The Alpha Choice Read Free Page B

together, he could use their unwillingness to accidentally hit each other, to his advantage. If he failed to disable any of the ships it was over.  
    Now that the first part of his plan had worked, he had taken his crew into totally unknown territory.  
    He could significantly damage, if not destroy, two of the ships, but the remaining Balg would make short work of Starseeker. Alternatively, the Balg could withdraw, and no one else would die. The only flaw in his logic…they had already destroyed the spy ship. He could only hope that three thousand lives, plus the lives on the two Balg ships would give them pause for thought, but even that might not be necessary, if his theory was correct.
    Minutes stretched into hours, as Jaron watched for a sign his plan had worked. In all that time his bridge crew waited, they were unable to do anything else. That wait would be echoed throughout the ship. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, all six Balg ships were gone.
    Knowing it was pointless, he ordered a scan of the area. As he expected, there was no trace of the Balg. Satisfied they were alone, he sat in his command chair looking around at his officers. They were waiting for the order to return home, but there was something else he had to do. Turning to his XO he issued the command. ‘Have Reyat complete his scans for the remains of our spy ship. Bring him to me, and let no one know what he finds.’
    Practaa nodded his compliance.
    Jaron retired to his ready room and waited, and wondered. Perhaps he was looking for a mystery where there was none, but, he thought, by rights, we shouldn’t be alive, so we’ve nothing to lose. Soon he would know.
    A few minutes later, the XO entered with the young tactical officer in his wake. Reyat looked uncomfortable as Jaron called up the results of the scan on his own holosphere. After double-checking, he swivelled his chair until he was facing the young officer. ‘Ensure this information goes no further. Now you may return to your station.’
    Reyat nodded, before leaving the ready room.
    Jaron looked at his XO, who answered the unspoken question. ‘It makes no sense.’
    ‘I’d agree with you, if it was the only strange thing that had happened today.’  
    ‘What are you going to do?’
    ‘I haven't decided, yet,’ he looked back at the hologram, signalling he wanted the room to himself.
    Alone in his ready room, Jaron looked again at the results of the scan, and recalled everything that had happened since they entered the Gallsor system.  
    Several minutes later, he walked on to the bridge and addressed his navigation officer. ‘I think it’s time we went home, Mr Ciurat.’

21 years ago
    Te'ath
    Ω
    Vaaris stepped off his anti-grav gondola with his sons, before the craft sped away to await its recall. He looked at Nirjan and Beron, both now twelve. While they were similar enough to be taken for brothers, no one would imagine them to be twins. Beron, born three minutes after his brother, was taller, but any misconception that he was the elder evaporated when they spoke. Nirjan was more sophisticated than his brother by quite a marked degree, far more than could be accounted for by a mere three minutes.
    Nirjan looked up at the enormous building that lay before them. This was where their father spent his time when not at home, the Basilica of the Supreme Council. He never tired of his trips to this place. Here, their father was revered as one of the thirty most powerful men and women on Te’ath and its colonies. One day, he would take his father’s place, it was expected, and what he wanted. Looking at his brother, he knew such thoughts never entered his head. Beron’s dreams lay elsewhere, and for that Nirjan was sad, knowing his brother was to be disappointed.
    As Vaaris led the boys through the vestibule to the seat of all Te’an power, they were approached by two men, both quite short and a little overweight. Unusually, they were almost bald, but for curly grey hair