Countdown

by John Walker

  Countdown

  Ether War

  Book 10

  John Walker

  Copyright © 2020 John Walker

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  DISCLAIMER

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This story contains explicit language and violence.

  Blurb

  Having unified humanity against a common foe, the Morrigan prepares for what promises to be a final battle. Using coordinates they recovered from a daring mission, they take an armada to the ervas homeworld where they hope to deliver a serious beating...the kind that will make their opponents listen.

  All the while Rita Peck finds herself the unwilling guest of Tobin Loch, the pirate who believes she owes him for the botched job that put her on this path. Alone, seemingly without help coming, she plans her own escape. Unbeknownst to her, several allies are en route, ready to put their lives on the line to liberate her.

  These men and women find themselves in a race against time, a desperate bid to save the galaxy as they know it...or die trying.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Donovan Trent picked himself up off the floor, groping for a console in the dark. His legs felt weak, trembling as he stood. The explosion came out of the blue, brought about a brief rush of screams, then ended with the sound of the space station alarm blaring. Confusion dulled his senses and made it hard to think.

  What were we doing? Donovan peered around the room, squinting in the low, emergency lights. His colleagues, each of them members of the command crew, were scattered about the room. Merna seemed to be missing her arm, a fact that alarmed him until he saw her neck yawning open. Holy Jesus… she’s… she’s dead!

  He stumbled about the room, checking on his coworkers, finding not one had survived the impact. Nine people, all gone. Few of them were whole. The scent of blood turned his stomach and made bile rise in the back of his throat. He began to panic, frantically checking himself over for wounds.

  Aside from some bruises and strained muscles, he felt fine. How’d I get through that unscathed? It felt like some kind of miracle, as if a divine being must’ve been watching out for him. Why me? That makes no sense! I’m not special! As a level two technical operator, he handled scans of incoming spacecraft.

  He wasn’t in charge of anything; held no command authorization whatsoever. Just one of many individuals working for the Gold Empire on the verge of their territory. Nothing like what he’d experienced had ever happened before. That place had been peaceful. Even station security rarely found action… and that was with various pirate factions visiting.

  So what happened? Donovan moved as if on autopilot. He sat at his terminal, slapping the side of it. The screen flickered, displaying a message that it was nearly finished with its reboot cycle. Oh for the love of God, we don’t have time for this! He checked the terminals nearest him, but they were in the same state.

  Normally, a quick reboot took a matter of seconds. This time the computer remained offline for almost a minute. When it finally came back, it showed that power to the network had been cut off. The reason he didn’t have immediate access came down to a disconnect between the command center and their technical center.

  That’s not good! The explosion must’ve impacted most of the station then. Everyone could be out of power! Donovan thought about moving to the comm station to reach out to any survivors aboard the station, but he had to know what hit them. A lot of people could be in trouble. I’ll probably need to send out a search and rescue team.

  A quick scan of the sector made his eyes bulge. Six unidentified ships took up position within close proximity. He ran them through the database, a process that took less than ten seconds to reveal a terrifying result: ervas combat vessels. All six of them, battleships… each with fully charged weapons.

  Oh my God, we’ve been attacked! Accepting that thought helped him to focus. I need to make contact. I need to talk to them and surrender! The station had the most basic of defenses when it came to small vessels, but they were no match for warships. Their small arsenal of fighters were meant to scan cargo ships for contraband.

  Not fend off overwhelming odds!

  Donovan brought the main screen up, turning to watch as all the docked ships from the station broke free. Some of them moved into attack formation while others fled, their main thrusters carrying them far away from the action. “No!” he shouted. “You stupid bastards, not a single one of you stands a chance!”

  He moved over to the comm station, typing in his access code. Leaning into the microphone, he called out, “All vessels, stand down! We must communicate with the ervas. We cannot win this fight! Please stand down! You are jeopardizing the lives of every survivor left on this station!”

  His cries were met with static. He tried again to no avail. Rushing back to his own station, he squinted at the data from his initial ping. They’re jamming our comms! His last-ditch effort involved dropping a message to the buoy. Providing they didn’t destroy it, command might receive a warning about the attack.

  Though Donovan wasn’t feeling optimistic about it. He stood up straight, turning to look outside again. These guys aren’t here to take prisoners. This isn’t some kind of misunderstanding.

  The smaller five ships that remained in the system were outfitted with weapons. Scans on the main screen showed their gear. He doubted any of it had the necessary kick to get through the ervas defenses. As they opened fire, blasting away at the middle battleship, the enemy’s green shields burst to life.

  They counterattacked, but the smaller vessels proved too maneuverable for the initial encounter. Each of them veered about, evading the attacks as they moved in for a second pass.

  Another quick volley tore at the ervas as they strafed their opponents, flying swiftly about to keep away from the worst of the assaults. Fighters joined in; station defense forces. I guess they feel like they don’t have anything to lose. Perhaps that was the case. If they didn’t try, the ervas seemed intent on destroying the station.

  Might as well go down fighting. Donovan checked the station defenses; the automated turrets. They were offline, as were the shields… even the environmental shielding that kept debris from striking them. He didn’t know what to do other than stand there, witnessing the violence transpiring.

  The Gold Empire allies held their own, masterfully moving about the larger vessels. Donovan allowed himself a sense of hope, holding his breath. These men and women have practiced taking on greater odds many times. This might just work! Maybe they can fend them off! We might…

  A volley from the left hit the station, making him stumble into a nearby console. The screen continued to display the action. The biggest of the pirate ships took a direct hit from a main cannon, shattering it in an instant. Its defenses didn’t even slow the assault down.

  Holy shit that was… oh God.r />
  One vessel he thought might’ve been a refitted destroyer swept between two of the ervas ships, casting blasts in both directions like some kind of old-style broadside. The attack seemed effective though as he cleared his run and pulled up, he found himself harassed by enemy fighters.

  They swarmed like angry insects, their tiny attacks littering the hull. Donovan would’ve bet good money the ship could withstand that sort of assault for a long time… until he remembered the secondary effect of ervas weaponry. He’d never witnessed it in person but he’d seen the technical readouts.

  As the destroyer’s shields dropped, the fighters kept at him, tearing holes through the hull. They suddenly broke off, swarming toward another ship as the destroyer’s reactor tore through the hull. Only the nose section remained intact, tumbling away from the explosion and bits of debris cast about.

  The last three station defenders went after the ship on the end, the one that had blasted the station most recently. They hit it hard, synchronizing their shots in an impressive assault. The other battleships moved, each discharging their main weapons. One ship pulled up, their thrusters carrying them far from its opponents.

  The other two took direct hits. They collided into one another, erupting into an orange-red ball before disappearing entirely.

  Donovan turned his attention to the final combatant who continued flying away, making a serious break for it. I don’t blame him. Donovan backed away, taking a seat. The escape pods were only two rooms away… he knew he wouldn’t make it in time. There’s no way. The ervas vessels lined up again, points all over their surfaces glowing green.

  The next hit made the station shake for only half a moment. The alarm went dead. Air exited rapidly. Donovan felt himself dragged toward the wall. Darkness hit him half a second before his body was pulverized, every bone obliterated in a heartbeat. The station followed him into death, blown to bits in less than a minute.

  The war had begun.

  Chapter 1

  The Morrigan emerged from hyperspace in the Gallik system, lurching into position some four hours out from the planet. Captain Noah Markel used every ounce of discipline to keep his posture perfect in his chair. While the ship’s sensors brought back information about their surroundings, reports came through from other departments.

  Engineering had another laundry list of repairs to make, mostly from the internal blast that had damaged so many circuits. They’d be working on that for the next few hours at the very least; likely a full day. Even then, chances of full recovery quickly seemed impossible. Noah prepared himself for a lengthy time frame from Chief Mills.

  Commander Jack Shelley had yet to wake up. He didn’t see any improvement over the entire hyperspace trip back to their safe zone. The doctors hesitated to call it a coma, but Noah knew enough to recognize the state. His terminal had popped a few inches from his head, causing massive trauma.

  He was lucky to survive.

  Despite their victory over the Gold Empire dreadnaught, the ship felt as if morale had taken a dramatic hit. Several soldiers had to board the vessel as refugees from the Dusk Wing, which had been rendered inoperable. Roughly one-third of the surviving crew went to the destroyer, the Simple Heart.

  This taxed the life support systems of both ships, making the environment less comfortable all around. Engineering did their best to boost the efficiency of the air purification tech, but it was barely noticeable. Fortunately, no one complained. They all understood the score.

  Dorian called from the tech station. “Captain… there’s a lot of debris out here. Way more than when we left. There was definitely a battle here.”

  “What?” Noah looked over at him. “I don’t… I mean, what’re you talking about? How big? How many ships were involved?”

  “I can’t say for sure,” Dorian replied. “Just looking at the sheer amount of radiation from reactor pops, I’d say five to ten went up. Dozens of fighters too. It seems shuttles are combing the area on search and rescue. I’m trying to get Commodore Alden on the line right now.” He paused. “Oh my God.”

  “What is it?” Erica called from the helm. “What now?”

  “The settlement…” Dorian brought it up on the viewscreen. Charred, collapsed buildings dotted the landscape. The top-down view from a satellite showed little more than ruins. Fires weren’t the worst of it either. Great clouds of smoke covered some sections, making it impossible to see the worst of the carnage. “It’s gone.”

  “Christ…” Noah stood. “Get me someone on the line. Anyone.” He stepped over to Erica. “Plot a course for the planet; best possible speed without taxing the systems too heavily. Get our own search and rescue ready just in case. What’s your assessment, Lieutenant? What do you think happened?”

  Erica sighed as she engaged the thrusters. “Battleships came. From the readings on the HUD there, I’d say Confed vessels popped in.” She looked at Noah. “Do you think Whitaker came here somehow? Attacked this place while we were gone? Because I can’t imagine any other commander thinking it would be a good idea to come all this way behind enemy lines.”

  “No, I agree.” Noah rubbed his eyes as he returned to his seat. “Anyone on comms yet?”

  “Negative, sir,” Dorian said. “I’ve got other ships on the scanner now. Three MerCon vessels on patrol. Wait! I got through! Hold on a second.” He spoke quietly into his microphone. “It’s Erris!” He shouted. “She’s on that ship! I’m patching her through to the viewscreen right now!”

  Noah watched as the image of Elizabeth Erris flickered on. She looked as tired as he felt, dark circles framing her eyes. Her hair was pulled back severely, making her look all the more done in. She offered a smile, though it seemed forced.

  “Welcome back,” Erris said. “Glad to finally see you again. I wish we had fantastic news here… I’m hoping you do.”

  “Mission complete on our end,” Noah replied. “At a cost. What happened here?”

  “Whitaker came in hard,” Erris replied. “Hit the fleet stationed here and dropped troops on the planet. They were repelled but as you say, at a cost. I’m afraid Whitaker escaped, but that may not matter. Alexander Northam is aboard my ship. He was rescued from Earth by Karl Petrova.”

  “Is Marshal Northam there right now?” Noah’s heart raced. He’d been worrying about his friend. Knowing he was safe… that helped. Of course, he’d been in terrible danger arriving at that system during a major battle. He’s tough. Probably got his blood pumping. “As in with you at the moment?”

  “No, not right now.” Erris cleared her throat. “I’ve got a lot to tell you besides this but… something you’ll want to hear right away. Tobin Loch came. He threatened to destroy Alden’s ship, and at the time, that was a credible threat. I’ll just cut straight to it. He spoke to Rita and she agreed to go with him to protect the commodore.”

  Noah closed his eyes, biting his lip to avoid cursing out loud. He nodded finally. “I see.”

  “Did you encounter him out there?”

  “We did, and he found himself in an interesting position. I didn’t think…” Noah shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll get her back. One way or another, we’ll figure it out. What about Oliver? The rest of the people here? Are they okay?”

  “Yes, and quite frankly, Dora Collins distinguished herself. She took on a mission with Harcourt and they’ve returned with some serious information about the ervas. It may well be the turning point in that part of our problem. They’re on board here as well. Perhaps when you get closer, we can have a briefing over here.”

  “That sounds good to me.” Noah nodded. “We’re a bit hurt and we’ve got far too many passengers right now. Can you please reach out to Alden and let him know what’s going on? Or patch him through to us. We’ll give him a briefing. I’m sure he’s anxious to hear what happened. I think he’s got some friends back home waiting to do some political things.”

  “He does indeed,” Erris nodded. “You’ll hear from him soon. Oh, Captain? I really am gl
ad to see you.”

  “Likewise.” Noah killed the connection from his console. “Maintain course and heading. Dorian, collaborate with whoever’s in charge to see how we can help. If we have to launch ships, make it happen. I want a list of requirements from Engineering for full repairs ASAP so we can requisition the parts from other settlements on Gallik.”

  “Yes, sir.” Dorian made notes of all his orders before getting to work.

  “Erica, would you like a break? I think you’ve earned one.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Erica replied, “until we’re in orbit with the others, sir.”

  “Fair enough, Lieutenant.” Noah turned to the reports on his screen; dozens of them waiting for his acknowledgment. Well more than half usually went to Jack. He felt the man’s absence just then. The whole ship would. His understanding of admin alone made him invaluable.

  The other departments are going to be annoyed having to explain some of this to me. Noah smirked. Probably do us both some good. He tried to focus on the task at hand but found himself distracted by the possibilities waiting for him on Erris’ ship… and the bad news about Tobin Loch. I have to fix that somehow.

  He wasn’t sure what he’d do quite yet, but it was only a matter of time.

  ***

  Graff sat on the ruined steps of the command center, staring off into space. The smell of destruction wafted around him, burning his nose. He ignored the sensation, staring out at the ruined structures dead ahead. Apparently, the bodies had been removed before he landed, but he felt their presence.

  Death hung heavy amongst the stink of burning plastic and charred dirt.

  If I would’ve been here… Graff knew better than to go too far down that mental path. He felt his age trying to use the turret on the starship. A battle of the magnitude capable of leveling the entire settlement was one he couldn’t even fathom. My days of this type of fighting have long since been behind me.