Reality benders 8 devour.., p.1
Reality Benders-8 Devourer, page 1
Devourer
a novel
by Michael Atamanov
Reality Benders
Book#8
Magic Dome Books
Reality Benders
Book #8: Devourer
Copyright © Michael Atamanov 2021
Cover Art © Ivan Khivrenko 2021
Designer: Vladimir Manyukhin
English translation copyright © Andrew Schmitt 2021
Published by Magic Dome Books, 2021
All Rights Reserved
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book 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 entirely a work of fiction. Any correlation with real people or events is coincidental.
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Table of Contents:
Introduction. An Encounter with Immortals
Chapter One. Emergency Takeoff
Chapter Two. Fake Smile
Chapter Three. Capital, no the Other One
Chapter Four. God of War
Chapter Five. Too Many Psionics
Chapter Six. The Flying Palace
Chapter Seven. Negotiations Interrupted
Chapter Eight. The Emperor’s Feisty Bitch
Chapter Nine. Intergalactic Gateway
Chapter Ten. The News from Poko-Poko
Chapter Eleven. The Third Coruler of Humanity
Chapter Twelve. Return to Tesse
Chapter Thirteen. Forced Downtime
Chapter Fourteen. Outcome of the Diplomatic Mission
Chapter Fifteen. Mercantile Affairs
Chapter Sixteen. Object D-11
Chapter Seventeen. Finishing up Before Annihilation
Chapter Eighteen. Late Arrival
Chapter Nineteen. A Hot Welcome
Chapter Twenty. Stab in the Back
Chapter Twenty-One. Provocation on a Galactic Scale
Chapter Twenty-Two. New Opportunities
Chapter Twenty-Three. The Way to Earth
Chapter Twenty-Four. Exit Point
Chapter Twenty-Five. The Kung of Earth’s Residence
Chapter Twenty-Six. Necessary Sacrifices
Chapter Twenty-Seven. Long Flight
Chapter Twenty-Eight. Tatooine or Arrakis?
Chapter Twenty-Nine. Pyramid Worship Hall
Chapter Thirty. Ancient Devourer
Chapter Thirty-One. An Old Debt
Chapter Thirty-Two. An Audience with a Krong (Part One)
Chapter Thirty-Three. An Audience with a Krong (Part Two)
Chapter Thirty-Four. A War Ended
About the Author
Introduction. An Encounter with Immortals
Author’s note:
Those unfamiliar with the Perimeter Defense series will have no problem understanding Reality Benders book eight. The text provides enough context to make sense of everything. Those who have read Perimeter Defense, though, will have a nice opportunity to reacquaint themselves with old friends and find out what their favorite characters have been up to.
Nessi system, Perimeter Sector Eight, the Empire.
Surprise-1 Captain Memorial Space Military Academy.
EMPEROR GEORG THE FIRST was in a very irritable state, and not attempting to hide it. The plump gray-haired monarch had his hands crossed behind his back as he nervously strutted around the VIP suite in the stands, doing his best not to look out the reinforced tinted window at the thousands upon thousands of graduating cadets wearing dress uniforms and standing in neat rows in the academy’s huge central hall. Out there the atmosphere was jubilant, music roared as the graduates received congratulations from their instructors along with their diplomas. The atmosphere in the VIP suite meanwhile was the polar opposite. Officers, senior instructors and even the emperor’s bodyguards were standing at attention while the principal of the Space Military Academy skipped breaths, afraid to be the lightning rod that would draw all the pent-up tension. The principal’s anxiety stemmed from a short figure in the corner of the room enshrouded in dark garments — Florianna ton Unatari was not merely a Truth Seeker, testing the honesty and loyalty of subjects, she was also the emperor’s full-time torturer.
And meanwhile, Georg the First just kept spewing out his dismay. He had already criticized the rigidity of the instructors in quite harsh terms for teaching long antiquated space battle tactics. He also lamented the graduates’ lower level of preparation compared with five years prior. And finally, he reached the biggest bone of contention.
“I never thought we would see a worse outcome than last year’s forty-eight percent refusal rate. But seventy-three percent of cadets wishing to throw in their lot with the trade fleet and civilian transport or dreaming of owning their own business?! Is that really what we created the Space Military Academy for? Doesn’t the word ‘Military’ in the name bother anyone else?”
Everyone else in the suite just lowered their heads because they had no counterarguments to the emperor’s fair reproach. It was true. With every year of peace, less and less graduates were opting for careers in the military, preferring instead more relaxed civilian professions. And there had not yet been any success at reversing the worrying trend. If it were limited to just the Nessi academy, it would be easy to chalk it all up to a lack of professionalism in the teaching staff, but the problem was much larger in scope. At every Space Military Academy in the Empire, few young talented cadets wished to spend the rest of their lives in a never-ending series of training exercises, tours of duty and drills. And nothing was helping. Not raising salaries, not offering juicy signing bonuses nor anything else. And meanwhile, the Imperial Fleet was already experiencing crew shortages of four percent, while the less elite units were in full-on crisis mode. Some starships, especially heavy-class ones requiring large crews had to be put into long-term conservation mode while their crews were sent off to other ships.
It would of course have been possible to exercise Georg’s authority as emperor to solve the problem by issuing a decree forcing academy graduates to join one of the many Imperial fleets that required additional forces. But first of all, for hundreds of years, cadets had been given the freedom to choose their future profession. Revoking that liberty would cause resentment in the ranks while also officially acknowledging the emperor’s own impotence. Second, Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle was of the opinion that officers forced into service at the barrel of a gun would not be much use. Furthermore, students at the Nessi Academy were not destined to become easily replaceable low-level rank and file. They were graduates of the best Space Military Academy in the Empire, effectively prepared to serve as staff officers, navigators and captains from the day they graduated. They had been trained to occupy those very positions and given all necessary skills. What would then be the price of their loyalty in a serious crisis? Would they not jump at the first convenient chance to join an enemy that could offer them better conditions? Sure, there were no obvious enemies like that now, but who could guarantee one wouldn’t show up? Georg the First was fully aware that he was now far from a young man and despite all the advancements of medicine and Truth Seeker support, his rule would one day come to an end. Perhaps not now, but in ten, twenty or even fifty years it was an inevitability. Would the now silent pretenders from rich and influential aristocratic clans come out of the woodwork after Georg jumped past them in line to the throne eight years earlier?
When Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle captured the Throne World, he was just twelfth in line to the throne. But he was a highly respected fleet commander backed by an armada of sixty thousand combat starships and a reputation as vanquisher of the Aliens and savior of humanity. And that was so indisputable that all possible foes and other claimants chose to bow before him and fade into obsequious smiles. Even his sister Crown Princess Violetta royl Inoky ton Mesfelle, whose coronation he had violently interrupted, snatching the Imperial crown away from her just an hour before the ceremony was now the image of friendliness and loyalty.
Furthermore, after seizing power, something else had happened to play into the upstart crown prince’s hand — a sudden and unexpected “universal update to the implant system,” which was what the Empire’s scientists called the strange shift in the algorithms defining the relationships between people, factions and governments that took place after the dust had settled. All previous “achievements” disappeared, and the relationship system everyone was accustomed to was replaced with a new one of “professions,” “skills,” “levels,” and “statistics.” Georg the First was assigned the profession of “Strategist,” and status of “Kung” — the highest of all Imperial citizens, which officially reinforced his status as ruler and did away with many questions. The remaining house heads, political leaders and well-known state actors were given more modest “statuses” and for a time completely backed out of the fight, instead tryi ng to adapt to the new conditions and live by the new rules. The first few years were tough. Several factions were unable to avoid bitter conflicts, and even the forceful elimination of competitors with higher “status.” But all that had been left in the past, and Georg the First no longer doubted that all the aristocrats whose rights he had trampled on had not simply forgotten their grievances and forgiven him.
Who would take his place if disaster struck? His wife Empress Astra royl Veyerde? That wasn’t even a good joke. The White Queen was adored by the people of the Empire, including Humans and members of other spacefaring races, but she was utterly unsuited to the role of serious independent politician. The twenty-seven-year-old beauty lived in her own little world with no worries, concerns or dangers. Founding an Academy of Arts or judging a poetry contest on a distant planet were much more important in the empress’ system of values than ruling over a huge government. And the fact that planetary forces or space fleets needed to be commanded or given orders was most likely something Empress Astra didn’t even suspect.
“And my sister has no need to fill her head with such questions,” the Truth Seeker confirmed she could still read her master’s thoughts and worries with ease. “That’s why you have administrators and military men. They are absolutely loyal to your Imperial Majesty and will support whichever heir my Emperor selects. Furthermore, your Imperial Majesty has the Swarm — one and a half trillion intelligent insects, who are totally incorruptible and will fight on your side or that of your chosen heiress. And it will most likely be an heiress because my Emperor has three adult daughters of marriageable age. The Crown Princesses Likanna, Joan and Natalie are clearly at the front of the line of succession. And the eldest among them, Likanna, is the leading candidate for the throne according to Imperial law.”
All that was true, but not the whole truth. Yes, my three eldest daughters had grown up and become independent figures, but they had yet to truly grow into their “weight” on the political arena. In many ways that was due to their frivolous behavior and still sometimes utterly childish moves. And meanwhile, the powerful Iseyek race had indeed recognized Crown Prince Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle as their ruler. And for the Iseyek, that was not just some mere formality. For the insects, a ruler was equivalent to the queen of an ant colony. Loyalty was absolute and never came under doubt. The Alpha Iseyek, Beta Iseyek, Gamma Iseyek, Iseyek Prime and all other subraces of Iseyek would follow the emperor through hell and high water, never hesitating to give their lives for their leader if necessary.
But Florianna was wrong about one aspect of that. The Iseyeks’ absolute loyalty applied only to Georg, who had saved the spacefaring race from complete annihilation. As for his children, wife, hangers-on or anyone else for that matter, there was no such thing. A rebellion wouldn’t flare up immediately after a new human ruler came to power. It would take some time for insect leaders to emerge with enough Authority and Fame, but Emperor Georg considered it inevitable that the Iseyek would throw off the Human yoke. Unless the leader on the Imperial throne’s Authority was indisputable. But neither Empress Astra, nor Georg the First’s three elder daughters were suited to such a role.
Perhaps the Empire would stand a chance if its fleet were strong enough to suppress the Swarm rebellion, or at the very least delay the conflict. But again, lack of crew would be an issue, along with the drop in prestige of military service and the Imperial citizenry’s ever-growing disapproval of the costly space fleet they believed to be “too large,” and “a drain on taxpayer funds.” With no powerful enemies or threats to the Empire, calls for the military fleet to be radically curtailed were growing louder and more frequent from politicians of all stripes. Current proposals deemed twenty thousand starships sufficient, or maybe even eight thousand because even an armada of that size would be unmatched.
For a time, the emperor believed he had found an enemy to disprove that theory — several fairly large fleets had come in from unexplored space belonging to invading Meleyephatians — an aggressive race of intelligent arachnids, several of which had demonstrated powerful psionic abilities. But the Meleyephatians lagged behind technologically, and their starships were ineffective in combat, particularly due to poor space battle tactics, so the Empire’s stagnating military crushed the invaders to dust in no time flat. Now Georg the First actually felt regret that his best student Admiral Nicole ton Savoia had such an easy time turning back the invading Meleyephatians because Imperial society had no appreciation for the military victories, deeming the battles in the far-off Aysar Cluster to be just another border spat.
And the Meleyephatians had yet to even venture to cross the border a third time. Their fleet, which consisted of eighteen thousand starships — larger than the two previous ones and promising at least some action — had spent a few weeks in the uninhabited Ro-45 system, allowing the Empire’s cloaked frigates to study them from every angle, but then they suddenly turned tail and fled back to their own territory. That happened just two or three weeks ago, and Georg the First still hadn’t gotten over the strong sense of disappointment and emotional devastation. He even needed healing and rejuvenation from Florianna ton Unatari, procedures which unfortunately came at a very high cost to the Truth Seeker, requiring extreme amounts of energy.
The monarch stood in front of the reinforced glass and peered out at the rows of graduating cadets. With a heavy sigh, he spoke out softly:
“Announce to the main hall that the emperor will not be making his traditional speech to the graduates this year.” After making that decision, Georg the First looked sunken, as if he had suddenly aged ten years all at once. “Enlist the volunteers into my fleet and give them everything they need. As for the rest...” the monarch waved a hand in irritation, “let them go where they like. No amount of training can turn sheep into guard dogs.”
* * *
Once on the bridge of his flagship, God of War — a fearsome twenty-mile-long titan-class starship that knew no equal in firepower or resilience — Georg royl Inoky ton Mesfelle turned to his constant companion, advisor, Iseyek translator and all-around trustworthy friend Bionica the Android — the only person on the bridge still beaming with a carefree smile, standing in sharp contrast to the other staff officers’ serious expressions.
“Bionica, do you remember the long-ago dispute that happened in the Silver Palace with Admiral Nicole ton Savoia, right before the Red Queen’s rebellion? About how Humans are fighters by nature and, without a powerful enemy, they quickly begin to stagnate and wither? I’m sure you do. You’re a smart girl. You never forget. So then, now you must agree. You were wrong and your opponent’s negative predictions are coming true.”
“My Emperor,” the synthetic blonde beauty’s smile grew even wider, showing off her ideally even teeth, “Androids have flawless memory, and of course I recall that conversation. And as before I remain convinced that Humans are capable of progressing without a strong external or internal enemy. When it comes to the understaffed ships, I would like to remind you yet again of my suggestion to replace Humans with Androids. We could produce however many robots necessary. They will be unfailingly obedient and can take the place of Humans in many military professions.”
“That’s the thing. In many, but not all. Androids are unable to kill due to hardcoded restrictions. And no matter how you spin it, killing is part of the job description for at least some crew on every starship. Furthermore, can any society be considered fully realized if they do not wish to defend their homeland from enemies and send robots into battle instead of fighting themselves? Where is young peoples’ patriotism, where is their sense of valor and desire for glory? Where is their basic pride in the Human race at the end of the day?!”
