The Gravity Warriors of Venus: Book Two of The Kelvin Voyages

by Kyle Larson

  “I’m going with him. I’m sorry, captain. I can’t go back to Earth, not now, not after all the work we have done”

  Amelia knew Captain Ali well enough to know she’d be disappointed and probably angry. Captain Ali had put in a lot of work to teach Amelia what she knew, and this felt like a betrayal. Amelia felt a lot of guilt, but she wanted to stay with her friend. She knew Kelvin wasn’t well in how isolated he’d become. The guilt she would have if she’d not gone with Kelvin would have been worse.

  “I’m sorry, too, Millie,” Captain Ali said. “Lord Sellwood, your shuttle is free to go. I cannot stop you, but I’d like to note that I think this incredibly dangerous and I recommend you reconsider.”

  “Thank you, captain,” Kelvin said. “I understand you are doing your job. I hope one day you can understand I’m trying to do mine. I need to show the Gravity Warriors that I’m a king who will stand with them. Just like my father once did.”

  “Good luck, Lord Kelvin. Captain Ali out.”

  The link went dead. Kelvin could tell Amelia was unsettled from the farewell.

  “It’s not too late, Millie. You can stay. You don’t have to do this,” Kelvin said.

  “I’m not just doing this for you, this is for me. I’m ready to stand with Venus. If I go back to Earth my parents won’t let me leave. I want to be out here, defending our people and our allies from these thugs,” Amelia said. Her face went from unease to stern determination. She was ready to fight.

  Kelvin didn’t intend to mention Amelia staying behind again. He just wanted to support her the same way she supported him.

  The hangar doors parted ways and the stars appeared in front of Amelia and Kelvin. An intense mixture of excitement and uncertainty overwhelmed them, so Amelia hit the thrusters and they shot out from the Monarch into the stars. Amelia steered the craft away from the giant ship. They both got their last look of what had been home to them for well over a year.

  “Unless you want to drive, I can have Mara take us there once we’re out of range so maybe we could get some rest. We could be flying into a battle zone, and we may not get another chance for a while,” Kelvin said.

  “Yeah, Millie, you two get some rest. I don’t need sleep. And maybe a few hours of sleep will bring his majesty to his royal senses about where he’s taking us,” Mara said.

  “That’s not a bad idea, Kelvin, but you should go first,” Amelia said. “You were in zero gravity training. Your body has got to be beaten up.”

  Kelvin was feeling it. That would usually have been the time he’d be getting ready to go to sleep. Whatever few hours Kelvin could sleep a night often came early in the evening. Most nights, though, Kelvin didn’t sleep well at all. He could feel his muscles start to ache and his eyes were getting heavy. There was something he needed to do first though.

  “Mara, please contact my Uncle Earlos on the moon,” Kelvin said.

  “The Lunar Guardians are still on the moon? I thought they were returning to Earth. I thought that was their dream,” Amelia said.

  “My uncle and the crew of the Lunar Gale are the last ones left. They are still shutting down the installations up there and helping the few people still living there relocate to Earth.”

  The Lunar Guardians were permitted to return to their homes on Earth. Earlos Monson stayed behind to ensure everything was taken care of before he left. Most of the people who’d lived on the moon planned on staying there. Earlos wanted to make sure they were taken care of before he settled into retirement. His people would take over the title of the Lunar Guardians and they would still command the Lunar Gale. Earlos looked forward to seeing his home again and getting to spend time with his sister.

  “I have your uncle, Kelvin,” Mara said.

  “Oh good, put him through.”

  In a few seconds of static, Earlos Monson’s deep, booming voice echoed over their headsets.

  “Kelvin! What can I do for you, my lord?” Earlos said.

  “Hi, Uncle Earlos!” Kelvin said. “You’ll never guess where I’m headed.”

  “Your friend Mara already let me know when she pinged my mobile. Sounds like you’re making some big decisions,” Earlos said. “I’m sorry to say it, Kelvin, but I don’t think your parents are going to be very happy about this.”

  “I don’t think anyone is,” Kelvin said. His nerves were all over the place. He needed sleep and needed it bad.

  “You’ll do what you need to do, my boy. That much is true. Can I be of any help to you?”

  There was no hesitation in Kelvin’s big request. He just blurted it out.

  “Can you get the Lunar Gale to Venus? I want to stand with the Gravity Warriors. I’m sure they would welcome the Lunar Guardians to help face the Wanderers.”

  Amelia was stunned that Kelvin asked the Lunar Guardians and she was also a little disappointed. The Lunar Guardians had been allowed to return to Earth, but they were on very thin ice. There was an informal agreement that any action they took against the Wanderers or any other kingdoms would have to be approved by Earth Navy. If the Lunar Guardians came to Venus, it would certainly jeopardize their return to Earth. She didn’t like that Kelvin hadn’t told her this part of his plan.

  “Well, Kelvin, if I could…” Earlos began, his voice became very soft. “Kelvin, the Lunar Gale suffered some engine strain on our journey back from Mercury. We have a whole crew working around the clock to fix it, but they have to take the entire thing apart, bolt by bolt. It’s not going to fly for at least five months, probably more. I’m sorry, Kelvin.”

  Kelvin could tell Amelia was not happy with him from her look of shock. He looked at her and mouthed ‘sorry’. In a way, Kelvin wondered if it was better that the Lunar Guardians wouldn’t come. From Amelia’s reaction, Kelvin could tell that his request was selfish.

  “I understand. I hope the repairs don’t cause too much stress.”

  “Oh, we’ll be fine, and when you make it to Venus, so will you. Trust me, Kelvin, the Gravity Warriors don’t need our help. I know Queen Tendai and I’ll tell you some stories someday. Venus is gonna be just fine and it’s probably the safest place to be in the Nine Kingdoms. I’ll try to remind your mom of that when I see her.”

  Kelvin already had dreaded for the next time he spoke with his mom. That call could only be hours away, maybe minutes. Now that Mara had taken it upon herself to voice her objection about his mission with others, Kelvin guessed she’d contacted his mom.

  “We’ll see. They don’t have any kind of navy,” Kelvin said. His uncle’s words helped, but Kelvin was nervous that Venus didn’t have any dedicated defense ships.

  “Oh, they don’t need a fleet, Kelvin. You’ll see. There are a lot of secrets on Venus, and I’m excited for you to discover them all,” Earlos said.

  As nervous as Kelvin was, he couldn’t wait to get to Venus.

  CHAPTER THREE

  AREN SELLWOOD WALKED briskly through the corridors of the Empress. The other officers stepped aside to clear a path. They could tell she was in a hurry. She had just seen something from her office sensor station that meant she and the Colonel needed to change everything they had been planning. They were one step closer to capturing Kelvin again, something Aren made her top priority and the Colonel had supported.

  Her attack on the Mercurian convoy was successful and she had everything she needed. The Mercury security ships didn’t put up much of a fight and their officers would make useful currency if she needed to negotiate with Queen Evet at any point. This would keep Mercury weak and force the Earth Navy to divide its fleet to protect its new ally. The parts they’d raided would also be useful in the weapon Aren was building.

  They had to be very careful about it though. They risked turning the very people they intended to liberate against them with an outright attack on a royal family member, especially heir to the Throne of Earth. No one in the Nine Kingdoms would trust the person who committed that. Aren’s ultimate goal was to inspire the people to rise up against their rulers
and take back the solar system together. She hoped that could be peaceful, but was prepared to support whatever action was necessary.

  The best case scenario for getting Kelvin would be for him to be caught in the crossfire, so their only option was to take him, for his own safety. Aren had detected the shuttle launch from the Monarch and monitored Kelvin’s transmission to their uncle, Earlos. Now, they could certainly catch him if they continued to Venus. It would be perfect. Aren was sure she could convince her brother to join them, since Riz had stayed behind in the Antioch Belt.

  The Empress was Aren’s ship. She had taken command, while Riz and Harcrow had ships of their own. Whatever plans the Colonel promised her earlier about being ‘chief political strategist’ had dissolved, and she took on the role she felt she was much more effective as –– commander. Riz and Harcrow stayed behind in the Antioch Belt to repair most of their fleet that had been damaged by the star dragon stampede. Not only were they conducting repairs, but they were building more ships. A cargo load full of artificial people claiming to be refugees showed up, ready to join the Wanderers to help free their people, as well. Some were even from the service of the Lunar Guardians.

  In a few months, the Wanderers expected to have increased their fleet by over half of what it currently was. They would be able to take on Earth after they finished with Venus. Mercury was an afterthought to them at this point. When Riz and Harcrow finished their new ships, they could test them out there. Aren didn’t presume Queen Evet was looking to enter the conflict since she was now absent a fleet, thanks to the Wanderers hijacking.

  Aren stepped on to the bridge and the crew stood at attention. Their commander kept a rigid discipline within her ranks. The officers were terrified of her, but they also respected her intelligence and strength. She knew what she wanted and if you lived up to her standards, she was fair. When someone messed up, they learned the hard way not to do it again. Hull cleaning detail was a particularly harsh form of labor Aren often instituted as punishment. The task involved being tethered to the outer-hull of the Empress in a spacesuit and scraping off the stellar dust that built up on its surface. The cleaning usually took hours and because it was done in deep space, people doing the work would be exposed to radiation from the vacuum of space. It didn’t kill them, but it made them very sick.

  “Hail the Wanderers!” Aren shouted. “All of you, get your butts in line and get ready for a fight. Prepare a hard thruster burn for Venus. Engage on my command.”

  “Plotting course now, ma’am,” a pilot confirmed, as he sat back down at his station.

  Aren walked up the stairway to her workstation, far above the rest of the bridge. She had a view of everything her officers were doing. Nothing went unnoticed, and she felt they worked more efficiently if she monitored them. Being so far above them also reminded them who was in charge. Aren had to work hard to get respect back after the failure in the Antioch Belt.

  As soon as she took her seat, a transmission pinged her workstation. It was the Colonel.

  The Colonel helped her and he tried to show his soldiers that she was his second in command. The only thing was, he didn’t know she was plotting against him. Aren was formulating a strategy to take power from the Colonel. She was just biding her time, so she thought in the meantime, she could conquer Venus and get her brother to join the Wanderers. If she did that on her own, she would prove that she was stronger than the Colonel.

  Aren also had her secrets. She was building a weapon that would be giver her fleet an advantage over anyone else. One way or the other, Aren Sellwood would command the Wanderers. Aren didn’t doubt the Colonel had similar plans for her. He was setting her up to fail, but she wasn’t sure when his plan would take action. She just had to make sure to speed up her plans.

  The Colonel’s sickly face appeared on the screen in front of her. There still wasn’t any way she could explain his ghastly appearance. His condition and appearance were also getting worse. The Colonel deteriorated day by day.

  “Captain Sellwood. What have you got from me?” The Colonel’s voice seemed to crawl out of his mouth, in a short breath.

  “It’s my brother. He’s broken off from the Monarch. He’s taking a shuttle to Venus, says he wants to stand with the Gravity Warriors,” Aren said, trying to hide her excitement.

  “Then let him stand with the old fools. A sniveling little prince isn’t going to interfere with our plans. Your orders stand, Sellwood. Once you take Venus and I’m taking the rest of our ships and chasing down the Monarch. I have a hunch the new captain is going to have doubts about returning to Earth empty-handed. My guess is the whole crew does. I think they are going to turn around to rescue their prince from your attack, and when they do, my ships will be waiting for them. I’m going to do what you couldn’t. I’m going to capture the Monarch.”

  Aren wouldn’t have had it any other way, but the Colonel had just given himself away. She could tell he didn’t think she could take Venus. This was the set-up. There was something he knew about their defenses that she didn’t. It didn’t matter to Aren, she was confident she could do it. There was no reason to play her hand yet, so she would prove the Colonel wrong and take Venus. Kelvin too.

  “Very good, sir. I have ten ships, with me. Plus five squads of star divers. Venus doesn’t have a navy. This is going to take less than a day,” Aren said with a smile.

  The Colonel burst out laughing.

  “Oh, my young friend, they don’t need a navy. You’ll see soon enough. Good luck, captain. Report to me when you’ve engaged the Gravity Warriors. I’ll look forward to hearing your evaluation.” He ended the transmission

  Aren smiled that the Colonel had no idea that she’d just stolen weapons and ship components from Earth on their way to Mercury. Riz and Harcrow didn’t know either. All ten ships in her fleet were running on radio silence, aside from communicating with the Empress. Aren controlled what they knew and what they reported to the Colonel. It was possible the Colonel knew, but even if he did, there wasn’t much he could do about it. His ships were already too far off on their way to corner the Monarch.

  The Gravity Warriors were named after the very force they had mastered. The intense gravity of Venus was something the humans lived there were able to harness. It gave them special abilities, and they developed technology to use it. Their most notable achievement in the military regard was the construction of a planetary shield –– an impenetrable field that protected Venus from any attack or unwanted visitors. The shield was the only thing Aren knew about the Venusian defenses.

  No navy had ever tested it, but when the Wanderers were once called the Pirates of Mercury, they attacked it several times. No ships and no electro blasts ever made it past the shield. Venus was safe, but Aren’s assault would be the biggest test of their defenses. There had never been an attack of this size, and as they set up a blockade around Venus, Aren could start building the weapon with the materials her fleet raided from Earth.

  Some days Aren missed Riz, but she hated the fact she felt that way. He had been a friend and teacher to her, but she had to consider him an enemy now. In the end, Aren knew it would eventually be Riz who would be the real challenge. The Colonel was just a distraction compared to what Riz was capable of. Aren was afraid of whatever plan he must be forming back inside the Antioch Belt.

  In addition to rebuilding all of the ships lost in the star dragon stampede, Riz trained any new recruits. Word had gotten out in the Nine Kingdoms and people were seeking the Wanderers out. There were people in the Nine Kingdoms agreed with them. Riz had a chance to shape them however he wanted, and they would ultimately be loyal to him, just as Aren once did.

  Her loyalty to Riz as a student and friend was something she had to fight every day. Aren didn’t want to feel that way.

  She also felt awful for Kelvin and her parents. Aren believed in what she was doing, but she knew her father was a mess. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how angry her mother must be with her. Kelvin probably thou
ght she was a monster. Aren only hoped one day she could show them she was right. Aren had to believe the cause was worth the sacrifice.

  Some days she was tempted to try to signal Kelvin. When she heard his voice in the transmission it made her very sad. Aren wished she could talk to him and hoped one day she could have a relationship with him. That’s why she wanted to get him so that she’d have the chance to convince him to join her. They could free the Nine Kingdoms together. If Kelvin liberated Earth, it would start a movement in the other kingdoms.

  That was Aren’s goal, but first, she would have to take Venus. If she could defeat Venus it would send a message to the rest of the Nine Kingdoms. The Gravity Warriors had a mystique about them in the Nine Kingdoms and it could be a mighty victory for Aren. She was confident she could do it, especially with the ancient designs of the weapon her officers were building.

  Just as Aren reflected on that, her comm pinged from Corporal Kuro Woad. Her specialist was requesting contact from the laboratories in the bowels of the Empress. It irritated Aren, as Woad knew he was supposed to report to her in person and never over the comm system. It was always possible the Colonel or Riz monitored her channels.

  “What is it, corporal?” Aren said into her headset.

  “Ma’am, we may have a problem with the weapon,” he replied nervously.

  “Corporal, our electro cannons are functioning properly!” Aren shouted back. What are you doing? Woad was under strict under not to ever refer to his project as a weapon, especially over the comm. “Report to my office, immediately.”

  Aren stood and ripped her headset off, tossing it to the ground below. The headset shattered and Aren descended from her workstation. The crew tried to focus on their duties and could sense her anger. It was always possible she could take it out on them. She moved quickly across the bridge and into her office. Everyone on the bridge breathed a sigh of relief. They’d dodged her wrath that time.