Galactic War Read online

  SpaceFed StarShips Series

  A Novel by Gerry A. Saunders

  Book 8

  Galactic War

  (Up Time, Down)

  Cover art by Gerry A. Saunders

  © Copyright 2018 Gerry A. Saunders

  No part of this publication can be copied or transmitted

  in any form, without the authorization in writing of the author.

  An exciting, action-packed SpaceFed Series story that follows on from Book Seven.

  My SpaceFed StarShips Series is one continuous story over 8 books. Therefore, if you are new to this saga, then book one, Battles at Zeta Reticuli, will provide the bond with Andromeda and the book's characters as the storyline develops.

  Acknowledgments

  All the characters in this book are fictitious. And any resemblance to organizations or real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  While I have made every effort in making this novel as technically accurate as possible, some stretch of the imagination gives plausibility to achievements that could be the norm by the year 2330.

  About the Book

  An exciting, action-packed SpaceFed Series follow-on from Book Seven.

  The Garoden War had come to an inconclusive end. As a consequence, many members of the Tri-axis Alliance between the Humans, Crillons, and Solverons, were unclear as to why Frank Richardson was still trusted so much. Especially since the Alliance having seemed to have had the advantage in the war against the Garodens, had lost it.

  However, the Tri-Axis hierarchy believed that the Garodens feared the Humans, thinking that they had mental powers. And this fear had ultimately led to the Garoden’s seeming inability to continue their combat against the Tri-Axis fleets.

  Over time, the Tri-Axis slowly rebuilt itself and moved towards even closer ties with each other, with Pavonis’s DPav4 having been set up as a general meeting and conference location.

  The structure for the long-awaited Galactic Empire had been agreed, and there had been discussions about where its HQ and Central Intelligence Agency should be. With Earth being the front-runner, as although the Earth forces fleets were small in comparison to both the Crillon and Solverons, it was acknowledged that Earth had been crucial in bringing peace between Crilla and Solvera. And, in ending the Garoden war.

  The task of combining all three Navies into one effective fighting force and the construction of the new Empire’s HQ had finally been implemented.

  But it was clear by now, that something or someone had been playing both the Tri-Axis Alliance and Temporal players like puppets. And in the process, had manipulated the Human’s timeline, dragging it dangerously off-course. So far off-course, that recovery might not be possible.

  Supervisor Javon had been devastated, when Senior Predictor Platos had shown him his team’s forward prediction that the Human’s timeline now had a significant deviation in its Up-Time. In fact, it showed that the human’s Timeline wouldn’t exist beyond 2773.

  Javon had wondered if it had been his fault. That, him not reporting Charlotte’s unsanctioned use of a Time-ship, would ultimately cause the human’s timeline to end. But, he felt that couldn’t be the only reason.

  Now, seventeen years on from the end of the Garoden war, and the Galactic Empire is about to face the ultimate killer…. Mankind itself.

  Other Books by this Author

  SpaceFed StarShips Trilogy.

  Book 1. Battles at Zeta Reticuli.

  Book 2. Battle for Delta Pavonis.

  Book 3. An Alliance at Kepler.

  SpaceFed StarShips Series.

  Book 4. Death of Time.

  Book 5. Acarea. A Triumph or Disaster.

  Book 6. The Garoden War. Part 1. Into the Fire.

  Book 7. The Garoden War. Part 2. Military Gamble.

  Book 8. Galactic War. (Up Time, Down)

  The Definitive StarShips Trilogy in one book.

  http://www.spacefedbooks.com

  Content

  SpaceFed StarShips Series

  Acknowledgments

  About the Book

  Other Books by this Author

  Content

  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

  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

  Epilogue

  The Varon’s afterthoughts.

  21st century

  Earth, 2300.

  .

  About the Author

  Dedication

  Other Books by this Author

  .

  Some Links back to relevant events in other Books.

  Ships

  Prologue

  Stardate, 2324

  Location. Beta quadrant, sector 21.

  Galactic Empire exploration vessel Searcher. 1,960 light-years out from Sol.

  “Five ship minutes to exit,” Science officer Tanner warned.

  Captain Barret acknowledged Tanner’s warning and spent the next five minutes running over the dangers of this mission in his mind, and wondering whether the thirteen other crew members and scientists really thought this mission was worth-while.

  His ship, Searcher, was virtually the same size as Andromeda, but that was the only similarity. She was stubby and bristling with sensor arrays, and had an effective protective shield. However, only a limited number of offensive weapons were available to Searcher. These included two nuke torpedo tubes and ten particle beam weapons set around her hull.

  Searcher’s main warp-drive comprised of three Solveron warp-drives working in tandem. These drives provided the colossal power needed to jump three hundred light-years at a time. But that was only possible when crossing sparsely populated areas of space.

  At each exit point, she would then map the area before moving on to the next exit, until she had traveled over four thousand light-years distance. Once her survey was complete, Searcher would leave a Hyper-link buoy before returning to the Galactic Central Intelligence and Tactical HQ on Delta Pavonis’s DPav4.

  For Captain Barret and his crew, the lack of information at every jump exit-point meant that there was a real risk of dropping into an area of normal-space that was already occupied by either a Star or Planet or just by hitting Asteroids. This worried him of course, but he knew the risks that came with the job.

  Before leaving Earth, Barret had heard about a brain-cell enhancing programme that Richardson would be instigating. Apparently, it had started just after Searcher had left Earth. He had already decided that when he returned, he’d ask to be enrolled in the programme, ironically thinking that additional brain cells would have been useful right now.

  “It’s like damn Russian roulette,” Barret grumbled out loud as the ship’s countdown reached zero.

  Then, Space around him foreshortened, and he fought the urge to vomit as the ship dropped into normal-space. Barret waited a few seconds for his body to recover from the wr
enching effect of their warp exit and for his tactical display to update with new data on his current situation.

  Over the last seven exits he had got used to the sickness and gut-wrenching feeling that warp exits provoked, and even though three warp-drives had been used in tandem in this jump alone, he realized he’d gotten used to a multi-drive Jump.

  Captain Barret was pleased that no contact alarms were sounding. Then, checking the new data that had been brought up on his tactical display, noted that the Searcher’s protective shield had automatically raised to fifty percent.

  “Goldie’s starting area-mapping, captain,” Astro officer Briggs stated.

  “Good,” Barret returned.

  Why his crew had voted Goldie as a name for the Searcher’s AI is beyond me, he thought. Still, it’s better than saying 10724 every time.

  Then his attention turned to his science officer Lieutenant Tanner who had a worried look on his face.

  “What is it?”

  “I think we hit something when we exited warp.”

  “Like what?”

  “I’m not sure. A buoy or something. It’s metal so it couldn’t have been an asteroid.”

  It was at times like these that Barret wished he’d been given tactical AIs that were more adept, and better able to get instant results.

  Just then, a warp exit contact alarm suddenly sounded, startling him.

  “Shields to max,” he ordered.

  “Shields up,” Lieutenant Tanner acknowledged. As a silver-colored cylindrical ship slid out of its wormhole and came to a halt seven kilometers off Searcher’s port bow.

  The newcomer was immediately scanned by Searcher’s sensor arrays as the Alien’ ship’s image filled the bridge’s main screen. While rows of data scrolling down each side of the screen were continuously being updated. Within seconds the Silver ship’s ascertainable specifications had been computed and were displayed on the main screen.

  “Hyperlink the data to Galactic Central Intelligence. Do it now,” Barret ordered Lieutenant Tanner.

  The silver-colored ship was unlike any of the Earth Starships, with their sleek curving surfaces. This ship had numerous objects protruding from her hull. At each end of the vessel, there was a slightly enlarged section that held her jump exciter rings. And, at the end of the ship that was facing the Searcher, four short, thick rods surrounded a greyish rectangle that sat in the center.

  “Incoming. Audio only, Captain,” Tanner informed.

  “Translator transceiver running,” he added.

  “You will leave this area immediately,” a weak sounding voice ordered.

  “Not until we have finished our survey,” Captain Barret replied.

  “Unacceptable,” was the brief reply.

  Then Searcher rocked, as an explosion almost collapsed her protective shield and sent a sheet of searing heat around her hull.

  “Bastards,” Barret growled.

  “Stealth mines,” Tanner warned, having realized that the mines must have been released as soon as the ship exited warp.

  “Fire both tubes, consecutively,” Barret ordered.

  Searcher immediately fired her two nuclear-tipped torpedoes at the silver ship, in rapid succession.

  The first, hit the silver-colored ship’s force field causing a flash as it detonated, but did little harm.

  The second torpedo, 500 milli-seconds behind, slammed into the same spot and exploded. Overloading the silver ship’s protective screen and knocking out their protective shield emitters.

  Captain Barret almost cheered as the alien ship’s protective screen instantly collapsed, and an explosion ripped a small hole halfway down the ship’s side.

  “Their weapons and power cells must have been damaged,” science officer Tanner stated as the ship’s weapons and field emitters ceased functioning, and the alien ship floated helplessly.

  Space suddenly boiled around the ship’s damaged opening, followed by a blinding flash, as an explosion almost severed her in half and spewed its unlucky crew and equipment into space.

  “Shockwave,” Tanner yelled, even though it was already on them.

  Searcher shook violently as the shock-wave passed over her.

  Once stability had returned, the remains of the silver ship could clearly be seen. With bursts of fire feeding on the escaping air. Even that soon died away as its oxygen supply was consumed. Leaving the wreck gently tumbling away in space.

  Both Barret and Tanner breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Close call, Captain.”

  “Too close for comfort. Has that hyper-link been sent?”

  “Not yet Captain. Goldie couldn’t hold the hyperlink open long enough.”

  “Okay, make sure you’ve added all the latest data and send it. Galactic Intelligence urgently needs to know about this other race.”

  “Three wormholes forming,” Goldie warned, as another three silver-colored ships exited warp and came to a stop eleven kilometers away.

  “Not again,” Barret muttered under his breath as one of the Alien ships moved toward the wreck that was gently tumbling away in space.

  Then Captain Barret realized it was too late. They were already dead unless they could warp out now.

  “Goldie, warp us out of here. Now,” he ordered while at the same time, taking precautions against failure, tapped the ships comms tab.

  “All crews. There is a real possibility that we will be boarded. So, suit-up and collect your hand weapons immediately.”

  “Warp-sequence activated,” Goldie stated. As the massive energy pulse warped space in front of the Searcher, and a wormhole started to form.

  Then thunder suddenly rattled through the Searcher’s hull, and the forming wormhole collapsed. Seconds later, the power conduits overloaded causing the ship’s weapons and protective screen to shut down.

  “Life support and some backup systems have activated,” Tanner informed.

  “Damn. We’re dead in the water,” Barret yelled more in annoyance than anything else.

  “Anything….? Anyone….?”

  “Suits are coming out fast from that greyish rectangle at the front of the closest ship,” Briggs said.

  “Unable to activate Hyperlink,” Goldie warned, adding to Barret’s misery.

  Captain Barret cursed, annoyed that the transmission hadn’t been sent. Now, Galactic Intelligence would never know what was about to happen here.

  All four bridge crew members took their hand weapons from a secure receptacle and waited for the inevitable.

  “They’re in Captain,” Tanner quietly said locking the bridge entry door.

  The sound of men screaming, and weapons fire further down the Searcher’s corridors lasted for just a few seconds, then all was silent.

  Captain Barret selected ‘Self-destruct’ on his tactical pad.

  “Standard authorization code and scan needed, Captain,” Goldie reminded him.

  “Goldie, self-destruct in five minutes,” he ordered the AI.

  “Captain James Henry Barret. Self-destruct, Alfa, Tango, eight, three, nine.”

  “Code and scan accepted,” Goldie confirmed.

  Tanner looked at Barret and Briggs. Both nodded in acceptance of the inevitable outcome of their situation.

  “Science officer, Lieutenant Brian Tanner. Self-destruct, Whiskey, Charlie, nine, Echo, zero, zero.”

  “Code and scan accepted. The countdown has commenced,” Goldie confirmed.

  Just then, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps, that stopped just outside the Bridge door.

  Then the edge of the door suddenly melted as the aliens started to burn their way in.

  Barret crouched behind his command console, while Tanner and Briggs took cover as best they could.

  A massive bang and the Bridge door suddenly clattered to the floor, then a shimmering armored being stepped through the opening.

  Briggs and Tanner opened fire at the alien, but their energy bolts just swirled around the suit’s forcefield. A second alien joi
ned the first.

  Suddenly, the bridge was full of flashing particle beams. One hit Briggs, and his body slumped to the deck, the particle beam having burnt through him, almost cutting him in half.

  Tanner fired several times before he was hit with multiple beams that burnt large chunks of flesh away. With his lifeless body falling backward into Captain Barret, sending both to the deck.

  Captain Barret was sure that all of his men had been ruthlessly slaughtered, without a thought. And, as he looked up from the floor, he could see one of the heavily armored and shimmering, beings coming toward him.

  Tanner’s scorched body was pinning him down, and it seemed to Barret that his time had finally come. But he managed to roll the lifeless body off and dragged himself upright by holding onto his command chair.

  Then, realizing it was all over, Barret raised his arms in a gesture of surrender, hoping that these aliens knew what raised arms meant. And closed his eyes, just as a particle beam ripped his body apart.

  Meanwhile, the second shimmering armored being, who sported an image of an eye on his suit, had heard a female speaking when he entered the bridge.

  On closer inspection, he noticed a display on which there appeared to be numbers that were counting down.

  “Five… Four… Three…

  The alien, realizing their meaning, bellowed out a cry of anguish.

  … One… Zero.”