Second Visitor to the Stars

God no! said Prim Nostoc, Chief Receiver of Colony Ships on New Hormong. The occupants of those "empty" cryostasis chambers on Colony Ship 50 are not Hormong! Left behind when explorers from the Earth starship Columbia fled the space ark, they called Second Visitor, to avoid incineration by the sun, Chase Summerfield, Cheryl Cummins, and Harlan Smith awaken three hundred years later and 30 light years from Earth. The Hormong invoke the Chief Directive, and the earthlings begin to form a colony on New Hormong. An idyllic existence lasts until Colony Ship Receiving finds the desiccated remains of creatures from hell on Colony Ship 66. Fifty years later, Colony Ship 71 arrives, having been boarded and searched by the same sentient but hideous creatures: Crushnock from the planet Crushnong. Heavily armored, these creatures (sentient or not, neither earthlings nor Hormong could think of them as anything else but hideous creatures) have a second set of hands with index finger rapiers, second finger claws, third finger can openers and fourth finger syringes. Fifty more years pass, and then the arrival of Colony Ship 76 confirms the worst fears of the Human-Hormong (Humong) Confederation. The Crushnock have boarded the vessel and stolen replicators. From a large hole in the side, hastily patched over, the Crushnock have removed cryostasis chambers for duplication. Prim Nostoc and his assistants find a Crushnock in stasis, but it breaks its restraints during questioning. Before Hormong android soldiers can cut down the monster with blaster fire, it kills one Hormong with a rapier finger while screaming. "Hormong, all of you will die." The Humong begin construction of a vast battle fleet to defend their planet. An apocalyptic battle with the Crushnock invasion fleet ensues, but can the Humong prevail against an enemy that will keep coming until they have won the war, or are all dead?