Lunara: The Original Trilogy

by Wyatt Davenport

  "Early analysis from our tactical department provided us with some encouraging numbers. The MSA overextended itself or overestimated support in many of the sectors. We believe they can’t extend their territory without exposing themselves, and the delay will buy us valuable time."

  Captain Terry thrust his hand forward. "These weaknesses within the MSA will do us no good if we can’t exploit them. Our forces on Mars are nonexistent."

  Sarah raised her hand, signaling him to be silent. "Most of our supporters from Zephyria and Trivium Port are detained in unspecified locations. Early reports say they are held up in a few hangar bays on the north side of Trivium Port."

  Terry interrupted again. "Who is in charge on Mars? Why tell us of these hopefuls without any efforts to free them?"

  Sarah waved her hand at him. "I am the commander of the Alliance. At least the bylaws of Aethpis say I am. I put Captain Dalton in charge of this mission."

  Captain Terry shook his head. "We took all our best with the fleet. No one is left on Mars to help us."

  "I left the highest ranking officer, Lieutenant Commander Kisgel, in charge," she replied hesitantly.

  Eamonn wondered what the reaction would be to Kisgel’s name. Sarah had told him that the military brass had never had a high opinion of Kisgel’s leadership abilities, and he hoped this wouldn’t create a rift between them and her. However, Kisgel had fought with Sarah’s grandfather, and she trusted no one on Mars more than him. He would remain loyal to his death. To Eamonn, that was worth his perceived lack of leadership.

  "Kisgel?" Terry said. "That old goat is as loyal as a well-fed dog, but he is a soldier, not a leader."

  "Maybe it is time he became a leader." Sarah’s eyes narrowed. "We are in a no-win situation. He is our most experienced ground soldier, and he will do his job. Anyone else have any questions about my command decisions?"

  Eamonn smirked as everyone in the room avoided looking directly at her.

  "Now let me continue," she said with a bit of annoyance in her tone. "Though Aethpis split, reports say that almost seventy percent of Aethpis’s manpower is on our side. They just need weapons." She paused. "This is where our Alliance becomes tricky, and it answers Captain Terry’s concern. The twin outer colonies of Pollux and Castor pledged support. As you know, those two colonies are renowned for their anti-government position. But they have weapons, armor, and ground vehicles. They only made one request, they want twenty percent supply rights to the meteor stones and to remain independent when we proclaim victory."

  "And you agreed to this? That is far too much. They deserve five percent of the stones; that is what their population represents," Captain Terry said, then directed his words to Eamonn. "Lunara would never give a nonaligned colony twenty percent."

  "I agreed to it already," Sarah said. "Hannah Rohen wanted thirty to start. We bargained her down to twenty. When war arrives, we must make deals to survive in the short run. I can’t even guarantee we’ll win this war to give them their percentage. Would you like their guns to go to the MSA? I have had more training and coaxing in the ways of diplomacy than you will ever know, Captain Terry. This was the best we could achieve from Castor and Pollux on such short notice."

  Terry threw up his hands. "They are greedy and rebellious and are the only major colony on Mars to remain separate from the two governments. There was even a debate on whether to consider them raiders or not at the end of the last war."

  Sarah steadied herself for an even-toned reply. "Just because they don’t agree with our form of government doesn’t make them any different from us. They want peace as much as we do. They have never been hostile with even a hovercar. Do not mention them in the same sentence as a raider."

  Terry was about to reply, but Sarah glared at him. He waved his hand, telling her to continue.

  "To complete our list of Martian support. A few small colonies offered us men and women to help in our fight. Their weapons are minimal, so we sent them to the twin colonies for hastened training.

  "But Lunara has hope. If we can cut off their supply of meteor stones, we can hurt their efforts to control Mars. Whoever controls the stones will control Mars from this point forward. The MSA discovered a secret in the stones, and we have only scratched the surface in our research.

  "We know the meteor stones are the key to this entire event. However, I can’t tell you about the MSA research because we don’t understand what they found so fascinating with the stones. They want Lunara, badly, and they captured two members of Captain Dalton’s crew. They are performing experiments on them in an attempt to figure out why the stones made them special. Perhaps Captain Dalton can explain this better. He will complete this briefing with the mission. It is vital."

  Everyone at the table turned their eyes to Eamonn. It felt like Sarah had passed him a fleet-size baton, and he wondered if he could hold it. He rolled his lower lip under his teeth and took a measured look around the table, trying to gauge their confidence in him. He found only stolid military faces.

  "The start happened on Lunara," he said finally. "More than a week ago, a medical team came aboard Lunara to conduct a physical examination of two of our crew members, starwing pilots Chloe Jones and Seth Smith. They are members of my crew who Mars Medical deemed abnormal. They didn’t have a chance to conduct their examinations before a meteor strike took them away from the colony. After we finished, we returned to Lunara only to discover that an invasion force of three cruiser-class warships had overrun it. Classification by the computer tells us they are cruiser class, but they aren’t ships we encountered before. They are fast, and they are heavily armed. They only resemble a cruiser in size. They do not fly with the same bulk or the same slow engines. I provided a briefing folder on what information we have from the recon and the Protector's encounter with one of the cruisers. I would appreciate it if you could study these to find potential weaknesses in their design. I discovered a few."

  Eamonn tapped on his keypad to scroll through a series of recon photos and 3-D enhancements. "Our recon intelligence photos indicate the three MSA cruisers are still stationed outside of Lunara in a defensive formation. One problem we experienced during the invasion of Lunara was our inability to detect their ships on radar. We still haven’t figured out how they are jamming us, but we formulated a solution that I think will work.

  Captain Terry bristled. "How can we win if we are blind?"

  "You make the other person blind," Eamonn replied. "I have ordered the Unity to drop modified mines to emit static-filled radio waves. This will flood their radar with false readings and ghost images. Once they realize that every other image is a ghost, they will ignore it and fly blind as well."

  Nods were plentiful from the captains around the table.

  He tapped on the control panel once again, the photos dropped, and a detailed 3-D image of an attack cruiser turned around the middle of the table. "For all the benefits the MSA cruisers have, I spotted weaknesses. The MSA cruisers aren’t equipped to fight in close, and using the reconnaissance photos captured by Jan Falloom, we believe the inner range of the massive weapons creates a chance for our fighters. If we are close enough, almost hugging them, they’ll withhold firing their large cannons or risk endangering their own ships. Our goal will be to get each of our light cruisers—with fighter support—in close to the three MSA cruisers. Their mission will be to drive them far enough away from Lunara for the Protector to escort the transport ships into Lunara. Our mission’s goal is to take the colony back by force from the inside, and then we can turn the defense systems within Lunara against the MSA cruisers."

  Apprehension pulled on all their faces. "I know what you are all thinking: we won’t have enough troops to take back the colony. Since we came within a million kilometers of Earth, through a secret emergency frequency, I have had limited contact with some of our officers on Lunara. They are ready to strike when we enter. They are waiting for our help, far too long, in my opinion. Read your battle plan folders and please contact me
with any questions. The odds will be against us, but we’ll need everyone’s guile and bravery."

  "How can we trust their loyalty? There is no way to know they weren’t part of the MSA to begin with," Captain Terry said, getting in first over the other captains who were ready to respond.

  "Atalo Grove and John Tarlynn contacted me. They are not a part of the MSA."

  "How can you be so sure? Thomas Cross fooled Aethpis, so I can imagine these two officers deceiving you."

  "Lunara is different from the main colonies. Our colony has no hidden agendas. Sure, John Tarlynn is from Zephyria and Atalo Grove is from Aethpis, but those colonial ties end when you step on Lunara. They want Lunara back in Ty Falloom’s control, and if they are deceiving us, which is a minute possibility, we have little to stop it. We are committed to this battle."

  "Your confidence in them gives me hope," Sarah replied. "That is all we can ask that this point."

  "He had confidence in Seth Smith and Chloe Jones as well," Captain Terry said, followed by a scoff.

  Eamonn eyed him for a long moment, unsure if he should reply or not. He decided it was better to end the meeting and let the captains prepare for the battle. Each of them had plenty to do. He rubbed the scar on his head, then placed his hands neatly on the conference table. "This battle will be difficult and will slash at your hearts and your desire to continue. You must push your officers and your troops through the barriers of doubt that are to come. We will win the battle because good always triumphs over evil."

  Eamonn sat back in his chair and hoped his final words would resonate with the command staff. Their subdued reply baffled him. Perhaps the jitters before battle were already setting in across the fleet. He hoped his words would inspire the captains’ confidence to win the battle, or at least, their confidence in him.

  The room remained silent until Sarah said a few words of encouragement and tied up a few loose ends with the captains. Once she finished, the captains left the room and returned to their ships. Sarah raced to her quarters.

  Jan stayed, and Eamonn spied her drifting toward him.

  "I need to talk to you," she said, finally walking over to him from around the table. "I was the one who told you Roche had died. Now I must tell you a more painful thing. Don’t hate me for being the bearer of bad news."

  "I could never hate you," he said, trying to comfort her uneasiness, though he saw in her face her anxiety.

  Her eyes softened. "I found out you are checking the casualty reports from Mars. I wanted to tell you what I found out using my own sources . . . I couldn’t until you told the fleet their mission."

  "What makes you think I was checking the casualty reports?"

  "You can try, but you can’t hide your emotions from me. I am your friend, and I will always look out for you. You should know that Madelyn died at the gala. The chancellor killed her, even before the minister and his family were killed. My sources told me she stood up to him when no one else would say a thing, and she was shot for speaking out, but those who were in attendance remembered her words." She tried to put her arm on his shoulder, but he walked away from her to the window. She pulled on his arm. "Don’t hate me. I just wanted to give you the news. You should hear it from a friend and not read it in some report."

  "You did the right thing. I’m torn by my actions." He stared out at the window to the red dot millions of miles in the distance. "I promised her I would be at the gala. I promised I would take her to Lunara, away from her meager life. I hurt her once before, and when I didn’t show up at the gala, I hurt her again. I didn’t think she would show up."

  A lump formed in his throat. The weight of Jan’s words began to grow like a parasite in his heart, and he wanted to cry. Yet the memory of Madelyn stopped him. For whatever illogical reason, he felt Madelyn’s rough, stubborn façade wash over him. She wouldn’t cry. She would fight.

  He swallowed. "Madelyn never got what she deserved. Many times, I was tempted to return to Mars and be with her. I was too scared to ask her if she still loved me. I never told her that I loved her."

  He continued to stare out the view port of the cruiser Unity.

  Jan put her arm around his shoulder, and they watched the transport ships return the captains to their cruisers.

  More than ever now, Eamonn was determined to win the battle.

  Chapter 34

  Gwen, with her legs spread, extended her arms to touch her toes. Her father had held her within her apartment for almost four days and had given her nothing to do, so all she could do to occupy her time was exercise. Or as she had done for many hours, drive herself crazy trying to sort out what he was up to. She decided to strengthen her body instead of eroding her mind, because when the time came, she needed to be ready. She sighed, returning to an upright position. If that time ever comes.

  The buzzer to the door rang. She slid her jacket over her tank top and before she had a chance to get to the door, it opened and in walked Samantha, dressed in the same outfit she had worn at the gala. Around her shoulder she carried a small bag.

  "So you came to apologize," Gwen snorted, narrowing her eyes when Samantha’s gaze found her across the room. "I never expected you to return."

  "Actually, since you couldn’t come to apologize to me, I am being courteous so you could say you are sorry to me."

  "Of all the egocentric things . . . you dragged me out of the gala like I was a child. You are lucky I didn’t knock your pretty little nose off." Gwen straightened her body to her full height in a futile effort to match Samantha, who was six inches taller and was also wearing three-inch heels. "Where are your guards this time?"

  "I won’t need guards." Samantha waved her hand to shrug off Gwen’s comment. "I had to do what your father ordered. I had no choice. I feel awful about it." She moved next to Gwen. "Your hair is done up pretty." She brushed it with her fingers.

  Gwen knocked her hand away. "I had time to work on it. Hours without so much as a hint of outside contact will give you the time."

  "I’m here now, and the guards spoke with you. You aren’t alone. We can talk before I have to go back to work, if you will have me." Samantha smiled, curling her cheeks into a bottomless dimple. The same smile she brought out when she wanted forgiveness, ever since they were in school together.

  "My father was here a few times. He explained most of what happened to me. I’m frustrated being locked up in here."

  "That is understandable." Samantha eyed Gwen’s reaction.

  Gwen simply smiled.

  "I can’t disobey orders," Samantha said.

  "I didn’t mean to kick you so hard . . . at the gala."

  "No bother. I brought us something." Reaching into her bag, Samantha pulled out a bottle. "Get the glasses."

  Gwen moved into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses. She paused. The face of the guard she murdered flashed in her mind. He was the enemy, she knew that now, but still, it was the wrath of her father that had scared her into murdering him.

  Samantha and her father hadn’t mentioned his death to her. The holonews didn’t report it, even before the fiasco at the gala. Her simple wish to make it go away appeared to have been fulfilled. However, her mind wouldn’t let it go. She had to justify the man’s death, and the only way to do that was to stop her father and rescue Seth and Chloe.

  She tightened her grip around the stems of the flutes and rushed into the living area. She found Samantha on the couch, handed her the glasses, and sat down. "It is good to talk to someone again. I’m going insane."

  Samantha poured the champagne. "I put in a good word for you with Seth. I don’t know how much good it did. He has his heart set on that powder-puff girl."

  "You talked to them?" Gwen straightened her posture on the couch.

  "Not since before the gala. I found them wandering in the planitia south of Trivium Port. They walked right up to the hazardous cargo facility."

  "What did Seth say about me?" Just saying Seth’s name tore at Gwen’s heart; she missed his company
. He would never love her, though. She could not think of a single scenario in which that would happen—a realization that distressed her.

  "He was interested in finding you," Samantha said. "He wanted to see you again, but Chloe kept interrupting us and cutting off the whole conversation. I gave her a hard time for you. She has no right to him."

  "She is still my friend."

  "If she was your friend, she wouldn’t be so weak, and she would give him to you."

  "You know that isn’t how love works."

  "You deserve him more." Samantha fingered her glass as she thought. "He needs your strength. He is searching for something great, and he’ll never break free to claim it if he’s pulled back by her weakness."

  "She plays possum for his benefit. She can be strong when she needs to be. Where are they now?"

  "They’re still at the Zephyrian Security Center. Your father said they would be detained for a few more days at the least."

  "How long does it take to debrief someone?"

  "It is for their protection."

  "An awful lot of protecting happening around here lately." Gwen twisted her face to narrow her left eye. She put her hand on the breast of Samantha’s jacket. "I noticed this new symbol on your uniform. What is it?"

  "MSA. The letters stand for Martian Supremacy Authority, and the spiraling effect is meant to signify a DNA strand."

  "Why a DNA strand?"

  "The DNA is humanity."

  "I can be of assistance to you." Gwen looked into Samantha’s eyes. "I love you and my father more than anyone. I know I can help. Whatever is happening, I’ll always be at your side."

  "Your father doesn’t want you involved. He says you are to remain safe no matter the cost. He worries about you the most." Samantha shifted her eyes away.