Plasma Cannon: Standard anti ship weapon used by Battlefleet and the Aèllr Defence Fleet. Light plasma cannons as carried by destroyers are effective out to 60,000 kilometres, cruiser scale weapons to 100,000 kilometres. Heavy plasma cannons as carried by battleships ships are effective out to 130,000 kilometres. Plasma Cannons will not function in atmosphere.
PO, Petty Officer: Non-Commission Officer.
Point Defence Guns: Active defensive system designed to protect a ship from fighters, missiles and small astronomical hazards. Standard feature in both military and civilian vessels, although military vessels will carry significantly more point defence guns.
Railguns: Projectile thrower which uses two charged super conductor rails to accelerate metal projectiles. Used principally as secondary armament on Battle Fleet battleships and cruisers.
Rating: Lowest rank of fleet personnel, equivalent to an army private.
Real Space: Conventional Newtonian space.
Red line, The: Standard terminology for the outer edge of a planet’s Mass Shadow, thus the closest to a planet that a ship can make transition in or out of jump space.
Scram: To shut down a nuclear reactor rapidly in an emergency.
Silent Running: A state in which a vessel powers down and reduces all emissions to avoid detection.
Skipper: Unofficial term for officer in command of a vessel. As such can apply to officers of virtually any rank.
Tample: Carbon based oxygen breathing life form with both Lizard and Insect characteristics. Broken down into seven separate and competing. Star Nations the Tample were the second sentient race to be encountered by humanity.
Author’s Postscript
So, here we are at the end of The Nameless War and for me the end of a project going back ten years. The funny thing is that this wasn’t the story I originally intended to tell; that story fell foul of a dead hard drive and failure to back up my work. Instead of attempting to reconstruct the lost text, I chose to move on to the story of an encounter at the edge of known space between an alien vessel and an aged starship called Mississippi. But with the story complete (and this time backed up) I found myself curious to see what the implications of this encounter would be.
With the first book of the Nameless War completed, I began to serious consider publication. I was lucky with my timing, self publishing was really starting to get under way and I was able to join a new wave of writers who were able for the first time reach a mass audience. Along the way I’ve made some mistakes, have had to learn a lot of new skills, as well as find new uses for old ones. I would to thank again Sorcha for her encouragement to hit the big scary button marked publish. To Phil and Peter for letting me bounce ideas off them for years on end. To Jan and Ray for their editing. To Anne for that stupid idea that was actually a very good one. Thank you to my parents who have supported me in all things.
I would like to finish by thanking you the reader, for your support, your suggestions and yes your criticisms. I thank you for giving me the opportunity and motivation to explore and expand the Battle Fleet universe and hope I will hear from you in the future.
Edmond Barrett
September 2014
Table of Contents
Copyright
DEDICATION
Chapter One Disposable Heroes
Chapter Two The Few
Chapter Three Ghost Ship
Chapter Four Farwell to Convention
Chapter Five Digging In
Chapter Six Day One
Chapter Seven Tightening of the Noose
Chapter Eight Running the Gauntlet
Chapter Nine Breathing Space
Chapter Ten Figures in the Landscape
Chapter Eleven Hell’s Mouth
Chapter Twelve Reconnaissance by Fire
Chapter Thirteen Search for the Grail
Chapter Fourteen The Forgotten Army
Chapter Fifteen Drumbeat
Chapter Sixteen The Fury
Chapter Seventeen Day of Retribution
Chapter Eighteen Barring the Gate
Chapter Nineteen Taken at a Run
Chapter Twenty Breaking Point
Chapter Twenty-One To the Last
Epilogue
Glossary
Author’s Postscript
The Last Charge (The Nameless War Trilogy Book 3) Page 51
