The Alienbutt Saga, Book 1. War of the Coffee Bean. Part 32.

Admiral Frederick’s dreadnought jumped out of light speed, quickly followed by the saviours of his fleet. The main base had been totally destroyed, along with all the dreadnoughts there. Only his patrol of ten ships had survived. While waiting for the probe’s report on the attack on their base, they had received news of the invasion of the Ick Empire. Knowing that a superior force was out in space probably searching for them, Frederick had headed for the Big Rocks system so he could hide out in the asteroid belt there. Once there, he could find out what was happening and who he could trust. He was a long way from home with no idea who stood between him and safety, if there would be any safety when they got there.
Soon after reaching their hiding spot, they picked up a coded message on a secure Ick frequency. The message was being relayed through a robotic spy probe and was short, but gave the Admiral a renewed hope. Sending out a scout craft to retrieve the spy probe that had sent the message, Frederick started to make plans.

CHAPTER 13
A New Order.

INTERSTELLAR NEWS CHANNEL 9 NEWS FLASH

The Federation Senate today released the following statement;
It has been discovered that the troubles of recent years leading to the coffee bean shortage has been down to elements within the Ick Empire who were trying to sabotage the universal peace for their own ends. A planned invasion by rebel Ick fleets to take control of the coffee production planets and thereby control the universe has been thwarted by E.D.F. forces working in support of the new Federation Navy. In large space battles over the last week, the invasion force has been soundly beaten and chased back into Ick space. The Federation and Coffee houses of Earth, now stand at war with the Ick rebels, who had seized control of the Empire, and until this war is won, all civilian space travel is forbidden unless you have clearance from the E.D.F. and martial law will be called on any planet where unrest starts. It is believed that the rebel Ick were not acting alone but in collusion with members of the Federation. Until those regimes are flushed out these measures will remain to protect us all.

Hydroponic had once been a bounty hunter, one of the very best, and for a while, partner to Blackarachnia. They worked together as the two of them began to build a legend around themselves. But he had walked, or rather flown away from that life and set off to see what there was to see in the universe. He had travelled for more than ten years, and in that time he had seen the Lava falls of Zune and flown through the Trippycolour Nebula at the end of the universe. He had surfed the galactic hurricane winds and searched for the legendary lost empire of Sinai, who held the secret of eternal life. He had searched for every improbable thing that he had ever heard of, and often found they were true. But as he read the latest news reports, he knew without doubt that he was reading bullshit. Never would the Ick do what they had been accused of, while he also knew those who ran the Coffee Houses were total power freaks who wanted to rule the universe; but the Ick would always stand in their way. He was hot on the trail of hunting down the Giant Space Worm of Ulric Dreadlord, a mythical creature not seen in over ten thousand years. Some things, though, are more important than seeing what’s over the next hill, and his debt to the murdered Ick leader Wickede was one of those things. Turning his ship around, he plotted a course to take him back. It would take a few months at full speed, but he had found the secret from the Sinai Empire, so time didn’t mean much to him anymore, as he had all of eternity. If the Ick still held out or not when he got there it would change nothing. It was time for him to start blowing things up, and the more he thought about it, the more he realised that he missed his old life. He wondered if Blackarachnia would be in the middle of things helping the Ick. He did hope so. It would be good to fly with his old partner again.

To be continued.

Thanks for reading, all images are mine.