Changing of the Guard (A Galaxy Unknown - Book 11) Read online

  Changing of the Guard

  A Galaxy Unknown® series – Book 11

  Copyright ©2016 by Thomas J. DePrima

  17.g.31

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. The scanning, uploading, downloading, and/or distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal, and punishable by law.

  No part of this novel may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

  ISBN-10: 1-61931-032-5

  ISBN-13: 978-1-61931-032-2

  Cover Image from : Shutterstock.com

  Photo Maniulation by : Thomas DePrima

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person with whom you share it. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to the owner and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  An appendix containing political and technical data highly pertinent to this series is included at the back of this book.

  To contact the author, or see information about his other novels, visit:

  www.deprima.com

  Acknowledgements

  Many thanks to Michael A. Norcutt for his suggestions, proofreading, and for acting as my military protocol adviser,

  and

  a special thank you to my copy editor Myra Shelley and her proofreaders who always do such a tremendous job.

  This series of novels includes:

  A Galaxy Unknown®…

  A Galaxy Unknown®

  Valor at Vauzlee

  The Clones of Mawcett

  Trader Vyx

  Milor!

  Castle Vroman

  Against All Odds

  Return to Dakistee

  Retreat And Adapt

  Azula Carver

  Changing of the Guard

  Other series and novels by the author:

  AGU:® Border Patrol…

  Citizen X

  Clidepp Requital

  Clidepp Déjà Vu

  AGU:® SC Intelligence…

  The Star Brotherhood

  Colton James novels…

  A World Without Secrets

  Vengeance Is Personal

  When The Spirit…

  When The Spirit Moves You

  When The Spirit Calls

  * * *

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Appendix

  Map

  * * *

  Chapter One

  ~ March 11th, 2290 ~

  The gallery area of the enormous Admiralty Board Hall on Quesann was filled to capacity. Space Command and Space Marine officers, Galactic Alliance senators, and members of the mass media had arrived early, although that didn't improve their seating options. All seating was by reservation only, and all seats had been spoken for days earlier. The reason for the extraordinary interest in this regularly scheduled A.B. meeting was simply that the first new Supreme Commander in thirty years would be chairing this meeting. The former Admiral of the Fleet, Richard E. Moore, had retired and returned to his home in Region One, so the day's meeting would be chaired by his replacement, Admiral of the Fleet Jenetta A. Carver.

  Live imagery from the Admiralty Hall was already being broadcast to the enormous convention center building directly across the park-like quad for those unable to reserve seats. Huge monitors distributed around the main convention arena were projecting the events for those turned away from the Admiralty Hall due to lack of space. The G.A. political campus on the planet Quesann had never seen such activity for any assembly.

  The session would also be broadcast live to all Space Command bases, all ships in the First and Second Fleets, all Space Marine bases, and all G.A. offices, although it would literally take days for the S-band transmission to reach the farthest points in Galactic Alliance space. As with Senate meetings, the mass media would televise the session for civilian viewing, although the signals would likewise take many days to reach their audiences.

  Senior officers who hadn't requested and received seating assignments for the scheduled session at least three days prior were standing against the wall around the outer perimeter of the gallery seating area. The attendees forced to stand considered themselves fortunate merely to have an opportunity to witness the historic session in person. Once the SRO space had been filled, everyone, regardless of position or rank, was being directed to the convention center. With guest accommodations for special visitors, the center had mainly been constructed to provide a space for special exhibits when planetary representatives other than G.A. Senators came to Quesann for meetings. Although the main exhibit hall could hold several thousand conference-goers, it was not available for commercial use because a special security clearance was required just to set foot on the planet.

  The front three rows of the A.B. Hall gallery seating had been reserved for— and were now occupied by— invited newsmen and newswomen representing the largest media organizations in the G.A. Immediately behind them were the G.A. senators who had reserved their seats as soon as their staffs notified them of the scheduled meeting and the requirement to reserve seating. And behind the seated G.A. senators were the Space Command captains and Space Marine generals and colonels who had requested seats before all seating was assigned.

  A few minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, admirals began entering the hall through the door behind the large horseshoe-shaped table with an opening that faced the gallery seating. All were seated when Jenetta entered the hall with her two Jumakas and approached her chair at the center of the table. The slight delay wasn't to make an entrance, but to make sure her uniform looked perfect in every respect, and ensure that every hair on her head was in its proper place. She knew that millions, perhaps billions, of G.A. citizens would be watching her first appearance.

  Although attendees had been asked not to make any noise during the session, a member of the press stood up and began to clap. This tribute resulted in a spontaneous reaction in the room as other press members stood and joined in the applause. Within seconds, the rest of the crowd joined in and the building seemed to reverberate with the clapping and then cheering. They all knew that Jenetta had done more to protect the people of the G.A. from outside invaders than any of her predecessors and perhaps more than all of them combined. It was the most rousing response Jenetta had received since giving speeches
at both NHSA and SHSA on Earth years earlier.

  Jenetta smiled, took her seat at the conference table, and pounded the gavel on the sounding block once to signal that the regularly scheduled session was about to begin.

  The attendees stopped clapping and all conversations ended as they took their seats. Jenetta pounded the gavel once again and said, "I call this public session of the Space Command Admiralty Board to order." As the highest ranked active-duty officer in the service, Jenetta's position on the A.B. was mandatory, and her role as chairperson was automatic. Tradition held that each member of the Board had an equal vote in all matters, but technically their votes were nonbinding upon the Admiral of the Fleet. He or she could accept the consensus of the attending admirals— and almost always did— or choose to override their opinions and simply order that a particular action take place as long as it was in accordance with Galactic Alliance law.

  "Before I begin the formal proceedings," Jenetta said, "I want to again thank the G.A. senators, their staffs, and all Space Command and Space Marine officers, enlisted personnel, and our civilian staff for the exceedingly warm welcome I received upon my return to Quesann, with a special thank you to the members of the Admiralty Board. While on my extended leave of absence, my thoughts were never very far from the problems and issues facing my military brothers and sisters, as well as those facing the G.A. Senate. In addition to the regular members of the Admiralty Board— Admiral Roger Bradlee, Admiral Shana Ressler, Admiral Arnold Hillaire, Vice-Admiral Brian D. Holt, Vice-Admiral Raymond Burke, Vice-Admiral Raihana Ahmed, Vice-Admiral Lon Woo, Rear Admiral (upper) Loretta Plimley, and Rear-Admiral (upper) Lesbolh Yuthkotl, I want to welcome the visiting admirals who have joined us at the table today— Admiral Evelyn Platt, Commander of the First Fleet, and base commanders Rear Admiral (upper) Jorge Mendez, Rear Admiral (upper) Vincent Sprague, and Rear Admiral (upper) Rebecca Colsey. I also welcome retired Rear Admiral (lower) Stanley Bendzet.

  "It's wonderful to be back and I look forward to the years ahead as we work to establish and maintain the rule of law within the greatly expanded boundaries of Galactic Alliance space.

  "Before we begin today's agenda, I have a personal announcement for everyone here on Quesann and for the people of the Galactic Alliance, wherever you might be."

  Standing up, Jenetta walked around the table and stopped a few meters from the center of the gallery section before she began to speak. While in the A.B. Hall, an admiral's implanted cranial transducer, usually referred to as a CT, sent their spoken words directly to the speakers mounted around the room, so it wasn't necessary that any carry a portable microphone. Cayla and Tayna had immediately assumed their customary places on either side of her once she left her seat.

  "A great many people in the G.A. know that two Jumakas from the planet Taurentlus-Thur have been my constant companions for many years. On my left is Tayna, and on my right is Cayla. What most people don't know or even suspect about the Jumaka population is that they are sentient beings."

  The hall suddenly became so quiet that you could hear the proverbial pin drop as jaws dropped and attendees seemed to stop breathing momentarily.

  "Yes, it's a fact. Jumakas are sentient beings. I've known since our first day together that Cayla and Tayna were highly intelligent, but even I didn't fully appreciate their sentiency until the King of the Hudeerac Order gifted me with a male Jumaka. When I saw my two wonderful friends calmly conversing with the male and realized they were communicating information and sharing values just as you and I would, I was greatly surprised, but pleasantly so. So I began looking for a way to communicate with them also, but their speech is so unique that my language translator failed to offer anything intelligible. I contacted a Terran wildlife expert, Mr. M.A. Wilkerson, who had been studying the Jumaka population on Taurentlus-Thur for a number of years, in an effort to learn if he had made any progress with their language. Although considered a foremost expert on Jumakas, he'd actually had little success with direct sightings. The Jumakas were always aware of his presence immediately, regardless of how well he concealed himself. They would then quickly disappear into the dense forest. He had to be satisfied with recorded imagery produced by cleverly concealed miniature cameras.

  "A number of annuals ago, Taurentlus-Thur enacted a law that makes removal of Jumakas from the planet a very serious crime, but authorities there allowed Mr. Wilkerson to bring a male to my estate on Obotymot because they knew I had two females. I'm very grateful to the officials on Taurentlus-Thur who permitted the transfer, and I want to again assure them that Nicky— as Dr. Wilkerson named him— is quite healthy and happy at his new home. Once Mr. Wilkerson and Nicky arrived, Wilkerson was able to begin a real study of the Jumakas because Cayla, Tayna, Nicky, and Thor were just as anxious to converse with us. They willingly donated their time and effort to the cause. I can't tell you how excited and overcome with emotion I was when the first crude translation device allowed a basic two-way communication with my wonderful friends.

  "Improvements to the translation device have progressed rapidly since the first bulky devices constructed by Mr. Wilkerson, and they are now small enough that my friends can wear one. They appear like the collars placed around the necks of pets on Earth and other planets, but I assure you they are not there to control or dominate my friends. Rather, they free my friends from the inability to communicate with Terrans and other species. I realize that Cayla and Tayna look very much like the jaguars of Earth, but aside from general appearance, they have little in common. Many of you probably know that Cayla and Tayna saved my life when an assassin tried to end it. Terrans who witnessed the event were frightened by the ferocity they saw, but my friends only did what any bodyguard would have done, which was necessary on that occasion. The observers were frightened because the only weapons Cayla and Tayna had available to use for self-protection and to prevent the attacker from injuring me or anyone else that day were those they were born with. They have never attacked any other person in our many years together.

  "I will soon be presenting a petition to the G.A. Senate requesting that they declare Jumakas sentient beings, and in doing so, extend to them the rights, privileges, and freedoms held by all sentient beings in G.A. space. All Jumakas presently caged in zoos or forced to perform guard activities must be freed immediately, as would be the case with any other sentient species. And anyone caught imprisoning a Jumaka after an established date must be charged with slavery. People currently using Jumakas for guard duty must establish an employment contract that gives the Jumaka the right to terminate their employment subject to the terms of the contract agreed to by both parties and within the labor laws of the planet that covers work regulations for all sentient life.

  "I'm sure the members of the media wish to ask a few questions, so Cayla and Tayna will answer directly. The hall's public-address system has been linked to the frequency of their collar translators for this occasion. The overhead speakers in the hall will carry their responses so everyone may hear. Cayla will go first. Does anyone have a question for her?"

  A newsie in the first row of seating raised his hand and stood up. "I'll start," he said.

  "Please identify yourself and your employer."

  "Jonah Tidestrum, Earth Today News Syndicate."

  "Go ahead, Mr. Tidestrum."

  "Uh, Cayla— do— you— understand— my— words?" Tidestrum asked in very precise, loud, and condescending speech.

  "Of course I understand you, Mr. Tidestrum. But why are you speaking in that very unusual manner?"

  Subdued ripples of laughter floated through the gallery area. Even Tidestrum chuckled.

  "I'm sorry, Cayla. I wasn't sure how well your translator worked."

  "The translator is so you can understand me, Mr. Tidestrum. I can understand you without it."

  "Cayla and Tayna understood what I was saying from the very beginning," Jenetta said. "I've since learned they had picked up Amer by listening to the freighters while being transported. They also
have a good understanding of other languages they've heard while in captivity and since they've joined me as my companions."

  "Aren't they in captivity now, Admiral?" another newsie asked.

  "Your name and employer, please?" Jenetta said.

  "Leslie Hearst, Intergalactic Freedom Press."

  "No, Ms. Hearst. They are not. Ask them."

  "Tayna, are you free?"

  "As free as you I imagine, Ms. Hearst. Freedom is a relative term. If you're asking if we stay with Jenetta because we have to, the answer is no. Jenetta offered to take us back to Taurentlus-Thur and endeavor to locate our relatives, but we declined. We were taken from the jungle when we were extremely young, and we don't remember very much about it. We would be strangers there. Jenetta also offered our spouses, Nicky and Thor, the opportunity to return to the planet. They've declined as well. Besides, Jenetta belongs to us."

  "I'm sorry. I don't understand. Admiral Carver belongs to you?"

  "Perhaps I can clarify that," Jenetta said. "It's the way Jumakas think of family unity. I belong to them and they belong to me. Their cubs belong to them, and they belong to their cubs. The cubs also belong to me and my children, and my children and I belong to them. I suppose it's like a mutual adoption process. We're all free from any restrictions on our movements, actions, or choices once we reach the age of consent, subject of course to the laws of the society where we live. That naturally varies with the species. Jumakas mature much sooner but also have a shorter lifespan than Terrans. Do you understand?"

  "I think so, although it's a foreign concept that a Terran could belong to a pet."