Star Scavenger: The Complete Series Books 1-5

by G J Ogden

  “Man, I feel like I haven’t slept in a week,” said Tobin, pushing himself upright. He then pressed the trigger again, but nothing happened. “I think the weapons are recharging,” said Tobin, slumping back in his seat. “I hit that thing with everything we had, and it was just a slap in the face!”

  Liberty looked out as Goliath then began to turn towards the Revocater, like a blue whale squaring off against a great white shark. Suddenly, the controls went dead in Liberty’s hands, and the ship veered rapidly away.

  “We have done what we can,” came the voice of Morphus. “If we remain, Goliath will destroy us.”

  Liberty thrust herself back in her seat and cursed in frustration. “We almost had it!” she yelled.

  “I think we only pissed it off,” said Tobin. He had regained some of his strength, and was still able to pick off the seed ships, but his firing capacity was severely diminished.

  Then the Revocater began to physically shake, like a car on the verge of stalling. Liberty gripped the arms of the chair, and peered out at the image of Goliath, slowly receding into the distance behind them. “What’s going on?” she called out.

  “Unknown,” replied Morphus.

  Liberty and Tobin looked at each other, eyes wide. If Morphus didn’t know, then whatever was happening couldn’t be good, Liberty thought. Then she noticed that the Shaak radiation levels were spiking again nearby. The levels weren’t as high as when Goliath had arrived, but were still an order of magnitude higher than a portal transition for any human-made vessel. Liberty frowned at the number; she’d seen a similar Shaak radiation level somewhere before. Then she realized where; it almost precisely matched the value she’d observed when the Revocater had transited from system to system.

  “Wait, I think Goliath is opening a portal!” cried Liberty. She was looking at Tobin when she spoke the words, but the statement was really intended for Morphus.

  “Is it leaving?” said Tobin, hopefully.

  “No,” came the voice of Morphus. Never before had a single word struck so much terror into Liberty’s heart. She knew what was happening; she could feel it through the ship itself. Goliath was casting a portal at the Revocater. It was doing to Morphus exactly what the alien AI had done to Goliath, millennia earlier – banishing it to a distant part of the galaxy.

  There was a flash of light and the familiar purple vortex, but this time it felt like Liberty’s entire head was spinning. Her eyes darkened, and she could feel herself losing consciousness. In her mind, she could hear Morphus and Tobin, but she could feel something else too, something primal and saturated with pure, unadulterated rage. And there was something more; a hateful satisfaction, and the thrill of vengeance.

  Liberty opened her eyes, and discovered that she was slumped back in her seat. The view ahead showed that they were in normal space again, though the anonymous star-scape gave no hint as to where they were. She pushed herself up and saw that the consoles all seemed to be offline. The light level in the navigation hub chamber had also dropped, and the normally strident thrum of the enormous ship’s reactors was muted, as if the ship had been drained of energy. Liberty felt fear grip her again, worried that the Revocater had been damaged as a result of being violently cast across space.

  Liberty then glanced across to Tobin and saw that he was similarly woozy, but also starting to come around. She reached out and took hold of the controls, which came to life again in her hands, before immediately bringing the Revocater to a stop. But where have I stopped? she asked herself.

  Morphus had banished Goliath to the center of the galaxy, but it had been required to sacrifice itself in the effort. And the fact was that Goliath was many times more powerful than Morphus; there may have been no limit to how far across the cosmos it had cast them.

  “Morphus, are you there?” said Liberty, looking around the chamber for the alien entity. “Morphus!” she called again.

  Tobin got up and called out too, but still there was no answer. “Do you think it’s… dead?” said Tobin, but it was a question Liberty couldn’t bear thinking about.

  “What have I done?” cried Liberty, pressing her face into her hands. “I should have listened to Morphus. We should have left, and gone to Earth, like you said. Now everyone will die, and it’s all my fault!”

  “We are not defeated yet,” said Morphus.

  Liberty and Tobin span around to see the familiar female form of Morphus taking shape. Liberty almost collapsed.

  “I thought you were dead,” she said, pressing the backs of her hands to her eyes to squeeze away the wetness. “I thought that thing had stranded us on the other side of the galaxy, alone.”

  Morphus stepped between the consoles, and pointed to the far wall. The image switched to show a different star-scape, with a single, larger and brighter red mass in the center.

  “That is Mars,” said Morphus.

  Liberty stood up and stared at the image in disbelief. “But that must be no more than a few hundred thousand kilometers away!” Liberty said, struggling to understand why Goliath had not cast them a far greater distance. She turned back to Morphus, and simply asked, “Why?”

  Morphus again pointed to the screen, and the image of the red planet enhanced. “The great ship communicated with me,” it explained to a rapt Liberty and Tobin. “It wants me to watch.”

  Liberty’s console flashed, and she leant over to quickly read the new data. It showed two more radiation spikes. One read as gamma and neutron radiation, while the other was Shaak radiation. She looked back up at the screen and to her horror she could see that Mars was now breaking apart.

  “No!” she cried out, but she knew it was true. She had felt Goliath’s intentions too. It did not want to banish or destroy Morphus until its task was complete. And more than anything, it wanted Morphus to witness its failure.

  “Mars has been destroyed, along with the entire Martian fleet,” said Morphus, somberly. “Goliath is now heading to Earth.”

  Liberty ran to Morphus and grabbed the entity’s shoulders. “But we can still make it to Earth first, can’t we?” she cried, almost begging Morphus for the answer to be yes. “We can find a portal and jump there, before Goliath arrives!”

  Morphus shook its head. “The closest portal is back at Mars. However, we do not require a portal in order to catch Goliath.”

  Liberty’s head was spinning, and again all she could ask was, “Why?”

  “Because Goliath wants us to catch it,” said Morphus, coolly. “You have felt it yourself, Liberty Devan entity. It wants us to watch as Earth crumbles. Then it will take its final revenge upon me and this vessel. It will destroy the last Revocater, and then continue, unchallenged, to wipe out all sentient corporeal life in the galaxy.”

  Liberty shook her head, angrily. “Come on, there’s still a chance,” she insisted. “Hudson will get that crystal. He’ll get the crystal and he’ll meet us at Earth.” She turned to face the image of Mars, now shattered and broken into billions of pieces. Her hands clenched into fists, and her alien augmentations glowed brightly. “Then we’ll stop this monster, once and for all.”

  CHAPTER 22

  After half a lifetime spent travelling the stars, the sight of a planet viewed from orbit was no more unusual to Hudson than a sunset, or a full moon. Yet of all the many planets he’d seen on his travels, there was always something special about Earth. He didn’t know why; Earth was no more a home to him than a bunk in a spaceport, or a cabin on a freighter, but whatever the reason, he was glad of it. Hudson knew that Earth was far from perfect, and so was humanity, but for all its faults, it didn’t deserve annihilation. Goliath had to be stopped, and they were fast running out of time.

  The Orion’s current destination was High Vegas, an orbital city that would serve as a quick and easy port, while they waited for Morphus to return. Hudson hated the place, but Ma and Tory had overruled, on account of it having the best bars in the solar system. And given the grim reality of their situation, Hudson couldn’t argue wit
h their logic; he could certainly use a good drink. He just hoped that High Vegas didn’t end up being the venue where they witnessed the end of humanity, like a real-life version of the Restaurant at the End of The Universe.

  “I’ve never seen so many ships in orbit before,” said Tory, who had taken over piloting the Orion for the second leg of their journey back to Earth. “But after seeing what that alien ship can do, I can’t see them even making a dent in it.”

  “We’d better just hope that Morphus manages to get that Revocater back here in time,” replied Hudson, lounging back in the second seat. “And that we’ve cobbled together enough parts of a crystal for him to recombine a new one.”

  Suddenly, the console bleeped an incoming communications request.

  “Speak of the devil?” asked Tory, with an inquisitive eyebrow raise.

  Hudson shook his head, “No, it isn’t Morphus,” he replied, his rising tone betraying his surprise at who was actually calling. “It’s Commodore Trent.”

  Tory huffed a laugh, “Perhaps he wants to press gang us into the war fleet.”

  Hudson shrugged, “Who knows, but if he’s calling then I somehow doubt it’s with good news,” he said, sitting up and pulling on his headset. “I’ll put it through on the speakers.”

  Hudson opened the channel, and Trent’s voice immediately came through, loud and clear. “Orion, this is Commodore Trent. Is that you, Captain Powell?” Hudson glanced across to Tory, and from her apprehensive expression, he knew that she had detected the same abnormal tension in the Commodore’s voice. Hudson had always thought Trent to be unflappable, but he was now sounding rattled.

  “Yes, Commodore, this is Hudson Powell,” replied Hudson, “I take it this isn’t a social call?”

  “No… I’m afraid not,” came Trent’s immediate and unsettling response. “What news of your alien ally?” he continued, getting straight to business.

  “We haven’t received word from them yet, but the long-range comms relays seem to be shot to hell at the moment,” replied Hudson, “and we’ve only just arrived back in the solar system. I take it you’ve heard about Brahms Three?”

  “Yes…” said Trent, again with the same, firm but disquieting brevity, “however the situation has recently become much worse. Mars has also been completely destroyed, along with the entire Martian taskforce.” Hudson shot a nervous glance at Tory, and then forced down a dry swallow. “The alien vessel is now en route to Earth.” Trent added, gloomily. “I fear that your ally is our only hope.”

  Hudson cleared his throat. “We’ll try to contact them, Commodore, but they could be anywhere in the galaxy still,” he said, wishing he had better news to offer. “Until they arrive back in this system, all we can do is wait.”

  “They may already have returned,” said Trent, though the tone of his voice did not convey any hope. “We have very limited intel from Mars, but long-range scans picked up two distinct vessels, both many times larger than anything in either the CET or MP fleets,” Trent continued. “There were reports that the smaller of the two engaged the one you call Goliath, but then it disappeared.”

  Hudson’s mouth was now completely dry, and his heart was racing. “Did you say ‘disappeared’, Commodore? Disappeared where?”

  There was an agonizing silence, before Trent answered. “We do not know.” Then, more despairingly, he added, “We must consider the possibility that it was destroyed.”

  Hudson shook his head, “No, I’m not willing to accept that,” he said, forcefully. “They wouldn’t have engaged Goliath without the crystal. It’s the only weapon that can defeat it.”

  There was another momentary silence, before Trent answered, “I hope you’re right, Captain Powell, I really do.” Then his demeanor became a touch more optimistic. “On the assumption your ally is still on the board, I also have news of the crystal you spoke of.”

  Hudson and Tory both sat up a little straighter at the mention of the crystal. Especially because it would also provide some insight into what happened to Cutler and Griff.

  “We captured the RGF fugitive, Logan Griff, with his former commanding officer, Jane Wash,” Trent continued.

  Wash… it figures those two slime balls would end up together, Hudson thought to himself.

  “The mercenary, Cutler Wendell, gave me the crystal and turned them over in exchange for a full pardon, but I am sorry to say he deceived me,” Trent went on. “The crystal was a fake.”

  Tory slammed her fist on the console. “That lying, double-crossing piece of shit!” she called out.

  “Quite…” replied Trent, though Hudson didn’t think Tory had intended the Commodore to hear her outburst. “Logan Griff and Jane Wash also recently escaped custody, killing three guards in the process.”

  Tory threw her hands up in despair, but refrained from cursing this time. Hudson merely sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. “Forgive my bluntness, Commodore, but I’m not hearing any good news here.”

  “Then allow me to give you some,” Trent replied. “We have located Cutler Wendell’s hideout. It seems he has a cabin up near Barnett Lake in Manitoba, Canada.”

  Hudson clenched a fist and shook it, triumphantly, “Finally, that is good news, thank you Commodore,” said Hudson.

  “Don’t thank me yet, Captain,” replied Trent, hurriedly. “Intelligence also reports that he may have done a second deal with what remains of the Council. I suspect this is who he intends to exchange the real crystal with. I hear that Mr. Wendell and the Council have some history.”

  Tory barked a derisive laugh, and muttered “That’s an understatement and a half…”

  “Understood, Commodore, but if that’s the case, there may be no hope of getting it back,” replied Hudson, while Tory’s anger continued to stew.

  “That may be so, but unfortunately, my forces must now move to intercept the alien vessel, Goliath,” Trent continued. “Our other resources are already engaged in urgent rescue and humanitarian efforts for the survivors from the portal worlds. Given the likelihood that Cutler Wendell has already moved the crystal, if you go after him, I’m afraid you’re on your own.”

  Hudson nodded, “I understand, Commodore.”

  “I’ll transmit the coordinates to you now. Good luck, Captain Powell,” said Trent.

  “To both of us, Commodore,” replied Hudson. “Orion, out.”

  Hudson closed the channel and pulled the headset off, before flopping back in his seat. He glanced over at Tory, and saw the wrought iron determination forged into her expression. He’d seen the same look a dozen times before, and he already knew what she wanted to do.

  “He’s probably already sold the crystal to the Council, you know,” said Hudson, skipping straight to the crux of the matter. “And there’s a chance what we have is already enough.”

  “We’re going after him,” said Tory, resolutely. “Honestly, I don’t care if he’s sold it, made it into a necklace or even if he’s shoved it up his ass. We’re going after that bastard.”

  Hudson laughed, “If he’s shoved it up his ass, then I’m definitely not retrieving it.”

  The door to the cockpit slid open and Ma walked in, yawning. She’d been using Liberty’s cabin to get some rest and recover from her injuries. Noticing the grim expressions on the faces of Hudson and Tory, she scowled. “Okay, so what did I miss?”.

  “We’re going to Canada to pull an alien crystal out of the ass of Cutler Wendell,” said Hudson, smirking slightly.

  “I’m not even going to ask,” replied Ma, waving a hand at them, dismissively. “Just find me a weapon, and wake me when we’ve landed,” she added, before closing the door, and heading back to her bunk.

  CHAPTER 23

  Hudson set the Orion down in a clearing behind a ridge, a kilometer away from the coordinates Commodore Trent had given them. He’d approached low and slow, so as not to attract any attention, but their longer-range scans of the area had suggested three ships were already landed nearby. Hudson guessed that o
ne of them was likely to be Cutler’s shuttle, with the other two being Council vessels.

  “Ma, are you sure you don’t want to sit this one out?” asked Hudson, as the rear ramp of the Orion finished lowering. “You’re already pretty beat up and shot to hell as it is.”

  “I’m fine,” said Ma, slapping Hudson on the shoulder and knocking him off balance, thanks to her brute strength. “With the drugs I found in your medical bay, plus a few slugs of my whiskey, I can’t feel a damned thing right now.” Then she pointed to the pistol showing just inside Hudson’s jacket. “I’m going to need one of those, though.”

  Tory jumped down onto the deck and removed her Colt Frontier Six Shooter. Spinning it around in her hand, she then offered it to Ma. “You can use this, if you’d like?”

  Ma took the weapon and inspected it, with a perplexed frown. “Damn, this thing is even older than I am,” she said. “It’s a beaut’, but I’m afraid I’m not really au fait with the classics.”

  Then Hudson remembered that he still had Griff’s old sidearm in a locker. It was the one Griff had dropped after their fight on the alien space station. He walked over to where he remembered stashing it, and after a few seconds of rummaging around, he found it.

  “Maybe this is more your style?” said Hudson, holding out the weapon.

  Ma gave the six-shooter back to Tory and took the sidearm from Hudson. “This is an RGF-issue piece,” she said, surprised. “Did they not take yours back after you were kicked out?”

  “For the last time, Ma, I quit before they fired me!” replied Hudson, snippily, before adding, “But yes, they did take it back. This is Logan Griff’s old weapon. He dropped it during one of our earlier encounters.”

  Ma nodded, appreciatively, and then shoved the weapon into her waistband. “I look forward to re-introducing him to it someday,” she said, with a wry smile.