Final Conflict

by Raymond L. Weil

  Epilogue

  Admiral Kelly, General Timmons, and Rear Admiral Blair were listening as Lieutenant Nelson and Commander Higgins explained their actions in turning over the sole remaining Queen egg to the Zaltule. The inquiry had already been going on for nearly an hour.

  “We forced the Zaltule to destroy most of their warships as well as abandon the worlds they had colonized,” explained Thomas. “With only one Queen egg and the majority of their ships destroyed it will be decades before the Zaltule become a threat to us again, if ever. In my opinion they are traveling to a distant part of our galaxy where they will attempt to set up their new Empire.”

  Admiral Kelly let out a deep sigh. “Lieutenant Nelson, I have to commend you on the ingenuity you used to get all nine assault ships and the surviving Marines out of a difficult situation, Particularly since Rear Admiral Stinson could not risk returning due to the losses her fleet suffered. However, the Zaltule are still out there and someday we may have to deal with them. Your actions have not ended the war, only delayed it.”

  “I respectfully disagree,” said Captain Higgins. “I don’t believe the Zaltule will return. By the time they have increased in sufficient numbers to be a threat to us the Solar System and the Alliance will be too powerful for them to conquer. I trust they will realize this. I don’t believe we will ever see or hear from the Zaltule again.”

  Rear Admiral Blair leaned forward, placing his hands on the table in front of him. “In some ways the two of you may be correct. In a few more decades we will have doubled or even triple the population of the Solar System depending on how many clones we create. Our orbital industries will increase to the point where we can create far larger fleets for our defense. Are there any other reasons why you did not destroy this last Queen egg?”

  Thomas nodded. “I firmly believe if we had the Zaltule would have sent their entire fleet, including their battlestation, to the Solar System to destroy it. By destroying the Queen egg we would have effectively ended the Zaltule race. I feel certain they would have wanted to do the same to us.”

  Admiral Kelly leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. “A powerful argument and one I can’t disagree with.” Admiral Kelly turned to the other two officers and spoke to them for several minutes in a lower voice. Finally he nodded his head and turned to face Thomas and Commander Higgins.

  “It is the opinion of this board the two of you acted in the best interest of the Solar System and for the continued survival of our people. As a result all charges will be dropped and commendations for your actions will be placed in your files. This inquiry is now over.”

  -

  Thomas turned around to face those who had come to the inquiry to support him. A number of his surviving Marines were there as well as his father and uncle.

  “Congratulation, Thomas,” said Genera Wade Nelson, shaking Thomas’s hand. “I knew you would get through this.”

  “Yes,” added Colonel Ryan Nelson with a huge smile on his face. “I had no desire to go back to Vesta and explain to your mother why you were going to be executed.”

  Thomas’s face paled. “You don’t think it could have come to that, do you?”

  Ryan laughed. “No, but you might have been hard to find for a very long time.”

  Kinsley, Leah, and Brian all came forward.

  -

  Kinsley stepped into Thomas’s arms, giving him a huge hug and then, after a moments hesitation, she kissed him on the lips. She was greatly surprised and pleased when he kissed her back.

  “About time,” said Leah, grinning.

  “Is there something your mother and I need to know about?” asked Ryan, eyeing the two.

  Thomas slowly nodded his head. “I think I’ll bring Kinsley out to Vesta to meet mother. I think the two of them will get along very well.”

  Ryan nodded approvingly. “I think that can be arranged.”

  Thomas took Kinsley’s hand and gave her a serious look. “Would you like to meet my mother?”

  Kinsley laughed and nodded. “I would love to.” She was very pleased with these recent and unexpected developments.

  -

  Later Thomas, Kinsley, Brian, and Leah were all in the food court eating their favorite foods. There were people all around and the sounds of them talking and laughing were everywhere.

  “I like the food court,” said Kinsley, watching a family of four take their seats a short distance from them. “It seems so alive.”

  “I’m just glad we’re all alive,” replied Leah. “There were several times I didn’t think we were going to make it back.”

  “Some of us didn’t,” said Kinsley sadly. “So many died in the hive?”

  “It’s over now,” replied Thomas. He knew what had happened in the hive would haunt all of their dreams for a very long time. “We’ll always remember those we lost.”

  Brian looked at Leah with a serious look on his face. “Why is it you always seem to get stunned or shot?”

  Leah grimaced. “I’ve wondered about that myself. Things just seem to happen to me.”

  Kinsley patted Leah on the hand and then looked over at Brian and Thomas. “I have a suspicion we’ll be well looked after from now on.”

  Thomas’s face turned slightly red. The battle with the Zaltule had made him realize just how important his friends were, particularly Kinsley. With the Zaltule out of the way and the Kleese pulling back to the center of their Empire, the dangerous fighting was pretty much over.

  “In the Vesta New Eden habitat there are several really nice resorts on a couple of the lakes.” Thomas paused, looking at the girls. “Why don’t I make some reservations for us to take some days off and spend there?”

  Kinsley’s eyes narrowed. She was nervous about asking the next question. “How many rooms. Two or four?”

  Thomas felt his voice catch in his throat and then he looked directly at Kinsley. “Only two. One for Brian and Leah and one for us.”

  Kinsley’s eyes widened and then she slowly nodded her head. “I think I would like that, what about you, Leah?”

  “Sounds good to me,” replied Leah, grinning. “Someone needs to keep Brian under control and I’ve always liked a good challenge.”

  The four started laughing. It was good to be alive and the food tasted fabulous.

  -

  Far from the Solar System, Commander Bree Smith took a few moments to look around their small community. There were two hundred and forty-seven survivors from the Zaltule attack and the crash landing of the ship. Bree knew she should be thankful so many survived.

  “The engineers have rigged up a steam generator from parts they salvaged from the ship,” reported Second Officer Newman. “We should be able to keep the med-bay and the section around it powered up for the time being.”

  In the distance, Bree saw the small steam-driven tractor the engineers had built. It was pulling a trailer full of logs from the stand of trees they were cutting down. They would be used to build log homes for the surviving crew. Fortunately they had a lot of tools from the ship, which was making surviving on the planet easier. They had even built a smokehouse where several of the antelope-like animals were curing.

  “This is a good world,” said Bree. She had finally gotten over the shock of the crash. “It will make a good colony.”

  “You don’t think we’ll ever be rescued?”

  Bree slowly shook her head. “Sometime in the future I’m sure our people will find us. But we need to be prepared to stay here for years if need be. I’m just glad we had a mixed crew.”

  Newman nodded. Already some of the crew had paired up. “We’ll have children running around in another year or two if not sooner.”

  Bree could feel the warm rays from the sun shining down on her face. She wondered what future history books would say about the Solar System’s first true colony. In the distance, she could hear birds singing and even the dim drone of this planet’s insects. She had quit thinking about the Zaltule and the war days ago. For now, she
had something more important to do and that was to build and maintain a colony. Bree actually felt as if she had finally found a home.

  -

  Months later in the far reaches of the Solar System a patrolling assault ship detected a powerless probe drifting through the Kuiper Belt. It was badly damaged where a small meteor had struck it. Upon bringing the probe inside the commander was surprised to see the name Sundance on the side of it. Unfortunately much of the data stored in the probe had been destroyed by the meteor strike. With a deep sigh, the commanding officer knew this would only deepen the mystery of what had happened to the ship. It might be generations before they discovered the fate of the ship and its brave crew.

  Going back to the Command Center he prepared a message to send to Admiral Kelly about the find. He looked up at the viewscreens and the sea of stars that was showing. He wondered if somewhere out there the Sundance and its crew still survived. It was an answer he realized he might never know.

  The End

  If you enjoyed Galactic Empire Wars: Final Conflict please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and also help sell books. Reviews can be just a few short sentences, describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website, link below. Thank you for reading Galactic Empire Wars: Final Conflict and being so supportive. If this book does well there is a possibility of one more book in the series, which will deal with the Kleese.

  Note from the Author: This book came out late due to the fact I suffered from severe Kidney failure in June. I was hospitalized for over three weeks and unable to write for nearly three months. I am now on home dialysis and have begun writing again. Once again I’m sorry for the delay. I also want to thank everyone for being so supportive during my illness. The e-mails and personal messages allowed me to get through some very bad days and to start reliving my life again.

  Special Announcement!!

  Due to numerous requests The Originator Wars will continue in a new series. (The Originator Wars: Explorations) If you want to continue to follow the exploits and adventures of the Special Five, Ariel, Clarissa, and the others in the Slaver Wars, Lost Fleet, and Originator Wars series the first book should be out sometime in April or May of 2019. Once again I want to thank everyone for your support in my writing and all the wonderful emails I’ve received.

  Thank You

  Raymond L. Weil

  For updates on current writing projects and future publications, go to my author website. Sign up for future notifications when my new books come out on Amazon.

  Website: http://raymondlweil.com/

  Follow on Facebook at Raymond L. Weil

  .

  Read on to discover another military science fiction series by Raymond L. Weil.

  The Star Cross

  Over 550 Reviews!

  Chapter One

  The Earth’s eight-hundred-meter-long heavy battlecruiser Star Cross slid silently through empty space, the ship’s powerful sensors scanning everything ahead and around it. Her four light cruiser escorts were in screening positions, protecting the massive battlecruiser from attack. The six-hundred-meter-long light carrier Vindication followed closely behind, protected by six small destroyers. Each ship was on high alert, and tensions were high among the crews. Everyone glanced anxiously at one another, wondering what was awaiting them at Earth.

  In the Command Center of the Star Cross, Admiral Kurt Vickers watched the main viewscreen, which was focused on the light carrier, as four Lance fighters left the flight bay to patrol in front of the fleet. The light carrier had twenty fighters in its bay, plus ten small Scorpion bombers.

  “CSP has been launched,” Lieutenant Lena Brooks reported, as four friendly green icons appeared on her sensor screen. The twenty-eight-year-old woman let out a quiet breath.

  Vickers could tell Lena was hoping they would remain undetected by her rapid breathing. She wasn’t the only worried one in the Command Center.

  Lena focused her hazel eyes upon the admiral, awaiting further orders. She trusted him to bring them through the coming ordeal.

  “Current status?” asked Vickers in a steady voice, turning to his XO and commander of the battlecruiser, Captain Andrew Randson.

  The captain checked several data screens before answering the admiral. “Long-range sensors indicate no unusual movement from the enemy ships. I don’t think they detected our hyperjumps.” Randson let out a deep, ragged breath.

  He seemed to be feeling the tension running through the Command Center. Everyone’s nerves were on edge. The first part of the mission was a success. They had jumped into the Sol System without the enemy becoming aware of the small battle fleet.

  Admiral Vickers nodded, as his gaze returned to the main tactical screen, now displaying information from the long-distance scans. He felt a tremendous weight of responsibility upon his shoulders, knowing his next few decisions could well determine the future of the human race. His fleet was the last fleet Earth still possessed; all the others had been destroyed by a vicious and unknown enemy.

  The Command Center crew waited his further orders in silence. Everyone wanted to know what had happened here in their home star system, and if their friends and families were still alive. Kurt knew they had good reasons to be concerned.

  -

  Two weeks back a mysterious and hostile alien fleet had appeared out of hyperspace and annihilated the two human fleets permanently stationed around Earth for protection. The majority of the ships had been destroyed before their shields could be raised or a single weapon fired. Only a few had managed to fight back and then only briefly. This wasn’t surprising, as no aliens had been detected by any of Earth’s long-range exploration ships, and no one had been expecting an attack. So the ships had been at a low level of alert. Many of the crewmembers had even been on leave down on Earth.

  The Star Cross and her fleet had been in the Newton System, practicing maneuvers and testing the new particle beam weapons the battlecruiser and the light cruisers had been equipped with. The Newton System held a thriving human colony of nearly eight million inhabitants, plus a large orbital station designed for deep-space exploration and minor ship repair. The colony had a number of large scientific outposts, since ships sent on exploratory missions were required to report to Newton before being allowed to return to Earth. Newton was also the only true Earth-type planet to be discovered so far in the humans’ explorations. Humans could survive on other planets, but none could compare to Earth or Newton.

  A heavily damaged light cruiser had limped into the Newton System and reported the shocking news of the attack on Earth. The ship’s commander, Captain Owens, had barely escaped and had lost over half of his crew in the brief battle above the planet. The report of the attack had shaken the Newton colony, and, after conferring with the colony’s governor, it had been decided that Admiral Vickers would return to the Solar System. His mission was to determine the current condition of Earth and the number of alien ships still present.

  -

  “What now?” Captain Randson asked, as he stepped closer to the admiral. Upon the tactical screen, a large number of red threat icons were visible. “Twenty alien ships are in orbit above Earth. Four of them are approximately the same size as the Star Cross, and the rest seem to be similar to our own light cruisers.”

  Vickers nodded. “From the reports we received from the captain of the light cruiser, the alien ships are heavily armed. I don’t want to risk an engagement with them at this time if we can avoid it. We have the Newton colony to think about. Our fleet is their only means of protection.”

  “The enemy ships are still above Earth,” Randson pointed out. “They may not even know about Newton.”

  “We can’t afford ship losses,” Kurt replied with a heavy sigh. “Governor Spalding specifically requested that we return to Newton rather than risk involvement in a major combat operation.”

  “You don’t have to answer to Spalding,” responded Randson, rai
sing his eyebrow. “Fleet Command and the president are on Earth.”

  “I’m not sure about that,” Kurt said. “If Earth has been conquered, then Governor Spalding’s next in line for the presidency. There are no other high ranking members of the government off Earth.”

  Randson was silent for a moment, as he seemed to consider that. “So what do you want to do?”

  “We need more information.” Kurt had spent hours with Captain Owens, going over the tactical data recorded during his light cruiser’s brief battle above Earth. It had been painful to watch as Earth’s proud space fleet had been all but annihilated.

  “Our new particle beam weapons should give us an advantage,” Randson carefully pointed out. “None of the ships we had over Earth were equipped with them. I’m very concerned about what the aliens may have done to our people.”

  Kurt didn’t like entering such an unknown situation while the Solar System was so quiet. The Moon and Mars both held sizable human colonies. The total silence was eerie and frightening as to the possible cause that ceased all communications. Normally the radio frequencies were full of transmissions and messages. “Can we detect any transmissions from Earth, the Moon, or from Mars?”

  “No, and all the scientific outposts are also silent. Not a peep coming from the asteroids or the moons of Jupiter and Saturn,” Randson replied with growing concern in his eyes. “It’s just too damn quiet! I can’t believe they’ve all been wiped out.”

  Kurt could only imagine how Randson felt. His wife and twelve-year-old daughter were on Earth, just outside of Houston. So was Kurt’s sister and her family.

  “We could send in a couple destroyers,” Randson suggested, “to check on some of the outposts.”

  “Not yet,” replied Kurt, shaking his head, as he thought about the absence of signals. “They might be detected. Right now, our biggest tactical advantage is that the aliens don’t know we’re here. Let’s keep it that way for a little while longer.”