Xanterie

Xanterie

The Warriors of the Vinii (Book 1)

By Corre Deepe

Coyright 2014 by Corre Deepe

Cover by Eagle Eye Covers

Editing By Eagle Editing

This book is a work of fiction. All contents, including names, places,

and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a

fictitious manner. Any resemblance to persons, living or deceased, or

to businesses, locations or events are completely coincidental.

None of this work may be used, reproduced, exchanged or

transmitted by anyone, except the person the book was purchased

for. Any reproductions of this book in any part or any form must be

done with the express written permission of the author or not at all.

Dedicated to those who face challenges head on. They are the fearless, the brave, the spirited, they rush forward and never look back.

Prologue

Beautiful, just beautiful without equal, Xan stood looking at his world many miles beneath him. It was filled with tropical forests and a few small deserts. The oceans were a deep dark blue, almost black in places where they were so deep it was only recently the technology had allowed for exploration of the ocean’s depths. The two suns were at opposite ends, casting light all around his world. It was only a few days a year that the world was stuck in daytime and a few days a year that night fell worldwide. There were no polar regions, their zones were subtropical or tropical year-round.

Dice, his best friend and second in command, stood beside him. He was just a few inches shorter than Xan and a few inches less broad. Dice joked that he was just a little less of everything but that included impatient, annoying, and stubborn. A better friend and second, no male could ask for. Sahari stood on the other side, a perfect example of a Vinian female. Her hair was long and curly, the perfect blue black of all their people. The reddish orange of the male’s eyes was slightly softened in hers. She was tall for a female at just over six feet. Females were often a foot shorter than their males. She had a perfect body, athletic and lithe. Her breasts were high and small, her hips narrow, and her legs long. The female was a warrior and the perfect match in battle for most of the males.

They took one last long look at the home that they loved with no idea when they might return. There was no way of knowing when or if their task would be complete, so they could once more step upon the rich soil of their home world. Had he been a female he would have cried. He glanced at Sahari. Well, if he were a female of another race, Vinii females didn’t cry. They, too, were raised as warriors first, then their trades were taught. It made them tough, tough enough to battle beside their males. Sahari blew their world a kiss, he and Dice saluted, they would return some day, anything else was unthinkable.

Xanterie

Chapter 1

Crashed

He felt the impact of something so hard that as they entered the space doorway, it flung them far beyond their original destination. The shrieking alarms were ear splitting and the red flashing lights still on from battle stations did more to distract his mind than to direct it. He felt a wave of dizziness; it was new to him. It was like they had been hurtled through an unimaginable distance and now they were coming out on the other side and slowing quickly. They had been hit by something that sent energy smashing against them. The question was, had they been hit by an enemy or one of their own?

Jurod, has the distress beacon been sent? He asked even though he knew it had been. His crew was efficient and capable. They were the best, that was why they had been selected for this duty on this ship.

Yes, Colonel Gogi. I sent it myself and we still have a tentative connection so they will know where we are even if we lose it.

Sahari, what is the ship’s condition?

It’s bad, we are caught in the orbit of this planet, but it will deteriorate in a matter of hours. We have a date with the surface, the question is if we will survive it.

Dice tell me about this planet. Do we know where we are?

Yes, we are far past the fringes of the empire. This is a primitive planet under the protection of the Rajni. The Rajni were an advanced race that was mostly peaceful and believed in the power of learning and wisdom. They were smart enough to realize that if you wished to avoid war, you needed to be the meanest bastard around. They were ruthless when attacked, the last race that had tried to battle the Rajni, had become Rajni pets. These humanoids call their planet Earth and the languages, customs, and religion differ by region. This wasn’t surprising on a primitive planet. Advanced planets usually had one religion or none and one standard language everyone knew even if some did speak the language of their ancestors at home.

I will need a download ready as soon as possible.

Yes, I will get it ready, Dice answered.

A download was a compilation of all information on an area that was available including the main language and often two additional ones that might be spoken. It would be downloaded into the team that was sent in to deal with whatever was going on. In this case, if they survived the crash landing, they would need parts to repair the ship, food, water, medicine, and possibly more long-term needs like clothing might have to be met if they were unable to leave quickly.

It looked like all they could do was hold steady for now. Colonel Xanterie Gogi was a male of action. Staying put and waiting to see what would happen next wasn’t his cup of tanzi water. Maybe a decision now would improve their odds later.

Sahari, might landing now so we can choose the trajectory and the location we hit, improve our chance of survival?

Sahari took time to think. I assumed waiting would be best in case someone answered the signal, but if we assume help can’t arrive in time, then yes, we would be better off landing as best we can in our time and place of choosing.

We want a remote, unpopulated place, but we need someplace comparatively soft to land. It also needs to be close enough to a population center that we can get supplies. Xan listed all their needs.

Yes, sir, Sahari said falling back on the military discipline they had not been observing lately. On this small fifty to fifty-five-person ship, they behaved more like some of the informal teams, rather than the top military group they belonged to.

Xan had decided to take the scout ship to run interference for the larger ship, Ghoster, that he usually captained. The plan had worked for nearly a year now, but they had gotten too complacent and a pack of Snurkee ships had surrounded and attacked them. They had still managed to keep all the attention on them, and he was sure the Ghoster had either slipped away or taken out the enemy ships. The thing that had concerned him was the enemy ships had all been too far to cause this type of damage with the weapons they were known to have. The Ghoster, on the other hand could have easily caused the damage from a distance. He shook his head to clear it. The Ghoster had no reason to shoot at them.

The Ghoster was like a city, or a flying military base. In the core, families resided. It was the most protected part of the ship and could even be evacuated if necessary. They were Vinii warriors all, even the young children were training as soon as they could walk. Not all had equal ability or would ever reach the same skill levels, but everyone on the ship old enough to walk, did their part. They were what made the Vinian Empire what it was, the largest, richest, and most enduring empire ever known.

That was also what seemed to be chipping away at it. Birth rates had continued to decline until genealogists had finally admitted there was no end in sight. It wasn’t a mismatched population, like the Valdarie who had too many females, or the Reaperon who had too few females. Their numbers were just a few less females per hundred, no real problem if a few males mated two to one which wasn’t unheard of anyway.

The problem, according to the scientists was they needed to mate with a different race because their own DNA had simply stagnated. What kind of scientific term was that? Xan thought they were just guessing and had no real idea what the problem was. There were only a handful of races that were compatible, and the odds weren’t good with them. Those races were so different, the Foreners were descended from some type of lizard. Breeding was possible, but it was more than most could stomach, and the odds of offspring were a million to one. It was still better odds than he would have with one of his own race. The Scotrens were descended from some type of bird, they were beautiful feathered creatures, colorful and soft. Breeding them would be a chore because of the differences in their sex organs and again, such small odds of conception. Those two were near the top choices.

The Davidians were the most like them physically, but no more compatible than the others. There was the added problem of them being enemies and that they liked to eat the Vinii as a delicacy, sometimes they even ate the females after they raped them. Davs, as most warriors called the enemy for short, were crazy as Gremilian beetles, and twice as deadly even though they didn’t carry the poison the beetles did. Why were the beetles considered crazy? They poisoned their enemies then ate those enemies when they died even though their own poison could kill them as well. The fact that many died that way was the only thing that kept their numbers in check, otherwise they would have taken Gremil, their planet of origin, over by now.

Xan’s whole life had been destroyed by the fertility problem. His world had a caste system in place, not a harsh one as some worlds did, but everyone knew their place. As first-born son to Wyler, the Emperor of their great Empire, he had to do his duty when called upon. Before the issue was recognized, his life had been on the path of his choosing. He had chosen his bride to be, the love of his life Drissa, who he had known since they were both weanlings. Drissa hadn’t been his fated mate, but Xan wasn’t sure he believed in those stories of true mates. His parents were fated mates, or so they had told him. He always wondered if that was just their way of coming between him and Drissa without coming right out and forbidding them to join. Drissa had also said she didn’t think this soul mate everyone told tales of existed either. Love was what mattered, and they were in love.

Now, they would be never be happy since they would never be together. He couldn’t even spend a few years enjoying being with her before he was the age where he had to mate since he had been sent away. He hadn’t wanted to go, but words like honor, duty, and the continued existence of his race had been thrown around. The Ghoster had been sent to search the fringes of the empire and even beyond if possible, to find a race they could breed with. If found, he was to do whatever was necessary to bring back as many as he could.

He’d always believed in his people’s greatness, but the term whatever necessary made him feel like he was an evil villain. First, he was cheated of his love, he had been told she had married a Forener now. Later, he had been told she had birthed her new mate a child. His Drissa was truly lost to him now. She lived far off near the border of Foren on the opposite side of the galaxy he was now on. Drissa lived there with her mate and his extended family. That was the way all Foreners lived. They had communal dining and bathing rooms. He missed Drissa, he felt for her and the sacrifice she had been forced to make for her family as the oldest daughter in a family that had only daughters.

The agreement for her bride price had been that the first son to reach age ten would be sent to her family to be inducted into their life and work. Drissa’s family had been metal workers, at least all of them Xan knew. Drissa and Xan had planned to have many sons and daughters so they could send some to Drissa’s caste to follow her family’s ways. So many plans, hopes, dreams, and most of all love, all down the drain because of duty.

Sir, the download is complete. I’ll have it here in my pack at my station, Dice said.

Xan snapped out of his reverie. It would do no good to remember what he could never change. He knew Dice had told him about the download in case he died during the landing. Everyone on deck would know so if anyone survived, they would have the most important resource to survive this strange world, and the necessary information to converse and understand these primitive creatures.

I have six landing choices, Sir, if you would look at the display, I’ve already pulled them up, side by side. Two are shallow beach landings, but the only beaches unpopulated are so remote, access to a population center will be a problem. Two are desert landings, sand being softer than many things we can land on but again very remote and I have some concerns that the sand could turn into something much sharper once it’s heated. Without samples, well it just worries me. The last two are snow covered areas. My personal choice would be this one in a place called Alaska. This population center, Anchorage, isn’t too far from the landing zone, but there are trading centers even closer. If their trading centers have even a percent of what ours do, we’ll be fine, Sahari explained.

I concur, how long to make it happen? Xan asked.

Right away of you wish.

Don’t you have to adjust the download, Dice?

No, Dice said, and he cleared his throat noisily. Sahari already told me what to include.

Am I that predictable? Xan asked.

Only when it comes to making the best choice, Sahari mumbled.

Do it, Xan commanded.

He was ready to act even if they died trying. If they didn’t try, they’d die anyway. He looked out the view port at the mostly blue and white ball beneath them that grew smaller as the shields lowered to cover the port. They were about to land on it, hopefully they would survive and none of the life forms below would be hurt. He said a prayer to the five goddesses of earth, fire, wind, water, and sky. He hadn’t invoked them in over a year. It seemed that regardless of how pitiful it was, it was his life and he wasn’t willing to hand it over to the devil yet.

The landing started out well, everything was working to begin with. Shields were up and the ship was cloaked so it would only be an odd anomaly, maybe not even that, on the local’s primitive equipment. Smooth sailing for the first few minutes, anyway. The problem was, the closer they got, the harder the damaged equipment was working. He felt a small vibration and it grew. They were halfway, maybe more, before it had grown into a shake. It gave him