The Rampant Storm

by J. Alan Field

  The Rampant Storm

  By J. Alan Field

  The Rampant Storm

  Book Two of the Starhold Series

  Book One: Starhold

  www.jalanfield.net

  Copyright © 2015 J. Alan Field

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.

  ISBN: 978-0-9908493-2-2

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, entities, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover by Yvonne Less

  www.diversepixel.com

  Contents

  Prelude

  1: Warning

  2: Trap

  3: Encounter

  4: Holding

  5: BE2

  6: Peril

  7: Echo

  8: Precipice

  9: Grief

  10: Strategy

  11: Cardea

  12: Orders

  13: Homecoming

  14: Chimera

  15: Beresford

  16: Havoc

  17: Siren

  18: Confidential

  19: Spider

  20: Brink

  21: Mezzo

  22: Bona Dea

  23: Motion

  24: Casca

  25: Secrets

  26: Comrades

  27: Forge

  28: Fire

  29: Arrow

  30: Deerwalk

  31: Duel

  32: Aquila

  33: Scorpion

  34: Ascendancy

  35: Return

  36: Archon of the Empire

  Epilouge

  For Your Consideration

  About the Author

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Special thanks to

  Adam Horne and Lenae O’Dell

  for their assistance.

  For C. Dexter Conner- you are missed every day.

  Starhold noun

  An area of space, including planets and star systems, which is controlled by its own government; a star-nation.

  Prelude

  “Hey, sleepyhead, get up—you’ve got a war to start.”

  As her eyes slowly opened, she found her lover sitting on the edge of the bed. The handsome man, with his neatly trimmed goatee and short black hair, had already dressed.

  “Get out of that uniform and come back to bed, just for a little while. That’s an order,” she said.

  “I’d love to Boss, but we have a schedule to keep, and it’s already H-Hour minus ninety. You need to get up.”

  She sighed and stretched her arms and legs, trying to pull herself awake. It suddenly occurred to her that she had slept very well. It was odd—to have such a restful night’s sleep on the eve of plunging humanity into an interstellar war. One would have thought she’d have nightmares or something, but in fact, she didn’t remember dreaming at all. The night had just been hours and hours of blackness. Perhaps you had to have a conscience to have nightmares, she thought.

  “We have time—come back to bed. You know, the ancients used to say that making love before a battle heightens the senses,” she smiled up at him.

  He grinned and leaned over to kiss her once on the lips before pulling himself upright again. “The ancients didn’t have computers to do most of the fighting for them,” he joked as he stood up, adjusting his uniform. “You look happy.”

  “I am happy.”

  “Even considering what we’re about to do?”

  She groaned as she sat upright, swinging her feet onto the floor. “What we’re about to do would be done anyway, if not by us, then by someone else. The Commonwealth leaders have made up their minds.”

  “Then why are you so happy?”

  As she was dressing, a baleful expression spread across her face. “Because they picked me to do it. I knew eventually they’d turn to me, give me a command to do some loathsome job when no one else wanted to get their hands dirty. That’s why I called you and the others back—I needed my best people.”

  A roguish expression appeared on his face. “And here I thought it was because you loved me.”

  Stepping close to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him once more. As they parted, her open right hand came up hard across his face. “You forget yourself, Captain,” she said in a haughty tone. She really did love him, but for whatever reason she could never actually say the words. There had been other lovers, men and women, but her heart always went back to him. Why did the bastard need to hear it? It should be enough that he just knew…

  Rubbing his left cheek, he gave a slight nod. “I’ll be reporting for duty now, ma’am. See you on the bridge.”

  * * * *

  Brin Choi strode onto the bridge of the Gerrhan Commonwealth heavy cruiser Morrigan, heading to the command chair located behind and slightly above her flag captain. As she passed by, the captain subtly made a wry face and rubbed his cheek again in a little tease, a private joke between the two of them. The gesture was noticed by a few of the bridge crew, but they weren’t sure what to make of it. The fact that the captain and the admiral were lovers was the worst kept secret aboard Morrigan, but no one dared speak aloud of it, especially in front of the ship’s Marines—fanatical Choi loyalists each and every one.

  Two years ago, Brin Choi led an abortive attempt to overthrow the government of the Sarissan Union. When the coup failed, she and her supporters fled to the Union’s rival, Gerrha. For over a year, they had worked as privateers for the Gerrhan Commonwealth, relegated to chasing pirates in remote border systems. Then six months ago, something suddenly changed. Choi and her people were granted citizenship, with Choi being given a rear admiral’s commission and placed in command of Task Force Cerberus, presently holding position just outside of the Sol star system.

  “Report.”

  Massimo Ferraz, captain of the Morrigan, swiveled his chair to face his commanding officer. It was just like old times, she thought. He was her flag captain years ago, back in the Sarissan space force during the People’s Rebellion. That time they were on the winning side of a coup d’état, but Ferraz had grown weary of the military, the politics, and most especially of her ambition. He deserted—both the space force and her—putting light-years between himself and Sarissa. It was all to no avail. Choi knew that for Ferraz, she was an exotic virus—one that might be controlled but never fully cured. When her people found him working on a Pontian ore miner, all she had to do was whistle, and he came running back like a dog returning to its owner.

  “The task force has assembled at the rally point and is awaiting your orders, Admiral.”

  “Waypoint, Captain. The Sarissans call it a rally point. We’re in the Commonwealth Space Service now, and they call it a waypoint.”

  “I stand corrected, ma’am,” Ferraz answered, trying not to grin.

  “I’ll speak to the fleet now,” she said. After a few seconds delay, an ensign nodded to her, and she began to address the crews of the fourteen warships under her command.

  “This is Admiral Choi. By now, your captains have briefed you on why we are about to enter the Sol system. Negotiations with the Earthers and Sarissans have produced nothing but talk, and while we talk, the technological gap between our starholds grows wider and more dangerous. If we fail to act today, we invite Union domination tomorrow. The actions we take now are not simply for the people of the Commonwealth, but for all of the freedom loving people of humanity. Our cause is just—we will not fail. Choi out.”

  Her staff thought it would be a good idea for her to address
the fleet before battle, but she had rushed through the words, saying them in a flat and insincere voice. Speeches were sugar sprinkled over failure to make it edible, she thought. Loyalty was gained through deeds, not words. Her people followed her because of what she did, not what she promised.

  “Nice speech, Boss” lied Ferraz, who had strolled over to her side. “Do you actually believe any of it?” he asked in a small voice meant only for her.

  She gave him a stark look. It was the classic Choi stone face, but he saw a playful gleam behind her eyes, one that only he would recognize.

  “Your cynicism will be the death of you, Captain,” she replied under her breath.

  “Maybe, but right now I’m more worried about this cockeyed plan being the death of me.”

  “We only have one real objective. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  Ferraz was not reassured. “You don’t actually think you can turn Pettigrew, do you?”

  Choi gave out a short, humorless laugh. “He was my XO at one time, but realistically, not a chance. Chaz Pettigrew is the poster boy for Sarissan patriotism.”

  He remained silent, but worry was painted on the face of her usually unflappable captain.

  “Relax,” she said, “if everything falls into place, by tomorrow I will be the military governor of Earth.”

  He bit back a laugh. “For all the good it would do you. Even if we could pull that off, the Commonwealth would just send in some political hack to take your place.”

  A twisted smile came to her lips. “Only if I gave it back to them.”

  Before Ferraz could respond, a nearby officer interrupted from her station. “Ma’am, we have a signal from Loki Force—they’re in position.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Choi replied as she sat back and crossed her legs. “Captain, you may order the fleet to jump.”

  1: Warning

  Pontian ore miner Ortelli Maiden

  Approaching Planet Earth

  “Roberto, when I retire, I think I’ll buy me a nice little piece of land here and settle down. Maybe a spot on that southern continent, the island one.” Sevastyan Kulakov pointed to the ship’s viewscreen as his vessel approached planet Earth.

  “They call that one Australia. Say, Cap, you been talkin’ about retirement for a while now—you ever really gonna do it?”

  “Sure am. First, I gotta make sure you chuckleheads are trained up right. I leave too soon and you dunces would probably end up killin’ yourselves and bustin’ up the ship. The company can replace you lot easily, but they have tons of money invested in this miner.” Captain Kulakov had been grumbling at his crew like this for years. The old man fancied himself as a gruff, no-nonsense shipmaster, but most of the crew knew it was all an act.

  Earth had become a favorite port of call for the Ortelli Maiden and other mining ships. What had been a desolate area of the galaxy was now teeming with activity since the arrival of the new Earthers. They were humans from a parallel dimension who had found themselves accidentally stranded in this universe. Using their advanced technology to restore the Earth’s biosphere, they settled the Blue Planet, claiming it as their own after humanity had ruined and abandoned the world nearly three hundred years ago.

  “I don’t know, Skipper,” put in Milroy, one of the company geologists loitering on the bridge. “A great many people back home don’t trust the Earthers very much. A lot of folks say they are the vanguard of an alien invasion.”

  “Ha! A lot of folks back home are morons, too,” declared Kulakov. “This will be your first time here, won’t it Milroy?”

  “Yes, but I understand the Maiden has been here before.”

  “This is our fourth stop. Earth is special, Milroy. The air, the plants, the history, the people—and the excitement! Thousands of folks immigrating every week, leavin’ their starholds to come back to the home of humanity. It’s the Diaspora of Humankind in reverse. I hear there are new settlements popping up so fast that the EarthFed government can’t keep up with them.” The captain was plainly thrilled by what was going on and paused as if to catch his breath before finally adding, “Alien invasion my ass.”

  “I heard this one guy back on Pontus,” chimed in Roberto. “He said the Earthers were aliens in disguise, bugs er somethin’ wearing human skins.”

  There were laughs around the bridge. “Do you believe that, Roberto?” asked Milroy.

  “Naw, that’s crazy talk. I been here before, and I didn’t see any bugs—least not man-sized ones. The Earthers, they’re just people like us, tryin’ to live and go about their business.”

  “I can’t believe I’m sayin’ this,” said Kulakov, “but Roberto is right. You’re gonna love it, Milroy. The minute you set foot on the planet, you’ll see why everyone is rushin’ to get here.”

  “Well, almost everyone,” Roberto said.

  “Whad’ya talking about, boy?” asked Kulakov, giving the youngster an exasperated look.

  “Not sure, Cap. Come have a look,” said Roberto as he beckoned the skipper to his console. “You need to check this out. What’s up with those freighters?”

  The captain peered at the display, examining the data in question. “I’m not sure,” he said in a pensive voice. Scrolling through the data, Kulakov discovered a mystery—and he hated mysteries. “Just those five, huh?”

  “Yeah. Am I missing something, Cap? Should we drop speed?” asked Roberto.

  “What is it? What’s going on?” Milroy was standing on the other side of Roberto now, opposite Kulakov. The captain was deep in thought, his brow furrowed as he rubbed his chin with his right hand. He bent down again and moved his fingers across the panel, searching for any final bits of information he might have missed.

  After what seemed like a long time, Kulakov stood up straight and addressed the ship’s pilot. “Hey, Mitchell. Where’s the nearest supply port from here, other than Earth I mean?”

  “Rusalka.”

  “No, that won’t do. What’s the nearest non-Union port?”

  “Let me see… I guess that would be Essadon.”

  “We got enough fuel to get there?”

  “Yeah—barely.”

  “OK, prep for a jump to Essadon.”

  “What!” exclaimed Milroy. “Hold on! We’re something like thirty minutes from Earth. Essadon is another three weeks away. What in blazes is going on?”

  “Can’t be helped,” said Kulakov dismissively. “Roberto, any other Ortelli ships in system?”

  The young man checked his console, scanning for mining ships belonging to their company. Just as the dumbfounded Milroy was about to register a fresh protest, Roberto spoke up. “One, Cap—the Ortelli Azure. She’s out surveying in the asteroid belt.”

  “Get me a comm link with their skipper.”

  “Captain!” exclaimed the frustrated Milroy. Kulakov stared down the geologist as Milroy lowered his voice, but continued to press his objections. “Would you please tell us what’s going on? We’ve been in the Black for four straight months, and the crew is looking forward to time dirtside. Everyone needs to get off this tub for a while, and just as a practical matter, we need to take on supplies. Now you propose to haul us three weeks across the Sector to Essadon—why?”

  Kulakov glared at the man and then forced a broad smile to his face. “Because, Milroy, I have a feeling that staying here might be very bad for our health.”

  * * * *

  Union heavy cruiser Tempest

  Sol System

  “Captain on the bridge.”

  It could have been “Commodore on the bridge.” Two years ago, Charles “Chaz” Pettigrew had defeated enemy forces at the Battle of Earth and forged an alliance with the new settlers of Earth. Afterward, he was offered a well-deserved promotion but declined in order to remain captain of Tempest. Pettigrew felt he had more to learn, and if he learned it well, that promotion to flag officer would be his again someday. Meanwhile, he continued as senior-captain in command of Task Force 19, whose ten ships stood guard ov
er one of the most important and controversial construction projects in all of the Renaissance Sector.

  “Good morning, Commander,” Pettigrew greeted his executive officer Taylin Adams as she vacated the command chair in his favor. “How is everything today at beautiful Lagrange Point Two?”

  “Everything’s coming up green this morning, sir,” Adams said as she activated the bridge’s holographic viewscreen, which displayed a huge oval-shaped object hanging in space ten kilometers from Tempest. It was a hypergate, being constructed as a joint project of the Sarissan Union and the Earth Federation. In just a few weeks, it would be completed and linked with its sister Gate in the Artemis system. At that point, the twenty-eight light-year journey between Earth and Sarissa would be reduced from five weeks to the blink of an eye.

  “And I might add,” Adams said in a lighthearted voice, “that engineering reports much quieter conditions down below now that Commander Mullenhoff has departed for her leave.” While staying in the Sol system for the better part of the last two standard years, all TF 19 personnel had been granted extended leave in staggered rotation. Chief Engineer Uschi Mullenhoff had departed several days ago with the final group of crewmembers for a visit home.

  “Well, Commander Mullenhoff has more than earned her vacation,” said Pettigrew. “I just hope that while she’s gone the engineering department doesn’t take a holiday as well.”

  “I’m sure Lieutenant Huang has things under control, sir,” answered Adams.

  “I’ll bet you are.” Pettigrew knew that with Mullenhoff away, Adams would be watching engineering closely. Taylin had become a very good XO, and he was confident that she would be getting a ship of her own soon. The thought of having to break in another XO was not appealing, but Adams deserved a shot at commanding her own vessel, and some crew in the Union Space Force was going to be very lucky when that happened.

  In fact, perhaps he could expedite matters. Task Force 19 probably wasn’t going anywhere soon—the alliance between the Sarissan Union and EarthFed called for a Union military presence in the Sol system even after the completion of EarthGate. Captain Summers of the destroyer Gladius was due to retire next month. Maybe he could…