Shadow Sun Expansion

by Dave Willmarth

  When no one spoke up, Allistor changed his request. “Okay, let’s do it this way. I need the leader of each facility to call out your status, please.”

  “All clear at the Citadel. No sign of aliens landing, though we did see some ships fly over.” Andrea reported.

  “Same here at Fort Knox.” Dean checked in.

  “Saw a whole bunch of ships pass over, and one circled for a minute, then moved on.” Lars reported from Denver.

  “Bastion’s all clear, same situation.” Chris called in.

  Allistor and company walked down the ramp from the wall and across the courtyard toward the gate as his people were checking in. Each Stronghold and Outpost gave the all-clear, though General Prime reported that his droids had seen a Dauntless class colony ship land north of Santa Barbara.

  As Allistor approached the gate, he asked Helen to bring the Juggernaut, so that Nigel could alert them. She hopped in and started it up as the others walked out and down the slope toward the waiting ship. Its engines, which had surprisingly been almost silent, had shut down and the ship rested quietly. When he was nearly there, an opening appeared in what had seemed to be a smooth section of the hull, and a ramp extended to the ground.

  Standing in the doorway was an enormous humanoid with mottled grey skin. It stood eight feet tall, with wide shoulders and bulging muscles. Its jaw was slightly elongated and sported sharp tusks protruding upward from the lower jaw.

  Allistor whispered, “That’s an orc. Just like in the VR games. Gotta be an orc.”

  Contrary to its savage-looking physical build, it was dressed quite smartly. It wore soft, black leather boots on its oversized feet, shined to perfection. Its pants were neatly pressed with a perfect crease on the front leading down to where they tucked into the boots just below the knee. An equally pristine white shirt that looked to be made of silk was partially covered by a vest of some dark, shiny material that seemed to reflect and absorb light at the same time. The shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal impressive forearms.

  Allistor Examined the creature, then smiled when he saw the name.

  “Harmon! My favorite weapon and vehicle merchant! Welcome to Earth.”

  The orc bowed gracefully at the waist before advancing down the ramp. “Prince Allistor! My favorite customer on Earth!” The two approached each other and Allistor offered a hand to shake. “Ah, yes. Greeting custom. I have been studying this.” Harmon reached out his own hand, which engulfed Allistor’s as if he were a small child. The orc shook once, firmly but gently, clearly worried about harming the fragile human. Allistor gave the orc’s hand a good squeeze, to salvage a little of his pride.

  “Ah, you have increased your Strength attribute above what I am told is the human norm. Then you are a warrior!”

  Allistor grinned, releasing his hold. “When I need to be. Killed my first void titan with a spear.”

  “Oh ho! You must tell me this story! I confess to having been monitoring your progress, and watching some of your battles since our first transaction. But I’m afraid I missed that fight.”

  Helen had parked the Juggernaut nearby and joined them. Amanda whispered, “How ‘bout this one?” And got a shoulder bump in response. Allistor was reminded of his manners.

  “I’m sorry, may I present Lady Amanda, Minister Helen, and Fuzzy, my bonded companion.”

  Harmon gently and gallantly kissed the hands of each of the ladies, then squatted down so that he was face to face with Fuzzy. “This one will grow to be a mighty beast!” he said approvingly, holding a hand-out for Fuzzy, who placed a paw in it. “Smart, too!”

  Standing, he looked past the group at the second ship that was still hovering. “I’m afraid I failed to mention that I would be bringing my own ship as well. One must have a ride home after delivering such a prize to a customer, yes. I’m afraid there isn’t a landing zone large enough for my ship.”

  Allistor looked across the lake. “If it can land where it is without being damaged, feel free. We can use the broken trees for firewood or construction materials later.”

  Harmon spoke quietly into a bracelet on his wrist, and a moment later a blue beam extended downward from under the ship. Two large mechanical objects were lowered down to disappear into the trees. Within seconds, Allistor heard splintering, and trees began to fall.

  “You are most gracious, Prince Allistor. I have dropped a few construction bots, and they will have an area sufficiently cleared in moments. They will stack the lumber for you to retrieve later.” The orc smiled. “I plan to establish a base here on Earth myself. So, I’m afraid I must not tarry too long, or all the best spots will be claimed. My scout ships are exploring several possibilities as we speak.”

  “Of course! I thank you for delivering this ship, though I’m curious how it became your responsibility?”

  “Ah, yes. I shall explain while I show you around inside, yes? Follow me.” He led the way up the ramp, the humans and grizzly following close behind.

  “The system awarded you this fine craft for your World First achievements. When something like that happens, the reward - in this case, a yacht - is pulled from a dimensional warehouse created by the founders and maintained by the system. No one knows how long ago, or who exactly the founders were. At least no one that I’m aware of. In any case, the system then designates a proxy to deliver the reward if it is too large to simply send through the market kiosk. In this case, I requested the honor of delivering your ship. You have quickly become one of my valued customers, and I confess to being excited at the prospect of meeting one who achieved the Title of Prince so quickly. That has rarely been done on a world still in Stabilization. And, even then, it was only accomplished by existing rulers who started with extensive holdings. You began with literally just the clothes you were wearing. Impressive.” The orc bowed his head again.

  “It was mostly luck.” Allistor mumbled, distracted by the ship’s features. They were in a long central corridor that appeared to run the length of the ship. It was ten feet wide with a fifteen-foot ceiling, and all of it seemed to be made of the same composite material as General Prime, though in a lighter, marbled coloring. Metal rails ran at waist height along both walls, and the grey floors resembled polished granite, but seemed softer. Their footsteps made no noise as they proceeded.

  “Ah, but I know better. As I have said, I have observed your more recent actions. You will be a good Prince, I think. You care about your people, and work hard to provide for them. To protect them. You have a good heart, yet you do not hesitate to kill when it is necessary. A warrior’s heart!” Harmon grinned at him, revealing two rows of sharp teeth behind the tusks.

  “To your left is the main galley and dining hall. You’ll find it has room for about one hundred guests to eat in comfort. There is another galley, a dining area for the crew, one deck below us, which is the service deck. Down there you will find engineering, maintenance, and storage, mostly. The actual engine room is another level down and to the rear. In front of that, on the same level, is the main cargo hold. The ship can carry approximately two thousand tons of standard cargo. It also features three interdimensional storage vaults, each with a capacity of five thousand slots.”

  Allistor stopped walking, his mind spinning as he tried to comprehend that amount of storage. “That’s… I could move a whole Stronghold, furniture and all. Maybe two.”

  Harmon nodded. “You mentioned luck before. You have been most fortunate with this choice of vehicle. The system chose one that was constructed to dimensions that would be comfortable to your race. This particular vessel is one of the most impressive I have seen, and I have been a merchant for more than a century. It was built for comfort, utility, and action! You’ll find it has an impressive weapons array and a defensive shield that should withstand attacks from most other vessels. Barring, of course, large military vessels.”

  They progressed down the hall toward the front of the ship, Harmon pointing out a lounge, then a room for playing something called Dar Jot
that looked a lot like a racquetball court to Allistor. Nearer the front, Harmon stopped and indicated rooms on opposite sides of the corridor. “Here are the captain’s quarters, and the captain’s mess.” He opened the door to the quarters, and the humans stepped in.

  The suite was tastefully decorated, part luxury finishes, part naval spartan motif. The room they entered was an office, with a large desk in front of a wall full of monitors and controls, and a comfortable looking swivel chair in between. There was also a small sitting area, and a bar. Beyond that was a meeting room with a long table and ten chairs. And through another door they found the captain’s bunk, which featured a king-sized bed, sofa and chairs, large walk-in closet as well as a full wall of drawers built right into the structure, and a well-appointed bath with double sinks, a large soaking tub, and a shower.

  “This is nicer than any hotel room I’ve ever stayed in.” Amanda said as she spun around, taking it all in. “I could be comfortable here, if I had to, I suppose.” She grinned at Allistor.

  “Oh, no Lady Amanda. This is merely the captain’s quarters. The owner’s suite and the guest suites on the level above are much more spacious and luxurious.” Harmon sounded almost offended that she would consider such accommodations.

  He led them back out to the corridor and up to the bridge. Despite all that they’d already seen on board the yacht, Allistor was stupefied by what greeted him there. The space was maybe fifty feet across, from left to right, and about the same front to back. From a wide viewscreen in front that stretched the width of the room, it curved around in a gentle arc toward the back wall where they stood. There were two levels, the upper one on which they stood that featured what had to be the captain’s chair as well as four smaller chairs positioned in front of work stations. The lower level featured six more stations in two arcs that radiated out from the captain’s chair above.

  And, off to one side, Allistor spotted what looked like a gnome. The bald little fellow wore a grey robe and sat in an oversized recliner with his feet sticking straight out, holding a large mug of ale.

  “Oh! Hello!” Allistor started toward the gnome. He tried to Examine the creature, but all the system would show him was the name. The rest appeared as question marks.

  Bob

  Level: ???

  Health: ???

  “Oops! Sorry, wrong ship! Too much of Dave’s strong ale.” the grey-clad gnome said. He waved and smiled, then simply disappeared.

  “Who?... What?” Allistor turned to Harmon.

  The orc shrugged. “I do not know. He wasn’t here when I landed.”

  Shaking it off and looking around at the multitude of seats, Allistor asked, “How… how many people does it take to fly this thing?”

  “Well, to be honest, much of this is for show. One pilot can operate the flight systems in concert with the AI. Do you have an AI? If not, the ship has one of its own.”

  “Nigel, are you here, buddy?” Allistor looked to the ceiling.

  “I am indeed, Sire. And please allow me to congratulate you on obtaining this magnificent vehicle. With your permission I shall communicate with the ship’s AI directly and coordinate operations.”

  “Thank you, Nigel, please do. And, uhm… ship AI, can you hear me as well?”

  “I can, Prince Allistor.” the voice was vaguely female, as befitted a ship.

  “Do you have a name, ship?”

  “My current designation is simply Galleon Class Yacht Interface Alpha.”

  “Well, we can’t call you that all the time. We’ll have to think of a name for you. In the meantime, it is a pleasure to meet you, Alpha. Nigel is my trusted advisor and friend, and I hope the two of you get along.”

  “Thank you, Prince Allistor. It is my pleasure to serve.”

  Harmon’s face registered surprise when Allistor referred to his AI as a friend, but quickly recovered. “As I was saying, the ship can fly with minimal assistance. The stations you see here are for communications, weapons, engineering, defense systems, logistics and cargo management, and so on. A full crew complement would be thirty specialized individuals to man each of the stations you see here, the galleys, the engine room, valets and wait staff.”

  “Wow. I wouldn’t even begin to know where to find folks to fill those positions.” Allistor mumbled as he stepped closer to the captain’s chair. He went to sit down, then hesitated. Harmon laughed.

  “Sit! Sit! It is your ship, after all. And as a Prince, even were there a captain sitting in the chair, they would offer it up to you out of courtesy.”

  Allistor sat in the chair, which molded itself to fit him perfectly. It even pushed slightly against his lower back to provide lumbar support. “Ahhh, now THIS is a chair! I need one of these at home. And maybe in the conference rooms. Can I make one of these into my throne?” He winked at Amanda. “Or two of these, so that Lady Amanda can sit in comfort.”

  “Hey, what am I? Chopped liver? Your hard-working minister doesn’t get a comfy seat? Move over.” Helen all but pulled him out of the chair before sitting herself down. “Ohhh, you’re right. That feels gooood.”

  Again, Harmon was shocked by the lack of reverence shown toward the Prince, but kept it to himself. “If you’d like, Prince Allistor, I can assist you in hiring a proper crew. It is one of the many services I offer to my favored clients. In fact, I can obtain most anything you need.”

  “Thank you, Harmon. I just might take you up on that. I… need to absorb all of this for a bit. And I’m not entirely sure I won’t be fighting to protect my people and property before the day is out.”

  Harmon shook his head. “Unlikely, Prince Allistor.”

  “Please, just call me Allistor? And why do you think it unlikely?

  “You are a Planetary Prince. With the backing of several powerful factions. And based on your purchases, your property is reasonably well defended. Even were someone willing to risk offending the factions who support you, taking your property by force would be costly. Not a good business decision, especially with most of the planet available to purchase without a fight.”

  “Oh! You need to claim your own territory. And here I’ve been delaying you. I’m sorry, Harmon. Please don’t let me keep you any longer. We can explore the rest of the ship on our own. And when you get yourself settled, I would like you to be my guest for dinner.”

  “Very gracious of you, Allistor. I shall indeed take my leave. Though I would ask your advice. My scouts have given me several options, in places called Paris, Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo. Could you advise me on these?

  “We were just on the west coast, where Los Angeles is. The area suffered at least one major earthquake in recent weeks, and sits near a major tectonic fault line. I would not recommend it. Tokyo is across the Pacific Ocean on a large island. It too is subject to earthquakes as well as tidal waves. Though, I’ve not heard of any recent damage. Tokyo was one of the most heavily populated cities in the world before the world ended. A city of high rises and small apartments.” Allistor paused to take a breath.

  “Paris is across the Atlantic Ocean on the European continent. It is, or was, a major city and cultural center. I’m afraid I don’t know much more about it, or how well it fared after the apocalypse. Europe was densely populated, with several capitals and major cities within a few hundred miles of each other. And Paris is one of the oldest cities in the civilized world.”

  Amanda interrupted him. “I spent some time in New York City. Hundreds of tall high rises, something like twelve million people living in the city. Several rivers and bridges, and very little green space. Huge tunnels and an extensive subway network run underneath. It was our nation’s main financial center. I was going to suggest that Allistor establish a Stronghold there, as well. But, until the last few days, we didn’t have the means to travel that far.”

  Allistor nodded at Amanda. “I think I’d like to have a place in New York. We just established our west coast presence, it would be good to have a Stronghold on the east coast as well.”
The two of them looked at each other, both clearly thinking of the New York gold depository.

  Harmon nodded. “My scouts tell me the city was badly damaged in the early days of Stabilization. Many of the tall buildings have fallen, and fires ravaged the island called Manhattan. But there still seems to be a large number of survivors present. If you’d like to accompany me, we can both check out the area and see if we can find suitable accommodations. We can go in your yacht, if it is alright for me to leave my ship here for a bit.”

  Allistor looked at Helen and Amanda.

  “What do you think? Road trip?”

  End Book Two

  Acknowledgements

  As always, I want to thank my alpha readers, my family, who spend endless hours reading and re-reading my nonsense, seeking out plot holes and typos. And who occasionally provide original monsters to play with. And a big thank you to my beta readers, who offer up more rude comments than anything else, but still manage to find some typos and such.

  A big thanks to Anders Hemlin for the wonderful cover art.

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