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  “Commander, the Oolaran technology for hyperspace transition is remarkable. I woke to find my material form fading from reality to another dimension. When my awareness returned, I was amazed to find we were not traveling in interdimensional space. Our reality returning to normal spacetime in the star system of our base is an incredible accomplishment of engineering. The ability to manipulate spacetime in such a manner was most unexpected.”

  “Coonts, I am just a primitive backwards thinking alien, so what just happened is beyond my comprehension. The people of my world believe what we just experienced to be impossible and only the ramblings of fiction writers.”

  The smile on a Grawl’s face is not a pretty sight, but I knew from experience what I was looking at and returned the gesture. We heard loud, thumping footsteps behind us, and the last member of my crew entered the bridge.

  “You look rested, Commander. You must have slept as well as I did. Tell Justice to get the matrix charged so we can get back to base and spend a few rotations with our feet on solid ground.”

  Klutch Zuma is a Tibor Troop Master. He was a mercenary hired by nefarious criminals to protect them while they went about their illegal activities. He was a little over five feet tall and close to four feet wide. He had incredible body mass from being born on a world more than twice the size of Earth and four times the gravity. He easily weighed six or seven hundred pounds, none of it being fat. He tried to kill me once, and at the time, I was doing everything in my power to return the favor. If it were not for my crew, he may have completed the job. The battle was short and ugly. We killed four of his crew and I had managed to wound and disarm him. Rather than finish him, like he asked me to do, we talked about the criminals he worked for. The more he learned about them, the more he disliked what he had been suckered into doing. After a considerable amount of bullshitting, coercing and flat out bribing, I won the Tibor over to my side. Since that time, he has sworn his allegiance to me and has proven it beyond a shadow of a doubt more than once. The only reservation I had about the Tibor was his nonchalant use of his warrior’s scent. When excited, a Tibor can produce an odor that could send a herd of disturbed skunks scurrying for fresh air. I opened my mouth to tell him we had arrived at our base system, but Coonts beat me to it.

  “Troop Master, if you were alert, you would have already noticed we have arrived in the star system of Alpha base.”

  Klutch gave the little Grawl a sideways look and I caught the faintest whiff of something really rotten. I backed up a couple of steps hoping for fresher air. Coonts was wishing he had phrased his words a little differently. The Tibor gave us a big toothy smile exposing a set of impressive gray choppers — it was a sight capable of making perfectly sound bladders defective. He reached out and shoved the little Grawl and let out a loud croaking laugh.

  “HAH! Coonts, you are Throgg scatting me!”

  When Coonts regained his footing, he chose his next words with more care.

  “No Troop Master, we have made our transition and Justice is scanning the outer system for anomalous activity. We will be landing soon.”

  Klutch turned around and looked at the huge domed viewscreen that went from floor to ceiling, encompassing the entire bridge. The view was breathtaking because it appeared you were standing in outer space. He looked back at us in awe.

  “I felt nothing. The sensation of transition has always awakened me in the past. This is indeed advanced technology. Is it possible to duplicate and install on our shuttles?”

  I was thinking the same thing but knew the Grawl had been trying for over twenty years without success. Coonts once again answered before I could.

  “Unfortunately, Troop Master, Grawl scientists and engineers tried for many solar rotations. We were unable to breach the Guardian-designed shield protecting the Oolaran DEHD core. We found that any brute force method we could devise would destroy the device. Rather than render it useless, we directed our research to other areas of the ship.”

  Coonts promptly turned and walked off the bridge. He was part of the research team that worked on the Legacy after it was discovered. His failures were not something he cared to revisit. Klutch looked at me as we both came to the same conclusion.

  “Are you hungry Commander? I could eat two Dorta sea snakes.”

  Even though I had no idea what a Dorta sea snake looked like, my mind envisioned a picture of the Troop Master swallowing huge eel-like critters. My light breakfast started to boil. I quickly pushed the thought from my mind.

  “No Klutch, I have already eaten with Tria.”

  “Is she doing well?”

  “Yes, she is much better now and should be out of the med bay within this rotation.”

  “That is great news Commander! I look forward to seeing the Chaalt warrior back on duty. If you will excuse me, I will go to the galley.”

  My crew was aware that my relationship with Tria was changing into something other than a Commander–crewmate affiliation.

  “Sure Klutch, I will catch up with you when we land.”

  Once, when the Tibor was really hungry, I had seen him eat twenty to thirty pounds of synthesized nutrients. His eating habits at times were memorable. I went to my command chair and sat down. It was a habit of mine when no one was around to spin the chair in a circle watching the stars go by. I knew it was childish, but it was so cool taking in an entire star system in one revolution. Justice decided I had been screwing around enough and broke up my revelry.

  “Commander, if you are done practicing your primitive human pastime, I will give you my report.”

  “You sound kind of pissy today. Is there something you would like to talk about?”

  “Yes Commander. I do not believe my observations of your interactions with Tria are in any way disruptive of your unique behavior while in her presence.”

  I knew this was coming. The A.I. had somehow altered its original programming to be more like a human. Justice was soaking up every emotion I exhibited and adding it to his human catalog of interaction. He had one in particular he was hoping to catalog, and the thought irritated the shit out of me. His introduction to Sha’leen had rattled the normally unflappable A.I., and to tell the truth, it had that same effect on me. His curiosity about the new human–Chaalt interaction was going to be unbearable.

  “Justice, you spent more than a year on my planet. In that time, I am sure you properly interpreted the definition of privacy.”

  The A.I. was silent. It was his way of displaying impatience or annoyance at my lack of cooperation. Sometime in the future, I would pay for my responses by being subjected to the A.I.’s interpretation of human humor. It usually meant I would be on the receiving end of a childish prank.

  “You said you had a report?”

  “Yes Commander, the star system is secure and I am making our approach to Alpha Base. The Grawl scientists are aware of our return and have gathered in the hangar to greet you. They have been working non-stop since we departed and are very excited to show you the improvements they have made to Alpha Base.”

  “Thank you, Justice. That is great news. Can you give me an update on Tria’s condition? I was wondering if her bone fractures were stable enough she could be released from the med bay?”

  “Yes Commander, she has been insisting on her release since your visit early this morning. I have removed the rigid stasis casts and replaced them with less restraining protective devices. She has asked for a small delay in the next phase of the weaponization program.”

  “Oh really! Did she say why?”

  “Yes Commander, she wishes to…spend time interacting with you.”

  I felt the temperature rise in my cheeks. The expectant tone in Justice’s voice left nothing to my imagination.

  3

  Justice dropped us out of orbit and I watched our approach on the view dome. The moon our base was located on had just enough atmosphere to produce a fiery glow around the hull on our rapid descent. We were making a straight-in approach that appeared to be on
a collision course with the side of a massive mountain range. Just when our demise seemed imminent, large entry doors rapidly opened in one of the mountains. The Legacy disappeared into the dark tunnel entrance and the camouflaged doors quickly closed, leaving no evidence the site was anything other than a mountain. As the Legacy passed through the atmospheric retention field, bright lights lit the way to the enormous spacecraft parking area.

  I went to my cabin, put on a fresh, smart cloth uniform and walked out the door. Tria was walking down the corridor toward her quarters. She gave me a mischievous look.

  “Tria, it’s good to see you up and getting around…”

  I suddenly became flushed and my legs weak. I stumbled against the wall. My eyes went wide when I looked back at her. I could hear her laughter but she never turned around; she just kept going. Gathering my wits, I steadied myself. I took another look back to where she had disappeared. She peeked out her doorway. I turned and ran on wobbly legs to the drop tube that would take me down to the personnel boarding hatch. As I exited the tube I gripped the side and shook my head. Coonts was standing with Klutch looking at what Justice was projecting on the bulkhead. It was an exterior view of the Legacy. I could see the Grawl scientists gathered outside, waiting for us to exit. Coonts looked up at me and saw I was a little disoriented.

  “Are you well Commander? Do you need assistance?”

  I tried my best to stand upright and act as if nothing happened.

  “No, Coonts, I stumbled exiting the tube. I am fine.”

  “Are you sure Commander? You do not look your normal pallor.”

  I was glad when Tria’s father stepped out of the drop tube behind me so I could change the subject. I put my hand on his right shoulder, giving him a customary Chaalt greeting. He looked puzzled. When he returned the greeting, his eyes momentarily widened. He quickly dropped his hand and his face returned to neutral. I could only think the reaction that flashed across his face had something to do with Tria smacking me around with her Sha’leen. I thought about it a little more and wondered if he could sense his daughter’s aura on me.

  “It is good to see you again, Scholar Burlor.”

  “Likewise, Nathan Myers. I am eager to inspect the containment vessel. We are fortunate it has not been tampered with.”

  “Of course, sir, this facility is at your disposal.”

  The Chaalt scholar nodded and stepped away to greet Coonts, then Klutch. He must not approve of his daughter showing affection to a primitive alien. I thought I wouldn’t know until he told me and, so far, he had given no indication of doing so. Tria stepped out of the tube and I backed up a step. She had protective braces on three of her arms and was still badly bruised. The look of mischief returned to her face and she gave me a golden smile. The form-fitting smart cloth uniform accentuated her slim, graceful body. I swallowed and gave her a small shake of my head. She stepped forward and hooked her good arm in mine and we walked to the exit hatch. Coonts, Klutch and Tria’s father were waiting for us. As a group, we walked off the Legacy to a roar of applause from the gathered scientists. Xul, Graf and Jaran were at the head of the greeting party. Xul turned to Graf and nodded. Graf held up his hands and the Grawl gathered around us ceased their applause. Xul turned back to us.

  “Nathan Myers, Justice has related to us the great battles and suffering you and your crew endured. We are overjoyed you have returned.”

  I was about to address the crowd of scientists when Justice broadcast over the comms system.

  “COMMANDER, six unknown vessels just transitioned into our star system at the exact coordinates the Legacy entered.”

  We were all shocked by the broadcast, and a feeling of dread gripped me. I couldn’t help but think Eiger, the leader of the Murlak pirates, had somehow located our base. He would only be here for one thing. Revenge. I snapped out of it and started issuing orders.

  “Tria, get your father aboard the Legacy now!”

  I turned back to the Grawl gathering.

  “Xul, I want the scientists to board the Legacy. I do not want panic. I want everyone aboard now! Coonts, Klutch, get geared up. I don’t know what is happening but we cannot take the chance that Eiger has found us.”

  Tria appeared to be dragging her father up the boarding ramp. It sounded like they were arguing. Coonts and Klutch were standing on either side of the hatch barking orders and ushering the Grawl inside the Legacy as fast as they could. Looking back out into the hangar, I saw several Grawl stragglers attempting to get pieces of equipment or possibly personal items. I ran toward them, yelling out of frustration at their actions.

  “LEAVE EVERYTHING AND GET ABOARD NOW!”

  I grabbed those closest and forcefully turned them around and pushed them towards the loading ramp. The rest saw my actions and knew they wanted no part of disagreeing with me. They turned around and ran to the ship. The floor seemed to jump up at me and I fell to my knees. What the hell was that? A moon quake? Justice commed me and my blood turned to ice water.

  “COMMANDER, THE UNKNOWN VESSELS JUMPED DIRECTLY INTO ORBIT ABOVE ALPHA BASE!”

  Holy crap! Justice had once told me jumping a starship into a planet’s gravity well was dangerous as hell and foolhardy to boot. Whoever was up there did not seem to give a damn where they jumped to. The quake must have been the moon’s gravity rebounding from the blow it just received.

  “JUSTICE, GET THE NEGATION SYSTEMS ONLINE AND OUR ENERGY CANNONS WARMED UP!”

  “Commander, the emanations from our negation systems are undetectable. If I activate our weapons, the power sources have an energy signature that will give the unknown craft our exact position. The same will happen if I activate the shield dome.”

  Whoever it was knew we were here — otherwise they wouldn’t be overhead. I was going to say screw it and have Justice activate the shields and get the weapons online. I was violently thrown into a stack of machine support spars by a compression wave of hot air, followed by a deafening thunder clap. I groaned as I rolled over, trying to figure out what just happened.

  My eyes refocused, then grew to the size of quarters. Not thirty feet from me, I saw what looked like twenty columns of molten metal. My brain was still foggy from the blast, but my eyes were telling me I was looking at shiny pulsating pillars of mercury. They were in a circle with one at its center. The liquid metal appearance seemed to fall away, and in its place were armor-clad soldiers. I was shocked stupid. The soldiers all had four arms. They were Chaalt! The circle of troopers took a knee and each pointed two different wicked-looking combat rifles outward to every point on a compass. The soldiers were all clad in dark, cobalt blue armor with blacked out helmets. The armor looked heavy and was definitely exoskeleton-assisted. They wore side arms, fighting knives, and all had numerous devices adorning their armor that were either grenades or other death-dealing weapons.

  The one standing in the middle, had blood-red armor trimmed in black and wore no helmet. She was definitely a Chaalt warrior. She may have been pretty at one time but not anymore. Her green eyes were similar to Tria’s but darker and foreboding. Her hair was streaked with gray and pulled back into a short ponytail. The bands holding it were ringed with spikes. She had a scar running from her left ear along the jawbone that ended at her chin. Cosmetic stuff like that was easy to fix and would have taken some of the UGH out of her ugly. She must have considered it a badge of honor. The armor she wore was not like the others; hers was form-fitting, and it was easy to see she was powerfully built. Her muscle structure was more like a man’s than a woman’s. She had pistols on her hips, but what caught my attention was the set of long handles protruding up from over both of her shoulders. They were ornate and looked like they were wrapped with gold braid. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed they were samurai swords from Earth’s past. I stared wondering why the Chaalt were here and how they found this place. The gaze the warrior was giving me had the beast inside me stirring. I could feel my anger rising at the uninvited intrusion. The thought
of her ships parked over my base, showing any of my potential enemies where I might be, angered me further. The beast was egging me on.

  “What are you doing here and why are you trespassing on my base?”

  With utter contempt, the warrior spit out, “SILENCE! Primitive fool. I have no need for your mindless nonsense. If you interfere with my mission, you will die and I will destroy this place. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

  The bitch could have said anything else in the world, but she had to make it a point to call me primitive. I had been called that so many times I swore the next alien saying it without a really big smile on their face would get an ass-kicking. The beast was climbing out of the hole I thought I had buried him in. I reached down and picked up one of the support spars. It was a three-inch diameter metal tube with adjustable clamps on each end. It was also about the same size as a Louisville Slugger.

  “You care to come over here and run that shit by me one more time?”

  Looking like a ball player at home plate, I stood there slapping the spar into the palm of my hand. The Chaalt’s eyes narrowed. Wait…wait…just wait for it, it won’t be long now. In an unnatural burst of speed, the Chaalt leaped over the troops in front of her. I came back with the spar but before I could swing, she landed and unloaded a lightning bolt of a punch to my jaw.

  I took two steps back reeling from the pain of the shot. SON OF A BITCH! THAT HURT! The Chaalt stood in front of me looking astonished. The beast loved it. My reflexes took control and I spun around with the spar swinging low. The surprised Chaalt tried jumping back but I caught her on the thigh with it. The spar had an unnatural curve to it now. She went down with a grunt. Two of her hands were going to the pistols. Tossing the spar, I dove on the Chaalt punching her in the side of the head. It was not my best effort but still a hell of a shot. She lost interest in the side arms but did however make it a point to return the favor using all four hands. Her strength was incredible; she was definitely a brawler. She headbutted me and managed to split my lips open. I spit blood in her eye for the effort. She jerked me forward with two of her hands — I thought she was trying to wipe the spit on my uniform but was proven wrong when I received a very painful bite. That was dirty pool. I would go for an ear if she gave me an opportunity. The Oolaran soldier in me seemed to be enjoying the physical exercise. It was at this point I became aware of someone pulling me away and a stench that made me want to gag. Tria was yelling at us to stop.