Star Guild: Episodes 4, 5 & 6 (Star Guild Saga) Read online

  Star Guild

  Episodes 4, 5 & 6

  A NOVELLA

  by

  Brandon Ellis

  First Edition, June 2014

  Copyright © 2014 by Brandon Ellis www.brandon-ellis.com

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author.

  Book Cover by Brandon Ellis

  Editing by DBGregg

  [email protected]

  Proof Edit by Jill Powell and Allison Parker

  Dedication:

  To Ben Riley. You are a courageous soul, a great fan, and a wonderful email buddy. May you continue to heal and live a long, healthy life. I’m rooting for you!

  Episode 4

  Reunion

  Mount Gabriel looked like a beacon of light in a world of darkness. It acted like a flood light, bright blue light beaming out of every crevice and cave from the mountain in all directions.

  Chief Petty Officer Crystal McCoy walked her Mech in the opposite direction of the mountain, toward the coordinates that Dr. Jerrod Simmons had provided. She was heading to her mom, so said the doctor. Glancing down, she noted that he was still sitting at the base of her HDC, with one arm draped around the column as he massaged his swollen ankle with his free hand.

  “She was looking for you,” he said, continuing to massage.

  Taking a look at the mountain behind them, Crystal twisted her torso and the Mech did the same. She wondered when the blue rays of light were going to turn off. How is it doing that?

  She figured it was something that the enemy was doing. Perhaps they were drilling inside of the mountain and needed to blast a heavy lighting system through it so they could see? She shook her head. She could think up a myriad of possibilities, but figured none of them would be accurate.

  She twisted back around and looked at her HDC. It blinked 22 minutes to their destination. She looked down at the doctor. “I'm so grateful Mom was thinking about me.” Her voice was full of sarcasm.

  “She was worried, Crystal.”

  A crackle came over the com link. “Come on, slow poke,” interrupted Daf. They had left Warehouse 12 more than forty minutes ago and Daf was ahead of her by twenty or so yards.

  “Daf, you have to slow down. You're driving your Mech too hard. We need to be cautious.”

  Crystal could hear a heavy sigh over the com link. “Alright, Chief.” Daf stopped her Mech. “I'll take a nap. When you catch up, wake me?”

  “Very funny, Daf.”

  Jerrod coughed, getting Crystal's attention. “Are you following the coordinates I gave you?”

  They were the exact coordinates for Warehouse 26. “Did Mom land on top of the warehouse?”

  He nodded. “Practically.”

  “And, it's Admiral Diana McCoy you're talking about, right?” Crystal didn't quite believe it to be true.

  “Yes. Just keep going.”

  Crystal swore she'd wet her pants if her mom was actually on the planet. She couldn't be here. She was never around when Crystal needed her. The life of an admiral put Star Guild way above family, especially Diana McCoy's family.

  Crystal made it to Daf's Mech, stopping by her side. “Wake up, sleepy head.”

  Daf’s Mech feigned a yawn. “It's morning already?” Daf started forward, walking up an incline toward a high ridge. Crystal followed, wondering how much damage Starship Sirona might have sustained while touching down on Lumus. But then she realized that if it really was her mom, then Sirona could’ve been destroyed after it landed, since she hadn't seen any evidence of Sirona or her starfighters on Lumus.

  “Crystal!”

  Crystal looked through her cockpit window. Daf's Mech was at the top of the ridge with its arm raised and finger pointing at something in the distance.

  “What is it?” asked Crystal, reaching the peak of the ridge. She looked where Daf was pointing and didn't need a reply.

  A battle was occurring in the distance; explosions and laser fire erupting in all directions.

  Crystal felt her guts spasm. Glancing at her HDC, she checked the coordinates. Her breathing hastened. “Daf, according to the doctors coordinates, that's Starship Sirona.”

  ∞

  Admiral James Byrd sat on a small bed in his rectangular cell. The sheets on his bed matched the dark blue coloring of Star Guild's uniform. A walled bathroom, complete with door, was in the corner of the room.

  The admiral's attention was focused on a holovid on a column at the foot of his bed blaring the news. To the admiral, the news had never really been news. It was an entertainment trap of bad advice and negative hooks to grab the watcher, all the while subliminally brainwashing the viewer. Its purpose, thought Admiral Byrd, was to get people to be complacent and to jump when asked to jump, and to bark when triggered to bark.

  Today was like any other day on the news, except for one thing—he was the focal point being broadcast to all twelve spheres on Starbase Matrona, and most assuredly to Starship Taranis and Starship Brigantia. The masses were again being primed to accept the propaganda being disseminated, and the admiral was the target of this latest batch of lies.

  The spheres, he thought, are so easy to control.

  Matrona consisted of spheres, twelve large domains, each with their own governance and structure. All twelve were governed by one Prime Director, Zim Nocki, acting as the face of the governance, the elected leader with the final say on anything and everything.

  Each sphere's governance had political figure heads as well, but none trumped the Prime Director. Zim Nocki oversaw everything, even the news. Most people perceived him as an open hearted individual, someone dedicated to the civilian's interests and wellbeing at all times. Admiral Byrd had perceived Zim in the same way until a couple of days ago.

  Sick bastard.

  Admiral Byrd shook his head in disgust. He wanted to punch the holovid. Instead, he released a grunt and moved his thoughts to the obvious questions no one was asking. Who was the enemy? Where did they come from? Are we safe? Why are we staying in this star system, one we’ve never been in before and one that the enemy had followed them to? And more importantly, will the enemy attack again? Many questions and all unanswered. How could an entire population go back to living a day to day existence after being nearly wiped out just a few days prior? Star Guild was attacked, Matrona was shot to hell, everyone had panicked for their lives, and most of the starships in Star Guild had been lost, not to mention all the death and massive destruction during the process. But everyone was back at work, doing their best to forget about what should be the unforgettable.

  Admiral Byrd surmised that it must be easier to forget when the news reported false claims, improbable stories, and out-right lies. According to all reports, it was a coup d'etat and the fleet admiral was, conveniently, the sole conspirator. He, apparently, and to his own great surprise, had planned a near flawless overthrow of the governance.

  Wow, I'm good! Sadly, I must have done it all in my sleep.

  The news hadn't mentioned the triangular ships—ships completely foreign to Star Guild. They mentioned, however…and several times over, that if it wasn't for Prime Zim blocking the admiral's efforts, Admiral Byrd would have been a new Prime Director imposing a military regime over all of the spheres.

  The admiral again felt like kicking something. He knew that since there currently weren't any torpedoes blowing things up or enemy starfighters knocking off people left and right, then the population would be happy as long as they had the illusion of being safe and
sound. The civilians were convinced that everything was under control, that the governance was on top of things, and that life would continue on as usual.

  Where did the enemy go?

  “We’re receiving reports and conclusive evidence that Admiral Byrd did indeed attempt a coup,” said a female voice over the holovid.

  The admiral looked up, seeing the same woman reporter he had demanded out of his office when he was arrested. She had carrot-top colored hair, thick lips, hazel eyes, and a smile worth every dime it was paid.

  She cleared her throat. “The evidence is, in fact, piling up according to Prime Director Zim Nocki's office, and in a few moments we have...” she paused, looking at the camera, her eyes staring straight into the admirals. She tapped her ear piece, listening intently to someone speaking into her ear. She nodded, touching her cheek. “Okay, it's ready. We have an exclusive interview with Admiral Stanley Jenkyns.”

  Her big smile was replaced by an image of Admiral Jenkyns. Admiral Byrd sat erect. Is Jenkyn's in on this, too?! Maybe Captain Stripe showed him the holovid of the two orbs and the Thunderbird? Maybe he was on the vids to clear the good admiral's name? Admiral Byrd slumped, realizing that Louise couldn't have given him the holovid. The orbs and the Thunderbird had been erased.

  Intently, the admiral watched as Jenkyns scratched his nose and pulled at his tie. The camera panned away from Jenkyns and Admiral Byrd's jaw dropped. Sitting next to Jenkyns was Captain Louise Stripe. What is she doing? She's part of this fiasco?!

  He pounded his fist against the bed. Any chance of getting out of here had just become nearly impossible.

  He hung his head while a feeling of defeat crept through him. He wondered if his nephew, Chase, was playing a part in Zim's conspiracy. Was everyone against him? Had he been blind to it all? Or maybe the admiral's letter to Chase had been intercepted. If so, did they frighten Louise into doing this interview, maybe even threaten her?

  Words were coming from the holovid, but the admiral wasn't paying attention even when he saw Jenkyns' mouth move. He was listening to his own conspiratorial thoughts. What was Zim's agenda? He was obviously upset when he sent a distress call to the Knights Templar, but why? Were they real and Zim didn't want others to find out? Did the Templar's have the true story of humanity’s origins? He shook his head, blowing out a puff of air. He was now one of the masses, creating stories before he could determine whether they were true or not. He was becoming diseased in mind like the rest.

  “I love Admiral Byrd. He’s like a father to me.”

  That was the voice of Louise on the holovid, jolting the admiral's sudden and complete focus on her. He watched as she smiled to the interviewer, although he could tell that it was forced. An older man—a famous reporter named Lyle Gellers—sat in another chair asking the questions.

  Lyle leaned forward. “Now, Admiral Stan Jenkyns, I—”

  Jenkyns put his hand up. “Call me Jenkyns, please.”

  “Yes,” replied Lyle. “Jenkyns, when did you first suspect that Fleet Admiral Byrd was attempting a coup?”

  Jenkyns scratched the side of his face and looked away for a moment, his jaw muscles twitching. It was a tell. To Admiral Byrd, Jenkyns was about to tell a lie.

  Jenkyns hesitated, then inhaled an uncomfortable breath and said, “I had intercepted infovids and communications over a Star Guild com link several months ago.”

  Lyle leaned against his chair's armrest and raised his brows. “Really? Can you tell us more?”

  Jenkyns coughed into his hand and Louise shifted in her chair. Jenkyns looked down at Lyle's shoes. “The infovids I found showed a blueprint of triangular-like craft that could move at very high speeds. As it turns out, they were the craft that attacked us. They were approved by Admiral Byrd.”

  “You didn't tell anyone about the blueprints?” questioned Lyle.

  Jenkyns shrugged, puffing out his bottom lip. “I just thought they were a new military design, something he and the Star Guild Techies were creating.”

  “You saw his signature on the blueprints?” asked Lyle.

  Jenkyns, still peering down at Lyle's shoes, nodded his head. “Yes.”

  “What?!” growled Admiral Byrd. He couldn't help it. “Are you mad?!” He looked at the holovid in front of him and forcefully got off his bed, wanting to yell at the top of his lungs. His face was tight and he started to pace back and forth, devising a plan to stop the charade.

  “What did the intercepted com link say?” asked Lyle.

  The admiral stopped and stared at the vid.

  Jenkyns looked up, eying Lyle. “The com link said... um... well... it was clearly his voice talking to a group we've all come to know as the Knights Templar. They, in fact, are real and have been planning this raid for a decade now. They were assuring Admiral Byrd that he would continue as the head of Star Guild and of the governance. This was to happen after the Knights Templar seized command of Starbase Matrona and Star Guild.”

  Admiral Byrd clenched his hands together. “This is nuts!”

  Lyle turned to Louise. “And, Louise—“

  Louise put up her hand. “Please, call me Captain Stripe.”

  Lyle paused. “Captain Stripe. Do you have anything to add to Jenkyns' findings?”

  Louise smiled. “I'm sorry, Lyle. I changed my mind. Call me Louise.” She batted her eyes like a dunce. She flicked her blond hair and crossed one leg over the other. She gave an even bigger smile.

  Lyle straightened his back and then slowly moved back and forth in his seat as if he had a kink somewhere. Then he sighed. “Okay, Captain Stripe, do you have anything more to add about Jenkyns' findings?”

  Loise turned to Jenkyns and gave him a long look, her lips tight, eyes narrowed. Jenkyns didn't return her stare, avoiding it completely. Turning back to Lyle, folding her arms across her stomach, she said, “Admiral Byrd is like a father to me.”

  Lyle quickly nodded his head. “Yes, yes. You already told us that, but don't you have some information that the public needs to know?”

  She cocked her head to the side, eying Lyle. She puffed out her chest and then exhaled. “He was with the Knights Templar just before the attack occurred.” She quickly squeezed her lips shut, almost forcing them to stay closed.

  Admiral Byrd unclenched his fists. Louise was doing her best to lie, but her heart definitely wasn't in the game. She was still trying to be loyal to the admiral, to her fleet, and to the truth. The admiral admired her more so today than ever.

  Lyle leaned forward and grabbed Louise's hands. She almost jerked back, but used all of her will power to refrain from doing so. Admiral Byrd rolled his eyes at Lyle, knowing that if Louise wasn't on the holovids right now she certainly would have slammed the seedy broadcaster onto his back and then a submission hold.

  “Captain Stripe, do you have concrete, conclusive evidence that he was with the Knights Templar before the attack?”

  Louise slowly squeezed Lyle's hand. He pulled back, unlocking Louise's grip and leaning back into his chair, clutching his hand and then shaking it back and forth. His lips formed a weak smile. “Strong grip.”

  Louise cracked her knuckles. “Yes, I know.”

  Lyle lowered his eyes. “What do you have to tell us, Louise?”

  She glared into the camera. “That I do, indeed, have evidence. Evidence that some higher ups tried to erase.”

  Lyle cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

  The screen quickly changed from the interview back to the carrot top reporter. She smiled brightly. “You can watch the rest of the interview tomorrow morning at 9.”

  “Off,” said Admiral Byrd, turning the holovid off. He clapped his hands loudly and shook his head back and forth. This wasn't good, though. Louise was clearly going against the desires of Zim, even to the point of spilling a little bit of the truth to the public. Louise’s life may now be at stake. They'll edit out what she said and show the masses a nicely cut holovid in the morning.

  The admiral star
ed at the wall, folding his arms across his chest. This was a mess. He was the scapegoat, an accused traitor, and now Captain Stripe's life was at stake.

  A loud knock made him jump. He twisted around to see someone outside of his cell, opening the door.

  “Who is it?” the admiral demanded.

  The door opened, showing nothing but a dark shadow on the other side. A chair came sliding through the doorway, moving across the smooth ebb floor and stopped when it hit the admiral's feet.

  “Hi, James.” It was Prime Director Zim, holding another chair proudly by his side while entering the admiral's cell. Zim gestured for the admiral to take a seat and nodded his greetings, his eyes trying to burn their way into the admiral's soul.

  “The brilliance of politics,” said Admiral Byrd. “Tell a lie long enough and people will believe it.”

  Zim plopped his chair down and sat, slouching and crossing his arms while emitting a jovial laugh.

  Admiral Byrd kicked the empty chair back across the room. “What the hell are you doing to me, Zim!?” Spittle built up on the corners of his mouth as the veins on his neck bulged. “You set me up!”

  Zim looked over his shoulder and gestured for someone to close the cell door. When it closed, Zim turned back to the admiral. “So you say.” He pointed to the empty chair lying on its side. “Do me a favor and sit.”

  Admiral Byrd shook his head. His pulse was elevated twice the normal rate and pounding within his ears. “I'd rather sit on my own dung than do as you say, Zim!”

  Zim grinned. “It's not wise to piss off the Prime Director, James. Now, either do as I say, or I'll force you to sit. I'm fine with either option.”

  The admiral remembered the last time they’d gotten into a scuffle. Just because Zim was a politician didn’t mean he didn’t possess incredible physical prowess. The admiral hadn't fared too well in that conflict, where a strong punch to the gut nearly doubled him over. Perhaps trying to reason with him would prove the better tact.