Cataclysm

By Theresa Snyder

Meet the Krackow, a species so advanced in their star travel they do not concern themselves with ecologically destroying their 'home' planet. Once the planet becomes uninhabitable they simply move on to another pristine jewel in the galaxy's crown.

They have just moved in on the Henu planet bringing with them destruction and disease - a disease that threatens the survival of the Henu colony.

Arr and Taylor are testing the waters as partners now that Jake is gone. Taylor's unorthodox winnings from a friendly game of cards prove to be challenging, but ultimately be that prize which will be the answer to the Henu colony's future. The power of love takes on a whole new meaning when the Krackow come face-to-face with someone even their technology cannot surpass.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Theresa Snyder
• Release date: May 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310602467

Theresa Snyder

Theresa Snyder is a multi-genre writer with an internationally read blog. Theresa grew up on a diet of B&W Scifi films like Forbidden Planet and The Day the Earth Stood Still. She is a voracious reader and her character driven writing is influenced by the early works of Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffery and L. Ron Hubbard. She loves to travel, but makes her home in Oregon where her elder father and she share a home and the maintenance of the resident cat, wild birds, squirrels, garden and an occasional dragon house guest.

Book preview

BOOKS BY THERESA SNYDER

The Farloft Chronicles

(Dragon books suitable for Middle-school to Adult)

James & the Dragon - Vol. 1

Kingdom of the Last Dragon - Vol. 2

Dragon Deception - Vol. 3

Too Many Dragons - Vol. 4

Three & a Half Dragons - Vol. 5

Dragon Memories, Dreams & Reflection - Vol. 6

The Star Traveler Series

(Sci-fi suitable for Young Adult to Adult)

The Helavite War - Vol. 1

The Heirs of Henu - Vol. 2

Old Friends/New Enemies - Vol. 3

The Malefactors - Vol. 4

Cataclysm - Vol. 5

A Mear Sleight of Hand - Vol. 6

The Twin Cities Series

(Paranormal Mature Young Adult to Adult)

Shifting in The Realms (Book 1)

Shifting Agony & Ecstasy (Book 2)

Memoir

(Adult Non-fiction)

We 3

Learn more at

www.TheresaSnyderAuthor.com

Dlf’s Story

Millions of years ago there was a ‘Big Bang’ and out of it was born a planet that developed into a beautiful and complex world. Three-fourths of its surface was covered by clear, deep oceans full of a boundless variety of plant and animal life. Whales and dolphins frolicked in her depths. Excuse me for ‘humanizing’ the planet by referring to it as ‘her,’ but it was a living, breathing entity.

An incredible diversity of fish in an assortment of colors, sizes and shapes frequented her reefs and coves.

To her sandy beaches came herds of seal and walrus to mate. On the cliffs which rose from her shores masses of swirling bodies in flight and a den of aggressive mating calls heralded the return each year of thousands of varieties of sea birds to their nesting sites.

Where the cliffs gave way to the forest or rainforest, and the forest to plain, the variety of plant and animal life increased.

Her streams ran sweet and clean. Her trees grew tall and dense. Her mountains and hillsides displayed a shade of green almost blinding to the eyes.

She was a pristine little jewel in the universe.

Oh, there was death on this planet, but just the normal death that comes with the balance of nature. Forest fires destroyed growth and lives. Occasional earthquakes diverted or blocked water sources, hence leaving the living dying of thirst. Predator found its prey. All was in tune, but that was before the Krackow came.

The Krackow were the first humanoids to set foot on this little gem of a planet. It was not long until she felt their presence.

The Krackow began to strip her of all her wealth. It was the beginning of her descent into ruination. They set up shop harvesting her timber at the rate of 130 acres a minute, exporting her logs to off planet mills for shipments across the known universe. There was no regard in their headlong destruction for the medicinal qualities of the planet life they might be destroying in the process. As the trees continued to disappear the ozone of the planet started to deteriorate and the temperature began to rise. The air turned from an unsullied cobalt blue to an ugly shade of brown. Her sunsets displayed an angry red cast from all the pollutants infesting her atmosphere.

The Krackow quarried her marble leaving huge gaping wounds in her surface. They dug, blasted, and heat bleached her mountains and soil for her precious metals and gems fouling her water tables and polluting her rivers and streams.

The invaders siphoned off her natural gas and sucked the oil from her depths.

The extinction of her animals happened at the rate of a species every twenty minutes. Their fur was exported for clothing. Their meat was served at dining tables across the planet and out into the stars. They were used for experiments and shot for sport and trophies.

The dense population of the Krackow and the runoff from the clear cutting of the forests further polluted the streams and rivers which ran into her oceans until the dead and dying fish floated on the surface so dense you could almost walk across them. The whales and dolphins threw themselves from her oceans up onto the beaches in their sickened confusion from the chemicals that ate their way into their brains by way of the food chain.

The Krackow moved across the planet's surface like army ants destroying anything and everything in their path. They were a people with no conscience, no morals. They were driven by greed and greed alone.

In the fourth generation of the Krackow invasion illnesses developed at an alarming rate in the humanoids. Malformed and still born children began to be the norm rather than the exception. The incidence of cancer in the population, brought on by their own toxic wastes and destruction of their environment, rose. They destroyed the prize of this particular solar system and now she finally, in her death throes, turned on them.

But… these people didn't need to stay. They were not bound to this planet. They possessed the ability to leave this wasteland they created in their mad rush for wealth. They could board their space crafts and speed off to some new jewel in some other solar system's crown.

In the thirty-third year after the reestablishment (33 A.R.) of the Henu colony the Krackow went in search of another planet to unmercifully brutalize and destroy.

1. CU

CU, Taylor said, as he laid his stack of bright silver betting chips on the ever increasing pot in the middle of the gaming table. This started out as a simple set of CU. ‘Sets’ rarely lasted longer than three trips round the table. Personally, Taylor never sat in one longer than five rounds. This was the beginning of the ninth round in this particular set. The pot had grown to such large proportions no one in the game was willing to drop out leaving their wagers to the winner.

The round passed to the player on Taylor's left. Everyone called him ‘Gouch Eye’ due to the battle wound that left him with only a horrible scar where half his face used to be. He was missing his left eye and ear, a loss that ended his days as a mercenary. He took up residence here at Trade Post #1312 about fifteen years ago. He wore his scars with honor and established himself at the pub as the local storyteller, taking Thomas' place when he died. Arr knew the mercenary from ages ago. His real name was Harry. Taylor knew him to be an honest man and a good CU player. He and Harry had wrangled over many a pot in the past.

An observer just walking into Mac Avery's pub would have thought the game just started the way Harry was studying his cards. In reality the players had been sitting here over an hour.

Harry counted out a bet equaling Taylor's and raising it just a nudge to the next player of the foursome. As he laid the chips in the pile at the center of the table he told himself this was his last bet. He was retired. He couldn't afford these high stakes and he knew Taylor well enough, having played with him in the past, to know he was sitting on a really good hand or he wouldn't have stayed in this long. He also knew Taylor was like his Dad, he almost always had luck on his side.

Diedra? Could you bring a thirsty man another ale? I'll make it worth your while. Taylor flashed a charming smile followed by a wink at Mac's daughter behind the bar.

Promises, promises. Diedra teased back as she drew a frothing mug for her favorite visiting trader. She would have crawled across Darill without a canteen for one of his smiles.

She swayed her hips appealingly as she walked over to deliver Taylor's drink, but her efforts were not noticed by the young man. Taylor's eyes were on the man directly across the table and the next player to make a bet.

Amanpour introduced himself as a trader from Sector 123(13) when he set down to join the game. He hadn't said what he traded in. Traders rarely did. If you went around bragging in one of these Trade Posts in front of strangers you might never be heard from again.

It was not polite to say, but Taylor thought Amanpour was truly one of the ugliest humanoids he ever saw. His trade must be very poor; otherwise he would have taken better care of himself. The feature that most repulsed Taylor was his rotten teeth, which gave off a horrible odor every time he happened to breathe over the table across from him. Taylor shifted his chair a bit to avoid being directly in the man's path. He almost hoped the guy would win the pot so he could get his teeth fixed.

The rest of the man wasn't much better. Amanpour had a greasy look about him. His hair hung in tendrils down the sides and back of his head like so many glistening worms. His face had a sheen to it as though he never bothered to get near a wash rag. His hands were dirty with long unkempt nails and cuticles that looked as though they were gnawed on for years. As a matter of fact, at that moment he removed a finger from his mouth to add his wager and a nudge to the last player to his left.

Thanks, Sweetie, Taylor said, as he reached for Diedra's hand when she placed the mug at his elbow. He gave her an absent minded light kiss on the back of the hand without letting his eyes leave the table.

Diedra knew Taylor for what he was; a flirt and a philanderer, but that didn't make her long for him any less. In fact it may have increased her desires. She stood still at his side as he continued to hold her hand, playing idly with the ring on her thumb as he watched the game progress to the next player.

Marcy was the senior surveyor on the new road project, a part of the town's improvement plan. She often stopped in for a mug at the end of the day. Lately, Diedra noticed Marcy never missed an evening when Taylor was here. She often sat in on one of his games trying to make herself appealing by joining in something she knew he enjoyed. Diedra used to have Taylor almost to herself when he'd come in here. She didn't like the competition.

Marcy couldn't concentrate with Taylor fondling Diedra's hand. She went way beyond her means to stay in this game in hopes of catching Taylor's attention, now he was sitting there holding another girl's hand.

I'm out! Marcy threw her cards down and stormed out of the bar.

Diedra smiled at her receding back.

Amanpour looked at the empty chair to his left. That was certainly a hasty exit.

"Got a bee in her bonnet as old Tim used to say, huh Taylor? Harry made a sweeping glance at the young trader and the hand connecting him to Diedra. When his eyes came to rest on Diedra his scarred face smiled crookedly. You won this round kiddo."

Taylor, stop flirting with my daughter and get back to your game. I want to close sometime this evening. Mac was half play, half serious. He knew how much his daughter cared about Taylor. He also knew how unlikely it would be for Taylor to ever settle down. The young trader looked to Mac as though he might be a candidate for confirmed bachelor status and in the course of living a life of bachelorhood he would probably break more hearts than Mac could count. No doubt he already broke more than his fair share.

All right, but only through protest. Taylor squeezed her hand and let it drop.

Diedra's eyes shot daggers at her father behind the bar. He returned them with a tender smile and a nod that told her to leave them alone to get on with their game.

It's your round my man, Harry reminded Taylor.

I know. Taylor sat clicking his four remaining betting chips, not enough to keep him in the game. The light glinted off the wide gold wrist cuff Pon and Garrett gave him last year on his birthday. He had a winning hand; there was no doubt in his mind about that. He could feel Harry ready to fold anytime. The old mercenary was fun to play with, but the longer the game got the easier he was to read. If Taylor could just stay in the set one more round hopefully Harry would fold and it would just be him and Amanpour. After all, he always had his ‘ace in the hole’ as his Dad often said. Taylor put his four chips on the pile. He removed his gold bracelet.

This should cover the rest and nudge it at least ten more.

He laid the bracelet lovingly on the top of the pile. If he did lose, which he wouldn't, he would go up to the ship and get the money to buy it back even if the dirty trader charged him three times its worth.

Amanpour picked up the bracelet, examined it and placed it back on the pile. Agreed.

CU, Taylor challenged and the round progressed to Harry.

Too rich for my blood. You two battle it out. I'm going to have one more for the road and see if I can talk Diedra out of a kiss to sweeten my dreams. Harry rose and ambled slowly toward the bar with Diedra humming softly polishing glasses behind it, her own dreams sweetened by the mere touch of a hand.

Amanpour smiled, exposing all of his hideously rotten teeth.

Guess it's up to me again. He pushed the remainder of his silver chips into the pile. What do you have on your person that could possibly match that, my young friend?

Taylor reached in his chest pocket and removed a small metallic card, his ‘ace in the hole.’ The registration to my ship, the Calpernia. He laid it down on the table, not adding it to the pot quite yet.

Your Uncle Arr will kill you if you lose that ship. Diedra spoke up right on