Savanna is the second book in my series 'Operation Stargate'. The first one is 'Codename Salamander', also available from Melange Books. Actually, Savanna, is the fifth book in the main series 'The Stonewall Chronicles', that started with Outpost Epsilon as the forerunner. Then came A New Dawn, book one in the trilogy. (Originally published as Epsilon. The trilogy was called Lizard World)
Book Two in that trilogy was originally published as Epsilon City and Book Three as Raptors Tooth.
The new published books will be
Book Two: Epsilon City (forthcoming)
Book Three: Mysteries of Epsilon (forthcoming)
Here, as promised, is an excerpt from 'Savanna':
Chapter One
Jeremy John
Sheppard stuffed his duffle bag into the overhead compartment and took his seat
on the shuttle that would take him down to the surface of Savanna.
He was happy to
see the long journey through space come to an end and to soon assume his new
position on Outpost Alpha. One month cooped up in a transporter far from being
a luxury liner, with a bunch of eager fortune hunters, scientists, and settlers
looking for a new life on an alien planet, was one month too long.
“Hey, Sheppard,” a
familiar voice said beside him. “I just realized something. All this time on
the ship you never told me about your plans on Savanna.”
Sheppard turned
his head to look at the short, stocky man who had taken the seat beside him, a
man he had no particular wish to associate with. “What makes you think I would
have told you?”
Daniels chuckled.
“As always, the mystery man. Are you by any chance one of the convicted
criminals they send to frontier planets to serve out their sentence doing hard
labor?”
“Hardly.” Sheppard
had no intention telling the man details about his life. It was nobody’s
business, especially not Daniels’.
“Let me take a
guess. You’re, obviously, not a scientist. Neither are you a farmer, since
you’re traveling alone. You claim you’re not a convict. That only leaves miner,
fortune-hunter, scout, or Space Force. Or might you be a doctor?” He shook his
head. “No. Not a doctor. You don’t have the slim, cultured hands of a medical
professional.” He gave Sheppard an inquiring look. “Well? Am I close?”
Before Sheppard
could respond, a voice over the speaker said, “Please, fasten your seatbelts.
We’ll be lifting off in a moment. The ride will be a bit rough. We’ve detected
some turbulence in the upper atmosphere, but there is nothing to be worried
about. This is just an advisory.”
“This is so
typical,” Daniels commented. “Why does the government hire a private company to
take settlers to an alien planet? It’s all about profits. They don’t invest any
money in upgrading. This shuttle is an outdated version and shouldn’t be used
any longer. Turbulence in the atmosphere shouldn’t even be an issue.”
Sheppard was happy
for the subject change. “Whatever gave you the idea that Earth’s government
actually cares about settlers? They are happy to get rid of a few people, and
they don’t give a crap to which planet they migrate or
if they survive. Savanna is far from the regular trade routes and too close to
Spider-controlled space. The Solar Union doesn’t have much interest in
colonizing the planet. The only ships coming here are the ships of the Trading
Commission and the ones bringing new settlers.”
“I know all about
that. It’s the abundance of blue diamonds that attracted the Trading
Commission, never mind that Savanna is an ideal planet for humans to colonize.”
Sheppard chuckled
grimly. “Are you forgetting that Savanna is already occupied?”
“You mean the
Cats?” Daniels grunted. “From what I understand, they are not numerous. This
planet is sparsely populated. There is plenty of room for us humans.”
“What about the
reptilian humanoids living in the jungle? Don’t they count? Or the
desert-dwellers? Don’t they have a right to live unmolested?”
“Sure, they do,
but that’s how the universe works, my friend. A superior species invades a
region and, as their numbers grow, eliminating the weaker or less advanced
species. If you know your history, you know how the Americas were colonized.”
“I’m not ignorant
of Earth’s bloody history. Millions of indigenous people were murdered by the
Spaniards, the English, and the French in the name of their king. What audacity.
To land on the shores of a foreign land, plant a flag, and claim it in the name
of a king or queen? What gave them the right? Sadly, nothing has changed to
this day. Take Chrysalis, for instance. The inhabitants were wiped off the
planet’s surface, because they refused to buckle under and work in the mines for
the humans.”
“Bad example,
Sheppard. They were murdering the colonists in their sleep. They burned down
whole villages, killing all the humans in their homes. They destroyed crops and
poisoned the water. We had no choice. It was either them or us.”
“We could have
left,” Sheppard argued.
Daniels laughed.
“Are you kidding? That planet was full of valuable resources Earth desperately
needed.” He gave Sheppard a sidelong glance. “What the hell are you? Some kind
of priest or do-gooder?”
“I am neither.”
Sheppard sighed and leaned back into his seat. “I’m going to take a rest and
calm my nerves. I know I’ll need them when I get down there.” He closed his
eyes, ignoring Daniels, but there was no opportunity to relax.
The advisory had
not misled them. They did get into turbulence, and the shuttle was rocked back
and forth with sudden drops that made Sheppard question the ability of whoever
sat in the pilot seat. Most likely it wasn’t even a human pilot. The sounds of
protest and subdued curses from the other passengers didn’t help, either. A
couple of children were crying, and their mothers tried to convince them there
was nothing to worry about. One woman shouted that everyone was going to die, that
God didn’t approve of humans leaving their planet of birth to spread the evil
that was humanity to other planets.
“Somebody should
tell that stupid woman to shut up,” Daniels cursed beside Sheppard, who was not
going to argue that point.
The shaking
stopped, and the rest of the flight was relatively calm. Sheppard wished for
windows to see the landscape below them, but the walls of the shuttle were
smooth and unbroken. He had no idea if it was day or night on this side of the
planet.
“Did I tell you
I’m an engineer?”
“More than once.”
Sheppard sighed. He was looking forward to being rid of the forever talking
Daniels. From the beginning of the journey, the man had latched onto him like a
magnet to a piece of metal, difficult to remove. He had to listen to Daniels’
life story at least half a dozen times. To make it worse, it was a boring
story.
“My
specialty is bridges.”
“I know that,
too.”
Daniels wasn’t
discouraged. “Did I ever mention that I designed a bridge on Backwater?”
“You might have.
I’m sorry, I don’t remember.”
“Then let me
refresh your memory. It is actually a funny story.”
“I believe I
remember it now. It that the one where the monkey-like natives were the first
ones to cross the bridge?” Sheppard had no intention to listen to it again.
“That’s the one. I
just love telling it.” Daniels chuckled. “Perhaps you would like to hear it
again?”
Sheppard took a
deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Perhaps another time, Daniels. Right now, is
not a good time.”
“Does that mean
you and I will stay in touch?”
“We’ll see. It’s a
big planet.”
“Almost as big as
Earth. Apparently, Savanna is not much different from Earth. I mean it’s got
seasons, and the weather is pretty much the same. Fewer oceans, which means
more landmass, which is great.” He chuckled. “Also, plenty of rivers where
bridges are needed. I shall be busy.”
“I wish you luck.”
Sheppard smiled thinly. “Remember, this is not Earth. Neither is it Backwater.”
Again, he was
saved by an announcement. “We are approaching Crystal City and will be landing
in fifteen minutes. Please, make sure you’re wearing your seatbelt. Good luck
to everyone. It has been a pleasure to be of service.”
“As if a computer
experiences pleasure,” Daniels said with contempt. “I’m looking forward to living
in a society that is not run by computers. That’s one of the reasons I left
Earth and came to Savanna. Life will be more relaxed and basic here. That will
be my pleasure.”
“I hope you won’t
be disappointed. Life on a frontier world is not a picnic. It can be harsh and
difficult,” Sheppard commented.
“You’ve had
experience?”
“I have.” Sheppard
didn’t elaborate. The sudden complete silence and lack of vibration told him
that the shuttle had landed. He unbuckled and waited for the announcement
telling the passengers to disembark. A slight breeze in the air signalled that
the outer doors had been opened. The
announcement came a moment later. “Time to go,” he said.
He waited for
Daniels to get his personal luggage bag before getting his own, and then he
followed the short man to the air-lock. The air entering the shuttle smelled
fresh and crisp, and he was looking forward to breathing real air instead of
the recycled air in the transporter for the past month.
Taking a deep
breath, he climbed down the steps toward the alien soil of a new frontier
world. It wasn’t his first time on a new world, but this time it was different.
He was not here of his own free choice.
Looking around the
spaceport, he saw more than a dozen shuttles standing on the tarmac. Theirs had
been the last one to leave. Some of the shuttles carried passengers, most of
them new colonists looking for a better life. A number of shuttles carried only
supplies and the belongings of the colonists.
Sheppard
shouldered his large duffle bag, his only possession. Most of what he needed
would be supplied.
He bumped into someone
and mumbled, “Sorry.” Then he realized it was Daniels.
“Hey,” Daniels
said. “I guess this is where we part ways.”
“It seems that
way.” Sheppard wasn’t sorry to see the last of the short, chatty man.
“I think I see my
ride.”
“Don’t you have to
go through immigration first?”
Daniels shook his
head. “Not me. I have special status. I’m not really an immigrant.”
“Neither am I.”
Sheppard looked and spotted a vehicle speeding toward them. Even from this
distance it was clear it was military. Only the military and the Solar Trading
Commission were allowed to possess modern weapons and equipment, which included
transport vehicles. The small, armored bus stopped in front of the two men. One
of the two troopers on board jumped out. He saluted sloppily and said, “Captain
Sheppard?”
Sheppard nodded
and stepped forward. “That would be me.”
The trooper looked
at a device in his hand, gave Sheppard one more look and turned his attention
to Daniels. “Then you must be Major Daniels,” he stated and saluted again.
Daniels waved it
off with one hand and chuckled. “I guess I must be. Relax, trooper. Let’s not
get too formal.”
Sheppard threw him
an astonished look. “I thought you were an engineer?”
With a smile,
Daniels said, “I am. I just forgot to mention that I’m an engineer with the
Solar Union Space Navy. So, you’re a Captain. Hmm. The mystery man has been
unmasked. It seems we’ll be seeing much more of each other in the future.” He
made a motion with his hand. “After you, Captain Sheppard.”
Sheppard took his
seat with some misgivings. Major Daniels! That meant Daniels was his superior.
