Cosmic Battles: The Holy Warriors

By Douglas Shaw

Join General Stone, Commanders Pillar and Tower on a journey of love, death, self-sacrifice, and war. The three strong-willed, smart, and powerful Dunguchi warriors are devout followers of their faith. They soon find themselves traveling the known cosmos far from their home world of Dungurch Twelve. The three are a fierce fighting force guarded by a spiritual force that also drives their actions forward. They are capable of leaving compassion or destruction in their wake. Finally, they also come face-to-face with an ancient beast of great power and beauty in their quest to fight and save humanity from the very evil that seeks to destroy it. The many losses and pain they endure in their long journey can only end one of two ways.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781640288911

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Cosmic Battles

The Holy Warriors

Douglas Shaw

ISBN 978-1-64028-890-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64079-885-4 (Hard Cover)

ISBN 978-1-64028-891-1 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Douglas Shaw

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to first and foremost my grandmother Pearl Weeks who never got a chance to read this book, to all the hard-core sci-fi fans and everyone else who is important to me. I pray that anyone who reads this book will come to the understanding that Christianity is not a religion but a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, his Son, and the Holy Spirit. I also hope to never offend but to build up my readers. My goal was to write a Christ-centered space novel. The name of the Christian race is said like this: Dune-guch-eye.

Introduction

The galaxies are in ruins, and different governments and religions litter the planets of the three different galaxies. Two extinct religions are on the move. The two religions have been absent for more than two centuries, or everyone in the galaxy has thought so. Everyone is poised to stop the visitors from spreading their religion. The Islamic and the agnostics don’t know what is going to happen next. Everyone is watching the galaxy for signs of the visitors. Who are the visitors, and what do they plan? Do they plan on spreading their ideals?

Chapter One

On New Yourk, Eric Pondora sat watching a historical disc, and it was about a battle that he participated in. Thirty-four years old, Eric was an above average-sized man with brown hair and blue eyes. He had a pale complexion, and was a bit scruffy looking. The people who knew him would not want to fight him because he could hold his own in battle and was able to defeat his foes very easily. He spoke with a deep voice. The battle recording was of a battle around an imperial planet. An imperial ship was carrying a box of great importance to the ninja and to the empire if they could keep it out of the hands of the samurai.

During the battle, the imperial ship was damaged and the outer haul was breached. The box floated out of the gaping hole, and was snatched by the low gravity pull of an asteroid passing by. According to the spies, a large imperial naval task force bigger than what has ever been seen in the galaxy before recovered the box. When the fleet reached the asteroid, the imperial navy used troop regiments to retrieve the box. It took the fleet two days to find the box in the asteroid field. The box contained things that the imperials stole in raids from the samurai many years ago. The imperials were hiding the contents from the samurai, and roomers said that they finally could get it back some were in the Valcona system.

Far away from the planet of New Yourk a Man stood looking out the window of his confederate ship when a voice came over his comlink.

Admiral Wogword to the bridge, please.

The admiral walked from his private office next door to the bridge. Samson Wogword had short black hair, and was strong and taller than most men. He was a military man trained in many types of combat. It was said his best friend next to his wife was a blaster. He spoke softly with a deep voice. Samson walked through the door and looked at the commander in charge of bridge operations and fighter squadrons and then asked him what he wanted.

The bridge officer replied, A message is coming in from New Yourk on scramble code seven.

Put it on my view screen, Samson said.

The message was from Eric Pondora and the rest of the samurai leadership. What can I do for you today? Samson asked Eric.

Go to Valcona and wait for further instruction, Eric said.

Why do I have to do it now? Samson asked.

Because something of great value to the samurai order is on the surface of the planet in a cave just north of the equator our spies tell us, Lisa Wogword said.

Samson gave the order to the commander to set a course for Valcona and to make it quick. The fleet slipped into warp and then vanished into the cold vacuum of space.

At that very moment not too far from Valcona on Jordania Two, the imperials have been expanding their number of bases in the system for a boost in resources. Jordania Two is mostly plains with very few hills and one giant ocean at the equator that circled the planet. Everything from mining facilities to manufacturing plants where setup on the planet’s surface, and the shipyards were constructed in orbit around the planet. On the main command ship, a tall male figure stood looking out the port window of the bridge in a dark shadowy area, admiring his fleet.

Admiral, a voice said as he looked out the transparent titanium window.

I thought I told you to leave me alone while I looked over the fleet? the figure said.

I am so sorry, the imperial trooper said.

The apology was not sufficient for the figure, and he grew with anger slamming his fist against the dark wall next to him. The man had the trooper killed in a fit of rage. The figure was dressed in traditional ninja attire without his hood, but his face was not visible in the darkness of the shadow. On the planet’s surface, a ninja was sharpening his skills with his switch-saber slicing through practice dummies and sparing with a practice droid. The droid was fast but not fast enough as it lost its head in the match.

On the Crystal planet, a planet full of mountains and rivers, a crystal was uncovered for another switch-saber. George Simmons sat down to put the finishing touches on his brand-new switch-saber. Thirty-nine years old, George was an average man with blond hair and blue eyes. He disliked fighting but fought when he had no choice in the matter. His broad shoulders made fighting harder for him because he was a bigger target from the front and back. His voice was not deep as others, but he still spoke with authority. Switch-sabers are weapons that unfold into a sword then refold back into the handle. They have a central core for support that moves as the blade extends and retracts. They also have a coating on them that is transparent. It serves as a protective shield and a strengthening barrier. This was an ordinary one—the switch-saber could block laser blasts. The bronze transparent coating makes the feat possible.

There we are. It is a brilliant design, George said.

Yes, the crystal cutter replied.

George was cleaning up his area of work and told the crystal cutter. My shuttle has to be repaired. It was hit by a few fighters, and they damaged the warp relays because I did not have my shields up.

Okay, sir, we will get on it right away.

George sent a message to New Yourk hoping that one of the senior samurai would answer. Eric answered him and asked what his delay was. George told him that his shuttle was damaged by some ninja fighters and needed some repairs.

Where are you headed when you are done here? the crystal cutter asked.

I am not certain right now, but I will probably be going back to New Yourk when I am finished here and my shuttle has been repaired to be able to make the journey, George said.

The planet of New Yourk is covered by a sprawling city that is level with the ground. The only thing that runs underground is the vast sewer system. The planet houses the main government buildings, and is home to the samurai order. The air is very clean for a city due to the air scrubbers that maintain the air pollution. In the samurai facility, the leadership had finished their meeting. The samurai facility was shaped like an octagon and was ten stories high.

When is the fleet coming to get us? Lisa Wogword asked.

We are going by shuttles and leaving the fleet behind, Eric said.

Eric sat down and pondered the thought of what would await them on Valcona.

Lisa asked, Why are we using shuttles instead of riding on a starship?

Eric responded, We might run across something that is important to the samurai and want to return with it right away.

Lisa tapped her finger against her chairs arm. What if it is too big for our shuttles to carry?

Thirty years old, Lisa was a shorter woman in size four feet eleven inches. She could take care of herself in battle. Her hair was long but well kept and was brown in color. Her face was always covered with a scarf from the base of her nose down past her chin. She had a higher voice with a squeak in it every so often.

I have asked Samson Wogword to move his fleet into the system, Eric replied.

A tall slim samurai apprentice walked into the room and stopped in front of Eric. The samurai apprentice said, Master the fleet is in orbit.

Eric looked at Lisa and said, Instruct the fleet to send down shuttles with full crews.

Eric exited the room and went to the landing platform to board one of the shuttles. He felt disturbed as he boarded the shuttle, only pausing for a second, but he kept going. Every one boarded the four shuttles that were on the landing pad. This is Eric Pondora. To all the shuttles, prepare for the spatial grid jump, he said.

The shuttles made the jump into warp, leaving behind a trail of blue plasma gas. The gas was normal for the shuttles as they vented plasma before the warp hole was closed.

Samson Wogword stood over a volcanic field and said, What is so important on this planet? It is mostly all volcanic and way hot in most places. All I see is lava flows and hot gases. There cannot be anything of importance here.

A federation regiment was detached to scan for anything out of the ordinary in the immediate area around the landing craft. The task force moved out scanning equipment and excavation equipment to start their search. They moved in close and set up a grid network for scanning deep and wide. The equipment was large but could search far down into the ground.

The regiment captain came over to Samson and said, We have scanned and found nothing unusual in this area, sir.

Samson Looked up and said, We are returning to the fleet for further scanning. I am sick of this heat, and contact me if you find anything down here.

The samurai shuttles came out of their jump and docked with the fleet for what was to be a short time. On the bridge of a samurai assault vessel, word came that the samurai task force was docking in the ships docking bay. The samurai stepped out of the shuttle and walked over to the lift and boarded it. The lift took a few minutes to travel, after they stopped on the lift the samurai task force appeared on the bridge.

Eric asked, Have you found anything on the surface of the planet yet?

The bridge commander said, No, we are still sweeping the surface for anything odd shaped or energy abnormalities.

Maybe we won’t find it in a sensor sweep, Eric said as he looked at a sweep of the surface on board the fleet. Eric looked at a previous sensor sweep. Right over there.

How can you be so certain? the bridge commander asked.

Eric turned his seat to the left and stood up replying. The samurai are not to be questioned.

The crews in the hangar where getting shuttles ready for takeoff as the samurai leadership was headed back down to the hangar on the lift to board the shuttles. The samurai leadership stepped off the lift and boarded their shuttle. Back on the fleets command ship, Samson Wogword had learned that the samurai were starting the preparations for landing on the planet. The samurai boarded the shuttle and the doors of the shuttle closed behind them and then it left the hangar. The shuttle traveled from the fleet to the surface of the planet. The shuttle’s door opened and Lisa looked out the shuttles door at the area where Eric said to look. The samurai stepped out of the shuttle and walked to the area they had marked out for inspection.

Over here, said an anxious voice said.

What is it? Eric asked with anticipation.

It’s some kind of old samurai weapon, Corde said.

Twenty-five years old, Corde was a woman of short stature only about five feet tall, but she fought with a mean streak. She had long black hair and green eyes. She had not been a samurai warrior for long but moved up the ranks fast. Because of her low center of gravity and size, she had never lost a battle. Her voice was a little deeper for a woman but not too deep.

Eric and the rest of the samurai task force started to count the weapons and armor that they had found. Eric instructed the standard regiments and the heavy defense regiments to start loading the samurai weapons into the shuttles. The troop regiments went to work, immediately loading the weapons on the shuttles using carts. The samurai task force returned to the fleet and told Samson to go and wait at Raindorn Four for further instructions. Then the samurai leadership departed from the docking bay.

In a defense station in the New Yourk system, a heavy defense regiment was checking the planetary shield generators and planetary weapon battery control room when a figure clothed in a ninja outfit came in and attacked the troopers, picking them off one by one with her sword. She walked over to the planetary defense controls and placed a small charge on them, which she had pulled from her pack. A large explosion rocked the base, destroying all the controls in the room. Red alert rang throughout the halls of the defense station.

Someone get some samurai to help! the Garrison command officer said, running down a hallway.

In the samurai base, a single samurai sat reading some schematics and was waiting for a friend. A samurai warrior walked into the room.

Congratulations on the promotion to a field warrior, the less ranking gate guard said.

The average-looking male figure said thank you and sat down next to the other samurai.

So how are you doing, Acropolis? the other samurai asked.

I am doing fine, just glad to have a break, Acropolis said. Seventeen years old, Acropolis was a tall, thin-looking man. But he was in reality very strong man for his size. He had a slightly higher voice and was always determined not to quit. He would keep fighting even if his body felt like it had no energy to keep going.

It won’t be long before I am granted warrior status too. I heard that it could be as early as tomorrow, the other samurai replied. The two samurai stood up from their seats and walked out the door. They turned left and started down the long hallway past a few windows. They stopped to sit down and looked out at the view of the city.

The two samurai were talking when a loud voice said, All available samurai to the planetary defense station on the double.

The two samurai nodded to each other stood up from their seats and rushed to the defense station. The ninja was deflecting every shot the troopers fired at her with her switch-saber.

We came as fast as we could, Acropolis said to the regiment commander.

See that ninja over there? the regiment commander said to the two.

We will take care of this problem for you, Acropolis said.

The two samurai charged at the ninja just as the ninja turned around and ran out of the room.

We better start moving the samurai stuff out of the old samurai training center, the regiment commander said.

Let’s get started because it will take a bit of time, Acropolis said to the troops.

The majority of the troops on the planet and the small handful of samurai started to load the equipment and weapons on to hover trucks that were making their way to the shuttles parked in hangars just off to the side of the samurai training facility.

A meeting in the senate hub of the system discussion of the attack was going on. It started shortly after the defensive grid was destroyed. Inside the senate hub, the group of dignitaries had already been informed that the defense station was sabotaged by a ninja, and the senate asked if all the transports had been fueled and packed to take everyone off the planet. The only samurai on the planet who was higher than samurai gate guard was Acropolis. His rank was samurai warrior. Acropolis entered the senate chamber as the senate was deciding on what to do.

We must move everyone to safety, one of the senators said as Acropolis walked in.

Acropolis stood at the entryway as voice said hello to him. He moved in and stepped onto the platform set aside for the samurai. The samurai platform was about twelve feet by twelve feet in size and was two feet thick to keep it from bending or folding. The lift was raised and lowered by a giant piston that swiveled. Acropolis stood on the platform, while two guards operated the controls for him. When Acropolis ascended high enough, he began to speak.

Sector senate, I have begun the evacuation of the planet, Acropolis said.

A senator from across the room tried to speak, but he was silenced by the samurai’s call for everyone to exit the building.

Is the senate building on the Crystal planet ready for this senate? the sector president asked.

Yes, it is, Acropolis said.

We need to escape now before we are captured, a guard said.

The senate made their way out of the building and to the shuttles designated for them. They filled the transports one by one, and they made their way to the spacecraft. Acropolis looked at the city one last time and ran onto the samurai shuttle. The samurai’s main ships and the escort fleet were ready to go in orbit. The two fleets were not big by themselves but combined they could withstand a moderately sized imperial fleet.

All ships reporting in and all shuttles have been accounted for, the fleet admiral said to the samurai fleet commander.

The samurai fleet was checking to make certain that everything was aboard form the samurai facility on the planets surface. Weapons and armor were counted; no detail was overlooked. Acropolis gave the okay to the commander, and he gave the order to the two fleets to start the spatial grid jump.

Back on New Yourk, demolition crews destroyed the samurai temple, the senate building, and any other useful thing. Explosions shook the ground as the buildings fell to the ground one after the other. Heavy machinery was moved in to clean up the rubble and take it to be recycled. The recycled materials would be used for new structures.

The darkly clothed female figure looked at everything going on around her and started to document it with a holo-recorder and sent a message back to a fleet around the Jordania system. The figure then started to head back to a landing platform and disappeared out of sight.

Back on Valcona, the samurai had learned that the planet of New Yourk was evacuated except for the planetary restoration crews.

Only a single ninja was sent to the planet? Eric asked.

I wonder why the imperials would send only a ninja, Lisa said to herself.

Eric sat back in his chair. Who was the senior samurai in charge?

Lisa moved to her chair and sat down. Acropolis, a young newly promoted samurai warrior.

The admiral in charge looked at the samurai and said, It’s time to go back to the fleet.

Eric told the fleet general to call back his troops because the armor and weapons were loaded and everything had been recovered from the cave. Eric gave the signal, and the fleet went into a spatial grid jump.

Samson Wogword arrived on Raindorn Four and reported to the defense station. Raindorn is covered with swamps, rain forests, farmlands, and ice caps at both the north and south poles of the planet.

All planetary defenses are at high alert. New Yourk has been evacuated until the defense station and planetary defenses have been rebuilt and finished, a general told him.

Samson looked at the system defenses labeled on the map read out. He was looking them over making sure he was not seeing things.

Show me all our defenses on all our systems. Is this right? asked Samson as he pointed to the New Yourk system.

The general looked at the screen and said, Yes, it seems that the new defenses are in place and about ready to go.

Samson sent a message to the garrison general in charge of the demolition and rebuilding of the planetary defenses and the new government buildings in the New Yourk system. Later that day, a message was received back from the garrison general.

We have finished the upgrading to the system defenses and they are online, the general stated in his message.

Samson thought long and hard about the new government buildings and the new samurai training facility being built. How they might look and how far along they were in there construction.

I wonder where that ninja went to, Samson said to his escort.

The samurai looked at him and said, Back to his or her detachment from where they came, of course.

Samson went back to his quarters, got ready for bed, and turned in for the night.

Back on New Yourk, a cargo ship was leaving the planet and the planetary defenses were lowered for only seconds and a small cloaked ship left undetected by anyone.

The new government building should be ready by the end of the month, the chief builder said to the general in charge of planetary defenses.

We need to put shields around the government buildings and finish furnishing them. The samurai training facility also needs shields, the general said.

We have already done that, the builder said.

The general sat looking at a screen of blue prints. Are the shield generators in hard to find spots?

The builder switched the screen and pointed at an area under a few city levels. Yes, they are.

The general looked on as the newly finished samurai training center. This training center is the main area that the samurai will use for their training and meetings. The samurai training facility looked like the old one, but bigger in size and more durable against attack.

The garrison general asked, Why did that building go up so fast?

The chief builder responded by saying, The samurai told us what they wanted, and we premade most of it before we came so that is would fit together when building it. The government building was not done that way because they did not ask for it to be done that way and because of the size of the building. I think that the government building will be done ahead of schedule. At the speed your troops are moving, General, the samurai building will be finished by the end of the week.

The general looked up for a brief moment from his work. Why thank you for the compliment, my troops are very skilled in building.

Back on Jordania Two, a new prototype planetary battery that shoots energy disrupters was half built. The cannons are large and controlled by an internal control room. The firing muzzles were designed too swivel along the ball shaped base giving them complete freedom to shoot in any direction into space.

It is mobile and can fire in four different directions at once, the creator said.

Good. Are the shields working around the facility, and is the generator for the facility’s shields located inside the building? an officer asked.

Yes to both questions, sir. The new tech and research center for the emperor to train the new ninja is also completed, the sergeant responded.

Are the shields and automated weapons online for the tech center? the captain asked.

Yes to that question too, the sergeant replied.

All the imperial fleets from all over the known galaxy were now around the planet of Jordania Two. The planet is a world full of mountains, deep lakes in the mountain ranges, valleys with rain forests and rivers. Oddly enough, the sky is green most times for no apparent reason during the day and orange at night. A large doughnut shaped station also orbits around the planet, but it was not finished. The skeleton had been completed, and the skin was being placed.

When the new space station is finished, the confederacy will not be able to destroy it from the outside, only an attack from the inside on the central core will succeed, the emperor said to a small force of ninjas.

The same female figure that destroyed the defense station on New Yourk was now standing in the crowd, still hiding her face under her hood. The first words that she spoke were, Master, the advanced manufacturing facilities are finished, and the trooper facilities are done too.

The trooper came in the room and stated that the fleet was growing in size, and so were the amount of troops due to the cloning of them. The number of fighter squadrons was growing the fastest due to their simplicity. The ninjas kept on constantly checking the fleet of ninja fighters to see how many there were.

The senior samurai held an emergency meeting to discuss the invasion of Jordania Two and the sabotage of the defense systems on New Yourk.

Eric started the meeting by saying, We need to find out what went wrong with the system defenses. We have to find out how that ninja made it through without being detected.

Just then, the last member to arrive was Lisa Wogword. She sat down as the other samurai were still talking about what Eric said. Was there any samurai on the surface of the planet when the imperials sabotaged the defenses? Lisa asked.

There was a few samurai on the planet when the planetary defenses were attacked, Eric said.

What was going on the surface of the planet? Corde asked.

The galactic government was debating whether or not to move the capital of the federation, Eric stated.

Why would they do that without consulting us first? Lisa asked.

Because they are not moving the capital of the confederacy anymore. They have decided that it will stay here, Eric said.

That’s why they are building a new bigger government center on New Yourk, Lisa said.

Once we drop out of warp, we will have to call the Crystal planet and tell them to send back the governing body. As for the attack on Jordania Two, it has to be canceled for now, Eric said.

Being in a spatial grid jump really freaks me out, a garrison commander said.

Acropolis looked at the time and said, You won’t have to worry much longer, because we should be coming out of the jump anytime.

At that very moment on the Crystal planet, the new samurai training bases had been completed for final training and saber construction.

George Simmons to the main training room in the samurai center as soon as possible, a voice said over the comlink.

George entered the room, just coming back from checking on his spacecraft.

What is all the extra room for? George asked.

The extra room is for larger class sizes, the training officer told him.

Acropolis was looking out of his window when the fleet dropped out of the jump.

Acropolis Candrush, report to the bridge immediately, a voice said abruptly.

Well, we must be near our destination, Acropolis said in a different tone than usual.

Crystal planet defense stations to the New Yourk and samurai fleets, please transmit the codes for defensive system deactivation, a voice said.

The fleet moved into orbit, and some senators where getting out of control. We want to go to our quarters on the planet’s surface, a group of senators said.

Acropolis looked over to the garrison on the ship. The garrison commander told the guards to load