Destiny's Mission

By Steven Lake

Invited to a meeting on the UGW homeworld of Sebius, EarthFleet Grand Admiral Michael Clayton and Society Chancellor Sedago Nordham embark on a mission to meet those who are Earth's neighbors, both friends and foes alike, to strike a lasting peace for Earth and all mankind. But this meeting is more than it seems as dark forces plot to destroy the leaders of Earthfleet and the Society. Mike and Nordham must use their wits and cunning to outwit those who wish to destroy Earth, and them, while achieving a lasting peace for the entire human race. But the galaxy is a big place, and fraught with dangers beyond the imaginations of anyone, human or alien.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven Lake
• Release date: Jun 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476376165

Steven Lake

Steven Lake is a prolific author of many, many books, stories, articles, and other literature spanning a period of over twenty years. He began his long writing career in 1992 while serving in the US Army and has worked continuously to improve his craft to the great art it is today.

Book preview

Destiny's Mission

Earthfleet Saga Book 2

By Steven Lake

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2010 Steven Lake

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book first to God for his boundless grace in blessing me with the ability to write, and the imagination by which to create all the great worlds, characters, events and stories that I have had the privilege to write about. I also want to thank my friends and family, especially my Mom, Dad and Sister and brother-in-law for being a sounding board and helping me work out my ideas when I got stuck or needed a little inspiration boost.

Author's Note

This novel is book 2 of the Earthfleet saga. To learn more about this series, or other novels and short stories I've written, go to: https://www.realmsofimagination.net

Prologue

Phillip sat in a large, ornate wooden chair in front of a trickling stone fountain and stared out across the majestic beauty of Crassia. Down below him two men, dressed in nothing more than ragged shorts, battled each other with large, heavy swords, and ornate hoplite shields. Their bulging muscles rippled and shuttered with every blow as they fought desperately to defeat their opponent in single combat. Phillip watched with muted interest as one of the men gained an advantage over his opponent, and subsequently slew him. The victorious fighter turned to Phillip, raised his bloody sword, and bowed. Moments later he, and the dead man, shimmered and vanished, replaced by two new fighters who squared off and began the battle all over again. Phillip sipped quietly at his glass of wine as he watched the fight with emotionless, hollow eyes. Licinius strolled up behind him and whispered in his ear. Phillip sighed, and then nodded. Licinius slipped away and returned moments later with the Varnok prophet.

You called, master? asked the prophet as he stopped just behind Phillip's chair.

Phillip continued to stare at the battle before him, but said nothing. The prophet stared at him curiously, not sure if he'd been heard, or if Phillip was waiting for him to do something.

Eventually Phillip glanced over at the prophet, and said, I have need of your services. It is time to begin the next phase of my plans.

The prophet nodded gleefully.

What is it you wish of me, master? he hissed.

Phillip pulled a small data pad from his vest pocket and handed it to the prophet.

Take this to the Tragarians. I have work for them to do.

The prophet took the data pad, tucked it into his tunic, and bowed.

Who should I deliver it to? he asked.

Phillip watched with interest as the two warriors before him slew each other simultaneously. They shimmered and vanished, replaced, yet again, by new fighters. The next fight soon began. Phillip watched this mutely for several moments, and then narrowed his eyes.

Find Black Claw. He will know what to do with it.

Chapter 1

Mike studied the data pad in front of him briefly, and then looked up at Corbin and Bentley, who sat quietly in his office in front of him.

I've read your report on the rebuilding of the perimeter shields and I find it fascinating. Or at least I would if I could understand it. The way it's written, I may as well be reading cuneiform. I did, however, manage to pick up on the fact that you've apparently restructured the entire shield array to make it do it's job better. But the part where it tells exactly how you did that still escapes me. I admit, I probably should've kept myself current on the progress of the repairs and upgrades, however, piecing the fleet back together has kept me far busier than I could've expected. So, from the time beginning, tell me exactly what you did to improve the shields. And tell it to me in plain English, not that gibberish you usually throw at me.

Corbin cleared his throat, and said, Well, as you know, the Oort Perimeter was designed to put the maximum distance possible between Earth and any attacking hostile force so that, in the event of a shield breach, our ships would have ample time to intercept anything that might get through and threaten Earth. However, as you clearly remember during the Varnok incident, the incredible size of the shield caused significant problems that were both unexpected, and beyond our capabilities to deal with during a combat situation.

You're talking about the resonance wave that nearly blew a hole through our perimeter shields, replied Mike.

Well, yes, that, and a number of other things. After some considerable study and recalculating of the shield dynamics, we realized that, by simply shrinking the arrays, and reducing their overall surface area, we could greatly improve shield performance, and remove the risk of such an event ever occurring again.

Shrinking the arrays? How does that help us? asked Mike curiously.

Well, as you know, the arrays expend energy in order to repel or neutralize anything that contacts them. Normally, that energy is vented harmlessly into space. However, due to the massive surface area of the Oort perimeter, that energy was having difficulties escaping which, in turn, created a pooling effect on the shield surface similar to condensing water, said Corbin.

I remember you mentioning that to me before. But that doesn't explain the resonance wave, or the gravimetric implosion event you said would occur if the wave touched any solid objects.

In a way, it does. The entire shield resonates at a predetermined frequency. In time, that frequency forms an oscillation pattern across the shield face similar to ripples of water.

So the resonance wave was simply a ripple on the water?

More or less.

So why the gravimetric implosion event? What conditions made that possible?

That, we still haven't been able to determine. But, we do know that our initial calculations of the maximum strength of the event were far too conservative.

What do you mean? asked Mike.

During our research we discovered that we were off by a factor of ten thousand to one, or possibly more, said Corbin.

Mike blinked.

Wait, whoa. Ten thousand to one!? Are you kidding me!? How big of an event would that have been!? he said in surprise.

By our best estimates, it would've created a level seven singularity capable of consuming our entire solar system in a matter of minutes.

Mike's eyes grew wide.

Good lord, I hope you fixed that!

With the new design, that is no longer an issue.

Good, I hope not. The last thing we need is to create a black hole in our own back yard.

You need not worry, Admiral. We can say with absolute certainty that the risk of such an event occurring in the future is presently zero.

Mike grunted.

Well, you had better be right, for all our sakes.

If we didn't think it was safe, sir, we would've told you.

Alright, fine, but that leads me to another question. If you've shrunk the Oort and Kuiper perimeters, what size are they now?

Corbin cocked an eyebrow, and said, Actually, those two perimeters no longer exist.

Mike blinked in surprise.

Come again? he said curiously.

Well, in the process of repairing and replacing the arrays, we determined that it was far easier to simply rebuild both perimeters completely from scratch, rather than try to fix what was already there. So, in our efforts to strengthen Sol defenses, we started with the Oort perimeter first, as it was already damaged, and used its nodes to help build the new perimeters. To do that, we began by deactivating the Oort Perimeter, and then transported all of it's nodes inside the Kuiper perimeter where they were reassembled to form the new Sol Perimeter. The remaining nodes were then used to form the new Pluto Perimeter and part of the Jupiter Perimeter as well.

Wait, Pluto and Jupiter?

Bentley nodded.

Correct. Instead of two perimeters, we now have five. The Sol perimeter, taking up residence just inside of where the old Kuiper Perimeter used to exist, is our new outer defensive shield. Behind that is the Pluto Perimeter, which is the new secondary defensive shield. Further into the system are the two new inner system arrays known as the Jupiter and Mars perimeters. Finally, setup and functioning as the last line of defense before Earth, a point of last resort, so to speak, is the Earth Perimeter. To make travel within Sol easier, only the Sol and Pluto perimeters are always on. The Jupiter, Mars and Earth perimeters are kept in standby mode, ready to be activated at any time should they ever be needed, such as in the event of a breach in the outer perimeter shields.

Mike raised an eyebrow in interest.

So you've created a tiered defense system that gives the enemy five speed bumps to traverse instead of just the previous two?

Precisely! Plus, there are other advantages to this new design, the most important being the reduced size of the arrays. It allows for greater shield density and strength, and greater stability, without the rather unfortunate side effects we encountered with the Oort Perimeter, said Corbin.

Mike nodded in approval.

For not being seasoned tacticians, I like what you've done, he said.

Bentley shrugged.

It was all pretty simple, really. We began the project by applying Johnson's law of quantum mechanics to the... he said, pausing as he noticed Mike's piercing glare. Right, I forgot. You like it sweet and simple. Alright, then let me try explaining it this way. To redesign the arrays to operate in the most beneficial way possible, we took a look at the layout of the fleet, tossed in a whole range of other factors and considerations, including the value of various structures and locations within Sol, tactical considerations, ease of fleet traversal through the inner system, and a myriad of other things, and came up with the present layout for the arrays.

Mike grinned.

I like it. I also like the new names for each of the perimeters. However, I have another question. If the Kuiper...er, Sol Perimeter is now the primary external shield, what did you do with Pluto station?

It's been moved just inside the Sol perimeter near gate thirty nine. We put it there to keep it safe from attack or plundering, while allowing trade to continue with our allies, said Bentley.

That's good to hear. But now I'm concerned about the Pluto perimeter. You do realize that Pluto has a highly elliptical orbit, right?

Both scientists nodded.

We already took that into consideration when deciding the size and design of the perimeter. So we've allowed for plenty of breathing room between the array and the planet. Perhaps not quite as much as there was with the Kuiper Perimeter, but still more than sufficient room, no matter how eccentric Pluto's orbit becomes. And, if its orbit does become a problem, we have the technology to correct, and stabilize that as needed, said Corbin.

Good. Now comes the next piece of business. While I do like everything you've done, as the highest ranking officer in Earthfleet, I'm still required to inspect your work first before signing off on it. But, from what you've told me, I doubt I'll find any issues.

The two scientists smiled.

Thank you, admiral. We know you won't be disappointed, said Corbin.

I'm certain I won't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take a trip out to the shipyards to check on the status of the new fleet ships. I need to make sure production is still on schedule. After that I need to visit the Fleet Academy, and see how our new recruits and inductees are doing.

Understood, sir. As such, we shall excuse ourselves, and wish you a good day, said Corbin.

The two scientists then stood up, bowed, and made their way out of Mike's office. Once they were gone, Mike leaned back in his chair and sighed.

Well, at least that's out of the way. Now I just need to sort out the rest of this mess.

Sarah bent down and smiled as a little boy walked shyly up to her.

Ma'am, are you a holo girl? he asked curiously.

Sarah chuckled.

A holo girl? Where'd you hear that? she asked playfully.

My mom. She said you were one of those virtual people or something, said the little boy.

Sarah laughed heartily.

You mean a hologram?

The little boy nodded as he shyly chewed on a finger. Sarah smiled even wider.

Yes, I am. But I'm not just a hologram. I'm a ship's AI. What you see is just the avatar for the real me, she replied.

An aye aye? asked the boy curiously.

Something like that, grinned Sarah.

The boy's mother walked up to him, took his hand, and said, That's enough now, Peter. Ms. Sarah has other things to do.

Sarah smiled at the little boy as the mother lifted him into her arms.

No, that's alright. He's not bothering me, she said.

Well, that's good, but we have to get him to school now. So have a nice day, said the mother.

She then turned and hurried away as the little boy waved at Sarah. She smiled back at him and waved as the two walked together down the local concourse.

They're cute at that age, aren't they? she said.

Nordham shrugged.

I've had five of them. They're only cute until they start crying. Then you wish they were a galaxy away, he said.

Sarah chuckled.

But you always come back to them, don't you?

Nordham shrugged.

No matter what they do, you can't stay away from them for long. They have such magnetic personalities, he said with a grin. After a moment he turned to Sarah, and said, Well, shall we get going? We need to continue inspecting the rest of the colony.

Sarah smiled, and gestured down the concourse.

After you, Chancellor, she replied.

The two then turned and began walking again.

As they did, Nordham looked over at Sarah, and asked, Is it alright for you to be here? Doesn't the Grand Admiral need your assistance today?

Actually he wanted me to spend some time with you and study some of your daily duties. I've apparently been hovering over him too much lately.

Or he may have just needed time alone to concentrate on his work. He's still got quite a lot to do to put the fleet back together again. It's like Humpty Dumpty's worst nightmare.

Sarah sighed.

I know. I was there. I remember how badly we got hurt. It's made me consider a lot of things, and possible ways we could've fought that battle better.

Hind sight is always twenty twenty, as the people of Earth like to say. But, no matter what we did, nobody could've prepared us for a fight like that. We were outnumbered, out gunned, and out matched in every way, and with a shield that had some rather nasty flaws in it. If the Gayik'Von hadn't shown up when they did, I doubt we'd be standing here today.

Sarah nodded in agreement, but felt differently. Even though the battle had seemed desperate, she knew that somehow they would've won the day, despite the odds. She wasn't sure if that was simply blind optimism, or a certainty of eventual victory. Or was it something else? She'd considered using her powers several times during the battle to help the fleet, but had chosen not to. If she had, it would've destroyed her objectivity and impartiality as a scientist, and might've endangered her ability to continue hear research among the humans. That was something she did not want to risk happening. It was bad enough that she'd been forced to call upon the energy around her to fight on her behalf. To have actually stepped out with her own powers in defense of the fleet would've been completely unacceptable to her people. And, while she likely wouldn't have been punished for doing that, her permission to continue her work within Sol might've been withdrawn. Nordham and Sarah continued down the concourse until they came to a cross colonial transport, which they entered, and then sat down. Several people on the transport stared curiously at them, and shook their heads. Some whispered that the man sitting at the front had to be the Chancellor, while others disagreed, saying that he would never travel anywhere without his body guards.

And, even if it was him, why would he take a cross colonial transport used by the common colonists? Nobody of his stature would stoop to such a level. Or so they thought. It was this overwhelming belief that allowed him to travel incognito throughout the colonies from time to time, observing daily colonial life, and taking note of the multiple millions of people he governed. But, there was also other reasons for using public transportation during his inspections; things such as being exposed to people and places in the colony that he otherwise wouldn't see. The transport soon rounded a corner and came to a stop in front of a platform marked Horticulture and Plant Research. Sarah and Nordham disembarked and then made their way up to an autonomous hover car that waited for them at the top of the platform. It quickly whisked them away down a long, winding passageway made of transparent alloys that looked out across arching caverns filled with colony seventeen's primary food production facilities. On either side, and below them, were miles upon miles of special fields stacked in layers, designed to grow all of the food that the colonies, and the fleet, needed to survive. While the entire facility operated as a gigantic hydroponics lab, there were key elements of it that were different from similar growing facilities back on Earth.

The first was that each chamber was pressurized to two atmospheres, and infused with very high levels of carbon dioxide to help the plants grow faster, larger, and produce greater quantities. It also provided the perfect solution for scrubbing the air that was cycled throughout the colonies, making the job of the life support systems much easier. This way, rather than having to remove all of the waste gasses in the air, such as CO2 and other things, and dispose of them, they were instead gathered up, transported to the various gardens all across the individual colonies, and released into the horticultural biodomes as a means to provide the plants being grown there with the concentrated CO2 and other gasses they needed. Once the plants had finished scrubbing the air, and converting all of the infused CO2 back into usable oxygen, that air was then pumped into the numerous public and private spaces spread throughout the colonies. This unique symbiosis between plant and human had proven invaluable in allowing the colonies to both grow, and prosper, while at the same time conserving resources as much as possible.

This had been a very beneficial lesson the Society had learned in their early days in North America, shortly after the second exodus. Being holed up in the Rocky Mountains, hiding from those who sought to persecute them simply because of their love for science, they'd struggled to produce sufficient quantities of food in their early days, sufficient enough to feed their quickly growing numbers within their North American colonies. So, over time, systems were created that allowed them to both produce food, and clean the air, in sufficient quantities, in their underground cities, which finally allowed them to thrive and grow, rather than simply survive. This technology then came with them when they began colonizing space, which allowed them to be completely self sufficient, without any need to rely on Earth in any way. Eventually their hover car arrived at a large horticulture research complex just outside one of the primary residential zones, came to a stop, and opened it's doors. A tall, dark skinned man in a bright white lab coat, and checkered pants, soon appeared from within the building and strode down the steps to meet them. As he approached, he adjusted his glasses slightly, and studied his new visitors.

Chancellor, it's good to see you today. And I see that you've brought company, he said.

Sarah bowed slightly.

Good afternoon, professor. I'm Sarah. It's nice to meet you, she replied.

The man nodded in return.

Good afternoon to you too, young lady, he replied.

Alright professor, I don't want to sound rude, but we have work to do. It's time for your annual inspection, and I'll be your inspector, said Nordham.

The man cocked an eyebrow in bemused surprise at Nordham's surprisingly stern demeanor, and then motioned towards the lab.

Alright then, this way, please.

Chapter 2

A portal sphere appeared briefly on the command deck of the Saturn shipyards and vanished, leaving Mike behind.

Admiral on deck! came a shout from across the room.

Everyone immediately snapped to attention.

As you were, said Mike.

As the others returned to their work, one of the duty officers hurried across the room and saluted him. Mike returned the salute.

Admiral, it's good to see you, said the officer.

I'm here to see how you're coming with the new ships. I'm trying to make sure we're still on schedule, replied Mike.

We're on schedule as much as we can be, sir. There are some areas we're running behind in. But, for the most part, we're doing good.

Mike narrowed his eyes.

You sound as though you're farther behind than you let on, he said.

The officer smiled sheepishly.

We're doing our best, Admiral. But we're not miracle workers here, and we're sure as blazes not Scotty. As good as the shipyards are, we can only push out a limited number of vessels each month, and still ensure that they meet fleet standards. If we cut anymore corners, I'm afraid we'll start making fatal mistakes. And it doesn't help any that you've taken away part of our staff to make up for personnel shortages in the fleet.

Everyone's stretched thin right now, Captain. But getting ourselves up to reasonable fighting strength again is important. We haven't been this vulnerable in decades, and I don't plan on staying this way for long. It makes me nervous.

I understand that, sir. But shorting us for personnel in the shipyards isn't helping any. I need more men.

I can give you some of the new androids if you'd like, said Mike.

The officer reared up in disgust.

Androids!? Why would I want those abominations!

Because, they're extra hands, and they're more than capable of filling in for the people you're missing. I'm surprised you wouldn't welcome them, given how much you need the help.

No offense, sir, but a thinking machine can't do as good a job as my men. Androids are just not ready to fill that roll yet.

Mike looked at the main display on the far wall of the room, and then glanced at the officer out of the corner of one eye.

I don't see how they're any different than the AIs we employ as the core intelligence for many of our ships. They both use the same software. The only difference I know of between our droids, and our ship's AIs, is that one has a body, and the other does not. Beyond that they're the same. On top of that, they don't need to eat, sleep, or rest. It sounds like they'd make a perfect addition to your crews to help speed up the work, he said.

The officer opened his mouth to protest, but quickly realized that the Admiral had just backed him into a corner. Only a few years earlier he'd praised the great benefit that AIs had brought to many of the fleet's newest ships, and yet here he was decrying those same AIs because they were in human form. He closed his mouth and frowned slightly. He'd always admired the Admiral's ability to trap an opponent in his own words, and at the same time he hated it. It usually meant that whatever the Grand Admiral wanted, he got, regardless if he was right or not. The officer sighed.

Alright, I'll take them. But I still don't like the idea.

Mike nodded slowly.

You don't have to. You just have to meet your quality and production quotas. Now, go ahead and requisition as many of them as you need to get things back up to speed.

What about the crews for the ships?

Mike cocked an eyebrow at the officer, but said nothing.

Right, the droids, muttered the officer.

Mike sighed slightly, and said, If it'll make you feel any better, I'm not exactly fond of the idea myself. I, too, believe that the fleet is most effective in the hands of humans. But, these are desperate times and, as such, we have to make certain sacrifices.

Understood, sir. By the way, while you're here, would you like to see some of our newest ships? asked the officer.

Which ones are you talking about?

"Well, there's the new Phoenix class shipkillers we've been working on. The first of them are already off the production line and undergoing shakedowns as we speak. On top of that, we've been able to finish