A few Andocks show up on Kubitz every so often,” said Kurt, flustered.

“Let me guess. The pleasure houses.”

Kurt nodded. “There’s nothing like them on the more civilized worlds. One of the Andocks traded a copy of the Vorn language translation for a night of entertainment.”

Spalding blinked his eyes. “Remind me never to allow Grantz to open one of those here on Newton.”

“I will,” promised Kurt. “What I wanted to talk to you about were the trade contracts Mara has been working on.”

Spalding grinned. “She’s a very talented negotiator. I was amazed that two of the main things she was interested in were a number of tea varieties and popcorn.”

“For some reason we have a much larger number of tea varieties than most other worlds, and popcorn is something they’ve never heard of. Both Mara and Keera believe they will be a major moneymaker for Newton. In exchange, the Lakiams are willing to furnish some of their advanced mining technology and some special alloys we don’t have.”

“Can’t we get all that from the Glaymons?”

“We could,” admitted Kurt. “But we don’t want to become too dependent on them. Also by trading with Lakiam, it gives us access to a very advanced world and possibly the means to someday trade with other Protector Worlds or even a few Enlightened ones.”

“That’s assuming we can deal with the Vorn,” said Spalding.

Kurt nodded. The Vorn were the big guerilla in the room. As long as they were in the picture, doing a lot of trading with other worlds outside of Newton’s Alliance was questionable. However, this trade agreement with Lakiam would be a good start.

“So, you want me to approve the two agreements?”

“Yes, I think it would be in our best interests.”

Governor Spalding thought it over for a minute and then spoke. “Very well, I’ll approve them and see where it goes from there.”

Kurt was pleased with the governor’s decision. He was sure Mara would be as well.

-

A little later Kurt arrived at his house and was shocked to see Mara and Keera sitting on the couch talking amicably to one another. The two were spending a lot of time together, and he wondered if Mara had ulterior motives for doing so.

“Kurt,” said Keera, standing, a pleased look on her face. She came over and kissed Kurt lightly on the lips. “I invited Mara to eat with us tonight. I want to show her some of the foods we have here on Newton that’s not available anywhere else.”

Kurt eyed Keera for a moment. “I suppose you’ve been the one helping Mara with her trade deals.” Keera had been after Governor Spalding for months to trade some tea varieties to the markets on Kubitz.

A sheepish look appeared on Keera’s face. “Only a little.”

Mara stood, looking at the two. “Life here on Newton is so much different than on Lakiam. Most mated couples on Lakiam would never greet each other with a kiss such as you do.”

Keera looked at the taller woman. “Many Human cultures still do this. It’s quite common between couples on most Human worlds.”

“I can understand it if sharing oneself will shortly occur, but just to be doing such a thing casually is something I was not prepared for.”

“Lakiam culture is very different in some ways than ours or many other Human worlds,” Keera explained patiently.

Mara nodded thoughtfully. “I am beginning to understand that.”

Kurt noticed that, for once, Mara seemed to be wearing normal clothes and nothing revealing. He wondered if that was because Keera was present.

“Have you heard if Governor Spalding will approve the two trade agreements?” Mara asked, her deep blue eyes focusing on Kurt.

“I hope so,” said Keera, glancing at Mara. “Just the tea trade alone will bring in a fortune for Newton.”

Kurt walked over and sat in a recliner. “I don’t understand everyone’s fascination with tea.”

Keera came back and sat on the sofa facing Kurt and looked at Mara, waiting for her to explain.

“On Lakiam we have two or three different types of tea. It’s a very popular drink. With the trade agreement, Newton is offering twenty more varieties, all of which I’ve tried. I promise you, these new varieties will be very popular on my home world.”

Kurt waited a moment and then spoke. “I did speak to Governor Spalding today, and he’s agreed to sign the two agreements.”

Mara grinned broadly. “I’ll send several varieties to Fleet Commodore Dreen. He’s always enjoyed a good glass of tea.”

Kurt’s voice took on a darker tone. “Speaking of Fleet Commodore Dreen, have you heard anything from him recently?” Kurt knew that Mara occasionally sent messages to Kubitz that were in turn sent on to Lakiam on visiting freighters.

“Still the same. He’s expanding the Lakiam Alliance, hoping it will keep the Vorn at bay.”

Kurt was silent for a moment. “I spoke to Tasid a few days ago, and the Vorn have renewed their attack on the galaxy. They’ve returned with a massive fleet.”

Mara’s face took on a look of deep concern. “What will we do?”

“I’ll start supper while you two discuss the war,” said Keera, standing up. “I can’t wait for Mara to sample what I’m cooking.”

Kurt watched Keera go into the kitchen, and then he turned his attention to Mara. At least in his own home with Keera present the sexual tension was nearly absent. “We know where both the Vorn staging system is as well as the Vorn home system.”

Mara looked surprised. “How?”

“It was in the captured mothership’s computers the Andocks have.”

Mara looked thoughtful. “Can we attack either of them or are the distances too great?”

Kurt wasn’t surprised at how perceptive Mara was in realizing the problem. “The home system is probably out of the question for now. I strongly suspect the Glaymons haven’t told us everything they’ve learned for fear of it hampering the war effort.” Kurt suspected the Glaymons knew far more about the Vorn than what they had been willing to share.

“I can see them doing that if the news is really bad. What about the staging system?”

“When I went to visit the Glaymons, Tasid and Fleet Captain Waelt asked me if I would consider scouting the system to see if an attack was possible.” It had taken Kurt a while to agree to accept the mission. He still wasn’t certain he had made the right decision.

Mara’s face flushed with concern. “You could be killed doing that.”

Kurt was touched by Mara’s reaction. “I agreed to do it, but, if I go, I’m taking a small fleet with me.”

“You’re going to attack the system,” said Mara accusingly. “Instead of scouting it, you’ll attack it. Do the Glaymons know this?”

Kurt frowned. Mara knew him too well. “No, they don’t. If I can get my ships in close enough without being detected, then I’m willing to take the risk. This may be our only chance to force the Vorn to pull out of our galaxy for a time. Without the staging system and their intergalactic transport ships, we could delay their harvesting of our galaxy by a year or two. Just think how much more Fleet Commodore Dreen could do, getting the Lakiam Alliance ready to resist the Vorn, if he had that added time.”

Mara slowly nodded, a foreboding look on her face. “That’s what this war will be like. Back and forth between us and the Vorn. This war could last forever!”

Kurt felt shaken at that prospect. “Let’s hope not.” A forever war was not something he wanted to think about, though he could see how that could easily happen.

Mara stood. “I’ll help Keera in the kitchen. I’m actually a pretty good cook, which I may prove to you someday.” With that, she went into the kitchen, and soon the two women were rattling pans around.

Kurt took a deep breath. He wondered if it were possible for his life to get any more complicated than it already was.

-

Andrew was at home, listening to his wife and daughter tell him about Alexis’s latest boyfriend. She was sixteen, and it seemed as if she had a new boyfriend every few weeks.

“He’s really nice,” Emily said. “He was over the other night, watching a movie with us.”

“What’s this boy’s name?” Andrew still had a hard time with his daughter’s dating.

“Derek Allen and he’s a senior,” Alexis answered.

“A senior,” Andrew said with a concerned frown. He could well remember what he had on his mind his senior year. “What kind of business is this boy’s father in?”

“His parents are divorced,” Emily explained. “Derek lives with his mother, and she’s an elementary schoolteacher.”

“Has he kissed you yet?”

Alexis giggled and shook her head. “You don’t have to be so protective. Derek treats me nice and has a lot of respect for me.”

“Just make sure it stays that way.”

“I know his mother, and she raised him right,” said Emily. “You need to meet him.”

“Perhaps some other time. I have to get back to the Star Cross later today.”

A concerned look crossed Emily’s face. “Is it the Vorn?”

Andrew nodded. He hated for his family to worry about him. “Yes, they could show up at Earth any day now.”

“How long do you think you will be gone?”

“A few days to possibly a few weeks.”

“Daddy, be careful,” said Alexis, her eyes wide with fear. “I wish you weren’t an officer in the fleet.”

Andrew reached out and put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder, hugging her. “I know you do, sweetheart, but it’s what I do. Maybe someday the Vorn threat will be gone.”

“I hope so,” Alexis replied. “Some of my friends’ moms and dads are in the fleet, and it really scares them every time the fleet leaves Newton.”

“I’ll be fine,” Andrew assured Alexis as he stepped back. “After all, I’m on the Star Cross, and it’s the flagship. Kurt would never let anything happen to me. I promise you. When I get home, we can invite Derek over for a cookout, so I can meet him. I want to talk to the boy anyway.”

“Dad!” exclaimed Alexis, her eyes growing wide. “Don’t you dare scare him away.”

Emily laughed with a twinkle in her eyes. “He’s only teasing. He won’t embarrass either of you.” Her eyes shifted to Andrew with a more threatening look.

Andrew was about to say something else when the comm unit he always carried with him went off. Looking at Emily, he saw her face suddenly turn pale. “This is Captain Randson.” He listened for a moment and then put the comm unit away. “A Glaymon disk ship has detected the Vorn. They’ll be at Earth in fourteen hours.”

“Oh, no!” said Emily, her face turning pale. “I was hoping everyone was wrong about that.”

Andrew looked lovingly at his wife and daughter. “I have to go.”

Emily nodded. “Just be careful and come back safe.”

Alexis stepped up and hugged her father with tears in her eyes. “You better come back!”

Andrew grinned. “Of course I will. I have to check out this new boyfriend of yours.”

Emily walked Andrew to the car. “I know you’re always careful, but these are the Vorn, the Destroyers of Worlds. They’re not used to losing.”

“Well, they better get used to it. Kurt will see to that.” He paused and gave Emily a long and lingering kiss. He held her close and then released her. “See you in a few days.” Andrew got into the car, started it, and drove off down the street toward the spaceport, where he would catch a shuttle to Newton Station and then board the Star Cross. He knew that, all across the planet, crewmembers were being summoned to return to their ships.

-

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers stepped into the Command Center, seeing most of the command crew already at their stations. It wouldn’t take more than an hour or two for everyone to be on board. Other crews were also reporting to their ships. The Vorn were several days ahead of schedule. Kurt was just glad the Glaymons had detected them when they did.

“All ship systems are fully operational,” reported Aleea from her pedestal.

“I have Colonel Simms on the comm,” reported Lieutenant Pierce.

“Put him on my console,” ordered Kurt as he sat down in his command chair.

“Fleet Admiral, we have a message from a Glaymon picket ship. The Vorn are 380 light-years away and on a direct course for the solar system.”

Kurt sucked in a deep breath. That confirmed it. The Vorn were going to attempt to harvest Earth. “What else did the Glaymon ship report?” Kurt hadn’t been aware the Glaymons were deploying picket ships. He was glad they did. “Any report on numbers and ship types?”

“It’s not good,” answered Simms. “The Vorn fleet consists of 970 of their spindle-shaped cruisers and six motherships.”

Kurt blinked his eyes. This was nearly double what he believed they would be facing. “No battleships?”

“No, Admiral. There are no battleships.”

At least that was good news. “Very well, I’ll be taking the fleet immediately to Proxima Centauri where we’ll wait for the arrival of the Vorn.” Kurt planned on keeping his ships hidden by using their sensor-dampening fields. Once the Vorn arrived, he would jump in behind their fleet.

“We did receive a message from the Glaymons immediately after they reported the detection of the Vorn fleet. Tasid said they would be dispatching ships immediately to aid in the defense of the solar system.”

“Did he say how many?”

“No, just that a fleet was being readied.”

“Send out the warning to Fleet Admirals White and Wilson, then contact Fleet Admiral Colmes and inform him the Vorn fleet has been detected. Give him the numbers and tell him we’re on our way.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Simms replied.

Kurt turned toward the hatch, sensing someone else had come in. Lieutenant Mays. She was breathless; she had probably run all the way from the docking port.

“How soon?” she asked as she hurried to her station.

“A little less than twelve hours,” replied Kurt. He then told her the size of the Vorn fleet they would be facing.

“The Glaymons?”

“Sending a fleet. They already have a small one outside the solar system, and we’ll have a few Glaymon ships in our fleet as well.”

Lieutenant Mays nodded and, sitting in front of her console, began running some battle scenarios based on the size of the Vorn fleet and its makeup.

“Fleet ready to depart in eighty minutes,” Andrew reported as he listened to the crew updates from the various ships in the fleet heading to Earth.

“That will be fine. We have plenty of time, thanks to the Glaymons detecting the Vorn so soon.” Kurt would have to remember to thank Tasid the next time Kurt saw him. Kurt just hoped Tasid was sending a large Glaymon fleet. The Vorn were coming to harvest Earth, and somehow Kurt had to stop them. He had the firepower to destroy Vorn ships; the question was how much damage they could cause to Earth before he could force them to withdraw.

Chapter Sixteen

Prince Caluume watched expectantly as his fleet neared its target. All of his ships were using their sensor-masking fields to remain undetected. However, Military Leader Renwarld had indicated his ships had been located even with the use of the masking fields. Prince Caluume had discussed this with Military Leader Jattal and decided, in all probability, Renwarld’s ships had been detected by orbital telescopes in the system or were seen by a research satellite. Jattal seriously doubted that a system so far away from the more inhabited parts of this galaxy would have the technology to produce a sensor that could penetrate the masking fields. Renwarld had disagreed, but he was only the military leader of a small squadron of scout ships.

As they neared the system, and the long-range sensors began collecting information on the target food world, Prince Caluume grew alarmed. More defensive platforms were in orbit than Renwarld had reported. The same seemed to be true of the small defensive satellites.

It seems they’ve strengthen the defensive grid around their planet, sent Military Leader Jattal.

Doubtlessly due to detecting Renwarld’s ships, sent Prince Caluume.

Jattal studied the tactical display as the sensors added more information. Warship count is the same.

It takes time to build new ships, replied Prince Caluume as he gazed at the tactical display. Inform Prince Lakat we will exit hyperspace near the large moon that orbits the planet. We will move instantly to destroy the orbital defense grid and any warships that oppose us. Once that has been done, the motherships will go into orbit and begin the harvest.

Caluume was curious what a food pellet from this particular food species would taste like. Being isolated as they were, it was highly likely there had been little contact with the more technologically advanced races in the more densely populated regions of this galaxy. It was also highly possible the cruiser Renwarld had lost had been due more to a mechanical failure of the ship’s energy screen than the attack by the system’s warships.

Very soon another world would fall to the Vorn, its inhabitants becoming food. Caluume felt no guilt at destroying an entire world or even species. It was the right of the Vorn as it always had been.

-

Fleet Admiral Colmes watched the tactical display with growing apprehension. The Vorn were less than an hour away and were probably already scanning the system. As soon as word of the approaching Vorn fleet had been received, alarms had sounded on Earth, urging the population to take cover. Those who could go to underground shelters would do so while everyone else was told to stay in their homes. Martial Law had been declared across the planet, and soldiers were everywhere, ensuring people got to safety and off the streets. Many people had built small shelters after the attacks of the Profiteers. The various Earth governments had encouraged this as well as helped in providing a two-week stock of emergency food and water supplies.

“Status of the fleet?”

“All ships will be here within the next twelve minutes,” Captain Scott replied. An emergency recall had been sent to all fleet units out on patrol across the system. All were en route to Earth.

“The defensive grid?”

“Colonel McMasters has activated it and has taken command of all platforms and defensive satellites. Major Jensen in the Class Two Command and Control Center will take over if Colonel McMaster’s command is knocked out.

“The shipyard?”

“Major Collins reports they are at Condition One, and they’re preparing to deploy all their fighters and bombers to the defense grid.”

“The Dante and the Wasp?”

“They’ll be jumping shortly for Earth and will take defensive positions just beneath the grid. They’ll launch their fighters as soon as they’re in position.”

“Earth defenses?”

“Fighters will take off as soon as the Vorn arrive. Missile interceptors are on standby.”

“Send out the order for all ships with hyperdrives to jump to Proxima Centauri. There are two of Newton’s battlecruisers there. All other ships are to move away from Earth, Mars, and the other colonies and go dark. Minimal power and no communication until we announce the all clear.”

Captain Scott went over to Communications and made sure the necessary messages were sent out. Then she returned to her station. “Messages sent and acknowledged.”

Fleet Admiral Colmes looked at his command crew. “This is it, people. We’ve trained for this day, and we’ll do everything in our power to protect Earth. Do your jobs, and we’ll get through this.” Aaron hoped he was right. Fleet Admiral Vickers and the Glaymons were on their way. Now he would just have to wait for the arrival of the Vorn, the Destroyers of Worlds.

-

Enemy warships are combining into one fleet, Military Leader Jattal reported. It may indicate they have detected our fleet.

Caluume’s multifaceted eyes widened. Is that possible?

It is, confirmed Jattal. Prince Brollen’s fleets were detected before they entered food species 236’s home system. He also had three smaller fleets in the system under sensor-dampening fields, and they too were detected.

Sensors indicate a large number of vessels are entering hyperspace and leaving the system, added the Vorn at Sensors. These are most likely civilian cargo ships and passenger liners.

Caluume felt a strange unfamiliar feeling in his intestines. Is it possible this food species has had contact with food species 236 or the ancient race we’ve heard rumors about?

Doubtful, Jattal replied. More than likely this is nothing more than a technological development of this particular food species.

Caluume gazed at the tactical display growing even more concerned about this food species. Their technology seemed too advanced for a world so isolated. The fact that ships were fleeing the system seemed to indicate they had detected the incoming Vorn fleet.

Hyperspace dropout in twenty-three minutes, the Vorn at Sensors reported.

Caluume stood, thinking for a few moments. I’m going to send a message to Prince Lakat. We’re going to make a slight change in our harvesting plans for this system.

Jattal turned toward the prince. What kind of change?

-

Fleet Admiral Colmes watched the tactical display, wondering what the Vorn were up to. Two hundred of the Vorn ships and one mothership had slowed down in hyperspace and would be arriving a good ten minutes after the rest.

“Perhaps the first fleet is meant to test our defenses, and the second fleet is a reserve,” suggested Captain Scott.

“Maybe,” Colmes said as he eyed the tactical display. “It’ll make everything a little more complicated.”

-

The minutes passed slowly by. Colmes’ five battleships were screened by fourteen battlecruisers. A year from now the fleet would have been twice this size.

Alarms suddenly sounded, and red lights flashed.

“We have hyperspace emergence of the first Vorn fleet,” reported Lieutenant Vardes from his sensor console. “Confirming 770 cruisers and 5 motherships. Distance is 112,000 kilometers. Vorn fleet forming up and moving toward Earth. They will be in engagement range in three minutes.”

Colmes activated his ship-to-ship comm, which was also tied in to the two command and control stations. “All commands, the Vorn are here and are moving to engage us. Particle beams and force beams can penetrate their shields. Follow up with dark matter missiles.”

Newton had furnished the new dark matter missiles to the Earth fleet. Colmes had never asked Fleet Admiral Vickers where the powerful missiles came from. He strongly suspected the Glaymons were involved.

“Weapons ready to fire,” reported the tactical officer.

Fleet Admiral Colmes looked at one of the viewscreens, showing a magnified view of a Vorn spindle-shaped cruiser. The ship was covered with weapon turrets and small hatches, which doubtlessly hid missile tubes.

“Communication from Fleet Admiral Vickers,” the communications officer reported. “They’re preparing to jump in directly behind the Vorn fleet.”

Colmes nodded. Time to see if they could turn the Vorn away from Earth or if the home planet was doomed.

-

Fleet Admiral Vickers looked at Andrew, intently watching the tactical screen. “I’m still not sure why they split their fleet.”

“Well, we can’t worry about it now. We have to jump in and take out the fleet that’s ready to engage Fleet Admiral Colmes. Once we’ve dealt with it, we’ll worry about the second fleet.”

“Captain Randson is correct,” Aleea said. “Without our help, the Vorn will quickly smash through Earth’s defenses and start harvesting the planet.”

Kurt activated his ship-to-ship comm system. “All commands, prepare to enter hyperspace. We’ll drop out just behind the Vorn fleet. Priority targets are the motherships, but we may have to take out a large number of their cruisers to reach them.” The motherships would be at the center of the Vorn formation.

Andrew nodded as he prepared to address the fleet, before making the jump into hyperspace. “All hands, set Condition One throughout the fleet. Stand by to fire weapons upon emergence! Jump coordinates are being transmitted.”

Andrew looked at Lieutenant Styles. “Take us to Earth.”

Kurt felt the sudden wrenching sensation as the Star Cross entered hyperspace. He had thirty Glaymon ships, his own fleet, as well as the fleet of Rear Admiral White. Seventy-six warships against a Vorn fleet numbering nearly a thousand. If he could take out the Vorn motherships, the battle would be over. He just didn’t know if he could do that before the Vorn reached Earth.

-

The Vorn fleet moved steadily toward the small defensive fleet barring its path to the food world. Weapons were readied, and targets locked.

One minute to optimum firing range, reported Military Leader Jattal.

Alarms on the sensor console suddenly sounded. Ships exiting hyperspace directly behind the fleet, reported the sensor operator.

Ship types and numbers, demanded Jattal, turning his attention to the tactical display, showing red threat icons behind the Vorn fleet.

Seventy-six ships, replied the Vorn at the sensors. Detecting nine battleships, thirty-six battlecruisers, and thirty unknown disk-shaped vessels, as well as one large ship of an unknown class.

Disk-shaped? sent Caluume, his multifaceted eyes growing wide and his twin antennae standing straight up. Put one of the disk ships on a viewscreen. He felt an intense concern upon hearing some of the ships were disk-shaped. He knew of only one race that possessed such vessels.

Instantly a one-thousand-meter disk ship appeared. Caluume’s antennas seemed to twitch as he recognized the vessel. Those are the ships of the ancient race we have heard Prince Brollen mention. He had sent out orders that any detection of these strange ships were to be reported directly to him.

Here? replied Military Leader Jattal, looking confused. Impossible! They can’t be here.

Engagement range on enemy fleet in front of us, sent the Vorn at Sensors.

Fire! ordered Military Leader Jattal, sending the command telepathically to all the Vorn ships.

Enemy fleet to our rear is opening fire, warned the Vorn at Sensors.

Suddenly more alarms sounded as hundreds of new red threat icons appeared in the tactical display around the Vorn fleet.

Prince Caluume felt at a loss as hundreds more of the disk ships of the ancient race appeared. None had appeared on the fleet’s sensors before arriving. His mind slowed as he realized the danger his fleet was now in. Prince Brollen had been forced to withdraw from a battle with these ships, after suffering heavy ship losses. Caluume’s fleet was nowhere near as powerful as Prince Brollen’s had been.

-

Fleet Admiral Colmes felt the Atlas shake violently as its energy screen was struck by several black antimatter energy beams. The shield held but just barely.

“Firing,” reported the tactical officer. “Particle beams, force beams, and a full spread of dark matter missiles.”

“We have additional Glaymon ships jumping in around the Vorn fleet,” reported Captain Scott excitedly. “Over three hundred of them!”

A sense of relief flooded Fleet Admiral Colmes. They might just protect Earth after all as well as give the Vorn a bloody nose.

-

Particle beam fire from the Atlas slammed into the bow of a Vorn cruiser, setting off massive explosions and hurling glowing debris into space. A dark matter missile arrived, and where the Vorn cruiser was a miniature nova appeared. When the glow died away, the Vorn cruiser was gone.

The top section of another spindle-shaped cruiser exploded, and debris drifted away from the ship. Force beams played over the damaged vessel, ripping open compartment after compartment. The ship suddenly shook violently and blew apart.

However, the Vorn fired back. The small defending Human fleet found itself under a horrendous attack. The battleship Mercury had a number of Vorn black spheres of annihilation attach themselves to its energy screen. The ship’s antimatter chamber seemed to howl as energy was drained away. Even as it lost power, the Mercury managed to take out two Vorn cruisers. Then her power failed, and the Mercury was struck by countless Vorn black antimatter beams. Moments later the Mercury ceased to be as it blew apart, sending glowing debris across space.

-

“We’ve lost the battleship Mercury and the battlecruisers Lexington and Swiftfire,” reported Lieutenant Vardes from Sensors. “We have other ships suffering major damage.”

“The new shields are helping,” added Captain Scott. “But we’re just too badly outnumbered.”

“Pull us back toward the defensive grid,” ordered Colmes. If he didn’t, he would lose his entire fleet. He would leave it to the Glaymons and Fleet Admiral Vickers to destroy the Vorn fleet. He would focus on defending Earth.

“Admiral, the squadron of Newton battlecruisers hiding near the Moon are coming to our aid,” reported the communications officer. “Fleet Admiral Vickers is placing them under your command.”

“That will help,” Colmes replied. “Captain Scott, place them in our fleet formation. We will still gradually withdraw toward the grid. We can use its firepower to hold back the Vorn and keep them pinned between our forces, the Glaymons, and Fleet Admiral Vickers.” Colmes winced as another one of his battlecruisers blew apart on the main viewscreen.

-

Kurt felt sudden relief as the large Glaymon fleet appeared around the Vorn.

“I have Tasid on the comm,” reported Lieutenant Pierce. “He says his fleet is yours to command.”

“Tell him to target the Vorn cruisers. We’ll use our battleships to take out the motherships.” With the appearance of three hundred more Glaymons ships, he now had the advantage in firepower.

“Firing,” reported Lieutenant Mays as she fired the ship’s force beams and sent two five-hundred-megaton dark matter missiles slamming into a Vorn cruiser which promptly disappeared.

Kurt looked at the viewscreens, seeing Vorn ships exploding throughout their formation as the Glaymons poured their superior firepower into the enemy fleet. “Move us closer to the motherships and prepare to fire a kinetic energy round into the nearest one.”

“Zero-Point Energy round loaded and ready to fire,” Lieutenant Mays replied with a wicked look on her face. The Zero-Point Energy round was the most powerful weapon the Star Cross possessed.

-

Prince Caluume stood, frozen, staring at the viewscreens in disbelief. Fiery explosions filled his fleet formation as his cruisers were being blown into oblivion by the attacking fleets. This was not how he had expected this harvest to go.

On one screen, an enemy energy beam penetrated the shield of a nearby cruiser, blowing an antimatter beam turret to shreds and blasting out a huge hole in the hull. A missile arrived next, and the viewscreens dimmed as the ship vanished in a blinding explosion.

Dark matter warheads, confirmed Military Leader Jattal. Estimated yield is in the five-hundred-megaton range.

“Five hundred megatons,” said Caluume, using his raspy voice. He was too shaken to use telepathy.

We’re nearing the planet, added Jattal. Should we fire on its defensive grid?

Before Caluume could reply, the mothership shook violently, the lights dimmed, and several consoles exploded in showers of sparks. Then the lights returned to normal. What was that?

The Dreadgiver has been destroyed, replied the Vorn at Sensors.

The Dreadgiver was one of the five motherships with the fleet.

-

“Vorn mothership destroyed,” reported Lieutenant Brooks.

Kurt looked at the main viewscreen, showing a glowing cloud of debris where the massive ship had been.

“The second Vorn fleet is dropping from hyperspace around Mars,” reported Aleea with deep concern in her voice. “They are already engaging the defensive grid around the planet.”

“That’s why they were hanging back,” said Andrew, his eyes narrowing. “One fleet was aimed at Earth and the second at Mars. What do you want to do? They’re millions of people living on that planet.”

Kurt quickly contacted Rear Admiral White. “Susan, take your fleet and the thirty Glaymon disk ships that came with my fleet and get to Mars. Stop that Vorn fleet at all costs!”

“Yes, Admiral,” Susan responded. We’ll be gone in a couple of minutes.”

“The defensive grid around Mars is suffering heavily,” Aleea reported as she used the ship’s sensors to monitor the furious battle around the red planet. “Seven of the defensive platforms have been taken out and the command and control station has suffered heavy damage. Correction, the command and control station has been destroyed.”

“Tasid is sending fifty of his disk ships to Mars,” reported Lieutenant Pierce. “They’ll be there in two minutes.”

“The mothership with that fleet has gone into orbit around the planet,” reported Aleea, her eyes fearful. “I can confirm the ship’s harvesting rays have been activated.”

Kurt felt his heart stop. This couldn’t be happening! When the Star Cross shook, Kurt’s attention was brought back to the battle at hand, seeing several yellow lights appear on the damage control console.

“Six antimatter missiles struck the shield,” Andrew reported as he checked his console.

“Shield is holding at 92 percent,” added Lieutenant Mays.

“We’ve got a few blown circuits near the outer hull,” said Andrew. “We’ll have them reset in a moment. Other than that, there was no damage.”

Kurt looked at one of the tactical displays, which had been changed to show Mars. Tasid’s fifty disk ships had just appeared near the Vorn fleet. Moments later, Rear Admiral White and her fleet appeared as well. With a deep sigh, he knew it was up to them to save Mars. He turned toward Andrew. “Let’s finish off these Vorn. This battle has already gone on too long.”

-

Fleet Admiral Colmes had placed his fleet near the defensive grid. Already a number of the platforms were firing on the approaching Vorn fleet. The ten Newton battlecruisers had joined his ships, and he had immediately dispatched two of them to help protect the shipyard, which was coming under attack. Fortunately the shipyard had been updated and had two of the newly updated antimatter chambers. On a viewscreen, he could see several black antimatter beams striking the station’s shield with no effect.

On the main screen, the image shifted to show more ships of his fleet. Direct energy projectors and defensive energy turrets fired nonstop. It had been discovered that, if either struck an inbound black energy sphere, the sphere would explode. The fleet was now laying down a heavy defensive weapons fire as numerous black spheres were targeting the fleet. The same was occurring with the shipyard.

On the viewscreen, a dark matter missile struck the stern of a Vorn cruiser, and the ship immediately vanished in a fiery explosion.

The Atlas shook violently, and Colmes was nearly thrown from his command chair. Warning alarms sounded, and a number of glaring red lights appeared on the damage control console.

“Black antimatter beam penetrated our screen and stuck the hull just aft of engineering,” reported Captain Scott as she listened to the damage reports coming in. “Sublight drive has been damaged but is still operable. Several fires are out of control near the stern, and damage control teams have been dispatched. We have damage on several decks with six compartments depressurized.”

Colmes nodded. “Keep me informed.”

A bright flash of light suddenly lit up the viewscreens, causing them to dim automatically. “What was that?”

“We just lost the battlecruiser Jupiter,” reported Lieutenant Vardes, his voice strained. “Several of those black spheres managed to attach themselves to her energy screen. The screen failed, and a Vorn antimatter missile hit the ship.”

“Defense grid is coming under heavy fire,” added Captain Scott. “We’ve lost three of the Class Two Orbital Defense Platforms.”

This didn’t surprise Aaron. The Class Twos didn’t have the updated antimatter chambers or the stronger energy shields. He greatly feared this battle was a long ways from over.

-

Prince Caluume was determined to get his remaining motherships close enough to the planet to at least harvest some of the major cities detected on the planet which held tens of million of inhabitants.

How many of those disk ships have we managed to destroy? He had ordered his fleet to concentrate its weapons fire on the ancient ships in the hope they could be forced back while the motherships harvested the planet.

None, replied Military Leader Jattal. None of our weapons can penetrate their screens, and our black spheres of annihilation don’t seem to have any effect either.

How many ships have we lost?

Last count is 147.

Prince Caluume switched his gaze to the ship’s main viewscreen. It showed the planet, and he could see bright flashes of light around it. They were receiving reports from the forward cruisers that some of the defensive platforms around the planet as well as the shipyard had weapons dangerous to Vorn ships. He now believed it had been a mistake to come to this system. Can we reach the planet to begin the harvest?

Military Leader Jattal hesitated briefly and then responded. We can, but we will lose most of the fleet. There is also the danger of losing additional motherships. The weapon that destroyed the Dreadgiver was far more powerful than anything we have ever encountered before.

What about Prince Lakat and his fleet?

They have begun the harvest of the fourth planet, but a fleet of the ancients has jumped into orbit, and they are under increasingly heavy fire. Military Leader Dabbath reports they will have to withdraw shortly.

Prince Caluume looked at the viewscreen. The food world was almost in reach, but he realized his fleet could not harvest it. Not if he wanted to have a fleet left when the harvest was over. Prepare the fleet to jump into hyperspace. Inform Prince Lakat to do the same. This system is too heavily defended, and we need to send word to Prince Brollen of the presence of ships of the ancient race.

I will inform Prince Lakat and prepare the fleet to jump, Military Leader Jattal replied.

Prince Caluume nodded. He wondered what the food pellets of this race would have tasted like.

-

“Vorn are powering up their hyperdrives,” Aleea said as she used the ship’s sensors to monitor the Vorn fleet. “They will jump out shortly.”

Kurt gazed at the tactical display. Dozens of Vorn ships were disappearing as they were annihilated. He activated the ship-to-ship comm. “All battleships, the Vorn are preparing to jump out. Target the motherships with kinetic rounds and let’s see if we can take a few more out.” Enough of the Vorn spindle-shaped cruisers had been destroyed forming large gaps in their formation.

“We’ve got them!” said Andrew, his eyes glowing with elation. “The ships of the Glaymons made all the difference. The Vorn are dividing their fire between too many ships. The absence of any Vorn battleships is preventing them from penetrating our energy screens.”

Kurt nodded his agreement. The Vorn were unable to bring enough weapons to bear to knock down a ship’s energy shield. However, intense fighting was still occurring around Earth. Fleet Admiral Colmes had lost a number of warships, and the defense grid around Earth was suffering. Colmes’s ships didn’t have energy shields powered by Zero-Point Energy.

“Targeting Vorn motherships with kinetic energy rounds,” reported Lieutenant Mays as she prepared to fire another Zero-Point Energy round. “I’ve synchronized our firing with our other battleships.”

“Change the viewscreen to show the heart of the Vorn formation,” ordered Kurt.

This was where the Vorn motherships were. Deep inside the now nearly shattered Vorn fleet.

“Firing!” called out Lieutenant Mays as she pressed an icon on her computer screen.

The Star Cross shook slightly, and, almost instantly on the viewscreen, massive explosions rocked the heart of the Vorn fleet. The center of the Vorn fleet erupted with fire like the explosion of a super nova.

-

The remaining four Vorn motherships were each hit by either one or two Zero-Point Energy rounds. Their shields became covered in brightness. The shields didn’t just fail, they simply ceased to be. The massive energy released by the rounds struck the hulls of the motherships, melting them and tearing them apart. In less than one second after the Zero-Point Energy reached the hulls of the motherships, miniature novas appeared, and then they joined together in one fiery conflagration. Space itself seemed to be on fire. Dozens of Vorn spindle-shaped cruisers too close to the blasts were annihilated by the massive release of energy. When the blasts faded away, nothing remained of the four Vorn motherships except a few wisps of glowing gas. Prince Caluume and his motherships were gone. Burned up in the inferno of energy released by the deadly projectiles.

-

Military Leader Renwarld stared in shock at the disaster that had just overwhelmed the motherships of the fleet. The fleet was in the process of jumping into hyperspace, but the motherships had waited too long. It was a sight he would never forget. The Vorn were the most powerful race in this universe, but, after what had just occurred, Renwarld wondered if that was still true. Jump us out now! he ordered. He would reform what was left of the fleet with Prince Lakat’s fleet. Perhaps, since Renwarld was the most senior military leader remaining in Prince Caluume’s fleet, he would be elevated in rank—with the approval of the Royal Court in the Conclave Habitat of course. Renwarld had demonstrated his devotion to the Queens often in the past. It just might be enough for him to come out of this disaster with the rank of a prince in command of a harvesting fleet.

-

“Vorn fleet is jumping out,” reported Captain Scott as she watched the tactical screen with relief in her eyes. “Earth was never attacked.”

Aaron could scarcely believe it. They had held the Vorn just short of the planet. “What did we lose?”

“It’s not good,” Scott replied as she turned toward the admiral. “We lost two battleships and eight battlecruisers.” She then gave him the ship names.

Aaron winced. That was over half of his fleet. He had known a large number of the crewmembers on some of those ships. “What about the defensive grid?”

“It was hit pretty heavily there toward the end,” Scott answered. “We lost nine of the Class Two Orbital Defense Platforms and one of the newly updated Class Ones. We also lost 114 of the orbiting defensive satellites.”

“The two Command and Control Centers?”

“The Class One escaped damage. However, the Class Two took a number of Vorn black antimatter beam strikes. It’s been evacuated, and we’ll have to assess the damage later to see if it’s repairable.”

“Any damage to the shipyard?”

“No, it came through untouched. The new upgrades protected it.”

Aaron looked at another tactical display. This one showed Mars. The Vorn fleet around it was gone, but so were all the defensive platforms and most of the satellites. He greatly feared hearing what had happened at the red planet. He knew the news would be very bad.

-

The Star Cross dropped from hyperspace near Mars. Admiral White and the Glaymon disk ships were in low orbit, scanning the planet.

“What’s the latest report?” asked Kurt over the comm to Rear Admiral Susan White. He knew the Vorn mothership had gotten close enough to the planet to activate its harvesting rays.

“I’m sorry, Admiral,” Susan’s upset voice came over the comm. “We didn’t get here in time. When we did, the Vorn had already blown a hole in the planet’s defenses, and the mothership was in low orbit with its harvesting rays activated. They managed to harvest nearly one third of the planet before we forced them to break off and leave. Current estimates indicate they took nearly four million of the inhabitants of Mars with them.”

Kurt felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach. Four million taken as food for the Vorn. Kurt’s anger grew at what the Vorn had done to Mars. For the first time since the war with the Vorn began, Kurt realized the Vorn didn’t just need to be stopped; they had to be exterminated!

Chapter Seventeen

High Protector Vormalt of the Protector World of Zumwald scanned the latest reports of Vorn activity in nearby systems. Many of the Enlightened Worlds which Zumwald was responsible for defending had been harvested by the Destroyers of Worlds. In desperation, he had ordered all of Zumwald’s fleets to pull back from the remaining Enlightened Worlds. It was hopeless defending the worlds as it spread Zumwald’s fleets too thin. All he could hope for was to save Zumwald and a few of its colonies. The fleets had been repositioned in the system of Zumwald and its four largest colony systems. Defense grids had been drastically strengthened, and fleet production ramped up to maximum. The people of Zumwald were humanoid. They resembled Earth Humans in form except their height was shorter and their ears more pointed.

“I don’t know,” Vormalt said to Low Protector Caatler, his second in command. “Even after all we’ve done, it might not be enough. Only the Lakiams and the Andocks have managed to defeat the Destroyers of Worlds.”

“Perhaps they’ll answer our call for help,” said Caatler.

“I doubt it.” Vormalt sighed, folding his arms across his chest. “They have their own worlds to defend.” He paused before asking his next question. “How soon before the Destroyers of Worlds come for us?”

“Soon,” Caatler answered. “They only have a few more Enlightened Worlds to harvest, and then they will turn the might of their fleets against us. We’ll give a good accounting of ourselves, but we’re too outnumbered. In the end, even our worlds will fall and be harvested.”

The comm unit on his desk sounded. Reaching forward, he activated it.

“High Protector, an unknown fleet has dropped from hyperspace on the outskirts of the system near Abelson,” reported Protector Makar, the communications operator.

“They were not detected before?” asked Vormalt. The long-range sensors on his battleships should have detected any approaching fleet in hyperspace. Of course he had heard the rumors that the Vorn ships had some sort of sensor-dampening field, which made their ships impervious to scans. This had not been confirmed, though there was strong evidence.

“No, High Protector. What are your orders?”

“Take the fleet to War Condition One and prepare for combat. I will be in the Command Center shortly.”

Vormalt looked at Caatler. “I fear we will soon know how well our ships will perform against the Vorn. An unknown fleet has just dropped from hyperspace out past the orbit of Abelson. It is most likely the Destroyers of Worlds.” As his voice fell silent, alarms sounded, and red lights flashed. The ship’s comm system announced the setting of War Condition One.

-

Captain Callast of the Lakiam battlecruiser Destonn gazed at the tactical display, showing the system of Zumwald. Fleet Commodore Dreen had sent him with a Lakiam Alliance fleet to help defend the system from the Vorn. He had 2,700 warships under his command plus a supply fleet of 114 vessels, carrying extra dark matter missiles and defensive platforms. They would fortify the system as heavily as possible in the hopes they could protect it from the Vorn. Captain Callast and Fleet Commodore Dreen had spent hours discussing possible strategies to save the Zumwald System. It had been a hard and difficult decision to even send a fleet. In the end, they couldn’t let the Vorn continue to harvest worlds without challenge. His fleet was here to send a message.

“Their system has gone on high alert,” reported Fabold from the sensor console. “I’m detecting energy shields being activated and weapon systems coming online.”

“I don’t blame them,” Callast replied. “I would too if a strange fleet suddenly dropped from hyperspace in my home system. “Kella, send a message to the Zumwald fleet, informing them who we are. I believe High Protector Vormalt is the commanding officer.”

“Sending message,” replied Kella as she pressed an icon on her console.

“A lot of ships are in the system, and Zumwald Four seems to be protected by a massive defense grid,” said Fabold.

“How many warships?” asked Callast. He had a large fleet, but the Vorn had one many times larger.

“Six thousand vessels at least.”

Callast visibly relaxed. With the defensive platforms they had brought and the dark matter missiles, just maybe they could save Zumwald from the Vorn. Particularly since the Vorn didn’t know his fleet was here. Callast wondered how he could use that to their advantage.

-

High Protector Vormalt could scarcely believe the message. The fleet exiting hyperspace was from the Alliance that the Lakiams and the Andocks had formed. Every ship in the fleet was a large battlecruiser or battleship. One thing that excited Vormalt was that these ships were capable of destroying Vorn warships in one-on-one combat, something his ships were incapable of doing.

“We have hope,” said Caatler as he gazed at a Lakiam battlecruiser on the main viewscreen. Past the battlecruiser was an Andock battleship. A small freighter was in the vicinity of the Lakiam Alliance fleet and was sending a video feed to the Dawn’s Light.

“Perhaps,” Vormalt replied, “Captain Callast wishes to meet with me.”

The viewscreen changed, showing a large one-thousand-meter disk ship.

“Are those ships what I think they are?” Caatler’s eyes grew wide as he had never expected to see such vessels.

“I believe so,” Vormalt answered. “Those are the disk ships of the Glaymons who we have heard rumors about.” He felt awe that this ancient race had sent warships to aid Zumwald against the Vorn.

“So they do exist,” replied Caatler in a much more subdued voice.

“It seems as if they do, and they may be our salvation,” responded Vormalt. He took a deep breath. They had probably less than a week and possibly only a few days before the Vorn attacked. He would meet with Captain Callast and see if there was any real hope of saving Zumwald.

-

Two hours later the Lakiam Alliance fleet had moved closer to Zumwald, and High Protector Vormalt was on board the Destonn, meeting with Captain Callast. As Vormalt was escorted to the conference room, he had been struck by how luxurious the battlecruiser was. He had forgotten how far along the Lakiams were toward Enlightenment and how they liked their comforts. However, Captain Callast was not as Vormalt had expected. The Lakiam was more like a warrior of old.

“We have brought dark matter missiles for your missile tubes,” Captain Callast began. “They have an explosive force of two-hundred megatons, and several of them combined can bring down a Vorn energy screen.”

“Our ships have managed to destroy a few of the Vorns’ smaller cruisers by attacking them in squadron strength,” Vormalt replied. “These missiles could make a big difference in fighting the Vorn.” He was already considering how best to use them.

“We recommend you continue to attack individual Vorn ships in that manner,” Callast said. “In addition, we have a device that can be attached to your energy shield generator that will make a ship’s shield immune, at least for a while, to the Vorns’ black antimatter spheres they use to drain a ship’s power. The device will also make your screens more resistant to the Vorns’ black antimatter beams.”

“This sounds like a lot of work is involved, and we probably don’t have a lot of time.” Vormalt wasn’t sure how all this would get done. He definitely wanted the missiles as well as the energy shield update. It would at least give his warships a chance in a battle with the Vorn.

“If you will allow us, we have brought a large number of small repair robots. If you will turn over the schematics for your battlecruisers and battleships, we can program the robots to do all the work and rather quickly. We can transfer the missiles as soon as you’re ready.”

Vormalt blinked his eyes as he thought over what Captain Callast was offering. In the past, turning over the schematics for Zumwald’s warships would have been given no consideration. However, this was a question of survival.

“Very well, I’ll have the schematics transferred to your ship’s computer as soon as I return to the Dawn’s Light.”

Callast nodded. “One other thing. We’ve brought a large number of new defensive platforms, with a highly improved antimatter chamber, which powers their weapons. The platforms are capable of taking out a Vorn vessel up to and including one of their battleships.”

Vormalt drew in a sharp breath. If he could add these platforms to the ones already around Zumwald and link them together, it would greatly increase the power of the defensive grid protecting the planet.

“I have to ask,” said Vormalt, staring intently at Captain Callast. “I wasn’t really expecting your Alliance to respond to our request for aid. Why did you?”

Callast grinned. “We’ve already defeated the Vorn in several engagements. We decided it’s time to teach them another lesson. Also Zumwald has a large fleet and a powerful defensive grid. We could think of no better place for a trap. Very shortly I’ll order my fleet to activate their sensor-dampening fields so the Vorn will not know we’re here.”

Vormalt nodded in understanding. “All they’ll see is my fleet and won’t know of the upgrades you’re furnishing us. Even the new defensive platforms shouldn’t be noticeable as we’re installing more everyday ourselves.” Vormalt felt hope for the first time in weeks. “Is it possible to install this new antimatter chamber in my ships?”

“It’s possible, but it would require a major refit. We don’t have the time. However, once this is over, I’ll be glad to turn the plans over to you, and you can fully modernize your ships to where they can fight the Vorn on an equal footing.”

“I understand,” replied Vormalt, feeling disappointed. “Our shipyards are available for anything your ships might require.”

“I appreciate that,” Callast responded. “Right now we have everything we need. Let’s get the dark matter missiles transferred to your ships as well as begin the updates to your energy shields. We may not have a lot of time.”

Vormalt looked concerned. “Is there anything we can do to better protect the shipyards?” Eight large shipyards and two space stations were above Zumwald.

Callast looked thoughtful. “We may be able to install some updated antimatter chambers to power the energy shields. We can probably spare some repair robots as soon as the missiles are offloaded from the cargo ships. It will be a rush job, but I think it’s possible.”

Vormalt nodded. Things were looking brighter. He just needed the Vorn to give them a few extra days to get ready. The next thing he would do was brief the Zumwald government on these recent developments. They probably wouldn’t like him giving the schematics of his warships to the Lakiams, plus unlimited access to the shipyards and space stations, but this was a question of life or death, and he wouldn’t let politicians get in the way of a war.

-

Prince Brollen listened to the latest reports on the progress of the harvesting fleets. This entire sector had nearly been harvested with over 260 food worlds falling to the Vorn. A number of heavily laden Collector ships were already on their way to the staging system, where they would be taken by the intergalactic transport ships to the habitats. On several of the Collector ships were special cases marked for specific Queens, members of the Royal Court, and prominent members of the military who had shown support for Prince Brollen.

In a few more weeks, Queen Alithe would finish laying her eggs and would return to the Royal Court. At that time, she would pick a new consort. Prince Brollen had made arrangements to ensure that never happened. Very shortly he would be arriving at the Conclave Habitat to claim his rightful place as the High Prince. That was the name he had decided on. The cases of special food pellets would help to ensure his rise to power. The future of the Vorn race could no longer be trusted to the Queens, whose raging hormones during their mating season blinded their judgment.

All harvesting fleets will finish in their respective areas in sixty hours, sent Military Leader Ansolk. All that remains will be several Protector Worlds and their colonies.

Prince Brollen turned toward Ansolk. We will combine the fleets and attack the homeworlds of these so called Protectors. We will overwhelm their fleets, harvest their worlds, and then set out for the next sector. There is another close by with over four hundred food worlds that can be harvested.

The Queens will be pleased, sent Military Leader Gallet. We have sent a large number of food pellets to the home system.

And even more in the future, Brollen replied. We have only just begun to harvest this galaxy. When we are finished, we will have ample reserves of food to last our people for several hundred years. That will be plenty of time in which to choose the next galaxy to harvest.

Brollen didn’t add that he intended to rule for many of those years. The food pellets he had in his private collection would feed him opulently for a long time. As the High Prince, he would, of course, mate with many of the Queens in the different habitats. Brollen’s future among the Vorn was assured. The only thing he needed to do now was bide his time and let events run their course.

We shall arrive at our next target in four hours, Military Leader Gallet reported.

That will be the last world we have scheduled to harvest before rendezvousing with the rest of the harvesting fleets, added Military Leader Ansolk.

As soon as all the fleets have reported in, we will destroy the last of the Protector Worlds and their colonies in this sector, Brollen sent. They will become food for the Vorn as is the destiny of all the inhabitants of this galaxy and eventually this universe.

-

High Protector Vormalt read the latest reports of the updates being done to his ships as well as to the shipyards and the space stations. Surprisingly everything was slightly ahead of schedule. Captain Callast had even suggested, if they had the time, to begin updating the energy shields of Zumwald’s defensive platforms.

Vormalt watched a large viewscreen in front of his desk as several small and versatile Lakiam shuttles finished assembling one of their defensive platforms. From the latest reports, they still needed thirty hours to finish the work. Vormalt knew they were cutting it close. Captain Latimeer of the Glaymons had sent several of his disk ships to observe the Vorn. They were nearly finished harvesting this region of space and would soon turn their fleet lose upon Zumwald. Vormalt had been surprised to learn that the minor Protector World of Sumatral still survived, but it would stand little chance against the Vorn.

“I spoke to a Glaymon today,” said Caatler, the excitement showing in his eyes. “I was amazed at how tall they are compared to our people. The Glaymon I spoke to was very polite and soft-spoken. He didn’t hesitate to answer all my questions about the new antimatter chambers being installed in the shipyards. He was very confident the energy screens powered by the new antimatter chambers would protect them.”

“I hope so,” Vormalt replied as the shuttles on the viewscreen finished their work and moved back. Instantly the lights came on, and the platform was live. Shortly a crew would be sent up, and the Lakiams would explain the platform’s operation. Most of the systems were controlled by computers, and the crew was only needed if something went wrong. Two Lakiam crewmembers would stay onboard to work with the crew. They would also remain until the current crisis with the Vorn was over.

-

Captain Callast had just finished inspecting one of the Zumwald space stations, where a crew was busy installing a new antimatter chamber to power the energy shield. Looking out the viewport of the shuttle he was in, he could still see the massive station—over four kilometers in length, a latticework of different installations and facilities. The main purpose of the station was for trade with other worlds—trade that, in all likelihood, would never be the same again even if Zumwald survived the coming Vorn attack. Callast looked past the station at the planet beneath it. It was blue-white as nearly all inhabited worlds were. Nearly 60 percent of the planet was covered in water. It reminded him a lot of Lakiam.

“It is a beautiful world,” said Captain Latimeer from Callast’s side. The Glaymon had wanted to come to the station to meet some of the Zumwald crew. “Even the people on the station show much potential for the future. I wish there was someway to stop the Vorn from harvesting so many worlds. We are losing so much, and some of these races will be gone forever.”

Callast knew from speaking to Captain Latimeer earlier that many worlds are eventually recolonized after the Vorn have gone on and the planet’s ecology has settled down. There were always a few survivors in passenger and cargo ships. Most of the time they were too few to keep a high level of technology and had to begin all over again. Some survived, and new civilizations arose. Others failed, and their races died out, never to be heard or seen again.

“The Vorn will arrive soon,” Captain Callast said. “They will attack us in overwhelming numbers. Even with the fleets of High Protector Vormalt, we’ll be outnumbered by at least six to one.”

“Don’t forget about the defense grid around the planet,” spoke Latimeer. “It is very powerful and should be able to deal with any Vorn ship that gets past our fleets.”

“When the Vorn arrive, we must hit them hard and fast,” said Callast. “We will keep the sensor-dampening fields in operation until it’s time to attack. That should allow us to take them by surprise and inflict some heavy losses on their fleet before they can respond.” Of course, when the Vorn did respond, it would be brutal due to their numbers.

Latimeer took a deep breath and then spoke. “I will take my ships and attack the Vorn motherships. If I can destroy enough of them, the Vorn will withdraw. You must use your ships to draw the fire of the Vorn cruisers and their battleships so we can get close enough to the motherships to destroy them.”

Callast looked long and hard at Latimeer. “That’s suicide. Even your Glaymon ships won’t survive in the heart of that formation. Too many Vorn ships will be able to bring their weapons to bear on your fleet.”

Latimeer smiled gently. “We’ll survive long enough. There’s a world at stake.”

-

Two days passed, and Captain Callast let out a deep sigh of relief. All of the new defensive platforms were in orbit and operational. The last ships of the Zumwald fleet had received their shield update just a few hours ago. A Glaymon disk ship had arrived only a few minutes earlier and reported the entire Vorn fleet was gathered at a star system 112 light-years distant.

“They’ll be coming soon,” said Danall, the tactical officer, as he studied the data from the Glaymons. “Over fifty thousand Vorn warships.”

Callast had expected that. Reports had filtered into Lakiam over the last month which had indicated the approximate size of the Vorn fleets harvesting the worlds of the Rumii Sector. “How many battleships?” That was the problem. If it were only the smaller spindle-shaped cruisers of the Vorn, they might actually win this battle. However, the Vorn battleships were the problem.

“Twelve thousand,” replied Danall. “At least 12,000 of the twelve-hundred-meter-long Vorn battleships.”

“We can’t defeat that many battleships,” said Callast, finding it hard to imagine that many in one fleet formation.

Callast considered how to defeat the Vorn fleet. The motherships were the key. If they could reach them and inflict sufficient damage, the Vorn would withdraw. It seemed impossible. However, Fleet Commodore Dreen had placed his trust in Callast to find a way.

“The motherships,” said Danall, his eyes narrowing. “We have to reach the motherships.”

Captain Callast spent some time weighing all his options. Captain Latimer intended to take his thirty disk ships deep into the Vorn formation so he could fire upon the motherships. Callast just didn’t see any way the Glaymons could make it. Even with their superior shields and weapons, too many battleships would be firing on them. Callast was certain they would be destroyed well short of their targets. Unless they were protected somehow, he thought.

Then the solution came to him. It would be reckless and extremely dangerous, but it just might get the Glaymons close enough to take out the Vorn motherships. He sat, thinking for several minutes, searching for other solutions, but could think of nothing else that even held a sliver of success. There was only one way to ensure Captain Latimeer reached the Vorn motherships.

Callast turned toward Danall. “I have the answer, but you won’t like it.”

“I’m listening,” responded Danall, his attention focused on the captain.

Callast explained his plan and watched as Danall’s eyes opened wide in understanding.

“It might work,” Danall said when Callast stopped talking. “I’ll run come combat scenarios through the tactical computer and see what they show.”

“Let me know.” Callast stood to go to his quarters. If they implemented his plan, there was a good chance he would not be returning to Lakiam. However, he had come here to stop the Vorn and to save Zumwald. That was exactly what he would do, no matter what the cost.

Chapter Eighteen

Deep in, toward the center of the galaxy, a Glaymon disk ship entered the nebula that held the hidden Glaymon Dyson Sphere. The ship was operating its sensor-dampening field to prevent any of the races who inhabited this region of space from detecting it. Captain Lilith knew the dampening field would not prevent the powerful sensors on the Dyson Sphere from detecting her ship. Her greatest fear was that her vessel would be fired upon as soon as it came within range of the sphere’s powerful defensive and offensive weapons.

“I am curious to find out what were the ramifications of our ships leaving the Dyson Sphere,” said Marcus, Lilith’s second in command.

“Marshton and Valan felt they would be quite severe,” commented Arleen, the ship’s AI. She stood on a small platform, which projected her holographic image. “When we left the Dyson Sphere, we violated a number of our long-standing laws. The council will have punished the Aggressives for taking part in this revolt against their rule.”

“It was necessary,” defended Lilith, as they neared the Dyson Sphere. “Arleen, see if you can contact Marshton or Valan.” Lilith would really like to speak to one of them before she landed her ship in any of the spacedocks. Ideally she wanted to land in one of the spacedocks controlled by the Aggressives.

Arleen seemed to concentrate as she accessed the ship’s communications system. After a moment she looked directly at Lilith. “Marshton and Valan are not available. However, I have managed to reach Gaylith.”

Lilith nodded. She knew Gaylith. The woman was in charge of monitoring communications in the galaxy so the Glaymons in the Dyson Sphere would be aware of major developments in the war with the Vorn. “Inform her that we have returned with a message from Fleet Captain Waelt and would like to address the council. Also ask her if it’s possible to land at one of the spacedocks.”

Arleen did so and then looked at Lilith. “She says, if we land, our ship will be seized by the council, and we may not be allowed to leave again. They have already received a message, informing them not to allow our ship to land at any of the Aggressive spacedocks. She also doubts if the council will listen to you. Gaylith says we should have never come back.”

Arleen suddenly became quiet, as if concentrating. “I have received a message from council member Aalik. He instructs us to land at a spacedock under the control of the council. He says failure to do so will result in the immediate destruction of our ship.”

“Inform him we have valuable information for the council.”

“He doesn’t believe the council will be interested in listening. It will be all he can do to prevent us from being banished to an isolated habitation square to live out our lives in solitude. In my case it will mean the deletion of my program.”

“Tell him the Lakiams and the Andocks have captured a Vorn mothership, and I have in my possession the full download from the ship’s computer.” Captain Waelt and Tasid had given her this to be used as a bargaining chip with the council.

Several long minutes passed without a reply as the ship neared the spacedock specified by Aalik. Then Arleen’s eyes brightened.

“The council has agreed to listen to you if you turn over the information to them.”

“I agree,” Lilith replied. “Arleen send a copy of the files to Gaylith and ask her to get them to Marshton and Valan. It’s essential they see them before I go in front of the council. Also send them a copy of Fleet Captain Waelt’s message as well as the one recorded by Tasid.”

“I suppose you prefer a tight beam so the council won’t be aware we sent a copy of the computer files to Gaylith?”

“That’s correct,” Lilith replied. She would need support in the council meeting, and this was the best way she could think of to give her some leverage.

Looking at the main viewscreen, she saw the Dyson Sphere. It seemed to go on forever. Inside was enough habitable area to cover ten million normal-size planets. Also twelve trillion Glaymons were spread across eight thousand habitation squares. Unfortunately most of them, except her own more primitive people, were pacifists and had no desire to fight the Vorn. She hoped she was about to change that.

-

The disk ship entered the massive spacedock and flew down its center to the assigned berth. Inside the spacedock were hundreds of the larger two-thousand-meter disk ships. These were battleships, the most powerful ships the Glaymons possessed. Unfortunately Lilith’s people were only allowed to build the smaller one-thousand-meter vessels. She wished she could take some of these larger ships with her when she returned to Fleet Captain Waelt. That is, if she was allowed to return. This greatly concerned her after what Gaylith had said.

Once the ship docked, Lilith exited the vessel, finding a small group of Glaymons waiting for her. One of them was Councilor Aalik

“Your crew is to remain inside your ship for the time being,” he ordered. “It will be several days before the entire council is ready to listen to you. That will give them time to study the information from the captured Vorn mothership.”

“What about me?” Lilith was nervous, not sure what to expect.

“You’ll be in isolation until we decide what to do with you.”

Lilith blinked her eyes. “Will I be allowed to return to Fleet Captain Waelt?”

“No,” Aalik replied, his face taking on a deep frown of disapproval. “No more ships will be allowed to leave the Dyson Sphere. The defenses have been set to automatically destroy any vessel attempting to leave. Your own ship would have come under fire except for the information you claimed to possess. Is it true you have copies of computer files from a Vorn mothership?”

“We do,” Lilith responded. “Information in those files can affect the entire war effort.”

“We’ll see. For now you will come with me, and I will take you to your quarters. You will stay there until summoned.”

Lilith nodded. After speaking to Gaylith, this was what she had been expecting. Her eventual freedom would depend on how persuasive she could be with the council. That was one of the reasons Fleet Captain Waelt had chosen her. She was very good at speaking; however, sometimes she tended to say too much.

-

Early the next morning, Lilith was in her quarters listening to music. That was one area she was particularly proud of in regard to her race. Music and the arts were highly coveted careers. She was about to listen to some of the newer offerings, made since she had left the Dyson Sphere with Fleet Captain Waelt, when her door chimed, indicating she had some visitors.

“Enter,” she said, knowing the computer system was monitoring her quarters and would allow in the visitors if they were authorized.

The door slid open, and Marshton and Valan came in.

“Captain Lilith,” said Marshton, stopping in front of her with a puzzled look. “Why did you come back?”

“Fleet Captain Waelt sent me. He needs more ships to fight the Vorn.”

Valan looked at Marshton meaningfully. “I told you.”

Marshton’s shoulders drooped, and he let out a deep sigh. “The council will never allow it. Even if we wanted to launch more ships, the defenses on the outside of the Dyson Sphere have been set to automatic. Any ships we launch will be destroyed. There’s nothing we can do.”

“Have you studied the data I sent you from the Vorn mothership?”

Valan nodded. “It’s frightening, knowing they have that many habitats. We estimate they could easily have over one million warships inside those structures.”

“Yes,” Lilith said. “But, if we wait on the council’s plan, it will be several million more years before they deal with the Vorn, if ever. How many more of those massive habitats will they have by then? They also know that, somewhere in our galaxy, a race has escaped their notice for millions of years. When this harvest is over, they’ll come looking for us.”

“Yes, the council is greatly concerned about that,” Marshton replied. “It has been a subject of great discussion since Fleet Captain Waelt left the Dyson Sphere. They have decided we shall be punished even more severely than we originally expected. Our numbers are to be reduced to one hundred million.”

“One hundred million!” cried out Lilith, stunned at the announcement. “We have over eight billion now. They can’t do this!”

“They can, and they’ve passed the resolution. We are bound to obey.”

Lilith bit her lip as she thought. This was much worse than what Fleet Captain Waelt had anticipated. “Is there anything we can do?”

“We’ve tried,” Marshton replied with a tired look in his eyes. “At every council meeting we bring up our objections, and they are overruled.”

“I can’t believe there is no sympathy for our cause in some of the councilors. There are over eight thousand of them. Surely a few would support us.”

Valan looked at Marshton, who nodded. “A few have spoken to us privately. Some habitation squares would be willing to support us, but there just aren’t enough. Too many fear what the rest of the council would do to them. They too could suffer severe penalties, as we have. We have told them to remain silent rather than take the risk.”

“The war against the Vorn is being fought now,” Lilith said pointedly. “Already we have had several significant victories against the Vorn. We could stop them if we had more ships!”

“We have been monitoring Fleet Captain Waelt’s activities with our long-range communication systems. Gaylith keeps us informed of what’s occurring. We’re sorry. I wish we could do more, but our involvement in this matter is over.”

“So, you’ll allow the council to let our people die out? We’re just to roll over and play dead? I thought we were better than that!”

Marshton shook his head. “You don’t understand. We have no choice. If we attempt to disobey the council, we could lose everything.”

“No,” Lilith answered, her gaze drilling into Marshton. “Not if we take our people out in the galaxy to live. Tasid is already building a habitat that can hold several million of our people. We’ll take our race out into the galaxy, where we belong.”

“It’s too late for that,” replied Valan, shaking his head. “We must go. We will be at the council meeting when you speak.”

Lilith watched them leave, feeling let down. She had expected so much more from those two. She realized she should never have volunteered for this mission.

-

Later Marshton and Valan were in a small ship, taking them to their habitats.

“I hated being so dishonest with her,” Valan said as he watched the habitation squares below the shuttle. They currently were passing over one that was an immense desert covered in huge sand dunes and massive sandstorms. Even here some life existed which was suited to such inhospitable conditions.

“It was necessary,” Marshton replied. “We know the council is monitoring her quarters and any visitors she has. We only confirmed what they already know.”

Valan nodded. “They can’t become aware of our real plan until it’s too late. We still need a few more councilors to come over to our side.”

“I’m hoping, when Captain Lilith speaks to the council, that will happen. It’s our only hope for a future and to help Fleet Captain Waelt.”

“The council meeting is set for the day after tomorrow. Let’s just hope our plan works.”

Valan looked down, watching as they passed over the next habitation square. This one was covered in a massive forest, and a race of humanoids lived there. They were quite primitive in the way they lived, but that was what they preferred. They had come to the Dyson Sphere several hundred thousand years in the past and had elected to give up all their technology to live with nature.

“We have to put our faith in Captain Lilith,” said Marshton. “If she speaks to the council with the intensity and emotion she did with us, I believe we will get the support we need.”

Valan remained quiet, thinking about all they had done since Fleet Captain Waelt left. If they succeeded, they would shake up the council, and there would be repercussions across the Dyson Sphere. Perhaps that would be for the best as most Glaymons had become too cut off from their emotions over the long years since the great megastructure was built. Time they went back to their roots. It was difficult to accept that all their hopes relied on a ship captain who believed everyone had abandoned her.

-

Lilith spent considerable time dressing to make sure she had the appropriate attire for a meeting with the Glaymon Council. Over the long years a certain decorum was expected of anyone addressing the full council. She would honor that decorum, but she would speak with her heart and with the truth. Her words would offend many members of the council, but her goal was to sway them just enough to allow her to return to Fleet Captain Waelt with more ships. If she failed, then even Fleet Captain Waelt would lose in the end against the Vorn.

When it was time, Aalik came to escort her to the council chambers. They walked along several long corridors before finally reaching a set of large ornate wooden doors with huge symbols on them symbolizing the Glaymon’s original home world. Aalik opened one of the doors, indicating for Lilith to enter. Stepping inside, Lilith paused. She had never been in the council chamber before. She was in a huge amphitheater shaped like a horseshoe with a raised center stage; a Glaymon in richly colored robes stood before a podium. Lilith looked out across the amphitheater. She could barely make out the end of the room. She knew over eight thousand Glaymons were in attendance. She also knew that most of those Glaymons were holograms.

“Captain Lilith,” spoke the Glaymon behind the podium. This was Lead Councilor Lavin, the current spokesperson for the council. “For this meeting of the council we will not use telepathy but our spoken language. You have requested to address the council on the war with the Vorn and the discoveries made on the mothership the Andocks and the Lakiams have under their control. Be aware that we will not tolerate insults or disrespect toward this council. We won’t be going to war against the Vorn, and you will not be leaving this Dyson Sphere again. You may speak your words to the council.”

Lilith approached the podium, standing close to it and facing the Glaymon councilors. “I come from Fleet Captain Waelt with a plea for aid.” Lilith knew she had to choose her words carefully. “Already we have fought a great battle with the Vorn and won a decisive victory. We have found allies among the stars who are willing to fight at our side to protect this galaxy from the Destroyers of Worlds. They sacrifice their lives willingly so others might live and not become food for this ancient enemy. An enemy so cruel and callous who has harvested countless galaxies and turned more civilizations than we can count into food for their hungry race.”

Some of the Glaymon councilors were murmuring among themselves.

“Imagine what it must be like to know your family has been turned into a black ash and then transported to a Vorn mothership, where the ashes are converted into food pellets to feed their Queens and their other castes?”

“The Vorn are evil,” a lone female voice said from the depths of the chamber.

“They are more than evil,” Lilith replied. “They are an aberration that should never have come to our universe. They are creatures that have nothing in common with the races of this universe. To the Vorn, we are nothing more than a food source.” Lilith paused, wanting the councilors to feel the full impact of her words.

“The Andocks and the Lakiams have captured a Vorn mothership and, with our aid, have decrypted its computer files. We now know the location of the system where the Vorn are staging their ships to attack this galaxy. But, of even more importance, we now know where the Vorn home system is.”

More murmurings came from the council. Several turned to look at one another, and a few tense conversations broke out.

Lilith took a deep breath as her gaze moved across the chamber, meeting the gazes of as many councilors as she could. “We know where the Vorn home system is, and this Dyson Sphere has the ships to destroy all of their habitats, if we so want. We can stop this threat now! We can save countless galaxies from the horror of becoming food for the Vorn!”

“Hold,” ordered Lead Councilor Lavin, looking disapprovingly at Lilith. “We have told you that we will not engage in a war with the Vorn. We have a way to send them back to their universe. When the time is right, we will do so. We will not send our ships to engage the Vorn in a fruitless war.”

“Then we let countless galaxies die as the Vorn grow in strength!” challenged Lilith, her focus on the lead councilor. “What happens if they find us before then? They know we exist. When they have harvested this galaxy, they will come looking for us. If they find us, they will try to destroy this Dyson Sphere.”

“They will not find us,” Lavin responded patiently. “We have remained hidden in this nebula for over twenty-two million years, and we will remain hidden for two million more. At that time the Vorn will cease to be a threat as we will send them back to their universe.”

“A good plan except for one serious error on your part.”

Councilor Lavin frowned. “What error are you referring to?”

“This time the Vorn know we exist! They have fought our ships and know we are a serious threat to them. They will send thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of ships to seek us out. I promise you, before the end of that two million years, the Vorn will find us. Then you will fight this war whether you want to or not. And you will fight the Vorn alone because you will have let them destroy the other races in this galaxy who might have stood at your side.”

“I do not see your point,” Lavin said, shaking his head. “Even if they find us, the defenses of this Dyson Sphere and our fleet will hold them back. We have no fear of the Vorn.”

“It will be war,” pointed out Lilith carefully. This was where she had hoped the head councilor would go. “You are proposing war in the future to protect our people and the Dyson Sphere. Why not commit our ships now while we have allies willing to fight at our side. We have all the information from the files on the mothership to know where to strike the Vorn. At this moment, we know where they live, but they do not know where the Dyson Sphere is. At this very moment in time, we have an advantage. An advantage that might not exist in the future!”

A few encouraging comments came from some of the councilors in the chamber as they demanded to know what the point was in waiting if they had to fight the Vorn anyway.

“We do not know if any of that will happen,” Lavin responded. “The Vorn may never find us until it is too late. We cannot endanger all our work to send them back in the future to fight a space war now.”

Lilith looked slowly around the council chamber. “But what if they do find us? We have an opportunity to strike now before they become stronger. What if, in two million years, we send the Vorn back to their universe only to learn later they have built more habitats in other regions of our universe? We know where they are now. We know their strengths and their weaknesses. We cannot wait any longer! Let us go to war and end the Destroyers of Worlds once and for all!”

“That is enough!” said Lavin, stopping Lilith from speaking further. “This discussion is pointless as we are not going to war. Councilor Aalik, escort Captain Lilith to her quarters while we debate her fate.”

Aalik stepped forward, placing his hand on Lilith’s arm. “Come with me. You did your best, but now it’s over.”

Lilith let out a deep sigh of defeat. She bowed her head and followed Aalik. She knew from the tone of Lead Councilor Lavin’s voice that she would not be returning to Fleet Captain Waelt. Her time in the war against the Vorn was over.

-

Marshton and Valan sat in their seats in the council chamber. They had carefully noted the responses from other councilors to Lilith’s testimony in front of the council. They had the names of nearly two hundred councilors who had reacted positively to what she said. They just needed twenty of those to come over to their side so they could enact their plan.

“She did it,” gloated Valan with a wide smile as they shut down their holograms and returned to their private conference room. “I will contact the other councilors who we know will support us and have them make some discreet inquiries into those who responded to Captain Lilith. Just maybe we’ll have what we need to move on to the next stage of our plan.”

“We can only hope,” Marshton replied. “Now I must see if I can get Captain Lilith released into our custody.”

Valan nodded. “I hope so. I think we have put her through enough.”

-

Lilith was surprised the next day when Aalik returned to her quarters and informed her that she would be released into the custody of Councilor Marshton. Her travels would be limited to the four habitation squares currently under control of the Aggressives.

“You tried,” Aalik said as they walked toward the small ship waiting for her. “The council is set in its ways, and most will not consider a change such as what you proposed.”

“And you?” asked Lilith. “What do you believe?”

Aalik looked around and then spoke in a lower voice. “I fear you are correct, but the council will never see it that way. Go to Marshton. Your crew has already been sent.” Then Aalik spoke to her telepathically. You have done well. All is not as it seems. Valan and Marshton will explain.

Lilith boarded the small ship, confused by Aalik’s cryptic telepathic words. While she was not a telepath, she could receive thoughts from one. However, her mind could also not be read because the telepathic gene, inside her, was recessive and not dominant.

The small ship flew for nearly an hour until it reached one of the habitation squares of the Aggressives. During that time Lilith watched out one of the large viewports at the numerous habitation squares the ship flew over. They were so beautiful, and she still found it hard to believe her people had built this over twenty million years in the past. However, back then, her people had been more aggressive, not like the Glaymons who inhabited most of the habitation squares in this day and age. They had grown soft and more self-centered over the long years. Lilith guessed she couldn’t blame them. It was evolution. Even the Aggressives had to use gene manipulation occasionally on some generations to keep the Aggressive gene dominant.

The small ship landed at a large spaceport near one of the magnificent cities spread across the four habitation squares the Aggressives controlled. Several thousand ships were parked at the spaceport. Some larger than the one she was on and others even smaller. It was necessary due to the distances involved in traveling from one square to another.

As Lilith stepped off the ship, Marshton waited for her.

“You’re crew is already here,” said Marshton.

“And my ship?” Lilith wanted her ship returned to her; without it, she was trapped on the Dyson Sphere. Somehow or another she had to get to Fleet Captain Waelt.

“You’re not getting it back,” replied Marshton, shaking his head. “The council refuses to turn it over, claiming they need the information in its computer concerning the Vorn.”

Lilith looked crestfallen. Her mission had ended in a complete disaster.

Marshton saw the look on Lilith’s face. “Don’t worry. We’re giving you another one.”

“What!” exclaimed Lilith. “Why?” She didn’t understand what was going on.

Marshton grinned. “Why, to return to Fleet Captain Waelt, and you won’t be going alone!”

Chapter Nineteen

Prince Brollen was ready. He had combined all his fleets into two massive formations. Both of his military leaders agreed that it was best to jump into the Protector World system in one huge battle formation. A group of battleships would lead the way, screened by Vorn cruisers. However, one thing Prince Brollen had learned from his battles with food species 236 and food species 111 was not to take anything for granted.

As a result, he had ordered Military Commander Vasterus to hold back with his fleet in case something went wrong. With the military commander’s two thousand battleships and six thousand cruisers, he could be summoned to handle any unknown adversary or unexpected strategy the Protector World might employ.

Is the fleet ready? asked Prince Brollen.

Yes, confirmed Military Leader Ansolk. We will exit hyperspace 220,000 kilometers from the planet. The food species has gathered their entire fleet around their world to protect it. If we jump in at that range, it will give them time to gather their fleet and come out to meet us in combat, where we can destroy their fleet. We have fought ships of this food species before, and they have no weapons that are a serious danger to our ships.

However, added Military Leader Gallet, they fight in squadron-size units and have had some minor success in destroying a few of our cruisers in the past. Our long-range scans indicate they have gathered a fleet of over six thousand warships to oppose us. In addition, they have one of the most powerful defense grids we have come across. We will lose some cruisers in this battle, but it will not be a significant loss.

Prince Brollen’s multifaceted eyes turned toward the tactical display, lit up with red threat icons. The food species’ fleet was packed in so tightly around its world that it appeared as a solid blob of red encircling the planet.

Take the fleet into hyperspace, ordered Brollen, clicking his mandibles. It is time I tasted this food species to see if they are worthy to add to my private collection.

Once this food world and its colonies were harvested, only one other insignificant food species remained to be harvested. Then it would be time to move on to the next sector or possibly even return to the Conclave Habitat. Queen Alithe would be emerging from the egg chambers soon, and Prince Brollen’s plan to become the High Prince of the Vorn would be set into motion. Timing would be everything. He would arrive soon enough after Queen Alithe’s demise to claim the rulership. Very soon he would be the leader of all the Vorn in this universe.

-

Captain Callast watched the tactical display as the massive Vorn fleet jumped into hyperspace on its way to the Zumwald System. A second smaller fleet remained behind.

“Here they come,” reported Fabold from his sensor console. “If they exit hyperspace close to Zumwald Four, as we expect them to, they’ll be here in three hours and fourteen minutes.”

Callast drew in a deep breath. “Inform High Protector Vormalt the Vorn are inbound and their estimated arrival time.” The Vorn were using their sensor-dampening fields, but the Glaymon sensors could see right through them.

Callast then activated a secure line between the Destonn and Captain Latimeer. “They’re coming.”

“We see them,” Latimeer replied. “As soon as they exit hyperspace, we will move behind their fleet.”

“We’re ready also,” said Callast. “Let’s just hope this works.”

-

High Protector Vormalt readied his fleet. They were currently at War Condition Three and would stay so for the next hour. He had already sent word to the Zumwald government, and preparations were well under way to get as much of the population underground as possible. The Glaymons had confirmed that three hundred feet of dirt and bedrock would adequately protect people from the effects of the black harvesting beams. Hundreds of thousands of citizens had been chosen to go to the deeper shelters, cave systems, and mines. There were old mine shafts which extended kilometers deep into the planet. Frantic work had been done to make some of these shafts suitable for people to take refuge in.

“Defense grid will power up in one hour and forty minutes,” Low Protector Caatler reported. “Same for the shipyards and the two space stations.”

Vormalt nodded. They did not want the Vorn to realize their fleet had been detected, at least not yet. Vormalt wished they had had the time to update his fleet with the newer antimatter chambers. It would take a major refit as the power would be too great for the fleet’s current systems to handle. The energy weapons would melt from the amount of power the new system would generate. However, if by some miracle they survived this battle, then the fleet would be upgraded immediately.

Caatler gazed at a viewscreen, showing Zumwald Four. “Do you think we will ever go home again?”

“Perhaps,” Vormalt answered, his gaze shifting to his second in command. “We have the Lakiam Alliance fleet here, along with some Glaymon vessels. We know they have both defeated the Vorn before. We can only hope they can do it again with our help.”

On the viewscreens, shuttles departed the space stations and shipyards. Not a mass rush but a calculated evacuation. Only minimal crews would remain to help repair damage during the battle. The Lakiams had even agreed to keep some of their small repair robots on board to help.

“Just think, a few months ago we were well on our way to Enlightenment,” commented Caatler, recalling what it had been like before the Vorn came to their sector of space. “Now where are we?”

Vormalt watched as the viewscreen shifted to show one of the new defensive platforms. Its direct energy projectors and force beam cannons were all aimed away from the planet and toward deep space. The Vorn would receive a shock if they came near one. “I spoke to Captain Callast about that very subject yesterday. He suggested that maybe Enlightenment was a mistake. He said many Lakiams are coming to believe that Enlightenment is a dead end, and the races who achieve it reach a plateau in emotional development and become stagnant.”

“Interesting,” replied Caatler. “If true, the entire galaxy has lived a lie for millions of years.”

“Perhaps,” Vormalt answered. “I would be curious to know where this path of Enlightenment actually began in the past.”

“I suspect no one knows,” Caatler responded. “It’s one of those institutions that has always been around, and people don’t question it.”

“Well, it’ll be questioned now.” Vormalt wondered what would become of his planet and people if they survived this coming attack. One thing he knew for sure: they would never be the same.

-

Prince Brollen watched as the fleet drew nearer the target system. The tactical screen was showing a lot of movement of shuttles or small spacecraft between the planet and the orbiting stations. Have we been detected? Brollen didn’t believe this much traffic was normal.

I think it is possible, Military Leader Gallet responded after a moment of thought. It would explain the movement of the ships between the planet and the orbiting stations.

When we exit hyperspace, the fleet is to remain stationary while we scan the space around the planet as well as the surface. Something does not appear right. Prince Brollen had learned through multiple battles not to take anything for granted. It was always possible a food world had developed a weapon deadly to Vorn ships. The fact they might have been detected seemed to indicate this food species had access to some very advanced technology.

Military Leader Ansolk studied the tactical display for several moments. I see nothing abnormal. The ship count has not changed in the last few days, though more defensive platforms are in orbit. There is a possibility we were detected in the system where the fleet rendezvoused. Perhaps a cargo ship or even a scout vessel spotted our fleet.

Perhaps, Prince Brollen replied. However, if that were the case, why did we not pick them up on our sensors?

Ansolk did not reply as he had no answer.

Nevertheless, we will do a thorough scan before we advance and engage this food world’s fleet. Brollen walked closer to the tactical display, tilting his triangular-shaped head to study it in more detail. His twin antenna stood straight up as he wondered if they were missing something. This was one of this galaxy’s Protector Worlds, but the Vorn had only found two in this entire galaxy able to withstand the might of the Vorn. He doubted if this was another. Even though this was a Protector World, it was still just a food species.

-

Captain Callast watched anxiously as the Vorn fleet neared Zumwald. In another few minutes they would drop from hyperspace.

He had arranged his fleet into three sections. The 1,200 Alliance vessels, minus the Lakiam ships, would attack from beneath the Vorn formation. The 1,300 Lakiam battlecruisers would attack from above the Vorn formation. High Protector Vormalt and his 6,000 thousand battleships and battlecruisers would attack the Vorn head-on, firing dark matter missiles and their energy weapons. Callast would take 200 battlecruisers to act as a screening force for the 30 Glaymon disk ships. They would assault the Vorn formation from the rear, once the other fleets launched their attack.

Callast knew the mission he had chosen for himself was probably suicidal. However, if he could get the Glaymon ships close enough to the Vorn motherships, they might just save Zumwald Four from the Vorn and blunt this attack. Callast had refused to allow any other ship captain to lead this deadly mission.

“Three minutes to Vorn fleet dropout,” reported Fabold from his sensor console.

“Set Alert Status One,” ordered Danall, over the ship’s comm. “Weapons are ready to fire. All systems are powered up and working at optimum levels.”

The last few minutes ticked by, and suddenly Vorn ships erupted from hyperspace.

“Sensor contacts,” Fabold reported. “Vorn fleet is emerging 220,000 kilometers from Zumwald Four.”

Callast gazed at the tactical display, full of red threat icons.

“Our fleets are moving in to attack,” confirmed Fabold.

Captain Callast watched the tactical display intently. The Lakiam battlecruisers and the rest of the ships from the Alliance were still running under their sensor-dampening fields. The Vorn sensors would eventually burn through these fields once the Alliance ships got close enough, exposing them. However, Callast intended to get one full missile strike in before the Vorn realized what they were up against.

-

Prince Brollen eyed the viewscreens and the tactical displays, looking for any signs they had underestimated this enemy. On the tactical display, the defending fleet now moved forward in one massive formation. Opposing them were 1,200 Vorn battleships screened by 4,000 cruisers, which were in front of the main Vorn fleet, preparing to engage the food species’ fleet.

Sensors are not picking up any irregularities, though a number of the newer defensive platforms are showing much higher power readings than expected. Same for the stations orbiting the planet, reported Military Leader Gallet.

That is not unexpected, Military Leader Ansolk added. The food world would have strengthened the stations to the maximum, and any new platforms would have the latest updates once they knew we were in their sector.

Enemy fleet is nearing weapons range, reported the Vorn at Sensors.

Stand by to fire, ordered Ansolk, looking at Prince Brollen for confirmation.

Move the fleet forward. Engage the enemy. A food world is waiting to be harvested.

-

The forward Vorn battleships and cruisers surged toward the incoming Zumwald fleet. Suddenly, from all six thousand defending warships, missile hatches slid open, and hyperspace missiles launched. Only these were not any old missiles; these were the two-hundred-megaton dark matter missiles of the Lakiams. The Zumwald fleet coordinated their firing in squadrons of ten ships each. All ten ships fired their missiles at just one Vorn vessel.

Across the front of the forward Vorn formation, dark matter explosions suddenly blossomed. As soon as the missiles detonated, every Zumwald ship fired their heavy energy projectors and direct energy cannons. Seeking gaps in the Vorn shields.

Under the punishing attack of the dark matter missiles, 318 Vorn shields collapsed, releasing their stored energy. The Vorn ships beneath the shields simply ceased to exist as they were vaporized by the massive amounts of energy that struck their armored hulls. Other ships’ shields fluctuated as they nearly overloaded leaving gaps in the shields.

Direct energy cannon fire from a Zumwald squadron slammed into the main part of a Vorn battleship, setting off massive explosions and hurling glowing debris into space. The beams played across the vessel, tearing it open until it finally blew apart.

Fire from a squadron’s heavy energy projectors struck the aft section of a spindle-shaped cruiser, and debris drifted away from the ship. A dark matter missile arrived, and the ship vanished in a novalike explosion. When it cleared, all that remained were a few small pieces of glowing wreckage.

Another dark matter missile slammed into the stern of a battleship, and the vessel vanished in a fiery explosion. High Protector Vormalt’s fleet pressed the attack, taking advantage of these first few moments of the battle.

Before the Vorn could respond to this unexpected missile assault, a second wave of dark matter missiles was released.

-

Prince Brollen stared in shock at the carnage delivered to the front echelon of his fleet. What type of missiles are those? He already had a suspicion, but he wanted confirmation.

Dark matter, replied Military Leader Gallet.

Our ships are returning fire, added Military Leader Ansolk.

Use our sensors. Search for ships from food species 236. Brollen knew they were the only food species with these deadly missiles. Somehow they had gotten their missiles to this isolated Protector World, and now the Vorn fleet was paying for it.

Suddenly alarms sounded on the sensor console as more explosions ravaged his fleet. From above and below his fleet, dark matter hypermissiles slammed into his ships.

Where are those missiles coming from? Prince Brollen watched the viewscreens as dark matter explosions ripped into the top and bottom part of the main Vorn fleet formation. Other ships had to be out there where the sensors failed to find them.

Sensor contacts, reported the Vorn at the sensor console. Confirmed two additional enemy fleets. Ships from both food species 236 and 111 detected. They were using sensor-dampening fields to hide from our scans.

Prince Brollen’s twin antenna quivered as several thousand new red threat icons appeared on the tactical display.

Return fire, he ordered frantically as hundreds of green icons representing Vorn ships vanished from the tactical display. He was dismayed to find fleets from these two food species here at this Protector World. Both of these worlds had defeated Vorn fleets in the past.

-

Captain Callast drew in a deep breath. It was time. The Vorn were focused on the three-pronged attack ravaging their fleet. They would not be expecting an attack from the rear. “All ships advance. Prepare to fire on my command.” Callast was curious. The battlecruisers he had with him all had the new kinetic energy cannons. They had been furnished with special rounds from the Glaymons. While not as powerful as the ones the Humans used, they were still supposed to be capable of taking out a Vorn warship with one strike.

Callast watched as they neared optimum range. His battlecruisers were screening the thirty Glaymon disk ships in the heart of his small fleet’s cylindrical formation. “Fire!”

Each Lakiam battlecruiser fired a kinetic energy round. Almost instantly they struck their targets. The rounds detonated with a force of nearly one thousand megatons. Vorn energy screens instantly collapsed, ripping apart or vaporizing the ships they were supposed to protect. Into the chaos that had just struck the rear of the Vorn formation, Captain Callast took his fleet. His ships were aimed at the heart of the enemy formation and the motherships waiting within.

-

Prince Brollen’s eyes opened wide in sudden fear when he saw the newest ships attacking the rear of his formation. On the main viewscreen, a ship of the ancient race was visible. The one-thousand-meter disk ship was aimed at the center of his fleet.

Ships of the ancient race, reported Military Leader Gallet.

Ansolk was busy directing the ships of the Vorn fleet as they responded to this unexpected multiple attack.

Brollen watched as the small fleet to the rear of his fleet intermixed with Vorn ships as they penetrated the fleet formation. Summon Military Commander Vasterus. He’s to attack the small fleet in the rear of our formation. Those ships are to be destroyed at all costs!

Prince Brollen was annoyed. Why had the two food species—who had defeated him in the past—and the ancient race decided to intervene so far from their home sector? Gazing at a viewscreen, he saw a Vorn battleship explode as it was stuck by a weapon from one of the battlecruisers penetrating his formation. Why are those ships entering our formation? Don’t they know we will destroy them? It made no tactical sense. Once Vasterus arrived and hit the small enemy fleet from the rear, their doom would be sealed.

Military Leader Gallet looked uneasily at Prince Brollen. That small fleet has set a course toward the center of our formation. I believe they plan to target our motherships.

Prince Brollen stepped back, his focus on Gallet. They will never make it. We will destroy them before they can reach us. Brollen looked at the nearest tactical display. Surely his fleet could destroy those vessels. There was no way they could make it deep enough into the fleet’s formation to threaten the motherships.

-

High Protector Vormalt groaned as the Vorn returned fire. Across his formation, ships died as they succumbed to the Vorn black antimatter beams. True, the shields were holding up better, and the few black energy spheres the Destroyers of Worlds had used had no effect on his ships’ shields. Still the Zumwald fleet was vastly outnumbered.

“We are destroying their ships!” reported Caatler as a Vorn cruiser died under the fire of the Dawn’s Light and the squadron supporting her.

Vormalt took a moment to study the tactical display. They were destroying some Vorn vessels, but now the Vorn counterattack was taking out a large number of Zumwald warships.

“High Protector, look at the viewscreens.”

The upper and lower levels of the massive Vorn fleet seemed to be on fire. A fire which was steadily growing and burning. Vormalt knew two sections of the Alliance fleet were attacking there.

Alarms suddenly sounded as more red threat icons appeared behind the Vorn fleet.

“Two thousand more battleships and six thousand Vorn cruisers,” reported Fabold breathlessly.

“They’re trying to pin in Captain Callast,” Caatler said, his eyes flushed with concern. “They’ll never be able to pull back and escape.”

Vormalt let out a deep sigh. “Captain Callast does not intend to return. He goes to destroy the Vorn.”

-

Captain Callast felt the Destonn shake violently. The lights blinked once and then returned to normal.

“Multiple black antimatter beams have hit us as well as small antimatter missiles,” reported Fabold.

“The new kinetic energy cannon is working as predicted,” added Danall with a pleased look from Tactical. “Each round is taking out a Vorn ship.”

Callast looked at Fabold. “What about Captain Latimeer’s ships?”

“Untouched,” Fabold answered. “Our battlecruisers are preventing the Vorn from targeting them, at least for now.”

Callast nodded. His ships had their energy screens extended to maximum, creating a shield around the Glaymon ships at the center of the formation. That wouldn’t last much longer as he was losing some of his battlecruisers. Even with the new improved shields and weapons, just too much weapons fire was impacting the shields of his ships.

Captain Callast gazed at a viewscreen as several Vorn black antimatter beams penetrated the weakened shield of a battlecruiser, wrecking the bow of the ship. An antimatter missile arrived, annihilating the warship in a fiery explosion.

“How many battlecruisers have we lost?”

“Thirty-seven and a number of others have been damaged,” answered Fabold. “The Vorn weapons fire will soon be able to strike the Glaymon ships.”

“Nothing we can do about that for now,” Callast answered as the Destonn shook slightly from weapons fire impacting the ship’s energy shield again.

“Captain, the second Vorn fleet that just jumped in, its battleships are entering the Vorn formation in pursuit of our fleet,” added Fabold worriedly. “They will reach us shortly.”

The Destonn suddenly shook violently, and Callast was nearly thrown from his command chair. The safety harness holding him in place dug painfully into his skin.

“Black antimatter beam penetrated our energy screen,” Fabold reported.

“We have damage on several decks,” added the damage control officer. “We lost two defensive energy turrets and one direct energy projector. Fires are under control.”

“Energy screen is down to 72 percent and recharging,” reported Danall.

Callast took a deep breath. “Keep firing. We must reach those motherships.” Callast feared they might not as the viewscreens were lit up with Vorn weapons fire.

-

Prince Brollen watched the tactical display intently. The fleet that had attacked his ships from the rear was penetrating deeper into his formation. However, the deeper the enemy went, the more Vorn ships there were that could bring their weapons to bear. Not only that, but Military Commander Vasterus had almost caught up to the enemy, and Vasterus’s two thousand battleships would make short work of their vessels. Not even the disk ships of the ancient race would be able to withstand such firepower.

Computer projections indicate we will defeat the fleets opposing us, though our losses will be far more than those originally projected, Military Leader Gallet reported.

The food species fleet in front of us is pulling back toward the planet, Military Leader Ansolk added. They are still firing dark matter missiles at us, but we are now destroying far more of their ships than what we are losing. Our superior weapons and energy screens are beginning to make a difference.

Brollen looked at the viewscreens. Space was constantly lit up by the thousands of explosions going off. Energy beam weapons were being fired, and occasionally a ship exploded. A few ships had reported substantial damage from flying debris striking their shields. He focused on a screen showing the battle taking place in the rear quadrant of his fleet. Ships were exploding continuously in miniature novas. Brollen knew most of those small novas marked dying Vorn ships. Already the small fleet had battled its way through one-eighth of his fleet. Prince Brollen felt a twinge of nervousness in his gut. He knew what those ships wanted. They wanted to kill him!

-

High Protector Vormalt retreated, pulling his fleet closer to the massive defensive grid that protected Zumwald. He needed the extra firepower to counter the losses the Destroyer of Worlds had inflicted on his fleet. He was losing ships at an appalling rate. The viewscreens were full of damaged and dying Zumwald warships. Even so, his fleet was still taking out more Vorn ships with the dark matter missiles.

“We’ve used 60 percent of the missiles,” reported Caatler. “In another ten minutes, we will have burned through all of them.”

“That’s why we’re pulling back to the defensive grid. Those one hundred platforms the Alliance installed in orbit all have full stocks of dark matter missiles. Even the shipyards and the space stations have a few. We just need to give Captain Callast time to carry out his plan.”

Vormalt gazed at one of the viewscreens that showed the rear of the Vorn fleet. Caption Callast still closed on his targets. However, with every passing minute his losses increased. Vormalt wasn’t sure if the Lakiam captain could make it to the Vorn motherships. If he didn’t, then Zumwald would fall.

-

Captain Callast held tightly to the armrests on his command chair as the Destonn shook repeatedly from hits to its energy screen. Twice more Vorn black antimatter beams had ravaged his flagship’s hull.

“We won’t last much longer,” Danall said as he fired another kinetic energy round at a Vorn cruiser, seeing it explode on the small viewscreen above his console.

“The Glaymons have just lost two of their disk ships,” reported Fabold. “The Vorn battleships coming up on us from the rear are hitting us with their weapons. We’ve lost another twenty-seven battlecruisers.”

“Kella, contact Captain Latimeer and tell him this is as far as we can go. We’ll turn around and attack those battleships to see if we can take some of the pressure off his ships. He knows what to do.”

Kella quickly sent the message, and then she turned toward Captain Callast. “Captain Latimeer acknowledged the message and is prepared to enact the next part of the plan.”

Callast blinked his eyes. He had never expected his battlecruisers to make it to the Vorn motherships. Just too many Vorn ships were in the way. However, Captain Latimeer and some of his disk ships just might, but it would take a daring tactic. One the Vorn would not be expecting.

Callast activated his ship-to-ship comm. “All ships, reverse course 180 degrees. We’ll engage the Vorn battleships coming up behind us. I have enjoyed being your commanding officer. Let’s make the Vorn pay a heavy price for the destruction of our ships.”

Callast looked at the Helm. “Reverse course and find us some Vorn battleships to kill.” Strangely Callast felt calm as he gave the order, which he knew would result in the destruction of all his remaining ships. However, it should give Captain Latimeer the opportunity he needed.

-

Then 116 Lakiam seventeen-hundred-meter-long battlecruisers turned and accelerated toward the Vorn battleships assailing them from the rear. A few battlecruisers were too damaged to join the fleet and continued on with the Glaymons. They didn’t last long as overwhelming Vorn weapons fire tore them apart.

The front of Vasterus’s approaching Vorn battleship formation was nearly annihilated as Captain Callast’s battlecruisers fired their kinetic cannons and emptied their missile tubes of dark matter missiles. They followed up with heavy energy weapons fire. In the space of only a few seconds, over 140 Vorn battleships died. Then the Vorn battleships were among the Lakiam battlecruisers raking them with heavy weapons fire.

-

Captain Callast watched the viewscreens as his fleet was being destroyed around him. A number of his warships managed to ram Vorn battleships. In each instance, the ships vanished in blinding explosions. Others were blown apart by intense weapons fire from the Vorn ships. He had never been in a battle so intense.

Just then the deck heaved under Callast, and Fabold flew through the air to land jarringly against a console. From the angle of his head, Callast knew his sensor officer was dead.

“Multiple breaches along the forward hull. We’re venting atmosphere,” the damage control officer reported.

Looking around, Callast saw smoke and sparks everywhere. Alarms screamed from the damage control board as red lights rapidly blinked on.

“Weapons are offline, and main power is out,” Danall said. “Energy shield is down to 14 percent. We’re losing the ship, Captain.”

Callast looked at the one still functioning viewscreen, focused on the disk ships of Captain Latimeer. The ships suddenly vanished as they accelerated forward at full sublight speed. This was a reckless move, due to the number of ships between the Glaymon ships and the Vorn motherships. However, Latimeer had felt his ships’ AIs could pilot the ships well enough to get some of his disk ships through to their targets.

The Destonn shook violently, and more alarms sounded. Callast could hear the sound of tearing metal. He looked at Danall, who shook his head.

“Shield is down.”

Moments later the Destonn blew apart as two Vorn antimatter missiles annihilated the ship.

-

Prince Brollen watched the death of the battlecruisers of food species 236. They were taking too many of his battleships with them. Then suddenly the disk ships of the ancient race vanished as they accelerated toward the heart of the Vorn formation and the motherships. Brollen watched in shock as twelve of the disk ships collided with Vorn vessels barring their way. They vanished in blinding explosions. Then suddenly sixteen ships of the ancient race came to a stop in the middle of the Vorn fleet formation among the motherships. Instantly their weapons fired.

Jump us into hyperspace! screamed Prince Brollen telepathically, seeing his death in front of him.

The rest of the fleet? asked Military Leader Ansolk.

Withdraw, ordered Brollen. On the viewscreens, bright flashes of light appeared around the Reaper. Brollen felt intense fear, knowing the ancients were destroying the motherships with their superior weapons. At any second he expected the Reaper to be destroyed as well. The fleet is to enter hyperspace and rendezvous at the previous rendezvous coordinates.

The Reaper shook violently as a mothership near the flagship was blown into thousands of pieces by one of the deadly disk ships. Before Prince Brollen could give another order, the Reaper vanished into hyperspace.

-

High Protector Vormalt watched in anguish as Captain Callast and his battlecruisers were destroyed by the Vorn. They had taken a lot of Vorn battleships with them in their valiant fight to destroy the Vorn motherships.

“The Glaymons!” cried out Caatler. “They’ve activated their sublight drives.”

“That’s suicide,” Abblon said from the sensor console.

“Perhaps not,” Vormalt said as he watched the ship’s viewscreens and the tactical display intently. He groaned as a number of Glaymon disk ships collided with Vorn warships. At the speed they were traveling, it was nearly impossible to make course corrections quickly enough. Then suddenly the surviving Glaymon ships were in the center of the Vorn formation, and Vorn motherships began to die.

“They made it!” said Caatler in disbelief.

Several moments passed, and, in that time, over thirty massive explosions occurred in the center of the Vorn fleet. Each explosion marked the death of a Vorn mothership.

“Vorn ships are entering hyperspace,” reported Abblon excitedly. “They’re pulling out!”

“All ships continue to fire!” ordered Vormalt. “Same with the defensive platforms.” Vormalt wanted to inflict as much damage on the Vorn as possible in the hope that they wouldn’t return.

It didn’t take long, and suddenly the Vorn were gone as quickly as they had arrived. Vormalt leaned back, unable to believe he was still alive and that the attack was over.

“They did it,” said Caatler, gazing at the viewscreen. “Captain Callast was right.”

Vormalt felt a great sadness. The Lakiam captain had sacrificed his life so the Glaymons could reach the Vorn motherships. He had done this so Zumwald might survive. “We will always remember his sacrifice.” Vormalt sat in his command chair, looking at the area of space where Captain Callast and his ships had died. He wondered, if the situation were reversed, if he could have made the same sacrifice.

-

Two days later, High Protector Vormalt met with Captain Latimeer of the Glaymons and Captain Jons of the Lakiams.

“I don’t know how my world can ever repay you for the sacrifice Captain Callast made.”

“He is an example of why my people decided to become involved in this war,” Captain Latimeer replied in a soft voice.

“I am sorry you lost so many of your ships.” Four more Glaymon ships had been destroyed while attacking the Vorn motherships. However, they had destroyed forty-nine of the massive dumbbell-shaped vessels.

“This is war,” Latimeer replied. “Losses are to be expected.”

“We have sent out some scout ships, and the Vorn seem to have withdrawn from this sector of space,” Jons said. “We will stay for two more weeks, and then we need to return to Lakiam Alliance space.”

“Your extended presence will be appreciated. If any of your vessels need repairs done in the meantime, our shipyards are yours.” Vormalt knew the Alliance fleet had suffered heavy losses. They had originally brought 1,500 Lakiam warships and 1,200 more from other Alliance worlds. Only 600 Lakiam battlecruisers had survived and 372 Alliance ships. The battle, while brief, had been brutal. High Protector Vormalt knew that his own fleet had suffered greatly, with over 2,000 ships destroyed.

“We will leave you the plans for the updated antimatter chambers as well as for the devices to improve your energy shields. In addition, we still have a large number of dark matter missiles in our cargo ships that accompanied us. Before we leave, we’ll make sure your remaining ships have a full supply of the missiles,” Captain Jons said.

“I thank you,” High Protector Vormalt replied. “I would also like to formally request that Zumwald become a member of your Lakiam Alliance.”

Captain Jons smiled. “I think Captain Callast would have liked that. In the name of Lakiam and the Alliance, we accept your offer to join. Once I return to Lakiam, we will have Alliance representatives return to Zumwald for a formal ceremony.”

Vormalt nodded. “We will be expecting their arrival.” Vormalt knew the battle for Zumwald was over, at least for now. However, there would be many more battles in the future with the Vorn, and Vormalt expected Zumwald would now be taking an active part. Particularly after their fleet was updated. While the Vorn had been defeated this time, Zumwald knew the Vorn were still out there and were a grave threat to the galaxy. He also owed it to Captain Callast, who would always be remembered on Zumwald for his valiant sacrifice.

Chapter Twenty

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers was back from the solar system. He was still having nightmares over what had happened on Mars. Four million one hundred and seventy-six thousand people were missing. The large habitation domes, which protected the Martian cities, had holes drilled through the roofs in multiple places so the Vorn harvesting beams could do their cruel work. Kurt shuddered thinking about the city he had visited and what had happened to the people who had called it home.

-

Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers looked around, seeing the tall buildings, the green parks, and even a few restaurants. This city looked like many of the ones on Newton, except this was Mars, and its cities were beneath massive domes that protected them from the harsh Martian atmosphere. In a few more years, the terraformers would make the surface of Mars less hostile, and eventually the planet would become very similar to Earth and Newton. Kurt knew a special field generated Earth-normal gravity for the entire city. The field even extended out a few kilometers from the city’s dome.

“It’s so quiet,” muttered Corporal Edison, glancing around at the empty city.

“The people are all gone,” Lieutenant Jones said as he stared at the silent city streets. No vehicles moved, and no sounds of life were heard.

“Why is the air still normal?” asked Edison, confused. “Didn’t the Vorn blow holes in the dome?”

“The domes are protected by atmosphere-retention fields in case of a meteor strike,” Jones explained. “If not, we would be wearing spacesuits, and all the vegetation would be dead.”

“They’re going to eat these people,” said Edison, disgusted. “How can they live like that?”

“They’re from another universe,” Kurt replied. “They don’t share our values. To them, we’re nothing more than a food source.”

Corporal Edison walked along the sidewalk to a baby carriage. Inside was a doll and a bottle, still partially full of milk. He picked up the doll staring at it. “Even the children. The Vorn are monsters!”

“Why didn’t these people take cover?” asked Lieutenant Jones. “They had plenty of warning.”

“They had nowhere to go,” Kurt answered. “The only protection from the Vorn harvesting beams is to be deep underground. Basements and shelters might protect the population from meteors or a major failure of the dome. But would not have protected them from the Vorn harvesting beams.”

Corporal Edison turned toward Kurt, still holding the doll. “We can’t allow this to continue. The people of Mars must be avenged!”

“Calm down, Corporal,” Lieutenant Jones said sharply. “Someday the Vorn will get what’s coming to them.”

Kurt took a deep breath, studying the area. Hard to believe that, just twenty hours ago, this city was full of people, and now they were all gone. Kurt had no doubt now about going to the Vorn staging system. Glaymon Fleet Captain Waelt and Tasid had asked Kurt to scout the system, but now he would do much more than that. He would destroy it! The dead of Mars called out for vengeance, and he would be the sword used in answer to those cries.

-

“How soon before we leave?” asked Captain Randson as he and Kurt walked to the shuttle bay on Newton Station to go to the surface. They had spent a few days in the solar system until the Glaymons had reported the surviving Vorn ships had left this region of space.

“A few more days at least,” Kurt replied. “I need to speak to Tasid about a few Glaymon disk ships accompanying us.”

“We’re traveling so far,” Andrew said, his eyes focused on Kurt. “The Vorn staging system is way outside the galaxy.”

“The Vorn think they’re safe in that system. They can fall back there, repair their ships, and then return and harvest more worlds. They don’t fear attack due to that very distance.”

“If any of our ships are damaged, we can’t repair them. Space is pretty empty out where we’re going.”

Kurt nodded. “That’s why I’ll speak to Lomatz. I’ll need one of his construction ships to accompany us as well.”

“The one the Glaymons updated?”

“Possibly,” Kurt replied as they arrived in the shuttle bay. “After what happened on Mars, we need more time. More time for Fleet Commodore Dreen to build and arm his Lakiam Alliance, and more time for us to build more ships.”

“I thought we were staying out of this war?”

Kurt let out a deep sigh. “I wanted to. I had hoped, being way out here in such an isolated region, that the Vorn would never find us. With our five star systems and our inhabited planets, I believe we could have thrived. However, the Vorn did find us, thanks to High Profiteer Creed. That changes everything. The Vorn know where Earth is now, and someday they’ll return with a much larger fleet. What if we can’t stop them next time?” Kurt wondered if he should up the bounty on Creed, perhaps double it.

-

Andrew didn’t reply. Kurt was right. Andrew didn’t go down to Mars, like Kurt did, but Andrew had spoken to Corporal Edison. He talked about the doll he had found in the baby carriage. What frightened Andrew was, now that the Vorn knew where Earth was, at some point in time they were bound to find Newton as well. Andrew was just grateful the Glaymons were nearby. At least they would help keep both Earth and Newton safe.

As Andrew and Kurt got on the shuttle, Andrew had some decisions to make when he got home. The first thing he intended to do was meet this new boyfriend of his daughter’s. He intended to intimidate the boy enough to ensure the young man understood his boundaries and what lines not to cross. Andrew also wanted to spend some quality time with his family. This trip to the Vorn staging system would take some time. It might be several months before he saw Emily and Alexis again.

The shuttle left the station and headed toward the planet. The next time Andrew boarded one, they would be leaving Newton with a fleet to attack the Vorn. While Andrew agreed with Kurt’s decision, it would be a very dangerous mission—one he might not come back from.

Looking out the nearby viewport, he could see Newton Station receding in the distance. He could also see several of the new defensive platforms. Colonel Simms had mentioned earlier that production of these new platforms was still going on around the clock. These were all capable of destroying a Vorn ship. This made Andrew feel a little better about being away from Newton for so long. He didn’t want to worry about his family while on the mission, though he would do so anyway.

-

Kurt arrived at his home and opened the front door, going inside. He had noticed another vehicle parked in the drive and was curious who it might be. As he walked through the house, he heard Keera talking to someone out in the backyard. He had called her earlier when the Star Cross docked at Newton Station. Of course that had been several hours ago, and he was actually home earlier than expected.

Going to the back door, he opened it and stepped outside. He froze, his eyes growing wide. Keera was on the patio, wearing a skimpy pair of shorts, sunbathing topless. That was not what had stopped Kurt though. Keera did that quite often as their backyard had a privacy fence all the way around it. What had stopped Kurt was the other person sunbathing next to her. Mara. And she was just as topless as Keera!

Kurt backed up, but Keera heard him. “Kurt,” she called out, sitting up. “You’re early. Mara and I just got back from the Westside Mall, and we decided to catch some sun.”

Mara sat up, smiling at Kurt, making no attempt to cover herself. “Keera and I have been discussing what different varieties of tea should be on the first shipment to Lakiam. I’ve made arrangements for a Lakiam cargo ship to come to Newton in a few more weeks.”

“I’m sure you and Keera can figure that out.” Kurt forced his eyes to focus on his wife. “I’ll be home for a few days, and then I have another mission to go on.”

“The staging system,” Mara said knowingly.

Kurt blinked and looked at Mara. “How did you find that out?”

“Governor Spalding. I’ll be going as well with the Limeira. The Aurelia will come along as an escort.”

Kurt shook his head. “Mara, this will be dangerous. You’re better off staying here.”

“The Lakiams need to be represented,” persisted Mara. “Besides, both of my ships are as powerful as your battleships. We even put one of your kinetic energy cannons on the Limeira when updating it.”

Kurt hesitated. Both of her ships had the same firepower as his battleships. He could definitely use her two vessels. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking. Now I need to return to the Limeira. I have a few more things to take care of.” Mara stood and nodded at Keera. “Thanks for taking me to the mall and for all the help you’ve been.”

“You’re welcome,” Keera said, her eyes twinkling. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Kurt is enjoying seeing both of us topless.”

Kurt choked, looking sharply at Keera. She knew how uncomfortable he felt around Mara.

“I’ll leave now. I’m sure the two of you want some privacy.” Mara grabbed her blouse and walked past Kurt, barely brushing him as she passed. When she stepped into the house, she put on her blouse. “I’ll talk to both of you later.”

Kurt stood on the porch speechless. He could see the humorous look in Keera’s eyes. “Why did you say that? You don’t need to give Mara any encouragement.”

“I don’t understand why you keep turning her down,” Keera said as she walked up on the porch and gave Kurt a kiss. “I’ve told you that I have no problem with it. We’re married, and Mara is no threat. Plus she’s become a good friend.”

“I just don’t feel comfortable with it,” Kurt replied. “Let’s go out to eat at that little restaurant you like.”

“The one with the Italian food?” asked Keera, her eyes lighting up.

“Yes, that one,” Kurt answered. Italian food was something new Keera had discovered, and she was already talking about how it would be a hit on Kubitz and some of the other humanoid worlds she was aware of.

“No spaghetti and meatballs,” warned Keera, her eyes glinting dangerously. “You’re just too messy when you eat that.”

Kurt laughed. “I promise. I think I’ll have their lasagna. I love all the different cheese flavors that restaurant uses.”

“Lasagna is fine,” Keera said, nodding in agreement. Then Keera’s face took on a more serious look. “Mara told me about this new mission of yours. What’s this about you taking a fleet to scout out the Vorn staging system? You just told Mara how it was too dangerous for her to go.”

Kurt let out a deep breath. He wished Mara hadn’t said anything. It would have been nice to have a few nights alone with Keera without that subject coming up. She would be greatly concerned over this mission.

“It will be dangerous. Anything involving the Vorn is. But it’s something that has to be done, and, if it works out right, the Vorn will never know we were there.” Kurt hoped this satisfied Keera, as he planned on attacking the Vorn staging system to destroy as many of their large intergalactic transports as possible.

-

Mara returned to her ship, pleased with how the day had gone. Between her and Keera, they had selected the tea varieties that would be on the first Lakiam cargo ship—and several varieties of popcorn as well. Reaching her quarters, Mara stepped in front of a full-length mirror to examine herself. She slowly took off her clothes and then looked thoroughly at her body. She was tall, well-proportioned, and her skin was unblemished and had a golden tan. Deep blue eyes stared at her. Yes, she would enjoy sharing with Kurt. It had been so long since she had shared herself with any man. She also knew that Keera had given her approval. All Mara had to do was set up the right situation.

Mara went to freshen up and to change clothes before going to the Command Center and informing her crew as well as the crew of the Aurelia that they would be accompanying Fleet Admiral Vickers on a special mission in a few days. From her own sources, she knew the mission would take several months. Months that Kurt would be away from Keera. Perhaps sometime during that mission, Mara would succeed in luring Kurt into sharing.

She smiled. This had turned into a game, and she was enjoying it immensely. She had read a number of Human books on seduction. Perhaps on their long trip to and from the Vorn staging system, she would try a few. Even Lakiams weren’t averse to learning a few new tricks.

-

Kurt was meeting with Lomatz on Newton Station; Rear Admiral Wilson was there as well.

“I’ve explained to you my plans for the Vorn staging system,” Kurt said, looking intently at Lomatz. “I need one of your construction ships to go along in case some of my ships are damaged in the attack.”

“It will have to be the Construct One,” Lomatz said, frowning.

The ship had been updated by the Glaymons just so it could repair any of Kurt’s vessels. It had two Class One replicators on board which could furnish any spare parts that might be required. Also a couple Glaymons were still on board who were fully familiar with the new equipment. The ship had a very powerful energy shield as well as two Zero-Point Energy modules. The extra modules were required to operate the replicators.

“Rear Admiral Wilson, you will be in charge of Newton’s defense while I’m gone. I’ve made arrangements with the Glaymons to station twenty of their disk ships in the solar system, and there will be thirty here. They’ll also help watch the other planets in our Alliance.”

“That’s good to hear,” Rear Admiral Wilson replied. “What ships are you taking to this staging system of the Vorn?”

Kurt took a deep breath. “We’ll only have one shot at this. The Vorn staging system is so far outside the galaxy that they won’t be expecting an attack. We should be able to get in, hit their intergalactic transports, and maybe a few of their Collector ships before they even know we’re there.”

“Are you taking all the battleships?” Wilson had two assigned to his fleet, and he would like to keep them.

“No,” Kurt replied. “I’m taking ten, plus the Star Cross, the Aurelia, the Limeira, twenty battlecruisers, and forty Glaymon disk ships.”

“Plus the Construct One,” Lomatz said as he reached a decision. “It’s the only construction ship I have that can keep up with your fleet.”

“That system is bound to be heavily defended,” Wilson said, his eyes focusing on Kurt. “You may get in the first strike, but, as soon as they become aware of your presence, every ship the Vorn have in that system will come after you. Not only that, we have no idea how powerfully armed these intergalactic transports are or a Collector ship. No one that I’m aware of has ever engaged one.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Kurt said. This had caused him some concern as well. “We estimate it will take us a full month just to reach the system. Once we get there, I’ll spend a day or two scouting it, and then we’ll launch our attack.”

Admiral Wilson looked thoughtful. “Do the Glaymons know you’re going to attack the staging system? I thought all they wanted was for you to scout it.”

Kurt looked guilty. “Fleet Captain Waelt and Tasid don’t know what I’m planning. Tasid agreed to send forty of their disk ships under the command of Captain Tolmass on the mission. However, Captain Tolmass does know my intentions. He agrees that we can’t waste this opportunity. If we’re successful, it could be several years before the Vorn renew their harvesting of our galaxy.”

“We could build a lot of defensive platforms in two years,” Lomatz said thoughtfully. “Enough to make Newton and the other worlds of the Alliance too strongly defended for the Vorn to attack.”

“Ships as well,” added Wilson. “The risk may be worth it, but this will still be an extremely dangerous mission. If something goes wrong, there won’t be anyone coming to the rescue. You’ll be on your own in intergalactic space.”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take.” Kurt’s eyes hardened. “After what the Vorn did to Mars, it’s time for some payback!”

-

On Kubitz, Grantz was once more inside a pleasure house, one of his favorites, and one where the guards at the doors checked everyone thoroughly for weapons. Even so, his ever-present bodyguards sat close by, keeping vigilant eyes on him.

“So, you’re offering me fifty thousand credits if I can locate High Profiteer Creed for you,” said the Profiteer, sitting across from Grantz. “That’s a very tempting offer, though I understand the Humans from Newton are offering ten million credits for his death.”

“Do you think it’ll be easy to collect?” asked Grantz, taking a long drink from the tankard in front of him. This drink had a smooth taste and only left a mild burning sensation in his throat. “High Profiteer Creed will be surrounded by other Profiteers that he trusts and possibly some of Dacroni Clan Leader Jarls’s mercenaries. Do you have the resources to take on something like that?”

The Profiteer looked at the table, picking up his tankard and taking a small sip. “No, it’s just too dangerous. Word is being sent out that anyone who attempts to collect that reward will end up dead.”

“I’ll take the risk,” Grantz said. He had heard the same rumors. “High Profiteer Creed tried to have me killed once already. I plan on returning the favor, only I don’t intend to fail.”

The Profiteer looked at Grantz and then said, “All I have to do is tell you the next time High Profiteer Creed is on Kubitz, and the fifty thousand credits are mine?”

“Only if I’m successful in killing Creed,” Grantz replied. “I know you have connections with Toblan, the weapons dealer who Creed likes to deal with. At some point, he’ll contact Toblan and return to Kubitz for either more warships or weapons. When he does, I want to know where he’s staying on Kubitz.”

“He may not come down,” the Profiteer said, his eyes narrowing. “He could just stay in orbit and conduct his business.”

That would suit Grantz almost as well, though it would prevent him from delivering High Profiteer Creed’s head to Fleet Admiral Vickers. If Creed stayed on his ship, all Grantz had to do was notify the two Newton battlecruisers now in orbit above the planet. Grantz knew that, once they discovered Creed was on board a ship, they would move to immediately destroy it. In the past that would have been impossible with the defenses Kubitz had, but these two ships were something else, and the leaders of Kubitz, both the government and the Controllers, knew to leave these ships alone, or they would suffer some dire consequences.

“There is very little risk in it for you,” Grantz persisted. This Profiteer was his best chance of getting a line on High Profiteer Creed.

“Fifty thousand credits,” the man said slowly. Then he straightened his shoulders. “If my information leads you to Creed, and you succeed in killing him, I want one hundred thousand credits.”

Grantz eyed the man across the table for a several long moments. He had expected a counteroffer. It was how business was done on Kubitz. “Seventy thousand credits and not a credit more.”

The Profiteer blinked his eyes and took a long drink from his tankard. “Agreed. Seventy thousand credits if my information leads to Creed’s death.”

Grantz nodded. Very slowly he was encircling the noose around Creed’s neck. This was not the first informant he had spoken to, but he was the one most likely to get results. Grantz picked up a Homalt egg, which he took a bite of. It was a rare delicacy and hideously expensive. “You may go. Contact me when you have the information I desire.”

The Profiteer nodded, eyeing the two remaining Homalt eggs on the table. When Grantz did not offer one, the Profiteer turned and left, heading toward one of the heavily guarded exits.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, my friend,” a man said.

Grantz looked up, seeing Avery Dolman. Grantz gestured, indicating for Avery to sit. “It’s a risk, but the reward at the end is well worth it.”

Dolman looked at his two men, making sure they were doing their jobs. Neither acknowledged his presence, but he could tell from the looks in their eyes they had seen him. “You heard about the Vorn attacking Earth?”

“Yes, Ambassador Brent told me. Vickers drove them off, destroying much of the Vorn fleet. With the advanced ships he has, it wasn’t a surprise.”

“So, how are you and Brent getting along?”

“She’s not like Tenner. I haven’t gotten a single gold coin out of her yet.”

“Probably because you’re spending all your time plotting to kill High Profiteer Creed.”

“The man had me shot!” Grantz blurted out, his eyes angry. “In all my years as a Profiteer that was the first time anyone actually managed to shoot me.”

Dolman grinned. “That’s surprising. I’m sure you’ve made a lot of enemies along the way.”

“Some,” admitted Grantz. “But none who want to kill me. A little bribery or some special trade item always got me out of a jam. Or it did until now.”

Dolman leaned forward so no one could overhear what he was about to tell Grantz. “Fleet Admiral Vickers believes High Profiteer Creed told the Vorn where to find Earth.”

Grantz’s eyes widened. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

“Vickers also wants you to know that any resources you might need to take Creed out are yours for the asking, including a special strike team of Marines from the embassy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” This was good to know. If Creed did come to Kubitz, it might take some firepower to reach him. He had seen the Marines in action and knew they could be quite deadly.

“I firmly believe, if not for the threat of the Vorn, that Vickers would bring his fleet to the Gothan Empire and tear it apart, searching for Creed. I don’t know if Creed realizes how angry the admiral is.”

“I hope he doesn’t do that,” Grantz said, frowning.

“Me neither,” Dolman replied. “I like the empire just as it is. There are a lot of credit-making opportunities.” Dolman sighed. “I’ve always feared that someday someone would come here and put an end to our ways. Vickers has already done that some here on Kubitz. Those two battlecruisers above are a constant reminder to the Kubitz government and the Controllers. This is the first time in years that I can recall the Lylan Enforcers are actually doing their jobs. The streets in the capital are the calmest that I can ever recall. The Enforcers are actually preventing killings and some illegal activity.”

Grantz grinned. “Only the worst or the vilest. Our day-to-day lives are still much the same.”

“The slave markets are gone,” pointed out Dolman. “I have to admit I don’t miss them, though there were some excellent credit-making opportunities there too.”

“I’ve heard they may be rebuilt but on a much smaller scale.” Grantz had never had any use for a slave of any kind, though he knew some of the females who worked in the pleasure houses were routinely purchased from the slave auction markets.

Dolman stood. “I just wanted to inform you of what Vickers said. Be careful. High Profiteer Creed still has a few friends around.”

“I’m aware of that,” Grantz said as a scantily clad server placed a Merton steak in front of him.

Dolman shook his head. “Don’t spend those credits before you get them.”

Grantz grinned as he cut into the medium-rare steak and took a bite. The Merton steak was one of those rare delicacies that most people could never afford. Grantz allowed himself to indulge on occasion. The gold he currently had in his secret stash was already enough to make him a rich man. “I’m always careful. If you can send a message to Vickers, tell him Creed is as good as dead.”

“I’ll see he gets your message,” Dolman said and then left, heading toward the main exit.

Grantz watched Avery leave. In his mind, he was already thinking about how he would spend those ten million credits.

Chapter Twenty-One

Prince Brollen was in the Vorn staging system, preparing to return to the Conclave Habitat. He had sent most of the fleet on to a distant sector to continue the harvest. He was still aggravated from the setback in the Protector World food system where species 236, 111, and the ancients had shown up. The battle had been brutal, and he had lost nearly six thousand warships plus a large number of irreplaceable motherships. While that still left him a massive fleet, he had decided harvesting that particular food world could wait. The sector around the star system had been harvested except for a few small worlds. Brollen had decided to bypass the isolated planets for now.

The intergalactic transport is ready for us to dock, reported Military Leader Gallet.

Do so, ordered Brollen.

He had received a coded message, indicating Queen Alithe was ready to emerge from the egg chambers to choose her next consort. Time for him to return to the Conclave Habitat and take his rightful place as leader of the Vorn. If all went according to plan, sometime between now and when he arrived at the Vorn System, an accident would occur, and Queen Alithe would die. Of course there would be a time of mourning for the Vorn, as it was not often a Queen died unexpectedly. Brollen would oversee the mourning while moving to increase the support for his ascension as High Prince.

Prince Brollen had taken measures to ensure that certain young Queens would nominate him to become the leader of the Vorn. In the few instances in the past where a Queen had died prematurely, the other Queens had gathered and nominated her successor. This time a new precedent would be set, and Brollen would be the one nominated.

When will you return? asked Prince Ortumad.

Soon, Brollen replied. This last battle in Galaxy X241 has indicated we need more battleships. This galaxy has become much more dangerous than anticipated. This ancient race which has put in an appearance will have to be dealt with as their ships attacked the motherships in my fleet.

Prince Ortumad sent, I was distressed to learn they destroyed so many of our motherships. They are, indeed, dangerous.

We have many more battleships at the habitats. I will request that Queen Alithe allow me to activate more of them. In time, we will hunt down this race and harvest its world or worlds. They will be a worthy addition to our growing food supplies. Brollen intended to add many food pellets from the ancient race to his own private collection. They would be the crown jewels of his collection.

The harvest goes well, Ortumad sent. You are, indeed, worthy to lead our fleets. Queen Alithe made a wise decision.

Continue to return the Collector ships as they arrive, ordered Prince Brollen. It is essential we build up the food reserves in the habitats to ensure future deletions are not necessary.

It will be done, Ortumad replied.

We will dock in ten minutes, Military Leader Gallet reported. The intergalactic transport will make the jump into hyperspace shortly after the Reaper is secure.

Prince Brollen gazed at the viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center. Vorn ships were on nearly every screen—the spindle-shaped cruisers, the larger battleships, Collector ships, and the massive intergalactic transport ships. Brollen felt pleased with what he could see. The fleets of the Vorn were powerful beyond belief. It was only a matter of time before the worlds resisting the harvesting would be annihilated and the larders of the Vorn habitats filled to overflowing.

-

Kurt was in his quarters, going over the latest reports from his fleet. They were in hyperspace and had long since left the galaxy far behind.

Lieutenant Evelyn Mays sat in front of his desk, examining a photograph. “So this is what a Collector ship looks like?”

“Yes, we got that from the captured mothership the Andocks have.”

Lieutenant Mays continued to stare at the photo and then spoke. “It looks like a giant teardrop.”

“It’s two thousand meters in diameter at its widest point,” Kurt said. “It’s capable of holding a tremendous number of food pellets. The entire vessel is full of chambers specially built for that purpose. The pellets are reevaluated and classified as to what caste or part of a caste they are best suited for and then sent to the appropriate cargo holds.”

Lieutenant Mays put the photo on Kurt’s desk, next to one of an intergalactic transport ship. “We have seventy-three warships to attack this system. Assuming we can get into attack range undetected, we can cause a lot of damage.”

Kurt nodded. “That’s the plan, and Captain Tolmass agrees. We hit them hard and then jump out.” This would be a different kind of attack. They would drop from hyperspace, destroy their targets, and then leave. To stay would be to risk losing the entire fleet, as they would be outnumbered by hundreds to one.

“I studied what data we have on the system we’re going to. It’s a red dwarf with only one planet, a dead husk without an atmosphere or even a moon. The Vorn ships are in stable orbits around it.” The data had come from the captured Vorn mothership.

“Being so far from the galaxy, they won’t be expecting an attack. I would guess they won’t even have their energy shields up.” Kurt hoped they wouldn’t, or this attack would be over before it started.

“I agree,” Mays said. “I’ve been studying the tactics used by the Vorn, and I’ve found something surprising. Their tactics are unbelievably simple. They try to overwhelm the opposition by sending in ships until the defending fleet is no more. I don’t believe they’ve fought many races powerful enough to truly resist them. In a one-on-one battle, our ships would defeat the Vorn nearly every single time. Our captains and tactical officers are taught strategy. We review past battles and discuss the mistakes the commanding officers of those battles made. I don’t think the Vorn have ever done anything like that.”

“You may be right. Just remember, the Vorn are not from our universe. They’re from another. They escaped from a great race that was destroying them. From what the Glaymons could learn and what we’ve found out from the data we’ve recovered from the captured mothership, a few Vorn motherships and some of their last remaining warships dove into a black hole and escaped through the singularity, arriving in our universe.”

“And that was over twenty-two million years ago,” Mays said. “I wonder how many worlds the Vorn have harvested since then?”

“More than I want to think about,” Kurt replied.

It sent chills down his back anytime he thought about the horror the Vorn had brought to his universe. How a race could be so evil was beyond his imagining. He wondered what kind of universe the Vorn had come from. Were they an example of the life-forms that universe contained or had they been an abomination there as well?

Lieutenant Mays stood. “I should return to the Command Center and run some simulations with Aleea’s help. Based on what I’ve seen of the reaction time from Vorn warships, we should get off two rounds from our kinetic energy cannon plus clear our missile tubes twice. If the entire fleet can do that, we can seriously damage the Vorn fleet stationed at the staging system. However, I should warn you. It will only take the Vorn a few seconds to retaliate. Their shields will come up even as our second attack begins. By the end of the first minute, we will be under heavy weapons fire. I can’t guarantee all our ships will make the jump into hyperspace.”

Kurt folded his arms across his chest. “I want to hit them twice, maybe even three times, before we jump out. They took over four million people from Mars. We owe it to them to cripple that fleet. We need to take out every single intergalactic transport ship if possible and then the Collector ships. Once those have been annihilated, we’ll start on the motherships.”

“What about Vorn battleships?”

Kurt clenched his teeth. It was hard to turn down those targets, knowing they would be vulnerable in those first few seconds.

“No, we’ll concentrate on the larger ships first and then run for it. Remember, the Vorn are telepathic and they will have a quick response time.”

Lieutenant Mays nodded. “I’ll see what Aleea and I can come up with.”

Kurt watched her go. They were only a few days out from their target. He had spoken to Mara earlier. She had requested that, once the attack on the staging system was over, they stop somewhere to check all the ships for needed repairs. She had been very polite and had also mentioned how she would like to show Kurt her cooking skills, inviting him to the Limeira for an evening meal once this was over. Kurt had accepted, knowing he couldn’t keep avoiding her.

Checking the time, Kurt figured he could catch a few hours’ sleep before he was needed again in the Command Center. Yawning, Kurt stretched out his arms, only now realizing how tired he was. Perhaps when he woke up, he would have a new perspective on attacking the staging system. He hated not having enough time to take out some of those battleships. He would wait and see what Lieutenant Mays’s simulations showed. Kurt stood and made for the small bedroom in his quarters. He would take a quick shower and then get some much-needed rest.

-

Two days later the fleet dropped from hyperspace twelve light-years from the Vorn staging system. All ships were using their sensor-dampening fields to ensure the Vorn did not detect any of the seventy-four ships in the fleet.

“Long-range sensors?” asked Kurt. His shoulders were tense, and he had slept very little the night before. He focused on the tactical display as it filled with red threat icons.

“Thousands of Vorn ships are in the system,” Lieutenant Brooks reported as she watched the data from her sensor scans come in.

“Detecting forty-eight intergalactic transports and seventy-eight Collector ships,” Aleea informed Kurt as she cross-referenced the sensor readings with various known Vorn ship types. “No motherships are currently in the system.”

“What about battleships?” asked Andrew. The captain was deeply concerned about them as they would be the most dangerous and apt to respond rapidly to any attack on the system.

“Confirming 437,” Aleea answered. “Also over 7,000 of the small spindle-shaped cruisers.”

“We’ll be outnumbered slightly,” said Andrew, looking at Kurt.

“It’s the Vorn. We’re always outnumbered.” Kurt looked at the tactical display and all the red threat icons. “We’ll stay here for the next twenty hours and observe the system. That will give us time to analyze the coming and going of ships as well as to firm up their orbits around the planet.”

“Not much of a planet,” Andrew said. “The Vorn picked one hell of a dead system for their base.”

“They’re Vorn,” Lieutenant Mays pointed out. “To them, this system may be a paradise.”

Kurt had spoken to the lieutenant the day before about the battle simulations she and Aleea had run. The lieutenant felt confident that, once Kurt’s fleet dropped from hyperspace, they would have twenty seconds before the Vorn realized what was happening. Then perhaps another fifteen to twenty-five as the Vorn raised their shields and returned fire.

At the end of one minute, the entire Vorn fleet would be aware they were being attacked, and the warships would fire every weapon they had at Kurt’s fleet.

Immediately after that, the fleet would begin taking damage and possibly losing ships.

So Kurt had one minute or slightly less to inflict as much damage as possible on the Vorn and then to escape. Lieutenant Mays was certain they could allocate some of their dark matter missiles to taking out Vorn battleships. After some discussion Kurt had agreed.

-

For the next several hours, Kurt stayed in the Command Center, his eyes glued to the tactical display. A few intergalactic transports left, and a few arrived. The number seemed to be staying pretty constant. A small Vorn harvesting fleet arrived with two motherships and shortly afterward one of equal size left, taking the motherships with them. Kurt had hoped the two large motherships would stay in the system so he could destroy them.

“I would guess the Vorn harvesting fleets probably return here periodically for ship repairs,” Aleea suggested. “The more badly damaged ships are most likely docked to one of the transports and returned to the Vorn home system for repairs. The motherships probably very seldom return as they are busy with the harvest.”

“Any idea how fast those transports can travel in hyperspace?” asked Andrew as he watched one disappear from the tactical display only to reappear on one that showed ships in hyperspace. It rapidly vanished as it exceeded the effective range of the fleet’s long-range sensors.

“No,” responded Aleea. “We know they are equipped with some type of Zero-Point Energy drive. However, it functions much differently than ours.”

Kurt looked at Aleea, who stood on her platform directly in front of him. “If those transports are armed, is it possible they are using Zero-Point Energy to power their weapons?”

“Highly probable,” answered Aleea.

“Another reason to destroy them first,” Kurt said. He looked around the Command Center. “Everyone, get some rest before tomorrow. We have a big day ahead of us.” Kurt needed some rest as well.

The second shift command crew could handle the rest of the observations. Of course Aleea needed no rest. She would notify Kurt as well as the rest of the primary command crew if there was a problem. She was also capable of engaging the ship in warfare or taking command of the entire fleet if necessary. Before leaving the Command Center, Kurt contacted both Mara and Captain Tolmass, and explained his plans for taking on the Vorn staging system. They both voiced their approval for waiting twenty hours before they launched their attack.

-

Kurt was in his quarters, sitting at his desk. He had tried to go to sleep but had just tossed and turned. Finally he rose and decided to review the mission parameters. This mission was extremely dangerous, and they were about to attack a Vorn stronghold. They were basing their entire strategy on getting in and getting out quickly. Aleea had told him it would take a full minute to fire two full spreads of missiles and fire off two, maybe three, Zero-Point Energy rounds.

Each battleship in the fleet had twenty missile tubes and the battlecruisers sixteen. The Glaymon disk ships were more reliant on their energy weapons, but each of their ships still possessed eight missile tubes. That would allow Kurt to fire off more than 1,700 of the five-hundred-megaton dark matter missiles. Add to that 62 or more Zero-Point Energy rounds, and it should devastate the Vorn fleet. That was assuming his fleet remained undetected, that they managed to take the Vorn by surprise, and that the Vorns’ energy shields were down. A lot of ifs. If even one was wrong, then he would be leading his fleet into a trap, and none of them would return home.

A tentative knock came at the door to his quarters. Kurt frowned, wondering who it could be. His command crew should be sleeping, and everyone else knew he was not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. Getting up, he walked to the door and opened it. Mara stood there with a slight smile on her face.

“How did you get to the Star Cross?” Kurt asked, concerned. A shuttle might show up on the Vorn long-range sensors. It could endanger the entire mission.

“Don’t worry. I have a shuttle with a sensor-dampening field on it. Aleea contacted me and said you were having difficulty sleeping.” Mara leaned forward, putting her hand suggestively on Kurt’s chest. “I thought I could help. May I come in?”

Kurt didn’t know what to say. He had forgotten that Aleea could monitor his quarters. Kurt stepped aside, and Mara walked past him, looking around, seeing the papers spread out on his desk.

“You’ve been working too hard. You need to relax.”

“Mara, I don’t know what you can do to help me sleep. I was about to summon Dr. Willis and have him bring me something.” The doctor had some pills that would knock Kurt out and allow him to get some much-needed rest.

Mara laughed a little nervously and then turned to face Kurt as she unbuttoned her blouse. “That’s not necessary. I know of something better that will help both of us to sleep.” She took off her blouse letting it drop to the floor. A few moments later she finished undressing and stood naked in front of Kurt. She stepped forward, embracing him, and, finding his lips, kissed him deeply. “Don’t fight it. Keera said it was okay. Let’s just enjoy the moment.”

Kurt started to protest as a wave of guilt rolled over him. He looked into Mara’s deep blue eyes and saw only concern and desire.

Mara stepped back, taking Kurt’s hand.

His resistance faded away as he gazed at her beautiful body. In the recesses of his mind, a small voice said no, but he kept hearing Keera say it was okay and how this would be good for him.

Kurt allowed Mara to lead him to his bedroom, and he soon found himself lying next to her. He didn’t even remember getting undressed. His hands explored her body. The soft moans and the cries of pleasure indicated he was touching all the right spots. He felt a little guilty, thinking about Keera, but Mara quickly took his mind off that.

With a deep sigh, he realized this had been inevitable. Mara was just too beautiful to resist. Moments later, they were involved in passionate sex. This wasn’t lovemaking but just plain and simple raw sex.

Afterward Kurt lay there exhausted. He had never imagined some of the things Mara had done were even possible. Mara had already fallen asleep with one arm on his chest. Kurt yawned, and, a few moments later, he too was sound asleep.

-

In the Command Center, Aleea smiled to herself. Kurt would awaken in the morning completely rested and ready for the battle with the Vorn. While she hadn’t watched the entire episode between Kurt and Mara, she had checked in several times to see how things were going.

Pleased with herself, Aleea resumed monitoring the long-range sensors. She didn’t need any rest, and she was still plotting the locations of all the Vorn ships in the staging system. Her first priorities were the intergalactic transports and the Collector ships. She was continuously running battle simulations so she could determine the best use of the firepower the fleet had at its disposal.

In the morning, when Lieutenant Mays returned to the Command Center, Aleea would discuss her results with the lieutenant. If this strike was successful, they just might destroy all the intergalactic transports and the Collector ships in the Vorn system. Aleea also had another scenario she was studying. It would have a devastating effect on the Vorn, but she wasn’t certain it would work. Several Lakiam scientists were on board the Limeira, and Aleea had already contacted them to see what they thought.

They were currently running simulations on the Limeira’s computer to see what the ramifications of this unorthodox plan would be. They told Aleea they would have some hard numbers for her in the morning.

-

Kurt’s eyes opened, and then he recalled what had happened the night before. Feeling guilty, he rolled over and saw Mara had already left. He could still smell her perfume on the pillow.

“She left an hour ago to return to her ship,” Aleea announced over his personal comm unit. “I think she was quite pleased with herself.”

Kurt suddenly felt embarrassed as he remembered Aleea could monitor his quarters. “How much of that did you watch, and how many of the crew knows she was here?”

“Only a few moments here and there. You two were very involved with one another. As for the crew, only a few people in the shuttle bay know that Mara came over. They don’t suspect anything.”

Getting up, Kurt was amazed at how rested he felt. Based on the timepiece on the wall, he had slept nearly seven hours. After taking a quick shower, Kurt put on a fresh uniform, thinking about the day ahead. His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since earlier the day before.

A small replicator was in Kurt’s quarters, and he walked over and ordered his breakfast. He was hungry and soon sat at his desk, eating a huge stack of pancakes and bacon. He activated the viewscreen and reviewed the latest reports on the Vorn staging system. Little had changed, and the number of ships had only varied slightly.

“Aleea, inform the command crew and all ships that we will launch our attack on the staging system in three hours.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Aleea answered.

-

One hour later Kurt was in the Command Center, talking to Lieutenant Mays. They were still talking almost ninety minutes later.

“When we first drop from hyperspace, I recommend we target all the Collector ships with two dark matter missiles each,” she said. “Currently forty-eight intergalactic transports and seventy-eight Collector ships are in the system. The same number as when we did our first scans. We’ll use Zero-Point Energy rounds on the transports. If any are not destroyed, we will follow up with a dark matter missile. At the same time we will use the rest of the dark matter missiles in our tubes to hit all the nearby Vorn battleships.”

Andrew listened, pointing out a problem. “Some of those intergalactic transport ships and Collector ships will be on the far side of the planet. We won’t be able to hit them with our missiles or Zero-Point Energy rounds.”

Lieutenant Mays nodded. “That’s why I’m proposing we jump certain ships of our fleet into the system in four separate sections. The heavy battlecruisers on the far side of the planet, our battleships along with the Aurelia and Limeira on the other side, and the Glaymons in two formations above and below the poles of the planet, which will allow us to fire on any ships near the planet or in orbit.”

“How long will we be in the system?” asked Kurt. “Remember, we’ll only get one shot at this, and I want to cause as much damage as possible. If we can destroy all those transports and the Collector ships, we can substantially delay the Vorn harvest of our galaxy, or at least we hope it does.”

“One minute and twenty seconds,” Lieutenant Mays said. “That allows our battlecruisers and battleships to fire three rounds from their kinetic cannons and launch three waves of missiles. Of course the third wave of missiles may not be as successful since, by then, the Vorn should be raising their energy shields or already have them up.”

“We’ll be under fire part of that time,” Andrew said. “Will we lose some ships?”

Lieutenant May’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Maybe, it depends on how fast the Vorn react. But, if we want to cause the maximum amount of damage, we need those extra seconds.”

“How long will it take for the fleet to recharge our hyperdrives?”

“Twenty-three seconds before we can jump into hyperspace.”

Kurt thought for a moment. That was twenty-three seconds the fleet would be vulnerable to attack, as they couldn’t escape into hyperspace. If they jumped into the system, and a large number of Vorn ships had their energy shields up and their weapons ready to fire, Kurt could easily lose most of the fleet before the drives were charged. With a deep sigh, Kurt knew he had to take the risk.

“Let’s do it. Lieutenant Mays, contact all the ships of the fleet and give them their assignments and targets. Aleea, can our jump be precise enough to get all seventy-three ships to their attack coordinates simultaneously?” In such a precise attack, each second would count particularly since the Vorn were telepathic and their reaction time would be almost instantaneous. Kurt was counting on the surprise of the attack to give him the time they needed to destroy the Vorn intergalactic transports and Collector ships.

“Yes, I can set up the jump so all ships emerge at the proper time.”

“Do it,” ordered Kurt. He checked the time and then looked at the others. “We jump in thirty minutes. Make your preparations. Andrew, take the fleet to Condition Two. We’ll go to Condition One five minutes before we make the jump into hyperspace.”

Kurt studied his command crew. Everyone was working at peak efficiency, preparing for war. This battle with the Vorn could be a game-changer. Looking at one of the viewscreens, he saw the Limeira. He had to admit, Mara had known exactly what to do to get him to fall asleep. He would deal with the ramifications of it later.

-

Prince Ortumad was on board a battleship. Since he was in charge of the staging system, he had given up command of his intergalactic transport and moved over to a battleship, which was permanently stationed in the system.

When is the next transport leaving for the home system? he asked.

Since Prince Brollen had begun the new harvest of Galaxy X241, Ortumad had been sending one ship back every day. Normally the intergalactic transport ship had several collector ships docked full of food pellets for the habitats. Ortumad ensured the Queens had a steady flow of food pellets, both for them and for the other castes. However, rumors still circulated about members of the working class collapsing and dying from malnutrition. Ortumad suspected some of the Queens were hoarding food pellets against a future shortage. To keep up the efficiency of the harvesting fleets, Ortumad had ordered that the working class on those vessels be fed on a regular basis.

The next transport will leave within the hour, Military Commander Madoul replied. Two Collector ships are docked to it as well as some of Prince Brollen’s fleet that will need repairs.

Ortumad was well aware of the battle Prince Brollen had waged in the sector he had been harvesting. Once again food species 236 and 111 had interfered with the harvest. It was worrisome as ships of the ancient race had been involved as well. This time reports confirmed that some of those ships had been destroyed.

Unfortunately forty-nine motherships had been lost in the battle as well. While Galaxy X241 had abundant food species, the cost of harvesting the galaxy was already higher than any other galaxy harvested by the Vorn since they had come to this universe. Ortumad suspected the costs would only rise.

However, the abundance in food species made the harvesting risks worth the potential losses. Prince Ortumad gazed at the viewscreens on the front wall of the Command Center. There were numerous battleships. Many of these were part of Prince Brollen’s fleet and were in the process of conducting repairs. A few hundred others had come from the home system to reinforce the fleet that was always in the staging system. The ships were used to replace vessels lost in the harvesting.

Prince Ortumad was about to leave the Command Center when alarms sounded, and red lights flashed. What is it? he demanded. Surely there could be no threats here in the staging system? Even as he sent the thought, bright flashes of light appeared on the viewscreens. His multifaceted eyes had to look away from the brilliance. Those were explosions, big ones!

Unknown ships have jumped into the system, reported Military Commander Madoul. They are attacking the transport ships and the Collector ships.

Ortumad’s gaze shifted to the tactical display. With dismay, he saw ships vanishing from the screen in growing numbers. Raise our shields. Return fire! This couldn’t be happening! Identify those ships! Ortumad wanted to know what food species would dare to attack the Vorn.

Shields are coming up, and I’m ordering all battleships and cruisers to attack the unknowns, reported Madoul. The fleet is powering up weapons, and we’re beginning to engage.

-

Kurt blinked his eyes as a Zero-Point Energy round struck one of the intergalactic transport ships. At ten thousand meters in length, it was massive. Only the colony ships of the Glaymons were larger. The round struck the ship in the center, and instantly the entire vessel was encompassed in rampaging energy, which shredded the vessel into its component atoms. The glare was so bright it seemed as if a nova had erupted where the Vorn transport ship had been.

“Vorn transport destroyed,” confirmed Lieutenant Brooks.

“Two Collector ships and seven battleships as well,” added Andrew with a wide grin. “We caught them with their pants down!”

“Our other ships are reporting equal success,” said Aleea as she monitored the battle with the ship’s sensors. “We are receiving some incoming weapons fire. Confirmed activation of Vorn energy shields on numerous warships.”

“That was fast,” Andrew said, frowning and glancing at Kurt.

“Thirty seconds in,” said Aleea. “Hyperdrive is charged.”

-

The Vorn fleet reeled from the unprecedented attack. Dark matter missiles struck Vorn vessels, annihilating them in massive blasts of energy. The ships weren’t damaged; they were blown apart—or, in most cases, simply vaporized from the sheer intensity of the heat of the explosions.

A Vorn transport ship blew apart as a Zero-Point Energy round struck the stern. The entire rear half of the vessel vanished in the heat of the blast, and then a dark matter missile arrived, destroying the forward section.

A Vorn Collector ship was in the process of raising its energy shield when two dark matter missiles arrived. The twin five-hundred-megaton explosions turned the ship into a cloud of glowing plasma, which quickly dissipated.

Since the Vorn used telepathy, energy shields rapidly appeared around Vorn vessels. Weapons were powered up, and energy beams as well as antimatter missiles were now being fired at the attackers.

-

The Glaymon disk ships were in two separate formations, firing their dark matter missiles and powerful energy cannons. They had annihilated all the transport and Collector ships in their area and were now firing upon Vorn battleships and spindle-shaped cruisers. Their beams tore through screens, blasting ragged rents in the hulls of the Vorn ships, destroying them.

Space around the disk ships was full of explosions and dying Vorn warships. The battle was quickly intensifying as more Vorn ships brought their weapons online.

-

Mara had talked Lieutenant Mays into assigning the Aurelia’s and the Limeira’s targets to other ships. She had a different one in mind. The scientists on her ship had told her of Aleea’s request to study an alternate scenario, which could have serious consequences for the Vorn. As a result, she was not firing on Vorn ships. Her two vessels were firing on the planet itself!

-

“One hundred percent kills on the Vorn intergalactic transport ships and the Collector ships,” Aleea reported elatedly. “However, our fleet is receiving increasingly heavy incoming weapons fire.”

“That was a lot quicker than expected,” Andrew said worriedly as the Star Cross shuddered slightly from weapons fire impacting the energy screen.

“Telepaths,” Lieutenant Mays explained as she fired the second wave of dark matter missiles from the Star Cross’s missile tubes. “They can communicate instantaneously. We were hoping their reaction time would be a little slower.”

The ship shook violently as a number of antimatter missiles detonated against the energy shield.

“Shield is holding at 86 percent,” reported Lieutenant Mays. “Incoming fire is increasing.”

“Fifty seconds in,” said Aleea.

“Admiral, the Aurelia and the Limeira are not targeting Vorn ships,” reported Lieutenant Brooks.

Kurt looked confused. “What are they targeting?”

“The planet,” answered Brooks, stunned. “They’re firing on the planet!”

“Order all ships to stand by to jump out,” ordered Kurt as he looked at the AI. “Aleea, why are they targeting the planet?” He suspected Aleea probably knew.

“I would suggest we jump out immediately,” Aleea replied. “I project they have a 97 percent chance of success from my latest readings.”

“Battlecruiser Phoenix has just been destroyed,” Lieutenant Brooks reported. “Two Glaymon disk ships have just been lost.”

“Inbound weapons fire is beginning to saturate our shield,” warned Lieutenant Mays as she watched the readings on the amount of energy the shield was deflecting. “It won’t last much longer.”

“Battlecruiser Griffin has been lost,” reported Lieutenant Brooks.

“Mara’s trying to destroy the planet, isn’t she?” asked Andrew, looking sharply at Aleea.

“Yes,” the AI said. “A catastrophic explosion will follow if she succeeds.”

“All ships jump immediately,” Kurt ordered over the ship-to-ship comm. He wished he had known about this before. Even as he spoke, the Star Cross shook as if struck by a giant fist.

“Black antimatter beam strike to the aft section,” Aleea reported with concern in her voice. “We have a hole nearly sixty meters long in the hull. Numerous compartments are open to space. Shutting emergency bulkheads.” The ship shook again, and more alarms sounded. The damage control board lit up with red lights.

“Jump us!” ordered Kurt, expecting the ship to be destroyed at any moment.

“Hyperdrive failure,” reported Lieutenant Styles as he looked in alarm at his console. “That last strike must have damaged part of the drive system.”

“Rerouting,” said Aleea, her face creased in concentration.

“Kurt, the planet!” cried out Andrew, pointing toward the main viewscreen.

-

On the Limeira, they heard Kurt’s frantic order to jump, but they were nearly at their goal. Repeated strikes by Zero-Point Energy rounds and dark matter missiles had drilled a hole nearly to the planet’s core. The attack was so brutal, the planet began to break apart.

“Contact!” called out the Lakiam sensor officer. “We have a clear shot at the planet’s metallic core.”

“Fire!” ordered Mara as she watched the ship’s viewscreen intently.

From both the Limeira and the Aurelia, a Zero-Point Energy round was fired into the heart of the planet. When they exploded, the massive force blew the planet’s core apart. Debris flew everywhere including toward the orbiting Vorn fleet. Debris the size of mountains or larger slammed into orbiting Vorn battleships and cruisers. It happened so quickly they couldn’t get out of the way.

“Get us out of here,” ordered Mara, satisfied they had done what was necessary. They were far enough from the planet that the debris wasn’t a threat yet but soon would be.

“Mara, the Star Cross seems to be dead in space,” reported the sensor officer.

Mara’s gaze moved to the viewscreen, showing the flagship. Several jagged rents showed in her hull. “Move us to cover the Star Cross. We need to see what’s wrong.” Mara grew gravely concerned the ship might be too damaged to jump from the system.

“Vorn battleships are closing.”

“Put us between them and the Star Cross. See if you can get Admiral Vickers on the comm. They may have to evacuate.” Mara felt frantic as she saw the Vorn battleships firing on the flagship. She had to save Kurt! If she didn’t, Keera would never forgive her.

-

Kurt felt his ship scream in pain as another black antimatter beam tore through the weakening energy shield and struck the hull.

“Shield is down to 47 percent,” Lieutenant Mays reported. “We’ve lost four missile tubes and two direct energy projectors.”

“Vorn battleships are closing,” added Lieutenant Brooks with a frightened look on her face.

“Aleea?” asked Kurt, looking at the AI.

“Working on it,” she replied. “I need a few more minutes. The ship has taken a lot of damage.”

“We don’t have a few more minutes,” said Lieutenant Mays as she saw the growing strain on the energy shield which was in danger of collapsing at any second.

“Kurt, the Aurelia and the Limeira haven’t jumped. They’re moving between us and the Vorn battleships,” called out Andrew as he stared at a viewscreen in disbelief.

“The rest of the fleet has jumped,” confirmed Lieutenant Brooks. “Mara succeeded in blowing up the planet. The debris from the planet took out a lot of Vorn ships. The debris field will reach us in three minutes.”

“We have to be out of here by then,” Andrew said, looking at Aleea.

She didn’t reply but kept on working.

“I have Mara on the comm,” reported Lieutenant Pierce from Communications.

“Mara, get out of here,” ordered Kurt. No need for all of them to die. Mara would get to Keera and tell her what happened. “Our hyperdrive is down, and I’m not sure we can repair it before those battleships destroy the ship.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Mara replied stubbornly. “My ships will keep the Vorn at bay while you repair your ship’s hyperdrive.”

On the main viewscreen, both of the Lakiam ships were now under heavy fire. The Vorn battleships were hitting them with everything they had. Even as Kurt watched, an explosion shook the Aurelia, turning the ship nearly thirty degrees. However, the ship responded by using its dark matter missiles to take out two Vorn battleships. The Limeira was firing nonstop, using its kinetic energy cannon to fire Zero-Point Energy rounds and launching dark matter missiles as rapidly as they could be loaded into the tubes.

“Thirty seconds more,” said Aleea as she worked frantically to reroute power and change subroutines to allow the hyperdrive to be activated.

Another explosion shook the Aurelia, and its rate of weapons fire decreased. The Vorn seemed to sense the ship’s sudden weakness and switched all of their weapons fire toward the damaged Lakiam battlecruiser. In a blinding explosion, the Aurelia blew up, sending debris flying across space. A few pieces struck the Limeira’s energy shield but failed to penetrate.

“Hyperdrive online,” reported Aleea with relief in her voice.

“Mara, our hyperdrive is functional. We’re leaving.”

“Right behind you,” Mara replied.

Kurt knew she must be in shock from witnessing the Aurelia’s destruction. “Aleea, get us out of here.”

-

In space, both ships made the jump into hyperspace, leaving the ruins of the Vorn staging system behind. They had accomplished their mission, though it had been costly.

-

Prince Ortumad watched in frustration as the last of the attacking ships vanished into hyperspace. Can we track them?

No, replied Military Commander Madoul. They are using a very advanced sensor-dampening field. There is no sign of them. We did identify two ships of food species 236 and forty ships of the ancient race. The other vessels were at the battle in food species 236’s home system, though it is not known where they came from.

Ortumad looked at the ship’s tactical display. All of the intergalactic transports and the Collector ships had been destroyed. In addition, thousands of Vorn warships had been annihilated by the attacking fleet as well as the explosion of the planet. It was a disaster, one that could adversely affect the harvesting of Galaxy X241. New transports and Collector ships would have to be activated. That would take a while. As soon as the next intergalactic transport arrived, he would return to the Conclave Habitat and report the disaster. He knew there was a chance he would face deletion for his failure to defend the system. Losing so many transports and Collector ships would shake the Royal Court. This was the biggest disaster since the Vorn had fled their home galaxy.

However, one thing Ortumad could not figure out. How had the attacking fleet known where to find the staging system, and how had they known which ships to attack first? When the enemy fleet jumped into the system, their first targets were the transports and the Collector ships. How had the attackers gotten that information?

Such data was only in the computers of the transports, Collector ships, and the motherships. Since no transports or Collector ships had been destroyed inside Galaxy X241, that only left the motherships. Some had been destroyed in combat, and Ortumad would research each one to see if that might explain how the staging system had been found. He wondered if Prince Brollen might have hidden some vital information about the motherships he had lost under his command.

-

Kurt and the rest of the fleet were 117 light-years from the Vorn staging system. He had docked the Star Cross to the Construct One for repairs. They were far enough away from the Vorn that they should not be found, plus the entire fleet was still using their sensor-dampening fields.

Kurt tried to contact Mara but was told she was not available. She had to be highly upset at losing the Aurelia. It had been her ship before she had switched over to the Limeira. He would give her some time and then speak with her. She had saved the Star Cross, but, once again, it had been costly.

“How long will the repairs take?” Kurt asked. He didn’t want to stay in this region of space too long.

“Four days until the ship is in good-enough condition to stay in hyperspace for a long period,” Aleea replied. “Some of the repairs will have to be done in a Newton spacedock. Some of our other ships will need some work as well before they are fit to return to Newton.”

Kurt turned toward Andrew. “What did we lose?” Toward the end of the battle, the fleet took on a lot of damage.

“Two battleships, five heavy battlecruisers, and four of Captain Tolmass’s disk ships.”

“What did we manage to destroy of the Vorns’ fleet?”

Andrew grinned. “All 48 of their intergalactic transport ships, all 78 of their Collector ships, 312 battleships, and over 3,200 of their cruisers. A lot of their cruisers were destroyed when the planet blew. I don’t think anyone was expecting that. It was brilliant.”

Aleea turned and smiled. “Thank you.”

“We need to get our battle damage repaired and return to Newton,” Kurt said. “We must inform Fleet Commodore Dreen of what we’ve done as well as Fleet Captain Waelt and Tasid. We may have bought us a reprieve in the war.”

One they sorely needed. It would give Fleet Commodore Dreen time to solidify his Lakiam Alliance. The same for Earth and Newton and their small Alliance. More defensive platforms and more ships would be built. When the Vorn returned to the galaxy they would be ready.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Captain Lilith had been summoned to one of the spacedocks of the Aggressives. She hoped they would give her the new ship they had promised. Arriving at the spacedock, she found both Marshton and Valan waiting for her. She was surprised to see the two councilors. She had been expecting another fleet officer. Looking around the spacedock, she could see over one hundred of the one-thousand-meter disk ships which the Aggressives were allowed to have. Only the other Glaymons possessed the massive two-thousand-meter disk ships. Those had four times the firepower of the smaller ones.

“Welcome, Captain,” Marshton said with a grin. “I’m here to take you to your new command ship.”

“Command ship?” Lilith replied, confused.

Valan nodded. “Yes, command ship. We have decided to promote you to the rank of fleet captain for the exodus.”

“I don’t understand.” She had thought Valan and Marshton would arrange for her to escape and for her return to Fleet Captain Waelt in another disk ship.

“If you will step aboard the shuttle, we’ll go to your new command craft. I know you have questions. Just wait until we reach your new ship, and I’ll explain everything.” Marshton gestured toward the open hatch on a nearby shuttle.

Lilith entered the shuttle and took her seat next to Marshton. The shuttle took off and flew along the center of the spacedock, being thirty kilometers long, ten wide, and eight high. Inside it were hundreds of the one-thousand-meter disk ships as well as other vessels of the Aggressives.

The shuttle flew for several minutes before slowing and docking with another disk ship. However, this was not one of the smaller disk ships but one of the two-thousand-meter battleships of the enhanced Glaymons.

Lilith gazed out the viewport in shock, and then she turned to find Marshton grinning. “Where did you get that?”

“From one of our allies,” he replied. “Not all the enhanced Glaymons believe we should avoid this war with the Vorn. Valan and I have been working—ever since Fleet Admiral Vickers came to the Dyson Sphere—to get others to support his cause to fight the Vorn. A number have supported us from the very beginning, and, after your speech in front of the council, more have joined. Enough that we can take many of our ships and join Fleet Captain Waelt. We have also decided not to allow the Aggressive population to be reduced. Instead we’ll expand it. We are taking over eight more habitation squares.”

“But how will we leave? The enhanced Glaymons will destroy any ship that leaves the Dyson Sphere.”

“That’s where our allies come in. We now have enough that we can shut down the defenses for a short period of time. Time enough for us to escape.”

Lilith didn’t know what to say. She was silent as the shuttle docked with her new ship. A few moments later she stood in the docking bay and was pleased to see Marcus, her second in command, waiting for her.

“Look what we’ve got,” he said with a big smile. He gestured around the flight bay. “Let’s get to the Command Center. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Lilith looked at Marshton for an explanation.

“I’m afraid the enhanced Glaymons suspect something is going on. We’ve received a lot of inquiries over the last day. We’re speeding up the exodus, and we’ll be leaving the Dyson Sphere in a few more hours.”

-

It didn’t take long, and Lilith stepped through the hatch into her new Command Center. She froze, seeing Arleen standing upon the AI pedestal. “Arleen! How?”

“I arranged to have her program crystal removed from your former ship,” Marshton replied with a pleased look on his face. “That was one of the questions the enhanced Glaymons had for us. They are demanding to know if we took it.”

“Hello, Fleet Captain,” Arleen said in greeting. “The ship is fully functional, and we can depart upon your command.”

“The crew?” asked Lilith, turning toward Marcus.

“They’re all on board,” he replied. “Also a lot of family members are on the ship as well.”

Lilith looked at Marshton for an explanation. A warship was no place for families.

“Just temporarily,” he explained. “We’re taking as many of our people with us as possible to fight the Vorn.”

“How many?” she asked. She knew Tasid had two colony ships and was building a large habitat. He would be thrilled to see more Aggressives who could help in the construction as well as to expand the population base.

Marshton hesitated. “I’m not sure. It depends on how much room we have on the ships and if we have enough time to get everyone on board. We’re hoping to take over one million of our people with us.”

Lilith’s eyes widened in shock. “Just how big of a fleet are we taking?”

“As many ships as we can. It depends on how long we can keep the Dyson Sphere’s defenses offline.”

Lilith faced Marshton. “What will you and Valan do?”

Marshton took a deep breath. “I’m coming with you. Valan will stay behind to see if he can change the attitude of the enhanced Glaymons toward the war. We have enough support from some of the other habitation squares now to make a real debate in the council possible.”

“Won’t the council be upset over this exodus?”

“It’s what will encourage them to act,” Marshton replied. “With so many vessels actively involved in the war and over a million Aggressives leaving the Dyson Sphere, they must accept that it will only be a matter of time before the Vorn find them. When they do, it will be the end of their final solution they have planned for two million years from now. One way or another, they’ll have to fight the Vorn.”

Lilith nodded. She had never expected to leave the Dyson Sphere at the head of a fleet. She took her place at the command station, sitting and looking at her fellow officers. “We have a fleet to organize and not a lot of time to do it. Marcus, when we exit the Dyson Sphere, coordinate with the other ship captains to set up a defensive perimeter around the civilian vessels. We must be far away from the sphere before the defenses come back online. Marshton, do you have any idea how long the defenses will be down?”

“No, we’re hoping for at least twenty minutes. If we’re lucky, maybe thirty.”

“Very well, Marcus and Arleen, plan for twenty minutes. Once we reach that mark we need to be prepared to enter hyperspace.”

Lilith leaned back in her command chair. This was going to be one exciting and interesting day.

-

Three hours later, in one of the primary control centers for the offensive and defensive weapons of the Dyson Sphere, one of the Glaymons on duty casually walked over and inserted a microdrive into the center’s main computer. He waited for a moment and then removed it, returning to his console. No one had noticed what he had done.

The first hint that something was wrong was when the power abruptly failed, and the emergency power came on.

“The defense grid has gone down,” reported one of the Glaymons, in shock, sitting in front of one of the other consoles. “The grid is down on over half the Dyson Sphere.”

“Get it back up,” ordered the officer in charge, stepping over to see if he could find what was wrong.

“We’re getting reports from other control centers of the same problem. It’s some type of computer failure, and it’s having a cascading effect on the systems. We’ll have to reload the weapons software.”

“How long will that take?” asked the commanding officer with a deep frown. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The backups should have kicked in, but they had failed to do so.

“Twenty to twenty-five minutes,” the Glaymon sitting in front of the console replied.

The Glaymon who had inserted the computer drive smiled to himself. So far, so good.

-

“Defenses are down!” Marshton reported as he received a confirmation message over the small comm unit he always carried with him.

“Take us out,” ordered Lilith, her eyes narrowing.

“Space doors are opening,” reported Arleen. She was monitoring the entire bay. “Other ships are disconnecting from their moorings.”

“Nearly every ship in this bay is going,” Marshton explained as he watched a large viewscreen. On it, other ships were moving away from their docking berths.

“Take us out to one million kilometers,” ordered Lilith. “We will direct the exodus from there.” That was still inside weapons range of the Dyson Sphere, but Lilith wanted to stay close enough in case any problems evolved with the other ships taking part in the exodus.

-

The disk-shaped battleship quickly exited the spacedock and took its position where it could direct the other ships, now exiting other docking bays across this side of the Dyson Sphere.

Lilith’s eyes widened as hundreds of the two-thousand-meter battleships joined her ship. She couldn’t even count the number of one-thousand-meter battlecruisers exiting the bays.

Then a number of very large vessels left the primary spacedock of the Aggressives. They were colony ships, ten of them.

“Where did those come from? I thought we only had the two that left the Dyson Sphere with Fleet Captain Waelt.”

Marshton shook his head. “No, there were others. They just weren’t complete. We’ve worked day and night getting them finished.”

Another extremely large vessel left the bay; this one was nearly twice the size of the colony ships.

“What is that?” It was by far the largest vessel Lilith had ever seen.

“A mobile shipyard,” Marshton explained. “Built years ago in case we ever ventured out into the galaxy to fight the Vorn. We updated it, and it’s going with us.

“I have the lead councilor on the comm,” reported the communications officer.

“I’ll take it,” Marshton said as he changed his personal comm over to the lead councilor’s channel. “Councilor Lavin, it’s good of you to contact us.”

“Marshton!” Lavin said with a trace of anger in his voice. “What do you think you’re doing? I demand you return to the Dyson Sphere with all the ships that have exited.”

“No,” Marshton replied. “We’re going to do what the council should have done long ago. We’re going to fight the Vorn.”

“You fool! All you’re doing is throwing your lives away and endangering the Dyson Sphere.”

“Only if you continue to live in the false world you’ve created. Join us and fight the Vorn now. Let us stop this nonending carnage they inflict on so many galaxies. We have the power. Let’s use it!”

“What have you done to our defenses?”

“They will be up shortly,” Marshton replied. “Also, Lavin, things are going to change. Not all the habitats are willing to ignore the Vorn. You are in for some very interesting council meetings.” Marshton changed his comm channel to one where Valan could contact him. He had nothing more to say to Lead Councilor Lavin.

-

For twenty minutes the ships continued to exit the Dyson Sphere. The number of ships coming out slowed and finally came to a stop.

“We need to go,” Marshton said. “Valan reports the defenses will be back online in the next five minutes.”

“Marcus, Arleen, are we ready?”

“As ready as we can be,” Marcus replied. “I’ve ordered all ships to activate their sensor-dampening fields so we won’t be detected when we exit the nebula. However, somewhere we need to stop and better organize this fleet.”

Lilith nodded. “Very well, Arleen, take the fleet into hyperspace.”

Moments later Lilith felt the battleship make the jump. On the main viewscreen, the Dyson Sphere vanished. Lilith wondered if she would ever see it again. “What’s the final ship count?”

Arleen smiled. “I think you’ll be pleased. We have 1,112 battleships, 3,714 battlecruisers, 10 colony ships, 1 shipyard, and 260 supply ships.”

Lilith felt her heart skip a beat. Wait until Fleet Captain Waelt saw what she was bringing home. He would be elated. It at least gave them a fighting chance against the Vorn until the council on the Dyson Sphere decided what they would do: fight the Vorn or let the galaxy die. If the Vorn thought the one-thousand-meter disk ships were powerful, wait until they encountered a Glaymon battleship. It should send them running.

-

Fleet Commodore Dreen read the battle assessment report from Zumwald. He felt great sadness at hearing of the death of Captain Callast.

“They saved Zumwald, and the Vorn have left the sector,” Alborg said as he read over a copy of the same report Dreen had. “They took out forty-nine Vorn motherships and a lot of battleships and cruisers.”

“Six thousand Vorn vessels if the report is right. However, Captain Latimeer lost over half of his ships. We now know the Vorn can destroy Glaymon warships.”

“Captain Callast died a valiant death. His charge into that formation of Vorn battleships allowed Captain Latimeer to reach the motherships.”

“He was an excellent officer and strategist. He’ll be missed.”

“We need to promote someone to command his fleet. I’ll work up a list of recommendations.”

“The fleet survivors will return shortly,” said Commodore Dreen, laying aside the report and looking at Alborg. “We lost a lot of ships and personnel to stop the Vorn at Zumwald.”

“But we gained a new Lakiam Alliance member with a large fleet of warships. As soon as those ships are updated, they could be very useful in the fight against the Vorn.”

Dreen looked thoughtful as he considered what lay ahead. “In a few more months, all the worlds of our Alliance will have updated their warships and installed the new defensive platforms around their planets.”

“You’re thinking about going on the offense?”

“I think we have to,” Dreen replied, frowning. “If not, a time will come when the Vorn will have harvested 80 percent of our galaxy. Then we’ll face an unstoppable force. We need to go out and meet them wherever they show up to harvest a world. They must learn that, with every world they harvest, there will be a price to pay.”

Alborg nodded. “We’ll have to build more fleets, and the council won’t like that.”

“The council will learn to accept this new reality. If we don’t pool all our resources into fighting the Vorn, then we will surely fail, and eventually Lakiam will fall victim to the Destroyers of Worlds.”

Dreen was also curious how the scouting mission to the Vorn staging system was progressing. Captain Waelt had indicated the mission had already begun, though nothing had been heard back. He wondered if Mara had gone with the Humans from Newton on the mission. From speaking with her, he knew she was infatuated with Fleet Admiral Vickers. He grinned to himself, wondering how that would turn out. Mara was one who normally got what she wanted.

With a deep sigh, he looked at Alborg. “I’ll contact Councilor Marl and ask him to call a special meeting of the council.”

“Councilor Darmas will oppose any attempts to increase military spending,” warned Alborg.

“Let him. We still have the confession from the fake military officer Darmas planted. Maybe it’s time I took a harder stance with the council. I sent a copy of the confession to Councilor Marl. I’ll see what recommendations he has for its use.”

Alborg looked relieved. “It’s about time you straightened out the council. You have the full support of the military. Make sure they understand that as well.”

Fleet Commodore Dreen knew Alborg was right. It was time for Lakiam to dedicate itself to destroying the Vorn. Dreen would have it no other way.

-

On Kubitz, Grantz was following one of his informants. Supposedly the Profiteer had informed High Profiteer Creed that Grantz was looking for him. The Profiteer went into one of the smaller pleasure houses, and Grantz did too.

Watching, Grantz saw his informant take a seat in one of the entertainment areas, where live music played and scantily clad women danced. Grantz waited for several minutes until he was satisfied the Profiteer wasn’t meeting someone. Going into the entertainment area, Grantz sat across from the man.

“I’ve been hearing some rumors,” Grantz said, seeing the shocked look on the Profiteer’s face.

“I’ve done nothing,” the man stammered.

“That’s not what I heard. I understand you have a way to contact High Profiteer Creed.”

The Profiteer’s face turned pale. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“It doesn’t matter. However, you must understand one thing. I want you to tell me the next time Creed is coming to Kubitz. If you fail to do so, or I hear you warned him that I’m looking for him, I will send your head home to your family. Do you understand?”

The Profiteer gulped and nodded. “I promise. You’ll be the first to find out.”

“Make sure of that,” Grantz said as he stood. “Don’t disappoint me.” With that, Grantz turned and left. He still had two other informants he was going to give some additional encouragement to.

If things continued to go as he wanted, soon he would be collecting that ten-million-credit reward. He had already decided to invest most of it in a pleasure house. Perhaps this time he could talk Captain Randson into joining him. The captain really should spice up his life, and Grantz knew just how to do that. Besides Captain Randson would make an excellent business partner.

-

Far out in intergalactic space, the intergalactic transport Prince Brollen traveled on arrived in the system containing the Vorn habitats. Soon afterward, he was contacted telepathically by one of the lessor Queens.

I have sad news to report, she sent. Queen Alithe was killed when a power conduit overloaded in a corridor she was passing through.

What are the other Queens saying? This Queen was one who had sworn allegiance to Prince Brollen.

Several have voiced their opinion that you should be elevated to lead the Vorn. Many of the older Queens are opposed.

This was as Brollen had expected. Arrangements had been made to remove some of the older Queens if necessary. However, for now, he was still the consort to Queen Alithe and had a say in what was going on in the habitats and particularly in the Conclave Habitat. Inform all the Queens and the Royal Court that I have returned. We will observe thirty days of mourning for Queen Alithe and then vote on a successor.

It will be done, the young Queen responded.

Prince Brollen took a deep breath. Everything was proceeding as planned. In thirty days there would be a vote of the Royal Court, and he would be named High Prince. Once that was done, he would give the order to activate the rest of the Vorn fleet. After all the ships had been updated and prepared for war, he would return to Galaxy X241 at the head of a fleet of over six hundred thousand vessels. With that size of a force, it would not take long to complete the harvest and allow him to return to the Conclave Habitat. There would be sufficient food to last hundreds of years, and he would mate with many young Queens. Brollen would become the greatest leader the Vorn had ever known.

Epilogue

On the return trip to Newton, Kurt went over to the Limeira to speak with Mara. She was heartbroken over the loss of the Aurelia and its crew—some of whom she had known for years. However, she had been adamant in that she had made the correct decision in saving the Star Cross. “I have no regrets in what I did,” she had told Kurt. For the rest of the trip, Mara stayed on the Limeira and only spoke to Kurt a few times.

-

Finally the fleet arrived at Newton and the Star Cross was docked to Newton Station. Shortly it would be moved to one of the large repair bays. Kurt was still on board his flagship, preparing a report on what had transpired at the Vorn staging system. It had been a resounding victory, and one that should considerably set back the Vorn harvesting of the galaxy.

“About ready to go over to Newton Station?” asked Andrew as he popped his head in the open hatch of Kurt’s quarters. Most of the crew had already left the ship, and only a few remained on board.

“Almost done,” Kurt replied. “Captain Tolmass will return to Tasid and explain what we did. He will take my report with him as well.”

Andrew came in and sat. “You don’t think Tasid will object to us attacking the staging system? After all, we did destroy an awful lot of Vorn warships, plus the transports and the Collector ships.”

Kurt shook his head. “No, not after what we did to the staging system. With Mara blowing up the planet, it’s useless to them now.”

“That was a good move on her part,” Andrew said, smiling. “I never would have thought of it.”

“Aleea and several of Mara’s scientists worked out the details. I was as surprised as everyone else.”

“So, what now?”

“We’ve bought ourselves some time. We can expand our fleet and continue to emplace the new defensive platforms around our worlds. For once, I really think we may have a chance of defeating the Vorn—or at least driving them from our galaxy.”

Kurt quickly finished his report and sent it over to Captain Tolmass, who was still on board his ship. “What are your plans when you get home?”

Andrew sighed. “Guess I’ll see if Alexis is still dating the same boy. I met him last time I was home. I promised the girls I would have a cookout and invited him over.”

“To lay down the rules?”

“That was my original thought, but the kid surprised me. He was very polite and respectful, not what I was expecting.”

Kurt looked at the viewscreen on his desk, showing Newton. The blue-white world was his home and where someday he would raise his children. Keera was probably getting impatient for him to leave the Star Cross. When he did, the two of them had a few things to discuss, but he didn’t think there would be any problems among him, Keera, and Mara. Mara really needed Keera’s friendship right now after the loss of the Aurelia. He was a little nervous about telling Keera about him and Mara, but she had asked him to tell her if anything happened. He would also wait a few days before inviting Mara over to the house.

“I’m done. I imagine we have a couple women anxious for us to show up.”

Andrew grinned. “If the Vorn pull out of the galaxy for a while, we may finally get some peace and can stay around Newton. I know Emily and Alexis would like that.”

“We all would. Now let’s go home. I think the war for us, at least for a while, is over.”

The End

The Star Cross: The Vorn! (Book Five) coming in September or October of 2017. This will be the exciting conclusion to the series.

Huge battles break out across the galaxy as High Prince Brollen returns with a massive warfleet of Vorn ships. Fleet Admiral Vickers is pulled into the conflict as he fights to keep Newton, Earth, and their Alliance safe against impossible odds.

On Kubitz, Grantz plots to end High Profiteer Creed’s life, but the appearance of the Vorn may end the empire before he can reach the High Profiteer.

The Lakiam Alliance is under intense pressure from the advancing Vorn. Battles rage across Lakiam Alliance space as they try to push back the Vorn. Fleet Commodore Dreen and Captain Waelt use every ship under their command to try to stop the Destroyers of Worlds.

On the Dyson Sphere, Valan and other councilors plead for the council to vote to attack the Vorn. The fate of the galaxy rests with a council, where most do not want to become involved in war.

For updates on current writing projects and future publications, go to my author website. Sign up for future notifications when my new books come out on Amazon.

Website: http://raymondlweil.com/

Follow on Facebook at Raymond L. Weil

Turn the page for an introduction to Earth Fall: Invasion a new military science fiction series that will be starting later this year.

Earth Fall: Invasion

Major Mark Dolan crawled painfully to the top of the small brush-covered hill he’d been behind for the last several hours. His uniform was ragged and filthy; blood ran from a shallow, jagged cut on his forehead, the result of a splinter grenade falling too close to his position. Only by throwing himself to the ground upon realizing what was about to happen had Dolan survived at all. The private who had been with him lay dead, his body torn apart by the grenade.

Around Dolan, dead bodies and burned-out vehicles were everywhere. Unfortunately most of the bodies were human and not Trellixian. The aliens were nearly unstoppable, their vehicles protected by energy shields and possessing weapons much more powerful than the humans’. The enemy could be killed with great effort, but normally the attacking humans died in the attempt. However, the humans were fighting for their world, and there was never a shortage of volunteers to attempt the almost impossible.

In the distance Dolan could hear the heavy explosions of powerful warp missiles and more splinter grenades blasting away at the weakening human defenses. The Trellixians were rapidly pushing back the meager remnants of Earth’s military toward the bunker complex that housed their last-known active base. For nearly twelve hours, Mark and his handpicked squad had been watching the battle. Their job was to stay on the outskirts, undetected, and report back to their superiors the results of the battle. Several times Mark had been tempted to join in the fighting when a Trellixian passed within weapons range, but his orders were very explicit. No contact with the enemy! Observe and report back!

“Major, this is Captain Reynolds. I’m in position,” a female voice said over his earpiece.

Everyone in his squad wore a small communications earpiece, set to a frequency they didn’t think the enemy would be monitoring, so they could stay in contact with one another. It was a risk, but one that was necessary if they wanted to complete their mission.

Captain Lisa Reynolds was two hundred meters to his west on another small ridge, which provided a good view of the ongoing battle. She had two other soldiers with her, assigned to keep her safe. Reynolds was a military analyst sent on this mission to gather data on Trellixian battle techniques. Mark wasn’t sure what good that would do if the mountain base and its bunker complex were destroyed. As far as Mark knew, resistance across the planet had been smashed, and this was the last major surviving military installation still fighting back.

“Make sure you record everything,” ordered Mark, as his gaze swept across the embattled human defensive lines. Several massive explosions struck the human lines, blasting deep smoking holes in the ground. Mark thought he could see soldiers pulling back from the besieged positions. “Keep messages to a minimum. We don’t want to tip off the enemy we’re here.”

“Yes, sir,” Reynolds replied. “We’ve got my equipment set up and are recording the battle.”

“Don’t take any unnecessary risks,” Mark instructed. “I want us all to get back safely.”

Removing his battle helmet and enhanced vision goggles, he wiped the sweat from his brow and cautiously rose up to better see what lay on the other side of the small hill. A blackened ruin of blasted earth, burned-out trees, destroyed vehicles and dead bodies lay as far as his trained eyes could see. Several kilometers to the north, close to the mountains, he could see the fighting still raged, the meager Earth forces battling desperately to hold on to the last bastion of hope against a fearless, overpowering enemy who knew no mercy.

After sliding his goggles and helmet back on, he adjusted the sights to allow him a close-up view of the fighting. Trellixian hover tanks were moving steadily forward, their large cannons firing round after round of heavy blaster fire into the entrenched human troops. Side launchers on the hover tanks fired a seemingly unending supply of splinter grenades into the human positions. Occasionally an Earth heavy missile would strike one of the tanks, stressing its shield but having very little effect. Mark let out a deep, guttural sigh of frustration. If they could only find a way around the Trellixians’ energy shields, the battle would be more even.

Thousands of Trellixian troops in nearly impenetrable battle armor followed closely behind the tanks, mopping up straggling pockets of defenders. Occasionally short-range missiles and shells from heavy artillery exploded among the advancing Trellixian troops, but a direct hit was necessary to penetrate the battle armor. Scanning the dead, Dolan noticed a few Trellixians scattered among the human casualties, but not many.

Above the ground fighting, Trellixian wedge-shaped attack craft swooped and dove at the fragile human defensive positions, trying to crack open the human lines by firing small warp missiles which impacted the ground in towering explosions of flame and dirt. The warp missiles made a high-pitched screaming noise as they came down.

Human aircraft had been cleared from the skies weeks earlier. Defensive missiles and occasional blaster fire from the main base itself were now directed heatedly toward the attacking Trellixian aircraft as they came within range, in a futile attempt to turn the tide of the battle. Only recently had human scientists reverse engineered a captured hover tank, enabling them to create energy cannons similar to the enemy’s.

Mark almost stood up in elation as several beams of white energy converged on one of the Trellixian craft, cracking through its energy shield and causing the ship to explode in a bright orange fireball, spilling out its flaming parts over the fighting below. If the humans had only had more energy cannons, they might’ve had a chance to turn the tide of the battle. From what he could see, only about a dozen of the powerful weapons were being used by the defenders.

As Mark watched, a large and ominous shadow passed over him. Looking up, he sucked in his breath as he recognized one of the Trellixians’ space battlecruisers plodding through the Earth’s heavy atmosphere toward the human military base. In moments, the massive cylinder came to a stop, its defensive shields lighting up as the base focused all its firepower on the massive vessel in a last-stand effort. Heavy missiles and energy blasters smashed futilely against the powerful energy shield, which erupted in bright cascades of color as it shrugged off the ineffective attack. The outside of the huge vessel was dotted with antennae, communication dishes, and offensive and defensive weaponry—designed for war.

Huge beams of incandescent energy leaped from the nose of the vessel, plowing up the earth along and through the human troops’ defensive lines. Smoke and fire burst into the air as the ground was burned. Whenever the beam touched a human soldier or vehicle, they were turned instantly into smoldering ashes under the tremendous destructive power being unleashed. For long minutes the deadly beams moved up and down the human lines, until the defensive firing lessened and then stopped.

Mark felt intense anger at what he had just witnessed. He gripped his assault rifle tightly in his hands, wanting to rush forward and fire it at the Trellixians. However, he knew to do so would be suicide and against his orders. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to lie still and continued to observe the battle. He greatly feared it was nearing its end. He desperately looked for any signs that the embattled soldiers could regroup, but there were none.

The enemy spacecraft continued to move forward, now focusing its powerful energy beams on the mountain and the underground base it sheltered. However, the base was buried deep beneath several thousand meters of bedrock and protected by reinforced steel beams with thick concrete walls. It was fortified with all the defensive and offensive weapons the human race had been able to throw together in the short time since the Trellixians had invaded Earth and embarked on their genocidal war. The base was protected by a rudimentary energy shield cobbled together by some of Earth’s greatest remaining scientists, who had taken shelter in the base.

The shield strained as the Trellixian beams tried to penetrate to the base below. Great streams of energy seemed to be erupting from the mountain, and the shield persevered. Mark held his breath. The Trellixians seemed to have been stopped for the first time. Their energy beams ceased firing, and for several long minutes silence came over the battlefield.

Mark refocused his enhanced-vision optics on the ground immediately in front of the base. The Trellixian hover tanks and their armored troops were pouring through the smashed human lines. Little to no resistance was encountered, as most of the defenders were dead. Mark tried not to think of the thousands of human soldiers who had lost their lives in this battle.

As the Trellixian hover tanks came within range of the base, heavy energy weapons hidden among the rocks opened up, tearing through the tanks’ shields like a knife through butter. These weapons operated off the base’s fusion power plant, and their energy output was nearly off the scale. Unfortunately they burned out after firing one shot, as they could not handle the torrents of energy passing through the barrels. The Trellixian hover tanks couldn’t stand up to such energy. Tank after tank fell to the ground, split open by the powerful energy beams. Loud explosions reverberated across the valley, and smoke filled the air. The few surviving troops cheered loudly, seeing the nearly indestructible tanks stopped and feeling a brief rise of hope.

Mark could barely hear the distant cheering and looked up to see what the Trellixian battlecruiser was doing. It still hovered above in a threatening manner, still under fire from the base’s weapons.

-

On the Trellixian battlecruiser, its captain saw the ground assault on the humans’ last redoubt had failed as well. He was taller than an average human with dark green skin, due to his Saurian ancestry. The captain had a large head with sharp tearing teeth and eyes twice the size of a human’s. He gazed in anger at the ship’s main viewscreen, which showed the surface below. The humans were proving to be a more formidable opponent than originally expected. The Trellixian High Command had felt it would take less than four weeks to subdue the planet; they were now into their twelfth week of heavy fighting, and losses had been eight times higher than projected. Nodding to his communications officer, he ordered all ground troops to pull back, as the battlecruiser slowly edged higher into the air. Its heavy energy shield glowed brightly as human energy weapons and missiles impacted the shield, trying to crack it open to bring to Earth the mighty ship of space.

High Command was also alarmed by how rapidly the humans had been able to come up with their own energy weapons. Cascading waves of energy from the human weapons bit and clawed at the powerful Trellixian shield. This world was needed for living space for the Trellixian race, and the fighting had delayed the first of hundreds of colonization transports.

“Shield is holding at eighty-two percent,” reported the tactical officer. “Our energy weapons are incapable of penetrating the shield the humans have placed around the mountain.”

“I would suggest we deploy a Malken missile,” suggested the ship’s second officer. “Our sensors are indicating the humans’ base is deep beneath the mountain.”

“A Malken missile will penetrate deeply enough,” confirmed the tactical officer.

The captain nodded. The Malken missile was the most powerful and deadly weapon in their arsenal. Not even the humans’ energy shield would be able to resist the deadly antimatter missile. They were also very difficult to produce, so each battlecruiser was only equipped with one. Its use had to be authorized by the council.

The captain turned toward the communications officer. “Send a request to the High Council, requesting authorization to deploy a Malken missile. Inform them it’s the only viable option for destroying the human military base. Once this base is annihilated, the planet will be ours, and the colonization transports can be sent.” The ship possessed an FTL transmitter, and it wouldn’t take long to get a response.

-

On the ground, several minutes passed as Mark watched the ship continue to gain altitude. At last it came to a stop, high above the base, just out of range of the human weapons which had been impacting its energy shield. With foreboding, Mark saw a single small black dot fall away from the belly of the ship. “Everyone take cover!” Mark yelled over his comm. With apprehension, Mark flung himself behind the small hill as brilliant light and overpowering noise crashed down upon him, driving him into unconsciousness.

Sometime later Mark awoke, realizing he had been out for quite some time. After staggering back to the top of the hill, he stood, looking with shock and despair at what had once been the strongest base the human race had constructed to stop the Trellixians. A jagged, smoking hole lay where the mountain had been. Trees had been knocked over, and a number of fires raged in the forest. The sky was obscured by dark smoke, and a lot of ash floated in the air. The base was gone!

Trellixian hover tanks moved about the smoking ruins, searching for human survivors. Troops in dark battle armor also combed the rocks and defiles, looking for scattered human defenders who might have survived. From the lack of firing, Mark guessed none or very few were being found. Over sixty thousand troops had begun the defense of the valley, with another twenty thousand soldiers, technicians, scientists, and politicians taking shelter inside the base. With growing despair, Mark knew it was over. The base was gone; everything was destroyed! Earth’s last hope was a jagged, smoking hole in the ground.

With anguish Mark slid back behind the cover of the hill, his head down, eyes clenched shut. It was over; the human race had lost! Mark doubted whether any humans would survive more than a year upon the surface if the Trellixian genocidal campaign continued with the civilian population. Already all the major cities had been destroyed. Dams, power stations, nearly all the infrastructure built up over hundreds of years had been ruthlessly annihilated.

Mark stood, realizing he needed to get to his squad’s rendezvous coordinates. He was hesitant to use his comm, as it might alert the Trellixians to his presence. The rendezvous point was only a few kilometers away in thick, concealing forest near another mountain. He hoped the others in his squad had survived the blast.

Forcing himself to walk, Mark retraced his steps, taking a roundabout course into the surrounding mountains toward his destination. He carried a small pack, an assault rifle, and a pistol, as well as several flash grenades. He almost wished a Trellixian would step out in front of him, so he could vent his rage after witnessing the recent disaster. Mark’s immediate commander had believed the base would be able to stand up to the Trellixian attack.

The missile the aliens had used at the end had penetrated the base’s fusion energy shield as if it didn’t even exist. The human scientists hadn’t expected anything like this. That final weapon was unbelievable, and Mark wondered why the Trellixians hadn’t used it earlier in the battle. What good his report would do now, he had no idea. The humans had nothing left to fight back with; his information would be of little value to the few surviving troops and scientists his commander had indicated were being held in reserve.

-

Mark carefully approached the rendezvous coordinates. In the last several hours, he’d encountered no one. He’d heard a Trellixian attack craft fly over once, but it had continued on to some unknown destination. Keeping under the canopy formed by the thick growth of trees, he hoped he would remain undetected.

Nearby he could hear the sound of running water. The rendezvous coordinates were just to the west side of the stream next to a clearing. There a rocky overhang shielded a small cave, if one could call it that, which they hoped would prevent detection from above. Grasping his rifle and holding it at the ready, he slowly moved through the trees, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of danger. The snapping of a small tree branch alerted him to the presence of someone behind him, and, spinning around, he brought his rifle to his shoulder, ready to fire.

“Don’t shoot, sir,” a shaken private said, holding up his hands. “We were beginning to fear you weren’t going to show up.”

“Private Donly,” Mark said, recognizing the young soldier. “How many others made it?” Donly had been with Captain Reynolds.

“The captain, Private Richards, and Corporal Sampson so far,” Donly answered. “They’re waiting at the overhang.”

“Let’s go then,” Mark ordered. He glanced down at his watch, noting how much time had passed and realizing no one else would probably make the rendezvous.

They quickly crossed the stream and made their way to the overhang and the small cave extending about five meters into the mountain.

“Major,” Captain Reynolds said, standing up, her eyes showing relief at seeing him. “We were afraid that last weapon the Trellixians used had taken you out.”

He looked around at the small group. All looked disheveled, with their uniforms covered in soot from the blast. “What was that damn thing they dropped at the end?” He looked at Reynolds, waiting for an answer.

“I think it was antimatter,” replied Reynolds, shaking her head. “It’s highly unstable, and I’m surprised they even used something like that. It’s far beyond anything we’re capable of.”

“What about Sergeant Anderson and the two soldiers with him? Any idea of their whereabouts?”

“The sergeant was to the right of our position and closer to the blast,” Reynolds said in a lower voice. “I don’t think they made it.”

Mark let out a deep breath. So many people had died today. “We’ll wait here another two hours. If they don’t show up, we’ll move out.”

Mark sat down on a large rock and gazed out at the small stream and forest. His mind was nearly numb from what he’d witnessed. It had been like this for the last twelve weeks. City after city had been destroyed, Trellixian troops spreading out and eliminating any survivors, the human militaries making desperate stands to slow down the deadly advance, trying to give the civilians time to flee, only to be wiped out by superior firepower. Mark had lost everyone dear to him. His parents had died when the aliens hit Houston, and his sister had perished at a hospital in Dallas. She’d been a nurse, working at one of the few surviving medical centers before it had been overrun by Trellixian troops. He just prayed his sister’s death had been quick.

“What’s going to happen now?” asked Reynolds, as she came over and sat down next to the major.

“I don’t know,” Mark replied with a sigh. “There’s not many of us left. Do you know if any of your family survived?”

“I don’t think so,” answered Reynolds, shaking her head. Her eyes looked sad and her face pale. Her brunette hair was just barely visible beneath her combat helmet. “My family lived in Portland, and it was one of the first cities hit.”

“The Trellixians were supposed to be the solution to so many of our problems,” Mark said, recalling what the aliens had promised when the first ship appeared over Washington, DC. “Cures for many of our diseases, better power systems, new methods to grow food to stop hunger and more.”

“All lies,” Lisa said, biting her upper lip. “During the entire time they spoke to the world governments, they were just preparing to exterminate us. I remember speaking to my dad at the very beginning, and he was so excited about the possibility of having unlimited energy. For several years the Portland area had been subjected to rolling blackouts. He was talking about adding an addition to the house, so if grandkids ever visited, they’d have their own rooms.”

“Grandkids,” repeated Mark. “Did you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No,” Lisa replied, her face flushing slightly. “My parents were hoping that, as soon as I got out of the military, I would settle down and have a family.”

“Did you have anyone special in your life?”

Lisa closed her eyes and then slowly opened them. “Yes, Streth and I had dated since high school. I guess the two of us always assumed we would eventually get married. I was going to finish my tour in the military and then join him. He had a real-estate business and was doing quite well with it. He was in Portland when the Trellixians bombed it.”

“I’m sorry,” Mark said.

The two became quiet, lost in their own thoughts. In the forest, the sounds of insects and an occasional birdcall could be heard.

-

Two hours later Mark stood up and looked around. It was evident Sergeant Anderson and the two soldiers with him weren’t going to make it.

“Let’s move out,” Mark ordered. He picked up a small pack and slung it over his shoulders. They had left a few supplies in the cave before setting out to observe the battle, and he made sure everyone had what they needed to take with them.

-

As evening neared, they’d put quite a few kilometers between them and the destroyed base. The sun was close to setting when they heard an alien craft fly overhead and saw it land directly in front of them.

“They must have detected us,” Lisa said worriedly, as she stared in the direction the Trellixian aircraft had descended. The tall trees made it difficult to determine how close to them it had come down.

“How?” Mark was concerned. They were traveling through a small valley with towering mountains around them and no way to go around the enemy.

“Heat sensors probably,” Lisa replied. She looked over at Mark. “They may be searching for survivors from the battle.”

“What do we do?” asked Corporal Sampson, who was holding his assault rifle cradled in his arms. “Do we need to retrace our steps?”

“No,” Mark replied as he thought over their options. “We can’t go back.” Even as he spoke, he heard the Trellixian aircraft again and saw it rise in the air and vanish to the south.

“They left,” Corporal Sampson said, with relief in his voice.

“I doubt that,” Mark replied, peering into the thick forest around them. “They probably set down a squad of their soldiers to take us out and went in search of more survivors.”

“Do we fight?”

“Yes,” Mark answered. He turned to Private Donly, who was carrying two backpacks. “How many M24 Claymore mines do you have?”

“Four,” Donly answered. “They can be remotely detonated.”

The Claymore was an antipersonnel weapon specifically designed to take out enemy troops. It was directional and could be detonated from a distance. Each mine would fire four hundred steel bearings capable of penetrating body armor when triggered. Mark was certain that if he could detonate one within ten meters of the Trellixians, the projectiles would penetrate their body armor, killing them.

“This trail we’ve been following is pretty narrow,” Mark said, looking ahead of them and seeing a lot of tall trees and overgrowth, which made much of the forest impassable. “I want a killing zone set up in front of us.” He hurriedly showed Donly where he wanted the mines placed.

While Donly set the mines, the other four humans moved back a short distance and took cover behind some large boulders and a fallen tree lying partially across the trail. When Donly finished, he jogged back to Mark and handed him the detonator. Four glowing lights were visible, each designating one of the Claymores.

“Now we wait,” he told the others.

“It’ll be dark soon,” Lisa said, looking at the lengthening shadows being cast by the mountains. Already it was difficult to see far into the forest. “It’ll be hard to spot the Trellixians until they’re almost upon us.”

The time seemed to pass by slowly as the five waited with their eyes focused on the trail and their ears listening for any noises that might indicate the approach of the enemy soldiers.

“It’s too quiet,” whispered Corporal Sampson from his position a meter to Mark’s right. “We should have seen or heard something by now.” He shifted his rifle, gazing through the night scope.

Even with the night scopes, Mark knew his team could only see about fifty meters into the forest in front of them.

“Quiet,” Mark ordered, as he thought he saw movement in the undergrowth. If he was right, the enemy wasn’t using the trail but forcing their way through the thick tangle of vines and underbrush that covered the forest floor.

“I got ’em,” said Private Donly, peering intently at a spot in the forest. “About forty meters out and to the right of the trail.”

“Crap,” muttered Corporal Sampson, clicking the safety off his assault rifle. “They’re too far away for the Claymores.”

“Let’s force them back on the trail,” said Mark, as he reached down and unhooked two flash grenades from his belt. The flash grenades would emit a brilliant light, as well as searing heat, where they went off.

Everyone got their weapons ready, knowing that shortly they would be in a fight for their lives. The Trellixians were known not to take prisoners. Corporal Sampson also readied two flash grenades, keeping an eye on Mark, so he would know when to toss them.

“Now,” Mark said, keeping his voice low so as not to attract the enemy’s attention. Standing in a low crouch, he lobbed first one grenade and then the second in the enemy’s direction. Corporal Sampson did the same.

Moments later four loud explosions echoed across the small valley, as four brilliant flashes of light and searing heat were released on the valley floor. A lot of movement could be heard in the underbrush, and then two Trellixians stumbled out into the trail, their energy rifles held at the ready, searching for a target. Both were clad in full battle armor with a helmet and protective visor.

Mark instantly pressed a switch on his remote detonator, and one of the Claymores exploded just seven meters from the alien soldiers. Hundreds of steel bearings struck the two, penetrating their armor, knocking both backward and to the ground. “Fire!” Mark ordered, as other armored Trellixians emerged from the undergrowth.

All five humans fired their assault rifles, spraying the enemy with hundreds of rounds of armor-piercing ammunition. Private Donly paused for a moment to lob two more flash grenades toward the enemy, causing one alien to stagger and go down.

Mark stopped firing and pressed another switch on the detonator, firing off another Claymore. The four had been set to form a 180-degree kill zone, and another one of the Trellixians had stepped too close. The alien was nearly cut in two by the explosion.

A sudden scream drew Mark’s attention. He saw Corporal Sampson stagger and fall to the ground with a look of shock on his face, a red stain spreading across his chest. “Keep firing!” Mark shouted. He took a deep breath and shot a quick burst at the nearest enemy.

“Our rounds aren’t causing enough damage,” grated out Captain Reynolds as she fired a dozen rounds into the chest of a Trellixian. The shots only dented the armor.

Suddenly brilliant flashes of light went off around the five remaining enemy soldiers. Mark’s eyes closed involuntarily, and he could feel the searing heat from the blasts. Flash grenades, he realized. Someone had thrown flash grenades at the remaining enemy troops. Where had they come from?

Stepping out from the undergrowth, Sergeant Anderson and two other soldiers fired their weapons at the stunned Trellixians, the only difference being that the sergeant had a weapon that fired small explosive rounds. It was his weapon of choice, and he always carried it. The only problem was for it to be effective, he had to be at almost point-blank range. He was carefully putting a round into the chest of each of the remaining enemy soldiers, who were still dazed from the flash grenades. In just a few seconds, the battle was over as he blew a smoking hole the size of a person’s fist in the chest of the last Trellixian.

Anderson handed his weapon to one of the other soldiers in exchange for a shotgun. He then stepped over to the downed Trellixians and fired a single slug into their visors. “Damn lizards!” he shouted, as he turned toward Mark.

“We thought you three were dead,” Mark said, stepping out from behind the boulder he’d been firing from, immensely pleased to see the sergeant. “You didn’t show up at the rendezvous coordinates.”

“We got cut off by some Trellixian ground troops and had to take the long way around,” Anderson replied. He was a twenty-year veteran and knew how to stay alive. He looked over where Corporal Sampson’s body lay, shaking his head. “The corporal was a good soldier. I hate that we lost him.”

“We better get out of here,” Lisa said as she walked up to gaze at the dead enemy. She took a few photographs and then turned toward Mark. “The aircraft that dropped this squad could return at any moment.”

“She’s right,” Mark said to the others. “Private Donly, disarm those other two Claymores. We may need them later.”

“It’s been a tough day,” said Sergeant Anderson as one of the privates who had come with him covered Corporal Sampson’s body. “A lot of good men and women died today.”

“We need to get the information we gathered back to the alternate command post,” Mark said.

“I don’t see what good it’ll do,” Anderson replied with a grimace. “We don’t have anything left to fight with now that the base has been destroyed.”

Mark nodded. Sergeant Anderson was right. There were probably a few scattered military units still fighting across the world, plus millions of unarmed civilians who had taken to the countryside and the mountains after the first attacks. The Trellixians would be hunting them down and eliminating the humans wherever they were found. Any type of organized resistance was just about over. The enemy had won, and Earth was theirs.

-

It took another two days for them to reach their destination. They’d been careful to stay off the main trails and roads and had even taken the precaution of immersing themselves in streams when they heard the approach of alien aircraft, to prevent detection from thermal scans. The sun had already set, and they were using their night-vision optics to travel when Mark called a halt.

“We’re nearly there,” Mark said, as he paused to allow them to catch their breaths. The others had never been to this location before, as his immediate commanding officer had brought only him to this secretive site. He suspected there might be a small research facility hidden deep beneath the mountains somewhere.

“Any idea what might be waiting for us?” asked Sergeant Anderson.

“No,” Mark replied. “I’ve only been here once before, and that was with Colonel Branson.”

“What about you, Captain?” asked Anderson, looking over at the military analyst.

“I’m not certain,” Lisa replied with a frown. “I’ve heard rumors, but they sounded so fantastic I didn’t believe them.”

“What type of rumors?”

“I don’t really want to say,” Lisa replied, looking over at the sergeant. “We’ll know what’s going on when we get there.”

“Captain Reynolds is right,” Mark said. He was beginning to think Captain Reynolds was more than just a military analyst. He wondered just how much she wasn’t telling them.

After a brief rest they resumed walking again, only this time they were ascending the steep slope of a low mountain. For several hours they struggled upward, avoiding loose boulders and areas where rockslides had occurred in the past. Reaching a huge rock that stood at the base of a high cliff, Mark stepped around it and squirmed into a small cave. The others followed closely behind.

“We need to stack those rocks up to conceal the entrance,” he told the others, pointing to a loose pile of nearby stones.

“Let’s get to it,” ordered Sergeant Anderson, as he bent down and picked up a large one, carrying it to the small entrance. The others quickly followed suit, and it wasn’t long until the passageway was blocked. To anyone passing by, it wouldn’t be obvious the stones were concealing the entrance to the small cave.

Stepping back, Mark pointed a light at their handiwork, satisfied that no one would find this place. Indicating for the others to follow him, he proceeded down the narrow cave for a number of meters, shining his flashlight before him, until the tunnel opened up into a small cavern roughly twenty meters across and six or seven high. Walking over to one wall, he searched carefully for a hidden recess in the stone and then, inserting his hand, he pressed a tiny concealed button. Instantly a section of the wall slid open, revealing a tunnel with a small, monorail-like car.

“What the hell?” muttered Sergeant Anderson.

“We’re supposed to take this vehicle to our destination,” Mark explained. He had no idea where it would bring them, but Colonel Branson had told Mark that it would take them to a place of safety. More than that the colonel had refused to say, only telling Mark the eventual destination was classified.

As they stepped into the waiting vehicle, the wall behind them slid shut, hiding the small cavern from view. Mark activated the controls as the colonel had shown him and then leaned back in one of the comfortable padded seats. Almost instantly the car moved and rapidly accelerated.

“Someone spent a lot of time and money to build this,” commented Sergeant Anderson, as he watched the walls of the tunnel flash by.

“I wonder what’s waiting for us when this car stops?” said Private Donly.

“We’ll know when we get there,” replied Captain Reynolds, leaning back in her seat with her assault rifle across her lap.

For nearly twenty minutes, the air-conditioned car slid forward and down, going deep beneath Earth’s surface. Mark had no idea where the car was taking them. His orders had been to observe the battle with his squad and to make sure Captain Reynolds survived. He was then to return to this car and activate it. He’d originally thought the car might be connected to the large base he had seen so recently destroyed, but now he was convinced it led elsewhere.

“This wasn’t easy to build,” commented Private Donly. “This has to lead to something more than just a small research facility.”

Sergeant Anderson looked over at Captain Reynolds. She had said very little since they’d entered the vehicle. “Still no idea what’s going on, Captain?”

“Possibly,” she admitted, glancing over at the sergeant. “If my suspicions are correct, we’re all due for a major surprise shortly.”

“You’re not just a military analyst, are you?” asked Mark as he looked over at the captain.

“No,” she admitted, looking briefly down at the floor and then back up at Mark. “It was important that I see one of the Trellixian battlecruisers up close and take readings with some special equipment I brought along. If we hope to survive, what we learned from observing that battle might be crucial.”

Mark nodded. He was right about something more going on. Now he just wanted to find out what it was.

At last the car slowed. Mark sat up straighter, curious to see their destination. The car came to a stop in front of a small platform, and a section of rock wall slid open. With surprise, Mark saw his immediate superior, Colonel Branson, standing there with several other men, as well as a squad of heavily armed marines.

Mark climbed from the car, followed by the others—all with confusion on their faces except for Captain Reynolds. They stopped and gave a quick salute in front of the colonel. Maybe now they would hear some explanations.

“At ease, Major Dolan,” Colonel Branson commanded. “Welcome to your new home!”

“Lisa, we’re glad you made it,” said one of the other men with the colonel. “We were very worried about your safety.”

“I was in good hands, Professor Wilkins,” Lisa responded, surprised to see her old friend and mentor. “Major Dolan carried out his assignment very professionally.”

Mark turned to gaze at Captain Reynolds questioningly.

“I guess I owe you an explanation,” Lisa said, her eyes focusing on Mark. “I’m not only a captain in the reserves. I’m actually a nuclear physicist with a number of advanced degrees in space sciences. Professor Wilkins and I have worked together on many projects over the years, though I’m not quite certain what’s going on now. I haven’t seen him in months.”

“I think you’ll find this very interesting,” Professor Wilkins said with a mysterious smile. “Why don’t you come with me while the colonel debriefs the others? We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

-

Hours later Captain Dolan sat in front of Colonel Branson, preparing to undergo his debriefing. The others were being questioned by another officer. Mark had been shown to a small set of comfortable quarters and allowed to clean up and rest before eating a decent meal and being brought in front of the colonel.

“I suppose you have a lot of questions,” began Branson, giving Mark a measuring look.

“Some,” answered Mark, shifting his weight in the well-padded chair he was seated in. “Where am I, and what exactly is going on? Why was it so important to observe that battle? It was gruesome, and we lost a lot of good people at that base. Our forces never stood a chance once that battlecruiser showed up.”

Branson nodded and looked over at Mark from across his desk. “Those are the very questions I would start with, if I were in your place. First off, you’re in a highly secret complex deep beneath the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Special shielding and the tremendous depth of this installation should protect us from Trellixian detection. One very large civilian complex and two smaller military complexes are all connected by deep underground tunnels.”

“How did this get built?” Mark interrupted. He’d thought, after everything he had witnessed above over the last three months, that the human race was all but finished. The big military complex he’d watched being destroyed only a couple days earlier was the last one he knew of that contained any type of advanced military technology.

Colonel Branson took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “Back in early July 1947, a UFO crashed on a ranch northwest of Roswell, New Mexico.”

“Roswell!” Mark said, feeling even more confused. “I thought that was just a weather balloon.”

“That’s what everyone was told,” Branson responded. “In reality it was a small interstellar spacecraft from a star system the Trellixians had only recently attacked. The ship was never designed for trips of more than a few light-years, and its systems were taxed to the limit just to make it to Earth. Their life support was failing, and the ship was experiencing numerous mechanical problems when it tried to land. Unfortunately for the crew, it crashed, killing all but two.”

“Two survived?” Mark could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

“Yes, two did. One died within a week of the crash, and the other lived at Area 51 for twenty-two years.”

“We had a real live alien for all that time, and no one knew about it?” Mark remained dumbfounded.

“We kept it a secret, after we learned what happened to their home world. Can you imagine the panic such a revelation would have caused?”

“What did we do?”

“We started to prepare,” Colonel Branson replied. “We formed a secret military alliance with a number of key countries across the globe, to do everything we could to prepare Earth for the coming of the Trellixians. Unfortunately our science was so far behind that we couldn’t do much initially. With the help of the alien survivor, we were able to reverse engineer some of their systems, particularly their computers.”

“That explains the rapid advancement of our computer technology in the late twentieth century,” Mark said in sudden realization.

“Yes, that and several other areas as well,” Branson added.

Getting up, Colonel Branson walked across the small office, putting his hands behind his back before turning around to face Mark once again. “We knew we didn’t have time to adequately prepare Earth to mount an effective defense to hold back the coming Trellixian invasion. The science and technology just weren’t there. We did manage to improve some weapon systems and build the big base up above that the Trellixians smashed so thoroughly, but we didn’t put all our eggs in just one basket.”

Mark leaned forward, his curiosity piqued.

“The civilian complex here is truly amazing. It’s a cylinder nearly fourteen kilometers long and three wide with a ceiling nearly a kilometer above. It’s located beneath a chain of rugged mountains and lies nearly seven kilometers beneath the ground. It was built with technology we gleaned from the crashed Roswell ship. We used massive heat beams to vaporize the rocks and create the chambers we needed to build our facilities in. Also a series of labs, living quarters, and recreation areas were set in the walls of the complex, providing us the maximum amount of living space. The huge open spaces of the complex were determined to be needed, in case we had to spend much time underground. Some of the world’s best scientists and technicians have been gathered into this complex, as has a select group of other civilians. We have nearly two hundred and eighty thousand nonmilitary personnel in the civilian complex.”

Mark leaned back in his chair, surprised and amazed at what Colonel Branson was describing. The work done was breathtaking and that so many people had been safeguarded here was unbelievable. He could hardly wait to see this habitat, this underground world. For the first time in a number of days, he began to feel hope.

“There are also two smaller military complexes. We plan to continue harassing operations against the Trellixians from the two bases. We’ve built a number of deep underground subway tunnels, shielded from Trellixian detection, to allow us to move about large parts of the country virtually undetected. We’ll be supplying new weapons we’ve developed to surviving civilian populations on the surface. When the Trellixians attacked, we were nearly ready to put a new rifle into production—the scientists call it a pulse rifle. It fires a thin stream of energy which will cut through a solid sheet of steel like it’s butter. We have an assembly line set up in the civilian complex, and the first one thousand pulse rifles should be ready within four weeks.”

“Sounds like something our troops could have used,” Mark replied bitterly, remembering how they had been unable to penetrate the suits of armor the Trellixian ground troops wore with their conventional weapons.

“If we’d been given more time…” replied Branson, nodding his head in agreement. “The two military complexes are located short distances from the civilian complex. Each contains six thousand highly trained troops plus support personnel. The troops will be used for quick surgical strikes against the Trellixians, once our forces are equipped and trained with the new weapons.”

“What are our chances against the Trellixians?” Mark asked. They would still be facing almost insurmountable odds.

“If we can arm the civilian population and disperse it as much as possible, we can wage a guerrilla war against the Trellixians for years. Some of our troops will be assigned to training civilian militias. With the resources of our three complexes, we can make our world untenable for them. Our scientists are the best the world has to offer and are working intently on finding something we can use against our enemy. Given time, we may find what we need, but our job will be to disrupt the enemy as much as possible and to ensure that as large a section of the civilian population survives as possible.”

Mark was silent for a long moment. “That may be all well and good, sir, but the Trellixians have their battlecruisers, and as long as those are in orbit around Earth, I don’t see what we can do. They also have that new weapon they used, and I’m not sure even these complexes you have been telling me about would be safe from it. Captain Reynolds thought it might be an antimatter weapon.”

“Come over here, Major,” ordered Colonel Branson.

Mark did as ordered, wondering what the colonel wanted.

“I’m about to show you our biggest secret, something we’ve been working on for years.” Colonel Branson then turned and pressed a button on the wall. Instantly part of the wall slid open, revealing a large window. “Look.”

Mark stepped forward and glanced out the window. He stood frozen scarcely believing what he was seeing. “Are those what I think they are?”

“Yes,” replied Branson, looking down at the busy scene below.

He and the colonel were high up, overlooking a large cavern. It held a huge construction facility with five large objects lying in their berths. Each was a massive cylinder with a curved bow and flared stern.

“Those are spaceships, one thousand meters in length and two hundred meters in diameter,” Branson informed Mark with a large smile on his face.

Mark was speechless as he gazed at the huge constructions. It was obvious they still had a ways to go before they were finished. Several of the vessels had armor missing on their hulls, and each was covered in a spiderweb lattice of scaffolding. Construction workers swarmed over the vessels, and the bright arcs of welders flashed everywhere.

“How?” he finally managed to blurt out.

“As I told you earlier, we reverse engineered many of the systems from the ship in the Roswell crash and had the help of the one survivor, Catelli, the ship’s engineer.”

“How soon before they’re done?” Mark still felt stunned at what he was seeing. It was hard to believe that, very shortly, the human race might have its own interstellar spaceships.

“Two more years,” Branson replied. “We’d hoped to have them finished before the Trellixians showed up, but that didn’t happen.”

“What’s to become of me, sir?” Mark asked. “What’s my next assignment?”

“I’m going to assign you to one of those ships,” Branson answered with a slight smile. “I want you to learn how they function from bow to stern, and, in two years, you’ll be helping to drive the Trellixians from our world.”

“What if we can’t?”

Branson was quiet for a moment, as he gazed out at the ships. “We leave,” he replied in a steadfast voice. “We load the ships with our most able and brightest people and send them out into the galaxy to find a new world to start over on. Perhaps someday they can return to Earth and set it free.”

Mark felt his heart quicken at the thought of searching the galaxy for a new world. It would be a great experience finding one and starting human civilization on a virgin planet. It would also be sad, as it would signify the loss of humanity’s home world, perhaps forever.

Mark’s eyes returned to the ships in the construction facility. He was amazed at what had been accomplished here. When the big military base had been destroyed, he’d thought Earth was finished and that the human race would fade away to extinction. Now they had hope and the possibility of a future. Someday the humans would rise from the ashes, and the Trellixians would learn what they had awakened by attacking Earth.

Other Books by Raymond L. Weil

Available on 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)

The Slaver Wars: Books 1-3

-

Dragon Dreams

Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars

Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening

Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon

-

Star One: Tycho City: Survival

Star One: Neutron Star

Star One: Dark Star

Star One

-

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)

Galactic Empire Wars: The Beginning (Books 1-3)

-

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)

-

The Star Cross (Book 1)

The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders (Book 2)

The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril (Book 3)

The Star Cross: The Forever War (Book 4)

-

The Originator War: Universe in Danger

(All dates are tentative)

The Originator Wars: Search for the Lost (Book 2) July 2017

The Star Cross: The Vorn! (Book 5) October 2017