Zulians and Robots: Flight of the Maita, #7

By C. D. Moulton

The crew discover the Zulians and Tlessonian military berserker. Tranz and Tom go home to raise families, leaving Z, Thing, Tab, TR and, of course, Maita.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C. D. Moulton
• Release date: Jun 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201562588

Book preview

Flight of the Maita

Book 7

Zulians and Robots

(c) 1987 & 2022 by C. D. Moulton

all rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder/ publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

The crew discover the Zulians and Tlessonian military berserker. Tranz and Tom go home to raise families, leaving Z, Thing, Tab, TR and, of course, Maita.

Critic comment

Good action in the berserker story. I can see more books on the horizon featuring it. I know the Zulians will be around for a long time. Moulton is actually learning how to write.

– PA rtng: good or a little better.

Contents

History of the Maitan Empire

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter six

Chapter seven

Chapter eight

Epilogue

About the author

CD was born in Lakeland, Florida, in 1938. He is educated in genetics and botany. He has traveled over much of the world, particularly when he was in music as a rock rhythm guitarist with some well-known bands in the late sixties and early seventies. He has worked as a high steel worker and as a longshoreman, clerk, orchidist, bar owner, salvage yard manager and landscaper – among other things.

CD began writing fiction in 1984 and has more than 300 books published as of 3/15/16 in SciFi, murder, orchid culture and various other fields.

He now resides in Puerto Armuelles David and Gualaca, Chiriqui, Panamá, where he continues research into epiphytic plants and plays music with friends. He loves the culture of the indigenous people and counts a majority of his closer friends among that group. Several have adopted him as their father. He funds those he can afford through the universities where they have all excelled. The Indios are very intelligent people, they are simply too poor (in material things and money. Culturally, they are very wealthy) to pursue higher education.

CD loves Panamá and the people, despite horrendous experiences (Free e-book; Fading Paradise). He plans to spend the rest of his life in the paradise that is Panamá

- Estrelita Suarez V. de Jaramillo – 3/15/2016

CD is the discoverer of the Chadam Protocol for curing cancer.

Facebook page Ambrosia peruviana for cancer

History of the Maitan Empire

by Jortenterhaven

Notes on the prehistorical phases

Disclaimer: This portion of Maitan history is based upon supposition and fragmentary records. It is meant as a possible interpretation of those sources, and is not to be accepted as hard facts.

Facts are a variable in any history to the time when machines handle the recording and gathering of the data. Politicians are liars in any system where people have the power to remove them from office, which includes all forms of government from the anarchic to the absolute dictatorship to the most socialistic or to the most representative.

Logic will tell one a dictator must lie, and have at least a part of those lies believed, or he will be overthrown. An office obtained by a vote will have its holder thrown from power the moment all truth is known, and he will be voted from that office if too much reality is allowed to be shown to his supporters. Socialism must never allow reality to rear its ugly head, as it lacks incentives.

All these old governments have left records that include much data, but the data is often false, so such records often show only those things that will make the officials appear to be much different than they, in fact, were.

I have attempted, in this portion of historical outline, to discard a great percent of the data on hand, and to make the result brief and incomplete, if just to limit misinformation. Much is based on logic and research, combined with some slight understanding of the psychology of the Maitan people. It is the best I can do.

Evolutionary phase: The planet we call Maita is located at galactic coordinates 275/0/34026, and is the second planet from the star called Frarom, an M3 star on the third spiral arm of the galaxy. There are eight planets in the system, but only Maita is habitable.

The first planet is called Boltreeto, or speck in the eye in the ancient language. Derivation of the name is obvious, as the planet has, since ancient times, appeared in the late evening or early morning close to the sun, seeming to be a small silver sliver in the edge of the large shining eye that is Frarom. (Supposition)

The second planet is Maita, meaning home in the ancient language. Maita has a large satellite called Cossik, meaning young sister in the ancient language. Derivation is obvious.

The third is a large gaseous planet with three moons and small rings, called Lumineer, which means blinding light in the ancient language. Laminar is the brightest object in the night skies of Maita. Derivation is obvious.

The fourth is called Kittisch. It has a number of moons and three rings, and is also a gas giant. Kittisch means wanderer in the ancient language.

Derivation from the fact that the orbit of the reddish-yellow planet is such it appears in many positions in the night sky over the period of four and a half years in the cycle of the two worlds' orbits.

The fifth is Ubertroke and the sixth is Farneer, both are ringed, multimooned gas giants. The old meaning of the names is lost, though there is a theory stating the ancient gods of the night took wives of those names who were exiled to far places when they were shown to be unfaithful, and the naming was from those legends. The writings of the ancient poet, Fuzilesch Marzim, lends credence to this theory.

The seventh is an enormous globe of frozen gases called Xandufresch, which means golden paradise in the old language. The planet is highly reflective, and is easily visible as a bright yellow light on clear nights.

Derivation is obvious.

The eighth is the last discovered, and is known only in historical times. It is called Stunin, which means latecomer in the old language. It was given an old language name as an extension of tradition.

Maita's position and distance from its primary made evolution of life virtually inevitable. The large moon removes the virtually.

The planet was an easy planet for life. It went through the stages of primitive one-celled life, up through a reptilian phase, then into the mammalian phase. We have found about two thirds of the planets in this configuration produce mammalian life as their highest forms.

Little is known until more artifact-producing civilizations began to inhabit the areas near the equatorial zone on two of the continents. There is evidence the race evolved to the higher form before the continents drifted farther apart, though they are even now not too far to suppose travel in quite small boats.

Trips were made thousands of years ago in two and three passenger craft in a matter of four days following the belt current. These trips were made simply to prove it was not only feasible, it was easy.

The first civilizations were cave dwellers, and were a hunting people. They slowly built their civilization along the major rivers of the time, and along the seacoasts. Larger islands were soon inhabited, until the culture developed into a bronze and copper age. This age lasted only a few hundred years before iron was made into implements to introduce the iron age.

The iron age moved into the aluminum age soon after electric power was discovered. The iron age lasted approximately eight hundred and fifty years. There was much building of elaborate and inefficient machinery and, perhaps an oddity of Maitan psychology, massive iron bridges.

Suggested reading: The Psychological Impacts of Technology – Halentrendrt, Sczar Press:

Psychology of Bridges – Parthignon, Studies Press:

Maitan Bridges of the Mind – Cornitututh, Sczar Press:

Bridges of Imagination, A Study of Reaching Out – Cornitutuh & Brackendridge, Sczar Press.

Sciences began at various times. Astronomy was oldest, as we have always wanted to go to the stars. Our oldest preserved writings are about this need.

Astronomy was brought into prominence when a woman named Franadellmar proved that Maita revolved around Frarom and that Cossik revolved around Maita and Frarom at the same time. As we have very clear records of this time, we call our calendar the Astrodata.

The Astrodata calendar dates from the court records where Franadellmar exhibited her proofs at the eclipse of Frarom by Cossik on the date when Laminar was eclipsed within hours by Cossik that very night. This was a spectacular demonstration that all the bodies in the system revolved around Frarom. The double eclipse happens only once in one thousand two hundred twenty three years and ninety four days at the city of Prerelovitar, where the demonstration was made, so we can date the calendar to the day without question.

Our calendar makes the following day Prime one, and we have never lost a day, to be a bit facetious, since.

The year on Maita is also very easy, as it is three hundred seventy two and one eighth days almost exactly, so every eight years we have freedom day, and the few seconds difference mean we must have an additional day every four thousand years.

Franadellmar also worked out the exact length of the year by using the shadow of a small thread across some marks. She had the correct number of days, but it was many years later when the extra eighth day was added. A carnival was held, and the extra days were brought into exact timing that put Prime one in its proper place.

The carnival days were held at the winter solstice each year for ten years, and were two days per year. Those days were excised from the calendar, and it was agreed they were to be declared days that never existed.

This was done in fun, of course, and records were kept as usual on those days. The records simply don't appear on the calendar, and you must ask for calendar one, or two, or three, etc. if you wish to study them, as they have no other legal dates.

The carnival dates tell us that the eighth day was discovered one hundred sixty years after Prime one, year one. Any dates before that time are listed as negative dates, and are read as reverses, so that year -500 is earlier than year -5.

Suggested reading: The Day It All Began – Killiklictch, Hope Press:

The Time That Never Was – Zonisatiaten, Free Press:

Tell Me When – Schipt, Sczar Press.

Chemistry was brought into the sciences officially when the experimenter, Idtromaton, proved oxygen as an element in the air in the year 1256, and other scientists, as they were calling themselves now, discovered other gases, then went on to discover the entire family of elements over the next two hundred years.

Suggested reading: The History of the Sciences – Veronardingfurth, Sczar Press:

History of Chemistry – Cammelivernor, Flircht Press.

Physics was first discovered by the scientist, Verideen, in 1262, when she demonstrated heat transfer and the first steam jet that spun a wheel. Her mathematics are not challenged today for the action-reaction sequence.

Suggested reading: The History of the Sciences – Veronardingfurth, Sczar Press.

Mathematics developed over centuries and has changed somewhat upon the discovery of the other dimensional planes. Geometry and logic were ancient arts, as were simple numbers. The field is too vast to outline in this limited space.

Medicine also has fascinated our race since prehistory, and has developed slowly also. Though there are breakthroughs in all fields, I haven't the space to list them.

The race domesticated animals for food and burden, and traveled over land in wagons and carts drawn by these animals, as well as directly mounted on them. Boats increased in size until ships were built, and trade became established.

We are a somewhat aggressive race, so there were many small wars brought on by greed – as all wars are, in truth, though we early excised war from our planet. The Maitans have always been a peaceloving people, and a curious people.

The race grew, and began to use natural hydrocarbon fuels to run machinery in the next stage of its development, overlapping the later iron age.

(*) We have noted in our travels that many races are much more aggressive than are the Maitans. These races often are evolved on those planets that do not produce the easy life that Maita produced. There have been no famines or related catastrophes on Maita, and the weather seldom was ever really dangerous, except in coastal storms. The Maitans are not basically an acquisitive people.

It was soon enough obvious we must find some devices to limit the population. The vast increase in numbers meant the individual was cheated of his chances to achieve greatness of spirit. Life, like any other thing, is cheapened by oversupply. The people were beginning to use drugs to escape the hopelessness overpopulation brings, while the politicians became steadily more repressive in attempts to control the populous cities. These actions added to the feelings of despair, and the spiral of frustration and impotence went upward.

Also at this time, the governments were running low on supplies of raw materials in their own realms, due to the extreme overbuilding of iron artifacts, and were becoming acquisitive toward others, which made controls and repressions increase. A very dangerous situation began to develop that could destroy the entire planet.

Frustrated people tend to strike out at one another and against those who find it increasingly necessary to repress them. Unchecked, we have found the resultant tyrannies ultimately lead to destruction of society.

Suggested reading:

Peoples of the Stars – Llindlleyana, Sczar Press:

Societies In Crisis, A Study of Evolving Societies on Ninety Worlds – Vlingstronfarth, Hope Press.

Pollution was ruining the ecological chains that had endured for millennia, and the dirty nuclear age was upon us. This is the age many mammalian cultures die. Life was cheap and hopeless, and people felt used and managed. There was no escape, except into the inner self, and drugs were addictive. Extreme religious cults arose that were little other than individuals attempting to gain influence and power of others. Fanaticism led to random attacks that, to this day, make no sense.

The Maitan race was saved when a group made a machine to direct populations, fuel uses, and all other administrative duties. It was an easy thing to have the people agree to the use of the machine, as there was clearly no hope, otherwise.

The Maitan culture was unique, in that, though there were many separate governments in those days, they had a world government, too. This government was mainly an arbiter, but it was established, and could call the people together.

The members of this body were not citizens of any of the governments on the planet. Once elected to the world council, the representative was a member of that group, and no other.

It is not clear how the machines were put into use, at first, but the population was brought under control within two hundred years, and the pollution disappeared in less than a hundred. There was no societal trauma or rebellion, as had been predicted.

In the year 1879, the Interdimensional mode drive was built, and from that date, Octate 16, 1879, our records are clear and accurate. See supplemental reading lists Add. A

Notes on the second or modern civilization age

1879 began an age of exploration and travel in space. Octate 16, 1879, the newly developed IDmode ship Freedom left orbit of Maita and returned Octate 18, 1879, after having gone to the star system that is located at 264/-1/43380, and is called Pleestus.

Pleestus was chosen, not because it was close, (It is three thousand plazsis) but because it is a bright object that has been much studied. The pictures that were returned were fascinating. Only four planets at very large orbital positions, as the star is very large (L4), and forms an intense gravity well. It is also intensely bright, but surprisingly stable.

The first planet was barren rock and was as big as Maita.

The second was a bit larger and had two satellites. It also had a very dense and deep atmosphere that was almost a liquid from the pressure at ground level, according to our best calculations. Our ships were not constructed to enter such an atmosphere at that stage.

It had life! The first star/planetary system we traveled to had life, but it would not be life we could study, because we could not tolerate the pressures. The presence of oxygen and certain hydrocarbons in the atmosphere did prove life, though. (Members of the crew told stories that they could feel the life of the planet reaching out to them. Others have noted the phenomenon near this planet.)

The last two planets were barren gas giants.

In those first few thousand years, Maitans made colony ships, and many went to various parts of the spiral arm. There were no records of any of the colonies being successful. Maita was too easy a planet, and had spoiled our people from establishing themselves elsewhere in any viable situation. They always came back home. We are not a race that is adapted to great adversity of conditions.

Several of the colony ships had been lost, and it was assumed the ships met disasters. The one known exception from that time was the planet, Terra, orbiting the sun, Sol, at 286/-1/45602. That is very close to Maita on the present scale, but was quite distant in the scale at the time when all we had was a crude TTH drive, thus the world wasn't contacted again for more than a hundred thousand Maitan years because, when we again approached the planet, it was noted that a highly aggressive culture was in stages of development.

We have always had a very strong policy about noninterference. Had we known they were of Maitan stock, we might have reacted differently. They did not invent broadcast abilities until well past the time when we could have met them.

There are two ships that traveled toward the galactic center that have possibly resulted in colonies that will someday be discovered.

There were four expeditions that left the galaxy that have not been since communicated with. The way the IDmode drive works may have left them stranded in null time. It is possible one or more of them will come back at some far date. We cannot know.

We slowly met other cultures, and mellowed in our outlook to the extent we never did meet a culture that was advanced with whom we couldn't trade the most important of all things – ideas.

We invited all and sundry to join us in the great adventure of exploring the galaxy. Many did so.

The whole thrust of the explorations were toward galactic center. We never made large jumps, but slowly and methodically explored. We had twenty ships, and only twenty, we used in this pursuit. Each new planet taught us much as our empire grew to eight thousand plazsis toward