Star Fight: Empire Series, #3

By T. Jackson King

Failure to protect Earth is facing Nathan Stewart and his friends aboard the battlecruiser STAR GLORY. His captain’s effort to divert the deadly fleet led by Smooth Fur of the Empire of Eternity is not working. Despite the destruction of an Empire shipyard, Fur returns to Kepler 37 and begins a steady advance up Orion Arm, on the lookout for radio, maser and neutrino signals from Earth's colonies and Earth itself. Since Earth lies just 215 light years uparm from Kepler 37, Nate knows Earth will soon be found. And Fur has two extra fleets for a total of 65 Empire starbiters. When Fur finds Earth, humanity’s newly built battlecruisers will not be enough to stop Fur from killing all life on Earth. Nathan's fiance Evelyn comes up with a plan. His captain supports it. But will it be enough to divert Smooth Fur from her sworn duty to find and extinguish all life on any resistor planet? Nathan sets out to make sure the plan will be deadly enough to convince Smooth Fur to never, ever again mess with humans!

• Language: English
• Publisher: T. Jackson King
• Release date: Jan 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386263715

T. Jackson King

T. Jackson King (Tom) is a professional archaeologist and journalist. He writes hard science fiction, anthropological scifi, dark fantasy/horror and contemporary fantasy/magic realism--but that didn't begin until he was 38. Before then, college years spent in Paris and in Tokyo led Tom into antiwar activism, hanging out with some Japanese hippies and learning how often governments lie to their citizens. The latter lesson led him and a college buddy to publish the Shinjuku Sutra English language underground tabloid in Japan in 1967. That was followed by helping shut down the UT Knoxville campus in 1968 and a bus trip to Washington D.C. for the Second March on Washington where thousands demanded an end to the Vietnam War. Temporary sanity returned when Tom worked in a radiocarbon lab at UC Riverside and earned an MA degree in archaeology from UCLA. His interests in ancient history, ancient cultures and journalism got him several government agency jobs that paid the bills, led him to roam the raw landscape of the Western United States, and helped him raise three kids. A funny thing happened on the way to normality. By the time he was 38 and doing federal arky work in Colorado, Tom's first novel STAR TRADERS was a stage play in his head that wouldn't go away. So he wrote it down. It got rejected. His next novel was published as RETREAD SHOP (Warner Books, 1988). It was off to the writing races and Tom's many voyages of imaginative discovery have led to 23 published novels, a book of poetry, and a conviction that when humans reach the stars, we will find them crowded with space-going aliens. We will be the New Kids On The Block. This theme appears in much of Tom's short fiction and novel writing. Tom lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. His other writings can be viewed at http://www.tjacksonking.com.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

I hate uncertainty. I can deal with the uncertainty that goes with being human. With living life. In time I’d adjusted to the death of my Dad and the loss of our family cattle ranch in Castle Rock, Colorado. At least my Mom and two sisters were alive and well in Denver. But being uncertain on a covert mission is the kind of uncertainty I hate.

As our team walked down a tubeway deep inside an Empire of Eternity orbital that floated above an Earth-like world of the star Kepler 315, I licked my lips and hoped that the three-dee holo imagery which our vacsuit shoulder emitters now projected was doing a perfect job of making me and my teammates appear to be wasp-like aliens with wings folded against our backs as we wasps walked on thin brown chitin-legs. Looking like the humans we were would have alerted the orbital’s System Entry Control office to the fact we were the notorious bipeds from the starship Star Glory.

That notoriety came from our destruction of the Empire base deep inside the W51 molecular cloud which lay at the spot where our Orion Arm joins the nearby Sagittarius-Carina Arm. Our attack had royally pissed off fleet Manager Smooth Fur, the giant otter in command of 21 Empire battlecruisers. And likely the other two fleets that were orbiting the Empire moon base when we hit it. Those fleets had lost nine ships to attacks by our Hunt and Seek thermonuke warheads. Where the bloodthirsty otter now roamed was the question we needed to answer. And the only source of that data was an Empire Residence on this orbital and maybe one on the planet below. It being easier to escape from an orbital, our raccoon ally Captain Delight had brought us to the orbital in her raider starship since our ship’s shape was as notorious as the bioform of humans. Smooth Fur hated us and our ship. She had spread the neutrino com word to all Empire colonies and orbitals in Orion Arm to be on the watch for us. No doubt she and her fleets had followed us back into Orion Arm. Finding out where she now roamed, and how close to Sol and Earth she might be, was the order Captain Neil Skorzeny had given his XO Commander Nadya Kumisov. The woman in charge of our team of infiltrators.

So we now walked past strange aliens who ambled, rolled and flew along a tubeway as wide as an interstate aircar strip. Most of them were traders or tech sellers, based on the number of trader and passenger ships we’d noticed when we approached the orbital on Delight’s ship. A few were likely passengers heading to the three passenger ships hard-docked to this orbital, heading off to some other Empire star colony. This sneak entry was different from the one we’d done at the Kepler 439 orbital, where we entered a mostly empty orbital after our ship and our four raider allies had destroyed all armed opposition. At least we had the refugee AI Loulo with us, hidden inside a floater carton piled high with the fruits and veggies we had said we wished to trade on this orbital’s food deck. She was helping by monitoring the orbital’s AI, which hopefully assumed we were innocent food traders.

Turn right at the next tubeway intersection, Loulo said over my helmet comlink.

Ahead the lead wasp in our group slowed his pace and turned right into a tubeway the size of a hallway in a human skytower. That wasp imagery was actually Major James Owanju, the large-framed, black as night commander of all Marines on the Star Glory. He was followed by my best bud Warren Johnson, still a corporal but always ready to face combat with the daring of his fellow Australians. Owanju and Warren were followed by the wasp form that I knew to be Kumisov. Following her was Lieutenant Hoshi Gerasaki, head of the Intelligence Department. Walking close behind her came my Russian friend Oksana Rutskaya, who worked for Gerasaki. Next in line was my Brit friend Cassandra Murphy, the only member of our group with a BA in anthropology, an MA in exobiology and a Ph.D. in cosmology. Cassie was there to answer any questions Kumisov might have about the data we hoped to gain from the data blocks that lay inside every Empire Residence. Bringing up the rear was me, Nathan Stewart, former cattle wrangler trained by EarthGov and the Star Navy to be an antimatter engineer. Antimatter I liked. It was never uncertain. Treat it good and you lived. Be careless and you vaporized. Right now I held the metal rope attached to the gravlift supported floater carton which held Loulo. Convoying a floater carton filled with fruits and veggies atop the fat metal tube of the AI was boring duty. Though I did like the smell of the sliced pineapple fruit that came to me thanks to the hinged back helmet of my vacsuit.

We all breathed station air so long as we saw other alien people anywhere we went. I just wished we had swept in and blown up all the armed trader ships like we had at Kepler 439. But the captain said no, such an attack might cause the orbital’s AI to destroy the Residence on orders from Smooth Fur. So now we slunk along in holo camouflage, hoping we could access the Residence without the orbital AI being alerted to our actions.

Turn left into the small tubeway, Loulo hummed lightly, her voice human feminine, thanks to the time she had spent in linkage with our ship AI Heidi. That AI was a notorious mischief maker.

Whatever. Our group of seven paused to allow a cluster of six-legged, gray-skinned hippo-like aliens to pass us, then we all entered the small tubeway. It was the size of the dorm hallway at Great Lakes Naval Station, where I’d spent five years earning my BA in antimatter engineering at one of the A-Schools. While I had expected to roam space on one of Earth’s battlecruisers, I had never expected to encounter aliens. Least of all the murderous aliens of the Empire. That first encounter by the Star Glory had resulted in the death of hundreds of good people. Since then, thanks to the quick and smart actions of our captain, we had survived multiple encounters with Empire battlecruisers. Now, walking along the gray metal tubeway of an orbital station bigger than Orbital Base Trinity was normal. Passing by aliens who had no resemblance to humans was normal. And conducting guerrilla warfare against the star colonies of the Empire was the duty assigned our ship and our captain by Admiral Harriet Gonsalves of the Star Navy, from her Moon Base post. Briefly the image of Earth’s white clouds and blue-green seas filled my mind, along with memories of my shore leave, the last time I’d seen my Mom and sisters. They were all safe. For now. How much longer that safety might last no human knew.

The Residence entry is at the end of this hallway, Loulo hummed quickly.

Understood, the major said firmly, sounding tense. Team, keep alert for surprises.

My ears told me the tubeway we were in was empty for its entire length. Behind us a few aliens passed by in the feeder tubeway we had used to get here. Glancing around I noticed the walls of the narrow tubeway were blank, with no sign of slidedoors that might contain unexpected guests. My encounter with a laser wielding alien at the Kepler 439 orbital had taught me a painful lesson. Now, I focused my super hearing, super eyesight, super strength and aircar-fast running on the objective of making sure I detected any sign of an attack by the orbital’s mechbots or guardian bioforms. All of us carried small arms. Warren and the major had laser pistols. The rest of us wore holstered .45 semi-autos attached to our vacsuit tac points. And our backpacks held nastier stuff like thermite grenades, frag grenades, smoke bombs, laser light disruptors and whatever else Owanju had loaded into them. Food and drink came to us from helmet ring dispensers. We had what we needed for what was supposed to be a covert mission. Covert at least until the orbital AI discovered us. Hopefully we would be inside Captain Delight’s boarding tube when that happened. I looked up as our lead wasp stopped before a slidedoor the size of two French doors. Above it was angular text.

AI Loulo, called Commander Kumisov. Translate the text above this slidedoor.

A low chuckle sounded over my comlink. Human styles of laughter were just one of the many things Loulo had learned from time spent interfacing with Heidi.

The text says ‘Empire of Eternity Residence, Entry Restricted’. We are at your objective. As I promised you when I searched this orbital’s facility tracking system.

Tough as nails Kumisov moved to stand next to Gerasaki, Owanju and Warren. Her ponytail of gray-streaked black hair swung freely in the artificial gravity of the orbital. We appreciate that. Is the trade Manager present in the residence?

No, Loulo hummed. That bioform is on the other side of this orbital tending to a cargo shipment newly arrived from one of the merchant trader ships that orbits nearby.

The AI’s comment brought to mind the shape of the orbital that I had seen as we approached on Delight’s ship. This Empire orbital was four rectangular arms in an X pattern, with a large globe at the center. Gravplates provided eight-tenths gee gravity everywhere except where modified by a resident species. Oxy-nitro air was the common atmosphere. At ten kilometers across the orbital was big, busier than Grand Central Station in New York, and totally unaware of the arrival of the Star Glory and three other raider ally ships which had gone to stealth mode upon our arrival at the edge of this star’s magnetosphere boundary. We’d spent the last week since our arrival finishing repairs from our fight with Empire ships at W51. Two days of that week had been spent heading into the system. They had gone quietly as Delight pretended to be a trader captain with fresh produce to sell. I knew the XO could speak with the captain over her encrypted neutrino comlink. She didn’t since such a transmission would be detected by the orbital’s AI. Still, it was good to know that my ship was just two days transit time away from where we all now stood. Assuming we survived two days . . .

Good. Kumisov gestured at the slidedoor. AI Loulo, open this slidedoor.

As you wish.

The metal of the slidedoor slid to one side. Owanju and Warren stepped in first, their laser pistols at the ready.

Clear. No lifeforms are present, the major said over my vacsuit comlink.

I followed the team into a circular room with a five meter high ceiling. Archways led into side rooms on the left and right. The slidedoor closed behind us.

Loulo, do you have control of the vidimagers in this room and in adjacent rooms? asked Lt. Gerasaki.

I do, hummed the AI. Do you wish to cancel your holo camouflage?

We do, the head of Intel said quickly. The pure blood Japanese woman sounded impatient.

The AI sent a signal to the holo emitters on each vacsuit. Their projection of wasp imagery disappeared. Looking around I recognized my friends and the top bosses in charge of our expedition. Major Owanju stood guard at the left side archway while Warren stood guard at the right side archway. The major’s shaved head gleamed under the yellow light of the room, while Warren’s weight-lifter muscles were visible under the thin fabric of the vacsuit. They both now faced the room entry slidedoor in case the trade Manager or someone else entered the residence. Of course Loulo should warn us of such a thing since she was controlling local sensors and vidimagers. Those efforts were being done under the electronic nose of the orbital’s AI. I just hoped the presence of thousands of aliens going about their work on the orbital, along with the AI’s duty to monitor approaching starships, GTOs from the planet below and ship to ship shuttles would keep it from noticing the disappearance of six wasp-like aliens who had entered hauling a floater cargo of produce.

The walls here are no better than the ones at Mikmak’s residence, muttered Cassandra from my left, a scowl on her pinky-white face.

I looked around. The walls were covered in slashes of green, yellow and pink, with black orbs scattered over the slashes. It could have qualified as an LSD overdose vision. In truth it was just an alien color scheme that suited the bioform who was the Residence’s trade Manager. I’d seen an image of the alien just before we exited Delight’s starship and entered the hard dock tube that linked her ship to the orbital. Its shape was more normal than that of Mikmak. It resembled a centaur with a lion’s head mounted atop a horse body shape. Manipulator tendrils adorned its upper chest. At least it had two eyes arranged for binocular vision, the arrangement we humans consider normal. Cassie’s comment reminded me of the reaction to Mikmak’s residence by my fiancé Evelyn Kierkgard. My Irish lass had declared Mikmak’s color scheme to be nauseating. She and my other friend Bill Watson were back on the Star Glory.

Agreed, I said, giving a smile to the Stanford prof who was my higher math tutor.

Cassie smiled back, her short black curls flaring out as she scanned the room. My super geek friend was intently cataloguing all she saw. Nearby everyone else was doing the same. Like Mikmak’s residence this one contained a large round table the size of my Mom’s living room. Padded benches ran along the walls. A small basin of clear water sparkled next to the right side archway. Since there were no fish or other critters in the basin it might be for drinking by the alien Manager. Looking up I noticed that the round room’s far wall had three blank vidscreens on them, clustered in the middle of the wall. A hand gripped my right arm.

Nathan, how are you feeling? Oksana asked, her voice low as the bosses walked up to the metal table.

My friend from Novosibirsk sounded anxious. At six feet tall Oksana came close to my own six feet five inches. But she appeared worried as her blue eyes looked up at me.

I’d grown used to being asked about my ‘feelings’ or my ‘intuition’ about certain situations since I had helped our ship escape certain destruction in our first encounter with Smooth Fur’s fleet. A later vidrecord of me catching a one-ton tree limb to stop it from crushing a young orang-type girl had added to my reputation for surprises. That rep made going to the Mess Hall for meals a time of ignoring covert glances, curious looks and thoughtful words from my fellow Spacers, NCOs, staff and line officers and the Marine contingent who occupied a corner table in our ship’s Mess Hall.

I gave her a reassuring wave. Loulo is watching out for us on the electronic side of things, I said. I have not heard or sensed any pursuit by mechbots or guardian bioforms. This place is 4,447 light years from Earth. No one here expects to see us humans. We are a little known resistor species. And this world has been colonized by the Empire for more than a thousand years. Perk up.

She gave a low sigh. Thanks.

Ahead of us Kumisov began our intel gathering.

AI Loulo, please bring up the data blocks.

As you wish. Three metal blocks rose up from one side of the big table. These are the Residence’s primary data repositories. They respond to touch commands in addition to acoustic commands. How do you wish to access them?

Commander Kumisov frowned, then put both gloved hands on her curvy hips. She looked aside to Lt. Gerasaki. The XO nodded at the short, petite woman who ran Intel.

By wifi data transfer to our tablets. Our leader gestured to the Intel chief. It’s your show now.

Gerasaki gave the XO a quick nod, then held up her recorder tablet, which had been attached to a tac point on her vacsuit. AI Loulo, this tablet has a memory upgrade to 10 exabytes. When I put it over the central block, will it be able to store all the data on Empire fleets, Empire colony worlds, trade orbitals and Empire bases in Orion Arm?

Yes, though the data will occupy 9.89 exabytes on your tablet, the AI said casually. Are you interested in the other data blocks? The left side block contains data on commercial shipping and trade events throughout Warm Swirl galaxy, while the right side block contains data on the 100 Dominant species who rule the Empire of Eternity. And on all member species.

Gerasaki blinked, then looked back at Oksana and Cassandra. Ladies, get up here with me. Chief Warrant Officer Rutskaya, work the left side block with your tablet. Dr. Murphy, do the same for the right side block. The LT stepped forward and held her tablet over the central block. AI Loulo, please command this block to transfer all data on Empire fleet actions, locations and bases within Orion Arm to my tablet. Include any data on the W51 fleet base. I want to know if any Empire ships still reside there.

Proceeding. Data transfer is complete, the AI said.

Oksana stepped up to the table. She held her tablet over the left side block. Loulo, please transfer the commercial shipping and trade data done by the Empire within Orion Arm.

Data transfer is complete, the AI said, its voice sounding bored.

Cassandra moved to the right side block. Loulo, does my tablet have enough memory for the data on the Dominant species and member species of the Empire?

Barely. Your device can contain one exabyte. The data block contains nearly that amount of data. Transfer complete.

Kumisov pursed her lips, her look one of guarded satisfaction. AI Loulo, display the locations of Empire fleet ships anywhere within Orion Arm. Use one of the wall vidscreens. She paused, then looked to her right. LT, do you have anything to add?

Gerasaki nodded quickly. Yes sir. AI Loulo, please create a graphic image that depicts the 10,000 light year length of Orion Arm. On that image locate this star system using a white dot. Identify other stars with an Empire presence by means of a purple dot. Indicate individual fleet ships or fleet groups by red dots. Proceed.

Proceeding, the AI said in a low soprano. Observe.

The central vidscreen came alive. A long strip marked by dotted lines now ran from the lower left to the upper right. Our star Kepler 315 appeared as a white dot. It was close to the spot where Orion Arm joins to Sagittarius Arm, the spot where the W51 molecular cloud had harbored the Empire’s fleet base. Now destroyed. Our star held a downarm position while Earth and Sol lay halfway up the arm. Beyond Sol lay 5,000 light years of stars not yet reached by Empire fleets. Since Sol lay only 215 light years uparm from the Empire’s colonizing boundary, we had spent months roaming the Empire section of the arm, destroying trading ships, orbitals and ground installations in our effort to draw Smooth Fur away from finding Sol. Had our recent attack had that effect?

Damn, muttered Kumisov as she scanned the vidscreen.

Three groups of red dots had appeared well beyond our star. None of the red dots were close to the hundreds of purple stars that were Empire colony worlds. As soon as I saw the image I had the count. One part of my quick memory was nearly instant quantification. The three groups amounted to 21, 24 and 20 red dots.  One group of which was Smooth Fur’s fleet of 21 ships. Sixty-five Empire battlecruisers. Those were more than enough to conquer Sol and Earth even if the Star Navy had finished building its target fleet of twenty battlecruisers. Which meant Earth would go the way of alien resistor worlds. Smooth Fur would drop her black tide bioweapon onto Earth where it would kill all life in the air, land and sea. Including my Mom and sisters.

Kumisov looked back at me. Or rather, she looked back to the floater carton that held our refugee AI, the former Empire AI who had pledged loyalty to humanity as the price of our allowing it to escape from Mikmak’s orbital before our ship destroyed the orbital.

AI Loulo, what are those three Empire fleets doing?

A low hum sounded. They are in transit across your Orion Arm, the AI said, its tone puzzled. They are traveling in what you call Alcubierre space-time moduli.

Kumisov grimaced. How far past this local star are these three fleets?

They are 700 light years uparm from this local star.

Gerasaki winced. Have they sent any signals to indicate where they are heading?

One moment. Let me check this orbital’s neutrino message traffic. A second passed. The orbital’s AI took notice of my inquiry. It is seeking to activate the vidimagers in this chamber.

Crap! Kumisov nodded to the major and to Warren. Time to leave. Loulo, did you discover where they are heading?

Yes. The three fleets are under the command of Manager Smooth Fur. They are headed to the star you call Kepler 37.

Kumisov turned away from the table. People, we have what we wanted to get. Move it!

I waved to her. Commander, should we ask Loulo whether these data blocks contain the specs for zero-point energy converters?

She scowled and kept walking toward our entry slidedoor. Loulo, do these blocks contain that data?

They do not. Only fleet base data blocks contain such technical information.

Kumisov nodded. AI Loulo, activate our wasp holo camouflage. And return the data blocks to their original position. Once we exit this room and reach the feeder tubeway, allow the orbital AI to access the vidimagers in this room and the tubeway.

As you wish, the AI said in a soprano that sounded different. I am concerned the orbital AI will be searching for the source of the interference with its ability to access the local vidimagers. Will you protect me if it discovers my presence?

I led the way out into the narrow tubeway, my hand on my .45. A worried AI was something we were not used to. Mouthy, sneaky and practical joke playing AI was the normal mode for Heidi. Loulo’s persona was still evolving. What it would end up being I had no idea. I just wanted us all to get to the docking bay that held the hard transit tube that linked with Captain Delight’s ship.

Yes, we will protect you, Commander Kumisov said. Stay alert to any offensive actions the orbital AI takes against us.

Staying alert, the AI said in a tone that sounded almost scared.

Behind me came Cassandra, Oksana, Kumisov, Gerasaki, Owanju and Warren. Ahead of us a few aliens passed along the feeder tubeway. Could we blend in? Should we offer to sell our produce at some place in order to appear like traders? Those decisions were up to the XO. Protecting us and the AI was up to the major and Warren. Giving the alert that we were being targeted was up to me and my super senses. I felt determined. But I had no intuition on whether we would make it to safety. That lack bothered me.

CHAPTER TWO

The moment we exited the feeder tubeway and entered the main concourse that circled the central globe of the orbital I felt relief. This tubeway was the size of the Mainstream concourse on the pirate base orbital. It was forty meters wide by forty high. Hundreds of aliens filled my view ahead and what I heard behind. Blinking I adjusted my vision to see far infrared, near infrared and ultraviolet. That gave some of the aliens a weird glow since a few of them had hard chitin or armor plates for skin, the composition of which reflected the standard yellow light of the concourse in different ways. Mostly I was looking for a glow that indicated aggression. Aliens of all shapes passed us by on the left side. Rolling, clumping, thumping, snake-slithering and flying aliens went about their business or pleasure or whatever. My attention was caught by three aliens who resembled dragonflies. Their wings were iridescent in UV. Straps hung on their stiff bodies, supporting pouches that held whatever mattered to them. Some aliens ambled past with their multi-eyed vision fixed on a tablet, either following a map, watching the news or getting an update on something vital. My group did none of that. We walked quickly, with Warren and the major bringing up the rear. I pulled the metal cord that attached to Loulo’s floater carton. Pushing aside the cloying scent of pineapple, I breathed deep, bringing in alien scents that were musty, astringent, sweaty and urine smelling. Though the concourse gravplates were clean, hundreds of alien people do not pass along such a concourse without leaving residue. Pushing aside the clatter, chirps, barks, whistles, howls and other vocal talk modes of most aliens I focused on metallic sounds. Like mechbots approaching. Or pressure hatches dropping due to a hull breach. Or a security alert.

CPO Stewart, anything? came the voice of Kumisov over my vacsuit comlink.

Nothing, commander. Nothing dangerous, I mean.

I knew the way back to our ship’s docking bay. A side effect of growing up in rural countryside. Delight’s ship was attached to the arm that projected toward the planet below. We were one-third of the orbital’s radius away from the concourse entry to that arm. At least we did not have to change decks to get to the entry. Would the alien guardians who held station at the arm entry block us from reaching our ship? They had done nothing when we passed through the entry into the main concourse. Course by that time our bioforms and name IDs had been supplied to the orbital’s AI by our ship captain. Along with a description of the produce in our floater carton. Innocuous we had looked then. Were we still seen that way? A clanking sound drew my attention to the curve ahead. Into view came the man-high box of a mechbot. It floated along a few inches above the gravplates, moving on gravity repulsion like our carton. It was not speeding toward us, but it was headed our way. The clanking came from arms fitted with manipulators. On top was a dome with sensor dots and a laser emitter.

Loulo, what is that mechbot doing? I asked loudly, knowing that our AI both heard me and kept my voice from being heard outside the wasp holo image.

"It