The Dave Brewster Series

by Karl Morgan

  “Whoa!” Bill shouted at the sight of the Being of light in his room. He pulled away to the other edge of his bed and pulled the covers around him. “Who or what are you?”

  “I am a friend, son,” Odo replied. “My name is Odo and I have your father with me. Please help me and think of how much you love him to help him appear like me.”

  Bill was half-asleep and dazed and did not know what to think or do. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see another form taking shape. “Dad!” he shouted. He thought about his dad and how much his parents needed him in the Andromeda Galaxy. He remembered them playing catch when he was a young boy and the nights he pitched a tent in the backyard and his dad would sleep with him there.

  Dave’s body of light stood in front of his son. “Thanks, Billy,” Dave said. “I don’t think I could have done this without you.” He sat next to Bill and put his arm around his shoulders. “What do we do now, Odo?”

  “Stand up, both of you,” Odo said. “Now, Bill, you stand between us. Dave, you and I are now going to grab onto Bill and each other as hard as we can. Then we will think of our wives back on Nan and pray the Source can help us. Bill, if we fail, you’ll just be standing here alone. But your prayers for our success are greatly appreciated.” Bill could feel the warmth as the two lights fused around him. He closed his eyes and could see billions of strings of light flooding through the walls, ceiling and floor of the room. He was immersed in intense light and it seemed to burn through his skin and eyelids. He was frozen in the spot, unable to move any part of his body. Suddenly, he felt his body dissolving into the light and passed out.

  “Billy, wake up!” Darlene said as she shook her son. He was lying on the stone bed with Dave and Odo, who were still holding him. “Dave, Odo, Billy, someone wake up please!” she begged with tears flowing down her cheeks.

  “Geez, don’t be so melodramatic, Mom,” Bill said as he opened his eyes. He shook the other two men and they woke as well. “Odo, I think it worked.”

  Odo stood and stretched, “Yes, I think it did. Welcome to Nan, Bill Brewster.”

  Darlene grabbed Bill and pulled him to his feet so she could hug him. “If I knew your father was going to attempt this… I don’t know what I’d do.”

  Dave stood and stretched too. “Odo that was the most amazing experience of my life. I’ve never felt so at peace. What happened in the room with all those strings of light?”

  “Dave, why don’t you guess?” Odo asked.

  “Okay, those strings were like Nok. They were the souls of billions of others who are not in physical bodies at this time. They felt the love and desperation in us and came to help us. They kept coming and coming until there were enough to bring us here,” Dave said.

  “Very good, Dave,” Odo replied. “I think it must be time for breakfast. I am starving after that adventure. My wife makes the best coffee and pastries on all of Nan, although my opinion might be prejudiced. There is still much work to be done and very little time. Come along everyone.” The climbed back out of the stone temple and walked slowly back toward the home as the morning sun crept over the horizon. “By the way, let us please keep what happened in the temple between us. Very few people know about the power of the natural Hive and we would invite more problems if we discuss it,” he finished as they left the small clearing and headed back into the woods.

  Chapter 44

  Major Ulan Makwee was the last officer to be trained to command the Manila. He sat confidently in the command chair watching his crew and the image of the Lagamar sun directly ahead. Captains Jon Lake and Theodus sat on either side of him. Their goal was to train ten pilots from Lagamar Opa to fly the Manila before turning over the ship to them officially. The training had gone quite well, and Ulan was proving to be a masterful ship’s captain.

  Few modifications had to be made to convert the pride of the Kalidean research fleet into a garbage truck. Most of the ship was left untouched so it could be used for other purposes as well. The major changes occurred in the large hold, where the external doors had been adjusted to open quickly and a large ram was installed. Some of the controls had been modified so a crew of twenty could manage the ship designed for a crew of one hundred.

  “Major, we are approaching optimal distance to the sun,” said the helmsman, Balik Namm.

  “Very good, Balik,” Ulan replied. “On my command cut all thrusters and transfer the helm controls to my panel.”

  “Aye-aye, Major,” he replied.

  Even with the full defensive array projected in front of the ship, the temperature was rapidly rising on the bridge. Jon could feel a trickle of sweat running down his face and brushed it away. The sun loomed very large in the view screen as they grew within a few million miles of its dazzling corona.

  “Cut thrusters now!” Ulan shouted. He took the joystick with his right hand and turned hard right, causing this ship to yaw one hundred and eighty degrees. Ulan pressed a button on my control panel under his left hand and the hold bay doors flew open. The stern of the ship was heating very quickly as streams of radiation hit the unprotected metal. Ulan pulled a large red lever and the newly installed ram shot backward and pushed the hundreds of tons of slag out into space. He pressed the same button again and the hold doors slammed shut. “Move the defensive array to the stern and get all thrusters up to full power!” Manila fought against the massive gravity of the sun for a moment and then shot away from the star. “Balik, I’m giving you control again. Get us out of here.”

  Theodus and Jon Lake stood and applauded. “Ulan, that’s was a great run. Good job,” Jon said. “What do you think, Theodus?”

  The Kalidean captain laughed. “I never thought I’d say this, but Manila is your ship now, Ulan,” he said as he shook Ulan’s hand. “Hey, Jon, can I get a ride from you? It seems I no longer have a ship.” Several million miles away, the tons of slag raced toward the Lagamar sun, trapped by the intense pull of gravity. At two million miles away, the material glowed red and then white hot. A million miles later, the slag vaporized and was absorbed into the solar atmosphere.

  “I thank both of you for training me and our crews,” Ulan said with a broad smile. His black eyes glistened with joy. “I never could have imagined that other Opa lived in the Ulagong Galaxy. And it is a miracle that you came to my planet and gave us such a wonderful gift that will keep the Society off our backs. I know there will be a big celebration back on Lagamar Opa in honor of this day. I hope you can attend.”

  “I’m sorry, Ulan,” Jon said. “I have to travel to Nan to retrieve Bill Brewster. He has a lot of work to do on Lagamar 7. Theodus, you should stay for the party. I’ll pick you and your men up when I return with Bill.”

  “I have a better idea, Jon,” Ulan smiled. “Your shuttle would take two days to go to Nan and come back here. Manila can get there in a few hours. Then you and the admiral’s son can be at the party and he can be on Lagamar 7 a day earlier.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Theodus said. “Come on, Jon, it makes perfect sense, and I know you are not the type to excuse yourself from a party.”

  “I can’t argue with logic like that, guys,” Jon smiled as he sat down again. “Okay, Ulan, show me what this ship can do with an Opa master.”

  Wendo Balak and Antar Arrak were sitting together at the large table in Odo Pak’s kitchen when the Brewsters emerged from the woods and approached the house. Ila, the Elder’s wife and her daughter Uli were arranging freshly made pastries on trays and setting them on the table when Odo walked in with Bill Brewster and his parents. Bill was introduced to the group and offered a seat between his parents. Uli poured hot coffee into large mugs and set one in front of each guest.

  “Odo, this is wonderful,” Antar smiled. “Which Hive did you convince to help jump Bill here? Wendo had told me there was a problem with that.”

  “Sorry, Antar, but that is a trade secret,” Odo laughed. “We wouldn’t want another planet to get in trouble with the High Council, would we?”

&nbs
p; Dave put his hand on Bill’s shoulder. “There is a lot for you to do here, Bill. I need you, Jake and No-o-Ka to repeat the job you did with the maklan telepathy with two new species. And it has to be done within seven days.”

  “Dad, I don’t think that’s possible,” Bill replied. “You remember it took Jake a hundred years to learn to communicate with Horace Hildebrand.”

  “We have a big head start here, son,” Dave explained. “The Boley on Lagamar 7 can communicate with Jake and the Galliceans telepathically already. And the Zula on this planet can communicate with anyone they can touch. But we need them to be able to communicate through translators on Earth Prime in a week. I hate to say it, but the stakes this time are even higher than before.”

  “I don’t believe that is the case, Dave,” Odo said. “Have you forgotten what I told you just yesterday on the porch of your suite?”

  “You said that I don’t hold the fate of the Society in my hands and that an individual life was not that important in the scheme of things,” Dave replied.

  “Very good, Dave,” Odo smiled. “I’m sure you recall everything you saw last night as well, especially the blessed Nok and those blessed others who made Bill’s presence possible.”

  “Of course, Odo, I could never forget any of that,” Dave answered.

  “Excellent. Do you now understand my words from yesterday better?” Odo asked.

  “I do not control the fate of the Society because it has already collapsed. The High Council’s efforts to hold it together cannot succeed because it is hopelessly broken,” Dave said. “All I can do is my best to love and protect my family and friends and do my small part to make the dissolution of the Society peaceful. Whether that happens or not depends on the efforts of every person in the Society.”

  “Spoken like an Elder, my son,” Odo replied. “But why is your life not so important?”

  “I am just a man, Odo,” Dave said. “I can only carry the burden that these two shoulders can bear. I could spend my life trying to fix the Society or my own planet. But then I would have neglected my greatest responsibility, which is to be happy and to love and care for my friends and family.”

  “Perfect!” Odo laughed. “I must contact High Priest Obu Neela later today. You could be taking his job any day now.”

  “Wow!” Darlene said. “Where did all that come from, sweetheart?” Antar and Wendo were staring at Dave and wondering what was going on.

  “I’ll tell you about last night later, Darlene,” Dave smiled. “Right now, I’m still a bit overwhelmed by the experience.” A tone sounded on his com-link and he touched it. “Yes, Lia, what’s up?”

  “Admiral, the Kalidean ship Manila is entering orbit over Nan,” she replied. “Correction, the Lagamar Opa ship Kalidus is entering orbit.”

  “That’s odd,” Dave replied. “What are they doing here?”

  “Dave, Major Makwee advises that he is here to take Bill Brewster back to Lagamar Opa for a celebration and then to Lagamar 7 tomorrow. Captains Theodus and Jon Lake are also aboard and give you their warm regards,” Lia answered.

  “Thanks, Lia,” Dave said. “Please let them know we are just having breakfast now, but we will take Bill there in an hour or so in our shuttle. Nan out.”

  Chapter 45

  “Earth Prime Central Command, this is the star cruiser Nightsky requesting berthing instructions,” Lia Lawson said. The city-planet filled the entire view screen. Long lines of star ships queued for permission to land on the surface or berth at one of the massive star ports.

  The view screen image split in two and a smiling face said, “Welcome back to Earth Prime, Nightsky. I don’t know if you remember me, but I am Lieutenant Silva Odeen and I will be your main contact while you are here. Your ship will berth in bay E2 at Star Port 27. I am sending you the coordinates at this moment. My team and I will board your ship once she is connected to our systems. It is a standard security sweep and nothing to worry about.”

  “Yes, I do remember you well, Silva. Why is a security sweep necessary?” Lia asked.

  “I assure you this is a standard procedure on Earth Prime, Lia,” he replied. “The High Council, Supreme Court, and Military High Command are all in session now and we need to review all ships for problems. I’m sure you understand. And my offer to share a coffee still stands. Earth Prime out.”

  “Well, he seemed a lot calmer this time, Lia,” Ali Bai said from the helm. “Too bad, I could have used a good laugh at your expense.”

  “Shut up, Ali,” Lia laughed. She touched a button on her control panel.

  “Yes, Lia,” said the voice of Captain Lauren London. “What’s going on?”

  “We’ve been given a berth, Captain, and Ali is taking us there now. We were advised that a security detail will board the ship to perform a routine security scan,” Lia replied.

  “That seems odd. Please advise the Admiral and all ambassadors so they are prepared,” Lauren said. “I’ll be there in five minutes. London out.” She rolled over and looked at Jon Lake, still asleep next to her. She leaned forward and kissed his lips. “Good morning, Jon,” she smiled.

  “I love you,” he replied.

  “I love you too, Jon. We’re about to berth and they are sending in a security team for a sweep. You should probably not be here when that happens,” she explained. “I’ve got to get to the bridge before we dock.” They both rose and pulled on their clothes. Lauren went to the bathroom to freshen up.

  Jon tapped his com-link and said, “Jake, it’s time to go.” The maklan popped into the room, flew over and landed on Jon’s chest. “I’ll talk to you later, Lauren,” he shouted out. He patted Jake on the head. “Whenever you’re ready, old friend.” The two disappeared from Nightsky.

  Nightsky approached the orbiting star port which had berths for fifty star ships. Landing lights pointed the way to bay E2. The E level bays were designed for colony ships and battle cruisers and it dwarfed the small vessel. The bays near E2 were all empty, which seemed odd with the long backlog to get accommodations on such a star port. Dave Brewster was standing at the large window in his ready room, sipping his morning coffee as the station took control of the ship for the last few hundred yards. A group of soldiers was already in the open bay looking for anomalies in the hull of the ship as it passed over them. Dave remembered docking inside Hive 1008 just a week ago. There had been no security scan then, and he wondered what had changed.

  The vessel settled down on the floor of the bay. Machines and men flooded the bay connecting utilities and communications cables to the ship. Long enclosed tunnels stretched from the walls to the main external doors and locked in place. Nightsky had arrived. Dave sat at his table and took the chocolate croissant from its small plate and bit it. The game is on, he thought. A button flashed on his panel and he tapped it. “Yes, Lia,” he said.

  “Admiral, some visitors from Earth Prime wish to meet with you,” she replied. “They are here on the bridge now.” Dave tapped another button and the door to his ready room opened. Lauren London entered with two men and one woman. Dave rose and went to shake their hands. Lauren returned to the bridge and the door closed behind her.

  “Admiral Brewster, I don’t know if you remember me, but I am Councilor Nola Balee,” the woman said as she shook his hand. These gentlemen are Admiral Pau Ongo and Brother Luka Nance.”

  “Of course I remember you, Councilor,” Dave smiled. “I met you on Hive 1008 when you were reviewing the damage in the Balthazar community.” He shook the men’s hands. “Admiral, welcome to our ship. Brother? That is an interesting title. What does that mean on Earth Prime?”

  “I don’t know if you’ve heard of an organization here called the Brotherhood,” Luka replied. “I serve as a leader of that group, hence the title. Admiral, may we sit and have some coffee with you? We have a few trifling matters to discuss before the more important meetings later this week.”

  “Of course, please sit down,” Dave said as he walked to the door and opened it. “Lia,
please have someone bring more coffee and pastry for our guests,” he called out. He returned to the table and sat down. “Should I send for the ambassadors to join us? They speak for our planets. I am just an explorer.”

  “That’s okay, Dave,” Nola said. “We only need you for this meeting. The ambassadors will have ample opportunity to speak to more relevant leaders.” Lia and Ali entered with trays of pastry and steaming coffee. They set them on the table and left, with the door closing behind them.

  “I’m all ears,” Dave smiled. “Please tell me what you want me to know.”

  “Please allow me to begin,” Luka said. “I was concerned that your itinerary changed drastically after your visit to Narta Ela. When we learned you went to the Lagamar system, my concern level rose even more.”

  “Luka, as you know, we are hosting Wendo Balak and Antar Arrak. They changed the itinerary,” Dave explained. “As you know, this is the only time we have been in the home galaxy. They chose the original itinerary. Then they changed it. I didn’t see anything odd about that. This is their galaxy and I assumed they knew the best places to go.”

  “Pau, I told you it would be the old men,” Luka said. “We never should have allowed them to come here.”

  “Not now, Brother,” Pau said. “We do not need to draw Dave into our personal bickering.” He turned to face Dave. “You must forgive Luka, Dave. He doesn’t care for Wendo or Antar. But what did you think of the Lagamar system?”

  “It was amazing,” Dave said. “The people there are so warm and happy, even though their personal situations were very difficult.”

  “What did the Opa from your galaxy think of Lagamar Opa?” Nola asked. “We have all been waiting breathlessly to find out.”