Space Chronicles: The Last Human War

by Dean Sault

  As the humans warmed up to this affable stranger, each shared his or her story. Benjamin assessed these individuals for leadership potential as they spoke.

  One woman, Kate of Striker Two, stood out. She had a long history of leadership among her fellow humans, but he was more interested in her brushes with authority. She challenged Taskers on more than one occasion, making demands for improved working conditions for her people. She laughed about once spending a month in a re-education center for pushing back when a Tasker tried to make her close the door to her room.

  As the older workers became secure with this new human, they began to ask questions.

  “What quarry are you from, Benjamin?”

  “Why do you wear those odd clothes?”

  He smiled as conversation began to focus on him. Each time, he replied there would be plenty of time for them to learn about him a little later. Finally, Adam could not stand the suspense any longer.

  “Benjamin’s our friend. He’s a free human!” he blurted out the truth.

  Even impulsive Adam knew the importance of letting those words sink in. He kept quiet while the others considered what he had just said.

  Kate studied the older man, sensing strength in him, but not able identify its source.

  “What’s the boy talking about?” she demanded.

  “It is as he said. I came from a community of free humans. We have no Taskers. We live entirely free.”

  She continued to grill him.

  “What planet are you from?”

  “I was born right here on Tanarac.”

  “Nonsense!” Kate challenged. “There aren’t any free humans on this planet.”

  “Not true, Kate. Our society has lived secretly on Tanarac for over two hundred years.”

  “I don’t believe you.” She clung stubbornly to her belief.

  Benjamin liked her strength.

  “It’s true.” Adam jumped in. “I seen em myself. Where’d ya think I got these weird clothes?”

  Kate looked back and forth between Adam and Benjamin.

  “If you’re a free human, why’d you come here? Won’t the Tans keep you here now that they’ve seen you?” She was quick to figure out issues.

  “I’m here to prepare captive humans for freedom. We are working a deal with the Tanarac government to allow all of you to leave captivity.”

  “Oh yeah?” she spoke with pointed sarcasm. “Where are we supposed to go? Who’s gonna take care of us? I’m not going anywhere until I know more about it.”

  Benjamin acknowledged her challenge. This natural leader would be valuable in building a new free human community.

  “Let’s start from the beginning. Let me tell you about our society, and I will answer your questions afterward.”

  He shared the history of the free human colony and talked about The Wall but carefully withheld the recent discovery of its true nature. Listeners heard about the thousand humans making their way back through the jungles, but were not told about others who remained behind in deep hides in the mountains. He kept it simple.

  At one point, the doctor directed Tanarac cafeteria staff to provide snacks and drinks.

  When Benjamin ended his tale, even Kate was mesmerized to the point of silence.

  Dr. Hadje took a turn addressing the group.

  “Everything my friend told you is true. Adam and I have seen it with our own eyes. I would like to add one thing to what you have just heard. I am the senior scientist in charge of human affairs, and it has always been our intention to return humans to freedom in the galaxy. This recent development astonishes me as much as it does you. I hope you will help to lead your people into freedom.”

  Now convinced, Kate looked from Dr. Hadje to Benjamin. “How can we help? We’ve never lived free before. We wouldn’t know where to begin.”

  He nodded with satisfaction and decided to begin elevating her leadership role.

  “Your people are going to be fearful. They need assurance from trusted leaders. I ask you, and the other seniors in this room, to tell this story to your people. It will be easier for them to accept coming from you than from a stranger like me. Will you do that?”

  Several at the table squirmed, uncomfortable with his request. Again, she seized the lead, only this time, applying pressure to her peers.

  “What do you think, William? How about you, Tara? You guys gonna do it?” She went around the table pressuring each member for their commitment. They all agreed, despite varying levels of enthusiasm.

  She leaned forward in her chair.

  “Okay, Benjamin, we’ll do it. When do we start?”

  “You tell me. What’s the best way to break this news to your people?”

  His question stimulated discussion between the new committee members. It didn’t take long for the meeting to fall into disarray with numerous people trying to assert conflicting points of view at the same time.

  Benjamin raised a hand to quiet the group.

  “May I have your attention please?” He had to repeat himself several times before everyone listened.

  “The first task you need to master is organization of leadership. You cannot lead others if you cannot manage yourselves. In the free human community, we rely on a set of rules for conducting meetings. I will teach you the rules of order as we go. All decisions will be solely yours. I will merely facilitate.”

  Everyone agreed.

  Several hours passed before Dr. Hadje and the group of humans exited the cafeteria.

  Two Taskers came to rigid attention, and the doctor gave them a series of instructions. Surprise was obvious, and they hesitated until he repeated the instructions, a bit more forcefully. They headed down the central connecting hall of the human quarters, stopping at each junction to convey the new orders to their blue-skinned peers.

  Soon, all Taskers had left the building.

  Dr. Hadje turned to the human committee. “There you are my friends. As you requested, you now have complete control of the entire building. Good luck.”

  The doctor walked slowly down the exit hallway, smiling. He sensed the end of an era.

  The human committee fanned out across the facility to bring news to their brethren. After three hundred years of captivity, freedom was at hand.

  Chapter 41

  Ludic called out to General Tragge. “Sir, the retrofit of the 9th is complete, and they’ve been redeployed.”

  The general had just finished talking with the government Council. The planet was about as prepared as it could be. Even Taskers in human quarries received briefings about current threats, and they were organizing patrols for the perimeters of the quarries. Despite all the preparations, the general secretly worried they might not be sufficient against this large enemy force.

  “Sir, Heps are here. They’re coming out. All light ships.”

  Admiral Paad’s forces pounced on each Heptari invader as it emerged from the last asteroid field. Enemy ships exploded one after the other, but for each ship destroyed, several more appeared to take its place.

  Battle spread across Tanarac’s night sky as large numbers of small ships joined in combat. The centralized command structure of the Heptari military left their pilots with no room for improvisation. Tanarac pilots had spent countless hours in simulators, developing individual flying instincts. It showed.

  General Tragge ordered a running tally of the battle damage on a small tactical screen at his command chair. He had already agreed with Admiral Paad it would take a kill ratio of at least five to one to justify keeping Tanarac fighters at risk. So far, the ratio held steady at over seven enemy ships killed for each friendly ship lost. The battle raged in Tanarac’s favor until the first Cosh cruiser emerged from the asteroid belt. It came out firing its powerful main cannon at the nearest group of Tanarac light ships. Small vessels had no chance. Each hit resulted in complete obliteration of the targeted craft. Even a medium-class Kyel destroyer suffered heavy damage from a single blast by the powerful Heptari cannon.


  The admiral gave the order to reposition his ships under the safety of the planetary shields.

  The War Room comm officer stood in excitement. “Sir! I’ve got Admiral Loyo with the 10th on your command line.”

  “Put him on speaker.”

  “Hey General, we’re coming in hot. Gonna drop outta grav drive, sun side. Keep it clear for us. Don’t want to squash any of your little ships. I’ve got ten heavies with me and the 11th has fourteen, all star-class killers ready for action. Grav drive conversion in less than an hour. Sorry we couldn’t respond sooner. Heps are crawling all over this system. We had to make some course detours to get here without engaging them. We monitored Admiral Lu’s report to you earlier, so we’ll stack our shields when we drop in. Almost outta fuel. We’re good if we don’t have to make any long combat runs.”

  “Welcome to the war, Admiral. Glad to have your help. Comm, conference this call with Admiral Paad.”

  “Already done, sir. He’s been listening.”

  Admiral Paad jumped in. “Hey Fraz, Lorm here. Good to hear from you guys. We’re spotty on planetary defense in the southern hemisphere. When you drop in, send four heavies down there for planetary grid stations. Bring the rest into sub-shield orbit at the space docks. We’re going to upgrade your shields. Transmitting entrance vectors right now.”

  “You got it, Lorm. Save some of those Heps for us. Don’t take em all out yourself.”

  Admiral Loyo’s light tone changed and became deadly serious. “General, we scanned some new kind of Hep ship in deep space. These things are bigger than anything I’ve ever seen.”

  “We’ve already seen one. How many did you make?”

  “Three, sir. They’re definitely heading this way, but they didn’t seem to be in a hurry. Either that, or they’re really slow.”

  The general heard enough.

  “Lorm, we can’t risk losing any more ships with help so close. Make sure your commanders understand to stay under planetary shields no matter what the Heps do to provoke them.”

  The Tanarac commander watched several monitors tracking enemy capital ships as they emerged from the asteroid field into local space. He counted twenty-five Rahl and Cosh class ships and countless minor vessels. Then, Rotaga’s new super ship came into view. Its sheer magnitude stunned the general and his staff.

  “Ludic, shield report.”

  “Sir, all three shields, one hundred percent and fully extended. I integrated our shield oscillation frequency with the cannons on our heavies. We can fire out with full power, but Heps can’t fire in.”

  “How are we set for shield energy access?”

  “Got it covered this time, sir. We can run full-strength shields for a week, if we need to. They caught me off guard once. That’s all they get.”

  “General, the Heptari commander is hailing you!”

  “Open the holo-pad.”

  An image immediately formed.

  “General Tragge. I am Prime—”

  “I know who you are. Say what you have to say.” The general intentionally showed no respect to the Heptari commander.

  “We have a vastly superior force. You have no hope for success. Drop your planetary shields. There is no need for us to fight.”

  “The last time a Heptari told one of my ships to drop shields they were slaughtered in violation of Galactic Law. Why should I believe you this time?” It occurred to the general that every minute he could keep the Heptari commander talking, his 10th and 11th Battle Groups were getting closer.

  Rotaga thought a moment before responding. “That was a mistake. A gunner was eager to please. He has been punished. Of course, you mined an asteroid field, violating Galactic Law. Was that a mistake? Drop your shields as a show of good faith. We can negotiate a settlement.”

  “What kind of settlement?” The general continued to buy time.

  “You initiated war against the Heptari Empire when we attempted a peaceful scan of your planet looking for humans. You now face superior forces. Defeat is inevitable. If you agree to our terms, you will become a valued province in the Heptari Empire. Your people do not have to die. They may live in peace, serving our Supreme Codae.”

  “How do we know you will keep your word?” The general tried to make his consideration sound genuine.

  “It is in our best interests to keep our word. If we destroy you, it is our loss. Tanarac is worth more to the Heptari Empire without a fight. Now, for the last time, drop your planetary shields.”

  The enemy fleet slowly approaching the planet while they talked. Several formations began to move into wide orbits to surround the planet. The general continued his ruse.

  “I do not have authority to make such a decision on behalf of our Empire. I must consult our governing Council. That will take some time.”

  “You have five minutes to drop your shields.” Rotaga’s image vanished from the holo pad.

  The general waited a few seconds to make sure the connection was fully severed.

  “Lorm, are you monitoring?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Be ready. Heps never wait. I’m keeping our comm link open.”

  “Yes sir. Here they come.”

  Monitors in the War Room showed acceleration by the Heptari fleet, only the big command vessel remained at a distance.

  Tanarac defenders, following orders, held fast to their positions below the planetary shields. Cannon blasts from the approaching enemy fleet dissipated on the outermost planetary shield, but Tanarac ships did not fire in return.

  Heptari vessels made several more passes, each time firing with no effect.

  One big Rahl class starship slowed to a stationary position over the third planetary shield generator. It began a sustained particle beam attack toward the generator’s projection array, but its energy beam scattered with no success in a shower of static sparks across the planetary shield.

  Admiral Paad’s flagship moved beneath the enemy vessel and opened fire with his topside cannons. The energy blasts passed through the planetary shield, at full strength, and pounded the enemy belly shields. It was clear the enemy did not expect Ludic’s shield modulation.

  Large pieces of molten metal spun off the damaged Rahl, and it attempted to return fire at the admiral’s flagship. Again, its particle beam scattered across the planet’s protective field. The enemy ship retreated from its vulnerable position.

  The Heptari fleet suspended its attack, taking a blockade formation just out of range of Tanarac’s land-based cannons. An assortment of small craft began to assemble in front of their heavy ships.

  General Tragge anticipated each of his opponent’s moves and kept in close contact with his in-space commander.

  “Lorm, they’re going to send light attack ships through our shields. Going after our shield generators or projector arrays. They’ll try to overwhelm us with numbers. Scramble your fleet defense fighters. We’ll commit our Obols for high altitude and hold back the Tangs for lower atmospheric defense. I’ve got four Tangs circling each generator. Nothing gets through.”

  “We’ll take out as many as we can before they reach the atmosphere.” Strike Vipers streaked out from the holds of all the admiral’s heavy ships while he spoke.

  Several dozen Heptari Slegs and hundreds of fleet fighters approached the planetary shields at full throttle. Enemy heavies screened for their attacking ships by unleashing an enormous field of fire at the planetary shield. Some of their own fighters exploded in the process, but single-minded Heptari fighter pilots showed no concern for friendly fire, continuing at full throttle.

  Enemy fighters reached the top planetary shield where braking thrusters adjusted their direction and speed to achieve the low velocity, shallow trajectory necessary to pass through a force field. They dropped their own shields and penetrated the top Tanarac force field.

  Heptari ships were easy targets due to slow velocity and lack of shields as they emerged from the uppermost planetary energy barrier. Vipers made quick work of the first wave.


  Soon, vast numbers of enemy craft swarmed shields around the planet. Vipers faced far more enemy ships than they could possibly destroy. In the lower atmosphere, it was a different matter.

  “Sir, Obols report one hundred percent kills. We’re getting em all, general!”

  General Tragge knew better than to be exuberant like this young officer. He offered a sobering reply. “It only takes one fighter to destroy a shield array.”

  “Heavies are coming!” Admiral Paad’s voice came over the linked comm. “We’re moving out to engage them.”

  “Negative! I repeat, negative,” the general said. “Remain under the shield. That’s what they want. We can’t beat twenty-six to three odds. Parallel their maneuvers. They can’t come through our shields without dropping their defenses. That’s when they’ll be vulnerable. Hang in there, Lorm. Only twenty minutes until the odds change.”

  “Sir, multiple grav distortions. Sun side. Screen twelve.”

  Chapter 42

  “Kelly, I need you to come to the bridge for takeoff,” Simon spoke through the walls. “Do you remember the way? If not, I can send Dr. Boroski to show you.”

  Soon, the assembly of humans, hicay and hologram stood on the command deck watching video feeds from space while Simon explained the severity of the situation.

  Dr. Boroski nodded to the neophyte pilot who reclined in his command chair. Six final connectors folded over from his head cover and attached on his forehead and temples. Simon appeared to slip into a trance. Kelly’s connection with him ended.

  Three large contoured chairs rose from the floor and Simon’s voice sounded in the air.

  “Please take a seat in one of these crew chairs. Kerl-Ga will need to sit in a chair too. Will you explain that to her, Shilgar? The chair and restraints will automatically adapt to her body shape, and she’ll be comfortable.”

  It was an odd sight, this huge animal climbing timidly onto a crew chair. Restraints snaked up over contours of her body, and the chair altered form as it adapted to her physique. She snapped defensively when one of the belts tightened near her throat. It retracted slightly as if it understood her discomfort.