Star Strike: Book 3 of the Star Man Series

by I. G. Roberts

  Cambridge Naval Headquarters

  After the engineering and construction teams solved the matter at the shipyard, Colin left them to it as they checked all the drawings for similar problems. He boarded his Shuttle with Anne and returned to Harmon. The overall design for the Destroyer still wasn’t finished. The design teams had, however, completed most of the hull design. Plenty of work remained to define the final systems configurations. These presented many problems, in particular, the power systems.

  Back in his office, Colin worked his way through progress reports. Hours later, he opened a file halfway down the list and saw that Doug Corbett wanted an urgent meeting with him. Over time, Colin had learned that the Chief Engineer deserved a fair hearing. If he wanted an immediate meeting, then the issue warranted it. Colin contacted Commander Corbett, inviting him to the office for the requested meeting. Doug bustled in minutes later, informing Colin that this was an urgent matter.

  Colin said, “Hello Doug, what’s the rush?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you like this, Sir, but one of my young Lieutenants approached me with an idea. It was a good idea and started me thinking. Since then, I’ve read the specifications for those new fighters. I’m talking about the ones planned for the new Carriers we’re building after we complete the Destroyer prototypes. Commodore, we can fit thirty-two of those little craft into a Destroyer. It’ll mean a loss of space for other things but will make our Destroyers far more flexible. Even better, we needn’t embark fighters on a ship if the mission doesn’t call them. That will leave the hangar space for other purposes. I think it will make the Destroyers more flexible. Sir, the problem is, we must know in the next few days, or the cost will rise.”

  “When you said the cost will rise, were you only talking about design costs, or did you mean construction costs?”

  “Design cost for this modification is low. Someone else is already working on the design for the fighters, and the launch and recovery systems. The specifications I have, give us all the data we need to make allowances for the Fighter support systems. Once they release the designs for the launch and recovery systems, we can fit those without a problem.”

  Colin mulled the news over for a while before deciding on a course of action. He asked, “If I tell you to make this happen, will it delay the launch of the first ship?”

  “The delay would be a week or less Sir.”

  “What if the other team hasn’t finished their designs in time?”

  “We’ll close and lock the doors. After they complete the hardware designs for the launch and recovery systems, we can retrofit.”

  “Okay Doug, go ahead. Add this to the Destroyer’s capabilities. I’ll sweet talk the money men into it somehow. I’ll sell it as a low-cost way of proving the Carrier concept. It’ll allow us to train flight crews for shipboard operations so much sooner.”

  “Thank you, Sir, I’ll start work straight away.”

  Doug stood, leaving with a much happier look on his face. This left Colin another problem to solve. He spent the rest of the afternoon mulling over the options. Colin realized he had to talk to Cambridge’s President, Ed Constantin.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  COUP

  Cambridge Parliament

  Randal Walker, the leader of the Democracy Party opposition, stood to make his speech. Randal believed beyond a shadow of a doubt, his time had come after months of preparation. Randal held a genuine belief that only he was fit to rule Cambridge. A few weeks before, a mysterious man approached him with an offer which he accepted. Since then, the man fed him information about the problems confronting the Liberals and their plans. Being cautious by nature, Randal checked out the data the stranger passed to him. When it was right, Randal capitalized on the current situation. In Randal’s opinion, Cambridge’s Liberal Party Government was on the ropes. He dreamt of snatching power from them, power to wield for himself. Oh, he’d bent the rules, even broken a few laws to get to this point, but none of that mattered in his eyes. With Randal’s inflated ego, he had no difficulty convincing himself this was his destiny. He would do anything to grasp power.

  He cleared his throat to gain attention.

  After increasing the tension by looking around the room, Randal Walker started his speech.

  “I’m shocked… shocked at the way this Government has allowed Cambridge’s defense forces to wither. It is clear to everyone; the Liberals didn’t do enough to build our forces before the recent Pirate invasion. Everyone, even the Liberals, agrees the Pirates should never have landed here in Cambridge. This Government should have foreseen the attack and taken decisive action. Instead, this Government sat on its hands until Pirates invaded our homes. They killed our people and took others into slavery. Those Pirates stole our property and damaged our infrastructure. The Liberal Government did nothing.”

  Loud jeers from the Government side of the house and cheers from his own interrupted Randal. He let the noise continue for a moment to punctuate his speech.

  When the volume decreased a little, Randal continued, “This Government has done nothing to protect our people and develop our economy. No excuse is adequate for these failures, we need a new broom. We need to develop our industries faster and rebuild our homes, but this Government doing too little.”

  Once again, the chamber erupted in jeers and cheers as the two sides expressed their opinions.

  Edward Constantin sat in his office, seething with anger at Walker’s outright lies. Walker distorted even the few truths he had almost beyond recognition. The Government wasn’t at fault here. Every single delay in building up Cambridge’s System Defense sat on the shoulders of Randal Walker and his cronies. The Government majority relied on several independents to pass many of its laws. The unfortunate thing was, too often, the Democratic Party subverted those independents to delay the Government’s efforts with pointless posturing.

  Too often, these politicians would hold up a crucial piece of Government business to force through an unrelated, separate piece of legislation. Since Cambridge’s defenses defeated the invading forces, the opposition played political games to stall several laws that would’ve helped rebuild the planet’s infrastructure. Most independents didn’t want the Democratic Party in power but had agendas of their own. Many of those programmes were incompatible with Government policy on a fundamental level.

  Edward watched as Walker continued the tirade. There were so many half-truths, outright lies, and misrepresentations in Randal’s speech that Edward hated the blatant hypocrisy. Walker was doing a thorough job of painting the Government as incompetent and himself as the knight in shining armor who would rescue the world. Try as he might, Edward couldn’t think of a way to counter Walker’s attack. The way the people who caused the recent problems were so blatant as they tried to turn the blame on the Government left Edward dumbfounded. Every tactic he thought of would diminish him.

  In the parliamentary chamber, the Government’s house leader Arlin Hayden tried to speak time after time. The Chairman called him to order every time to make him sit out Walkers tirade. It occurred to Arlin, the opposition must’ve turned the chair somehow. There were too many breaches of standing orders from the Opposition allowed while the Chairman excluded several Government members from the chamber for far less severe offenses. On one occasion, the Chairman even made a rule up on the spot excluding a Liberal based on that new standard alone. The entire situation seemed surreal, like a nightmare.

  In his office, Edward feared the opposition was attempting to mount a coup. It was apparent they were trying to snatch Government from the Liberals. Oh, the Democratic Party clothed their actions in thin coverings of the democratic process, but it was still a coup. He appreciated he had to act fast or the Liberal Party might lose Government. This was war, and the best warrior Edward knew wasn’t far away he hoped. Still, before acting, Edward called in several of his advisers to discuss the situation.

  Whatever they did, they had to do it fast. While waiting, Edward contacted his
wife, Teri. When she answered, he asked, “Have you seen Walker’s performance in the house?”

  “Yes Edward, I have. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m about to chat with my staff about it. There are several ideas, but I should check the legalities first. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Edward didn’t know why, but he sat and wrote a note to Teri.

  It said, < Please don’t show this to anyone or speak of it around the residence. Walker shouldn’t know these facts. I want you to meet with Commodore Gordon and discuss this with him. See what options he can suggest. This is war, it’s just taking a different form to his regular battles. Tell me what he says. Oh, one other thing, try to keep the meeting, low key, or at least find a legitimate excuse for it if you can. >

  Although he wasn’t aware of it, Edward’s main problem was that eavesdroppers listened to his conversations. The Presidential Residence, the President’s Office, and his communications were all being monitored for anything that might help his enemies.

  Edward finished his note to Teri when his staff entered. They already understood the reason for this meeting. These people always monitored parliamentary sittings. They were professionals, so when today’s debacle began, they made the required preparations. While they hadn’t completed researching the legal minefield, they had enough to give sound advice or at least reassurances.

  Edward Constantin said, “You’ve seen today’s events in the chamber. I’m sure our Chairman is breaking the law. Damn it, he’s not even trying to hide his bias. It’s obvious, somebody in the opposition bought him. We must learn his price. Jason, that’s your job. Find out how the Democratic Party is influencing our Chairman. The rest of you, we must find every illegal act, every law they’re breaking. We need to learn what they had for breakfast every day last year and the previous year. Hell, I want to know everything these bastards have done and had for breakfast every day since their mother gave them life. Get on it.”

  The staffers chorused yes Sir, or yes Mr. President then turned to leave. Edward watched as his team filed out of the room and wondered how Teri would handle Commodore Gordon.

  Everything Edward said went into a report that would, with suitable alteration, find its way to Randal Walker.

  Harmon

  Teri slipped out of Government House and traveled to a location where nobody would see the planned meeting. She was a good deal sneakier than Edward with cloak and dagger activities. As a young woman, she had served in the military as an Intelligence Officer, even working for DNI. To set this up, she’d used an unknown Comms device to contact a trusted ‘friend.’ Teri’s ‘friend’ contacted Colin and informed him that Teri wanted a meeting and where. Teri’s ‘friend’ arranged to meet Colin, then contacted Teri and held an innocuous conversation to inform her that Colin accepted the invitation.

  Colin, along with Kevin Stark, slipped into a small house on the outskirts of Harmon to find Teri Constantin waiting for him. As usual, she greeted him like an old friend then got down to business. She showed him the video from the day’s session in Parliament. The content shocked Colin, both what he was seeing and hearing. The worried look on Teri’s face confirmed his concerns. While he still didn’t know Cambridge’s laws, Colin thought this must be illegal. In Colin’s opinion, if this wasn’t illegal, it should be. After they watched the footage, Teri asked him what they should do. Colin mulled everything over for almost an hour before replying. When he responded, it stunned Teri by the breadth of his understanding.

  “Teri, Edward must not allow this to continue. From what you’ve told me, and from what I’ve seen here today, you have several corrupt politicians. It is imperative for the Government to expose them. For every lie the opposition comes out with, you must prove these people wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt. If they distort the truth, put it into the correct context and make it easier for the public to understand. Do it, so people appreciate what’s happening. Transparency is crucial here Teri. From what I’ve heard, they were the ones delaying construction on the Patrol-Boats, make sure our public hear. Use undeniable evidence to remind people of this point. The Government must take credit for their successes. They must also make sure blame for their failures lands on the opposition. Teri, the media always looks for a good story. Give them the scent, and perhaps a little discreet help. They’ll do the rest unless they’re also in the opposition’s pockets. I hope the Government doesn’t have too many skeletons because the media is likely to expose them as well when they dig. Be ready to feed the media verifiable facts to keep them interested. If you’re caught when a skeleton comes to light, admit it and beg forgiveness. Have reasons for whatever it may be, admit misjudgments when they find a skeleton, it’ll go away faster that way. That’s all you can do. I’ll try talking to DNI, see if they can find out something. I’ll tell you if I find anything you can use. Keep contact with me the same way as you did today. I’ll call in two days to talk to Edward about changes to the Destroyer design and bring someone along who I expect you’ll both like to meet. Now, you should go before you’re missed. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Teri said, “Thank you for the advice, Colin. I’ll pass it on to Edward.”

  She left to return to Government House. By then, Cambridge’s Government was descending into chaos.

  After she’d gone, Colin turned to Lieutenant Stark.

  “What do you think Lieutenant? Should I get involved?”

  Stark appreciated that they were talking business when Commodore Gordon used the title rather than his name. The Commodore always used his title for professional communications. Colin did sometimes use Kevin’s name when addressing the Marine but only when they were both in a safe place, and even then, Colin reserved it for social communication. Stark understood, he might refuse to answer. There wouldn’t be any fallout from Commodore Gordon but answered, anyway.

  “That’s up to you Sir. I will say we should all take an interest in our Government. Bad Government often involves a disinterested populace and a complicit media. The leader of the opposition has taken legal action against several media outlets though, so they are a little gun shy with him. I expect if real, verifiable evidence of corruption involving Randal Walker fell into their laps, the news services will publish it with glee. The media must be cautious with their reporting, or they risk a court appearance, but if the information is certified as true, a court case won’t go far.”

  “Can we bring this guy down using legal avenues. I have the sense, he’s dangerous, I have an itchy feeling down my spine. I’ve learned to trust that feeling. It’s obvious he wants power for the sake of it, not because he intends to help the people of Cambridge. It’s unfortunate, but too many politicians suffer those delusions in my experience. They will do almost anything to gain power and keep it. What’s worse, they can always justify horrendous acts to do so.”

  “In answer to your question Commodore, you shouldn’t involve the military here. That will introduce its own unique problems. If you or we intervene… well, our intervention must be covert. Something like anonymous tips to the press or perhaps another interested party should do the trick.”

  “I’m sorry to involve you in this Kevin. This is inappropriate, but I needed an opinion, you understand the issues. I believe I see who can help. Kevin, let’s go, it’s time I saw a man about a dog.”

  Stark looked at Colin with an unreadable expression on his face. The Lieutenant hadn’t heard Colin’s expression before, nor had he seen a dog, whatever that was. Colin saw the look, chuckled and said, “I’ll explain another time. I need to drop by my office at Headquarters to collect something. Afterward, a trip to the training base is in order.”

  Training Facility

  After leaving the building where he met Teri Constantin, Colin concluded it was time to chat with Dave Bach at the training base. Colin understood he shouldn’t undertake his planned activities but considered he must act to help Cambridge’s democracy. On his way to the training school, Colin dropped by the office
to pick up the one item, he needed for the meetings he planned over the next few days.

  When they arrived, Colin’s Marine security detachment checked the building then moved outside to leave the Navy personnel alone. Colin decided he should spend a little time discussing the progress his people were making with their work on the Destroyer.

  Colin asked, “How are you all going?”

  The others all chorused that they were okay, so Colin continued, “How much progress are you making?”

  Kelly Downer replied for all of them, “We’ve made quite a lot, Sir. We’ve checked the specs for the Destroyers, and the tactics you and others devised for the Taipans and Cobras. We can extend the existing tactics to work as a basis for Destroyer tactics. The Harmon class will make the current generation of Destroyers obsolete. The planned new weapons and the ability to carry out multiple Micro-Jumps in quick succession are game changers. Add the overpowered Shields and dense Point-Defense, and we’re talking about a ship with extreme capabilities. It will take a much larger Fleet or incredible luck to beat these vessels in battle.”

  “Always remember Lieutenant, an incompetent or poorly trained crew can make their own bad luck. Still, well-done everybody. I knew we could count on you. Now I need a private word with Mr. Bach. Is there a secure location we can talk?”

  “Yes Commodore, use my office. It’s quiet and private.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant. Mr. Bach, may I have a word please?”

  “Yes, Commodore.”

  The two men remained silent until Colin closed the office door. Colin pulled his surveillance jammer from his pocket and activated it hoping it would defeat any bugs.

  Colin started, “Before we get too far into this conversation, I must tell you, our discussion is to stay confidential. Only you and I are to know what we discuss today. If anybody asks, we talked about the Sensor suite for the Destroyers. I’m planning to ask you for a favor. You may refuse with no negative consequences. I admit I shouldn’t be asking you this, but I will, anyway.”