Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction
(Galactic Empire Wars Book 1)
By
Raymond L. Weil
Books in the Galactic Empire Wars Series
Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)
Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Copyright © April 2014 by Raymond L. Weil
All Rights Reserved
Cover Design by Humblenations.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Galactic Empire Wars
Destruction
Chapter One
Mason Randle gazed out of the cockpit window at the approaching mass of gray rock. Vesta was one of the larger planetoids in the ring of asteroids that existed between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid was approximately 326 miles in diameter and contained the headquarters for the Smithfield Mining Corporation. Mason was the current CEO and majority stockholder in the company originally founded by his grandfather.
“We will be landing in ten more minutes, Sir,” the pilot commented as he reached forward and turned on several instruments on the complicated control panel. His copilot mirrored his movements as they prepared to land.
“It will be good to get back home,” Mason responded as he leaned back in his acceleration couch and stretched. He had come up and taken a seat in the cockpit to watch the approach and landing.
They were in an interplanetary cargo ship that normally traveled between Earth and Vesta. The Smithfield Mining Corporation owned twenty-seven of the versatile three hundred-meter ships carrying refined metals to the company’s large space station in orbit around Earth. From there they were sold to various Earth companies for a very lucrative profit.
“I know how you miss Vesta,” Captain Sanders replied with a smile as he made several minor adjustments to the controls. “Smithfield will be a welcome relief after spending the last two weeks at Holbrook Station.”
Mason nodded; he was thirty-four years old and had gone to Earth to sign several important contracts with a number of companies wanting metals from the company. Smithfield was the only corporation currently with the money and the resources to mine the asteroid field and make money doing it. Several others had tried and failed, losing nearly everything in the attempt.
“Airlocks are opening,” Captain Sanders reported as the ship’s LIDAR system scanned the asteroid, giving real time data to the flight computer as the ship dropped steadily down toward the asteroid’s pockmarked surface. It was large enough to generate a slight gravity field of its own, but the powerful engines of the cargo ship had no trouble compensating for it.
Mason looked ahead at the asteroid, feeling glad to be home. He had been raised inside Vesta in the artificial world his grandfather had created and his father and he had added to. He could see the flashing lights on the surface, which designated the location of the main airlock.
The massive airlock doors slid open and the cargo ship flew smoothly inside, finding itself in a long and brightly lit tunnel two hundred meters in diameter. For another twenty-five kilometers the ship flew, passing through several more massive airlocks as it descended deeper and deeper into the asteroid. It finally entered a large chamber nearly two kilometers across and half a kilometer high. There were a number of berthing docks on the floor and the cargo ship dropped down smoothly toward an empty one, settling gently down on its landing struts. Moments later, the engines shut off and the ship became quiet.
“Good flight and landing, Captain,” spoke Mason, feeling anxious to leave the ship. His quarters on the ship had been comfortable, but Vesta was special. He knew that Captain Sanders was one of the best pilots in the company and had gone out of his way to accommodate him on this trip.
“It was a pleasure to have you aboard, Sir,” Sanders replied with a friendly nod.
Mason left the cockpit and made his way to the hatch, finding the docking tube already connected to the ship. Walking through it, he went into a smaller airlock and then exited to find two people waiting for him. One was his close friend, Drake Thomason, and the other was his secretary, Adrienne Lynn.
“Mason, it’s good to have you back,” spoke Drake, reaching out and shaking Mason’s hand. “How was your trip to Earth?” Drake was an expert mining engineer and second in command behind Mason.
“Very good,” Mason responded with a pleased smile. “I signed several lucrative contracts for the delivery of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum with our two biggest rare metal contractors.”
“Wow!” exclaimed Drake, feeling excited that Mason had managed to sign contracts for the precious metals. “How did you accomplish that?” Drake knew they would make some good money for the delivery of the rare metals. It would also please a number of the prospectors.
“It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to find the metals on Earth, and they have finally had to turn to us,” Mason replied with a satisfied smile. “We stand to make a good bundle off the new contracts.”
“Enough to pay for your new exploration cruiser?” teased Adrienne, referring to the unfinished hulk of the five hundred-meter Phoenix that was in the landing bay. Adrienne had blonde hair and deep blue eyes that made most men swoon.
“Perhaps,” Mason responded with a grin. She was always teasing him about all the money he was putting into the new ship. It was a big investment, but he knew in his heart that someday it would pay off.
Adrienne was the most efficient secretary he had ever had; things seemed to run very smoothly with her around. She was twenty-eight years old, extremely attractive, and somehow still managed to stay single. She also kept good track of the work being done on his pet project, the Phoenix.
The Phoenix was supposed to be the first interstellar exploration ship to leave the solar system. The ship would be the largest and most modern spacecraft ever built once it was finished. The only problem was the star drive. The scientists had still not managed to come up with a workable star drive that could break the speed of light barrier. Until that happened, the ship would remain unfinished. Even so, other systems were being installed and tested. Her new sublight drive would be the fastest one ever placed in a spaceship. Mason couldn’t wait to test it out and see if they could break the system speed records. There was no doubt in his mind that they could do so easily.
The three walked down several corridors until they reached a large transit station. Once again, they passed through an airlock to find themselves upon a large platform, similar to a subway station back on Earth. A number of other people were present as they were going to and from work. They made their way to a waiting transit c
ar and sat down. The cars could hold up to twenty people at a time, ran on electricity, and were extremely comfortable.
“How are Larcy and Madison?” asked Mason, looking over at Drake as they waited for the car to begin moving. There were still a few people taking their seats. Larcy was Drake’s wife, and Madison was their twelve-year-old daughter.
“They’re doing great,” Drake responded, pleased that Mason had asked. “Madison is doing excellent in school. They’re supposed to be interviewing someone for a school project and I believe she has chosen you as her victim.”
Mason laughed. He loved kids, his sister had two of them, and he never got tired of being around them. “Tell her to come by the office and we can do it; have her check with Adrienne first to make sure I’m there.”
The car began moving, rapidly accelerating to its top speed of sixty kilometers per hour, and entered a narrow tunnel. After traveling twelve kilometers, the car began to slow and finally pulled into another transit station.
“We’re here,” spoke Adrienne, smiling. “Are you going to the office or the Control Center?” She knew that Mason would want to check on everything to see how things had run during his absence.
“The Control Center,” Mason replied after a moment of thought. “I want to check on several of our current mining operations as well as what our stock levels are on the precious metals I just signed contracts for.”
“Your sister wants you to come over for supper tonight,” Adrienne added. She knew being around his sister’s two young children was something Mason really enjoyed.
“Tell her I’ll be there,” Mason responded with a smile. Just thinking about his sister’s cooking make him feel hungry. Susan was a good cook, and her husband Michael was one of the top asteroid prospectors in the company. A home cooked meal sounded great after eating the MREs on the cargo ship.
“Don’t be late,” warned Adrienne, folding her arms across her more than ample chest. “You know how your sister gets if her food gets cold.”
“I won’t,” Mason promised, as he didn’t want to upset Susan. “Is Michael home, or is he out prospecting?”
“I believe he’s out at one of the mining operations,” answered Adrienne, recalling one of the reports she had read earlier in the day that detailed the current status of the prospectors. She tried to stay up to date on everything just in case Mason asked.
“He is,” Drake confirmed as the three stepped out of the transit car and onto the brightly lit platform. “He left yesterday and will be gone for three days. He took some new mining equipment out to one of his newer claims.”
Mason nodded. Over one hundred licensed prospectors worked for the Smithfield Mining Cooperation out of Vesta and were responsible for setting up mining operations on any asteroid they filed a claim on. The minerals were mined and sent back to Vesta to be refined, and each prospector received a lucrative paycheck, which he used to pay for his mining operation and deposit in his bank account. Most of the miners worked numerous claims to bring in as much cash as possible.
The three walked down a short corridor and passed through yet another airlock. This was the last one as they stepped out into the massive habitat that had been created inside of Vesta to house the employees of the Smithfield Mining Corporation. For thirty kilometers, the habitat extended. As far as the eye could see were trees, grasses, streams and a few small lakes.
The city of Smithfield itself was in the center and contained seventy thousand people. The habitat was twelve kilometers wide and two kilometers high. It was like a miniature Earth but free of pollution. Birds and other abundant wildlife were allowed to roam free in most areas. Special wildlife rangers kept a close watch on the animal species, making sure they didn’t get out of balance and that they remained healthy. Mason’s grandfather had begun the construction of the habitat and Mason’s father and he had finished it. It had been a massive, expensive project and Mason was extremely pleased with what had been built here. Nothing else like this existed anywhere else in the solar system.
Many people had felt it was a boondoggle to build something like this so far from Earth. However, once his grandfather and father had begun exploiting the available resources to be found in the asteroids, many people soon came to change their mind. Families flocked to Smithfield to find their fortune and soon found that they had found a home instead. The population had swelled until they had to put restrictions on who could come and live here. Now only the best and brightest were even considered. Construction of a larger habitat had already begun as Mason had ideas for the future that would allow their lucrative mining operations to be greatly expanded. The moons of Jupiter and Saturn beckoned, and Mason intended to be the first to plant mining operations on each one of them.
The three took an electric car to the city and after dropping Adrienne off at the office, the two men soon made their way to the underground Control Center that monitored the habitat as well as the ongoing mining operations. They had to take an elevator down to the Control Center, as it was located six levels beneath the city of Smithfield.
Entering the Control Center, Mason let out a deep breath. They were in a large room where over sixty men and women were busy at work. On all four walls, massive viewscreens showed views of the inside of the habitat, Smithfield, as well as some of the nearby mining operations. Everyone was dressed in a standard dark blue uniform, which was the normal dress code for company employees while they were on the job.
From the Control Center, all of the outgoing prospecting missions were monitored as well as the current mining operations on numerous large and small asteroids. Mining on an asteroid was a dangerous business, and the company had long since come up with stringent guidelines to maximize safety. Many of the operators in the Control Center were busy monitoring and speaking to different ongoing mining operations. Each operation had to report back to Vesta on a daily basis.
“Mason, I’m glad you’re back,” Pamela Cairns said, hurrying over to where Mason and Drake were standing. She had a look of confusion in her eyes. “Something interesting is coming in over our communication feeds from Holbrook Station and Luna City; you need to see it!”
Holbrook Station had been named after Mason’s father and was the large company space station in orbit around the Earth. Pamela was thirty-two-years-old, married, with dark black hair, which she normally kept cut short. She also had a ten-year-old son that constantly got into everything.
“What is it, Pamela?” asked Mason, feeling curious. There hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary mentioned on the media channels when he had been down on Earth or on Holbrook Station. He had just left the station four days ago; he couldn’t imagine anything that could have changed in that short amount of time.
“You need to come to the main communications console,” Pamela said, gesturing for the two men to follow her. “We just started receiving this a few minutes ago and we’re not sure what’s going on. You’re not going to believe this!”
They made their way across the room to the main com console. There were four communication specialists sitting in front of the large console. From here, they could keep track of their twenty-seven cargo ships as well as the one hundred and five smaller prospector ships. They could also communicate with Earth, Luna City, or Mars Central if need be.
Fortunately, thanks to a communications breakthrough on Earth, faster than light communication had been discovered. So far, the principles that allowed communications to bypass the light barrier hadn’t found its way into ships yet. When it did, the Phoenix would be ready and Mason would be off to Alpha Centauri on the first interstellar trip. He already had a team of engineers and scientists looking into that aspect of the new communications technology.
“What do we have?” asked Mason, looking over at Pamela curiously. She was showing a lot of concern on her face, which was unusual. Even her shortly cut black hair looked slightly ruffled.
“Put it up on the main screen,” Pamela instructed Jessica Lang, one of the communication
specialists.
The young woman pressed several icons on her computer screen, and the image she had been observing was transferred to one of the big viewscreens on the wall above her.
Instantly an image appeared on the screen. Mason and Drake stopped breathing at what was being shown. They hadn’t been expecting anything like this.
“Where is that?” demanded Mason, stepping even closer to the screen, staring at it in disbelief. Surely, this had to be a joke of some kind.
“That image is being broadcast from Luna City,” Jessica replied as she checked the video feed. “We just started receiving it a few minutes ago. Holbrook Station has confirmed it.”
Upon the screen was a massive spacecraft, larger than anything Mason had ever seen before or even believed to be possible. He had thought the Phoenix was huge, being five hundred meters long and ninety meters across, but the Phoenix would look like a gnat up against this monstrosity.
“How large is that thing?” Drake asked in a stunned voice. He knew there was not any way that ship had originated in the solar system. This could mean only one thing; aliens had found the Earth!
“LIDAR readings from Luna City indicate that it’s eight thousand two hundred meters across, and one thousand meters thick,” Jessica replied as she glanced at a computer screen showing additional data that Luna City was transmitting. “It looks like a giant black disk.”
“Contact Holbrook Station and inform them to halt all traffic,” ordered Mason as he tried to grasp what was happening. “I don’t want any launches until we know what this thing is and why it’s here.”
“Yes, Sir,” Jessica replied. Then she glanced at Mason with a frightened look upon her face. “Sir, is that an alien spaceship?” Several of the other communication specialists paused as they waited expectantly for Mason’s answer.
Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (The Galactic Empire Wars) Page 1