Courage, Commitment, Faith: Tales from the Coalition Defense Force, Vol. 1, page 1
Courage, Commitment, Faith
Tales from the Coalition Defense Force, Vol 1
Daniel Gibbs
Gary T. Stevens
Steve Rzasa
Joel Steudler
Contents
Starchart - Sagittarius/Orion Arms
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A Test of Courage
A Test of Courage
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Oppositional Stars
Oppositional Stars
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The Unwanted
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
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Memorial
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Epilogue
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Author’s Note
Never Out of the Fight
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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Acknowledgments
Courage, Commitment, Faith: Tales of the Coalition Defense Force, Vol 1. by Daniel Gibbs
Copyright © 2022-2023 by Daniel Gibbs
Visit Daniel Gibb’s website at
www.danielgibbsauthor.com
Cover by Jeff Brown Graphics—www.jeffbrowngraphics.com
Additional Illustrations by Joel Steudler—www.joelsteudler.com
This book is a work of fiction, the characters, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. For permissions please contact info@eotp.net.
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Also Available from Daniel Gibbs
Battlegroup Z
Book 1 - Weapons Free
Book 2 - Hostile Spike
Book 3 - Sol Strike
Book 4 - Bandits Engaged
Book 5 - Iron Hand
Book 6 - Final Flight
Echoes of War
Book 1 - Fight the Good Fight
Book 2 - Strong and Courageous
Book 3 - So Fight I
Book 4 - Gates of Hell
Book 5 - Keep the Faith
Book 6 - Run the Gauntlet
Book 7 - Finish the Fight
The Lost Warship
Book 1 - Adrift
Book 2 - Mercy
Book 3 - Valor
Book 4 - Justice (Coming in 2023)
Book 5 - Resolve (Coming in 2023)
Book 6 - Faith (Coming in 2023)
Breach of Faith
(With Gary T. Stevens)
Book 1 - Breach of Peace
Book 2 - Breach of Faith
Book 3 - Breach of Duty
Book 4 - Breach of Trust
Book 5 - Spacer’s Luck
Book 6 - Fortune’s Favor
Book 7 - The Iron Dice
Deception Fleet
(With Steve Rzasa)
Book 1 - Victory’s Wake
Book 2 - Cold Conflict
Book 3 - Hazards Near
Book 4 - Liberty’s Price
Book 5 - Ecliptic Flight
Book 6 - Collision Vector
Courage, Commitment, Faith: Tales from the Coalition Defense Force
(Anthology Series)
Volume One
A Test of Courage
By Daniel Gibbs
A Test of Courage
by Daniel Gibbs
CDF Combat Patrol
Mining District Eight, Sacavem
21 July 2453
Shouts, screams, and the roar of gunfire echoed in Kenneth Lowe’s ears as he stared at the malfunctioning computer screen in front of him. The system allowed for direct communication, long-range-fire targeting, and, in theory, kept all friendly forces connected in real time. But in practice, it failed often, which was the reason for Kenneth’s presence—to figure out why.
All around him, the chaotic cacophony of combat played out as Terran Coalition Marines engaged insurgents backing the League of Sol. Sacavem, a border world barely considered habitable for humans, held an important asset—lithium. The rare metal was part of the backbone of the Coalition’s industrial complex, used in everything from batteries to fusion reactor control systems to weapons. And so a parched, arid planet with only one hypersaline sea became the focus of a long and protracted low-intensity conflict.
One scream was louder than the others Kenneth had heard over the past few minutes since their convoy of armored personnel skimmers had been boxed in during a patrol through a small village.
“Mitchum took a round!” Gunnery Sergeant Harrison Cooper yelled at the top of his lungs before he pulled the gunner out of the top turret.
Another Marine knelt next to the wounded man and began first aid.
Cooper grabbed Kenneth’s shoulder and spun him around. “Where the hell’s my fire support, Lowe?”
“Working on it, Gunny.”
“Faster, Lowe, or you’ll get to see if you can shoot a Leaguer without shitting yourself!”
Kenneth bent back over the machine, methodically working through why it wasn’t functioning. Everything looked normal, but no communication left the satellite uplink. That wouldn’t usually matter because virtually all Coalition planets were intermeshed with giant military and civilian networks. Sacavem, however, had no infrastructure outside of the two main cities. It made each vehicle, fighter, and base an island on its own.
As he glanced down nervously, Kenneth was relieved he hadn’t wet himself. Considering it was his first time in combat, it was a genuine concern. Why did I sign up for this again?
Lowe Residence
New Virginia
14 April 2453
Two Months Prior
It was a happy day. Kenneth had spent most of it viewing several rental homes on the outskirts of Pearisburg. While it was perhaps more in his budget to get a small apartment in the city and take advantage of the public transit options running to and from Joint Base Monsoor, he wanted a yard—mostly because Nora loved to play outside. She was the daughter of his fiancée, Isabelle Morales. While Nora wasn’t his biological child, they were inseparable. At least when six hundred light-years of the void didn’t separate them.
As the minutes ticked down to his weekly vidlink chat with Isabelle, Kenneth could barely contain himself. He got a glass of water before settling his tall, 2.2-meter frame into a chair that was much too small for him. At 2000 precisely, Kenneth hit the connect button.
Moments later, Isabelle’s face came into focus on the tablet. Dark circles underlined her eyes. “Hi.”
“Hey.” Kenneth touched the screen. “It’s been a long week.”
She let out a bitter snort. “Yes, it has.”
“Well, I’ve got some good news.”
“What’s that?”
“I found us a house—three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a big family room, and a yard where Nora can play. I even checked the schools, and they score above average.” He grinned. “And… I made it past my probationary period at LMS.”
Isabelle nodded absentmindedly. “I’m glad for you.”
“It’s not for me… it’s for us. I promised you I’d put it all together, Belle. And I have.”
She stared off into space, seemingly not paying attention to the screen.
“What’s going on, Belle?”
“I won’t be coming back to New Virginia.”
Kenneth stared at the screen, processing what she’d said. What? Not coming back? But… It took him several seconds to fully digest. “Belle, what about us?”
“Look, with my mother’s condition… I don’t have time for anyone or anything else. You should keep doing these things for yourself, Ken.”
“But…” Kenneth’s voice trailed off. A horrible feeling went through his body as he contemplated her words. “Are you… are you saying we’re done?”
“Yes.”
“Belle, don’t.” Tears streamed down his face. “Please. I love you more than anything. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. Just
“We’re different people now,” she replied, her voice cold and monotone. “I’ve outgrown you.”
Kenneth’s brain seized up. He wasn’t sure what to do or even say. “What about Nora? Can I at least say goodbye?”
Isabelle shook her head. “No. It’s better for her to never speak to you again. This is hard enough already.”
“Belle, she calls me Daddy! I’m the only father she’s ever known. Please! I should at least get to say goodbye, even if it’s over vidlink.” As he spoke, pain intermeshed with anger. This is how she repays me after two years of caring for them?
“No.” Isabelle sighed. “I should go.”
“Wait. What will you do now?”
“When my mother passes, we’ll move to Stacy’s house.”
Kenneth nearly lost it. His first thought was to throw the tablet into the wall. Stacy was at the top of his list of people he hated most in the universe. The wife of a stealth raider officer, she and Belle had been friends for a decade.
“The last time you came back from visiting Stacy, Nora had a bruise on her behind from the beating that woman dished out. How could you possibly think of doing that to Nora? That woman beds every soldier she can while her husband’s off defending our country on gold crew in a stealth raider. She’s a disgrace.”
“She promised me it’ll never happen again. Besides, Kenneth, it’s no longer your concern.”
“Bullshit! She’s my daughter.”
“No, she isn’t,” Isabelle replied quietly. “And this conversation is over. I’ll give you an address to pack up and send the boxes I packed before I left. Keep the rest.”
“Belle—”
The vidlink clicked off, and the screen turned a deep black.
Kenneth gave in to his extreme anger and threw the device across the room. It bounced off the wall, leaving a significant dent before falling to the ground. For a few moments, he could sustain the rage, but it quickly faded. In its place came sadness the likes of which Kenneth had never experienced. Competing thoughts ran through his head. One was to take the first transport to Brazilia, and to hell with everything else in life. But the more he considered that option, the harder the realization that their relationship had been over for months slapped Kenneth in the face.
Belle didn’t have time to talk to me but once a week since she got to her mother’s. That’s all I need to know. Then, Kenneth tried to process that he would never see Nora again. Memories of them doing homework, playing the latest holographic game, and her calling him Dad for the first time flooded his mind. Briefly, the thought of retrieving his pistol from the bedroom and ending it all came to mind.
No, that would make too many people happy, starting with Isabelle. The realization that he had to get up in the morning, go to work in a software lab, and write test scripts while putting on a happy face made him sick to his stomach.
Kenneth ended up crawling into bed and crying into his pillow for hours. He might’ve fallen asleep at some point, though he wasn’t entirely sure by morning. Like an automaton, he forced himself to shower, put on clean clothes, and get to the helicar pad for a ride into work.
The Lifecycle Management Solutions office was sterile, with little in the way of character beyond some propaganda posters promoting the company’s twenty-five-year existence. Kenneth walked back to the small area where he worked and signed in to his workstation. No one from his team had arrived yet, only a few former Terran Coalition Marines in the training suite next door.
“Yeah, I just got back yesterday,” one of them said in a voice that carried through the thin walls.
“Sacavem, right?”
“Yup. I can still smell the desert sand.”
Several men snickered before another Marine chimed in. “Why’d you go to that shithole, anyway? It’s nothing but dirt, Leaguers, and those miserable locals that got brainwashed into fighting for communism.”
“For one, my old lady likes credits, and this job doesn’t exactly keep up with her desire. Sacavem qualifies for combat pay, which is pretty sweet for contractors—four times the base rate.”
“Would’ve been nice to get that when I was being shot at by Leaguers for real.”
Another round of laughter swept through the group.
“Yeah, well, it’s nice in another way. You can really clear your head over there. No bullshit comms traffic, limited paperwork… just doing the job. Hey, if you need money, I recommend it.”
“What if you’ve got a crazy spouse that fights with you all day?”
“Then I’d really recommend it.”
While the Marines continued their ribald conversation, Kenneth found himself deep in thought. Clearing my head sounds nice about now. More than that, being a part of something bigger than himself would be welcome. He’d been drafted, like most other Terrans, but because of his height and high CVAB scores, he’d found himself slotted into comms and had never served on the front. I could do something useful and maybe, just maybe, try to forget about Isabelle and Nora.
Kenneth stood and smoothed his shirt. Well, this will either be one of my better decisions in life, or it’ll be a complete disaster. Let’s find out which. He put one foot in front of the other and set off for the program manager’s office.
CDF Personnel Transport
Low Sacavem Orbit
2 May 2453
The Terran Coalition had a multitude of different transport shuttle types, with various models dedicated to personnel, cargo, munition, and medical evacuation. The L-103-S was the current premier personnel carrier, with room for over three hundred souls in its fuselage.
Kenneth’s particular flight was less than ten percent full, and he was up front next to a CDF senior chief who had clearly done the run before.
The older man glanced at him. “You’re too young to not have served.”
“Uh, no, I was drafted. Like everyone else.” Kenneth forced a smile.
“You didn’t volunteer?”
The words were less of a question and more of an accusation. It was one he’d heard a few times before. “Well, I went down to the recruiting office when I was seventeen and took the CVABs. But I couldn’t get the military occupational specialty I wanted.”
“Which was?”
“Stealth raider, armor corps, or fast-mover pilot.”
The man cracked up. “You want to drive a tank? With your height? Every one of those postings has a length limit.”
Kenneth nodded. “You see my problem. I ended up in comms.”
“Could’ve volunteered for the Marines.”
“Yeah, but I’d have been the first guy killed.”
“Right about that, son. The name’s Harrison.” He extended his hand.
Kenneth took it and shook firmly. “Lowe. Kenneth Lowe.”
“What in God’s name are you doing headed to Sacavem, then?”
“Well, just because I didn’t serve in the infantry doesn’t mean I can’t do my part.”
“You volunteered for this hellhole?”
“Yeah.” Kenneth shrugged. “Why’s everyone so down on this planet, anyway? It’s a member of the Coalition and one of the worlds the Leaguers took from us in the war’s opening days.”
“Oh, good, you read the brochure.” Harrison shook his head. “Listen, kid. The inhabitants down there, a lot of them bought whatever those commie bastards were selling. Maybe they were brainwashed. Maybe they thought it was a good idea. I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care. But we take a lot of body bags up. You understand?”
