Vortex Incursion
VORTEX INCURSION
Gate Ghosts Book 4
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 © 2022 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: 978-1-7375537-4-8 (e-book)
ISBN: 978-1-7375537-5-5 (softcover)
First Edition: April 2022
Cover Design: Damon Za
Acknowledgments
Vortex Incursion is the fourth novel in the Gate Ghosts series, which relates the stories of the descendants of Earth’s fourth colony ship.
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, and Tiffany Crutchfield, I offer my sincere thanks for their support.
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: Krackus Anomaly
2: Tritium Trio
3: Alien Trickery
4: Experiment Four
5: The Forty-Five
6: Chairperson Trio
7: Schism
8: Kilmer Rehab
9: Lisa’s Decision
10: Anomalous Data
11: Ovoid and Sphere
12: Take Your Chances
13: Now You See It
14: Message Received
15: Emissary Proposal
16: Samuel’s Avatar
17: Inquisitor
18: Too Many Projects
19: Tarbar’s Ploy
20: Escape Plan
21: Bluff or Lie?
22: QASAP Report
23: We Must Do Something
24: Tough Decisions
25: Time to Sail
26: Rendezvous
27: Miriamal’s Revenge
28: Why Don’t You Leave?
29: Factfinding
30: Twin Prongs
31: Choices Offered
32: Challenge Accepted
33: Dissidents
34: We Invite You
Glossary
My Books
The Author
1: Krackus Anomaly
KILMER, DAIMLER SYSTEM
PURE POUR PLANET
Kelley was the first to leap from the traveler to the rocky planet’s surface. The boots of his suit scuffed Kilmer’s regolith dust.
Senior Captain Dominique D’Arcy was second to exit the ship. Although, unlike the SADE, she used the hatch steps.
Within the outposts’ hierarchy, biologicals carried ranks, which gave them military titles, and they had assigned duties. SADEs had none of these things.
The chairpersons were about to learn this important fact about the outposts.
As Cremsylon phrased it to Kelley and Dominique, “Kelley, I need an individual to accompany the senior captain. You have the emotional balance and understand the human machinations in this area of space.”
“I assume Kelley will be in charge,” Dominique remarked.
“You’ll share duties,” Cremsylon replied. “In most situations, Kelley will lead. He’ll decide the political issues. However, Captain, you’ll fight the ships, if and when it becomes necessary.”
Kelley read between the lines. They’d have to decide together when force was required.
Naiads might think that a senior captain who commanded warships would hold sway over an untitled digital entity. That’s due to their lack of experience with SADEs. A fifty-eight-year-old human warship commander comfortably relinquished leadership to a SADE with three centuries more experience.
Using previous occasions, Kelley strode across the landing pad toward the engineering bay surface hatch.
Kelley turned his head toward Dominique and grinned through his helmet’s viewplate. He liked her sharp wit. It had made the journey much more enjoyable.
At this time, Kelley and Dominique were the only two outpost individuals to enter the Kilmer domes.
Dominique glanced briefly upward to where her Trident squadron held station.
Meanwhile, Kelley accessed a panel and rotated the engineering bay’s airlock.
Having been forewarned by the shuttleport that more smooth-shelled ships had arrived in system, techs waited inside.
Chairperson Lisa Dyehouse’s orders had been terse to several individuals. To her security commander, she’d said, “Stand down. It doesn’t matter who is inside those suits. More than likely, one or more SADEs will be present, and I don’t want your people to do something stupid and get hurt.”
To Gant Borden, the operations director, Lisa said, “These ships appear to be an escalation on the outpost’s part. The chairpersons will greet the visitors.”
“Is that wise?” Gant had argued. He’d wanted to be part of the auspicious introductions.
Rather than reply to Gant, Lisa had truncated the call.
After the visitors doffed their environment suits, which techs carefully laid atop crates, a young female tech offered to escort them to the shuttleport surface deck.
“We’re familiar with the routes employed by the construction of your domes,” Kelley replied.
“Then you’ve visited some of our other worlds?” the tech inquired, as she accompanied the visitors. She chose to walk with them, determined not to miss out on an opportunity to talk to individuals who sailed starships.
“To date, Naiad, Delhart, and Beta One,” Kelley replied.
“Delhart scares me,” the tech admitted. “I can’t see myself riding in a transport only to end up at the bottom of a deep crevasse.”
“It’s a thrilling ride,” Dominique admitted.
The tech eyed Kelley’s smooth glide. “You’re one of the SADEs whom we’ve heard about, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Yes,” Kelley replied, glancing at the young woman’s face. He saw fascination, not fear.
“They say the SADEs have been around a long time,” the tech ventured.
“Is that a circumspect way of asking my age?” Kelley inquired, smiling at the woman.
“Sorry. Was that rude of me?” the tech asked.
“No offense was taken,” Kelley replied. “I’ve been around for about three-and-a-half centuries of your annuals.”
The young woman’s mouth fell open, and she tripped over her own feet. However, she never hit the floor. Kelley’s arms supported her.
“That’s amazing,” the woman gushed, when she straightened. “For an old entity,
you’re still awfully quick.”
At the elevator to the shuttleport main deck, the tech accessed the panel. “This is as far as I go,” she said. “You have important people waiting for you up there. It was a pleasure meeting you.” Then she touched two fingers to her brow and hurried down the corridor from which they’d come.
Dominique regarded Kelley. She’d known SADEs all her life, and their capacity for empathy still amazed her. She reflected again on the question of longevity. If I had forever, would I be more tolerant, she wondered.
Making the shuttleport’s surface deck, Kelley made his way toward the waiting chairpersons, who were known to him.
“Welcome to Kilmer, Kelley,” Lisa said.
“Greetings, Chairpersons Dyehouse, Denham, and Allbers,” Kelley replied. “My companion is Senior Captain Dominique D’Arcy.”
Before Dominique could reply, Frank Allbers said, “We haven’t seen those types of ships up there before.”
“Perhaps, you should expand your travel plans, Chairperson Allbers. Get out and see more of the galaxy,” Dominique quipped.
“What Frank means —” Karl Denham began.
“I’m aware of what the chairperson meant,” Dominique replied, cutting Karl off. “First, it would have been polite of your companion to allow introductions to be completed. Second, it would have behooved Chairperson Allbers to ask a direct question. We value frankness, but, from what I’ve heard and seen from my companions, that seems to be in short supply among your kind.”
“Perhaps, we should take this to a more appropriate location,” Lisa interjected. She was distressed by the crowd they were drawing and the testy exchange.
Lisa intended to lead the group to her apartment.
Instead, after crossing only half the port’s deck, Kelley said, “These will do.” Then he accessed the panel of a privacy call booth.
As the door slid aside, Kelley gestured to the chairpersons to precede him.
Lisa briefly hesitated. Then she shrugged and waved a hand at the other chairpersons to follow.
“We don’t intend to stay long,” Kelley said, by way of preamble. “This is a courtesy call to inform you of our presence and our objectives.”
Frank opened his mouth, but Dominique’s upraised finger signaled him to wait.
“To answer your intended question, Chairperson Allbers,” Dominique said. “The ships above are a squadron of Tridents, which I command. They’re warships.”
“We’re here to monitor the recently explored anomaly,” Kelley said. “Other than the initial probe, which was intimated in Madeline’s message to Gat’r, have there been any more sightings?”
“Happy to hear my messages made sense,” Lisa said with relief. “Now that the shuttleport knows where to focus an antenna, we’ve spotted a second probe.”
“It’s not there now,” Dominique said.
“It exited the wormhole, came to a halt, and stayed there about nine cycles,” Karl explained. “Although, it didn’t match the description that Captain Samis gave us of the first probe.”
“Explain,” Kelley requested.
“A couple of things stood out,” Karl replied. “The second probe appeared to be twice the diameter of the first one, and the new probe had some sort of shielding around it.”
“Also, it had greater propulsion capability,” Lisa added. “The first probe looked like it was a standalone exploratory design. The second one appeared as if it was supposed to have a secondary propulsion stage.”
“Did you secure imagery?” Dominique inquired.
“We can take you to the port controller’s office for a better view than our slates can provide,” Lisa offered.
“Unnecessary,” Kelley supplied. He extended a hand and projected a holo-vid image. “Did it resemble this design?”
“Yes,” Lisa said quickly. “Except for a different hull coating, that’s exactly how the second probe looked.”
“Where did you get that image?” Frank asked. “It’s much clearer than ours.”
“This was captured on the other side of the anomaly by the scouts,” Kelley explained. “You probably saw their ship enter and exit the anomaly.”
“We did,” Lisa replied. “Did that probe approach the scout ship?” she asked, pointing at the image floating above Kelley’s hand.
“In a manner,” Kelley replied. “Its purpose isn’t exploratory. It’s a weapon, and it was launched from a battleship on a two-stage missile to test the scouts.”
“What happened?” Karl asked with concern.
“The scouts sent it away,” Kelley replied.
“Are you implying that the scouts could order the weapon to do something different?” Frank asked.
When Frank’s slate erupted with music and flashing, colorful lights, he jumped. Karl stared at the slate with a perplexed expression, and Lisa laughed.
“I’ve been trying to explain to these two,” Lisa said, indicating her companions, “about SADEs’ abilities. I think this little demonstration helped.”
“Could you make it stop?” Frank complained. When his slate suddenly went dark, he said, “That wasn’t funny.”
“Neither are the probes that you’re witnessing,” Dominique retorted with pique. “Among advanced races, the difference in technology will often determine the winner in contentious situations. You should be thrilled to know that the scouts were able to control the Krackus weapon.”
“Krackus. Is that the name of the race on the other side of the wormhole?” Lisa inquired.
“It’s the master race,” Kelley replied. “We’ve information that the Krackus rule a vast empire and have suborned many races.”
Kelley’s words hit home, and the chairpersons wore stupefied expressions.
Dominique sent to Kelley.
Lisa was the first to recover. “You were going to tell us about your objectives,” she reminded Kelley.
“The Krackus anomaly represents a narrow opportunity for the race to enter human space,” Kelley replied. “The Trident squadron is here to dissuade the race from further investigation.”
“The Krackus wormhole,” Frank said disgustedly. “We should have given it a name long ago, rather than call it that.”
“Chairperson Allbers, I believe your focus should be on more important subjects,” Dominique said, her patience dwindling. “Do you have any idea what these probes represent?”
“The aliens are trying to find a way to deal with a wormhole’s violent energy,” Frank shot back. “It’s probably going to take them a long while to figure out how to protect their ships’ crews.”
Dominique laughed derisively, and Frank scowled at her.
“Enough,” Lisa said harshly. She stared at Frank to indicate whom she meant. Then focusing on Dominique, she said, “Captain, we’d like to be educated on what you believe the probes represent.”
“The Krackus have starships. They don’t need the anomalies,” Dominique replied. She glanced pointedly at Frank to see if he understood what she implied. His agape mouth seemed to indicate that he did.
“The probes recorded our star field,” Karl said, shaking his head sadly.
“That’s correct,” Kelley said. “However, there’s good news. The scouts recorded the star field on the other side of the anomaly. The distance to travel from the Helgart system to reach Kilmer would require the Krackus fleet journey nearly an annual. Furthermore, the Krackus would only have access to the Daimler system. Other probes would have to slip through the anomaly to Axis Crossing to image that star field.”
“A fleet?” Lisa queried.
Kelley’s holo-vid lit. It played the sequence of the Vivian’s Reflection sailing at the Krackus fleet. The chairpersons watched massive numbers of heat blooms erupt from nearly forty warships. Then they saw the image slide past one of the huge battleships.
Suddenly, Lisa was alert. “That was taken by the scout ship, wasn’t it?” she asked. “We know that ship returned. That means it evaded every weapon that the fleet tossed at it.”
To the chairpersons’ hopeful faces, Kelley replied, “Assuredly.”
“Then you’ve the superior ships,” Karl added.
“We might have the superior technology,” Dominique allowed. “However, the point of future encounters will be to keep offensive actions away from human worlds.”
“So, at this point, it’s a wait-and-see operation,” Lisa concluded.
“Yes,” Dominique replied. “However, I’m sorely tempted to see how we might interfere with the Krackus investigation of the anomaly.”
The grin Dominique delivered gave Frank and Karl chills, while it gave Lisa confidence. She fervently wanted the senior captain to be a strong, determined woman.
“Any manner in which we can confuse the Krackus and learn more about them would serve our purpose, while setting their investigation back,” Kelley agreed.
“What else can you tell us about the Krackus?” Lisa asked.
“The remaining information we’ve left to share is of little value to you,” Kelley replied. “Our visit is concluded.”
The chairpersons watched the SADE and the captain exit the privacy cubicle and head toward the port’s freight elevator.