PREFACE

Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum pato.

"Long ago, before humankind had crawled from the primordial swamps, the galaxy was already teeming with life. A great galactic civilization spread far and wide, and beings of all species inhabited its many worlds and space cities and plied their trades through great ships that journeyed through the space lanes in the blink of an eye.

But then the Great Plague came. Our scientists know little of the Great Plague, as it struck suddenly and spread rapidly throughout the galaxy, and few records have survived from those ancient times. It is believed that the Great Plague was a mutagenic virus, which spread across the Galaxy by starship and even through the fabric of space itself. It attacked the fundamental DNA of its host, sending most into an agonizing cancerous death, and leaving those that survived forever altered; mutated into hideous beasts and monstrous humanoids, some of which still breed and survive in the worlds they left behind.

Only those races still before sentience when the Great Plague struck survived, evolving and developing and eventually slipping the surly bonds of their home planet only to find themselves all but alone in a universe of ruins and ancient hulks. Mankind has met a few of these races, and they have made fast friends in a lonely universe.

As sentience spread across the stars and encountered many dangerous beasts and monstrous things, most avoided these hazards, and the list of quarantined worlds is long. Yet some enterprising crews have sought out these ancient hulks and dead cities full of ancient and terrible things in search of the treasures they might hold, in knowledge, in tech, and in riches."

There are those daring and foolhardy beings that seek fame, fortune and knowledge in the ancient places of the galaxy. This is the story of one of them.

Quoted from Hulks and Horrors by John S. Berry III

CHAPTER ONE

Sapere aude

Science Academy Graduate Hera could barely contain her excitement. As she sat in her comfortable chair in the briefing room of the Zephyr Thirteen, desperately trying not to fidget like a schoolgirl on her first day in class. For about the next hour it would be a briefing room, then back to the galley and recreation room.

Here she and the rest of the crew would be treated to a lecture by her mentor, Professor Blue Lavender Teal. For Hera this expedition to Precursor space would be her first taste of field work after completing her Masters in Precursor Studies just last week. Professor Blue Lavender Teal had selected her to go with him on his yearly expedition to search for Precursor artifacts. This was the start of her lifelong dream to study their mysteries and culture.

To appear professional and calm she diverted her attention to her multi tool. Scientists like Hera were frequently made fun of for fiddling with their personal multi tools. These custom-made devices were used toperform specific actions and assist them. Hera's was about the size of an old-style paperback book with a pull-out circular antenna, which turned the multi tool on. Hera had made many adjustments and modifications to it over those long years and she still wondered if she shouldn't change some settings for the upcoming expedition.

Hera thought it was funny how some beings among the four main races of the Galactic Alliance compared the multi tools to the wands carried by mythical wizards, because of the way that Scientists were able to get them to be able to perform almost magical feats. All they really did was put basic scientific principles into practical use.

Hera quickly glanced up to as the other members of the crew started filing into the briefing room. While she had seen each of them all while getting settled aboard the Zephyr Thirteen she had not had a chance to speak with any of them.

Hera was sitting in a chair in roughly the middle of the room and Professor Blue Lavender Teal was in front of her, using his multi tool to prepare the briefing. He was an Omega Reticulan to the Humans but called themselves Red-Red-Chartreuse-Blue in their color-based native language. They were an amoeba-like race from a very thin methane atmosphere world so always wore protective environment suits in oxygen atmospheres.

While Professor Blue Lavender Teal was setting up, the rest of the crew had divided on either side of her into two groups each sitting around a table. The security detail, with that guy, was getting cups of java from the auto dispenser on her right. Hera did not want to be caught looking at him again, so she not so smoothly looked over to her left. The beings that made up the members of the ship's crew were sitting around a table with plates of snacks on it. Thanks to all the amazing automation only three beings were required to run the ship. All the automation meant they did not even need to be on duty all the time mostly just available. Hera guessed since this was a rented star ship they were really there to make sure the star ship made it back in one piece. This crew consisted of two Humans, one male and one female and a Hovering Squid.

The amphibious Hovering Squid hailed from a low gravity world with large oceans, they developed a unique ability to process hydrogen gas from the water around them and store it in a special bladder within their mantle, enabling them to float about in the air above water, directing their movement through fins on their head and excretory jets. They did not have hands just a cluster of tentacles, four manipulators and up to eight smaller tentacles. They havea high dexterity, andmake effective handybeings and ship's engineers.

The male Human looked fairly normal except for the sunglasses and felt cap. He was surely the ship's pilot. Pilots always seemed to wear sunglasses and strange hats.

The human female ship crew member on the other hand had obviously had some work done. Her hair was purple and looked to have been gene colored. Hera could see her eyes were clear with no pupil or iris. It almost looked like they weren't there. That cost a pretty credit to do. Hera couldn't tell what her skin color was; the purple haired woman had so many tattoos, piercings, brands, holoshimmers and patches' that made making out her skin's original base color was impossible. Strangely she was wearing the same plain olive-green Zephyr Star Ship Rentals Company jumpsuit with built in boots that the human pilot was wearing.

"They make me wear it with no frills or even a little glow button so you paying customers won't be offended and since I'm the steward keeping you happy is my job."

Hera let out a gasp and spun her head around trying to see where the voice had come from. Everyone was exactly where they had been and there was no one close enough to her to have said anything. Then the voice spoke again.

"Relax and go back to pretending to be interested in your toy there. Really though if you want to gawk at the others just do it girlfriend. They are all doing the same to you, the pretty scientist aide, they are just hiding it better."

Hera opened her mouth to protest and a small stab of pain in her mind stopped her. It wasn't more than a pinprick but was so unexpected she could do nothing for a moment and that let the voice return.

"Name's Penelope Harker but beings call me Hark. I'm your friendly ship's steward and I'm a psyker which is how we are talking right now so don't say anything just think it. That's what keeping it real is all about. Like those thoughts you were having for soldier boy.

Hera could not help but blush and then look over to her right where the security detachment had gathered. The one Penelope had mentioned was there sitting with the other three members of the security team. Thankfully he wasn't looking in her direction or she might have died of embarrassment on the spot.

The leader of the security team was a Bearman, a race of stocky creatures hailing from a hostile, densely forested world orbiting a binary star system. They are humanoid, tall, covered with fur, and well-armed with vicious claws and teeth, and well-built to weather the many storms and violent seasonal changes in their home world.

The Bearman homeworld was once home to a Precursor colony which fell to the Great Plague while the Bearmen were primitive bears, wandering the forests. The Plague Horrors spawned by that calamity permanently altered their ecosystem, and only a truly strong species could survive and thrive against these new horrific creatures. The Bearmen evolved with an innate sense of the natural world around them, and are deeply shamanistic, committed to martial skill, and intensely loyal to their tribe.

Now the other three members of the security team were all humans, two males and one female. The other male and the female were obviously clones. They were both so plain that they could blend into the chairs and be lost from sight completely.

The one giving her fits was tall, just over six feet and very well-muscled with hair and eyes both the same fetching shade of dark brown. His skin was well tanned from what was undoubtedly much time spent under many different suns. Of course, he had a strong jutting jaw and full aquiline nose matched by cheekbones so high they almost seemed to be above his nose. The only flaw was his mouth seemed locked in a permanent scowl. That didn't stop her from melting inside every time she looked at him.

Hark sent another thought into Hera's head, "Girl you are really into him. Shame he hates you."

Hera felt a major stab of pain which didn't come from the psyker and before she could stop herself thought back to Hark, "What! Why! I have never even met the man before. How could he hate me?"

Taking a breath Hera suddenly had a much more horrible thought, "Wait, who else can hear us and who else is part of this, what, conversation?"

Hark sent a laugh into Hera's head and then said in her mind, "Relax, I am not that good at this. Can't read any of the non-humans in the room and I know Harvey's thoughts so well that it's easy to keep him out. Yourboyfriend is sending so much anger in your direction I couldn't get through to him if I tried."

Hera turned her head over toward where the ship's crew were sitting and saw Hark was talking with the human male who must be Harvey, the sunglass wearing starship pilot. Holding up her multi tool she pretended to tune it. She then tried to get at Hark and thought over to her, "Didn't the Beneficial League of Psykers teach you how to reach those not of your race?"

Hark laughed again and sent, "I'm not a Bene Psyker. Those guys have way too many rules."

Now Hera was shocked. If Hark wasn't in the League that meant she was an unregistered psyker. That carried the death penalty on some planets and worse penalties on others, like lobotomies.

Before Hera could get over this shock Hark sent, "Look girlfriend just you be glad I'm not a Bene. If I were I wouldn't be here to help you win a dream date with soldier boy. He does think you're cute and have a great set of boobs, his thoughts and mine."

Hera felt the shock go away and anger return. If there had been anything Hark could have said or thought, which would have made her feel worse she wasn't sure what it could be. Hera knew she was pretty with the blonde hair and blue eyes that most humans really seemed to like. So that wasn't the problem.

The problem was her figure. Hera was born with a long body. As she got older she had kept on getting taller but the rest of her body had never seemed to catch up. She had acquired the name the nickname "Bean Pole" quickly. Her mother encouraged her that when she reached puberty and throughout her teenage years that she would fill out and the rest of her body would catch up to ever reaching height. By the time Hera had started studies at the Science Academy, the only thing puberty had filled was her chest and rather impressively. But being six foot two inches tall and only 135 pounds meant she was usually attracted the wrong kind of least her trusty lab coat could be baggy and help hide her figure, no one thought it was strange for a scientist to wear one all the time.

Glancing at the other two Human females in the room she could see the clone stood a little shorter than Hera at about five feet eight inches had an almost manly strong muscular body of about 150 pounds. She also had the confidence a life on the battlefield gave someone, so they did not worry about what other beings thought of her looks. Plus being a clone, she probably didn't care about relationships at all.

Hark also obviously didn't care what beings thought of her looks with all the body modifications she had had done. But Hera took a little closer look at her new "girlfriend" and could see that Hark was about five feet six inches and she guessed maybe about the same 135 pounds too. But unlike Hera, Hark's pounds were nicely and evenly spread around her frame with a good many curves. Hera couldn't help the pang of jealousy she felt.

"Wow girlfriend that is some very major problem you have there. Sorry your boss is about to start his big briefing and Harvey's excitement is spilling over. He really wants to start flying this bucket of bolts and rocket fuel. Speak with you after this is over and done with. Gotta pretend to pay attention to what the big guy yaks. Oh, and just picked up, soldier boy of your dreams thinks you ruined his career."

Hera had to start breathing again. Hark's last thought had physically stunned her. But she was able to pull herself back together and start listening to the briefing she had helped Professor Blue Lavender Teal write.