Call of Courage: 7 Novels of the Galactic Frontier

by C. Gockel

  “Six shall have great influence, many choices when the Breakers rise. Woe to six, that Breakers have experience when they have none. Six shall have need of all their will.

  “The first be of a light most bright, spirit most pure. Her life touched by death before cognition, her desire only for peace. She shall start the fire that kindles the worlds to the Acclivity. Woe to the Breakers.

  “The next shall have hands that shed blood, his blood in motion with machines. He does not know his heart, yet through course of life he shall learn what to see. He shall be the strong hands that guide the Acclivity, albeit he is not gentle. Woe to the Breakers.

  “She of battle will fight beside the hands, her heart ferocious, yet kind. Her path has been strange, her child not of her blood. She shall be a strong pillar, the Acclivity magnified through her strength. Woe to the Breakers.

  “Next is a man of character, the dead that is found, wearing that which is ancient, the icon of legends long past. His heart is good and powerful, a mighty man to lead the Acclivity. Woe to the Breakers.

  “He that is green has strength of mind, his people are his weapon. He is dissimilar, but his heart is good; send him not away. He shall unite a people unspoiled, he shall be the salvation of those of his kind. He shall bring his kind to the Acclivity, and the worlds will tremble at their might. Woe to the Breakers.

  “Last is he smallest of all, but a boy in the eyes of the world. He is descended from power, full of power, wielding power. His mind is a weapon, though his hands be frail. His heart is strong, though his body may fail. He has the power of life, the gift of death. The Acclivity rests on his shoulders. Woe to the Breakers.

  “All six shall have friends and foes alike, some from within and some from out. Many more shall sway the Acclivity, many more essential. Some will live and many more will die. Come forth you adventurers, you seekers of battle. The Acclivity calls, though the Breakers may yet decide the fate of the worlds.

  “But to you who would stay in comfort and safety, not yielding to the call: Blightheart shall establish itself on you and the worlds will be sundered by the Breakers.”

  36 - Cazz-ak-tak

  Cazz-ak-tak knew that he, Elth-eo-lan, and the Queen were the only ones left. He was surprised they’d survived the ship’s destruction. His last minute effort of creating a survival sphere was now the only thing standing between the Queen and annihilation. He could feel gratitude emanating from them.

  In a way, Cazz-ak was sorry he’d made the effort. He had spared them from a quick death in favor of a slow and agonizing one. The harder he fought, the worse the outcome became. He shielded all his inner turmoil from Elth-eo-lan and the Queen, not wanting to demoralize them.

  Early on, he’d been able to draw on the Great Thought to move their small orb through space. Now, with the death of his crew on the main ship, he’d lost the focused connection. The three of them alone could barely move the small craft, its interior cramped, dark, and devoid of gravity.

  “Come stand next to the hull,” Cazz-ak had directed back on the bi-pyramid, before the collision with the Ashamine debris. Elth-eo-lan and the Queen had done so, trusting him. Focusing the Great Thought, Cazz-ak molded a portion of the hull to surround them, creating a small escape vessel. This will save us, he thought hopefully. Now, it seemed he’d only prolonged the inevitable. And created a version of the human burial ritual. When they ran out of breathable atmosphere— which, considering the small space, would not take long—death would come for them again.

  “My name is Na-ah-co,” the new Queen said mind to mind, breaking into Cazz-ak's thoughts. At first, he didn't know what to make of her declaration. It was outside custom and disconnected from the situation. In the past, a queen was always named by a council of elders, the choice symbolic of the times she lived in.

  “It means, 'She who mocks adversity',” Elth-eo-lan sent, breaking into the silence that had developed after the Queen's declaration. Her voice sounded happy and Cazz-ak had no idea why.

  “It is for the elders to decide,” Cazz-ak sent, a note of disapproval in his tone. “Please do not be hasty, my Queen.”

  “It is not for you to rebuke me,” she replied, voice stern and developed, surprising in one so young. “I am your Queen, I am Na-ah-co, I mock adversity. I see no elders here to name me.”

  “As you say, my Queen,” Cazz-ak replied, bowing his head. He supposed it was unimportant what her name was or who picked it. What mattered was that she was strong and growing stronger by the minute. She is healthy and has the makings of a powerful leader.

  “You fear you have brought us here to die. You believe it would have been better to experience a quick death in a flash of light as opposed to dying in the dark of this orb.” She had conveyed his thoughts exactly, feelings he’d tried to keep from her.

  Is she that strong or did my shield slip? “As you say, Queen Na-ah-co. I only fear for your safety.”

  “Be calm. Even now, as you despair, there come those who will take us to safety. They try to contact us with electro-magnetic signals.” Cazz-ak wondered how she knew this, but he remained silent. The hull of their small orb was thick and opaque, impossible to see out of. She must have sensed them with her mind, but that was a feat Cazz-ak had never heard of. The detection of life other than Entho-la-ah-mine had never been demonstrated, the sensing of frequencies outside visible light thought impossible. This young queen had somehow done one, the other, or both.

  She might be imagining it, perhaps in desperation or hope.

  “No. Do not doubt me. They draw near.”

  Am I transparent to her?

  Just as he was about to apologize, Cazz-ak felt the orb drop slightly and crash against something. Everyone fell into a pile at the bottom of the sphere. Cazz-ak realized, dazedly, that there was now gravity. He guessed they were inside a ship, its artificial gravity affecting them.

  This knowledge made Cazz-ak wonder who had picked them up. It was most certainly humans, and from Cazz-ak's experience, most were menacing, angry beings. He wondered briefly if death in space would be better than what these humans had in mind. “No,” the Queen once again sent, “they are friends, at least for the moment.”

  How can she know this?

  A light tapping on the hull announced someone was outside. “Join your minds to mine,” Queen Na-ah-co sent. She took up the threads of thought and strengthened them, focusing the result into a thin knife. As both Cazz-ak and Elth-eo-lan watched, the Queen cut an opening large enough for an Entho-la-ah-mine.

  Once the hull section fell outward, the Queen stepped boldly through, not waiting to see if her caretakers were following. Cazz-ak beat Elth-eo-lan to the new hatch, immediately catching sight of their hosts.

  They were tall, at least from Cazz-ak's perspective, but all humans seemed that way, except their immature form. There were two, one somewhat taller than the other. The larger had dark brown hair that came down to his odd human ears. Cazz- ak thought his eyes were a strange, penetrating gray. It made him think of the frozen worlds he’d been to, of dark ice. The shorter man was slightly smaller than average for a human. His hair looked like fire.

  “I'm Wake Darmekus, Brotherhood of Azak-so,” the taller one said audibly, bowing slightly towards the group of Entho-la-ah-mines. “This is Ralen Call, also of the Brotherhood of Azak-so. You are on board the Ashamine's Bane.” Once the man had introduced himself and his comrade, the room fell silent. No one spoke, either audibly or mentally. Cazz-ak knew the Queen reserved the right of first contact, but then he realized perhaps she wanted him to handle negotiations.

  “My name is Cazz-ak-tak,” he finally replied via mental link. Both men jumped. They looked at each other, trying to confirm it was not a hallucination. “This is Elth-eo-lan and Na-ah-co,” Cazz-ak sent, motioning to each when he said their name. He deliberately omitted the title of queen, suspecting that was wise until the humans showed their intentions.

  “Not meaning to be rude, but is this the manner in which you
communicate? I have never been near Enthos and am unclear on customs or procedures that we should follow.” The man named Wake was formal in his speech, talking with respect, other than the use of “Entho”, which was a derogatory term. This was not Cazz-ak's first time dealing with humans, but it was starting better than any meeting he’d ever been part of.

  “We have no ability to speak via sound waves,” Cazz-ak explained. “Having our mental capabilities, the function never evolved.”

  “Ah, I see,” Wake said, brow furrowing. Cazz-ak had studied humans as much as was possible for someone in his position. Knowing their mentality and reactions was important in dealing with this species. Learning their language had helped tremendously. Much of what they thought and felt was displayed clearly on their face, but language, with all its tones and inflections, added an even greater advantage during negotiation. “At any rate, we wish there were more of you for us to pick up, but our sensors say you are the only living beings out there. Another vessel came in behind the big Ashamine ship. They picked up one of its escape vehicles and sped off to Eishon-2.” Wake seemed to realize he was rambling and stopped, looking over to Ralen.

  “We'd be real happy if you'd follow us up to the command deck,” Ralen added. The Captain would like to speak with you. He wants to know your story and what you'd have us do now that you're on board.” Cazz-ak could see Ralen's small frame relax as he spoke.

  Cazz-ak gave his assent, Elth-eo-lan and Na-ah-co remaining silent. They followed Ralen and Wake through narrow passages and onto the command deck. It was a small space, and there wasn't enough room for all of them to go in at the same time. Cazz-ak, not receiving any instructions from the Queen, continued to lead. He walked into the command area, stopping in front of a well muscled human with short white hair and blue eyes.

  “Captain Malesis here,” he said, a smile on his face. Cazz-ak thought the smile looked friendly as opposed to menacing, something rare in his experience.

  “Cazz-ak-tak, Elth-eo-lan, and Na-ah-co,” Cazz-ak said by way of introduction. Malesis didn't seem surprised by the mental communication and Cazz-ak guessed this was not the man's first encounter with Entho-la-ah-mines.

  “It's a pleasure to meet you all,” Malesis replied, still sounding genuine. “We brought you in because it looked like you needed help.”

  “Indeed,” Cazz-ak said. “We thank you for your kindness and for inconveniencing yourself to help those scorned by your kind.” He said the last part so he could judge Malesis' reaction. The man took no offense. Instead, he agreed.

  “There is much humanity has done to wrong your species, and for that I'm truly sorry. I, and the whole Brotherhood for that matter, do all we can to make up for the injustice and harm caused by humankind.” Captain Malesis seemed honest, but Cazz-ak had one more thing to say in order to satisfy himself this man could be trusted.

  “Xenocide, you mean.” Most humans would deny any such thing, that they were merely defending their interests on planets “Enthos” occupied. What they always failed to mention was that the Entho-la-ah-mines were there first, the human colonists came without permission, caused problems with their “Entho” neighbors, and then sat back in satisfaction when the human ships came to wipe out the “dirty buggers”.

  “Yes, that is truth,” Malesis said matter-of-factly, looking directly into Cazz-ak's eyes.

  Cazz-ak decided Malesis, and possibly the Brotherhood, could be trusted. Just a little to begin with, maybe more if they earn it. Telling them Na-ah-co was the last queen was still unwise, but Cazz-ak felt confident they weren't going to kill them all outright.

  “Our question now is what to do,” Malesis said, breaking the silence that had descended after his statement. “We have the feeling since you destroyed that huge Ashamine ship, they'll be out here soon to investigate. We have our own reasons for wanting to avoid them,” his eyes flicked a quick glance at Wake, almost too fast to notice, “so we'd prefer to stay as far away from the Ashamine as possible.”

  “Agreed.”

  “We could drop you off at an Entho-la-ah-mine world, but those are becoming few and far between and we need to stop on Eishon-2 for business. You could come along and we could decide what to do once the situation clarifies.”

  Considering he had no other option and his fate was firmly in their five fingered hands, Cazz-ak decided this was as good a plan as any. He needed time to think and confer with both Na-ah-co and Elth-eo-lan about their next move. At least now they were safer than when they’d been drifting in the escape orb. Our life expectancy has increased, Cazz-ak thought hopefully.

  “That sounds good. Thank you,” Cazz-ak sent, trying to make the thought a happy one since he had no physical way to express emotion to the humans.

  “It's agreed then,” the Captain said, a broad grin splitting his face. “We are going to the Brotherhood installation on Eishon-2. It's in the foothills near the southern pole. Eishon-2 is a warm place and very hospitable, but there aren't many inhabitants. The planet is mainly composed of the galaxy’s misfits, the Brotherhood included.” This he said with a fond look in his eyes. “The Ashamine leaves this neighborhood of the galaxy alone for the most part, so it's a good place for those who don't care for them. In other words, perfect for some Entho-la-ah-mines who want to hide from the Ashamine until they can arrange something better.” He smiled at Cazz-ak and his companions before turning back to his terminal and entering commands.

  The human vessel resumed its course towards the planet, and as time went on, Eishon-2’s features began to grow larger. As they entered the atmosphere, Cazz-ak sent a message to his fellow Entho-la-ah-mines through the Great Thought, noting their location and the status of the Queen. A flurry of good will and happiness came back through the connection, along with ample amounts of hope and fear.

  37 - The Founder

  The Founder, erupting with rage, threw the heavy prismatic cube. It ricocheted off the wall, narrowly missing the aide's head. “Get me someone competent before I kill you!” he roared. Spittle flew from his mouth and his vivid orange eyes felt like they were bursting from his head. The female assistant ran, tears streaming down her cheeks as she fled the Founder's office.

  He stared at the report the woman had just briefed him on. The terminal screen listed “complete planetary destruction” and “loss of at least 90% of personnel and space borne assets”. The ships that had escaped the supernova were now scattered all over the Akked. Pandemonium reigned. The Founder's Hammer had not reported anything since a brief message about pursuing an Entho bi-pyramid ship in Haak-ah-tar space. The supernova and disappearance of the Hammer and its precious cargo pushed everything else from the Founder's mind, including the communications black hole the Noor system had become.

  “Why can’t we find the Hammer?!” he yelled. The ship itself is expendable, especially since mining operations on formerly Entho worlds are up to full production. The Hammer’s cargo, however, was not so easily replaceable. I need my heir! The Founder had thought he’d lost the boy once before, and his options then looked grim. I thought the Hammer a safe place to keep Lothis, but now my namesake is failing me. Some reports said Ascended Talnavis, the commander of the ASN Founder's Hammer, was overly ambitious and sometimes lacked the necessary cautiousness. The bastard better not have done anything to endanger the boy.

  If he could have sent Crasor, the Founder would feel confident he would keep the boy safe and escort him back. Crasor wouldn’t take Lothis on an unnecessary chase after some blighthearted Enthos! The Founder had given up expecting Crasor to return however. Crasor is dead, he decided. That was disappointing, but it certainly didn't grieve him. The Founder still couldn't find anyone capable of taking the role of Facilitator. I cannot settle for a mediocre candidate.

  The fact Bloodsport had been destroyed also irked the Founder. The Ashamine had lost a great source of income. All Ashamine Forces on Haak-ah-tar itself were also annihilated. At least now I won't have to dispose of Felar Haltro, he thought. That's
one positive to come out of this catastrophe.

  The longer the Founder thought about it, the more he realized events were going wrong now more than ever before in his lengthy tenure. Is this coincidence or is someone conspiring against the Ashamine? The Founder dismissed this as paranoia. The thought of individuals instigating a supernova was ludicrous.

  The Divisionists were another matter entirely. Their ranks still continued growing, and Crasor's mission seemed aborted due to the Noor-5 earthquakes. The Founder hadn't heard of any “acts of retribution” carried out against “enemies of the Ashamine” by “loyal zealots” on any other planets either. That was the mission, a task Crasor had obviously failed to carry out. Not only that, but the whole Noor system had undergone a comms blackout shortly after the quakes. No transmissions or ships had come from the once busy system. It's located on a major trade and shipping route. What happened?

  The curious archaeological discovery on Traynos-6 was also on the Founder's mind. Apparently, the man Crasor set up to take the fall for the bridge had miraculously escaped execution, but that mattered little. Wake Darmekus didn't know anything about the discovery deep in the mine, and all the people with dangerous information were dead. This is one situation that is, at least for the moment, under control. Once the Ashamine returned to stability, he would be able to allocate more resources to exploiting the mysterious technology his researchers had discovered.

  An aide, this time male, timidly stepped into the Founder's office. “Sir, we just received info on the Hammer,” he quavered.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” the Founder said, repressing his fury. “Get on with it.”

  “Well, it appears to have been destroyed, sir,” the aide replied, cringing.

  “WHAT?!?” the Founder screamed. The aide took a hurried step back, almost falling in the process.

  “One of the other Haak-ah-tar ships saw it go through a wormhole after an Entho bi-pyramid, just before it closed. Our analysts compiled a list of probable places and sent recon drones to track the Hammer down.” The man’s face was pale, his slender frame shaking. “One of the scout ships went to the Eishon system. It wasn't high on the list,” the aide explained, “but they found the remnants of a massive battle. Apparently—” He paused for a moment to gulp and try to regain composure. “Apparently, both ships annihilated each other. Completely.”