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

  The jury withdrew to consider their verdict.

  “Be warned, we are visitors to your land. Fear our anger,” the drirkel straalkets shouted after them.

  “And don’t forget your fear of the gods,” Scotmax countered.

  “Bloody murderers have polluted this shrine. Matthews is polluted,” the drirkel straalkets rose to the challenge.

  “You are forgetting how often the gods have purified those who have killed.”

  “If we lose this judgement, the Republic will decay.”

  “The gods detest you, we will win this judgement.”

  “Only if you’ve bribed them. You are young and we are old. You think you can walk all over us but wait until you hear the verdict.”

  “I have the casting vote,” said Chronos. “And I will vote for Matthews. The death of a co-begetter who killed her partner sounds like justice. If the votes of the jury are equal, my vote will give the judgement to Matthews. Let us count the votes.”

  “Scotmax? What will the verdict be?” asked Matthews. “This moment will decide my life.”

  “Count the votes with care,” Scotmax urged. “One vote can decide a life.”

  “The votes have been cast equally for both sides,” Chronos announced. “Therefore, my vote decides it. I acquit Matthews.”

  “Chronos, you are the foundation of a new Republic,” said Matthews. “I will return to Future, the Star Masters and Lenguicarro will always be a friend of the Republic.”

  Scotmax and Matthews left the temple.

  “The law is obsolete,” the drirkel straalkets lamented. “You dishonour tradition. The Republic will fall, you have helped hasten its demise.”

  “They fairly arrived at the vote,” said Chronos. “Let your rage pass into understanding. You have as much respect now as you ever did.”

  “Our laws are not respected. They predate the Republic and now they are insulted.”

  “They have shown you no disrespect or insult. I am the ultimate word and the ultimate word is that it is time for the galaxy to move into an age of reason.”

  “We are older, even than you Chronos.”

  “I bow to your great age, so much greater than my own. I bow to your wisdom, which is also greater than mine. You should stay here on Lenguicarro. It will be your sanctuary and you will be honoured.”

  “We live on the blood of justice.”

  “This temple is yours if you want it.”

  “What is this temple?”

  “A place to be loved, it’s yours, if you want it.”

  “What comes with it, if we accept?”

  “You will be honoured.”

  “You can keep this promise?”

  “I promise nothing I cannot deliver. We are the Star Masters.”

  “Your words stir us. They melt our anger.”

  “Here on Lenguicarro, you are among friends.”

  “How can we bless this system?”

  “Send Matthews to victory, without remorse.”

  “Let us live on Lenguicarro and bless Lenguicarro.”

  “Welcome.”

  “We will use our power to help you.”

  *

  At the entrance to the temple, Brabin was waiting to meet Scotmax and Matthews.

  “They acquitted Matthews,” Scotmax yelled with joy. “We must make preparations to assemble a fleet and attack Future.”

  “I also have good news,” said Brabin. “There are several Saturnians who are prepared to go with you. They are assembling their ships now.”

  “Good, then we will go to Herse and assemble the fleet there.”

  It wasn’t long before the Mastery of the Stars and the Saturnians were gathering in the orbit of Lenguicarro.

  “Let’s go,” said Matthews, once they had assembled all the ships.

  Ay-ttho asked Ron to set a course for the portal and the Saturnians followed.

  As they emerged from the portal in the Sicheoyama system, a fleet of ships was waiting for them.

  “Full alert!” Ay-ttho ordered. “Initialise weapons systems, Tori?”

  “I’m onto it,” Tori leapt into the weapons chair and attached the cables to his antennae.

  “We are moving into attack formation,” Brabin reported from his ship.

  “Right.” Ayttho took a deep breath. “Let’s find out what they want.”

  CHAPTER 10: ESCAPE!

  The two fleets approached each other.

  “Ron, try to make contact,” Ay-ttho ordered.

  “I’m already establishing a link. You should see something on the monitors any time… now.”

  A screen flickered to life and the image of a thug appeared.

  “Identify yourself,” the thug demanded.

  “I am Ay-ttho, captain of the freighter, Mastery of the Stars.”

  Tori and Sevan suppressed a snigger as they did every time Ay-ttho described herself as the caption.

  “What are you intentions?” asked the thug.

  “We are passing through your system on our way to Herse.”

  “Why would so many fighters escort a freighter? What is your cargo?”

  “What is it to you?”

  “This is our system, we have a right to know what passes through our territory.”

  “And what is your intention when I tell you?”

  “Well, that all depends on your cargo.”

  Ay-ttho looked at Matthews and Scotmax whose shuttle was still in the Mastery of the Stars cargo bay, although fully refuelled and repaired. She looked at Tori and Sevan, who seemed anxious about what she might say.

  She decided it was worth a gamble.

  “We are carrying President Matthews, the rightful president of the Republic.”

  There was a long silence in which she tried to discern the expression on the flickering image of the thug.

  “Be ready, Tori,” she warned in a whisper.

  “Let us speak with Matthews,” the thug demanded.

  “Very well.”

  Matthews moved into view with Ay-ttho.

  “I am Matthews, offspring of Kirkland, killer of Ydna and Kcokaep and the rightful heir to the title of President of the Republic. Who asks?”

  The thug burst out laughing.

  “So, it is true,” he continued, laughing. “The pretender to Yrag’s presidency has graced us with her presence in our system. We should feel humble.”

  The thug’s response made Ay-ttho feel even more nervous.

  “Welcome to the Sicheoyama system, President Matthews,” said the thug. “We have been awaiting your arrival. We heard of your plans to overthrow President Yrag and we wish to offer you our support. You see before you a modest fleet we have assembled and we wish to accompany you on your journey to Future and offer what service we can in overthrowing this current oppressive regime which has a dark stranglehold, not just on the Republic but on systems in the outer regions like our which depend on the Republic for trade. We ask only one thing.”

  “Name it,” said Matthews..

  “All we ask is that when you officially assume the presidency, that you do not forget us in the outer regions and that you ensure we are treated more fairly in our dealings with the Republic in the future.”

  “You have my guarantee that in thanks for your support in helping me reclaim the presidency that is rightfully mine, I will ensure that in the future, all systems like Sicheoyama are treated with the utmost respect in its dealings with the Republic. I welcome your support and am very grateful that you will accompany us on this important and potentially perilous task. We are on our way to Herse to join a fleet which awaits us there. I trust you will accompany us?”

  “We will, lead the way.”

  Of course, the Sicheoyamans knew the way to Herse. It was just a courtesy to let Matthews, and therefore the Mastery of the Stars, go first.

  The Sicheoyaman fleet parted to allow the Mastery of the Stars and the Saturnians through.

  The Mastery of the Stars led the enlarged fleet through the Sicheoy
ama system to the Angetenar portal. They paused in orbit around Angetenar to see whether there were any survivors from the asteroid shower.

  Dust filled the atmosphere. Matthews and the Sicheoyaman thugs agreed they should form a combined patrol to visit the surface of the planet to collect any survivors.

  “We will take Mastery of the Stars,” said Matthews.

  “What?” Sevan blurted in surprise. “Why?”

  “If there are any survivors, we can bring them into the cargo holds.”

  Tori and Ay-ttho didn’t argue, so Sevan shut up as well.

  The Mastery of the Stars descended through the thick dust if the atmosphere, escorted by several fighters from both fleets.

  The area around what used to be the capital city was completely scorched as was much of the surrounding area, which was littered with scorched debris.

  The surface temperature was too low to be habitable, but the ship’s scanners were detecting signs of life, so they followed the signal.

  The surface had been stripped of vegetation, if not by the fires, then by the acid rain that had followed. What oceans there were on Angetenar were now devoid of life, having become too acidic.

  They followed the signals into the vast complex of caves which littered the vast Angetenanean desert and eventually discovered a small community of thugs that had only survived by hoarding supplies of food and breathing apparatus, but their stock was nearing its end.

  Tori, Ay-ttho, Sevan, Matthews and Scotmax all helped the Angetenareans into one of the Mastery of the Stars cargo bays and from there to the sick bay while Ron navigated the ship back out of the cave system.

  “The thugs we rescued are on Sonvaenope,” Ay-ttho informed Matthews.

  “We should see if any of them wish to join us. We might not have ships for them but we have plenty of weapons for them to form a land army when we land on Future.”

  Sevan was concerned that the Sonvaenope thugs might not be pleased to see them. Relations had not been very cordial when they had dropped them off.

  When the Mastery of the Stars landed on the edge of the village that the Angetenareans had constructed from cargo containers, an angry group emerged to greet them, all clutching weapons. Fortunately, the sight of several Saturnian and Sicheoyaman fighters persuaded the locals to remain calm.

  Matthews descended from the Mastery of the Stars, followed by Scotmax, Ay-ttho, Tori and, hiding at the back, Sevan.

  “I am President Matthews, offspring of President Kirkland and rightful ruler of the Republic. Who is your leader?”

  “We don’t have a leader,” shouted one of the group.

  “Who makes your decisions?”

  “We all do.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “We are an anarcho-syndicalist commune.”

  “What is that?”

  “Power corrupts and any hierarchy that cannot be ethically justified must be dismantled.”

  “You seem to do the talking for your group though.”

  “The members of the community alone should decide on that which affects them.”

  “So who elected you to speak?”

  “We put the right of self-determination of every member above everything else and recognise only the organic agreement of all based on like interests and common convictions.”

  “I’m sorry, but we don’t seem to get any closer to understanding who you are, so let me explain why we are here. We are gathering a fleet to invade Future and take control of the Republic. We are looking for a land army to help us take control of the planet so we are here to offer you the opportunity to come with us.”

  “Why would we want to do that?”

  “What is it you desire?”

  “We must convene an assembly to consider what you have said.”

  The crowd dispersed into the village. Matthews and the others followed them, and several troops descended from the Saturnian and Sicheoyaman fighters to accompany the group.

  In the centre of the village, they found an amphitheatre where the Angetenareans were gathering.

  Matthews and the rest of the group stayed on the periphery and watched as the amphitheatre filled. They were waiting for someone to stand up and address the crowd, but there didn’t appear to be any focal point.

  “Tell us what you want,” one villager stood up and shouted at Matthews.

  “We want you to come with us and help us liberate the Republic from the unjust rule of Yrag,” Matthews addressed the crowd.

  “Why would we want to do that?” another villager shouted.

  “We must replace Yrag with President Matthews to guarantee the reform of the Republic,” shouted Scotmax. “Some of you will know me as one of the Swordsmen of Angetenar. You know we share the same ideal of equality for all.”

  A murmur of discussion swept across the amphitheatre.

  “Our commune works well for us,” another villager shouted. “Why should we leave here to fight for you?”

  “Your commune works well for the moment,” Matthews replied. “But how long do you think you will be safe from Yrag’s expansionist ambitions? If she is not overthrown, then you will watch as she annexes Ao-Jun, then Herse and then Sonvaenope as they sweep through the outer regions.”

  “Herse wants to join the Republic,” shouted a villager.

  “That may be so, so only Ao-Jun stands between you and Yragian oppression. The Republic has already annexed Zistreotov and the Chang Hueng colony.”

  “Zistreotov was your begetter’s doing,” someone shouted.

  “That may be, but he was liberating the citizens from those who kidnapped Luap. Yrag is the offspring of the offspring of Akpom Chuba, who destroyed the Arint at Inic B’Campa. That’s only a handful of portals from here.”

  Another murmur traversed the amphitheatre. The crowd seemed to break into smaller discussion groups and dispersed from the amphitheatre.

  “What is happening?” Sevan asked a villager.

  “They are deciding.”

  “When will they tell us their decision?”

  “Those who want to go with you will go with you, those who don’t want to go will stay.”

  Sevan and the others returned to the Mastery of the Stars to see what would happen. After a while, a group of Angetenareans emerged from the village and gathered in front of the ship.

  “Not as many as I had hoped,” said Matthews. “Let us greet them.”

  Matthews and Scotmax descended from the ship, watched by Ay-ttho, Tori and Sevan from the doorway.

  “Welcome to our cause,” said Matthews.

  “Before we go with you,” said one villager. “We want your guarantee.”

  “And who are you?”

  “My name is Lien.”

  “And do you speak for everyone?”

  “We each speak for ourselves but I think you’ll find the others share my opinion.”

  The other Angetenareans mumbled agreement.

  “What guarantee is that?” Matthews asked.

  “Guarantee that if we help you bring about a new republic that this new republic will protect the rights of the citizens of Sonvaenope to continue to live in an anarcho-syndicalistic commune.”

  “You have my guarantee, Lien. Sonvaenope will be unmolested by the New Republic. I have no expansionist designs, unlike Yrag. Will you join us?”

  The villagers exchanged glances and then, one by one, they moved forward and made their way onto the Mastery of the Stars.

  The shop and fighters rejoined the fleet and began the journey to the Herse portal, but they were not prepared for what they encountered on the other side.

  As they emerged from the portal, they were greeted by a similar sight that had met them as they had entered the Sicheoyaman system, except this time the fleet waiting for them was larger; it was a veritable armada and the crew of the Mastery of the Stars and the Saturnian and

  Sicheoyaman fighters could be fairly sure the fleet was friendly.

  Ron was able to establish communica
tion between Matthews and Yor on the Hersean command ship.