Galaxy of Empires- Merchant Wars Episode #1 (2 page)

“Wow, those are good ideas, Boss. I would
never think of that, but then again, that is why you are the boss.
I will ‘volunteer’ someone else to gather up the rats,” 42 says
with some awe.

“Yep, heh, check the shipping schedules of
our captains and see which ones can take which containers,
depending on what direction they are going, and that way we can cut
our shipping cost down as much as possible. And then….” Eve
suddenly pauses without reason and just stands there with a blank
expression on her face, not moving. An eerie voice begins speaking
to Eve telepathically.

“I am Dracabardillious; you must travel to
three-way border of the 8, 3, 1 junction now before it is too
late.”

“Boss…Boss…are you there?” The cargo hold
supervisor says frantically.

Eve snaps out of the mild trance and says,
“Yes, just follow the instructions I gave.” She looks at 42 and
says, “Tell me when all this stuff is offloaded. Make flight plans
for the neutral zone, and we will take off in an hour.”

42 is confused at this remark and says,
“Uh…huh? What about our shipping schedule? Neutral Zone? We’re
taking off with no merchandise loaded?” But Eve has already left
and gone into the ship.

Chapter Two

“Is the pre-flight check done yet?” Eve
inquires.

“Yes, and I also loaded 20 type-E mines, a
status web net, and the cloaking device you requested. I am not
sure the cloaking device will work on our ship because of its size.
The device was created for smaller ships like fighters or shuttles
and our ship is the size of a Class 3 destroyer. We do have three
shuttles in the cargo bay,” 42 informs.

“That is fine. I want to do a weapons check
when we are in orbit and before we take off to the destination. I
want all the weapons tested, including the large projectile
cannons, medium pulse lasers, and the small rotating guns. Make
sure we have missiles at maximum capacity for all of our missile
racks,” Eve says insistently.

“We’re going to war or something? Geez that
is a lot of firepower,” 42 ponders.

“I just like to be ready for anything that
might come up, especially in an area that is unpredictable and
unstable as a neutral zone. Also make sure all 197 crew members are
ready to go.”

“Why are we going out in the middle of
nowhere, might I ask?”

“You may not. Just trust me, 42. I would
never do anything that would jeopardize any of our lives or my
ship—you should know that by now. I just want to go and check
something out.”

“Okay, Boss. You know, I always have faith in
you. You are probably one of the smartest persons I have ever met.
I enjoy working for you, not just for the money, or all the
upgrades that I have gotten for my body, but you have an active
mind and are sagacious for your years.”

“Okay, stop kissing the boss’s butt, 42, and
come up to the bridge. I am having an issue with the tactical
display at the weapons station,” Gartooth Hammertail says in an
unimpressed fashion while standing in the cargo bay door halfway in
the main corridor. 42 turns around and sees the huge crocodile man
with the protruding jawline and crooked teeth leaning against the
door frame with his arms crossed. “Well, chop, chop, let’s go. I
ain’t got all day, got things to do, people to kill and such….”

“You know you are the most annoying person I
have ever met,” 42 grumbles and heads up to the bridge with
Gartooth. Eve giggles a little; watching those to work together is
somewhat of a comedy relief sometimes. Gartooth has been the
tactical officer on the ship for three years and sometimes he can
be annoying but knows his job very well. He comes from a crocodile
family that mostly had security job careers over the last century
or so.

The rest of the crew is a motley bunch of
interesting characters. At the helm is Helma Seni, a snake female
with her twin sister, Nelma Seni, at navigation. Then, of course,
there is 42, who is an android, in charge of communications and
accounting. Rulu Barbtail, a female crocodile, is the chief
engineer. Meto Shawn, a human male, is the first officer and
controls the science station and sensor ops. Dr. Farshe
Mezeenabark, a female Wolfkin, is the ship’s chief medical officer.
Pura Shitztar, cargo supervisor and ship’s cook, is a female Katlin
(cat people).

Eve goes back to her office to attend to some
last-minute details before they launch. As she sits in her chair,
the vid screen starts beeping, indicating an incoming call. She
presses a button, and a snake man appears on the screen.

“Hello, Lady Eve. I heard you were back in
Hoshan. How does it feel to be back home?” Fartan Balltail asks
politely to his favorite client. Fartan is the attorney for Eve’s
merchant group and has been for about three years. His specialty is
corporate law. In this case, the lawyer is literally a snake and
not just figuratively.

“What’s up, Fartan? I am just getting ready
to take off in a few minutes.”

“I just called to inform you that the
merchant group Digtailan has just declared war on your merchant
group. I got the notice from the merchant guild today. Digtailan
paid all the appropriate filing fees with the merchant guild, so it
is an official war.”

“I thought they were a Class Eight merchant
like me. How can they challenge the same rank? I thought the
challenger had to challenge one rank above their own rank.”

“You can challenge the same rank as long as
the combined total of both groups’ assets equal enough to qualify
the winner for the next rank’s license. For example, both
contestants are rank eight and their combined total assets equal
enough value to apply for a Class Seven license.”

“Oh well, that sucks big time, as we are
already fighting two other corporations. Guess we will just add
them to the list. It is bad enough we have to fight off the
companies below us and now we have to worry about companies with
the same rank as ours. Getting tired of this crap. I guess I will
have to take out one or two of these challengers to show them not
to screw with me. The higher the ranked license, the bigger the
contracts, and the more money my company makes.” This is why the
reptilian merchant ships are also warships. They do not fear
pirates, who would never attack a reptilian merchant ship because
those ships are far better armed, armored, and shielded than any
pirate ship. Reptilian merchant ships double as warships because
the fighting among them is more dangerous than anything else they
might encounter.

“I will send a message out to my other ships
to add that group to the list of attack-on-sight ships.” She
presses a button that transmits a message to her fleet.

A few minutes later, she activates the
ship-wide intercom and informs, “Attention all crew members. We
will be disembarking in approximately 30 minutes. Make sure all of
your tasks have been completed and that you are at your action
stations and ready for takeoff at 13:00 hours.” About that time,
she hears her door chime. “Enter.”

A tall, slender, black-and-white,
tiger-striped female Katlin in pink shorts and a pink tank top
walks in the office carrying a box on a dolly and another thin
rectangular package.

“This just came for you,” Pura Shitztar
stated simply. She sets the box on the desk.

“Thank you, Pura.” Eve gets up and begins to
open the box. Pura shrieks at the sight of the box’s contents. Eve
pulls out the severed head of a snake man, which appears to be the
head of Capt. Iquzel. There is a note attached to the side of the
box, which Eve detaches as she put the head back in the box. She
reads the letter aloud:

My Lady, I am sorry my former employee has
caused you inconveniences. I hope that this small token will make
amends for any loss that you may have incurred. I hope to continue
our business relationship, as you are one of the best customers I
have. Please take these two gifts as a token of my appreciation for
your business. May your profits always be high, My Lady. Signed,
Lord Cos.

“That is so gross; I think I am going to
hurl….” Pura leaves the room in a rush to get to the nearest
bathroom. Eve just sits there and smiles while thinking to herself,
I have just the place for this head.
She
presses a button on her desk and a side panel opens. There are a
couple of rows of heads mounted on the wall.

“Yes, this will go nicely in my head
collection. I will have to polish it up first and then it will go
great right here,” she says as she checks an open slot for the head
size of her new trophy. This head would be the first in her
collection that was not one of her own victims. She opens up the
other package, which appears to be a painting of herself done by a
very famous reptilian artist named Yuha Jukuna. “Oh my, look at
this picture of me by Yuha Jukuna that must have cost a fortune.
Looks like Lord Cos is flirting with me with these gifts. Vid
screen on.” The screen becomes active. “Lord Cos, please.”

“Well hello, Lady Eve,” the Wolfkin says with
anticipation.

“I just received your gifts. You sure know
how to charm a girl. Thank you so much. I am very pleased to say
the least.”

“I am happy to hear our relationship has not
been damaged. I am glad you enjoyed the gifts. I look forward to
our next transaction.”

“Indeed, so do I. I will chat with you later
as I am about to take off. I just wanted you to know that I
received the gifts and to let you know all is well with us. May
profits guide you and your ventures. Good day, vid out.”

The intercom activates once again for an
incoming message.

“Boss, we are ready to take off. Are you
coming up to the bridge?” 42 asks.

“Yes, I am coming up there now.”

***

On the bridge, the crew is waiting for the
captain before initiating the takeoff and conducting last-minute
checks at the same time.

“Just daydreaming about being the meat in
between two fine-looking twin snake babes…,” Gartooth says snidely
with a grin and chuckle.

Meto interjects, “Thank you for the mental
picture that will cause me a few weeks of mental therapy to get it
out of my head.”

“Not even if I was drunk and passed out,
Gar,” snaps Helma as she blows on the fresh nail polish she
recently applied to her long nails.

Helma’s twin sister, Nelma, adds,” I would
rather get a root canal than sleep with you, Gartooth, not to
mention all the disinfectant I would need to purify my room after
you left.”

They all begin laughing. The twin snake women
were the navigator and helm control for the ship. For both young
ladies, this was their first merchant tour.

“Har, Har, don’t knock it till you try it,
Sugar Cakes,” Gartooth flails his tongue at the twins.

“That is truly disgusting. No wonder you do
not have a girlfriend. I do not even think female crocodiles would
be interested in you,” Helma says with an unpleasant look on her
face.

Eve walks onto the bridge and sits in the
captain’s chair.

“Captain on deck” the first officer
announces.

“Alright folks, time to go. Helma contact the
tower and let us get it out of here.”

Helma presses a button, “Control tower this
is the merchant vessel
Evella
requesting
clearance for takeoff.”

“Evella
, proceed to
takeoff platform seven and wait for further instructions from the
control tower.”

“Affirmative, control tower. En route
now.”

“Evella, proceed to ignition; takeoff in 30
seconds.”

“Here we go.... Takeoff in 10, nine, eight,
seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.... Activating lift-off
burners, and here we go…,” Helma continues, “Reaching orbit in 63
seconds.”

“Course set for the neutral zone, Boss,”
informs Nelma.

“FTL engines online and ready for jump,
Boss,” states Helma.

“Proceed,” Eve commands. The ship zips off
into space to its destination.

“We should reach the neutral zone in
approximately five days.”

“Thank you, Nelma. Keep me informed of any
changes by the head office. Meto, you have the com.” Eve leaves the
bridge and walks down the hallway to the lift doors and waits for
the turbo lift. After getting to her office, she sits at her desk
and brings up her computer screen and says, “Computer, do a search
and display all data on Empress Draca.”

“Query found. Empress Draca is known as
Dracabardillous and other names in different parts of the galaxy.
This entity is of unknown origin, unknown race, and unknown age,
though some speculate that she is thousands or even millions of
years old. Some believe the entity is an energy being with immense
power. The entity is the creator of the machine people and the
Consortium Empire. The entity has been described as having godlike
telepathic abilities able to communicate with artificial
intelligence (AI) beings or telepaths anywhere in the galaxy at any
time. The entity usually inhabits an android body that has the
shape of a human female. No other androids have bodies that
resemble other biological creatures. The entity has been known to
inhabit multiple bodies at the same time, and all of them have the
similar incarnation of a female human body. The exact size of the
Consortium’s Empire is unknown, but it is vast and covers multiple
galaxies. The entity’s true goals are unknown, but it does have an
interest in telepaths and AI beings. Some scholars suspect this
entity created telepaths and spread them across the universe. End
query.”

Eve wonders why such a powerful being would
contact her and send her a message. It has been bothering her ever
since it happened.
What does all this mean? she
ponders. It must have something to do with telepaths or
telepathy.

***

“Captain, we have made contact with another
ship, so you might want to get up here,” 42 says with urgency over
the intercom.