Chapter 1-3
PROLOG
The first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization took place on February 21, the year 4589, and it had none of the things one would hope for from such an event, or wish for in connection with it. There was no gleaming spaceship descending majestically and mysteriously from the sky. No tall, angelic visitor demanding to speak with our leaders and then deliver a speech to the United Nations. There was no emissary from a far advanced civilization offering us peace, to take young humanity by the hand and introduce it to the mysteries of the universe. No superior concept to settle the petty disputes among nations and the eternal struggle to obtain the planet’s resources. The strangers had brought their own conflicts and added them to our problems.
I remember well the days when the ground trembled and the nights lit up by the broadsides of mighty spaceships cruising across the sky. The first contact with the aliens was disturbing, brutal, frightening and had the charm of a punch in the face.
There was something overwhelmingly casual about their unpleasant visit. We humans were not even an annoying evil that crawled over the surface of the earth and disturbed the troop movements of the warring parties. An evil could not be ignored. An evil had to be reacted to, fought, dealt with. But we were not worth fighting, we were simply in the way. We were trampled casually, like ants on the sidewalk. And the fact that we had to deal with two cultures, which an interstellar war had brought to the outskirts of the Milky Way, didn’t make it any better. The only thing that was impressive was the extent of the destruction on Earth, the lunar settlements and all the other colonies and the planets of the Sol system. Also impressive was the arbitrariness with which whole continents were devastated in order to build bases and bases. But soon at least the Akkato recognized the value of the small earthlings. We proved to be tough, persistent, reliable, and our ability to suffer amazed the tall beings with horse-like heads who came from a green world with dense jungles. We were given weapons, trained and sent to fight the insect-like Keymon. Humanity was integrated into the hostile galactic family through recruitment centers set up by the Akkato, or by simply kidnapping individuals capable of fighting and integrating them into the fleet against their will. Neither the Keymon nor the Akkato were friends of humans, and they were not squeamish in their dealings with us. It was soon clear to me that we were just cheap cannon fodder for them to keep the losses of the forest-dwelling horse skulls low.
And so it was that I, Dominic Porter, also had the ambivalent pleasure of embarking on my first journey to the stars to explore the vastness of the galaxy and learn about the less than peaceful cultures of the star world.
NOMADS CHAPTER 1
September 4603
Dominic Porter sat in front of an oval, armored window aboard the Akkatoship Skitra and looked down on his home. He would be twenty-six years old in a month and was already part of a generation of young people who had already experienced and been through too much for their age. At least he was not ahead of his time, like quite a few of his peers, and managed to retain his youthful carelessness. Some might have considered it recklessness, but Dominic was not at all the kind of person who went through life without compassion and responsibility. He was merely trying to save his skin, and for that, an unbroken spirit was indispensable.
In Dominic’s narrow face, with its bright green-blue eyes, one looked in vain for the wrinkles of worry. His chestnut hair did not show any gray spots, as was the case with many of his peers, for whom fear had left white streaks.
Dominic looked down at the clusters of lights of the cities of Fargo, Willmar, Minneapolis. Between them, the sparse lights of countless villages dotted the desolate countryside like lone stars. They all shrank to small glowing dots the higher the skitra rose. Even the monstrous pillars of the Akkato bases grew tinier and tinier. Dominic could make out about ten of these towers from up here, stretching in a straight line to the horizon, casting long shadows across the land as the dawn came up.
Mighty Akkato ships had moored to the buildings and were waiting to be dispatched. Countless feeder boats buzzed around them with glowing engines, like swarms of fireflies circling the trunks of giant trees.
In the glimmer of dawn, the outlines of the great lakes began to emerge, shining like fragments of polished mirror. They now lacked the shapes Dominic had learned about in school lessons and had been familiar with since childhood. Everywhere, the immense destructive power of bullets had punched circular holes in the ground and damaged the natural structures of the landscape to such an extent that nothing reminded him of their original shape. Many craters had by now filled with water and covered the ground in a strange-looking pattern, as if drops of mercury had fallen to the ground. In the glow of the new day, they looked like the work of an artist who had tested his skills on entire planets, taking the risk of destroying civilizations and peoples.
There was only speculation about the loss of life since the first contact with the Akkato and the Keymon. And neither one party nor the other seemed interested in finding out what damage they had done so far. The earthlings and their suffering were of little importance for the war that Akkato and Keymon had been waging against each other for thousands of years. But at least it turned out that the Akkato showed somewhat less disrespect for humans than the insectoid Keymon.
While all infrastructure had collapsed in the areas dominated by the beetles, it was still possible to get along relatively well in the territories where the Akkato were in charge. Many who inhabited these areas believed in a return to normal life once the invaders left. But Dominic harbored doubts that the Akkato or Keymon would ever leave the planet again. And even if they did, life on Earth could never be the same again.
Dominic was not the first to realize this and join the Akkato in battle, seeking his fortune in the vastness of space. However, the Akkato fought their war on many fronts, and the likelihood of dying first was almost certain.
The Skitra, which translated meant „sword“ and which was under the command of Ulan Mestray, was rather the suitable means for him to take him to the stars. And Mestray was a glorious Akkato warrior who had given the Keymon a run for their money and nearly drove them from Earth. Almost – because a few weeks earlier, supplies had arrived for the Beetles, which had allowed them to hold their remaining positions. Why Ulan Mestray was withdrawn from Earth at that very moment, Dominic could not explain. But it was unnecessary to worry about it. The Akkatos would not let him in on their inscrutable intentions, and there was nothing left on Earth to keep him there. After one of the giant Keymon ships crashed over his home, leaving nothing but a charred wasteland where his family met their end, he wanted to turn his back on everything that reminded him of his lost home.
Finally, the Skitra veered onto a course that would carry it out of the solar system, and Earth disappeared from his view. Dominic jumped off the bench in front of the window and looked at the room he was in. It was not particularly large, certainly not by Akkato standards, as the full-grown Akkato usually towered over humans by a good arm’s length. It exuded the quiet solemnity of a church. Light flickered in several openings in the walls, as if candles were burning inside. A tangy scent of herbs and aromatic resins hung in the air. It had to be a meditation room or some kind of chapel. Dominic’s nose was filled with strange, sweet scents that flattered his senses and were meant to make him receptive to divine comfort. But it was also the shapes that captivated him and had a pleasant effect on his eyes. Shapes that were so very different from anything humans could construct. All the structures flowed into each other as if one were inside a plant. There were no edges, no corners or right angles. Everything appeared organic and in constant motion. No wonder, Dominic thought, because every Akkato ship was made of wood, and that alone was a marked contrast to the vehicles of the humans or the Keymon.
The ships and structures of the Keymon shimmered silver and copper, had angular shapes here and there, and were covered with ornaments of which Dominic could not tell whether they simply served as decoration or fulfilled a function. The Akkato ships, on the other hand, looked like flying logs and gave the appearance of having been streamlined by crude axes. Only on closer inspection could the fine construction be seen.
Until recently, Dominic had never been able to see one of the ships from the inside, and his fascination grew by the minute. The Skitra radiated a powerful dignity that was expressed in many details. Organic, powerful shapes that gave the impression of forming a single, solid body that had no joints. Also, everything was larger than on the few ships that the giant Akkato provided to the people, which had been elaborately adapted to human proportions. Here, however, no such effort had been made. Consoles, quarters and command posts had been created by the Akkato designers exclusively for their own kind. The switches, buttons and controls were large and unsuitable for small human hands.
The living containers aboard the Skitra, which came from Earth’s military stockpiles and somehow ended up in Akkato’s possession, looked like foreign bodies. They served as accommodation for the people. Dominic, too, had already secured a bed and a locker. There was still enough room for more recruits, who would arrive shortly and from whom Dominic was allowed to assemble a troop.
Dominic left the meditation room, strolled through the corridors and finally reached the ship’s canteen. Here, a few tables and chairs had been set up, which came from the stocks of the human fleet. All the human beings aboard the Skitra often gathered here and took their meals. Even now Dominic saw quite a few people taking their meal. Some with obvious appetites and others who were listlessly poking around in their plates and bowls. Among them were some new faces. There had to be about fifty, sixty people, Dominic estimated. Men and women, ranging in age from twenty, to forty. The newcomers had not yet been introduced to him. Dominic did not know their names or their ranks. A shuttle had picked them up from the rendezvous point near Dallas and dropped them off at the Skitra hangar a little over an hour ago. Dominic did not miss the opportunity to observe the scene from a distance.
The accato officer receiving the humans refrained from rattling off the complicated names of the recruits to verify that all the requested human soldiers were on board. He merely glanced at the faces of the new arrivals and occasionally at his datapad to match the information he could read on it. Afterwards, the grumpy creature took the people to the canteen and left without giving them any further instructions. Now they waited to be assigned their quarters. They were kept waiting, and Dominic also refrained from taking a closer look at his future comrades-in-arms. He had too many thoughts running through his head, which he had to sort out first, before he wanted to devote himself to the problems of strangers. After his walk through the corridors of Skitra, he finally arrived here in the canteen to meet his new comrades.
There was no face among them that Dominic knew, but some of them seemed to have spent time together. From the way they interacted with each other, Dominic concluded that they had been in quite a few battles together. They chatted mindlessly and seemed to talk about past missions and experiences. Sometimes they laughed or commented on some incident with joking remarks, but quickly returned to their usual seriousness. Others, however, sat lonely and alone in front of their food, silently surveying their surroundings – distant, thoughtful, suspicious. Some gave the impression of being used to losses and therefore not eager to make new friends. They avoided eye contact with the others and sat somewhat apart.
Faced with the new and unfamiliar situation, many of the young recruits looked around tensely and uncertainly. Undoubtedly, they too had never seen the inside of an accato ship before. They all seemed to realize that they were in a dangerous place and that all hell could break loose at any moment.
Dominic remembered clearly the first day on the destroyer to which he had been assigned – the Zora, under the command of Daniel Perk. He, too, had felt lonely and lost at the time. Unsure of the adventures and dangers that awaited him. He could understand the boys and girls very well. Dominic decided to join the Home Fleet when he was eighteen, and now he had been there for eight years.
„I thought I’d come and see you,“ he said somewhat awkwardly as he sat down with the recruits.
„All too obvious.“
The sour comment came from a red-haired boy with water-blue eyes sitting across from him. Porter ignored the boy’s words.
„Where did you come from?“ continued Porter, unperturbed.
„Gonna be a question and answer session,“ the boy followed up. „Thought I’d finally gotten the interrogations out of the way.“
Dominic got up to leave. „Sorry. It was a stupid idea.“
„He didn’t mean it,“ said one of the girls sitting next to the redhead, at which point Porter sat back down. „He’s just excited, like the rest of us. I’m Sandra Dix, the cheeky guy here …“
„Is David Moore,“ the redhead beat her to it. „And he’s planning to be an admiral. But we still don’t know your name.“
„My name is Dominic Porter,“ he finally introduced himself.
„Lieutenant Dominic Porter,“ Moore noted with a casual glance at Dominic’s epaulettes.
Sandra Dix dedicated a wry smile to Dominic. Her green eyes glittered. „Then I guess we’ll have to salute you.“
„Depends on what the captain thinks, though,“ Dominic waved it off. „In the home fleet, they’ve gotten rid of a lot of formalities. How that’s handled here, I don’t know. I arrived here just before you did.“
Dominic found this lack of formal discipline unfortunate. It led to many problems due to disrespect. It also caused trouble on the Zora from time to time, but he didn’t want to shake the established customs or start a debate about it now.
„Have you been in the field long?“ asked another boy, who was perhaps the youngest in the troop. He had a narrow, inquisitive face, with lots of freckles and short, white-blond hair.
„I served on the Zora,“ Dominic Porter explained, aware that this revelation could start a discussion. „Three years under Captain Perk.“
„The Zora?“ David Moore had astonishment written all over his face. „The captain perk? Daniel Perk?“
Dominic realized that he had made a mistake by coming out with it so early. He could have said he had served the last few years on a destroyer, or any other ship, without giving any name. There were thousands of ships and he could have come up with a name.
„He sold his team to the Keymon.“ The girl with the broad face and brown hair showed disgust. „Because of him we lost ten thousand men. And three battleships.“
Another recruit couldn’t help himself. „They say he is a slave trader. He sold people. To the Keymon and to other races in the galaxy.“
The boy who made these claims was a little too fat for a soldier. Dominic feared he might become a problem should they have to conduct a ground operation. Why hadn’t his superiors brought him up to speed?
„Shut up,“ David Moore ran his mouth over the fat man. „It was all a conspiracy, wasn’t it? People were trying to piss off Perk’s leg.“
At that moment Dominic decided to like the redhead a little more.
„There have been a lot of words. Too many words.“ Dominic looked at the round more closely, and a suspicion crept up on him. „You all kind of belong together, but you weren’t in the fight.“
„We’re from the university,“ Sandra Dix informed him.
„Thomas Moore University in Baltimore,“ added the fat man.
„I didn’t know they were recruiting students now,“ Dominic wondered.
„We’re just as good as anyone else,“ said the girl with the broad face.
Dominic dared to doubt that. But her classmates seemed to be as convinced of her fighting ability as she was.
„You’ll have a chance to prove that soon enough,“ Dominic said, looking earnestly around the room. „But zeal is no substitute for experience.“
„Nialla is right,“ Sandra said with a nod to the broad-faced girl. „We have highlighted all the strategies used in this conflict in our discussion group. We know very well.“
„Discussion Group. Strategies illuminated. All strategies, in fact.“ Dominic Porter had to make every effort to suppress a shake of his head and a laugh. He had found the saviors of humanity, he reflected with amusement, and would now lead them onto the battlefield. „Who else is in your group?“
Sandra Dix introduced him to the fat boy named Peter Norden, Alex Donhall, with the freckles, the broad-faced Nialla López, and two other boys. Christan Peskin and Frederik Zest, and a dark-haired girl named Linda Sung with slightly Asian features.
A soft chime announced the coming of an Akkato officer. The experienced soldiers in the room rose hastily. Dominic Porter also stood up and took his stance. The students followed his lead. Thumb to the seam of the pants, eyes straight ahead, shoulders taut. Perfect. At least they had practiced this well, Porter thought to himself.
The Akkato asked the people to follow him so that he could take them to their shelters. They shouldered their backpacks and followed the hulking being.
The people’s quarters consisted of several living containers, lined up in the Skitra hangar. People could choose their own bunkmates and soon groups had formed to share their quarters.
Porter asked the students to move into one of the containers where he had previously placed his belongings. The young people eyed the cots and bunk beds suspiciously. Apparently they had expected something more luxurious. Not the first disappointment that would befall them, Porter thought.
An elderly sergeant had joined them and occupied the last free bed. He was a short, stocky man with short gray hair and a perfectly trimmed beard that still showed a coppery red color around his chin. His name was Aaron Kruger and he didn’t talk much. After checking his bunk by lying down on it and stowing his luggage in the locker next to it, he began to disassemble and clean his rifle, although it was apparently unnecessary. Kruger also possessed a handsome arsenal of modified stabbing and handguns, which he spread out on the floor in front of his bed.
Dominic felt the moment had come to put the troops under his command.
„I welcome you to the Skitra,“ he began greeting the newcomers in a firm voice, whose attention turned to Dominic. „You have chosen accommodation ten thirty-three. I am Lieutenant Dominic Porter and by your decision you have also agreed to place yourselves under my command. There is nothing to shake or discuss about that. The Akkato do not want complex bureaucracy as far as we are concerned. So your unit is the Ten-Three-Three. In the rear of the quarters you will find showers and toilets. I expect order and cleanliness. As my father used to say, any person who finds himself on a desert island will find ample opportunity to present himself as a civilized and well-groomed individual. Here you have more than enough at your disposal to live up to that ideal.“
He eyed the men and women who stared at him in irritation.
„Does anyone else have any questions?“ wanted Porter to know, but no one seemed in the mood to address him. Neither Dix, nor Lopez, nor any of the other students touched on the thorny issue surrounding the Zora and Captain Perk that they had discussed earlier.
Dominic wished everyone a good night and decided to go to sleep. If only to avoid questions about his time on the Zora, should anyone still wish to satisfy his curiosity. Fortunately, he was not the only one whose need for sleep took its toll. The day had been long for all of them and the transport from the barracks to the assembly point and from the assembly point to the Skitra was certainly more exhausting than expected. Everyone went to sleep early. However, Dominic could not get any rest. Restlessly he turned back and forth and stared into the darkness. His thoughts circled around all the events that had brought him to this place. Back to the time about six years earlier, when he had completed his second year of training in the home fleet and was visiting his family.
CHAPTER 2
Flashback
October 4597
There are no words to describe the beauty of autumn in the Minnesota forests that lined the Great Lakes, east of Fargo. When the vibrant reds, yellows and oranges of Indian summer shone in the light of the evening sun, as if the leaves were made of glowing copper and gold, the land seemed to sink into a dream world. Contrast this with the deep blue, almost purple sky that arched over the treetops. Dominic loved autumn with all its colors. The long evenings and the melancholy that lay over the land when the mist rose from the river valleys and lakes.
He enjoyed the last warm rays of the sun that shone and dazzled his face while his older brother Benjamin piloted the glider. The cool, almost icy breeze ran through his hair, carrying with it the spicy aromas of the dying vegetation.
The long road, lined with magnificent maple trees, led south east of Cotton Lake into the town of Bensley, or what was left of it. A good distance out of town, the Porters occupied a house where the whole family lived. It was actually their vacation home, but after life in the cities became too unsafe, Dominic’s parents decided to leave the capital city of Saint Paul and move to the country for good.
Dominic was looking forward to seeing his father, mother and siblings again and proudly presenting himself to them in the uniform of the Home Fleet. The two silver stars above his right breast pocket indicated that he had mastered the first two years and the many awards underneath gave information about his ability and skill in the various branches of the armed forces. He was now an officer candidate and would spend a year or two on a warship after his leave until he was allowed to enter the academy with a solid basic knowledge of fleet command.
„That you don’t burst with pride,“ Benjamin said with a mocking smile, as if he had read Dominic’s mind. The wind played with his long brown hair. „Wouldn’t be very pleasant if I had to show our parents the bloody shreds of your uniform after you survived all that drill.“ He lowered his voice in exaggerated seriousness. „Here are the remains of your son Dominic, Jonathan Porter the Pompous.“
„I’m sure you’d pass the academy with flying colors,“ Dominic returned, knowing how little his brother thought of the fleet that couldn’t stand up to the aliens.
He would have joined the armed forces, Benjamin claimed, if they succeeded in taking a single one of the alien ships out of the sky. As long as that didn’t happen, he considered it more important to stay put and defend the family immediately, rather than protect any aliens in the distant colonies. And there was no question of protecting them anyway, as he explained to Dominic when he enlisted in the military. The home fleet was only an escape helper, he said, and Dominic had countered that it was, after all, honorable to help those who could not help themselves.
„Our family can only handle one hero.“ There was something reproachful in Benjamin’s voice, and the topic he broached picked up where it had left off two years ago. „In a month, I’ll have to take you back to the base and comfort Mother anyway. So don’t imagine that your visit will be entirely unencumbered. She knows you’ll be leaving again. And I know you’ll break her heart with it, even if she tries not to let on. She’s in constant worry about you.“
Dominic knew that his mother Carol had had great problems with his decision. But what did she actually want? He was adult enough to make his own decisions, even if they were dangerous. With the appearance of the aliens, he had lost his illusions early and had had to quickly learn the facts about the hardships of life. A lesson that all young people on Earth had had to make, robbed of a carefree childhood and youth. His mother should rather encourage him than give him additional grief by her worries.
His father George, on the other hand, was on his side. He had also been a soldier, until the loss of a leg, in a foolish border conflict between the Asian Union and the Western Confederacy on one of Jupiter’s moons. This happened long before the appearance of the Keymon and Akkato and the chaos they brought with them to Earth.
„Billy will be pleased,“ Benjamin continued placatingly. „He’s been talking about nothing but you for days. And, of course, Tammy and Sarah will be happy, too.“
Billy, or William as he was really called, was only seven and looked up to Dominic as if he were a king or a knight from his storybooks. When Dominic enlisted in the military, he had risen even higher in the eyes of the youngest. His sisters also liked Dominic a lot and contacted him as often as they could. However, since the fleet was largely enjoined to radio silence and communicated only on secret channels, this happened rarely enough.
The glider swung into a fork in the main road. The large deciduous trees, oaks, maples, beeches, that stood close to the embankment formed a golden canopy with their branches and twigs as the vehicle sped along over the tar. It seemed to Dominic as if it had been decades since he had last been here. A shiver ran down his spine as the road turned into a field, the forest receding unawares, and the large house where his family lived came into view. A typical North American house in the classic Bostonhouse style, with white wood siding, a front porch and slate-colored roof. Close by was a gnarled, ancient oak tree, with thick spreading branches. From one of them dangled the obligatory tire swing. Only the large piece of debris from a Keymon ship that jutted out of the forest some distance behind the house disturbed the idyllic picture.
Benjamin pressed the horn as the glider sped past the harvested cornfields, to the left and right of the road, that surrounded the house in a wide radius.
Dominic could see little Billy come out the front door, run across the porch, and leap down the steps of the short staircase. On the gravel of the street that ended in front of the house, he paused for a moment, then suddenly turned and ran back into the house, squeezing past his sisters and parents who were just coming out of the doorway.
„Bet there’s no more beautiful parade than this one,“ Benjamin remarked dryly.
He was right. Nothing could equal the reunion with his family. It was a beautiful picture, his parents and siblings standing on the porch waiting for him. The glider stopped and Dominic got out. As he did, the car bobbed up and down on its hover cushion.
„I’ll take your luggage,“ Benjamin said, grabbing Dominic’s backpack in the back seat. „You can go ahead and get your welcome kisses and get smacked down.“
It felt good to feel the crunching gravel under his feet as Dominic got out of the car. The wind rustled the leaves and only now did Dominic realize how much he had missed all this. During his training, there was only the filtered and well-tempered air of the artificial habitats, spaceships and stations. Odorless and sterile on the ships of the fleet. Stale and musty on the crowded habitats between the planets.
„It’s good to have you back,“ said Dominic’s father George, in his superior and slightly detached way.
Anyone who didn’t know him would have thought him sober and cool, but Dominic knew that the opposite was true. This impression was underscored by his tall, slender figure and the gray temples that framed a serious, angular face. Dominic’s impulsive mother, on the other hand, hurried down the porch steps, embraced her son, and provided him with the kisses of welcome that Benjamin had announced. She gazed into her son’s eyes for a long time, struggling with the words that would not pass her lips. Tears rolled down her cheeks, saying enough about how she felt.
„Well, you look good,“ she finally brought out in an occupied voice. „You must be hungry. I cooked your favorite dinner. Turkey with potatoes and sweet chestnuts.“
„How much I’ve missed your food,“ Dominic replied, always struggling to choke down the artificial protein surrogates of the ship’s canteen, never able to get used to them. „And how much I missed you. And all of you.“
„The uniform looks good on you,“ Tamara commented, putting on her prettiest dress and braiding her blonde hair into many thin braids.
Her younger, brunette sister Sarah looked at him challengingly with her big green eyes. Unlike Tamara, she wore blue dungarees and a red and white plaid flannel shirt. The pageboy cut emphasized her tomboyish manner, which Dominic loved so much and which she apparently still hadn’t shed.
„Must be the crush of all the female cadets,“ she remarked pointedly as Billy returned, skipped down the steps, and posted himself in front of his brother. In his hands he held an adventurous construct made of gray cardboard and pieces of plastic, with all sorts of techno junk pasted here and there. Obviously, it was supposed to represent a spaceship, bearing an identifier on the sides that the boy had painted on the hull in white paint and in angular, military-style letters. Dominic’s birth year – 4577. In a few weeks, on October twenty-fifth, he would turn twenty.
„I helped him with it,“ Benjamin remarked, earning a sullen look from his youngest brother. „A little, at least,“ he immediately relented. „As an artistic advisor, so to speak.“
„This is the best ship of all,“ Billy declared, full of pride. „You can defeat any enemy with it. You’ve got to show it to your general so he’ll build lots and lots of them.“
„Of course,“ Dominic promised. „The fleet really needs some of your ships.“
„I’m completely convinced of that,“ Benjamin remarked.
He grinned annoyed and his blue eyes narrowed to tight slits. At that moment, Dominic would have liked to punch him in the jaw. He was good at delivering chin hooks, as he and several of the belligerent cadets knew by now.
„This is a great ship.“ Dominic stroked Billy’s neatly combed blond mop of hair before ruffling it, causing Billy to chuckle. „Victory is ours!“
„Let’s go inside,“ his father finally said. „The air is fresher than it feels, and you’ll catch a cold faster than you think possible.“
Dinner lasted until late into the night. One by one, the various family members said their goodbyes until Dominic and Benjamin were left alone in the large kitchen and then retreated to the living room. The fire in the fireplace had dwindled to smoldering ashes, while the burned-down candles on the dining room table cast a warm, solemn glow of light into the room.
„I always wondered why our parents named me Benjamin?“ He took a sip of wine and twirled the glass thoughtfully between his fingers. „They knew they wanted more children, didn’t they?“ He laughed, pressed. „But maybe they knew that the real hero wouldn’t be born until after me.“
Of course, Dominic had been the center of attention that evening. All the conversations revolved around him and his career in the fleet. He was constantly told what he had learned and what his instructors had to say about his skills. Whether he could fly a starship. What his superiors‘ names were and what types of fighters he liked best. Which missions were most exciting and how many exotic corners of the solar system he had visited. At some point, this level of attention had become uncomfortable for him. And all the more so because he knew that a feeling of inferiority lay dormant in Ben, which grew more and more the more Dominic became the center of attention.
Ben had once confided in him how taken advantage of he felt, and believed he was born for the sole purpose of sacrificing himself for his siblings. He felt set back and marginalized. It would have been only logical and understandable if Benjamin, instead of Dominic, had set out to find his true brothers and sisters among the men and women of the fleet. And yet it had been he who had remained on the scene to protect his parents and biological siblings.
„I want to show you something,“ Ben said, emptying his glass and slamming it down on the table. „I haven’t been idle, as you’re about to find out.“ He reached for the half-empty bourbon bottle and picked up two matching glasses. One he thrust into Dominic’s hand. „I’ve got a nice collection there that I’m sure will fascinate you, too.“
The two left the house and Benjamin led Dominic to the garage, which was in a large shed next to the house.
„About a month after you left,“ he told me as they walked across the gravel lot in front of the house, „one of the huge Keymon claws struck Rochest. One of the long, slender kind. Almost two kilometers high.“ He shook his head regretfully. „Was bad for Rochest.“
There were two types of Keymon claws, as the bases of the Insectoids were called. Both occupied a landing area of just over one square kilometer. These were military bases, with extensive support and factory areas. One variety, which stabbed the sky like a slender blade when landed, focused on the military aspect. The other was shorter and more focused on the exploitation of mineral resources.
Benjamin opened one of the two garage doors and turned on the lights, revealing four all-terrain vehicles with large tires and heavy weapons mounted on their beds. Judging by the chrome exhaust ports, they appeared to have internal combustion engines. There was also a small quadrocopter in the garage, which also looked home-made but was not equipped with weapons.
„Those are plasma and rail guns,“ Dominic stated matter-of-factly, pointing to the weapons on the SUVs. „The authorities won’t like that.“
„I have contacts there,“ Benjamin returned, pouring his brother some bourbon. „They’re happy to have some people here doing their part. Here on the ground. Where it makes sense.“
He placed the glass on a tool shelf and drank from the bottle. Then he flicked on another switch and more lamps flared up. The decorative light revealed dozens of skeletonized Keymon skulls hanging all over the walls. Some of them ornately painted, others gilded, silvered or decorated with engraved patterns.
„Back to the claw at Rochest,“ Benjamin continued. „Only hours later, the Akkato showed up. They felt they had to attack and destroy the claw, which they succeeded in doing in the end. Even worse for Rochest.“ He put his fists on his hips and looked at his collection of eyeless skulls with their grinning jaws. „The Akkato flew off after they thought their job was done, leaving us alone with the surviving strays. There must be hundreds of them left in the woods. Maybe thousands.“
„We call them snoopers,“ Dominic countered.
„Whatever.“ Benjamin brought the bottle to his mouth and took a hearty swig. „The Greenham brothers, Tom, Deonne and I hunt the strays from time to time. Deonne, by the way, is responsible for the artistic design. It looks magnificent. A little morbid, but beautiful.“
Dominic didn’t know any of his new friends. The names meant nothing to him and he didn’t think he had ever heard them.
Benjamin pointed to a large skull with long fangs. The bone was bright white and obviously polished. „That one got pretty close to the house. It took me four shots to take him down. And I’m a very good shot, believe me. They’re very active in the warm seasons. In the winter, they tend to hole up.“
„Are just insects,“ Dominic remarked.
Benjamin looked at his brother pityingly. „That’s what we believed until now, but there’s something else in there. I’d like to know how their DNA is constructed. They seem hybrid somehow.“
„I’ve never gotten very close to a keymon,“ Dominic admitted. „I can’t say anything about that. We avoid confrontation. Just secure the landing areas when we evacuate colonists, but that’s done from aboard. If a sniffer shows up, we open fire. If a battleship shows up, we,“ he found it difficult to say the word in front of his brother, „retreat.“
„That’s what I thought. You fly around there with your pretty little ships, at a proper distance and…“ he pointed with his index finger at an imaginary target, „…shhh!“
„I’ll face them soon enough,“ Dominic retorted irritably. „Then I’ll send you a skull for your collection.“
„Why wait?“ He put the bottle on the shelf with his glass and put his hand on his shoulder. „How about first thing tomorrow?“
Asked about it so abruptly, it was like a punch in the gut for Dominic. „What does Dad say?“
„Well countered.“ Benjamin rolled his eyes and sighed. „As you know, Dad doesn’t talk to me much. I spend more time in the garage and out in the woods than I do in the house.“
Dominic knew about the differences between his brother and their father. This circumstance had often been a topic that they had both discussed when Dominic was old enough to be able to assess such conflicts. However, Dominic did not want to hear about it at that moment and let it spoil the joy of their reunion.
„So, what does dad say?“ inquired Dominic.
„He thinks it’s bizarre,“ Benjamin waved it off.
Dominic shared this assessment considering the gallery of snarling monster skulls on the walls.
„He told me to stop hunting,“ Dominic’s brother continued. „Afraid I might provoke them more and draw attention to us.“
„Maybe that’s true.“
„What do you know?“ Benjamin’s tone sounded abruptly shrill. „I am the watchman in the night here. I fight the terror at our gates,“ he quoted a classic lyric. „But for that I don’t get a fancy uniform or pretty stars above my breast pocket. I wear the title of freak, though I do nothing different than you, and with even more success.“
Dominic let the words wash over him. He didn’t know how to react to them anyway. Besides, his brother had drunk too much and he didn’t want to irritate him unnecessarily. Benjamin already seemed sorry anyway.
„It’s not your fault,“ Benjamin said quickly. „Maybe father is right. Those things are…“ He couldn’t find the words. „They should be used with caution. It’s best we leave the subject. It was stupid of me.“
Dominic’s curiosity was piqued. „What about the snoopers?“
Benjamin clearly had trouble finding the right words, which was remarkable in itself, because his eloquence knew no rival. He opened his shirt. Four bright welts ran across his chest. The scars of wounds that had been healing for a while.
„Happened about a year ago,“ Benjamin said. „Since then, I’ve had trouble sleeping. Nightmares.“ He buttoned his shirt again and tapped his temple. „But they don’t have to hurt you before they can do something to your head.“
„What happened?“ wanted Dominic to know.
„It doesn’t matter,“ Benjamin waved it off. „Just be careful. If one of those things comes near you, you don’t do anything until I do something. Got it?“
CHAPTER 3
Dominic couldn’t sleep. On the ship where he had started his training, he had had to work one night shift after another in the last few weeks. He stared out the window and saw the moon’s barely discernible crescent in the starry sky. In his childhood, he could see the many lights of man’s earliest colonies glittering on the shadow side of the moon. The circular, luminous structures of New Newark, or the chaotic cluster of points of light at Heavens Gate. Now there was nothing. Everything was dark, as it had been in the days before space travel. The Akkato had reclaimed the moon from the Keymon, destroying everything the humans had built there. By now it was firmly in Akkato hands, and the Keymon refrained from attacking their units on the Earth satellite. On Earth, however, the cards were reshuffled again and again, with fatal consequences for its inhabitants.
Neither side could really claim any significant victories, although Dominic believed that the Akkato had the upper hand. For the moment, the Porters were fortunate to inhabit a stretch of land where there was no fighting. Other areas, however, had been hit hard. The urban regions on the east and west coasts, with their metropolises and transportation networks, now resembled desert landscapes. Desolate moonscapes with huge craters, littered with the debris of alien spaceships and the ruins of human civilization.
In Central Europe, Africa and the vastness of the Eastern Alliance, from Ukraine to China, it looked similar. Dominic had been able to see this for himself when he returned to Earth. There, metropolises no longer shone. At most, the campfires of nomadic groups, in the endless expanses of steppes and deserts.
Dominic had heard that the Akkatos would accept humans into the ranks of their fighters. There were supposed to be recruiting stations near the huge mooring towers that had been built by the horseheads and that reached into the stratosphere. At least that was the rumor he had picked up. He wondered anyway why the Akkato had not allied with the humans long ago. Conquerors always use the services and skills of native scouts. Dominic knew that much from stories and history. However, he had to admit that the humans would be more of a drag on them than a help. But if they were equipped with Akkato technology – Dominic dared to bet on it – they could be powerful allies. But apparently the horseheads were reluctant to share their technology with the underdeveloped earthlings or to give them insight into various technical secrets. Whatever was behind it, Dominic didn’t understand.
Dominic had always assumed that a spacefaring civilization would have to set aside its petty moral concepts and embrace a lofty ethic. But apparently technical progress and ethical sensibilities were at home in two different universes. To all appearances, there was no enlightenment among the stars, as had been imagined in the past. Everywhere the same obtuseness and the scuffles for raw materials and influence. If the conflict between the two interstellar civilizations continued much longer, humanity would die a slow death or be thrown back into the Stone Age. And as things stood, this seemed to be the inevitable fate of mankind.
Until then, the fleet would try to gather the homeless and dispersed and give them a temporary and unsafe home somewhere. Meanwhile, conditions on the major space stations were intolerable. There was crime, violence and fighting among members of different ethnic groups and religions. A retreat from Earth to hell, as some claimed, with the fleet evacuating the desperate from one chaos to the next. Whether he wanted to or not, Dominic had to agree with his brother. If this was the sad destiny of the fleet, it might be better to stay with his loved ones and await the inevitable together.
He rolled to the side so as not to have to see the stars, which were full of terror. He finally managed to find rest and sleep for a while and escape from his dull thoughts until he was awakened by a violent thunderclap.
Dominic pulled up and looked out the window. The clouds glistened in the reflection of glaring explosions. There had to be a battle going on somewhere, but it couldn’t be seen from his room. He slipped into his pajamas and ran downstairs. His sisters Tamara and Sarah had also woken up and were already standing on the porch, wrapped in their quilts.
Dominic saw one of the mighty accato ships moving across the sky. It burned in many places and slowly began to sink toward the surface. In the distance, almost above the horizon, one of the Keymon claws could be seen chasing glowing projectiles across the night sky, inflicting severe wounds on the enemy cruiser. Burning debris fell from the hull of the stricken ship down to earth like a rain of embers.
„The debris is going down over Fargo,“ he heard his father say, putting his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe and lighting a pipe. The sweet smoke curled around his head and filled the air on the porch. Even now his father stood there without showing any emotion. „Mercy on those who fall into this inferno.“
He took a few puffs on the pipe and Dominic could tell he was more excited than he seemed. Dominic’s mother was holding Billy’s hand, who was staring spellbound at what was happening, hugging his teddy bear.
„We’re going back inside,“ she said, „This is not for children’s eyes.“ She pulled the reluctant child into the house with her.
„I want to see that,“ the little one whined. „I want to see that.“ He braced himself against the door frame and finally Carol let go of Billy’s hand, who immediately lined up next to his brother. „Boom, boom, boom!“ he commented on each shot and hit.
Meanwhile, the Akkato ship returned fire and its trajectory seemed to stabilize. It regained altitude and responded with a thunderous broadside. The energy shells lit up the night as if the sun were flickering in the sky. Volley after volley came hurtling across the sky like a meteor shower, crashing against the Akkatoship’s defensive shields.
„Boom, boom, boom!“ Billy bounced up and down. „Boom, boom, boom!“ He was not the least bit aware of the dangerous situation. To him, it was all in fun. A game he was watching from the front row.
Dominic noticed that his brother Benjamin had not come down to watch the spectacle. Maybe he was too tired after getting drunk to wash down his insecurities and fears. Or maybe he was tired of all the fighting he had witnessed and didn’t care to watch the action. Wreckage and blast funnels were part of the surrounding landscape. A reminder to be prepared for further misfortunes. It was a miracle that the Porters‘ house had remained undamaged so far. The large piece of debris that had immediately caught Dominic’s eye when he arrived, jutting out of the woods behind the cornfield like a whimsical work of art, could have crushed it as it fell from the sky.
In the meantime, the opponents had floated further up into the air and exchanged fiery whip lashes. They moved away in the direction of the north. It took a few more minutes, then they were gone. Only where the debris had fallen did the horizon glow. A blazing inferno that burned forests and houses.
„That’s just it.“ Benjamin stood in the doorway, dressed in a tracksuit, and seemed completely sober. „That’s the fucking situation. They’re fighting and we’re getting trampled like vermin in the process.“
„It’s better if we all go back to bed,“ his father said succinctly.
„I’ll stay a little longer.“ Benjamin sat down in the rocking bench at the entrance. The chains creaked and squeaked as it moved back and forth. „I can feel the heat radiating from the fire. It’s really comfortable. Some marshmellows would be a good thing.“
„Thousands of people are dying there right now,“ his father offset unusually sharply, taking the pipe out of his mouth.
„Hundreds, maybe.“ Benjamin’s gaze broke, as if thoughtfully contemplating an idyllic scene. „There are very few residents left in Fargo. Most have fled to the country like us. But you’re right, of course. They’re dying because no one can protect them.“ He looked up at the sky. „I don’t see any defenders. They’re probably far away, taking care of colonists on Mars or the Jupiter moons.“
„I’m not going to get into a discussion with you,“ George Porter said in an icy tone. „It’s not for you or me to judge which way someone wants to go to help.“
„I’m betting on the most effective way to do it.“ Still in a trance, he looked to the horizon. The treetops stood out sharply against the firelight that illuminated the sky. „Eye to eye. Or eye against forehead. Those things don’t have any.“
„You think your way is the right way? You seek only your pleasure. You are reckless.“
„But we are still here and alive,“ Benjamin countered. „The way I and my friends fight, we achieve success. And whether we have fun doing it or not let me worry about that. I don’t shed a tear for the strays, if that’s what makes you uncomfortable.“
„No, it doesn’t.“ His voice was calm and controlled again. „Mother dies a thousand deaths when you’re out in the woods with the others.“
„I make sure the others die their deaths.“
Carol hooked up with her husband and took Billy by the hand, whose need for sleep was by now again greater than his curiosity and who was rubbing his eyes.
„We should be grateful to him,“ she said, „even if it’s hard. Times aren’t easy for anyone. Especially not for mothers.“
Soon the sisters left and Dominic was alone with his brother. Maybe he was just imagining it, but the radiant heat of the fire in the distance seemed to raise the temperature to a bearable level.
„Was quite impressive,“ Dominic remarked to break the awkward silence.
Benjamin nodded. „Yes. It is. That was very close. Mostly it’s like weather lightning. You only see flashes, distant rumblings, and vague outlines of ships. When the Akkato drop escape pods, that’s when the strays get active and it can get dangerous. But it doesn’t look like anyone has dropped off the battleship.“
„What makes you so sure?“
„I’m not sure,“ he admitted. „But,“ he paused, „I have a feeling. And that tells me we have nothing to worry about right now.“
The next morning, only the plume of smoke in the distance indicated that there had been a more serious incident during the night. The sky was clear and as pure a blue as was usual in autumn. Dominic’s mother put breakfast on late and it flowed almost seamlessly into lunch. Surprisingly quickly, Dominic had moved back out of the center of interest and conversation. Conversations at the table turned to very mundane things. For Tamara and Sarah, school would start again on Monday. The school building was about ten miles away in a settlement called Preston. It was an old factory building. A handful of teachers had come together to keep the school running. There was also a market there, as well as stores and a workshop. Near the school was also the office of the vigilante group. It had been formed only a few months ago, when rumors spread that there were droves of looters roaming the countryside, since there was hardly anything left to take in the cities.
„The Grossmanns‘ and Levertons‘ kids don’t go to school either,“ Sarah complained. „They help their parents on the farm.“
„We’re not going to start this discussion again.“ George Porter didn’t look up from his plate and carefully cut the meat into small strips before putting it on his fork and popping it into his mouth. He chewed with relish to make it clear he wasn’t going to let his son spoil his appetite, and rinsed with a sip of water. „I don’t care what anyone else does. We planned better and made more sense. That’s why we have everything we need and don’t have to rely on government supplies.“
„Which will be late again, as usual,“ Benjamin added.
„I’d rather learn something useful,“ Sarah insisted, absently poking at her food.
„And that would be?“
She looked over at Ben in search of help, which did not escape her father, whose face immediately darkened.
He turned to Benjamin. „You stop putting ideas in your sisters‘ heads, you understand?“
„Yes sir.“
„It’s enough for you to play your games with the Greenham brothers and the others.“
„I don’t feel this is a game,“ Benjamin defended himself, his tone becoming harsher. „What Sarah can learn in the woods is far more useful than anything you could teach her in school.“
„At school, she’s learning all the things you need when things get back to normal.“
It was obvious to Benjamin that he was of a completely different opinion. He seemed to be boiling inside, but he pulled himself together so as not to appear disrespectful to his father. „You seriously think that after all this, there can be something like normality again?“
„Yes, I think so.“ George Porter’s voice was clear and cold. It reflected his unwavering conviction and optimism. „If it were to be otherwise, it would be better if we did not live to see tomorrow. Everything depends on whether we remain human beings and carry human values into the future. No matter what that future may be.“
„Amen, sir,“ Benjamin ventured to say.
Dominic’s father seemed to see in Benjamin’s words only a confirmation. He seemed content and relaxed, and Benjamin also avoided saying anything that could destroy this harmony. The two of them understand each other somehow, Dominic thought. That was the only way to explain that they still lived under the same roof without going for each other’s throats.
„I’ll make us some coffee,“ Dominic said. „How about we sit in the garden. Do we have cake?“
„Yes, we have cake.“ Billy jumped off his chair and ran into the kitchen. „Cake. Cake.“
„You can’t make really good coffee,“ Tammy objected, rising from the table and following her little brother. „It’s always just hot brown water with you. Let me take care of that.“
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