Leviathan's Bane (Homeworld Lost Book 3) by J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon

Author:J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon [Chaney, J.N. & Moon, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2023-07-01T16:00:00+00:00

21

Kayan awoke me before the others. Even Bob was out of commission, though I didn’t know where he was exactly. I understood he didn’t need the pod protection for most of the ship’s maneuvers. Where he went to rest, or eat, was a mystery. Maybe he was knocking back a few beers with 98X. Who knew? The Monitor’s complete lack of helpfulness was old news. If I had my way, none of them would be allowed on the ship.

“We have arrived, Noah. This system was the site of great suffering,” Kayan said. “I knew this to be true, but seeing it is disturbing.”

“Great.” I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and braced for the surge of vitality that always came after a pod nap. It hit me all at once, and I felt ready to take on the galaxy. “Show me Essal Aon. Let’s get this party started.”

Images populated the central holograph, but also the wall monitors we used when necessary. The first field of derelict ships stunned me. I couldn’t believe how many vessels drifted lifelessly. Kayan provided a counter off to one side. The number grew as she confirmed distinct data sets. Hundreds… maybe thousands of ships floated in the void. Most were clustered around planets, but there were others forming an artificial asteroid belt around the dim star. I guessed a lot of cosmic junk had drifted out of the system or been pulled into the star.

“How ancient is this?”

“Some of it is thousands of years old,” Kayan said. “Intermingling of constantly moving debris slows my analysis.”

I flipped through screen after screen on my terminal. “Some of these have power. That must be from something recent. Are there distress calls?”

“None.” Kayan processed information for several seconds. “Do not make assumptions about the age of the power cores. Those ships are far older than the Gavant Reach.”

“And they still have power,” I said. “You mean the Gavant Reach as in the empire, not the galaxy.”

“Of course.” Kayan began notating where there were vessels with active power. There were as many as a hundred power sources without recognizable ships attached to them. The will-o’-the-wisp feel of the scene made my skin crawl. Were the orphaned power plants staring at me from the darkness? It sure as hell felt like it.

“Fusion reactors could last thousands of years, right?” I asked. “That makes sense.” These things weren’t ghosts. It was science. The aftermath of a space battle between star gods would leave behind strange and dangerous detritus. An image of standing next to Pops in church either disturbed or comforted me. I wasn’t sure which.

Of course, the memory was from my parents’ funeral. Pain and fear and loneliness remained even now. I never wanted to be an orphan.

“The technology of these hulks varies significantly from what you understand,” Kayan said. “Montow and the others are awake and refreshing themselves. Give them some time to adjust. The pods affect them differently than they do you.”

“Gotcha.” I was well aware of how difficult my friends could be if contacted too abruptly after a star jump.

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