Doorway to Death: Episode Eight in the Star Song Series

By Bill Gregg

Temozar Alkabah, Artemis Katsaros, and Mingus Twombe have their hands full, dealing with an unruly population of refugees from the Khaozian destruction of Earth Three. Mingus, the military genius, organizes attacks against the rapidly increasing hordes of land sharks, only to discover that Khaozians have already landed on Eden, and are hiding in the subterranean land shark dens. Among the refugees from Earth Three is Drew Harrington, noted exobiologist and Temozar's long lost friend. Drew and the Korean scientist, Ae-cha Kwon, come up with a possible biological weapon for use against the Khaozians. Temozar appears to have turned against his own kind and gone over to the Khaozian invaders – or has he?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bill Gregg
• Release date: Apr 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215175712

Bill Gregg

I write fiction from some subconscious compulsion rather than a desire for financial gain or adulation. Even though my bookish inclinations led me to a position as the editor of my college literary journal, then to five years work for a small avante-garde publishing house, I didn't pursue my desire to write fiction until later in life. I had poetry published but no stories or novels. Now, after a lifetime filled with amazing experiences, I sit down to write every day. I decided to issue the resulting science fiction and fantasy short stories on Smashwords in case there are readers for my somewhat antiquated and literary style. In addition to shorter fiction, I'm currently publishing a serialized science fiction novel, “Star Song” on Smashwords , with a new 10,000 word installment posted every month.Much of my science fiction shows the influence of my experience in military intelligence with the US Navy's Naval Security Group (NAVSECGRU, now NETWARCOM). During my tour, I flew on numerous reconnaissance missions with VQ-1 (Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One) in the Far East. After that I worked for a few years in publishing, then as a traveling folk musician. Finally, I settled into a career in biotechnology. I retired from scientific work to teach music at a fine arts academy in Upstate New York. All my life I've been an outdoorsman, and my love of nature shows through in all of my fiction. I live in the scenic Finger Lakes area of New York State where I enjoy hiking, gardening, archery, and the company of my beautiful wife and our wonderful dog, Dash.

Book preview

Doorway to Death

(Episode 8 in the Star Song series)

by Bill Gregg

Doorway to Death

(Episode Eight of the Star Song series)

By Bill Gregg

Copyright © 2023 by William Richard Gregg

Published by Bill Gregg on Smashwords 2023

Edited by Bill Gregg

Cover Illustration by Storn Cook

Cover Design by yourebookcover.com

First Edition April 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the author, except for the purpose of reviews.

This book is a work of fiction and all names, characters, places, and incidents are fictional. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental.

Three hundred years ago people didn’t know about channels, Ae-cha Kwon said as she refilled Temozar’s cup with the relaxing tea. The beverage was brewed from a variety of a purple plant that grew in open meadows on the planet Eden. Temozar certainly needed the soothing effect of the smoky tasting liquid. He was under incredible stress. The Shirrah had given him the responsibility for organizing a functioning society from a motley mob of about three thousand desperate refugees, survivors from the destruction of an entire solar system that once contained the thriving world known as Earth Three. Not only that, but he, Artemis Katsaros, and Mingus Twombe were placed in charge of developing a defense against the extremely powerful invaders from outside the galaxy, aliens that were headed right for the idyllic planet Eden, the very same aliens that had already eradicated Earth Three.

Thank you, he said. This tea tastes wonderful. You were saying about the channels. How does that tie in?

I have brewed this variety to increase its natural relaxing compound. I call this daemacho. She winked at him. It’s a little joke. She refilled her own cup, then placed the teapot on the table. As I was saying, three centuries ago we didn’t even know that the channels existed. Who knows what other secrets the universe still holds, waiting to be discovered?

Temozar thought back to his early training at Earth Extraterrestrial Command’s academy. His astrophysics instructor, Captain Mantell, had explained to the recruits how the Mirza expedition had discovered the phenomenon that revolutionized space travel. Commander Mirza gave the anomaly he discovered the somewhat misleading name, channel. Relaxed by the daemacho tea, Temozar drifted back in memory to his days at the Academy, recalling his fascination as Mantell related the story of the astounding discovery.

Astronomers operating the first telescope placed in orbit at the far reaches of Original Earth’s solar system were mystified by a visible fountain of dust and gases that seemed to have no source. The matter was blossoming in a steady flow in the empty vacuum of interstellar space, a little over three light years from Original Earth. The anomalous geyser of material was intriguing enough that an early expedition in that region, led by Commander Fahmi Mirza, was diverted to investigate the mystery. Mirza