Space Chronicles: The Last Human War (46 page)

“Simon,
wake up. Simon!”

He
lay unconscious in his command chair. Blood pooled in the corners of his eyes and dripping from his ears and nose. Dr. Boroski called out again to no avail. When the pilot failed to respond, the hologram placed his photonic hands on Simon’s temples and deliberately thrust them deep inside the young man’s head. When he felt they were properly located, he de-materialized and reformed in a fraction of a second.

Simon
screamed in pain.

“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. “
I had to wake you. You have to finish the job. Can you hear me?”

“Where are we, Doc?
” Simon asked as he rubbed his aching head with both hands. “What happened? Where are the Heptaris?”

“You created an unstable black hole. It destroyed the Heptari fleet
, but now it’s drawing energy from Tanarac’s suns. If we don’t stop that source quickly, it will become a permanent black hole and engulf everything within two light years.”

“How am I gonna stop a black hole? I thought that was impossible.”

“We don’t have time to discuss theory. Go to these coordinates. Quickly!”

The command deck was dark, except for a small, lighted area around Simon’s
chair and the hologram. When he attempted to follow instructions, the ship did not respond. Another source of energy was needed.

Simon searched the ship’s computer and found a pool of plasma storage that was segregated from the external grids. It was for maintaining stasis tubes. It would have to do.

The ship began moving slowly when he tapped those critical reserves. Lights in the control room came on at the same time, and Simon saw Shilgar, Benjamin and Kelly slumped to one side in their chairs. Blood trickled from their noses and ears, but there was nothing he could do for them at that moment.

He
followed instructions, skirting around the small energy ribbon extending from the lesser sun to the black hole. When the ship approached the thicker line of plasma emanating from the primary sun, he inserted the human ship directly into the energy stream, vanishing inside plasma.

Lights in the control room increased to normal intensity
, and the ship regained the hum of normal operation. The giant plasma stream cut off from the black hole as the hungry vessel absorbed all the energy available.

“Good
. Now, proceed slowly to the lesser plasma thread.” Dr. Boroski carefully monitored progress as the ship flew back toward the energy string from the smaller sun.

“Slower.
If we lose connection with the first sun, its plasma stream will return to the singularity.”

The human starship eased into the second plasma ribbon, cutting off the final source of pure energy for the black hole.
Simon’s ship now acted as an energy node linking the binary suns and restoring the normal exchange.

“What now,
doc?”

“Now, we wait. Unstable anomalies will collapse once the Hawkins Radiation exceeds the energy inflow.” Dr. Boroski’s program flickered. “Dr. Farnthal would like to speak to you. He will speak through me.”

The Dr. Boroski hologram blinked again.

“Good job! You only had a few
microseconds to enter the space-time rift before the singularity formed. Outstanding job of piloting. I was worried that you’d return us to standard space-time too close to the event horizon.”

“You told me to set the course
toward the sun and hold the time distortion for three nanoseconds. That’s what I did.”

“Well, you did it very well.
Black holes need energy to sustain space-time displacement. It should implode any second as the time phase overlap realigns. I’m not sure you understand the full implications of your actions. Do you realize you saved two races today?”

The
stripper-plow boom operator blushed at the praise.

“I just follow
ed directions. You and Dr. Boroski are the geniuses.”

“Simon, when we were leaving this system, I monitored your conversations with
my colleague and your friends. You were the only one who refused to give up on Tanarac. Your stubborn insistence created the opportunity to use my knowledge. You made it happen, and I thank you.”

In that instant, a bright flash spread throughout local Tanarac space.

“That was the anomaly collapsing. Everything inside it was converted to pure energy and released. It’s safe to exit the plasma stream now.”

“How do I do that?”

“Power down the ship and release stored energy through the surplus vent. Everything else will take care of itself. It has been a pleasure to know you, Simon. Good luck and goodbye.”

Simon
sensed a disturbing nuance at the end of the conversation.

“Doctor Farnthal, maybe someday you can explain to me what we did.”

“You’ll understand soon enough, but I won’t be here to explain it. We have made a decision—”

The hologram fell out of focus.

“Simon, it’s me again, Dr. Boroski. I cut off Dr. Farnthal. I wanted to tell you myself.”

“Tell me what?”
He had a sense of foreboding.

“
Our job is done. We endured this electronic existence for a very long time. Our personality programs will terminate before you reach Tanarac. We gift you the entire Earth library and our collective technical knowledge, but it’s time for us to rest. Before you reach Tanarac, we will be gone. You are the only person with psychic ability to access this ship. That makes you keeper of the knowledge. Use it wisely. Goodbye, my young friend.”

Without waiting for further discussion, Dr. Boroski vanished.

“Benjamin is hurt,” Kelly called out as she wiped blood off the old scout’s cheek. Shilgar rose on unstable legs and approached his old friend.

“Okay, I’m heading back to the hospital.” Simon took charge, “I’ll let Dr. Hadje know we’re coming.”

The human space ship settled onto the same hospital landing pad as it did when they brought Kerl-Ga and Shilgar in for treatment. Benjamin was alert now, but complaining of a severe headache. Shilgar and Kelly accompanied medics as they rushed him into the emergency room.

Simon remained on the ship, checking his passengers in suspended animation. When he was done, the young boom operator left the bridge. He took a deep breath of fresh air and walked on
weak legs to the base of the loading ramp. He leaned against a concrete crowd barrier, utterly exhausted. A hand came to rest on his shoulder, startling him.

“Hello, Simon. I wanted to meet the
human who saved my people.”

General Tragge stepped around the barrier and joined the young human
. Both leaned against the concrete. He placed his arm around Simon’s shoulders in a familiar way as he spoke.

“Son, I hope you
will consider Tanarac to be your permanent home. I would be honored to count you as my friend.”

Overwhelmed by exhaustion, Simon leaned his head against the old general’s
shoulder and closed his eyes. In an instant, he fell fast asleep, drifting into his childhood.

Before him, a row of ore plows waited
in darkness next to the Tasker family compound for the next day’s duties. He and his teenage friends, Adam and Kelly, held close to moon shadows. They helped Kelly to slip quietly up the ladder onto the top of the ore bin to steal a look into the private Tasker compound. They were breaking all the rules. Simon felt alive—he felt free!

“
Prime Skah, Rotaga, I beg your forgiveness. You asked not to be disturbed until we arrive at Heptari Prime, but something of great importance has happened. Will you grant me speech, Great One?”

“I am in no position to take your head. Rise. Speak as you will.”

“Prime Skah, we intercepted reports from Tanarac. Our entire fleet was destroyed. The Codae are dead.”

Rotaga leaped to his feet and withdrew a ceremonial knife from his belt. He held it to the throat of his adjunct.

“You speak treason! I should take your head!”

“Prime Skah, I speak truth. Listen to the recordings yourself.”

Rotaga’s aide held out a small recording device. The disgraced fleet commander quickly digested the communications, but could not believe its content.

“This is a Tanarac trick. Have you contacted the Codae fleet?”

“There is no response, sire, not even a distress signal. The entire fleet has vanished.”

Rotaga sat on his bed.

“Leave. Do not disturb me until the outer mark of the home system.”

Several days passed when the Heptari ship slowed from deep space drive to enter the
ir home world system. Rotaga strode boldly onto the command deck. He wore his formal military attire, complete with combat decorations and his family crest embroidered in the war sash.

“Contact the Royal Protectorate. Inform them Codae Rotaga has arrived.”

One of his senior officers looked up, surprised at Rotaga’s assumption of the royal title. The new self-proclaimed ruler turned to face his crew from the center of the bridge.

“By now, our people know the fate of the Codae. The Heptari Empire requires a new leader, and I, Rotaga, am first
on the Pillar of Ascension for the throne. I am now Codae. I will restore order and dignity to the Empire.”

Shortly thereafter, Rotaga
left his ship with all the ceremony reserved only for royals. For the first time in his life, he entered the palace through the royal gates. When the doors of the Codae chamber opened, several rows of servants waited on either side of the room and bowed, their foreheads touching the ground, as he passed. Rotaga crossed the room slowly, taking his place on the center of the three thrones.

“Remove the other two thrones.”

“But Honorable One, where will the other two Codae sit when you have appointed them?”

“There will be no other Codae. I will govern as the sole royal.”

“But Sire, it is Heptari law that—” Rotaga snapped his reply before the scribe could complete his sentence.

“I, Codae Rotaga, am now Heptari law. If you ever question one of my decisions again, I will
take your head.”

“As you wish, Great One. I am Triss, your personal Kol. I will see to your desires.”

“Fine. Bring me the heads of the males in each of the first born clutches of my predecessors. Seize the assets of their estates and divide their wealth among the people in their villages. Our former leaders disgraced the great Heptari Empire. Their fate shall be as follows. Family names are to be stricken from all public buildings and documents. Recall monetary script issued with their likenesses. Begin immediately to print new money with my family name, and it will bear my image alone.”

“Yes
, Sire, your will shall be done. Do you wish to make a public statement about the war with Tanarac?”

“Tell my people, Tanarac protected humans for three hundred years. They joined with the humans to bring disgrace to our Empire. We have been humiliated
, and I promise to avenge this insult. Before my reign ends, I will deliver the heads of the Tanarac leaders and eliminate every human in existence.”

“Your commands are entered, Sire. Is that all?”

“Do not interrupt me. I will tell you when I am done.”

Triss bowed and dropped to one knee, showing
total obedience.

“
Bring me the head of the Director of our weapons development program. Our new cannons failed to live up to his promises. Deliver his assets to my personal treasury. His male-born will enter seven years of servitude. His female-born and personal harem shall be auctioned in the next servant market. Auction proceeds will be added to my family treasury. ”

Rotaga continued with a list of retributions while the scribe dutifully recorded each royal edict. The scribe waited silently as his new Codae paused before finishing.

“Recall our fleet from Wallow Minor. I have a new mission for them. That is all for now. You may go.”

The scribe acknowledged Rotaga’s instructions and backed away from the Royal throne. Just as the servant turned to leave the room, Rotaga called out with one last demand.

“Wait, Kol! Get a holo-image of the Tanarac general, Byn Tragge. Have it chiseled into our finest marble and mount it to my trophy wall—until I replace it with the real head.”

Rotaga leaned back in his throne. He let out a long, primal hiss and remembered the insults he endured from his Tanarac
counterpart.

“Tragge, you will pay.
” Rotaga clenched both fists. Small green drops of blood dripped into moss below.

“Scribe, I am finished
, for now.”

Dean Sault lives in Northern California with his Great Dane puppy, Miss Jessie. He’s been a writer all his life but did not seek publication of fiction works until releasing his science fiction tale in 2009, Space Chronicles: The Last Human War.

Since then, he has written a thriller (Faces of Hatred, represented by literary agent - Stacey Donaghy), a western-romance (Maker of Angels) and book one (Ghost of Lost Eagle) in his Sweetwater Canyon Series of old-west romance/paranormal stories.

He welcomes contact with his readers and can be reached through social media, his website, writing blog and email.

Website –
AuthorDeanSault.com

email –
[email protected]

Faceboook –
Author Dean Sault

Blog –
deansaultpopcornwriting.blogspot.com/

Twitter - @AuthorDSault

LinkedIn member – Dean Sault

He also participates on GoodReads and Wattpad.