New Alliance Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright ©

  Books By Nathan Hystad

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Rift - The Resistance Book One

  The Gatekeepers

  BY

  NATHAN HYSTAD

  Copyright © 2019 Nathan Hystad

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Cover art: Tom Edwards Design

  Edited by: Scarlett R Algee

  Proofed and Formatted by: BZ Hercules

  Books By Nathan Hystad

  The Survivors Series

  The Event

  New Threat

  New World

  The Ancients

  The Theos

  Old Enemy

  New Alliance

  The Gatekeepers

  The Resistance Series

  Rift

  Revenge

  Return

  Red Creek

  Keep up to date with his new releases by signing up for his Newsletter at www.nathanhystad.com

  One

  The streets of Haven were packed as beings from around the universe mingled amongst each other. I heard at least a dozen languages chatting around me as I walked down the sidewalk with purpose.

  The little homestead village had transformed in the last two years. Haven still held on to the charm of a welcoming colony for those in need of respite, but was also drawing in various groups from around the universe to share the soil, and live in what Leslie and Terrance were dubbing the first real intergalactic melting pot.

  I loved what I saw and would have lingered in the crowds listening to people’s stories, but I had more pressing matters. The noise was becoming too much for me, and I flipped my earpiece translator off. There’d been plenty of times over the last two years, since the Lom of Pleva incident, that I’d considered the neural implant and voice box modifications that would permit me to speak and hear almost all languages. Now was one of the times I was glad I’d held off.

  “Come in, E-Base. Any sign of them?” I tapped my other earpiece, sending the communication.

  The base was in orbit above the planet. A reply came quickly. “Roger that. We have a ship of unknown origin, arriving from deep space.” A woman’s voice carried over the earpiece.

  “Keep an eye on them. What’s their current trajectory and ETA?” I asked, a nervous bead of sweat dripping over my back.

  “Heading straight for us. Two hours at their in-system velocity,” the woman advised.

  Two hours. Right when I was supposed to be at the ceremony. “I’m rounding up the team. We’ll be up there in thirty.” I ended the communication and inhaled deeply, smelling various foods simmering at the end of the town square. My stomach growled, but I didn’t have time to stop for anything.

  My feet picked up speed, and before I knew it, I was jogging. Maybe there was time to detain the incoming vessel’s crew and return to the surface.

  “Slate, come in,” I said, tapping my earpiece.

  “Slate here,” he said. He was chewing, and I knew where to find him.

  I spotted his bulky body at one of the food stands, beside the much shorter Shimmali girl Suma. I passed by a cluster of humans, a few of them wearing familiar faces. Next, I nodded to some Keppe who were drinking deeply from tall cups, laughing and speaking loudly to one another. The entire area held an energy I hadn’t seen before on Haven.

  The world and its capital city of the same name were thriving now, and the ceremony had been a great excuse to show off how far the colony had come. Sarlun had been hesitant to allow the event to take place here, but with help from Mary and our favorite hybrid couple, we showed him why it was the best idea for everyone involved.

  Seeing the different races intermingling in the town square, with the sun high overhead in the cloudless sky, I smiled. We’d come so far.

  “Dean?” I heard Suma’s voice through the crowd as she spoke to me in English. We’d learned each other’s languages while stranded on Sterona over two years ago. So far, I’d had plenty of opportunity to speak the Shimmali squawks and clicks since they’d sent a contingent of colonists to Haven to live and assist in building up the city. I really enjoyed the people from Shimmal. They were hard-working, and brilliant engineers.

  As I thought of them, I spotted a few scattered in the crowd of people, eating various foods, gathered for the festivities. I waved to one I knew and brought my attention back to the task at hand.

  “Suma, sorry to bother you on your big day, but I need Slate,” I said as my old friend turned to me.

  His hair was longer than ever, his beard bushy but trimmed. It was still odd for me to see him like this, after years of a crew cut and a closely-shaved face. Once the whole incident with Denise betraying him had happened, he said he needed a change, and so far, he’d embraced it.

  “What do you need me for, boss? Mary just asked me to come bring some more chairs to the amphitheater.” Slate smiled and popped another piece of meat on a stick in his mouth. “So if this is about the chairs, I’m heading there now.” He chewed a few times. “You know, after I eat.”

  I leaned in, looking around to make sure no one was listening. “Slate, we have an incident. We received a transmission from Volim. It seems our friend Sergo has landed in some hot water, and they warned us he may be heading here. The Inlor are searching for him and are likely following his ship as we speak.”

  Slate shrugged. “I don’t know what the Inlor are.”

  Suma took over, pushing between us, regarding us with her big black eyes. Her snout twitched up and down. She was wearing tights and a blouse, and I thought it was endearing, seeing her wearing something different from the uniform she tended to sport. “Inlor. Not a social race. They’ve only had FTL capability for a thousand years, and have primarily kept to themselves. There’s no portal stone near them, and they haven’t been sighted more than five light years from their home planet, RXM8.”

  Slate raised an eyebrow, and popped another bite into his mouth. I didn’t stop Suma; she was on a roll. “They are slight in appearance: pale, thin, six arms, two with opposable thumbs, four with claws. Two legs and great eyesight, from what we know. To balance that, their sense of smell is on the lower end of the spectrum, and they eat all their food raw; strictly a plant-based diet.” Suma stopped speaking and grinned at us.

  “Someone studied hard for her entrance exam,” I suggested. “Maybe that’s why she got the best grade ever posted, according to Sarlun.”

  Suma beamed at that. “Seriously? I did? He didn’t even tell me!”

  I cleared my throat, realizing I might have ruined a surprise. “Anyway. Yes, that’s the Inlor in a
nutshell. It appears there’s a unique metal on their world, one that might change the way a weapon holds a charge. Sergo was there stealing from them.”

  Slate swallowed and threw his plate in a trash can behind him. “I knew that guy was trouble.”

  Slate hadn’t been there with me on Volim. It had only been Magnus, Leslie, and me. He was still mad about it.

  I nodded. “He’s a gangster, and apparently, he’s been spotted on other worlds doing much the same thing, and I think I know how he’s been getting away with it.”

  Suma interjected: “The Relocator?”

  “The Relocator,” I affirmed. Kareem had gifted me the device, which allowed you to save a location in it, and from any point out there, you could transport yourself back to that spot. It would work on more than one person if you were touching. I’d bartered it away for the location of the crystal world we’d unleashed the Iskios from, during my search for Mary. Thinking back to that time, and the anger that I’d constantly felt, reminded me how good I had it now.

  “What’s the plan?” Slate asked, clasping his hands in anticipation. He was always up for a good mission.

  “Yeah, what’s the plan?” Suma’s snout lifted, and I shook my head.

  “No way, Suma. Today’s your big day. I can’t take you out there into danger.” I instantly saw her disappointment.

  “Isn’t that what being a Gatekeeper is all about? Learning about new cultures and worlds is part of it, but protecting our people from danger, helping those in need, that’s the true calling of the Gatekeepers,” she said, eyes wide.

  I couldn’t argue with her. “Fine. Your dad’s going to kill me. Let’s go.”

  The town square was busier with each passing minute, and the noises were refreshing. Strange music played on every street corner, and I was starting to appreciate the variety. Today, I had one thing on my mind: detaining Sergo and preventing trouble from reaching Haven. We couldn’t have these Inlor chasing the Padlog insectoid onto our world, especially when so many visitors were present.

  We needed to convey Haven as just that: a haven away from a hectic universe; a safe place for each world to send a selection of colonists, where they could learn from one another, set up trade between systems, and improve the overall serenity of space.

  Having a battle arrive during the Gatekeepers’ ceremony would destroy everything that we’d built. I picked up the pace, moving quickly through the crowds. Suma was somehow able to keep up, even on her short legs, and I slowed for her as we edged out of the crowds.

  The day was shaping up to be a hot one. I wished I was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt rather than my jumpsuit, but it didn’t matter. Soon I’d be in a climate-controlled EVA.

  “This way.” I waved Slate and Suma forward, toward a lander I’d parked on the outskirts of the festivities. I opened the gullwing door and motioned for them to enter first, and scanned back to the crowd, wishing we could stay and enjoy the moment with the gathered beings.

  I moved past Slate’s big form and settled into the pilot’s seat. I’d gotten the hang of flying these things and found myself smiling as I lifted it off the ground, guiding the ship high in the sky, straight up and over the buildings before heading for the landing pad at the west side of Haven.

  “What does Mary think about you doing this today, of all days?” Slate asked, reminding me I hadn’t even told her about it yet.

  “Uhm… let’s find out.” I tapped the console as I saw the line of vessels on the edge of town.

  “Dean, where are you?” Mary asked, her voice calmer than I’d expected.

  “I’m in a lander with Slate and Suma, honey.”

  “Well, you better get over here. The Molariuns are causing a stink over being placed next to the Padlog, for some reason,” Mary said.

  “What’s with these Padlog?” I muttered.

  “What do you mean?” Mary asked.

  “You remember Sergo?” I knew she would. I’d told her the entire story in explicit detail while we’d waited to be rescued on the abandoned world.

  “Sure. Insectoid. Gangster. Threatened you and Leslie.”

  “The very same. He’s on his way here, and we’re going to intercept him before he lands,” I said.

  Mary was quiet for a moment, and Slate leaned forward, his head over my shoulder. “Mary, don’t worry, I’ll keep Dean from doing anything stupid.”

  Mary laughed, and I heard Jules talking beside her. “Just be quick. You only have ninety minutes before it starts. Suma,” Mary started.

  “I’m here,” Suma replied.

  “Make sure you’re back in time. Your dad has a lot riding on today,” Mary said. “We all do.”

  Suma’s voice carried from her seat behind me. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Papa,” Jules said over the speaker.

  “Hi, Princess. I’ll see you soon.” Every time she called me that, it melted my heart. We didn’t know why she’d started. She called Mary “Mommy.”

  The call ended at the precise moment the lander touched down, and we rushed out, filing into one of our modified Kraski ships. It was smooth and white, and I ran a hand along its outer surface as the ramp lowered, allowing us entrance.

  Terrance met us there. He had a grim look on his face as we entered into the ship’s cargo hold. He was suited up already and had three prepped for us. “I wish you’d given me more notice. Sorry, Suma. This suit isn’t custom for you.” He pushed an EVA toward her, and she shrugged and started to put it on. Minutes later, we were ready to go, and Terrance took the helm at the compact bridge.

  I’d spent a lot of time on board these ships, mostly at the beginning when we’d first followed Terrance and Leslie from the New Mexico base, when we thought they were our enemies. So much had changed, and every time I stepped onto one of them, all my past within them came rushing back. I suppressed it now as Terrance lifted us from the landing pad. We all watched out the viewscreen, catching at least a hundred different vessels settled on the ground from races around the galaxy.

  “This is amazing, Dean,” Terrance said, and I nodded behind him, astonished at the turnout we’d received. “Sarlun said there’s never been a gathering like this before.”

  I cracked my knuckles. I was nervous. With so many unknown races in attendance, there was a wide variety of issues that could arise. Many of them had bad history together: wars, famine, betrayal among the list. I moved around the seats and sat beside Terrance. “E-Base, can you patch the ID through so we have it on the sensors?” I asked the in-orbit base.

  The same voice from earlier replied quickly, “You should have it now.”

  The blinking red icon appeared, moving through the system toward Haven. I let the computer calculate our interception point. “We have thirty-seven minutes. We need a plan,” I said.

  Slate was the first to speak. “We demand he gives himself up. Do we know what kind of artillery his ship has?”

  I was using the ID search on the console. “Looks like this ID string belongs to a Motrill vessel. How did he acquire one of those? A Skipper, like the one Polvertan had.”

  Slate tapped the back of my chair with a finger. “Okay, we can use that. They aren’t heavily armed. Actually, they can’t do much more than blast an invasive asteroid. We lance them with the new beams we got from the Keppe, and fire the ionized particle blaster at them, rendering them dead in space.”

  “What about their life support?” I asked. I didn’t want them dead, only detained.

  “You always complicate things, boss,” Slate said.

  “We’ll talk to him first. See what Sergo has to say. He might come along with us.” I highly doubted the troublemaker would be so pliable, but it was worth a try.

  “I suspect they have suits like we do. They should be able to breathe, should it come to that tactic,” Suma said.

  “See, she gets me, boss.” Slate reached over my left seat arm and tapped the console screen. “Wait, what’s that?”

  I followed his finger
and noticed the other red icon blink onto our radar. There was only one at first, then two, and eventually, we could see five angry red dots following behind Sergo’s ship.

  “I think the Inlor found him,” I said, wondering what we were going to do now.

  Two

  “Why don’t we just leave them to handle Sergo?” Slate asked.

  “This is our system. We can’t allow skirmishes to take place so close to Haven, especially not today. We have to prevent them from attacking Sergo,” Terrance said.

  He was right. “We’ll know soon enough. Send a message to the Inlor only,” I started, and Suma was beside me, tapping into the console.

  “Go ahead, Dean. It’ll translate for you,” she said, motioning to the screen.

  “Honored Inlor, we know you seek retribution on the one we know as Sergo of the Padlog, but we ask that you refrain from harming him at this time,” I said, trying to be inoffensive.

  The response came within seconds, translating into English. “Stay away from this one, Kraski.”

  They thought we were Kraski, based on the ship’s design. My skin crawled at the idea. “We’re not Kraski. We’re human and Shimmali, representing the world you’re closing in on.”

  “What world is that? We see no listed occupied planet for this system.” The voice spoke in a mumbled tone, deep and sloppy-sounding, before translating for us.

  “Haven. Let’s detain Sergo, and you can meet with us formally. Perhaps we could even consider an alliance,” I said, maybe a little too soon. My voice was also too light, too hopeful.

  We were nearing interception, and I knew we’d get to Sergo before they did. We had to make a decision. “How long until we reach his ship?”

  Terrance answered, “Four minutes.”

  The Inlor had taken their time now, but the response arrived. “We will take what is ours, then meet with you.”

  My EVA felt constricting now, and I wished I’d left it off. “Suma, target Sergo. I have a message for him.”

  Suma nodded, and I spoke. “Sergo, you’ve put me in a bind here.”