The Raygin War

  The

  RAYGIN WAR

  LARRY S. GEROVAC

  The Raygin War

  Copyright 2018 by Larry S. Gerovac

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, descriptions, entities, and incidents included in the story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, and entities is entirely coincidental.

  _________________________________________________________________

  Edited by Molly Sardella

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9986995-4-7 (Paperback)

  ISBN 978-0-9986995-5-4 (eBook)

  Dedication

  To my boys: Patrick, Andrew, Michael, Daniel, and Steven.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE: The Lost Nation

  CHAPTER TWO: Second Contact

  CHAPTER THREE: The Trip

  CHAPTER FOUR: Discovery

  CHAPTER FIVE: Survival

  CHAPTER SIX: Second Platoon

  CHAPTER SEVEN: Imperial Station

  CHAPTER EIGHT: The Vents

  CHAPTER NINE: The Landing

  CHAPTER TEN: The Battle of Rayne

  CHAPTER ELEVEN: Allies

  CHAPTER TWELVE: The Secret

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Spies

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Infestation

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Maneuvering for War

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN: The Real Quarry

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The Enemy Is Here

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: The Enemy’s Face

  CHAPTER NINETEEN: Clash of Fleets

  CHAPTER TWENTY: Portus

  CHAPTER ONE: The Lost Nation

  Chief Mahpee burst into the operating room. The veins in his neck pulsed. His steel blue eyes focused on the pale unmoving body of his wife. Her bloody lifeless figure lay on a cold metal table. The big man’s lip began to quiver. He heard a wailing and looked to his right. A newborn. As he looked at the baby, he noticed the blanket. It displayed his family totem. Someone had placed a lone white feather on the cart holding the baby. His legs felt weak as the realization hit him. It’s my daughter. Awarded a warrior’s feather for a wound sustained in battle.

  Seeing the feather brought to mind a story he heard in his youth. It was an ancient prophecy. So old, his grandfather told him, his people lost track of its origin. Could the old tales be true? Mahpee remembered sitting with his grandfather at the full moon ceremonial campfires. Select elders would pass down historical information in the form of stories. How did it go? He grappled with the memory. A princess, warrior born, will lead the People’s Nation in a war unlike any of those from the past.

  The baby started screaming and snorting. The noise snapped Mahpee back from his thoughts about ancient legends. Her voice could drown out a sparrow hawk fighter landing on Nokomis with full thrusters. He stared at his daughter as she twisted and wiggled inside the open-air bassinet. Tubes in her chest pumped blood into her heart. An IV taped to her head kept her hydrated. Electronic devices had been attached to her little body, in an attempt to keep her alive. She sensed his presence. The wounded little princess began to struggle with wild resolve. She attempted to break free of her life saving restraints. Only minutes old and already inside her tiny body beats the heart of a warrior.

  Seeing his daughter struggle broke his heart. He had to do something. With the enemy’s blood still dripping off his clothes, he shuffled over to his crying daughter. With great care, he placed his large callused hand under her tiny body. The doctor, and nurses, stared in disbelief. The wounded little princess snuggled into her father’s palm. With tubes and wires still hanging off of her little body she went to sleep. The chief stared down at the tiny figure of his daughter. Tears began to roll down his cheeks, leaving glistening wet trails on his sunbaked face.

  His nose began to drip. He sniffed in the wetness, and in a gentle voice said, “I am sorry this happened to you my little warrior. You must fight. Fight with all your strength.”

  Mahpee began to rock back and forth to the beat of tribal drums, playing in his mind. He stared at his daughter. If she lived, the coming years would be difficult. Anger began to build like a great storm inside him. Ignoring everyone around him, he sang. “Heya Noha, Heya Noha, We n de ya ho…” They were the words to a war chant his grandfather had taught him. It was a millennium old. His deep, soft voice resonated in a rhythmic pattern off the walls. At the completion of the chant, he spoke to the Great Spirit. He asked for wisdom. The heat of battle still burned deep inside him. His last request was for vengeance.

  With his free hand the chief stroked his daughters little face. He bent down and kissed her. With great care, he set her sleeping body back in the bassinet. He walked over to the lifeless body of his wife. He put his right hand on her forehead and whispered a prayer of mourning. There must be retribution. He spun around, and without saying a word, walked out of the operating room.

  Captain Bodaway caught sight of the chief exiting sickbay. He ran to catch up with him. “Chief Mahpee, we are securing the alien ship and attaching it to Greysail.”

  “Good job captain. Do any of the aliens still live?”

  Bodaway gave the chief a puzzled look, “No, we killed them. Like you instructed.”

  “In my anger I may have made a bad decision. I will not be such a fool again. Preserve their bodies. Put them in the cryo chambers. If there are too many of them, use coolers. Find out from the med staff at what temperature to store their bodies. Use an aft storage cell if necessary.”

  Bodaway nodded his head. “We found penned animals, as well as several storage areas on their ship. Some of them contained the carcasses of many different animal species. All the blood has been drained and their internal organs were removed. The meat seems to be going through a decay process. There are flakes of plants smeared all over the skin. It must be seasoning, placed on the meat so it develops flavor as it decays.”

  “You think the aliens were on a hunting party to replenish supplies?”

  “Yes. Based on the crew size they were replenishing consumable supplies for a much larger force. The ship’s crew and galley are too small for the amount of food they have on board. The ship is not designed for extended space travel. My guess is they are a scout ship operating at a close distance from a mother ship or base of operations. We found some star charts. At a quick glance, it looks like they stopped to hunt on planets with a gravity near the norm.”

  “I’m guessing they hunt on planets similar to their home world,” said Mahpee. “They are either bold or stupid. Imagine boarding an enemy ship without knowing their strengths and weaknesses.”

  “What if they thought us to be the People of the Stars? If so, it means they have already appraised the capabilities of our relatives. It also means they do not know of our existence or they would not have boarded us with such lack of care.”

  “Why did the aliens go after the children? Why didn’t they kill us? As they approached they had to know our ship had no weapons,” said Mahpee.

  “Why the children? It’s hard to say,” said Bodaway. “I remember reading when some species of bugs go to war with each other they often eat the enemy’s children. As for not killing us? I’m guessing, again. They wanted to enslave us.”

  Mahpee shivered at the thought of aliens eating children. “If they are searching for new food sources, in time, they will discover Nokomis. We must be prepared for a conflict. I always knew someone would stumble upon us sooner or later. I thought our discovery would be by the People of the Stars, not aliens looking for a meal. When we get back to
Nokomis, I will meet with the council to discuss our options. We must prepare for the enemy’s eventual coming. Also, we must inform the People of the Stars of the threat.”

  “I’ll get Greysail ready if you will oversee the preparations of the alien ship for transport. How is Shanee? I assume she’s why you were in sickbay – checking up on her?”

  “She died by the hands of our attackers. The med staff managed to save our daughter. Because of injuries sustained while in the womb, my little warrior fights for her life. Pray for her.”

  At hearing the queen died, Bodaway’s eyes went wide and his head moved backward. He looked at his chief’s face. He hadn’t noticed the wetness of his eyes. Seeing the shock on friend’s face the chief feared losing control of his emotions. He turned and headed for the alien ship. For the first time in his life, Bodaway had no words of wisdom to share with him.

  The chief entered the alien ship and found his way to the bridge. He watched in silence as his crew poured over the strange controls and equipment. The levers and handles bore no resemblance to those found on human ships. But in the end, he knew a ship is still a ship, so the controls must complete the same tasks. He felt confident the engineers would figure everything out.

  The chief stared in satisfaction as crewmembers walked by carrying another alien body.

  “This is the last one, Mahpee,” said a crewmember carrying the corpse.

  Like many aliens, this one also had its head snapped off. The alien armor was strong but the helmet did not connect to the chest or back plate. The design gave the head mobility with little thought to protection. They relied on their exoskeleton too much. He remembered grappling with the first alien. Within seconds he found their neck to be their weak spot. Removing their heads was the easiest way to kill them. It was like snapping a stiff carota plant in half.

  Mahpee watched his crew. They prepared the inside alien ship for its piggyback ride back to Nokomis. As they worked, the battle played over and over in his mind. Nothing made sense. Even though the alien ship was a scout, it still possessed enough weapons to turn his ship into a meteor shower. It was hard to believe such advanced creatures would do something so stupid. Were they following orders? What made the children so important the captain was willing to risk both the ship and crew for? It wasn’t the need for food, because they had plenty. It had to be something else.

  One final walk though proved to Mahpee his crew had done their job. The alien ship was ready for the trip back to Nokomis. As he walked back to his cabin he called Bodaway to let him know the alien ship was secure and he was back on Greysail. It didn’t take long for memories of his wife to creep into his mind. His heart ached as he stared down the passageway and saw shadows from the past. He watched her specter as his remembered how she walked with him, always smiling, laughing, and teasing him. He wiped the dampness from his eyes.

  Work would be impossible with these powerful emotions distracting him. His people and his daughter needed him. He had to push these memories and feelings out of his mind or he wouldn’t be able to think. He thought about different ways to regain his focus. The solution hit him – isolation.

  He decided after he met with the war council he would tell his friends he needed some time alone. He would take two weeks off. They would think he was grieving, but in truth, he would bury himself in his work. By the time he came back, the talk about Shanee’s death would have died out. He would grieve later. But for the moment, and his own sanity, he needed to find out how she died.

  The queen, being an only child, had no sisters to help her during her pregnancy. Kele, the queen’s close friend, volunteered to be Igido. She would act as Shanee's sister during the queen's pregnancy. For nine months, Kele assisted the queen. She became family. Mahpee needed to speak with her in order to find out what happened. He requested she come to his office to talk about Shanee’s death.

  Within minutes Kele stood in front of Mahpee’s open door. She knocked, and entered the room. When their eyes locked, she burst into tears. The chief’s eyes glistened once again as he strained to control his emotions. This would not be easy for him.

  “Mahpee, I am so sorry. I wish I had been the one to die. I don’t know if I can live with this.”

  He stood up, moved around his desk, and embraced Kele. “What happened is not your fault. I too could blame myself, as could others. I have not asked you here to place blame.”

  “But, it is my fault. I was with her. I should have protected her.”

  “Kele, I’m sure you did what you thought right at the moment. I did not foresee the two of you being in the playroom with children when the attack began. We can feel sorry about not making different choices in past events. Or we can try to understand why this happened. I would like you to tell me how the attack happened from your prospective. The aliens did not happen to find the children, but sought them out for an unknown purpose.”

  Kele gathered her strength and continued with the story. “I remember Captain Bodaway announced we were being pursued by an unidentified ship. We heard the order for all ship’s passengers to go to our rooms and secure the doors. We had too many children with us. Shanee decided we should lock ourselves in the playroom. The next announcement stated we had been boarded. We could hear metal on metal grating noises coming from the passageway. Within minutes the aliens were attempting to get into the playroom. They knew we were hiding there. The door held at first. The aliens used some kind of device to melt the metal on the door. Four of them entered the room and began to make clicking noises. At first, it smelled like a field of flowers in bloom.” Kele started to sob as she tried to continue with the story.

  Mahpee handed her a tissue. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to keep going. What happened next?”

  “One alien grabbed little Ohanzee and shoved him toward the door. Shanee realized they were going to take the children. When the big bug reached for another child, Shanee ducked under his rifle. She hit him hard in the area between his helmet and body armor. He collapsed. The smell in the room changed from blooming flowers to a rancid acid smell. The alien bodies jerked upright. I could see she surprised them. Before the big bugs could react, Shanee grabbed a second alien placing both her hands on its helmet. There was a horrible crunching noise as she ripped its head off and flung it onto the floor.”

  “I saw the third alien lift its rifle toward Shanee. I kicked it in its midsection, propelling it hard into the side bulkhead. It seemed disorientated after the collision with the wall so I jumped on it and snapped one of its legs. A loud hissing sound came from the alien’s body. I was afraid. I glanced over at Shanee in time to see the fourth alien shove a clawed hand into her stomach. I grabbed my alien by the helmet and pounded its head into the floor until it oozed liquid. When I was able to look at Shanee again, both her and the alien attacker were motionless. I smashed the alien’s head to be sure it was dead. Next, I called sickbay for help. She didn’t move, I knew she was dead. Oh please, please forgive me,” she whimpered. “There was nothing I could do to help her. Nothing. I cried next to her body until a couple crewmen pulled me away so they could pick her up. They took her to sickbay. I’m sorry. I'm so sorry.”

  “There is no shame in your actions. I must have vengeance against those that have stolen my life. Listen, I have a request I would like you to consider. You knew Shanee better than I in many ways. If my daughter survives…”

  Kele interrupted in a high voice, “Your daughter? Her baby lives?”

  “Yes, but she fights for her life. If she survives, I would like your help in raising and guiding her on her life’s journey.” Mahpee saw Kele already nodding her head yes. He knew this to be a big decision, so he held his hand out toward her. “Don’t answer now. Give it some thought, and we will talk later.” Mahpee hugged Kele one last time. “Shanee couldn’t have picked a better friend. Thank you.”

  Within the next few minutes Greysail started her voyage home. The alien ship rode piggyback on her hull. Word about attack had already sprea
d across Nokomis. By the time the royal ship arrived, a crowd numbering at least in the millions had gathered. Mahpee expected some turn out, but nothing like this. As he looked at the view screen, he thought half of Nokomis must be out there. Something was going on here he didn’t foresee. As he focused on the crowd, he saw them, the Tellers. Oh no. His heart sank. They found out. Bodaway must have reported the events of the attack. The ceremonial dress meant the Tellers were here on business.

  Mahpee turned to look at Bodaway. He could tell he too had become nervous upon seeing the Tellers. This would change everything for his daughter. They had the power to become involved in all aspects of her life. All the plans of isolating himself dissolved. To the Tellers, she was the beginning of a prophecy predating the great exodus.

  Mahpee knew all about Tellers because his grandfather had been one. Grandfather often said, “The Council of Tellers are the single group able to override a chief’s order.”

  The crew received word the Tellers wanted to speak with everyone aboard. No one was to leave the ship. Otaktay, the lead Teller, was the first to board Greysail. He went straight to the bridge. Instead of sticking both arms out with palms face down, he reached his right hand out for Mahpee to grasp. This told the chief the meeting would not be a simply questioning it could have life changing consequences.

  Everyone on board answered question after question. Following the interviews, the Tellers went with Mahpee to meet the little princess. After they examined the baby, they asked everyone to leave. Mahpee refused to go.

  Otaktay put his hand on Mahpee’s shoulder. “Do not worry. We are going to perform a healing. We must cleanse the room first.” Seeing Mahpee still had doubts Otaktay said, “She is strong, but she needs our help. Her spirit weakens.”

  It was true. The doctors told him she needed a miracle to survive. The wound over her heart showed signs of infection. He knew something needed to be done to save her. He prayed, but even with the best care, she continued to deteriorate. His grandfather had told him about healings, but it had never crossed his mind to have one performed.