The Last War Read online

  Setting up the telecom in the corner, Ensign Moore turned it on. “This is patrol ship Glebson. We have struck a mine and crashed on the moon Trajous. We have wounded. We are requesting rescue.”

  As he listened, the captain. He thought how there was no emotion in Moore’s voice. It was like he was reporting on the weather.

  The medic moved two body bags into the shelter and set them in the corner. The captain wanted to protest, but knew it was protocol.

  “Glebson, we have a destroyer and two patrol craft heading your direction. ETA, two days.”

  “Scan for thermite mines as you approach.”

  “Roger, Glebson, thanks for the heads up, over and out.”

  The ensign came over and sat down next to the captain.

  “I meant to thank you for firing those thrusters. It saved us all.” Merken said.

  “Yes, Sir. I didn’t realize that the port side thrusters were damaged. If I had time to evaluate, we may have had a safer landing and you wouldn’t smell so bad.”

  The captain shook his head, zipped up his snowsuit, he headed outside. When he arrived at the cave entrance, he thought about taking off his snow gear and washing off his uniform, but he might freeze to death before he could get it back on.

  Hearing someone behind him, he turned to see crewmen Adama and Morkil.

  Adama stepped up. “Sir, permission to take two blasters and explore the rest of the cave. Morkil here is a nervous sort and he figures if there’s something in here, he would rather face it with a blaster in his hand, than while he’s asleep.”

  The captain smiled to himself. He hadn’t considered they might not be alone on this frozen rock. “Permission granted.”

  Back inside the shelter, the captain was eating soup when the two men came back in. The stood in front of him. “Sir, there are a lot of dead men further up in the cave.”

  Seeing the wide-eyed men were upset, he motioned for Ensign Moore. “Bring a blaster, they found something.”

  The captain, ensign, and six men followed the two crewmen deeper into the cave.

  When they arrived on the scene, they found four thick walled tents, along with a dozen body bags next to them. Inside the tents, men were laid out in sleeping bags around a portable heater. All the men were frozen solid. It was the same story in the other three tents.

  “What do you make of this?” the captain asked the ensign.

  Peering inside one of the sleeping bags, the ensign noted the uniform. “They have been here a long time. The uniforms are from the fleet of the Calterian Commonwealth. It is what they wore at the time of the Empire’s invasion.’

  “Sir, there are some sort of electronic devices here.” A crewmember called out.

  The officers made their way over there. “That’s a radio. I saw it in a museum once. the other, I believe is some sort of data recorder. Captain, we need to take these to the shelter to see if we can get them working.”

  “Yes, it would be good to find out what happened here.”

  Chapter 5

  Delmark Sector

  Moon Trajous

  “Captain’s log. My ship, the frigate Rageouros has hit a thermite mine while nearing the moon Trajous. I don’t know why the mine tracking didn’t work. We had it active. I have lost eighteen crewmen out of seventy-five. We have taken refuge inside a cave on the moon’s surface. There are fifteen wounded, several of them are serious. The rest of us have become sick and we fear our food supplies are tainted. Lieutenant Grompsen is the only one who hasn’t taken ill and is doing his best to care for the rest of us.”

  The captain’s pale sickly face looked right into the camera. “All efforts to reach the fleet have met with failure. Our communication equipment is not functioning. We fear we will all perish here. Our only hope is that the fires we have set on the hill above the cave will attract the attention of any possible search party sent out to find us.”

  “That’s the end of it, Sir.” Ensign Moore shut off the recorder.

  Captain Merken couldn’t get the image of the hopeless man out of his mind. “He did all that he could. He died bravely.”

  “There are issues, Sir.”

  “What’s that?”

  “There was plenty of food left. They didn’t starve to death. The heaters still had fuel in them. They were turned off. The radio was sabotaged. The wires were cut to the transceiver. The frigate Rageouros was reported lost twenty-five years ago in another part of the sector. The fleet never even searched this area. A week after the ship’s disappearance, the Empire attacked this area. Since it was of no strategic value, the Calterians pulled back.”

  “None of this makes sense. Why would they turn off the heaters?”

  “It’s not the worst of it, Sir.” Moore swallowed hard. It was the first time Merken had seen any emotion out of the young ensign. “Lieutenant Grompsen wasn’t on the ship’s roll. He wasn’t supposed to be on the ship. He’s still alive. If he was on the ship, how did he get off the moon?” The ensign’s voice cracked. “Grompsen is now a diplomat. He’s my uncle.”

  The captain’s eyes flashed wide open. “Your uncle?”

  “Yes, Sir. He’s the one that sponsored my commission as an officer. Another thing I find disturbing, the thermite mines are a Calterian weapon. The Empire didn’t use them. They had trackers built into them so the Calterians ships knew exactly where all of them were. Having one of their own ships hit one is unheard of. After the war, they located and destroyed all the mines. It doesn’t make sense that we hit one also.”

  “I wonder if there are more up there. The fleet will be on the lookout for them.”

  “Sir, I request permission to be on any investigation into the crash and death of the crew from the Rageouros.”

  “I don’t know if it will help, but I’ll put in the good word for you.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  The captain tried to relax, but the words on the recording echoed in his mind every time he shut his eyes. He left the shelter and walked back to look at the corpses. He found the captain’s body. The eyes had black rings around them and were recessed. The skin was pale. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to feel hopeless. He shuddered at the thought.

  When he arrived back at the shelter, the communications crewmember came up to him. “There’s a message for you, Sir.”

  Sitting in front of the communicator, he clicked the button. “Captain Merken here.”

  A fuzzy image appeared. Then it came into focus. “Admiral Drail here. Captain, I’m afraid we’re going to have to postpone your rescue a day or so. We have found the minefield you warned us about. It’s between us and the moon. We are disarming them as we go, but there are sixteen mines in all and its tricky business. How are you holding out of supplies and fuel?”

  “We have enough of both for a few days. Sir, there is an issue down here. We have found another ship’s crew frozen to death. We are hoping to try and figure out what happened to them.”

  “Yes, of course. I will call the fleet. They have an excellent investigative team.”

  “My first officer would like to be in on any investigation. He’s a Calterian. Since the dead crew are, too, he wants to represent his nation in finding out the truth.”

  “I will ask the commander in charge if that would be possible.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  Chapter 6

  Delmark Sector

  Science Ship Stegnar

  Ensign Moore was given his wish. Two weeks later, after the crew was rescued, he was back on the moon helping with the investigation. The team would bring the bodies in up to the science ship Stegnar three at a time. After thawing them, they would run a myriad of tests on them and then place them in coffins. A large ceremony was planned on Airas, the largest of the planets in the Delmark Sector.

  Commander Roberts was in charge of the investigative team. He was a no-nonsense officer. The tall, black-haired man was the perfect leader for Ensign Moore.

  It wasn’t going how the
ensign wanted it to. He worked hard, but wasn’t informed about what was going on like he had expected to be. He brought yet another newly thawed body to the infirmary. Dr. Jacks put on his scope and came over to examine it.

  “What killed them?” the Ensign asked.

  The doctor looked up. He was short and had bloodshot eyes with bags under them. “Isn’t it obvious? They froze to death.”

  “I saw the captain’s final log. He was sick when he died.”

  “Oh, that. Yes, the food supply is tainted with a drug. It causes lethargy in the body. They would be lying around not caring when the heat was turned off.”

  “Is there a Lieutenant Grompsen among the dead?”

  “You haven’t been briefed, have you? I’ll get Commander Roberts to do that, since I don’t have time.” He picked up his communicator. “Ensign Moore needs to be briefed on what’s going on.”

  “Roger. Send him my way if you see him.”

  “He’s on the way.”

  The doctor went back to his examination so Moore made his way to the commander’s office. When he knocked, he was motioned in.

  “I didn’t have you on the meeting notification list. You aren’t part of my regular crew. I fixed that now. Every Monday we go over what we’ve found. Sit down and I’ll give you the gist of what’s going on.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  “The food supply was laced with a drug from the plant morphis. It isn’t toxic, but causes lethargy. It used to be used, in the past, for severe cases of insomnia. Causes the body to slow down for days. A few decades back, it was also sold on the black market. The men died because they didn’t have enough energy or will to turn the heaters back on.”

  “Was there a Lieutenant Grompsen among the dead?”

  “We haven’t identified all the dead yet. What I can tell you is Lieutenant Grompsen in the cargo ship ADelmark sent a distress call. The Rageouros responded to it. His crew was all killed and his ship disabled by an internal fire. He was the only survivor. His crew are among those we found in the cave. He isn’t there.”

  “I see.”

  “We have a salvage ship on the way to dig the Glebson out of the ice. Afterward it will be under our command. We’ve found the Rageouros. It’s under a lot more ice than the Glebson. We don’t know if it’s going to be cost effective to recover it. The Historical Society of Calteria is very interested in acquiring the ship. Since we are on a war footing, and could be invaded at any time, they have no funding. It’s all up to the Prince if they get it or not. We will at least bore down there to get a good look at it.”

  “I would enjoy the opportunity to go along with you when you do.”

  “I’ll make sure that happens.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  The doctor appeared in the doorway just as the ensign stood up to leave.

  “I checked the men from the ADelmark, they have morphis in their system also. They were asleep when they died.”

  The captain stood up. “We have a pattern here, and it’s all pointing to Lieutenant Grompsen.”

  “Yes, it is.” The doctor left.

  The ensign faced the captain. “Before we continue, I must tell you that I think Lieutenant Grompsen is my uncle, Diplomat Grompsen. He is the one who recommended me for a commission and was able to have me assigned to my home sector. That being said, it will not taint my judgment or impartiality of my reasoning.”

  The captain studied him for a moment. “You can stay on the project. Your full disclosure gives me confidence in what you say.”

  “Yes, Sir.” The ensign saluted as he left.

  Chapter 7

  Delmark Sector

  Moon Trajous

  “We dig ten feet and come back the next day to find two feet of snow has fallen during the night.”

  Ensign Moore could hear the men complaining behind him. The hole was a hundred feet down by this point. Since the Prince had decided to take the whole ship off the planet, the cavity was as wide as it was deep.

  “Put your backs in it, men.” the commander bellowed. He led by example, using his phase torch to melt the ice around him. A vacuumed sucked up all the water they created and discharged it away from the hole.

  Moore didn’t know why the captain kept saying that. It had nothing to do with their backs. They sat in hovercrafts with large heaters on the bottom and melted the ice as they went.

  “Sir, I’ve uncovered part of the ship.” A crewman’s joyful voice echoed in the hole.

  The commander went over to him and looked down. “Yes, that’s it. Let’s get it out of there.”

  Everyone labored harder, encouraged by the discovery. Soon the entire top of the ship was exposed.

  The sun was going down. The temperature would soon be plummeting. The snowsuits wouldn’t be able to handle sixty to eighty degrees below zero.

  “Get out of this hole, men, and back to the ship.”

  The hovercraft were stored on the top of the dig and the men boarded the shuttle. Soon they were back up on the Stegnar. Unlike the military ships, the science ship had all the comforts of home, including a bar. The men met in there to celebrate their find. Moore sat alone at the bar.

  Commander Roberts sat down next to him. “I know the men need to blow off some steam, but I hate bars.”

  “It does take some getting used to. We don’t have these on my planet.”

  “What are you drinking?”

  “Blemtri. A non-alcoholic fruit punch.”

  The commander motioned the bartender over. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

  “Coming right up.”

  After taking a sip, the commander said, “Hey, this isn’t half bad.”

  “It usually takes some getting used to.”

  The commander took another swallow. His face soon etched in concern. “You saw what I saw, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, Sir. The phase fire cannon is missing from off the top of the ship.”

  “I was hoping I was imagining it, but you would know.”

  “It wasn’t torn off. The fasteners were removed with care. It appears that the Empire got the technology from the frigate Rageouros. It was lured to its destruction by Lieutenant Grompsen in the ADelmark. Then he called the Empire in to retrieve the weapons. A few years later, Grompsen was living the life of luxury in another solar system. He only recently came back as a diplomat. When I was growing up, a lot of people hated him, saying he was an opportunist. That he had changed sides too soon after the war was over. I stood by my uncle, but now this.” He faced the commander. “This is murder and betrayal. It cannot go unpunished.”

  “The Empire knew what he had done. They rewarded him for it. It gave them a powerful weapon. Since the Empire no longer exists, they can’t protect him anymore.”

  “No, the Empire is gone, we can only wait and see what the prince will say about it all.”

  A few days later, the ship was pulled out of the hole by two space tugs. The Ensign noted that the two smaller cannons on the bottom of the ship were also missing. All the pieces of the puzzle were in place. He knew what he had to do.

  A week later, the investigative team was dismissed. There investigation was complete.

  Ensign Moore walked into his uncle’s office, along with Commander Roberts and four security guards.

  “Nephew, to what do I owe the honor of your visit? Oh, and you have company.”

  “Diplomat Grompsen, you are under arrest for the murder of seventy-five men on the frigate Rageouros along with the murder of four men on the freighter ADelmark.” He nodded for the guards to take him away.

  Grompsen’s face reddened. “It was war. I had no choice. People die in war. The Empire was going to destroy the whole sector if I didn’t give then the weapon. They had to die but I saved thousands of lives by doing it. Don’t you understand?”

  Moore stiffened. “I don’t understand. Your own crewmen were among the dead. They look up to you. They trusted you. They expected you to keep them safe, and yet you killed t
hem.”

  Grompsen hung his head and let the guards escort him away.

  The commander put his hand on Moore’s shoulder. “That was a tough thing to do. Are you going to be okay?”

  “I have not been that emotional in many years.” He faced the commander. “Thanks for being here today.”

  Invasion

  Chapter 8

  Border Delmark and Keldar Sectors

  Corvette Amilart.

  Captain Merken had thought he would be court marshaled when he had lost the patrol craft. To his surprise, he was given a corvette to command. “You found an ancient Calterian warship. The prince loves ancient things. He’s putting it in the museum on Caltheria Prime.” his father told him.

  Shaking his head, Merkin sat back in the captain’s chair on the bridge. A captain commanding a corvette was unheard of so he had a fleet of five patrol craft to watch over also.

  Border duty was mundane. He often distracted the crew by having one of the ships run silent, and the others had to find her. “Keep your distance, no collisions,” he would admonish.

  They were making another pass on a sensor irregularity when Patrol Craft Mitharide communicated. “Captain, mulitple bogies across the border approaching fast.”

  Merken turned to his helmsman. “Can you confirm that?”

  After staring at the screen for a few moments, he reported, “Yes, Sir. Four large craft, battleship, or carrier size. At least forty destroyers and cruiser size. Many small craft also.”

  “Report it to command.”

  “Yes, Sir.” The helmsman punched the button on his control panel. “Large fleet headed two-two-nine will cross the border in five minutes at present speed.”

  “Do not engage, Amilart. Retreat, but monitor.”

  The captain opened communications to the task force. “All ships pull back, keep ahead of the enemy but keep them in scanner range.”