The Star Cross Read online

  The Star Cross

  (The Star Cross Series, Book 1)

  By

  Raymond L. Weil

  Website: http://raymondlweil.com/

  Copyright © October 2015 by Raymond L. Weil

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Design by Humblenations.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The Star Cross

  Chapter One

  The Earth’s eight-hundred-meter-long heavy battlecruiser Star Cross slid silently through empty space, the ship’s powerful sensors scanning everything ahead and around it. Her four light cruiser escorts were in screening positions, protecting the massive battlecruiser from attack. The six-hundred-meter-long light carrier Vindication followed closely behind, protected by six small destroyers. Each ship was on high alert, and tensions were high among the crews. Everyone glanced anxiously at one another, wondering what was awaiting them at Earth.

  In the Command Center of the Star Cross, Admiral Kurt Vickers watched the main viewscreen, which was focused on the light carrier, as four Lance fighters left the flight bay to patrol in front of the fleet. The light carrier had twenty fighters in its bay, plus ten small Scorpion bombers.

  “CSP has been launched,” Lieutenant Lena Brooks reported, as four friendly green icons appeared on her sensor screen. The twenty-eight-year-old woman let out a quiet breath.

  Vickers could tell Lena was hoping they would remain undetected by her rapid breathing. She wasn’t the only worried one in the Command Center.

  Lena focused her hazel eyes upon the admiral, awaiting further orders. She trusted him to bring them through the coming ordeal.

  “Current status?” asked Vickers in a steady voice, turning to his XO and commander of the battlecruiser, Captain Andrew Randson.

  The captain checked several data screens before answering the admiral. “Long-range sensors indicate no unusual movement from the enemy ships. I don’t think they detected our hyperjumps.” Randson let out a deep, ragged breath.

  He seemed to be feeling the tension running through the Command Center. Everyone’s nerves were on edge. The first part of the mission was a success. They had jumped into the Sol System without the enemy becoming aware of the small battle fleet.

  Admiral Vickers nodded, as his gaze returned to the main tactical screen, now displaying information from the long-distance scans. He felt a tremendous weight of responsibility upon his shoulders, knowing his next few decisions could well determine the future of the human race. His fleet was the last fleet Earth still possessed; all the others had been destroyed by a vicious and unknown enemy.

  The Command Center crew waited his further orders in silence. Everyone wanted to know what had happened here in their home star system, and if their friends and families were still alive. Kurt knew they had good reasons to be concerned.

  -

  Two weeks back a mysterious and hostile alien fleet had appeared out of hyperspace and annihilated the two human fleets permanently stationed around Earth for protection. The majority of the ships had been destroyed before their shields could be raised or a single weapon fired. Only a few had managed to fight back and then only briefly. This wasn’t surprising, as no aliens had been detected by any of Earth’s long-range exploration ships, and no one had been expecting an attack. So the ships had been at a low level of alert. Many of the crewmembers had even been on leave down on Earth.

  The Star Cross and her fleet had been in the Newton System, practicing maneuvers and testing the new particle beam weapons the battlecruiser and the light cruisers had been equipped with. The Newton System held a thriving human colony of nearly eight million inhabitants, plus a large orbital station designed for deep-space exploration and minor ship repair. The colony had a number of large scientific outposts, since ships sent on exploratory missions were required to report to Newton before being allowed to return to Earth. Newton was also the only true Earth-type planet to be discovered so far in the humans’ explorations. Humans could survive on other planets, but none could compare to Earth or Newton.

  A heavily damaged light cruiser had limped into the Newton System and reported the shocking news of the attack on Earth. The ship’s commander, Captain Owens, had barely escaped and had lost over half of his crew in the brief battle above the planet. The report of the attack had shaken the Newton colony, and, after conferring with the colony’s governor, it had been decided that Admiral Vickers would return to the Solar System. His mission was to determine the current condition of Earth and the number of alien ships still present.

  -

  “What now?” Captain Randson asked, as he stepped closer to the admiral. Upon the tactical screen, a large number of red threat icons were visible. “Twenty alien ships are in orbit above Earth. Four of them are approximately the same size as the Star Cross, and the rest seem to be similar to our own light cruisers.”

  Vickers nodded. “From the reports we received from the captain of the light cruiser, the alien ships are heavily armed. I don’t want to risk an engagement with them at this time if we can avoid it. We have the Newton colony to think about. Our fleet is their only means of protection.”

  “The enemy ships are still above Earth,” Randson pointed out. “They may not even know about Newton.”

  “We can’t afford ship losses,” Kurt replied with a heavy sigh. “Governor Spalding specifically requested that we return to Newton rather than risk involvement in a major combat operation.”

  “You don’t have to answer to Spalding,” responded Randson, raising his eyebrow. “Fleet Command and the president are on Earth.”

  “I’m not sure about that,” Kurt said. “If Earth has been conquered, then Governor Spalding’s next in line for the presidency. There are no other high ranking members of the government off Earth.”

  Randson was silent for a moment, as he seemed to consider that. “So what do you want to do?”

  “We need more information.” Kurt had spent hours with Captain Owens, going over the tactical data recorded during his light cruiser’s brief battle above Earth. It had been painful to watch as Earth’s proud space fleet had been all but annihilated.

  “Our new particle beam weapons should give us an advantage,” Randson carefully pointed out. “None of the ships we had over Earth were equipped with them. I’m very concerned about what the aliens may have done to our people.”

  Kurt didn’t like entering such an unknown situation while the Solar System was so quiet. The Moon and Mars both held sizable human colonies. The total silence was eerie and frightening as to the possible cause that ceased all communications. Normally the radio frequencies were full of transmissions and messag
es. “Can we detect any transmissions from Earth, the Moon, or from Mars?”

  “No, and all the scientific outposts are also silent. Not a peep coming from the asteroids or the moons of Jupiter and Saturn,” Randson replied with growing concern in his eyes. “It’s just too damn quiet! I can’t believe they’ve all been wiped out.”

  Kurt could only imagine how Randson felt. His wife and twelve-year-old daughter were on Earth, just outside of Houston. So was Kurt’s sister and her family.

  “We could send in a couple destroyers,” Randson suggested, “to check on some of the outposts.”

  “Not yet,” replied Kurt, shaking his head, as he thought about the absence of signals. “They might be detected. Right now, our biggest tactical advantage is that the aliens don’t know we’re here. Let’s keep it that way for a little while longer.”

  “Sir,” Lieutenant Brooks said, her eyes alight with fear. “The long-range sensors are picking up elevated radiation levels from Earth.” Lena worked at her console fervently. “I’m trying to get better readings.”

  Captain Randson stepped over and studied the data, the frown on his face deepening. He shook his head, and his breathing quickened. “A few nuclear weapons have definitely been dropped on the surface,” he stated, drawing in a sharp breath. “The level isn’t dangerous, but it’s four times higher than normal.” He gazed at the admiral, his expression deeply concerned. “I’m not sure we can afford to wait. What if they drop more bombs?”

  “The bombs may have been dropped in the original attack,” Kurt said evenly, struggling to stay calm.

  He knew, if the radiation-level readings were correct, that millions of people could be dead on the planet. He felt anger growing inside him at such an enemy who would nuke a planet from orbit. This said a lot about the temperament of the aliens they faced. While Kurt had never gotten married and his parents were deceased, he worried about his sister, Denise, and her six-year-old son, Bryan. Denise’s family lived in Houston because her husband, Alex, had a systems analyst job with an up-and-coming company there.

  “What are your orders?” Randson asked.

  The indications of nukes being used on the planet might also explain the communications silence, if everyone was afraid of drawing the aliens’ attention.

  Admiral Vickers studied the tactical screen for a few more moments, while he decided on the best course of action. The enemy ships couldn’t be allowed to continue to orbit the planet. They had to be driven off before they nuked Earth again. The presence of an elevated radiation level changed things considerably. Vickers was afraid to even guess how many people had already died. He wondered if the aliens had landed ground troops. In the back of Kurt’s mind, he could hear Governor Spalding saying to not risk his fleet. He had a hard decision to make, and it wouldn’t be easy.

  “It looks as if the shipyard is relatively intact,” Kurt said, looking at the large green icon on the tactical screen. Earth’s only shipyard orbited forty thousand kilometers above the planet.

  “It is, sir,” Lieutenant Brooks said, nodding her brunette head as she studied one of her data screens. “My scanners are showing only minor damage to the shipyard, and its power systems still seem to be operating.”

  “I wonder why they spared the shipyard?” asked Captain Randson with a questioning look upon his face. “You would think it would’ve been one of their first targets.”

  “Unless they want it for themselves,” Kurt responded, thinking about the two thousand men and women who operated the station. He wondered if they were still alive or had been killed by boarders. So many unknowns faced them.

  “The first alien race we encounter and they’re the ones to find us,” Randson said, as his eyes narrowed. “Why did they attack us in the first place?”

  The higher officers in Earth’s space fleet had always expected to eventually encounter an alien race with the planet’s exploration ships ranging deeper and deeper into unexplored space. First-contact protocols had even been set up with linguists and other specialists assigned to each exploration mission, just in case another exploring spacecraft from an alien civilization was encountered.

  “We may never know,” replied Kurt brusquely. “Lieutenant Brooks, are you detecting anything else on the long-range sensors?”

  “No,” responded Brooks, shaking her head.

  “What about communications?”

  “Nothing,” replied Randson. “No radio or video broadcasts of any type have been picked up from Earth, the Moon, or Mars. Everything’s silent.”

  “I’ve got additional information on the radiation in Earth’s atmosphere,” Lieutenant Brooks added, her eyes showing growing worry. “It originates from twenty-two different sources where major cities are located on the planet.”

  The silence in the Command Center was profound, as everyone realized the magnitude of the calamity that had struck Earth.

  Randson’s eyes widened in anger. His gaze shifted back to the admiral. “We need to get into Earth orbit!”

  “Get Captain Watkins on the Vindication,” ordered Kurt, folding his arms across his chest, as he thought about his options. He knew he didn’t really have any but one. The knowledge that some of Earth’s cities had been nuked was the deciding factor. He didn’t think Governor Spalding would react negatively to Kurt’s decision, once the governor learned of this.

  “Captain Watkins is on the comm,” Ensign Brenda Pierce, the communications officer, reported.

  “Henry, we need to drive away those alien ships. From our scans, it’s obvious that Earth has suffered a nuclear bombardment. We can’t afford to allow them to bomb the planet again.”

  “I was afraid of that,” his longtime friend replied. “Our scanners are showing the same thing. What do you have in mind? We’re outnumbered by nearly two to one.”

  “I’ll jump in first with the light cruisers. We’ve spotted what looks like four enemy capital ships. We’ll try to take them out with the new particle beam weapons. Once we’re engaged, you and the destroyers will jump in. Launch your bombers and have them target the smaller ships with their Hydra missiles. Hopefully we’ll have enough surprise on our side to carry this out.”

  “It’s risky,” Henry replied after a moment’s pause. “But I don’t see where we have any other choices. We’ll only have one shot at this.”

  “Get your bombers ready,” Kurt ordered decisively. “We make the jump in twenty minutes.”

  Lieutenant Brooks stepped over and handed Kurt a list of the nuked cities. He noted with relief that Houston wasn’t on the list. However, Chicago; Washington, DC; Rome; Cairo; Moscow; and numerous other cities scattered around Earth were. He felt his heart grow cold as he looked over the list. If this was correct, well over forty million casualties could have resulted from the orbital attack. His eyes shifted to the tactical screen and the twenty red threat icons. How could an enemy be so callous as to nuke defenseless civilians?

  -

  The tension and anxiety in the Command Center had increased considerably as the time for the attack neared. All the ships in the fleet were at Condition One with their crews at their battlestations. This would be the first time any member of Admiral Vickers’s fleet had actually gone into combat. They had trained for it and even participated in war games against other Earth fleets, but never in the history of the fleet had a weapon been fired against another ship.

  “Ready to jump,” reported Captain Randson, as he listened to the readiness reports from various ships over the short-range comms. His eyes focused on the admiral, still studying the large tactical screen on the front wall of the Command Center.

  Kurt nodded. There was no point in waiting. Pressing the fleetwide button on his command console, he announced, “All ships, initiate jump in sixty seconds. All ships to fire upon targets as soon as you exit hyperspace. Don’t wait on orders from the flag to engage. The element of surprise is essential if we want to win this battle. Good luck and good hunting.”

  Captain Randson activated
a counter on his console. “Helm, prepare for hyperspace insertion.” Randson buckled himself in his chair in preparation for combat maneuvers.

  The hyperspace jump would only last a few seconds. Kurt, like everyone else, wondered what they would find when they reached Earth.

  “Tactical, ready the main particle beam cannon,” ordered Kurt, noting the increased activity in the command crew as they prepared for combat. “Lock on the enemy’s nearest capital ship and fire as soon as you have a confirmed firing solution.” The cannon could only be fired once every forty seconds due to heat buildup. They needed every shot to count.

  “Weapons are ready,” reported Lieutenant Evelyn Mays from Tactical.

  The counter on Captain Randson’s console reached zero. “Jump!” ordered Randson, his hands gripping the armrests on his command chair.

  -

  High Profiteer Creed of the Gothan Empire stood in the Command Center of the Profiteer ship Ascendant Destruction. He was bipedal and slightly taller than a human, with light blue skin and coarse white hair. His face, while humanoid, had larger-than-normal eyes. The last few days had been quiet, while he awaited the return of the rest of his ships, plus the others he had sent for: a large fleet of detainee ships and a number of heavy cargo ships.

  The Gothan Empire, with planet Marsten as its capital, was a loose federation of 118 star systems that routinely raided many of the civilized races of the galaxy. It was a dangerous living, but the huge rewards from the bounty collected more than offset the danger.

  “We’ll make huge profits from this planet,” gloated Second Profiteer Lantz, as he gazed at the main viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center, depicting the blue-white planet beneath them. “Their people will sell well in the slave markets on Kubitz.”

  “Their world is rich in many things that will bring good profits on the black markets,” added Creed, recalling his last trip to the bustling black market world. “Gold, platinum, jewels, and even some of their art will add much to our coffers.”