by Ellis,Tripp
“Bring us within one jump of New Earth. We’ll hold there before we make our attack.”
“Aye, sir,” Mitch said.
“If anybody needs me, I’ll be in my quarters,” Slade said. “Zoey, you have the conn.”
“Aye, sir.”
Slade stepped into the corridor. She weaved her way to her stateroom. Well, it was technically Captain Edwin J. Dean’s stateroom. But he hadn’t used it in over 25 years. And he didn’t need it now.
There was no telling where Dean was now, or if he was even still alive. He and his crew vanished along with the Revenant during the first Verge War. They hadn’t been seen since.
The compartment was exactly like her stateroom on the Scorpion—the same layout and amenities, just appointed with Captain Dean’s stuff. It was just as he’d left it. Dean had a collection of old paperback novels, mostly thrillers and mysteries. There were classic texts on war and combat. Volumes of history books spanning the first three world wars, and the six intergalactic wars. There were pictures of his wife and children. There was his liquor collection, which was worth a tidy sum in today’s credits. Slade had even found his stash of virtual pornography programs under the mattress.
Slade flopped on the bed and tried to relax for a moment. But her mind was moving as fast as the ship. She could lie there and close her eyes, but she wasn’t going to get any sleep. Not real sleep, anyway. Maybe that half-ass stage somewhere in the middle that never really seems to do any good.
Someone knocked on the hatch.
“Come in.”
The hatch slid open, and Walker poked his head inside. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Not at all. I’m just contemplating the fate of humanity. Typical stuff.”
Walker stepped inside and glanced around. “I love what you’ve done with the place. Very retro.”
“Glad you like it.” Slade smiled. “At ease, sailor. Have a seat.”
Walker sat on the edge of the bed.
“How many warships would you say there were at Delta Vega?”
“At least 30.”
Slade pursed her lips.
“This isn’t a fight we can win. At least not head on. Hit-and-run guerrilla tactics. A little harassment. That’s probably all we can hope to accomplish. It might be time to start thinking about the best way to preserve the species rather than win the war.” His tone was grim.
“It worries me when you’re not optimistic. You strike me as a man who’s always ready for a fight.”
“If victory is not possible, you must not fight.”
Slade recognized the quote. “Sun Tsu, The Art of War.” There was a paperback copy of it on one of Dean’s bookshelves.
“At best, there were a dozen ships left in the fleet,” Walker said. “Who knows what that number has dwindled down to by now?”
“To be honest. I don’t really see what good one star destroyer is going to do against an entire alien fleet. But I’d rather go out fighting.”
“Perhaps there is a way we can improve our odds.”
Slade arched a curious eyebrow at him.
“Violet is a bio-synthetic.”
“So?”
Walker hesitated. “What I’m about to tell you is classified.”
“There was a time when I had clearance,” Slade said disappointedly, then forced a smile.
“I was on a long-range reconnaissance patrol six months ago. We detected a megastructure near Auva Prime.”
“That’s in the middle of nowhere.”
“I think that’s exactly why they picked it.”
“They?”
“The synthetics. They have built an entire civilization in space—independent of a planetary system,” Walker said. “And their technological advancements have surpassed ours.”
Slade’s eyes widened.
“They have a full Navy, and we believe the entire megastructure is capable of a slide-space jump.”
“The quantum field generator would have to be enormous.”
“Or highly efficient.”
“You’re not suggesting we reach out to them for assistance, are you?”
“I’m saying, it may be an option to consider.”
“After our last interaction with the robots, they’d probably shoot us on sight. I’m surprised they haven’t retaliated already.”
“It’s your call.”
“I need to think about this. It seems risky.”
“At this point, we might not have much to lose. I defer to your judgement. I will follow any order you command.”
“Is that so?” Slade said with a lascivious glint in her eye.
Walker smirked.
“I’m glad you survived Thantos 6. You know, I actually worried that I’d never see you again.”
“You don’t strike me as the type of woman who worries about anything.”
“That’s not true, underneath this cold exterior, I have a heart.” Slade smiled. “I know it’s there. I’ve felt it beat once or twice.”
The two stared into each other’s eyes. The tension between them was palpable. Visions of Slade had gotten Walker through many dark times on Thantos 6.
“You know, Commander, we have some unfinished business to take care of.”
“I’m glad you haven’t forgotten about that.”
“How could I?” Her eyes simmered.
Walker slid closer to her. They were like magnets. The attraction was unavoidable. Slade felt her pulse quicken. Her cheeks flushed. Their eyes locked into one another. Slade burned with desire. If she had learned anything, it was to seize the moment. In this line of work, you never knew which moment was going to be your last.
Walker grabbed her in his powerful arms and pulled her close. Their lips were about to collide.
“Captain,” Zoey shouted over the comm system. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve intercepted an encoded subspace transmission.”
4
New Earth
Presley was waiting for Bryce to pick her up. But he was already 15 minutes late. It wasn’t like him to be late, and Presley was starting to get worried. She pulled out her mobile and called him. It went straight to voicemail. So Presley did what any teenage girl would do and called him right back. Five calls later, he finally picked up the phone.
“Hey.”
“Hey?” Presley said, exasperated. “Where are you?”
“I’m running a little late.”
“Mom is going to get a little suspicious if you don’t get here soon. School starts in 15 minutes.”
“Look, I can’t go to the beach today.”
Presley lifted her brow. Her eyes bulged. “We’ve been planning this for a month. Have you forgotten what day it is?”
“I’ve got a test in trigonometry. I can’t miss today,” he sighed. “You know how it is. If I don’t make my grades, I can’t play.”
Presley was flabbergasted. “First of all, you promised. Second of all, it’s my birthday. Third of all, Jenny is in your trig class and she doesn’t have a test today.”
There was a long pause.
Presley clenched her teeth.
“I didn’t want to do this over the phone—“
“Then don’t.” Presley knew what was coming.
“I just don’t think it’s working out anymore.”
Presley swallowed hard, and her throat got dry.
“You know. It just… we’re both under a lot of stress right now. It’s senior year. Why don’t we take a break?”
“Sure. A break,” she stammered. She was hurt and pissed at the same time.
“It’s not like I don’t want to be there for you, and all. It’s just… you know…”
She clenched her jaw and tried to hold back the tears. “Yeah. I know. I know that when times get tough, you won’t stick around.”
“Don’t be like th—“
Presley hung up on him. Her cheeks flushed, and the veins in her neck bulged. Her eyes brimmed, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her head fell int
o her hands, and she sobbed for a moment. “Happy fucking birthday,” she muttered to herself.
They had been dating for about six months. Long enough to make it sting a little. The sense of abandonment came flooding back. You don’t ever get over losing a parent. You just learn to deal with it. For Presley, getting dumped wasn’t near as big a deal, but it brought up the same horrible sense of loss again.
“What’s the matter, did you get dumped?” Timmy asked.
“No, I did not get dumped, you loser.”
“You’re the one who looks like a loser to me,” he snickered.
“Can’t you just disappear. Like, forever.”
“Sorry. I get to harass you for another year.” Timmy shouldered his backpack and strolled down the block to catch the bus to school.
Presley wiped her eyes. Her mascara was running down her cheek. She had spent an hour working on her makeup. Now it was a mess. She was going to have to redo it. She was going to make it a point to look extra good since she just got dumped, on the off chance that she ran into Bryce.
She dialed Jen on her mobile.
A few moments later, Jen’s perky face appeared on the display screen. “Jello?” Jen said. Her expression quickly soured. “Oh, jeez. You look like shit.”
Presley forced a smile. “Thanks. So do you.”
“What happened?”
“Still want to go to the beach?”
“Of course, but Riley and Quinn are coming to pick me up.”
“Oh, okay. That’s cool.”
“Ride with us,” Jen said. “There’s plenty of room.”
“No, that’s okay. I should probably just go to class anyway.”
They were close enough friends that Jen knew something was up—and it wouldn’t take too many guesses to figure out what. “How about I call them and tell them that I’m riding with you?”
“Could you?” Presley’s face was hopeful. “I could use a little BFF time.”
“Boy problems?”
Presley nodded.
“What flavor ice cream do you want? Cookie Dough or Mint Chocolate Chip?”
“Duh. Cookie Dough.” A hint of a smile played across Presley’s face.
“Done.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen.”
Jen smiled. “Oh, and by the way. You’re totally too good for him.”
“Thanks.”
Presley hung up the phone. She looked up at the clear sky and felt the warm morning sun on her face. It was a perfect day. 75 degrees. She wasn’t going to let a minor setback, like getting dumped, ruin her day. This was her birthday—and nothing was going to get her down. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
5
New Earth
“Oh, my God, what a total tool,” Jen said, gawking at Bryce. He had just pulled up and was getting out of his car with Jessica Summers. She was wearing a little blue and white polkadot bikini that left little to the imagination. She pranced through the sand, clinging on to Bryce’s bicep that he made sure to keep permanently flexed.
“Don’t even acknowledge him,” Presley said.
“Oh, hell no! I’m going to give him an earful.”
“Don’t waste your breath.”
“This didn’t just happen today, you know?” Jen lifted an eyebrow, implying Bryce had been cheating on her.
“Whatever. I’ve moved on.” Presley was trying to convince herself.
“I will go kick his ass.”
“Look at me. I’m totally zen. This place is gorgeous. We’re going to have fun. It’s going to be a great day. Nothing is going to get me down.” Presley smiled. She looked out over the surf and took a deep breath. The beach was picturesque. Teal water crashed against white sands. Gulls hung in the air. Palm leaves swayed in the breeze. It was one of the main attractions of Nova York. Within 20 minutes, you could be out of the city and be in a tropical paradise.
The beach was lined with dozens of their classmates. Brad Mills had brought a keg of beer down in the back of his hover-truck. He was one of those kids that, at 18, had a full beard and looked like he was 35. He used his older brother’s driver’s license to buy alcohol, so he was everyone’s best friend. Sunburns and hangovers were going to be the order of the day.
It was a designated senior skip day, and it just happened to coincide with Presley’s birthday. Of course, it was completely unauthorized. But sometimes you just need to have a little fun.
Presley hadn’t been drinking. She liked to people watch and observe. It was much more fun to watch other people make fools of themselves. And she felt an even greater sense of responsibility now that her father was gone. It was like he was watching her every move from beyond the grave.
The sky rumbled. But it wasn’t thunder. Presley looked up to see a massive explosion in the upper atmosphere. Debris streaked down and burned up on reentry. It looked like a meteor shower.
It was the remains of the USS Iwo Jima.
She stared, slack-jawed, at the smoldering debris falling through the atmosphere.
“What is that?” Jen asked.
Presley shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe a satellite? The planetary gateway station?”
It wasn’t long before the sky was dotted with Decluvian fighters and troop transports.
“Is there some kind of military exercise going on today?”
“Not that I know of.” As a Navy brat, and living on base, Presley usually knew if any major operations were going to take place in the area. But she had heard nothing. “I don’t recognize any of those ships. Those aren’t UPDF.”
As the bombs started to fall, it became clear this wasn’t any type of exercise.
Presley’s face went pale with horror. The downtown skyline erupted in flames and explosions. Plumes of smoke and debris rose into the sky. Skyscrapers collapsed upon themselves, imploding like a demolitions team had set charges.
There were several moments of silence as onlookers stood with their mouth’s agape. Panicked screeches and screams filled the beach. Fighters roared overhead.
“Timmy is downtown on a field trip at the museum,” Presley muttered, almost in shock.
People were scrambling for their vehicles. It was chaos.
“I’ve gotta get downtown,” Presley said.
“Are you crazy? We need to get as far away from here as possible.”
Presley grabbed her mobile and tried to call her mother. It rang a few times and went to voicemail. “Mom, call me. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
Then she called Timmy.
“Hey, where are you?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“I’m at the beach. Are you okay?”
“We’re in the basement of the museum. Power is out. It’s pitch black in here. I want to go home.”
“Just stay put. Have you talked to mom?”
“No. I can’t get ahold of her. I’m scared.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.”
Timmy was sniffling and trying not to cry.
“Stay where you are, I’m coming to get you.”
“Okay.”
“You’ll be safe down there. Don’t worry.” She was just saying that to calm him down. No place was safe right now. “You call me if you need anything. I’m going to get there as soon as I can.”
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t really know. Everything’s going to be okay. I’ll see you soon.” Presley hung up and looked for Jen. She was talking to Curtis Wood. Presley ran over to them. The nonstop rumble of explosions filled the air. People were fleeing from the area.
“I’m going downtown to get Timmy.”
“I’m gonna catch a ride with Curtis. His parents have a hundred acre ranch about an hour out of town. He thinks we’ll be safer there. You don’t hate me, do you?”
“No. Do what you need to do.” She didn’t expect Jen to go with her into the middle of a war zone. But it kind of felt like getting dumped again.
“Good luck.” Jen jumped in the hover-car wit
h Curtis and they sped away.
Presley ran back to her car and hopped in. She pulled a shirt and shorts on over her bikini. She didn’t bother to put on shoes. She twisted the ignition and the engine roared to life. It was a replica of a classic Mustang. It actually had wheels, but instead of a combustion engine it ran on a fuel cell. It was a pet project of her father’s, and he was always working on it in his spare time.
She mashed the accelerator. The tires spit sand and she blasted across the beach, pulling onto the highway. The city ahead was ominous. Plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky.
It looked like the UPDF had launched a response. Fighters were engaging the enemy aircraft in the skies above the city. Swirling dogfights ensued. The sky was filled with a nonstop barrage of tracer fire. Antiaircraft artillery exploded in the air. Fighters on both sides were ripped to shreds and sent tumbling from the sky. Flaming fuselages slammed into towering skyscrapers. Civilians jumped from buildings to avoid burning up in flames.
At least it was a conventional war, for the moment. Neither side was using nukes. Nobody wanted to deal with the aftermath of the radiation. It seemed the Decluvians wanted more than to just exterminate. They wanted to conquer, and possibly inhabit the colonies. They had no intention of turning over the sector to the Saarkturians.
This destruction was happening in every major city across the planet. The Decluvians had swept through the colonies without much resistance. It looked like New Earth wasn’t going to pose much of a challenge either.
The UPDF Army was approaching from the east and the west. It was a full on battle zone, and Presley was heading right into the thick of it.
6
Saarkturia
Davvel poked the barrel of his Suvex MSR .300 sniper rifle through the hole he had carved in the window. He was on the 57th floor of the Erlineer building in the law offices of Zulaart & Associates. 500 yards away was the palace balcony. After the coronation, the new King of Saarkturia would step out and address his people.
Davvel had survived the Night of the Crystal Saber—the bloody slaughter of the political opponents of Prince Valinok. In truth, the young prince had no knowledge of the event. It was all orchestrated by his advisor, Rylon, who’s lust for power was unrivaled. As former advisor to the Queen, and now to the Prince, he had earned the boy’s trust. Valinok was easily manipulated.