Surviving the zoxans, p.1
Surviving the Zoxans, page 1
Surviving the Zoxans
Mastery of the Stars, Volume 4
M J Dees
Published by M J Dees, 2023.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
SURVIVING THE ZOXANS
First edition. August 20, 2023.
Copyright © 2023 M J Dees.
ISBN: 979-8215242759
Written by M J Dees.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Surviving the Zoxans (Mastery of the Stars, #4)
Part One - The Caverns of Angetenar
CHAPTER 1: THE STAKES GET HIGHER
CHAPTER 2: CHANGE OF PLAN
CHAPTER 3: SONG IN THE RAIN
CHAPTER 4: PIRACY
CHAPTER 5: HEADLONG FLIGHT
CHAPTER 6: THE SECRET COLONY
CHAPTER 7: TREACHERY
CHAPTER 8: CHANGE OF SUN
CHAPTER 9: THE BOTTLE FROM SPACE
CHAPTER 10: TRAPPED IN THE ICE
CHAPTER 11: THE FIERY COFFIN
CHAPTER 12: UNDER ATTACK
CHAPTER 13: INTO THE PRAIRIE
CHAPTER 14: THE FULFILLMENT OF DESTINY
CHAPTER 15: THE CHOICE OF LYSITHEA
CHAPTER 16: DREAMS OF THE GOOD PLACE
Part Two - The Walking Lake Of Quaoar
CHAPTER 17: DANGER ON ENCELADUS
CHAPTER 18: THE MISSION GOES AWRY
CHAPTER 19: SLAVERY
CHAPTER 20: BEYOND THE SILVER CHASM
CHAPTER 21: PILLAR OF RUBY FIRE
CHAPTER 22: ELECTRIC SPACESHIPS
CHAPTER 23: DANGEROUS CHOICE
CHAPTER 24: MOONDIVE
CHAPTER 25: SPACE BOUND
CHAPTER 26: THE ALIEN SPACESHIP
CHAPTER 27: LAUNCH AND PURSUIT
CHAPTER 28: MULLEN’S CASTLE
CHAPTER 29: THE PLIGHT OF THE TRITIONS
CHAPTER 30: THE UNSEEN ONE
CHAPTER 31: GRADUATION
Part Three - The Asteroid Of Doom
CHAPTER 32: THE MYSTERIOUS BOX
CHAPTER 33: THE WISE OLD ROBOT
CHAPTER 34: NEW ROLES
CHAPTER 35: RECRUITS FROM ATLAS
CHAPTER 36: THE NEXT STEP
CHAPTER 37: JUSTICE MCFARLAND
CHAPTER 38: EYES IN THE DARK
CHAPTER 39: THE TREACHEROUS CAPTAIN
CHAPTER 40: BOTH SIDES ATTACK
CHAPTER 41: THE CAMP AT MOONCIRCLE VALLEY
CHAPTER 42: THE NEW PROMETHEUS
CHAPTER 43: A AUTOMATIC DRAGONFLY
CHAPTER 44: THE DYING RACE
CHAPTER 45: FIRST FROM THE SUN
CHAPTER 46: THE ELECTRIC BOWMEN
DEDICATION
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The Story so far...
When Sevan became embroiled in a resistance plot to steal a Corporation freighter, The Mastery of the Stars, together with Ay-ttho, and her friend Tori, it turned his life upside down.
Accused and then acquitted of the murder of President Man when Akpom Chuba was revealed as the true conspirator and executed. Unfortunately, the next president, Kirkland, forgot to pardon them. Fleeing with fake identities, Ay-ttho was recognised on the nearby planet of Sicheoyama while trying to rescue Nadio. Hiding on Angetenar, Nadio fell in love with the revolutionary Scotmax. An asteroid storm made Angetenar uninhabitable, so they fled to Scotmax’s begetter, Yor, who lived on Herse where President Kirkland had sent his offspring, Matthews, to be safe from the Republic’s war with Zistreotov.
When Kirkland was murdered on his victorious return, Scotmax, eager for a new Republic, and Sevan, to make his disguise as a bounty Hunter seem realistic, accompanied Matthews to avenge her begetter’s murder.
President Matthews turned her newly formed army against them. They fled as far as the tourist planet of Pallene where Tori and Ay-ttho, with help from the Corporation leader Barnes, were kidnapped by the Republic. They returned later for Sevan and Nadio, who were tried and sent to the prison planet of Ogenus.
On Ogenus, they were all reunited but surprised to discover that Akpom Chuba was not dead but had been saved by his followers and preserved in a machine. Holding Nadio and Yor as prisoners, Chuba threatened to execute them unless the others left on a mission to assassinate President Matthews and return with a fleet to restore Chuba to the Presidency of the Republic.
With the unexpected help of Barnes, they achieved their mission and returned to Ogenus, where Chuba attempted to renege on his promise, which forced them to rescue Nadio and Yor. Fleeing from Ogenus, they were given shelter by Matthews’ co-begotten, the new President Xocliw.
Despite Xocliw´s attempts to placate Chuba, civil war ensued, which ended in the assassination of Chuba. When Xocliw herself was assassinated soon after, her assistant, Allecram, hired the crew of the Mastery of the Stars to fetch Matthews´ offspring, Hours, and take her to the capital planet of Future so she could be inaugurated as the new president and continue the Kirkland dynasty.
Apparently pleased with their work, President Hours pretended to contract them further, but actually sentenced them to death. Exploiting a legal loophole and Republic incompetence, the group escaped execution but, returning to recover the Mastery of the Stars, were caught up in a grand experiment which sent them to a little charted corner of the universe where they met the renowned scientist, Witt.
Witt helped them to get back to Future where they learned Barnes had the Mastery of the Stars. When they found it, they discovered Barnes had equipped the freighter to travel through a hole into another universe. Although they were determined not to go, Witt tricked them into the journey and they found themselves in the parallel universe before they could do anything about it. Witt was attempting to recover his friends that had previously made the journey but failed to return.
Having found Witt´s friends, they prepared to return, but the species they had encountered, the Zoxans, did not want to let Sevan go. Trying to escape, they accidentally sent the entire Zoxan planet through into their own universe.
Having successfully found a route for themselves back into their own universe, they arrived in an uncharted area with no idea of which direction to go. The solution was to go into suspended animation until Ron, the ship’s navigational computer, could find a way home. It took 85 standard solar cycles for Ron to find a civilisation capable of interstellar travel. While the others learned how to communicate with the species they named the vrequx, Ron attempted to communicate with their computer systems to find a star chart. Ron succeeded in his task but, when he did, the vrequx decided they didn’t want them to leave, so they had to fight their way out.
They arrived in the Republic to discover that in the last 85 standard solar cycles; the Zoxans had taken over. They tried to hide in the caverns of Angetenar and discovered that old friends were hiding there too. Wanting to have a useful purpose, Nadio stayed on Angetenar and help their old friend Effeek’o, while Ay-ttho, Tori and Sevan used the Mastery of the Stars to look for other colonies hiding from the Zoxans.
Part One - The Caverns of Angetenar
CHAPTER 1: THE STAKES GET HIGHER
Sevan’s marbles were still sore when he was awoken by the ship’s alarm. He dragged himself out of his bunk and up to the bridge, where he could see Sonvaenope large in the observation windows. It was clear someone on the surface was shooting at them.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“We are being shot at,” said Ay-ttho
“No uxlod, Moncur,” said Sevan, referring to the famous detective of the entertainment implant series of the old Republic, who was famous for solving every case. “Have they done much damage?”
“None,” said Tori. “Their weapon isn’t powerful. Ron is transmitting ‘we come in peace’ messages.”
“As long as we don’t come in pieces,” Sevan joked, but nobody laughed.
“This is the same location we left the colony of Angetenarians all that time ago,” Tori observed.
Sevan thought that would save credits in set building if they ever made the story of their lives into a series for an entertainment implant.
Ron landed the ship on the outskirts and, even before the engines had shut down, a large crowd had gathered.
“Oh, my Giant Cup!” Ay-ttho exclaimed as she watched the crowd part to let through an individual, clearly of some importance.
“What is it?” asked Sevan.
“Sgniwef!”
“Sgniwef of Ao-Jun?” asked Tori. “But surely that’s impossible. We have been in suspended animation for ages. She must be dead by now.”
“The Ao-jun live long lives,” Ay-ttho explained. “That is Sgniwef. I would bet Sevan’s marbles on it.”
“Not the Sgniwef of the Zistreotovean war?” asked Pirate.
“The same.”
“I wonder if she is still with Luap?”
Ay-ttho descended from the ship and approached Sgniwef, whom she considered having not aged considerably.
Sevan thought the entertainment implant series of their lives was looking very viable if they could re-use characters.
“It has been a very long time, Sgniwef. I think the last time I saw you, Matthews was president,” said Ay-ttho
“Who is it that claims to know me from such times past?” Sgniwef aske
“My name is Ay-ttho San An Wan. This is Tori, Sevan, Pirate and Witt. And this is our ship, the Mastery of the Stars.”
“Sevan? Didn’t he help Matthews kill Ydna?”
“I didn’t help so much as tagged along.”
“What brings you here to Sonvaenope?”
“We detected your signal from Angetenar. You should be careful because if we can detect you, the Zoxans might also and your gun will be no match against them.”
“What you experienced were only warning shots. Our true arsenal is much more powerful.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Oh yes, the Zoxans. We have successfully hidden from the Zoxans for many solar cycles, but we have heard of new dangers of Zoxans helping one tribe of old Republicans against another. The Ao-jun are now nomadic, like nearly everyone who is not enslaved by the Zoxans. How do we know you are not in league with the Zoxans?”
“I ask to trust us and take my word for it.”
“That is easier said than done. However, the Ao-jun are hospitable. Therefore, I invite you to stay with us at our settlement for as long as you need and trust that you do not bring the Zoxan forces with you.”
“We are very grateful for your trust and promise that we will not betray it. There is one thing I don’t understand. Our scanners showed a tiny settlement, but your settlement is large.”
“We have been using radiation masking to hide us. You shouldn’t have been able to detect us at all. We must be vulnerable to the Zoxans.”
“I don’t think so. The scanners on the Mastery of the Stars are very good, far advanced than anything the Zoxans have, I would imagine.”
“Let’s hope you are right.”
Sgniwef led them into the settlement and into a large hall which looked like they must use it as a meeting place.
“This is Luap, my partner,” said Sgniwef, gesturing to where Luap was sitting.
“So that is Luap,” Witt whispered. “I thought the face that launched a thousand ships would have been nicer.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” whispered Pirate. “I think time has been very kind to him.”
“Luap will throw a party in your honour,” said Sgniwef. “You must forgive me. I have business I must attend to and must leave, but I will return. In the meantime, I will leave you in the capable claws of my partner.”
“Lucky us,” Pirate whispered.
Sgniwef left the hall and left the visitors wondering what to do next.
“You must forgive my partner,” said Luap. “She is always very busy. Please take a seat.”
The visitors took seats and Luap ordered food and drinks to be brought. Pirate stared at Luap and realised that Luap was staring back at him. Luap approached Pirate.
“Where are you from?” he asked. “Who is your family?”
Luap found Pirate beautiful and Pirate realised this instantly.
“My name is Pirate and my origins are of no consequence.”
“May I confess I find myself attracted to you?”
“You may, and may I confess I share the same feelings for you?”
Immediately, Pirate thought about how he might capture Luap and take him away from Sgniwef.
“Would you like to come and see our ship?” Pirate asked.
“I would like that very much,” said Luap. “But first you must eat and drink. There is much to celebrate when we meet fellow refugees.”
They served the visitors food, the likes of which they had not tasted for many FSCs. They also served them drinks which Sevan did not recognise as either fushy or pish but were very agreeable and left him with the same pleasant sensation.
The hall became populated with what Sevan imagined must have been the leading figures in the settlement. They mingled with the visitors and asked them many questions about how they arrived on Sonvaenope and how they had escaped the Zoxans.
The visitors had similar questions of their own, and the hall was alive with conversation. Pirate monopolised Luap, asking him many questions about his life and making many boasts about his.
He suspected he was not happy with Sgniwef, but he could not draw him on the topic, nor would he make any comment related to the period surrounding the Zistreotovean war during which they supposedly kidnapped him and took him to Zistreotov. Pirate supposed the entire episode must have been too traumatic for him.
“From where do you come?” Luap asked Pirate.
“I am originally from Future,” he said. “But I spent most of my career on a planet called Chaldene in the Kale system.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s a long way from here, near the edge of the universe. We were experimenting with the possibility of crossing the barrier of Witt into parallel universes. My friend over there is the very Witt who gave the barrier of Witt its name.”
Pirate gesticulated towards Witt, who appeared to be delivering a lecture on the science of white holes to a rapt audience.
“You are far more attractive than he is,” said Luap.
“That’s easy. Look at the shape of his head.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I was only joking. We were successful in crossing to a parallel universe, but we were trapped there and Witt had to come and rescue us. I was burned badly. Here you can see some of my scars.”
Luap marvelled at Pirate, whom he considered to be fiercely beautiful. He liked him, not just for his looks, but also because he seemed knowledgeable.
“They say the Zoxans came from another universe.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Pirate could sense Luap’s feelings for him, but it hardly mattered because Luap soon made matters clear.
“I like you very much Pirate,” he said. “Do you feel the same about me?”
Pirate admitted he did, and the two left the gathering unnoticed.
*
“You have much that would benefit our own community,” Witt told Sgniwef when she returned to the settlement. “And I dare say that we have much that would benefit you. I suggest we use the Mastery of the Stars to shuttle between the two communities to facilitate a trade between us. Assuming that Ay-ttho is agreeable to such a suggestion.”
“At least we would do something useful,” said Ay-ttho.
“I agree,” said Sgniwef. “Such a trade would be beneficial to both communities. Let us discuss your initial requirements and then we can load your ship with whatever we can spare of the things you desire.”
The gathering had soon agreed on a list and Sgniwef ordered that they deliver the required produce to the Mastery of the Stars.
Once they had loaded everything, they prepared to leave.
“I’m sorry that Luap is not here to bid you farewell,” said Sgniwef. “Something very important must have come up to detain him elsewhere because I know he has enjoyed your visit immensely and would certainly want to have said goodbye.”
“Until next time,” said Witt. “I have the list of produce you require and will do my utmost to return with the goods as soon as possible.”
A sizable crowd had gathered to wave goodbye to the freighter as it took off, and Sevan felt that perhaps this new life playing trade between the two settlements might not be so bad after all.
“Should we head to the star and fold?” asked Ay-tho.
“I think it might be better if we use the conventional portals,” said Witt. “I have been inspecting the mechanisms and I think it’s better if we don’t attempt to fold space until I’ve performed some maintenance.”
“What if the Zoxans are guarding the portals?” asked Tori.
“Ron?” asked Ay-tho. “Please do a scan and see whether there are any ships at the portal.”
“There are no ships on this side of the portal. However, my scanners cannot see through the portal, so there is a possibility that there might be ships on the other side.”
“We can’t risk it,” said Ay-ttho. “We have to fold space.”
“I can’t guarantee the mechanism will remain stable,” Witt warned. “If the field collapses, the ship will be destroyed. There may be Zoxans on the other side of the portal, but we stand a greater chance of survival with them than we do if the field collapses.”
“Very well,” Ay-ttho sighed. “Ron? Head for the Angetenar portal.”
As they emerged from the portal, the Zoxans were waiting for them. Ay-ttho thought about trying to outrun them, but she knew that wherever they ran, the Zoxans would be waiting.
