Star Scavenger: The Complete Series Books 1-5

by G J Ogden

  “Greetings, Tobin Rand entity,” said Morphus.

  Tobin literally jumped into the air, and spun around. The alien entity was now standing in front of him.

  “Jeez, Morphus, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” Tobin gasped, pressing a hand to his newly repaired chest.

  “That is highly unlikely,” replied Morphus, dryly. “The augmentations to your upper body include significant enhancements to your cardiovascular system. I calculate that these systems could sustain you for approximately three hundred and thirty-two of your Earth years.”

  “That’s great,” replied Tobin, looking genuinely excited about the prospect of an extended life, but then he scowled. “What about the rest of me, though?”

  “Your other organic parts will decay as normal,” said Morphus, maintaining its matter-of-fact delivery, and Tobin’s face fell.

  Liberty laughed and pushed herself out of her seat, before stepping up to Morphus and throwing her arms around it. “Welcome back, Morphus,” she said, warmly. “I thought we’d lost you for a moment.”

  Morphus initially appeared to be confused by Liberty’s gesture, but then tentatively returned the embrace.

  “For a moment, I was lost,” Morphus admitted. “The strain on my systems caused a temporary loss of function. You might call it a ‘crash’ in terms you understand.” Liberty drew back, and the alien entity met Tobin’s eyes. “However, your idea to enlist the Tobin Rand entity to manage another function of the Revocater’s systems was inspired. It freed up enough of my own resources to manage the remaining functions of the vessel.” Morphus attempted a smile, which looked a little plasticine, but was better than previous efforts. “You saved us, Tobin Rand entity. Thank you.”

  Tobin did a little bow, “You’re welcome, though, it seems I was only returning the favor,” he replied, looking down at his glowing skin. “Thanks for not leaving me back on the Corporeals’ planet.”

  “My purpose is to protect corporeal life,” said Morphus, stiffly, but then with a more human touch, it added, “However, you are welcome.”

  Liberty turned back to the screen wall and stared out at the peaceful sea of stars. “How bad is the damage to the Revocater?” she asked, directing the question to Morphus. “Can we still continue our transit to Earth?”

  Morphus became absent for a second, as its consciousness filtered through the ship. Then it said, “We sustained minor damage to seven per cent of the vessel. Repairs are proceeding. We are still able to transit.”

  Liberty’s console bleeped, and she checked it, discovering that the next portal was coming up ahead. “Speaking of transits, where do we end up next?” asked Liberty, dropping into the pilot’s seat, and reducing speed to set them up for the transit.

  “This portal will take us to System 5118208,” answered Morphus.

  Liberty and Tobin turned to the alien entity, both with haunted looks on their faces. “The next jump takes us to Earth?” asked Liberty. She had not been keeping count of their transitions, and somehow had still considered them to be a long way from home. Now the reality of what they were about to face hit her like a freight train.

  “The portal will bring us out above the fourth planet in System 5118208,” replied Morphus. “The body you call Mars.”

  Liberty puffed out her cheeks and blew out a heavy sigh, “Damn, I somehow thought we’d have more time.” Then she glanced back at Morphus; her expression had adopted a harder edge. “Are we ready?”

  Morphus stood between the two chairs and looked out into space. “We are ready,” it said, confidently, before the entity met Liberty’s eyes. “However, without the crystal, the Revocater is ill-equipped to face Goliath.”

  Liberty nodded, and turned back to her controls. “Let’s all hope that Hudson has managed to get it back then,” she said, while making the final adjustments for the transit.

  Tobin sat in the second seat and together they waited for the imminent flash of light and swirling purple vortex.

  “Transitioning in five, four, three, two, one… now,” said Liberty.

  The Revocater passed into the portal, blanketing the chamber in vivid purple tones. Then the darkness of space returned, but instead of an empty void ahead of them, Liberty saw the distinctive butterscotch color of Mars. They’d arrived far closer to the red planet than she’d expected, yet something immediately felt off. It was another sensation that seemed to stem from her connection to the Revocater, but she’d yet to fully master how to interpret them.

  Then as if confirming her suspicions, Liberty’s consoles began to flash and bleep angrily. “What the hell?” she said, unable to make sense of it all. She turned to Morphus for clarification, “What’s going on?”

  Morphus frowned, replicating the expression with practiced precision. “The Martian corporeals have assembled a war fleet,” it said, as the view ahead zoomed in on a taskforce of dozens of MP cruisers, gunboats, destroyers and more.

  “But that’s good, right?” said Tobin, wondering why Morphus still appeared to look concerned.

  The entity peered at Tobin, and then at Liberty. “I am afraid that the fleet has mistaken us for Goliath,” said Morphus, “and they are mobilizing to attack.”

  CHAPTER 20

  Morphus’ alarming statement shook Liberty like an earthquake, and she hastily read the navigation scanner to check the movements of the MP fleet. She saw that the two hundred and ten MP vessels that were amassed around Mars were now breaking into combat groups, and heading their way.

  “But why are they coming after us?” asked Tobin, also sounding alarmed. “Surely they can see that this ship isn’t Goliath?”

  Liberty noted that their portal entry point had placed Mars and the fleet between the Revocater and Earth. Liberty was familiar with the known Martian portal locations, including the one she and Hudson had discovered. However, from their position, it appeared that they had transited through a previously undiscovered portal. It was no wonder the Martian fleet had been spooked, she thought to herself.

  “I guess one giant alien ship looks much the same as another,” replied Liberty, turning the Revocater to face the approaching taskforce. “And it’s not like we rang ahead to say we were dropping by…”

  “Can’t we just send the flagship a message?” suggested Tobin. “To tell them we’re not a threat and are here to help?”

  Morphus folded its arms, and shook its head, “I calculate a two percent chance that the corporeal fleet commander, Admiral Shelby, would believe such a statement,” it said.

  Tobin shrugged, “Two percent is better than nothing!”

  Suddenly the view ahead zoomed in on one of the larger MP cruisers. Tactical information on the ship appeared alongside it, then a message from the vessel was relayed into the chamber.

  “Unidentified alien vessel, this is Admiral Shelby of the Martian Protectorate,” the message began. The severe, no-nonsense intonations of Shelby were unmistakable. “Withdraw immediately from this star system, or we will deem your presence to be hostile and attack.”

  Tobin shook his head, “Trust a Martian to assume an alien would understand English.”

  “I think we should be more concerned about the Martian weapons, rather than their arrogance,” replied Liberty. Then she realized she didn’t know how much of a threat the Martian fleet actually posed to the Revocater. Turning to Morphus, she said, “Should we be concerned? I mean, can that fleet actually do any serious damage to this ship?”

  The view ahead zoomed out again, and all two hundred and ten ships were marked out as red chevrons. Morphus appeared to be lost in its own thoughts again, and Liberty realized it was conducting a thorough scan, in order to answer her question.

  “Based on my analysis, this fleet’s projectile-based weapons are capable of delivering minor damage to the Revocater’s outer hull,” said Morphus. “Yet it would require the entire fleet, sustaining continual, concentrated fire at a specific section of the ship to result in any serious impairment to the Revocater’s fu
nctions.”

  Tobin seemed pleased by this response. “So, basically no then?” he said, smiling, but Morphus had not yet finished its analysis.

  “However, I have also determined that ten of the Martian vessels also carry thermonuclear devices,” Morphus continued, and Tobin’s face fell. “But for these devices to have a significant destructive effect, they would need to penetrate the vessel’s armor and detonate inside the Revocater. The likely outcome of their use is an electromagnetic pulse that would disable their own fleet, and irradiate their corporeal crews.”

  “So, you’re saying even a nuke couldn’t take us out?” asked Liberty.

  Morphus shook its head. “We would sustain moderate damage, but no. Unfortunately, my previous assessment of the corporeal named Shelby suggests she would risk a nuclear assault, rather than allow us to proceed.”

  “Great,” said Liberty, shaking her head. “So, the Martians can’t attack us without destroying themselves in the process. What can we do?”

  Morphus pointed to the view ahead, which switched to show a display of the solar system. Their location and that of the Martian fleet remained, but there was also a blue circle and several purple markers.

  “The blue icon indicates Earth’s current position relative to Mars,” said Morphus. “The purple are local portals.” Then the map zoomed out to show portal locations in other parts of the galaxy within a few hundred light years. A line extended from the solar system through some of these portals, and then back again. “I calculate that we can circumvent Mars by making three additional jumps, culminating in our arrival close to Earth’s orbit.”

  Liberty looked at the map, and checked the position of the Martian fleet on her consoles. It was still moving towards them, with the largest cruisers in the vanguard.

  “I don’t see that we have a choice,” said Liberty, locking in the first portal waypoint and grasping the controls. “I just hope that the detour doesn’t allow Goliath to reach Earth before we do.”

  Morphus didn’t respond. The entity appeared to have frozen again, as if it had departed its physical form and become one with the ship. Liberty and Tobin exchanged nervous glances, but Liberty continued on their new course.

  Then the consoles in front of both of them registered an alert. Liberty instinctively looked back to Morphus for an explanation, but the alien was still statuesque. Instead she nervously read the new information on the console, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

  “It’s a Shaak radiation burst,” said Liberty, frowning. “But it’s massive. I haven’t seen anything produce a spike like this other than a…” Liberty didn’t finish her sentence. Her stomach turned over, understanding what the spike meant. She peered up at the screen, desperately hoping that she was wrong.

  “Liberty, what is it?” said Tobin. His voice was unsteady and full of fear.

  There was a huge flash of light, almost as if all of the nuclear warheads in the MP fleet had detonated simultaneously. It was followed by a swirling purple vortex; but one that was many times larger than Liberty had ever seen before. Then a ship began to emerge from the portal. At almost three times the size of the giant Revocater, it dwarfed the Martian fleet, making even the largest MP cruisers look like toy models in comparison.

  Liberty felt her hands start to shake, and she gripped the control column even more tightly to steady them. Then she turned to Tobin and said, “It’s Goliath. Goliath is here…”

  CHAPTER 21

  Goliath powered its gargantuan frame through the portal and the swirling purple vortex snapped shut behind it. Partially blinded by the intense glow of the great ship’s transit, Liberty could at first see only a huge emptiness, like a black hole. Then, as her eyes adjusted and Goliath turned, catching the light from the sun, Liberty saw the malevolent vessel clearly. Somehow, the great ship looked even more menacing than the previous times she’d seen it. It was like a dark storm cloud hanging over the planet, threatening hostility.

  “But where did it come from?” asked Tobin, peering down at the navigation scanner. “This chart doesn’t show another portal over Mars, and Morphus must know where they all are.”

  Liberty glanced up at Morphus, who was still frozen, then checked the navigation scanner herself, “You’re right, there isn’t a portal in that location. I don’t understand it…”

  “So how the hell did it get here?” said Tobin, his voice pitchy and unsteady.

  “Goliath has discovered how to generate its own long-range portals,” said Morphus. Liberty spun around and was relieved to see that the entity had finally returned to life. “It is no longer limited to travelling through the established conduits created by the Corporeals.”

  “But why is it here, now?” asked Liberty. “Has it come for us, or for Mars?”

  Morphus contemplated the question for a moment, but the quizzical expression on its simulated face suggested it did not know the answer. “The great ship’s behavior has become unpredictable,” it finally said, not answering the question. Then it looked at Liberty, and added, “The best tactical decision now would be to expedite our journey to Earth, and rendezvous with the Hudson Powell entity. Without the crystal, it would be futile to make a stand here.”

  Liberty shook her head, “But we can’t leave the Martians to face Goliath alone,” she said, already turning the Revocater back towards the red planet. “With our help, the MP fleet might have a chance!”

  Morphus rested a hand on Liberty’s shoulder, and peered into her eyes. It was as if the alien were consoling Liberty over the loss of a loved one.

  “I calculate less than an eighteen percent chance we can overcome Goliath at this moment,” the entity said. “If we fail here, everything is lost.”

  Liberty gritted her teeth and stared back at the screen. Either by choice or by accident, Goliath had emerged in the dead center of the Martian fleet. It had already ploughed through two of the heavy cruisers like they were bugs hitting the radiator grille of a truck, and its swarm of seed ships had shot out and cut through twenty other vessels. At its current rate of destruction, Liberty guessed the MP fleet would last only a matter of minutes.

  “We have to try,” said Liberty, holding her course towards the great ship. “I learned on the streets that if you run away from bullies, they keep coming back, but punch them in the face, and they think twice about attacking you again.”

  Tobin turned towards Liberty, while keeping half an eye on Goliath as it grew larger on the screen. “Liberty, this isn’t the mean streets of San Francisco, and that ship isn’t a common bully,” he said, rushing through his words. “Morphus is right, we need to be smart. Mars may be lost, but we can still save Earth, and what’s left of the other portal worlds. But we have to get that crystal.”

  Liberty would not be swayed. “We only have to force it to withdraw,” she insisted. “It will at least buy us some time.”

  For several seconds no-one spoke, as both Liberty and Tobin waited for Morphus’ decision. Ultimately, it was the alien AI’s determination to make. It could override Liberty’s control at any moment, if it wished to.

  Eventually, Morphus turned to Liberty and said, “Very well, Liberty Devan entity. We will attempt to ‘punch Goliath in the face’, and force it to withdraw.” Liberty clapped her hands together, and grabbed the controls again. “But…” Morphus added, ominously, “I cannot risk the Revocater being destroyed. If it becomes clear that Goliath will not withdraw, then we must.”

  Liberty nodded, “Agreed,” she said, before glancing over at Tobin. “And how about you, nose gunner? Are you game for more target practice?”

  Tobin shrugged and grabbed his controls. Once again, his station transformed into the curious alien adaptation of a gun position on a B17 Flying Fortress. “Even without my augmentations, it would be pretty hard to miss that thing,” he said. Then he smiled, and added, “and this is technically more like a ball turret than a nose gun, by the way.”

  Morphus sank into its pod, and the thrum of the
Revocater’s massive reactors intensified. Liberty guessed they were going to need to hit Goliath with everything they had, just to get its attention.

  “Okay, let’s show this leviathan that we mean business,” said Liberty. Then the navigation scanner chimed an alert and she saw that dozens of seed ships were incoming. “Some small fry, inbound,” she called over to Tobin.

  “On it,” came the reply from the gunner. The view ahead and all around had already lit up the comparatively tiny targets. A second later, Tobin had unleashed a barrage of energy, shooting out in dozens of directions at dozens of targets. Each bolt struck true, destroying the seed ships with ease.

  “I’m going to put us between the MP fleet and Goliath,” said Liberty, steering the Revocater into the heart of the fight. “It might offer them some protection.”

  “And who is going to protect us?!” shouted Tobin, as his pod spun wildly in all directions.

  “Less talking, more shooting!” replied Liberty, as she maneuvered the huge Revocater into position. Checking the scanner again, she saw that the MP vessels were falling in behind them. “It looks like they’ve realized we’re not the enemy, after all,” commented Liberty, smiling.

  Tobin spun the gun pod towards the great ship, and focused all of the Revocater’s hundreds of weapons on it. The thrum of the reactors rose to a crescendo, and Liberty could feel the enormous energy of the ship tingling through her body.

  “Right, let’s pop this bully on the nose and see what happens,” Tobin said, tightening his grip. “Firing…”

  Hundreds of bolts of energy shot out ahead, lighting up space like a New Year’s Eve fireworks show. The bolts raked across Goliath’s hull, and Liberty cheered, as she saw chunks of metal fracture away from the colossal ship, leaving a smoldering welt, as if it had been struck with a giant, red-hot poker.

  “Shoot it again!” cried Liberty, feeling that they might actually have a chance, but Tobin looked suddenly tired, like he’d just woken up.