“Ready to transmit, Captain,” Jennings reported.
“Full spectrum broadcast,” Cole said, as he returned to the helm. “I want everyone to hear that.”
Cole sat at the helm console and looked at the sensor display just in time to see the cruiser, two destroyers, and eight frigates pivot and accelerate toward Haven. Minutes later, a slew of dots appeared on the sensor display in front of the Aurelian ships.
“Missile launch!” Mazzi announced. “We have two hundred—that is, two zero zero—inbound contacts. Point-defense is online and tracking. Flight time is two minutes and thirty seconds, present speed.”
“Sasha, you have the conn,” Cole said.
“Mazzi, lock missiles on the destroyers and frigates,” Sasha said as she searched her mind for what she knew about an Aurelian cruiser’s acceleration profile. “How fast is that cruiser accelerating?”
“They’ve leveled off at two-tenths-lightspeed,” Mazzi said. “They were pushing upwards of 80 kps squared.”
Sasha nodded, saying, “Lock torpedoes on the cruiser.”
“All targets locked,” Mazzi replied a few moments later.
“Fire,” Sasha said.
“Missiles and torpedoes launched,” Mazzi reported. “Flight time is thirty-six seconds…mark!”
Thirty-six seconds later, Mazzi said, “Our missiles and torpedoes are arriving. I’m seeing multiple hits across the frigates and destroyers. The frigates and destroyers didn’t stand a chance, ma’am; they’re intact but out of the fight. I’m seeing all kinds of life pods launching. The cruiser…the cruiser’s reactor just lost containment; it’s gone. Incoming missiles approaching outer point-defense envelope. Point-defense firing. All missiles destroyed.”
“Helm, bring us about on an interception course for the invasion force, and set the engines for three-quarters-lightspeed.”
Haven reached engagement range at the rear of the Aurelian invasion force just as the System Defense Force reached their forward elements. Cole sent a text message to Sasha’s implant asking her to have Jennings inform the SDF commander that the jump gate was no longer blockaded and that Haven stood ready to assist, should that be needed.
In the end, the commander of the Aurelian forces saw reason and surrendered to the SDF. The SDF ships moved to escort positions, and everyone headed in-system…with Haven bringing up the rear and serving as a silent promise for the fate of anyone who violated the surrender.
When they reached The Gate, some thirteen hours later, SDF Command asked Haven to maintain overwatch until all Aurelian personnel departed the transports and military ships…just to keep everyone honest. Cole saw no issue with that but asked Sasha if it might be best to stand down from battle stations to alert status.
It took upwards of an entire day to remove and process all the personnel from the invasion force, but as soon as Haven was discharged from its position of overwatch and moved toward Docking Slip 12, a message came in that Carl and Lindsey Vance had once again rented O’Shaughnessy’s for a welcome home party for their daughter, son-in-law, and grandson; all Haven personnel were encouraged (that is, expected) to attend.
Cole took command of the ship as soon as Haven docked and announced liberty for the crew, with a reminder about the Vances’ invitation to the celebration two days’ hence. The bridge crew departed in soaring spirits, and soon, Cole was alone once more in the nerve center of what had become his home.
“Cole,” Srexx said via the bridge speakers over the command chair, “may I have a word?”
Cole looked up from the engineering reports he was reading and smiled. “Sure, buddy. What’s on your mind?”
“I am uncertain I have a mind in the sense that you do, Cole, but you should know I found something while searching through the data grid on Aurelius for any records of where General Lindrick went.”
“Oh?” Cole asked. “What did you find?”
“I found Lindrick’s personal cloud storage, Cole. It was encrypted, and it has taken me this long to verify the data. Cole, Lindrick has always had a reputation for taking ‘off the books’ side jobs, and while Aurelian Army Command has always frowned on that kind of conduct, Lindrick’s political connections have protected him from their displeasure…until he joined Army Command. Among many other files, Lindrick keeps a journal of sorts, separated into files by year. In scanning the journal, I discovered an account of then-Captain Draketh Lindrick being hired to command the force that…attacked Beta Magellan.”
The tablet containing the various ship’s reports slipped from Cole’s numb fingers and clattered on the decking unnoticed.
“You’re certain, Srexx?” Cole asked, his voice raw. “There’s no chance of a mistake?”
“Lindrick described the operation in rather graphic detail, Cole, and the writing style is consistent with both earlier and later journal documents. The timestamps do not show the file as having been altered in any way—though they have been read—since it was created. I evaluate the probability of this being misinformation at less than 0.000001-percent. I am sorry, Cole; when I verified the data, I was…unsure…what I should do and consulted Sasha. She said you had a right to know and that you would want to know. Was her analysis in error?”
Cole tried to speak but couldn’t as he fought to contain his tears. He would’ve sworn he had dealt with his family’s death and nothing could rip open those old wounds, but the tears fighting to stream down his cheeks suggested otherwise.
“No, Srexx,” Cole said at last, his voice even more raw. “Thank you. Srexx, buddy…I’m gonna need a little bit.”
“Yes, Cole.”
O’Shaughnessy’s, The Gate
9 November 2999
Music reverberated off the bulkheads as people danced and cheered, while servers moved through the crowd like the masters of their craft they were. The opening ceremonies—where Carl and Lindsey Vance announced the safe return of their oldest child and her family and thanked Haven and her crew for that return—were already concluded.
Cole stood alone on the balcony that overlooked the main floor while—unbeknownst to him—Sasha, Yeleth, and Wixil engaged in a concerted effort to see that Cole remained undisturbed. He stood in front of the panoramic armor-glass that allowed an impressive view of near-station traffic and deep space beyond, a partially finished drink in his left hand. He hadn’t sought out anyone after being able to escape center-stage and the collective gratitude of the Vance clan, and he hadn’t noticed that no one had approached him, either…a testament to Sasha, Yeleth, and Wixil’s success.
Movement to Cole’s left drew his attention, and he saw Garrett draw close to stand beside him.
“Are you okay, Cole?” Garrett asked. “You’ve been distant the past couple days.”
Cole nodded, saying, “I will be.”
“What’s on your mind? I would’ve thought you’d be all wound up and raring to get started on what’s next, now that Sasha’s family is safe and you can turn your attention away from the Commonwealth for a while. After all…for the moment, it’s over.”
Cole lifted his glass to his lips and drained it in one long swallow before turning to Garrett, saying, “While we were in Aurelius, I came into some information that proves beyond any doubt that someone hired Draketh Lindrick to organize the massacre of Beta Magellan, Garrett. Trust me, old friend. It ain’t over…”
What’s Next?
“…Till It’s Over!,” the next installment of Cole & Srexx’s story is already available for pre-order.
You can find it here.
The Jax Files are a series of companion short stories available through my newsletter.
If you’re interested, you can sign up here.
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Author’s Note
28 March 2019
First and foremost, thank you for reading…both the novel and these notes! I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this story at least half as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Did you really, really, really enjoy the book? Perhaps—dare I say—love it? In that case, please, consider leaving a review. Why? The more reviewed books (especially books with more 4- and 5-star reviews) receive greater visibility. Greater visibility means higher chance of more people discovering the book.
This is the first novel in a new series for me, and I’m very excited about it. My goal is to have the first five books written by the time this novel goes live on July 2nd, but one of my favorite sayings is, “Life’s what happens while you’re busy making plans.” So, we’ll see.
As of this writing, I am 33,463 words into Cole & Srexx Book 2, “…Till It’s Over!” It’s coming along rather nicely, if I do say so myself. However, I’m going to pause my work on this novel to write the short story, “Beta Magellan.” A respected publisher of short story anthologies put out a call for submissions, and I can’t resist throwing my hat…er, story…in the ring for consideration. If it is not selected for inclusion in the upcoming anthology, you can expect to see “Beta Magellan” join the Newsletter Stories.
This series is a bit unlike the other novels I plan to write. It doesn’t have a defined end-point. While I like to plan a story arc across a set number of books (usually ten), the idea for “It Ain’t Over…” and the Cole a& Srexx series as a whole was a very unexpected and impromptu idea. I have no problems saying there will be ten books in the series, but will there be more? I don’t know. It depends on a lot of things, not the least of which being reception and feedback. If readers enjoy the series and don’t want it to end at #10, those sentiments will go a long way in producing Cole & Srexx #11. :)
Once again, thank you for reading. It’s time for me to get back to work.
Typos
Typos and little slips in grammar are the bane of any author. Unfortunately, they are almost impossible to eradicate completely. I can show you many traditionally published books—twenty years old and more—that have a ‘whoopsie’ here and there.
That being said, if you find a typo or something that seems to be an error in grammar, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].
I will periodically collate any emails and produce an updated PDF and eBook files, and I’ll make an announcement in my monthly newsletter when the updates have been published.
Acknowledgments
There’s an old saying: it takes a village to raise a child. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it certainly seems true where publishing a novel is concerned. You would not be reading this were it not for contributions from several people.
The editor of this work, T. F. Poist, deserves far more than a simple ‘thank you’ for her efforts with this work. Her time, knowledge, and expertise improved this work beyond measure.
Did you like the cover? The background image was created by Jakub Skop (https://www.behance.net/JakubSkop).
I’m sure there are many who will see this next paragraph and think, “Goodness, he’s acknowledging his parents and grandparents again?” My greatest regret is that I cannot hand my grandfather, Bob Miller, a paperback copy of my novels. So, yes…the Acknowledgements page of every book I publish will have the paragraph that follows. Consider yourselves forewarned.
Without my grandparents, Bob & Janice Miller, I honestly don’t know where I’d be today; my grandfather taught me to read and love reading, and my grandmother taught me to develop and exercise my imagination. This novel (not to mention my life in general) certainly would not have happened without my parents, Vernon & Judy Kerns.
Additional Acknowledgments
Many people have provided feedback, thoughts, inspiration, or education in varying amounts. I greatly appreciate their time and contribution, and if you think your name should be on this list but don’t see it, I truly apologize for the oversight. If you’re curious, the list is alphabetical by last name.
Shanalyse Barnett
Greg Brewster
Lori Carrender
Jay Limbach
John Maxson
Jon Minton
Aaron Radclif
Brad Reed
Advance Team
Whether you use the term ‘beta readers,’ ‘eARC group, ‘advance team,’ or something else, it’s very nice to have a group of people who want to read an advance copy and tel you anything you and the editor missed…because that happens. And it happens with every book.
Anyone willing to help me make my books a better product deserve all the thanks I can give them, including recognition here.
Fletcher Hawkins
Rob Law
Marti Panikkar
The Novels of Robert M. Kerns
Histories of Drakmoor
Awakening (3 April 2018)
Into Vushaar (12 February 2019)
Archmagister (1 October 2019)
Home Sweet Home (Forthcoming)
The Fall of Skullkeep (Forthcoming)
Cole & Srexxilan
It Ain’t Over… (2 July 2019)
…Till It’s Over! (6 August 2019)
Haven Ascendant (Forthcoming)
The Fires of Aurelius (Forthcoming)
Solar Eclipsed (Forthcoming)
So…Who’s the Author?
Robert M. Kerns (or Rob if you ever meet him in person) is a geek, and he claims that label proudly. Most of his geekiness revolves around Information Technology (IT), having over fifteen years in the industry; within IT, he especially prefers Servers and Networks, and he often makes the claim that his residence has a better data infrastructure than some businesses.
Beyond IT, Rob enjoys Science Fiction and Fantasy of (almost) all stripes. He is a voracious reader, with his favorite books too numerous to list.
Rob has been writing for over 20 years, and Awakening is his debut novel.
Connect with Rob at www.robertmkerns.com.
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