Starhunt: A Star Wolf Novel

by David Gerrold

The helmsman starts counting off missile collisions. “Two down. The score is sixteen to eighteen. One more, and another. “Fourteen to sixteen. We’re still two up.”

  “I hope those two will be enough. That was our last shot—”

  Brandt has not said anything through the entire battle. Now he turns and looks at Korie. He steps close and lowers his voice. “If you knew this was going to happen, Mr. Korie—why didn’t you tell me?”

  Korie returns his accusing look with steady eyes. “I don’t think you would have believed me, sir. I’m sorry. There are a lot of things I did that I wish I hadn’t had to.”

  The helmsman: “Four and six—oops. Three and five. No, make that three and four. One of his birds took out two of ours.”

  “If he can do that once more, we’re dead,” says Barak grimly.

  “Not dead, just stalemated again. Except now we know for sure that he’s out there.”

  “One and two . . . and there they go. One left! And it’s ours! And closing!”

  “Go, baby, go!”

  “Mr. Leen—you can unwarp whenever you’re ready. Shut your engines down and recalibrate for long-range scanning, please—”

  Before Korie can finish the sentence, the helmsman reports, “We’ve lost our scan—to a sudden field-overload!”

  Korie, Brandt and Barak exchange glances. “It could have been the missiles,” says the captain.

  “But not very likely,” responds Korie. “A missile warp is much too small. You have to be right on top of its collapse for it to blow your scan.”

  “It could have been a cumulative effect.”

  “Do you believe that?”

  “Uh—”

  “Neither do I.” Korie grins. “I think maybe—” He looks to Barak. “Al?”

  “We were closing on him—” His eyes are bright.

  “Anyone else?” Korie looks around the room. He is surrounded by hopeful expressions.

  “I think—” He hesitates, then shouts out loud, “I think—we got him!”

  And then everybody is shouting, cheering, yelling, whistling, stamping, roaring, laughing, slapping each other’s backs and butts, hugging each other and jumping up and down and—

  “Hey! Hey! Hey!—Hold it!” That’s Barak hollering. “Wait a minute! Wait a minute! It hasn’t been confirmed yet! We have to confirm it!”

  The shouting dies away. Confused glances ricochet back and forth.

  Korie looks to Barak. “You’re right.” And then he grins. “But I think I’m the one who should be demanding the proof now.” For once, the laughter on the bridge is almost good-natured.

  Korie remembers something. He turns and looks at Brandt, standing glumly alone and thoughtful in the center of the bridge. He hands the microphone to his captain. “Sir? Do you want to direct the search for debris?”

  Brandt looks at the proffered mike, then at Korie—

  There is only the tiniest discontinuity as the Burlingame unwarps.

  —then at the mike again. “You’ve done a fine job, so far, Mr. Korie. You may continue.”

  “You are the captain, sir. I believe this is your privilege. To confirm the kill.”

  “It was your kill, Mr. Korie.”

  “Sir? I’d be honored to have you confirm it.” He meets Brandt’s gaze with his own. “Please?”

  Brandt takes the mike reluctantly. “I know why you’re doing this, Korie. I’m beginning to figure you out.”

  “Yes, sir—if you say so.”

  The communicator beeps. “Well? Did we get him? Come on, what’s the story?”

  “Stand by, Cookie,” says Brandt. “We’re going in for a look with broom and dustpan.”

  “I just want to know if I should break out the champagne?”

  “Stand by.” The captain switches off with a gentle smile. Brandt looks to his first officer. He moves to take his proper position in the Command and Control Seat. “Mr. Korie, we’ll schedule a full debriefing at eleven hundred hours tomorrow morning. But there’s really only one thing I want to know.” He looks at Korie shrewdly. “We have one man in the brig, another in sick bay with multiple injuries, and a body in the morgue. Was it worth it?”

  “Sir.” Korie straightens almost to attention. “It hardly matters whether it was worth it or not. That was the price. And we never had any choice.”

  “That’s hardly a satisfactory answer.”

  “I’m sorry, sir—would you prefer I say something more to the effect of ‘Next time, suckers, maybe you’ll believe me’?”

  “To be quite honest—I’d be afraid to disagree with you again.”

  “Except—” Korie says, and there is not the slightest hint of a twinkle in his eye. He says it straight-faced, “Next time, I might be wrong.” (And I’m glad you don’t know the errors I made this time.)

  Brandt nods thoughtfully. “As soon as we confirm the kill, Mr. Korie, there’s one thing I want you to do.”

  “Sir?”

  “You give the order to go home.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  FORTY

  Violence is the last word of the illiterate. Also the first.

  —SOLOMON SHORT

  More from the David Gerrold eBook Series

  THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES

  The Story Behind Star Trek’s Most Popular Episode

  9781939529565

  The complete story of one of Star Trek’s most popular episodes:

  •From first draft to final shooting script

  •The how and why of TV writing

  •Three previously unpublished episodes

  •Working on the Star Trek lot

  •Personal stories of the stars

  •32 pages of photos

  •Original illustrations by Tim Kirk

  •MORE! MORE! MORE!

  THE VOYAGE OF THE STAR WOLF

  Star Wolf Trilogy, Book One

  9781935251514

  The first work in David Gerrold’s Star Wolf trilogy, this tale pits the human members of the Star Wolf space vessel against the superhuman Morthan crew. Captain Jonathan Korie, hampered by the loss of most of the human fleet to the Morthans and a nearly disabled ship of his own, faces the Morthan threat driven by the need for survival and the desire for revenge. A classic of military science fiction, the Star Wolf trilogy combines rapid action with powerful studies of military character.

  THE MAN WHO FOLDED HIMSELF

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  This classic work of science fiction is widely considered to be the ultimate time-travel novel. When Daniel Eakins inherits a time machine, he soon realizes that he has enormous power to shape the course of history. He can foil terrorists, prevent assassinations, or just make some fast money at the racetrack. And if he doesn’t like the results of the change, he can simply go back in time and talk himself out of making it! But Dan soon finds that there are limits to his powers and forces beyond his control.

  UNDER THE EYE OF GOD

  Trackers, Book One

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  David Gerrold’s classic space opera Under the Eye of God tells the story of a group of unlikely rebels on a mission to reclaim the galaxy from ruthless vampire overlords known as the Phaestor.

  The dark, burnt world of Thoska-Roole, infamous for its harsh climate and equally callous inhabitants, might be the last place in the galaxy anyone would turn for aid in times of crisis. But the small, orange planet is home to the band of rebels who hold the fate of the entire galaxy in their hands.

  The Phaestor were once humanity’s last hope, but these genetically engineered predators and their deadly army of Moktar Dragons have since seized control of the galaxy and subjugated all lesser species to feed their appetite for chaos and blood. Standing in their way is the ragtag alliance of malcontents from Thoska-Roole, including two bounty hunters, a mercenary ship captain, and a disgraced reptilian warrior. Together, they make a last desperate stand against the Phaestor and their reign of unprecedented terror.

  A COVENANT OF JUSTIC
E

  Trackers, Book Two

  9781940363134

  In this sequel to Under the Eye of God, David Gerrold’s classic space opera continues.

  The bloodthirsty Phaestor, genetically engineered to fight in defense of the galaxy, have since turned against their creators and established a reign of terror and chaos.

  Lead by a cunning war queen, her ambitious suitor, and a Dragon Lord, the Phaestor continue to strive for complete enslavement of the galaxy. But a growing band of rebels from Thoska-Roole fights for the galaxy, standing against the merciless vampire overlords.

  As other humans, bioforms, and androids from worlds across the galaxy join their cause, the outnumbered rebels fight for freedom and the future of the stars.

  STARHUNT

  A Star Wolf Novel

  9781939529497

  Only an endless space war could have produced the Roger Burlingame. A war that had caused Earth to turn starships into instruments of total destruction. A war that had so drained Earth of resources that the Roger Burlingame was kept in service long after it should have been scrapped.

  Now, light years from Earth, the great starship had sighted a quarry almost certain to defeat it in a fair fight. The captain’s nerve was gone; the crew were on the verge of mutiny. And command had passed to a fanatical young first officer hungry for his first kill.

  War had turned into hell—and this was a voyage of the damned . . .

  Originally published as Yesterday’s Children.

  THE WORLD OF STAR TREK

  9781939529572

  They said it couldn’t be done! A science fiction show on national television? The network didn’t believe it would work. It was the 1960s. Would the public accept a non-human hero with demonic pointed ears? A black female lieutenant? Impossible!

  BUT STAR TREK LIVES!

  This is the story of a phenomenon—a story as strange and wonderful, in its way, as the Enterprise’s trip through space. Even the power of the networks couldn’t stop it. And so Star Trek went on to make entertainment history. Here is the complete inside story of what happened behind the scenes of the Star Trek universe, from scriptwriters’ memos to special effects, plus revealing personal interviews with the series’ legendary stars.

  The legend of Star Trek lives in the hearts of millions—now, discover the truth behind the fiction. Writer David Gerrold was on the set, watching it happen: the feuds, the fun, the love—the magic that is Star Trek. A must-have for “Trekkies” of all ages, The World of Star Trek includes more than 50 pages of photos from your favorite episodes and stills from all three movies.

  ALTERNATE GERROLDS

  An Assortment of Fictitious Lives

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  David Gerrold takes you on a tour of alternate universes . . . universes where Santa Claus isn’t nice and the best man is actually elected president; where Ronald Reagan and Gregory Peck command the plane carrying the first atomic bomb and John F. Kennedy stars in the hit show Star Track, where Franz Kafka doesn’t write fiction and the Devil holds educational seminars. Introduction by Mike Resnick.

  WHEN HARLIE WAS ONE

  Release 2.0

  9781939529466

  HARLIE is the first self-aware intelligence engine. But instead of answers, he has questions—too many questions, and most of his questions have no answers at all.

  First published in 1972, When HARLIE Was One was immediately hailed as a groundbreaking debut novel, examining the most fundamental question of all: What does it mean to be human?

  Revised by the author in 1988, this expanded edition is available again. Despite all the progress in computer technology since then, When HARLIE Was One still has extraordinary power to touch the human heart.

  Nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Novel of the Year, its themes of love and discovery are even more important today than when first published.

  Read. Enjoy. Be inspired.

  CHILD OF EARTH

  Sea of Grass, Book One

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  Want to visit another world? It might not be as easy as you think.

  When Kaer’s extended family signs up to emigrate to Linnea, a planet known for horses as large as houses and dangerously mistrustful natives, Kaer is certain the move will bring the divided household closer together. What none of them are prepared for is the grueling emigration training in the Linnean dome, a makeshift environment designed to be like Linnea in every possible way, from the long, brutally harsh winters to the deadly kacks—wolf-like creatures as tall as men. The training is tough, but Kaer’s family is up to the challenge. Soon they begin working like Linneans, thinking like Linneans, even accepting Linnean gods as their own. The family’s emigration seems to be just around the corner.

  But then, a disaster on Linnea itself changes everything.

  CHILD OF GRASS

  Sea of Grass, Book Two

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  In the first installment of David Gerrold’s Sea of Grass trilogy, Child of Earth, Kaer’s family expected to assimilate into Linnean society undetected after becoming accustomed to the harsh climate and relatively primitive culture in the training dome—a synthetic Linnean environment designed to prepare Earthlings for emigration to the new world. But a sudden uprising on Linnea changed everything. After a band of religious zealots known as the Hale-Stones, former Earth residents living on Linnea, began outing other Earthlings and disrupting Linnean society in order to convert them to Earth’s Christianity in place of the Linnean religion, Kaer’s family was stuck in limbo.

  Now, in Child of Grass, Kaer and Lorrin, Kaer’s father, venture away from the training dome as part of a secret mission to restore peace to Linnea and free the hostage Earthlings from captivity. Defeating the Hale-Stones means using every available resource to preserve the Linnean way of life, from advanced technology, to natural disasters, and even the Hale-Stones’ own religious teachings.

  Through the struggle for peace, young Kaer is forced to confront issues about morality, loyalty, the bond of family, and the nature of intelligent life.

  THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

  Star Wolf Trilogy, Book Two

  9781935618737

  The Morthans were physically and mentally superior. Descended from humans, they were now, literally, “more-than” human . . . and considered the human race to be little better than animals. They would stop at nothing to conquer the remaining human-controlled worlds.

  Docked for repairs after a harrowing battle with a Morthan ship, Jonathan Korie and his crew discover they have a Morthan imp aboard—a Morthan weapon so quick they have no chance of catching it, so clever they have no hope of outsmarting it, and so deadly they have no choice but to try.

  Includes introduction by Spider Robinson.

  BLOOD AND FIRE

  Star Wolf Trilogy, Book Three

  9781935618690

  The Morthans were physically and mentally superior. Descended from humans, they were now, literally, “more-than” human . . . and considered the human race to be little better than animals. They would stop at nothing to conquer the remaining human-controlled worlds.

  Formerly a never-filmed script for Star Trek: The Next Generation, this conclusion to the Star Wolf trilogy finds Executive Officer Korie and the crew of the Star Wolf answering a distress call from a mysteriously lifeless ship. On board the Norway, they discover half-wave, half-particle clusters of golden light—and a dead man. The lights are the energy form of bloodworms, a fatal infestation that feeds off the energy of living bodies, which scientists on the Norway have developed for use in the Alliance’s war against the Morthans. Officer Korie’s struggle between his conscience and his desire for vengeance will determine not only the safety of the Star Wolf, but the fate of the enemies he’s sworn to destroy.

  Includes introduction by D.C. Fontana.

  SPACE SKIMMER

  Book One

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  Mass is humanoid, but genetically evolved to cope with greater pressures,
stronger gravity, and heavier densities than those of an ancient planet he never knew, nor probably ever would. For Mass, Earth is millennia in the past.

  His companions are equally diverse, differently evolved, and most unsuitable—to him and to one another. Each live on a separate plane—they had grown on separate worlds.

  Yet survival might depend on communication. To live, they must find a way to come together as they’re faced with intense pressure, clashing perspectives, and unfamiliar circumstances.

  CHESS WITH A DRAGON

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  The Galactic InterChange is the greatest discovery in history. Through the InterChange, humanity gains access to the combined knowledge of all the worlds and all the races of the galaxy. For librarians, scientists, doctors, teachers, and anybody interested in the spread of knowledge, it’s a field day. Just find something intriguing on the menu and request a copy—so simple, so exciting!

  Until the bill arrives.

  It’s the greatest bill in history, and humanity has no way of paying it off. No way except one—indenture. Being slaves to aliens doesn’t sound like much fun.

  Yake Singh Brown is the man who has to negotiate the deal for humanity. It’s the toughest assignment he’s ever faced, like playing chess with a dragon—all he has to do is figure out the rules of the game before being eaten.

  In the tradition of Douglas Adams and Piers Anthony, David Gerrold, the writer who created The Trouble with Tribbles, pits Earth’s most daring diplomat against the scheming—and hungry—races of the rest of the galaxy, with hysterical results.