Sojourn

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

  Cordelia sent,

  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
/>   Gil – 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.