A Galactic wide war starts when humans meet the Stygians, an agressive alien warrior race. The war is fought on many fronts with chesslike strategy.
This novel is a space opera about a galactic empire vs. an agressive alien warrior race, the Stygians. The action is based on an actual chess game. The main characters represent chessmen and the various locations represent areas of the chessboard. The alien Stygians are the white pieces and the human Olympians are the black pieces. The galaxy is depicted realistically, using the real names of stars, clusters and other astronomical features of the Milky Way.
Ron Bo Kan, chief of staff of the Emperor Mikado of the Olympian Empire, which controls 36, 000 square light-years of the Milky Way galaxy, is on a diplomatic mission to the Stygians. The Stygians are an alien race whose empire is also expanding and whose technology is roughly equivalent to the humans. They demand that Mikado give up several hundred square light-years of territory. Thus, the war begins.
Because the galaxy is such an enormous place, such a war requires much stealth and intelligence about the enemy, new weapons of mass destruction that can destroy whole stellar systems. There are spies and counterspies.
In addition, each side has its own internal problems, such as plots against the leaders, self-serving politicians, nobility and intelligence agents, and out-an-out traitors. Included in this mix are mind reading seductive androids, a queen who can send her aura anywhere instantly, and scientists working a WMVs that can destroy the galaxy..
To make matters worse, the megalomaniac Bulga Khanic, High King of the Perseus Globular Cluster, who has his own extensive and well-armed space fleet and an army of billions spread out through the cluster would like to be emporer himself. .
At the artificial planet Stygia, the android Aristotle remarks, "I hope that the two sides keep fighting until they destroy each other. Then we would rule the galaxy."
Excerpt
The Solar System, the birthplace of humanity, is a backwater, too far from the Olympian capital to share in its wealth and culture. Its economy is in the doldrums, most of the population lives from hand to mouth, its technology is behind most of the Olympians, its governing bodies are corrupt and its defenses weak. The planet Earth itself is polluted and mineral poor. Everything of value has been taken from it. The humans who live in the Solar System fight over the scraps.
As a result of this report from Stygian spies, Combat Lady Tuff decided that it was the perfect target for a first strike against the Olympians. As she explained to her superiors, "Its defenses are weak. It can be defeated quickly with a small force. Because of it's proximity to Procyon, conquering the Solar System will be a demoralizing strike close to the heart of the empire. As the cradle of humanity, its fall would be a terrible blow."
With a fleet of one battleship, three battle cruisers, and several cruisers and destroyers, she arrived in the solar system at spot near Mars above the ecliptic. She softened the red planet up by saturation bombing that destroyed several domed cities, including the capital, Barsoom. The Martians fought bravely in patrol ships. Against the Stygian fleet, their speed and numbers were like a swarm of flies attacking an elephant. They irritated by inflicting minor damage. Because of their speed and maneuverability, they were difficult to destroy. Their effect was to delay the landing of Stygian ground divisions.
Tuff used fighter craft and anti-spacecraft masers against them. From her view of surrounding space through the viewscreen, the battle against the black night of space looked like a fireflies flashing on and off as spacecraft on both sides burst into fiery explosions. She paced back forth, her hands clasped behind her back, staring at the viewscreen. Finally she asked her battle commander, "Status."
"One hundred fifty two enemy patrol ships destroyed out of original four hundred. Twenty seven of our fighter craft destroyed. We're winning the space battle."
"Estimated time before planetfall of ground divisions becomes feasible without major casualties?"
"Twenty hours. We're destroying their ships at a rate of approximately eighteen an hour, but we're losing spacecraft as well."
"Unacceptable." She turned to the commander of the flagship, War Chief Whiskers. "Can you think of a way to speed the operation up?"
Her expression told the officer that she had better think of something quickly.
War Chief Whiskers was a battle hardened veteran of many wars fought between Stygians and was not intimidated by Tuff. She shrugged. "We could waste atomics on them."
Tuff thought a moment. She said, "Make it so. We'll not need them when we attack earth. Sorceress Two-Color-Eyes claims to have invented a weapon that will ensure the fall of that planet with few casualties and little destruction. We'll see whether she can deliver as promised." She turned to the battle operations officer. "Call in the fighters."
Once the orders were given, the number of fireflies in the dark outside the battleship slacked off. Tuff smiled. "The natives of the red planet probably feel as though they've won a victory in space as our fighters turn tail. They have a surprise coming."
A few moments later the first of the torpedoes exploded in the midst of the swarm of patrol ships. In the view screen, it was a bright flash as though a supernova had occurred in that section of sky. A second and third flash occurred. Suddenly there were many fireflies at once, and then nothing.
"Status."
"Enemy craft ninety percent destroyed."
"That's what I like to hear. Brilliant idea, War Chief. Very efficient. Have the planetfall craft deploy our warriors to the surface immediately. Send fighter craft back out to destroy enemy stragglers." She waved her hand in a complicated pattern as though conjuring a victory. "Make it so. Take the bridge, War Chief. I'm going to find out the status of Two-Color-Eyes' invention."
As Tuff strolled down to the sorceress's laboratory, she thought, Things are going well. The battle plan is ahead of schedule. I'm not impressed with these humans. They don't have any honor. You'd think that their first priority would be to protect the system that was their original home. I wonder whether the rest of the Olympians will fall as easily as these reddish colored planet's natives.
When she entered the laboratory, she was surprised to see what seemed to be an android in a cage. "Why is that thing in a cage? Is it malfunctioning?"
Sorceress Two-Color-Eyes chuckled. "Oh Combat Lady, it's not an android, but a live human. It was captured during the space battle."
"Really! How interesting. I've never seen one in the flesh before." Tuff stepped closer to the cage for a closer look. The human backed into a corner cringing and crying in its own language. "Cowardly creature, isn't it?"
"That's because interrogators have been at it."
Tuff turned to Two-Color-Eyes. "Why is it still alive?"
"Because I requested that it be given to me for experimentation. I need to ensure that my latest spell will work on these lowly creatures."
"Of course. That's why I came down here. Explain again how the spell will allow us to conquer the blue planet without casualties."
"Since I have one of the creatures available, I'll demonstrate."
The sorceress stood before the cage, made several motions in the air and mumbled an incantation while staring at the prisoner. The astronaut stiffened and collapsed. Two-Color-Eyes' eyes rolled back in her head as she went into a trance. The prisoner rose and sauntered toward the bars. He grinned at Tuff and growled in perfect Stygian, "Greetings Combat Lady Tuff. I speak with the tongue of the prisoner."
"Two-Color-Eyes? Have you possessed the human?"
"Yes. Not only that, but I can read his thoughts and access his memories. I could pass for him among the humans. The disguise would be virtually undetectable. For example, I can tell you that this man considers himself a Martian, their name for the red planet's inhabitants, rather than an Olympian. To him the government in Olympus has little effect on his life. Although he's not afraid to die to save Mars, he is absolutely terrified of your interrogators. His pain threshold is low compared to a Stygian. He has a female sex partner, who he is extremely loyal to, although he regards females as inferior to men."
"Males are stupid that way in every species."
"It's likely that his sex partner and his children died in the destruction of the city of Barsoom. Thus, he hates us with a passion."
"So these humans have real emotions after all. All this is interesting, Sorceress, but how will this possession help us conquer Earth?"
The human's expression changed back to one of fear and hate. Two-Color-Eyes came out of her trance and said, "I can cast this spell at any distance. All I need to do is have visual contact. Do you see the possibilities?"
"I'm beginning to get an inkling."
Two-Color took Tuff by the arm and led her over to a large crystal globe. She made motions over the crystal. A scene showing a human military headquarters appeared. The participants had the same red uniforms as the prisoner. Two-Color explained, "This is the Martian's military headquarters. Watch the man with the pentagrams on the collar of his uniform. I believe he's their warlord."
She performed the same spell she had used on the prisoner. The general stiffened, slowly withdrew his sidearm from its holster and began shooting wildly at the military personnel present in the room, killing a couple and wounding others. With his last bullet, he raised the gun to his own head and shot himself. At that moment, Two-Color came out of her trance.
"Impressive," Tuff declared. "How do you plan to use this spell against the blue planet natives?"
"Simple. I'll locate their leader and have him surrender unconditionally to us. However, as we approach, you may encounter resistance in space. We'll need to be in orbit around the blue planet before I can use my spell. And, of course, you'll likely have to deal with insurgents once we take over. But, all in all, my plan should save many Stygian lives. Human lives as well. You'll have a large local population to enslave. We could send many back to the Perseus Arm to labor in asteroid and comet mines. The more intelligent and athletic humans will make interesting game for hunting. I'll keep a few to experiment with. In addition, using my new spell to cause them to surrender, the blue planets infrastructure remains intact."
"Good plan. We'll be ready to move the fleet to Earth orbit in less than a week. By then, mop up operations on Mars will be complete."
"One thing. I may have to be in a trance for an extended period. My body must be cared for."
"No problem. We have the best healers in all Stygia aboard." Tuff pointed at the prisoner. "What do you intend to do with that one?"
"Dissect it. It'll be useful to know the biology and internal structures of the humans."
"May I kill it now?" Tuff licked her lips. It had been a long time since she had the intense pleasure of taking the life of another creature at close range.
"Of course, War Lady. Please don't tear it apart however. It still has scientific value."
"Don't worry. I'll toy with a while and then break its neck."
She sauntered over to the cage, opened the gate and approached the human. She purred with pleasure as she extended the razor sharp nails of her claws.
* * *
The eminent Doctor Laura Rad's laboratory was deep underground in the Andes Mountains. She chose this location on Earth because her work was so secret that it had to be far from spying eyes. Princess Lai was one of the few persons who knew its location. Since Earth was only twenty-five days journey from Olympus by FLT, she decided to pay a surprise visit to see how Rad's latest project was coming along. She traveled incognito on a commercial starliner, using false identification that would allow her entry to Earth without revealing that she was the daughter of the emperor. At first because of the attack on Mars, the Earth authorities wanted to turn all commercial traffic away, but this seemed impractical, since starships had traveled long distances from places as far away as a thousand light years, a journey of more than two and half years.
Rad met Lai at her private heliport at ground level. "Greetings Princess. You've come at a bad time. An unknown but powerful alien force has attacked Mars. The last news report I saw said that the Martians have capitulated and that the alien space armada was headed toward Earth."
Lai introduced her traveling companions, Captain Willard Shane, her bodyguard and current lover, and Commissioner Wiskopf, director of the Olympic Bureau of Investigation (OBI). "I just learned of the invasion as I arrived. The Space Guard wanted to make our commercial flight return to Procyon, but the pilot argued that he had to refuel."
As they walked slowly toward the elevators beyond the security checkpoint, Rad asked, "Do you have any idea who the invaders are? Are the Clangians on the warpath again?"
"After the uprising twenty years ago, the Clangians no longer have a space fleet. The threat, I believe, is from an alien race in another spiral arm of the galaxy. We've been calling them Stygians. My stupid father wants to declare war on them without assessing their strengths and weaknesses. Right now, we know practically nothing about them. The emperor was persuaded to send Prince Ron Bo Kan to negotiate. If these invaders are the Stygians, perhaps the negotiations broke down, or they decided to initiate a first strike to assess our strength. When father hears of this, he'll likely embroil us further in a war against these creatures who, for all we know, may be vastly superior to us. A prescription for disaster if you ask me."
"The fleet they sent seems powerful. They conquered Mars in a matter of days."
"Not too surprising. The Martians never did have a decent defensive force."
"Earth's isn't much better. It would be prudent for you to return to Olympus before they invade this planet."
Princess Lai chuckled. "No need. Even if they attack Earth, your stronghold is certainly safe enough. It's hidden in the mountains, and few know that it exists."
"True. But if Earth falls, you'll be stuck here. I'm sure the invading force will monitor all traffic leaving the planet."
"I'll take my chances. Come, show me what you've cooked up with that nanotechnology of yours."
They took a high speed elevator. Shane and Wiskopf disembarked at the personnel level with Rad's personal assistant who was to show them to their assigned living quarters. Rad and Lai continued to the lowest lever where Rad's laboratory existed. Rad brought the princess over by an electron microscope. "Look at this, Princess."
Lai peered through the eyepiece. "Why, they look like tiny spaceships."
"Exactly, complete with laser weaponry. Each one is the size of a molecule of DNA."
Lai turned to Rad. "But being so small, what possible use could they be as weapons of war?"
"Not much against a space fleet or an armored division. But billions could be manufactured. Thousands would attack each individual soldier. It would be like an invisible army. For example, they could fly inside a brain and blast it away until the individual dies, goes insane or is paralyzed. They'd also be useful for espionage. Imagine a spy plane as small as a microbe that could broadcast everything it saw and heard."
"They could do that?"
"Absolutely. That's the beauty of our latest techniques. The nanomechs can be made to whatever specifications required."
Lai thought, How useful they would be to assassinate my father. She asked aloud, "How are they controlled?"
Rad showed her the control mechanism, a device slightly large than the princess's palm. It had a tiny screen that showed what the nanomech was viewing. It could be fitted with earphones as well. "Do you have to have one of these for each nanomech?"
"No. The nano-remote can control nanomechs in groups of up to a thousand. Look into the microscope. I'll show you."
Lai placed her eyes to the device again. As she watched, Rad caused the entire squadron of thousands to move as one, switched over to control a hundred at a time and finally as individual nanomechs.
"Unbelievable," Lai cried. "Before I leave, you must manufacture a thousand for me to take back to Olympus to show Emperor Makido."
"That may take up to a month, depending on what the functions you want them to perform."
"I'll wait. If Earth falls to aliens before I'm ready to leave, I'm sure you'll find a way for me to escape this backwater system."
"I do have a few four-passenger private FLT ships for my own use. I suppose I can spare one and a pilot. It may be risky though. It'll depend upon what sort of security systems the invaders put in place. Let me take you to my best engineer. She'll work with you to design the nanomechs to your specifications."
* * *
Growlgrr paced the floor of the war room of his fortress palace. Although he was aware that Admiral Tuff had invaded the solar system and that his other forces were on their way to hit other Olympian targets, he felt out of touch with the war. The Orion spiral arm of the galaxy was extremely far away from Growln. Dispatches would take months, perhaps years, to reach him. He decided that he must be closer to the war zone. He contacted Warlord Purrcat, the warlord in charge of the Stygian's main fleet. The fleet orbited the great gas giant Bloated in the inner system while the warlord waited for Growlgrr's orders.
When Purrcat's face appeared on the comm screen, Growlgrr said, "Great Cat in the Sky, I've forgotten how ugly you are, Purrcat."
"I greet you too, Chief Warlord Growlgrr, and find you quite offensive. Have you finally gotten over your cowardly hesitation and decided to mount a frontal attack on the Olympian's main space force?"
"Not quite yet, stupid. Currently, not much is known about its strength. I've decided to join you aboard the Hunter. Once I'm aboard, I'll decide how the fleet may be best used."
Purrgrat growled fiercely. "I don't know whether I can stand your stink aboard my ship."
"Nonetheless, I am War Chief. I need to be close to the action."
"Just make sure you stay away from my females after you board. If I caught you screwing one, I would have to rend you limb from limb, War Chief or not."
"Bah. I wouldn't touch the same flesh as you touched. Who knows what disease I might catch. I'll be aboard in few hours. Make sure that you have sufficient accommodations for me and my retinue of guards."
Purrgrat growled again. "Aye, aye, Growlgrr the Great Smell."
The screen went blank. Growlgrr muttered, "For an asshole, Purrgrat is a pretty good fellow. I think we'll get along well." He called his aide to prepare everything for him to join the Stygian fleet.
* * *
In the middle of the night, Princess Lai hastily slipped on a thin robe over her diaphanous nightgown and tapped lightly on the door that separated her apartment from Captain Shane's. After a few moments, the door slid away, and a tall dark shadow stood in the entrance. "Will, it's me, Shady."
"I know," Shane replied. He took her in his arms. Their lips met, and his tongue darted into her mouth. She gasped with pleasure as his rough hands slid under the thin cloth of her gown. The next moment she felt herself being swept up by his strong arms and carried to his bed, where he gently laid her down. He knelt on the bed besides her and swiftly and skillfully removed her robe and nightgown. Even more quickly he tore away his own garments. Gently, he began to kiss her all over, starting at her throat and working his way down to her breast, nipping her nipples. From there he moved down to her stomach, moving his tongue around in her bellybutton. Finally she felt his tongue inside the lips of her vagina. She groaned with pleasure. Next, as he mounted her, she felt his hardness against her body. She reached down and guided it inside. Her legs wove themselves around his hard body. Her heels dug into the small of his back as she pushed her pubic area against him. His hands caressed her breasts as he moved slowly back and forth inside her, gently so as not enough to cause premature ejaculation. They kept this up for several minutes until perspiration dripped from every pore of her body, and the ecstasy was too much to bear. Finally, they climaxed together. The burst of pleasure was so great that she screamed out his name several times.
He pressed a finger to her lips, slowly massaging her body as he disengaged, kissing and hugging her and whispering endearments in her ear. They went on like this for another hour, by which time he was ready again, and they made love a second time, more slowly and lovingly this time. Afterwards, Lai was exhausted and fell asleep.
She was awakened by Shane shaking her shoulder. "Someone is at your door," he whispered. She quickly found her gown and robe and hurried back to her own room. She mussed up the bed and cried, "Just a minute. Who's there?"
"It's me, Ma'am," came the voice of her maid. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Princess, but a messenger has arrived from your father. He says that he has an urgent dispatch."
"Come in, Sally." When the maid entered, Lai asked, "What time is it?."
"Early. Barely eight A.M., Ma'am. I wouldn't have disturbed you, but the messenger said it was extremely urgent."
"Did he give the message to you?"
"No. The messenger said that it was for your eyes only. He's waiting in the conference room at the end of the hall."
"Very well. Help me dress. Then wake Captain Shane and Commissioner Wiskopf. Tell them to meet me in the conference room."
* * *
When Lai entered the conference room, the messenger, a young attractive military man, looked pale and disturbed. He bowed as she entered.
"What's the matter, Sergeant? You seem troubled."
"Terrible news, Princess." He was actually shaking.
"Something in the dispatch?"
"I haven't opened it. It's sealed. But Earth has surrendered to aliens. It was on the news." He pointed to the wall-sized holoscreen at the end of the room and commanded it to turn on.
The governor of Earth was speaking. There was something strange about his eyes. He seemed dazed and spoke in a monotone as though asleep or mesmerized. "Dear Citizens, I have bad news that I must impart to you. We have been invaded by an alien force of such massive strength and advanced technology that our space fleet was overwhelmed. To prevent the destruction of Earth and save the lives of our citizens, I've decided to surrender unconditionally. Warlady Tuff, the alien commander, through interpreters, has ensured me that we humans will be treated humanely and with respect. Until further notice, everyone may continue with their normal activities. The warlady herself will descend to Earth in a few days to take charge of the government. From this day forth, we are no longer part of the Olympian Empire, but are under the jurisdiction of Warlord Growlgrr, Chief Warrior of the Stygian Confederacy, and Warlord of the Planet Growlgrr. That is all for now. I will return with further news and information about the occupation after I meet with Warlady Tuff. Goodnight Citizens."
He was replaced by the news anchor, who reiterated and commented on the gist of the speech. He also reported the takeover of Mars and the battles in space.
Wiskopf, who had entered the room with Captain Shane a couple minutes after Princess Lai, said, "Something's was strange about Governor Wilson. I know the man. He wouldn't capitulate so quickly. He even looked strange, as though he were under the influence of a strong narcotic."
"It makes no difference," Lai said. "We're in the soup now. With the Solar System taken over by the Stygians, our negotiating position has worsened considerably. There'll be heavy pressure to seek revenge on these aliens. I'm sure Makido will make war on them until the last human is dead or they are defeated. Let's see what this dispatch is about."
She broke the seal by pressing her ring against it. A hologram of Director Raven, the head of the Emperor's Intelligence Agency (EIA), appeared. He said simply without preamble, "A large alien fleet, believed to be Stygian, is headed toward Riga. Commissioner Wiskopf is ordered to report to the Rigi system as quickly as feasible to oversee intelligence gathering concerning the invasion."
Lai said, "It seems the aliens have beaten Makido to the punch. They're attacking on at least two fronts. Perhaps more."
"How will I get off Earth now?" asked Wiskopf. He was thinking, Raven hates me. If Riga is being attacked by the Stygians, there's a good chance that I'll be killed and he can talk Makido into replacing me with someone more to his liking.
"Doctor Rad has a small personal starcraft that you can use. Will, you'll accompany the commissioner to Riga."
Shane said, "But what about you, Princess?"
"I'll stay here on Earth for the time being. I'll be safe from the Stygians in Doctor Rad's well hidden hideout. If worse comes to worse, Doctor Rad and I can escape at the last moment. It's necessary that I stay here until the technology the doctor's technicians are preparing for me is ready." She wasn't about to leave the planet without the nanomechs she intended to use against her father.
Shane laid his palm on her cheek. "I'll miss you terribly, Princess."
Lai knew that it might be more than a year before she saw him again. Riga was two hundred and fifty light years away, a journey of seven months. She smiled at him and caressed his hand on her cheek. "And I will miss you, Captain. But I'll have the memory of last night to sustain me. Now, go find Doctor Rad and fly quickly to Rigi to find out what's going on."
She and Shane embraced, and the men left the room.
The messenger asked, "What about me, Princess? How will I return to Olympus?"
Lai looked him over. He was a broad shouldered young man with a pleasant face. "What's you name, Sergeant?"
"Parker, ma'am. Sergeant Specialist Mark Parker." He saluted.
Lai smiled lasciviously at him. "I'm afraid you'll need to stay here for the time being, Sergeant. Captain Shane's my personal bodyguard. I'll need someone to take his place. You have the honor of that duty while I'm on Earth. Come. I'll show you where he sleeps. That will be your bedroom for a while."
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