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  EARTHERS

  A Silver Ships Novel

  S. H. JUCHA

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by S. H. Jucha

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Published by Hannon Books, Inc.

  www.scottjucha.com

  ISBN: 978-1-7344707-0-3 (e-book)

  ISBN: 978-1-7344707-1-0 (softcover)

  First Edition: April 2020

  Cover Design: Damon Za

  Acknowledgments

  Earthers is the twentieth novel in the intertwined Silver Ships and Pyreans series, which tell the stories of three Earth colonies.

  I wish to extend a special thanks to my independent editor, Joni Wilson, whose efforts enabled the finished product. To my proofreaders, Abiola Streete, David Melvin, Ron Critchfield, Pat Bailey, Tiffany Crutchfield, and Jeff Penver, I offer my sincere thanks for their support.

  My sister, Dr. Jan Hamilton, contributed her proofreading skills to every book I’ve written but the first one. I’m most grateful for her efforts.

  Despite the assistance I’ve received from others, all errors are mine.

  Glossary

  A glossary is located at the end of the book.

  Contents

  1: Madam President

  2: Earthers’ Future

  3: The Plan

  4: Pyre

  5: Red Star

  6: Zistarians

  7: Planetary Leaders

  8: The Commands

  9: Pims Aloft

  10: Darius’s Command

  11: Upgrades

  12: Problem, Solution

  13: The Offer

  14: Starships

  15: Reunions

  16: Barks and Yips

  17: Alternate Site

  18: Fifth Lost Dome

  19: Aerial Cities

  20: Down Line

  21: Designated Red

  22: Hunting Partners

  23: Trackers

  24: How Devious?

  25: Metal Balls

  26: Tatia’s Plan

  27: Domes or No Domes

  28: Outpost

  29: Twin-Polar World

  30: Beware the Natives

  31: Goddess

  32: Outpost One

  33: Independence

  34: Black and Gold

  35: The Drake

  36: Dreams of Colors

  37: Departure

  38: Home World

  Glossary

  My Books

  The Author

  1: Madam President

  “Major, we have inbound transit energy signatures,” Jeremy, the on-duty tech, called out.

  With the construction of Tridents, interstellar warships, Sol had established telemetry stations in the system’s far belt. This particular location recorded the exit of the Omnian ships, Rêveur and OS Judgment, and three Sol Tridents, as the combined fleet embarked on a search to locate the descendants of the colony ship Honora Belle. Since then, the station hadn’t witnessed any other transits on this vector.

  “Is it the Omnians and our ships?” Major Abel Trent, the station director, asked.

  “Yes ... uh, no,” Jeremy replied, in confusion.

  “A little clarity, Jeremy,” Abel requested, sipping on his caf.

  “Well, the first group of ships resembled them, but then there’s a whole lot more ships,” Jeremy said.

  Abel set his caf down and hurried to Jeremy’s telemetry station.

  A liner and four warships, which were expected, were on approach along a similar vector to what the small fleet had exited on. Behind those five vessels came a multitude of tri-hulls, which gave Abel comfort. “Omnians,” he whispered, smiling.

  “Will you look at that one?” Jeremy muttered in awe.

  “Now, that’s a ship,” Abel replied.

  “Should we contact someone ... maybe the rim governor?” Jeremy requested.

  Abel chuckled, clapped his newly arrived young tech on the shoulder, and said, “With SADEs aboard, the Omnians don’t need our help communicating with anyone.”

  * * * * *

  Portia, the president’s executive assistant, finished the discussion with the president about tomorrow’s itinerary. As she prepared to leave the office, she stopped and listened to her ear comm.

  “Madam President, you’ve a comm from Envoy Morris,” Portia announced happily.

  “Welcome back, Patrice!” the president said excitedly, when she took the call.

  “Nikki?” Patrice asked in amazement. “I knew you were running for the office, but you won!” She eyed Rear Admiral Cordelia, a SADE, who’d kept the identity of the president a surprise for her. In return, she received a wink.

  Nikki Fowler chuckled, “You know how it is, Patrice. If you were friends with the big Omnian, it carries a lot of cachet with the citizens.”

  “He’s still big,” Renée de Guirnon remarked.

  “Renée!” Nikki exclaimed. “Who’s with you?”

  “Nearly everyone you knew and many more,” Alex Racine, replied.

  Nikki glanced at Portia, who had held up her slate. Scrawled across its face, it read, “Many ships arriving.”

  “You’d think it was my birthday,” Nikki said, tearing up. Then she swiftly sobered, “Patrice, did you find them?” she asked.

  “The commandant, my sister, and I are called Pyreans,” Jess Cinders replied. “We’re the descendants of the Honora Belle colonists.”

  “It’s a pleasure to hear your voice,” Nikki replied. “I’d like to welcome you to Earth, the home world of your ancestors.”

  “And it’s pleasing to speak to you, Madam President,” Tacnock said.

  Nikki and Portia heard all types of laughter, and they exchanged quizzical glances.

  “I know Omnian tech doesn’t suffer from comm glitches,” Nikki said. “What don’t I know?”

  “We found the Pyreans, and a great many more races, Madam President,” Patrice responded. “That was Tacnock. He’s Jatouche, and a friend of Captain Cinders, who you heard earlier. The good news is that this area of space, which is called the alliance, is populated with peaceful races.”

  “Any bad news?” Nikki asked.

  “There’s always bad news,” Alex replied, “but nothing that can’t be handled by cooperating worlds.”

  “Why are you here, Alex? Not that I wouldn’t welcome a cordial visit,” Nikki requested.

  “Thought you might like to discuss an alliance with Omnia Ships,” Alex replied casually.

  “Absolutely,” Nikki said enthusiastically. She was about to communicate her location. Then she halted and chuckled. “I look forward to meeting all of you,” she added, and the link closed.

  “This should make things easier,” Renée commented.

  “Why?” Commandant Ophelia Tuttle asked.

  “When we first visited Sol, Patrice and Nikki were two Earthers who embraced us,” Renée explained. “We’re old friends.”

  “What first brought you to Sol?” Kasie Cinders asked. Her question stirred emotions, which she sensed, and it made her curious.

  “That’s a long story,” Alex replied.

  “The short version is, at the time, Earth had an ugly government, and our citizens suffered under it,” Patrice admitted. “We went in search of two of our colony ships. That venture turned into a disaster, but it brought the Harakens to us.”
/>   “Who?” Tacnock asked.

  “Haraken was our world then,” Julien explained.

  “Are conditions better on Earth now?” Tacnock inquired.

  “Much better,” Patrice replied, with a relaxed smile.

  Ophelia and Kasie, the two empaths, picked up on Patrice’s emotions. They were comforted to sense her confidence in Earth’s new government.

  The Omnian and Earther fleets sailed inward toward humans’ home world.

  In alliance space, some successes in the fight against the Colony, the insectoid race invading and threatening other races, had been made before the fleets sailed for Sol.

  The SADEs detected that the Colony had deserted the Quall dome. Previously, the gentle Quall race had been eliminated by the Colony, and the Packeoes, a federacy race, had been installed on the planet to temporarily fend for themselves. Jess’s veterans and a SADE had occupied the dome and locked the insectoids out of the Q-gates, which were the only option available to the alliance to transport individuals and goods between the stars.

  Commodore Lucia Bellardo had sailed the OS Judgment in the company of the small fleet with the assault veterans aboard to some of the alliance’s lost domes. Where there was a ring above the dome, it indicated that the Colony had sent transports across interstellar space to invade the planet.

  An Earther pilot, Lieutenant Sharon Reems, was adept at eliminating a Colony shuttle in its launch tube. The clearing of a launch tube provided Jess and his veterans a means of accessing the tunnels that led to the dome. Their entry was facilitated with the use of a version of Mickey Brandon’s newest fighting shadows, a multi-legged avatar with a mounted laser, to flood the insectoid-held tunnels.

  After the Colony suffered the first devastating loss against the shadows, the insectoids chose to flee through the gates to escape their attackers. The shadows hunted them, even as the reds and the grays scuttled for the dome’s upper deck. Most insectoids never made the gates.

  The veterans were shocked at the insectoids’ hasty retreat. It was unlike the Colony to choose to run rather than fight.

  A dome’s console was used to lock out the gates to prevent the Colony’s return, and the local alliance race was notified of the returned access. A message was sent to the Tsargit, the alliance governing body. It heralded the success of the combined efforts of Pyreans, Jatouche, Sylians, Norsitchians, Omnians, and Earthers.

  Tacnock, Commandant Ophelia Tuttle, and Lieutenant Aputi Tulafono, had made reports to their respective heads of state. The Jatouche ruler and the Pyrean president appointed Tacnock and Ophelia as envoys to Sol, and Aputi left the president’s office with major’s insignias on his shoulders. Ophelia couldn’t have been prouder of him.

  Afterward, the fleets were reformed, and freighters were shared between the commands. Then Tatia Tachenko, the Omnian fleet admiral, directed Admiral Darius Gaumata’s command to remain in alliance space and support the Sylian and Norsitchian troops, who assisted the Pims and the Packeoes. Rear admiral Deirdre Canaan’s command was assigned to accompany the Freedom, the Rêveur, the Judgment, and the Earthers’ Tridents to Sol.

  Now, as the combined fleets sailed inward toward Earth, Alex, Renée, Julien, and Cordelia occupied the city-ship Freedom’s bridge in the late evening hours.

  “That’s tremendous progress,” Renée remarked.

  Julien and Cordelia had pulled archival data of their earlier visits to Earth, and they’d accrued recent telemetry imagery of the planet. The comparisons from many years apart were presented side by side on the bridge holo-vid.

  “It’s the colors, which are remarkable,” Renée added. “The atmospheric dinge is gone. It’s clear, where there aren’t clouds.”

  “According to Olawale’s notes,” Cordelia interjected, “there was a concerted effort by the new government to push heavy industry off the planet to Mars and outer moons through tax incentives and low-cost capital loans.”

  “Our ship technology must have helped them a great deal. That’s a lot of dirty shuttle launches from Earth that have been eliminated,” Alex reasoned. “Cordelia, any count on them?”

  “The controller completed tabulation of Omnian-designed ships soon after entry into Sol’s space,” Cordelia replied. “Travelers number one hundred thirty-six, and Tridents count seventy-seven. This does not include the three returning Tridents under Commodore Bellardo’s command.”

  “Why so many Tridents?” Renée asked.

  “Good question,” Alex remarked. “That’s one we’ll have to ask Nikki.”

  “Speaking of the president,” Cordelia said, “she must be anxious to meet with us. A traveler launched from Earth. I was curious as to its occupant, as the pilot laid a course to intercept this ship.”

  “Expected arrival time?” Alex asked.

  “At sixteen hours,” Cordelia replied.

  “Just after midday meal. Convenient,” Renée remarked.

  Alex was quiet, and Renée, Cordelia, and Julien waited.

  “You’re wondering how Earth’s production of Tridents relates to your plan,” Julien surmised, when the silence extended.

  “Yes,” Alex murmured softly.

  “We will need Tridents,” Renée opined.

  “For now,” Alex replied, “the domes will do fine for the immediate transfer of a small number of personnel and goods. But the future will require large transports that possess both grav tech and clamshell drives.”

  Julien copied the fleet’s SADEs on Alex’s thoughts, and they committed kernel resources to designing solutions.

  Renée sent.

  Alex grinned, reached for Renée’s hand, and said good night to Julien and Cordelia.

  Cordelia sent to Julien, as the pair of humans exited the bridge.

  Julien sent in reply.

  Cordelia replied.

  Julien asked.

  Cordelia replied.

  For a brief tick of time, Julien halted most kernel processes. He hadn’t been part of the SADEs’ sharing. It occurred to him that, like the others who had worked around Alex to push for the distribution of implants, the SADEs had spoken with Cordelia in an effort to influence him indirectly.

  While Julien ruminated on what that line of communications meant, Miranda interjected. she sent.

  Z, Miranda’s partner, sent.

  Cordelia reasoned.

  Julien replied.

  Cordelia pointed out.

  Cordelia’s comment reminded Julien that in slightly fewer than ninety years, it would be critical to have selected many teachers for the nascent SA
DEs. To facilitate that, Earthers, who could be an ideal source of personnel, needed the cell gen injections now. That would ensure they’d be present when the option became available. He made a note to speak to Alex before the president arrived.

  Julien’s opportunity arrived after morning meal. Only the three of them, Alex, Renée, and Julien, could be present for the conversation. As a precaution, Julien curtailed his comms app, and Alex and Renée did the same for their implants. Their conversation was to be strictly verbal.

  Alex gestured to Julien, who’d requested the meeting.

  “This is a merger of the information gleaned from Méridien and our discussion about medical tech transfer,” Julien said cryptically.

  “We can’t pick and choose candidates for cell gen injection on the hopes they’ll be appropriate candidates when the time is right,” Renée objected.

  “No, we can’t,” Julien replied.

  “You’re advocating making the tech available for the entire Sol citizenry,” Alex suggested.

  “I am,” Julien replied.

  “Why such a large pool of candidates?” Renée asked.

  “The SADEs have been discussing the pressures that the introduction of Alex’s plan will create on populations through further generations,” Julien explained. “The plan’s goal is admirable, but the sharing of domes and starship tech between the federacy and the alliance will increase the opportunities to expand territory.”

  Alex leaned back to consider what the SADEs postulated. The Packeoes were a perfect example of overpopulation pressures. “You’re envisioning a role for the SADEs to encourage stable growth in the races,” he said.

  “And foster a desire within the races to exist in extensive dome habitation,” Julien said.

  “Then you’d need a lot more SADEs,” Renée said, understanding the concept.

  “Precisely,” Julien replied.

  “Omnia doesn’t have a significant enough pool?” Alex asked.

  “Omnia has the most favorable density of candidates for its population size,” Julien replied. “But we can’t calculate the number of individuals who might wish to volunteer to be educators.”