The Starslayer Saga II: The Abyss of Madness

By Xander Oswald

"The hunters have become the hunted."

Tensions on board the Stargazer push the crew to the brink as the largest bounty in history is placed on their heads

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven James
• Release date: Oct 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088226698

Book preview

Prologue

January 9th, 2538 A.E. (Astro Era)

Jurisdiction: Interstellar Federation

Planet Olympus

General Maccabee Armstrong imagined the coldness of the steel cuffs around his wrists and a blindfold over his eyes—more so to lessen the emotional trauma of his executioners. He imagined the uniformed sound of the rifles as the soldiers cocked a bullet into the chamber. Each sound represented a step closer to death. He could hear the prison warden bellowing out the commands.

Ready. Aim... Fire!

The General opened his eyes as he felt the elevator’s momentum shift. The doors opened accompanied by the familiar ring. The more he attempted to suppress the thoughts of his possible demise, the more frequently they seemed to materialize. Regardless, he maintained his composure and strolled out of the elevator—his stride as confident as ever and his presence radiating gravitas. Soldiers and suits stepped to the side as he traversed the Presidential Hallway of the military headquarters, Alpha One, the beating heart of the Interstellar Federation Armed Forces (I.F.A.F.). It was from this location, the highest-ranking officials of the I.F.A.F., the brains of the military, ran everything from their comfortable chairs and air-conditioned offices. Some of them have never seen a day of combat in their lives—making combat decisions based upon tactical A.I. and chance. General Armstrong paused in front of the last door at the end of the hall that had a nameplate engraved that read—Presidential Conference Room.

This was it, he thought to himself.

Two outcomes could potentially materialize from this meeting: One, he continued to serve as General of the I.F.A.F., or two, he is taken to the back of Alpha One and situated in front of a firing squad—a firing squad that officially did not exist. The official report of his demise would probably be he was killed during a live-fire exercise. Accidents happen.

His chest visibly expanded as he inhaled and then he exhaled in a smooth controlled breath. He peered down examining his uniform once more. Every ribbon, insignia, and article of clothing could not be even the slightest off. He could feel himself sweating through his military dress uniform. Hopefully, it was not showing. It expended nearly all his strength to lift his right hand up to take hold of the doorknob. It felt like gravity suddenly increased, but he did so anyways.

General Armstrong manipulated the mechanism and entered the conference room furnished with a glossy, brown mahogany table and accompanied by circumambient leather black chairs with Federation military officials, scientists, and politicians sitting in each seat except two. The chair situated at the head of the table was where President Challenger would undoubtedly preside, and to his dismay, the only empty chair was right next to the one the President would be occupying.

Frag!

He was hoping he would sit a few seats down further away, but his weightlifting time clearly ruined that prospect. The general approached the only chair he could choose from, which was next to Dr. Jakkob Thaddeus III's seat. The doctor barely registered the general's existence, his attention more focused on rocking his pen back and forth between his fingers while wearing a nervous expression.

The Interstellar Federation had seen better days. A multi-billion credit operation had just gone up in smoke with the death of Caspian Laghuri and the defeat of the Frontier Liberation Force. They were back to square one, and their chances of system-wide dominance was virtually nil. General Armstrong took his seat next to the infamous doctor. He observed the small terminal an arm's length away, which allowed him to insert H.D.D.'s (holo-data disks) to upload content to be projected by the holo-array at the center of the table. Every occupant at the table had one of these devices in front of them.

Everyone seemed mute. The most anyone did was exchange an uncomfortable glance when they had tired of staring down at the table. Armstrong sat quietly with his hands folded on his lap. He refused to act like a glitch with his tail between his legs—even if his and Thaddeus' asses were on the line more than anyone else's in this Decree-forsaken place; however, hope was not lost. He did have cause for being confident that the President would not hand him over to the firing squad. The firing squad that may or may not exist depending on whom you asked. The door opened revealing President Challenger. His face was emotionless yet menacing with eyes that could bore into your soul.

Atten-shun! Armstrong yelled as he stood up and remained as still as a statue with his right fist over his heart. Everyone, without a moment of hesitation, followed suit. Some stood up so fast they knocked their chairs backward causing them to roll and bounce against the wall. While the soldiers in the rooms saluted as the General did, everyone else with their heads and eyes forward stood as straight and still as they possibly could with their arms to the side.

General Armstrong could not see the President, but he knew the President well enough to know, he was boring holes with his death stare into every person in the conference room. The general saw the figure move from his peripheral and heard a chair roll a couple of feet on the brownish-red carpeted floor. He remained as stiff as a statue. As angry as the President most likely was, even the slightest movement could be seen as insubordination. The President sat down and rolled himself to the table further into Armstrong's peripheral view. He could tell the President folded his hands on the table in a calm, controlled manner though the general knew he was seething with rage.

You all may be seated, the President informed in an icy tone.

The general did not dare look in his direction until he was firmly planted in his seat. The general locked eyes with the President's piercing blue, sleep-deprived eyes. He had slicked-back blonde hair and milky white skin—a genetic rarity in Pantheon. He wore a black dress suit, a black blazer complete with a strongly contrasting red tie. The President only wore red ties, and for suits, he only wore the colors that accentuated his red ties to, in a way, accentuate his power.

Where shall we begin? The President asked. The Starslayer, perhaps? Dr. Thaddeus and General Armstrong, that would be your expertise, correct?

Yes, Mr. President, Both Armstrong and Thaddeus said in tandem.

To deal with Cade, the General started, we wish to send in Vexx. He is nearly twice as capable with his nanite enhancements than Cade is.

Challenger shook his head. Did not Vexx fail to kill him once before?

No, Mr. President, the General began bouncing his right leg nervously, Vexx defeated him, while it was my throwing him over the side of the air cruiser that failed to finish him off. I underestimated the nanites. Forgive me, Mr. President, for we had not researched the full extent of the nanites enhancements.

Elaborate.

Doctor, the General peered at Thaddeus, this is more your expertise.

The doctor nervously cleared his throat. Yes, Mr. President, what the General is trying to say is that the nanites seem to be more aware of what is going on with their subject than we thought possible. When Cade was thrown tens of thousands of feet from the air cruiser, the nanites anticipated the impact and increased his durability by 500%. We are now aware of this phenomenon with other N.E.S. subjects we've done more experimentation on.

Are you saying they have a mind of their own?

Not exactly, Mr. President, but since they are connected to the subject's consciousness, hence how the subjects can mentally give them orders, we believe they use the subject's experience as information to help improve their subject's survivability. We've also observed automatic warming when the subject is subjected to extreme cold.

Interesting. Now, General, what were you saying?

Mr. President, Vexx is the only one in this solar system who can defeat Cade.

The President leaned forward bringing his hands up to his chin and resting his head on them. What would be the point?

Mr. President? The general asked his eyebrows crunched together.

Why kill Cade now? He has already spoiled our plan of system dominance. With the death of Caspian and Alaric, there is no point. It would have been tactically beneficial to kill him before he destroyed the F.L.F.

Yes, sir, the general acknowledged diverting his eyes down at the holo-array on the table.

So, Pantheon, the President continued with agitation in his voice, we tried taking it over in a direct conflict, however, the C.P.A. prevented that. We tried to weaken the C.P.A. by proxy, but Cade put a stop to that. What is our next option?

The room was silent. Everyone was at a loss for words.

For Decree's sake, he slammed his fists on the table. I have the brightest minds the Federation has to offer in this damn room and not one person can make a suggestion.

The General used every ounce of strength to fight through his fear to simply raise his hands. I have an idea.

The President chuckled. Just know, General, you're on thin ice as it is. If this is a stupid idea or if it fails, the firing squad for you.

The General's heart thumped even louder. It thumped so hard, he could feel the veins in his temple pulsating.

We increase production of Nova Special Operatives.

Are you an idiot? Dr. Thaddeus blurted. We barely know what we're doing now with the memory fractures, how...

The President raised his hand indicating the need for silence. Thaddeus immediately stopped speaking.

Go on.

Well, the General continued, we have this technology that can produce enhanced soldiers and we have all the subjects we will ever need, and thus far, in four years, we only had four that have been produced...

That's because the technology is still in its in—

Thaddeus! The President's eyes narrowed on the scientist.

The doctor fell silent, his eyes shifting to the mahogany table.

The President's expression softened. He looked back at the general. Continue, General.

If we increase production to at least two or three Nova Spec Ops in a year, in a few years we'll have more than enough soldiers for an effective offensive against the C.P.A. An offensive that not even Cade could hinder.

The President nodded. I see. I have been particularly impressed with the N.S.O. battle records. Having more of them would certainly ensure victory. However, two or three a year is not enough. How about seven? And I throw more money at the scientific department, Thaddeus?

Uhm, Mr. President, sir, Thaddeus began, this process is unfathomably sensitive, especially the memory wipe and memory implantation. If it is not done exactly right, memory fracture will occur, and quite frankly, two or three soldiers is out of the question, so seven soldiers in a year is inconceivable.

The President's eyes narrowed on the doctor again. If we can only produce a soldier a year, then what the frag is the point?

Mr. President, this project is still in the experimental phase. This project was not meant to be producing an army for at least a decade—maybe even two. I think we should exer—

The President raised his right hand.

The doctor quieted.

Enough. So, what you're saying is this project's fruition could be decades down the line.

Thaddeus remained silent.

How about this, President Challenger took a deep and exhaled, if doing what I've ordered is too much for this project to handle, how about I scrap the entire thing and blow that accursed generation ship out of the air! I want my soldiers.

Yes, Mr. President, you will get them, the doctor conceded.

Then it is settled. Forget about Cade for now and focus our energy elsewhere. The peace, security, and stability of Pantheon is our goal, people!

Mr. President, the outspoken Prime Minister of planet Arcadia interjected. The general loved it when she decided to be outspoken. She had balls and the general admired that.

... the Frontier seems to only want to be left alone. The mega-corporations seem content with subjugating their own people to a life of servitude and destroying their planet's ecosystem. No one seems to be concerned with fighting us for system control. We, ourselves, seem to be the only threat to the peace, security, and stability of Pantheon.

Challenger smiled. I've always enjoyed you at the table, Prime Minister Jenesis.

He thought for several seconds formulating a rebuttal in his mind. Challenger then manipulated a few buttons on the terminal in front of him. A hologram of a floating landmass with a metropolis built on top of it—skyscrapers and flying cars zipping between the buildings—materialized in the middle of the conference table. Under the floating landmass, on the surface of the planet, were gigantic landfills, and out from the underbelly of the floating landmass, more trash was dumped onto the planet's surface.

Where do you think the mega-corporations are going to go when even their floating islands can no longer shield them from their own pollution? They will go back to the Frontier. Desperation will necessitate they take the Frontier by force. Then we, the Federation, will be in trouble because the Frontier is rich in natural resources that could fuel an effective war against us. The mega-corporations will destroy the Frontier planets just like they did their own, and then our planets will be next. The fact we are not dominating the system is a threat to the peace, security, and stability of Pantheon. Look at our planets compared to both the Frontier's and the corpo's. That alone says it all. Our way of life is superior and will lead to prosperity for all. What do you say to this, Prime Minister?

She remained silent.

Alright, then, the President stood from his seat, Doctor and General, get on to making my army. And to the rest of you, the President glanced at everyone in the room, the Federation marches on.

The President turned from the table and vacated the conference room, taking all the tension he brought with him. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began to loosen their ties or slouch in their chairs. The general, too, exhaled slowly as his muscles relaxed. As everyone stood up from the chairs to leave, a murmuring began among them. The general did not move and neither did the doctor whom the general could feel was glaring at him something fierce. Once the last suit was out of the room, a heavy silence hung over both their heads.

Ahem, the doctor started. Do you have any idea what you did?

The general crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. I saved your little science experiment. If it were not for me, it would have been scrapped.

Thaddeus scoffed. Your eagerness to not get chewed out and the President's lust for power is placing all of Pantheon in jeopardy. Do you know what memory fracturing is?

Uhm, I've skimmed over the memo.

Fan-fraggin-tastic! The doctor shook his head in disbelief. It means that the subjects go insane. Remember the Asteria moon incident? No survivors. We had to destroy the damn moon to ensure the subjects did not escape. If they would have escaped, they would have wreaked havoc on the entire system. They would have been unstoppable.

Hey, I've skimmed that memo, too.

Now, you want to create several of these potential loose cannons with no way in the vac to stop them from rampaging during their memory fracture. This puts all of Pantheon in jeopardy.

General Armstrong had had enough of the conversation. He stood. Then you better find some way to make it work. If we didn't just appease the President, then we would be in a very different place right now, and I am talking about riddled with bullets. Where is the thanks for that?

There is no...

Armstrong lunged and grabbed the doctor by the collar causing the doctor to cower. I'm tired of your excuses. You have your fragging orders, now get me my men! General Armstrong let go of the doctor with a push. The doctor's chair hit the wall with a thud. The general stormed out of the conference room.

I am going to get my men and the Pantheon system will be at my mercy, and Cade, Vexx is coming for you, and this time, I will make sure he finishes the job personally.

Chapter 1

May 21st, 2538 (Astro Era)

Jurisdiction: Corporate Planetary Alliance

Planet Tartarus

Cade's body jerked violently against the seat straps as the shockwaves from the detonating missiles aided the atmospheric friction in tossing the Stargazer about. The viewport was engulfed in a bright, orange flame as the starship barreled toward the surface of the planet. Cade glanced around the bridge and could see everyone, aside from Valentina, the ship's pilot, imitating his teeth-gritting and squeezing the armrest.

Valentina, in the pilot’s chair, white-knuckled the steering column while beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She never flinches, even in the face of certain death, she was intensely focused on the viewport. Cade could see the starship they were pursuing through the flames that engulfed the bow of the ship. Cade squinted as he noticed a series of white specks proceed from the starship.

It was another salvo of missiles.

Everybody, hold on! Valentina said. She jerked the steering column to the right causing everyone to jerk to their left.

Cade could hear a series of thuds outside the ship. A hologram of the Stargazer suddenly materialized in front of Skylar's chair with the bottom front of the ship illuminated red.

Frag! The observation deck has been hit, Skylar informed. The blast doors have closed.

Hold on, we're almost through it! Valentina replied with a white-knuckled grip remaining on the wheel.

Cade peered over at Dante who was also squeezing his armrest, head pressed against his seat. When I get my hands on these bounties, I am gonna kill em!

You kill em, Skylar replied, you forfeit your pay.

Worth it, Dante quickly retorted.

The flames engulfing the viewport subsided as the atmospheric friction dissipated only for the Stargazer to be met by another barrage of missiles zipping upwards at them.

Arsenal, Star, Skylar yelled, man the weapons!

Cade kicked off the ground quickly spinning his chair until it faced the terminal off to his right. He immediately manipulated the buttons as a holographic image of what the laser’s sights were seeing materialized. Cade grabbed hold of the two handheld controls in front of him, targeted the missiles, and pushed the red buttons on both handheld controls firing the lasers. He watched the unending line of bullets from Dante's machine gun torrents crossing paths with his laser beams. A chain reaction of explosions occurred as their munitions contacted several missiles. The Stargazer jolted aggressively as it traversed through the wall of flames. Cade turned toward the viewport to see the bounty ship, the Close Encounter, flying into the storm clouds below.

How nasty is that storm, mama? Valentina asked.

Skylar manipulated a series of buttons on her armrest and a holographic scan of the storm materialized in front of her chair. There were sporadic bolts of lightning scattered throughout the clouds with several bolts haphazardly striking the ground. However, Cade was not as concerned about the lightning as he was at the sight of a dozen tornadoes that were currently wreaking havoc on the ground below. Planet Gaia's terraforming quirk is its trademark weather, which suffers from bipolar disorder. Gaia was known for sporadic, violent changes in weather patterns.

Oh, frag, Valentina said.

Cade watched through the viewport as the Stargazer was enveloped in the black cumulonimbus clouds. Furious, loud clanks could be heard as a combination of furious rain and sizable hail pelted the viewport of the ship. The Stargazer continued with its violent jolts as if protesting its treatment.

Lightning haphazardly jumped out from within the clouds threatening to strike. The storm cloud let loose a thunderous crackling as if it were a madman. Suddenly, bolts of scattering lightning flashed in front of them. The surge of electricity caused the lights in the ceiling and in the terminals to dim for a brief second before returning to full illumination.

Get us out of these fragging clouds! Dante said, now on the verge of freaking out.

A couple of seconds later, they were out of the clouds only to be greeted by the sight of tornadoes nearly filling up the viewport. The roof of a lonely house was torn to shreds as a tornado approached, and then suddenly, the dwelling was ripped off its foundation and hurled at the Stargazer. Valentine pressed the wheel downward effortlessly dodging the dozens of projectiles that were once a homestead.

Incoming! Valentina yelled.

Cade saw it as well. A dozen more missiles heading toward them traveling between the massive tornadoes. Cade accessed the lasers again as Dante took control of the torrents. They opened up their weaponry. The missiles exploded in front of them as Valentina maneuvered the ship around a tornado and through a wall of fire. The ship they were after was right in front of them navigating around the vortices.

Arsenal, Skylar ordered, use the lasers and overheat the systems!

Won't that kill our bounties? Dante asked.

Better them than us!

Dante started typing furiously on the terminal in front of him, and the holographic targeting system for the lasers transferred over to Dante's terminal. Cade watched as Dante used the terminal's holographic system to manipulate the laser targeting system and fired. Scans materialized on the holographic displaying the reflective strength of the Close Encounter’s defensive shield mirrors. The shield mirror’s reflective strength determined how much of the lasers were deflected. There was also a smaller window in the display of its infrared reading informing Dante of the overheating status of their ship. Dante fired and watched the infrared reading rise as the Close Encounter accumulated more heat from Dante’s lasers. Their mirrors, which the ship's halls were composed of, were of decent strength. According to the scans, they were deflecting at least 25% of the lasers. All Dante had to do was get the ship to 80% above operating temperature and the ship, itself, would cease to function.

Their ship was at 71%. Dante had no issue targeting the ship as it moved sporadically around the massive vortices of death. Suddenly, the starship let loose another salvo of missiles.

Dante switched his focus to the missiles that now filled his targeting display. Cade typed furiously on his terminal and accessed the machine gun torrents and helped him with the barrage until another chain reaction occurred turning the missiles into flames and debris in the sky.

Cade relinquished control of the torrents, and Dante once again focused his lasers on the ship. The scans showed the ship cooled slightly to 67%. He could see the ship trying to maneuver erratically to cause him to miss, but their ship was not agile enough. Cade noticed they moved much closer to the ground anticipating their systems were going to overheat.

79%. Just one more, you glitches, Dante said.

Suddenly, the infrared imaging showed the bounty ship's core temp dropping.

They've deployed their internal cooling systems, Cade informed.

Annoying bastards, Skylar said. Keep at it, Arsenal!

The internal cooling systems dropped their ship's