Newth III (Inhanth & Hive)

By Paul G Mann

The 3rd and Last book in the Newth Series.

Henry has been lulled in to a false sense of security; since the skirmish on the Island continent, nothing of note had been seen or heard from the Hunki. Unknown to him they have built their forces for a dual strike against Earth and Newth; driven by their hive masters, the forces they commanded had only one objective; destroy humanity, eradicate it from the galaxy.Outnumbered some sixty to one, Henry sets out on a quest to find other life forms; he needs help from someone or something with better technology, technology that would help him defeat the vastly superior forces of the Hunki. What he finds is a hotbed of deceit and worlds populated by people living in conditions that turn his stomach. He sees atrocities that sicken him but strengthens his resolve to take on the Hunki and crush the life out of them. The Hunki were coming but before they could be engaged Henry had to see through the lies of the Worath and determine what part they played in the Hunki war. Outwardly friendly and accommodating, were they working with him or against him?
Behind the Hunki was the hive; billions of telepathic beings linked with a single mind, a single purpose; destroy and conquer all in their path. It was all they knew, it was all they had done. The Milky Way galaxy shone like a beacon in their skies, billions of life forms to feed on, millions of worlds to restock their quickly dwindling resources. Their way to victory was through the Hunki; once mankind was eliminated they would turn their attention to their ancient foe, the Pathosian.
Was Henry the Pathosian objective? Was he the one predicted by the Pathosian ancients? Did his Pathosian blood give him the power and the ability to defeat the hive? Or would thousands of years planning lie in ruins as the Hive took control of all life in the Galaxy? A vast armada spread over two light years; billions of Huricanas minds and bodies came slowly towards the Galaxy of Earth and Newth. The hive was coming, would Henry and his forces be able to take them on and stop them?
Time would tell, time that the Milky Way was quickly running out of.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul G Mann
• Release date: May 2, 2018

Paul G Mann

Writing never came easy to me, even at school but somewhere inside me I always thought I had a story to tell. Before word processors and spell checks the bringing up of a family and out working to support them took precedence over such things as writing and as such setting my story down on paper was the least of my priorities.Things changed in 2007 when I suffered a heart attack which effectively ended my working life. My first computer back in 1988 was an old Amstrad word processor that allowed me to take work home from the office without the need of a ream of paper and white correction fluid. All I needed was a small three inch disc that fitted quite nicely into my pocket. It made letter writing so much easier and renewed my interest in writing although at that time I didn’t pursue it.I have had a large and varied working life to give me inspiration. I was a seaman for three years in my teenage years; I worked as a bus conductor on leaving the sea to raise a family before training as a plasterer and working in the building industry. A telecommunications factory offered better pay and conditions so I moved into the production of telephone exchanges for six years until securing a job in BT for seventeen years until made redundant in 1992. Ultimately I worked as a private hire taxi driver until illness forced me to stop.I am twice married with 3 children of my own (all grown up and flown the coup now) and 3 step children (also flown away). My present wife Gillian is a rock to me and who without her support and encouragement these books may never have been finished for publication. So if you don't like them blame her not me.The heart attack changed my life. I had to find something to occupy my mind and soon decided the best thing I could do was write. I readily admit I am not and probably never will be the most gifted writer in the world but as an exercise in keeping the old grey matter in working order it cannot be surpassed.All my work is ready for reading in e-book format from Smashwords and Paperback from http://www.Feedaread.com (cheaper at smashwords}

Book preview

Published by Paul G Mann at Smashwords

Copyright 2015 Paul G Mann

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Newth III

Inhanth & Hive

Synopsis

Henry has been lulled in to a false sense of security; since the skirmish on the Island continent, nothing of note had been seen or heard from the Hunki. Unknown to him they have built their forces for a dual strike against Earth and Newth; driven by their hive masters, the forces they commanded had only one objective; destroy humanity, eradicate it from the galaxy.

Outnumbered some sixty to one, he sets out on a quest to find other life forms; he needs help from someone or something with better technology, technology that would help him defeat the vastly superior forces of the Hunki. What he finds is a hotbed of deceit and worlds populated by people living in conditions that turn his stomach. He saw atrocities that sickened him but strengthened his resolve to take on the Hunki and crush the life out of them. The Hunki were coming but before they could be engaged Henry had to see through the lies of the Worath and determine what part they played in the Hunki war. Outwardly friendly and accommodating, were they working with him or against him?

Behind the Hunki was the hive; billions of beings telepathically linked with a single mind, a single purpose; destroy and conquer all in their path. It was all they knew, it was all they had done. The Milky Way galaxy shone like a beacon in their skies, billions of life forms to feed on, millions of worlds to restock their quickly dwindling resources. Their way to victory was through the Hunki; once mankind was eliminated they would turn their attention to their ancient foe, the Pathosian.

Was Henry the Pathosian objective? Was he the one predicted by the Pathosian ancients? Did his Pathosian blood give him the power and the ability to defeat the hive? Or would thousands of years planning lie in ruins as the Hive took control of all life in the Galaxy? A vast armada spread over two light years; trillions of Huricanas minds and bodies came slowly towards the Galaxy of Earth and Newth. The hive was coming, would Henry and his forces be able to take them on and stop them?

Time would tell, time that the Milky Way was quickly running out of.

Newth III

(Inhanth and Hive)

Chapter One

Joanne's memories returned in the instant she looked at the face of the person she once referred to as her father, and had thought long dead on this inhospitable world. Her memories flooded back as Alec removed the imprint he had placed in her mind all those years ago; she immediately cast her mind out, searching for her mother and sister Emily. Mary she knew about, and lovingly caressed her mind as she prepared food for the evening’s meal, but with mounting trepidation she failed to locate her mother in the near vicinity, only relieved when Alec’s thought crossed the front of her mind.

‘They’re safe Jo, so is Orna.’ He informed her

Jo inwardly relaxed at the news, letting the last hundred years of her life on this planet wash through her. She searched her inner being, and found the seat of her powers sitting quietly waiting her commands. Casting her mind out into her grandfathers, she gain the information she needed about her mother, Billy and Emily. Satisfied no one was in mortal danger, she spoke to her grandfather.

‘Why so long Alec? The last hundred years have been a nightmare, and why didn’t you revive me after the Rippers attacked you?’

‘It was Orna’s doing, but really by the time we had recovered our ship from Earth, you had just met Wolf, and Orna’s insight suggested we let matters where he was concerned come to a natural conclusion; then later, with Henry coming on the scene, her predictions told her to let things be. You seemed so happy with Wolf, we didn’t want to destroy it.’

‘I’m going to have to tell him Alec,’ she said simply, leaving him under no illusion there was room for argument.

‘It might have a bad affect on him Jo,’ he said in return. ‘Be careful.’

‘It might,’ she conceded, ‘but keeping it from him will have a worse affect. He won’t trust me any more if he finds out.’

‘OK,’ he smiled at her, ‘As soon as you’ve told him, we need a council of war, all of us, you and me, Orna, Donald, Mary and your Wolf.’

‘Wait a minute,’ she said quickly as a sudden flash of insight crossed her mind. ‘What about Henry? The powers he has means he must have something to do with us Alec, who is he?

‘Mary and Donald’s great, great grandson,’ he smiled as the shock registered on her face, ‘and before you ask. No he can’t be informed of who we are. He has a different path to follow Jo, one that will define who he is, and how he acts. We can be there in times of emergency if he needs us, but he mustn’t know our capabilities until the time is right.’

*************

The defeat of their forces by the humans lay heavy in the Inhanth Elder Council. Such a defeat by an inferior race was unheard of, forcing the council to deliberate long and hard until they reached the conclusion that humanity had to be eradicated, and eradicated quickly. The deliberations had taken many spans as arguments against human destruction and the loss of the hunt raged through the council halls. Eventually agreement was reached within the clans. A mass gathering of the animals would be instigated to repopulate the hunting grounds, once complete a fleet would be sent to destroy the human home world for aiding Altron. The leaders on Altron would be eradicated, and the planet would be hunted of all humans before the Inhanth colonised the world themselves.

It had been decided a long time ago to farm humans for food, a despicable practice not worthy of an Inhanth warrior, but to sustain the army they were building, a practice that would have to be followed to feed the Inhanth hordes. Besides, the council elder inwardly smiled to himself, farmed or hunted, the meat tasted just as sweet.

***************

Henry sat on the porch in front of the small stone cottage idly looking out over the lake. He watched as Annie and Pete played, laughing and swimming in the cool still water. Wolf, the ever watchful Uncle and Father, stood on the lake shore with a disinterested look on his face, that belied the hawk eyed concentration he employed as he watched his niece, and four-year-old son happily splashing away.

The valley had changed in the last six years; Annie on the verge of becoming a teenager at the age of twelve and three quarters, considered herself to be a young woman of sophisticated grace. She still called Wolf, Uncle Wuff, the name she had called him since she first began to speak, much to the amusement of everyone, including Wolf, who would look mock daggers at her and growl whenever she called him the name.

Her Father however blamed Wolf for teaching the girl too much about wood craft and survival techniques, which in his opinion had turned her into a boisterous tomboy. Not that it really mattered, out here in the wilderness the skills she knew would keep her safe, and she was still the apple of his eye having him completely under her thumb. At the first sign of her being upset Donald would fold, his heart melted by the tears, mock or real that would stream down his daughter’s face. He was a fool where she was concerned. He knew it, his wife knew it as did Wolf and Jo, and to make the situation worse, so did Annie.

Henry Peter Marchland was now four, Little Pete to his family. Annie doted on him, and just like herself he was ruined silly by the attentions of his and her parents. Uncle Henry didn’t help matters, as he too spoiled him, letting him get away with much more than a naughty four year old should be allowed to get away with.

The last six years had been good for everyone in the valley, Henry, Gemma and their own little one, Robert, named after her father, now lived in a stone cottage on the lakeside shore opposite Donald and Mary’s home. Robert was five now, a serious young boy that could hear a candy wrapper being opened two miles away. Thankfully, he was yet to show any of the talents or abilities of his father, but Henry knew from family histories, that this was no surety and any number of talents could begin to manifest as he grew and became stronger, both physically and mentally. He was strong willed like his mother, and bestowed with a very quick and keen mind like his Father. Care was always taken when discussing delicate matters to ensure he was not in the vicinity, if he was or had been inadvertently overlooked, embarrassing or awkward questions would always follow.

Mary and Donald had taken a leaf from Henry’s book, and built a cottage on the lakeside. It was on the other side of the lake from Henry, but both cottages were close to the site of the Eagle’s first landing and the camp site where they had first met. Wolf and Jo on the other hand had steadfastly refused to leave the cave. It was their home where they had lived since they first met, and lived together ever since; nothing short of, or even, a Hunki warrior would shift them.

Vegetable gardens surrounded the two cottages, planting staggered to give fresh vegetables throughout the growing season, produce Henry and Donald traded with Wolf for fresh meat. Not that a trade between any of the friends was asked for, it was done as a matter of course. Cattle and sheep now occupied communal pens to the rear of Henry’s cottage. Besides each pen, a large area had been fenced off to create a field for horses to graze in. A barn, come stable, stored hay and feed for the animals as well as providing shelter.

Annexed to the stable another cottage stood brightly against the trees, this was the home of Tom Swanson and his wife Susan. Tom was a farm manager, recommended and recruited by Henry’s father in law, and together the couple worked the land and looked after the animals. His passion being farming, he revelled in his role while Susan a master cook on Earth spent her days producing mouth-watering dishes from the meat and vegetables supplied by Wolf and the farm.

Life was still hard in the valley. Nothing like it was when Henry first came here. Care still had to be taken to ensure enough supplies had been stored for the winter. It was never an easy job for Henry, he was in constant demand all over the planet, and with the frequent trips to Earth, he relied heavily on his friends for help. Not something Henry liked, but was extremely grateful for.

Further up the lakeside, two or three hundred yards away, he saw his wife and son looking intently at the small building being built there. It was nearly finished, only the inside to clean, decorate and furnish, for the arrival of his Mother and Father in law, both of whom he expected before the month’s end. His own Mother and Father had been here for years now, settled on the Southern Continent, they made frequent visits to the valley, spoiling Rob every time they came.

Gemma was excited at the prospect of her Mum and Dad coming to live in the valley. This would complete her happiness, as her friend Tracy had emigrated to Newth four years ago; she now lived with her husband on the Southern Continent, producing wine from the vine he had brought with him from Earth. Life for Gemma in the valley was serene, she was forever hopping into a flier, paying visits to Tracy and Henry’s parents at least two or three times a month, with return visits in between times, welcomed by all the valley dwellers. It was a serene and peaceful existence that Henry revelled in, and one he put great efforts into maintaining.

On reflection, Henry was more than pleased at the progress made on Newth since that fateful day of the battle on the Island Continent. The carnage had sickened him; the intensity of his powers during the battle had made him very wary now. The physical effect they had had on him worried and frightened him to such an extent that in the past six years, he had spent hours each day practising and honing his control over them, very rarely using them any more in his daily life, but there, ready for any emergency that might arise.

No one lived in filthy warrens any more. Most if not all of the old villages had gone, the tunnels filled in and proper housing built, shops had opened and traders had come to Newth. Blacksmiths, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians and other tradesmen had opened businesses and with people congregating together small towns began to spring up on the sites of the old villages.

The small town of Freedom, on Freedom Isle, over two hundred houses bordered the small lake shore and immediate vicinity, a fishing industry had grown and flourished on the Island, trading with New East Harbour sited a mile down the coast from its ill fated predecessor. Freedom Isle was now a holiday resort, the tree houses built to hide from the Hunki now formed and integral part of a theme park dedicated to the planets freedom from Hunki control. Roads had been constructed, the main highway between New East Harbour and the main fishing port of Hawkspoint, now just one of the busy thoroughfares on Newth as goods and people moved and traded between the towns springing up all over the planet, especially here on the Northern Continent.

Eric’s initial design for the matter converters had been vastly improved upon. No longer did they have to convert the energy into electricity as the energy fed directly into matter propulsion systems to give a smooth quiet ride in cars and trucks; the components except all but one held back to protect the converters secrecy was still made on Earth and shipped out here. The matter converters had an extra bonus. Installed into houses they made refuse collection and landfill sites obsolete, as household waste became the main fuel for all domestic needs; the system also powered Newth’s small manufacturing industry, as waste and water when needed, fulfilled all their power requirements.

Small flier the same size as a large car or S.U.V had been designed by Eric to save on navy ships having to ferry Henry and the Navy Brass about. Still in their infancy, the flier were only available at present for safety reasons to the high and mighty like Henry. For anyone else wanting to travel inter-continental, Henry had set up a transportation company with free travel for all of Newth’s citizens. As the population compared to Earth was still very small, it made sense for this type of vehicle to be used. Larger passenger vehicles had yet to make an appearance as the volume of people going from one continent to another did not as yet warrant them. People still tended to gather in small groups not moving from town to town except for the traders; a legacy from the Hunki days, there was little need for large passenger vehicles.

The trappings of a civilised society had been slow in coming at first, but now with a recognised government structure in place, police forces patrolling the populated areas of the world, and a people who after centuries of living in fear, poverty and filth, revelled in their new found freedom. Civilisation was here; it was treasured and continually improved on; considering what they had achieved in only six years it amazed him the ingenuity and commitment employed by all concerned, had resulted in so much advancement.

The Hunki recreational/learning chairs had been a bonus. With the ever increasing birth rate and population boom as people began to have children and immigrants arrived from Earth, schools were soon needed. The chairs adapted for kids became ideal tools at all levels and in all spheres of education. Reformatted and reprogrammed, they provided a direct learning experience that could not be bettered by conventional teaching methods. Henry himself had learned Spanish not just for his frequent jaunts to Earth, but to converse with the population over to the south east of the continent all of whom had been abducted from Europe and mainly Spanish speaking countries.

New East Harbour and Fullerton sported hospitals, Henry had assumed that with the ‘Cure all drugs’ and increase in life expectancy, the last thing Newth would need would be a hospital. He never took into account accidents. At first with a small population of about 45,000, accidents were rare, and he or Jo would heal or fix people as needed. Neither liked this aspect of their abilities as both of them usually ended up drained of energy at the end of a healing. Healing affected him especially hard, as he would normally pass out for a couple of hours and remain weak for a day or so later.

Matters did improve when the portable shields used in the battle with the Hunki became widely available; injuries from serious accidents fell dramatically as people began to use them in their everyday lives but accidents still happened, people still got injured, and he soon realised that to help in these times, it would be better for a recognised emergency service to step in rather than Jo or himself. This would be of particular benefit when he was off planet and for whatever reason Jo couldn’t attend to the injured. Now the northern continent supported six ambulances’ all obtained from Earth, and converted to air travel by Eric’s team of engineers. As the population grew he assumed, so would the fleet of ambulances needed, but for now six was ample.

Once construction work, mining and the influx of specialists from Earth to help in the formation of their society increased, the population to its present half a million, there was never enough hours in the day for either of them to cope with the demands of healing, and the hospitals were built with doctors and nurses gained from Earth staffing them. Smaller medical facilities were established in the larger towns outside of New East Harbour and Fullerton. Hawkspoint which now had a population of over 5,000 was the first to build such a centre, a place where minor injuries from the mining and fishing industries could be treated and the ever increasing need for pre and post natal care could be catered for.

It was a shock when a police force had to be introduced into the society. For two years after the Hunki battle police were not needed. People pulled together with minor disputes settled peaceably among them or by the local councils until on one fateful day a young woman in New East Harbour was found dead; raped before being murdered. An immigrant from Earth, an ex police officer there, volunteered his services and found the man responsible for the atrocity, an ex judge who still had delusions of megalomania.

Henry once notified hastily convened a trial before the lynch mob could act. The evidence against him was overwhelming both from witnesses and forensic DNA confirmation. He was found guilty, and the only question that remained was to his sentence. Justice for the victim was demanded by the angry population of New East Harbour, and as Henry had no experience in law, he felt the best way forward was to allow the citizens of New East Harbour to vote and decide on the punishment to be handed out. A majority of 72% voted in favour of the death penalty. The new police chief, (after consultations with the victim’s family) promptly arranged for the murderer to be taken into space where he was jettisoned out of an airlock towards the sun. Summary and harsh justice it may have been, but it set the standards for crime after that with proper law judges appointed, keenly aware of what the population wanted in the way of punishments.

The police force came into being as a direct result of this episode, and while crime remained relatively low, the fact that a police force was in operation for the first time in ten centuries actually gave the people a sense of increased security. The episode concerning the murdered girl had determined Henry to have everyone on Newth equipped with the portable shields and requested the newly established police force to keep an eye on all the ex-judges that still roamed the planet, many of these excuses for human beings, carried a grudge against the rest of the population that often bordered on the psychotic.

Punishment for crime was swift, brutal and harsh, a young lad from Earth became drunk on his father’s home made beer; vandalising a community centre, he was promptly arrested by the police and found guilty by a hastily convened court, he was taken outside, tied to a post and publicly flogged. He was not seen or heard of after that and the lesson of his flogging, learned by others kept crime low. Brutal and harsh it may be, but also very effective as it reduced to a bare minimum the need for prisons, (the disused tunnels of abandoned towns and villages served quite well as makeshift prisons) and set the standards for punishment resulting from criminal activities.

The inhabitants of the main town on the Southern Continent named it after Ken Fullerton, a small but busy place which soon after its construction became a haven for people wanting a holiday away from their normal lives. Large sandy beaches opened to a gentle rolling sea. Without a moon, Newth sported no massive tidal shifts, and an island off the coast of Fullerton stopped any huge breakers reaching the town beaches and waterfront when bad weather whipped the seas into a frenzy. Mile after mile of soft golden beaches now contained beach huts, restaurants even small shops with the usual kiss me quick hats, and beachwear sold by tanned happy looking traders a common sight along the shore.

Behind the beach; deep inland, Tracy worked her vineyard. Between her and the sea, small workshops and factories devoted their time to the making of utensils that were now exported all over the world. The sand on the Southern Continent was ideal for construction, especially that found in the small desert some forty miles inland from the coast. Fullerton was a growing community, and Ken soon made his home there after communication satellites, built on Earth, were placed in orbit and a satellite telecom network established, giving people the freedom of planet wide instantaneous communication. A small but growing internet system was now in place as computers invaded homes to become a standard feature.

Mountain View in the Fullerton Mountain range to the south east of the Inland Sea, began broadcasting radio and television programs. Mostly news, but with more than a couple of imports from Earth, especially films, music and wildlife documentaries, it gave the people of Newth a continuous update of what was happening back on Earth, and at home on Newth. Conceived, implemented and operated by John Harrison, Gary’s brother in law, the station was a roaring success.

The population soon demanded money, or more precisely a monetary system; exchange and barter they argued might work in the mountains where everyone knew everyone else, in towns it did not work as easily especially with the influx of people from Earth and a monetary system was needed. Harriet Shaw came to Henry’s rescue; with her expertise in smelting metals, she produced five coins one, two, five and ten ‘pennies’ and a ‘Dollar’ coin. Henry introduced these slowly into the community with no fixed rules about them. People could either use the new money, or continue to barter as they had been doing. However, it was not long before the system caught the imagination of everyone, and money became the method of exchange, and Newth’s first bank was born leaving Harriet in charge of Newth’s new mint.

On Henry’s insistence, twelve months after the Hunki battle, a planet wide election was held for the offices of President and Vice President. His last election had elected him to power from a meeting of twenty-six people; he wanted that election to be ratified or someone else elected. No one stood against them, he and Ken both re elected unopposed for a term of twenty years. (As it turned out, they both remained in power for a very lot longer than that but at the time, Henry inwardly groaned at the thought of having to rule for the next twenty years.)

Money from the Earth based business’s was rolling in, the last estimate he had received four months ago was that one hundred and twenty billion Euro’s lay in Earth banks. The majority of this money earned through the manufacture, and distribution, of their new engines and power supply units to domestic customers. Anyone with more than two years citizenship returning to Earth for a holiday, had access to this money, not all of it, but enough on a bank card that accessed a general account, for them to enjoy the time they were there.

Establishing a healthy mining industry became a priority; now ore containing iron, copper, lead and rarer metals was exported on a regular basis to Earth for refining. The metals obtained used for the manufacture of parts, utensils, tools etc needed by Newth; within the last year, a blast furnace was implemented; constructed over on the east coast of the continent near to Yellow Sand bay. Once completed Henry hoped Newth would stand on her own two feet, or at least come a lot nearer to it, it would only be the lack of a credible manufacturing capability stopping her.

The space navy was Henry’s baby. Conceived by him; they now had twenty-two ships patrolling between Earth and Newth. The Endurance, Eagle and Cuckoo had been moth balled along with the Hunki vessel captured on the Island Continent. Challenged by an enthusiastic captain, the Endurance had narrowly avoided destruction returning from an Earth mission some four years ago. Even with the rainbow markings all navy vessels sported, the Endurance had been wrongly identified as a Hunki ship. Only quick thinking, quicker reactions and a lot of luck saved them from annihilation as the captain opened fire on them. Since that incident, Peter ordered the Endurance out of service along with the Eagle and Cuckoo. The ship captured on the island continent they dismantled for parts, while the original three ships formed part of a new museum in the process of construction on the site of the Hunki battle.

Twenty-two huge ships, all the size of a small ocean going passenger liner on Earth, loaded with all the advanced technology they had secured from the Hunki, now stood ready to defend humanity against any invading Hunki. Built to Eric’s specifications they are better equipped and more adapted to human occupation than their Hunki counterparts. Faster with improved engine design and efficiency, the journey time to Earth was now a mere six days.

Eric had also improved on the fighter design although he had retained the flight controls of a normal air based aeroplane. He had scrapped the originals fighters, all except one for the museum, and had fitted each of the new huge spaceships out with docking bays for 12 fighters and 4 transport shuttle interceptors (TSI’s) for ship to ship and ship to planet transportation. All TSI’s and fighter craft remained heavily armed and ready for a fight with anyone, alien or human who defied their authority in the space they patrolled. The new TSI’s although smaller were more manoeuvrable than the Eagle/Cuckoo and more than adequate to act as fighters if needed against a hostile force. Although not tested in battle, the new ships were fearsome pieces of technology that would it hoped more than match anything the Hunki could put against them.

Basing the headquarters of the space navy at Mossybanks, a community had sprung up dedicated to the training of officers and men to crew the ships. Peter, Admiral of the fleet, June and Harvey, now vice admirals, trained each captain, ships officers and crew to their own exacting standards, instilling in each and everyone that their commitment was to mankind as a whole, and not to any one planet, planetary body or country. The navy had complete autonomy that not even Henry could override. He could advise them and had a small ship for his own use as President, but as the constitution of the navy prohibited any attack or interference on a wholly human colonised world, the exception being in defence of the ship, Henry as president was barred from military office. He introduced strict rules prohibiting the taking of sides in any conflict between humans, and prohibited involvement in navy operations by him or any other political leader. It would not be incumbent he stated, for the President of a world Government such as he, to hold an office within the navy due any possible conflict of interests. The navy had complete self rule subject to it working within the rules as set down by him on its conception. In a declared emergency, changes to those rules could only be made if a majority of over 66% of the navy ruling council so decreed.

Eric was his resident magician, anything to do with technology Eric revelled in, leaving the best brains Earth could produce behind him when it came to inventiveness and application of the Hunki technology. He loved nothing more than to hold court, explaining his, and his teams ‘discoveries’ to anyone who would listen. Henry appointed him as his civilian advisor in charge of engineering, and commandeered him to train the engineers needed to crew the new vessels until Mossybanks had the experience and expertise to introduce a dedicated engineering training school themselves. A task he set to with relish, the personnel he needed if not found on Newth were recruited from the best Earth could supply.

The new ships contained all the functions of their Hunki counterparts, even the rec chairs had been reprogrammed in English with star maps converted to a Newth orientation and the Internet information databases of Earth and Newth uploaded into the system. They were state of the art and a vast improvement on the Hunki version with faster processors and Earth's more advanced digital electronics installed in them.

Trade between Earth and Newth was flourishing, in the early days Eric had come up with a brainwave. Trying to transport everything they needed from Earth to Newth on their captured Hunki vessels was difficult and time consuming. Commissioning an ailing shipbuilding yard, he had made to his design a ‘transport’ ship, a huge thing the size of a medium sized oil tanker that he had towed out to the middle of the Irish Sea. Under the cover of darkness he extended the Endurance’s shields and ‘lifted’ his ‘tanker’ out of the water and away to Newth where he fitted it out with engines and equipment taken from the Hunki vessels destroyed on the island continent. This doubled the volume of materials they could carry between the two worlds in one fell swoop. Since then the airbase in Burtonwood, long since turned into the headquarters of a star ship manufacturing company also began to build the ‘tankers’ alongside the navy ships. Ten of these giants now ploughed their way through space taking raw materials to Earth and manufactured goods back to Newth and other human colonised worlds.

Contact with three other worlds colonised by those abducted by the Hunki was established and made safe from hunts soon after their defeat of the Hunki. Their discovery was entirely accidental as the three planets occupied an area of space forty-two light years away from Newth, and just under seventy from Earth in a close packed triangular configuration of stars only two light years distance from each other.

Two of these worlds (Masse and Laterre) had not seen the Hunki for over two hundred years. A small but flourishing society was already established on each of the two planets but contained less than 600,000 people between them. Henry set up trade routes between Newth, Earth and the two struggling colonies. The third planet (Aarde) still had Hunki hunting parties to contend with, a swift attack by two Newth ships soon discouraged this practice with the Hunki warned yet again to leave humanity alone or suffer the consequences.

Conditions on Aarde, while not as bad as the conditions had been on Newth, were still bad enough for Henry to suggest the inhabitants transport to either Masse or Laterre and integrate with the societies there. It would take time and effort to move everyone, but it would strengthen both societies and give much needed relief to the people of Aarde without depleting the resources of Earth and Newth. Once completed, humanity would have another fragile foothold in the reaches of space, and Newth would have two more worlds in its fledgling federation.

Two passenger ships made regular journeys around Earth's Solar system; these independently operated by one of Earth's foremost shipping companies offered ‘space cruises’ for holidays. Stripped of all Hunki technology except for engines, life support and shields they were to all accounts very popular, although to address concerns from Henry and more than one planetary government, passengers were restricted to the pleasure areas of the ships, the rest securely locked and shielded against any accidental incursion into the more sensitive areas.

Of the Hunki themselves; not a lot had been heard or seen of them following their ill-fated attack and strike on Earth in 2021. Henry’s navy had taken them on, out beyond the orbit of Pluto. Of the 36 ships sent by the Hunki, five badly damaged escaped to return to their home, while only one managed to break through the Navy’s defences and make that fateful attack on Earth when San Francisco had been so badly damaged with so many lives lost. Destroyed by chasing federation ships, the Hunki vessel made one final act of destruction as it crashed in flames into the Golden Gate Bridge. One ship crippled by the short-lived battle, was captured and on Henry’s advice, Peter ordered the surviving crew be given medical aid where possible, the ship repaired and sent on its way home with the message, ‘Humanity has no wish to commit genocide on the Inhanth race. This is your final warning. Leave us alone and we will leave you alone.’ It had been quiet ever since.

To Henry’s absolute delight, sport began to flourish on Newth, especially football; the blame or credit for this laying squarely at Henry’s door when on a whim he brought a football back from one of his Earth trips and began a kick about with a gang of construction workers in New East Harbour. Before he knew it, every ship returning from Earth would bring back footballs, cricket balls, basketballs, baseballs and any other type of ball that could be either kicked, thrown or hit. Village and town football teams now played each other every week and a small league had been set up with an overseeing governing body.

Henry watched Wolf call the two kids out of the water, and with a wave to him began to walk around the lake towards Donald and Mary’s home, smoke curled from the chimney which made Henry smile. Despite the latest in technology installed in their home, Mary could still not get her head around the concept of a power cooker. To her food was not cooked properly unless it was done over an open fire. Her kitchen had a huge wood-fired range installed that never seemed to go out with culinary masterpieces produced on it every day.

Gemma, bless her was the opposite; she hated cooking with a passion. If it didn’t come out of a tin or packet she was lost, and the times she was given a rabbit or hunk of venison to cook filled her with dread. It also filled Henry with dread. He was not overly fond of micro-waved rabbit and had to politely ask Wolf not to bring her any more. Susan, a master chef would accept the offerings with pleasure and produce a magnificent meal from whatever Wolf or Donald provided, but she had to get to the produce before Gemma because despite her failings in the culinary arts, she was always willing to ‘try’. Wolf hurt and annoyed at first, was soon rolling about with laughter when Henry explained the reason why, and ensured from that day forward any fresh meat was handed over to Susan away from Gemma’s attention.

He looked up. A flier began to circle overhead as the pilot looked for a safe landing spot. He stood, visitors were common, usually Ken or Eric with news or a demand on his time, sometimes Paul Watson would stop by, but as he was presently out in space on his way to Earth with Sally for their first real holiday in the last six years, Henry wasn’t expecting to see him.

Gemma had also seen the flier and began walking towards the cottage, Rob in tow. Annie would be calling soon to take Rob up to the cave for the night. He loved it up there with Annie and Pete, especially when Wolf would begin telling him tales of his exploits, he would usually curl up next to Annie and fall fast asleep.

Before Gemma could reach the cottage, the flier arced gracefully over the lake and came to rest ten yards away from Henry’s front door. On the other side of the lake, Wolf looked up, shading his eyes from the Sun; straining to see the occupants alighting from the small craft. Recognising them, he gave a wave, deposited Annie and Pete with Mary and began to trot over to Henry.

The door of the flier opened, June followed by Gary and Robbie came out shouting greetings as they came. Gemma and Rob came bounding up with June as always making a fuss of his son, giving him some of the latest sweets/candies imported from Earth, cuddling him to death, and making him laugh as she tickled him.

‘So’ Henry said when Rob was playing happily by the flier, and everyone else was seated with a cool drink of Orananna juice, ‘what brings you motley lot here interrupting my hectic day?’

‘Hectic,’ Gemma near exploded, ‘you lazy sod, you haven’t moved out of that chair since you got up this morning’

‘Shush,’ he smiled at her. ‘You’re giving confidential Presidential secrets away.’

‘Erm, Skip, talking of a secret,’ Gary began. ‘That’s why we’re here,’ he finished with a self-satisfied grin written all over his face.

‘Oh yeah, and just what have you lot been up to?’ Henry asked giving each a furtive look.

‘Nothing to do with me,’ Gary replied hastily, ‘blame your Father in law, we’re just the messengers.’

‘Out with it,’ Henry demanded, the three of them looked at each other hoping someone else would take the lead. ‘Please,’ Henry added.

‘I think,’ June said tentatively, ‘it might be best if we show you.’

‘Tell me,’ Henry demanded again, wondering what had gone wrong now.

‘Well,’ she began. ‘You know how Bob is coming out here on the next ship?’ Henry nodded ‘Well, he’s not.’ she finished.

Silence now came from the three friends. ‘This is like dragging blood out of a stone,’ Henry said impatiently. ‘Will one of you please tell me what is going on and why isn’t Bob coming out on the next ship? We’re in the middle of finishing a bloody cottage for him and Irene.’

‘Robbie, you know more than us, you tell him,’ Gary said.

Henry looked at Robbie expectantly, ‘Robbie,’ he said ‘Now.’

‘Sorry Skip,’ Robbie said. ‘But don’t interrupt me. I only know what I’ve been told by Bob.’ Henry nodded at him. ‘What he told me is that with the increase in people coming to live out here, our existence became one of the worse kept secrets in history and the government had to slap ‘D’ notices on the papers and media. It got that bad, the Prime Minister had to ban questions about us whenever she gave an interview and other countries began to ask questions. France and the States even knew your name and the name of Newth, and after the PM had spoken to Bob, they decided to come clean and let the world know about us. Everyone knew of course, but the PM said it might as well become official.’

‘And,’ Henry said as Robbie stopped talking, ‘come on Robbie out with it, this isn’t all that unexpected, I know we had to become public sometime, and Bob and I have spoken about this on many occasions, so what’s all the cloak and dagger secret stuff about?’

‘It goes public officially in six Earth weeks, ‘he replied looking Henry in the eye. ‘Between them, the PM and Bob have organised a reception where you will be introduced on a formal basis to the world’s leaders and press.’ Henry was about to protest but Robbie held his hand up. ‘You are to be given all the rights and privileges of a President, and Bob wants you to address the United Nations, give a speech and such.’

‘You have to be bloody joking,’ Henry said, glaring at Gemma as she gave a muffled giggle. ‘Whose crackpot idea is this, Bobs? I’ll bloody well kill your father,’ he growled at Gemma as Wolf came strolling up.

‘Hi Wuff.’ little Rob shouted as he ran up to him.

‘Hi yourself,’ Wolf smiled picking him up and swinging him high over his head to screams of delight from the ecstatic child. ‘And its Uncle Wuff to you, you young scamp.’

‘Please Wolf,’ Henry said exasperated. ‘Just hold him quiet for a minute, these bozo’s are in the middle of winding me up good and proper.’

‘Skip,’ June said, ‘don’t get annoyed; we know you don’t like fuss, but this is something that has got to happen if we are to be taken seriously by the Earth governments, besides, there’s a sweetener for you.’

‘I dread to ask,’ Henry said, still annoyed but mollified somewhat and intrigued by the sweetener.

‘That’s what we wanted to show you,’ she said, ‘but I’ll tell you instead before you blow a gasket or something. Bob sent you a present. It’s a brand new ship, only finished today and is currently in orbit waiting for your Presidential inspection.’

‘What kind of ship?’ Henry asked bemused.

‘A Presidential one,’ she said, ‘not yet fully crewed but waiting for your inspection.’

‘Did you know anything about this?’ He turned and asked Gemma, ‘you’ve been acting strange lately; it’s all clicking into place now.’

‘Course I did silly,’ she answered with a smile, ‘how else could I keep you from getting to know; you would only have got mad if you knew from the start, so I told Daddy not to tell you, and warned this lot if they did I would have them put in the stocks at East Harbour.’

‘So when do I inspect this new ship?’ Henry said glaring at Gemma who pulled tongues at him with Rob immediately copying her.

‘Whenever you’re ready Skip,’ June said smiling.

‘This little one can stay with Jo and me,’ Wolf said to Henry. ‘We’ve got Pete staying overnight and I think Annie’s expecting him anyway,’ he said giving Rob a playful shake of the head.

‘Thanks Wolf,’ Henry said, ‘At least one of my friends is honest with me and doesn’t keep things from me, sneaking about behind my back.’

‘Who’s that then?’ Wolf asked a sheepish grin on his face.

Henry understood the wait they had once the ‘Lander’ came into view over the valley, it was slightly smaller than the old Eagle and had a sleek look to it extenuated by its streamlined hull; it glided gracefully and silently to a landing a mere six feet from the small flier. Henry was amazed at the craft, his initial wolf whistle silenced as the side door swung silently upwards to reveal a plush interior.

A spacious cabin contained twelve upholstered leather-bound seats that converted into recliners to sleep on. It carried her passengers in a luxury Henry could never have imagined. Viewing screens ran the length of the ship on each side, in front, behind and along the ‘ceiling’ giving the occupants an uninterrupted view of the ships outer surroundings. In the front of the vessel separate from the passenger compartment, a pilot’s cockpit contained two control consoles with viewing screens designed to give a 360 degree view to the pilot and co-pilot / navigator. The rear of the craft contained a fully fitted galley capable of producing gourmet food for passengers and crew, and behind the galley, a small hold with refrigerated units contained enough supplies to last a fully occupied ship six weeks.

‘This is just a transport ship,’ June said as Henry whistled at the sleek craft. ‘It’s for ship to ship or planet to surface transport. Having said that it also has a fully functional weapons, shield, and cloaking system on board in case of emergency, and can be used as a fighter craft if ever the need arises, we have four of them on board your new interstellar liner.’

‘A liner?’ he questioned, ‘my God, what’s it like?’ Henry asked running his hands over the surfaces of the transport, ‘it must be something else if this is just a transport.’

‘Sit down and buckle up,’ June said with a smile, ‘We’ll go take a look shall we.’

‘Oh my God,’ said Henry as they approached the ship. He was awed at the sight of her hanging in space above the sky’s of Newth; the Sun catching and illuminating her sun ward side. ‘She is beautiful.’

The transport docked and the door opened to reveal a smiling Eric with Paul Watson waiting to greet him. Handshakes all around over with, Eric began to give him the grand tour.

‘A little bit smaller than the Endurance, we sacrificed some of the hold space and the transportation rooms to use as docking bays for the transports,’ Eric began, to Henry’s unasked question. ‘The control room is a lot simpler than what you are used to; two people could fly this. We incorporated navigation with flight control, and shields and weapons with the cloak, and we’ve done away with the flat view screen you’re used to, be careful it can be disorientating until you get used to it. If you stand right at the front of the control room you get a full 180 degree view of outside space. She is easier to fly too; we improved on the auto- pilot controls, just punch in a destination and this baby takes you there without manually having to make course corrections. Your cabin is behind the control room, cabin view screens give you a view of what is outside at all times, unless you want them off of course. The rec chairs have been incorporated into the living quarters of all the crew, all cabins are en-suite and Mr President, the ship is yours, not part of the navy, it is for Presidential use only replacing the bit of scrap you have now.’

‘Been a bit busy haven’t you Eric?’ Henry said with a smile. ‘Is there anyone apart from me who didn’t know about this ship?’

‘Can’t think of anyone,’ Gemma said linking his arm with a smile.

‘You say it’s mine?’ asked Henry. ‘Free, gratis, take it whenever I want to mine?’

‘Yours,’ said Eric.

‘What about a crew, how many bods do I need and, erm, who pays for them.’

‘A Captain, two pilots, two navigators, two engineers, cook, four stewards for when you entertain, you have a small compliment of defence marines and domestics for cleaning etc, and President Scrooge, you have enough money kicking about to pay them yourself.’ Eric said.

‘And who is the captain?’ asked Henry.

June coughed and held her hand up. ‘I’m officially on permanent leave from the navy.’

‘Robbie and myself are your official guards,’ Gary smiled, ‘we’re paid by the navy.’

‘Alice and Sarah are your cooks,’ Gemma said, ‘Colin and Stephen are with Robbie and Gary, Paul and Sally are the navigators.’

‘Before we get into that,’ Paul said, ‘come and have a look at your quarters.’

Sleeping quarters on the Endurance had been small and cramped; a trait carried over to the new ships built on Earth for officers and crew alike, the space saved by this was utilized by the communal rooms such as the mess, the lounge area and showers. Here however, the concept had been turned upside down, or so Henry though on first inspection. ‘His’ quarters consisted of a large sitting area with view screens on every wall, fitted out with beautiful leather armchairs, a writing/computer desk with a laptop computer and printer, and a beautiful dining room table accompanied by four chairs.

The en-suite bathroom contained a shower, toilet and washbasin; tiled floor to ceiling with a marble composite, and lit by subtle lighting hidden behind unobtrusive wall and ceiling fixtures. The bedroom was luxury incarnate, huge king sized bed, walk in wardrobes, dressing table, and a fully carpeted floor gave Henry a sense of guilt knowing the conditions that still prevailed in some parts of Newth, vastly improved, but in some places, still bad.

‘Going to take some getting used to,’ he said to Gemma, then as an afterthought he asked, ‘What about Rob, where does he sleep?’

‘Across the corridor from you,’ Eric smiled. ‘His room is just as plush and is filled with toys to keep him occupied while he is aboard, one feature in here not immediately apparent, you can alter the gravity up or down, not by a lot but enough to make anyone feel comfortable, just ask and the computer will do it.’

‘Are all the rooms like this?’ Gemma asked him.

‘Not really, they all have the same equipment in them but are a bit smaller than yours, all the other apartments have sleeping quarters that double as living space, they have en-suite bathrooms, and the decor is a bit less expensive than in here. Apart from that, the only other space taken up is by a boardroom that you can look at later.’

‘It’s a bloody nice ship Eric, who designed it, you?’ Henry asked him

‘Only the engineering specs, the rest was done by a designer Bob hired on Earth. It’s faster than anything in the navy, I improved on the wormhole generator, only a bit but it doesn’t lose anything now, the old Hunki design lost a lot of energy creating a wormhole, this looses hardly anything and should get you to Earth in about four days.’

‘I can’t wait to take her out and give her a run,’ Henry muttered.

‘Whenever you’re ready Skip,’ June said, ‘she is all fuelled up; all we need are some general crew members and a couple of engineers.’

‘Don’t look at me,’ Eric said with a smile. ‘I would love to help but work and testing this over the last few months or so, and I am way behind at the academy; if you want I can pick a couple of likely lads or girls for you?’

‘Done,’ Gemma said. ‘Pick some crew members as well.’

‘What’s her name?’ Henry asked.

‘Who?’ Gemma shot at him.

‘The ship, what did you call her or haven’t you given her a name yet?’

‘Officially named The President Henry Carter,’ Paul smiled at the shock on Henry’s face, ‘but already known as The Carter.’

‘You named a ship after me?’ Henry said incredulous ‘What the hell for, you have to be dead to have ships named after you.’

‘Well that won’t happen for a few hundred years so we broke with tradition.’ Eric smiled at him ‘Besides Queen Elizabeth had more than one ship named after her so stop moaning.’

‘So when are you leaving,’ Paul asked Henry.

‘I haven’t given that a lot of thought,’ Henry replied. ‘Up to an hour or so ago I never knew this thing existed, let’s say a week, I have to sort a few things out with Ken before I go anywhere, and I have to check to see how the shipyards at Catspur are coming along. I won’t be happy until we can manufacture our own ships here on Newth, and stop having to rely on Earth for them.’

‘Henry, I’ve an idea,’ Gemma said bouncing up and down. ‘I always promised to take Jo and Mary shopping on Earth, can we go to Earth and take them with us? Please Henry, I bet Wolf and Donald would love to go back and see the place as well.’

‘I don’t know Gem,’ he replied, ‘have a word with Wolf and Don first see what they think, they may not be happy with the idea. Besides we would have three kids to think about, I don’t really like the thought of taking Rob with us, never mind Annie and Pete, I don’t know how well the kids would settle in space, it might frighten them or something. Let me think it over, and we’ll talk about it later after I’ve seen Wolf.’

The next week was hectic, Henry’s loose ends never seemed to end; the one piece of good news he had was in relation to the new shipyards. Sheet metal was thankfully arriving from Earth on a regular basis as the ore shipped to Earth, was smelted and returned to them as steel, copper wiring, optical cables and aluminium.

Progress in reproducing the metal like material the Hunki used never materialised. Stronger and lighter than steel or aluminium it would be ideal for building space ships, unfortunately all the tests carried out to determine its composition, revealed the fact that they needed a substance as yet unknown to humanity, and despite their efforts, a substance they were unfortunately unable to replicate. The manager of their newly created shipyard expected production to begin constructing ships within a matter of month. Newth still lacked the heavy plant machinery, and was still reliant on Earth for major parts; good news to Henry who wanted to close the airbase in Burtonwood, the yards at Barrow, and transfer everything out to Newth. Aluminium reinforced with fibreglass would be used to make the ship’s hull, not as light or strong as the Hunki material but lightweight enough to make transport to Newth easy and strong enough with the shields in operation to withstand the rigours of space.

Ken promised to look after things while he was away, Eric and Peter had the situation in the academy under control, and all reports indicated that work in progress continued at a rapid rate. Henry, making his mind up, returned to the valley and gathering the three families together asked their opinions.

‘Annie is no problem,’ Henry said, ‘she’s nearly thirteen now and a trip to Earth might be good for her education, if we keep her away from the media circus she could meet kids of her own age, and maybe make some friends.’

‘What about Pete and Rob?’ Gemma asked. ‘We can’t leave them here.’

‘I know,’ Henry replied, ‘I’m worried how being cooped up on board a spaceship will affect them, they’re both used to the run of the valley, and they won’t be able to run around the ship unchecked, it won’t be fair to the crew, besides which it might be dangerous.’

‘I could stay here,’ Jo said. ‘They could stay with me in the valley until you get back.’

‘No,’ said Gemma. ‘I want you with us; I want all of us to go.’

‘Two options,’ Wolf said in that maddening quiet voice of his, ‘either I stay with them on board the ship, or you use that Hunki drug thing to knock them out all the way there.’

‘In that case,’ Gemma said looking around, daring anyone to contradict her ‘Wolf stays with the kids on board; once we get to Earth we won’t get a look in with them anyway; once my Mum and Dad get their hands on them they will be whisked off and spoilt rotten.’

‘If that’s settled,’ Henry said looking at them all, ‘Then we leave tomorrow, pack a few things, not a lot as we can kit ourselves out once we get to Earth; anyway we can’t walk around in these buckskins, we would stick out like a sore thumb. Besides it would be best to save the buckskins for when we meet the world leaders in a few weeks time; it’ll make a nice impression.’ He smiled.

‘Excited Gem,’ Henry asked her later

‘Yeah’ she replied, ‘I’m looking forward to seeing my Mum and Dad and taking Jo and Mary out shopping, what about you hon?’

‘You know what I want more than anything else,’ he said putting his arms about her and pulling her close. ‘Is a nice quiet night out, maybe have a meal and a couple of drinks, just the two us quiet and romantic; every time we move here I have people around asking questions or wanting something; we never get a chance to enjoy ourselves.’

‘That sounds nice,’ she replied snuggling into his shoulders, ‘anywhere special in mind, London, Paris or New York perhaps?’

‘How about Heswall, there used to be a nice restaurant there called Sheldrake’s that overlooked the River Dee, and we could finish the night off in the Brown Horse on Neston Cross, the best pint of Guinness in the Wirral.’

‘Cheapskate,’ she said laughingly pushing him away. ‘Of all the romantic places you could pick from, you go for Heswall and Neston.’

‘Gem, it’s been over ten years since we lived around there. I just thought it would be nice to go back; we could stay in the Thornton Hall hotel for the night. Once we get our faces plastered all over the papers and television, we won’t be able to breathe on Earth never mind go anywhere.’

‘Only teasing, I think I’d like that, maybe see some of our old friends we used to drink with, and we could leave Rob with my Mum, she would love to have him all to herself for the night.’

‘See,’ he smiled pulling her close once more and pinning her arms so she could not hit him ‘Now you’re thinking, your Dad always said you had a brain in your head, we had some terrible arguments about that.’

It took a while, but his