1799 Planetfall Earth: Symbiont Wars Saga, #1

By Chogan Swan

At least they're primates.
That was Commander Riniana Tiana's first thought when she saw the primitive--but sentient--humans of Earth.

She should be able to fit in.
After all, her own species is primatal too.
And she'd only come here to save them from invasion ...

But humans don't have tails.
And she finds most of them seem extremely jealous of hers!

Using the curious custom of clothing, Tiana hides her tail, passes for human and pursues the alien invaders in a desperate struggle to save an ungrateful planet.

1799 Gregorian Calendar ...
None of Earth's sentient species know the seeds of their destruction just fell from space.
Tiana knows what duty means....
That's why all her friends are dead.
Alone on a primitive, alien world...
With all her advanced technology at the bottom of an ocean...
Outnumbered by deadly enemies only she can bring to justice...
If she fails her mission now, another world will fall...
And the Tyrant Empire will rise again.
Because Earth has just been infected with parasitic monsters.
They are called the niiaH ... by those not yet too frightened to speak of them.
Their empire has terrorized the galaxy for more than 2,000 years.

Praise for the Symbiont Wars:

★★★★★ What a great find! ★★★★★
"Avatar" and "Master and Commander" combined into one.

★★★★★ First Contact Like No Other! ★★★★★
I could not believe how great this book is! I picked it because of the tail but it turned out that that wasn't the best part of the story.

★★★★★ Spellbinding! ★★★★★I loved part 1 and part 2 was even better. More wonderful characters, people you get to know and care about. Thrilling action and heart wrenching drama. Can't wait to get the next one!

If you love to imagine there is more going on behind the scenes on Earth than most people think, this book is for you.
If you enjoyed Avatar or The Fifth Element you'll love reading this story.
If you're looking for SciFi with a strong female protagonist, this is the introduction to your new favorite series.
If you'd rather listen to it as an audiobook, keep scrolling

Warnings! Reading the first chapters with the 'Look inside' feature can lead to addictive behavior. Go ahead... we dare you.
Parts of this story contain graphic adult situations.
This book now also contains the Symbiont Wars Novelette Portal of Choice ... no charge!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chogan Swan
• Release date: Apr 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393544425

Chogan Swan

Chogan Swan is a subversive, wild-eyed, non-violent neoRevolutionary who lives in the country of the mind in the world of thoughts in the universe of ideas. In this tiny corner of the space-time continuum, Chogan studied Philosophy and later collected graduate degrees in Business and Systems Engineering from a major US university renowned for its abundant alcohol consumption and passion for a particularly barbaric blood-sport. Go Hokies! :) These studies, however, led to an interest in Systems Thinking and how to work together to save the world for everyone. It won't be easy. (But then what is that's worth having?) Philosopher, poet, prophet, revolutionary--sentients in various realities have used these words to describe Chogan. Of course, the truth is in the interstices. The motivating force for Chogan's ... 'messages in bottles' to the multiverse ... has been succinctly captured by the words of Harlan Ellison … "Writing is a holy chore. ... the only organism of quiet communication left to us. In the soft moments when we huddle alone with our thoughts, we turn to words ... And there--in the moment when (sentient beings) choose to reason--we can reach them. It is a heavy responsibility."

Book preview

1799 PLANETFALL EARTH

Alien Incursion

Symbiont Wars Saga Book 1

CHOGAN SWAN

Copyright © 2018 by Chogan Swan.  All Rights Reserved.

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author.  The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. 

This book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. 

Chogan Swan

Visit my website at www.ChoganSwan.com 

Dedication

I dedicate this story to you, reader. I may not know exactly who you are, but without knowing you are out there thinking, considering and—I hope—enjoying your time with my characters and thoughts, none of this would be worthwhile.

I hope this story helps you on your way, fans the fire in your soul and brightens your life.

∆∆∆

NOW, THAT BEING SAID, don’t miss this chance to join my newsletter and get free books, including

Abandonment of Stars: Symbiont Wars Origins

Go to ChoganSwan.com to sign up!

CHOGAN SWAN

History is the dark, rippled mirror we use to look over our shoulders.

God only knows what’s really happened.

— Anonymous

Table of Contents

1799 PLANETFALL EARTH

CHAPTER 1 – PLANETFALL

CHAPTER 2 – PURSUIT

CHAPTER 3 – PADDLING

CHAPTER 4 – PASSENGER

CHAPTER 5 – POLITY

CHAPTER 6 – PARTNER

CHAPTER 7 – PEACE

CHAPTER 8 – PAS DE DEUX

CHAPTER 9 – PUERTO

CHAPTER 10 – PARCEL

CHAPTER 11 – PRIVATEER

CHAPTER 12 – PERMEATION

CHAPTER 13 – PRIZE

CHAPTER 14 – PAROLE

CHAPTER 15 – POLITICS

CHAPTER 16 – PORTUGUESE

CHAPTER 17 – PERTURBATION

CHAPTER 18 – POUNCE

CHAPTER 19 – PUNISHMENT

CHAPTER 20 – POSITIONING

CHAPTER 21 – PASSING

CHAPTER 22 – PLANNING

CHAPTER 23 – PARTING

CHAPTER 24 – PRECIPITATION

CHAPTER 25 – PENETRATION

CHAPTER 26 – PRIVATION

CHAPTER 27 – POSTLOGUE

The End

PORTAL OF CHOICE

CHAPTER 1 – AN UNHAPPY PLACE

CHAPTER 2 – FAVORING WIND

CHAPTER 3 – THE ROCK

CHAPTER 4 – PAZITA

CHAPTER 5 – UPHILL STRUGGLE

CHAPTER 6 – TIES THAT BIND

EPILOGUE

THE END

NO LONGER ALIENS: Sneak Peek

CHAPTER 1 – PLANETFALL

ALIEN INVASION

Centian 1232 PE  Nii Galactic Calendar

Tiana gazed at the view screen where the ship’s artificial intelligence was running a simulation interpreting Valishnu’s course as she hurtled through the foldspace tunnel—showing something that would keep her crew sane as they traveled through the between. After all, sanity was a condition they might not maintain for long with only a transparent view portal.

The simulated tunnel walls blurred past, and Tiana’s tail twitched. But her breathing was steady, and her dark-striped body was still. She usually found the swirling colors on the screen soothing as the hues below red swirled and mixed with the brighter shades above blue.

Now the tunnel only reminded her—over and again—that they were flying into a trap, and she'd given the order.

Sector Command had tasked them with finding the niiaH ship that an observer had spotted fleeing to this system. But after days of searching, when they’d finally spotted her, the niiaH had opened a portal and jumped into foldspace.

Tiana had snarled, clenching her teeth.  Follow them, she'd said.

Darmien, her dymba XO, shook his mane in agreement.  His minihooves rattled on the co-pilot’s controls.  Locked in.  Portal threshold in ten ... nine....

Following an enemy into a portal made sure you wouldn’t lose track of them. But during the time between when they exited and your ship emerged, there were plenty of opportunities for them to prepare nasty surprises for a pursuer.

Since it was the niiaH, Tiana would bet on clusters of seeker mines at the exit and a full-spread missile launch as soon as the Valishnu showed her nose past the event horizon.

Darmien looked up from his display.  Tiana, tunnel terminus approaching.  From the way it’s twisted at the end, we’ll be coming out close to a planetary-sized gravity well.

Tiana pulled up a copy of his screen on her three-dimensional viewer.

Looks to be a small, dense planetoid, she said.  They must have scouted here in advance.  At the speed we both went into the portal, we’re coming out way too close for either of us to survive impact with an atmosphere.  It has to be an airless rock.  They probably think we’ll try to avoid it. So instead, I want our attitude to come to one point four by forty degrees and prep for full thrust....  Ducking around that rock may be the best way through.

Acknowledged, Darmien said.  Attitude coming to one point four by forty degrees... and terminus in thirty at ...mark.

Tiana’s fingers flickered over the controls, entering commands, preparing the Valishnu.  Darmien, I want you to drop seven of the countermeasures in the tubes as soon as we clear the tunnel.

Acknowledged.

Tiana activated the ship’s comm.  All hands secure for action.  Darmien, I have the helm; you have the guns.

Helm to you, acknowledged.  Putting all guns on autofire for mines and missiles.  Crews checked in and ready for action,

After inputting the commands, Darmien continued announcing ten-second intervals to terminus.

Tiana glanced over the console to her chief engineer.  Amelie? Anything I should know?

All systems clear and ready, Tiana.

Darmien opened the ship-wide communication channel.  Terminus in three... two... one....

The tunnel colors disappeared and the starry black of normal space flashed onto her screen.  Tiana hit the thrusters, aiming the Valishnu at the horizon of the meteor-pocked planetoid to starboard.

Countermeasures away, Darmien said.  Missiles incoming from short range.  Flight of eight.  Four are going for the countermeasures... Guns have detonated one... two–

Target the mines to starboard; I’m taking evasive action, Tiana said.

The remaining two missiles on scope had arced out in diverging vectors before coming back to bear on the Valishnu.  Tiana dove toward the planetoid, keeping thrust on full power.  Darmien directed streams of particles to starboard, detonating mines in popping flashes of light.

Tiana spotted a string of mountains on the surface and veered towards them, leveling out their dive.

"We have four new countermeasures ready," Amelie said.

Darmien, said Tiana, drop those at standard intervals as we go.  Start in five.

Acknowledged.  Three... two... one... standard intervals.

Tiana stayed on course for the mountains.  She glanced at her data screen for the analysis of the gravitational forces in the system while dodging now and again to nudge the pursuing missiles into a better vector.  She'd need every advantage when Valishnu dodged.

Interesting...

The rocky surface below her was a moon... not a planetoid.  She glanced again at the relative motion readouts on the hidden planet it was orbiting.  The sensors detected an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and liquid water.

Darmien’s voice trumpeted through the command bridge. Last countermeasure deployments ineffective: the missiles aren’t breaking lock.

If we can get another countermeasure loaded, drop it as I duck behind those mountains.  I’ll give you a count. She checked speed and distance.

One in the tube, Darmien said.

Four... three... two... one.

Countermeasure away.

Tiana cut hard to port, almost clipping the rocky cliff as she tilted sideways to clear the gap.  Her fingers flew over the attitude thrusters to keep them away from the surface. 

The mountainside disintegrated under the double missile detonation, spraying Valishnu with rocky shrapnel.

Valishnu shuddered under the impacts, and the console screens went dark.

I’ve lost them, Darmien said.  He snorted in rage and tossed his head.

Amelie’s minihooves blurred over her controls as she tried to bring the sensor grid and consoles back online.

Easy, Darmien.  I've got them, Tiana said.  I still have the transparency screen working and I know where they’re going. She raised the Valishnu’s course by a degree and hammered the boosters again while feathering the side thrusters.  She veered to starboard to set up their course.  This isn’t a planet; it’s a moon.

Where is the orbit point? Darmien said.

The planet’s below the horizon on the port bow.  I'm hoping we can get critical systems repaired before we get there.  But we can still count on catching them with a little help from this moon and its lovely gravitational field.

The console displays sputtered awake.  Tiana checked the positions of the ships, the planet and the moon.

Amelie raised mournful eyes from her console.  I don’t think we can take another hit without losing hull integrity, she said. 

The console in front of her flashed with so many green warning lights they made her long muzzle glimmer with a ghastly reflection.  Her minihooves sounded like a single buzz as she fought with the Valishnu’s controls in her struggle to bring backup systems online.

Keep working on it from in here. No one goes hullside, outside the inertia dampening field, Tiana said.  I can’t guarantee I won’t need to change course without warning.

∆∆∆

They were closing with the niiaH, and Tiana was using the advantage of her higher speed to harry them with missile launches.  The moon’s relative motion to its planet had carried the hitchhiking Valishnu away from the niiaH.  However, the boost from the gravity well had added to the Valishnu’s velocity as if she was the end runner in a crack-the-whip game.

Since now they were coming up on the niiaH at an angle instead of trailing in their wake, the normal mine-dropping advantage of a pursued ship wasn’t available.

It also made the missiles the parasites launched at the Valishnu easier to avoid.  The trap at the tunnel terminus had now come back to bite the niiaH.

Tiana flicked one eye to glance at her XO.  Darmian, the scanners have been online for a while; can you tell me about the planet?

I’ve been analyzing.  Atmosphere breathable—signs of a pre-electric civilization.  You would have a ninety-five percent chance of long-term survival on the surface. But the rest of us only five percent.  Air and water are fine, but food requirements do not look suitable for dymba.

He hesitated.  Tiana, I’ve completed downloading the message from the drone that followed us through foldspace.  Command says at least one of the niiaH ship’s officers is a female.

A female, Tiana ground her teeth and leaned in to the display.  We can’t let them loose on that planet, not at any cost.

Darmien thrummed agreement.

Amelie, get whoever has a digit free to prep a pod with a drop kit for me, Tiana said.  From their trajectory, it looks like they are going for planetfall.  If our last launch doesn’t end them, I’ll follow them down.  Darmien, you’ll need to swing back up into orbit so Amelie can finish repairs.  You can pick me up when the mission’s over.

Tiana watched her console, trying to will the missiles to their target.  When a hit registered on the enemy ship, she fought down elation and studied the information on the display.

Her lips peeled back to show her teeth.  One missile made it through their defense.  They still have hull integrity, but their weapons are disabled.  We’ll need to follow them into the atmosphere.  We can hope they won’t be close to a populated area when I shoot them down.

Amelie’s voice box thrummed with regret.  Entering the atmosphere will be risky unless we make more repairs to the exterior first. What we managed on the transit to the planet still doesn't give us a safety margin.

Tiana pulled up Amelie’s readouts on her own display and weighed the risk of further damage to the hull compared to the consequences of letting their prey escape. 

They would need to drop into the atmosphere to launch. The missiles could only function inside an atmosphere if prepped in advance. They couldn’t make the transition from vacuum into the atmospheric envelope without detonating too soon.

No good options.

She couldn’t let the niiaH escape into another ecosystem.  There was a sentient species on the planet; the damage would be catastrophic.  The niiaH would breed, and the beautiful blue and green globe spinning below them would become another niiaH charnel house.

We go now.  Maybe we can get them before they land. She shifted back to her primary display.

Amelie and Darmien thrummed in chorused agreement.

Tiana entered a course that would intersect the niiaH ship.  She wanted to be close enough to be sure.

Tiana, we’ve done everything we can without going outside, Amelie said.  The atmospheric density will reach at least grade three before we can launch inside the envelope.  We've no projections for maintaining hull integrity that long, and there’s no time to set up a simulation.

It doesn’t matter, Amelie.  It wouldn’t change anything.

I know.

The hum of the Valishnu’s drive, vibrating through the superstructure, and the rattle of Amelie’s minihooves on her console were the only sounds as they raced the niiaH down the gravity well.

When they entered the outer atmosphere, the Valishnu bucked, protesting the alien environment on its skin.  The inertia dampeners caught most of it, but the vibration and shaking was punishing; the ship jerked in directions the dampeners weren’t designed to offset.

Tiana started the countdown.  Hot launch in four... three... two...one....  Missiles away.

The Valishnu shook when the missiles fired.  Tiana had launched them hot out of the tubes rather than dropping before igniting their drives. Even though it could be dangerous, she wanted to do all she could to increase missile speed and the chance of a hit.

Backblast damage to starboard missile nacelle, Amelie said.  Deteriorating... Nacelle ejection failure.  Hull breach.

The Valishnu shuddered as the starboard nacelle peeled off, ripping an opening in the fuselage.  Tiana fought for control as the ship slewed to port.  She felt the tug against her suit as the air supply streamed out of the ship before the sealant system could finish the patch.

At last, she regained a shaky control of the helm and glanced with one eye at the display that was tracking the missiles in time to see them both detonate close to the enemy ship.  The niiaH ship spun out of control, parts flying off it in a spray of debris.  Tiana swerved to avoid the wreckage.

Three escape pods separated from it, but one smashed into the niiaHs’ drive nacelle and disintegrated.  The other two made it clear.

Tiana brought the particle cannon to bear on the rearmost pod’s projected flightpath and sent bursts of charged ions racing after it.

A secondary explosion from another section of the niiaH ship threw debris into her path.  She jerked the ship’s controls to avoid the larger pieces, but a chunk slammed into the Valishnu, knocking her into a downward spiral.  By the time Tiana pulled out, the sensors had lost track of the pods.  She glanced at the forward display.  They had dropped below the cloud cover above a vast span of water.

System status updates, Amelie said, Inertia dampeners at ten percent, fuel leaking, sealing system malfunctioning.  Two minutes of thrust capability.  I've shut down all non-flight-related systems to save power.  Our personal rebreathers are the only life support remaining.

I’ve turned us toward the closest land mass, Tiana said.  I'm stretching our glide path as much as I can, but there’s no way we’ll make it all the way there.  Keep me updated on fuel so I’ll have thrust to bring us down easy when we go in.

Tiana..., Darmien said on the general communication channel, I know I speak for all of us when I say, it has been an honor serving with you.  You must survive.  Risk nothing for us to prolong the time the herd has left.

One by one, the rest of the crew signed on the general channel and voiced agreement.

Tiana continued optimizing the flight path while Amelie kept her updated on fuel reserves.  When the crew finished, Tiana said, I hope we have more time together before we part, but if not, I pray you all find rich pasture and clean water in the eternal.

Rich pasture; clean water, responded her crew, her herd, her friends.

Brace for landing, Tiana said.

The Valishnu skimmed above the ocean then skipped across the tops of the long swells; clouds of steam sprayed skyward at each contact until she dove into the waves and ploughed to a halt.  The hull and inertia dampeners had held, and though only five of the flotation pods deployed, the Valishnu rose to a stable rest on top of the waves.

Amelie unclipped from her seat, rose from her chair and came over to rest her minihooves on Tiana’s shoulder.  Tiana, you must sleep now.  You need to be ready for your mission.  You’ve stayed awake much longer than is optimal for you.  The herd has agreed on this.  You must fulfill your promises to protect our world and the Confederation.  We will make preparations and wake you at the next planetary dawn.

Tiana stroked Amelie’s arm and rose to obey.

Once the dymba herd had spoken, little would make them change their convictions, so Tiana did not even try.  They never agreed as a herd without overwhelming evidence.

She went to her berth and fell asleep, rocked by the ocean swells of a world that might now be her home for centuries..., if she was lucky.

∆∆∆

Tiana woke when a staccato galloping of minihooves rattled at the door, a dymba ‘time to move’ signal.

She sat up and hit the release