Final Conflict Read online

  “Thomas and Brian both almost made it,” said Alexander with a pleased look on his face.

  “Who is this Private Mays they were so protective of?” asked Lauren, her eyes full of curiosity.

  “She’s brilliant,” answered Major Reed. “If she keeps on she will be an officer before this training is over. She’s also a member of Corporal Nelson’s squad.”

  Ryan had a thoughtful look on his face. “When do they start their actual battlesuit training?”

  “Later this week,” replied Major Reed. “They’ll be trained in the new Type Nine battlesuits. They’re the most lethal ones designed yet. Every member of the platoons currently in training was chosen for their intelligence and aptitude. They will be the first class to go through a complete training class in the new suits.”

  Ryan knew about the Type Nine battlesuits. He also knew once the training was over his son as well as Brian would be sent out to battle the Kleese. He wondered how many sleepless nights waited in his future.

  Chapter Three

  Commander Bree Smith gazed at the main viewscreen of the heavy battlecruiser Sundance. They were fifteen hundred light years from the Solar System on an exploratory mission. Two light cruisers served as escorts. Their mission was to seek out space going species in this region of space to see if they would be willing to assist in the war against the Kleese. If they weren’t willing to join the war then trade would be a secondary option.

  “It’s a G type star with seven planets,” reported Lieutenant Stover from his sensor console. The second planet is in the liquid water zone and we are detecting electromagnetic radiation of several types emitting from the surface.”

  “Communications?” asked Second Officer Kamlin Berry.

  “Maybe,” replied Lieutenant Pierce from communications. “We need to get closer to know for sure.”

  “Any signs of spacecraft?” asked Commander Smith. Bree knew they were still a long ways out from the star system but there was always a chance the sensors might have picked something up.

  Lieutenant Stover shook his head. “No, we’re still too far out. We should be in range in another twenty minutes.”

  -

  Bree relaxed in her command chair as the minutes ticked by until it was time for the ship to drop out of Fold Space. She felt the sudden wrenching sensation as the Fold Space drive deactivated, returning the ship back to normal space.

  “Report!” she said anxious to see what was in this system. So far on this trip they had found six sentient races of which two of them had space travel. One of the races, the Simms, had even colonized several nearby star systems. The Simms had agreed to a trade treaty and would consider engaging in the war, though Bree suspected they would stay out of it unless the Kleese showed up on their front door.

  “We have contacts around the second planet which are artificial,” said Lieutenant Stover excitedly. “There are also a number of contacts that appear to be spacecraft traveling between planets two and three.”

  Bree nodded. This was good news. “Plot a course to take us back into Fold Space and drop us out ten million kilometers from planet two. Let’s go see who our new friends might be.”

  -

  The Sundance reentered Fold Space. The ship’s drive bent space in front of the ship as well as behind it, making the distance between two points shrink. The more the ship warped space the faster the ship could travel. The ship quickly moved across the star system heading toward its destination. The ship was at Condition Two as was required in all first contact scenarios. The two light cruisers serving as escorts were on the flanks of the Sundance ready to give protective support if necessary.

  -

  “Fold Space dropout in twenty seconds,” reported the navigation officer.

  “Detecting several large contacts,” added Lieutenant Stover as he studied the latest data from the sensors.

  “How large?” asked Bree suspiciously.

  “I have two confirmed contacts,” replied Stover. “Both are three kilometers across.”

  A cold chill swept across Bree. “Take the ship to Condition One. The same for our escorts. Tactical, prepare four of the multi warhead sublight missiles for launch. I want both of those contacts targeted as soon as we drop out of fold space.”

  “Kleese?” asked Second Officer Newman, his eyes focusing on the tactical display which was now showing the contacts.

  “Maybe,” replied Bree, taking in a deep breath. “However, one of their exploration ships is much larger. This could be something even worse.”

  Newman’s face turned pale. “Zaltule? But no one’s seen one of their ships in over thirty years!”

  Bree nodded. “True, but they had to go somewhere. We know some of them left the Empire after the other Kleese turned on them.”

  “Drop out,” called out the navigation officer.

  The viewscreens rapidly cleared as the stars appeared.

  “Put one of those contacts up on the main viewscreen at full magnification,” ordered Bree, leaning forward in her command chair. The entire Command Center was quiet with all eyes glued to the viewscreen.

  On the screen a massive ship appeared.

  “Zaltule battlecruiser,” confirmed Bree quickly identifying the ship.

  Bree gazed at the monstrosity on the viewscreen realizing her three ships could not defeat this threat. Her best option would be to turn around and flee while her ships were still intact. She gazed at the ship on the screen knowing she needed to act fast or her small exploration fleet would be lost. This was a nightmare and she had to be the one to find it.

  On the main viewscreen floated a Zaltule battlecruiser. The ship was three kilometers across and one thousand meters thick. The hull was covered with weapon emplacements, pulse fusion batteries, and energy turrets. Hundreds of small hatches hid sublight antimatter missiles ready to be launched at a moment’s notice. Unlike the larger Kleese exploration cruisers these ships were designed for war and there were no large training facilities for conscripts or holding areas. The entire ship was filled with power systems and narrow corridors, which would make it nearly impossible for a conscript in a battlesuit to traverse. These ships were designed for fleet battles and planetary bombardment. They were designed for war!

  “Where the hell did that come from?” said Second Officer Newman, his face showing shock.

  “I want full scans of those two Zaltule ships as well as the planet they’re orbiting,” ordered Bree, her pulse racing. “We need as much data as possible to take back to Fleet Command at Centerpoint.”

  “More contacts coming up from the planet,” reported Lieutenant Stover. “They match the size and dimensions of Kleese assault ships. They must have detected us.”

  “Shields are up and weapons are ready,” added Lieutenant Berry.

  Bree studied the tactical display showing twenty red threat icons rising from the planet.

  Second Officer Newman frowned and turned toward Commander Smith. “They may use their Fold Space drives to get here quickly. Maybe we should leave while we still can.”

  Bree looked over at Lieutenant Stover. “How are the scans coming?”

  “Nearly complete,” Stover replied as his hands flew over his console. “Another thirty seconds and I’ll have everything.”

  Nodding, Bree looked over at the navigation officer. “Set a course back for home. As soon as our sensor scans are complete I want the fleet back in Fold Space.

  “Assault ships are entering Fold Space!” called out Stover. “They’ll be here about the time the scans are finished.”

  “Tactical, stand by! Fire as soon as the first assault ship appears. Stover, how much longer on the scans?”

  “Ten seconds,” replied Stover, his eyes focused sharply on the data coming in.

  Bree felt her heart beginning to pound. This was going to be close. Her eyes switched to the viewscreens, showing the space around the Sundance. At any moment she expected to see a Kleese assault ship appear.

  “Sensor scans
are complete,” reported Lieutenant Stover

  “Get us out of here,” ordered Bree, grasping the armrests on her command chair tightly.

  “Course set, activating Fold Space drive,” reported navigation.

  Just as the Sundance made the transition to Fold Space Kleese assault ships began appearing. Then they vanished from the viewscreens as the Sundance and its two escorts fled the system at a speed many times that of light. It was time to return to Centerpoint and inform Fleet Command of their frightening discovery.

  -

  Minor Overlord Lazorth gazed in frustration as the three Human warships managed to escape his assault ships. This would greatly upset War Overlord Tetus when he was informed. Standing upon the command pedestal, he gazed at the now empty viewscreen with his multifaceted eyes.

  “Inform Minor Overlord Maldave I will be leaving to inform War Overlord Tetus of what has occurred here. It may be necessary to speed up the day of our return to the Empire.”

  Lazorth gazed at the viewscreen showing his assault ships. His ship and that of Minor Overlord Maldave were in orbit over Lenox Prime. It was the homeworld of a small stellar empire of twelve star systems, now controlled by the Zaltule. The inhabitants worked for the Zaltule providing materials and labor for numerous Zaltule construction projects including the building of more assault ships. The inhabitants of the small empire had at first resisted the Zaltule but after a number of their cities on their worlds were destroyed as an example, the leaders of the Lenox agreed to provide whatever the Zaltule wanted if the destruction would stop.

  It was nearly two hundred light years to the new homeworld of the Zaltule. In the star system there were two habitable planets where the Zaltule Queens were rapidly growing and maturing the next population of Zaltule warriors. Already millions of young adult Zaltule were ready to do battle against the Empire.

  “Set a course for Warmik,” ordered Lazorth.

  The sooner word of what happened here reached War Overlord Tetus the sooner he could set his invasion plans into motion. All races should be subservient to the Zaltule, including the Kleese which currently inhabited and ruled the Empire. If those Kleese refused to surrender and allow the Zaltule to rule then they would be eliminated.

  A few minutes later the massive Zaltule warship made the transition into Fold Space. It would take a day and a half to reach the new capital of the Zaltule. He could have sent a message through hyperspace but he preferred to tell War Overlord Tetus the news in person. He was also going to request several more Zaltule battlecruisers be assigned to him. There was always the danger the Humans might return with a larger fleet. For the time being the Lenox Stellar Empire was too valuable to the Zaltule to risk its loss.

  -

  On board the Sundance Commander Smith was in her quarters reviewing the sensor files from the star system they had left. She was surprised to find there was a highly developed civilization on two planets in the system. The planet the Zaltule battlecruisers were orbiting was the homeworld of a species called the Lenox. Without surprise she noticed where several large cities on one of the planets had been destroyed. This was typical of Kleese or Zaltule tactics when conquering a new world or worlds.

  Bree leaned back in her chair, turning the computer off. She looked down at several sheets of paper on her desk. She had been making notes about what they had discovered in the Lenox System. She was going to prepare a report for Fleet Command to inform them of what the Sundance found. The Solar System and the Alliance had hoped never to see the Zaltule again. Most intelligence reports indicated the regular Kleese had cleansed the Zaltule hives, eliminating all of the Queens. Now that looked doubtful. Bree was afraid somehow one or two Queens might have survived. It was the only explanation for the Zaltule being in that system and perhaps others.

  For years the Solar System had been recovering from the Zaltule attacks. Mars was well into its terraforming and even Earth was undergoing drastic changes. The Human clone population was nearly half that of the “real” Humans in the system. Clones were now treated equally and the minority profiling of the past was over. Many regular Humans and clones had even married.

  With a deep sigh, Bree stood up. She was going to get a good night’s sleep and then worry about this mess in the morning. It was nearly fifteen days back to the Solar System. That would give her plenty of time to prepare her report. They would stop several times to check the Fold Space drives but they were going to return home as quickly as possible. The Solar System and the Alliance needed to know the Zaltule were still around and were up to their old ways outside of known space.

  -

  War Overlord Tetus gazed down upon the world where the Queens had made the new nests of the Zaltule. The three nests were in mountainous regions of the planet buried deep beneath the granite. Unlike the ones destroyed back in the Kleese Empire these were protected by massive defensive emplacements. The planet itself would have to be broken open to get to the Queens and even then the special compartments built to house them would still survive. The planet was blue-white and very similar to what the homeworld was like before the great clan wars.

  In orbit were four massive and sprawling shipyards. Each shipyard had four construction bays capable of building Zaltule battlecruisers. In addition smaller bays existed to build assault ships. All four shipyards were operated by Zaltule with a few thousand of the Lenox to do some of the more dangerous work, which their smaller size made more practical. None of the Lenox were in positions that monitored any of the major systems on the stations unlike what the Kleese in the Empire did in their trading stations and ships. There were no armed conscripts. All fighting would be done by Zaltule warriors.

  An alarm sounded on the ship’s primary sensor console.

  Tetus shifted his eyes toward the alarm.

  “Battlecruiser exiting Fold Space,” reported the Zaltule at the console. “It’s Minor Overlord Lazorth.”

  Tetus stepped off the command pedestal. Minor Overlord Lazorth should not be here. He was overseeing the home system of the Lenox. “Contact him. I want to know why he has returned to this system ahead of schedule.”

  Tetus folded his black arms over his powerful chest. He stomped his six feet against the cold metal of the deck. He was not used to others failing to obey his orders. For a Zaltule to do so was to risk death.

  “Minor Overlord Lazorth reports three Human ships appeared in the Lenox System. They scanned the system and left before his assault ships could engage them.”

  Tetus felt anger flow through his veins. He was not quite ready to engage the Humans and their so-called Alliance. “Inform Minor Overlord Lazorth to report to me immediately. I want all the data he has on those three ships.”

  Stepping back up on the command pedestal he thought of what this might mean for his future plans. The Humans had picked a very inopportune time to discover the Zaltule. They were over fifteen hundred light years away from the Humans’ home system. Tetus had felt certain when they came to this area of space the risk of discovery would be minimal.

  Shifting his gaze to the tactical display, he could see several thousand green icons representing Zaltule battlecruisers. On the surface of the planet were a number of facilities capable of producing assault ships. He had planned on attacking the Humans, the Alliance, and the Kleese Empire in overwhelming force. Now he realized his plans might have to change.

  -

  Minor Overlord Lazorth came aboard the flagship and reported to War Overlord Tetus what had happened in the Lenox System. Tetus watched as the Human ships were displayed on the main viewscreen in the Command Center. He felt his anger grow upon recognizing the Human battlecruiser. If the Humans were exploring this far from their home system it indicated the war against the Empire was not going well for the Kleese.

  “We cannot wait much longer,” Tetus said as he considered his options. “If we allow the Humans and the Alliance to push the Empire back to the Kleese homeworlds they will become too powerful to conquer. We must know more ab
out what is happening in the Empire.”

  “What is your command?” asked Lazorth.

  Tetus thought long and hard about what needed to be done. Perhaps it was fortunate the Humans had found the Lenox System. It made Tetus aware they were a growing threat, which might need to be dealt with sooner rather than later. “Take a squadron of battlecruisers and two squadrons of assault ships and return to the Empire. We must know what is happening. Avoid combat if possible. Your return with the data on the condition of the Empire is of paramount importance.”

  “The Zaltule do not back off from a fight,” uttered Lazorth, his triangular shaped head focusing on the War Overlord.”

  “I am not ordering you to avoid a battle,” replied Tetus in a cold voice. “But you are not to go seeking one either. Get the data I need and then return. That is your mission.”

  “As you command,” replied Lazorth, bowing slightly and exiting the Command Center.

  War Overlord Tetus watched Lazorth leave. He would call in the other Overlords and Minor Overlords and begin making plans to return to the Empire. It was time to go back to war.

  Chapter Four

  Corporal Thomas Nelson was standing at attention as Lieutenant Breeze walked up and down the line of recruits. Behind her was another line of dark black battlesuits with a hint of blue around the joints. The suits were seven feet tall and looked to be almost formfitting. They were not the massive and bulky battlesuits of the past.

  “These are the new Type Nine Battlesuits,” she said in a loud and clear voice. “They are partially composed of nanites and as soon as you step inside the suit will adjust to your own physical form. All of you have had your neural implants put in place so communication with the suit’s systems and computers will be easy once you grow accustomed to it.” Lieutenant Breeze took a deep breath, coming to a stop and gazing down the long line of Marines.

  “These battlesuits are designed for one purpose and one purpose only and that’s to kill Kleese. Sometimes to get to the Kleese you will have to fight through hundreds or possibly thousands of heavily armed Kleese conscripts. Your suits will become covered with blood and gore. If you don’t have the stomach for this now is the time to bow out. Changing your mind about this training will not affect your military record. Many recruits are not cut out for this type of action and that is one of the reasons all of you have gone through rigorous screening.” Breeze paused once more, her eyes moving across the assembled Marines. “Are there any of you who wish to change your minds?” When no one stepped forward Lieutenant Breeze nodded in satisfaction to herself. “Very well. Each of the battlesuits behind me has one of your names on its chest. Find the one assigned to you and step inside. It’s time for the real training to begin.”