The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3)

by Kocho Trajchevski

  “No Sokar. I don’t fear about tomorrow, i fear about the future. I fear that as time passes they will become strong just as we did in the past and then they will strike. I fear that there might be some other colony somewhere out there. The Alterans or the humans however you want to call them are warriors. In a way they are like us. That is why our ancestors had so much trouble with them. In some ways our two races are so similar that I fear that the gods played some cruel joke with us in some distant past.”

  “You had the same discussion with V’las I did, didn’t you my Lord?”

  “Yes Sokar. The youngling has a very clear and rational mind. Just as everyone from his clan. I can’t wait to see Ristarion. He was the pride of his father. You know that both he and V’las were against it when it was proposed. But the council made its decision and they obeyed. They even obeyed the order not to reveal anything to their clan. I know Arios personally. He is very close to the youngling. And he has honor, the kind of honor that is rare among our race. Their clan might be small and weak now compared with the others but they are among the best ones in our race. And the emperor knows that.”

  “I know my lord. Arios and my father once served together. Their history and honor codes are well known among the people of my clan. I highly doubt that Arios would have approved a mission like this one.”

  “Not without getting permission from the emperor or the admiralty first.”

  After this they both just stood there not saying anything for several minutes. They were entrenched in their thoughts.

  “You need to take a rest my Lord. We have time till the transition.”

  The admiral stayed quiet for several more minutes. He still felt tired from the waking up. While some of the crew and most of the fleet personal were awoken from time to time, he spent most of the time in cryo sleep. That was now taking its toll. He knew that he would be ok by the time they reached the warp point but he needed the rest.

  “You are right as usual my friend. I will be in my quarters if you need me. Call me when we are at the warp point.”

  “Yes my Lord.”

  After this they both exited the chamber and while the captain went on the bridge Voran went to his quarters.

  The fleet slowly started moving towards the warp point in distance. And as they did deep inside the system other ships started preparing for the long awaited confrontation the D-Day was finally here.

  The young officer looked carefully at his screen on board the Prometheus. He felt tired just as the rest of the crew. They were at full readiness and red alert for the past ten days. He wasn’t the only one on the edge. Most of the crews on the ships felt the same. They all hated the waiting.

  As he looked away the sound of the sensors registering something at the edge of the system got his attention back on the screen. He looked at the results from the scans. And immediately activated the alarm and turned towards the officer on watch. Both the captain and the admiral were resting at the moment and Lieutenant Atkinson had command of the watch.

  “Sir I’m registering anomalies at the edge of the system.”

  “What kind of anomalies Rivers?”

  He turned and rechecked his results in just a second.

  “We have hyperspace windows opening sir…Multiple contacts. We have confirmation of Dacarian warships. Hull configuration matches.”

  “Go to passive sensors and red alert. Stop all communication’s.”

  The bridge suddenly erupted with activity.

  Over the intercom Atkinson contacted the admiral and the captain.

  Several minutes later all officers were on the bridge.

  “What do we have?”

  The question came from the admiral.

  “Hyperspace windows opened at the edge of the system sir, at a distance of forty eight astronomical units.”

  “Are they Dacarians?”

  “Hulls and engine signatures confirmed it sir. We have Dacarian ships in bound.”

  Jennings took his seat, and so did Linda. On all the Earth ships the same activity was being conducted.

  “How many are there Rivers?”

  “We are reading six hundred plus contacts sir.”

  Just a minute later the young officer turned towards the admiral.

  “Six hundred and eighteen contacts confirmed sir. We have fifty four dreadnoughts, ten heavy, and twenty light carriers, sixty battleships, fifty heavy and seventy light battle cruisers, eighty destroyers, and one hundred frigates and hundred and twenty corvettes. There are also fifty four other ships I can’t classify. Forty of them are huge sir.”

  As the officer read the results of the scans an eerie silence took over the bridge.

  The number of ships was enormous. By tonnage they far out classed and outweighed the entire fleets, both in space and on sea that humanity had. And no one even thought about the fire power. The scans showed multiple armaments, just as the cruiser that was destroyed on earth had. And some had even more.

  “Show me.”

  “Yes sir.”

  On the screen before Jennings a digital representation appeared that showed the disposition of the enemy fleet. He focused on the forty largest ships.

  “Those must be the transports and the fuel ships.”

  “Jesus Sir. There are a shit load of them.”

  “Yes there are. Well there will be a lot of targets for the warheads when they make their way on the other side. Rivers did the drone transition through the warp point?”

  “Yes sir as soon as it registered the hyperspace windows forming.”

  “Good, is every one in position?”

  “All ships are ready and on their assigned places. I sent a short transmission as soon i noticed the anomalies to Admiral Peck and the Eden defense fleet. They are on red alert and on passive sensors as well, and they are ready to assist us if needed.”

  “Let us hope we won’t need them.”

  The Eden defense fleet consisted of two corvettes, eight Los Angeles class and two converted ships from the Alteran fleet. The colony had over a million inhabitants. The colonies were placed at Alpha Borealis the huge mountain massive that the planet had. The deep caves in it offered good protection against orbital strikes. Powerful rail gun batteries to provide protection against ships in orbit were placed on the base and the mountain massive. The colony was well protected and the small fleet was there to offer a little more help. But as he saw the fleet that was forming up Jennings knew that if Earth falls Eden will follow soon.

  Those ships were massive and here for one thing only, the total destruction of humanity.

  He activated the inter come.

  “All hands to battle stations. I repeat all hands to battle stations. This is not a drill. I say again. All officers are to report to their commanding posts. This is not a drill we are at condition red.”

  The voice echoed through the ship and as it did the ship blurred in to activity. Everyone was rushing to their posts. But there was no panic. They were ready. The fleet exercised non-stop for the past several months. They all knew their duties.

  “I’m detecting massive scans of the system sir.”

  This was the moment their destiny was decided. The moment they all feared. The ships were well hidden and they were running on passive meaning that only the life support and small parts like the ships telescopes and internal and proximity sensors were working. The power input was so small that it was really covered by the outside radiation. The ships in the asteroid belt were totally passive.

  “Any sign they noticed us?”

  After a brief pause Rivers turned, and exhaled.

  “No sir. They are forming up, and heading towards the warp point. They will be there in about ten hours if they continue at this speed.”

  “Ok continue watching. We have time.”

  The officer turned and Jennings turned his attention to the screen and the images of the enemy fleet. He wondered how many ships were going to stay back.

  Deep in the asteroid belt Captain Eli
sabeth Hutchinson was wondering the same. The sixteen ships under her command shut down everything but life support the moment they detected the anomalies. They just as their counterparts were stunned by the sheer number of ships and the size of the enemy fleet. As time passed and the news that they weren’t detected were confirmed everyone allowed a moment of relaxation. The first part of the plan worked. Now all that was left was to wait.

  And in some ways that was the hardest part of the job, and the most boring.

  27 June 2019 04:52 hours

  Sol System

  Simonson was watching the reports about the fleet’s positions on the screen on the bridge of Demetrion. The fleet was at red alert just as the one in the Proxima Centaury system. They were ready before too but for the past ten days all ships were present here. The last of the marine contingents arrived nine days ago. The Argus was positioned close by. The massive battleship was the only true capital ship in the entire fleet and the only one that could really hurt the enemy without much trouble. The ship was functioning ate seventy nine percent. Even with all the repairs and the fusion reactors that were placed there was no way that it could be fully repaired in the short time they had.

  As he looked at the reports that were flowing in he was constantly tapping on the floor with his right leg. It was an old habit that he always exhibited when he was nervous.

  The rest of the crew was pretty much the same. They were all manning their posts and they all exhibited the same restlessness the admiral did.

  Aria watched them and in a way compared them to her last crew. She learned a lot during the past year about them. She felt their presence though out the ship. The ship was as ready as it could be. The repairs the humans did even with their primitive technology increased the power of the ship and it was almost at full readiness. All the AI’s were on full alert far longer than their human crews.

  On board the Argus Anaya was doing the same with her crew. Only here Admiral Johnson was calm. He was old and had vast experience of command and knew that he had to inspire confidence to his crew and to the fleet. As she watched him she was the first to notice the exiting probe from the warp point. The information from the long placed Icarian probe arrived shortly after.

  “Admiral…”

  Johnson raised his head and looked at the AI. The look on her face told him all.

  “The probe just transitioned through the warp point. They are here.”

  “Send a fleet wide alert and get me a contact with Earth and the Federation Council.”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “Do you have a reading on their numbers Anaya?”

  “Yes sir. It is not exact but we are looking at six hundred plus contacts sir.”

  Everyone went quiet as she said the number. Johnson stayed silent for a second and then broke it.

  “Thank you Anaya. Send the alert.”

  As the alert was sent all ships went to full power and closed in on the warp point. More than two hundred ships closed in and prepared to fight to the last in order to stop the enemy from destroying their world.

  It took just a moment to establish a link with Earth.

  Unary was conducting a meeting with the federation council as the call came in. It took a minute for one of his aids to deliver him the information. At the same time the presidents of the most powerful nations received it too.

  As he listened to the aide he just nodded. The day they were all waiting for was finally here.

  He looked at the members of the council. They represented the most powerful nations of the world and he noticed that they knew.

  “Put the link here Dither.”

  “Yes Mr. President.”

  The young aide’s face was white. It was obvious that he was afraid but as he activated the link he regained his composure and the color returned on his face.

  On the other side of the screen he noticed the face of Admiral Johnson. Two more screens activated showing the faces of general Taylor and Admiral Levin.

  He greeted the two military officers of the federation. They responded back. He had a good cooperation with both of them in the past two years. It was still obvious that they responded to their governments first but as time passed they were slowly getting used to the idea of serving the federation, not just one nation.

  Then he turned toward the third face and the most important one.

  “Admiral Johnson.”

  “Mr. President.”

  Unary stood up and paced towards the screen. He wanted to be closer. He felt no fear. He was ready for what he knew was coming.

  “They are here?”

  “Yes.”

  A small murmur was heard behind him. He quieted it with one look.

  “Do we know how many?”

  “The estimates are six hundred plus Mr. President.”

  Everyone went silent at hearing those numbers. They outnumbered the human fleet three to one.

  The president felt a small stir inside him but didn’t allow it to show. He kept his calmness and spoke with a firm voice.

  “Are we ready admiral? Is the fleet prepared for what will come?”

  The answer came fast and with a firm voice.

  “Yes Mr. President. We are ready to do our duty.”

  “So it begins…”

  “Yes sir.”

  “You know what you have to do Tim, god speed and good luck to you.”

  “Thank you Sir.”

  The link went dead. At the same time he turned towards the other two officers.

  “I will be with you in just one moment gentleman?”

  “Yes Mr. President.”

  He turned towards Dither.

  “Dither schedule a press conference in half an hour, I want a worldwide coverage.”

  The young men nodded and left the office.

  He then turned towards the two officers.

  “Are you ready gentlemen?”

  General Taylor was the first one to answer.

  “The ground forces are already responding Mr. President. When the news arrived it was received by everyone. They are taking their assigned positions. You need to inform the population. They probably know but you will have to make that address.”

  “I know Jack. In half an hour the world will know that we are at war.”

  “Yes Mr. President.”

  As he turned to Levin the admiral responded.

  “I’m leaving in twenty minutes Mr. President to take command of the defense fleet in orbit. All the satellite systems and defense platforms on the planet and in space are going active and at full power as we speak.”

  “Are we ready admiral?”

  “As ready as we can be Mr. President. All that could be done has been done. Now all that is left is to look at juggernaut that is coming our way and knock it out, or die trying. We will die before we leave them to reach Earth. The fleet will do its duty.”

  “That is all we can ask from you admiral. I leave you to your duty.”

  “Goodbye Mr. President.”

  The link went dead.

  Unary turned towards the council members.

  “Well I guess our meeting is over gentlemen. You are free. We all have jobs now and it is time we go to them.”

  No one spoke. They just nodded and shacked hands before leaving.

  He stood for a while in the empty hall when they left.

  He made a short call to his family and smiled as he heard the voice of his daughter. He said his goodbyes and then left the hall and went to the conference room.

  The world waited for what he had to say. As the news reached about the conference everyone already knew. But there was no panic. As the channels went dead and the image of the president of Earth appeared on the screen billions across the globe looked at him.

  He blinked as the lights and the thousands of cameras and microphones turned towards him.

  He heard the announcement as he exited on the stage.

  “Ladies and gentlemen I give you the President of the Federation.”

/>   Once before almost three years ago he remembered delivering a speech that was heard and transmitted all over the world. It was the speech he gave on the day he was made president. Today he remembered the pride he felt on that day, and drew power form it.

  He had no speech prepared but he didn’t need it. Not for what he had to say.

  As he looked at the cameras he stayed quiet for several moments. Then he spoke.

  “My fellow citizens, I stand before you today not as a president of a country, not as a leader of a civilization, but as a citizen of humanity.

  I offer my prayers to the heavens just as you do.

  The day we all waited, the moment we all feared and prepared for the past years is finally here.”

  A stir moved through his audience in the hall in Geneva.

  “Moments ago I was informed by our fleet commanders that the enemy fleet exited hyperspace in Proxima Centaury and that they will be in this system by the end of this day.

  But instead of fear I say to you to hope, to get ready to fight, and support the forces and listen to them in the days that are coming.

  You need to know that all that can be done has been done. All the necessary steps that could be taken to stop them have been taken.

  The human thirst for excellence, knowledge, every step on the long ladder of science, every… adventures reach in to space and in our history, all of our combined modern technologies and knowledge, even the wars we fought in our past, distant and modern, have provided us the tools we need to fight this terrible battle, this war that is now coming to our doorstep.

  Through all the chaos, thorough all of the wrongs and the discord, through all of the pain and the suffering in our long history, there was one thing that has nourished our souls and elevated our species above its origins, and that is our courage, our wish to see the unknown.

  The dreams of an entire planet, all of our combined prayers are focused to those brave few souls traveling in to the heavens.

  As we speak the fleet is moving in and getting ready to engage in battle...to hold the line against the night, to fight one last time for all of us. May we all, citizens world over, may our world, our civilization see this events through and walk out in to the light united and strong…