Kellen (Heroes of the League Book 15) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  About the Author

  Kellen

  Heroes of the League Book 15

  By Frank Carey

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2016 by Frank Carey

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This story appeared previously as Reunion.

  League Tale #26

  CHAPTER ONE

  Alex, governor of the planet Alyson, paced in front of his office window, watching the town below as the people went about their business. His elven tail moved this way, then that, as his frustration level grew. "Jenna, where the hell is the Nordican representative?"

  "Alex, you really need to calm down," Jenna said from the ceiling speakers. "His ship has landed on the roof and he should be here momentarily."

  "Jenna, how can you remain so calm all the time? Don't AI's get nervous?"

  "Naw. We just spend our days chewing lotus leaves and contemplating our mantra. Of course, we get nervous. We just save it for when the situation warrants it, which this situation doesn't."

  "Really. We need to jump-start Alyson's economy, and we can do that by providing this nisium substance to the Jarrions and the Zexx, but come to find that nisium mining is virulently toxic to the environment, so we have to find another way to supply the substance."

  There was a knock at the door.

  "Show time," Jenna said, "and you're welcome."

  "For what?"

  "Taking you one step closer to Zen."

  Alex smiled. "Thank you, Jenna. You are a true friend."

  The intercom beeped. "Governor Alex, the Nordican representative is here," Felicity informed him.

  "Thank you, Ms. Zarn, send them in."

  The office door opened. Felicity, Alex's Katalan administrative assistant, walked in followed by a Nordican woman. "Governor, let me introduce Tara, the Nordican representative. Tara, this is Alex, Governor of the planet Alyson and the League of Planetary Systems' representative in this sector."

  The two shook hands. "Thank you, Felicity," Alex said as he led Tara to a small table ringed by chairs. "Tara, can I get you refreshment?"

  "Some of that elf tea would be wonderful," she replied. Alex nodded to Felicity, who nodded and walked out of the room.

  "So, have your people found the answer to our problem?" he asked as they sat down.

  "Yes. asteroids."

  "Asteroids?"

  "Yes. Like Earth and Ventos Prime, Alyson's star system has an extensive asteroid field where the fifth planet used to be. We ran an automated survey and found fifty larger than 200 km, and of those fifty, 35 have substantial deposits of nisium. We think the largest, which we have designated "Dawn," is the best one to test our mining technique on."

  "Great. What do you need from us?"

  "Anyone with experience in mining or deep drilling. We have the equipment and knowledge, but lack the practical expertise necessary to run the equipment." She handed him the briefing packet.

  He opened it and skimmed through its contents. "Jenna, can you work with Felicity and come up with a list of personnel with the necessary skills along with space experience?"

  "Already done, sir," she said as Felicity knocked, then entered pushing a teacart. Before serving, she handed Alex a datapad. "As you requested, sir."

  With one eyebrow raised, Alex read the datapad. "You and Jenna never cease to amaze me. Wait... Are you kidding me? Tayla? She's pregnant."

  "She's Sokuhl. Pregnancy to a Sokuhl is like the hiccups. They usually take care of themselves without intervention."

  "Gods. And I thought elf woman were hardcore. OK, then," he said as he handed the pad to Tara. "Will these do?"

  Tara looked them over, randomly bringing up bios that were more detailed. "These will do just fine," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Wow."

  "Yes, wow is a good word. Tara, you can work with Felicity and Jenna on rounding up your personnel. Please, let me know if you need anything?"

  "Thank you," the tall, blonde-haired Nordican said as she stood up to leave. She and Alex shook hands before Felicity showed her out.

  "Feeling better now, Governor?" Jenna asked, with an obviously bemused tone in her voice.

  "Actually, I do, Jenna. I do."

  ###

  A group of colonists stood outside the shuttle. They were a motley crew consisting of male and female humans, elves, Tralaskans, a Sokuhl, and a draco. Most were ex-military and all had some kind of training or experience in mining or well drilling.

  Tayla walked up to them with a stack of datapads. She knew them all and they all knew her, which was why there was a race to relieve her of her burden. She held up a hand. "Stop! I'm fine, so no more doting! If I need doting, I will inform my husband." She handed out the pads. "Now, this is our target, a large asteroid designated "Dawn." It has substantial deposits of a substance known as nisium, which is used as a power source by the Jarrions, Zexx, and Nordicans. Our mission is to go in and set up a test site where the substance will be extracted and refined. A refueling station is being set up on another asteroid. If this project works as planned, we should have regular ship traffic by the end of the year. Any questions?"

  "Is this a spacesuit operation?" one of them asked.

  "Only until the habitat arrives two days from now. Once it's in place, we can shirt-sleeve it."

  "Who's the tool pusher this trip?"

  "That would be me," Tayla said. "I ran my uncle’s operation on Sokuhl for two seasons."

  "Tour length?"

  "We're looking at four-four-member crews, each running an eight-hour tour."

  "What about benefits, 401k, medical, time off?"

  Everyone stopped to stare at the questioner. "We can discuss that on the way there. In the meantime, get your gear stored and yourselves in a seat. We'll leave as soon as everyone is squared away."

  ###

  Once on-site, the miners began a survey of the site chosen based on satellite data. The data from the survey was fed directly into the ship's systems where it was relayed to Alyson to be analyzed by the colony's computers, Jenna, and the Nordican analysis team. Alarms started to sound almost immediately.

  "Alex, we've got a problem," Jenna said as Felicity announced that Tara was waiting in the outer office.

  "Jenna, hang on. Felicity, send in Tara and fire up some tea. And I thought things were going so well."

  When Tara was situated and tea served, Alex asked the required question, "What the h
ell is going on?"

  "We just finished analyzing the Dawn data when we found an oddity. Jenna?"

  The office's viewer projected a 3-D image of the asteroid above the table the two were sitting at. "This is Dawn," Jenna said. "Now, the asteroids in this system are pretty homogeneous in composition, except for dawn." A cross sectional view appeared. Near the asteroid's centerline were two blobs, a larger red one and a smaller blue one.

  "What are we looking at?" Alex asked.

  "The larger red blob is a deposit of nisium. The other blob is a cave of some type," Tara explained.

  "So? The red blob makes extraction of ore easier. As for the cave, so what?"

  "The nisium isn't ore. It's pure, liquid nisium." The view zoomed in on the interface between nisium and asteroid. A thick, black line appeared between the two. "That's crystalline adamantine. What you're seeing is nisium inside a storage tank." The view shifted to the area between the two blobs. A black structure connecting the two appeared. "We think that's a feed pipe connecting the tank to something in the cave. The scans indicate a number of structures inside the cave, but it's too deep to discern what those structures are using our geological scanners."

  "Jenna, have the techs finished bringing the City's database online?" he asked, referring to the Jarrion city, which appeared shortly after the arrival of the Valera with her complement of colonist passengers. The City, as they called it, hid a Jarrion weapons depot. It seems the Jarrion population of Alyson made their living selling arms to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, part of their stock killed all the inhabitants. The city hid under a cloaking field for a hundred centuries until the colonists' arrival caused it to shut down. Since the destruction of the depot, the remaining city was being resurrected by the colonists, one system at a time.

  "Yes, Alex, we have full access of the data. I assume you want to know if there is a record of the Jarrions being responsible for this tank."

  "Yes, please."

  "No. The previous inhabitants seem to have been only interested in weapons. There was a fleeting interest in astronomy, but nothing more. I really don't think any of them ever left the planet except to sell some poor fool some way to kill their neighbor."

  Alex looked at Tara. She shrugged. "Most Jarrions are homebodies. The Zexx, on the other hand, love to travel."

  "Do you have any idea who could have created this tank?"

  "Nope. None of the races we've dealt with work with anything as strange as crystalline adamantine. Hell, I didn't even know it could exist until Jenna told me about it."

  "Jenna, contact Tayla. We have a change of plan."

  "By your command, sir."

  "Funny. Tell her to find a way into that cave, but be careful. I want to know what the hell needs that much pure nisium.

  "On it, sir."

  "Tara, any other suggestions?"

  "I suggest we survey the other asteroids for similar tanks. I'll contact my ship to arrange it."

  "Make it so. Let's see what's out there."

  CHAPTER TWO

  The capital city of the Sokuhl home world was bustling with people going about their business. A pretty, young Sokuhl woman, her red hair waving in the breeze, headed up the stairs leading into the Hall of Legislation, home to the seat of Sokuhl government.

  Dr. Sheila Minty, PhD in Political Science, walked up to the reception desk and said, "Dr. Minty to see the Patriarch. I have an appointment."

  The guard looked up at her. "ID please," he asked as a second one tapped an ear piece and whispered something.

  Sheila pulled out her ID and showed it to him. He examined it, then glanced at her before handing the card back to her. He handed her a clipboard. "Sign and date, please."

  She did as she was told, handing the paperwork back when finished. The guard glanced at the document, then handed her an ID Badge. "Take elevator number three to the 70th floor. You are expected in room 7118. Have a nice day."

  "Thanks," she said as she headed to the elevator bank. She knew that all the guards had lethal force authorization, so the sidearms they wore were genuine and fully charged. A sign of the sad times we live in, she thought to herself as she walked into the lift.

  Once on the 70th floor, she made her way to room 7118. She found herself in front of a nondescript door with a nameplate proclaiming she had found the server room. Shrugging, she knocked.

  "The door opened and an older Sokuhl male beckoned her to come inside. "Hello, Dr. Minty. Please, come in."

  "Do I know you?" she asked as she stepped into a room she assumed would be filled with computer equipment. Instead, she found herself standing inside a well-furnished office with a view of the city below.

  "Yes, and no," the gentleman said as he pulled out a chair for her. He walked around a large desk and sat down behind it. The desk was bereft of ornamentation except for a single potted sage plant. "My name is Sage and I've been your handler for the last several years."

  "That explains the plant," she said as she picked the pot up and examined it.

  "Yes, an affectation of mine. Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?"

  "No, I'm fine. I'm curious. Why the meet and greet? I haven't heard from you or the Sokuhl Intelligence Service in quite a while. Something come up?"

  "Yes, Doctor. It seems that we are on the brink of the shit hitting the fan, and we need you to run interference for us."

  "Ewwww. Would you like to explain that reference?"

  "Sorry. You are friends with Dr. Kel Hardy, correct?"

  "Yes, I am. You do know he's the Patriarch's grandson, don't you?"

  "Yes, I do. I also know he's a Basili, complete with pointed ears, wings, and fiery breath."

  "I'll admit he's special..."

  "Do you love him?"

  "Excuse me?"

  "Are you in love with Dr. Kellen Hardy?"

  "Yes, I am, and no one calls him Kellen."

  "Does he know?"

  "Know what?"

  "That you're in love with him?"

  "He suspects. Why the hell is SIS asking about my relationship with Kel?"

  "Bear with me. What do you know about Alyson?"

  "What everyone else knows. Alyson is a League colony on the other side of Martok space. It was colonized by a bunch of retired military types and a couple dozen elves. They've established relationships with three races--Jarrions, Zexx, and the Nordicans. I hear that all the financial types recommend anyone with half a brain invests in Alyson through a company set up by Lucien, Ambassador, and Prince of Ventos Prime."

  "Yes, Alyson is fast becoming a jumping-off point for exploration and investment. In fact, the explorations side is taking off in a big way."

  "And this involves Kel how?"

  Sage tapped a spot on his desk. A holographic 3D map of the League appeared above the large wooden surface. "This is our home world. This is Alyson. Beyond is Jarrion and Zexx space." A red line appeared. One end was anchored on the home world. The line went past Alyson and faded out in Jarrion space near the border with Zexx space. "That is the course the Basili ship took when they left carrying thousands of Basili and a couple hundred Sokuhl."

  Sheila bolted out of her seat. "It's true? The Basili exist and we knew about it?"

  "Yes, it's true. Amazingly, Dr. Hardy pieced the story together even with all the roadblocks we threw in his way. The man is tenacious..."

  "He's faced ridicule, derision, hell ostracization, all for an idea branded crazy, and you knew it was true all this time?"

  "Yes. You seem to be having a problem with this."

  "Why, dammit. This is the greatest historical find in the history of the League!"

  "No one can know it’s true."

  "Care to explain that statement?"

  "Sit, please."

  She sat.

  "We, the great and wise Sokuhl, nearly wiped out a race of beings because we didn't want to share the planet with them. We killed millions of them. Men, women, children, young, old, soldier and civilian. It was only by the gra
ce of the creator that they were able to hijack ships and get the plark out of here before we made them extinct."

  "Why? Were they a threat?"

  "The Basili a threat? They were gentle folk who worked hard and spent their time teaching and meditating. They were the model we followed when we eventually took the path to spiritual enlightenment."

  "OK, we screwed up, big time. Why not let the truth out?"

  "Pride and fear. We are the great and glorious Sokuhl, bringers of knowledge and enlightenment to the unwashed masses of the League. No one, let alone our own people, find out how thin that veneer really is."

  "And fear?"

  "Fear the Basili may return and wreak vengeance upon us."

  "Wait, Kel is Basili and he's a freakin teddy bear. You can't seriously think he's a threat."

  "How many Basili have appeared since the diaspora?"

  "One, Kel."

  "Three hundred and fifty-nine. The other three hundred and fifty-eight were dealt with just after they reached puberty. Kel was spared because he's a member of the Hardy clan. If he were your or my sibling, he would have disappeared long ago."

  "I'm going to be sick."

  "There's a trash can next to your chair. Dr. Hardy has been invited to a meeting of historians from Jarria, Zexx, and the League. It seems the good doctor figured out the path of the diaspora ships independently. He's giving a keynote speech on the subject on Alyson. You're going to attend that meeting and keep an eye on the good doctor. I want reports on everything he says and everyone he meets with during the conference."

  "What if he finds out that his theories are true? What if he finds proof?"

  "Let us deal with that. You just supply the information. Oh, and he is never to know about this. If he knows, it could get back to the Patriarch."

  "Doesn't he already know?"

  "Yes and no. I've arranged for you to leave tonight for Alyson. You will arrive before Dr. Hardy, which gives you time to scope out the other attendees." He handed her a courier pouch. "This is your briefing. I wish you the best of luck."

  She stared at the packet. "This is it. After this op, I quit. This is the biggest pile of bullshit I have ever seen."

  "Welcome to intelligence work and the government. I will accept your resignation after this assignment is over. I may resign as well. Good day, Doctor."