The Search for Gram Read online

  The Search for Gram

  Book One of the Codex Regius

  By

  Chris Kennedy

  PUBLISHED BY: Chris Kennedy

  Copyright © 2015 Chris Kennedy

  All Rights Reserved

  Discover other titles by Chris Kennedy at:

  http://chriskennedypublishing.com/

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  https://www.facebook.com/chriskennedypublishing.biz

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  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

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  I would like to thank Linda, Jennie, Beth, Dan and Jimmy, who took the time to critically read this work and make it better. I would also like to thank my mother, without whose steadfast belief in me, I would not be where I am today. Thank you. This book is dedicated to my wife and children, who sacrificed their time with me so I could write it.

  I would also like to thank Jim Beall and Dr. Robert G. Brown for their assistance with several aspects of the physics in “The Search for Gram.” Any remaining errors are mine, in spite of their expert aid.

  * * * * *

  Cover art by Brenda Mihalko

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  Author’s Notes

  Note: When more than one race refers to a planet or star, the same name is used by both races in order to prevent confusion. Also on the topic of planet naming, the normal convention for planets is to add a lower case letter to the name of the parent star (i.e., Tau Ceti ‘b’). The first planet discovered in a system is usually given the designation ‘b,’ and later planets are given subsequent letters as they are found. In order to prevent confusion in this book, the closest planet to the star in a star system is given the letter ‘a,’ with the rest of the planets given subsequent letters in order of their proximity to the star.

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  Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

  ― Arthur C. Clarke

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from “Beyond the Shroud of the Universe:”

  About the Author

  Titles by Chris Kennedy

  Connect with Chris Kennedy Online

  Excerpt from “First to Fight” by Christopher G. Nuttall:

  Mako (The Mako Saga, Book One) by Ian J. Malone

  Chapter 1

  Bridge, Aesir Ship Blue Forest, Unknown System, March 15, 2021

  “Continue firing all weapons,” said the Blue Forest’s commanding officer, Captain Elorhim Silvermoon.

  “Lasers firing,” replied the laser officer.

  “Missiles launching,” replied the missile officer. “For all the good it’s doing,” he added under his breath.

  “Engineering, Captain,” Silvermoon transmitted over his implant. “We need more power. How’s it coming back there?”

  “I’m sorry Captain, but this is the best you’re going to get,” said the assistant engineer. “Engine Room One is open to space. Everyone who was in it, including the chief engineer, is gone. We’re already 10 percent over redline, and I don’t know how much longer the Number Two engine can take it! With the loss of the Number One engine, it’s already pushing a bigger load than it was built for.”

  “Do what you can,” replied Silvermoon. “They’re gaining on us, and we’re not going to make the stargate without more power.”

  “I’ll do what I can sir, but it won’t be much. Maybe a percent or two. We’re going to blow the motor if I try to do much beyond that.”

  “Do what you can,” the commanding officer repeated. “Silvermoon out.” He looked around the bridge. His crew was maintaining its composure, but he could tell the stress was getting to them. “How long until we reach the stargate?” he asked.

  The navigator’s pointed ears twitched. “It’s going to be a little more than an hour at this speed,” he replied. “Engineering just gave us another 10 Gs of acceleration, but it won’t be enough to leave our pursuers behind.”

  Captain Silvermoon sighed internally, not letting his frustration show. He wished he had another courier drone, but they had launched both their drones earlier. Launched them and then watched as a second enemy ship destroyed them. They had no idea the second ship existed before then; it had just appeared between his ship and the stargate after the drones were launched. Unarmed and unarmored, the drones were easy prey for the enemy frigate. Whatever cloaking technology the enemy used was outstanding. All of a sudden, it was just there.

  “The enemy’s shields are down,” said the laser officer. He didn’t have to say he meant the smaller vessel’s shields; none of the Aesir weapons had made a dent in the shields of the larger vessel that was slowly catching up with them.

  “Destroy it,” ordered Captain Silvermoon. Another volley of laser fire lashed the enemy frigate. The alien ship flashed on the screens as the missiles arrived, and something vital was hit.

  “Target destroyed,” the missile officer reported.

  “One hour to the stargate,” the navigator noted as the Aesir ship hurtled past the expanding ball of plasma.

  The missile officer shook his head as he looked at his display. “I don’t get it sir,” he said finally. “The smaller vessel didn’t defend itself after it destroyed the courier drones. It just sat there and let us destroy it. It’s almost as if that’s what the enemy wanted us to do.”

  “Yes,” agreed Captain Silvermoon, already thinking along the same lines. “They were probably gathering information on our weapons systems...information we let them have. Too late to worry about it now; there’s nothing we can do.” He paused and then asked the question he’d been dreading, “Range to the other vessel?”

  “One million miles,” replied the laser officer. Last time, it had fired at 800,000 miles. They were getting too close, but there was nothing he could do.

  “I’ve got the damage report from Engine Room One,” said the damage control officer (DCO), “but I don’t know if you’re going to believe it. I don’t.”

  �
�Go ahead,” said Captain Silvermoon.

  “The repair crew says the engine room is gone,” said the DCO, “and they mean gone as in vanished. There is nothing left. No pieces, no bodies, and no equipment. Everything is just…gone. Where the structure of the ship ends, it ends with a clean cut. The repair crew says what’s left is like nothing they have ever seen. They have no idea what could have caused it.”

  “Well, I don’t know where it all went,” said the sensor operator. “They asked me to mark the debris field so we could look for survivors later, but the missile didn’t leave a debris field when it hit us. Everything just disappeared.” In their three previous deployments, Silvermoon had never seen the sensor operator look shaken. He was an extremely competent naval officer, and he always had an answer in the past. The captain found he didn’t like the new expression.

  “Where did everything go then?” asked Captain Silvermoon. “Anyone have any guesses?”

  The bridge was silent.

  “Range to enemy vessel 800,000 miles,” announced the laser officer. “Enemy vessel is firing. Six torpedoes inbound.”

  Damn it, thought the captain. The enemy ship had only shot one torpedo last time, and they hadn’t been able to stop it. “Activate all defenses,” ordered the captain. “Retarget main batteries on the torpedoes as well.”

  The Aesir ship’s lasers and counter-missile lasers began firing at the incoming torpedoes, while missiles and counter-missile missiles leapt from their ports to join the energy weapons. Just like before, the torpedoes disappeared when the Aesir missiles would have hit them, only to reappear once the missiles were past. The lasers seemed to hit the torpedoes, but had no effect on them.

  “No effect,” said the ship’s defensive officer. “Shields are as high as they can be with only one engine.” He didn’t say the shields hadn’t stopped the earlier weapon,even with both motors running at 100 percent. He didn’t have to.

  “Any idea where the torpedoes are going?” asked Captain Silvermoon.

  “I don’t know,” replied the sensor operator, the shaken look now a permanent part of his countenance. “They just vanish. It’s not a shield because our missiles go through the space where the torpedoes were. It’s like they’re not there anymore. I don’t know where they’re going. It doesn’t make any sense.” The sensor operator shook his head, barely able to contain the tears of frustration that Captain Silvermoon could see were perilously close to brimming over.

  “That’s okay,” Captain Silvermoon replied. “Keep working; you’ll figure it out.”

  “Five seconds to impact,” said the laser officer a few seconds later. “Four... three... two... one...” Six torpedoes impacted along the length of the Blue Forest.

  Chapter 2

  Emperor Yazhak the Third’s Estate, Grrrnow, 61 Virginis, May 15, 2021

  Princess Merrorritor stared open-mouthed at the flame dancing on the Aesir’s hand. “Why doesn’t the flame burn you?” she finally asked.

  The Aesir, who had introduced himself as Captain Salvan Nightsong, smiled. Generally humanoid in appearance, the Aesir was shorter and thinner than a normal Terran, and Captain Nightsong would probably have been able to pass as a Terran...if his skin hadn’t been a light shade of green. He had also just called a flame into being, another giveaway he was definitely not a Terran. Although Calvin had been told Captain Nightsong was an Aesir, he couldn’t help but think of him as an elf. It was probably the pointy ears poking out from under his long, blond hair.

  “The flame doesn’t burn me because it is my friend,” the Aesir said. “Hold out your hand,” he instructed, “and you can hold it, too.”

  “You don’t have hair on your hands, but I do,” said the Mrowry princess. A race of felinoid warriors that looked like Bengal tigers, the Mrowry were the Terrans’ closest allies. The blacker the Mrowry, the higher up the individual was in the royalty. All of the Mrowry in the room were a solid ebony. “Won’t the flame catch my hand on fire?” asked the princess.

  “No,” said the Aesir, “it won’t burn you. It is a special flame.” He put his hand next to the Mrowry’s paw and blew gently. The flame hopped over to the princess’ paw and began to dance rhythmically, but did not burn the young Mrowry.

  “See?” the princess said, holding the flame out to Calvin, “I told you the Aesir were neat!”

  “OK,” said Captain Nightsong, scooping the little flame out of the princess’ hand, “I need to talk to the adults, and the flame needs to go back to its world.” He cupped his hands around the flame and blew gently into them; when he opened them again, the flame was gone. Despite the different cultures, everyone could tell the look on the princess’ face was one of abject disappointment.

  “Run along, Mimi,” said the emperor. “You can talk with our guest later.”

  “If I have to...” she said as she walked to the door with her head down, dragging her feet.

  “You can sit next to me at dinner,” said the Aesir, “if your grandfather allows it.”

  “Can I, grandfather?” she asked, life coming back to her voice.

  “Yes, you may,” replied the emperor. “Now, run along.”

  Happy again, the princess bounded out of the room on all fours, stopping only to close the door.

  Lieutenant Commander Shawn Hobbs, or “Calvin” to his aviator friends, had arrived at the home world of the Mrowry a few days before. The hero of the Terran war with the alien Drakuls, he had been given a few days of rest and relaxation, as well as some time to follow up on a quest an ancient civilization had given him. He returned from the quest to find the Aesir officer waiting for him although he had no idea why. He had never even seen one of the elves before.

  “What can I do to help you?” Calvin asked.

  “We have encountered a foe that is beyond us,” replied the Aesir. “Our elders conducted a divination, and it was determined we needed to look outside our realm for aid. All of the signs point to you...we need your help.”

  “A divination?” asked Calvin.

  “Yes. When we are faced with a decision that will have a major effect on our civilization, for good or ill, we conduct a divination. It is a means by which we attempt to foretell the best course of action. In this case, we were not shown the answer we were seeking, but our king had a vision of this planet, and someone walking around the large rock formation on the grounds of this estate. When I arrived here, I was told you and the princess were out walking around the rock. The vision showed a humanoid, not a Mrowry, so I believe you are the person we are looking for.”

  “I thought you were fighting the Teuflings,” said the emperor. “They have never been more than you could handle before.”

  “That war ended,” replied Captain Nightsong; “however, just after the Teuflings surrendered, our ships began disappearing in another quadrant.”

  “Well, I’m happy to do whatever I can for you,” replied Calvin. “What do you need?”

  “Steropes told me you have the qualities of a hero,” the Aesir said. “We are in need of one, and we would like you to come to our star system. Our king would like to enlist your aid in determining what is going on.”

  “Just me?”

  “No,” replied the Aesir with a smile, “we would like to have your ship and crew come as well. It is likely the troops you lead will also be needed.”

  “Are you aware I am not the commanding officer of the ship?” asked Calvin.

  The Aesir’s eyes opened slightly in surprise. Calvin hadn’t realized how green they were. “You aren’t the commanding officer?” he asked. “I assumed the ship in orbit was your vessel.”

  “It is the ship I’m stationed on,” replied Calvin; “however, I am not its commanding officer. I’m just the officer in charge of its fighters and space marines.”

  “You are in charge of both at the same time?” asked the Aesir. “How are you able to do both?” He shook his head in wonder. “It is obvious you are indeed the one we have been searching for.”

  “Ho
w that happened is a long story,” replied Calvin, “but it was mostly a long progression of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “See?” asked Steropes. “Just as I told you, he is a hero spirit. They always find a way to be where they’re needed, just like being here for you.” A member of the Psiclopes race, Steropes appeared human, except for the fact that he was only three feet tall, and his head was much larger than normal. Steropes was one of three aliens who had made first contact with the Terrans almost three years previously and had helped guide their actions ever since.

  Although the other two Psiclopes had their own agenda, which only roughly paralleled that of the Terrans, Steropes had proven his loyalty during the recently completed war against the Drakuls. Among their many differences, the Psiclopes also believed ‘hero spirits’ were born when needed to help pull civilizations back from the brink of anarchy. Although Calvin didn’t believe in the concept of hero spirits, it appeared the Aesir was familiar with it.

  Captain Nightsong nodded to Steropes. “I agree.” He turned back to Calvin. “You are indeed the person we are looking for. You will need to have your commanding officer bring your ship to our home world.”

  “I’m his commanding officer,” said the other Terran in the room. A large black man, he had proven as good at making decisions as the commanding officer of the Terran Space Ship (TSS) Vella Gulf as he had when he was the quarterback for the U.S. Naval Academy’s football team. “I’m Captain James Sheppard. Lieutenant Commander Hobbs is going to need authorization from more than just me; he’s going to need authorization from our chain of command on Terra. I’m sorry, but it’s not my personal cruiser. We can’t just go running around the galaxy, no matter how much you want his aid.”