by Don Viecelli
Description Book 3
The Nanomachine War - Book 3 escalates in brutal fashion. The Qumru starship Solruku has been captured by the Yoyka during the Battle For Holtu and taken to Emperor Rahta’s home world, Yoykan. The Yoyka scientists develop a new, more terrifying, nanoweapon that uses tiny nanobot drones to attack, kill and consume their prey; then replicate to wipe out entire species based on their DNA. The AI Shonya helps regenerate Tumil on the Solruku using Onutu technology and they plan their escape. Rahta attacks Earth’s solar system in another attempt to defeat the Holtu Military space fleet causing devastating damage on Mars and killing millions of people on Earth with their new nanoweapon. UN Space Strike Force Captain Douglas Martin must take over command of the USS Illinois during the battle to save Mars. In desperation, the Galactic Military Alliance (GMA) develops their own nanoweapon called Nanoboids, which are minuscule nanobot drones that use Swarm Intelligence like a flock of birds to attack their prey and replicate. The final climactic space battles between the Yoykan Imperial Fleet and the GMA warships determine the fate of the galaxy. No one is spared from the terror of nanoweapons and fear of annihilation. Freedom from Yoyka rule and control of the incredible, life prolonging Onutu technology are at stake in this galactic space war.
Copyright Page Book 3
Nanomachine War - Book 3, Killer Nanoboids
By Don Viecelli
Copyright © 2019 by Donald E. Viecelli.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Ebook cover page image and design is provided by Kerman Rodriquez.
This is a work of science fiction. All the characters, names, incidents, places and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any errors found in editing, formatting, plot or structure will be corrected in future editions.
Available at Amazon.com and other online stores. Positive reviews on Amazon or Goodreads are always welcome. It helps independent authors like me to reach a broader audience.
ISBN: 9781792304859
For Kindle Readers.
First Release May 2019.
Revision R2 released July 2019. Includes Excerpt from The Guardians - Book 1.
Word length approximately 94,123.
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Dedication Book 3
To those scientists who create nanotechnology for peaceful purposes and not war.
“An asteroid or a super volcano could certainly destroy us, but we also face risks the dinosaurs never saw: An engineered virus, nuclear war, inadvertent creation of a micro black hole, or some as-yet-unknown technology could spell the end of us,” Elon Musk.
Table of Contents Book 3
Description Book 3
Copyright Page Book 3
Dedication Book 3
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
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Excerpt From The Guardians - Book 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Profile Page
Chapter 1
Synoran Rebellion
A beautiful blue planet slightly larger than Earth revolved slowly in space five thousand light years from the Yoykan Empire star system. It was heavily populated by an advanced race of people called Synorans who had conquered space travel and would have spread throughout the galaxy if they had not come into contact with the Yoyka Imperial Space Forces nearly a century ago. Now the race that survived on the planet Synor was completely subjugated and controlled by Imperial Leader Rahta’s mind controlling nanomachines.
Fortunately, a large portion of the population had moved out into space colonizing a few other worlds before the Yoyka warships attacked their home world. It was a devastating loss, but the Synoran people who escaped the Yoyka nanomachines continued to fight back anyway they could using hit and run tactics that harassed the Yoyka warships guarding the planet. It was all they could do with the limited Synoran space force left to fight.
A midsized Synoran warship cautiously approached Synor from a distance and scanned the star system for any signs of Yoyka warships. The warships were gone. The Captain of the ship, rebel leader Senior Commander Koral, stood silently at the helm. He was two meters tall, humanoid in appearance with yellowish skin, hairless head, narrow face, small mouth, nose and ears. He studied the monitors before him with two dark green oval eyes. His green uniform was frayed at the edges, but neatly pressed and displayed several medals on his chest. He turned to Second Commander Ratoon. “Are we clear to approach Synor?”
Ratoon was the same height as his commander, but heavier in appearance. His voice was steady and measured. “Our scans detect no Yoyka warships in our system, Commander.”
“Very well. Move us closer to home.” Koral remained alert, but was becoming more concerned for his people.
The Synoran warship quickly sped up to close the distance before entering into orbit above their home world. It had been a long time since Koral and his small crew of rebels had been able to return home. There were less than thirty Synoran warships left in existence since the war with the Yoyka had begun. Koral had no illusions of victory against their overwhelmingly superior foe. In fact, up until a few Synoran days ago, there was little hope at all of even surviving as a people. Then word of what happened at Qum reached his small force of rebels. Everyone on board was worried that what the Yoyka did to Qum could happen to Synor.
Ever practical, Senior Commander Koral was still not convinced the news they had received from friendly sources was really true. It seemed impossible. Another race, maybe more than one, had found a way to drive the Yoyka away in defeat. Even more improbable, the Qumru may have found a way to counteract the terrible mind controlling Yoyka nanomachines that had enslaved his people.
Something was threatening the Yoyka. They had left hurriedly from Synor and nearby space territories. Reconnaissance probes verified Yoyka warships were indeed withdrawing from several Yoyka controlled planets back to
Yoykan space. A great war was coming between two powerful adversaries and Koral was beginning to feel hopeful once again after many hard years.
First, it was necessary to see what was happening on their home planet. Koral motioned to Ratoon. “Scan the surface and see if our people are still alive.”
Ratoon did as commanded. As the warship circled Synor, they listened to all radio frequencies, recorded images on the ground, checked for live thermal images and tried to communicate with any person or group on the ground that might be able to see their ship or hear their messages.
After one complete orbit, Ratoon looked up at Koral. “We are receiving no responses to our signals, Commander. Scans and surveillance cameras show people are still alive on the surface, but they are not acknowledging our attempts to contact them.”
Koral nodded his head in understanding. “I was hoping to hear from any repel forces still operating on the ground. It appears they have all been compromised.”
“What do you wish to do now, Commander?”
“Record as much as we can while we orbit the planet. It appears the Yoyka have left our planet and taken all the resources they wanted before they departed. I’m afraid if they do not return our people on Synor will be left to die unless we can find a way to help them.”
“What about the messages we received concerning the Qumru? Could they not help us?”
“Perhaps—if it is true. Let us see what is left of our home world. Then we will go.”
Out of caution, Koral ordered more space probes be sent on patrol to alert them if any Yoyka warships returned while they surveyed their world. All indications were the Yoyka had depleted the resources they wanted on Synor. If that was true, Koral could only guess what the Yoyka would do next.
Chapter 2
Mars
Haffen City on Mars was a bustle of activity. Over the past two months, thousands of colonists, military personnel and their families had journeyed to Mars from Earth. Nearly ten thousand residents made Haffen City their new home. More than sixty thousand people lived on Mars in all four cities now. Almost fifty thousand were military troops under the command of the UN Space Strike Force (UNSSF). Many were pilots and crewmembers training to operate Zoltu fighters and serve on Holtu designed warships preparing for the war with the Yoykan Empire. More troops were arriving every day.
Doug Martin was at home on his only day off with his wife, Doctor Janice Martin and their two month old baby boy they named Jules Edward Martin after Doug’s father (first name) and Jan’s father (middle name), both of which still lived on Earth with their wives, Jean and Virginia. The grandparents had not visited or held their grandson in person yet and it was becoming an issue with Jan.
“We need to plan a trip to Earth to visit our parents soon, Doug!” Jan insisted.
“I know, but it needs to wait until after the awards ceremony on Holtu. We’re still at war you know.” Doug picked up Jules who began to cry at hearing the loud voices in the room. He put the baby on his shoulder and tried to soothe him while talking to Jan.
“Things are so hectic lately. We need more time to ourselves,” Jan complained as he handed Jules over to her for feeding.
Doug tried to explain. “As soon as we get this trip over with, we can visit our parents on Earth with Jules. It won’t be long. The President wants an update on our military status as soon as we return from Holtu. But the trip to Holtu has priority. We both must attend.”
“We need a babysitter we can trust, or I’m not going to Holtu.” Jan had made this request already.
“I said I agree with you. We’ll find a babysitter for Jules while we’re gone. The whole trip will only last a few days. Besides, you won the bet to visit the canyons on Holtu and this is the best opportunity to do it.”
That seemed to calm Jan down as she prepared to feed Jules. She walked to the kitchen to get the bottle heating on the stove. She tested the milk and walked back to the living room to sit down and feed Jules.
Doug watched her and Jules in silence. It had been an adjustment in their lives getting used to having a baby to watch and protect every minute of the day. After two months, they both had finally gotten into a routine that seemed to make life a little less stressful than it was at first. They were even getting more sleep as Jules put on weight and almost slept through the night. Before long, Jules would be crawling, talking and then walking as time continued to move forward. In a way, Doug was thankful for the time they had enjoyed over the last two months since Jules was born. He knew it wouldn’t last much longer, not if the Yoyka had anything to do with it.
Doug looked out the front window of their home at the domed city of Haffen. It had grown larger by necessity, especially the Spaceport and the military base situated next to it. Shuttles were landing and taking off every few minutes. Doug knew how busy everyone was at the base because he was now in charge.
Doug had been recently promoted to Captain UN Space Strike Force after serving as Commander and XO under Admiral Jason Weston on the USS Illinois. After the Battle For Holtu and his work on Qum, Doug had been reassigned to command the military buildup on Mars until he was ready to return to duty on Admiral Weston’s warship. This was fine with Doug as it allowed him to remain on Mars for a time with Jan and their new baby.
The command of the Mars military base would not last much longer, however, due to the expected attack by the Yoyka. Everyone knew the Yoyka forces were revamping their warships with the new FTL hyperdrive capability in preparation for another attack on Holtu, Mars and Earth. It was just a matter of time.
Jan was feeding Jules in her favorite rocking chair in the room behind Doug. She noticed he looked deep in thought. She asked, “You thinking about work?”
Doug turned around and smiled. “Yes, but it can wait until tomorrow. I’m sure Colonel Tills has everything under control. Shirley Tills served with him on the USS Illinois and he was glad she was in charge of training UN Space Marines on the rough Mars terrain.
“I have to go back to work tomorrow also, you know,” Jan said. “It’s been nice staying home with Jules, but I’m ready to get back to the lab working with Doctor Mun at MCDC (Mars Center for Disease Control).
“Has Mun found anything knew on the Yoyka nanomachines?” Doug asked.
“The last message he sent me was Qumru researchers are testing the new version on some Yoyka test subjects on Holtu. It seems to be working as expected.”
Doug shook involuntarily. As much as he hated the Yoyka for what they tried to do to all of them, he hated the idea of using the same type of nanomachine weapon on their enemies. Using mind control nanomachines to enslave people, any people, was abhorrent to him.
“I hope we don’t have to use it on anybody,” Doug replied.
“Me neither, but the Yoyka need to know we have the capability if they don’t stop this terrible war.”
Doug had to agree with her. The Yoyka used their biotech nanomachine weapon on numerous alien races and planets in the galaxy under the control of Rahta, Imperial Leader of the Yoykan Empire. All indications were the Yoyka would not stop their aggression or attacks on any Galactic Military Alliance (GMA) partners that included the Holtu, Qumru and Humans. Reason or negotiation with Rahta was not possible as far as Doug could determine. The Yoyka would have to be defeated or destroyed before they accepted unconditional surrender.
“Tomorrow, I’ll meet with Vice Leader Di and get ready for our trip to Holtu. We have a lot to discuss,” Doug said.
“Is General Bradstone coming?” Jan wondered.
“He’s arriving tonight. Hopefully, he has an update on our space fleet and weapons status. Earth is on full wartime alert now. Military war production is at full capacity. One more month and we will be ready to move against Yoyka space territory if all goes well.”
“You’ll be going back to duty on the USS Illinois then?”
“I expect so, but not before the trip to Holtu. Then we’ll know more.”
Jan was silent for a moment. It h
ad been relatively peaceful on Mars for two months, but it was all going to change soon. She stopped feeding Jules and put him on her shoulder to burp him. She could only hope Jules had a chance to grow up and explore the stars without war taking all his dreams away.
Chapter 3
Trip To Holtu
The trip to Holtu lasted twenty hours travelling through hyperspace at the new FTL speed close to one thousand light years per hour. Doug and Jan were on Admiral Jason Weston’s warship, USS Illinois, along with Vice President Allen Denton, Secretary of Defense Carlo Russo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General William Bradstone, Secretary of State Susan Liang, various members of the UN Space Defense Group and other world leaders and government officials. The official reason for the visit to Holtu was to attend a special awards ceremony to honor the many Holtu military personnel, Qumru and Humans who helped defend their worlds from the Yoyka and defeated them in battle at great personal loss and sorrow.
The unofficial reason for Doug and Jan was to spend some time exploring the great canyon on Holtu where Jan wanted to continue her work on astrobiology dealing with the origins and evolution of life in the universe, and exobiology dealing with the search for life external to Earth. It also had to do with Doug losing his bet to Jan on whether or not their baby was going to be a boy or girl before Jules was born. That was fine with Doug. Besides, he liked exploring canyons on alien planets as much as the next person.
“We’re almost there, Doug!” Jan said excitedly looking out the front window on the Command Center deck of the warship as it exited hyperspace near Holtu. They and a few others in their group were allowed to be on the top level of the ship where Admiral Weston and his crewmembers actually controlled the ship. Doug had served as the Admiral’s XO during the battles with the Yoyka before being reassigned to Mars duty. It was expected Doug would return to active duty on the USS Illinois as soon as they returned home to Mars.
“I see. It always amazes me how fast we can travel between planets now. Holtu is as beautiful as ever.”