The Star Masters (Mastery of the Stars Book 6) Read online

  “See if you can get any alive,” Kirkland ordered. “If they are the ones that killed Trebor, I want them to suffer.”

  He turned to leave the bridge.

  “I’m going to my quarters. Wake me when we reach Zistreotov, unless something very important happens in the meantime. It better be very important though.”

  He left.

  When Enaud and Luap arrived in Zisteotov, Ttivert and Nomis were in the hangar to meet them off the ship.

  “What the uxclod is going on?” asked Ttivert.

  “Nice to see you as well, my begetter,” said Enaud. “Meet Luap. He’s…”

  “I know who he is,” snapped Nomis. “He’s the partner of the ruler of Ao-Jun.”

  “Good to see you as well, my co-beggeter.”

  “And you have kidnapped him.”

  “I haven’t kidnapped him. He agreed to come.”

  “Unfortunately, the Republic doesn’t see it that way. They’ve been looking for an excuse to invade and now you’ve handed it to them on a fire-roasted phase pademelon.”

  “Well, it’s simple then,” Enaud suggested. “We just ask Luap to send a message explaining that he came of his own free will. Would you do that Luap?”

  “Of course I will,” he smiled.

  Unfortunately for the Republic officers, there was a need to wake Kirkland before they were approaching Zistreotov.

  “We have a message from Zisteotov,” Kcokaep’s flickering image on a screen told Kirkland.

  “Very well. I will view it in my quarters. Patch it through to Sgniwef’s ship as well.”

  “Greetings President,” Enaud’s image flickered into view on the screen.

  “Greetings, Enaud. I have added Sgniwef’s ship to this call.”

  “That is very considerate of you,” said Enaud. She had hoped she would not have to speak directly with Sgniwef. “I have Luap here, with me. He would like to speak with you so that we can clear up this misunderstanding.”

  “Greetings to you, President, and to my partner, Sgniwef,” He began. “I came to Zistreotov of my own free will. Enaud did not force me. I wanted to come and I am happy that I am here. Please call off this unnecessary attack.”

  “You see!” yelled Sgniwef. “They have brainwashed him. Or they have tortured him to make him say such things.”

  “It’s not true,” Luap protested. “I love Enaud and we have already consummated our relationship.”

  “Oh, for the love of Estus, God of destruction, they have violated him against his will.”

  “Enaud, it is not just your violation against Luap and his partner, Sgniwef. Zistreotov has also made a bitter enemy out of me and all who love the Republic.”

  “How so?”

  “Your ships murdered my offspring and her entire patrol in Republic space.”

  “Uxclod!” Ttivert cursed.

  “Ttivert? Good to see you,” said Kirkland. “I wish it were under better circumstances but, unfortunately, because of Zistreotov’s hostility in kidnapping and violating Luap, then murdering my offspring and her patrol, we are going to have to destroy you and annex your system into Republic control.”

  “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the taxes you wish to levy on our gambling interests, would it?” asked Ttivert.

  “The thought hadn’t even entered my cerebral cavity,” said Kirkland coolly before terminating the call.

  *

  As the Republic attack fleet approached Zistreotov, the Zistreoveans hastily assembled a fleet of their own.

  A call signal lit up the communication panel.

  “Who is it?” asked Kirkland.

  “It’s the ship of Enaud.”

  “Put her through.”

  “The screen hadn’t finished flickering into life before Republic ships started firing.”

  “Hold fire!” Kirkland shouted. “Jahraldo wants to talk, stop firing.”

  The firing ceased.

  “Connect the call to Sgniwef’s ship,” Kirkland ordered. “Speak, Enaud. I am listening, as is Sgniwef.”

  “President Kirkland, Sgniwef,” Enaud began. “We have both assembled impressive fleets, both of which possess a destructive power of frightening proportions. If we got to work now, many of our family, friends and colleagues will lose their lives and offspring will lose begetters, begetters will lose offspring.”

  “What is your point?” asked Sgniwef.

  “The argument isn’t with them. It is between us. Let us compete in one-on-one fighter combat. The victor takes Luap.”

  “I also have an argument with you,” interrupted Kirkland.

  “Your argument was with our patrol. I believe you have already dealt with them.”

  “They suffered, but I did not have satisfaction.”

  “I like your idea,” said Sgniwef. “However, I cannot risk leaving Ao-Jun without a leader, so I suggest we both select champions who with battle in our places.”

  “I will fight for you,” said Jahraldo, stood at Enaud’s side.

  “Are you sure? But you have a young offspring.”

  “Leave it to me. This war is unjust and should not take the lives of so many.”

  “Who is this champion who sacrifices himself so readily?” asked Sgniwef.

  “He is Jahraldo, my elder co-beggoton, from Helios Station,” said Enaud. “He holds the record for the 100 Qbits Sprint.”

  “Very well. Who shall we select?” Sgniwef mused. “We will be in contact when we have chosen our champion.”

  He ended the call.

  “How about Kram?” suggested Kirkland.

  “Kram? Didn’t he pretend to be mad to avoid joining the fleet?”

  “He tried, but it was only because some priest made a prophecy about him taking a long time to arrive home if he went. We wouldn’t have recruited Ekim without him.”

  “Ask the computer to select the fighter, most likely to win against Jahraldo,” suggested Sgniwef. “Who does it suggest?”

  “It has selected, Ynnek’s ship,” said Kirkland.

  “Who is this Ynnek?”

  “His fighter has an almost impenetrable shield.”

  “Very well then, let us tell Enaud we have chosen our champion.”

  The ships of Jahraldo and Ynnek faced each other at a comfortable distance from both fleets. Simultaneously, they began their attack runs and Jahraldo fired first. His shot struck the ship of Ynnek but could not penetrate its shield. Ynnek fired, but Jahraldo, with the speed of his manoeuvre, could evade the shot.

  The two ships closed in on each other. Jahraldo fired again, but despite another direct hit, could not penetrate the shield. Ynnek’s shot, however, scored a direct hit. There was an explosion on the bridge and a piece of shrapnel caught Jahraldo on the neck. He touched the wound and saw that he was bleeding.

  Undeterred, he spun his fighter around and fired seven shots in quick succession. All shots hit their mark, but still the shield of Ynnek’s ship held firm.

  Ynnek fired his cannons, but they exploded on impact with what was left of Jahraldo’s hastily redirected shield.

  Jahraldo realised his only chance was to fire at much closer proximity. He ordered the ship’s computer to prepare to fire every weapon on his command and swung the ship around to face Ynnek.

  The two ships sped towards each other, Ynnek firing as he went, but Jahraldo building up the charge in all the cannons to full strength.

  “They look like they are going to ram each other,” said Kirkland from the safety of his observation deck.

  As the two ships sped towards each other, Ynnek’s fire tore chunks off the ship of Jahraldo. At the last moment, Ynnek veered his ship aside.

  “Now!” Jahraldo shouted, and the full force of his weaponry tore into the underbelly of the ship where the shield was weakest, as Ynnek had diverted most of the power to the front.

  The blast tore into the hull and sent the fighter spinning away without power. A moment later, the power in Jahraldo’s ship also failed, and he too was fl
oating in space.

  “We call for a truce so that we can retrieve Ynnek’s ship,” Kirkland announced in a call to Enaud.

  “Agreed,” said Enaud.

  “Your idea was a good one. However, it seems it has not resolved our dispute. It seems there will be a war after all.”

  “Let us not be too hasty to rush into death and destruction. Let us keep our cerebral cavities open to the idea of other possibilities.”

  Kirkland grunted and ended the call.

  “They don’t seem very open to the idea of peace,” Enaud commented to Ttivert.

  “I told you, they will not rest until they have destroyed us all.”

  CHAPTER 4: TREACHERY AT HOME

  Ydna and Kcokaep escorted Ydna’s offspring, Matthews, to her shuttle.

  “I still don’t understand why I have to leave,” Matthews protested.

  “You will be safer on Herse until this war is over,” Ydna explained.

  “But I don’t want to go. I should be with the fleet fighting the Zistreotoveans.”

  “You are not old enough to join the fleet. Look what happened to Trebor.”

  “Exactly. I should avenge her death. And why isn’t Xocliw coming?”

  “Your co-beggotton will stay here, Ttam will look after her.”

  “If she can stay, then why can’t I stay?”

  “If anything happens to your begetter, you are next in line for the Presidency. We need to keep you safe.”

  “By sending me to exile outside the Republic on Herse?”

  “Exactly.”

  “You should listen to your co-begetter,” said Kcokaep.

  “Why? So there is no-one left here to keep an eye on you both?”

  “Don’t be so disrespectful,” Ydna chastised her.

  “Goodbye,” said Xocliw, Matthew’s co-begotton, who was waiting by the shuttle with their nursemaid, Ttam. “I’ll miss you. Take this miniature model of a starfighter that our begetter gave us.”

  “Thank you. I’ll miss you too, Xocliw.”

  “Don’t worry, Matthews,” said Ttam. “I will take care of her like I always took care of you both.”

  “Thank you Ttam.”

  Reluctantly, Matthews entered the shuttle and allowed herself to be taken to Herse.

  *

  “This is ridiculous,” said Sgniwef. “It is getting us nowhere. We are the superior force. Let us attack.”

  Sgniwef commanded her forces to open fire on the Zistreotovean fleet. As soon as the Zistreotoveans returned fire, Kirkland had no option but to order his forces to attack as well.

  “There is another call from Enaud,” an officer informed Kirkland.

  Kirkland sighed.

  “Very well,” patch it through to Sgniwef.

  “I challenge you to another duel,” said Enaud. “But this time we will not nominate champions.”

  “Very well,” said Sgniwef. “I am tired of this. I will fight you, one on one.”

  The fighters of Enaud and Sgniwef approached each other. Sgniwef redirected all her power from her shields to her weapons and fired first, but Enaud’s shield could absorb the blast. She fired two more shots, but Enaud’s shield remained strong while she focused on taking evasive action.

  Sgniwef’s next shot missed and Enaud could get in a shot of her own, which glanced harmlessly off the fighter’s hull. Sgniwef could then score six direct hits in quick succession, and Enaud’s shield weakened.

  In response, Enaud fired three shots, but only one reached its target, and the damage was slight. A shot of Sgniwef penetrated the shield of Enaud, who continued firing at Sgniwef but with little effect.

  The two fighters circle each other and Enaud loosed another shot which was deflected by Sgniwef’s own fire, which was continuous and soon disabled Enaud’s shield completely.

  Both fighters scored direct hits, and their ships were showing the signs of battle. Sgniwef was getting angry and frustrated that it was taking so long to finish Enaud.

  He scored four more hits and Enaud was injured in the leg by a piece of flying debris. The next hit damaged her weapons systems, and the blast jolted to bridge so violently that Enaud banged his cerebral cavity on the console. Enaud’s fighter began spinning out of control towards Zistreotov.

  Sgniwef was celebrating victory when a Zistreotovean, with a nervous trigger, fired on her fighter, wounding Sgniwef.

  A battle immediately ensued and one of the Republic fighters destroyed many Zistreotovean ships.

  “Who is that?” Kirkland asked of one of his officers.

  “It is Eporhtwol,” the officer answered. “He brought a squadron from Herse to support you.”

  “He is very good.”

  Meanwhile, on Jahraldo’s ship, he received a communication from Zistreotov.

  “Enaud’s ship made a successful emergency landing,” the computer reported. “Enaud is safe. They are preparing another ship for her to rejoin the battle.”

  As the battle continued, the Zistreotoveans were getting the upper hand.

  “Let us call a temporary truce,” Kirkland suggested to Jahraldo. “You are right. All this destruction is senseless. We should settle this with yet another duel of one and one combat.”

  “The last was inconclusive.”

  “And this may be too, but we owe it to our fleets to try.”

  “Who do you nominate?”

  “We nominate Ynnek again. And you?”

  “I will fight Ynnek.”

  Ekim, frustrated with the constant truces, withdrew from his platoon.

  Jahraldo and Ynnek began by flying their fighters at one another, neither wanting to be the first to turn away. At the last possible moment, both swerved, fortunately for them in opposite directions. The two craft became so close that their shields touched and sent the two ships spinning away from each other.

  Once they had regained control of their ships, both pilots fired their weapons with such accuracy that the laser cannon bolts exploded as they collided with each other in the space between the fighters.

  Evading the conflagration, their following attempts were less accurate, then Ynnek applied a tractor beam to Jahraldo’s fighter which meant Jahraldo could no longer control it as he wanted, so he employed the same tactic and both fighters struggled to manoeuvre, until Jahraldo could disable the beams and both ships veered away.

  Both pilots scored direct his with their next shots and Ynnek fired a blast which almost penetrated Jahraldo’s shield. The next round from both fighters had no problems penetrating each other’s shields. Both ships were damaged and Ynnek was injured.

  They continued to make attacking runs, and both ships received direct hits, but Ynnek’s took the most damage, sustaining further injuries from falling debris on his bridge.

  The damage was so great that neither fighter could prevail and both ships drifted without power for thrust or weaponry.

  “Another draw,” Kirkland declared. “Negotiate a truce with the Zistreotoveans so we can retrieve the dead and wounded from the disabled ships.”

  The Zistreotoveans agreed, and both sides retrieved their dead. The Republic also used the break in fighting to strengthen their shields and weaponry.

  The truce did not last long. Soon, both fleets were attacking each other again, and the Zistreotoveans appeared to have the upper hand. So much so that Kirkland thought his fleet would be defeated.

  “Perhaps we should return to Future,” he said to Sgniwef.

  “What about Ekim? His platoon hasn’t rejoined the fight.”

  “I upset him. He doesn’t want his platoon to fight any more. I will send him a message.”

  Kirkland sent a message to Ekim, asking for his help. No sooner had he done so than an explosion ripped through the bridge, injuring him.

  Eporhtwol, Kram and Ecneret were all injured, and their ships badly damaged.

  With his platoon, Ekim discussed the situation with his warrior-companion, Sittef.

  “Sittef, speak with Ecneret. Find out how
bad the situation is.”