"Jaelisk, I need you to hit these ships!" I sent targeting information on the unusual-looking Kroerak cruisers as they, in turn, spat out a wave of destruction.
Ada pushed Hornblower downward, rolling starboard as she did so fire-control would have the best view of the new ships.
"Sendrei, take out the other cruisers first!" I ordered. "I don't care what those things are covered with, we have to reduce the number of ships on us."
"Aye, aye, Captain." His blue death ray ripped apart another cruiser, which happened to be perfectly in line with a second ship, leaving it disabled as well.
Hornblower shuddered again as one of the new cruisers landed an attack amidships.
"At least we don't have to worry about friendlies!" Ada growled as she turned Hornblower into traffic.
Hornblower's 400mm cannons fired again, this time at point-blank range. Instead of ricocheting off the new ship’s hull, the heavy ballistic loads punched through their armor.
"Marny, cannons on those new ships!"
The red lines of ballistic cannon fire swept across my holo display and concentrated on the cruisers. A third wave of lance weapons ripped into our side as blue bolts of Iskstar energy sought targets. The confusion that surrounded us was easy to get lost in and I focused on these new ships.
"Copy that, Cap," she agreed, adjusting her firing plan.
It was then that the world around me went silent and I found myself standing on the red clay soil of what I assumed to be Picis. Five meters from my position a golden-clad, humanoid bug stood staring at me. It had oversized, pitch black eyes on a face with only a tiny slit for a mouth and no obvious nose.
"There will be no rest for you, Liam Hoffen." The bug did not speak as much as the haunting sound of her voice resonated inside my head. "You have awakened Iskstar. Death will follow. Turn from this and we no longer hunt human or Abasi."
"Where are we?" I asked.
"I have made a dimension for us so that we might discuss armistice," she replied. "Do you agree?"
"We're kicking your ass, bug," I said. "And just so you know, Kroerak bring death. I've seen your kind wipe out one civilization after another. I don't trust anything you say."
"My commitment will be binding. Humanity and Felio will fear the Kroerak no more. It will be this way until the end of time."
"I have a different deal in mind," I said.
"We are open to negotiation," she answered.
"Run and hide," I growled.
"I do not understand," she answered.
"That's my best offer," I mimed holding a guitar in front of me and playing. "Guess who just got back today? Them wild-eyed boys that had been away … " I sang out. It wasn't perfect since I didn't have a music track behind me, but the singing worked just like I expected. The high-level Kroerak looked as if I'd stabbed her. My world-view shifted again and I blinked as someone was yelling in my face.
"Cap, are you there?" Marny had hold of my shoulders.
"Sit-rep," I snapped, allowing my brain to sort out the visual stimulus.
"We did it! Those three cruisers took off and left the rest of the fleet in chaos. It's a complete rout," she said. "We did it!"
I looked at the holo projection and found only a few, smaller Kroerak ships still operational. I almost felt bad as I realized the Kroerak that remained were literally throwing themselves at us so that we couldn’t chase after the fleeing ships.
"Hunting Fog, what's your status?" I called over our tactical comms.
"We have suffered less injury than we have inflicted," she answered. "The Abasi gambit of joining with Loose Nuts has been validated. House of the Bold has been blooded and victory is ours."
I nodded and quirked my head to Marny who looked just as confused. Before I could question Moyo, Ada opened the ship's public address so the entire ship could enjoy the moment together. For a while, the joyful noise was deafening.
"Congratulations, Moyo," I said, willing to let her comments stand. I muted my external audio sensors so I could hear her over the din of celebration on Hornblower.
"The joy of our success will know no bounds," she answered in the semi-formal speech I'd come to expect from every Felio of any rank.
"Sorry about the noise. When things settle down, we'll work on the stragglers," I said.
"We have had few reasons to celebrate," Moyo answered. "It is the privilege of the living. Your crew is right to celebrate life."
"Do you believe Kroerak will come back?" Sklisk asked.
A group from both Hornblower and Hunting Fog had returned to Dskirnss to meet one last time with the Piscivoru elders before setting sail for the Tamu system.
"It doesn't matter," Jaelisk said, placing an Iskstar tipped dagger onto the table in front of her. "We will be ready for them."
"It is right to be vigilant," Jonathan said. "It is unknown how they will respond to defeat."
"Sklisk, there are no shortage of species who will try to take advantage of Piscivoru," I said. "You will have to grow quickly and learn to defend yourselves. The Kroerak presence kept away all other species that would cause you harm."
"If it is within our power, Abasi will send aid," Moyo said, swearing to her word by holding a paw over her solar plexus.
"We wish that you should not need to leave so abruptly," Sklisk said. "The people have grown fond of you, as has my brood."
"Our ships are nearly repaired," I said. "We can no longer communicate with our people. We fear the Kroerak have attacked our people and our allies near Zuri. They may need our help."
"It is difficult to imagine that people with such technology could not defend against even the Kroerak," Jaelisk said.
"We have never found a people who could stand against Kroerak," I said.
"When will you leave?" Noelisk asked.
"After this meal." Sklisk's face turned unhappy, so I quickly added, "We will come back. Your job is to make sure this place looks fantastic when we return."
"It will be more than you can imagine," Sklisk said.
After the meal, it was a somber group that climbed into the shuttle to take us back to our awaiting ships.
"You never told us what you talked about with that Kroerak Noble," Marny said.
"I think she was more than a Noble," I said. "Fancier, weirdly … looked more human even. She said the Iskstar would bring death."
"Pot meet kettle," Nick pshawed.
"I might have made that point," I said with a nod. "She offered to make an agreement that would keep Kroerak from attacking human and Felio."
"For how long?" Tabby asked. "What did they want in return?"
"End of time," I answered. "All we had to do was leave Iskstar on Picis."
"What'd you say?" Tabby asked.
"I told 'em to run and hide."
But of course, that's another story entirely.
Glossary of Names
Liam Hoffen – our hero. With straight black hair and blue eyes, Liam is a lanky one hundred seventy-five centimeters tall, which is a typical tall, thin spacer build. His parents are Silver and Pete Hoffen, who get their own short story in Big Pete. Raised as an asteroid miner, Liam's destiny was most definitely in the stars, if not on the other end of a mining pick. Our stories are most often told from Liam’s perspective and he, therefore, needs the least introduction.
Nick James – the quick-talking, always-thinking best friend who is usually five moves ahead of everyone and the long-term planner of the team. At 157 cm, Nick is the shortest human member of the crew. He, Tabby, and Liam have been friends since they met in daycare on Colony-40 in Sol's main asteroid belt. The only time Nick has trouble forming complete sentences is around Marny Bertrand, who by his definition is the perfect woman. Nick’s only remaining family is a brother, Jack, who now lives on Lèger Nuage. The boys lost their mother during a Red Houzi pirate attack that destroyed their home in the now infamous Battle for Colony-40.
Tabitha Masters – fierce warrior and loyal fiancé of our hero, Liam. Tabby l
ost most of her limbs when the battle cruiser on which she was training was attacked by the dreadnaught Bakunawa. Her body subsequently repaired, she lives for the high adrenaline moments of life and engages life’s battles at one hundred percent. Tabby is a lithe, 168 cm tall bundle of impatience.
Marny Bertrand – former Marine from Earth who served in the Great Amazonian War and now serves as guardian of the crew. Liam and Nick recruited Marny from her civilian post on the Ceres orbital station in Rookie Privateer. Marny is 180 cm tall, heavily muscled and the self-appointed fitness coordinator — slash torturer — on the ship. Her strategic vigilance has safeguarded the crew through some rather unconventional escapades. She's also extraordinarily fond of Nick.
Ada Chen – ever-optimistic adventurer and expert pilot. Ada was first introduced in Parley when Liam and crew rescued her from a lifeboat. Ada’s mother, Adela, had ejected the pod from their tug, Baux-201, before it was destroyed in a pirate attack. Ada is a 163 cm tall, ebony-skinned beauty and a certified bachelorette. Ada’s first love is her crew and her second is sailing into the deep dark.
Jonathan – a collective of 1,438 sentient beings residing in a humanoid body. Communicating as Jonathan, they were initially introduced in A Matter of Honor when the crew bumped into Thomas Phillipe Anino. Jonathan is intensely curious about the human condition, specifically how humanity has the capacity to combine skill, chance, and morality to achieve a greater result.
Sendrei Buhari – a full two meters tall, dark skinned and heavily muscled. Sendrei started his military career as a naval officer only to be captured by the Kroerak while on a remote mission. Instead of killing him outright, the Kroerak used him as breeding stock, a decision he's dedicated his life to making them regret.
Felio Species – an alien race of humanoids best identified by its clear mix of human and feline characteristics. Females are dominant in this society. Their central political structure is called the Abasi, a governing group consisting of the most powerful factions, called houses. An imposing, middle-aged female, Adahy Neema, leads House Mshindi. Her title and name, as is the tradition within houses, is Mshindi First for as long as she holds the position.
Strix Species – A vile alien species that worked their way into power within the Confederation of Planets. Spindly legs, sharp beaks, feathery skin and foul mouthed, most representatives of this species have few friends and seem to be determined to keep it that way.
Aeratroas Region – located in the Dwingeloo galaxy and home to 412 inhabited systems occupying a roughly tubular shape only three hundred parsecs long with a diameter of a hundred parsecs. The region is loosely governed by agreements that make up The Confederation of Planets.
Planet Zuri – located in the Santaloo star system and under loose Abasi control. One hundred fifty standard years ago, Zuri was invaded by Kroerak bugs. It was the start of a bloody, twenty-year war that left the planet in ruins and its population scattered. Most Felio who survived the war abandoned the planet, as it had been seeded with Kroerak spore that continue to periodically hatch and cause havoc.
York Settlement – located on planet Zuri. York is the only known human settlement within the Aeratroas region. The settlement was planted shortly before the start of the Kroerak invasion and survived, only through considerable help from House Mshindi.
About the Author
Jamie McFarlane is happily married, the father of three and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. He spends his days engaged in a hi-tech career and his nights and weekends writing works of fiction.
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Acknowledgments
To Diane Greenwood Muir for excellence in editing and fine word-smithery. My wife, Janet, for carefully and kindly pointing out my poor grammatical habits. I cannot imagine working through these projects without you both.
To my beta readers: Carol Greenwood, Kelli Whyte, Barbara Simmons, Linda Baker, Matt Strbjak and Nancy Higgins Quist for wonderful and thoughtful suggestions. It is a joy to work with this intelligent and considerate group of people. Also, to my advanced reading team, you’re a zany, fun group of people who I look forward to bouncing ideas off.
Finally, to Elias Stern, cover artist extraordinaire.
Also by Jamie McFarlane
Privateer Tales Series
1.Rookie Privateer
2.Fool Me Once
3.Parley
4.Big Pete
5.Smuggler’s Dilemma
6.Cutpurse
7.Out of the Tank
8.Buccaneers
9.A Matter of Honor
10.Give No Quarter
11.Blockade Runner
12.Corsair Menace
13.Pursuit of the Bold
14.Fury of the Bold
15.Judgment of the Bold
Pale Ship Series
1.On a Pale Ship
Witchy World
1.Wizard in a Witchy World
2.Wicked Folk: An Urban Wizard’s Tale
3.Wizard Unleashed
Guardians of Gaeland
1.Lesser Prince
Fury of the Bold Page 23
