The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders by Raymond L. Weil Page A

are
invaders from another galaxy?”
    “No,” responded
Dolman, shaking his head. “We don’t have a lot of information to go on since
very few worlds survive their cleansing. Vague references state they live in
intergalactic space or are from another universe.”
    Kurt felt a
chill run up and down his back. If these ships were the ones spotted in the
outer reaches of the Solar System, what exactly did it mean? Earth wasn’t
nearly as advanced as the other worlds in the galaxy.
    “Why can’t
Lomatz speak of this?” asked Tenner.
    “Panic,”
replied Dolman. “If word of this got out, it could crash the economy of the
Gothan Empire. Trade would stop, and even the black market would be impacted.
For now the different planetary leaders are taking a wait-and-see attitude
while building new ships and strengthening their defenses. They’re hoping the
Protector Worlds can stop the black ships.”
    “And if they
can’t?” asked Andrew.
    Dolman drew in
a sharp breath. “Then we’re all dead!”

Chapter Six
     
    Keera was
deeply concerned about what her brother had told her. She had a strong
suspicion the black ships were one of the reasons Kurt had come to Kubitz. Their
conversations had been shorter than normal on the trip from Newton to Kubitz,
as if something had been weighing heavily on his mind. When he returned to
their quarters after his meeting with Dolman and the others, he had been
strangely quiet. He hadn’t even asked about the conversation with her brother.
    That next morning
over breakfast, she asked him how things were going. Kurt responded, saying, “Okay.
We’ll discuss it when I return.” Shortly after that Kurt and Andrew had gone
off with Grantz to speak to Controller Nirron about the fine and the new
contract he and Grantz were working on. With a deep sigh, Keera watched Kurt
leave, and then she settled into their quarters to wait. She knew it was best
to let Kurt work through this on his own.
    The comm unit
near the wall blinked, and Keera walked over to answer it. Perhaps Kurt was calling,
and he had finished his business quicker than he thought so he could return
early. It would be nice if they could eat lunch together.
    “Hello?” she said,
pressing the answer button on the comm unit.
    “Sis, this is
Dalen. I think there may be a problem.”
    Keera let out
a deep breath, wondering if her brother had failed to tell her something. Was
he in trouble with the Profiteers he worked for? “What is it?”
    “It’s Kurt. A
bounty has been put on his head. Rumor has it that High Profiteer Creed wants
him dead.”
    Keera felt a
cold chill wash over her. She forced herself to remain calm. This was Kubitz,
and such things were quite common. “How big a bounty?”
    “That’s just
it,” Dalen answered. “Most bounties are around ten to twenty thousand credits
for a hit. This one is two million credits! Every bounty hunter and unemployed Profiteer
on the planet will be looking for Kurt and trying to collect. I’ve never heard
of a bounty this large before. He needs to get off Kubitz now! Hundreds of
bounty hunters and Profiteers will be hunting for him. Even some of the smaller
clans may become involved.”
    Keera felt her
heart pound, and she suddenly found it hard to talk. Two million credits was a
fortune, and she knew some individuals on Kubitz would go to great lengths to
collect such a sum. “How soon can you be ready to leave?” As soon as Kurt
returned, she would beg him to board the Star Cross . With that large of
a bounty, not even the embassy would be safe from attack.
    There was
silence on the other end of the line, and Keera thought she could hear her
brother speaking to someone. “I can be there in an hour.”
    “Do it,” Keera
said. “I need to make a call and see if I can warn Kurt.”
    “I hope you can,”
answered Dalen. “I’ll be on my way shortly.” With that the line went dead.
    Pressing
another button on the comm unit, she was in contact with the embassy