Free Theogony 3: Terra Stands Alone by Chris Kennedy

over in a shuttle. Although he was very helpful, I have to ask, does he ever stop talking?”
    “Very rarely,” Captain Sheppard replied with a grin.
    “ We will be ready to go in a few minutes,” said Captain Yerrow. “Before we go, we had an idea that we wanted to discuss with you.”
    “What is it?” Captain Sheppard asked.
    “We were looking at the star charts,” Captain Yerrow replied, “and there are two ways to go after we reach Epsilon Eridani. One way is longer but safe; the other way is shorter, but it goes through Ssselipsssiss space. We were originally going to go the long way around to get to Grrrnow, but it is much quicker if we go the other way. We didn’t think it worth mentioning previously because of the danger of running the Ssselipsssiss blockade. With the new stealth modules, though, we think that going through Ssselipsssiss space is the better option.”
    “Why’s that?” Captain Sheppard asked.
    “Well, not only is that way much shorter and faster,” explained Captain Yerrow, “but going that way also allows us to find out what forces the Ssselipsssiss have on the other side of the stargate from the system that the Mrowry control. The intelligence gained could be extremely valuable in planning our nation’s strategy. It may be that this info could permit my father to send ships to your aid.”
    “If that’s the case,” Captain Sheppard replied after a few seconds of thought, “then we need to try it.”
    “That’s what I thought, too,” Captain Yerrow agreed. “We can discuss it further as we go. Emperor’s Paw , out.” The front screen went black and then changed to show the Earth.
    Captain Sheppard stared at the picture on the screen. It would be a while until he saw that view again, he thought while he digested what he had just heard...if ever.
    Capta in Sheppard turned to Calvin. “Do you have all of your folks aboard?”
    Calvin nodded. “I do,” he said. “Our newest member, Lieutenant Jiang Fang, shuttled up about an hour ago, along with the rest of the replacements. We’ll have to get him his implants while we’re underway, but I checked, and we have the supplies available.”
    “How did you get the Chinese to join the world governme nt?” asked Captain Sheppard. “How did you even get a meeting with their president? I thought they withdrew from the world’s politics. Did you just take a shuttle down and land in Beijing?”
    “Umm, I’d really rather not talk about that , sir,” Calvin replied. “Let’s just say I made a few calls and leave it at that.”
    “And you’re sure about bringing Steropes?”
    “No , I’m not,” said Calvin. “He’s changed since he found out about the Drakuls capturing his home world. He seems angry, and yet he’s worried about making things right. Those two things are a dangerous combination.”
    “You think he wants to go kill Drakuls?” asked Captain Sheppard.
    “Without a doubt,” said Calvin. “Wouldn’t you? What I’m more worried about is that he wants to get himself killed in the process. I don’t mind him dying that much; I’m more worried about having someone with a death wish in my platoon. When they go, they usually take out the people around them.”
     
     
    Squadron CO’s Office, TSS Vella Gulf , Stargate #2, December 16, 2020
    “Knock, knock,” said a female voice from the door. Calvin looked up to see a Royal Air Force (RAF) Lieutenant Commander that he didn’t know standing at the door. He looked at her uniform and saw that the woman was a Weapons Systems Officer (WSO).
    “Can I help you?” Calvin asked.
    “Actually, I’m here to help you,” said the officer, her voice full of quiet competence. “My name is Lieutenant Commander Sarah Brighton. I’m your new XO.”
    Calvin stood up and offered his hand. Calvin found himself looking nearly eye-to-eye with her; she nearly matched his six feet. “Good to have you here,” he said, “the circumstances notwithstanding. I’ve heard