War Without End (Fall of the Terran Empire Book 1) Read online

  War Without End

  Fall of the Terran Empire Book 1

  G.P. Hudson

  © 2017

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  Fall of the Terran Empire:

  War Without End – Fall of the Terran Empire Book 1

  The Tortuous Path – Fall of the Terran Empire Book 2

  The Pike Chronicles:

  Sol Shall Rise – Book 1 of The Pike Chronicles

  Prevail – Book 2 of The Pike Chronicles

  Ronin – Book 3 of The Pike Chronicles

  Ghost Fleet – Book 4 of The Pike Chronicles

  Interstellar War – Book 5 of The Pike Chronicles

  Vanquish – Book 6 of The Pike Chronicles

  Galactic Empire – Book 7 of The Pike Chronicles

  Armada – Book 8 of The Pike Chronicles

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in the book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form, other than for review purposes, without the permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

  Cover art by Tom Edwards

  Chapter 1

  Wake up, said the Voice in B732’s head.

  His eyes opened. He looked straight ahead. Then to the left. Right. Up. Down. Bewilderment followed.

  He knew nothing. Understood less. Where was he? Who was he? What was he? He tried to move, but couldn’t. Restraints held him in place. Helpless. Cold.

  Initiating software update, said the Voice.

  The confusion overwhelmed him. His chest tightened, and his mouth felt like sandpaper. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for clues. Nothing. Just the bright light, and the gray walls.

  Update complete. Downloading knowledge pack 1.

  B732’s muscles flexed, as his eyes rolled back into his head. Searing pain. He cried out in agony, but his echo was the only response.

  Several minutes of blackness followed, before the Voice confirmed, Download complete.”

  B732 reopened his eyes. This time he knew.

  A metallic bang echoed as the restraints let him go. He stepped out of his chamber, into the frigid corridor. Standing for a moment, he looked down at himself. Naked, head to toe.

  Proceed to the orientation station, said the Voice.

  He looked down the corridor, past the row of identical chambers, to the doorway at the end, and started for it.

  He walked with purpose, barely noticing the other naked bodies occupying the remaining chambers.

  Stop, said The Voice.

  He obeyed.

  Who are you?

  “I am B732,” he replied.

  What are you?

  “I am a soldier.”

  Who do you serve?

  “I serve Zeta Corp.”

  Continue.

  When B732 entered the orientation station, two middle aged women in Zeta Corp uniforms were waiting.

  “Here’s the new one,” said one of the women, to the other. “What’s your designation,” she said, turning to him.

  “B732.”

  “I still think they should have names,” said the other woman. “They’re not machines.”

  “They’re clones, Sarah. Why would you give them names?”

  “Clone or not, they’re still human.”

  “You want to give him a name?” said the first. “Go ahead.”

  “Really? You think I should?” said Sarah.

  “Why not? It’s not like anyone is going to use it other than you.”

  Sarah smiled. “Ok, I’m going to call him Danny.”

  “Why Danny?”

  “It was my father’s name. I always said if I had a kid I would name him Danny. I never got to have any kids.”

  The first woman nodded knowingly. “Good enough for me. Danny it is.” She walked up to B732 and handed him a package. “Here you go, Danny. This is your uniform. Go and get dressed. Corporate transport will be arriving for you shortly.”

  B732 took the package, and entered the adjoining room. There he put on the military fatigues, boots, and beret. A full-length mirror sat on one of the walls. He studied his reflection. It was the first time he had seen himself. He seemed large, powerful. His face was all angles, his eyes brown, like his hair.

  Once you have dressed, proceed to the docking tube, said the Voice.

  He turned to walk out of the room and stopped. He stood there, looking back into the mirror, not knowing why. He did so, until a word finally forced its way out of his mouth. “Danny.” Having spoken the word, he left for the docking tube.

  Chapter 2

  “The main fleet is beginning the gate assault,” said Commander David Travers, XO of the battleship Valiant.

  “The fun’s about to begin,” said Captain Mike Reynolds, the Valiant’s commanding officer.

  “You’d think the Pallians would’ve sued for peace by now. Especially after the beating they took last time.”

  “You would, wouldn’t you?” Reynolds said, the contempt clear in his voice. “But they have to follow that damn Pallian code of honor. It forces them to get good and bloody before they call it quits.”

  “Sounds more like a code of stupidity.”

  “Let’s hope you’re right, Commander. Move the Valiant into position.”

  “Aye, Sir. Moving into jump position.”

  Captain Reynolds studied the viewscreen, as the bulk of the United Empire Defense Force (UEDF) fleet began to move away from them. The surreal environment of metaspace made it difficult to pick out the individual ships with the naked eye, but Reynolds had lots of practice. Most would just defer to computer representation, but Reynolds made the effort. It was a habit he had developed as a younger man, hunting pirates. He found it kept his eyes sharp, which was always important at his age.

  Staying healthy in general had become a priority. His age left him vulnerable, and the last thing he needed was some knee jerk reaction from the admiralty, forcing him into retirement. What the hell would he do as a civilian? He had no family. No kids. His only wife had left him years ago. In fairness to her, she had put up with his military career for some time. But it all proved too much for her in the end, and she cut her losses. It had hurt, but he didn’t blame her.

  “Jump gate has successfully been activated,” Travers said.

  Squinting, Reynolds spotted the opening. Dead ahead of the fleet, off in the distance, a tear had appeared in the celestial fabric. Through the tear he made out the velvety blackness of normal space. As his eyes adjusted, the opening became more pronounced, standing in sharp contrast to the fiery red-orange colors of metaspace.

  He glanced over to the computer representation, just to the right of the main exterior view, amid an array of displays dominating the front section of the bridge. His eyes relaxed, and he noted the movement of the UEDF fleet. As he watched, the warships approached the tear, and began to pass through it into the Pallian home system.

  But the computer didn’t show the waiting hell of battle on the other side. He knew from the intelligence reports that a sizable Pallian force was stationed there, just waiting. No matter. Before the day was done, that force would surrender, and the system would belong to Earth. And there would be much blood spilled in between.

  “The Valiant has arrived at the designated coordinates,” said Travers.

  “What about the o
thers?” said Reynolds.

  “The Invader, Victory, Defiant, and Marauder are in place as well.”

  “Hold position until we receive the jump command.”

  “Aye, Sir. Holding position.”

  Reynolds scanned the bridge, sizing everyone up. Like the rest of the ship, his bridge crew were a mix of veterans and greenhorns. For the greenhorns, today would be a baptism by fire. While this was one of the safer posts they could land, all battles carried the risk of death.

  The Valiant was a bruiser, though. Incredibly thick tungsten armor, and state of the art shields, meant that she could take a pounding. The Valiant was a capital ship. A Galaxy Class battleship, the largest class of ship in the fleet. In truth, she was something of a hybrid. While she packed the punch of a battleship, she also had the versatility of a carrier, loaded with fighter and bomber squadrons.

  “Jump order has been received,” said Travers.

  “Activate jump point,” said Reynolds, turning his gaze back to the exterior view. There, five distinct tears took shape, as each ship created its own jump point. Larger ships, like the Valiant, could create their own jump points. This made them versatile, and dangerous.

  “Take us through,” ordered Reynolds.

  The Valiant’s powerful engines fired and the hulking ship advanced, crossing through the opening into the black void of normal space. On this occasion, that void was lit up with energy and plasma weapons, as the UEDF and Pallian ships battled for control of the system.

  Emerging from the rift, the Valiant appeared behind the Pallian lines. When the main fleet crossed through the jump gate, the Pallians had moved to intercept, walking straight into the UEDF trap. Now they were faced with the grim reality of five capital ships on their rear flank.

  “Fire all weapons,” said Reynolds, the tear in space closing behind them. “Launch fighters and bombers.”

  The Valiant came to life as its heavy gun batteries thundered into action, unleashing their fury on the hapless enemy.

  Dozens of UEDF fighters and bombers streamed out of the Valiant, racing to swarm the enemy ships. The four other capital ships joined in with their own powerful weapons, wreaking devastation upon the enemy fleet.

  Attack craft from the other capital ships joined the Valiant’s squadrons in lethal sorties against the outnumbered Pallians. Targeting the enemy fighters first, before moving through the ship’s defensive batteries.

  As the battle raged, it soon became clear that the Pallians were no match for the Earth fleet. The Pallians were at a tactical and numerical disadvantage. Victory was guaranteed. But Reynolds needed more than just victory. He needed the Pallian fleet to lay down their arms.

  Captain Reynolds stoically watched the ongoing battle. “Still no surrender?”

  “No, Sir,” said Travers.

  Reynolds shook his head. This was a stubborn foe. “They deserve to be conquered based on stupidity alone.”

  “No argument here.”

  Reynolds pondered the situation. He needed to act boldly. He had to prove his worth. Show that he still had some good years left in him. “If they won’t surrender on their own, we’ll just have to board their ships and take them by force. Start with the nearest Pallian ship.” He looked at his tactical screen touching one of the icons, to highlight it. “There. That destroyer. How much firepower does it have left?”

  “We’ve taken out over fifty percent of its defensive weapons.”

  “It’ll have to do. Focus our fire on its remaining gun batteries, and give the order to send in the contractors.”

  “Aye, Sir.”

  Chapter 3

  “All Zeta Corp personnel prepare for boarding operations,” came the announcement over the Valiant’s speakers.

  “That’s us, little brother,” said G325, glancing back at Danny from behind her jet-black helmet and visor. Like the other Zeta Corp soldiers lined up in front of him, she was clad head to toe in powered armor. A lone Z covered her shoulder, the Zeta Corp insignia, differentiating her, and the rest, as contractors, on lease to the United Empire Defense Forces.

  “The battle is going well for the Empire,” said Danny, from behind his own black visor.

  “Yeah,” said G325. “But they still need us to finish it off for them.”

  “That’s what they’re paying Zeta for.”

  G325 and Danny had fought together for most of the past year. G325 was older than Danny, having been activated more than three years ago. The extra year didn’t give her any seniority, however. Danny had been thrown into a combat role very early, and had seen almost as much action as G325. Most of his experience was earned enforcing the company’s rule over the lucrative interstellar trade routes, and for clients, which generally meant the United Empire Defense Force.

  Still the strongest of all the planets, Earth had lost the strength and stature it once had, when it ruled over all the human worlds as the Imperial capital. As Earth weakened, and the Empire crumbled, many of the former colonial planets sought independence. What followed was endless war, with Earth desperately trying to secure as much of its former empire as it could.

  Throughout history, dying empires had often relied heavily on mercenaries. Earth was no different, and Zeta Corp stepped in to fill the demand with its armies of genetically modified clone soldiers. While the Empire was Zeta Corp’s biggest client, she wasn’t the only one. Zeta Corp had no problems leasing out its soldiers to competing planets, if the price was right. Business was business after all, and Zeta’s business was thriving.

  Zeta prospered from the failing Empire in more ways than one. Initially created under Imperial laws, Zeta found itself free of regulatory oversight when the Empire began to collapse. By moving its facilities to what was now considered ‘no man’s land’, Zeta discovered it could operate independently, free from any pesky inspectors, or regulators.

  When word broke about Zeta’s military cloning program, there was the expected condemnation. Once the outcry began to die, however, it became clear that there wasn’t much anyone could do about it. Zeta had its own private military, strong enough to punish any attempted police action from Earth, or any other planet. But more importantly, with wars being fought on many fronts, no planet, least of all Earth, had any desire to become entangled in another costly fight.

  When one of the breakaway planets hired Zeta to bolster its defenses, it didn’t take long for Earth to get over its moral outrage, and hire Zeta contractors too. Before long, Earth became Zeta’s primary client, and the lone Z insignia became commonplace on most UEDF warships.

  On the Valiant, the columns of Zeta troopers began to move. The drumming sound of metal on metal rang throughout the hangar bay, as the Zeta soldiers marched in perfect unison, and boarded the waiting vessels. These too were all black, and emblazoned with the lone Z insignia.

  Once inside, Danny and G325 each went to their assigned seats. Loud bangs rang out inside the vessel, as each soldier’s powered armor was locked into place. Danny ran a quick diagnostic on his armor, and weapons. Everything checked out.

  The boarding craft’s engines rumbled to life, and the black vessel began to taxi along the hanger bay, in line with the other Zeta craft. As they moved, Danny’s visor lit up with a display of the target Pallian warship. A destroyer.

  His visor indicated that the UEDF forces had knocked out its defensive weapons, and he appreciated the reduced risk of being shot out of the sky on approach. There were other Pallian ships out there, however, and they each represented a potential threat. He could only hope the UEDF forces would keep them busy.

  Switching views, Danny tapped into the ship cameras to get a clear look at the battle, and their approach. From his vantage point, the information was correct. The UEDF had outflanked the Pallian forces, and were now pressing their advantage. The Pallians were still putting up a good fight, but Danny could see the hopelessness of their position.

  “Why don’t they just surrender?” said G325, over Danny’s comm.

  “Th
ey want their freedom,” said Danny. “It keeps them going, even when the outcome is decided.”

  “They are foolish. They have no hope. Why prolong things. They only send more of their people to their deaths.”

  “I agree, sister. Just as more are about to die on that destroyer.”

  The Pallian ship grew larger on his visor as they neared. Earth fighters zipped around them, on guard against any adventurous Pallian sorties. The tactic was largely unnecessary, as any remaining Pallian fighters were too busy defending the rest of the fleet.

  Soon they were so close that the destroyer’s hull filled his view. Danny switched the display to normal perspective. The visor now showed the inside of his boarding craft, augmented and supplemented by the steady feed of information Zeta Corp systems provided.

  When he looked at his fellow soldiers, the visor displayed each man’s designation, the status of his powered armor, and his vital signs. In a combat situation, he would instantly know how much damage each team member’s armor had suffered, and if they were injured. On the Pallian ship, his visor would identify all sections, rooms, and compartments, while feeding a map of the ship’s interior, and optimal routes.

  Danny was jostled as his boarding craft made contact with the Pallian destroyer. A high-pitched sawing sound soon followed, as specialized blades ripped through the enemy hull, to create an opening for the Zeta soldiers. When the noise had ceased, the Voice spoke to him, Access points secured. Take position for assault.

  The safety restraints released and the Zeta soldiers responded as one, making their way toward the boarding tubes. Danny checked his weapon one final time, ensuring everything was in good working order. He and G325 took positions on opposite sides of the tube. Two small turrets on the tube’s ceiling whined as their barrels took aim. Beginning assault in three, two, one.