Read Warfare: Rise Of Mankind Book 2 Online
Authors: John Walker
Warfare: Rise Of Mankind Book 2
Warfare
Rise Of Mankind Book 2
Copyright © 2016 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
Barely recovered from a battle against an alien incursion, the Behemoth waits to see how the alliance wishes to leverage their discovery, the weapon code named Protocol Seven. When two warships arrive from their allies with an offer difficult to refuse, they find themselves leant out to travel outside the solar system to a secret research facility across the galaxy.
But what was promised to be a milk run turns into something completely different. With limited resources and a new commander on board their companion ship, they must stay alive. Combined with a potential threat from within, the odds are stacked high against them. Only their ingenuity and the perseverance of the human spirit may keep them alive.
Table of Contents
Kale Ru’Xin struggled to stand. His ears rang and he blinked his eyes to clear his blurry vision. People shouted around him, some screaming for help and others for direction. He turned to his right and saw the body of Weiz Fi’Dae, his Anthar and mentor for the past three years. The man’s lifeless eyes tilted upward, his unmoving chest lay slack.
What happened? How did we get to this? Am I in a battle? Hurt? Dead?
The questions flooded his mind but he couldn’t find answers. The last thing he remembered involved a signal they investigated on the outskirts of the system then…engagement!
The enemy attacked and we engaged
.
The violence around him, the carnage, all came from exchanging pulse blasts with an overwhelming force. They didn’t come out of nowhere, that trick long since ceased to be effective, but their first strike tactic proved more than effective to get in and cause havoc. No matter how often they came, it still felt
wrong
that sentient beings could be involved in such horror.
“Su-Anthar!” Kale’s rank snapped him out of his reverie and he pushed himself back to his feet. The sounds of the bridge closed around him, the alert blaring against the chatter from the speakers. He leaned against the chair and turned to Maika, a recently appointed ZAnthar who piloted the vessel. “What are your orders?”
Kale directed his attention to the view screen. His squadron was in shambles. The enemy began four ships strong and were down to two, more than a match for Kale and his lone vessel. If he didn’t think of something, everyone on board would certainly be dead. He turned to the computer read out and checked the reports of the other ships.
They’re dead in the water,
he thought,
there’s nothing they can do to help but…wait…
His scans showed no lifeforms aboard and he had to fight back a wave of emotion. All those people,
his
people…friends and comrades, all gone. A meaningless, stupid attack took so much. He’d be damned if they went down without a real brawl.
You bastards will have to earn your kill today.
“Maika,” Kale said, “full reverse. Put our…our fallen between us and the enemy.”
“Sir?” Maika engaged controls but the question hung in the air.
“I have a plan. Do as I say.” He turned to his tech Thaina, another ZAnthar who barely left the training grounds. She stared at him with wide, pale green eyes. “Can you tap into the engineering section of that vessel? Link up with their computer?”
“I believe so, sir…to what purpose?”
Kale sat down and took a deep breath. “To save our lives. Weapons officer, lock your pulse blasts on target. Don’t fire until I give the word.”
“They’re firing at us, sir!” Maika shouted. “Evasive!”
“Our shields will hold for another minute,” Kale replied, not entirely confident in his statement. “Have you tapped into the computer yet?”
“Aye, sir.” His tech replied. “What do you want me to do?”
“Set their pulse drive to overload, five second timer.”
“Sir, that will cause a
massive
…explosion…” Realization washed over Thaina. Kale nodded.
“Then you know what we’re up to. Weapons officer, when that explosion goes, it’ll rip the enemy shields down. That’ll be your chance. I recommend targeting their engineering section.”
“Aye, sir. Targets locked.”
“Give us a countdown, Thaina.”
“Five…” Kale clenched his fists but forced himself to not show any outward signs of stress. It proved difficult. Blowing up that vessel would likely take their own shields with it so this may save them…or seal their fate.
“Four…” Thaina’s voice cracked on the number and she stared intently at the controls. Kale wished he could put a hand on her shoulder, or offer any reassurance whatsoever. Discipline, at all costs, his father used to say. The Anthar agreed and constantly preached it. Would he have done the same?
“Three…” A pulse blast shook their ship. Kale saw the shield meter on his console drop to forty percent. The blast that killed his friend and commanding officer slipped right through, a lucky shot hopping the perfect frequency to ignore shields. Luckily, they didn’t get another or they’d never have gotten to try this ploy.
“Two…” Kale prepared for impact. When that pulse drive went, it would shake everything around it. The resulting shockwave would fry defensive barriers, essentially sending a cancellation wave into the surrounding barrier.
“One…” Thaina glanced back at him. “Detonation.”
The resulting explosion jarred their vessel and filled the view screen with bright, blinding white light. Kale shouted over the rumble, calling out to the weapon’s officer, “fire!”
The pulse blasters made the hull shake and another set of explosions resounded off their bow. As the engine cores of the enemy ships detonated, their resulting blast sent Kale’s ship veering away from the scene of the battle, tumbling out of control away. Maika fought the controls and after a good two minute fight, stabilized the vessel.
Kale peered into the view screen, holding his breath. Thaina magnified on the debris of their fallen comrades and the four enemy ships now little more than white hot chunks of metal. The others cheered, hugging one another and clapping loudly. Kale slumped in his seat, feeling a sense of relief hit him but as he saw the dead eyes of his friend, he sobered quickly.
A trick
, he thought,
nothing more. No tactics…just blind luck and better knowledge of my people’s technology
.
However he did it, most of his crew survived. They, the fortunate ones, could return home and tell the tale. Kale requested his people to scan for survivors while medical teams tallied the casualties. They’d be out there for a while before returning home but he’d offer a partial report over coms shortly.
First, I want to see who survived…then, we can talk about what the other sacrificed themselves for. They deserve an hour or so of our time. This war will continue soon enough. Right now, we honor the fallen
.
Kale gave the orders and requested a medical team to come to the bridge. The Anthar needed to be taken out of there, put somewhere respectful so he might return to his family for a proper ceremony. After so many years of service, countless battles and campaigns, a great man died.
Is that the fate of all warriors in these dark times or can I look forward to something different? Something better?
He doubted it. The enemy did not seem ready to give up and his people were no closer to victory. Perhaps they all would share the Anthar’s fate someday. Maybe the Gods forsook them. But then, such a victory as what Kale just earned would never happen. He had to have hope, to keep believing.
There’s no time for despair. Time to shake this off and make things happen. Good bye, old friend. I won’t let you down.
Gray leaned back in his chair of his office, reading through the various military reports pouring in from other departments. Repairs after the enemy invasion and the arrival of the Tam’Dral went quickly. The hull breach sealed, systems operational, all accomplished in the time frame Higgins promised.
With those out of the way, he could finally focus on the broader picture, what was happening with the refugees and the construction of the next ship which would defend Earth from an additional attack. If they learned anything in the previous battle, it was the absolute necessity to have some backup in a fight.
Engineers started out optimistic, especially with the resources gathered from the destroyed ships. Unfortunately, while the hulls were completed and the ships able to be inhabited, key parts were still required to bring the pulse engines online, parts Earth simply did not have access to.
A debate began on whether or not they should dismantle the Tam’Dral and reverse engineer it. Some claimed Earth owned the ship while others fought to keep the vessel in the hands of the people who brought it. They didn’t have a home, after all and their conveyance was the only thing left of their culture.
They’d proven to be quite helpful with both understanding their technology and acclimating to their status as a race seeking asylum. Captain Paltein in particular had high praise for the Behemoth crew. Without his help and that of his ship, the enemy may well have destroyed Earth.
However, the Tam’Dral was
not
a warship despite it’s capabilities. Paltein administered vessels, but never as a military man. Prior to their exodus, he piloted cruise ships meant to give his civilian population tours of their solar system. Study groups visited his old ship and the Tam’Dral proved far more advanced than anything he managed before.
Gray advocated for them keeping the ship and also adding those who were so inclined to join the military. They needed every able body they could get but many felt leery about accepting aliens into the mix. Having Clea on board was one thing, a single foreigner couldn’t do much harm but an entire ship full? That went beyond practicality for the conservative minded.
The Tam’Dral remained in Earth orbit under guard and the civilian crew underwent a series of medical exams to ensure they could even survive on the surface. Most of them never encountered a human virus before and vice versa. Such study was insisted upon by the council who wanted to protect the safety of everyone involved.
Gray’s own people were torn on the issue. He heard the debates aboard the Behemoth. Some wanted to send the Tam’Dral away and have it head back into Alliance space. “Let them find asylum with those people, they’re better equipped for it anyway.” Others fought against it, citing the fact that they helped save human lives.
He believed in inclusion rather than isolation. The galaxy proved to be much smaller than anyone anticipated and if any one culture planned to thrive, it needed to acknowledge the others. The enemy they all faced seemed intent on unifying things under fire and blood. Fractured civilizations would fall to them easily.
Unity was their only real chance.
Earth continued to drag its feet on a plan of action. Despite the recent attack, they didn’t know what they wanted to do. They liked that Clea contacted the alliance and seemed to hold out hope a ship might arrive soon. Contact with their allies had been sporadic in the years since they intervened in the attack so a meeting would be most welcome.
A knock on his door drew him out of his reverie and he tapped the remote button to open it up. Adam, his first officer, stepped in and offered a salute. “Captain,” he said, “do you have a moment to talk?”
“Have a seat.” Gray motioned to the chair across from his. “What’s on your mind?”
“I just wanted to let you know, we’ve restocked supplies and ordinance. Those fighters which were not able to be salvaged have been replaced and all repairs are complete. Personnel has also been supplemented and they’re acclimating to life on board. We’re ready for active duty again whenever you give the word.”
Gray smiled. “Thank you for the update but you know it’s not my call. I want to be out there, colluding with our allies over Protocol Seven. I’m sure they’ll be interested in it. The war effort will be very different if we can just pass it over.”
“But it’s not safe to send it by drone,” Adam added. “They have to come, sir. I’m sure Clea made a passionate plea.”
“Trust me, Clea made it sound like the second coming.” They chuckled. “In all seriousness, I’m curious what’ll happen when our allies arrive. What will the council do? I’m usually good at predicting their behavior but this time…I really don’t know.”
“We need resources,” Adam said. “Our own solar system isn’t providing what we need to complete that vessel and without it, without a defensible fleet, we can’t withstand another attack. And they’ve only been sending two at a time! What if they send four? Or ten?”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Gray considered the ADF Nile and the pointless sacrifice they made when trying to help. They died instantly, one attack destroyed them. If the Behemoth didn’t get some advanced help, the Earth would remain vulnerable. “We can’t settle with one ship either. We’ll need more. Two won’t cut it. Not if we want to participate in a galactic theater.”
“Yes, we need a
fleet
.” Adam sighed. “Our situation is getting frustrating.”
“We’re making progress, don’t worry about that.” Gray turned to the reports. “And we’ve got the Tam’Dral if things get too dire. I’m sure we’d be able to utilize them again if necessary.”
“I wish the council would take into consideration that ship’s fabrication units.” Adam was talking about the factory in the center of the ship which built the drones in record time from recycled parts. Their own engineers examined it but even the Tam’Dral crew had a hard time explaining how it worked. “We could do a lot with that.”
“The scientists who built that thing are long gone. It’s sad…they were so advanced and yet, their culture…was pretty much ended.”
“Just goes to show what we have to look forward to if we don’t do something.”
“We’ve done a few things. The Behemoth was a good start. And resources aside, we’re not slacking. I think we’ll be able to handle more than you know…given the opportunity.”
“That’s the key though, sir. Our opportunities are slipping because we don’t engage with our allies. They abandoned us, plain and simple.”
“Now, now, let’s not go that far. Clea’s here.”
“
One
of their own! And yeah, she’s been helpful but imagine what a team of them could’ve done? Or a few ships for that matter!”
“They’re at actual constant war,” Gray replied. “They can’t afford a few ships. I think they gave us everything they had at their disposal and look at the bright side: they could’ve just let us die.”
“Good point.” Adam deflated. “Can you make another petition to join the fight abroad?”
“No, I’m not going to even bring it up. They’ve made it clear that the Behemoth is the shield of the Earth. I won’t push them to replace me because I refuse to accept their order.” Gray stood. “Any way, you should enjoy this downtime while you have it. Soon, we might be in a serious situation, a state of conflict which won’t allow for rest. Take it while you can, Adam. I insist.”
“Sounds like we may not have an option.” Adam stood as well. “Thanks for seeing me, sir. I’ll see you on the bridge later.”
“Remain confident,” Gray said as his friend reached the door. “We won another battle. That means we can win more.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, sir. Good afternoon.”
Alone again, Gray peered out the window into space. The vastness overwhelmed his senses, the thought of no relative motion or distance startled him. He never disrespected the vacuum beyond his vessel, the endlessness of distance. His didn’t share his awe often but he noticed few of his crew really understood what it meant when someone said
out there
.
The solar systems beyond their own were not merely the neighbor’s backyard but entire worlds, cultures so distant and old they made humanity look like children. The enormity of it should’ve been too much to contemplate, too much to handle. He appreciated it and as a result, believed himself to be the right man to defend it.
Adam’s heart was in the right place. He wanted to protect what he loved and held dear, what he believed in. His convictions were strong and they occasionally got the better of him but he never backed down from a fight, especially where innocent lives were concerned. During the battle, he distinguished himself to be of good character and judgment.
If ever he commanded his own vessel, Gray believed he would do an admirable job.
But his executive officer was right. Something had to happen soon. The enemy could only lose so many ships before they went looking to discover what happened. Eventually, they’d send a larger force, an engagement the Behemoth could not handle. Not with all the tricks up his sleeve nor the perseverance of his valiant crew.
The alliance must know it too. Clea said the transmission had to have arrived with the Protocol Seven information. When they received it, when their council reviewed her comments, they would need to act. The only way Earth would relinquish the technology was in a direct hand off, from one ship to the next.
Security meant the world to them. It was like capturing an enigma box from the Nazis during World War Two. Revealing the information to the enemy may well make it worthless. Gray believed in why they were being cautious but he hoped the gravity of the situation weighed properly with their allies.
The sooner they traded their secrets, the sooner they could finish the war and with Protocol Seven up their sleeves, they finally had the advantage. Time to take advantage of it…before it no longer mattered.
***
Lieutenant Oliver Darnell sat back in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck while sipping from his cup of coffee. No matter how many times he worked second shift, he never seemed to get used to it. Fatigue weighed on his eyes and the only cure involved a good dose of caffeine. By the time he went through his second cup, he felt more like himself.
His scans scoured the solar system, checking in on all their early warning beacons. The process was automated so he just had to sit back and wait for them to pick anything up. They tended to run constantly, pinging for anything out of the ordinary. It’s how they encountered the Tam’Dral when it arrived and how they found out about the enemy attack before it happened.
“Adjusting orbit by point three-seven,” Lieutenant Commander Stephanie Redding, the senior pilot, announced. “Tim, can you confirm my navs?”
Lieutenant Timothy Collins worked on navigation. He peered at his monitors and performed a series of calculations before nodding. “They look good, Steph.”
“Thank you.” Redding initiated the change and the thrusters engaged, moving the Behemoth to a more stable orbit. “Next correction in…thirty minutes. Anything on scans worth noting, Olly?”
Olly glanced in her direction. “Nah, it’ll let us know if anything comes up. I’ve programmed it to—”
His console began beeping incessantly.
“Uh oh…” Olly tapped his screen frantically, bringing up the beacon sending back a signal. His heart sank.
So fast? Already? Damn, guys, can you give us a breather?
“We have contacts.”
“How many?” Redding asked. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I was last time,” Olly replied. “Two massive ships incoming…just like last time. Damn it!”
“I’ll contact Commander Everly,” Redding said. “Just keep up on those scans and get me a silhouette ASAP. I want to know what we’re dealing with.”
Olly acknowledged, bringing up his various applications to analyze the incoming ships. The last time it happened, the Tam’Dral appeared followed closely by the enemy.
God knows what these guys want
. A fleeting moment of hope entered his heart—it could be the Alliance come to ask about Protocol Seven.
I really pray that’s who just showed up on our doorstep. It feels like we have an open invitation to visit. Hey, fate…can we revoke that already? It’s getting a little stressful.
