Free A Bug's Life by Gini Koch Page A

Like a frog. Having him stationed in Quarters was
a big reason why we were able to cover with just three of
us.
    “There is nothing of this on our navigational
charts,” Doven said. “And we have the most recent
updates.”
    “It came out of nowhere,” Roy said. “Just be
glad we weren’t at warp when we hit this. Hang on. Heading for one
of the giant rocks.”
    “That never ends well,” I pointed out as we
took another hit, near me, this time. I slammed the metal patch
over the hole and welded it shut in just a few seconds. Then I
looked for the rock that had made said hole.
    And found it.
    And discovered something unsettling – it
wasn’t a rock.
    “Roy, abort that plan!”
    “What?”
    “Don’t go into whatever it is you see ahead of
us. We need to get out of this, but don’t get into it even
more.”
    “Why not?” Doven asked. “We can shelter from
the smaller rocks inside the larger one.”
    “It’s not a rock. It’s a ship. Well, what’s
left of a ship.”
    “How can you tell?” Roy asked. “You’re in
Quarters. Are you looking out a porthole?”
    “No. I can tell because I’m holding the object
that came through the hull near to me, and it’s not a rock. It’s a
rivet.” I looked at the rivet more closely. “In fact, I think it’s
a Pillar rivet.”
    “I’ve searched for what broke through in the
Galley,” Tresia said. She no longer sounded cheerful. “I also have
metal pieces, and they are absolutely Pillar design.”
    “I sense no minds other than ours,” Ciarissa
said grimly.
    “Roy, I’ll try to create a telekinetic
shield,” Dr. Wufren said. “Not sure how long I can hold it, my boy,
but now that I know what we’re in the midst of, I can at least make
the attempt.”
    “You’re sure?” Roy asked, sounding concerned.
Dr. Wufren normally didn’t expend his telekinesis talent on meteor
showers because for him to create this kind of shield took a lot of
energy and, in case a big rock made it through, his talent was our
last line of defense to keep us from ripping apart.
    “Yes,” Dr. Wufren said firmly. “The danger is
confirmed greater than normal. What we’re in the midst of could rip
us to shreds much more effectively than your average asteroid
shower.”
    “What are we in the midst of?” Kyle
asked.
    I had the answer. It wasn’t a good answer, but
we were all used to that. “Genocide.”

    The Diamante Purge had focused on races and
sub-species of races that had greater powers than the norm. The
only planet filled with special beings left alone was Espen – where
Ciarissa and Dr. Wufren were from – a planet filled with beings
with a variety of tele-talents. The generally accepted reason why
Espen had been spared was that they had a strict noninterference
policy and they policed their people better than anyone else
could.
    The rest of us weren’t so lucky. Quillians
with Shaman Powers, which Doven possessed, were almost completely
wiped out. Shape shifters such as myself were even rarer. Doven and
I had both survived because we were the best as what our races did
and we were smart survivors. And because we’d joined with
Roy.
    Roy and Kyle were as rare as Doven
and I were; not for their special powers, but for their bloodline.
They were from the Martian Imperious line, meaning that Roy was the
true Galactic Emperor. Not that anyone other than the crew of
the Hummingbird and a select, trustworthy few knew this.
    The Diamante Families had done their best to
destroy not only the Imperious bloodline, but all the existing
governments – monarchies, democracies, theocracies, and so on – so
that every being in the galaxy would bow to one name and one name
only.
    Millions died in the Purge, but most still had
planets to call home. Not all, of course. I was among those who
would never, ever be able to return home – the shifter home planet
of Seraphina had been turned into an asteroid belt by the power of
the Diamante Families and their weapons of