The Star Cross
Page 34
“How do we ensure it doesn’t happen again?”
“We acquire a defense grid, similar to the one that Admiral Vickers put around Newton, then we must rebuild our shipyard. We need to complete our fleet and secure our own planet before we even consider a retaliatory strike against the Profiteers.”
“Why not just purchase the ships at Kubitz, like Fleet Admiral Vickers did. Wouldn’t that be faster?”
“Strange thing about that,” Tomalson said. “While it’s true that the ships Admiral Vickers purchased are very powerful, they still are only moderately armed for their size. I think we can come up with a much more powerful design on our own that will be better suited to our defense. Kurt plans on completely reworking his new ships. Also a clause in the ships’ purchase contracts prevents their use against any world of the Gothan Empire. To attack one world with a ship built at Kubitz is the same as declaring war on the entire star cluster.”
Mayfield remained silent for quite some time; then he turned toward Fleet Admiral Tomalson. “This is a new day and age,” he said in a somber voice. “We’re not alone in the galaxy. It’s full of numerous human and alien races. We’ll have to learn to cope with that or fade away into history.”
“We won’t fade away,” promised Tomalson. “Not when we have people like Kurt, who can help to lead us into this new future.”
Mayfield nodded. Perhaps Tomalson was right. “Let’s go back inside. We have a lot of planning to do.”
-
Several days later Kurt was back on Newton. He had left Rear Admiral Wilson in the Solar System to see to its defense. In another week, Kurt would be going to Kubitz to see about purchasing a defense grid for Earth. A special team would be going along also to see what they could find that might help clean up the radiation from the nuked sites. With any luck, Earth would shortly be free of radiation, and it could begin to heal.
“What are your plans?” asked Andrew, as he and Kurt walked toward the flight bay.
“Down to report to Governor Spalding and then off to the mountains for a few days.”
“Rest and relaxation,” responded Andrew in understanding. “I may do something similar with Emily and Alexis. It would do us all some good to get away for a few days. I promised Alexis to take her to the beach and teach her how to surf. The only problem is, I haven’t done any surfing in years.”
“I think some R & R would be good for all of us,” agreed Kurt. “We’ve been through a lot these past seven months.”
“I don’t suppose Keera might be going with you on this trip?”
Kurt allowed himself to laugh. “Yes, she really wants to go. I promised to show her the mountains and the snow.”
“She’s good for you,” Andrew said with a smile. “Don’t mess it up. Also stay away from Newton Station. I understand Grantz is looking for you.”
“He has probably come up with a new way to earn more gold.” Kurt grimaced. “I’ll put him off until I come back from the mountains.”
“We could always take him back to Kubitz with us,” Andrew suggested. “I’m sure Lieutenant Tenner could use his services. That’s where he’s supposed to be anyway.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Kurt answered with a nod. “I’ll be sure to tell him that the next time I see him.”
-
A few days later Kurt and Keera were in the mountains; they had elected to stay at one of the large ski resorts, as it offered so many amenities. They had spent most of the afternoon sitting in the lounge of the resort, taking it easy and talking about what was ahead for Newton and Earth.
“You have no idea how fortunate you are to be this far out from the big civilizations,” Keera commented, as she sipped yet another tea that she had never tried before.
“Why is that?” asked Kurt, pausing to take a drink of his coffee. “I would think it would have a lot of benefits.”
“The big civilizations look down on those of us who aren’t as technologically and socially advanced,” Keera explained. “It’s one of the reasons the Gothan Empire has flourished for so long. The midrange civilizations seem to serve to keep everyone in check. They have the space navies that limit aggression and help to keep the Gothan Empire—and others like it—under control.”
“That didn’t help Earth much,” Kurt pointed out.
“Earth and Newton are in a backwater area,” Keera explained. “There haven’t been a lot of exploration ships out this way. That’s one of the reasons the Profiteers search out worlds like yours to exploit. Most of the civilized races of the galaxy are gathered farther in, toward the galactic center, where there are more stars. You also find some in the larger star clusters. My own home world is inside a star cluster where the stars are less than half a light-year apart.”
“I wonder how many other undiscovered worlds are out there.” Kurt asked.
“Probably quite a few,” Keera answered. “After all, the galaxy is quite a big place, and most of the outlying areas remain unexplored.”
Kurt nodded. He wondered if it would be too soon to resume their exploration program to look for those other worlds and races. It might be wise to search out and find a few allies against future threats.
Keera looked over at Kurt with a mysterious smile. “Why don’t we go up to the room? It’s been a long day.”
“Go ahead,” answered Kurt. “I’ll make arrangements at the front desk for some ski lessons for tomorrow. I think you’ll love skiing.”
“Okay,” Keera said, as she stood up. “Just don’t be too long.”
Kurt watched Keera walk off, and, after quickly finishing his coffee, he arranged for the lessons. Then he took the elevator to the fourth floor, where their suite was. It had a balcony with a fabulous view of the mountains. If he timed it right, they could sit outside and watch the sunset.
Placing his key card inside the lock, he heard it click open, and he went inside, locking the door behind him. He didn’t see Keera anywhere, but he could hear the shower running. Walking over to the balcony, he opened the doors and stepped outside. Looking up, he knew that the Star Cross was above him. Lomatz had left the day before, along with his ships. As per their agreement, Kurt had furnished the arms dealer with an operational particle beam cannon and the plans to create more. For the first time in many months, Kurt was at peace with himself. The war was over, at least for now; Earth was free, and his sister and her family were safe here on Newton.
He wasn’t sure if anything would be done about High Profiteer Creed and his attack on Earth. That was something to be decided in the future. For now Kurt just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet of the mountains, plus spend some quality time with Keera. He heard the shower stop and then, after a moment, footsteps crossing the floor. Turning around, he saw Keera standing there in a blue gown that left very little to the imagination. Kurt felt his breathing quicken and his heart beating faster. Keera looked stunning!
“You said your favorite color is blue,” she said demurely, as she stepped up to him and put her arms around his waist.
“Yes,” Kurt answered. “It always has been and always will be.”
Keera smiled. “Then kiss me, silly. We have all night to discover what your other favorite things are.”
Kurt did as she asked. He was glad the night was still young, and, for once, he felt that the future looked very bright.
If you enjoyed The Star Cross and would like to see the series continue, please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and also help sell books. Reviews can be just a few short sentences, describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website, link below. Thank you for reading The Star Cross and being so supportive.
For updates on current writing projects and future publications, go to my author website. Sign up for future notifications when my new books come out on Amazon.
Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Other Books by Raymond L. Weil
Available on Amazon
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)
-
Dragon Dreams
Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars
Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening
Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon
-
Star One: Tycho City: Survival
Star One: Neutron Star
Star One: Dark Star
-
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)
-
The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)
The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2)
-
The Star Cross (Book One)
-
(All dates are tentative)
The Lost Fleet: Oblivion’s Light (Book 3) December 2015
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (Book 5) February 2015
Turn the page for an introduction to The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search.
The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search
A Slaver Wars Novel
Chapter One
Admiral Race Tolsen grimaced as the WarHawk shook violently. They were at Condition One with everyone at their battlestations. On the tactical display, forty glaring red threat icons represented the warships which continued to harass his fleet.
“Light damage to outer hull, section D-12,” reported the Damage Control officer. “Hull integrity is holding.” The ship shuddered as missiles and energy beams continued to impact the defense shield.
“Damn Borzon,” Commander Madelyn Arnett uttered as she held on to the armrests of her command chair. “They should have stayed in their own territory!”
“We’re having this problem all along the entire border of the former Hocklyn Slave Empire,” commented Admiral Tolsen as the WarHawk fired off a series of sublight antimatter missiles at the nearby Borzon cruiser attacking them. “The Borzon are trying to add these worlds to their own empire. This is the deepest any of their fleets have penetrated into Federation-controlled space.”
“Well, that’s not happening today,” said Madelyn, as she ordered the 1,600-meter WarHawk to close the range with the nearest enemy cruiser. “We’ll show them what the penalty is for trespassing in our territory.”
On the main viewscreen, the energy screen of the targeted Borzon ship was lit up from massive antimatter explosions and showed signs of imminent collapse. Other Borzon ships were also under heavy attack from the various ships of the Third Fleet. The Borzon cruisers were slim vessels, heavily armed, and 1,200 meters in length.
“Fire particle beam!” commanded Madelyn, sensing a weakness in this particular Borzon ship’s protective shield. It was flickering and, in some areas, seemed to have faded away completely. While the Borzon ships were quite powerful, the Federation ships had superior weapons and energy shields.
Instantly a bright blue beam flashed from the WarHawk and easily pierced the Borzon ship’s energy screen, impacting the ship’s hull and causing a tremendous explosion of released energy. A massive section of the hull broke loose and floated away from the ship. Internal explosions could be seen blowing out other sections of hull material. The Borzon ship seemed to falter, and then its energy screen flickered and collapsed. A fifty-megaton Devastator Three missile finished off the ship in a fiery burst of consuming nuclear fire. A few moments later, all that was left of the enemy cruiser was a scattering debris field and some glowing gases.
“Borzon cruiser is down,” confirmed Lieutenant Brent Davis from his Main Sensor console.
“Battleships Ajax and Constitution are heavily engaged with three Borzon cruisers,” reported Commander Arnett as she studied one of the holographic tactical displays. “They’re taking some damage.”
Tolsen nodded as he thumbed his minicomm to Fleet-wide setting. “Strikecruisers Vendetta and Longhorn move to coordinates 17° down by 22° starboard of central axis and assist the Ajax and the Constitution.” Race wasn’t that concerned about the two battleships; he just wanted to hold their damage to a minimum.
-
The pair of strikecruisers quickly accelerated and headed toward the two battleships’ positions. Upon arriving, they found the Ajax and Constitution involved in a missile duel with three Borzon cruisers. Antimatter missiles and powerful nuclear missiles were exploding against energy shields. Suddenly the screen on one of the Borzon ships failed, and twin antimatter suns formed where the ship had been. The two remaining Borzon cruisers shifted their attack, focusing on the Ajax. The battleship’s energy screen lit up in a cascade of raw defensive power as over a dozen twenty-megaton nuclear missiles detonated against it.
From the two strikecruisers, multiple sublight antimatter missiles flashed away from their missile tubes impacting the Borzon energy shields. For a brief moment, it seemed as if two new stars had been born. When the glare died away, the two Borzon cruisers were gone. Several fiery filaments were all that was left to mark their passing.
-
Admiral Tolsen nodded his head in satisfaction at the destruction of three more Borzon cruisers. So far the battle was going just as he had expected. There was no doubt in his mind that the Borzon Empire was testing the Federation’s will to defend former Hocklyn space.
“Light cruiser Baltic is under heavy attack,” reported Lieutenant Denise Travers from Communications. “They report their shields are down to 20 percent and still dropping.”
“How the hell did a Borzon cruiser slip past us and get to our rear echelon?” demanded Tolsen, his face showing concern. Third Fleet’s ten light cruisers were protecting the fleet’s four large battlecarriers, and they weren’t built to take on an enemy cruiser.
“They microjumped,” reported Lieutenant Davis in explanation.
“Saratoga is launching two squadrons of Anlon bombers toward the enemy cruiser,” reported Commander Arnett, the tactical screen showing twenty small green icons flash away from the carrier and accelerate toward the Borzon ship.
“Will they get there in time?” asked Race, his eyes focusing intently on the indicated tactical display. He knew the light cruiser wouldn’t last long against the more powerful Borzon ship.
“No,” replied Lieutenant Davis, as a viewscreen lit up with a brilliant light. “Light cruiser Baltic is down. Anlon bombers are making their attack runs.”
Race watched the tactical display grimly as six of the small green bomber icons vanished, then the icon representing the enemy cruiser seemed to swell up, and afterward it also disappeared.
“The Borzon cruiser is down,” spoke Lieutenant Davis, satisfied that the Baltic had been avenged.
Race let out a deep sigh of regret at the loss of the light cruiser, and the six Anlon bombers and their crews; this was war, and people died, sometimes very suddenly. He turned his attention back to the battle, ordering his ships to press the attack and drive back the remaining Borzon ships.
-
In space the Federation ships’ bright blue particle beams, violet-colored power beams, and the orange-red flash of pulse lasers lit up the darkness. In response the Borzon returned fire with powerful white energy beams and their own orange-red pulse lasers. Both sides were using their deadly sublight missiles in an effort to knock down energy screens and destroy the ships they were fighting. The only difference being, while the Borzon’s sublight missiles were armed with twenty-megaton nuclear warheads, the Federation’s were armed with one-hundred-megaton antimatter warheads.
When multiple Federation antimatter missiles struck a
Borzon cruiser’s shield, invariably the shield either weakened substantially or collapsed. In most cases, bright blue particle beams would then finish the destruction, blasting massive holes inside the enemy ship, until it exploded. A Borzon cruiser could only stand a few hits from the deadly missiles. The cruisers, while dangerous to smaller ships, were finding it difficult to even damage the more powerful Federation ships, particularly the battleships and battlecruisers.
-
“The Humans grow more powerful in every engagement,” rasped Fleet Commander Tilett—a male Borzon standing well over two meters tall with wide multifaceted eyes upon a strangely shaped head. A pair of long, narrow wings was on his back, and his body was covered with fine, stiff short hair. Tilett stood on two legs that were bent strangely and had four slender double-jointed arms capable of grasping and operating the ship’s control consoles.
“Perhaps we have tried to extend the empire too far into former Hocklyn space,” suggested High Nest Leader Trill. “It seems the Humans have laid claim to a large portion of the Hocklyns’ former territory.”
“The Humans have restricted the surviving Hocklyns to their home worlds and a small area of space surrounding them,” Fleet Commander Tilett responded, as he watched several more of his battlecruisers being torn apart by Human antimatter missiles. The empire’s losses were inconsequential as the Borzon had many more cruisers. This raid had been to test the Humans’ determination to retain the space previously held by the Hocklyns.
“Don’t forget about High Leader Nartel,” High Nest Leader Trill spoke, his multifaceted eyes focusing on the fleet commander. “The Hocklyns with him still possess a powerful fleet and control twenty other worlds near the border of our empire.”
“The Hocklyns, along with High Leader Nartel, will not have the numbers to be a threat to anyone for centuries,” answered Fleet Commander Tilett dismissively. “Our high queen has signed a treaty with the Hocklyn’s High Leader Nartel, guaranteeing the Borzon Empire will not attack them, as long as they don’t venture into our space. In addition, the Humans have not been active in that region of space, and we have expanded our empire to completely surround the new Hocklyn system and the twenty worlds they control. Any hope they have of future expansion has been removed.”