Shipwreck on Lysithea (Mastery of the Stars Book 4) Read online

  Shipwreck on Lysithea

  Mastery of the Stars, Volume 4

  M J Dees

  Published by M J Dees, 2020.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  SHIPWRECK ON LYSITHEA

  First edition. August 30, 2020.

  Copyright © 2020 M J Dees.

  Written by M J Dees.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

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  CHAPTER 1: THE SECRET ENEMY

  CHAPTER 2: A STAR OF CHANGE

  CHAPTER 3: THE MECHANICAL BOWMEN

  CHAPTER 4: THE FORGOTTEN

  CHAPTER 5: CATAPULTED TO TOMORROW

  CHAPTER 6: THE BLIND SPACESHIP

  CHAPTER 7: THE SIGHTLESS SPACEMAN

  CHAPTER 8: BATTLE IN THE CAVES

  CHAPTER 9: DESPERATE ALLIES

  CHAPTER 10: HEADLONG FLIGHT

  CHAPTER 11: THE ASSASSIN

  CHAPTER 12: LOST IN STRANGE WORLDS

  CHAPTER 13: DEATH ON SIRIUS

  CHAPTER 14: KIRKLAND TAKES CONTROL

  CHAPTER 15: THE RUNAWAY ROCKET

  Still not ready to leave Sevan?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ALSO BY M J DEES | Living with Saci

  Living with the Headless Mule

  The Astonishing Anniversaries of James and David: Part One

  When The Well Runs Dry

  Fred & Leah

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  COPYRIGHT

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  CHAPTER 1: THE SECRET ENEMY

  Tori sat in the weapons chair, staring out the observation window. He was fiddling with a small piece of metal; it was a lump of shrapnel they had dug out of him after the accident. He placed it on the control panel and sighed.

  It had been a long night, and it was time for Ay-ttho to relieve him. He thought Ay-ttho's obsession with security was unnecessary. They had followed the presidential convoy all the way to the planet Future without attempting to hide and the President had granted them permission to land, make repairs and take on supplies, so why the paranoia?

  The unusual signals they had detected had spooked Ay-ttho. That could be the only explanation. There was nothing to fear from the President. They had to flee with him when Barnes obliterated Atlas so he was on their side, wasn't he?

  “Who’s there?” said Ay-ttho, entering the bridge.

  “Identify yourself,” said Tori, seeing a reddish purple figure approaching.

  “Identify yourself.”

  “Ay-ttho?”

  “The same.”

  “You are very prompt,” Tori checked the instruments on the control panel. “It’s exactly time for your watch.”

  “Get some rest, Tori,” Ay-ttho slumped into the pilot’s chair, her antennae flopping over the side of her face.

  “Great, I’m fed up of this stupid watch business,” Tori grimaced with all three sets of his teeth.

  “Nothing happened then?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Get some rest then. If you see Sevan, tell him to hurry.”

  “I can hear him now.”

  Sevan sauntered onto the bridge.

  “Morning Ron,” said Sevan, still half asleep.

  “Good morning Sevan,” said Ron, the ship’s navigational computer.

  “You’re not going to say good morning to us then?” asked Tori.

  “Good morning Tori and Ay-ttho,” said Ron.

  “Not you, Ron. Sevan.”

  Sevan squinted at Tori, not understanding the point.

  “Oh, I’m off to bed.” Tori stomped off the bridge.

  “Sleep well,” said Ron cheerily.

  Sevan slumped in the weapons chair that Tori had only recently vacated and stared out of the observation window at the towering buildings which seemed to cover every available space on Future, the planet which served as capital for the Republic.

  “Don’t let Tori see you there,” Ay-ttho warned.

  “He doesn’t frighten me,” Sevan retorted.

  Tori stomped back onto the bridge, and Sevan leapt out of the chair. Tori marched towards him but stopped short, retrieving a small object from the control panel which he pocketed before turning about face and stomping off again.

  Sevan breathed a sigh before going to sit in another chair.

  “What’s up with him?” asked Sevan, gesturing in the direction Tori had just left.

  “I think he’s upset because I made him take the night watch.”

  “I don’t blame him. I’m not entirely sure why you are so worried, Ay-ttho.”

  “I told you, I don’t trust President Man,” Ay-ttho looked like she was fed-up of explaining herself. “I don’t want to spend any longer on this planet than we absolutely have to. Once we have finished the repairs and restocked, we can leave.”

  Sevan liked the sound of this. He was very keen to get back to his home, The Doomed Planet, and visit his aunt. Now that Barnes had destroyed the jump point via Atlas, it meant they must travel the long way round and Sevan was keen to get started as soon as possible. In fact, Barnes, head of the Corporation and Sevan`s creator, had destroyed the entire planet of Atlas, or at least moved it somewhere else.

  “Then there’s the unusual signals that Ron has been detecting,” Ay-ttho continued. “I won’t be happy until I know what they are.”

  “Couldn’t Ron have just woken Tori if the signal appeared again?”

  Ay-ttho gave Sevan a look which suggested he was being stupid to assume that they could trust Ron with such an important task.

  “So Tori detected nothing,” Sevan felt he was stating the obvious and knew how much that annoyed Ay-ttho. He shut up.

  “Sevan thinks I am imagining things,” said Ron. “I’ve detected the signal twice and will show it to you when I find it again.”

  “There is no signal,” Sevan taunted.

  “Shut up, the pair of you, you’re making my marbles ache,” complained Ay-ttho, rubbing the ends of her antennae. “I was here the last time Ron detected it, remember? But he lost it.”

  Ron was silent. Sevan imagined that if it was possible for a navigational computer to feel embarrassed, then this was it.

  A light started flashing on one of the control panels and a screen crackled to life.

  “I have detected the signal,” said Ron with pride.

  “It’s the same signal,” said Ay-ttho. “A holographic message, but there is nothing there, just gas.”

  “Gas?” Sevan looked carefully at the image. “It looks like the President, he’s made of gas.”

  “It does look like the President,” said Ay-ttho, turning her head at an angle.

  “You get on with the President, Sevan,” said Ron. “See if you can communicate with it.”

  “It’s not exactly like the President,” said Ay-ttho.

  “Why do I have to communicate with it?” Sevan backed away from the screen.

  “It looks like it’s trying to communicate,” said Ay-ttho.

  “Use the terminals, Sevan,” said Ron.

  Sevan attached the terminals to his antennae.

  “Who are you?” Sevan asked.

  “You’ve upset it,” said Ron.

  “The signal’s fading,” said Ay-ttho.

  The screen crackled and went blank.

  “It’s gone.�
� Ron was disappointed.

  “Are you okay, Sevan?” asked Ay-ttho. “You look a paler shade of turquoise than normal.”

  “It looked like the President,” said Ron.

  “As much as you look like a navigation computer,” said Sevan, starting to remove the terminals from his antennae.

  “That’s the third time we’ve lost the signal,” Ron complained.

  “I’ve got an unpleasant feeling about this,” said Sevan. “Ozli has been telling me about rumours of other galactic regions hatching plans to reclaim territories they lost to the Republic.”

  “And how does he know who is hatching plans about who?” Ay-ttho was cynical.

  “He is the President’s nephew.”

  The screen crackled to life once more.

  “Here it is again,” said Sevan, hurriedly replacing the terminals on his antennae. “Speak to me.”

  “It’s not speaking,” it was Ron’s turn to state the obvious.

  The screen went blank.

  “It was definitely a ball of gas,” said Ay-ttho.

  “I’ll ask Ozli to come and see if he can communicate with it,” said Sevan. “In the name of the Giant Cup, I’m late!”

  Sevan began ripping the terminals from his antennae.

  “Ozli invited me to a function. The president and Ozli’s mother, they’ll be there. There will be lots of important dignitaries. I’ve got to go.”

  Sevan ran off the bridge, through the corridors and down the gangplank of the Mastery of the Stars into the hangar where he could see two Republic guards approaching the ship.

  “Sevan?” one guard asked as he drew closer.

  Sevan nodded.

  “Follow us, Ozli sent us to take you to the ceremony.”

  Sevan followed them onto a shuttle. When he had been Chief Council Member on The Doomed Planet, he thought his shuttle had been the most luxurious he had ever seen, but this presidential shuttle completely eclipsed his in terms of elegance and comfort.

  “Is there any...” Sevan didn’t have to finish his sentence. One of the shuttle staff opened a cupboard and took out a bottle of the substance Sevan hadn’t even needed to ask for, his favourite drink, pish.

  The staff member gestured for Sevan to sit in a comfortable chair and then handed him an enormous cup filled with the scarlet liquid. Sevan drank three before the shuttle arrived at the presidential palace.

  As he disembarked from the shuttle, Sevan saw that Ozli was waiting for him, in his special vehicle which protected his gaseous form from diffusing into the atmosphere.

  “Sorry I’m late,” said Sevan.

  “Don’t be silly,” Ozli spoke through his vehicle. “You are right on time, let’s go.”

  Sevan followed Ozli’s vehicle along a huge hallway which led to an enormous hall. A smell reminded Sevan of the first time he had seen the President. That seemed a very long time ago now.

  At the far end of the hall, Sevan could see the President, a larger ball of gas inside a contraption which looked like a bigger version of Ozli’s vehicle. Another, smaller, contraption connected to it containing a similar, though smaller ball of gas.

  “My mother,” Ozli said with pride.

  A variety of strange beings dotted around the hall whom Sevan assumed must have been the dignitaries Ozli had told him about. There was a musical sound which resonated around the hall and the gathering fell silent.

  “Ozli,” the President called out through his contraption. “Come forward and bring your friend.”

  Ozli moved forward, but only a little, Sevan also stepped forward to stay alongside him.

  “We grieve for your begetter, Ozli,” the President continued.

  “He’s speaking about the death of what you would call my father,” Ozli quietly explained to Sevan.

  “And yet, the time for sorrow cannot go on forever, so what better sign for a renewal of our joy than my union with your co-begetter.”

  "What does he mean?" Sevan whispered.

  "He's, what you call, married my Mother."

  "So father is begetter and mother is co-begetter, that's sexist isn't it?"

  "This is not the time to discuss this," Ozli hissed.

  "But even this joy must be short lived," the President resumed. "Because we have intelligence that those who lost territory to the Republic under the previous regime are now minded to take back these regions. They perhaps think the Republic's recent struggles with the Corporation might have weakened it. Therefore, I have decided to send ambassadors to these regions in the hope that they may prevent such attacks."

  Sevan noticed three vehicles like Ozli's to the side of the President.

  "Who are they?" Sevan whispered.

  "That's Kellen Kader," said Ozli. "The President's adviser. Next to him is his son Fenris Kader, and next to him is Zarah Kader, his daughter."

  Sevan sensed a change in the tone of Ozli's voice.

  "You like her, don't you?"

  "Don't be silly."

  "You do, you like her. Let's have a chat."

  "Shhh, you're embarrassing me."

  “I bet she likes you. She’s looking this way.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Yeah! You’re right, I don’t know where she’s looking, she’s a ball of gas, but her vehicle seems to point slightly this way.”

  “Yes, it does, doesn't it?”

  "Let's go," said Sevan, leading Ozli towards the front of the hall. "What do I have to do to get a cup of pish around here?"

  Ozli's vehicle emitted a signal, and a waiter rushed over with a cup of pish which he handed to Sevan.

  "Wow, that's impressive," said Sevan, before taking a large gulp. "In the name of the Giant Cup, that is good pish."

  "Sevan! Stop! Wait here," Ozli hissed.

  "What? What is it? She likes you, you like her, you only live once, Ozli."

  Ozli didn't move.

  "Oh, I see. You two have a history. Tell me all about it."

  "Not right now, Sevan."

  Sevan did not pursue the matter because, just as he was about to probe Ozli further, the President spoke once more.

  CHAPTER 2: A STAR OF CHANGE

  “Fenris,” said the President. “Tell me your news, you have something you wanted to ask me?”

  “Yes, Sir. I would like to ask your permission to return to the Zistreotov star system. I left to attend your inauguration and now I have a desire to return to this star.”

  “What does your begetter say? Are you happy about this Kellen?”

  “Much as I wish him to stay,” Kellen Kader began. “He has worn me down with his pleading to let him go. Therefore, I would be pleased if you would let him go, sir.”

  “Very well then. You may go, Fenris,” the President turned towards Ozli. “Ozli, my begotten.”

  “He has the audacity to call me what you would refer to as Son,” Ozli whispered to Sevan, the bitterness clear in his tone.

  “You seem to be very melancholy even though it is some time since your begetter left us for the better place.”

  “I am fine, Sir,” Ozli lied. “My recent trip to Waterfall and the attack at Trinculo still weighs on my vapour.”

  “I regret you were caught up in that terrible business at Trinculo,” Ozli’s mother spoke. “It was most unfortunate. But don’t dwell on these sad events. All lives must end, everyone must pass to the better place eventually.”

  “That is true,” said Ozli.

  “If it is true,” said his mother. “Then leave this mood behind and try to move on, as I have.”

  “I cannot help my genuine feelings, my co-beggeter.”

  “It is nice and commendable that you have these feelings for your begetter,” said the President. “But you know, your begetter lost a begetter, that begetter lost his. And no doubt he did his duty as a begotton, to mourn. But to keep up this mourning, through some kind of stubbornness, that shows disrespect to the better place itself. You suffer from a lack of drive, Ozli, and yet an impatience based your
simplistic understanding. I blame your lack of schooling, you must not offend the better place. I ask you, Ozli, to throw off this mood. You must remember you are next in line for the presidency. I will pass the role on to you as a begetter would his begotton. You expressed a desire to continue travelling with the recent friends you have made, but this is contrary to my desire. I would like you to remain here on Future, our begotton.”

  “Please, Ozli,” said his mother. “Do not travel with them. Stay here with us.”

  “As you wish, my co-begetter.”

  “Excellent answer, Ozli,” said the President. “Stay here on Future, with us. Ozli’s agreement has pleased me. Let us celebrate.”

  The President, Ozli’s mother, Kellen, Fenris, Zarah and the rest of the guests left the great hall, leaving only Ozli and Sevan.

  “Sometimes I wish I could just diffuse into the atmosphere,” said Ozli. “Why is it frowned upon to end our own lives.”

  “Things aren’t that bad, are they?” said Sevan. “Come on, let’s head back to the ship.”

  “I don’t see the point of existence any more, Sevan. My father was so good to my mother and I. And she used to dote on him. Yet, he has barely gone, and she has already married my uncle, a Stid Beast would have mourned longer. He might have been my father’s brother, but he is not fit to even smell his odour. Mark my words, Sevan, this will not end well but it is not my place to say anything so I must remain quiet.”

  They arrived at the shuttle which transported them to the hanger where the Mastery of the Stars was docked. Sevan availed himself of the shuttle’s excellent stock of pish.

  “Welcome back, Ozli,” said Ron as they embarked.

  “Thank you.”

  “Hello,” said Ay-ttho, seeing Ozli enter the bridge. “How was the ceremony?”

  Ozli was silent. Ay-ttho turned to Sevan for an explanation.

  “His mother has married his uncle.”

  “What? I thought his father died only recently.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “What I wouldn’t give to see my father again,” said Ozli.

  “We received a signal of something that looked very much like President Man, perhaps it was your father?” said Sevan.