STAR HOUNDS -- OMNIBUS Read online

  Other Books By David Bischoff

  Dragonstar:

  Dragonstar (with Thomas F. Monteleone)

  Day of the Dragonstar (with Thomas F. Monteleone)

  Night of the Dragonstar (with Thomas F. Monteleone)

  Dragonstar Destiny (with Thomas F. Monteleone)

  Gaming Magi:

  The Destiny Dice

  Wraith Board

  The Unicorn Gambit

  Nightworld:

  Nightworld

  Vampires of Nightworld

  Star Fall:

  Star Fall

  Star Spring

  The UFO Conspiracy:

  Abduction

  Deception

  Revelation

  Other Books:

  The Seeker (with Christopher Lampton)

  The Phantom of the Opera

  Forbidden World (with Ted White)

  Tin Woodman (with Dennis R. Bailey)

  The Selkie (with Charles Sheffield)

  Mandala

  Wargames

  The Crunch Bunch

  A Personal Demon (with Rich Brown and Linda Richardson)

  The Manhattan Project

  The Blob

  The Judas Cross (with Charles Sheffield)

  Hackers

  Philip K. Dick High

  The Diplomatic Touch

  The H.P. Lovecraft Institute

  At the Twilight’s Last Gleaming

  Other Books By Saul Garnell

  Freedom Club

  Eat Fish and Die (as S. Ron Mars)

  Coming Soon:

  Voodoo Robot Chili (as S. Ron Mars)

  Star Hounds

  The Classic Space Adventure Series

  Copyright © 2012 by David Bischoff and Saul Garnell

  Hotspur Publishing

  Book Design by Amy Gilbert

  Infinite Battle Copyright © 1985 by David Bischoff

  Galactic Warriors Copyright © 1985 by David Bischoff

  The Macrocosmic Conflict Copyright © 1986 by David Bischoff

  The Planet Killer Copyright © 2012 by David Bischoff and Saul Garnell

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Contents

  Foreword

  BOOK ONE: The Infinite Battle

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Epilogue

  BOOK TWO: Galactic Warriors

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  BOOK THREE: The Macrocosmic Conflict

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Epilogue

  BOOK FOUR: The Planet Killer

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Foreword

  The rebooting of David Bischoff’s Star Hounds series is an adventure that began when I read the first book of the series—The Infinite Battle—around 2008. What I found in those pages was a wonderful space opera, filled with swashbuckling characters and adventures that spanned distant galaxies. By the end of the first chapter I found myself hooked, and read all three books with great enthusiasm.

  However, I should admit up front that the Star Hounds series wasn’t the kind of science fiction I was accustomed to. My exposure to science fiction had been primarily through sci-fi movies, and I had read only a comparatively small number of science fiction novels, most being cyberpunk. It’s somewhat embarrassing to admit, but at that time in my writing career—if you can call it a career—I couldn’t even recognize the Star Hounds series as an homage to space-operatic traditions that had arisen in the Amazing Stories era of pulp science fiction magazines.

  As fate would have it, that book was the first work of David’s that I read
and at the time I had no idea that I would one day work with its creator to further develop the series. Back in 2008, I was nothing more than a budding author, innocently searching for a freelance editor to help me learn the craft of writing science fiction.

  Luckily for me, that editor turned out to be David Bischoff.

  Fast forward to the year 2011. I had published my first novel and joined up with David to write for Hotspur Publishing on a regular basis. Hotspur was David’s own publishing house, created in response to new market conditions that had presented themselves earlier in the year. Joining up with Hotspur was a significant change for me. Though I had been aiming to publish with a big New York Publisher, I realized finally that what I actually wanted was the opportunity to continue working with David. And even though Hotspur could easily provide that opportunity, the nature of my next project was unclear. For several weeks I puzzled over what that project might be, until I spoke with Christopher Lampton, another editor associated with Hotspur. He urged me to consider a collaborative project with David.

  That idea took me by surprise. I had never done collaborative work before, but I soon realized it was a wonderful notion. For reasons that I can’t explain, I went back to my library and dug out my old tattered copy of The Infinite Battle. Thumbing through its brittle pages brought back enjoyable memories. It reminded me how much the book had provided a mental respite from my own writing, which at that point was laden with complex philosophical ideas. Don’t get me wrong; I love my writing. But the Star Hounds series showed me another side of SF, one full of romantic ideals that stemmed from the early days of pulp fiction.

  I couldn’t wait another moment. I immediately called David and proposed a reboot of the Star Hounds series. Offering to convert the existing paperbacks into e-books, I went on to suggest that we coauthor new stories together. David was thrilled. He agreed immediately and further explained that, after more than 25 years, his grand vision for adding more novels to the series could now be fulfilled.

  As soon as we ended our call, I got out a sharp knife and began cutting the spines off my beloved Star Hounds paperbacks. There was no other choice. Digital versions of the manuscripts no longer existed (remember that the originals were published back in the mid 80s) and I had to begin the task of scanning, OCRing, line editing and, most importantly of all, modernizing the manuscripts.

  Modernizing, you say?

  All you die-hard fans needn’t worry. Most of the original text remains unchanged. But David and I had a unique opportunity to brush up old concepts that didn’t translate well into the new millennium. There had been substantial changes in technology since the first Star Hounds book was published. Smart phones didn’t exist then nor did wireless computing. Even PCs were a fairly new thing.

  So David gave me a blank check to update the manuscripts as I saw fit. It was more work than I thought it would be, but it was also a lot of fun. In the process, I documented every nut and bolt that made up the Star Hounds universe. To my surprise, world-rebooting educated me on the affable pain associated with the cataloging of details—trivial or not—throughout the series. The book you now hold is the final result of all that effort. It contains the first three Star Hounds novels, plus a new novella entitled “The Planet Killer” written by both David Bischoff and myself.

  This fourth installment brings back all your favorite characters, such as Laura Shemzak, the gorgeous cyborg pilot and ex-secret agent; handsome Tars Northern, space pirate mercenary extraordinaire, who fights to save the Galactic Federation from its own demise while controlling his own lusty emotions towards Laura; and Arnal Zarpfrin, as full of evil machinations as ever. Beyond the old crew, you’ll be pleased to note that we’ve added some new characters as well. A new antagonist named Harla Zox makes Zarpfrin look tame by comparison, and there are a few more characters that you’re sure to love.

  So sit back and get comfortable. The good ship Starbow is ready to take off once again.

  I hope you enjoy the ride.

  Saul Garnell

  Mesa, Arizona 2012

  BOOK ONE: The Infinite Battle

  by

  David Bischoff

  Chapter One

  He loved her.

  His first thought as he regained consciousness was of her, as though his very ground of being was her.

  Laura.

  She was there with him, behind his eyes as he struggled up toward waking, her eyes bright, her voice insistent. “Don’t die, Cal. Don’t die! We are for each other, and I am lost without you.”

  Opening his eyes, he glimpsed the flash of machinery, the sparkle of glass, the glitter of a starfield through a vu-plate. Then the pain hit him. He shut his eyes and curled into a fetal ball. It was cold, so very cold.

  At first he thought he had a hangover. His confused mind searched for the telltale swirl of memory that was the residue of Cal Shemzak on the town. But he drew a blank. Where was the rainbow of drink, the sweet and sour? He had no recollection of women’s smiles or the perfume in their hair as he whirled them on the dance floor. No whispery surrender to his virility, either, and he knew despite his closed eyelids that he was alone now.

  He was alone and cold, with a head that ached and a stomach that churned with nausea. He fought back the almost overwhelming sensations and opened his eyes.

  Cal Shemzak lay naked upon a cool length of some silvery alloy. The slab connected to a smooth obsidian wall that seemed to roil with darkness. The floor was riveted metal. One wall was slotted by a view of raw, star-spotted space. Four meters above him, the ceiling hovered like smoked glass.

  I’m on a starship, Cal Shemzak thought, shivering. Bile was bitter at the back of his throat, but he controlled his urge to vomit. A starship … but I’m not supposed to be on a starship!

  He looked down at his naked body. A pool of blood lay by a nasty gash in his knee. His hands were scraped raw, and his wakening nostrils were filled with the rancid odor of burnt hair. “Laura,” he said, with sudden conviction. “Laura, I’ll never see you—” But no sooner did the thought form than he rejected it. He filled his mind with complex computations and formulas, solving random equations, inventing new ones. He rejected the chill in his body, and suddenly it was not so bad. Woozily he pushed himself up into a sitting position, slowly allowing coherent thought to enter again through his defense shield of mathematics. “Follow the wo wei,” he told himself in the chant that he and Laura had sung so many times. “Follow the wo wei.”

  The pain dimmed. The room within the mysterious starship sharpened into focus.

  Abruptly Cal Shemzak realized where he was.

  He was on an alien starship.

  And with that realization came the memory, which started with the pain of a real hangover.

  Cal Shemzak, postadolescent wunderkind, had a hangover. “I just don’t know, Torl,” he told his project supervisor, Dr. Torlos Ornix, as they sipped coffee above the whirring engines of the Causal Field Matrix Generator that Cal had helped to design. Neither he nor his thin, dapper companion was aware of the two Jaxdron whip-ships preparing to crack through the cloudy atmosphere of Mulliphen. Shemzak brushed back a shock of sandy hair and readjusted his Visual Augmenter implant, an action that drove a spike of pain through his cerebral cortex. He ignored the sensation (Brains don’t feel pain!) and scanned the color-depthed holographic readout from the Compunet Analyzer, trying to ascertain a shading of quark action. (Charming, he thought.) “This shows just what all the other charts show, Torl … no patterns. Totally random activity on the Prediction Gradients, and numbers that make nonsense of the Reality Window.” He looked up pleadingly, his pupils huge owing to the augmenter action. “Let me get a No-Man in here, Torl. I know they’re dangerous, but there’s no way we can make the Piercing with just this machine!”

  “Hot time at the Go-show last night, eh, Cal?” Torl took out a pack of cigarettes, withdrew one, and lit it. Cal Shemzak c
ringed at the acrid odor of the awful Beta Ophiuchi tobacco that his boss smoked. “Still enjoying the liberties provided by a colony planet? Now, what would Friend Chivon Lasster back on Earth say to a detailed documenting of your debauches?”

  “Irrelevant data,” Cal said, smiling, as he took out another pill and chased it with a swallow of black coffee. “Or should I say irrelevant date?”

  “Oh ho, a pretty one you found, then, Cal?” Torl clucked his tongue. “Now what would sister Laura have to say?”

  Cal snorted, already feeling a wave of relaxation from the Washpill. The second one always did the trick. Better living through chemistry! “Laura? Laura wouldn’t know what a good time was if it walked up and asked the time of day. About the only joy Laura gets out of life is when she gets stuck into one of those blip-ships of hers.” Cal shuddered as a wave of regret swept through him. He hadn’t seen Laura in months and he missed her badly. “Anyway, Torl, I am serious here.” He rattled the stiff holograph chart. “Unless we make some significant changes, we are going to have to report the exact same results to Friend Lasster as last quarter. Namely, absolutely zip!”