Politics by Other Means

By Trevor Marsh

Book One of the Worlds of Words and War series.

In the year 2361, humanity has spread out across the stars thanks to the discovery of a network of wormholes connecting many of the local star systems together. Putting aside their petty differences with the formation of the United Earth Federation, humanity has suddenly found itself neighbors to dozens of different alien species. Some are quite friendly and helpful, but others pose a dangerous threat to Earth and her colonies.

Sam is a hot headed UEF diplomat, about to set out on a routine assignment in alien space. His last day on Earth before he ships out is spent in the company of Michelle, a UEF Navy destroyer captain with a serious chip on her shoulder. She too is scheduled to soon depart on a ordinary deployment to the fringe of human-controlled space near the galactic rim. They both share a common bond in their decisions to not follow traditional family career paths, but neither of them could possibly imagine that their chance encounter will have profound implications for the survival of the UEF. Alien machinations and schemes that were set into motion years ago are about to culminate in disaster for Earth and no one seems to see the threat coming.

Confronted with skeptics and enemies on all sides, it will be up to Sam and Michelle to save the people of Earth from a brutal and cunning alien menace. Mighty fleets will clash and secret diplomatic deals will be struck, but in the end it will be up to an entry-level career diplomat and a lowly destroyer captain to decide the fate of humanity...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trevor Marsh
• Release date: Aug 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311075727

Trevor Marsh

I have a lot of science fiction influences in my life that have driven me towards writing. Besides all the science fiction I’ve read, watched, and played over the years I have also tried to incorporate my own personal experiences in my writing. I was raised in a military family myself, but I ultimately took a different path in life. My father proudly served in the United States Navy for thirty years, retiring as a captain. Growing up as a navy brat, I was constantly fascinated by military technology, history, tactics, and strategies. I was also offered the opportunity to grow up in a variety of locations around the world. The one that influenced me the most was Singapore. Seeing so many different people and cultures mixed together in one place was a very eye opening experience for me. From that point on, I knew I wanted to work in a field where I would constantly be interacting with people from all over the world. My studies eventually led me to studying international relations and political science in college, followed quickly by a legal degree with a focus on international law. My interest in geopolitics and diplomacy heavily influenced the non-military aspects of my science fiction writing.

Book preview

Politics by Other Means

Trevor Marsh

Copyright © 2015 Trevor Marsh

Distributed by Smashwords

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real persons, events, or places are purely coincidental; any references to actual places, people, or brands are fictitious. All rights reserved.

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

About Trevor Marsh

Connect with Trevor Marsh

Influences and Acknowledgements

I have a lot of science fiction influences in my life, ranging from books to video games, TV shows, and movies. This novel is my attempt to meld two of my favorite sub-genres, military science fiction and space operas, from all of my many influences. I would first like to acknowledge the authors that have influenced me the most, beginning with David Weber. Weber’s Honor Harrington series, along with the Starfire series he co-wrote with Steve White, were my entry into the genre of military science fiction and his influence should be readily apparent in my own story telling. More recent influential authors for me include John Scalzi with his Old Man’s War series and Walter John Williams’ Dread Empire’s Fall series. As a new author I hope to match the level of world building, or more accurately put galaxy building, that these authors have offered me in the past as an avid fan and reader. Besides books, I’ve also been playing spaced-based video games and watching science fiction shows and movies for year. Personal favorite video games of mine include the Masters of Orion series, Sword of the Stars, Distant Worlds, Endless Space, and the Stardrive series. My thanks to all the developers and publishers of those games for letting me play out space adventures on a daily basis. My first attempts at writing stories came from posting fan fiction stories on the forums of several of these games. Finally, I am of course heavily influenced by things such as Star Trek, Star Wars, and Babylon 5 as are most science fiction writes I imagine.

When it comes to acknowledgements I would most importantly like to thank all the hard work put in by my friends and family. Going the self-publishing route means I’ve had to rely on the kindness of others to help me with my work. When I’ve needed editors to review my book for errors or to provide fresh insights, I’ve always been able to turn to those closest to me for help. Whether it was my parents, my aunt, or my best friends, everyone I’ve turned to for help has contributed to the publication of this book in some form or another. Finally, I would like to thank my girlfriend for putting up with the constant days and nights I’ve spent glued to my computer working on this book. I would also like to thank her for being my personal editor, hearing me read aloud every chapter as I furiously typed away with new changes and edits to every other sentence. I could not have written this novel without you.

War is the continuation of politics by other means.

- Carl von Clausewitz

Prologue

Date Unknown, Location Unknown

The meeting had been called with a great deal of urgency. The boardroom was packed with high ranking members of the Denkar Corporatocracy’s four largest corporations. The air was thick and hot, an environment much preferred by the nature of Denkar physiology. With their internal body temperatures regulated by their surrounding environments, Denkar needed to live in locations featuring high levels of oxygen-rich air with constant humidity. This drive to find worlds suitable for their physiology was one of the reasons why the meeting taking place in the boardroom had been called in the first place.

As the various executives arrived and mingled with their peers around the large wooden table, the sounds of quiet small talk quickly grew to fill the room with a buzzing feeling of anticipation. The constant noise of executives talking to those closest to them was randomly punctuated by the sound of sharp claws tapping nervously on the floor or the table itself. There was an air of uncertainty amongst the gathered executives. They were not comfortable with being summoned so abruptly. If their scaly mix of green and brown skin were capable of producing sweat, the room would have begun to reek of body odor in short order. The host corporation, Telium Industries, was the most well represented faction in the room, but even Telium’s own executives were unsure as to exactly why they had been called together.

As if in answer to the growing sense of discomfort and anticipation building amongst the executives, the boardroom’s broad doors suddenly swung open and every eye in the room turned to face the new arrival as the chattering noise of small talk amongst the gathered executives instantly died down to a few quiet whispers before disappearing entirely. The new arrival wore an impressive robe of crimson, covering his scaly body from his shoulders to his clawed feet. His bright yellow eyes sat on the top of his head as he surveyed the room briefly and flashed a grin showing off his pearly white set of razor sharp teeth. To a human, the new arrival would have appeared to be an odd mix between an ancient Earth velociraptor's body and a modern crocodile’s head, but this specimen, as well as most Denkar in general, was far smarter and biologically advanced than their distant Earth cousins. This Denkar in particular was the Chief Executive Officer of Telium Industries, and the de facto leader of the entire Denkar Corporatocracy. To appease the masses, an outward appearance of tradition dictated that the ruler of the Denkar be chosen through trial by combat every five years. To keep up with appearances the combat trials were still put on and were fought to the death as it was in ancient days, but in their modern setting the winners were picked well in advance based on backroom corporate deals and power plays. Telium Industries’ representative had won the trials for fifteen years in a row, thanks largely to the power of the corporation that backed him more than his combat prowess. As the Telium CEO took his seat at the head of the table, the rest of the representatives and executives found their own specially designed chairs with room to accommodate their long tails and quickly sat down.

Thank you all for coming on such short notice, the Telium CEO said in a tone that suggested the others had been given little choice in the matter. I’ve called this meeting to address a very pressing concern that will affect all of our organizations going forward for at least the next five years.

Several reptilian heads perked up around the room at the mention of such long term potential plans.

As you all know, we’ve been facing a growing amount of unrest amongst the general populous, the Telium CEO continued. Demands for higher wages, better safety standards, and more control over management decisions have been on the rise in all of our workforces. The riots that took place at Valkor Incorporated last week stand as stark evidence of these disturbing trends.

The Telium CEO nodded towards the chief Valkor executive seated halfway down the table on his right. The Valkor executive hung his head in a short display of shame before raising it once again to meet the eyes of his peers around the room. Riot police had been called in to quell the uprising, which had generated a lot of bad press for the corporations as a whole and resulted in the other executives in the room hearing increased calls for change from their own workers. As a result of all this, Valkor Incorporated had fallen out of favor with many of the power players in the Corporatocracy.

Besides our own internal struggles, we are facing a shortage of colonizable planets in our area of space. With our population constantly increasing and our economy desperately in need of new sources of raw materials to feed our industries, we are facing a serious crisis.

The room began to fill once again with the clamor of many smaller conversations starting up, upset voices of alarm growing in volume. The Telium CEO was able to calm the room by simply raising one of his clawed hands, bringing the gathered executives to silence in an impressive display of his power.

Luckily for all of us, I believe I have found a solution to both our problems, both domestic and foreign.

As the Telium CEO gestured with his claw, the hidden holoprojectors built into the wooden boardroom table came to life as the lights in the room dimmed, displaying a map of Denkar space featuring green dots representing each Denkar system with lines connecting the dots to show the various wormhole connections that facilitated faster-than-light travel for all the known species of the galaxy. Other groups of differently colored dots represented the territories claimed by the various other space faring species located in this part of the galaxy. The Telium CEO then hit a button on the table and a section of the glowing lights began to flash a deep crimson color.

I believe it is time for the Denkar Corporatocracy to expand its holdings once again, the Telium CEO declared boldly. It has been three decades since we last claimed new worlds for ourselves. In that time, an upstart species known as the humans have successfully expanded their borders to touch our own. They are an oxygen-breathing species like ourselves, although they prefer dryer climates than us. However, our environmental engineers assure me that their worlds would be perfectly suitable for Denkar habitation after we’ve seeded their atmospheres with the appropriate levels of carbon dioxide and a variety of iodides. Thus far we have limited our contact with them to small diplomatic matters, but I believe the time has come to change that policy.

The Telium CEO stood from his chair and began to pace around the room, his excited energy visible for all to see as he continued to lay out his plan.

Right now our workers need a distraction from their current list of complaints. If we were to present them with a viable external threat, their focus would shift away from the troubles of their daily lives. That is why I am beginning preparations today for an eventual war of conquest against the humans. I am ordering our industries to shift their focus to one of a war footing. War can be the driving force our economy needs, and the colonizable worlds and raw materials we will take as spoils of our war will ensure profitability in our endeavors. Are there any objections?

The Telium CEO’s question was a perfunctory one and he unsurprisingly received no responses. As the chief executive of the Corporatorcacy’s most powerful corporation, his word was not to be questioned.

Very well, he continued as he once again took his seat at the end of the table. Our course is set. Our preparations must remain a secret as long as possible to ensure the humans are taken completely by surprise. I doubt they could stop us even if they knew of our plans, but we need a quick and resounding victory to appease the masses and jumpstart our economy. With due diligence and preparation, I expect our campaign to take no more than three months from when it is launched to reach the human home system.

The disgraced Valkor Incorporated CEO meekly raised one of his claws in question and the Telium CEO felt such pity for the fallen executive that he nodded his head towards his inferior in a sign for him to proceed with his question.

I’m sorry to interrupt, the Valkor executive said as his eyes searched the starmap projection hovering over the boardroom table, but which system is the human home system? It isn’t clearly displayed here.

The Telium CEO manipulated the controls for the holographic display from his position at the end of the table until one of the red stars began to turn a golden hue.

Here it is, the Telium CEO said with a hunger in his voice. The Sol system. The humans come from the third innermost planet in the system, which they call Earth. That will be the ultimate objective of our attack.

Chapter One

July 4, 2361, San Diego, North American State

A light ocean breeze greeted Sam as he sat down at an outside table of a busy cafe, enjoying a beautiful morning of San Diego summer sun. The cafe had been established way back in 2015, but it was still holding up well and offered a relaxed place to enjoy an espresso and an omelet while watching the morning hustle and bustle of the metropolitan area. While the cafe may not have changed much in the past couple of centuries, besides becoming entirely digitally operated, the city surrounding it had changed quite a bit. The San Diego of 2361 was a bustling city of industry and business, with soaring skyscrapers featuring a multitude of interconnecting walkways between them at various altitudes. The surface streets remained, but they are mostly travelled by hovercars flying several centimeters off the ground. Pedestrian traffic was still heavy, especially during the morning rush hour as it had always been, but the sidewalks were now littered with holographic advertisements and other displays on every building and flat surface meant to assault and entice human senses all at the same time.

To any passerby, Sam appeared to be just another San Diego native intently interested in reading whatever was on his holopad. His sun-kissed golden hair and perfectly tanned cream colored complexion hinted at a childhood raised along white, sandy shores and under a warm and glowing sun. His piercing blue eyes narrowed and his long legs shifted uncomfortably under the table as he read. The ocean breeze ruffled his short sleeved, perfectly white buttoned shirt and his khaki pants as he drank his espresso without looking at it in his off hand.

Sam was engrossed in the intergalactic headlines of the day’s news. A career diplomat in the United Earth Federation’s Department of State, Sam was constantly fascinated by the stories coming out of the many alien civilizations that the UEF had made contact with in the last hundred years of human space exploration and colonization. As Sam thought back through the events of the last century, he could not help but be amazed by the progress humanity had made in such a relatively short amount of time.

Back in 2260, Earth was still a planet divided between warring nations and cultures. There had been moments of peaceful cooperation in the 22nd century, like the creation of the North American State with the union of Canada, the United States, and Mexico into a single entity, but there had also been much bloodshed with larger nations seeking to forcefully consolidate their smaller neighbors into ever growing super states capable of staking claims to Earth’s dwindling resources. Luckily for humanity, several of these super states, including the NAS, began intensive space programs to harvest the rest of the solar system for resources badly needed back on Earth. Soon, massive ice haulers were bringing badly needed water from Europa and ore freighters were transporting back valuable metals taken from large asteroids like Ceres and Vesta. Mankind’s exploration of the solar system also led to colonies being founded on Mars, Jupiter’s moon of Ganymede, and Saturn’s moon of Titan.

This period of prosperity lasted for nearly a hundred years, but by the beginning of the 23rd century the super states on Earth were starting to feel constrained once again by the limits of the resources available to them in the solar system. Conflicts began to increase in frequency and severity, culminating in an asteroid being dropped by the Indian Federation on the Islamic Caliphate city of Karachi in 2260. Twelve million people died immediately that day, along with hundreds of thousands more from the resulting tidal waves. Humanity would likely have gone extinct at that point if not for the announcement the next day of the return of a missing NAS mining vessel through the first wormhole to ever be discovered by humans.

The vessel, the NASS Lucky Day, had disappeared the day before the Indian Federation’s attack, but since the story was of little importance compared to the bombardment of Karachi its disappearance had not made global headlines. Its return, however, brought Earth’s entire population to a standstill. Until that point in history, humans had consigned themselves to an existence of slower-than-light travel. Colonizing their own solar system had taken them decades to accomplish with the reaction-based engine systems they had developed. The idea of reaching out to even the nearest stars had seemed impossible. When the Lucky Day reported that they had just returned from the Alpha Centauri system, a wave of jubilation swept over Earth. The super states stopped their bickering and focused their energies on exploring through the Centauri wormhole and searching for other wormholes within the Sol system. Several months later a second wormhole leading to the nearby Luhman system was found and the race for intergalactic colonization had begun.

Scientists, still at a loss to explain exactly how the wormholes worked and why they formed, could at least reliably determine where they were likely to occur. Both of the Sol system’s wormholes could be found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was theorized, and later confirmed, that the gravitational conflux caused by the conflicting masses of the Sun and Jupiter somehow contributed to the creation of wormholes. As more systems were explored, it became clear that wormhole creation was dependent on the existence of at least two massive bodies, either stars or gas giants, within a single system. In addition to this limitation, it also soon became apparent that wormholes could only be formed between two systems within a ten light year or so distance of each other. These wormhole characteristics were confirmed through additional exploration. Wormholes themselves were almost invisible to all forms of detection when they lay dormant, but once activated by the proper amount of mass entering them at a certain velocity they became bright and colorful phenomena, an endless swirling stream of reds, purples, yellows, and blues all coalescing together around a central point in space that served as a bridge to a relatively close, in astronomical terms, neighboring star system.

While Sam’s thoughts were amongst the stars, his eyes were suddenly drawn to the sight of a very attractive woman in a UEF naval uniform sitting down at a table next to his. She had a dark, almost ebony complexion, but her eyes and other facial features hinted at a mixed racial heritage with a distinct Asian flair. The rank insignia on her uniform told Sam that she was a captain and she sat with her back rigidly straight, a posture Sam had seen many times in military officers. The woman gave Sam a friendly nod before bringing up her holographic menu to place her order.

Sam’s eyes returned to his holopad, where a headline involving the Haldoran Association caught his eye. His next diplomatic assignment was on a Haldoran world and he was due to depart tomorrow. The Haldoran Association held a special place of importance in the history of humankind because it was they who had both united humanity under one banner and given them the means to travel across solar systems in a matter of days instead of months.

While exploring Alpha Centauri, a European Union scout ship had happened upon a wormhole leading to the Epsilon Eridani system. Immediately upon emerging from the wormhole, the human scout ship had been contacted by a passing Haldoran freighter. To the Haldorans, the human vessel must have appeared very quaint, with its reaction-based engines pushing it along through space at a snail’s pace. The Haldoran ship moved at blazingly fast speeds and featured some kind of artificial gravity which amazed the crew of the scout vessel.

The shock of not only discovering alien life, but alien life capable of intergalactic travel, had shaken humanity to its core. The various super states of Earth had agreed to form a single, global government to present a united human front when interacting with any alien civilizations in the future. And thus, the United Earth Federation was born. The UEF’s first act was to open diplomatic relations with the Haldoran Association in the hopes of learning more about mankind’s new neighbors. Luckily for Earth, the Haldorans were a people more interested in commerce than conquest. In exchange for the transfer of vast quantities of information about Earth’s cultural and societal history, the Haldorans agreed to give humanity a seemingly magical reactionless slower-than-light engine capable of reaching great speeds while not only providing a compensation field to prevent the crew from being crushed by G-forces, but also providing artificial gravity to boot. Lacking anything more imaginative to name it, humans had taken to calling the engines Haldor drives despite the fact that the Haldorans themselves said they were not the drives inventors. Apparently the drive had been gifted to them several centuries ago by another, far more advanced species that had long since vanished from the galaxy. This trade was regarded as one of the most one-sided deals in the history of the galaxy by humanity, but the Haldorans appeared to be quite happy with their newly acquired data. They had apparently made similar deals with many other species in the past, however they always refused to trade in weapons for fear of having their own technology turned against them someday.

The UEF began installing Haldor drives on all its newly constructed spaceships and soon humans were racing across the solar system in a standard Earth week. This increase in slower-than-light travel facilitated another colonization and resource exploitation boom in the star systems closest to Earth. Mankind began making contact with dozens of other spacefaring civilizations, most of which were strangely close to Earth’s current level of technological advancement. Some scientists theorized that some great galactic calamity must have wiped out most life in the Milky Way in the far distant past, allowing new life to take root at around the same time in various corners of the galaxy, but to date no one could offer any proof or other evidence to support such a theory. All Sam knew was that the increased alien contacts being made by humanity were putting quite

Reviews for Politics by Other Means

[ZombieAteBrain · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great start! This series is going to be a winner. Can't wait to read the next...