by S. H. Jucha
Alex looked at Neffess. “Do you feel that way?” he asked.
Neffess considered the question and said, “Queen captain or queen commodore … those titles don’t work for me. Besides, I’ll be Admiral Neffess.” She barked a laugh, and her tongue lolled wide to the side.
Nata gazed at her friend, with warmth in her eyes. Soon Nata would be able to communicate with the Dischnya, as she did the wild ones. She had great expectations.
“You’ve managed to navigate tremendous changes, as Sawa Messa was transformed to Omnia,” Alex said to them. “However, implants will accelerate the Dischnya’s adoption of our technology and our ways. But you mustn’t copy us. You’re unique, and you must never forget your past. However, it will be difficult to choose which traditions to keep and which to discard. In that, I wish you good fortune.”
-38-
Wombo’s Message
Alex turned off his monitor. He’d worked late again. It seemed there was more to do to support the running of his company than there was fighting aliens and establishing new societies. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and selected the link. He heard Olawale’s voice.
There was silence, and Alex nearly closed the link before he heard Olawale’s voice again.
Alex waited. He heard nothing more. Ending the link, he kept his eyes closed and thought on what Olawale had said. He didn’t doubt the professor’s judgment about Sol. The man’s decisions had been proven to be sound too many times.
Alex found his mind wandering to what Olawale and his small fleet might find. The colonists of the Honora Belle would have had nearly eight centuries, after landing, to develop their foothold, if they’d succeeded in locating a habitable planet.
I wish you good fortune, Olawale, Alex thought. Then he turned off the lights and went to bed.
— Alex and company will return in Alliance. —
The next Silver Ships novel, Alliance, explores the fate of an Earth colony ship, the Honora Belle, and the transport of the Pyreans. If you’ve not read my second series, I recommend it to you for a better understanding of the Pyreans’ history. The books include Empaths, Messinants, Jatouche, and will conclude with Veklocks.
Glossary
Chistorlans – Alien race who lives underground
Gramab doma Farla-Hesta – Female monarch
Lipsit doma Draga – Female astronomy scientist
Miftra ona Grata – Male observatory head
Dischnya – Intelligent species on Omnia
Hessan – Squad leader under Homsaff’s command
Homsaff – Queen and commander of Dischnya forces
Neffess – Progeny of Nyslara and Pussiro
Nyslara – Queen, Pussiro’s mate, mother of Neffess
Pussiro – Wasat commander and Nyslara’s mate
Simlan – Squad leader under Homsaff’s command
Dischnya Language
Dassata – Peacemaker, Alex’s Dischnya name
Ené – Pronunciation of Renée
Fissla – Dischnya queen’s council on Sawa Messa
Soma – Term for Dischnya collective
Wasat – Warrior commander
Dutterites – Alien race chased back to federacy space
Earthers – Natives of Sol Enclave
Elbert Munford – President
Nikki Fowler – Rim governor
Patrice Morris – Promoted to Sol Enclave representative
Federation Entities
Artifice – Digital entity that ruled the federacy, defeated, remains alive in care of the Sisterhood
Faustus – Digital entity, adjunct of Artifice
Nua’ll – Collective occupying the comm spheres and the great spheres
Gotlians – Alien race, aquatic lifeforms
Ba-Geesaa – Gotlian leader
Di-Orsoo – Gotlian leader
Ja-Faasoo – Stricken diver
Moma-seefaa – Sea spirit, Gotlian myth, word spoken to Yoyo
Or-Deebaa – Fleet commander
Sa-Foosee – Captain of battleship, where the leaders reside
Harakens
Adrianna Plummer – Captain of the Trident Guardian, former New Terran, later Omnian vice admiral
Asu Azasdau – Captain of the Sojourn, mission co-commander
Bethany Latimer – Security lieutenant, New Terran
Christie Racine – Owner of Christie Media Center, Alex’s sister
Diana Newell – First mate on Sojourn, New Terran
Edward Sardi – Earther physicist, deceased
Elizabeth – SADE to Terese Lechaux
Emon Ortiz – Member of rescue party, New Terran
Gerald Thorne – Senior scientist
Ginny – RT officer, partner to Teague Racine, hive singer to Swei Swee
Ian Moody – RT drone tech
Mutter – SADE who has collected classical Earth music, Swei Swee hive singer
Orly Saadner – Research traveler pilot, New Terran
Rosette – SADE aboard the Sojourn
Sheila Reynard – Haraken Defense Minister
Smitty Lange – Security sergeant
Teague Racine – Senior expedition leader (SEL), partner to Ginny, son of Alex and Renée
Terese Lechaux – Haraken president
Tomas Monti – Partner to Terese Lechaux
Ullie Tallen – Méridien scientist, deceased
Verlan – Expedition shuttle pilot
Willem – SADE, mission co-leader of the Sojourn
Yoyo Tamora – RT electronics tech
Méridiens
Chandra Khatri – Cargo shuttle pilot in the fleet
Descartes – SADE, Trident senior captain, promoted to fleet commodore
House Brixton – Méridien House responsible for creating SADEs
Lemoyne – House Leader
Mahima Ganesh – Ex-Council Leader of the Confederation, SADE was Hector
Teressi – House Leader
New Terrans
Alphons Jagielski – Trident commodore, promoted to rear admiral
Nata – Cloned teenager, friend to Neffess
Ude – Leader of the cloned children
Omnian Sisterhood
Miriamal – Aboard Freedom
Miriamette – Aboard Franz Cohen’s traveler, Sisterhood liaison, and then leader of the sisters
Miriamopus – Aboard the city-ship, Our People; chose new name, Lydia
Miriamtess – Aboard Chandra Khatri’s cargo shuttle
Omnians
Alain de Long – Twin and crèche-mate to Étienne, Trident senior captain, partner of Tatia Tachenko
Alex Racine – Partner of Renée de Guirnon, Star Hunter First, Dassata
Allora – SADE absorbed by Miranda
Beryl – Lead scout ship SADE
Bethley – SADE aboard Killian’s scout ship
Cedric Broussard – Z’s New Terran avatar
Claude Dupuis – Engineering tech, program manager for SADE avatars
Cordelia – SADE, partner of Julien, rear admiral, captains the Freedom
Darius Gaumata – Trident rear admiral, flagship is OS Prosecutor
Deirdre Canaan – Trident rear admiral
Dormir – SADE aboard Beryl’s scout ship
Edmas – Engineer sent to Sol, ex-Earther, partner of Jodlyne
Ellie Thompson – Trident rear admiral, promoted to fleet vice admiral, partner of Étienne de Long
Emile Billings – Biochemist
Esteban – SADE sent to Sol with Edmas and Jodlyne
Étienne de Long – Twin and crèche-mate to Alain, Trident senior captain, partner of Ellie Thompson
Franz Cohen – Fighter command rear admiral, partner of Reiko Shimada
Frederica – Miranda’s New Terran avatar
Genoa – Lead scout ship SADE
Hector – SADE, fleet admiral Our People, Omnian, partner to Trixie
Jodlyne – Engineer sent to Sol, ex-Earther, partner of Edmas
Julien – SADE, partner of Cordelia
Killian – Plaid-skinned SADE, friend of Vivian, lead of scout ship Vivian’s Mirror
Linn – Lead scout ship SADE
Lucia Bellardo – Trident senior captain, sent to Sol
Luther – Comms SADE, direct report to Mickey Brandon
Lydia – New Omnian name chosen by Miriamopus to separate from the Sisterhood
Mickey Brandon – Chief engineer, partner of Pia Sabine
Miranda Leyton – SADE, partner of Z
Miriam – Engineering SADE, direct report to Mickey Brandon
Nichols – SADE aboard Genoa’s scout ship
Olawale Wombo – Professor, ex-Earther sent to Sol
Pia Sabine – Head of medical suite aboard the Freedom, partner of Mickey Brandon
Reiko Shimada – Fleet vice admiral of the Tridents, partner of Franz Cohen, ex-Earther
Renée de Guirnon – Co-leader of Omnian fleet, partner of Alex Racine
Satir – SADE aboard Beryl’s scout ship
Svetlana Valenko – Trident rear admiral, deceased
Tatia Tachenko – Fleet admiral, partner of Alain de Long
Trium – SADE aboard Killian’s scout ship, Vivian’s Mirror
Trixie – SADE, partner to Hector, Omnian representative
Vivian – Dance partner with Killian, Independent
Z – SADE, partner of Miranda
Rootogs – Alien race who attacks Talus
Swei Swee – Alien aquatic lifeform located on several worlds
Bobs a Lot – Explorer aboard the Sojourn for several voyages
Sand Flipper – Explorer aboard the Sojourn for several voyages
Swift Claws – Explorer aboard the Sojourn for several voyages
Wave Skimmer – Hive First on Omnia
Whistles Keenly – Explorer aboard the Sojourn for several voyages
Talusians – Converted Toralians, the Sisterhood, and others who inhabit Talus
Toralians – Winged alien race
Dortagut – Sunnamis’s captain, promoted to fleet commander
Durgat – Colony governor
Sargut – Toralian, became Talusian president
Somgut – Colony governor
Sotagar – Somgut’s fleet commander
Sunnamis – Colony governor
Suntred – Talusian president’s liaison
Taralum – Talusian fleet commander
Tortred – Colony governor
Tratget – Colony governor
Tsunamis – Toralian fleet commander who hired Suntred and promoted her to fleet liaison
Vinians – Sentient alien lifeform resembling plants
Places and Things
Banisher – Mickey’s small vessel for removing probes
Confederation – Collection of Méridien worlds
Espero – Major city and capital of Haraken
Market Center – Dischnya building where local crops are bought in bulk
Omnia Ships – Business owned by Alex Racine and others
SADE – Self-aware digital entity, artificial intelligence being
Sol Enclave – New name for Sol constitutional government
United Earth – Name for previous Sol government, now defunct
Planets, Colonies, Moons, and Stars
Celus-5 – Sawa Messa, Dischnya’s second world, now called Omnia
Gotl – Dying home world of the Gotlians
Haraken – Cetus colony in Hellébore system, home of the Harakens
Hellébore – Haraken’s star
Libre – Original colony of Méridien Independents, now a private enclave of Swei Swee
Méridien – Home world of Confederation
New Terra – Home world of New Terrans, fourth planet outward of Oistos
Ollassa – Vinians’ home world
Omnia – World settled by the Dischnya, Swei Swee, SADEs, and humans
Sawa Messa – Celus-5, Dischnya’s second world, now called Omnia
Sol – Star of the Earthers
Talus – Toralian star
Toral – Toralian home world
Ships and Stations
Dark Whispers – Toralian fleet’s lead battleship
Freedom – Alex’s primary city-ship
Guardian – Haraken Trident warship that escorts the Sojourn
Idona Station – Sol station at the crossroads to the far belt and inner worlds
New Terra – Derelict Earth colony ship
Our People – Alex’s second city-ship
Rêveur – Alex’s passenger liner, originally lost in space and time
Sardi-Tallen Orbital Platform – Primary station
orbiting Omnia
Scout ships – Small vessels crewed by SADEs
Sojourn – Haraken explorer ship
Travelers – Small ships with beam weapons
Trident – Omnian tri-hulled, beam-armed warship
Valenko Orbital Station – Second platform orbiting Omnia, named for Admiral Svetlana Valenko
Vivian’s Mirror – Killian’s scout ship
My Books
Sojourn, the thirteenth novel in the Silver Ships series, is available in e-book, softcover, and audiobook versions. Please visit my website, http://scottjucha.com, for publication dates and locations. You may register at my website to receive e-mail updates on the publication of my upcoming novels.
Pyreans Series
Empaths
Messinants
Jatouche
Veklocks (forthcoming)
The Silver Ships Series
The Silver Ships
Libre
Méridien
Haraken
Sol
Espero
Allora
Celus-5
Omnia
Vinium
Nua’ll
Artifice
Sojourn
Alliance (forthcoming)
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.
