The Dave Brewster Series

by Karl Morgan

  “Dave mentioned robots like that on Bandabar,” she replied.

  “It was only temporary. The goal of the program was to build a robotic vessel that would orbit Skee Lotho to provide a planetary protection shield. The first robot was just a proof of concept model to see if a mind could survive like that,” he continued. “The body I was born with was buried on Skee Lotho millions of years ago.”

  “You didn’t steal another’s body, did you?” she asked carefully.

  “No! I would never do that. It would be better to remain a robot or die than to rob another’s body!” Eon exclaimed. “I don’t know where the body came from to tell the truth. When I was floating in the fog after leaving The Accord, I eventually ended up orbiting this planet. I remembered being here long ago and how wonderful it was. I just imagined myself in my old body breathing the sweet air, and then I was back in this body. That’s all I know.”

  “Well, I’m no expert, but I think Universal Power could have created the body for you. Dave told me Universal Power is the force behind everything in the universe. Making a man’s body seems like a small task for the force that creates the stars and galaxies,” she answered. “What else did you want to tell me?”

  “I don’t understand this either, but I can sense things far away in space. You remember our meeting with Mantarcus. I am sure I brought him here, but I don’t know how. Right now, I can sense Mantarcus and Vanda moving in this direction,” he replied.

  “Wow! But they were your friends, so I guess that’s possible.”

  “I’m afraid there’s more to it than that,” he countered. “I can also sense your friend inside of Vanda’s ship.”

  §

  Dave was sitting in the large mess hall having his breakfast. The Nan were very good cooks, and the humans inside Vanda’s planetoid were well fed. That struck Dave as humorous in a disgusting way. Well-fed people provide better quality food for the Friends of The Accord. He wondered what had happened to his friends, Margas and Zobu. He had not seen them since they helped him exit the ship two days ago. He had been told he was in an upper class section of the residential area for feedstock, since he worked directly for a Friend. The barracks were basic but clean, and the proximity to the worksite made his travel easier on his still bruised and aching muscles. He was quite surprised when he saw this area of the vessel had both sexes together. He remembered the ship where there was a clear separation, and that made him wonder why things were different here.

  Then he saw her. Leaving the cafeteria line holding a tray containing a plate of food and cup of coffee was Elder Palaba Quifer. She immediately recognized him and walked over to his table, setting down her tray. “Admiral, may I join you?” she asked.

  “Please do, and call me Dave,” he replied. “I don’t think our former titles count for much inside this place. How are you?”

  After she sat and sipped her coffee, she said, “As well as can be expected, I suppose. Unfortunately, my title will affect my stay here. My age will likely accelerate my trip to the liquefiers.”

  “Well, I’m not a young man either, Palaba,” he replied. “But we have to stay calm. I know my friends will come looking for me and try to help all of us. It’s up to us to gain as much time as possible.”

  “I hope you believe that I had no idea most of the Elders of Stit were controlled by The Accord. Those elders were keeping the abductions secret as well. Now we have lost all hope.”

  “We have to stall for time, Palaba,” Dave urged. “I know things are going to work out somehow.”

  “How are things going to work out, Dave? Look at us. We’re stuck inside a giant prison planet where our bodies are the food of the masters. There is no hope here,” she replied, as lines of tears flowed down her cheeks.

  “May I join you?” a man’s voice said. Dave looked up to see Odo Pak standing by the table with a breakfast tray. Odo put his tray down and put his index finger up to his lips so Dave would know not to speak. He sat down and turned to the Elder. He gently wiped her tears away. “Please be calm, dear. My name is Odo Pak and I am an old friend of Dave’s.”

  “I’m sorry for crying, Odo. How do you do? I am Palaba Quifer,” she replied.

  “Odo, how did you get here? It’s not safe,” Dave whispered.

  “Don’t worry about me, Dave,” Odo replied. “I’m not really here anyway.” He took a sip of coffee and a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

  “It seems you have a healthy appetite for an illusion,” Dave chuckled.

  “What are you two talking about?” Palaba asked.

  Odo took Palaba’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Dave, I am not here to save you. I am convinced you are the key to stopping The Accord. Well, actually you are one of two keys. I need you to stay here a while longer and try to improve your relationship with Vanda, Nostu, and as many other Friends as you can. I saw the incident in the pipeline. I know it terrified and sickened you. What you don’t know is it had the same effect on Nostu. He is already beginning to doubt The Accord.”

  “Odo, what happened to Lini? Is she okay? Did you save her?” Dave asked.

  “Lini is fine, and she’s the second key, in case you didn’t guess already. She is still in the Small Cloud but is completely safe. Not even all the Friends of The Accord combined can touch her anymore. I guarantee that!” Odo replied.

  “I think the guards are coming this way. Odo, please let go of my hand so I can get out of here,” Palaba said as she tried to pull her hand free.

  “Palaba, trust me. I will take care of you,” Odo said as he leaned toward her and kissed her cheek. Tears poured down her face. Odo turned his focus to Dave, saying, “I don’t believe the singularity weapon will be ready in time. You have to try to bring down The Accord from within, or at least slow them down.”

  “I’m not sure I know what to do, Odo,” Dave countered. “I’m just one man.”

  Odo laughed, “That’s the Dave Brewster I know: always full of doubt while he single-handedly saves the universe. Do your best, that’s all any of us can do. The Hives on Fistnan and Tak-Makla are monitoring you continuously. If your life is in danger, we’ll extract you, just like I’m taking Palaba with me now.”

  “What?” she gasped.

  Odo looked in her eyes and said, “You’re on the menu today, dear lady. I won’t let that happen. Please try to be calm.”

  Two massive guard robots arrived at the table. One said, “Identity scan!” They all raised their arms to show their tattoos, except of course, Odo’s arms were not marked. The lead guard looked up and to the left and said, “We have a stowaway.” Then he looked at Odo and pointed his blasters at the old man. “Who are you?”

  Odo smiled and gently touched his free hand on the guard’s blaster arm. “I’m just passing through, son.” Odo and Palaba faded away like ghosts, leaving Dave with the two robots, his arms still raised over his head. The guard Odo had touched was frozen. Gradually, he began to crumble and dissolve, until only a pile of rust remained on the floor. The other guard looked up and to the left, and never moved again. Dave looked around the mess hall. All of the people were clearly terrified, yet afraid to move. As he continued to look around, he could see every robot was frozen in place, each looking up and to the left. Dave took another sip of coffee and started to eat his breakfast again. The other people began to leave the room as quickly as they could.

  Ten minutes later, Dave was sitting alone in the mess hall. All of the robots were still frozen. A door opened and Nostu strolled into the room. When he saw Dave, he hurried over to his side. “Wow! It looks like we had a major systems failure here. What happened, Dave?”

  “One of the guards dissolved right before my eyes. I have no idea how that could happen. Then the rest were just frozen,” he replied.

  “That is strange. Our monitors shut down about twelve minutes ago. All the video is completely blank. Thankfully, none of the Friends were injured, although it looks like most of these robots cannot be repaired,” Nostu reported.


  “I’m sorry, Nostu, but am I late for work?” Dave asked.

  “No, not at all. I was in the area when the systems failed and my Master asked me to check things out. It took ten minutes for me to get the doors open. I had no idea what I’d find inside,” the robot replied.

  “That’s odd. All the people were able to leave here with no problem,” Dave said.

  “Why are you still here then?”

  “Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, my friend,” Dave laughed.

  “It is good that I found you though,” Nostu replied. “Vanda wants to meet with you.”

  Chapter 16

  The Vanda planetoid floated ten million miles from Skee Lotho. It could not approach any closer without impacting the planet’s orbit around its sun. The large panels opened and ten starships rose out of the ship and headed toward the planet. The panels closed again. “Mantarcus, are you following me?” Vanda thought.

  “No Master,” the other replied. “I am going to the original planet Stit, which as you know, is quite close to Skee Lotho.”

  “What about the preparations of your fleet?” Vanda asked.

  “The plans are in motion and we will meet with the fleet at the appointed time and place, Master,” Mantarcus answered. “Since the senior Friends are all trying to build their supplies, I have come to the Small Cloud for livestock. The planet ran out of metal long ago, but much of the livestock is still there. In this way, there are more materials in the Large Cloud for my brothers.”

  “A very generous sacrifice on your part, brother,” Vanda said.

  “Thank you for the kind words, Master, but it was Opala who was generous,” he replied. “He gave most of his feedstock to the others since his fleet has more time before their exodus to the other spiral.”

  “I shall make certain he and his younger Friends are well rewarded,” Vanda said. “Please be careful around Stit. I am sensing very strange things on the planet.”

  “Yes, I will be cautious Master. I am still a span away, so I have not sensed anything yet. I will take care. Thank you for the warning, Master.”

  The ten starships began landing on Skee Lotho. Thousands of guard robots, each holding a fragment of Vanda’s brain, exited each ship and began to round up as many people as they could. Within an hour or so, they would return to space to drop off their cargo and then return for more feedstock. It would take four or five trips to complete their task. Mantarcus could sense the activity, but kept his thoughts private. He knew the horror those humans would face inside that vessel.

  “Welcome, my friend,” a voice whispered inside Mantarcus’ mind. “I sense you will be here in a short time. Have you come looking for me?”

  “Is that you, Eon?” he thought.

  “Yes, very astute of you,” Eon laughed. “Are you looking for me or just coming for my livestock?”

  “A little bit of both, I imagine,” Mantarcus replied. “Officially, I must restock my feedstock before we invade the nearby spiral. If we have the opportunity to meet, that would be wonderful.”

  “I have seen what our brother Vanda is doing on Skee Lotho,” Eon said. “His evil will be the end of The Accord, you know?”

  “I do not know that, Eon. On the contrary, The Accord will sweep through both spirals and eventually dominate the universe. You were a fool to abandon us.”

  “Even I know you don’t mean that, brother,” Eon laughed. “The horrors of The Accord will end in the Clouds or empty space, not in the spirals.”

  “Not all of the Friends are like Vanda,” Mantarcus noted. “You said you have seen how my vessel is run and prefer that.”

  “That is true, but being a lesser evil does not make you a saint, brother,” Eon replied. “All the humans inside your vessel are still your slaves. They were taken from their homes and forced to work for you. They have no human dignity. Just because you don’t grind them up and eat them doesn’t make it right.”

  “In the dream where we met last, you said you were more powerful than The Accord. Does that mean you alone are going to stop our invasion?” Mantarcus laughed. “You must understand how silly that sounds.”

  “Well, I am just beginning to understand my true nature with the assistance of a new friend who claims to be like me. He said we were transcendent men; can you imagine that? If he is right, I will stop The Accord,” Eon argued.

  §

  Nostu and Dave approached a golden door, deep inside the planetoid. The door was guarded by ten golden guard robots. “What is this place, Nostu?”

  “This is the entrance to my Master’s brain, Dave,” the robot replied. “Honestly, I have never been invited to witness the splendor of Master Vanda. You should be honored.”

  “Why does he want to see me?” Dave asked.

  “How would I know that?” Nostu chuckled. “Do you think Master Vanda shares his intentions with a young Friend like me?”

  “Sorry. I really don’t know much about The Accord,” Dave replied. “I meant no disrespect, boss.”

  “None taken, Dave. But may I ask you a small favor?” Nostu quizzed.

  “Of course.”

  “If you have the opportunity, please suggest that I be given the same opportunity you have. It would be my life’s dream to share an intimate presence with Master Vanda,” Nostu said.

  “No problem. In fact, you can go for me this time if you want,” Dave replied.

  “Master Vanda would not accept such a switch, Dave, but thanks for the thought,” Nostu said as they arrived at the door. The door slid open and Dave walked inside alone and the door slammed shut.

  Dave was in a small circular room, where the walls appeared to be like glass. The room began to move downward, and he realized it was some sort of elevator. Through the glass walls, Dave could see only dark metal and presumed he was moving through an inner shield protecting Vanda’s brain. After a few seconds, the metal disappeared and Dave seemed to be traveling down inside a human brain. Lighting inside the elevator illuminated the brain’s surface. The elevator continued for several minutes and the brain matter continued. Finally, it stopped. He stood watching the brain around him and wondered what would happen next.

  Dave began to hear squeaking sounds in his ears. After a few seconds, the sounds resolved into a voice, the same voice he had heard from the robot on the starship that said it was Vanda. “Hello, Dave Brewster. I suppose you’re wondering why you are here and why I’ve given such a great honor to a sack of meat like you.”

  “Master Vanda, thank you for this opportunity,” Dave lied.

  “Well, I must say I’m surprised by your gracious words, Dave,” Vanda replied. “You might have avoided the beating on my starship if you had been nicer.”

  “Master Vanda, you must know that I was utilizing a simple negotiation tactic and was not at liberty to share my government’s secrets. At this point, I know I have no hope of rescue, so I am only trying to do my job.”

  “As I was,” Vanda replied. “Can you tell me what happened to the old woman who sat with you in the cafeteria this morning? The systems failure there was the first I’ve had in thousands of spans.”

  “She seemed to disappear at the same time the guard dissolved,” he replied. “Perhaps she is some kind of wizard?”

  Vanda laughed. “Well, stranger things have happened, but I hardly think she has magic powers.”

  “Honestly, Master Vanda, I don’t know, but I do believe the universe is a very magical and mysterious place. I came from a small, primitive planet myself. Now I have traveled the stars and met all kinds of new life-forms I never could have imagined. Like yourself, for example.”

  “Dave, do you think The Accord is evil?” Vanda asked.

  “I don’t think I would be an impartial judge of that, Master. I think liquefying people like me and eating them is a heinous crime. I also think enslaving millions is another crime. But I’m sure you understand my point of view. If there was another life-form that thrived on eating Friends of The Accord, you would likely
view them as evil.”

  “You make an excellent point. My friend, Mantarcus of The Accord would agree with you on much of what you say. However, the goats and cattle inside his planetoid that are fed to him probably don’t think it’s fair either,” Vanda said.

  “That is exactly my point, Master,” Dave said. “But there is a small difference. I was never a goat or steer. You were once a man, not much different than me.”

  “Dave, you are now near the center of my brain, which is more than one thousand miles in diameter. I am no longer human. I have evolved and am now a superior life-form. Clearly you recognize that.”

  “Once again, I don’t think I can judge you, Master. You are definitely not like me anymore. However, even the goats and cattle don’t eagerly sacrifice themselves to serve the superior humans. I think God will judge us all. Events will occur in line with His Will, not yours or mine,” Dave replied.

  “Being immortal has changed my perspective on faith, Dave,” Vanda said. “You and your friends cling to God because you do not understand your potential. If you join The Accord, you will come to learn as I have.”

  “Master, I am still considering your offer to join,” Dave said. “May I ask why you have allowed me this tremendous opportunity?”

  “Let’s say I’m trying to make up for the beating on the ship. There is something unique about you, Dave Brewster. Strange things seem to happen around you. You are the first human whom I’ve sensed from light-years away. That’s not normal. The instant you and your friends appeared on Skee Lotho, I sensed you. I summoned the guards to arrest you by activating the brain robots in the Elders of the planet. I knew I had to meet you.”

  “By lining me up in front of a firing squad?” Dave asked.

  “That was unfortunate, but I did not do that,” Vanda replied. “Somehow, I lost contact with the planet during your audience with the Elder Council. It was as though Skee Lotho was surrounded by a dense fog my mind could not penetrate. When it cleared, you were being taken to my starship. I was surprised and relieved by that.”

  “Fog covering an entire planet? That does seem strange, but I have to tell you I was there and it was a bright, sunny day.”