“We’ll drop all the ground troops off with enough supplies to carry them through for six months. They really won’t do us much good in ship to ship combat, and could really bolster the defense of the planet. I’ll leave a couple of battle cruisers, a heavy cruiser and a half dozen destroyers to guard the system space. I want the rest of our ships ready to leave within the hour. We’re heading for Bolthole. And Gertrude,” he said, looking at Hasslehoff. “I’ll want you and Challenger to stay as one of the two battle cruisers. You’ve had enough adventure for the time being. I’m brevetting you to commodore for now.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“And I have something to talk with you and General Wittmore about before we foray off into the unknown. This changes everything, and I think we’re going to have to reach an understanding with these people, right now.”
* * *
“But, we were saved by the Gods,” said First Councilman Rizzit Contena, sitting behind his desk and looking at the humans through his four eyes, all as wide as they could go. “The Ancient Aliens, whatever they are. And now you say we are in danger again.”
“Potential danger,” said Captain Gertrude Hasslehoff, who had gotten to know the First Councilman as well as any of the Imperials from her time spent on his planet in the other dimension. “They may not come here. We may be able to stop them before they get this far, or they may show no interest in coming here in the first place. They may run again.”
“But you don’t think so.”
“Not if they have expanded into this much space,” said Hasslehoff, shaking her head. “That shows that they have expanded and entrenched themselves, and I don’t think they are going to go without a fight.”
“Now understand, First Councilman,” said General Wittmore, the system commander as far as the Imperials were concerned. “We will try to get them on the defensive as soon as we can. And, as they have no beef with you, they probably have no reason to come here.”
“Except that you are here,” countered Contena, pointing one of his right side tentacles at the Major General. “And that may draw them here.”
“Or they may come here, whether we are here or not,” said Wittmore. “After all, we are just about to stir up the hornet’s nest.” Seeing the confusion on the Klassekian’s face the General explained. “A really nasty insect form from Old Earth, that attacks in mass when disturbed. But the point is, we don’t know if they will come here or not. What we do know is that they are within fifty light years of here, which, at our level of technology, is very close indeed. Less than a week. The smart move is to act as if they are coming, and prepare defenses.”
“Of which we have none,” shouted Contena, waving his tentacles in the air. “We’ve seen how easily you defeated our systems, and they should have tech almost as good. Right?”
We will help you,” said Hasslehoff, wishing not for the first time that she had more ships in the system. Admiral Nguyen had left with most of their hulls. He had split his hyper VII craft into seven scouting teams, and sent them on a course into the space they thought was controlled by the machines. They had the speed to possibly escape. And every hyper VI vessel he took was heading toward Bolthole. That system was just that important, even more so than the one she was in.
“I know you had talked about helping us progress,” said the First Councilman, his tentacles enclosing his head in a gesture of tension. “But that quickly?”
“It’s time you grew up,” said Wittmore, giving the alien a steady look. “And that means a united world government.”
I could wish I had a more diplomatic commander, thought Hasslehoff. But she had what she had, and he was in charge due to his rank.
“With Tsarzor in charge?” asked the First Councilman in a doubting tone.
“We sure don’t want it to be Honish, so that leaves you. Of course, we will give you whatever support you need to impose this government, and we would prefer that it be some form of republic or parliamentary form. And, of course, you will become a protectorate of the Empire.”
Rizzit looked up at that, his eyes narrowing in the way of his species, pinching in from the sides. “And if we don’t wish to become a protectorate.”
“I’m afraid you have no choice, at the moment,” said the General.
From the stare that the Klassekian was giving them, Hasslehoff was glad they were in their battle armor, and that they had a platoon of Marines on call from the shuttle.
“There will, of course, be a plebiscite,” said the Captain, thinking of how many times that of course had slipped into the conversation. “After you are organized, educated and brought through this current crisis.”
“Which could take centuries,” hissed the First Councilman. “If it ever really occurs.”
The General made a throwing away gesture with his hand. “It doesn’t really matter what you want at this time. We need you organized and contributing to the defense of this region, at least until this threat is dealt with. After that, you can go your own way, if you want, or become part of our Empire.”
“Look, First Councilman,” said Hasslehoff, seeing the anger in that alien face. “You’ve talked with Lt. J’rrantar, and seen the interactions of the Gryphon Petty Officer Hi’tarris with your astronauts. Their species have done very well within the Empire. And so can yours. You can enjoy a prosperity and technology you would take a thousand years or more on your own to achieve. Longer life, medical miracles, the stars. Think about that.”
“But it would not be our achievements that got us there. Merely our mimicking of yours.”
“Or you can sit here with your pride for company,” said Wittmore, leaning forward in his seat, which creaked under the weight of his armor, despite its grabbers taking some of its mass in hand. “And you can wait for things with no feelings, and no compassion, to come to your world. You will be at the mercy of things without any, who will consider you the enemy merely because you are alive.”
The Klassekian sat there with a look of concentration that told the humans he was communing with his brothers through their quantum entangled minds. He sat there for some minutes, and the humans gave him his time, realizing that this was an important part of the decision making process. Finally, he opened his eyes
“And if I don’t cooperate with you? Will you then leave us alone?”
“We can’t do that,” said Hasslehoff in a soft voice. “We can’t abandon you to that kind of fate.”
“And we would just have to choose someone else to back,” said the General. “We would prefer you and your people.”
“And my brother, the General, would kill me if I let you do that,” said the First Councilman in a quiet voice. “So I guess I had better accept your offer, and let him become the next military hero of our nation’s, no, our world’s history.”
Epilogue
FEBRUARY 13TH, 1002.
Commodore Natasha Khrushchev breathed a sigh of relief as Francis Drake slid through the hole in the dimensions and entered normal space. Most of the convoy was already through, only a few remaining to make the crossover. Mihn Quan, as the fastest ship in the convoy, had run ahead to make translation six hours before the rest of the ships, conveying Khrushchev’s reports. Endurance, not able to drop out of hyper VI due to her damage, had been evacuated and scuttled, but every other ship that had made it through the battle was still with them.
The tactical holo filled in with information on the system, based on the graviton emissions of the vessels in movement. An instant later the electromagnetic spectrum filled in the rest of the system, visual, broadcast, neutron and neutrino emissions. The K class primary, really a tweener almost into the range of G, was centered on the holo, two and a half light hours away. A ring of antimatter production satellites orbited close to the star, while a couple of tankers moved to and fro from the production facilities to shipyards.
There were a couple of barren planets close to the star, then the one planet worth anything ten light minutes out. Tethys was an almost h
abitable planet, one that had supported life before an asteroid strike has wiped it out ten thousand years before. Now it was in the middle stages of terraforming, and would soon, within five years or so, become the rest and recreation center of the system.
Bolthole base was about one and a quarter light hours in from the hyper I barrier, in the first of the system’s asteroid belts. The asteroid was about twelve hundred kilometers in diameter, a little larger than Ceres in the Sol system, but was much more massive. Mostly of metallic composition, with only a three kilometer thick crust of rock, carbon compounds and water ice over that huge core, the planetoid actually had a gravity of approximately point one three Earth normal.
Twenty-eight other objects were in orbit around the planetoid, twenty-two medium sized asteroids being used for construction materials, two habitats, and six docks; two completed, four still under assembly. Two score ships were also in orbit around the base, including twelve warships.
Further out were the gas giants and the second of the two asteroid belts, and furthest were two frozen rocky planets, one of which was the subject of extensive activity as a supermetal production facility was under construction.
“Grav pulse signal coming in from system command,” reported the Com Officer. “From Admiral Gonzales.”
“Go ahead.”
“She wants to meet with you as soon as you get to the base. And Drake and New Potsdam are cleared for dock space as soon as they reach Bolthole.”
Khrushchev nodded. It made sense to get the two ships up to combat effectiveness as soon as possible. Looking over the lists of ships on her side holo, she realized that the system defense, while sufficient to defend against pirates or other low level threats, was probably not strong enough to defeat what she suspected was waiting in the dark.
* * *
The vessel sat ten light hours outside the hyper I barrier, watching, listening. It picked up the coming of the convoy as it transited through the dimensions from hyper VI down to I, and into normal space. The vessel identified the ships by their emissions, then waited for the visual confirmation before sending the amendment to its report on system defenses to the courier group waiting two light weeks further out. The com laser was undetectable by anything that didn’t happen to wander in the way. And this far out, that was more than unlikely. When the com beam reached its target one of the couriers would jump into hyper I and creep away, well outside of the range that something in the system could pick up the translation.
All of this took time, but the brains operating the ships were patient if nothing else. And soon their patience would pay off.
The End
About the Author
Doug Dandridge is the author of over twenty self-published books on Amazon, including the very successful, Exodus: Empires at War series, the Refuge techno-fantasy series, The Deep Dark Well Trilogy, as well as numerous standalone science fiction and fantasy novels. In a two year period as a self-published author, Doug has sold over one hundred thousand ebooks, plus numerous copies of paperback and audio books. He has amassed over 1,700 reviews across his books on Amazon, with a 4.6 star average. He served in the US Army as an infantryman, as well as several years in the Florida National Guard in the same MOS. Doug, who holds degrees from Florida State University and the University of Alabama, lives with his five cats in Tallahassee Florida. He is a sports enthusiast and a self-proclaimed amateur military historian.
About The Prometheus Saga
The Prometheus Saga is the premier project of the Alvarium Experiment, a consortium of accomplished and award-winning authors. The Saga spans the range of the existence of Homo sapiens. The stories do not need to be read in any particular order; each story is an entry point into the overall story.
The Prometheus Saga stories & authors are:
“The Pisces Affair” by Daco Auffenorde. CIA operative Jordan Jakes meets Prometheus when the Secretary of State becomes the target of a terrorist attack at a head-of-state dinner in Dubai. Visit Daco at www.authordaco.com.
“On Both Sides” by Bria Burton. When a mysterious woman vanishes during the American Revolution, young Robby Freeman searches for answers from a cryptic sharpshooter who deserted Washington’s Continental Army. Visit Bria at www.briaburton.com.
“Ever After” by M.J. Carlson. Two mysterious women convey the same Cinderella story to Giambattista Basile in 1594 and Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in 1811. How different cultures retell this story reveals humanity’s soul to those who listen. Visit M.J. at www.mjcarlson.com.
“The Blurred Man” by Bard Constantine. FBI agent Dylan Plumm's investigation of a mill explosion puts her on the trail of the Blurred Man, a mysterious individual who may have been on Earth for centuries. The case turns deadlier at every turn, placing Dylan in the crosshairs of shadowy antagonists even as she unravels a centuries-old mystery. Visit Bard at www.barwritesbooks.com
“Crystal Night” by Charles A. Cornell. Berlin, 1938. On the eve of one of history’s darkest moments, a Swedish bartender working in Nazi Germany accidentally uncovers a woman’s hidden past. Can he avoid becoming an accomplice as the Holocaust accelerates? Visit Charles at www.charlesacornell.com.
“Marathon” by Doug Dandridge. Prometheus, posing as a citizen of Athens, participates in the battle of Marathon alongside the playwright Aeschylus. Visit Doug at www.dougdandridge.net.
“The Strange Case of Lord Byron’s Lover” by Parker Francis. Writing in her journal, Mary Shelley recounts a series of perplexing events during her visit with Lord Byron—a visit that resulted in the creation of her famous Frankenstein novel, but also uncovered a remarkable mystery. Visit Parker at www.parkerfrancis.com.
“Strangers on a Plane” by Kay Kendall. In 1969 during a flight across North America, a young mother traveling with her infant meets an elderly woman who displays unusual powers. But when a catastrophe threatens, are those powers strong enough to avert disaster? This short story folds into Kay’s mystery series featuring the young woman, amateur sleuth Austin Starr. Visit Kay at www.kaykendallauthor.com.
“East of the Sun” by Jade Kerrion. Through a mysterious map depicting far-flung lands, a Chinese sailor in 1424 and a Portuguese cartographer in 1519 share a vision of an Earth far greater than the reality they know. Visit Jade at www.jadekerrion.com.
“Manteo” by Elle Andrews Patt. In 1587, Croatan native Manteo returns from London to Roanoke Island, Virginia. Can he reconcile his strong loyalty to the untamed land and people of his home with his desire for the benefits the colonizing English bring with them before one of them destroys the other? Visit Elle at www.elleandrewspatt.com.
“First World War” by Ken Pelham. 40,000 BC: As the last remaining species of hominid, Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis, fight a desperate battle for ownership of the future, the outcasts of both sides find themselves caught in middle. Visit Ken at www.kenpelham.com.
“Lilith” by Antonio Simon, Jr. In this retelling of the Adam & Eve story, a hermit’s life is turned upside-down by the arrival of a mysterious woman in his camp. As the story of their portentous meeting carries forward through the millennia, only time will tell if Lilith is a heroine, a victim, or a monster. Visit Antonio at www.DarkwaterSyndicate.com.
“Fifteen Dollars’ Guilt” by Antonio Simon, Jr. 1881: After a close brush with death in a steamship disaster, Prometheus encounters another survivor who gripes about how aimless his life has become. Prometheus helps him find his calling, inadvertently setting in motion the assassination of President Garfield. Visit Antonio at www.DarkwaterSyndicate.com.
For additional info about the stories and authors, visit the official website: The Prometheus Saga
Five By Five 3: Target Zone
TARGETS ARE LOCKED!
Five short novels by five masters of military SF capture the excitement, and hell, of fantastic future war—on and off the battlefield. Stories of terrifying monsters, dangerous aliens and staggering cosmic dreadnaughts march alongside far-flung courtroom dramas and cautionary tales i
nvolving man and his devices.
Michael A. Stackpole—The Star Tigers are commandeered by a powerful alien overseer on a covert mission to a world long abandoned by an ancient species. There, the ruins of a forgotten war will tip the balance of their war, unless the Star Tigers can prevent it.
Sarah A. Hoyt—Lucius Dante Maximilian Keeva is a well-respected leader of the Usaian Revolution, but treason in the ranks can cost him everything that makes life worth living—unless he takes justice into his own hands and breaks every military regulation in its pursuit.
Doug Dandridge—Faced with an enemy more than two hundred times her own size, Cinda Klerk has two options: hide, and let it destroy the planet she is supposed to protect, or find a way to even the odds and kill the enemy, even at the cost of her ship and crew.
Eytan Kollin and Dani Kollin—As the Unincorporated War envelops the entire solar system, a father must come to the rescue of a daughter he never raised. But he'll have to convince her to save herself first.
Kevin J. Anderson—In the war against an alien menace, Earth’s greatest military commanders risk themselves on the front lines, but with an escape hatch: If the situation goes terribly wrong, they can switch places with a safe soldier far from the battlefield. But the cannon-fodder volunteers don’t consider that such a good deal.
Set your cross-hairs on the Target Zone.
Excerpt from Goliath:
“We have a translation, from the hyper VII dimension down to VI,” called out the Sensory Officer, Ensign Emile Schmidt, in his soft New Berliner accent.
“Ours, or theirs?” asked Lt. Commander Cinda Klerk, watching the tactical holo and dreading the answer. She was not a large woman, in fact, the captain’s chair still felt too big when she sat in it. And she had the kind of face that attracted men, which she saw as a detriment to her career, not letting her fit the image of the warrior woman.
Exodus: Machine War: Book 1: Supernova. Page 35
