ISBN 1-59201-016-4
Books Unbound E-Publishing Co.
http://www.booksunbound.com
Publication July, 2003
Cover Art by D. Lee
War on the Horizon
D. Lee and Kammy Bonias
Copyright February 14, 2003
All Rights Reserved
Chapter One
Cosmic clouds, like their
atmospheric cousins, are dense. Unlike the water-laden variety, they are
composed of energy-laden particles that under the right circumstances can
collide in a series of deadly nuclear explosions. For that reason, even the
most seasoned pilots will avoid them at all costs.
Sometimes, they don't have a
choice.
The man nodded without looking
away from the antique compass.
Orin's regular captain moved to
his side. "We can't do this," he whispered.
Orin looked at the forward
viewscreen.
The Clouds of Deatg are supposed to be impassible. ...But they said that about
the asteroid fields. The Pontenz got through and almost destroyed us
. "We have no choice, KilTi. If he's right, we will have everything we need to
get our revenge."
"If he's wrong, we'll be dead."
Further conversation ceased
when the ship's interior lights flickered. Bolts of energy snaked across the
screen in a vivid display of power. Orin swallowed the lump of fear that
threatened to choke him.
Turn back. Get out of here!
He looked down at the NAV screen. His fear inched higher when it showed
nothing. The cloud's energy was rendering his sensors useless. The planet that
had been there a moment before was gone. His warship was gone.
The Clouds of Deatg. Is this where I die?
Anger replaced his fear. "Bable! You lied!" He glared. "You're leading us to
our death."
The little man chuckled.
KilTi drew his weapon and aimed
it at the pilot's temple. "You may have killed us all, old man, but you'll die
first."
Bable's golden eyes glittered
under his bushy brows. "The fleet." He waved his hand toward the screen.
KilTi stared in stunned
disbelief. There, floating amid the electrical storm, was a sea of Thrux
warships... lost for fifteen years. He tried to count them, but it was
impossible. There were too many. In fact, the fleet took up such a large
expanse of space that the furthest ships--those at the limit of the viewscreen
sensors--were drifting in and out of view.
The little man gave them a smug
look. "I told you so. Even the mighty Pontenz will not willingly fly into the
Clouds of Deatg. I doubt if they even know there's an eye--a little spot of
heaven in the middle of hell. Believe me, sirs, in the center of this storm,
you're as safe as you'd be in your momma's arms."
Orin didn't hear the man. He
was staring slack jawed at the viewscreen. This was a secret force the late
Lord A`wren had constructed.
Why didn't he use it? Why did he hide it away?
Orin frowned. He remembered how the people had been afraid of the Pontenz. They
seemed to appear out of nowhere, with technology the Thrux had never seen. The
crews had been reluctant to go to war with an enemy they knew nothing about.
Some deserted. Others refused to obey orders. In the end, A`wren didn't have
anyone to man this huge fleet. His frown slowly changed to a grin.
But I do.
He looked at the viewscreen.
Mine. ...They are all mine. Twelve hundred warships. When I add those to my
current fleet, I will have all the force I need to exact our revenge.
He turned back to the old pilot. "Did you plot the course into our ship's
navigation computer, Bable?"
"Of course."
"How many have you told about
this?"
Bable folded his arms over his
ample stomach. "Lord A`wren was a very secretive man. He gave me very specific
orders on what I should do with the crews I hired to put the ships here. The
navigation computers on the shuttles taking them home were evidently
defective." He looked up at the viewscreen. "They're still out there, you know.
Lost somewhere in the Clouds of Deatg ...At least their corpses are." He
glanced back at the Thrux admiral and smiled. "Me? I've kept this secret for
all these years. I was saving the information for someone who could pay well."
"So, while searching for
someone of wealth, you never divulged the secret? ...Or even part of it?"
The old pilot shook his head.
"Not even a hint." He pointed at the viewscreen. "What would their value be if
the Pontenz knew of their existence?"
Orin nodded his head and
smiled. Then his eyes slid to KilTi. "Pay the man."
Bable's eyes widened in shock
an instant before the blast tore through his skull.
*****
Rahne helped her mother walk to
the living room. "You shouldn't be up, Mother."
"I'm feeling much better, and I
don't want to be in bed when your father gets home." Jade sighed. "I wanted to
so much to go with him, but I couldn't. I was
so
sick before he left." She smiled at her daughter. "Now that he's coming home,
I don't want him finding me in the same state."
Rahne nodded, a worried frown
on her face. She started to cover her mother with a quilt, but gave up when
Jade refused.
"I'm not an invalid, Rahne."
Rahne sighed and sat beside her
mother. She tried hard not to show her worry, but it was getting harder each
day. Jade had always been a bundle of energy, but--in the last three
months--she had steadily declined. What worried Rahne even more was that the
doctors couldn't find the cause. Her grandmother, the Empress, had brought in
experts from around the universe, but all had shaken their heads in puzzlement.
They kept insisting they needed more tests, but none of the tests helped. They
had wanted to visit her today as well. Some scholar had discovered some new
possibility in an ancient tome. A 'test' used by the ancient shamans on
Basseen. Her mother had refused to let the doctors visit when she heard Rahul
was going to be home.
Jade saw the worry on her
daughter's face and tried to change the subject. "When are Anthony and Shawn
due home?"
"I speak to Anthony every day.
He wanted to come home last week, but they have a battery of tests. I told him
I would keep them updated on how you were feeling."
"I miss them. I didn't realize
it would be so hard having them go to military school."
"Personally, I enjoy the peace
and quiet. Those two are always causing a riot."
Jade smiled softly, very proud
of her two sons. "They are boys--brothers who are being raised to be warriors.
It's hard to keep them quiet." She reached out to touch Rahne's cheek. "I wish
Mary had lived to see what a beautiful woman you grew into."
"I remember her. She used to
sit me in her lap and tell me how you stayed with her when you thought Father
was dead... and the Garovoks were attacking Earth."
Jade sighed sleepily. "If it
wasn't for her, I would never have been reunited with your father. She named
you, you know...." Her voice drifted off.
*****
KilTi pulled the body out of
the pilot's seat and sat at the controls. He deftly turned the ship and began
retracing their course, heading back to the Thrux homeworld. "You know, it will
take a while to train enough crews to man that many ships.
Orin nodded. "I'm not so
worried about the time as I am about being detected. The Pontenz have eyes
everywhere. They may not know about this fleet, but they will question why we
are training so many crews."
The pilot nodded. "Perhaps we
could have a rash of resignations. We always have pilots leaving the fleet to
go into business for themselves. Those freight companies pay a lot better than
we do. We could shuttle those crews to the secret fleet and train their
replacements. Surely that wouldn't raise any Pontenz eyebrows."
"Good idea. We'll use it. In
the meantime, it's time we put our agents to work. Contact Pontenzia first.
We'll shake them up at home. By the time they figure out what's going on, I'll
have the GarThrVyk alliance well in hand."
"If I read the messages
correctly, there's no need. Our people were anxious, and it has already
started--at least on the Pontenz homeworld."
"Wonderful!" He slapped KilTi
on the shoulder. "It has finally begun, and now that we've found the missing
armada, we will be victorious."
The ever-practical KilTi shook
his head. "There's a long way to go yet, Sire. A`wren made the mistake of
underestimating the Pontenz. ...And we all know how that came out in the end."
Orin sat back while KilTi
navigated back out of the Cloud.
The Thrux borders are about to expand. Finally, I'll be able to show that sham
empire the true power of the Thrux.
The Pontenz will be destroyed.
*****
After Jade fell asleep, Rahne
tiptoed out to the patio. Tears blurred her vision, and she slumped into the
nearest chair.
"Rahne?"
She looked up, startled.
"Father!" She sprung up and threw herself into his arms.
Rahul caught her. "What is
wrong?"
Rahne tried to control her
sobs. She looked up at him. He had gray in his blue-black hair, but he was
still very much a warrior. ...This huge man--her father--had always made
everything right. As a child, she had heard from others about the battles her
father had fought. They'd told her how he'd defeated a rogue Admiral and saved
Earth, where her mother had lived. ...But to her--as a child--he was her
father, not a warrior or an admiral.
He was the man who would scoop
her up and toss her high into the air. More important, he was the man who
always caught her. She'd sit on his lap and feel the warmth of his love. He'd
tend to her childhood injuries with a tenderness that none of his men believed
he had--except for Duran.
Sometimes, it seemed that there
was nothing he couldn't do, but this wasn't one of those times. He was a
powerful warrior, but Rahne also realized that he was not a god. When it came
to her mother's illness, he was as helpless as she was.
Rahul sighed heavily. His
shoulders slumped. "She is not better?"
Rahne shook her head.
Rahul kissed her forehead and
walked past her. He stopped at the door and looked at Jade.
She has always been thin, now she looks frail.
He frowned.
She is only forty-two. That is far too young for her strength to leave her like
it has.
He felt grief well up inside of him as he walked to her chair. Then he
crouched down in front of her and brushed a strand of hair off her face.
Even ill, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
It had been nineteen years
since they met. He was there representing the Empress in their efforts to bring
Earth into the Pontenz Empire. Jade had been accidentally transported to his
ship. At first, she thought he was the enemy. She had met him head on, with
fear, but with a stubborn pride that had won his heart.
Jade stirred and opened her
eyes. "Rahul?"
"I am here, Mate."
Jade sat up and smiled
brightly. "I'm better now. I will be able to go with you next time."
Rahul leaned forward and kissed
her. "What do the doctors say?"
Jade's smile faded. "I don't
want to talk to them anymore, Rahul. They only poke, prod and run painful
tests. I'm tired of them."
"I want you well, Mate. We
still have a universe to explore together, remember? There is still much I want
to show you. ...We have new horizons to reach for--together."
Jade looked at him sadly. "Will
you stay?"
"Yes, Mate. I have taken a
leave of absence to be with you until you are well."
"Where's Rahne?"
"She is outside." He gently
slid his arms under her legs and behind her back, then began to lift her into
an embrace.
She wrapped her arms around his
neck and smiled. "I'm not sure I will be able to greet you quite as warmly as I
usually do. Not today. ...But hold me, Rahul." She placed a soft kiss on his
cheek. "I know you were only gone a week, but it seemed
so
much longer. I've missed you."
Rahul carried her to the
bedroom and laid her on the bed. "I'm much too tired to enjoy your body today
anyway," he lied. "But don't think you are off the hook." He removed his
uniform and lay down beside her. "When I recover from this trip, I intend to
tie you to this bed and use you until you beg me to stop."
Jade snuggled against him.
"Promise?"
He wrapped his arms around her
and nuzzled her neck. "Guaranteed."
Jade let out a small gasp and
stopped breathing.
The trip to the clinic was a
blur in Rahul's mind. He remembered the staff taking Jade from his arms and
disappearing into a treatment room. Then the shock wore off. Rahul and Rahne
were condemned to pace the waiting room. Rahul had annoyed the nurses in the
reception area enough that they had finally escorted them to the room and told
both husband and daughter to stay there.
He was not used to being
ordered. He had been an Admiral for nineteen years and being told what to do by
someone barely his daughter's age made him fume. He finally quit his pacing and
stood at the window. There, his hands clasped behind his back, he waited.
Rahne walked to him. "Maybe
they will find out what's wrong this time."
His eyes lifted to the sky.
"We, the Pontenz, are the most powerful race in the universe. Many have stood
against us in the past, and all have fallen. We have ships that can cross the
universe in a week. We can teletransport from a ship to a cave deep within a
planet. We can mend broken bones in an instant. There is nothing we can't
do...." He looked at her. "Why... why is this happening?"
She rested her head on his
shoulder. "I don't know, Father. They have to figure it out."
Rahul turned sharply when a
doctor entered. "You had better have some news for me. ...
Good
news!"
The doctor sat and waited while
Rahul and Rahne took the chairs next to him. "We have run every test we have,
and a few experimental ones as well. The results have been negative. We have
decided that there is only one possibility remaining that would explain such a
rapid deterioration in your wife's condition, Admiral."
"Well, spit it out!"
Rahne put her hand on her
father's arm. "Be calm, Father. You are scaring the doctor. Please let him
speak."
Rahul nodded and gently patted
his daughter's hand. After taking several deep breaths, he seemed more in
control of his anger. "I am sorry, Doctor. Please continue."
"It is my belief she has been
poisoned."
Rahul looked at him blankly for
a moment. "Poisoned? It has taken you three months to come up with poisoned?"
His recent calm left him. "What the hell kind of poison? When? How?"
"We were not looking for poison
at first. We assumed it was a female problem... perhaps something common to
Earthlings. We scoured the database we received from Earth. When those options
ran out, we started testing for anything and everything. It has been several
weeks of taking many shots in the dark. Now we feel it is apparently a poison
that does not remain in the bloodstream. Instead, it seems to settle in an
organ. In her case, it is the heart."
"Then giver her the antidote."
"It is too late. I would guess
she received the poison about six months ago. Since then, it has been
deteriorating the heart muscles. Now, there is not much muscle tissue left.
Very soon, her heart will stop altogether.
The doctor began to reach for
Rahul's hand to comfort him, then realized how dangerous that might be for his
own health and well being. "As to the 'how' of it? Without knowing the specific
poison used, we cannot be sure
how
it happened. It could have been in something she ate or drank. My personal
guess is that this was not an accident. Someone could have injected her with
the toxin. Assassins are very good at things like that."
Rahne's face paled. It hadn't
crossed her mind that that this could have been an attack on her mother's life.
When the doctor said poison, she naturally assumed it was something Jade had
taken or touched accidentally. "Who would be trying to murder her? Why? She has
never harmed anyone in her life!"
The doctor shrugged. "I am a
doctor, Miss Debar. I only see the results and try to heal the victims. I
cannot pretend to know why people do such horrible things to each other."
"...And you cannot give her an
antidote?"
The doctor looked down at the
floor and sighed. "There is none. As I said before, the problem is no longer
the poison. It is what the poison has done to her body."
Rahul rose and gripped the
doctor's shirt. He jerked him to his feet and ended the motion with the small
doctor being suspended in midair. "That's ridiculous. Now go back in there and
save her... or find someone else who might be competent enough to do it!"
"Sir, let me go! There is no
antidote! There is no known treatment to rejuvenate heart muscles. ...There is
nothing more that we can do for your wife except ensure that her last days are
spent without discomfort."
Rahne leapt up. "What about a
heart transplant?"
The doctor straightened his
robe when Rahul dropped him. "It would be risky in her current weakened
condition. I doubt if she would survive the surgery."
Rahul was having difficulty
controlling the rage caused by his feeling of being utterly helpless. "There
has
to be something you can do. Put her in the regenerator."
The doctor shook his head. "The
poison is still there. The regenerator would only speed it up."
"How long?"
"We are not sure. Could be two
or three months--perhaps six. It is hard to be accurate, since we do not know
what we are dealing with. We want to run more tests on her."
Rahul looked out the window.
"No."
"Sir?"
"No more tests. I will not
allow her last months to be filled with pain. I will take her to the Limma
sector. The monks there have medical knowledge beyond your textbooks. If they
can help her, fine. If not, we will spend her last days where she has always
loved to be--in space with me."
Rahne watched her father walk
out of the waiting room and knew where he was going.
Mother needs him now--more than she ever has. ...And he needs to be with her.
She looked at the doctor. "He loves her very much."
He nodded. "It is obvious how
much he cares for her." He stared out the window for a few moments. "He is
right, you know. His way is best. I'm sorry, Miss Debar, but if your mother
were to remain on Pontenzia, we would only be grasping at straws. I really
doubt the monks can do anything, but far be it from me to stand in the way if
your father wants to try alternative treatments." He turned away from the
window. "The most important thing right now is that he is taking her to a place
where she will be happy."
Rahne tried to smile, but when
she felt tears starting, she fled the hospital.
Rahne was torn. Her father had
invited her along on the trip, but she couldn't force herself to go. It was bad
enough watching her mother slowly die before her eyes on Pontenzia. At least
she could get away from the house and take a walk. ...Or she could visit her
Grandmother. It would be different on the ship. The quarters were cramped and
there would be no escape.
I could not take that! I would spend every minute checking for a pulse and
wondering if the next breath would be her last.
She looked at her parents. They were talking with some of the shuttle
crewmembers.
I also think they'd rather be alone. All Father can think of right now is her.
It's only right that they spend their last days together without distraction.
Rahne finally decided she was glad she had lied to her parents that she would
like to go, but she had made a previous commitment to a visit to Earth with
some of her friends.
Jade hugged Rahne. "Then we
will see you in a couple of months. Enjoy your trip to Earth." She stepped back
and gave her daughter a weak smile. "I had hoped to go with you when you went
there for the first time... to show you where I grew up, but Rahul wants to
check out some ancient ruins in the Limma sector." She looked deeply into
Rahne's eyes, feeling a little guilty for not feeling well enough to travel to
Earth with her. "I
will
miss you."
Rahne forced herself to smile.
Her mother had positively bloomed when Rahul had told her they were going on a
trip. That had pleased Rahne. "I will miss you too. ...I may hold off the trip
for now and go when you get back. I would hate to miss the guided tour." She
laughed. "Besides, I'm sure Grandmother will love it if I stayed here. That way
she can continue trying to talk me into choosing a mate."
Jade laughed along with her.
"You're too young for a mate. Enjoy life, Rahne. See the universe while you
can. Once you're married, the male will try to keep you barefoot and
pregnant... while he's off exploring new horizons."
Rahul walked to them "Why is it
I never hear any protests from you, Mate, while I am in the process of giving
you a child. It is only when you are with others that you complain about being
barefoot." He laughed and kissed Rahne's forehead, just as he always did. "Do
not let my mother rush you, Rahne. Wait and find the one that claims your
heart. You will know when you find him." He put his arm around Jade. "Just as
your mother and I did."
Rahne smiled.
I just hope I can be as lucky to be so deeply in love when I find my mate.
"Don't worry, Father. Grandmother has already showed me most of her
selections. She's going to have to do a lot better than that before I find an
interesting one."
Rahul laughed and then looked
at Jade. "It's time to go."
Rahne watched the shuttle until
it vanished out of sight. She finally sighed and turned to the two guards that
had been assigned to her. Rahne didn't like the idea of having them follow her
everywhere. She wanted
some
time to herself--to be alone so she could deal with her grief. ...But after all
of the talk about assassins and poisoning, she'd been unable to talk her
grandmother out of it. The Empress had insisted that Rahne have protection at
all times, and had also sent four guards to watch over her brothers at
Bhaja--where they attended the Pontenz Military Academy.
Rahne turned away from the
guards and glared at the crowds that always filled the spaceport. People
passing through on their way to other planets. Families on vacation, laughing
and happy. Lovers too involved with each other to even notice what planet they
were on. All the happiness around her made her feel worse.
She wanted to scream and tell
them to stop laughing--that her mother was not coming back. Someone had killed
her. She wanted to tell them that the person who had done it had shown no
mercy. They had not arranged a quick death, but a slow, painful one. Their
poison was gradually eating away at the beautiful, warm woman's most prized
possession--her heart. It was a coward's attack, one meant to demoralize the
family and weaken her father, the Admiral.
Perhaps their real goal in attacking our family is to destroy me, since I am to
be the next Empress.
One of the guards spoke into an
unseen communicator, then came to her side. "The Empress wishes to speak with
you."
Rahne didn't want to listen to
another lecture or be given a pep talk.
I love my grandmother dearly, but right now all I want is to be left alone.
"I need to go to the washroom." She walked away without waiting for them.
Inside the restroom, she locked
the door and leaned against it for a minute. The world seemed to be closing in
around her.
I need air.
She walked to the frosted glass window and pushed it open. Unfortunately, the
only air available was hot and filled with dust generated by the ships lifting
off. She stared--unseeing--at the traffic.
A crash made her jump,
startling her out of her brooding. Rahne watched a man yell at cargo droid that
had spilled its load. When they disappeared into the terminal, her eyes strayed
to the dark interior of the ship they had been loading. Impulsively, she opened
the window further and slipped out. Running across the tarmac to the ship, she
ducked inside and crawled behind the crates. When the hatch was slammed shut a
few moments later, she curled up in a ball and allowed herself to collapse into
the tears that she had been holding back.
She barely noticed the ship's
movements, the drop in temperature, or the thinning air.
This is a sample chapter from
War on the Horizon
by
D. Lee and Kammy Bonias
We at
Books Unbound E-Publishing Co.
www.booksunbound.com
hope you will enjoy the entire book!
War on the Horizon
is the final book in the Horizon series,
Beyond the Horizon
and
Uncertain Horizons
are also available from Books
Unbound!
Author's Bios
D. Lee
I live in B. C Canada with my husband, two grown sons, a cat and a dog.
Hobbies include computers and photography. Something of a late bloomer, I
didn't start to write until I was forty, although I've always been a
dreamer. Perhaps I had to live first, before I could sit down and
put my daydreams into actual stories.
Dreams are only unreachable if you stop dreaming.
Kammy Bonias
I started my writing career in the advertising industry. Though at the time I
didn't actually consider it 'writing'. I, like everyone else, moved into
cyberspace, where writing is a way of life, and good writing sets you apart
from everyone. As I learned my way around the Internet, I stumbled into some
literary clubs and gaming groups that role played games and simulations through
e-mail and other online mediums. This was how I met my co-author, D. Lee.
Like many of the text-based gamers, I began writing short stories, and then
novels, submitting them here and there, but nothing real serious until D. Lee
and I began discussing writing. She was writing too, and showed me one of her
stories. I added to it, made a few changes, expanded on the characters,
polished it up and sent it back to her. She loved it. We formed a partnership
that day and the rest is history. We've been together for years now, and still
have never met in person.
I am widowed, and live in Northwest Montana with my children, 3 dogs, 5 cats
and a parakeet named Skeeter.
Visit the Author's Joint Website
D. Lee and Kammy Bonias
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