Freedom Vs. Aliens (Aliens Series Book 3) (37 page)

The image of a standing seal-octopus faced him. While clothed in a gray vacsuit with a globe about its pointed snout and two eyes, the sucker-tipped tentacles waved free of any vacuum protection. The creature blinked two red eyes, then spoke.

“Humans of the Sol system, you come to kill us,” it growled. “We were warned of your coming by our Gyklang neighbors. But we did not detect you. Until too late for us. But I have called upon the Arbitors of the Great Dark to come and teach you the truth that only carnivore predators may travel star-to-star!”

The image vanished. Amitar’s face replaced it. “Its ship was disintegrated just after this broadcast. Fleet Captain Jack, what are these Arbitors of the Great Dark?”

Jack felt his mouth go dry. His stomach tightened. “Never heard of this Arbitor people before. Maybe it’s another Hunter species of the Great Dark.”

“Perhaps,” Amitar said, her expression thoughtful. “But this Boolean’s words were defiant. As if it knew it would be avenged. By these Arbitors.”

“I will ask my Chief Astronomer Nikola to check her Nasen holo data matrix for this Arbitor name,” he said, aware that his lifemate now stood just behind him. “But you were right to share this imagery with me. Share it also with Admiral Hideyoshi. Perhaps he will have some thoughts on it.”

“I will.” The Hindu woman, who wore the red uniform of the Mars fleet, gave him a chest slap salute. “The
MacArthur
crew and I salute you for leading us to victory once more!”

Jack returned the woman’s chest slap salute. “Thank you. But our victory here and against the Gyklang was a joint effort. It took every ship in this fleet to defeat these Hunters of the Great Dark. So it is I who thanks you and your crew.”

The woman, who had been captain of her destroyer for longer than Jack had led the
Uhuru
, gave him a nod and a brief smile. “Understood. I will see you shortly in the Admiral’s Mess of the
Bismarck
.”

Her image vanished.

Jack turned, only to meet the faces of his crew. Elaine, Max, Blodwen, Archibald, Denise, Cassie, Maureen and Nikola all faced him. Puzzlement showed on most faces. His lifemate was frowning.

“Jack, I know that Nasen holo of Hunter species, juvenile species and subject peoples from top to bottom,” she said slowly, her tone thoughtful. “Not one of them bears the name Arbitor.”

Damn. Double damn.
He did not like surprises. Never had, even when he’d run his Hopper from asteroid to asteroid, selling air, water, food packs and erotic vidrecords. He smiled big. “Hey! We beat these bastards! Let’s go celebrate. I hear Hideyoshi has pulled out a cask of plum wine!”

Everyone relaxed at seeing him smile.

He took Nikola’s hand and led the way to the Spine hallway. His crew, his family, the people who meant everything to him, they followed behind him. Talking, joking, teasing, arguing over who would get the best Black Angus cow steak, they followed him.

“Jack, it’s probably nothing,” Nikola said. “A Boolean ship captain about to die makes big talk. Humans did it in the past, including our two recent Dictats. Don’t worry.”

“Sure. I hear you. I’m hungry. Let’s get on our Lander and make for that mess hall!”

She was right. When it came to humans. But what was right when it came to carnivore Hunters of the Great Dark?

He didn’t know. He just knew that he would fight any enemy that threatened humanity, threatened the freedom to travel anywhere among the stars. His Belter heritage was something he lived every day. And that heritage said you opposed anyone who tried to tell you what to do, tried to control your life, tried to make you feel less than a real person.

Arbitors might come to their part of the Orion Arm. Whatever they were. So be it. Jack would meet them, fight them and defeat them!

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

T. Jackson King (Tom) is a professional archaeologist, journalist and former Hippie. He learned early on to question authority and find answers for himself, partly due to reading lots of science fiction novels. He also worked at a radiocarbon dating laboratory at UC Riverside and UCLA. Tom attended college in Paris and Tokyo, then helped organize anti-Vietnam War demos in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tom is a graduate of UCLA (M.A. 1976, archaeology) and the University of Tennessee (B.Sc. 1971, journalism). Tom has worked as an archaeologist in the American Southwest and has traveled widely in Europe, Russia, Japan, Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. Other jobs have included short order cook, hotel clerk, legal assistant, telephone order taker, investigative reporter and newspaper editor. He also survived the warped speech-talk of local politicians and escaped with his hide intact. He writes hard science fiction, anthropological scifi, dark fantasy/horror and contemporary fantasy/magic realism. Tom’s published science fiction novels are
HUMANS VS. ALIENS
(Wilder Publications, 2015),
GENECODE ILLEGAL
(Wilder Publications, 2014),
EARTH VS. ALIENS
(Wilder Publications, 2014),
ALIEN ASSASSIN
(Wilder Publications, 2014),
THE MEMORY SINGER
(Fantastic Books, 2014),
ANARCHATE VIGILANTE
(Wilder Publications, 2014),
GALACTIC VIGILANTE
(Wilder Publications, 2013),
NEBULA VIGILANTE
(Wilder Publications, 2013),
SPEAKER TO ALIENS
(Wilder Publications, 2013),
GALACTIC AVATAR
(Wilder Publications, 2013),
STELLAR ASSASSIN
(Wilder Publications, 2013),
STAR VIGILANTE
(2012),
THE GAEAN
ENCHANTMENT
(Wilder Publications, 2012), 
LITTLE BROTHER’S WORLD
(Fantastic Books, 2010),
ANCESTOR’S WORLD
(Ace Books, 1996, with A.C. Crispin), and
RETREAD SHOP
(Warner Books, 1988, 2012). His short stories appeared in
JUDGMENT DAY AND OTHER DREAMS
(Fantastic Books, 2009). His poetry appeared in the anthology
MOTHER EARTH’S STRETCH MARKS
(Motherbird Books, 2009). Tom lives in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA. He can be reached at
[email protected]
. More information on Tom’s writings can be found at
www.tjacksonking.com/
.

PRAISE FOR T. JACKSON KING’S BOOKS

THE MEMORY SINGER

“A coming of age story reminiscent of Robert A. Heinlein or Alexei Panshin. Jax [the main character] is a fun character, and her world is compelling. The social patterns of Ship life are fascinating, and the Alish’Tak [the main alien species] are sufficiently alien to make for a fairly complex book. Very enjoyable.”—
Don Sakers
,
Analog Science Fiction

“Author T. Jackson King brings his polished writing style, his knowledge of science fiction ‘hardware,’ and his believable aliens to his latest novel
The Memory Singer
. But all this is merely backdrop to the adventures of Jax Cochrane, a smart, rebellious teen who wants more from life than the confines of a generational starship. There are worlds of humans and aliens out there. When headstrong Jax decides that it’s time to discover and explore them, nothing can hold back this defiant teen. You’ll want to accompany this young woman . . in this fine coming-of-age story.”—
Jean Kilczer,
Amazon

EARTH VS. ALIENS

“This story is the best space opera I've read in many years. The author knows his Mammalian Behavior. If we’re lucky it’ll become a movie soon. Many of the ideas are BRAND NEW and I loved the adaptability of people in the story line. AWESOME!!”—
Phil W. King,
Amazon

“It’s good space opera. I liked the story and wanted to know what happened next. The characters are interesting and culturally diverse. The underlying theme is that humans are part of nature and nature is red of tooth and claw. Therefore, humans are naturally violent, which fortunately makes them a match for the predators from space.”—
Frank C. Hemingway,
Amazon

HUMANS VS. ALIENS

“Another great book from this author. This series has great characters and story is wall to wall excitement. Look forward to next book.”—
William R. Thomas,
Amazon

“Humans are once again aggressive and blood thirsty to defend the Earth. Pace is quick and action is plentiful. Some unexpected plot twists, but you always know the home team is the best.”—
C. Cook,
Amazon

RETREAD SHOP

“Engaging alien characters, a likable protagonist, and a vividly realized world make King’s first sf novel a good purchase for sf collections.”–
Library Journal

“A very pleasant tour through the author’s inventive mind, and an above average story as well.”–
Science Fiction Chronicle

“Fun, with lots of outrageously weird aliens.”—
Locus

“The writing is sharp, the plotting tight, and the twists ingenious. It would be worth reading, if only for the beautiful delineations of alien races working with and against one another against the background of an interstellar marketplace. The story carries you . . . with a verve and vigor that bodes well for future stories by this author. Recommended.”–
Science Fiction Review

“For weird aliens, and I do mean weird, choose
Retread Shop
. The story takes place on a galactic trading base, where hundreds of species try to gain the upper hand for themselves and for their group. Sixteen year-old billy is the sole human on the Retread Shop, stranded when his parents and their shipmates perished. What really makes the ride fun are the aliens Billy teams up with, including two who are plants. It's herbivores vs. carnivores, herd species vs. loners, mammals vs. insects and so on. The wild variety of physical types is only matched by the extensive array of cultures, which makes for a very entertaining read.” –
Bonnie Gordon,
Los Alamos Daily Post

“Similar in feel to Roger Zelazny's Alien Speedway series is
Retread Shop
by T. Jackson King. It's an orphan-human-in-alien-society-makes-good story. Well-written and entertaining, it could be read either as a Young Adult or as straight SF with equal enjoyment.” –
Chuq Von Rospach,
OtherRealms 22
“If you liked Stephen Goldin’s Jade Darcy books duo, and Julie Czerneda’s Clan trilogy, then you will probably like
Retread Shop
since it too has multiple aliens, an eatery, and an infinity of odd events that range from riots, to conspiracy, to exploring new worlds and to alien eating habits . . . It’s a fun reader's ride and thoroughly entertaining. And, sigh, I wish that the author would write more books set in this background.” –
Lyn McConchie, co-author of the
Beastmaster
series

STAR VIGILANTE
“For a fast-paced adventure with cool tech, choose
Star Vigilante
. This is the story of three outsiders. Can three outsiders bond together to save Eliana's planet from eco-destruction at the hands of a ruthless mining enterprise?” –
Bonnie Gordon
,
Los Alamos Daily Post

STELLAR ASSASSIN

“T. Jackson King’s
Stellar Assassin
is an ambitious science fiction epic that sings! Filled with totally alien lifeforms, one lonely human, an archaeologist named Al Lancaster must find his way through trade guilds, political maneuvering and indentured servitude, while trying to reconcile his new career as an assassin with his deeply-held belief in the teachings of Buddha. . . This is a huge, colorful, complicated world with complex characters, outstanding dialogue, believable motivations, wonderful high-tech battle sequences and, on occasion, a real heart-stringer . . . This is an almost perfectly edited novel as well, which is a bonus. This is a wonderful novel, written by a wonderful author . . .Bravo! Five Stars!” –
Linell Jeppsen,
Amazon

ALIEN ASSASSIN

“The Assassin series is required reading in adventure, excitement and daring. The galactic vistas, the advanced alien technologies and the action make all the Assassin books a guarantee of a good read. Please keep them coming!”—
C. B. Symons,
Amazon

“KING STRIKES AGAIN! Yes, T. Jackson King gives us yet again a great space adventure. I loved the drama and adventure in this book. There is treachery in this one too which heightens the suspense. Being the only human isn’t easy, but Al pulls it off. Loved the Dino babies and how they are being developed into an important part of the family of assassins. All of the fun takes place right here and we are not left hanging off the cliff. Write on T.J.”—
K. McClell,
Amazon