Deathwalker Colony

In this, the thirteenth episode of Deathwalker Colony, I recap the first twelve chapters, including Estrella's amazing journey through space visiting the many planets in the Interplanetary Authority ... from her adventures on Suidonj to the near-disaster she averts on  planet Earth.  The alien intelligence; the deadly pathogen which selectively infects certain individuals hoping to foster global chaos, has (at least for the time being) been curtailed in its efforts.   With a little help from her friends - some old, some new - Estrella has saved the galaxy.

Returning to New Australia she realizes to her chagrin that folks back home are wholly unaware of her heroics the past twelve months.  This she'll have to find a way to live with, but it's not going to pose much of a challenge.  She discovers a new way to find fulfillment.  The A.I. having been 'defeated', she can now set herself to becoming what her parents would have wanted all along:  for her to follow in their footsteps and become an advocate for the people.  This, she devotes all her energy to; touring the interior and developing close relationships with the many tribes.  She looks forward to this being the happiest time in her life.

If only it could continue!  For many light years away the alien intelligence is evolving its tactics in eradicating all intelligent life.  Previewing Part Two:  A Devilish Plan, I drop a few hints as to what's in store.  No; the alien intelligence has not been defeated and in fact is still hard at work creating yet another way to conquer the galaxy.  This new threat will catch everyone; including Estrella, completely unaware, and if successful will lead to a galactic war sure to spell doom for all civilization.

Deathwalker Colony was originally written in two parts.  The complete work is now available for purchase on Amazon as an E-book, with the paperback version soon to follow.   Download it today and you can read all of part one.  Or - if you've been following along with the transcripts included with these podcasts - simply purchase the E-book and jump in with Part Two:  A Devilish Plan and read through the rest of the story, including the exciting climax where Estrella once again must save the galaxy.  Find out how by downloading Deathwalker Colony, available right now on Amazon.

In this podcast you'll also hear what's coming up next from author King Everett Medlin.  This November, I'll be starting a new podcast series called Twin Paradox.  Twin Paradox is a book I wrote four years ago under the pseudonym Purple Hazel.  Google it and you'll find it's actually a SciFi trilogy set in the not too distant future.  You can buy the books or simply listen in while I read all three.  That's right!  I'll be podcasting all sixty chapters in this epic series starting in early November, 2020. 

Also, and don't forget, you can purchase the first two books in the Rijel 12 series, The Rise of New Australia and Return of Anarchy, right now on Amazon.  Deathwalker Colony is the third book in the Rijel 12 series, to be followed by episode four:  The Tenth Hour Man, to be coming to Amazon in early 2022.  Watch for my next series of books, a thrilling SciFi trilogy called Brynn of Ur, which should be finished by early 2021.  

Estrella returns home to New Australia after an eight week journey from Earth, only to find that people hardly knew she was gone.  There is no victory celebration held in her honor.  No medals or citations to be passed out.  They've practically forgotten about her.  What's more, few know anything about her amazing exploits for the past year saving the galaxy.

Not that she should be so surprised.  Most of the work she'd done, aiding the many planet leaders in preventing disaster, was of a top secret nature.  The public never knew of her involvement, let alone the danger they were in.  She chalks it up to experience.  Being a  leader means being a hero whenever called upon; but there's no guarantee one's efforts will ever be fully appreciated.

Pursuing a new chapter in her life, she sets herself to continuing the work of her parents being an advocate for the people.  She tours the planet; traveling around visiting the many tribes.  She now possesses first hand knowledge of their original home worlds - a great benefit in developing relationships.  However there is still a threat looming somewhere out in space and Estrella is to be caught unaware.  The pathogen.  The alien intelligence.  It has not been defeated, in fact it's hatching yet another bold attempt at colonizing the galaxy.   

Estrella researches the drug Benzo, only to find that the company producing it is steeped in controversy.  Is it the pathogen at work: or simply an evil multinational corporation called PK Industries attempting to get millions hooked on the drugs they sell?  Turns out to be a little of both; even if Devi Dacoity doesn't yet believe there's a problem.  

That's about to change.  Ironically, Prime Minister Dacoity had once headed up an investigation into that very same company years earlier, only to be foiled in her attempts at getting any convictions.  Now the shoe is on the other foot; and when people start dying by the thousands; often in the most gruesome of circumstances, Devi is inspired to act.    

Estrella squares off with the Prime Minister of Earth, Devi Dacoity.  The woman is prickly and standoffish; Estrella initially dislikes her.  It's only temporary though; once Estrella figures out how to connect with the powerful leader, since both are female politicians in an otherwise male-dominated profession.  They become fast friends.

Estrella travels down to Brussels where she is greeted by a handsome bodyguard named Edouard.  With his dreamy good looks and sexy Belgian accent, Edouard is the embodiment of young Estrella's fantasies.  It's going to be a pleasurable visit!  But things are not quite right.  Humans are acting strangely - not just the Prime Minister but everyone she meets, from dignitaries on down to common laborers.  She sees things that don't make sense.  Shocking even.  It all boils down to a single word.  Actually it turns out to be a name.

With only two stops left to make, Estrella and Admiral Slout stop off to visit planet Schpleefti.  There they arrange a meeting with the High Chief Dipodomys, also known as The Commensal.  It is a backward society they encounter when they arrive, with citizens living as peasants in an otherwise technically advanced world, complete with modern roadways, electricity, sewage, and running water.  But that's only because Schpleeftii as a people have always relied upon assistance from extraterrestrial visitors in order to catch up with the rest of the galaxy.  

Aliens have been visiting their isolated planet for over a century now, bringing with them both their money as well as their know-how, providing opportunity by the shipload.  Factory jobs created by these beings have led to regular employment for the masses and the money has flowed.  Yet the beneficiaries to this?  Besides the aliens themselves and their wealthy investors back on Suidonj and Zorgolong hoping to make a quick profit, the most obvious recipient would have to be the Commensal himself!  (And his nobles of course).  It's the way things have always been and there's little chance of things changing.  The average Schpleeftii gains nothing in the grand scheme of things; subsequently millions have emigrated to other planets as of late.  That said, Estrella finds the leader of the Schpleeftii to be both charming and accommodating.  They immediately become friends.

Estrella and her Uncle Kscheeech find out that what Sleecha Igigi is actually looking for is the services of her Slartigifijian scientists onboard Warthog.  Zorgolongians are big believers in Slart intelligence; revere them as deliverers of peace.  Their task will once again be to save planet Zorgolong from the destruction of their proud society. 

Multiple EMP attacks leveled at planet Zorgolong's cities would in all likelihood plunge the entire globe into chaos, ushering in a new Dark Age.  What the Slarts devise for a solution is two-fold.  First they will attempt to redesign the computers at the Zorgolongian Space Organization.  However if their efforts prompt retaliation by the Annunaki, they have in mind a rather ingenious fail-safe (even if it comes with consequences).  Turns out to be unnecessary.

News arrives that the Zorgolongian secret police have identified the location of Raaagh-neechk within the Annunaki compound.  They know precisely where he's living and - as Estrella suspected - that he's being held captive.  The "Dagan" have infiltrated the commune with a handful of skilled operatives posing as civilians.  The mission has now changed.  It's gone from interdiction (and likely eradication) to that of extraction.  They're going to capture Raaagh-neechk and deliver him to a nearby clearing where the Warthog will fly in and pick him up.  Estrella fears this could degenerate quickly if it leads to a battle between Raaagh-neechk's lieutenants and her own Enoshi marines.  The Warthog's captain might object to this as well; since there's no guarantee the muddy surface will bear the weight of his ship.  So many things could go wrong.  If it works, Zorgolong will be saved without firing a shot.  If it fails....

Estrella and company head to planet Zorgolong.  There they anticipate a much easier encounter, in that Zorgolong is technically allied to New Australia.  Has been for years.  The leader of the planet, one Sleecha Igigi, should be easier to deal with as well, in that Estrella has her Uncle Kscheeech to partner up with for the trip down to the surface.  He's a Zorg - speaks the language - should make things go smoothly.

But what they find when they get there is far from simple.  A bizarre string of events has led to the planet being faced with a daunting crisis; one far more dangerous than anything they've yet seen.  The pathogen?  Zorg scientists have already identified the threat and devised their own vaccine.  However that's not the problem facing planet Zorgolong.  A former government official, no doubt infected with the virus, has founded a deadly cult.  He and his followers contend that for their fellow Zorgs to ever find happiness, they must return to their ancient ways.  Abandon city life.  Sell off all their worldly possessions.  Move to his commune out in the interior.  

If it were only that innocent.  Turns out the former government official, a venerated scientist who'd once designed the planet's global defense system, possesses the ability to bring down all of Zorgolongian civilization, compelling millions to join him.  That, or perish.

Estrella and company arrive on planet Enosh, with the young female overawed at the species' focus on achieving an architectural balance with nature.  Arriving at the capital city of Feliformia she can barely make out buildings from above; not until she is aided by an Enoshi crewman named Lykoi.  What is revealed is a city full of wonderment.  Enormous edifices covered in greenery, mimicking the local landscape, or carved into nearby hillsides... often simply adapted to groves of trees.  It is truly a remarkable achievement.

Things are not so impressive when it comes to Estrella's first meeting with the planet's leader, Mayshu Ketua.  The so-called "Grand Kepala" hears her out as Estrella explains the origin of the threat to Enoshi society; that the pathogen is likely the source of what is plaguing his world.  Nevertheless the savvy old feline is clearly sizing her up; deciding whether to trust her (not to mention whether to let her and her friends live!).  But once he comes to grips with how desperately he needs the young human and her brilliant Slart scientists, he ultimately has to concede.  Question becomes, how will they ever put an end to the madness caused by the alien intelligence?  

Following a brief debate regarding where they'll head to next, it is agreed they should travel to planet Enosh.  Nothing frightens the trio more than the thought of snarling feline beasts standing six and half feet tall, many of whom fierce warriors with a tradition going back centuries, descending into violence.  Yet their fears of getting there too late may be a foregone conclusion.  For it seems two rival clans, with a history of conflict between them, have done just that.  The streets of the planetary capital are seeing regular clashes between mobs of angry clan members, leaving police perplexed at how to quell the disorder.  Worse, it's individuals from the upper echelon of society participating in the nightly brawls:  doctors, lawyers, government administrators, corporate executives, construction engineers, even college professors.  It's like their whole world is going insane!  The poor citizens of Enosh are at a loss on how to put a stop to it.

Our three brave travelers Estrella, Slout, and Kscheeech are led into a large private office by Henriff Abrafrilric.  There the trio intend to inform the obese fellow of how the pathogen has likely made its way across the galaxy and may now be infecting the population.  The assassination of Gilt Duroc gives them every reason to believe the normally peaceful - if not occasionally temperamental - citizens of Suidonj may continue degenerating into random acts of violence.  But that ends up being the least of their concerns when it turns out Prime Minister Abrafrilric seems to recognize Admiral Slout.  The two actually have a past!  And if they're going to resolve the issue of threats to the peace and tranquility of the galaxy's most industrialized planet, this will first have to be resolved.  Even if they can there's still one very sticky issue left to deal with:  namely how in the world they're going to get access to the only available suspect following the assassination of Gilt Duroc.  Not just to interview the beast.  They're going to need his brain.