The Complete Thunder Series (Thunder In The Heavens)

by Dietmar Wehr

  Third Fleet flagship(Normandy):

  “You did it, Gort,” said Harrow. “We kicked them when they were down!”

  Eagleton held his hand up. “Hold on, Cate. Let’s not jump the gun. There may be other enemy ships we haven’t detected yet.”

  Harrow laughed. “Yeah, there could be, but look at the formation we just destroyed. That has to be the vast majority of their ships. IF they have any left, we outnumber them. Are you ready to call it now? I need to know that you’re satisfied the battle is over before I start issuing orders.”

  “Just wait a bit longer, Cate. I’m sure the other fleet commanders will be calling me any second now.” He looked over to the Com Technician, who had just turned to look at him and was holding three fingers up.

  “Set up a conference, Lietenant, with all the FCs, and make sure Admiral Harrow can participate.” A second later, the Com Tech nodded and pointed at Eagleton.

  “This is Admiral Eagleton. It appears that we’ve destroyed the main enemy force and that their planet is now wide open. I want to congratulate all of you for your perfect execution of the battle plan. It’s a testament to your professionalism and—”

  The Metrone admiral interrupted. “Yes, yes. We all thank you for your brilliant leadership too. Now that we’ve gotten those meaningless platitudes out of the way, let’s talk about what we’re going to do to the damned Tyrell on the planet! The other Fleet Commanders and I are agreed that the entire Tyrell race has to be punished for their aggressiveness. We intend to bombard the planet, and all we need to hear from you now, brilliant Admiral Eagleton, is whether your human fleet will join us in this.”

  Eagleton was about to respond when he felt Cate’s hand squeeze his arm. He though he knew what she had in mind. “Please excuse me for a minute or two while I confer with Admiral Harrow.” He looked at the Com Tech and made a slashing motion across his throat.

  “You’re muted, Admiral,” said the communications officer. Eagleton had just enough time to turn around to look at Cate before she started speaking.

  “This is exactly what we feared, Gort. I have to respond to this, and that means that I have to officially assume command. Okay with you?”

  He hesitated for a second and then nodded. “Admiral Harrow is now assuming command as the Allied Fleet Commander, people.”

  She looked at the Com Tech and nodded. When the channel was once again open, he pointed at her.

  “This is Admiral Cate Harrow. Now that the tactical battle is over, I’m assuming the position of Allied Fleet Commander, with Admiral Eagleton’s approval. My mission assignment is to contact the Tyrell and convince them to agree that this war is over and that they’ll cease hostilities. That is what we’ve all been working towards. I’m certain that I can accomplish this without having to resort to the punitive and unnecessary killing of Tyrell civilians. With that in mind, I’m—”

  “But punitive killing of Tyrell civilians is exactly what we do want, Admiral Harrow!” shouted Napelon. “How many billions of innocent lives have the Tyrell taken? Those dead are demanding that the blood debt is paid. If you humans are unwilling to join in, then stand aside and don’t get in our way! This conference call is now over!” There was a series of audible clicks. Harrow looked at the Com Tech again.

  “Only the Tormain FC is still connected,” he said.

  “Fleet Commander Saroto, thank you for staying on the line; however, I need to confer with my staff. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can,” said Harrow quickly.

  “Understood, Allied Fleet Commander. Until later then.” One more click told her the channel was now closed.

  “It’ll take Napelon a few minutes to get the rest of the fleets organized. What are you going to do, Admiral Harrow,” asked Eagleton.

  Harrow knew the question that he was really asking was whether she would put Third Fleet in harm’s way to defend the Tyrell planet. To her surprise, it was an easy question to answer.

  “You don’t have to worry, Admiral Eagleton. I have no intention of spending human lives to defend Tyrell lives, but maybe I can save some Tyrell lives anyway. I’m going to warn the Tyrell what’s coming their way.” Without waiting for a reply, she quickly stepped over to the Com Station and began talking with the officer.

  Chapter Thirteen:

  Eagleton watched Harrow for a few seconds, then turned his attention back to the tactical display which was now issuing a series of status change pings as individual Alliance fleets began micro-jumping closer to the planet. He looked for and found the icon for the small Odina fleet that Senior Commander Ashiana was the Tactical Officer for. It did not jump away, maintaining its position to the rear of Third Fleet. A shocking thought occurred to him that sent a shiver up his spine. The Odina ships were not carriers but could more accurately be described as battlecruisers with huge anti-tachyon projectors mounted in turrets. Those kinds of weapons were useless for attacking a planet, but they were perfect for firing on other ships, and they were close enough that if the Odina fired on his carriers, they’d literally be cut to pieces. My God, this battle’s not over! He looked back at Cate, wondering if he should tell her his conviction that Third Fleet was now in danger. She may be the Allied Fleet Commander now, but I’m still in charge of Third Fleet, he thought to himself. If we’re going to be attacked, it’s up to me to deal with it.

  As he hurried over to the Fleet Astrogation Station, he snapped his fingers at the FTO, and when he had his attention, he motioned him over to join him.

  “I want an immediate micro-jump for Third Fleet set up and disseminated asap, Commander,” said Eagleton.

  “To the primary rally point, Admiral?” asked the FAO.

  “No! Somewhere else not closer than 30 light-seconds.” Turning to the FTO, he said, “I want all stinger squadrons on alert, Commander. We may have another fight on our hands.”

  The FTO took a quick look at the tactical display and seemed to guess what his admiral was thinking. “Understood. We still have enough D3s left to ah, neutralize the threat, Admiral.”

  “Get them ready to launch at a moment’s notice, but we don’t launch unless I expressly order it, understood, FTO?”

  “Clearly, Admiral.” The officer hurried back to his station.

  “I have a new rally point for you, Admiral,” said the FAO. Eagleton looked at it on one of the Astrogation Station screens.

  “Fine. Let’s set a new record for the fastest jump setup time, shall we.”

  The officer opened her eyes wide with sudden alarm. “New record coming up, Admiral,” she said quickly.

  By this time, Harrow had finished composing her warning message and had noticed the sudden tense atmosphere on the Flag Bridge. As she came up to Eagleton, she said, “What’s going on, Admiral?”

  “The Odina fleet is in a perfect position to launch a surprise attack on us. I’m moving Third Fleet as a precaution.”

  “What? Why would they…” She let the question dangle as both of them heard the FAO count down the five seconds to the emergency jump. “Do you have any evidence to suggest they were intending to attack us?”

  “Nothing conclusive, but consider what they did and didn’t do. They didn’t jump closer to the planet, and they didn’t establish a two-way link to the conference call, which tells me that they weren’t interested in what either the Metrone admiral or I were proposing. They did build ships that are only effective at relatively close range and would have been useless against the Tyrell ships with their AT defensive fire. Why did they do that, Admiral? It’s not like they couldn’t have build carriers or stingers if they had wanted to. We know they could have because we gave them our designs for both. I know this is all circumstantial, but I’d rather be too cautious than too careless.”

  Harrow nodded. “I agree it’s all circumstantial, but it does seem peculiar when you put it that way. What do you propose doing now?”

  “Attacking them is out of the question, in case I’m wrong. I don’t want to start another war, but I�
��m not letting them get into another position where they can effectively hit us. I’m considering declaring an exclusion zone around Third Fleet wide enough that their AT cannon will be ineffective. If they violate the zone, then we’ll know exactly where things stand, won’t we?”

  Harrow nodded and sighed. She wondered if Ashiana was capable of ordering an attack on her and the rest of the human fleet.

  Odina Fleet flagship:

  “YOU LET THEM GET AWAY!” Ashiana closed her eyes. She couldn’t avoid hearing her superior’s shouting, but she could avoid looking at him.

  “This plan to attack the humans is dishonorable,” she said in a final effort to defend her hesitation to implement the attack order.

  “THAT IS NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE! WE HAVE ORDERS FROM HIGH COMMAND, AND WE’VE LOST OUR BEST CHANCE TO CRIPPLE THE HUMAN SPACE FORCE BECAUSE OF YOUR DOUBTS!” Her superior continued in a slightly quieter voice. “You’re relieved of duty and confined to your quarters. Now get out of my sight!”

  Knowing that all eyes were on her as she left her station, Ashiana held her head high and kept her back straight. She had done the right thing, and this time it was for the right reason. She still liked Cate Harrow, and Gort Eagleton too, but that alone wouldn’t have stopped her from obeying legitimate and honorable orders. The order to cowardly attack the human fleet from the rear for no good reason, other than the engrained contempt her superiors had for humans in general and the resentment that Odina had been freed from Tyrell occupation due to the cunning of an ‘inferior’ species, was not honorable. She would have nothing to do with it, regardless of the cost to her personally. Luckily for the humans, they had reacted quickly enough that there hadn’t been time for her superior to replace her with someone else and then proceed with the attack. She was willing to bet that Gort Eagleton had sensed the danger Third Fleet was in and had taken action. By the time she arrived at her quarters, there was a message from a friend assigned to the ship’s Command Center.

  [THE HUMAN ADMIRAL EAGLETON HAS DECLARED AN EXCLUSION ZONE AROUND THEIR FLEET OUT TO THREE TIMES OUR EFFECTIVE RANGE. HE HAS ALSO DECLARED THAT ANY SHIP ENTERING THAT ZONE WOULD BE FIRED UPON REGARDLESS OF WHICH SPECIES THAT SHIP BELONGS TO.]

  Ashiana nodded in understanding and admiration for Gort Eagleton’s tactical savvy. The Odina Fleet Commander now had no chance of surprising the humans, and if he was stupid enough to force a confrontation against the much larger and now alerted human fleet and their small craft, her people would lose that battle. She almost wished he would be that stupid, because then she might die in the battle and not have to face the personal consequences of her actions. That she had acted honorably would be small comfort when the wrath of the High Command descended upon her. Execution was highly likely. She hoped it would happen quickly.

  EAF HQ:

  Mirakova greeted Cate and Gort warmly as they entered her office and sat down in the two chairs facing her desk. She picked up the data tablet she’d just finished reviewing and said, “I’ve examined both of your final After Action reports. I think you’ll be pleased to know, Cate, that the recon mission to the Tyrell home world has reported that there are some survivors of the bombardment. Not many, but enough so that the Tyrell race won’t become extinct.”

  “I’m relieved to hear that, Admiral,” said Harrow in a quiet voice.

  “I can also tell you that the Alliance Council has agreed to your proposal for a permanent monitoring of the Tyrell system to prevent them from ever again regaining the capability to threaten another species, not that we’d have to worry about that possibility any time soon.

  Not anytime soon was right, thought Eagleton. It’ll take them centuries just to build up their civilization to the level they had before the bombing. But we have to keep an eye on them. They’re too damned dangerous to be allowed to run around loose. If they try to break out, they may end up getting bombed back to the Stone Age again.

  “What about the Odina, Admiral,” asked Eagleton.

  Mirakova shrugged. “They’re not admitting that they planned on stabbing us in the back, but when we bring it up, they lose a lot of their arrogance and bluster. The fact that the Alliance Council also thinks they intended to attack us seems to have made the Odina leadership wonder if they narrowly avoided a really bad mistake.” She paused and looked at Cate. “I, ah…received an unconfirmed report that Senior Commander Ashiana, who was the Fleet Tactical Officer during the battle and who apparently refused to obey the order to attack us, was executed for treason. That’s twice she saved us. Rumor also has it that her family has disavowed her actions. Maybe some day they’ll change their minds about her. I think we’ve all had enough war to last us a lifetime, and I’m grateful to Senior Commander Ashiana that she prevented another war.”

  “Yes, I agree,” said Harrow in a somber tone. “I’d normally suggest some kind of official EAF recognition of her actions, but considering that her own family thinks she’s a traitor, maybe Ashiana would be happier if we did nothing.”

  “I’m inclined to agree with you,” said Mirakova. “Now that the war’s officially over, will you be staying in Space Force, Cate?”

  To Eagleton’s surprise, Cate shook her head. “No, I’ve had enough. My injuries are still not quite healed, and living on a carrier seems to exacerbate the pain. I’ve had my fill of the thunder of war and the thunder of vengeance. I’m going to resign and retire to some place that has a warm beach where the only sounds are of the surf coming in.”

  Mirakova briefly considered trying to change Cate’s mind but decided to let it go. Cate had done more than her fair share to win the war, and she certainly had earned the right to resign. “What about you, Gort?”

  “Well, commanding Third Fleet in peacetime sounds pretty boring, and I do have an assignment in mind that I think would be interesting.”

  “Oh?” asked Mirakova. She had hoped that Gort would stay on as Third Fleet’s Commander. She wondered what could possibly be more satisfying than that.

  “Yes. I’ve read the preliminary report on the system where the Tyrell found those alien ruins that gave them the technology to start this whole thing, and I know that a more extensive and larger expedition to that system is being contemplated. I’d like to request to lead it.”

  Mirakova managed to keep her surprise from showing. “Are you sure you want to do that, Gort? You’d have to give up one of your stars to take on that assignment. It doesn’t rate a Fleet Admiral.”

  Eagleton shrugged, laughing at the same time. “I’m fine with that. And if the EAF should get into trouble again, you can always give that star back.” All three of them laughed.

  This is the end of The Thunder of Vengeance and of the Thunder In The Heavens series.

  Author’s Comments:

  As some of you may know, I don’t try to plan out the book’s or series’ plot ahead of time. When I started the Thunder in the Heavens storyline, I thought I’d be able to come up with enough interesting material to fill three, maybe four books of roughly 75,000 to 80,000 words each, which is the typical length of my novels. Clearly that didn’t happen and the reason why is because I wanted to keep the story fast-paced and I didn’t want to have to resort to some kind of gimmick to save the human race from disaster again and again as I did in The Synchronicity War with time travel. So Thunder of Vengeance ended up being only 53,000 words long with the series as a whole having a total of approximately 126,000 words but you may have noticed that I left open the possibility of a sequel having to do with the alien ruins the Tyrell discovered. At the point in time when I’m writing this, I have no firm plans for a sequel but you never know when inspiration might strike. Another Thunder sequel might happen some day too.

  If you liked what you read in this ebook, please take a couple of minutes to post a review. They really do help boost sales and I appreciate constructive feedback. If you haven’t already joined my mailing list, I urge you to do so in order to be kept up to date on news about upcoming books, special offers, etc. If
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  D.A.W.

  Table of Contents

  Other books by the author (all these books except the complete series books are also available as audiobooks):

  The Cast of Main Characters:

  Prologue:

  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:

  The Thunder of Vengeance