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Universe War (Mission Activated) The Chase Begins
There had, surprisingly and fortunately, been no casualties among the extraterrestrials gathered in the security hall. It seemed that the commander's soldiers had been good enough shots to avoid collateral damage, and the weapons the Pearls had used only incapacitated. The converter had been completely unharmed, and a quick check revealed that it had slept through the whole ordeal. Within a few moments, Eliza and General Okto-Bar were back in the control room. Both of them placed their hands on the ID screen."Status on Major Jasper. Level Five. Emergency," Eliza stated, keeping her voice calm and cool."Accepted," answered Okto-Bar.Eliza called up a map of the space station on the screen and typed in the code. A red light appeared on the map. It looked like Jasper was deep in the heart of the technological section of the station. He was right in the middle of a major intersection."Jasper? I've got you on visual," she said."Okay, but I've lost track of them. Try to locate the comma
Universe War (Mission Activated) The Chase: Pursuing Commander Filitt's Ship
Puzzled, Eliza glanced at her map. She turned the dial. The map spun. She gasped, horrified, as she realized that eighty-one became eighteen.“Alex? You are on eighty-one?”“Affirmative, Sergeant.”“Sorry, my mistake,” said Eliza. “It’s number eighteen!”“Great!” came Jasper’s voice. “See? I trust you more than I trust myself, and look where it gets me!”Eliza felt her cheeks grow hot. “Alex? Pick him up! On eighteen!”She waited, biting her bottom lip. It felt like hours, but it was only about ten seconds before she heard a breathless, irritated Jasper gasp, “Thanks, Alex! Bring on the beach!”Eliza allowed herself a relieved smile.Jasper switched his suit to normal mode and clambered into the cockpit. Energy returned to him in the form of adrenaline as the ship filled his screen and he realized that this was definitely the right place. The vessel docked in bay eighteen-not-eighty-one looked exactly like the sort of ships the pale, beautiful Pearls would build. It was huge, and its
Universe War (Mission Activated) Chasing Shadows: The Search for Jasper in Enemy Territory
Oktobar frowned. "That's odd. It looks like they're not trying to escape into open space—they're heading right back..." His voice trailed off. The two red dots were approaching the radioactive area at the heart of the station."You're near the dead zone," warned Eliza. "Reel them in before I lose you!"Jasper, frenzied, shot back, "I'm working on it!"Eliza kept her eyes glued to the map, watching with increasing agitation as the red dots that signified Commander Filitt and Jasper drew closer together even as they edged toward the zone that was bombarded with radiation."Jasper?" she said. "I'm going to lose you in ten seconds.""I can't slow them down!" Jasper snapped."Five seconds...""Oh, shit!" Jasper shouted.Then, silence.The red dots had disappeared off the map. Eliza's heart contracted. "Jasper? Jasper, do you read me?"There was no answer. No sign of life.Eliza whirled to Oktobar. "I need a Sky Jet!""Sergeant Eliza, you can't go after him." Oktobar's voice was harsh."Why
Universe War (Mission Activated) In pursuit of lost secrets.
General Okto-Bar had been a man of battle, but had found his true calling at Alpha Station. He had found a fascination and an odd sort of peace in managing the goings-on of the vast station, and he had done so ably for the last four years. He had grown fond of the aliens who, like him, called this place "home," and had made friendships among their number that would last a lifetime. The thought of peril to them, to his fellow humans, to this station that for centuries had stood as a beacon of harmonious interaction and interspecies goodwill and cooperation—it was unacceptable.He had anticipated, with good reason, that if he continued to smoothly manage the day-to-day troubles of so enormous a collection of beings, he would be rewarded with a promotion to commander of the place he loved. But Commander Arun Filitt had always been a more immediately arresting figure, and when it was time for Filitt's superiors to give him something to do, Filitt had been given the command of Alpha Statio
Universe War (Mission Activated) Prologue
The stars were not eternal, but they were ancient, nearly beyond reckoning. Much had their judgeless gazes witnessed in the system ruled by Sol, especially the activity clustered around the third planet from that star. By that world’s calendar, in the year 1975, something momentous occurred above it. From separate places on this planet, known to its inhabitants as "Earth," a pair of nations had launched what would later be deemed "primitive" space vessels. For the first time in Earth's history, two ships would be joined together, and the inhabitants could move freely between them.The momentous "handshake in space," both a literal one and a figurative one, occurred between astronaut Brigadier General Thomas Stafford of the Apollo and Alexey Leonov of the Soyuz. There were smiles and joy and a sense of connection, and the two men became and stayed steadfast friends through the decades that unfurled.What happened in 1998 at Alpha Space Station in orbit around the blue-green world was n
Universe War (Mission Activated) A Peaceful Dawn Shattered: The Invasion of Lïho-Minaa's World
The living light above her waved its glowing filaments gently; in this, it was like all things in the world, in tune with the stars, seasons, sun, and sea. She responded to the gradually increasing illumination by opening her impossibly blue eyes, blinking peacefully, slowly awake, welcoming the new day with the same tranquility with which she had welcomed slumber the evening before.Her soft, still-drowsy gaze took in the warm pink and coral hues of her bedchamber. Light spilled down the curving staircase, and the shiny surfaces of the enormous shell's walls and ceiling picked up the gleam and suffused the room with rosy brightness.Her skin caught the light, too; a white that was so much more than a stark, single color. It was decorated with images that changed shape as her moods did: art of the spirit.Pale and celestial-seeming as moonlight, her smooth, soft skin held every color of the rainbow blended into a pearlescent, ever-shifting, subtle glow.She was Lïho-Minaa, and she was
Universe War (Mission Activated) The Tragedy on Mül
The village was a layered collection of shells, their graceful, sloping forms clustered companionably together around spiral steps and open plaza areas. The royal palace, home to Emperor Haban-Limaï and his family, was a collection of shells adorned with exquisite carvings and metalwork. It sat in a place of honor, at the highest point of the village, overlooking the shore and the ocean. In front of it was the largest plaza in the village. Once, it had been the site of performances, both oratory and musical; it had showcased dancing and art, and had been a place for pleasant gatherings.Now, it was crowded with frightened people, their eyes gazing skyward, round and terror-filled, as pieces of something that had once been huge and was now broken and alien and dangerous slammed down everywhere they looked. The emperor was a calm individual, who had led his people wisely and with care. All eyes turned to him, hoping against hope that he would somehow be able to stop whatever was happeni
Universe War (Mission Activated) The Last Wave
Was there time, even now? It would be but the work of a few seconds—But her death, the death of the world, was approaching with vicious speed. A gargantuan fireball was on his daughter’s heels, a cruel yellow-orange wave of incineration. If he opened the hatch now—if he let her in, saved her life—he would put everyone else inside at risk if he could not get the door closed in time. The fireball would scamper greedily through the faintest crack, and then everyone on board would join the burned, motionless shapes of the vessel’s original crew.She saw it in his eyes, and hers flew open wider. She struck the portal window with her small fists. All he could do was look with profound grief at her, his first-born, the embodiment of all the goodness he saw daily in the world.After a few seconds, the pounding slowed, stopped. Tears poured down her face, but there was no longer terror in her expression. Only understanding, and sorrow.Oh, my little girl…Shaking, she pressed her forehead to
Latest Chapter
- Universe War (Mission Activated) In pursuit of lost secrets.
- Universe War (Mission Activated) Chasing Shadows: The Search for Jasper in Enemy Territory
- Universe War (Mission Activated) The Chase: Pursuing Commander Filitt's Ship
- Universe War (Mission Activated) The Chase Begins
- Universe War (Mission Activated) The Attack of the Pearls: A Major's Battle for Survival
- Universe War (Mission Activated) The Doghan Daguis' Intel and the Intruders
- Universe War (Mission Activated) Security Council Meeting: The Commander's Address and Questions from Alien Dignitaries
- Universe War (Mission Activated) The Interrogation and a Dream Come True
- Universe War (Mission Activated) The Red Zone: A Deadly Threat to Alpha Station