Read Online Refusing Excalibur by Zachary Jones - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Zachary Jones
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wouldn’t be here in person.”
The old man’s smile became lopsided. “You can figure what you wish. Now please follow me. You will be impressed. Trust me.”
Victor, suspicious and curious at the same time, followed the old man’s holo.
A door on the other side of the large room opened for the old man as he approached. Victor found it odd that the doors would open for a hologram. He followed the old man into a room dominated by a large window, looking out into a vast rocky interior.
“Are we inside an asteroid?” Victor asked. Then he saw what was within this space, and his breath caught in his throat.
The most beautiful starship he’d ever seen.
The old man, smiling, leaned toward Victor. “Try not to drool.”
Guessing the ship’s exact size was hard, but she was much larger than the Osprey . Her hull was long and flat like a blade. But, for all her size, she looked fast. Really fast. “Is that a—”
“First Civilization ship? Why, yes. The IUM Excalibur .”
Victor turned to the old man in disbelief. “IUM? As in, Interstellar Union Military ? You have an actual First Civilization warship ?”
The old man nodded.
“What kind?”
“The Excalibur is a battlecruiser.”
Victor pointed at the Excalibur with an outstretched arm. “That thing is worth more than…well…anything! And you have it just sitting here?”
“Yes, waiting for the right person to take command.”
“Who?” Victor asked.
The old man gave him a disappointed look. “Now don’t be dense, Victor. You are that person. Or at least I hope you are.”
“Me? Why? Why would you give a failure like me a ship like that?”
“Well, for one, you’re not a failure. You’re one of the finest warriors of your generation.” The old man’s expression became sad. “You just happened to find yourself the victim of a great crime.”
Victor looked back at the Excalibur and felt something he had not felt since the day he was first offered command of the Osprey . It felt like falling in love.
He looked back at the old man. “What do you want from me?”
“To save the galaxy.”
“The galaxy seems to be spinning around just fine,” Victor said.
The old man sighed. “Follow me back to the map room, and I’ll show you it’s not spinning well at all.” He turned to leave.
Victor followed, stealing a final glance at the Excalibur , before following the old man through the door, but he stopped just short of the map. “So what are you going to show me?”
“Look up and watch.”
When Victor focused on the map, dozens of yellow icons appeared. “What are those?”
“Murdered worlds.”
Victor’s eyes went wide. There must have been a few hundred icons, all across the galaxy. And it was very up-to-date. A yellow icon hovered over Savannah's location. “I don’t believe it.”
“Belief is irrelevant. This is happening, and it must be stopped.”
The map winked out, replaced by a detailed projection of a burned-out planet with a huge crater in its face. Ejecta had formed a crude ring around the world. “Tarlam, destroyed by an asteroid drop,” the old man explained.
The map changed to another world, this one unscarred but with biohazard icons over it. “Tolstoy, virus bombs.”
Two planets appeared next, both covered in countless craters. “Florus and Faunus, interplanetary nuclear bombardment. They killed each other.”
The final world was covered in a shroud of smoke and dust that completely covered the surface. “Savannah, orbital bombardment.”
Victor looked away. “That’s enough.”
The lighting changed as the galaxy map returned. The old man looked sad. “Do you understand?”
Victor stared at the map and all the icons covering it. He nodded. “Worlds are being destroyed.” He looked to the old man. “How long has this been going on?”
“Practically from the moment the gates to Sol collapsed. Worlds get into a war, and often end up fighting for so long and so savagely that destroying
The old man’s smile became lopsided. “You can figure what you wish. Now please follow me. You will be impressed. Trust me.”
Victor, suspicious and curious at the same time, followed the old man’s holo.
A door on the other side of the large room opened for the old man as he approached. Victor found it odd that the doors would open for a hologram. He followed the old man into a room dominated by a large window, looking out into a vast rocky interior.
“Are we inside an asteroid?” Victor asked. Then he saw what was within this space, and his breath caught in his throat.
The most beautiful starship he’d ever seen.
The old man, smiling, leaned toward Victor. “Try not to drool.”
Guessing the ship’s exact size was hard, but she was much larger than the Osprey . Her hull was long and flat like a blade. But, for all her size, she looked fast. Really fast. “Is that a—”
“First Civilization ship? Why, yes. The IUM Excalibur .”
Victor turned to the old man in disbelief. “IUM? As in, Interstellar Union Military ? You have an actual First Civilization warship ?”
The old man nodded.
“What kind?”
“The Excalibur is a battlecruiser.”
Victor pointed at the Excalibur with an outstretched arm. “That thing is worth more than…well…anything! And you have it just sitting here?”
“Yes, waiting for the right person to take command.”
“Who?” Victor asked.
The old man gave him a disappointed look. “Now don’t be dense, Victor. You are that person. Or at least I hope you are.”
“Me? Why? Why would you give a failure like me a ship like that?”
“Well, for one, you’re not a failure. You’re one of the finest warriors of your generation.” The old man’s expression became sad. “You just happened to find yourself the victim of a great crime.”
Victor looked back at the Excalibur and felt something he had not felt since the day he was first offered command of the Osprey . It felt like falling in love.
He looked back at the old man. “What do you want from me?”
“To save the galaxy.”
“The galaxy seems to be spinning around just fine,” Victor said.
The old man sighed. “Follow me back to the map room, and I’ll show you it’s not spinning well at all.” He turned to leave.
Victor followed, stealing a final glance at the Excalibur , before following the old man through the door, but he stopped just short of the map. “So what are you going to show me?”
“Look up and watch.”
When Victor focused on the map, dozens of yellow icons appeared. “What are those?”
“Murdered worlds.”
Victor’s eyes went wide. There must have been a few hundred icons, all across the galaxy. And it was very up-to-date. A yellow icon hovered over Savannah's location. “I don’t believe it.”
“Belief is irrelevant. This is happening, and it must be stopped.”
The map winked out, replaced by a detailed projection of a burned-out planet with a huge crater in its face. Ejecta had formed a crude ring around the world. “Tarlam, destroyed by an asteroid drop,” the old man explained.
The map changed to another world, this one unscarred but with biohazard icons over it. “Tolstoy, virus bombs.”
Two planets appeared next, both covered in countless craters. “Florus and Faunus, interplanetary nuclear bombardment. They killed each other.”
The final world was covered in a shroud of smoke and dust that completely covered the surface. “Savannah, orbital bombardment.”
Victor looked away. “That’s enough.”
The lighting changed as the galaxy map returned. The old man looked sad. “Do you understand?”
Victor stared at the map and all the icons covering it. He nodded. “Worlds are being destroyed.” He looked to the old man. “How long has this been going on?”
“Practically from the moment the gates to Sol collapsed. Worlds get into a war, and often end up fighting for so long and so savagely that destroying
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