Star Rising: Peacekeeper Series, #4

By Paul Haedo

The Terran Republic is in a state of brutal war. The discovery of the Zalu nanite superweapon, a weapon that is able to clandestinely acclimate entire civilizations into subjugation and slavery, has sent shockwaves of panic across the galaxy. In an act of desperation, Terran Command has ordered the crew of the Calyster to contact a sect of Eranians who have long since been expelled from Eranian Union space.

 

This Eranian sect is brutal, with beliefs that the Eranians have eradicated centuries ago. But in war, sometimes the wolf that everyone fears very quickly becomes your best friend. Can the Calyster find a potential friend in this ferocious Eranian wolf as the Zalu continue their relentless march towards Earth? Or does this wolf pose more of a danger to the republic than even the Zalu?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Solan Publishing
• Release date: Dec 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223504047

Paul Haedo

Paul Haedo is an author, poet, philosopher, and all-around free spirit, who enjoys the twin joys of writing and reading in his spare time. Paul believes that there is no limit to the number of genres and topics that one can read and write about. An all-around reader and author is something to aspire to according to him, not shy away from.  Such a sentiment is reflected all throughout Paul's total body of work. It is reflected in the many topics that he writes about, in the different arguments that he proposes, and in the worlds that he creates. No matter the topic, or the book, Paul tackles it just the same, with an intense passion for wisdom, and a great desire to see others share in the wisdom and joy of reading and writing.  

Book preview

Chapter One

I have to say captain , the data that you have obtained and recovered from your previous mission is quite impressive. Admitted the admiral.

Thank you sir. It was quite the work getting it. Replied the captain.

The AI clearly does not disappoint in recording every little detail either. We have information here that we could use for years! Said another admiral.

No, it does not. It can be quite annoying but having the AI on board has proven very useful. Just the effect on crew morale alone is worth it in my eyes, and that is not including all the little extra benefits. Added the captain.

That reminds me, the AI has mentioned in the report that ship discipline regarding protocol and tradition is abysmal. Care to explain what it could mean by that? Asked an admiral.

Well, it seems that we can add full honesty as another one of its positive attributes. Quipped the captain, which caused the admirals to crack a brief smile as he continued with his response.

Indeed, it’ll make post-mission debriefings more accurate from the looks of it. Replied the admiral with a slight frown.

Anyways, aye I can explain that sir, might as well do it now. I as well as the crew, are redundant when you compare our ability to that of the AI. In terms of both engaging and avoiding the enemy, the AI and its capabilities is far superior to anything that the crew can hope to muster. Because of this the crew serves as backup systems in the infinitesimally small chance that the AI for whatever reason is incapacitated, and as boarding defense, which is where I submit a recommendation for permission to adapt my ship’s unique protocols. Asked the captain.

So far, I remained silent all throughout this debriefing. The captain requesting a change in the Calyster’s unique protocols was a particularly odd request, especially as most ships do not even have any unique protocols. Yet the Calyster was no doubt a part of the legendary vessels in the fleet, of which only a few vessels across Terran history have ever managed to earn the honor to stand among the greats. As captain of a legendary vessel, Captain Masker himself probably had the same authority of respect as any regular admiral.

Which of your ship’s unique protocols do you want changed? Asked another admiral.

It’s a broader change than what you are no doubt expecting sir. I wish for the Calyster to be suspended from the general protocol and rulebook obligations, due to exceptional circumstance. Said the captain.

Suspended? As in everything? Replied the admiral instantly.

Indeed. Protocols at this point are going to get in the way of my job, which is to command a ship that is frankly more of an experiment than a military vessel at this point. Admitted the captain.

The admirals all contemplated the words of the captain, and the debriefing was briefly paused as we all took a collective look at the greatly simplified post-mission debriefing report that the AI had given Alpha Station as soon as we arrived back. It was obvious that the Calyster was no longer a ship that would benefit from the centuries of wisdom that the peacekeeper protocols give every Terran vessel. How could it, if we ourselves do not even know if we are still a Terran vessel with all the changes that have occurred since that fateful mission to Takalu!

Granted. Said one of the admirals, who has clearly made up his mind. The other admirals looked at him and nodded their heads in approval.

Thank you sir. Replied the captain.

But I have a few questions for both you and your first officer before we continue with this debriefing. Firstly, what makes your ship more of an experiment than a military vessel? Asked the admiral.

The main thing is all the drastically chaotic changes, that have all occurred to the vessel in such a short period of time. You have things like the broad experimental retrofit, which by itself is chaotic to normal protocol obligations. You then have the hybrid crew, which already necessitated the removal of intimate crew relation restrictions across the fleet. Then you have the missions that we have been on, both of which have proven to be vitally important for the geopolitical interests of our republic. Combine all of that and more, and you have the recipe for a disaster if we try to then uphold peacekeeper protocols. Replied the captain.

I see, and your thoughts first officer? Asked the admiral.

What my captain said sir. I would add however that I concur with my captain, but not entirely with his reasons. His goal is to have an efficient vessel, that runs as close to 100% or even beyond in terms of broad efficiency. However, we should not forget that the Calyster is the future. Every single Terran military vessel, from frigate to dreadnaught, is going to be a mimic of our vessel in a decade or two, once this technology disseminates across the fleet. A vessel that can retrofit by itself, with a crew that serve more as passengers and representatives of the Terran Republic and its ideals instead of a regular military crew with essential duties that must be performed. I added.

I see, thank you first officer. Replied the admiral.

With all that was said, then perhaps the answer is not a suspension of peacekeeper protocols from applying to your ship, but rather a trimming down of the crew? If you yourself say that your crew is redundant compared to the abilities and performance of the AI, then why are we sending out so many hands out to space onboard your vessel? Especially now with the recent upgrade of crew numbers aboard the Calyster due to your reclassification as a heavy cruiser? Asked another admiral.

Frankly sir, I have thought about that very thing. It is logical, and frankly the entire ship could be operated at peak efficiency with a skeleton crew of a dozen or so sailors. I’d even wager that the AI could run the entire thing by itself so long as the appropriate mission is given! But there are benefits towards having a crew, especially a large one. Replied the captain.

What are these advantages? Asked the admiral.

The main advantage is what the AI always says we have that it could never hope to match, our illogical minds. While the AI is a sentient computer, which can understand itself enough to independently come up with sentient thought, there is no way that I would compare it to a human. Firstly, it thinks too much, and it is too logical to ever appreciate the inherently chaotic nature of the universe. Secondly, it has a big problem with diplomacy. Imagine first contact with a very promising human civilization, a civilization that we want in our republic, especially with the current war against the Zalu Empire! Replied the captain.

I concur with my captain. While a skeleton crew or even fully AI run vessel is a powerful tool, a tool that frankly should be applied across all human crewed frigate vessels as they would be the obvious choice for a fully AI combat platform, they would be disastrous for diplomatic missions. Not only do we have the diplomatic missions as an obvious example of this setup being a problem, but what about a search and rescue mission? Or an escort mission, like the one that we did on Takalu? Or a search and recover/destroy mission, like the one that we were just on? All of this cannot be done with a fully AI vessel, or one that just has a skeleton crew. I added.

I concur with the two gentlemen. Said one of the admirals.

Alright, the points are strong and your request stands. Captain Masker, you have full permission to suspend and modify the peacekeeper protocols as you see fit, on the condition that each modification be recorded and analyzed for purposes of ship sociological research. Ordered the admiral who initially had doubts about the peacekeeper protocol suspension.

Thank you sir. Replied the captain.

Now we continue with the debriefing, especially with regards to this damn nanite missile toy that the Zalu have created, which is going to complicate matters greatly for us. Said another admiral.

Who are you? Barked one of the Calyster’s marines, who was on guard duty next to the walkway that led to one of the airlocks.

I’m Najenko. He replied immediately and simply.

Well, you clearly have the right to be here since you passed all of the security checkpoints. Still, I haven’t seen your face before, were you just assigned? Asked the marine.

Yes. Replied Najenko.

Alright, well if you see me in the mess hall, feel free to take a seat next to me if you want a good chat alongside the best food that you ever ate, everyone knows we can use more gunnery engineers aboard. Offered the marine.

I’ll do that. See you around marine. Replied Najenko, and the marine smiled as Najenko stepped onto the walkway and made his way to the Calyster.

Passing the airlock, which looked nice and advanced, Najenko was astonished when he walked onboard. He was in one of the cargo bays, which was temporary repurposed as a processing center for all the new arrivals. There were hundreds of people, which made Najenko smile. After all, with the fame that the Calyster has obtained, at least five of these new arrivals were Terran Military Intelligence operatives, Najenko included of course.

Queuing up for processing, Najenko decided to look around. The cargo bay was somewhat empty, a few containers could be seen alongside the walls, but everything else was devoid of anything other than the many cubic yards of quite high-quality air, at least compared to what Najenko was used to on Alpha Station. A few of the other crewmembers who were also queued were doing the same thing as Najenko, marveling at the sight that was before them.  

What caught the eye of Najenko however, was a gathering of Eranian women who were standing at one of the intra-ship airlocks that separated the cargo hold from the rest of the ship. They were leaning against the wall, intently observing the new arrivals with a grin of satisfaction.

Najenko had never seen an Eranian up close. He hailed from a frontier world that was on the other side of the republic, and his world was never graced by the Eranian presence before the republic wide ban on Eranian proselytization was enacted. He could tell, even from this distance, that the rumors and legend were not exaggerating when it came to describing Eranian beauty. He couldn’t wait to meet an Eranian up close.

Najenko felt as if he was back in school. The initial registration and student processing, the peeking all over in order to see the new girls that Najenko was likely to see throughout the year, and the hoping that the classes that Najenko ends up being assigned to have some of the beautiful girls. All of this and more gives Najenko strong nostalgic feelings for school, and he was getting them all again as he waited for the queue to finally reach him.

Next! Said one of the personnel officers.

Najenko was glancing at one of the Eranians, trying somehow to get a better view of her from where he was at. He did not hear the officer, nor did he hear him when he yelled Next! at an even louder volume. He however felt the push from the person who was right behind him, and he felt the unease that was born when he saw the furious face of the personnel officer in front of him.

You’ve got to be kidding me! How did you get assigned to this vessel you damn idiot! He yelled, as Najenko quickly made his way to the desk.

I don’t know sir. Replied Najenko in his first ever lie as a Terran Intelligence operative, before handing his vessel enlistment orders to the personnel officer.

The personnel officer wasted no time in devouring Najenko’s enlistment orders, hunting for anything that he can use as an insult. 

Ah, gunnery engineer. Rare as hell to find a competent one, clearly our luck ran out when it comes to you. Report to engineering where you’ll receive your final job assignment, now get out of my sight! Scoffed the personnel officer, and Najenko quickly saluted and promptly left as the officer registered his arrival into the system.

Najenko walked as calmly as he could, as he approached the intra-ship airlock where the Eranians were gathered. Some were men, but the majority were women, and they were all staring at him. Najenko was doing the exact same thing, as he passed through the intra-ship airlock, and into the corridors of the Calyster.

Welcome aboard Terran. Teased one of the Eranians.

Thanks Eranian. Replied Najenko simply as he walked past.

Once inside, Najenko was amazed at the beauty and advanced nature of the Calyster. He truly felt as if he was transported a decade or two into the future. As he walked and hunted for someone who looked like an engineer or technician, he thought about an alternative future, where there was no war, and the Terran Republic was the sole human civilization in the galaxy.

He imagined this ship as a rebel pacifier, or pirate hunter, tasked with guarding the frontier sectors of the massive republic from those who wished to see the status quo changed. It was a pleasant thought, but it was not reality, and Najenko quickly brushed it aside after enjoying it for a moment.

Each time he passed an Eranian woman, Najenko felt his heart skip. He truly felt the same way as when he was still a student, and he knew that this ridiculous behavior was going to have to be kept under control, and quickly. If he looks like too much of a rookie, then the rumors of him being an operative of Terran Military Intelligence will start to fly. And that would not be good at all.

Forcing himself into discipline and forgetting all about the awkward scene that he did back in the cargo bay, Najenko finally found an elevator. He took it to the engineering deck, and once there he stepped off and started to walk around, looking for something or someone that would let him know what his final job assignment will be.

You there! Yelled out a man, his voice boomed across the air.

Najenko turned around and saw a uniformed officer with several decorations that betrayed the fact that he had been here awhile.

Yes? Replied Najenko.

You are new I can see, looking for your assignment? Asked the man.

Yes sir I am. Replied Najenko.

Name? Asked the man, who pulled out a computer.

Najenko Buntalick. Replied Najenko, his last name a parting gift from Terran Military Intelligence.

Buntalick, interesting. Anyways gunnery engineer, I’m glad to see you. You have no idea how lacking we are in gunnery engineers, especially with all the new systems that we now have to learn and operate. Said the man.

Mind if I get started? Asked Najenko.

Not at all, good news is you report directly to me, so I’ll throw you on a section and see how you fair after a while. We do things very differently from where you were last stationed, so don’t worry about making mistakes. Replied the man.

Wouldn’t the head engineer throw a fit if I mess up one of his systems? I would much rather apprentice under a regular engineer at least for a few days as I get up to speed with your ship systems and their unique personality. Asked Najenko.

Well for one you are talking to the head engineer, so do not worry about angering him. And two, the problem is not that you will mess up one of my systems, the problem is that you will get too bored before we even depart the ship. Like I said, we do things very differently from where you were last stationed. Replied the head engineer.

I apologize for doubting you sir. Where do you want me to start? Asked Najenko.

It’s all good. Well since you are a gunnery engineer, let’s have you look at the power core capacitors. The head engineer turned around and pointed. You see that beautiful blonde lass over there? Manning the console that I’m pointing to?

Najenko looked at the direction and saw what the head engineer was referring to. A set of consoles along the wall, with a beautiful blonde that clearly was Eranian manning one of them.

I see it sir. Replied Najenko.

Good, you will be apprenticed under her for the rest of the day until I find a better use for you.