by S. H. Jucha
Another thought occurred to Tacnock, and he decided to immediately return to Rissness.
At the console, Tacnock sent a shadow through the gate. He waited, and a few minutes later, the shadow returned. He left the nine to guard the dome. Then he set the gate for delayed firing and hurried to hop onto the platform.
At Rissness, Tacnock stepped between the inactive panels.
The administrator, the security head, the operators, and the journeyers stared in amazement at Tacnock, as if he’d returned from the dead.
“Where are the nine?” the administrator asked in awe.
“Guarding an empty dome,” Tacnock replied.
“What now?” the security head asked, while he tried to wrap his head around the idea that the Jatouche might have guarded a gate for annuals, if not centuries, with no enemy on the other end.
“I need a powerful scope with a viewer,” Tacnock requested. “Do you have one here?”
“Yes,” the administrator replied, and the leader sent two of his security team to collect the instrument.
When the equipment was placed on the platform, Tacnock eyed it.
“Problem?” the administrator inquired.
“I’ve not set up and operated one like this before,” Tacnock replied.
“With respect, Administrator, I’ve the skills,” Kossitik volunteered.
Tacnock didn’t wait for the tech to receive permission. He motioned to her, and she jumped on the platform, flashing her teeth at the astounded audience.
With another firing of the gate, Tacnock and Kossitik were sent to join the shadows.
“Where would you like the scope set up, Assault Leader Tacnock?” Kossitik asked.
“Call me Tacnock.” Then he surveyed the dark sky, lit by the brilliance of stars and the dim glow of the dome hemisphere.
Kossitik followed Tacnock’s gaze, while occasionally glancing his way.
When Tacnock didn’t find what he wanted, he accessed the console and searched for the dome’s orientation to the Colony home world. He was relieved to find that it would come into view in about another quarter cycle.
“Place it over here,” Tacnock said walking to a position along the dome’s rim. “Point it out and orient it up about twenty degrees.”
Kossitik had the scope quickly deployed. “Will you wish a recording?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” Tacnock replied. He stopped Kossitik from powering the instrument. “We’ve time, Kossitik, before the planet comes into view,” he said. “I’m hungry. It’s time to get some paste.” He chittered, when Kossitik grimaced.
After eating, Kossitik thought she would have an opportunity to chat with the famous Jatouche, but he stretched out on a palette and quickly fell asleep. She thought to explore the dome, but her fear kept her close to Tacnock, who slept with the Loopah weapon at his side and surrounded by shadows.
Hours later, Tacnock’s implant chronometer alerted him. He found Kossitik asleep on the palette next to him, and he gently woke her.
“Is it time?” Kossitik asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Yes,” Tacnock replied and led the way to the deck.
Kossitik was mesmerized by the easy manner in which the shadows accompanied Tacnock and her but avoided colliding with either of them. On the deck, she focused the scope on the Colony home world, which had come into view.
While Kossitik operated the targeting laser and focused the scope, Tacnock followed her actions on a small monitor.
“Locate a city or a collection of dwellings and go to maximum magnification,” Tacnock requested, when the scope’s view displayed a broad section of terrain.
Kossitik searched and found a set of long low buildings completely lacking any design imagination.
Tacnock coaxed the tech. “Slow movements, Kossitik. Follow that roadway. Stop. Back up. There.”
“What is that?” Kossitik asked.
“Something, I think, no one has seen before,” Tacnock replied. “That’s a gray curled into a tight ball. I suspect the insectoid might have died of starvation.”
“Why starvation?” Kossitik asked.
“It’s a theory of my friend, the outpost commander,” Tacnock replied. “The Colony might have consumed every sizeable creature on the planet that could be found, except for the smallest ones in the ground, the trees, and the waters.”
“Speaking of which, there are tiny creatures scurrying around the gray,” Kossitik pointed out. “They’re too small for us to gather much detail with this type of scope.”
“They probably can’t penetrate the exoskeleton,” Tacnock offered. “I suspect that’s why the gray curled up in death’s final moments rather than submit to being eaten by scavengers.”
Moving the scope along the roadway, Kossitik said excitedly, “There are more bodies. See? Some of them are in pieces.”
“The insectoids chose to consume their home world’s wild food rather than produce alternate sources. That’s what’s driven them to hunt for other worlds,” Tacnock explained. “The insectoids you’re observing below are those left behind.”
“All of them dead?” Kossitik asked in wonder.
“Yes,” Tacnock replied. “This will be an entire planet of bodies.”
— The Silver Ships series continues in Talus. —
Glossary
Crocians
Bortoth of the Logar – Engineer on Pimbor
Daktora of the Logar – Engineer on Pimbor
Gorsatha of the Hagar – Senior project engineer for the Crocians on the outpost
Dischnya – Sentient species in Omnian system
Hessan – Squad leader
Homsaff – Queen, leader of the Dischnya warriors, assault leader
Neffess – Lieutenant, pilot, heir to Nyslara and Pussiro
Nyslara – Queen, matriarch of Neffess, mate of Pussiro
Pussiro – Wasat, patriarch of Neffess, mate of Nyslara
Simlan – Squad leader
Dontots – Emerging alliance race uplifted from tree dwellers
Crixtos – City master of Desterté
Desterté – Collection of six platform clusters
Oxnetto – Unoccupied continent on Dontot
Earthers/Sol – Humans
Abel Trent – Senior officer, telemetry post, major
Elbert Munford – Prior president
Flannery – Trident captain
Gordon Munford – Trident senior captain
Jameson – Trooper with plasma rifle
Jeremy – Telemetry tech
Jerome Handling – Traveler pilot, lieutenant at Dontot
Nikki Fowler – President
Oleg Tenard – Senior captain promoted to commodore
Patrice Morris – Sol Enclave envoy
Portia – Nikki Fowler’s executive assistant
Sharon Reems – Traveler pilot, lieutenant
Thomas Verne – Design engineer of the colony ship New Terra
Hyronzy (her-on-zee) – Burly alien race hosting the Tsargit
Fistonia (fis-tōn-ia) – Hyronzy station director
Jatouche – Pyreans’ closest allies
Jaktook – Master Advisor and mate of Tacticnok
Jastitock – Emissary, mate of Tockitak
Kossitik – Female tech
Tacnock – Assault leader, friend of Jess Cinders
Tacticnok – Ruler in the time of Jess Cinders and Harbour
Tockitak – Present ruler, female
Norsitchians – Alien race, dome overtaken by the Colony
Jarmonin (jar-mon-in) – Tsargit lead councilor
Menous (men-ous) – Commander of the brassards
Nemanous (nē-man-ous) – Minister of Planetary Defense
Omnians – Humans/SADEs
Alex Racine – Omnian co-leader, partner of Renée de Guirnon
Celsius – SADE aboard the OS Deliverance
Cordelia – SADE, rear admiral, captain of the Freedom, partner of Julien
Darius Gaumata
– Rear admiral
Darren – OS Prosecutor crew
Deirdre Canaan – Rear admiral, OS Deliverance
Descartes – SADE, commodore
Edmas – Senior engineer, partner of Jodlyne
Edwin Trattica – OS Prosecutor crew
Ellie Thompson – Vice admiral
Emile Billings – New Terran biochemist
Esteban – SADE, business partner of Edmas and Jodlyne
Forest Hayward – OS Prosecutor captain
Francis Lumley – Captain of the Rêveur
Franz Cohen – Fighter command rear admiral, partner of Reiko Shimada
Georgette “George” Portis – Lieutenant pilot on OS Prosecutor
Hector – SADE, Omnia Ships’ second fleet leader, captain of the Our People
Jodlyne – Senior engineer, partner of Edmas
Julien – SADE leader, Alex’s close friend, partner of Cordelia
Juliette – SADE
Lane – Jess’s pilot on Zista
Lucia Bellardo – Trident commodore, promoted to admiral, partner of Jess
Luther – SADE, Mickey Brandon’s assistant
Mickey Brandon – Chief engineer for Alex Racine, partner of Pia Sabine
Miranda – SADE, partner of Z
Miriam – SADE, Mickey Brandon’s assistant
Nalia – SADE in the medical suite
Nata – Lieutenant, pilot, eldest of the wild ones on Omnia
Nightingale – SADE aboard the OS Prosecutor
Olawale Wombo – Expedition leader, ex-Earther
Orbit – SADE aboard the Judgment
Pia Sabine – Fleet chief medical officer, partner of Mickey Brandon
Reiko Shimada – Vice admiral, partner of Franz Cohen
Renée de Guirnon – Omnian co-leader, partner of Alex Racine
Salomé “Sal” Jelany – OS Judgment captain
Sam Fleetfoot – Security lieutenant on Pimbor
Tatia Tachenko – Fleet admiral
Wes Standish – Security major
Winona – SADE
Wyleth – SADE
Z – SADE, partner of Miranda
Ot-Totlanyans – Agrarian/hunter culture
Droga (drō-ga) – Village hunter
Shalma Tsotsia (sōt-sē-a) – Village elder
Ufrat (ü-frat) – Village hunter
Packeoes (pack-ē-ōs) – Federacy aliens
Daminich (dam-i-nich) – Fleet commander, dead
Gregich (greg-ich) – Lead ship captain
Rischvoss (rish-voss) – Lieutenant, shuttle pilot
Stasnich (stas-nich) – Expedition leader
Pims – Small burrowing aliens
Oforum (ō-for-um) – Veteran rider of shadows, mate of Phette, president
Phette (fête) – Veteran rider of shadows, mate of Oforum
Pyreans – Humans in alliance territory
Aputi Tulafono (too-la-fōnō) – Security lieutenant, later major, assault leader
Harbour – First explorer, partner of Jessie Cinders, Pyrean Resistance leader, empath leader
Jess Cinders – Assault commander, fraternal twin of Kasie, partner of Lucia
Jessie Cinders – First explorer, partner of Harbour
Kasie Cinders – Fraternal twin of Jess, empath
Leslie Finian – President
Ophelia Tuttle – Security commandant, empath
Paul Lindstrom – Security, major
Sylians – Cat-like sentient race
Salsinona (sal-si-nō-na) – Leader of relief team
Sastisona (sas-ti-sō-na) – Troop commander, assault leader
Sonistoma (sō-ni-stō-ma) – Tsargit representative
Soshona (sō-shona) – Fleet commander
Talsoma (tall-so-ma) – Monarch
Veklocks – Elder alliance race, triumvirate of bird-like aliens
Pardus – Archivist on Hyronzy Station
Zistarians – A genomically composited race
Indersan – Patch-vested Zistarian
Other Items
Artifice – Deposed ruler of federacy, AI
Brassard – Twenty trooper unit of Norsitchians
Cedric – Avatar of Z
Chistorlans – Federacy sentient race, inventors of rudimentary AIs
Colony – Alliance insectoid race
Dorgatha (dōr-gatha) – Monstrous reptiles of the Crocian wetlands
Frederica – Avatar of Miranda
House Brixton – Méridien organization that creates SADEs
Lillians – Alliance race of science-philosophers
Loopah – Simian race, inventors of gas-projectile launcher of the same name
Méridiens – Home world of Confederation humans
Messinants – Ancient race, dome creators, genetically uplifted the alliance races
Nest – Dischnya tribe under one queen
Norloth – Ruling body of the Crocians
Nua’ll – Alien collective living in giant spheres
Ollassa – Sentient alien lifeform resembling a symbiotic collection of plant parts
Omnia Ships – OS, business owned by Alex Racine, Renée de Guirnon, and others
Pyrean Resistance – Alliance organization of young races who fought the Colony
Quall – Intellectual race destroyed by the Colony
SADE – Self-aware digital entity, artificial intelligence being
Sisterhood – Collective of cloned SADEs living on Toral, a federacy home world
Sol Enclave – New government body ruling the Sol system
Soma – Collective term for Dischnya nests
Sotter (sō-ter) – Nocturnal Norsitchian raptor
Swei Swee – Sentient aliens inhabiting the oceans of several worlds
Talusians – Talus system inhabitants
Tolimar – Zista dark-barked tree
Tsargit – Alliance governing body
TSF – Terran Security Forces
United Earth – Previous government body ruling the Sol system
Usaanans – Alliance Sentient race known as sand serpents
Wasat – Dischnya warrior commander
Planets, Colonies, Moons, and Stars
Alliance – Collection of races uplifted by the Messinants
Confederation – Collection of Méridien worlds
Crimsa – Star of Pyre
Crocia – Crocian home world
Federacy – Races previously ruled by Artifice
Libre – Penal colony for Independents set up by the Confederation
Méridien – Primary world of the Confederation
Na-Tikkook – Jatouche home world
New Terra – New Terrans’ home world
Norsitchia – Norsitchians’ home world
Omnia – World settled by the Dischnya, Swei Swee, SADEs, and humans
Pimbor – Pims’ home world
Pyre – Pyreans’ home world
Quall – Home world of race lost to Colony
Rissness – Jatouche dome moon
Sawa – Original home world of Dischnya
Sol – Earth’s star
Sylia – Sylians’ home world
Triton – Pyrean dome moon
Usaana – Sand serpents’ home world
Vinium – Ollassa home world
Zista – Zistarians’ home world
Zomastrom – Zista system’s star
Ships and Stations
Blakely – Outpost carrier
Chesterfield – Outpost carrier
Drake – Outpost carrier
Freedom – Omnia Ships’ city-ship
Honora Belle – Colony ship that left Earth, transport of the Pyreans
Hyronzy Station – Tsargit convenes here
Idona Station – Preeminent rim station in Sol system
JOS – Jenkels Orbital Station, pronounced “joss”
New Terra – Damaged and abandoned Earth colony ship
Ormand – Outpost carrier
OS Deliverance – Omnia Ships’ Trident under Admiral Deirdre Canaan’s command
OS Judgment – Omnia Ships’ Trident under Commodore Lucia Bellardo’s command
OS Prosecutor – Omnia Ships’ Trident under Admiral Darius Gaumata’s command
Our People – Omnia Ships’ city-ship
Outpost One: Resistance – First peacekeeping station, located in the Pyrean system
Rêveur – Alex Racine’s passenger liner
Travelers – Beam-armed shuttles and fighters
Trident – Omnian tri-hulled, beam-armed warship
YIPS – Yellen-Inglehart Processing Station, mineral and gas-processing platform, pronounced “yips”
My Books
Earthers is the twentieth novel in the interwoven Silver Ships and Pyreans series, which tell the stories of three Earth colonies. It’s available in e-book, softcover, and audiobook versions. Please visit my website, http://scottjucha.com, for publication dates and purchase locations. You may register at my website to receive email updates on the progress of my upcoming novels.
The Silver Ships Series
The Silver Ships
Libre
Méridien
Haraken
Sol
Espero
Allora
Celus-5
Omnia
Vinium
Nua’ll
Artifice
Sojourn
Alliance
SADEs
Earthers
Talus (forthcoming)
Pyreans Series
Empaths
Messinants
Jatouche
Veklocks
The Author
From my early years to the present, books have been a refuge. They’ve fueled my imagination. I’ve traveled to faraway places and met aliens with Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Herbert, and Le Guin. I’ve explored historical events with Michener and Clavell, and I played spy with Ludlum and Fleming.
There’s no doubt that the early sci-fi masters influenced the writing of my first two series, The Silver Ships and Pyreans. I crafted my stories to give readers intimate views of my characters, who wrestle with the challenges of living in space and inhabiting alien worlds.
