Tetus knew it would take many long years to build the Zaltule clan back up to its former numbers. Years where they would have to remain hidden from their enemies. However, someday the Zaltule would return to the empire to claim what was rightfully theirs. The Kleese Empire and the Humans would someday tremble with fear when the Zaltule made their presence known once more.
-
Ryan and Casey were sitting in their new home in the New Eden habitat inside Vesta. It had been three months since their rescue from the ruins of Smithfield. Unfortunately, many of their Marine friends had met their deaths when the antimatter warhead had detonated.
“So, how does it feel to be married?” Alexander asked from where he was sitting next to Lauren.
“Yes,” Lauren said with her eyes twinkling. “What’s it like to be able to have sex whenever you want?” She squeezed Alexander’s hand. Casey had finally come forward and told Lauren about how Alexander had stayed at her side when she had been injured and held her hand for hours in the med bay of the Deliverance.
Casey blushed and smiled. “I love being married. It’s everything I always dreamed of.”
“Any children planned?” asked Lauren. She knew Ryan and Casey had been discussing it, particularly now that the war was over.
“Ryan’s mom and dad are wanting us to start a family soon,” Casey admitted. “I think Ryan and I want to enjoy married life for awhile before we have any kids, but when we do I want at least three!”
“Three!” gasped Ryan, his eyes widening.
“Yes, three,” Casey said firmly.
“What about the two of you?” asked Ryan, looking over at their two friends.
“We’re still exploring out relationship,” Lauren answered with a grin. “If Alexander continues to behave, who knows what may be in our future.”
Ryan nodded. It was good to have friends like Lauren and Alexander. With the war over, they could now all live normal lives. Lives that a few months before they all thought they never could have.
-
Colonel Wade Nelson was standing in the middle of Smithfield with Mason Randle looking at the piles of ruins. Construction equipment was already working hard at clearing the rubble. There were even a few work robots that had been reprogrammed for civilian construction work.
“It’s hard to believe it’s gone,” Mason said as he looked sadly around at the devastation. “My grandfather and father spent years building Smithfield.”
“You did a lot of it too,” Wade said. “If not for what you did, the Human race wouldn’t have survived. Everything here that was destroyed can be rebuilt.”
“Two hundred thousand people died in the shelters here in Smithfield,” Mason said. “We should have built the shelters deeper and stronger.”
“No one could have predicted the Zaltule setting off an antimatter bomb like they did,” Wade replied. “Most of our people survived, and in a few years Smithfield will be newer and better than it was before.” In the distance, Wade could see Captain Stern and Lieutenant Guthrie. They had a number of Marines in Type Three battlesuits with them helping to sift through the rubble.
“You’re right,” sighed Mason. “I’d better get back to Adrienne. She gets aggravated if I’m late for supper.”
Wade nodded his understanding. Back home in the Viridian habitat, Beth and Erick were waiting for him. It was strange not to be running from one crisis to the next anymore. He was even considering retiring from the military and working at the cloning facility with Mason. It would allow him to spend more time with his family and that was more important than anything else. Only the day before, Beth had told him she was pregnant again. Tonight they were going to tell his parents. He knew they would be extremely excited and thrilled at the thought of a new Nelson coming into the world.
-
General Mitchell, Fleet Admiral Kelly, and General Pittman were sitting in Mitchell’s office discussing the current state of affairs.
“Eight hundred and seventy thousand people were lost on Mars,” General Pittman said, shaking his head. “Plus two hundred thousand at Vesta.”
“General Sanchez has reconstruction well under way,” General Mitchell commented. “We even moved Freedom Station to Mars to help.”
“What’s the latest reports from the Alliance and the Kleese Empire?” asked Pittman. He knew much had changed in the last few months.
“The Kleese have agreed to allow the Alliance complete control of all worlds in Sectors Eleven and Twelve,” Fleet Admiral Kelly answered. “They have a lot of problems of their own cleaning up what the Zaltule did to their empire, and with our surviving fleets they don’t want a war. They’ve agreed to return all the former nonaligned worlds back to their former status as set up by the original neutrality agreements. Trade will be allowed between all nonaligned worlds and the Alliance under the condition that no Alliance or Human warship can venture out of Sector Eleven or Twelve into other parts of the empire.”
“They killed all the Zaltule and their Queens,” commented Fleet Admiral Kelly. “They practiced genocide against their own race.”
“The Kleese don’t consider it genocide,” General Mitchell said. “When their former Supreme Overlord returned with the Strell, they annihilated the Zaltule, who they deemed a threat to the other Kleese clans. They did the same thing in their remote past during the clan wars on their home planet.”
“So the Zaltule are gone,” Pittman said in a pleased voice. Then he noticed the strange look that passed between General Mitchell and Fleet Admiral Kelly. “What is it you’re not telling me?”
General Mitchell took a deep breath. “Between the Kleese and us, we may not have gotten them all. From the intelligence we’ve been able to gather, a large, specially built trading station was taken from the construction facility in the Kleese core system of Sherlund. It along with an estimated three thousand Zaltule battlecruisers are missing.”
“Crap!” muttered Pittman, his face turning pale. “Where are they?”
“No one knows,” Fleet Admiral Kelly said. “They seem to have vanished. The Kleese feel a Zaltule by the name of War Overlord Tetus has fled the empire to parts unknown with them.”
“Who is this Overlord Tetus?”
“He was Supreme Military Overlord Harmock’s second in command,” Kelly replied.
Pittman shook his head. “So we may have to do this all over again someday.”
“That’s unknown also,” answered Kelly. “The Kleese believe they killed all the Zaltule Queens. If that is so, then the Zaltule will soon be a thing of the past. However, just to be on the safe side, President Raytol is insisting the Alliance keep a large military fleet for its own protection as well as ours.”
“So, what do we do now?” asked Pittman.
“We rebuild,” General Mitchell said. “We rebuild our population, start the terraforming of Mars, and someday restore Earth to what it was before the arrival of the Kleese. Before I die, I want to walk the wheat fields of Kansas one more time.”
General Pittman stood up and went and got three glasses from a cabinet, which he filled from a special bottle he had brought. Still standing, he looked at the others and held out his glass. “To Earth,” he said.
“To Earth,” repeated the others as they stood and touched glasses. They were all excited about the future in front of them. It was bright and full of hope without the shadow of war.
-
Marken was at home in the Kivean asteroid. He was standing out on the balcony looking at the colorful lights of the buildings. It was the night cycle and the buildings were beautiful to look at. His Human friends said the Kivean city looked like something from a fantasy story with its tall, slender towers and brightly painted colors. A gentle breeze was blowing and he smiled as Harnett came out and took his arm.
“It’s done,” he said, feeling complacent. For the first time in his life, there was no fear or worry in the back of his mind. His gambit with the Humans had paid off. Even though the Kleese Empire hadn’
t been destroyed, it was but a shadow of what it once was.
“Supper’s ready,” Harnett said. “I cooked your favorite.”
Marken turned and gently kissed Harnett on the lips. In the background, he could hear a baby crying. Harnett and Malton had finally managed to combine the DNA and a new Kivean child had come into being. Marken had a son and he had so much to tell him someday.
“Let’s go inside,” Marken said as they went to check on the baby. For the first time in his memory, the galaxy was at peace and the Kivean race could grow without fear. Marken was looking forward to a long and beneficial relationship with his Human friends. There was still so much ahead in their future and the Humans still had a lot to learn.
The End
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Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Other Books by Raymond L. Weil
Available on Amazon
Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book 3)
The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)
The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)
The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)
The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars Book 7)
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Dragon Dreams
Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars
Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening
Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon
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Star One: Tycho City: Survival
Star One: Neutron Star
Star One: Dark Star
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Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)
Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)
Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Book 3)
Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (Book 4)
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (Book 5)
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The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)
The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2)
The Lost Fleet: Oblivion’s Light (Book 3)
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The Star Cross (Book 1)
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(All dates are tentative)
The Lost Fleet: Genesis (Book 4) May 2016
The Star Cross (Book 2) July 2016
Turn the page for an introduction to The Star Cross (Book 1).
The Star Cross
The Star Cross Series (book 1)
Chapter One
The Earth’s eight-hundred-meter-long heavy battlecruiser Star Cross slid silently through empty space, the ship’s powerful sensors scanning everything ahead and around it. Her four light cruiser escorts were in screening positions, protecting the massive battlecruiser from attack. The six-hundred-meter-long light carrier Vindication followed closely behind, protected by six small destroyers. Each ship was on high alert, and tensions were high among the crews. Everyone glanced anxiously at one another, wondering what was awaiting them at Earth.
In the Command Center of the Star Cross, Admiral Kurt Vickers watched the main viewscreen, which was focused on the light carrier, as four Lance fighters left the flight bay to patrol in front of the fleet. The light carrier had twenty fighters in its bay, plus ten small Scorpion bombers.
“CSP has been launched,” Lieutenant Lena Brooks reported, as four friendly green icons appeared on her sensor screen. The twenty-eight-year-old woman let out a quiet breath.
Vickers could tell Lena was hoping they would remain undetected by her rapid breathing. She wasn’t the only worried one in the Command Center.
Lena focused her hazel eyes upon the admiral, awaiting further orders. She trusted him to bring them through the coming ordeal.
“Current status?” asked Vickers in a steady voice, turning to his XO and commander of the battlecruiser, Captain Andrew Randson.
The captain checked several data screens before answering the admiral. “Long-range sensors indicate no unusual movement from the enemy ships. I don’t think they detected our hyperjumps.” Randson let out a deep, ragged breath.
He seemed to be feeling the tension running through the Command Center. Everyone’s nerves were on edge. The first part of the mission was a success. They had jumped into the Sol System without the enemy becoming aware of the small battle fleet.
Admiral Vickers nodded, as his gaze returned to the main tactical screen, now displaying information from the long-distance scans. He felt a tremendous weight of responsibility upon his shoulders, knowing his next few decisions could well determine the future of the human race. His fleet was the last fleet Earth still possessed; all the others had been destroyed by a vicious and unknown enemy.
The Command Center crew waited his further orders in silence. Everyone wanted to know what had happened here in their home star system, and if their friends and families were still alive. Kurt knew they had good reasons to be concerned.
-
Two weeks back a mysterious and hostile alien fleet had appeared out of hyperspace and annihilated the two human fleets permanently stationed around Earth for protection. The majority of the ships had been destroyed before their shields could be raised or a single weapon fired. Only a few had managed to fight back and then only briefly. This wasn’t surprising, as no aliens had been detected by any of Earth’s long-range exploration ships, and no one had been expecting an attack. So the ships had been at a low level of alert. Many of the crewmembers had even been on leave down on Earth.
The Star Cross and her fleet had been in the Newton System, practicing maneuvers and testing the new particle beam weapons the battlecruiser and the light cruisers had been equipped with. The Newton System held a thriving human colony of nearly eight million inhabitants, plus a large orbital station designed for deep-space exploration and minor ship repair. The colony had a number of large scientific outposts, since ships sent on exploratory missions were required to report to Newton before being allowed to return to Earth. Newton was also the only true Earth-type planet to be discovered so far in the humans’ explorations. Humans could survive on other planets, but none could compare to Earth or Newton.
A heavily damaged light cruiser had limped into the Newton System and reported the shocking news of the attack on Earth. The ship’s commander, Captain Owens, had barely escaped and had lost over half of his crew in the brief battle above the planet. The report of the attack had shaken the Newton colony, and, after conferring with the colony’s governor, it had been decided that Admiral Vickers would return to the Solar System. His mission was to determine the current condition of Earth and the number of alien ships still present.
-
“What now?” Captain Randson asked, as he stepped closer to the admiral. Upon the tactical screen, a large number of red threat icons were visible. “Twenty alien ships are in orbit above Earth. Four of them are approximately the same size as the Star Cross, and the rest seem to be similar to our own light cruisers.”
Vickers nodded. “From the reports we received from the captain of the light cruiser, the alien ships are heavily armed. I don’t want to risk an engagement with them at this time if we can avoid it. We have the Newton colony to think about. Our fleet is their only means of protection.”
“The enemy ships are still above Earth,” Randson pointed out. “They may not even know about Newton.”
“We can’t afford ship losses,” Kurt replied with a heavy sigh. “Governor Spalding specifica
lly requested that we return to Newton rather than risk involvement in a major combat operation.”
“You don’t have to answer to Spalding,” responded Randson, raising his eyebrow. “Fleet Command and the president are on Earth.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Kurt said. “If Earth has been conquered, then Governor Spalding’s next in line for the presidency. There are no other high ranking members of the government off Earth.”
Randson was silent for a moment, as he seemed to consider that. “So what do you want to do?”
“We need more information.” Kurt had spent hours with Captain Owens, going over the tactical data recorded during his light cruiser’s brief battle above Earth. It had been painful to watch as Earth’s proud space fleet had been all but annihilated.
“Our new particle beam weapons should give us an advantage,” Randson carefully pointed out. “None of the ships we had over Earth were equipped with them. I’m very concerned about what the aliens may have done to our people.”
Kurt didn’t like entering such an unknown situation while the Solar System was so quiet. The Moon and Mars both held sizable human colonies. The total silence was eerie and frightening as to the possible cause that ceased all communications. Normally the radio frequencies were full of transmissions and messages. “Can we detect any transmissions from Earth, the Moon, or from Mars?”
“No, and all the scientific outposts are also silent. Not a peep coming from the asteroids or the moons of Jupiter and Saturn,” Randson replied with growing concern in his eyes. “It’s just too damn quiet! I can’t believe they’ve all been wiped out.”
Kurt could only imagine how Randson felt. His wife and twelve-year-old daughter were on Earth, just outside of Houston. So was Kurt’s sister and her family.
“We could send in a couple destroyers,” Randson suggested, “to check on some of the outposts.”
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 5) Page 36