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

by Kocho Trajchevski

  Say a prayer in my name…

  And live and know that I will always be there…

  Close by, by your side and in your heart.

  I love you.”

  This was the letter of one of those that never came home. He wasn’t an American, but one of ours brought his letter and his body home.

  He was a human just as we all are.

  I say to you we are proud, proud of you, proud of what you have done, proud of the way you lived. Proud of the way you died.

  Thank you and God be with you.”

  As he finished his speech gunshots erupted and planes flew high above.

  Even in space the fleet and the space station, the satellites, they all fired three shots, they all gave their final salute.

  All over the world, every nation buried its heroes. The letter Carter read, the message it send was the same each president, general or soldier read.

  Three years ago the world said goodbye to seven thousand four hundred and thirteen soldiers and two hundred and forty civilians, the day before it said goodbye to seventy millions and today, today it said goodbye to its final heroes, to eighty four thousand nine hundred and three soldiers.

  The day passed and the world and life continued. Slowly the rebuilding started.

  And all over the world soldiers returned to their homes.

  Each country greeted its heroes.

  Both on Earth and in space the rebuilding of the fleet started. New ship models, models that were planned but couldn’t be completed in time were started. The repair on the ones that survived also continued.

  7 July 2019 13:00 hours

  White House Washington DC USA

  Carter looked at the men gathered in to the office. They were both men from the military, from the ground forces and the fleet, and politicians.

  In a way it was a meeting of the new leadership of the federation, and the military. If Geneva was still standing the meeting would have been held there but it wasn’t. The new capital still wasn’t selected. But the new leadership was. Carter was the vice president and after the death of Unary Samba he stepped in to his new position. He felt confident that he will perform it well.

  He sat on the table as the last member arrived. It was Anaya who through a console that was brought was able to be present to the meeting that would decide the future of mankind and the war.

  “Ladies, gentlemen…Anaya welcome.”

  “Mr. President.”

  “As we all know the battle was won. We paid a high price but we survived. The question is what now?”

  “We rebuild, we strengthen our defenses and we increase our fleet.”

  Carter looked at Shang Wei the Chinese representative.

  “Yes Wei we will do that. But some new information’s that we have may show that we might need to take a new course of action.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I will allow our military advisors to tell us.”

  He turned to admiral Levin.

  “Mr. President, Sirs. As you all know we managed to secure data chips from the destroyed ships, and prisoners.

  The prisoners so far were reluctant to show any cooperation. But with the help of Anaya and the other AI’s we managed to decipher the chips and they revealed a lot of information’s about our enemy and their plans.”

  “What information’s?”

  Levin turned towards the British senator who asked the question.

  “Just one moment Senator, if you will al listen to her.”

  Then he turned towards Anaya.

  “Anaya if you please?”

  “Yes admiral.”

  In the middle of the table a star map appeared. It was showing the galaxy and it was centered on the Sagittarius arm. A large portion of it headed towards the center of the Milky Way galaxy was covered in red. The place where Earth and its colonies were was shown in blue.

  “The red shows us the current star systems that are under the control of the Dacarian Empire. It encompasses a territory spanning three thousand light years wide and two thousand light years deep.”

  “Jesus.”

  “Yes senator they are big. And if the military data is to be believed as we think it should, they have a huge fleet. So huge in fact that the fleet we destroyed was just a tiny drop in a very huge and deep pool.”

  “How do you think we can hope to compete with something like that…“

  “We can’t, at least not now gentlemen. But they are really far away even in ships that will move faster than light, really far away.”

  “How far exactly are they?”

  “The closest star system under their occupation is three and half thousand light years distant. The fleet we destroyed traveled for almost four years to reach us.”

  “So we have four years at least.”

  “It’s eight years actually Mr. Gupta. And maybe even more.”

  “Why?”

  “The Dacarian Empire is large gentlemen but it is divided in to clans. They all obey the emperor and serve him utterly. But they also have some degree of freedom in choosing their targets, and sometimes they choose without informing the emperor or the other clans of their plans.”

  “You mean…”

  “Yes Mr. Wei. The clans that attacked us did that. And that is what might affect our plans.”

  “Affect in what way?”

  Levin turned towards Anaya.

  “Anaya if you please.”

  A star system appeared on the map above the others.

  “This is the Arcadian system. The fleet that attacked us got its final orders in that system. It seems that those who know about our existence are there and will stay there in the next fifteen years.”

  “That is good right?”

  “Yes Mr. La Rouge. It means that at least in the next four years no one will know that we exist and even better no one will know that we destroyed the fleet that attacked us.”

  As he said those words it only took a second for the senators and congressmen to get the meaning. As he watched them Carter smiled. He was informed before the meeting and he agreed to the plan. But he needed the support from this people if the operation would have any chance of getting the go ahead and the support it will need.

  “You want to attack.”

  “Yes!!!”

  “But that is crazy.”

  “No Mr. Gupta. Crazy would be to stay here and wait for them. That would be like signing our surrender here and now.”

  “But … with their resources and power…”

  “Think senator. In four maybe five years they will know that their plan failed. Soon after that the empire will know to. And then they will send a huge fleet one we can’t stop to finish the job.”

  “But…”

  “But in the next four years only one star system holds the people that know about it, that know about us. If in the next four years that system is destroyed, if they are dead then our secret, our world will be safe. We will be safe long enough that we will have time to prepare for the next confrontation. But in order to have that we need to attack. And we need to do it now.”

  As he finished they all looked at him. It was clear that they are afraid. The first one who spoke was the Chinese senator.

  “The plan you suggest is not without danger. But it offers the best hope for survival. I agree but can we really do that. Can we attack?”

  “As you all know we lost fifty percent of our fleet. And many ships will have to be repaired. But we currently have three hundred hulls under construction. Many far stronger and larger than the ones we have. They will be finished within the next two years. The retrofitting of several other ships from the alteran fleet will be finished in the next year. Yes we can. It will be a risk but it is real and possible.”

  The discussion took a different turn after this. Several hours later the decision was made. The plan was approved. And the operation

  First Strike was started.

  10 August 2019 16:00

  Fleet Head
quarters Washington DC

  Jennings stepped in to the office with a smile on his face. It was good to be back on Earth. The last two months after the battle he had to make constant errands to the Proxima system and the new colonies that were being established there. After the trill of the battle it was something he didn’t feel right doing. He knew that there was still danger out there and he wanted to be there to confront it. And it was bad not having his ship. He missed the Prometheus. And he missed Linda. She was scheduled to get her own command, a cruiser. He knew that she deserved the command but he wanted his wife by his side.

  As he stepped in he noticed Admiral Johnson waiting for him.

  “Sir...”

  “Sam.”

  They shook hands.

  “Take a seat.”

  Jennings sat down.

  “How are you feeling Sam? How is the establishing of the new colonies going?”

  “You know that it is going well. As well as it could. It will be tough especially for the first generations. But they will manage.”

  “Yes I guess they will.”

  “Sir why am I here.”

  “Is the Prometheus ready to ship out again? Johnson sighed and sat down.”

  “Sam you won’t be getting the command of the Prometheus.”

  “Sorry Sir?

  “You will, should you choose to listen to me and agree to the mission that I will show you in that case, take command of the newly build Excelsior.”

  “The Excelsior, Sir?”

  “It is a ship from the Deadalus class of cruisers Sam. It is faster better armed, bigger and far better shielded.”

  “How better are we talking?”

  “See for yourself.”

  He handed him several notes showing the new ship.

  Jennings looked at it. It was four hundred and sixty meters long twice the size of the Prometheus. It had an air wing of sixty fighters, four pelican drop ships, one MAC gun that could fire a fifty ton projectile and it could fire three in a row, twelve plasma cannons, and thirty six missile launchers. An advanced Aegis system, four main rail guns placed on the front, forty eight placed on other parts of the hull and eighty four dual kinetic point defense weapons. It was impressive and it was powered by sixteen fusion reactors. And it had an AI. As he read the report he was surprised it was Aria.

  “What sort of a mission admiral.”

  “You will have to say yes before I tell you.”

  “Does it have a connection with the war?”

  As he watched the admiral face he realized he was right.

  “We are going to attack aren’t we sir?”

  “Will you sign?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then yes.”

  “When do we attack?”

  “That depends on your mission but no later than eighteen months.”

  “What is my mission?”

  Johnson smiled. He pressed a button and an image of a star system appeared.

  “This is the Arcadia star system. It is four thousand and two hundred light years away. It is the place we need to destroy in order to be safe and to prevent the enemy from spreading the information about our position and existence to the other clans.”

  Jennings looked at the system. He knew about the way the empire was governed. All who were in the fleet knew it. Some information’s were withheld but most were shared.

  It was a system similar to the solar system. The star was the same type as Sol, and it had eight planets, a large asteroid field and Ort cloud and only one habitable planet. It was larger than Earth but not by a big margin.

  “Your mission will be to do a recon on the system. A squadron of Special Forces will infiltrate the planet and gather information’s on it.

  In sixteen to eighteen months you will meet with the rest of the fleet here two light years away. After that we will invade.”

  Jennings thought for a second.

  “When do I go?”

  “In four weeks. The Excelsior should be ready till then. The rest of the information’s about the mission you will get from Aria.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “There is one more thing Sam. You will need to resign your rank for this mission. Until the duration of it you will be a Captain again.”

  Jennings smiled. “If that is all that I need to do to have this command that consider me a captain again.”

  “I think that that can wait for a little while.”

  “Yes Sir”

  “That is all Sam. You have a leave coming. I suggest you take it Sam and spend as much time with your family as you can. You will need it.”

  “I don’t need a reminder of that sir.”

  Johnson took his hand. He looked in to his eyes. Jennings was the most experienced captain he had. He was also the most inventive from what he saw in the report from the battle of Proxima. He knew that he was the best commander for this mission. As he watched him go he wondered if he will ever see him again.

  6 September 2019 07:00 hours

  Edge of Proxima System

  USS Excelsior

  Jennings looked at his crew. They were new, most of them young. He knew the reason for that. Most of the experienced crews were gone, killed in the battle three months ago. But they were good and eager. And he had time. It would take six to eight month by the best estimates. It was a time he planned to use for getting the crew in to the best shape he could.

  He looked at the screen that showed the outside. They were at the edge of the Proxima Centaury system. It was a system he rigorously fought to defend three months ago, a system where the victory over the aliens started.

  He remembered all the people he lost that day. They were just new faces that were added to the ones that he had already lost, new people that needed to be avenged. And this mission was the first step towards that.

  He turned towards Aria. The AI was beautiful as ever.

  She returned his look.

  “Are we ready?”

  “Yes Admiral.”

  “Prepare to open the window.”

  “Yes sir.”

  He activated the inter come.

  “Three months ago we all fought in the greatest battle our kind has fought. We fought and we won. But we all knew that that battle was only the beginning. Not all of you know me but on that day I gave a promise. I said that we didn’t start this war, but that by god’s name we will finish it.

  This is our first step in that direction. Be brave, be smart, follow my orders and we will get through whatever we will see out there. And in eighteen months we will join the rest of our brothers and sisters and give our enemies hell.”

  He turned towards Aria.

  “Let’s go.”

  A moment later the Excelsior accelerated. As it reached its needed speed a hyperspace window opened in front of it. Seconds later the Excelsior disappeared inside it.

  As the ship disappeared its long journey started and behind it the constant work carried on.

  The first battle was won…But the war was just beginning.

  The mission “First Strike” was the first step in it.

  THE ICARIAN LEGACY

  FIRST STRIKE

  Prologue

  146 BC Gulf of Tunisia

  The sun rose high in the center of the sky announcing that it was noon. The hot desert air dried the lungs of every man woman and child in the huge column that was slowly being led towards the strange objects in the distance. The people in the column, more than eighty thousand strong, many of them women and children were dressed in torn rags, many of the women showing the marks of rape and the bruises of severe beatings. Many of the men had wounds received in the final hours of the battle.

  On the side a Roman centurion watched them as they kept going, led by six cohorts.

  His name was Flavius Maximus and he was the Roman soldier, the Legionary chosen by General Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus, the conqueror of Carthage, to get the last surviving citizens, no not citizens he thought, not citizens, but slaves now
that Carthage was no more. As he thought of that name of that city that was the arch nemesis of Rome for so long he turned towards the east, towards the place where once the city stood. He knew that he couldn’t see it, now that they were so distant after five days of continuous marching. They were too far. But he could still see the smoke of the fires that were burning the city. He knew the plan. The city was to be burned to the ground. Not even one stone was to be left standing. Carthage was to be erased from memory. More than six hundred years of history that started centuries ago when the Phoenicians named it Quart Hades were now being erased in the flames. He noticed some of the slaves even as tired as they were, turned to see the distant smoke rising into the skies. And he could see the tears on their faces. As he did that he looked at the objects in the distance. He was told to expect to be met by strange creatures, creatures that were described only in legends, messengers of the gods. He didn’t believe in that. He didn’t know what those creatures were he didn’t know what was waiting for the slaves he now led in their arms, but he felt deep inside he knew that someday in the future, and who knows maybe even sometime in the past it might be Romans that would be led like this.

  And as he did he shuddered at the thought. And even as he thought of it he knew that some Romans were even now being led to them. Not many but a small band of deserters, Roman soldiers that were fighting on Carthaginian side were being led together with their former masters. They were at the front of the column segregated from the rest. He didn’t know for sure but he estimated that they numbered at least five hundred men. And as he thought of them he thought of the Carthaginians as well. He looked at the Roman legionaries leading them, laughing at them, and as he looked at them he could see no difference between them and the Carthaginians. And he remembered the report of the centurion that went ahead. The creatures that were waiting ahead were a little larger than a human being, walked on two legs and had two hands just as the humans did…but that was the only resemblance. They had a tail, four fingers on each hand, a face that looked closer to the face of a wolf than a man and sharp teeth. Animal teeth the centurion said. And their skin, it was dark brown.