Read Beyond the Shroud of the Universe for Free Online

Zuhlsdorf spasmed out of Calvin’s grasp, then collapsed and lay groaning on the ground. Before Calvin could do anything, there was a flash as Nightsong shot the priest with his laser pistol. Father Zuhlsdorf stilled, his last breath escaping as a sigh.
    “What the hell did you do that for?”
    “He was extraneous to my plans now that I finally have you,” Nightsong said. He motioned toward the ship with his pistol. “Now shut up and get going.”
     
     

Fredensborg, Denmark, October 2, 2021
    Night held up one finger to Master Chief as he passed along a status report to their superiors. It was a report Master Chief was happy he didn’t have to make.
    “Okay,” Master Chief said, his eyes sweeping across the platoon. “We jump in one minute.” “Is everyone suited up and ready to go kill some liz—” Master Chief interrupted himself as his eyes stopped on Bob and Doug, two of the reptilian Kuji from Domus. Thinking back, he remembered an earlier “let’s go kill some lizards” comment, too.
    “Umm…,” Master Chief said. “When I was talking about killing lizards, you know I didn’t mean you two, right?”
    “Why would we think that?” Bob asked. “We’re people, not lizards. How would your comment apply to us?”
    “Uh, right,” stammered Master Chief, at a loss for words for one of the few times in his life, “that’s what I meant.” His gaze moved back to the rest of the platoon. “All right; gear up! We leave in one minute.” 
    Bob looked at Doug and twitched an ear, the equivalent of a shrug for a race that didn’t have shoulders.
    “Humans,” Doug said in his native tongue, as if that explained everything. Bob nodded. In this case, it did.
     
     

Anti-Denmark, Anti-Earth, Unknown Date
    “What are we waiting for?” Calvin asked.
    “Are you in a hurry?” Nightsong asked. He nodded to the handcuffs chaining the Terran to the co-pilot’s seat. “Relax. It doesn’t look like you’re going anywhere.” He chuckled, then added, “Don’t worry; you won’t have to wait long.”
    Calvin looked back out at the landscape, hoping to see one of his friends. He tried calling the platoon on his comm, but there was no reply. While he was distracted, Nightsong reached over and touched him on the cheek. Calvin’s face burned with the contact. “What was that?” he asked.
    “Those were some nanobots of mine. If you get more than 25 feet from me, they will stop your heart. Also, if I should happen to die, you will die too. Just a little precaution in case you decide to try something foolish.” He smiled. “Oh, yeah, I also turned off your implant’s ability to transmit and receive, so you needn’t bother trying to contact your friends.”
    Calvin glared at the Aesir, too frustrated to come up with a response.
    Nightsong looked at his watch. “Five seconds,” he said. He looked out the canopy as a rumble was felt throughout the ship, and a large section of land lifted a mile away, turning into a massive fireball.
    “That’s what I was waiting for,” Nightsong said. “I just wanted to make sure your friends have an interesting welcome when they come looking for us.”
    “Bastard,” Calvin spat.
    “No, just cautious,” Nightsong replied, unperturbed. “Speaking of which…” He turned a dial on the instrument panel and pulled the boom microphone down from his headset. “ Base, this is Faery, ” he transmitted. Although Nightsong spoke in Farsi, Calvin’s implant was able to translate, as he had received a download of all the common Terran languages. “ I’ve delayed them all I can. You need to execute Plan Tempest. ”
    “ But we are not ready ,” a voice replied from a speaker, also in Farsi.
    “ If you do not do it now, ” Nightsong said, “ the Americans and their allies will be here to talk with the Efreet soon, and you do not want that .” After a moment, he added, “ Do what you do best. Bluff. ”
    “ You leave us no choice, ” the voice said. “ We will