Contents
Title
Disclaimer
Part I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Part II
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Part III
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Epilogue
Links
FIVE EMPIRES
Steven J Shelley
Copyright © 2017 Blue Orchid Books
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual places is purely coincidental.
Not recommended for younger readers.
I
1
Empire Profile 42
The Aegisi Republic
Without a shadow of a doubt, the Aegisi people are the most resourceful of the ‘big four’ species. It is said that their progenitors crash-landed on Solitude thousands of years ago and struggled to breathe the very air. Legend has it that the Aegisi genetic blueprint is the result of a serendipitous union between a female Yeneri and a male human. Archeo-geneticists remain convinced that the human contribution was altered or mutated. Whatever the case, the end result is a triumph of rapid, adaptive evolution. Never has a species been better suited to an environment other races would find hostile. The only sentient amphibians in the galaxy, the Aegisi have capitalized on their unique skills by fostering advanced societies both underwater and on land. This divergence confers social and military advantages that cannot be underestimated. At time of writing, the Aegisi Republic enjoys a thriving economy dependent on raw materials and engineering expertise as well as a well-trained military force exceeding 20,000 troopers. The Aegisi corsair is arguably the most flexible and versatile solider in the galaxy. What the Aegisi lack in real estate, they more than make up for in natural defenses. Solitude is about as impregnable as a home planet can get, and the Aegisi ensure that they are right on the cusp of technological development. In short, the species’ prospects are bright. Provided other power brokers in the galaxy, such as the Cava05 and the Nostroma, do not align against them, the Aegisi can be expected to flourish for many centuries to come.
The water of Solitude was deep, dark and almost always dangerous.
Michael Danner held a lumatube aloft as he propelled himself into the murk. It was said that Bosk Lake was the liquid remnant of a mighty glacier. It was so deep that no Aegisi surveyor had yet made it to the bottom. Scientists could only guess what lurked down there. The ridge-backed eels were bad enough at this depth, which is why Michael’s sister, Emilia, was following close behind, her eyes trained on his glowing aquamarine lumatube.
In an ideal world they would have one each, but resources had become scarce for the Aegisi lately. Michael was only twenty-three but could remember a time when everyone in the Foraging Unit had a full kit. Despite being two years older, Emilia almost always allowed Michael to lead the way. But then, she had always been the generous one.
<I have a radical plan,> came her bright, mellifluous voice over the com channel. <Why don’t we stick to our dive plan and finish the shift with our daily quota?>
Michael had to smile. He was notorious for veering off their pre-arranged route and investigating some oddity he’d spotted. Sure, he’d been reprimanded plenty of times, but Emilia had covered for him just as many. Without her he’d probably be cut loose to beg from the drift nets in downtown Senafal.
<You know, we could do that,> he replied in a sly tone. <But…>
<Michael, you promised,> Emilia said gently. <Farif is looking for a chance to dismiss you.>
It was true. Their Forage Master was a fair-minded man but Michael had long exhausted his boss’s goodwill. The truth was that Michael had never wanted to be assigned to the Forage Unit. Aegisi-style smithing and metal-working was his passion, and today he hoped to produce something special in his home-rigged workshop. Something he could use to prove that he belonged in the Navy. The mighty Aegisi Blue. If only he could score himself some time at the Round Table.
First thing first. Michael and Emilia had to follow a treacherous route down the northwest rim of Bosk Lake. Some three hundred yards below them was a protrusion of rock. Underneath that there might be a colony of spiral anemones. Highly nutritious once the poison had been cooked out of them.
The Forage Unit was responsible for collecting food in the wild, food that could be added to the daily agricultural produce of Solitude. The Aegisi civilization had grown slowly but steadily ever since Alex Danner - human - and Zoaa Danner - Yeneri - had settled on Solitude several centuries ago.
Their hybrid children were well adapted to the particular atmosphere and terrain of the once-hostile ice planet. Thanks to a series of ecoform stations known as Aegis technology, the planet was transformed at an astonishing rate. Much of the thick ice and snow had melted to form a string of deep, sonorous lakes across the planet’s equator.
The Aegisi people had thrived under the new conditions. Of course, their key advantage was the ability to breathe both air and water. Better than that, their unique lungs allowed them to flourish in both fresh and salt water environments. The skill had enabled the amphibious race to develop sanctuaries above and below the water, securing food and materials from both zones.
Thanks to Aegis technology, the face of Solitude was changing at a rapid pace. And yet, due to the complexities of ecosystem formation, the planet was still very much a work in progress. Most species in the galaxy had the benefit of evolving along with their surroundings. The Aegisi had been thrust onto this planet before it was remotely ready to handle large numbers. Even now, after several large settlements had been developed, the Aegisi were constantly nudging the boundaries of sustainability.
Hence th
e need for a Forage Unit. Michael still dreamed of becoming a corsair, an elite Aegisi soldier, but that wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon. Choosing one’s vocation was still a luxury for the amphibious Aegisi.
The water grew colder as the Danner siblings touched down on the rock protrusion that hopefully sheltered a spiral anemone colony. Eager to find out, Michael propelled himself over the lip of the rock and down into the gloom.
<Not so fast,> Emilia said over the com. <We only have one lumatube, remember?>
<Just eager to work,> Michael said cheekily, checking his wrist pad. The softly glowing interface told him it was just after noon. Most of the glacial lakes on Solitude were only suitable for swimming in the middle of the day before the temperature dropped for the night cycle. If there was forage work to be done here, it was far better to complete it quickly so Michael could go look for… other things.
Ambient light disappeared completely now that the pair were over the lip of the rock outcrop. Michael held the lumatube out in front of him, feeling Emilia’s familiar hand on his foot. It was a simple but necessary anchoring technique in areas of poor light.
Michael was still inching forward when he heard a muffled flapping noise. A split second later a long, serpent-like creature breezed over his left shoulder. It took Michael a couple of seconds to realize he’d been nipped on the collarbone. Before panic could set in, Emilia was speaking in his ear.
<No damage,> she said. <Just a warning strike.>
Michael peered into the darkness, feeling vulnerable under the weak glow of the lumatube. Their utility suits were remarkably tough, light and perfectly adapted to freshwater movement. Infused with kelp fibers, the skins were extremely difficult to spot from more than twenty yards away. Hard for colleagues, but even harder for potential predators.
What Michael didn’t like about the standard Aegisi utility suit was its lack of genuine protection. The material was resistant to cold extremes but couldn’t hope to deflect a plasma bolt. Essentially they allowed for maximum amphibious agility but not much else. Basic Aegisi infantry were forced to wear such suits and in Michael’s opinion it made them horribly exposed.
The forager had always believed that a soldier should be equipped for most terrain types and variable conditions. The Aegisi Blue was ready to face enemies on Solitude, where conditions were well in its favor, but on other worlds the navy’s lack of robust armor would be disastrous.
That’s where Michael came in. Well, hopefully. Smithing was still very much a hobby as no one was yet prepared to pay him for it. But today was critically important. If only he could convince Emilia to follow him.
Satisfied that the snapfish wasn’t returning anytime soon, Michael assessed the section of wall that was now illuminated by the lumatube. Just a bare tract of glistening oligoclase. Mildly interesting in a geological sense, but nothing that could help them reach their quota.
<Left or right?> Michael asked, trying hard to mask his frustration and certain that whatever way he chose would be the wrong one.
<Left,> Emilia said brightly, with a playful nudge against her brother’s leg.
<There,> she said, pointing to a red blur up and to the left of their position.
Michael expertly hauled himself across the rock to get a better look. Swaying softly in the deep current, a neat cluster of scarlet tube-shaped organisms greeted him. He grinned at his sister.
<As always, the magic touch, sis,> he beamed. <Let’s get a sac ready.>
Emilia produced a long, leathery object from her utility belt. More than an ordinary sac, it had a membrane about halfway down that allowed solid objects to pass without the added weight of liquid. Michael began picking the spiral anemones and shoving them into the sac.
<Careful, we’ll lose some,> Emilia said, laughing. <Why are you in such a hurry?>
Michael didn’t answer, instead quickening his pace. The spiral anemone colony ran a thick line up the rock face. Which meant there was plenty of picking to do.
Michael worked so hard over the next few minutes he could no longer feel the frigid current at the nape of his neck.
<Need me to take over?> Emilia asked, ever watchful of her younger brother.
<Almost done,> Michael said with a glance at the remaining colony.
Emilia hooked the full sac to her belt and opened another.
<Not a bad day’s haul,> she said. <Looks like you might get an hour or two in the workshop this afternoon.>
Michael knew Emilia was simply being kind but he couldn’t return her smile. He felt guilty about what he had planned next. He shoved the last of the freshwater delicacies into the second sac and watched his sister as she secured it to her belt.
<Em,> he said gently. <I’m not quite done yet.>
Michael could see his sister’s face in the faint aquamarine light. That look was one he knew well. Exasperation mixed with sadness. He didn’t deserve her, that was for sure.
<Where we headed?> she finally asked. She didn’t even remonstrate with him, which made him feel even worse.
<I wanna raid Coller’s Farm,> he said simply. <I really need some sheet kelp.>
Michael needed Emilia to know what was at stake. Alexander Coller farmed kelp in Bosk Lake and didn’t have a reputation for generosity. Sheet kelp was an extremely precious item as it yielded high nutrients per square yard. Plus, it had only been successfully cultivated in three of Solitude’s glacial lakes.
There was no way Coller was going to donate what Michael needed for his armor prototype. The forager would need to take what he wanted instead. Easier said than done when the actual farm was protected by a charge barricade and patrolled by Aegisi infantry. Normally such heavy security wasn’t required, but with the recent food shortages it was considered a prudent measure.
<We’re not far at all,> Michael said to fill the uneasy silence. <By my reckoning it’s a half hour swim.>
<I’m well aware where the farm is,> Emilia said in a flat voice, the first indication that she was annoyed. <You sure about this, Michael?>
The forager could only nod weakly. He swore to himself that this would be the last time he took advantage of Emilia’s sweet nature. She had to come with him though - returning to the Depot alone was far too dangerous.
<We’re wasting time here,> she pointed out.
Michael didn’t need a second prompt, pushing himself from the rock and surging through the cold water like a bullet. For several minutes the only sounds were his powerful strokes through the water. Emilia’s silence suggested that she was keeping up with him. Both had been swimming before they started walking. It was second nature to the Aegisi.
2
At length Michael saw a necklace of red light far above him. He looked back at Emilia, who nodded.
The details of the farm resolved themselves as Michael rose slowly through the water. The red lights were power nodes along the charge barricade that ringed the farm. If Michael intended to take anything with him, he would need to disable that barricade somehow.
He gestured to a sheath sewn into the back of his suit. Emilia retrieved a lightweight, deep water-calibrated harpoon. Smelted and smithed in his own workshop. Initially he used the specifications of a standard Aegisi military harpoon but found that he could customize it to better meet his own needs.
For instance, for use on swiftly moving targets, like a snapfish, he needed less force and more accuracy. Michael had to admit the finished product was a thing of lethal efficiency. Not a bad effort considering weaponry wasn’t his speciality.
Emilia handed over the hunting weapon with a look of resignation.
<Should’ve known,> she lamented. <You planned this all along.>
<Mind the com chatter,> Michael said lightly.
<Com chatter be damned,> Emilia said. <I�
�m officially too tired to care.>
Michael grinned, glad that his sister was softening a little. She’d never been one to hold a grudge for long.
<Surely you have an escape plan,> she murmured.
<A good thief always does,> he returned. <Rise to the surface if you see any guards. As long as you’re on the right side of the barricade they can’t touch you.>
Emilia nodded, but didn’t look confident. <That’s a hell of a hike around the lake edge,> she said teasingly.
<The forest ain’t bad this time of year,> Michael joked as he peered through the harpoon sights. The small blue sphere was on the cutting edge of Aegisi technology and provided him with target range, target depth and current velocity. Adjusting for these factors, Michael let a titanium bolt loose. The missile sang through the shimmering water profile and struck one of the power nodes on the barricade.
The thing flickered and died, killing several of its neighbors in the process. Charge barricades were powerful but dependent on linked energy. Michael’s harpoon bolts were tipped with karst ice, a substance known for its power-dampening effects.