Solaris Fall: A Behemoth Ascending Novella
SOLARIS FALL
A BEHEMOTH ASCENDING SERIES NOVELLA
BY
FRANK J. MANCHON
Website: frankjmanchon.wordpress.com
Copyright © January 2019 by Frank J. Manchon
All Rights Reserved
Cover Design by Frank J. Manchon
Image used from Pixabay
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author.
Thanks to my family and friends, specially my wife, daughter and my parents-in-law for their support in this endeavour. I can’t forget about two other people watching me from heaven, my dear sister and dad.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
EPILOGUE
“We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.”
Carl Sagan
PROLOGUE
High Commander Enki was in the Command Center of his flagship, the one thousand five-hundred meters long battleship Thuban Executor, waiting to exit hyperspace. Enki was from a war-slaver reptilian-like race called Thubans, one in many that comprehended the Draconian Empire. This race was in average eight to ten feet tall without a tail, their skin was covered by thick dark green and black scales, dark yellow eyes and five fingers like humans. Their homeworld, Thuban Prime, was in a star cluster over eight hundred light years away.
His fleet consisted in five battleships, eight battlecruisers, two battlecarriers and ten escort cruisers, all of them armed with beam cannons, laser turrets and deadly missiles with a fifty-megaton war-heads.
Their target was a triple star system where they lost a slaved-world of humanoids over four hundred years in the past against a Starhuman fleet that liberated the planet. After reconquering this planet, Enki had a last mission, just four and half light-years away, the golden planet, a world full of riches such as gold and other valuables.
“Status?” High Commander Enki said with a deep voice.
“Hyperspace drop out in two minutes,” Second Commander Marduk informed. “No detection of Starhuman vessels on the system.”
“Very well,” Enki grinned. “Any other space activity that could endanger our fleet?”
“No, High Commander,” Marduk informed. “The race that inhabits the only habitable world of the red dwarf star, the Albeans, a humanoid race with dark brown-red skin, has begun space exploration with rocket fuel vessels. I guess the Starhumans helped them after we lost the system over four hundred years ago.”
Four centuries ago, a Starhuman fleet, composed by Vegans and Lyrans, attacked and conquered a few of the Thubans slaved-worlds such as the Albeans, but the worst lost was the golden planet, Terra, as the Starhumans named the blue-white globe, leaving the Thubans without their precious gold and slaves supplies. The Vegan-Lyran fleets attacked many of the Thubans’ slaved systems to paralyze their economy, freeing many of those worlds. It was a total success as the Thuban economy almost went into bankruptcy.
Thubans had a small empire that comprehended over fifty slaved-worlds of diverse humanoid and completely alien races and a dozen of worlds inhabited by them. It took them almost four centuries to prepare a fleet and upgrade it with the latest technology available in the empire.
◆◆◆
In space, twenty-three Thuban ships exited hyperspace over two-hundred thousand kilometers away from the high-gravity planet of the Albeans.
Enki felt a gut stretching sensation when his battleship exited hyperspace. It was a feeling he got used but always annoying.
“Take us over the planet and nuke their primary cities,” Enki ordered, his gaze turning angry. This world has given him in the past a good slave race and it was rich in minerals needed for ship construction. Though, it wasn’t rich in gold as the precious yellow metal was found very deep beneath the planet’s crust and made it impractical to mine it.
“On our way, High Commander,” Second Commander Marduk replied. “Are you not concern of the loses we may have if we nuke the planet?”
“I am very aware of that,” Enki said dismissively, knowing he could bring slaves from other worlds and even replace this race for another. “This is a lesson they must learn. They must know if anything is to happen to us, they are to pay for it.”
“I am sure you are right, High Commander,” Marduk responded.
It was the job of a Second Commander to point out suggestions that might persuade a High Commander of taking the wrong decisions.
Enki touched his claws one to the other. “I grow impatient to taste the blood of the humans we genetically created two-hundred thousand years ago. It’s been so long their blood ran out in the butcher houses.”
“One can find it in the black markets of the Sozarians pirates worlds,” Marduk suggested. “I heard it’s extremely expensive to acquire a pill of human hormones, but prohibitively to buy small tubule of blood. They could cost over hundred thousand draks.”
In the known universe, gold and other valuables were used as currency. The name of the currency varied depending on what sector of the galaxy or universe was used. Some called it credits, others called it scripts, but Draconians named it draks.
Enki’s eyes grew in anger. He hated his crew frequented those worlds to spend their share of gold or draks, so hardly earned. “And how do you know that?”
Marduk held his breath, unsure of what to say. “A friend of mine that works in another fleet used to go there,” he replied, his gaze lost in the data of his tactical display.
“You better watch your back. If I find out you went there without my permission, you are as good as dead,” Enki threatened with a dark look in his reptilian eyes.
◆◆◆
President K’sel of the Albeans was in shock when his Secretary of Defense, General Kenne informed him of an alien fleet approaching the planet. For the last four-hundred years the Albeans had lived in peace but in a constant state of alert. They knew the Thubans would return eventually, but they hoped that day would never arrive.
“How many ships?” President K’sel asked, his expression deeply concerned.
“At least twenty, Mr President,” General Kenne replied. “Our telescopes detected an anomaly in space and our scientist catalogued it as hyperspace vortexes. We do know the ancient enemy possessed such technology.”
K’sel remained silence for a moment. “Why did our ancestors refuse the Starhuman Alliance aid?”
“I guess, Mr President, our ancestors didn’t want to change one oppressor for another,” Kenne answered, citing what the military academy taught him when he was just a cadet. “We didn’t know the Starhumans enough to accept their offer of military assistance.”
“I understand your views, but now we are alone and defenceless,” K’sel added, his gaze alight with fear. “Perhaps we wouldn’t be in this situation if they had accepted their offer. Our technology would be much more advance that it is now.”
“With your approval, we can launch our ground nuclear missiles. A preventive attack against the enemy could give us some deterrent effect. Perhaps they will
withdraw,” Kenne said firmly. It was his duty as the Secretary of Defence to do whatever was possible to safeguard his race. “We need to act now, or the enemy will be here soon.”
President K’sel though about the consequences of such action. He knew that doing nothing was as bad as doing it, then, he decided. “Here you got my authorization codes. Launch the missiles.”
“Yes, Mr President,” Kenne said when he took out a black briefcase. Once it was opened, a small panel display was visible. The General inserted the two code cards in the slots and activated them. “Your move Mr President.”
“The Gods protect us,” K’sel said, pressing the red bottom.
◆◆◆
One hour later, High Commander Enki gazed in his view screen at the helpless planet. It was a beautiful world, something Thubans didn’t care about. They were a race of scavengers, preying in lesser civilizations for a quick reward in slaves, gold and minerals.
The fleet rapidly approached the planet and radio transmissions with frantic pleas for peace were ignored by High Commander Enki.
“Attack the planet. I grow impatient to depart to our primary target, the golden planet,” Enki said, his eyes showing greed.
“Raptor fighters and Tyrannous bombers launched,” Second Officer Ynnie informed, his eyes focused in the tactical view screen showing green icons advancing toward the planet.
“High Commander,” Sensor Officer Okyd said in confusion. “I detect over hundred red icons exiting the planet’s atmosphere!”
“What are they?” Enki asked in completely perplexity. Perhaps, this mission wouldn’t be as easy as previously thought.
Okyd seemed to calm down as the sensor scan showed the data readings of the inbound objects. “Nuclear missiles powered by fossil fuels. No harm in them.”
“Very well,” Enki answered in relief. “Order the fighters to shoot them down,”
◆◆◆
In space, Raptor fighters were closing distance with the Albeans missiles. It was a terrible mistake by this race to attack the Thuban fleet, as this transgression wouldn’t remain unpunished.
Missile after missile was shot down by the reptilian semi-circular fighters in clamps manoeuvres, making a short work of it.
After few minutes, bright explosions were visible in low orbit of the planet as hundred and five nuclear missiles were destroyed. Nothing remained of the missiles, just some debris that would enter the planet’s atmosphere in the next hours.
◆◆◆
In the presidential building of the Albean capital, President K’sel remained silence as every nuclear missile was getting shot down. Everyone’s nerves in the situation room were on edge.
Over three billion Albeans inhabited the planet and once again, they would be conquered by the Thubans. He remembered very well what the aliens have done in the past, but his people refused to be occupied by Starhuman forces to safeguard their planet. It was a bad decision of his ancestors what would certainly end up in another brutal alien occupation. The only help they accepted from the Starhumans was technology. Over four hundred years took the Albeans to pass from an iron-age agricultural society to rocket fuel space exploration. They had more technology available to them, but it was too late, Thubans were back and they would need another hundred years to implement such an advanced technology.
“Mister President, we have received a video message from the Thuban High Commander,” Secretary of Defense, General Kenne informed.
“Play it in the main screen,” President K’sel ordered, his gaze turning pale.
On the main screen, a reptilian face appeared, it was High Commander Enki. “Fool Albeans, because of your missile attack, half of your major cities will be nuked. This world is no longer yours, it’s mine now. Remember that before doing something else stupid.”
Everyone remained silence with a cold chill running their bodies.
“What are we to do, Mr President?” General Kenne said, his expression deeply concerned. “Over three-hundred million people live in those cities.”
“We are doomed,” the president replied, his gaze showing defeat, then a bright light illuminated the room and everyone inside was incinerated as a fifty-megaton nuclear warhead detonated over the capital city.
◆◆◆
High Commander Enki was pleased with the attack. He knew that he lost millions of potential slaves, but he set up an example for the future. If this race was to rebel against their new masters, punishment would be severe.
“Begin the invasion. Annihilate any resistance. In two days, an occupation force will arrive and then, we’ll depart to the golden planet,” Enki said with a grin in his reptilian face.
First Officer Ebagesh, leader of the invasion troops nodded. “It will be done, High Commander.”
CHAPTER ONE
There was always a romantic vision of the universe and travelling to the stars. Through a human eye, the stars were the beyond, the place where the Gods lived. In a certain way, they did live there.
Many alien races populated the known galaxy, the Milky Way. Some of those races were humanoid, resembling normal Earth humans, but they did not originate in this galaxy but somewhere else. No one knew whom or why humans were brought to this galaxy and the purpose of it. Most of the advanced human-like races didn’t believe in a God but in an ancient race with powers resembling one, that created all life in this galaxy and possibly in others. That ancient race seeded numerous planets across the galaxy with humanoid life-forms. It was unknown the reason why this race had done this but the proof of this was certain as geneticist found a common ancestor in the DNA of every humanoid race discovered in the known galaxy.
A few humanoid species formed the Starhuman Alliance, a type of trade federation but not cohesive at all. The main races of this alliance were the arrogant Lyrans, the complacent Vegans, the pacifist Syrians and enlighten Pleiadeans. They sought advancement and enlightenment of all human races across the galaxy. Starhumans weren’t a military society but the possessed a powerful fleet, built by necessity as enemies were increasing in every corner of the galaxy. Lyrans had the bigger fleet in the Alliance, numbered in the thousands and Vegans in lesser numbers to protect their trade routes against pirates.
The Pleiadeans had one of the most advanced and powerful fleets in the galaxy, not as big as the Lyrans, but they only used it as a deterrent against any thread to their worlds.
The Starhuman Alliance changed their peaceful path when they were attacked by the Draconian Empire.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Starhuman Alliance and the reptilian Draconian Empire have begun a cruel war after a misunderstanding in a first contact scenario. Draconians found a Lyran colony in their ravenous seek of new worlds to feet their colossal and rapidly growing population. The Lyrans didn’t trust them and wanted to know more before any agreement could be done. The Draconians took that answer as an offense and initiated an attack against a peaceful and agricultural Lyran colony, destroying it and killing over two-hundred million inhabitants. Since then, both races have been at war.
The Draconian Empire was another loose federation of diverse reptilian races. This was a militaristic empire with one goal; seek, destroy and slave humanoid races. They were divided by clans and castes. The major clans were the Ciakans, the Saurians, the Dracons from which the Empire took the name and the Gorgons. The empire was ruled by an almost immortal royal queen, Empress Ishtar.
There were other minor clans as the Thubans. Their home world was Thuban Prime, located in a star cluster over eight hundred light years away toward the galactic center.
Thubans were scavengers and preyed in lesser civilizations for their resources and the most important thing; slaves and humanoid blood. Thuban was far from the empire, almost a thousand light years away from the capital world, Ciakar.
◆◆◆
Consul Atlas was sitting in a wooden chair enjoying the spring morning in his personal garden. In the blue sky, a comet was visible with a long tail. It was a regul
ar visitor that passed by Terra every few hundred years. Atlas gazed at the comet and took one sip of his tea, just to keep watching the birds and small insects teeming the numerous exotic plants, flowers, small trees including many varieties of fruity ones and palms that covered the huge palace garden. He loved palms, the coconut variety was his favourite, as it reminded him the ones back on Helix. Every day for the last centuries, he remembered his childhood in his homeworld, Atlantea. It was a beautiful world covered by eighty per cent of deep blue oceans with one land mass in the equatorial area of the planet and scattered islands. Sadly, the planet was incinerated as the Helix star entered in a nova phase without warning. He was enjoying his cup of tea, lost in his memories when suddenly, Commodore Valentis appeared from nowhere in apparent hustle.
“Commodore, what a beautiful day,” Atlas said, sipping his tea. “What’s the hustle?”
“Consul,” Valentis saluted him in a military manner, letting out a deep and ragged breath. “Orbital satellites just picked this up from the edge of Solaris System,” he gave a small device showing the anomaly in space. “According to our specialists, these could be hyperspace exiting vortexes.”
Atlas remained quiet for a moment, taking another sip of his tea. “Perhaps the fleet we sent to aid the Syrians against the pirates is back.”
“No, Consul. If that was the case, we could pick up their transponder signatures,” Valentis took a deep breath and then continued. “I think they are back, and that anomaly is the beginning of an invasion fleet.”
“Do not precipitate Commodore. I am sure there is a rational explanation for that event, and it is nothing to worry about. Please sit and accompany me with a cup of tea, this variety is delicious!”