EXOSTAR: (The Lost Space Treasure Series, Book 1) by Rae Knightly

Author:Rae Knightly [Knightly, Rae]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PoCo Publishers
Published: 2023-02-22T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18 The Supreme Leader

The spaceship of the Remnant Supreme Leader arrived while soldiers were sprinting across the runway, taking orderly positions around the allotted landing spot of the craft. Billowing clouds of ochre dust clogged the air and the senses as it touched down.

Woolver and the Captain slid in place between troops standing on a ledge overlooking the Off-World Terminal. The spaceship’s engines died down just as the Captain’s men marched to a standstill around them.

Woolver wiped the grime off his visor with his gloved hand. “Captain,” he panted, “whatever could be the reason for this most sudden and honorable visit?”

The Captain shrugged. “It’s probably just a courtesy visit. Count Solomon Drakir is the Supreme Leader’s distant cousin, after all. Everyone knows that the Count fell out of grace with the Divine Dyad. They probably have a thing or two to say to each other.” He paused. “Or maybe the Supreme Leader just wants an update on our tethasium extractions.”

Woolver raised an eyebrow. A courtesy visit, eh? How odd that the Captain didn’t seem aware of the upcoming revolt. It probably wouldn’t be long before he got his orders to arrest Woolver, though.

The dust settled, leaving heat waves to distort the outline of the dark craft. A torrid afternoon breeze blew against Woolver’s cheeks. The surrounding mountains turned a fiery red as they reflected the rays from the low sun. The color of blood, Woolver thought with a shudder.

The Supreme Leader’s spaceship added to the chilling view, resembling a nightmarish mega-moth with two triangular wings spanning out on either side of its main body. The tip of the hindwings ended in long thrusters. The horizontal windows in its head gave it an angry-looking face. Six retractable landing gears that resembled insect legs made it look like it was ready to pounce. Its forewings folded in on top of its hindwings, and the back of the main body lowered to allow its occupants to exit the spacecraft.

Then Woolver noticed something unexpected. A large lump jutted out of the middle of the spaceship. It looked like an extra addition to the original craft as if it had been added as an afterthought. He recognized it at once. It was a quantum engine. Quantum engines were unique to the Interstellar Alliance, where they were manufactured and used. Yet here was a Remnant spacecraft, which had nothing to do with the Interstellar Alliance, using one of these highly advanced travel mechanisms. It made sense now how the Supreme Leader had arrived so fast.

Woolver voiced his musings. “I didn’t know Remnants used quantum travel. I thought you used tethasium to fuel your nuclear thermal rocket engines?”

“Ah, you noticed the new engine.” The Captain’s small pearly teeth grinned beneath his dust-covered visor. “We may seem like an underdeveloped civilization to you, farmer-boy, but believe me, generations of hardships have taught us to become ingenious and resourceful. It only took one stolen Alliance spacecraft for our engineers to figure out quantum travel and duplicate your engines. Our Supreme Leader’s spacecraft is among the first to be equipped with one.

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