Trial By Fire: Galaxy on Fire, #3

By Clayton L McNally

SOL and Capra had survived several attacks of the splintered Galactic Kingdom. Each star nation had become a target of the Galactic Kingdom, and continued existence wasn't an option available to them. Destruction of both systems was the current goal of the deceased King's three brothers.

Captain Lee, the rightful heir to the throne, was raised in SOL, and his betrothed, Lady Michelle, was raised on Capra. An attempt had been made on her life, and she had barely escaped and found herself plunged into confusion on a starship headed off Capra to another star system, SOL. Discovering she was selected to be the bride of a future king of something called the Galactic Kingdom. Now hunted and was on the run to see if her future betrothed was still alive.

Lee was on Earth in command of a destroyer in an Earth war. He was entrenched in a battle with a portion of the world seeking death for all non-believers. He had been raised by an American family when those who brought him to Earth died from their accident landing on Earth. The Galactic Kingdom guardian team sent with the future king had lost track of Lee's location and had been out of contact with the assigned parental figures.

Three uncles from the Galactic Kingdom sent fleets to SOL to locate and kill Lee. Failing to find the rightful future king, the destruction of all lives on Earth was the only option. Three fleets staggered from actual departure time would allow a short period between subsequent attacks to be ready for the next. That could only happen if a star system with no space-faring technology could resist and destroy three significantly greater technical prowess fleets.

A miracle of good fortune allowed a Capra contingency of starships to arrive, whose numbers had been increased when Captain Lorans' force joined with hers. Three fleets had independently arrived and attacked SOL, and each had been narrowly defeated. The final with the help of Queen Suzzane from the Galactic Kingdom. She had lost her husband, King Richard, to her three brothers-in-law, and she was determined not to lose her son.

Once the battles had ended, Earth was still a survivor, and the future king was located. It was time to plan for the future and let Lady Michelle and the future king, Lee, get acquainted. Lady Michelle and future king Lee could only see an end to the war, and their lives had been altered permanently. Even amidst the turmoil, a connection had begun to form. King Lee could only expect a betrothed that stood firm, even fearless. She would be a woman to reckon with.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clayton L McNally
• Release date: Mar 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9798892980371

Clayton L McNally

Clayton McNally writes in a story-telling manner that is fast-paced and exciting. His stories grab your interest from beginning to end. 'To the Stars' will engage the imagination of Science Fiction enthusiasts. This action-packed novel includes hand-to-hand combat using Kenpo Karate and major space battles utilizing unconventional ingenuity.    Clayton is a software engineer and a 4th Dan Master Instructor of American Kenpo Karate, Reiki, and Acupressure Practitioner. Clayton has been a guest at numerous Science Fiction Conventions, including Albacon, Arisia, Balticon, Boskone, Marscon, Ubbercon, DexCon, NonCon, PortConMaine, UMassCon, and others. He provides excellent insight as a panelist. Email for appearances:     Email:       [e-mail] Email:       [e-mail] Website:    www.claytonlmcnally.com                  (Blog on website)

Book preview

Series - Books

––––––––

Galactic Star Force - Battle Fleet

To the Stars

Surviving Behind Enemy Lines

Liberty and Freedom - To Die For

Galaxy on Fire

Treacherous Fires of Civil Unrest

Earth - Into the Fire 

Trial by Fire     New      

Vampiric Wars

Blood Let

Dedications

Karen, my new wife, and I have been married for over two years. We enjoy each other's company very much. I am so happy we found each other after losing Betsy and Karen, having a bad relationship before us. We are both retired and enjoying time together.

Alicia, Derek, Dylan, and Hailey

I am blessed to have them in my life. I enjoy very much watching them all grow as people. Life always teaches us lessons, some good and others not so good. The critical thing to remember is trust in your family. Above friends is family, the most essential part of a person's life. Enjoy life as you experience and create new wonders for yourselves.

Jenna and Brian

I don’t believe I have ever seen a relationship as strong as theirs. Their lives have evolved differently than they might have wanted, strengthening their relationship. As they go forward in life, new doors will open for them. I hope they dare to look into them. Often, doors close in our lives, but almost always, a new door opens - I believe one has opened for them. I hope I am around long enough to see where it takes them.

Because of distance, I may not see them as often as I would like, but I love all of you very much. My life is filled with your presence.

Above everything is having faith in God. If there is an eternal life where families might meet again, it is through Jesus.

Fan Appreciation

Thank you to the many readers who have waited for the other books. Thank you very much for the interest that allowed a move to digital. I hope you enjoy the third book of Galaxy on Fire, and I look forward to any comments.

My wife and I were in a head-on collision in April of 2004. Getting to where a little work could be done has taken quite a while. I’m back, and many more books, including two new series, are coming.

The delay grew longer as my wife came down with Cancer at the end of 2011, and we have been in treatment since then. Finally, July of 2012 slowed my heart, and I hit a telephone pole - I went unconscious while driving. I now have a pacemaker, so that won’t happen again.

We were in 2017, and my wife had had cancer since 2012. I have always been taught that anyone could feel good and act well when things go right. The bumps in life truly define who you are. Cancer and Heart have been bumps in our lives. With God’s grace, we will get through it all.

In March 2018, I lost my wife and best friend to Cancer. I have been adjusting to life alone, and it isn't easy. Betsy was also my editor; I have leased a book editing software - not equal to her.

I thoroughly enjoy the numerous emails from those who read my other series, and I am confident you will find future stories equally exciting.

In 2019, I met Karen. Karen is my wife as of 2021.

God Bless you all!

Contacting the Author

Clayton L. McNally enjoys contact from readers of the Galactic Star Force and Galaxy On Fire series. You can contact him through his email:

Email:  [e-mail]

Email:  [e-mail]

Website:  www.claytonlmcnally.com

(Blog on website)

Send emails and images. Pictures help establish a connection to make it easier to converse with people.

Please allow time for a response.

Acknowledgment Starship Art

I enjoyed working with the ‘contract’ hired artist Rick Edmond on Justice and Integrity's Starship designs. Both starships will be featured in the Galaxy on Fire series, the second in the Earth – Into the Fire.

Rick Emond is a native Connecticut entrepreneur specializing in writing, illustration, and concept design for comics/graphic novels, TV, and film. Rick began his career as an apprentice to comic illustrator Sal Trapani. Rick got his professional start tasked with inking and illustrating various Marvel and DC title assignments during that time.

Over the years, he has created illustrations/designs for many top Role-playing and collectible card game companies, including Wizards of the Coast’s Magic The Gathering.

Rick was chosen to be part of a team of talented illustrators that developed an online comic series for LNL Partners to create motion comic art for William Shatner’s: Man O War as well as POW/ Stan Lee's published project titled: God Woke. Additionally, he has served as an illustrator and visual concept developer for VR Press on their live-action Web and Comics series Venus Rises" and created several Big Stick Comics issues.

Galaxy on Fire Starship Categories

Note: There are two different Galaxy fleets on Fire. The first fleet is used by the Galactic Kingdom - the center of the Milky Way. The second fleet is built in SOL by a Galactic Kingdom scientist sent with the Prince/King to the new League of Star Systems. ‘The League is" a combination of a monarchy and a republic.

Galaxy on Fire Starship Duties

General - Each type of starship, from the smaller star frigate to the giant star Super Dreadnaught, mounts massive energy weapons: FhracTLs (long-distance frequency, harmonic, resonating, accentuated, continuous modulating sonic beam), PulseFhracTLs (short distance, machine gun-like with a heavy concentration of modulating sonic pulses), and a Laser Point-defense system (rapid-fire system to track and destroy incoming missiles or torpedoes). In addition, each starship carries multiple ORBs launchers to launch (Anti-Matter Orbs (AMatORBs-200) - Anti-Matter blast, Planet Killer Drill (PKD-500) - A massive drill that would pierce an object to its center then detonate a five hundred megaton MAT with laser drills. The actual numbers on each are classified and increased by the vessel size. 

Dreadnaught, Battlestarships, and Battle Cruiser: Their primary mission is waging war. Super heavy hulls are designed to take a lot of weapons fire and are generally not used for diplomatic purposes unless an impression is needed to be made.

Heavy Cruiser, Cruiser, and Light Cruiser: Their primary mission is to support exploration and the Diplomatic Corps, but they also must keep waging war. Large hulls were designed to take lots of weapons fire, but not as much as the ‘Battle’ ready starships. Generally, they were not sent into known aggression areas unless as a support starship or part of a small fleet.

Galaxy on Fire Starship Duties

Destroyers and Frigates: Their primary mission is to support scouting and escort duties and the Diplomatic Corps. They would also have to support waging war. Lighter starship hulls were designed to take a limited amount of weapons fire, not as much as the Cruiser class of starships.

Carriers, Light Carriers, and Fast Attack Carriers: Their primary mission is to support battles from a safe distance with a constant guard of escort starships - star destroyers, star frigates, and star cruisers. They would also have to support waging war. The light to moderate hulls were designed to take a limited amount of weapon fire but were not intended to be in the middle of a battle. Nevertheless, due to the nature of their fighters and bombers and the damage they could inflict on the enemy, star carriers would often be the target of choice by enemy starships.

Justice

Justice is a prototype super dreadnaught. The unique nature of this ship is in the Artificial Intelligence that becomes complete when Prince/King Lee is augmented and bio-neurally linked to the vessel.

Capable of destroying a planet with its weapons arrays, it utilizes four flight modes:

Sub-Light  - Less than the speed of

light, primarily used in intra-solar system travel

FTL    - Faster-Than-Light (up to

2,725 times the speed of light)

QuantumSlipStream  - Faster-Than-Light (up to

8,400 times the speed of light)

Spatial Folding  - Manipulate Space and

Time to instantly move from one part of the Universe to another at over 44,000 times the speed of light

Justice

Justice - Side view

Copyright 2019 - Clayton L. McNally

Justice

Justice - Top view

Copyright 2019 - Clayton L. McNally

Integrity

Integrity is a prototyped, star super-heavy carrier. The unusual nature of this starship (when built) will be in the Artificial Intelligence that becomes complete when Lady Michelle is augmented and bio-neurally linked to the vessel.

It could bring hundreds of fighters, bombers, and weapons to a battle. It could equal a star battleship starship's firepower. It utilizes several flight modes:

Sub-Light  - Less than the speed of

light, primarily used in intra-solar system travel

FTL    - Faster-Than-Light (up to

2,725 times the speed of light)

QuantumSlipStream  - Faster-Than-Light (up to

8,400 times the speed of light)

Spatial Folding  - Manipulate Space and

Time to instantly move from one part of the Universe to another at over 44,000 times the speed of light

Integrity

Integrity - Side view

Copyright 2019 - Clayton L. McNally

Integrity

Integrity - Top view

Copyright 2019 - Clayton L. McNally

Justice-Integrity Shield Technology

General (six types):

Bow / Aft,  Port / Starboard,  Dorsal / Ventral

Normal Flight:

Cloak  - Invisibility of a starship, including all energy levels

Deflector  - Particle protection against small debris in space, asteroids, meteors, missiles, and slower torpedoes

Justice-Integrity Shield Technology

Combat Ready:

Phased Cloak - Allows a starship to pass through solid objects.

MetaPhasic   - Allows a starship to pass through a sun corona.

Combat:

Rotating Harmonics - Allows a starship to rotate the frequencies of its shields.

Justice-Integrity Defense Technology

Lasers, Missles, and Flax (AI-controlled batteries on the hull).

FireBolts (Twin Laser batteries)

Comets (Heat /Energy Seeker Counter Missile) quads

PARTs (Plutonium Armor Piercing Explosive Tip) quads

Hammers (Explosive Tip Armor Piercing Flax)

HellFires (Nova Heat Seeking Counter Missiles)

Justice-Integrity Defense Technology

Drones and Probes:

Probes   - Are intelligence gathering within ten light-years of a starship or as instructed.

Combat Drone  - These are weapons of both DEPs and smaller Nuclear ORBS.

Jammer Drone  - These are capable of generating disrupting communication signals within ten light-years of a starship or planet.

Justice-Integrity Offensive Energy Technology

FhracTLs-20 (long-distance frequency, harmonic, resonating,

accentuated, continuous modulating sonic beam).

PulseFhracTLs-20 (short distance, machine gun-like with a heavy

the concentration of modulating sonic pulses.

Justice-Integrity Offensive ORBs Technology

Anti-Matter ORBs (AMatORBs-1000) - Anti-Matter blast. Far more energy released than a one-thousand-megaton nuke.

Planet Killer Drills (PKDs-500) - Drill that bores to the center of an object and detonates a five-hundred-megaton Matter-Antimatter device.

Justice-Integrity Aircraft

Justice and Integrity carry three types of aircraft: Falcons, Hawkes,  and Eagles. Integrity alone had Eagles.

Falcons

Four Anti-Matter Missiles  (forty megatons)

Two PulseFhracTLs-4

Hawkes

Ten Anti-Matter Missiles  (sixty megatons)

Two PulseFhracTL-6

Eagles

Ten Anti-Matter Missiles  (eighty megatons)

Ten Anti-Matter Missiles  (one hundred twenty megatons)

Two PulseFhracTLs-8

Faster-Than-Light,

TransFTLStream and Fold Speeds

––––––––

Estimates of Faster-Than-Light speeds are provided. Velocities are based on approximated numbers.

Faster-Than-Light,

TransFTLStream and Fold Speeds

Estimates of Faster-Than-Light speeds are listed. Velocities are approximated.

Consider

A mind is undoubtedly a terrible thing to waste, and education supported by parents is the only sure way to prevent such a travesty of waste. Not all students should end up in college. Trade schools are more realistic for many young people - the future of our great country rests with trade schools and colleges.

The first step to establishing education as viable is to eliminate gangs. To do so, a solid family life must be present. A generation of parents must make significant sacrifices to demonstrate to their kids that education is the answer, not a gang. Gangs are usually destructive and dangerous, and lives will be lost to some members of gangs or their families.

Table of Contents

Starship Descriptions

Faster-Than-Light Speeds

Prologue   - No Longer Alone

Chapter 1   - Awaken to a New and Different

Universe

Chapter 2   - Treachery Knows No Boundary

Chapter 3   - Not on My Watch

Chapter 4   - Dance with the Devil and You’ll Lose

Chapter 5   - A Mask by Any Name

Chapter 6   - Bridging Troubled Waters

Chapter 7   - Foragers Closing on Crillion

Chapter 8   - Earth, In Front of a Freight Train

Chapter 9   - Payback, a Dirty Game

Chapter 10   - Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Chapter 11  - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Chapter 12  - A Storm Swell Comes

Chapter 13  - Invitation to a Party

Prologue - No Longer Alone

For over one thousand years, the Galactic Kingdom had fended off would-be aggressors and had even prospered. Internal peace had lasted for several centuries since the current family had come into power through an accident that took the lives of the then-ruling family. Generations had come and gone, living under the benevolent rule of this family for so long that the only wars remembered were those with neighbors on the Kingdom’s border. Those wars taught the Kingdom well; technological advancements were vigorously pursued. Technology was mighty in space. The change would find a home even in a peaceful culture like the Kingdom.

Base treachery among a family had reared its ugly head and set a path of destruction in motion. The Kingdom that demised overflowed with benevolent and enlightened beings but wielded a giant stick. The Kingdom might lay centuries ahead of its neighbors in size and technology. Numerous other societies had failed to carve out pieces of the fringe Kingdom star systems. Doubtless, there will always be some who would try.

The beginning of the end came not from outside the Kingdom's borders but from inside, not just inside the edges but from inside the royal family itself. King Randolph had ruled for thirty years, and ideals of fairness had thrived under his hand. Unfortunately, greed and the craving for power had entered the hearts of his three brothers and filled them with selfish personal desires. Scheming had started individually and finally taken hold of all three brothers. One kingdom that had survived for a millennium and succumbed to the despicable acts of three brothers. From the betrayal, three new kingdoms would emerge. Three smaller yet still immense empires; each would find external enemies ready to pick over the carcasses if opportunity permitted.

The long arm of treachery from three royal brothers had reached deep into the heart of the Kingdom and ripped the life from it. King Randolph had died at the hands of greed. Queen Suzanne had escaped the acts against the Kingdom, not by choice but by the quiet designs of her husband, King Randolph. Three royal brothers, testimonies to treason, had come before their brother killed him and left without the recognized crown symbols. Without the seals, none could ever be acknowledged as the true King. With three brothers, time could only tell how they would share one set of royal seals they didn’t possess. The seals had been sent through loyal servants of the true king to the future king if he survived the long arm of the greed of his uncles. That arm may or may not find the prince in a faraway star system, home of Earth, whose sun and star system was known as SOL by the native inhabitants. For most references, SOL became the identifying name for Earth’s solar system.

Earth and Caspra were two planets supporting humanoid inhabitants, nearly perfect. DNA mixing wouldn’t present problems to each person, should they ever discover each other and wish to mix. However, two worlds within the same neighborhood must find common ground for survival against an immensely more extensive and powerful adversary.

Caspra was a world of peace delivered from wars that had ended centuries earlier. Even with lasting peace, the planet had a thriving military land, sea, and air - no bad guys. Caspra boasted only three races and had long since become brothers by actions. Caspra was a lush oasis of life that had only just been identified to the universe, and it was not the same Milky Way arm of the Galactic Kingdom.

Earth was the same and yet dramatically different. Earth was home to numerous races, and they were more or less untrusting of the others. Earth was home to sentient beings counting in the billions, and most without the simple ability to live in peaceful harmony with others on their planet. Countless wars over centuries have only promoted faster technological development, which could be used as weapons. Earth possessed one of life’s greatest gifts: choice and self-choice. Freedom of choice for the species found a home in utter confusion about living in peace and graphically fostering hatred and war. On Earth, all too frequently, war was a solution used callously.

They were two very different and unique planets. One planet had little recent practice in making war; the other professionals in the art of war. Could these two contained planets find a path of coexistence that would allow them to survive the coming storm? This onslaught would rain down on both worlds until nothing but ashes were left.

Lady Michelle betrothed the King of a dying kingdom. She was fresh out of college, and she had envisioned a path for her life to help make changes on her planet. Prince Lee of Earth, these days was trying to ensure the survival of his people over the doctrines of total hatred toward other religions.

King Lee’s royal family had sent a single-star destroyer to locate and assassinate Lady Michelle. No union of Galactic Kingdom royalty could be allowed to breed new hope into a born-again Federation of Free Planets. She had no legal claim to the throne by birth but could potentially change trillions of lives by marriage. As a strong wife, she could help establish policy through her husband that would be law. She could be the facilitator of such events, but why? She had no loyalties to a Kingdom that had shipped her to nowhere.

Earth and Caspra had remained silent for billions of years, and both were young worlds compared to the planets within the Galactic Kingdom. The universe was ever-expanding out, reaching infinity, and with every few million years, new worlds and, occasionally, the universe welcomed new beings. Over centuries, the ‘older’ beings had aligned with others and forged various associations: dictatorships, kingdoms, republics, etc. One such entity was the ‘Galactic Kingdom.’

Michelle’s assassination attempt had failed, but lives had been lost on three sides. Caspra had become visible to others, and planetary leaders could only speculate about the friendliness of other beings. Caspra hadn’t been directly in the violence or space action, but they knew they weren’t alone. Caspra had awakened from their peaceful and serene existence into a universe they could travel in or defend themselves from. Caspra’s only defense would be in Caspra's skies, waters, and ground.

Earth was a planet that had laid siege to itself for centuries. One for all and all for one didn’t exist in the reality of life on Earth. Races on Earth had taken sides; over the centuries, allies had become enemies, and enemies had become allies. There had never arisen specifically valid reasons for hatred, but war flourished.

Earth had battled long, very long, and the worst scenarios had come to fruition. A collective of many races and religions formulated the horrific concept that one person, one faith, could not continue to exist. When the belief in any God is such that believers insist all others must be purged, their time has come. Creating an extinction-level event was no longer something humanity couldn’t accomplish.

Failing to talk or listen inevitably brought the Earth to genocide. It was not just the brink; the final implementation and an entire race of one religion were extinguished from life. Beginning in the nineteen nineties, people had become zealous in their attempt to spread terror, a holy terror. Now, that terror had been visited upon them and everyone on the planet. In all countries, having anything to do with a mid-east religion was dead. Such a travesty of life!

––––––––

Chapter 1 - Awaken to a New and Different Universe

No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

Just months prior, Caspra had been awakened harshly from centuries of peaceful bliss. Starships and laser weaponry had jumped from comic pages to front-page news - a reality. Caspra’s Science Ministry had been experimenting and had had some success, but there was no pressing need to implement a mass production plan. What they could produce would not equal what was documented during the brief starship battle, but they would be effective for any object in Caspra’s typical atmosphere. There was no need to divert social program funds into weapons programs with no rebels or armed insurgency.

Caspra had satellites overhead and was making inroads to land on their moon. Only the barest of space flights had been accomplished, but they would quickly have developed and mined on their moon in a few decades. Plans had been underway for the first manned probe to the moon, and it was slated for a mere three years in the future.

Premier Danklot, Science Minister Tolkold had entered the Premier’s office for a scheduled emergency session. One doesn’t plan for an emergency session. The dire needs had risen quickly but were only recently confirmed. Minister Tolkold was responsible for technology, education, and scientific discovery. We have just confirmed an item that our planet must worry about.

Ah, Tolkold, my old friend, Premier Danklot replied as he greeted his long-time friend. He knew Tolkold had frequently been a bit of an alarmist, so anything impending from him needed to be examined with due respect, but also, with a bit of resignation, it would likely turn into nothing. His friend, the minister, was invaluable to the council; he was just a little quick to seek help. What have you and your staff become so alarmed that you have requested an emergency meeting? I have had to cancel some crucial meetings for you, old friend.

Premier, we have something alarming to show you, Minister Tolkold replied as his staff moved to the data chip player.

Surely it can’t be as pressing as the events over the last months with the starship battle right in our space? Premier Danklot asked.

Worse, Premier! Tolkold held nothing back in his response. Even as he responded, his staff informed him they were ready for the evidence of grave concern to be viewed. Sir, just sit with me and watch the monitor, if you will.

Premier Danklot moved to the oversized couch and sat with his old friend. The monitor came to life with a blank image that quickly dissolved into the deep black star-lit skies near the Caspra moon. A peaceful sky-lit view with nothing extraordinary to see appeared. The stars began to shift and blur as the orbital scope slowly re-aligned to a different quadrant of space. Five such scopes were in the planning stages, and only one was in use at the current time. A test scope was launched before the starship battle, but urgency for the remaining five slowed production and launch. With all five operational, Caspra could explore the stars nearby from the safety of Caspra and monitor for any starships approaching. The single ‘Scope’ could only watch about twenty percent of the heavens, leaving a big hole for unwanted space beings to surprise Caspra.

As the scope continued its motion, small lights of blurring activity started to come into view. The blurred movement and, to the utmost degree, the scope's ability to scan were barely visible. The telescope finally stopped moving, and adjusting for distance began as it started to clear the image. A much larger object became visible. The blurred activity around the big thing was intense, making it difficult to see any smaller objects, but they were synthetic. Some buildings took less than six hundred thousand miles from Caspra, just three times the moon's distance.

The scope had made the final adjustments, and the view had become crystal clear. A massive space platform was being assembled. Little by little, the more precise the picture, the more the image reflected a purpose. Massive protrusions from the object were apparent, and after further watching, the monitor showed the actual firing of some of the enormous things. Once the view was clear, its shock grabbed the Premier; it was more severe than he had anticipated.

Premier, we have a new species creating a station near us. Minister Tolkold broke the silence.

Have you made contact yet? Premier Danklot asked. His first expectations of his friend’s alarm were shattered with grave concern. Are they the same beings?

We have attempted, but they are not responding to any signal we send, Minister Tolkold said. He had studied this for several weeks to ensure he hadn’t brought a ruse to the Premier. "These are not the same people who had the battle near our moon. We have made numerous further attempts to communicate, but nothing has been returned from the station.

That’s odd! Premier Danklot replied, shaking his head in confusion. His face had shifted from a calm and happy expression to deep concern. Any speculation on what the goal of that thing is?

Absolutely! Minister Tolkold said it with a tone of foreboding fear. Sir, we believe a full-scale invasion is just around the corner, a year at the most.

What?  Premier Danklot replied, shocked by the logical finding.

Sir, they have been testing lasers and missiles for a few days now, Minister Tolkold replied. Their purpose wasn’t a question; their timing was the real question. And next, could Caspra prepare in such a short window of time? They have been bringing in a few large ships, though they don’t appear to have anything but minimal light speed. That indicates they must live on planets fairly close by. They have almost fifty ships here and are playing war games.

Are you certain? Premier Danklot asked.

Watch the rest of the video! Minister Tolkold replied as the video resumed playing.

After nearly an hour of footage they played, they were leaving no question about a motive. The footage of smaller craft entering Caspra’s air space and probably scanning targets was collected. Battle preparations! Only one conclusion was probable, and it would spell disaster for Caspra. No other reason could even be remotely fabricated to justify the events unfolding in space.

What do we do? Premier Danklot asked. He settled back into his office chair, pressing a button on his console.

The door to the outer waiting area opened, and an administrative aide entered. Sir, what can I do for you?

I want you to call the defense Ministry immediately, Premier Danklot ordered. I want a full council of war in thirty minutes, no exceptions! I know everyone is in town. Gentlemen, take thirty minutes and reconvene here.

Premier Danklot rose, moved to the bullet-proof glass overlooking the capital, and then turned his gaze to the stars. Events had been set into motion that they couldn’t have predicted. One starship battle, and now the universe was coming down their shoulders. His thoughts went to the young woman involved in the recent events; she and her family appeared to center the assassination attempt. He didn’t even know if they had escaped, and if they had, what were they doing? He had a nagging thought of her connection to this new problem if there was any link.

Meanwhile, SOL negotiated with a delegation from the Queen’s staff for months. Examining the facts left Earth with little or no room for options. The likelihood that forces from the Galactic Kingdom would return to ensure the king was dead was high. With the clear evidence that somebody had defeated all of the Galactic Kingdom’s forces, any new power might feel compelled to eliminate a threat such as Earth, even if that threat was no longer in SOL.

If King Lee continued on his planned path to attack his uncles, Earth couldn’t remain neutral, even if they wanted to. The United Nations of Earth finally voted to become the first-star system, joining the Federation of Free Planets with the seat of power located on Mars.

Mars would be terraformed, and within decades, it would become a new oasis in