Galaxy of Empires- Space Pirates Episode #1 Read online



  Galaxy of Empires

  Space Pirates—Episode #1

  Copyright ©2015 by Bruce Marcom

  United States Publishing

  All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.

  Bruce Marcom, United States Publishing, LLC,

  Houston, Texas, 77449, USA

  Re-edited Version 2

  Editor and Proofreader: Laura Peterson

  IBSN: 978-1-943917-04-4

  COPYRIGHT Number: Filed as re-edit.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Prologue

  It is a busy day at the Consortium Consulate on Hosan, the home world and capital of the Reptilian Conglomerate Empire. Although the Consortium—also known as the Society of Machine People—is comprised mostly of Androids and other artificial intelligence, it is also inhabited by citizens of other races. There are lines of people waiting to receive documents that approve their travel to and from Consortium space. Like most government jobs, the sense of tediousness and routine hangs in the air.

  The lower levels of the Consulate house the private, classified areas where only employees with the proper clearance can roam about. On the lowest level, the few androids and special guests who have been given clearance can have an audience with the leader of the Consortium in the large chamber. The leader is an entity of unknown origin, but is believed to be some sort of energy being who is vast in size, usually inhabiting many Androids and spanning over many galaxies in the universe at once. Speculation abounds, centered on the idea that this entity created the machine people, perhaps even telepaths. The entity appears to have godlike telepathic abilities and shows an interest in other telepaths and Androids. The entity goes by many names, but calls herself Dracabardillous. The Androids address their leader as The Creator, while outsiders call her Empress Draca. The Androids she inhabits always have a humanoid female shape, even though all other Androids have no sex distinction.

  Evella Noctu, a half-breed human-reptilian, is walking down the corridor to the audience chamber. There are pairs of Android warrior guards all the way down the hall. She is wearing an outfit that is made entirely of brown leather, down to the matching boots and belt. She just turned 31 years old the previous week, and she has her own reptilian merchant clan. It is a small merchant clan, but she has earned her six-ship fleet through hard work. Evella recently lost a ship on a quest that revealed many things about her life. She learned she was created in a secret, illegal laboratory that was funded by the Elemental Empire in an attempt to create powerful telepaths that could be controlled to combat the Undead Empire. In the Elemental Empire, telepaths are illegal because the sorcerers who control the government feel that the telepaths could threaten their authority.

  This laboratory was discovered and attacked by the Undead Empire. In doing so, the vampires unwittingly released some of the experiments, two of which were the daughters of Evella Noctu, named Xaqu and Chaca. These two daughters carry a very contagious disease that will kill an undead in less than thirty minutes. More worryingly, the virus remains active indefinitely in an undead corpse. The disease, in conjunction with the daughters’ extremely powerful telepathic abilities, killed everyone in the laboratory station during the attack.

  Eve walks up to the two giant doors as they open up into a large room with a wall-size computer monitor on every side of the room. Only the wall with the doors is free from the screens. The room has a marble floor with a huge Consortium symbol in the center. The symbol opens up as a female Android appears on a floor airlift, closing after she steps off. The android is almost an exact physical replica of Evella.

  “I see one of my daughters has been working on improvements to the new model,” Eve observes dryly.

  “Yes. I have been testing it thoroughly. Does it feel awkward looking at yourself?” Draca asks out of curiosity.

  “It is a little strange, but I feel honored she made the shell look like me. It looks very well-designed.”

  “It is. Your daughters are both very gifted. I am glad I could assist you in rescuing them from that horrible place. Your other daughter is designing a new battle station for the Consortium. They both have incredible engineering talents.”

  “Thank you for educating them; me, too. Our telepathic abilities have progressed by leaps and bounds.”

  “I sense fear in you about this.... Is because you are changing and morphing into something else?”

  “Yes, my body is changing every time I use my telepathic abilities, especially in a major capacity. My skin is changing to a metallic color and hardening. I am getting bone spikes from my forehead all the way down my spine. “

  Draca waves her hand over Evella’s body and a 3D image of her insides appears next to them. Draca pulls a DNA strand from the body image and enlarges it so they can look more closely.

  “Hmm...Interesting. We have always assumed your reptilian half was Snakekin.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “No. It’s something considerably larger.”

  “Larger? Croc?”

  “Try Serpent Dragon.” Draca says this bluntly and waits for Eve’s reaction.

  “WHAT?!?” Eve shrieks. “How is that even possible? I am part human.”

  “Your DNA was spliced not just with human components, but with twelve different parts from a variety of Space Dragons. That would explain many things. You have telepathic abilities that no other telepath in the universe has due to the fact that you were artificially created. You probably have dragon abilities as well. You must discover how to use them once you find it what they are.” Draca thought for a moment and then continued.

  “That would explain the change in your appearance. For most of your life, you have only used your telepath abilities in small quantities, so they have not had much of an impact on your genetic mutation. Now you are using them on a grand scale, including ones that you have not previously used. This is good and bad. You will become more powerful as you use your abilities, but you will continue to mutate more and more into a Space Dragon every time you do. Eventually, you will become a full Space Dragon; your human DNA will be totally gone, except for your PSI, because some dragon species have PSI enzymes. Serpent Dragons have the most PSI; that is probably why your creators used the largest percentage of DNA fusion with that species.

  “To be frank, the only reason you survived, according to the lab notes you downloaded from the secret lab, is that your human mother’s DNA had an unusual anomaly. Her high PSI allowed it to be fused with the magical DNA of Space Dragons. Since that was the only sample they had from your mother, they could not reproduce the effect, as you can see in the other 400 or so attempts. Your daughters have more human DNA and were designed differently, so they cannot mutate into dragons. The dragon only accounts for a very small portion of their DNA.”

  “I do not want to become a Space Dragon! Is there any way to stop this from happening?”

  “I am afraid not. However, some of the higher-intelligence Space Dragons can shape shift into humanoid form and back at will. Your IQ is definitely high enough to learn how to do that. The PSI test only goes to 20, and your daughters are both 19. I suspect that your PSI will go far beyond 20 as you develop. It may be even higher than mine, if that is possible.”

  “I doubt it will go higher than yours.”

  “Do not discount anything,” Draca says in a s
erious tone. “You need to go to a region of space where there are many species of Space Dragons and learn from them and their culture. They are a dying race because of poor leadership and warfare. Their domain used to cover a large area and contained thousands of Space Dragons. Today, there are only a few hundred scattered herds across a small area. Their domain has been overrun by many enemies -the Undead Empire, the Hive, the Wolfkin, and other species.”

  Draca creates a 3D space map and points to a particular area. “This is where the bulk of what is left of the Space Dragon territory. This is the Dragon World, the planet where the chief leader council is based and where the largest population of Space Dragons lives. This reddish planet is Ferna, home world of the Serpent Dragons as well as the Lava Dragons. It is a volcanic planet. Go there and seek out Grimace, an ancient female Lava Dragon. She will advise you about dragon culture and politics. This will give you the experience in politics you’ll need when you return.”

  “How do you know so much about Space Dragons?” Eve inquires.

  “I was not always an energy being. I was mortal once.”

  “Really? Wow! Were you a Space Dragon?” Eve asks in an uncertain tone, unable to process this new bit of information.

  “With a name like Dracabardillous, what do you think? But that is another tale for another time.”

  “Uh, okay. Thank you for the information. What about my daughters?”

  “They can stay here while you are on your ‘walkabout.’ I do suggest using black-market transportation, as you either have to go through Elemental and Undead space or through Wolfkin space to get to Ferna. Elementals are searching all over the Consortium for the ships of other races going through their territory. As for the Undead, well, they kill everyone.”

  “Holy crap! I wish I could turn myself in and collect my own bounty. I guess they are still pissed about me blowing up their secret lab facility and destroying their main flagship. They are probably the wankers who got my boyfriend shot. They will get what is coming to them someday soon.”

  Back-story crossover from Merchant Wars #1 (takes place before this episode) and Rise of the Space Dragons #1 (takes place after this episode).

  Chapter 1

  It is a nice day on Hosan, the home world of the Reptilian Conglomerate Empire. Business is booming all across the planet; this is the epicenter of commerce in this region of space. Merchants from every regional government are busily conducting transactions. In the seedier part of the planet, an area known as Whitecap is the place where all the undesirables come to deal in the black market and other nefarious doings. Whitecap is known as a place for smugglers, bounty hunters, assassins, prostitutes, and other “fine” service providers. On this particular day, a small group of people is walking down the street, pausing to look up at a sign—one that states, The finest ships in the galaxy for sale here—attached to a big hangar that is obviously meant for spaceships.

  “The sign should say ‘the hottest ships for sale here;’ seeing as how they are all so freshly stolen,” Captain Meek comments.

  Captain Abel “The Rod” Meek is a human male in his late forties who stands about 5’10” and weighs 280 pounds. He has grayish black hair and a full beard with a mustache, both of which are black and peppered with gray. He is known for his famous “The Rod” salute, which is his middle finger shot in the direction of those that offend him. In the past, he was a professor of Ancient Earth History from 1700 to 2200, at least until he was fired for scamming students and faculty with the various schemes he concocted. He owns a thousand or so television and movie recordings from that time period and some books as well. Of course, he stole them all. He wears flamboyant, brightly colored pirate clothes from the 18th century, complete with a pirate hat, big belt, and imposing boots. Today, he is wearing a bright red velvet outfit with fluffy white cuffs and a matching frilled button line. He carries two blasters. He used to have a bird on his shoulder most of the time, but got tired of the bird crapping on him.

  Captain Meek is currently wanted for piracy, murder, scamming, kidnapping, extortion, and violating a prize sheep belonging to a planet governor in the Elemental Empire. He was blind drunk during this incident, but that didn’t seem to matter to the courts. The captain claims he thought the sheep was a hairy prostitute and even gave the sheep a tip. One of the pirate lords named Cos heard of Captain Meek’s impressive scams and decided to hire him as a freelance pirate. His crew is called “The Smoking Aces,” which has nothing to do with their piloting skills; instead, it refers to their ability to cheat at cards.

  “Okay, let’s go inside,” Meek states, wondering if they can afford anything inside. At least this time, they will complete the scam without his Arachnid First Officer eating their kidnapped victim before they get the money. The four enter the hangar.

  “Just make sure the clunker runs before you give him the money this time,” Che Chizital insists. Che is a female Arachnid sorceress who is also the main pilot and First Officer for this crew. She has been with Captain Meek for a few years now. She is also wanted for piracy, murder, and a list of other things in several empires. She was previously a full-time professional assassin, but only does hits on a part-time basis now. She has green skin, red hair and fingernails, four arms, and a big red hourglass on her stomach. Che wears a yellow silk bikini-type outfit with a matching cloak and knee-high boots. She usually carries a few daggers laced with her own poison. She is an expert in all forms of dagger or knife techniques and can hit a target up to 25 feet away with pinpoint accuracy. She never carries any other weapons, except a magically enchanted staff; she prefers to use magic in combat. Most Arachnids come from the insect empire called The Hive.

  “Well, yeah. Duh!” Meek remarks with a hint of annoyance. Like most men, he doesn’t like to be reminded of his past errors in judgment.

  Caleb Cogg, a male Katin, is also with them. Katins are members of the feline race in this area of space. He is the ship’s engineer. He usually wears a jumpsuit with a tool belt and welding goggles. He carries a blaster when he is outside the ship. Cogg is a good fix-it guy, able to repair almost any issue that arises. He is an expert cat burglar…no pun intended… and is therefore good with all kinds of security systems, vaults, safes, jail cells, traps, and similar items. Adding to his list of dubious talents is the fact that he is a well-known computer hacker, wanted for information theft, illegally selling pirated information, murder, piracy, and other crimes in several empires.

  They walk into a huge hangar filled with many different types of ships for sale. As they enter, a well-dressed, smooth-talking male Snakekin comes up to them and says, “Greetings. I am Counselor Fartan Balltail, and I am here to assist you.”

  Meek is wary. “A lawyer selling ships?”

  Fartan is quick to respond, attempting to win the captain over. “Yes. I handle all the documentation to make sure that you will have all the correct papers on your purchase.”

  Meek says, “Well, I have never had a ship with actual documents on it before... ha ha ha.”

  “Well, they are nice to have if you are boarded for searches by patrols, not that you would let anyone board your ship. But you can’t always outrun patrols, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, makes sense.”

  “So, what price range and type of ship are you looking for?”

  “Fifty thousand platinum bar range; something fast with some cargo area. It has to have some weapons and shields.”

  “Oh my, I don’t have much in that price range. Well, I do have this transport ship that just came up for sale. Come down to the other end of the hangar and have a look.”

  “Okay.”

  “So, this is a transport with a lot of cargo space. Thirty people can fit in the suites or you can just fill them up with cargo. Takes a seven-man crew to operate.”

  A couple of workers come out the shuttle’s exit ramp, carrying a few bags with some feet and hands sticking out of them. Meek lifts his eyebrows with some concern as they pass by. They enter
the ship and walk down the corridor. The ship does look to be in rather good condition for this price. They go up to the next deck and see rows of rooms on both sides. There is a work crew cleaning up what appears to be blood stains in various parts to the hallway. They also see some painters trying to paint over the words “Cell Block” in the corridor.

  “Um, this was a prison ship, wasn’t it? Looks like it’s an Elemental Empire design,” Meek deducts.

  “Well, I don’t like to put labels on ships. Every ship can be used for many things.”

  “Just how hot is this ship?”

  “Don’t worry. I assure you all the identification transponders have been replaced with new ones.”

  “I don’t know, Boss. I think there is something fishy about this one,” Cogg says.

  Python agrees, “Yeah, I got a bad feeling about this one.”

  “Hmmm.... What kind of weapons and shields does it have? Let’s go to the bridge,” Meek inquires.

  “Sure, no problem. It has couple of light cannons in front and back and a light shield. This ship has usually been escorted by a military ship in the past, so it doesn’t have much in the way of weapons and shields,” Fartan explains.

  They enter the bridge, which looks like it just came off the factory line: six console stations and a captain’s chair. There is a worker wiping bloodstains and brain matter off the captain’s chair.

  “Yes, it is slightly used. I did say that, right?” Fartan adds.

  Che scoffs a bit. “Yeah. I would say so. Well, it has awesome cargo space. It’ll be good for smuggling, but it sucks for pirating other ships with its lame weapons and shields—not to mention we can’t dogfight in this fat pig. There’s no maneuverability.”

  “Very good points. The profitability of pirating other ships is hit or miss after all the repairs are done. I think there is more money in smuggling and transporting people. This is basically a new ship, and we can attach better weapons on it later, along with better shields,” Meek says.

  Cogg suggests, “I can make modifications to the maneuvering thrusters to make it navigate more easily. Could also add a cloaking device, as this ship is small enough to cloak and has modern electronics.”

  “Cloaking device? Now there is an idea. How much do those run?” Meek asks with curiosity.