Battleship of War: A Military Sci-Fi Adventure (Descendants of War Book 2), page 1
Battleship of War
Descendants of War: Book Two
G J Ogden
Contents
Chapter 1
Voices of dissent
Chapter 2
The art of diplomacy
Chapter 3
A thorny encounter
Chapter 4
Slumming it
Chapter 5
Always bet on Black
Chapter 6
Miaow Miaow
Chapter 7
What a Rush
Chapter 8
Docking bay 99
Chapter 9
The Nutcracker
Chapter 10
The Wasp
Chapter 11
Good-looking Bukkan
Chapter 12
It’s going to be rough
Chapter 13
Mud and blood
Chapter 14
The apex predator
Chapter 15
Tomb of the unconquerable
Chapter 16
Saved by the buzz
Chapter 17
Run for the hills
Chapter 18
The battle of Lone Water
Chapter 19
Round two
Chapter 20
Flight of the Invictus
Chapter 21
Respirocyte transfusion
Chapter 22
Hatching a plan
Chapter 23
The High River heist
Chapter 24
Katee Kane’s con
Chapter 25
Dangerous driving
Chapter 26
Six on one
Chapter 27
Abyss Squadron
Chapter 28
A bunch of knuckleheads
Chapter 29
An unwelcome visitor
Chapter 30
It has begun
Continue the journey
More by G J Ogden
About the Author
Copyright © 2021 G J Ogden
All rights reserved.
Published by Ogden Media Ltd
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Laercio Messias
Editing by S L Ogden
www.ogdenmedia.net
Chapter 1
Voices of dissent
Commander Dalton Reeves ducked instinctively as a crude Molotov cocktail sailed over his head and smashed into the security fence surrounding the Sa’Nerran embassy. The liquid inside the bottle caught alight, and an intense orange fireball billowed upward. Soon the flames had spilled over the top of the eight-foot wall and began to lick at a Sa’Nerran warrior standing guard. However, the warrior simply endured the pain, its leathery face and egg-shaped, yellow eyes showing not even a flicker of discomfort.
“I bet you ten credits that was a bottle of Quarr whiskey,” said Major Kane. She was standing beside Reeves, and unlike him had not ducked. “That stuff could probably fuel a Jinx-class fighter.”
“We might need to fly a Jinx in here to disperse the crowd if this protest carries on much longer,” Reeves answered. He noticed that the left shoulder pauldron of the Sa’Nerran guard on the embassy wall was now on fire. He continued to watch the burning warrior, waiting for it to extinguish the flames, but the alien remained statuesque as the flames spread wider. “Either that, or the Sa’Nerra will march out here and do it for us,” he added, only half-joking.
“Why the hell are we stopping this protest, anyway?” Kane asked, as another Molotov sailed over the shield wall that an army of Concord Station Security Enforcers had established to hold the demonstrators back. “We could just move out and let them tear these Sa’Nerran assholes to shreds,” Kane shrugged. “Problem solved, so far as I’m concerned.”
Reeves admitted that the thought had crossed his mind. Unfortunately, in the four weeks since the Sa’Nerra had emerged from Shadow Space and annexed six colony worlds, the ambassadors of all the realms had pressed upon him the importance of keeping the peace. This had not only included Ambassador One, the sentient android which represented the Bastion Federation, but Reeves’ old commanding officer, Commodore Jana, too. The Sa’Nerra had to be kept ‘happy and compliant’ as Commodore Jana had put it to Reeves during a holo-call a week earlier, so that forces could be fully mobilized and the new frontiers established.
“The Bastion Navy isn’t ready for an all-out war with the Sa’Nerra yet,” Reeves replied to his XO. “And neither are the other five races, for that matter. As much as I’d gladly let this mob loose on these leather-faced bastards, the ceasefire must hold. And that isn’t going to happen unless we get this protest under control.”
Reeves then saw Sergeant Axia Calera running over to him from the blockade. She too was dressed in full riot-gear and was armed with a shock baton.
“Commander, my enforcers at the transit stations in Mid-Town are reporting more activists breaking through into zone four on foot,” the Quarr security chief said. As usual, Calera was straight to business. “We could have another hundred protestors to deal with in the next thirty standard minutes, unless we disperse this crowd now.”
“Then go ahead, Sergeant,” Reeves said. He’d already had enough of dodging Molotov cocktails, as well as the insults that were being hurled at him in a dozen different languages. “Deploy the riot-control gas then drive them back using batons. Make any arrests that you see fit, especially if you can find the ringleaders.”
“I’m afraid Commander Vito sold most of our riot-control equipment four years ago, sir,” Calera replied. The former Quarr-infantry soldier appeared more than a little embarrassed to admit this. “We are lucky to still have this basic riot gear.”
Reeves cursed then watched as another firebomb smashed into the embassy wall. A second followed moments later, crashing into the main gate and engulfing one of the Sa’Nerran guards in flame. A haunting, waspish cry filled the air, like a hundred furious Caracals hissing in chorus, and the warrior was dragged from the gate. Two solid thumps permeated the air and Reeves cursed again, as the gate unlocked and began to slide open.
“Sergeant, push this crowd back now,” Reeves said, sensing that matters were about to take a turn for the worse. “Use baton charges or whatever other means are necessary short of killing these folks, but get them out of here now.”
“Yes, sir,” Calera replied. Her eyes also briefly flicked over toward the gate, before she turned and ran back to the line of enforcers forming the blockade.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” said Kane. She had turned away from the protestors and was now staring at the embassy gate. Her expression was grave, as if she was standing on a beach and had just seen a tsunami approaching.
Reeves glanced behind and saw the reason for his XO’s uneasiness. Several squads of armed Sa’Nerran warriors were marching out of the gates, stepping through the flames as if they were mere illusions. The front ranks carried the traditional, serrated half-moon blades that the alien race favored, but to the rear, Reeves could see that others were carrying plasma rifles. Then through the center of the troop of warriors, another figure approached. This one Reeves recognized at once as the imposing, seven-foot frame of the Sa’Nerran military leader, the Grand Imperator.
“I think you’re right,” Reeves said, pulling his plasma pistol from its holster. “Check your energy absorption shield is fully charged. This could get ugly, fast.”
Suddenly, a roar went up from the enforcers in the shield wall, and slowly they began to march forward and drive the crowd away from the embassy. The front row of protestors fought back; some broke through the wall, only to be pummeled into submission then arrested by the waiting security forces to the rear of the line. The roar of the crowd was then matched by a thump of heavy boots coming from behind Reeves. The Sa’Nerran warriors were advancing fast, and the Imperator was leading them.
“I don’t suppose he wants to talk?” quipped Kane as the massive warrior marched closer.
“I doubt it,” sighed Reeves, reluctantly moving out to head off the alien leader.
The last time they had met, the Imperator – aided by Serena Shepard, the leader of the separatist New Earth Movement – had ambushed him and tried to kill him. Since then, Reeves had mercifully seen very little of the Imperator’s wrinkled, leathery face. However, he knew they had unfinished business, and that the alien would not wait forever to claim its second chance at revenge.
“Get back inside the embassy,” Reeves called out to the alien leader, who was power-walking straight at him. “We’ve got the situation under control, so send your warriors back inside those walls.”
“You have already lost control, descendant,” the Imperator hissed. “Now, we will deal with these vermin ourselves.”
The Imperator had chosen to use its favored nickname for Reeves, ins
“Get your wrinkled ass inside that compound now, or I’ll treat your warriors no differently to the protesters,” Reeves hit back, stabbing a finger toward the alien. “Remember that the little slice of your empire ends at those gates. Out here, I’m in charge.”
The Imperator took another long step toward Reeves, its yellow eyes burning with a hatred that had not diminished in the four weeks since their brawl in the Oasis Gardens. Kane moved just as quickly, thrusting the barrel of her plasma pistol at the warrior.
“Back off, asshole,” Kane said, placing herself between Reeves and the alien. The Imperator turned its attention to the station’s XO, fixing her with a look that was no less hateful. “Give me an excuse to blow a hole in your gut,” Kane added, taunting the warrior. “Please, do it. Just take another step forward.”
“Like your ancestor, I see you like to hide behind the strength of others,” the Imperator said to Reeves, though it was still watching Kane closely. “Your bloodline was always weak, human,” the alien leader went on, now turning its attention back to him. “I have studied your history. Lucas Sterling was a feeble-minded charlatan, who was always afraid. If it was not for his so-called Omega officers, he would have died long before committing the atrocity on my world.”
“You mean, when he nuked the entire planet from orbit, and practically wiped-out your entire rotten species?” Reeves replied, ensuring he spoke the words with a venom equal to that of the Imperator. “That doesn’t sound like the actions of a feeble man to me.”
“Sterling was nothing,” the Imperator hissed, ignoring Reeves’ retort. “And like your ancestor, you too are riddled with fear and doubt. If you were strong, you would have killed me the moment I stepped beyond the boundary of my embassy.”
“You don’t know a damned thing about me,” Reeves hit back, stepping up to the Imperator so that they were mere inches apart. “But if you keep pissing me off, I promise that you’ll find out exactly what I’m capable of.”
The Sa’Nerran leader bared its jagged teeth and reached for the serrated blade attached to its armor. Reeves clenched his fists, ready to strike first, when a firebomb erupted to their side. The burning liquid coated Reeves’ leg and splashed across the Imperator’s back, setting both of them on fire. The alien leader hissed and drew back, as two warriors ran to its aid, trying to put out the flames with their bare hands. Reeves darted away from the inferno, dragging Kane out of danger as he did so. Suddenly, a roar went up from the shield wall behind him. This time it was not the roar of his security enforcers, but a rallying cry from the protestors.
With his flame-retardant riot gear still smoldering, Reeves watched as a section of the shield wall was driven open. A group of protestors charged through, armed with improvised weapons, ranging from crude clubs to jagged, broken bottles. Seconds later, the angry mob collided with the front row of §. Three warriors went down, but the fearless alien soldiers held their ground and fought back with brutal efficiency. Serrated-blades flashed through the air, slicing through flesh with chilling ease. Cries of pain and terror were quickly added to the melee of sounds, and soon dozens of protestors lay dead or dying on the ground.
“Sergeant, seal that breach!” Reeves called over to his security chief, though Calera was already in the middle of the affray, fighting hard to re-establish control.
Suddenly, Reeves caught sight of a human male running toward him, holding a modified Bukkan plasma pistol in his hand. His eyes grew wide as the weapon was raised and aimed, then he realized the man wasn’t aiming at it him, but at the Imperator. A blast fizzed through the air, striking one of the two warriors still working to douse the flames covering its leader’s body. The alien’s head exploded like an overripe fruit, showering the Imperator in blood and bone.
Cursing, Reeves charged at the man, knowing that if the protestor succeeded in killing the leader of the Sa’Nerra, war would immediately break out across the galaxy. Ducking low, he drove his shoulder into the attacker’s gut and pushed the man back. Another blast rang out, but flew high and wide. Slamming the man to the deck, Reeves snapped the protestor’s wrist then stripped the weapon from its grasp, before pummeling a fist into the man’s face and knocking him out cold.
Glancing behind, Reeves saw the Imperator shrug off the second warrior. Its armor was still burning from the impact of the firebomb, but the alien appeared unconcerned by the flames. Instead, its eyes were fixed on his own, though the Imperator’s expression was now more angry than hateful. Dragging the decapitated warrior off the deck, Reeves watched in astonishment as the Imperator dug its hand into the exposed neck cavity and tore open the body, exposing new flesh. Fresh blood gushed from the wound, and the Imperator doused himself in it, extinguishing the flames and painting his armor red.
Another flash of plasma raced through the air, and in his peripheral vision, Reeves saw Major Kane open fire toward the crowd. Forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the gory spectacle of the Imperator and its innovative method of extinguishing flames, he climbed to his feet and recovered his weapon before joining his XO in the defense of the embassy. Three more armed protestors that were also racing toward the Imperator with pistols raised quickly went down, toppling like dominoes and causing the demonstrators to their rear to hesitate. Reeves locked eyes with one of them – another human male – and he could see the doubt in the man’s eyes.
“Turn back now, or I will kill you!” he yelled at the man.
The protestor glanced toward the Imperator then back to Reeves, before spitting onto the road.
“How can you defend that thing, after what they did?” the man roared at Reeves. “They’re murderers. Savages!”
Reeves felt bile swell up from his gut and he tasted the bitterness in his mouth. By rights, he should have turned around then and there and shot the Imperator in the head, but by some perversion of justice, he was the one saving the alien warlord’s life.
“Leave now. You won’t get another warning,” Reeves snarled, remaining resolute, despite feeling like a traitor to his own people.
The protestor shook his head then spat again and turned, calling to the others to withdraw along with him. Moments later, the shield wall was reestablished, and Sergeant Calera urged her enforcers on. Behind the line, the Sa’Nerra had quelled the unrest with frightening brutality. Dozens of severed limbs lay scattered amongst an even greater number of whimpering, mutilated bodies. Reeves could see at least thirty dead just within a short radius of where he stood. In contrast, only four warriors had fallen. Incredibly, the Sa’Nerra had won the day, without even firing a shot.
Reeves’ buzz – his personal communication device – vibrated, and he double-tapped it to answer the call.
“The crowd is dispersing, sir,” said Sergeant Calera. Her voice was breathless and Reeves could hear the fight continuing in the background. “I have established a perimeter and have begun making arrests.”
“Very good, Sergeant, keep me appraised,” Reeves replied before tapping his left palm to close the link.
“Dalton…”
Reeves spun around to see Major Katee Kane, aiming her pistol toward the Sa’Nerran Imperator. The alien leader, splattered a dark crimson red as if it had just undergone a satanic blood ritual, was glowering at him. A dozen warriors stood to the Imperator’s rear, many injured and bleeding, though none showed signs of pain. Then the troop of warriors armed with plasma rifles formed up in front of the embassy gates, like a firing squad.
