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best left to civilian authorities. If
something comes up that needs your expertise, I’ll get in contact with you.”
    Kurt was glad
Governor Spalding felt confident enough to handle the negotiations.
    “Enjoy your
time off. You deserve it.”
    Kurt was
determined to form a large enough alliance so that, someday, they could
challenge the Gothan Empire and force them to stop their Profiteering. However,
that was a long ways in the future and might be nearly impossible. He recalled
how long the Barbary pirates had raided in the Mediterranean, and he was afraid
the Gothan Empire would be even more difficult to bring under control.
    -
    A few hours
later Kurt took a short ride to an apartment building and went upstairs to the
apartment he shared with Keera whenever he was on Newton. Stepping inside, he
was pleasantly surprised to see her sitting on the couch, waiting for him.
    “I wondered
when you would show up,” she said reproachfully as she stood up and kissed him
on the lips. Keera had been trained in the medical field on one of the more
advanced worlds. She had then gone to Kubitz with her brother and taken a job
working in one of the larger medical centers.
    Kurt stepped
back from Keera. Since meeting her on Kubitz, she had provided something that
had long been missing from his life. “I understand you’ve been giving more lectures.”
    Keera grinned
and nodded her head. “Yes, I’ve been all over the planet, demonstrating modern
medical technology and treatments. I’ve put together another list of additional
equipment I need from Kubitz. It’s a rather long one.”
    Kurt sighed.
Keera always desired more of the medical technology available on Kubitz and
many other worlds. However, the technology saved lives and was an easy sale
when he put in the requests to Governor Spalding.
    “I’m leaving
for Kubitz in a few days,” admitted Kurt, knowing she would expect him to
return with her latest equipment requests. “Governor Spalding wants me to bring
back to Newton some better technology to help with our housing crisis. We can’t
build new homes fast enough for all the colonists coming in from Earth. I
understand you spoke to Governor Spalding the other day?”
    “Yes, he was
curious about some of the medical technology as well as the factories used on
Kubitz.”
    Kurt nodded.
“I’m escorting a team of businessmen on the Newton Princess to see about
these factories and some other items.”
    Keera was silent
for a moment as a strange look passed over her face. “I received a message from
my brother when the Concord returned.”
    Kurt’s eyes
widened. Keera’s older brother worked for one of the Profiteer clans on Kubitz
and was heavily involved in the black market. Keera very seldom heard from him,
as they weren’t on the best of terms.
    “What did he
say?”
    “He’s
frightened,” answered Keera, folding her arms across her chest and tilting her
head to one side. “He’s heard rumors of terrible space battles around some of
the colonies of the Enlightened Worlds. Strange black spacecraft are engaging
the warfleets of the Protector Worlds and leaving them powerless in space. He
fears it’s only a matter of time before these strangers show up in the Gothan
Empire and over Kubitz.”
    Keera was
very familiar with these worlds, as she had spent some time on several of them.
The Protector Worlds were very advanced worlds, which maintained large space
fleets to keep the peace. Their primary responsibility was to protect the Enlightened
Worlds that had known peace for thousands and even tens of thousands of years.
Each Protector World was responsible for the well-being of up to one hundred Enlightened
Worlds.
    Kurt didn’t
know what to say. This sounded like the threat Governor Spalding wanted him to
investigate. Maybe it was more than just rumors. “I wouldn’t worry about
Kubitz. That planet has the heaviest planetary defense I’ve ever seen. I don’t
think even one of the warships from a Protector