The Last War Read online

  The Last War

  Clark Graham

  Cover art by JJ Schutza

  elvenshore.blogspot.com

  [email protected]

  The Last War

  © Clark Graham 2018

  All Rights Reserved

  Galactic War Series

  Book 1

  End of the Innocent

  Book 2

  The Last War

  The Last War

  The Prodigy

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  The Last War

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Invasion

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Alliances

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Treason

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Pirate Patrol

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Siege of Starbase Eos

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  The Prodigy

  Chapter 1

  Destroyer Balzart

  Border of Delmark Sector

  Captain Merken paced back and forth in front of the command chair of his star destroyer. All around him, men stared into the screens of scanners. He had been playing a cat and mouse game with a mysterious spacecraft for the last three hours. It would try to enter the sector, but when chased away, it would go silent, making it nearly impossible to find.

  “Sir, we have arrived at the last known coordinates of the enemy vessel,” the helmsman reported.

  “Any sign of her?”

  Pings went out in all directions as the sensors kicked in. “No, sir, she’s not here.”

  “Move off at one-quarter speed, wait five minutes, then run silent.”

  The ship moved slowly, all the lights went dim, reducing the ships electronic presence. The engines cut out. Sensors could only find the ship at close range.

  No one dared speak. The ship felt like a tomb. Finally a blip appeared on the screen. “The enemy is headed straight at us, Sir,” the helmsman reported.

  “Maintain position, but keep your finger on the button. As soon as he sees us, I want full power to chase him down.” The captain smoothed back his black hair.

  “He’s altering course, Sir.”

  Merken sat up in his chair. “Now, full power. After him.”

  The ship rumbled to life. The lights brightened. The whole vessel vibrated as the engines kicked in.

  “Sir, the enemy’s gone silent again.”

  “All stop.” The captain stood up to get a look at the nearest screen.

  The engines stopped, but a second later a jolt shook the ship. Captain and crew were knocked off their feet. Metal scraped against metal as the ship came to a halt.

  The chief executive officer called out, “We have damage to decks one through three. The Emergency force field is up.”

  The captain scrambled to his feet. “What did we hit?”

  “It’s the enemy ship, Sir. I have it on scanners. It’s severely damaged,” the helmsman replied.

  The captain looked at the screen. Fires reflected out the gaping holes of the enemy vessel. “Launch a shuttle and board the thing.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  The call was sent. The shuttle shot out of the hanger deck. As it neared the enemy ship, a loud explosion rocked the destroyer.

  “What was that?” the captain screamed.

  “The enemy ship has self-destructed.”

  “And the shuttle?”

  “Gone, Sir.”

  The captain sunk heavily in his seat. All eyes were on him. With a deep sigh he said, “XO, I need you to go examine the damage to our ship. Report back.”

  “Yes, Sir.” The executive officer left the bridge.

  Merken went over and over in his mind what he could have done differently. If only he hadn’t accelerated so fast. If only he’d sent out long-range probes. If he’d only have waited to send a shuttle to see what the enemy was doing.

  The Prince didn’t take kindly to someone damaging one of his ships. There was a limited supply of them. There would be an inquest. I could be drummed out of the navy. What will my father think? The Imperial Navy was the family tradition and members of the family had served in it for generations. He had brought shame to the family name.

  “Sir.” The executive officer brought him back to the present. “Sir, the hull is crushed in on decks one and two. The metal is peeled back off the bow by the explosion. Thirteen wounded and two dead, not including the shuttle crew. There were a pilot, copilot and twenty Marines on board.”

  Merken shuddered. He knew most of the Marines. Which ones? He wondered. “Thank you, XO.” He faced the helmsman. Evacuate decks one through four. Seal them off, then head to Starbase Dione for repairs. All ahead half, I’m in no hurry to learn my fate.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Deck three was the crew quarters. This didn’t affect the officers except for crewmen sleeping in the hall on decks six and seven. The force fields were put up and the repair crews were sent in to shore up the damage. When they were done, the others could go back to their bunks, those who had bunks. Two of the crew areas were completely destroyed in the explosion. Makeshift quarters were built on deck two after it was shored up. Not everyone had a mattress, though. Those that didn’t had to improvise.

  It took a week, but the destroyer made it to the starbase and docked. An admiral and two commodores were there to meet the ship.

  When Captain Merken stepped into the station, he was greeted by three stern-faced officers. Admiral Fergast and Commodore Jasuk he recognized. Commodore Helskin he had never met, but knew him by reputation. He was military attaché of the Judge Advocate’s office. A no-nonsense kind of man with no sense of humor.

  Fergast folded his arms. “We will be conducting the investigation. You will be confined to quarters here on the station until we reach a conclusion into what happened.”

  Merken swallowed involuntarily. “Yes, of course, Sir.”

  Chapter 2

  Starbase Dione

  Delmark Sector

  House Arrest. Merken sat back on the bed staring into space. He couldn’t think of anything more boring. He could watch the holo-projector, but he’d always hated that. Looking at the data-pad he read. It wasn’t too long before he tossed it aside. His mind was elsewhere and he couldn’t concentrate on the words.

  His door buzzed.

  “Allow in.” The door opened at the command.

  An admiral stood in the doorway.

  “Dad!” Merken stood up and hugged the man.

  “Son, this is a mess. This is a bad mess.”

  “Come in, sit down.”

  Th
ey sat across the small table. The admiral cleared his throat. “I came here with Prince Asat. He wanted to see the damage for himself. Yesterday, he wanted to throw you in the brig and take away the key. I’ve talked him out of that, but he’s very upset.”

  “I was following protocol, chase and capture.”

  “This is war. All of the protocols have gone out the window. When you had the enemy ship on sensors, you should have blasted him out of the sky. If you had, those Marines would still be alive and you wouldn’t be here. You were the prodigy, on the fast track for greatness. You were up for commodore. Now if you keep your captain’s bars, you’ll be a lucky man.”

  “What can I do now?”

  “Nothing, leave it up to me. I might get you another command, something small, so you can redeem yourself. Admiral Iderious’ son is the new prodigy. We will rescue your career as best we can.”

  “I’m sorry. I was doing what I thought was right.”

  “I’ll talk to the prince, explain the protocols. He might take that into account.”

  “Thanks, Father.”

  The admiral stood up, patted his son on the shoulder and walked out. Merken resumed his position on the bed.

  Two days later, the house arrest was lifted. He walked around the station, stopping in the repair facility to see how the ship was coming along. He peeked through the window to see the ship’s damaged skin had been removed. A few of the frames were bent, but not too bad. It was a lot less than he had expected.

  “She’s a little rough around the edges, but she’ll be ready for the ball.” Captain Iderious stood behind him.

  Merken looked up. “Hello, Aden, haven’t seen you since our cadet days.”

  “Good to see you, too. I have orders. I’m taking the Balzart. What’s happening with you?”

  It stung, like a hard slap to the face. His nemesis was not only getting advanced ahead of him, but was taking his ship, too. Merken did his best not to show any emotion. “I’m still in limbo.”

  “Rough luck. Well, I’m on my way to check on the repairs. Do you want one last look around her?”

  “No, I’m meeting my father. I don’t have time.”

  “Too bad.” Iderious walked away.

  It was like Iderious to rub salt into a wound.

  Merken made his way up to the cafeteria. His father was waiting at one of the tables. “Hello, Captain. The good news is I can still call you that. Here are your new orders.” He handed Merken an envelope.

  “Hello, Father.” He sat down and opened it. “A patrol craft? I was hoping for a frigate, at least a corvette.”

  The admiral’s face reddened. “You’re lucky to still be a captain.” He took a couple of deep breaths and softened his tone. “It’s not as bad as you think. You’ll be in charge of a flight of four patrol craft. You are on interior patrol, nowhere near the border. Since you’ll be covering a vast amount of space, your flight will be spread out several light years away from each other. It’s a gravy job. A good way to stay safe until you can get your career back on track.”

  “Iderious has taken over Balzart.”

  “Forget Iderious. He’s a fool and a hotshot. He’ll soon be dead or captured. He can’t help but take stupid risks. Luck has been on his side this whole war, but it has to be running out.”

  Merken grinned, despite his emotions. “Your right, he’s a fool. She’s a powerful ship, he won’t be able to control her. He’s been in frigates this whole time. A destroyer is a different animal altogether.”

  “I am right. Your ship docks tomorrow. I have to get back.”

  “Thanks for fixing this, Father.”

  The admiral patted him on the shoulder as he walked past.

  The Last War

  Chapter 3

  Delmark Sector

  Patrol Ship Glebson

  “Nearing the moon Trajous, Captain.”

  Captain Merken looked out the front window. “Frozen solid, as usual. Steer clear of that rock, we don’t want to be stuck down there.”

  “Aye, Sir. Changing heading to one-one-two.”

  “Roger…”

  A white light flashed around them, followed by an ear-shattering explosion. It sent flames through the ship. Bulkheads shattered, glass broke. All the lights went out and smoke filled the flight deck. Warning horns echoed and red warning lights flashed.

  Coughing, he pulled himself off the floor planks. The captain tried to fan the smoke away with his hand. “What was that?” He touched his forehead. It stung. His hand was soaked in blood.

  Ensign Moore climbed back up in his seat. “Emergency power and life support functioning. We are not holding orbit, Sir.”

  The captain looked out the broken windscreen. Force fields prevented them from getting sucked out into deep space. Trajous loomed larger every minute.

  “Who shot my ship? I want a return volley before we crash.”

  “No bogeys in the area, Captain. We’re the only ones out here. Impact in thirty-five seconds.”

  The captain strapped himself to a chair. Everyone around him had done likewise.

  So this is how it all ends, crashing on a rock in the middle of nowhere? Merken gritted his teeth. His once-promising career was already in tatters. Now he was going to die.

  “Firing thrusters." The ensign hit the switch on the control panel.

  The ship jolted right before impact and spun violently, tumbling over and over again as it hit the ground. Captain Merken lost his lunch all over himself. The patrol craft finally came to rest against a large boulder.

  The force field failed and snow poured into the flight deck. The ensign was still flipping switches. “Emergency power failing. Force fields have failed. Damage to all decks.”

  How am I still alive? Merken unstrapped himself. “Phew.” Odors came from his uniform. He scanned the flight deck. The men were all in bad shape, some bleeding, some with obvious broken bones, and others were dazed. They were looking at him for leadership.

  “Temperature now five degrees below freezing and dropping rapidly,” the Ensign called out before his control panel went blank. “All systems are dead.”

  The captain cleared his throat. It stung from the stomach acid. “Retrieve the survival shelter from the cargo bay. We need to find a cave or an overhang, so we don’t get buried under the snow. Get into your severe weather gear.”

  Those who could move unstrapped themselves. Crewman Rodgers couldn’t move. His leg was broken and the bone was protruding out of his skin. He shivered violently, so the captain called up the medic.

  The medic arrived with a gurney. “Can’t help him, he’s going to need to go under. Sir, can you help me lay him down?”

  After laying him on the gurney and bandaging up his leg to stop the bleeding, the medic put a stasis device on Rodgers’ throat. He slipped quietly into a coma. “He’ll be fine until the rescuers arrive. You, I can help. Let me bandage up that head of yours.”

  The captain sat down and let the doc work on him.

  “Sir, I hate to be rude, but you don’t smell so good.”

  “I’m having a rough day.”

  The ensign appeared a minute later. “Captain, here’s your snowsuit. I mean, severe weather gear. The men have found a large cave not too far from here. They are headed there now with the emergency shelter.”

  Slipping on the snowsuit, the captain faced the medic. “What are the casualties?”

  “Two dead, seven wounded, only three of those are stretcher cases. Everyone else is banged up. The miracle is, we survived.”

  He turned to the ensign. “Were we able to get out a distress call?”

  “The 25831 type 2 patrol craft auto sends a distress call when the emergency power comes on. It continues to send until power is off. We have a telecom device in the emergency shelter. We will be able to contact the nearest starbase, when the shelter is set up.”

  “I’m sure I knew that at some time.” The captain shook his head. This guy’s a walking encyclopedia. “Let’s get out
of here. It’s freezing.”

  Chapter 4

  Delmark Sector

  Moon Trajous

  Outside the spaceship, the captain could see the damage for the first time. The back half of the ship, on the starboard side was black. The hole was barely forward of the engine room. Smoke still trickled out of it.

  “Did the engine blow up?”

  The ensign was walking next to him. “No, Sir. It was a thermite mine, a magnetic one. It alerted to us because we passed too close.”

  “Thermite mine? Are you sure? Who’s laying mines in this desolate part of space?”

  “As for the first question, yes, I am positive it was a thermite mine. The bright flash of light is a tell-tell sign. Second question. The explosives were greatly degraded, otherwise we would have been space dust, meaning the mine had been sitting up there for a long time. It's leftover from the last war.

  “What last war?” The captain hated that he felt so stupid. This kid seemed to know everything.

  “The Calterians inhabited this sector. When the Empire invaded, they were driven back, initially. The Calterians had a phase fire weapon that the Empire couldn’t defend itself against. They were also famous for their thermite mines. They destroyed a lot of the Empire’s ships, until the Empire came up with the same weapon. Having many more ships than the Calterians, the Empire won. That was twenty-five years ago.”

  “How do you know so much about the history of the sector?”

  “I am Calterian. We are known for our analytical minds.”

  “I thought you couldn’t serve in the same sector that you grew up in.”

  “My uncle’s a diplomat.”

  “I see.”

  The emergency shelter was packed into a tracked vehicle. It blazed a trail through the snow for the crew to follow. Soon, they had made it to the entrance of the cave and were setting up.

  The shelter was made up of several inflatable panels. When the panels were attached together, they formed a dome, then the button was pushed and the panels solidified as hard as concrete. Access was through a door in one of the panels. The heaters were installed and the crew scrambled in to get warm.