The alien ship decelerated rapidly as it made its final approach. It had been slowing down for hours, as if it intended to dock when it reached our station. The design was new to me and oddly-shaped. Rather than a geometric configuration, or even a symmetrical one, the ship had humps here and there seemingly at random. It looked off-balance, but I supposed to the Crustaceans it was sleek and beautiful.

  “The ship is passing through the primary minefield,” Welter said, adjusting the tracking controls on the holographic tank.

  I looked around at my crew with a new thought. Most of them weren’t doing anything other than standing around watching. “Staff, I want everyone to scatter. Sandra and Welter, you stay here. Lester, head down to engineering. Pramrod, get yourself to maintenance. The rest of you, choose a weapons battery and set up camp. You can sip coffee and watch the secondary screens from there.”

  They stared at me for a second, then picked up their things and shuffled out of their seats. No one questioned me aloud, but there were a large number of baffled looks. I frowned. They were well-trained, but too slow for my taste.

  “Move, people!” I roared suddenly, clapping my hands together. “In ten seconds, I don’t want to see so much as your suited butts walking away. I want you all gone.”

  This got their attention. Everyone rushed out of the bridge and jostled into the various corridors and elevators that led out to remote parts of the station. After they’d left, I noticed Sandra was watching me rather than the holotank. The Lobster ship was about half way between the ring and the station.

  “What was all that about, Kyle?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. But when I saw Marvin take himself out of here, it occurred to me that maybe he was smarter than the rest of us. What if you only had one ship, and could only make one suicidal attack? Where would you hit us?”

  She looked at me, her eyes widening. “The bridge?”

  “Why not?”

  “But they can’t know—” Sandra began.

  “Alien ship docking in ninety seconds,” Welter interrupted in a loud, but calm voice. He was at the helmsman’s post even though the battle station wasn’t capable of independent flight. He could still adjust its tilt and yaw, swinging its massive girth in space. These controls were designed to bring fresh weaponry to bear in a serious fight, when one side of the station might be scorched and battered. I hoped to never find out if those rotational systems would operate as planned under fire.

  Sandra glanced at him, then back to me. She lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. “They can’t know we only have a handful of people aboard.”

  “No, they can’t,” I said. “But maybe they do anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a peaceful chat with them. Maybe they’ve realized it’s time to start kissing human behinds for protection. I can respect that. But they attacked us before, and forgive me if I’m not willing to let them sucker-punch us twice in a row.”

  She nodded, and together we watched as the ship slowed to crawl in front of us and came in to dock. The external cameras cut out and regional optics in the belly section took up the feed as the ship came very close. Finally, the holotank showed the ship had merged with us, and the only camera that could pick it up was the one in the landing bay itself. Located like a drawer in the gut of the station, the bay doors yawned wide to receive it.

  I signaled for Sandra to open a channel to the Crustacean ship.

  “You’ve arrived, Ambassador,” I said. “Now that you’re here, perhaps you can at least tell us your name?”

  The viewscreen responded with a bluish glow that grew until I could make out the outline of a Crustacean sitting in a chamber that bubbled and surged with floating debris. I knew in an instant the creature was in a tank full of seawater. Flecks like brownish snowflakes drifted in swirls around its antennae. The Ambassador was dimly lit, as was comfortable for him, I imagined. A deep sea creature would not be accustomed to bright light.

  “Ambassador?” the alien said. “Yes. That title could be construed as appropriate. I am a Senior Fellow, a female of the Fifth Rank. I have bestowed great honor upon you by coming here, by allowing you to view my person. Are you capable of comprehending the magnitude of the gift my physical presence represents?”

  I felt a sudden tightness in my shoulders. These arrogant shellfish really had a way of getting to you. I forced a smile, trying to see the funny side of it all. I took a breath and relaxed, deciding to play along.

  “We are overwhelmed, your worship,” I said. “Words can’t express how pleased we are with your magnificence.”

  The antennae waved for a moment, then floated a trifle higher in the water around the ambassador’s thorny head. I suspected the translation was just coming in, and she liked it.

  “Excellent. It is best that the lesser creatures grasp the magnitude of the sacrifice they are about to witness. Anything else would be inappropriate.”

  My smile slipped away as I tried to decipher the creature’s meaning. Oftentimes, aliens used idioms and wandering patterns of speech that didn’t make sense at first, until you got to know them.

  “Perhaps it’s time we get down to the purpose of your mission,” I said. “Please Enlighten us.”

  The antennae moved again, then stilled. “Agreed,” said the aquatic creature.

  I opened my mouth to say something else, but within an instant the thought was driven forever from my mind. From that day to this, I’m unable to recall what I’d been about to say.

  Because in that fraction of a second, the Crustacean Ambassador’s ship exploded.

  END of EMPIRE EXCERPT

  To purchase the entirety of the sixth book in the series, search for EMPIRE on your Ebook Seller's website, or go to BVLarson.com

  More Books by B. V. Larson:

  STAR FORCE SERIES

  Swarm

  Extinction

  Rebellion

  Conquest

  Battle Station

  Empire

  IMPERIUM SERIES

  Mech Zero: The Dominant

  Mech 1: The Parent

  Mech 2: The Savant

  Mech 3: The Empress

  OTHER SF BOOKS

  Shifting

  Velocity

  Visit BVLarson.com for more information.

 

 

  B. V. Larson, Battle Station (Star Force Series)

 

 

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