Minurva E-Book

Christopher Loric

• Herausgeber: WS
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: The Brannigan Saga
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 497

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Earth is at War!  The humans are not ready for inter-stellar conflict.  Admiral Brannigan is building a war fleet so they can face the diabolical Kammorrgans.  Ambassador O’Shea searches for allies.  Earth combats multiple pirate fleets in defense of new territories and resources.  Lieutenant General Connington seeks an elusive and dangerous race before they can strike his home world.  Will Earth be ready to face the Kammorrigans before her location is discovered?

Leseprobe

Published by

Hybrid Global Publishing

333 E 14th Street

#3C

New York, NY 10003

Copyright © 2025 by Christopher Loric

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.

Manufactured in the United States of America, or in the United Kingdom when distributed elsewhere.

Christopher Loric

Minurva

ISBN: 978-1-967598-04-5

eBook: 978-1-967598-05-2

Cover design by: Julia Kuris

Copyediting by: Wendie Percharsky

Interior design by: Suba

Author photo by: Byron Wiggins

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. government. The public release clearance of this publication by the Department of Defense does not imply Department of Defense endorsement or factual accuracy of the material.

WEBSITE

www.christopherloric.com

Thank you, Dad, for waking my imagination.

My Wife, you are my Northern Star with your constant devotion

CHAPTER 1

Space. Dark and cold. Only lights from distant suns blazing and galactic materials broke the darkness. Silence prevailed except for those who knew how to listen.

The hyperspace well opened and a single ship came through.

It was a small transport with limited range. The transport could only make the jump between Earth and Alpha Centauri. The craft was built for relative comfort and lacked any form of combat capabilities.

ADM Ralph Nabum, Chief of Space Operations, stood up out of his chair, went to the porthole and peered through it.

“So, that is hyperspace.”

ADM Kevin Brannigan, Commander of the Space Fleet, lifted his gaze from his hand pad and grinned. “Yes, that is hyperspace.” He closed his hand device, went to a view screen, and brought up the Alpha Centauri station. The station, at this point, was a glorified International Space Station but was under construction to house several labs and engineering facilities for the production of the fleet. Kevin then keyed the comms for the pilots.

“Let’s head over to the shipyards.”

“Yes Sir,” came the response.

Kevin then brought up the shipyards on the viewer.

The superstructure of an enormous ship came into full view on the monitor.

“There is the new battle carrier. Its design should carry one hundred fighters. In addition, reconnaissance ships, drop ships and transports. She will have the latest in weaponry to include planet killing rods, but she will also have nuclear weapons.”

“Indeed. So much firepower and she is huge! Why do you want such a large ship, Kevin?”

“We will need nine of these as the center ships for three fleets.”

Ralph stared in astonishment at Kevin. “What? We are programmed for only three with the escort ships. You want nine of these and I assume all escort ships.”

“Yes, I do. You saw the report and video. Karen and her awesome crew destroyed the Intrepid with four nukes onboard. She vaporized her ship and did not destroy the Kammorrigan. Yes, she blasted such a hole in it that it vented its atmosphere. But if they had sealed off parts of the ship, we would have been killed. I need warships to exceed and destroy their capital ships.”

Ralph just shook his head. “The materials and costs not to mention the manpower to man those.”

“I know. That is the main reason I want all manufacturing for ships moved to this system. We bring the raw materials here; we manufacture what we need. Then we construct the ships here without undue waste of shipping. The process to manufacture those parts, if you have not noticed, creates a lot of pollution. Better to protect our system than pollute it. Meanwhile, with a better station here, we can improve the process and eliminate as much pollution as possible. We don’t need any of the planets in our system to be a dumping ground. Let’s recycle here or dump here. One of my orders for this station is to scan these planets for life forms or the possibility of life forms. I don’t want to harm anything that might be alive.”

“Wow. Kevin, I didn’t realize you were such an advocate or such a grand schemer. I see the value in what you are saying, but…well, the politics of it.”

“Fortunately, that one is your problem. The resources and time factor required to provide a space fleet is what I am sending you. Ralph, time, manufacturing, construction; it is best done here for not only the two reasons I gave but also other ones. Those reasons are in the capability request I will transmit to you.”

Ralph went to the port as the transport was approaching the battlewagon. He stared at the immensity of the superstructure. It was five times the size of the largest aircraft carrier in the US Navy’s inventory. A pure warship, just like the other escort ships would be.

“Speaking of politics, Ralph, is that why we have the Chinese Colonel onboard?”

“Yes, part of the negotiations among the nations was to give important positions to them. Colonel Chang will be this station’s commander and he will be responsible for the construction of the fleet. He will report directly to me.”

“I’ve noticed the academy structure. Will we require all the other contributing countries to send their forces through the academy?”

“Yes, everyone must go through the academies. We only made a few exceptions, such as in Col Chang’s case. That is why the Deputy Director will be Mr. Ray Osborne and the Deputy Commander will be Col Mark Adams. They will ensure Col Chang is properly supported.” Ralph smiled. “All others will go through the academies.”

Kevin asked, “Academies?”

“Yes, we are setting up different sites. All enlisted will attend the academy in Venezuela and the officers will go to Argentina. Pending their graduation scores, there will be other areas of study. Pilots will go to Mars for their pilot training. Ships will come out here to Alpha Centauri, which Colonel Adams will be in charge of. We are still working on the training sites for other disciplines to include planetary assaults, etc. Mars seems to be a good candidate, along with the various moons and the asteroid belt. Safety will be a concern, but I’m sure we will get that worked out.”

Kevin just nodded.

The transport continued to fly by the various ships in the yard under construction, ensuring the Admirals could see them.

“Oh, I almost forgot; what do you want to do with CAPT Lindsey? She isn’t enjoying her time on my staff. As you may recall, she was supposed to command a carrier before we made her your operations officer.”

Kevin nodded. “Let her finish out her time on your staff. I want her to learn more about Space Force.” Kevin made a motion to the ships. “I want her to command one of the battlewagons if not a fleet. So, we need to move her in about nine months or so and give her a Space Action Group to command. Give her a commodore position. I’m sure we will need to send out a SAG in the near future. What I don’t like is the quality of our current ships, but speed made us build lower quality ones. I’m determined these ships will be of greater quality. Especially sending our people into deep space, we need quality ships. That is why I asked you to build three ships for a SAG. I want Josephine to command them.”

Ralph nodded. “I see why you want her on my staff till then. Ok, I’ll have her start reviewing those ships and the crew manifest now.”

“Thank you.”

The shuttle had toured the shipyard and indicated they would be heading for the station. Kevin keyed an affirmative and the two Admirals returned to their seats, discussing other aspects of the new fleet and the way ahead for their next encounter with the Kammorrigans.

The moment Excalibur pulled into the docking ring; Mike O’Shea received orders to depart the ship. The orders told him not to speak to anyone but to depart at once and go on administrative leave. Now, after two weeks, he found himself at the State Department building in Washington DC, in front of three men. This definitely was an inquisition.

“Mr. O’Shea,” started one of them, “You were to negotiate a trade deal with these Kammorrigans, not unleash nuclear weapons on them.”

Mike started to respond when another man interrupted him. “Quiet. This is a board of inquiry to see if you are fit to stay in the State Department. If I had my way, you and that homicidal idiot of an admiral would be in jail.”

At which point the other man stirred nervously and cleared his throat.

The first inquisitor continued. “Yes, we hold you accountable for everything that happened out there. From the incident at the station to the issues on the Kammorrigan home world. You should have ensured that maniac didn’t ruin the negotiations and drop a holocaust on those poor people!”

This time Mike did speak, and when they tried to interrupt, he raised his voice.

“Gentlemen, you were not there nor do you seem to understand I was not in charge. For Admiral Brannigan, he is a good and just man. He did what was necessary to save our lives, including yours. The Kammorrigans were never interested in a diplomatic solution. They are conquerors and slavers. We were about to be captured and tortured so they could send a fleet here and conquer us. You must have read the reports. Turns out dropping the nuclear weapons was the best option. It bought us time to build a true defense for the planet. Our best option is to garner allies out there. But we have learned since the collapse of three major civilizations that space is now an extremely dangerous place, and we must figure out how to engage with the other life forms.”

As the first two started to speak, the third gentleman raised his voice to silence them.

“Enough. This is a waste of everyone’s time.” With a heavy sigh, he continued. “Mr. O’Shea, no one at State approves of your handling of the whole affair. If we knew what the mission was, we would have sent someone else, but we didn’t. You may not know but the President, while not happy, does approve of you and your role at Kammorriga. He is the one who, despite our objections, has decided you will assist his Special Envoy to a summit about space and the way ahead. The Special Envoy is a retired Marine, General Malcolm, former Commandant of the Marine Corps. You will depart immediately upon a new shuttle to go to Switzerland to assist him. The President believes your experience will aid the US greatly in this summit.” He glanced at the other two. “Admiral Brannigan’s fate is not up to us but the President, DoD and Congress. We have given our opinion but we don’t decide in this matter. So, off you go, and we will hope you perform better.”

Mike stood up and left the room. A person was waiting for him and led him to a car.

Three hours later, he was at Langley, where he boarded the shuttle, and an hour later, he was in Zurich. He was picked up from the airport in a State Department vehicle and driven to meet his new boss, Special Envoy Ambassador Malcolm.

Ms. Linda Powell was ecstatic. Her company, Eleanda Designs, just won its first defense contract. She was on her way to inform her team when she received a call. It was from the new Space Force Academies Deputy Commander, CAPT Paul Ramirez recently returned from the space voyage she had read about.

It was a sobering conversation, and she was now wondering how they would meet this requirement. She turned into the company garage and parked. She quickly proceeded to the design room, where her team was already assembled. She entered the room, took a deep breath and drank some water.

“Ok, we got a contract.” They all applauded and were about to celebrate.

“Wait, we already have a change to the requirement. What we said we were going to do is no longer applicable.” They all stopped their celebration and started sitting down, watching Linda closely.

“I just got off the phone with CAPT Ramirez, you know one of the EXPLORER’s officers that just returned from deep space.” She ran her eyes over her team who were listening.

“He now is Deputy Commander of the new Space Force Academies. He wants us to design and produce space suits. Not the big clumsy suits we have seen on the net. These are to be combat suits for the, let’s see, how did he put it? Oh yes, the hard vacuum of space. He is sending specifications over now, but they are to be able to operate in a planet’s atmosphere, which may be totally hostile to humans and in space. They are supposed to be sealable and unsealable and take a direct hit from grenades and high-powered energy weapons. Different style suits are to be made for regular combat troops, special operations forces and maintenance crews among others. This is going to take all of our resources, I fear. We most likely will have to subcontract out to some of our other partners.” She stopped in thought and scratched her head while the team started to speak among themselves.

“Ok, you know, we wanted this, and now we have it. Lots of money to be made here, but we need to produce high quality suits. People’s lives will be in our hands.” That sobered everyone up and started to scare some of them.

“I know, this isn’t what we thought we would be doing. But, well, you know, here we are. So, let’s see what the specs are that the Captain is sending over to us. Oh yes, he and others will be working with us, so we should be able to get our questions answered. Oh, he wants the first designs delivered in a month to ensure we are on track. So, let’s get started.”

The last ten months had been a whirlwind. Mike still felt overwhelmed by it all. Soon after arriving at the summit, he was in the middle of the whole mess. The other nations were complaining about how the US violated agreements and laws, and another two weeks for blaming them for putting the world in danger before they could discuss the real issues. He was surprised how John Malcolm handled the whole affair with calm and sympathy. Finally, they got down to discussing the details of global defense and an Earth Space Fleet. So many times, the summit almost ended in disaster. The US had to make concessions on some key items. Such as the Chinese wanted a commander in a key position, so it was decided they would command the space station at Alpha Centauri and oversee the construction of a new fleet of warships. They turned to the discussions of academies for training. The US could stay in control of training, but other nations desired the basic academies to be in their own countries, so Venezuela and Argentina secured them. Soon, they hoped that several member nations could contribute their people to the academies and new science areas. Parts of Europe and Asia would be able to support important laboratories and engineering facilities. The climate was key; the US insisted that actual manufacturing be done off world. This was reluctantly agreed upon. The crystal technology was another major issue. A new energy source safer than nuclear and less polluting than oil was discussed. Finally, all parties agreed to replace manufacturing and power plants with the technology. However, oil still had to be drilled for its value in composites. There were still several topics for discussion. After ten months, though, AMB Malcolm said it was time for them to start the next phase, so they left after turning the summit over to new special envoys.

Now, Mike found himself looking out a port window at the planet as he and Malcolm headed for the Operations Space Command in orbit about the planet. He was given two weeks of leave before the trip with orders to pack for a long voyage. He sighed as he thought about this, another space voyage, damn.

“We should be arriving at the station within the hour,” Malcolm said as he approached him.

“So, what is this about?”

“We will be meeting with the Space Fleet Commander and find out what is up.”

Mike rubbed his chin in thought.

“You know we never had time to discuss what happened at Kammorriga. I couldn’t stop ADM Brannigan from dropping the nukes, and while I won’t openly contradict him, I still disagree with the decision.”

Malcolm thought for a moment. “You believe he acted out of anger and without thinking about the consequences?”

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“I have known Kevin for a long time. I can assure you he thought about it and even put aside his anger. Yes, he was very angry when you lifted off the planet, but I can assure you he gave it a rational thought. After all, there is enough evidence to tell us what the Kammorrigans are. He bought us a lot of time. As we learned, their home world was their manufacturing plant with several research labs. By nuking it, he stopped their ability to produce more ships and weapons. Now, they have to find a new place to make into a manufacturing world. That takes a lot of time. Plus, the other life forms they have enslaved; we have given them a morale boost.”

Mike turned to him with a confused look.

“Oh yes, the news of the planet’s destruction will have traveled by now to many civilizations. Those who were harmed, destroyed and enslaved will see that they are not invulnerable and there is a new race willing to fight them. The survivors of those worlds and others that may be threatened will now have hope and perhaps be willing to work with us to utterly defeat the Kammorrigans.”

Mike thought about that while gazing out the window.

The shuttle slid into a docking ring inside the space station and was maneuvered automatically into the pressured side of the hangar deck. The hatch opened, and the two stepped out of the shuttle onto the hangar deck. A young crewman was standing there waiting for them.

“Good morning, Gentlemen, she said. “Your luggage will be transported to your office. If you follow me, I will take you there now.” She moved off smartly as they followed. They moved quickly to a set of elevators. The crewman punched in the Diplomat section and the lift began moving. She then moved to a monitor and brought up schematics of the station to show their progress so both the Ambassador and Mike could follow their progress. When the elevator came to a stop, the doors opened and she led them to their offices. “Good day, Gentlemen. The Director is being notified of your arrival, and I am sure you will meet him soon.” She closed the door and departed. The two watched her leave with blank expressions then moved further into the Diplomatic section. No one was present, but John saw a door with his name on it and motioned for Mike to follow him.

The office had a desk with chairs and a small table off to the side. Book shelves lined part of the bulkheads and view screens took up the rest. John moved behind the desk and found a keypad. He keyed a couple of buttons when a voice responded.

“May we have coffee sent up for two, please?”

“Yes, Ambassador, it will be there shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Mike peered at the empty shelves and blank view screens then moved over and took a seat.

“I guess this is home now. I wonder what my office will be? A broom closet?”

John smiled at him as he took a seat and opened and shut the drawers on the desk.

“Well, this won’t be too bad. I’ll have a look around the spaces after we meet with the Director.”

There was a knock at the door, and John said, “Enter.” A steward entered with a cart with a coffee thermos, milk, creamer, sugar, cups and spoons on it. He set them to one side and quietly left the office. Mike got up, poured the coffee, fixed it how they liked them, and handed John a cup.

“Now what?”

John shrugged his shoulders and said, “We wait.”

It wasn’t long till another knock came at the door. John said, “enter,” and a nice, professionally dressed lady stepped into the office.

“Good morning, Gentlemen, the Director is able to see you now if you wish.”

John stated, “That would be nice,” and both men followed her to the elevator. She keyed in the command deck when the doors shut. The elevator rose two levels in the station, and the doors opened. They followed her to the double set of glass doors. Over the doors, it read Director of Space Fleet. She opened the doors for them and gestured to the closed doors at the far end.

“He is expecting you; please go on in.”

She took a seat behind one of two desks and pulled up a screen.

Mike looked at John, who just shrugged and headed for the doors with Mike in tow.

After shutting the doors, they looked around the office they had just entered.

It was long, similar to a tube. A window at the far end had Earth in its view, with the two bulkheads going the length of the room slightly curved inward. A massive view screen filled up one of the curved walls and a smaller one on the other. Between the door and the desk was a table with four chairs and a computer. It was full of various items. Next to it was a cart from the galley with coffee and food items.

Between the desk and the window stood a man looking out the window at the planet.

As they approached him, he turned with a smile and came around the desk with his hand out. Mike was astonished to see Admiral Kevin Brannigan.

Kevin chuckled as he saw Mike’s expression.

“John, Mike, it is good to see both of you.” He first shook hands with the Ambassador and then with Mike. Then led them to the table and started pouring coffee for them.

“So, you are the Director.” Mike started. “I was wondering what happened to you and, of course, what is happening.” Kevin nodded and took a seat after handing them their cups.

“Yes, they appointed me as a director. But I am planning on having name changes made. This position will become Chief of Space Operations. Ralph Nabum, who is the Chief, ought to be Chief of Staff of Space Force. That should align better. But that isn’t why you are here.”

He took a drink, put the cup down, and waited.

Mike noticed they were staring at him which started to make him feel a bit apprehensive.

“Ok, what? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Good show, excellent, thank you for volunteering,” John said with a devilish smile. Mike went a bit pale and both started to laugh at him.

“Now what? What have you two cooked up?”

John leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder.

“It was decided a bit ago to send you out as Earth’s diplomatic representative.”

Mike started to get really apprehensive then.

“No, State will have my head.”

“No, they won’t” John replied. “In a real sense, you no longer work for them. Besides, the President has nominated you, and the Senate has confirmed you. You are Earth’s first ambassador to the stars. Congratulations. We are here for two reasons. First, for me as the new head of Earth’s Diplomatic Corps, led by the United States, to establish our positions here at the station. And second, for you to be briefed and sent on your way.”

Mike gaped at them with shock.

Kevin spoke. “The President was impressed with your work and advice. The members of the summit you were at also were impressed. The member states also voted for you to head out to represent us. So, part of my job has been preparing a ship and crew for you. Now, we will explain your mission to you.”

“I get a say in this, yes?” Mike asked both defiantly and timidly.

“Well, yes,” John replied. “I suppose you do. Do you really have any objections? After all, you know what we are facing better than most people. Everyone who was on EXPLORER has important jobs here to prepare us for the next encounter. You are trained and experienced in diplomacy. Also, you have practical experience.”

“Besides,” Kevin added, “you have credibility. You were there at Kammorriga when we destroyed it and saw what we could do against them. That will be of great value.”

Mike sat back and thought for a bit. Then started shaking his head. “Ok, I see the points.” He sat quietly for a moment. “Ok, I guess I am going back out.”

Both men smiled and said ok. Kevin turned to the computer and started keying in items he desired to come up on the larger viewer. As the Milky Way galaxy spun into view, Kevin started, “First and foremost, and always, Earth’s location is never to be revealed. This is the first and most significant law. Never reveal our location.” Mike nodded.

The viewer then showed a spiral with a green dot for Earth and a red dot for Kammorriga.

“This demonstrates the relative positions of our two worlds,” Kevin continued. “Now, we have some rough figures of the three great civilizations,” Kevin keyed up areas of space as he said, “This region appeared to belong to the Zumeera Empire, this one to the Odaessumada Federation, and this one to the Daemoulaoumari Republic. This information is what we have been able to glean so far from all the databases we have acquired. We still don’t know much about them.”

Mike studied it, then said, “It appears Kammorriga is on the outer edge of the Daemoulaoumari Republic, yes?”

“That is what we believe. It appears as though they were insignificant during the great civilizations. You may need this information as background, and it is already being uploaded to your ship. Now, you are to seek out a species called the Alia.”

Kevin keyed in another set of instructions, and a few planetary systems were highlighted.

“One of our recon teams on Kammorriga came across an Alian. They are a short, furry, yet highly intelligent species. They may be our best introduction to the other civilizations out there.” Kevin pointed to the highlighted systems. “We believe they may be found here. Go out there and find out. If you find them, see if we can start a coalition of races to take on the Kammorrigans.” Kevin paused. Mike just turned his head toward him and back at the screen.

“Mike, we have sent Paul Connington with a Strike Group to take out the unknown threat from the first space station we encountered. Soon, we will launch an anti-piracy group to eliminate the pirates threatening Plymouth, the mining planet we discovered. We hope to launch a Space Action Group shortly. Both the SAG and the anti-piracy will seek out a world for refugees.” Mike focused in on him.

“Part of your negotiations will see if there are any refugees willing to join us in a coalition, and we would offer this system for them to hide, train, and share technologies and techniques for us to destroy the Kammorrigans. Perhaps, they would have a system they can offer, closer to their own worlds, that would be better. But even if they don’t want to; you must pull together a coalition with as many civilizations as possible. We are building a fleet to lead such a coalition. You will see it as you go to your ship.”

Kevin continued, “Also, we are supplying you with a new communications system. It is a hyperspace drone that carries messages, data, star maps, etc. Your ship will have a few onboard. Now, with this information, we have some preprogrammed locations for your ship to meet up with the Sabachi. She is an intelligence ship already underway. She is in deep cover, spying on the Kammorrigans. You will link up with her, download all of her information, and send it to us via one of these drones. This is a top priority. Her mission is to discover key strategic points of the Kammorrigans so we can plan our campaign. Also, she will give you critical information for creating a coalition. Don’t share everything, but you should have valuable information that, in your judgement, you can share to get a coalition formed.

Mike sat there, taking it all in.

“Now, you will be the Mission Commander and the Ambassador. Your ship is designated,” Kevin smiled and shook his head, “the USS Diplomat.”

Mike turned to him, and Kevin again shook his head.

“Don’t worry, it will have the latest weapons and shields. Her hyperdrive will take you possibly farther than you may know. But its primary mission is diplomacy. Use her weapons if needed. Colonel Jennifer Nelson is her commanding officer. You command her, and she commands the ship. You and she have orders. Enforce your authority as the Mission Commander but leave the running of the ship to her. Got it?”

Mike affirmed the positions.

“Chief Petty Officer Seymour will be a part of your personal staff. He was the team leader who came across the Alian on Kammorriga. He is to take your orders. Now, he is a SEAL, so listen to him. He has practical experience you will find useful. You will have a couple of reconnaissance teams onboard for your command. Chief Seymour will know how to use them. You will have two aides and a linguist to assist you.”

Kevin paused and looked at them.

“Any questions?”

Mike thought for a moment, then shook his head. He was still assimilating what he’d been told.

“Ok, no worries. All this information is in your packet, waiting for you on your shuttle.” Mike lifted his head and gazed at Kevin.

“Your luggage is already on the shuttle.”

Both Kevin and John stood up as Kevin keyed for an escort to come in. Mike slowly got up. Looked around the room. This was fast, and he was glad he had the leave to handle his affairs.

Kevin extended his hand, and Mike took it.

“Ok, well, success and all the best to you.”

Mike said, “Thank you,” as the escort knocked and entered. With a nod from Kevin, he took Mike by the arm briefly to start him mov-ing. The door closed quietly behind them.

John watched as they left, then started to leave.

“Just a moment, please.” John stopped and turned toward Kevin.

“On a different note, why am I policing the system, and why is that other station in orbit if it is their job to police the system?”

John sighed. He knew this would be a thorn in Kevin’s side and hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with it so soon.

“Simply put. They are the police in the system to stop piracy from Earth, but they lack the resources. You have the ships, crews, and the sensors to do the job. So, for the meantime, you have to provide those resources.”

Kevin started when John interjected. “No, no use saying anything at this time, Kevin. You have to cooperate with them. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to share the resources. And I already understand your arguments. But this is the area in which you must bend, especially if you want your fleet.”

Kevin stood there staring at his old friend while that sunk in. He turned away with a growl in his throat and headed to the window. John joined him and they both stared out the window. Then he left Kevin to his thoughts.

Two months after Mike O’Shea left on his mission, Lieutenant Colonel Clark stepped out of the elevators and looked about the hallway. His eyes rested on the glass doors to his right and the title above them: Director of Space Fleet. He turned, walked to the doors, and entered. He approached one of the two secretaries, identified himself, and was informed that the Director would see him shortly and to take a seat. As he sat down, she told the Director that he was here.

As he sat there, he pondered this part of his career. His first space mission was the FAST Platoon leader protecting VADM Brannigan. Those final hours on Kammorriga, seeing the Admiral’s Aide killed and his own sergeant carrying the dead woman, still haunted him. That was not how he saw things going. He had been transferred to the Space Force as one of the first Marines in the new Space Force Galactic Marine Corps. Still, he held the same Marine Corps thinking of always faithful. And now he was heading back into space. He looked around the office and watched briefly the quiet efficiency of the two secretaries while waiting. Why would the Director want to see him?

He scanned the room again and noticed one of the ladies staring at him. When she saw he was returning her gaze, she said, “You may go in now.” He got up and gave his thanks, went to the door, and knocked, and, after a brief moment, entered the office.

He was surprised to see Admiral Brannigan, now a four-star, come out from around the desk and head toward him with a gentle smile.

“It is good to see you again, my friend. Congratulations on the promotion.” As they shook hands the Admiral led him to the table with chairs and poured him a cup of coffee.

“I am glad to see you were promoted and selected for this mission,” the Admiral said as he sat down.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“I will be brief since you have an actual mission briefing to get to. After all you did for me and my staff on our last mission, I just wanted to see you again.”

LtCol Clark nodded.

“So, you will be the Commander of a Landing Force on a Space Action Group or SAG. The Commander of the Action Task Force, formally Amphibious Task Force, is Colonel Doug Kirby, he is the Commodore. SAG LIBERATOR’s mission is anti-piracy. Primarily, that is. Secondarily, you will be seeking a system to house refugees. But you are to destroy the pirates that threaten Plymouth on system 237 Prime, the mining planet we found. You won’t have the MEU numbers that we did, but you will have the capabilities to get the job done.”

Kevin looked around the room, then continued, “man, it is good to see you again.”

They chatted a bit longer about the people who were part of EXPLORER and where they were now. After fifteen minutes, a chime sounded, and Kevin stood up with Clark following. They shook hands, and the Marine left while Kevin watched him go.

Then, he turned back toward his desk and thought how Earth was fortunate to have men and women like Clark. It was a dangerous mission, but he needed those pirates gone, and between Kirby, Clark, and the three-ship SAG, they should get the job done.

CHAPTER 2

Colonel Jones was in his command center when the hyperspace well opened and the alert klaxons sounded. he ordered them silenced while his defense force readied itself. Out of the well came five ships that were already transmitting their IFF, Identify friend or foe, signal. he sighed in relief when it showed SESG RETRIBUTION from earth was entering their system.

He ordered a hail to the command ship.

“Mining Station Plymouth, this is SESG RETRIBUTION, requesting permission to orbit”

With a nod of his head, his communication officer sent the affirmative.

“Comms, send to the Commander of the Strike Group an invitation for him, his commanders and staff to join us for dinner here at the station. Also, inform the galley of our guests.”

“Yes Sir.”

SESG EXPLORER discovered 237 Prime during its mission to Kammorriga. The planet was inhabited by pirates which the EXPLORER Marines destroyed. When Earth received the planet’s location with the valuable energy crystal deposits, they sent another expedition to the planet. The pirates had returned and after a short battle, Earth claimed the planet and established Plymouth Station. However, the colony has remained under a constant threat from pirates.

When the Earth forces arrived at 237 Prime, they found an inhospitable planet with pockets of surface water and vegetation. They soon discovered the majority of the water was underground. The main value of the planet was and remains the various energy crystals and rare earth minerals, among others, included platinum and gold.

Plymouth Station was established as a mining, research and processing center for the energy crystals. A Central Command Dome was constructed with tunnels spreading out connecting other domes; including crew quarters, a large galley, multiple research domes, hydroponics and planetary hangars for a variety of equipment and workshops. West of the settlement, the designers placed three hangars for the space and planetary fighters with crews housed nearby. They connected the hangars to the central complex with a series of tunnels.

The mine was connected to the central complex by a tunnel and airlock system enabling the miners, engineers and scientist to transit between the two facilities without environmental suits. The main cavern at the entrance of the mines was enlarged and outfitted with several machine shops and laboratories for the mining and researching of the crystals. The heavy mining equipment used in the extraction of the crystals were maintained in a nearby cavern. From the main cavern, the settlement dug a tunnel to a different cave for the processing of the crystals. The processed crystals were then conveyed to Earth for its power requirements and space fleet.

Colonel John Jones, originally an officer with the US Air Force who later transferred to the US Space Force was the first and current commander of Plymouth Station. He interned at an energy company, learning several aspects of mining and processing materials. He has a deep understanding of these areas affording him the ability to lead the various technicians, miners and scientists making up the business end of the station.

He also commands Defense Force Zeta, the planetary defense force. The US Army provided a Striker group as the ground component of the defense force. Part of their mission is to escort scientists to other parts of the planet for research but primarily to repel any ground attacks. Zeta also has atmospheric ships for transport and close air support. A squadron of space fighters make up the orbital defense force. Finally, he has five combat ships in orbit around 237 Prime. ADM Brannigan has promised him newer and better ships, but they haven’t arrived yet. Col Jones understands the Admiral has to update all the Earth Defense forces around Earth and Alpha Centauri, so he doesn’t expect the new combat ships anytime soon.

Plymouth Station is the point of entry and departure to Earth. Col Jones has four missions: mine, research and develop a processing station for the energy crystal, defend the planet and station and finally, be the border control point for Earth.

LtGen Connington’s shuttle slid into its berthing spot within a hangar. They waited as the hangar closed and sealed, equalizing the pressure. After a short period, the shuttle doors opened and the General with two staff officers and his five commanding officers stepped out onto the hangar deck. Col Jones greeted and led them to the main galley for dinner. Dinner was made up primarily of fruits and vegetables with small amounts of chicken. The beverages included wine and water.

“Thank you for the dinner, Col.” Paul Connington stated.

“Glad to host you, Sir. The hydroponics domes can produce sufficient amounts of good-quality vegetables and fruits. We plan to deploy a few other farm domes to house animals with a processing center for meat, but that is probably a year or so out. We still rely on supply ships from Earth for other items. Glad they see fit to include alcoholic beverages for us.” Col Jones smiled as he stood up and lifted his glass. “A toast.” Everyone made sure they had wine in their glasses.

“From us at Plymouth Station, we wish you a successful mission. May you have victory without losses.” They all took a drink and Col Jones sat back down.

General Connington glanced around the table and finally back at Col Jones. “How is the defense force working out? How is the fight against the pirates going? Do you require assistance since we are here?”

The Colonel thought for a moment.

“They are still coming. Our combat ships and fighters are doing a good job of preventing them from landing. Although three attacks ago, they came with sufficient forces to enable a landing. Thankfully, we had the strikers here and adapted to this planet’s atmosphere to fight them off. Since then, their attacks haven’t been that frequent.”

After further moment of thought, he said, “Thank you General for the offer but I think you ought to conserve your combat power for your mission. I know you are going to Station Zeta Prime, as it has been designated now, to reinforce your victory over them during the EXPLORER mission. That might be a fight. Besides, you may need everything you have to complete your primary mission.”

“You seem well informed about our mission.” The General said, sounding slightly annoyed.

“Yes Sir. While it is classified, Admiral Brannigan wants me informed about the departures from Earth and any known arrivals. Since I am the entry point to Earth, he wants me ready.”

General Connington thought for a moment, then sighed, “I see. Well, in the end it makes sense.”

Colonel Jones continued, “Besides, soon after you depart, perhaps in a few months, the Space Action Group LIBERATOR will be arriving. Their mission will be anti-piracy. It will consist of three combat ships with transports and a Space Force Marine rifle company. LtCol Clark, whom I believe you know as Major Clark from EXPLORER, is the Marine in charge. Colonel Doug Kirby is the overall mission commander.”

General Connington nodded. He knew both men quite well. He remembered hearing something along this line when he was at Space Force plans reviewing his own mission.

“Very well. We will be making a jump in a couple of days. I want to use 237 Prime for some drills before we depart.”

Colonel Jones nodded, “By all means. Just let my Operations Center know your schedule and any needs you may have.” He smiled, “Using my combat ships and strikers as a red force wouldn’t be a bad idea. I would like them to have additional training here, and they might surprise your group with a few tricks.”

Paul looked over at his staff officers and commanders. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.” He turned to his Operations Officer, “Make that happen. Get with the Commander’s Operations Center to schedule a few events.”

“Yes Sir.”

The rest of the evening’s discussion turned to other topics. One of them was the USS Diplomat carrying Ambassador O’Shea. Colonel Jones was expecting the ship in about four months as she began her mission to build a coalition. General Connington was both surprised and pleased to hear Mike O’Shea was being made an ambassador and heading out to build a coalition. He thought how this could help Earth and wondered how he could be involved with the coalition. What might his Strike Group mean in this regard?

The evening ended pleasantly enough with the station’s Commander escorting them back to the hangar. Their shuttle lifted off easily, and they returned to the command ship. From there the other commanders would depart for their own ships. Paul was happy with the station, Col Jones, and the news he received. His thoughts turned back to the days ahead and the drills they would undergo. After three days of drills between the Strike Group and the station, Colonel Jones sat in his chair in the Command Dome, watching the status boards and screens.

“SESG RETRIBUTION is signaling they are ready for departure and will be opening the well in one minute, Sir.” The Communication Officer reported.

“Very Well, the Colonel responded. “Please send them my regards and hopes for success in their mission.”

“Yes Sir.” The officer said and relayed the message.

The screen displaying the fleet showed the well opening, and SESG RETRIBUTION and LtGen Connington slipped through on their way to complete their tasks.

The Colonel sat back in his chair.

Four months later, Colonel Jones was in the cave that housed the crystal refining laboratory.

“Well, Doctor, how long before we can process these crystals?”

The Dr., the lead researcher, shook his head in thought.

“Colonel, we have discovered not only the crystals that are clear in color, but also other crystals with different colors which seem to have different yet similar properties. We also have found that cutting the primary clear crystals into different sizes and shapes affects their energy outputs. As such, we are not ready to process them through a production plant.”

The Colonel drew his lips up tight indicating a level of frustration.

“Ok, I get that, but we ought to be able to produce the clear crystals now. Earth can do that but the commanders and lead politicians want production here.”

“Yes, yes,” The Doctor responded, showing his own level of annoyance. “But it is more important to understand each type and fraction of the crystals before we start producing. IF we don’t do this,” the Doctor raising his voice as he saw the Colonel start to answer, “WE will be wasting resources!” He finished with a defiant tone and a hard look in his eyes.

The Colonel stared at him, about to respond, when his communication radio sounded. He picked it up and saw it was the Command Dome.

“Go ahead,” he spoke into it.

“Sir, a ship just came through the hyper-well and identifies itself as the USS Diplomat.”

“Good, have them make orbit and send an invite to the Ambassador and Captain of the ship. Colonel Jones out.” He flipped the switch to off before waiting for an acknowledgment and turned back to the Doctor.

“All right. Meet me in my office tomorrow at 1000. Come with a plan to start production within one month, Doctor.” As the Doctor was about to object, the Colonel raised his hand to silence him. “We will begin production with the primary crystals. We cannot wait for more research, though I expect that to continue. This isn’t a pet project of yours. We are talking about the defense of all humanity. Now, get to work on that plan, Doctor.” He quickly turned toward the exit and left the cave to greet his visitors. Yes, I will send a message to Command to get a replacement for the Doctor, he thought. He is too much trouble, wasting time and resources.

As Col Jones headed to the hangar, he noticed the stranger with an escort approaching him. He stopped and waited. The young man approached and saluted him, saying, “Col Jones, Sir, may I present Ambassador O’Shea.” The Colonel returned the salute and acknowledged Ambassador O’Shea. He then dismissed the escort.

“Welcome to Plymouth Station, Ambassador. Is there anyone else?”

Mike looked the Colonel over. He was a tall, slender man. “Thank you. It is only myself,” he said as he shook the man’s hand. Yes, a strong man.

“If you would follow me, Sir.” The Colonel turned, and the two traveled down the tunnel, made several more turns, and came to the Command Dome. The Colonel then led Mike to his personal office. With a touch of the keypad, the doors slid open, and they entered. The office was round with a door to their right. Mike noticed the desk was simple and transparent, with a monitor and computer. He also noticed two other view screens on the walls. One of them displaying a tactical display of the planet’s orbit. There was a short cabinet behind the desk and a bookshelf against another wall.

“Please sit, Ambassador. Would you like some lunch or a drink?”

“A drink would be nice, thank you.”

The Colonel went over and poured a couple of glasses of brandy and offered one to the Ambassador.

“I’m surprised Colonel Nelson didn’t join you, Ambassador.”

“Mmm, she is an interesting person. She didn’t want to stop here at all. Claimed we needed to make the next jump and be on our way. I know she is new to this and doesn’t realize how long each leg will be before we get anywhere. But she seems quite competent other than the impatience.”

John thought for a few moments.

“I’ve known Jennifer for several years now. She was Air Force like I was before joining Space Force. She decided to spend time on a Navy cruiser to get a feel for ships.” He took a drink while thinking about what to say next. Mike knew he was debating saying something, so he took a drink and asked, “What is it, Colonel? She seems cold and yet efficient.”

John smiled.

“Actually, she is a very passionate woman, Sir. She is very proficient and cares deeply for her ship and crew. Don’t worry about that. But to command a diplomatic mission or, rather, a diplomatic ship is not what she was seeking. She desires a combat mission. She will do well but wants this assignment over quickly.”

“Oh,” Mike said, “then she won’t understand that we could be at this for a few years. This type of mission requires a level of patience and can’t be rushed. Yes, we are in a time crunch. Who knows when the Kammorrigans will find us? And yes, we believe they will eventually. So, we have to take the fight to them. Mine is one of the key missions and needs to be done right.”

John nodded. “You are right, Sir. She will avoid you at first. Give her some time to get comfortable. Then you will need to impress upon her the importance and to follow your lead. In the end, she will.”

Mike smiled his appreciation and took another drink.

The Colonel looked hurriedly at one of the viewscreens. It had begun to blink to get his attention. As Mike turned to see what caught the Colonel’s eye, he noticed John was keying his communications.

“Command Room, what is happening?”

“Sir, the Diplomat is signaling they are ready whenever the Ambassador is.”

Mike stood up. “Well, you have your own duties and we should get on our way. Thank you for the drink, Colonel.”

“Before you go, Ambassador. I have a disk for you from Admiral Brannigan. I don’t know why you didn’t receive the briefing on Earth, but here it is.” The Colonel handed him the disk. “You should know a stealth ship is already in deep space. They departed almost a year ago. They were heading for Kammorriga space. The XO of the Nautilus is commanding her. She is the USS Sabachi on deep reconnaissance. She has contact info for your ship and you have several key locations to meet up with her. She may have the information you require for a successful mission.”

Mike thought for a moment and pocketed the disk. “Thank you, Colonel, I appreciate it.”

The Colonel finished his drink and took Ambassador O’Shea to the hangar.

Approximately two months after the Diplomat left his space, Colonel Jones was in his office with the desk monitor displaying various statuses of the station and mining operations. He was expecting the replacement doctor for crystal production any day now. One wall screen displayed the orbital tactical situation with ships’ status reports. The other wall monitor was linked to the scanning monitor in the Command Dome displaying the system. His desk monitor had various symbols in the upper right corner, when one began to blink. He keyed his communication button.

“Yes, Command Room, what is it?”

“Sir, a group of ships just came out of hyper space. We are hailing them now.”

“Prepare to put the station on alert and bring the ships about.”

“Yes Sir……Sir, we just received a communiqué from them. They are SAG LIBERATOR.”

“Ah, good. Have them establish an orbit. I want to see both Col Kirby and LtCol Clark before they start their mission.” After the Communications Technician acknowledged his order, he switched it off and sat back in his chair, feeling relief flow through his mind. The last year had been intense with all the pirate activity in the region.

His door chime sounded; he pressed a button on his desk to open the door. Two officers stepped through. Colonel Jones adjusted the live feed viewscreen, and the three ships of SAG LIBERATOR came into focus. He gazed at the two men, taking stock of them. Finally, he motioned for them to take a seat. They each took a chair and sat down.

Colonel Jones then punched up information on his desk monitor regarding the two men.

“Colonel Doug Kirby, I see you are a Space Force serviceman your entire career. For a year you were assigned to the Navy with a Surface Action Group and an Amphibious Readiness Group to prepare for this mission. Mmm, good. Then I expect you will know how to command the three ships in pursuit of these pirates.”

He glanced over at LtCol Clark and keyed a few items.

“Ah, now I recognize you. You were in charge of the Fleet Anti-Terrorism and Security Team with Admiral Brannigan’s expedition. Now you are the second in command and in charge of the Marines taking down the pirate stations. Good.”

Colonel Kirby started to speak when Colonel Jones held up a hand while keying in a few items. He then indicated for them to watch one of his viewers. The image of Admiral Brannigan came up.

“Colonel Jones,” the image began, “you will maintain your current complement of defense ships. I cannot replace them, but you can look forward to additional combat ships to defend 237 Prime. Further, I’m sending you a three-ship fleet with Marines onboard. This is a Space Action Group. Colonel Kirby will be the commander of the SAG. He falls under your command. Make no mistake. His mission is to destroy the pirates in the sector under your authority. That is the authority you will gain when you destroy the pirates. The SAG under Colonel Kirby is your Strike Group. Ensure you can recall them if necessary to augment your defense force. I suggest you ensure the system you are in is clear of all pirate activities and listening posts or stations. Secure your system then send the SAG to clean out the pirate strongholds. Oh, by the way, you’re being promoted to Brigadier General. You now have general court-martial authority, along with all policing and judicial authority over your sector. The Senate has already approved your promotion, Brigadier Jones. Brannigan out.”

Colonel Kirby sat there a bit dumbfounded. He had believed he would be free to command without any oversight. Now, he discovered he had been assigned to Plymouth Station and was not free to do as he pleased.

Brigadier General Jones stared coldly at him. “Colonel, as my strike force, I want to ensure you have total communications and station protocols between your three ships and my operational command. We will run a few drills over the next few days, then, I want you to proceed with clearing this system of all pirates. As intelligence comes in, you may proceed to the pirate strongholds for elimination. Understood?”

“Yes Sir. We will get on it right away.”

LtCol Clark sat watching. He noticed how Colonel Kirby had strutted into the station and office but now seemed downcast. BGen Jones turned his gaze toward him.

“How many Marines do you have?”

“Two reinforced rifle companies, including a squad of Recon Marines and a squad of support Marines. They are spread out across all three ships with myself and the command group on the lead ship with Colonel Kirby.”

“Good. Ok, I’ll let you two get started with linking to my Operations Center. Good day, Gentlemen.”

“Good day,” they both responded as they stood up and departed the office.

John sat back in his chair, satisfied. Command had told him about Doug Kirby. He was an excellent officer and a good tactician but a bit on the arrogant side. This humbled him but didn’t break him. He knew he would have to watch him and ensure he received timely communications from them. But he also knew this team would break up the pirate activities. Earth and Plymouth needed the pirates destroyed and a smooth and constant flow of the crystals back to Earth. He sighed heavily. Damn, now he had to get production going and get the engineers and scientists to figure out those new colored crystals. He rubbed his eyes, then keyed his system to review the reports.

CHAPTER 3

Lt Gen Connington sat in his office reading reports concerning his Strike Group when the door chime sounded. he keyed a few buttons, and on his screen, he could see Brigadier General John Roberts, the MEU Commander from SESG EXPLORER, now his Deputy Commander, outside his door. he keyed for the door to open.

“Come in, John.”

John entered the room. He still had to duck to enter rooms, since the designers hadn’t enlarged them. Paul got up and fixed them both some coffee as John sat down at the desk. Paul took his seat, keyed in few items on the computer, and the information was displayed on a monitor.

“Well, Sir, I’ve looked over the fleet reports and have spoken with the ships’ commanders and the different functional leads.”

Paul nodded.

“Our flagship is in full readiness. The Hood can do all her mission sets without any problems. CAPT Murphy has her in tip-top shape. His job on the Excalibur paid off. I’m glad he is here with us like he was at Kammorriga.” LtGen Connington nodded. He thought how good it was to have CAPT Murphy, who had commanded the ship Excalibur, and Col Williams, who commanded the second command ship and Marine transport, the Chesty, from the EXPLORER mission. Experience counts out here.

“What about the Levant and Colonel Johnathon Williams?”

John stared at his palm device for a while, sighed heavily. “Well, I’m concerned about Colonel Williams. This is our main ground force, but he behaves as if he is only a transport commander. When we were out with EXPLORER, he was solemn during the entire mission.” Paul watched him.