The two distinct human societies are fighting for their very survival. Both civilizations have their own plans. Both fear the other will get in the way. Each is willing to do whatever is needed to be safe.
Chapter 1
Culpepper Plantation, planet Dixie
24 October 2128
“Scotty Scholl, intrepid birdman and Dart fighter pilot, finds his true calling,” Samantha hollered as Scotty adjusted the length of the laser cutter from two feet to six feet to cut off a broken tree branch. Jumping out of the way of the falling branch, Scotty marveled again at the technology he knew would never be permitted on Earth. The strong smell of orange blossoms in the orchard helped take his mind off the frustration he felt about the Dixie government sending the majority of its space fleet to Earth, leaving its own planet vulnerable.
“Stop moping and get cutting, or I’ll find a replacement for you, old man!” Scotty continued to work as she walked toward him.
Scotty was Dixie’s first visitor from Earth since the original thousand humans had been abducted and deposited there in 1864. The planet had mild seasons and an atmosphere comparable to Earth’s, which made it possible to grow many plants indigenous to Earth, as well as native plants. The ideal conditions had helped to grow the population easily to 300,000 in the time that had elapsed.
Scotty had been a fighter pilot on the Arizona Space Ship Beater. When his ship was forced to depart Dixie and return to Earth, he stayed behind as the interim ambassador for Earth. There had been no contact since then.
Earth’s war with the Libra Alliance had been one-sided, due more to luck than anything else. But the success of an Earth raid had embarrassed the Libra leadership. The Alliance would have its retribution. Thirty Libra warships were en route to Earth to conquer its inhabitants. A second fleet, consisting of ten cargo ships protected by two huge battleships, wasn’t far behind the warships. It would be used to transport the human captives to the Libra war zones. Once there, the humans could either serve as cannon fodder or die.
The small human fleet had been on a raid when the Libra fleet struck. Against the strong wishes of the Earth ambassador, Dixie’s fleet was mobilized and sent to defend Earth against the Libra fleet. The Libra’ second fleet then attacked Dixie.
“Sam, what type of thunder is that?” Scotty asked nervously as he viewed the cloudless skies.
“That’s not thunder. That’s one of the planetary defense batteries firing. I know for a fact there are no exercises planned for this month!” Sam replied. She dialed the command post, only to get a recorded message: “Planet is under attack. All reservists report to your units for mobilization. All civilians report to your defense shelter.”
The line went dead as the defense battery took a major hit and disappeared. One by one, all of the batteries were knocked out and smoke from dozens of fires began to cover the city. The entrance to the main spaceport had taken a particularly large hit, and all of the ships were trapped in their underground berths.
“Come on! We need to get to the city!” Sam yelled as a Libra fighter swept low over the plantation, followed by a dozen troop shuttles.
“Screw that! Get to the house and grab any weapons you have, and food. We try to get to the city, we’ll just be target practice on the road for them,” Scotty replied as he turned off the laser cutter and stuck it in his pocket.
Once in the house, Sam led Scotty to her father’s study. On the walls were various animal trophies, and under them were glass cabinets of guns ranging in age from two hundred years old to modern military. As Sam tore through her father’s desk looking for the keys to the cabinets, Scotty picked up a poker from the fireplace and shattered the glass. “No time,” he told her. “They could be here any second. Where’s the ammo for these things?”
“Behind the first bookcase,” Sam replied as she pulled back the huge bookcase that acted as a hidden door, exposing a large room with shelves of ammunition and assorted field gear.
“Damn! Your dad happen to have a small army tucked away somewhere nearby?” Scotty asked as he picked up a belt with a brown leather pistol holster and ammo pouches.
“He sure did, with me and my sisters. I’m glad they’re safe with the fleet,” Sam said as she removed her shirt and shorts and donned a pair of camouflage pants and jacket. “We always left our field gear in here, since we could never really get rid of the smell of smoke and the outdoors. Dad’s clothes should fit you.”
Scotty picked up a pair of lightweight camouflage coveralls crisscrossed with dozens of pockets and slipped them on over the clothes he was already wearing. Though the clothes were clean, they had a light musty odor of the outdoors and wood smoke. Scotty strapped on the belt and searched the shelves for the pistol ammunition.
Sam reached by him and pulled a box off the shelf, muttering “Men” and shaking her head as she handed it to him.
Inside the box were two loaded magazines and a dozen cases of cartridges. Scotty stuffed a couple of the smaller ammo cases in his pockets and then inserted one of the magazines into the automatic before sliding it back into the holster. He then slipped the other magazine into a pocket sewn on the holster.
He went to the library and scanned the assortment of long guns. He finally chose a small carbine with a huge magazine over a hunting rifle with a scope. I’m not going to be looking for trouble, but if it finds me I’m going to make it painful for them, he thought.
Slinging the carbine over his shoulder, Scotty returned to the room in search of the ammunition. Sam laughed as she found the correct box of ammunition again. Six empty magazines were inside, along with dozens of ammunition cases. Scotty tore open a case of cartridges and was surprised to see the cartridges were all loaded on stripper clips. He slipped a stripper clip over the magazine and pushed ten cartridges quickly down into the magazine from the clip. He then repeated the procedure until each of the magazines was loaded with twenty rounds. Next, he stuffed the magazines into the ammo pouches on the belt and threw the remaining cases of ammo into a satchel. As he tossed the satchel on his back, he realized he hadn’t checked the carbine’s magazine. Grabbing the carbine off his back, he detached the magazine and confirmed that it was empty. He angrily dropped the satchel and grabbed a pair of full stripper clips to load the magazine. After reinserting the magazine into the carbine, he cautiously slid back the bolt and fed a cartridge into the chamber before safing it.
Sam threw Scotty a huge empty rucksack and pointed to a corner with a pile of gear.
“It can get cold at night. Grab a blanket and fire starter. There’s also lots of military rations. Dad is a bit of a hoarder.” She slid an old wheel gun into her holster. Scotty resisted the urge to suggest another weapon as he picked up a short sword and slipped it on his belt, figuring it should make a good machete to break trail. Next was a good-sized hunting knife, which Scotty just threw into the satchel until he could fix his belt later. A camouflaged vest that looked similar to a float vest caught his eye, and Sam shouted for him to find one that would fit him loosely. Scotty took off his carbine and dropped the satchel as he tried on a vest and found it was loose. It was made of some type of lightweight rubber, and it had a tube in a pocket near the front of the left shoulder. Scotty realized that the vest was meant to hold water. A last look of the treasure before him revealed a small sighting scope and a mess kit. Scotty looked over at Sam, who was jumping up and down to see if her gear rattled.
“Sam, let’s dump the rest of the weapons we’re leaving behind in with the field gear. I have a feeling if you get visitors, they wouldn’t be happy if they found them. Behind the bookcase they might be overlooked if we have to come back for more later.” Sam nodded okay as she dropped her pack and went out to retrieve the weapons. Ten trips later, the weapons were all in the room. As Sam did one last look around the room, she grabbed two balls of netting, throwing one to Scotty.
“These hammocks are pretty comfortable after a day in the field. I think we got everything now,” she said. “Let�
�s fill our vests and we can be out of here.” In the bathroom, as Scotty waited his turn to fill his vest, he reached behind Sam and grabbed two rolls of toilet paper.
“Now, I’m ready to go into the bush,” he said, smiling. Sam brushed by him, softly saying, “Pansy.” Then she reached back and grabbed a roll from his hand.
Outside the front door, Scotty looked at the plantation one last time. “We should disconnect the power and water,” he suggested. “Let’s not make anything too easy or too comfortable if someone else wants to move in.” Sam gave him a strange look as she went to the side of the building and threw the switch for the electrical breaker, then reached down and screwed the handle for the water inlet to the full off position.
“Okay. We have no power or water. Do we use the transport or walk from here?” she asked as she again looked skyward.
“Let’s use the transport, since we haven’t seen any activity in the last hour. We can at least hide the transport in the bush, out of sight.”
Scotty let Sam drive, and he stood in the open top viewing the sky and skyline for activity. After three hours of driving down an old, unused dirt road, they came to a dilapidated shack in the shade of a dozen trees.
“Honey, we’re home,” Scotty said as Sam braked the transport.
“Careful. We don’t know who or what might be calling that heap home,” Sam said as she pulled the transport up closer to the shack. The grass was up to Scotty’s hip when he jumped out. Drawing his automatic and chambering a round, he looked behind him to see that Sam had her shotgun out and ready. Stepping up onto the porch, Scotty tried to look into a window. There was a loud creak just before he busted through the rotting wooden porch.
“That sure wasn’t very stealthy of me, was it?” he snorted as he tried to balance himself, breaking more floorboards in the process. Finally rolling into the grass, he said, “Well, this is a bit of a fixer-upper, though, ain’t it!” Dusting himself off as he stood, he watched as Sam carefully stepped up to the front door and opened it.
“That’s the way that’s done, honey––” The words had barely left her lips when she was knocked onto the grass by a family of hogs bolting through the doorway.
“Yes, ma’am. You certainly showed me,” Scotty teased as he held out his hand to her. Together they entered the shack. The dust-covered floor was scattered with animal prints and spoor. The back wall of the shack had collapsed, and weeds were snaking into the back area. After retracing their steps to explore outside, they found a barn that was entirely overgrown with weeds. As they advanced into the barn, it was apparent that they were the first in a long time to visit.
“Well, it’s dry, and we’re the only ones here,” Scotty said. “There’s room for us and the transport. Let’s pull it in now, before it’s discovered out there.” Together, they were able to muscle open the barn door and Sam drove the transport in. Scotty used a rake to un-flatten the weeds where the transport's wheels had crushed them.
“So what do you think this place was?” Scotty asked as he unloaded the transport.
“Most likely it belonged to one of the early settlers. The first few years there was a plague that killed many. We found out later that some folks were just allergic to something growing here. Usually, out of respect, we left their homes alone, especially if they lived on the fringe. I think if we look around more in the daylight tomorrow, we’ll find more buildings,” Sam said sadly.
GRAY PANTHERS: CAPTAIN SHORT BLADE
Gray Panthers: Captain Short Blade
Prologue
In December 2128, the war with the Libra Alliance ended when the Dixie fleet diverted an asteroid into the Libra home world, killing nearly all life there. The collapse of the Libra Alliance created a major power vacuum. Old enemies that had been kept in check by the Alliance soon were once again at war with each other. Navy ships without homes became pirates. The restored League of Planets, now with a strong fleet and army, prepared to incorporate planets that had been part of the Libra Alliance into the league, by force if necessary. The Dixians, sick of war, were content to pick up life where it left off when the war began, though some members of the government desired more. The Gray Panthers of Earth began to mothball their fleet, safe behind their allies and strong defenses.
Old and young started to look for opportunities. One had it harder than most. As a baby, the Jacka runt Short Blade had survived a religious ritual his race used to cleanse their society of undesirables, only to be sold to a Libra ship crew before he became a teen. Short Blade had learned much during his indentureship with the Libras, and when freed by the humans he enlisted in the Gray Panthers, quickly rising to the rank of chief petty officer and then ensign. With the end of the war, he couldn’t go home to a life of discrimination among his own race. On Earth he would be a freak, without any others of his kind. Dan Daniels, owner of the Gray Panthers, offered him an opportunity in this brave new world: his own long-range shuttle, in exchange for the occasional favor. What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 1
The Phoenix, en route to the Jacka home world
1 April 2129
All was quiet on the Phoenix as Short Blade monitored the ship from the cockpit. This trip would be pure profit for the warrior cum entrepreneur. His cargo consisted of three items: Human missionaries that had managed to acquire visas to spread the word to the Jacka. A hold full of Holstein cows destined for his own dairy farm. The remaining cargo space was filled with bolts of denim.
“Mr. Short Blade, can I have a word with you, please?” For the tenth time Short Blade regretted having used the stasis field on the cows instead of the missionaries.
“What may I do for you, Mrs. Miller?” Short Blade yelled through the closed cockpit hatch.
“I was hoping we could have a nice chat before we get to the Jacka home world.”
“Sorry, I need to fly the ship. Perhaps once we land we can find some time.” Short Blade heard the missionary storm away from the hatch as he once again relaxed. Passengers would not be on the list for any future trips.
“Captain, estimate arrival at the Hades Nebula in under an hour,” the ship’s artificial intelligence announced.
The end of the Hades Wormhole could barely be seen on the sensors as Short Blade started to prepare for the worst part of the trip.
“Thank you, Phoenix. I’ll navigate us through the nebula. You can plot the hop home from there.”
Short Blade monitored the screens, studying the various gravity fields and anomalies. The side of the display showed current external forces that were pulling or pushing the ship. Short Blade made sure he stayed in the green or yellow areas, which represented the safest course, until he was out of the nebula.
Sitting back in his seat, he pulled out his flask and rewarded himself with a nip of cold milk. Putting the flask away, he saw the plot was ready for him to jump and he engaged the FTL drive to his home world.
He relaxed, knowing he had seven hours ahead of him. The shuttle, a gift from Dan Daniels, leader of the Gray Panthers, was perfect. The installed class one artificial intelligence had a good personality. The shuttle was, if necessary, able to be completely automated, with the AI Phoenix guiding the half-dozen droids in any repairs or maintenance. Short Blade just wondered when he would be called upon to return Dan’s favors.
Chapter 2
Libra cruiser Vengeance, in orbit around Libra
1 April 2129
Admiral Bolt watched the screens from the captain’s seat as they searched for life on the planet’s surface. Numerous areas had survivors but could not be reached; the snow had continued for months without any sign of letting up. The planet’s equator was blanketed with dense clouds of fallout, rendering any air travel impossible and the air on the surface unbreathable. Only in the areas around the north and south poles was the air breathable.
“Sir, we have three ships dropping out of FTL. They appear to be unregistered,” the sensor operator warned.
“Sound battle stations!
Contact the ships and ask their purpose here.” More animals to strip the carcass, most likely, Bolt thought.
“Sir, all three ships are ignoring our hail. They appear to be Libra destroyers.”
Bolt checked the sensors and confirmed they were, indeed, Libra destroyers. “Attempt to contact the ships on tactic—”
The combined attack of the three ships surprised the admiral. Before he could order the ship to return fire, the bridge was destroyed and venting into space. Power went out throughout the ship and crew started to escape to the planet’s surface.
Aboard the lead destroyer, Captain Slash grimaced as he watched the escape pods leave the disabled ship and head for the planet. The passengers in the pods would have a slow death, a coward’s death.
“Captain Slash to all ships. Begin sending over the repair teams. Be sure to offer any survivors the opportunity to work for us.”
The shuttles carried engineers and laborers. Each group consisted of fifteen slave laborers and a guard, all wearing environmental suits. The lead engineer, Harve, had been a civilian maintenance supervisor in the Libra navy. When the Libra Alliance had been defeated, the choice of working for his new masters or getting spaced had not been a difficult one. He would be responsible for getting the damaged cruiser repaired as soon as possible.
After boarding the disabled ship, Harve started issuing instructions. “Team one, check engineering. Team two, get to life support. Team three and four, start evaluating the bridge.” He was glad to see the ship’s environmental system was good. Removing his helmet, he found that the air was still good. He hooked his helmet to his belt and watched helplessly as the security detachment headed to round up prisoners and secure the armory.
Other captives like himself were already on the exterior of the ship patching the hull. Those given that responsibility had displeased their new overlords. The suits they wore were not well shielded, and their life expectancy was short.
Infected World Trilogy (Books 1-3): They Only Come Out At Night Page 87
