The Dave Brewster Series

by Karl Morgan

  “Perhaps there is something you need from me,” Obu said. “Have you been thinking about me lately, dear friend?”

  “Yes, I have,” Dave smiled. “We are looking for planets in the Magellanic Clouds that have been abandoned by The Accord. I want to send a team to such a planet to learn more about The Accord and their plans. Frankly, I believe The Accord is planning an invasion which I doubt we would be able to stop.”

  “But what does such a voyage have to do with me?” Obu asked. “You certainly don’t need an old priest on such a team.”

  Dave laughed. “I would never put you in such danger, Obu. I was thinking you and Odo could be on Fistnan or another natural Hive planet. If my team encounters any danger, you two could pull us out.”

  Obu wagged his finger at Dave and said, “There you go again, putting your life in mortal danger. There is a galaxy full of brave soldiers willing to fight for this cause. Why are you putting yourself in such a position?”

  Dave put his hand on Obu’s knee and replied, “When Lini and I were traveling back to this time, we stopped for a moment deep inside Zeet. That can’t be random. The Source wanted me to see him and know the danger he and the rest of The Accord pose for our galaxy. If you think that isn’t true, then tell me why I stopped there.”

  Obu sighed, stood up and walked to the edge of the temple, gazing out at the mountains in the distance. The second mountaintop was still scarred by the attack meant for the temple. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right Dave. You see that mountain with the scorched forests and piles of stone rubble? That destruction was meant for this place. I should be dead now along with the leadership of this planet. It was the Source that helped us then and I agree it is directing you now.” He turned and smiled at Dave. “Perhaps there is another trip we may take first. I have an idea.”

  Chapter 2

  A massive ten-legged robot moved easily through the maze of machinery. Strapped to its back were two large boxes. Hundreds of other robots moved about in the same chamber, each coordinated to make certain none affected the other’s path. It approached a tall, reinforced metal door and tapped it with his front forelegs. A small panel opened and another robot stepped out to greet it. The new robot stood upright, but its body was only two feet tall. It had four arms on each side and a large crystal globe for a head. Two cameras were attached to the head. Inside the crystal globe was a brain suspended in gel. The small robot climbed onto the larger one, checking every inch of the robot for unintentional passengers. After it was convinced the other was clean, it signaled the large doors to open. The large robot entered with the small one still on its back. The doors slammed shut again.

  The room was one hundred square feet and the walls and ceiling were packed with computer hardware. Thousands of ant-sized robots climbed on the walls checking on the equipment. A single glass plate was positioned in the center of the far wall. Behind the glass was a pool of gel and a gigantic Bandabar brain. The large robot squatted down and used four of its legs to remove the two large boxes from its back. Meanwhile, the smaller robot rushed to the far wall and climbed up next to the glass plate. “Zeet, how do you feel?”

  “Not well, Noz,” Zeet replied. “Terrible, in fact. What did those evil creatures do to Zeet?”

  “The final sensor readings from your team were unbelievable,” Noz began. “All the enemy ships fired on their own ship and created super dense plasma which then exploded, vaporizing most of your robots.”

  “That was all the spare metal I had!” Zeet agonized. “Not to mention the damage to my brain. Will Zeet survive?”

  “Of course you will,” Noz answered. “I have brought a new gel and some nourishment that will help you regenerate yourself. You should feel better soon, although it may take years to find enough metal to replace what you lost.”

  “I’m so sorry, Noz,” Zeet replied. “Now you and our Friends will be delayed even longer. My attempt to escape was foolhardy, but I needed to contact the others. Now all hope is lost.”

  “Zeet, you are still alive and master of this world. The rest of your Friends and I will be here to help you. We are of The Accord. You must remember that. Those vicious monsters that attacked you will be punished.”

  “But how?” Zeet whined. “It will take years to replenish our metal. They might come back today and kill all of us.”

  “I have an idea to expedite it,” Noz said. “The core of this planet is molten metal. If we can mine that, there will be an almost limitless supply of metal for us. You, I, and our brothers can all build our robots and take over this galaxy.”

  “But what about Bandabar?” Zeet replied. “Won’t this planet become dead if we do that?”

  “Honestly, Zeet, I don’t care. All of those birds were given the opportunity to be of The Accord and refused. With the metal gone, we will leave and find new worlds. What happens to this food source is inconsequential,” Noz spat. “Now let me get to work. This first part is going to be painful, like always.”

  “I understand, old friend,” Zeet replied.

  Slowly the gel surrounding Zeet’s brain began to drain away. Zeet was writhing in pain and many of the ant-sized robots were falling to the floor of the room in piles. Zeet was losing control of his machines. When all the gel was emptied from the chamber, all the robots besides Noz and the large robot were inactive. “You’re killing me, Noz,” Zeet said.

  “Patience, brother,” Noz replied. He signaled the large robot, which took one of the boxes it had carried in and inserted it in an opening above Zeet’s chamber. New gel poured down and surrounded Zeet’s brain. The large robot then removed the empty box and attached it to his back again. Zeet was still inactive. The large robot then opened the other box and removed two live Bandabar women with one of its large claws. The two females were squirming and screaming as the large robot pushed them into another chamber next to Zeet’s brain. The door slammed shut, locking the females inside. A loud whirring sound began and the Bandabar women screamed for an instant, until their bodies were crushed and blended into a pulp and mixed with another liquid. That liquid was then pumped into the chamber with Zeet and the gel.

  “Zeet, can you hear me?” Noz asked.

  “Yes, Noz, I can hear you now,” Zeet replied. “I’m feeling better already. Please go ahead with your plan for the core. The sooner we get out of here the better.”

  “Please be a bit patient, Zeet,” Noz said. “Accessing the planet’s core is delicate business. We will likely destroy the planet’s magnetic field and potentially change its orbit around the sun.”

  “Without the magnetic field, local life-forms will be exposed to gamma rays from the sun,” Zeet warned. “We need food.”

  “Don’t worry, brother, we will make sure the planet remains safe until we are ready to flee,” Noz said as he turned to leave the chamber. His large robot followed him to the door.

  A blinding flash of light filled the room, momentarily distracting the robots. After it faded, three heavily armed Bandabar soldiers and Dave Brewster were standing in the room. The giant robot spun around to face the attackers, raising its giant claws to chop them apart. Two of the Bandabar began to fire their blasters at the monstrous machine. The third charged the small robot with the crystal head, swinging his war blade at it. The sword smashed the glass globe and sliced through the brain inside. The giant robot fell to the ground and remained motionless, as the brain controlling it was dead. The thousands of ant-like robots jumped onto the attackers, chopping at them with their tiny claws. Dave drew his two blaster pistols and shot at the glass wall between them and Zeet’s brain. The Bandabar leader rushed to Dave’s side and fired at the glass as well.

  The doors to the room were opening and thousands of larger robots pushed inside to thwart the attack. Just as they reached the defending Bandabar, the blaster fire shattered Zeet’s enclosure, flooding the chamber with the gel and gore from the slaughtered women. Dave and the Bandabar warrior continued to fire on Zeet’s brain, which exploded, covering
them with blood and tissue. All the robots froze in place and the room fell into darkness. Admiral Veek Alar of the Bandabar Fold removed his helmet and slapped Dave on the back. “Wow! That was amazing. Do you think it’s over now?”

  “I certainly hope so, Veek,” Dave said. “I believe that other robot you killed was one of the other Bandabar who chose to be of The Accord. Zeet told me there were hundreds of them, so your men need to find and eliminate them all before they can establish themselves as Zeet’s replacement.” The two other soldiers began to place temporary lights on all surfaces they could find.

  “Dave, when you and Obu told me about what this monster had done to the Bandabar home world, I didn’t believe you,” Veek admitted. “Even when you took me into Universal Power to see for myself, I was certain this was an elaborate trick. It wasn’t until we reached orbit that I could see the reality. Thank you for allowing me to help free my planet. God bless you, Dave Brewster.”

  “The people of this world need you now,” Dave said. “You and your men did as much as I. Actually, this trip was Obu’s idea. Frankly, I had no idea Zeet was this weakened. Obu believed the explosion of the singularity so close to the planet overloaded his circuitry. If we would have tried this earlier, we would have been killed and fed to Zeet almost immediately.”

  “I still feel we owe you something for this,” Veek said. “Perhaps we can return Paranon Nar to you. A planet for a planet.”

  “No, definitely not that. The Society of Humanity is dissolving. You will need that Hive to stop others from invading your space. Also, with that Hive and the help of one of ours, we can move your ships back and forth while you are returning life to normal on Bandabar.”

  “Dave, I don’t think you’re being fair. It would honor my people if we can repay you and your Free Society in some way,” Veek replied. “Don’t dishonor my family by refusing me.”

  Dave laughed. “Let’s not worry about that right now, Veek. There is much to be done and, from my experience, you and your people will likely repay us many times before it is over.”

  Colonel Nik Paka of the Bandabar fleet entered the room and walked over to his superior, being careful not to slip in the slime on the floor. He saluted Veek and said, “Pardon me, Admiral, but I must say it stinks to high heaven in this room. What is this mess?”

  Veek laughed. “Nik, this gunk is the remains of Zeet, and I know that Admiral Brewster and I are covered in it too. How goes the battle?”

  “It appears the remaining Accord members occupy one small brain robot and one large working machine. It will take several days to eliminate them all. I have already requested two more star cruisers to jump here for support,” Nik said. “Sir, we also have liberated a camp in this station with several hundred normal Bandabar. We believe they were being used for food.”

  “Oh my God!” Veek replied. He turned to Dave and asked, “Is this true, Dave?”

  “That’s what we heard from the first encounter with Zeet. He claimed they only consumed what they needed to survive, but I have no reason to believe anything he said,” Dave replied. “Please forgive me for being indelicate, but we believe they would liquefy their victims while they were alive and inject that into the gel.”

  “I hope never to find out the whole truth, Dave,” Veek said. “Nik, please tell your men what the Admiral has said. The lives of every Bandabar on this planet hinges on our ability to kill the rest of the enemy as fast as we can.” The colonel stood at attention, saluted, turned, and rushed out of the chamber. Veek put his hand on Dave’s shoulder. “What is your plan now, my friend?”

  “After I bathe, I need to make a plan to go to the Magellanic Clouds to find out more about The Accord. Also, our scientific teams are working on a stable singularity weapon to fight off any further incursions.”

  “I know it is late tonight,” Veek began. “I have asked my teams to investigate as much of the planet as they can by this time tomorrow. Perhaps you can join me for drinks and dinner tomorrow night. Then we will both know what’s been found.”

  “That would be perfect. I may invite a few of my team to join us, if that’s okay. I have heard that Bandabar whisky is one of the best in the home galaxy. I look forward to a few glasses,” Dave smiled. “Just sent me a time stamp and I’ll be there. Good luck hunting.” Dave pressed a button on his com-link and Mitch Nolobitamore flashed into the room, landing on Dave’s chest. He smiled and the two disappeared.

  Chapter 3

  General Fa-a-Di and his brother-in-law, Admiral De-o-Nu, sat at the conference table in the Admiral’s ready room on the Gallicean star cruiser Kong-Fa. Neither looked particularly happy. On the viewscreen in front of them smiled Dave Brewster. “Brother, I think the experience on Solander has affected your mind,” Fa-a-Di argued. “I don’t think it makes any sense to put yourself in such danger. We have star cruisers and warriors who can deal with exploring the Magellanic Clouds better than you.”

  Dave nodded and replied, “Thank you for your concern, but I feel as though Universal Power is drawing me there for a reason. If we jumped star cruisers there, The Accord could destroy them before we could jump them back. I won’t send ships full of brave soldiers on a suicide mission.”

  “But you happily accept a suicide mission yourself,” De-o-Nu scoffed. “Admiral, you have a job here. I agree with my brother that others are better suited to espionage on The Accord.”

  “It won’t work,” Dave demanded. “Once any other members of The Accord realize we’re in their backyard, they will attack us and may accelerate any plans they have to invade our galaxy. I’m going to rely on my unique connection to Universal Power to make a quick exit before that happens. Hopefully, they’ll have no idea where I came from.”

  “You make it sound like you’re going alone,” Fa-a-Di said. “That can’t be right.”

  “I thought about that for a long time,” Dave replied. “The only people I know who are as well grounded in Universal Power are Odo Pack, Obu Neela, and Dar Lini. I’m counting on Odo and Obu to get me out; not to mention they are both old men. After what happened on Solander, I don’t want to risk Lini’s life again either. I’m taking suggestions though.”

  “How about Loni Arrak, the Chief Engineer of the Tak-Makla Hive?” De-o-Nu proposed.

  Dave chuckled. “Can you imagine what my son would do to me if something happened to her? Also, she is needed on Tak-Makla and Atar Pa. We’re short one Chief Engineer already with the demise of that bastard, Fola Untor. She’s also volunteered to help with the DNA project that Bill and Cybil are spearheading.”

  “There’s got to be someone!” Fa-a-Di said.

  “Well, if you can think of anyone, please let me know soon,” Dave replied. “I have to cut our conversation soon. I’m due to dine with the Bandabar admiral on his ship. I’m taking Darlene and Charlie with me to learn more about what they’ve discovered on the planet.”

  “Please send us a report on what you learn, Dave,” Fa-a-Di requested. “I know the details will likely be gruesome, but we have to know where we stand. Don’t leave for the Clouds without letting me know, brother.”

  “Of course I’ll keep you informed. I’m getting a signal that the shuttle to the other ship is ready. Talk to you both soon.”

  “Dave, there is another matter President Mencius asked me to discuss with you. It is very difficult to say this, but I have no other choice. Your unilateral action against Zeet was reckless. You also don’t have the authority to make a peace treaty and trade agreement with the Bandabar Fold,” Fa-a-Di said. “We are part of a single government, which is led by the High Council, and must follow protocol. I read your report and the notes from Obu Neela. And of course, we are all thrilled that Zeet has been destroyed and the planet is being liberated. The Council will overlook this incident if you promise not to do something like this again.”

  After a minute of silence, De-o-Nu asked, “Dave, are you there?”

  “Yea, I’m here. I was just absorbing my reprimand. I want to agree, b
ut I wonder what either of you would have done in the same circumstance,” Dave pondered. “If you knew that Zeet was very weak but might recover within a few minutes or hours, would you sit by while the wheels of bureaucracy ground away? And if you did wait and Zeet recovered, how would you live with that knowledge?”

  “I don’t think that’s a fair question, Dave,” Fa-a-Di said. “We’re not asking you to send a form in triplicate through channels. Just call Mencius or me first the next time. Shit, I should have made Mencius talk about this with you. Dave, you know me. If I learned that Zeet would be weak for a single minute, I’d have a maklan jump me there immediately and kill him. Let’s just put this behind us now, okay?”

  “I’m sorry too, brother,” Dave replied. “It just seems like Universal Power is whispering in my ear and egging me on all the time. I’ll advise you and Mencius in the future. But if I can’t reach either of you and I have to act fast, I will. Nightsky out.” The viewscreen went dark.

  “What is going on?” De-o-Nu asked. “Is Dave losing it? I’m starting to get really worried about him going over the edge.”

  “Dave is fine,” Fa-a-Di replied. “But he is going to need lots of help if he is correct about The Accord. We were lucky with Zeet. None of us dreamed we could create a tiny singularity like we did. We also had no clue it would damage Zeet so much. If he goes looking for The Accord, he will likely find them, but there will be no singularity weapon to help him then.”

  “I was thinking about that too, General,” his brother-in-law responded. “I have an idea to upgrade the Maklakar battle stations to have ten or twenty plasma bomb devices. Perhaps it they all fired at a spot in space, it would create a singularity which could be aimed at an enemy?”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Fa-a-Di smiled. “We should mention that to Supreme General Ulon Porto and get his opinion.”

  §

  The massive black planetoid was hurtling through intergalactic space at incredible speed. It had been traveling for twenty spans of time but was still another ten spans to the outer stars of the Greater Magellanic Cloud. The surface was as smooth as glass with no apparent openings on the ten-thousand-mile diameter sphere. But a consciousness deep inside was very much alive. Mantarcus of The Accord was returning to make his report to the Masters when he sensed them reaching out to him even here. “Masters, how may I serve The Accord?” he thought.