I am a huge science fiction fan so I am very excited about my new young adult science fiction series coming out this May. I'm posting the first three chapters for your enjoyment. Check out Book One -- Specter of War.
One
“Worlds are birthed in coldness, but die in blood and fire.”
-Old Maraudan Proverb.
Harcadia Colony, The Edge
United Republic of Planets
The wind was carrying the ash from the burning Bargel colony from one corner of the dying planet to the next. Tara covered her mouth to try to keep the toxins out, but she couldn’t breathe and was having a hard time staying awake. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about the horrific sights of the past few days, of the deaths. Two days ago they came, unleashing themselves on their lands like an unstoppable plague. There was no time to try to figure out why it was happening, there was barely even time to understand just exactly what was happening, all they knew was that they were under attack by a force more powerful than they could ever imagine and that they were all going to die. She tried to tune out the loud shrieks of the human and Bargel colonists who were falling under their attackers’ relentless assault. She tried to raise her body off the ground, but her head was pounding, and her legs no longer seemed to work. Tiny red rocks were grinding into her brown legs as she slowly crawled forward, and for the first time, the deep red sand that sprawled across the Bargel’s half of the planet held no beauty for her. Her braids were sticking to her forehead, but she didn’t seem to have the energy to push them back. She noticed large blotches of blood on her legs and fought back a surge of panic. Was she hurt? Was the wound fatal? She traced the path of the blood. Yes, her legs were scared, but the wounds did not seem deep enough to create this type of bleeding. She looked at the blood on her fingers. Why was it blue? Human blood was not blue. She rolled over and nearly screamed at the sight of the dead Bargel lying beside her. Its rough, hairless gray skin was soaked in its blood and its legs were clearly broken. A tear escaped her eyes as she realized what was happening. Unlike her and the other humans in the colony, the Bargel were being slaughtered without mercy. She knew though, that the colony had not fallen without a fight. The Bargel were known for their toughness and had been one of the last races of Albys to fall in the Unification War. The heat was starting to get to Tara as she continued to crawl. The orange sky seemed redder then it ever had, even as the usual afternoon rain shower began to fall. Tara knew at once that it was a sign that Yah was crying for her world. She let out a disgusted laugh. When the attacks began, her people fled to this side of the planet in hopes that the savages they often mocked and isolated would be able to protect them, but Tara now knew that this part of the planet held no salvation for anyone. She was so tired, but she forced herself forward. She had to find a place to hide and some how wait out the attacks. She had only moved a few metrics when she heard a faint cry. It was an old, human woman. Her thick braids, more gray then black, were matted across her brown forehead. Tara crawled over to the woman. The old woman was bruised and battered, her clothes were torn and her face was full of terror. Tara wished she could do something, anything to ease the old woman’s suffering, but she knew all she could do was be there.
“Help me,” the old woman whispered, her terrified gaze intensifying with every word. Tara grabbed her hand, desperate to offer what little comfort she could. The old woman pleaded for help again, but this time the plea was not to her. Tara looked behind her, frozen in fear, as one of her planet's conquerors advanced towards her. She could see the soldiers now. Their gold chest plates were glistening in the sun and the bare legs that hung out of their navy blue pleated skirts were a dark brown and their hair…Tara let out a loud gasp. They were bald! They were humans. Maraudans. Her own people were trying to destroy her. The revelation shocked Tara. For some reason she expected these monsters to be Albys.
“Help me,” pleaded the woman again.
“I will,” promised Tara, squeezing her hand. “I’ll get help.”
But before she could move, a dark figure approached. Tara could tell by her strides that she was a woman. The dark figure was wearing the same type of military gear that the soldiers wore, but you could see her long braids coming out of her gold, fitted helmet. She walked like she owned the air, the ground, and the universe. She was the most beautiful thing that Tara had ever seen.
“It looks like we have another wounded animal,” said the Dark One.
“Help me please,” begged the old woman, her voice cracking with every sentence. “My daughter… I need to get to my daughter.”
“I don’t think you’ll have much luck finding your daughter in all this,” the Dark One sneered.
The old woman began to shake. “Please, Your Highness. Please have mercy on me. I have been loyal to my Maraudan heritage and to you. I fought with your father during the Great War. Please command this mighty army…tell them…they can find my daughter...help me.”
The Dark One’s brown eyes hardened. “Alright I’ll help. I always want to help a loyal citizen of the Empire.”
The Dark One moved to her side and produced a blast pistol. Tara couldn’t breathe.
“I’ll help put you out of your misery,” she laughed, firing a ray from her blast pistol into the old woman’s chest.
Tara did not have to look down at her to know that she was dead.
“I just hate to see animals suffer don’t you?” she asked, turning to Tara. “A loyal citizen of the Empire would be in Maraudan space.”
“She was just a poor injured woman,” said Tara, in a courageous tone she didn’t feel.
“She couldn’t have done anything to you.”
“I didn’t say she could.”
The Dark One’s smile chilled Tara’s very soul.
“I suppose you are going to kill me, too.”
“Maybe.”
Tara fought back her fear. She used all the strength inside of her to pull herself up. She was Tara from the House of Yaronn. If she was going to die she was going to meet her fate with dignity.
“Why are you doing this?”
It wasn’t a plea, just a simple question.
The Dark One leaned over Tara and she could feel her breathe in her ear. “I did this to send a message Little One.”
“What message is that?”
The Dark One’s words were slow and deliberate. “That we are back.”
Tara opened her mouth to protest but she felt a burning sensation in her chest. She felt herself drop to her knees and looked up as the Dark One, her queen, walked away from her. She didn’t see the look of small regret that flickered on the young queen’s face, nor did she hear the cries of the wailing baby whose mother had been shot just two metrics away from her. By then, Tara was already gone.
Two
Councilor’s Chamber, The Great Hall
Capital City, Novia Prime
United Republic of Planets
First Viceroy Parnell Star ran his hand through his graying black hair and took a deep breath as images of what was left of the Harcadia Colony flickered and died on the large vidscreen in the center of the Great Hall. A heavy silence fell upon the room and Parnell looked at the thousands of humans and Albeings that made up the Republic Council. He saw in them a mixture of fear and anger that mirrored his own. He knew that they would all be looking to him now, expecting him to provide answers that he did not have. He leaned back in his chair and for a brief moment he was reminded of the way the Great Hall looked when he was a boy. The triangular shaped building, with its large seats that seemed to climb to the sky, somehow seemed vaster and more intimidating in those days. Perhaps it was. There were more species and more planets then that were willing to do whatever it took to keep the Republic together and at peace. That was before the Great War. Now it seemed that every system, even those in the Interior, were only out for themselves. It didn’t anger Parnell; it only made him sad. Republic citizens no longer trusted their government to look out for their best interest. The Great War had left scars and every planet now held onto a deep fear that the Maraudan Empire was this great big, shadow monster that could strike again at any time. The raid on the Harcadian Colony meant the monster had returned. His thoughts were interrupted by yet another fight that had broken out between the Spigot and Camarala Counselors. He watched as the Spigot’s white skin turned crimson; while the Camarala’s yellowish skin was turning white. He didn’t need to hear their words to know what they were arguing about. No doubt they were regurgitating every minor incident that occurred during their races thousand yarnz blood feud. He would never understand how two species that started off as the same race could have such a deep hatred for each other, current physical differences aside. The two still had many genes in common, or so Parnell was told although the Spigots stayed pale, short and relatively slender, while the Camarala, to adapt to the giant forests they now called home, were dark, tall and stocky. The concept was a little hard for Parnell to grasp. Humans, unless they were mixed with some type of Albeing, were pretty much the same: brown skin, brown eyes, wavy or course hair. There just weren’t that many radical differences in his species. He thought about the dark gray eyes that were a Star family trait and how their enemies had unsuccessfully used their unique eye color for yarnz as “proof” that the Republic’s first family had Albeing blood. Would the galaxy ever be free of these ridiculous prejudices? Parnell grimaced as the Spigot Councilor, Fernan, started twitching hysterically.
“These horrors are a punishment from Yah,” said Fernan, his high-pitched voice taking on its customary prissy tone, “a warning of what happens when you turn your back on the gods. For yarnz we have moved away from the religion that once united our ancestors. And now look what has happened. Rava has risen up from the ashes to start his reign of terror once again.”
Warma, the Camarala let out a very loud, disgusted sigh. “Not this cripe again, tell me Spigot do you think that throwing ourselves at the mercy of your god will give us the power to beat back the Maraudans, yet again?
Fernan leaned in closer. “Yah commands all power in the universe.”
“Really?” smirked Warma. “Well, all the power in the universe didn’t help when the Maraudans took over your planet Spigot. In fact, if I recall correctly it wasn’t a divine hand, but the cold hand of technological, the weapons of science that saved your race from extinction.”
“That is exactly the kind of blasphemy that I expect from a Camarala,” said Fernan, practically foaming at the mouth and shaking even harder. “You are an abomination to our shared Sacred Ancestors.”
“And you…,” countered Warma, pointing his stocky finger at Fernan, “have spent too much time in Maraudan Space. Perhaps you and your ilk should return there where you belong. After all, they fight their wars in the name of your gods. Oh,” he continued, his wide mouth twisting into a cruel smile, “you can’t can you?”
Warma’s menacing smile sent a chill up Parnell’s spine.
“Everybody knows that the Queen is a notorious humanphile,” Warma continued. “She sees all Albeings as beneath her.”
Fernan shot Warma a pointed look. “In some cases they are.”
“Enough,” said Parnell sternly. He needed to bring this tedious fight to an end. This petty bickering was tearing the Republic apart. It was a bigger enemy to them than the Maraudans could ever be. Before he could speak again, he felt a calming hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Second Viceroy Shalimar Manoor staring back at him. His thin, yellow antennas were drooped down to the side of his yellow face and his green eyes were cloudier than usual. Shalimar spoke in his usual, regal tone and the two Counselors stopped fighting at once.
“We are here to discuss where we go from here, not to dredge up old clan rivalries,” Shalimar said. “Now if you two Councilors can enlighten us on why the Maraudans would attack their own people at the Harcadia colony the Council would love to hear it.”
The two Albeings shook their heads humbly, Warma mumbling what Parnell knew to be a Camarala curse.
“Perhaps they attacked them because they were their people, retribution for leaving the Empire.”
Parnell looked for the source of the outburst and was not at all surprised to see the confident face of young Major Van Dylan staring back at him, his brown eyes coolly fixated on him.
“Or maybe she did it as a test,” the boy continued as a bead of sweat fell from his cropped, black hair, “a chance for her to see the type of hold she still has on the populace and when things didn’t go as planned she destroyed it.”
Young Dylan’s statement created a quiet buzz in the hall that only quieted when Chief Medical Officer Veera Dylan moved to the center of the room. She and Parnell’s eyes locked briefly as she gave her report on the Harcadia massacre.
“Do you think there could be any survivors?” Parnell asked. He had directed his question to Veera, but it was her son that responded.
“Humans maybe,” said Van matter of factly, “but I doubt any of the Bargel made it out alive.”
“Except as potential slaves,” Veera interjected grimly. Her face remained impassive as she made the remark, but he didn’t need to see her disheveled appearance to know the suffering at Harcadia deeply troubled her. As a medic in the last war, and now the head of Republic Medical, Parnell knew she understood the fate of those caught in the crossfire of war. He also knew she never got use to it.
“The truth is Harcadia has kept a very low profile since the war ended,” she continued. “We don’t have any statistics about the human colony let alone the Bargel tribe that lived there.”
He nodded at her words and understood the unspoken truth behind them. Harcadia wasn’t the only colony near The Edge that was vulnerable to attack. The Empire had the ability to strike out at a number of their outer colonies and they wouldn’t even know the extinct of the damage until it was too late. The implications were not lost on the Councilors as they began voicing their fears and anger all out at once. The Yalman Councilor finally spoke. The rapid clicks of the brown, hairless Albeing were hard to understand, even for the translators, but there was no mistaken her meaning and the truth behind her words. Once word got out about the colony attack it would throw the Republic into a panic they could not contain. It was not something Parnell wanted to see happen. They were having a hard time holding themselves together as it was.
“But we can not simply ignore this,” said Warma, daring to speak again.
“The Queen is young,” offered Fernan. “She might be testing us. The Maraudan Empire has been shrinking for yarnz, they are mired in rebellions, and she may just be playing some type of mind game with us to prove The Empire is still capable of such acts.”
“Then we need to send one back,” said Van suddenly, the tone of his voice demanding attention. “We all know what this latest attack by the Maraudans mean. Their new queen has been tightening her grip on her empire for yarnz and now she has set her sights on trying to steal ours. We must strike fast and hard. We must let them know that this time when they come after us things will be different.”
A loud burst of applauds and whoops echoed throughout the hall. Van looked very pleased with himself. Parnell turned his attentions back to Veera, her mouth fixed in an amused smile. Parnell was reminded once again how much like his father Van was. That hot temperament was a Dylan family trait and it seemed to him that at times Veera was amused to see that reckless spark in her son and daughter override their judgment. It was a feeling he didn’t share. When the cheers died down Parnell took the floor again.
“Would you like to continue the session Major Dylan? Or would this be a good time for me to interject my thoughts?”
“Sorry Viceroy,” said the young man sinking a little lower in his chair.
Parnell was pleased to see that he felt the sting of his words. “Despite what our young major may believe, we can not afford to make any rash moves,” continued Parnell. “This attack is obviously something we can not ignore, but we have to come up with the right response to this or we could make matters worse.”
A soft voiced responded. “I think we should wait and do nothing.”
The entire room went silent and turned its attention to the Danor Councilor. She seemed unphased by the attention, sitting calmly in her seat, her long, graying hair in a bun, her brown eyes calm and unclouded.
Parnell was the first to speak. “With all due respect Roma that is the one thing we can not afford to do.”
“You’re wrong First Viceroy,” Roma responded as calm as ever. “It is the only thing we can afford to do. What is the alternative? War. I doubt that any human or any of the Albeings here want that.”
A low, angry rumbling was now making its way across the hall.
Roma would not be silent. “There is not a Councilor here who did not either experience the war first hand or suffer as a result of it. Most of us now have children of our own, children who now face the same horrors that we once did. Who will condemn them to that, you?” Roma said, pointing to Van. “What about you Parnell?”
Parnell shook his head violently in an attempt to deny her reasoning. “Are you talking about appeasement?” The word choked in his throat.
Roma’s expression hardened. “Yes, if it comes to that.”
The muffled sounds were quickly transforming into a low roar. Parnell bit his tongue to literally stop the angry words from coming out of his mouth. He understood that humans who had isolated themselves on Roma’s world were pacifist. Tartrus, he even admired her ability to stick to her beliefs after the horror she witnessed in the war. But there were times when her strong beliefs just seemed to hinder him from doing what needed to be done.
“Spoken like a true Danor,” said Warma, his voice spitting out the last word like a curse. “This is why our planet nearly perished in the last war... cowards like you.”
Roma didn’t blink as Warma continued his tirade.
“Tell me Councilor, how many lives were lost in the war because of your neutrality?”
“We are healers,” she answered calmly. “We save lives.”
Warma snorted, “As long as there is no risk to your own people.”
“And how many more lives will be lost in a new war?” Roma countered, her eyes betraying her deep convictions.
The room erupted. Once again it was Shalimar who finally silenced the Councilors.
“I think Councilor Kamus is right,” Shalimar said. “We all know what will happen if we find ourselves in a full-scale war again. We must try to avoid that any way we can.”
Many councilors started applauding, while others started screaming angrily. Parnell heard the large, green Bolo Councilor yell “that this was madness, that the Maraudans could not be reasoned with,” as the tiny, orange Sourvo Councilor shrieked “that the Republic was now too weak to protect them.”
Parnell tried to center himself. This was too important a decision to make on the spur of the moment. Everything inside of him screamed that even thinking about appeasement was wrong, but the other alternative would be war. And war was the last thing he wanted for his son.
Three
Simulation Room 3, United Republic Airforce Academy
Capital City, Novia Prime
United Republic of Planets
Cadet Connor Star looked out of his window shield and saw no sign of the enemy vessel. He peered out of again and noticed that the hypersled that was once flanking his side was nowhere in sight. He lowered his speed to try to locate the missing vessel and realized he was near Falor Nimbus. He could see the blue planet’s large silver rings and felt his heart in his throat. It was truly an awesome sight. To most people one planet was as good as another and stars were something that just blurred by as you went through the Stargate or made the jump into hyperspace in your Starship. He was snapped back to attention when he felt a large bump on the side of the ship. He peered out of his window and saw a very unwelcome sight.
“Asteroids,” he muttered.
Another asteroid hit the side of his hypersled and it rattled ferociously as he braced himself against the control panel. He let out a small sigh, reminded himself that none of this was real and leaned back. He had been in hundreds of simulators since he started his cadet training, but he could never relax in them like his friends. The shaking finally stopped as he looked outside of his port window. He was still alone.
“Where was she?”
He smiled. Knowing Kayla Dylan as well as he did, he was sure that she had taken the most reckless path in order to beat him to the finish line. This was Kayla’s favorite race simulation, that is, when she wasn’t playing him. She had outraced everybody, even her brother Van, who was known as the best young pilot in the fleet. She hated that she couldn’t beat him. She had challenged him to a race six times in the last few weeks and he finally relented. After all, he was graduating and he wanted one last victory for the road. The thought of his impending graduation turned his mood. This time next yarn he would be an officer in the Galactic Republic Airforce. While part of him was excited about his upcoming commission, another part of him really didn’t want things to change. But this was his duty. Star men had been officers in the military since before the Republic was founded. He was going to miss everybody, especially Xayda. She still had another yarn at the academy.
What would happen to them?
He shook his head at his selfishness. If he had learned one thing from his father, it was that duty came before anything, even love. He was literally rattled out of his thoughts as his sled started shaking.
He had been bunked.
“You better keep your nose up Connor,” said the giddy female voice through his com.
Connor smiled. Kayla’s voice was one of the most familiar things to him in the galaxy. “Look who finally decided to join the party.”
“Ha. Ha. At least I wasn’t getting my butt kicked by a bunch of rocks.”
“Those asteroids came out of no where,” he laughed. “You couldn’t have done any better.”
“No? Watch me.”
Connor opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, he saw her sleek, gray ship head back towards the asteroid field. There were some people in the academy, usually of the male persuasion, that found Kayla’s recklessness attractive. However, they weren’t always caught up in one of her ill thought out schemes. He wanted nothing more than to curb that streak, if for no other reason than to protect her from herself. He saw her weaving and bobbing so gracefully through the same asteroids that had nearly torn his sled apart. His mouth fell open. She had managed to get half way through the field without one hit.
When did she become such a great pilot?
She was almost out and making her way back to him. He didn’t have to see her face to know that a big, smug smile was plastered across it.
“Looks like I’m becoming a better pilot then you,” she replied triumphantly.
“Only in your own mind, Kid,” he replied.
“Don’t blame me because you’re getting soft in your old age,” she laughed.
Kayla was at the end of the field and Connor thought she was slowing down to make her exit. Instead, she maneuvered her way between two asteroids. Connor’s heart stopped. If she stayed at that position for a minute longer, she would be crushed. The asteroids moved closer together. Kayla didn’t move. Maybe something was wrong with the ship. He moved his hand over his weapon console to fire his laser torpedoes. He was a pretty good shot. If he angled his shots just right, he could destroy one of the asteroids from here. He was about to shoot when her sled did a backwards flip at a speed that made Connor very uncomfortable. The ship just missed being squashed by the rocks as the two asteroids collided and crumbled apart. Kayla let out a big whoop. Connor has seen that move before.
“You’ve been flying with Rayne Alcazar,” he said. That idea made Connor very uncomfortable.
“Rayne has been giving me some pointers.”
“I’ll bet. You do realize that a move like that is against Academy regulations?”
“When the rule book doesn’t work, sometimes you have to throw it out and make your own.”
She was now right beside him.
“Really?” he asked, hitting her as she slid away. Kayla knew how he felt about Alcazar and all of his anti-Republic nonsense. Not to mention the fact that his selfishness and arrogance had gotten them in more deadly situations then he cared to remember. Why would he teach Kayla a trick like that? She could have been killed.
“No bunking,” she said, as she managed to steady her sled.
“Rayne Alcazar’s rules remember.”
He heard Kayla sigh. “Would you relax, Connor? It’s just a simulation.”
He was too angry to reply.
“He’s not all that bad you know.”
The warmth in her voice made him even angrier.
“Why are you always defending him?”
“Maybe it’s because I see his good side.”
“What good side?”
Kayla didn’t answer; instead she did a 180-degree turn and disappeared through the purple stargate in front of them. Connor followed. The Felar system was now a memory and they were in the Berun Cluster. Connor, however, was not done with their talk.
“Now you sound like Akeen,” he said, checking his sledomotor for possible damage.
“Well, Akeen thinks a lot of Rayne and anybody that Akeen likes can’t be that bad.”
“Is that your head or your heart talking?” Connor asked.
He heard her muffled reply and smiled. He, Kayla and Akeen had been inseparable since they were children. The children of the great heroes of the last war, they were the only ones who understood the privilege and the pressure that went along with being who they were. Growing up, they were simply known as the trio and that’s the way he liked it. They were the only two people he ever thought he could truly trust. He always resisted letting somebody into their inner circle. When Xayda, the Dominion Princess, first came to the academy it was his father who forced her into his sphere for political reasons. It had taken him, Kayla and Akeen awhile to trust her as one of their own; once they did they were the “trio of four.” Well, most of the time when he and Xayda weren’t sneaking off to be alone. And now it seemed that Akeen and Kayla were following their lead and getting together. He couldn’t blame Akeen. Kayla had grown into a very beautiful young woman. Her beautiful, big brown eyes, wide lips and black, long wavy hair were all the cadets in her class could talk about. In fact, he nearly knocked Tavis Coltor into the next galaxy when his conversation veered from Kayla’s smile to her slender figure and long, toned legs. He laughed uncomfortably at the thought. He didn’t think he’d ever get use to guys finding Kayla attractive. It did something to him. He just couldn’t put his finger on why.
“Drop it Star.”
“Aha,” he thought, her words bringing him back to the present. He had hit a nerve.
“You don’t see me asking you about Xayda.”
“That’s because she tells you everything.”
Kayla giggled.
“Maybe, I’m wrong about you and Akeen. Maybe you’re still hung up on Jack?”
He could feel her rolling her eyes. Jack Ordell was a lower prince from the Laurel Dominion. As the princess of Laurel, Xayda was legally obligated to marry him at 13, until a set of comical errors, and a dose of Connor and Kayla meddling, put a stop to it. There was some in the Dominion still fuming.
“That was just an infatuation and you know it,” she said defensively.
“So, it is my little cousin.”
“Can we just not talk about me and Akeen?”
“So, there is a you and Akeen to talk about?”
“Connor…”
Connor opened his mouth to speak when he saw the finish line right in front of him. He moved his ship toward his goal and could see that Kayla was right behind him. She was soon right next to him and he bunked her sending her to the tail again. His speed increased. He was almost there…almost there… he made it through just a millisecond ahead of Kayla and turned around just in time to see her hypersled rattle and die. He could hear her yell “dungbeat” through his com. He laughed. Beating Kayla was always a thrill.
“Better luck next time, Kid,” he bellowed out triumphantly.
“I thought you said no bunking.”
“I lied.”
Kayla was right beside him now. So close he could see her smile. He loved that smile. The simulated hypersleds started making there decent and the space around them disappeared.
“I thought Stars were genetically incapable of lying,” she said as they climbed out; taking off their helmets and looking around the now bare surrounding. “Well, beating me in a stimulator is a lot easier then beating me in a real race, as you already know,” she said smugly.
“Beating you period is easy and you didn’t beat me on Cirius 6. I let you win.”
“You did not.”
“One things for sure,” Connor said, tickling his friend and pulling her close to him. “You’ve been good training for the Airforce.”
Her laughter stop and the mood suddenly darkened. “Where do you think they’ll assign you?”
“I have no idea.”
He hoped his voice didn’t betray his anxiety. “Fledglings are usually assigned to patrol units near The Edge. You know that.”
“Yeah, but you’re not just any first yarn. Maybe you could get your dad...”
“Halt right there Kayla,” Connor said firmly, his gray eyes going a shade darker. “You know how I feel about getting special treatment because of who my dad is.”
“I know.”
They looked at each other for a while. Then Kayla hit him on the arm.
“I’m going to miss you, Connor.”
“I’m going to miss you, too.”
“I’m starved, beating you always gives me a big appetite,” Connor said, pulling her to him again as they headed out the room.
“Let’s head off to the Mess Hall and get some of that Tiranian Stew you love so much,” she said, pulling his ear. “It’s one of your last times to have it as a cadet.”
“Mess Hall food, now there is something I’m not going to miss.”
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