The Wrong Side of Space (TCOTU, Book 3) (This Corner of the Universe)
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The Wrong Side of Space
By Britt Ringel
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
THE WRONG SIDE OF SPACE
Copyright © 2014 by Britt Ringel
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
K—My Love, Always
Author’s Acknowledgments
I’m trying to be more succinct with these acknowledgments than in the last book. First, let me thank all my beta readers: Mom, Carol, Judy, Derek and Lawrence. Each of you has improved this book and your effort means a great deal to me. If you guys stick with me for two more books, I promise to go to some t-shirt design webpage and print “I edited the entire TCOTU series and all I got was this stupid t-shirt” on a t-shirt for each of you. Your selfless dedication to read a raw rough draft means that anyone else who reads this book won’t have to wonder who “Dianne Selvaggion” is or parse through sentences like He looked vacantly at her before turning to him and saying, “We’ve got to get her out of here, he can’t hold her for long!” Okay, maybe (hopefully) it wasn’t that bad, but there were some laughably bad errors… there always are.
The program I use to create the star systems in the TCOTU series comes from the fantastic computer program, Universe Sandbox. It’s detailed, accurate and fun to create pretty much any type of solar system you can imagine. If you have any interest in how star systems work, you should look at their website: http://universesandbox.com
The incredible artwork for BRS Kite was through the talents of Mr. Joachim Sverd. His creativity and ability (not to mention generosity) bring Kite to life. I routinely browse his DeviantART homepage to see what new and exciting artwork he is coming up with. You should check out his webpage, his work is simply amazing: http://scifiwarships.deviantart.com/. Once again, my sincere thanks to Mr. Sverd for granting me permission to use Kite’s image.
A special paragraph for my wife. Thank you, Karen, for allowing me to spend so much time on this project and never complain about it once. Additionally, thank you for all your help and most importantly, for believing in me.
And finally, thank you for purchasing this book. If you’re reading this, you stuck with me for three books now and I’m grateful for the loyalty. I hope you enjoy Book 3, we’ve put a lot of work into it. Only two more to go to end the series.
For more maps, layouts and information regarding the books in the TCOTU series, please visit http://www.thiscorneroftheuniverse.com.
Contents
Buckler Class Escort Destroyer
Fleet Organization Charts
Officer Ranks of the Terran Navies
Hollaran and Brevic Enlisted Ranks
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Stellar Map for TWSOS
Anthe Star System
Buckler Class Escort Destroyer
Brevic Republic Escort Destroyer - 402 Kite
Tonnage: 254,000 tonnes
Length: 389 meters (1276 feet)
Beam: 129 meters (423 feet)
Draft: 47 meters (153 feet)
Crew Complement: 351 (27 Officers, 324 Enlisted)
Armament: 16 Stratford second-generation radiant stream lasers, 68 Lyle quad AMS pulse lasers
Drives: 4 Allison-Turner Type-22 drives, 4 Allison-Turner Type-50 drives, 4 Allison-Turner Type-88 drives powered by 2 Omnicron 1200 power plants
Sensors: Standard Naka-Fujita sensor suite, APG-131X Hawkeye optical platform
Defenses: Duralloy armor, Warden ECM suite, Gibson defensive shields powered by 16 Gibson Series 320 shield generators
Fleet Organization Charts
Officer Ranks of the Terran Navies
Hollaran and Brevic Enlisted Ranks
DEPARTMENT OF STELLAR FORCES
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT
THE NAVY COMMENDATION MEDAL
(THIRD STAR CLUSTER)
HAS BEEN AWARDED TO
LIEUTENANT GARRETT HESKAN
FOR
MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT
1107.993
ACCOMPLISHMENT
Lieutenant Garrett Heskan distinguished himself by meritorious achievement as acting captain, BRS Derringer, FF-127. On 1107.993, Lieutenant Heskan rightfully acted upon Brevic Naval Regulations to assume command of Derringer tasked with special courier duty after her captain unlawfully and without authority acted in contravention of Brevic Naval Principles contributing to the destruction of Brevic Science Vessel REDACTED, BRSV-REDACTED. Despite facing grave peril in which several Derringer crewmembers were lost, Lieutenant Heskan’s actions prevented further instability to the REDACTED star system. The distinctive accomplishments of Lieutenant Heskan reflect credit upon himself and the Brevic Navy.
GIVEN UNDER MY HAND
1127.993
__________//SIGNED//____________
REDACTED, Assistant Secretary, MIS
Administrator, First Fleet, REDACTED
Prologue
“There will be no killing.”
“And what happens when Captain West refuses to back down?” The marine first lieutenant punctuated his question by charging his sidearm. The timeless slug-thrower’s action was smooth and easy, producing the barest sound as the slide clacked into place.
“There will be no killing,” Lieutenant Garrett Heskan insisted.
“Lieutenant,” the third man in the elevator said in a deep voice, “you have full authority under naval regulations and Republic law. You cannot permit this mutiny to continue. Let me be clear; you will not allow this mutiny to continue.”
Heskan nodded hesitantly. This is a mutiny all right, but which side holds the mutineers? “I will not fire on a Brevic citizen,” Heskan persisted, but his voice held less resolve.
The marine lieutenant exchanged concerned glances with the civilian as the central elevator doors opened silently. The three men were just meters from the bridge. The elder man held out his arm to delay Heskan’s exit. “Lieutenant Heskan, you know you’ve been ordered to do precisely that.”
Derringer’s first officer shuddered and then pushed past the outstretched arm of the Internal Security bureaucrat. “Mr. Brewer, I know my orders.” Heskan looked back as his marine fell in line behind him. “Sid, cover the right side and I’ll watch the left. Keep an eye on WEPS; he’s the most likely to try something stupid.”
Heskan could feel his pulse thundering in his neck as he approached the bridge door. This is crazy! Marc West is my friend. I’ve idolized the man for two yea
rs and he’s treated me like a son. Heskan paused at the portal. Damn him for doing this! How can he just ignore our orders? He broke the threshold of the door control sensors, which slid open the portal to reveal Derringer’s bridge.
Heskan charged into the room, his M-41 pistol clutched in both hands. The operations section commander gave Heskan a blank look as he rushed around the left side of the small bridge. Captain Marc West turned to his first officer. The initial, disbelieving look on his face transformed into a grim understanding that tore at both men’s hearts. However, only one man felt his cheeks flush red with shame, his eyes unconsciously looking away from the man rising from the captain’s chair. Out of the corner of Heskan’s eye, he saw Sidney Knight sweeping his M-41 over the right side of the compartment.
“Don’t move, Gil, or I’ll double tap,” Lieutenant Knight warned. The barrel of the marine’s pistol was leveled squarely at the weapons section commander’s torso and his finger rested firmly on the trigger.
At the center of the bridge, Captain West slowly shook his head as he spoke. “I’m sorry I’ve put you in this situation, Garrett. You’ve got to trust me.”
“You’ve betrayed his trust and the trust of the entire Republic, you coward,” Assistant Secretary Brewer loudly declared as he entered the bridge behind the two naval officers. “I’ll see you hung for sedition, Mister West.”
West ignored the threat and the man. “Garrett, think about your oath. Try to see more than what Internal Security is willing to show you.”
From her station, Derringer’s sensor officer implored, “Captain, maybe Lieutenant Heskan is right…”
“Nell, killing civilians is never right,” West insisted.
Heskan swallowed, not quite trusting his ability to speak. “Captain, it is my duty to relieve you of command under Brevic Naval Regulations.” Hands trembling, he beseeched, “Please, Captain. Lieutenant Knight will escort you to your cabin, sir.”
West slowly walked toward Heskan as he calmly said, “Think about who you are, Garrett. You are a better man than this.”
Heskan realized his weapon was pointing at the deck and immediately raised it. Sweat stung his eyes. “Captain, please. Stop.” He stepped away from the man and felt his back press against the bulkhead.
“You won’t do this, Garrett. You’re a good man,” West told him. The captain raised his right hand slowly toward the M-41 and said, “Give me your weapon, Garrett. Save your soul.”
The report of a pistol seemed amplified in the small room.
My God, I shot him? Heskan, still unable to look his friend in the eye, scanned the man’s chest for the single red blossom that would appear shortly. When none came but Captain West slumped to the bridge floor, Heskan realized the shot had come from behind the man’s back. The wide, frantic eyes of Lieutenant Knight confirmed what Heskan already knew. To Knight’s right, Derringer’s weapons officer launched himself murderously at the marine, obscenities streaming in his wake. Heskan’s pistol instinctively tracked the lunging target and barked twice. Lieutenant Gilbert Erickson flew past the evading Knight and hit the deck hard and unmoving.
The bridge turned quiet as a crypt; no screams, no shouts.
The only sound came from the fading voice of Captain West. “Garrett, you’ve got to see past the curtain.” The man exhaled slowly, painfully, and then his friendly, brown eyes closed forever.
All other eyes turned to Heskan who stared, unseeing, at his dead mentor. “There will be no killing,” he whispered.
Brewer broke the spell. “Lieutenant Heskan, you must assume command and carry out your orders. Bree is counting on you.”
Knight decocked his weapon and, voice unsteady, said, “Captain, what are your orders?”
Heskan jolted at the realization that this was the first time in his career he had been called “captain.” He looked toward each section station and, to his astonishment, the remaining bridge officers offered tepid expressions of support. Not exactly a standing ovation but it doesn’t look like anyone is going to charge me. He walked across the room to Lieutenant Knight and handed over his weapon. This might be a mistake but I won’t captain the ship at gunpoint. Heskan knew, more than anything, he just wanted to be rid of the foul instrument. Turning his attention to the sensor officer, he ordered, “Nell, One-MC.” With a quick sweep over the panel, the woman pointed back toward Heskan, who walked to the captain’s chair and activated the arm console.
“Attention, crew of the Derringer, this is Lieutenant Heskan. Moments ago, I relieved Captain West of command in accordance with Brevic Naval Regulations. As you know, Derringer has been ordered to intercept the science vessel, Bayless, and prevent her escape from Praxidike by any means necessary.” A cadre of virus-infected scientists formerly employed on the system’s sole research orbital near the second planet had commandeered the Bayless. The research lab was the only source of life in the Praxidike star system, an isolated system that was the final stop in a chain of tunnel points near the Brevic Republic’s eastern border. The lack of terrestrial planets combined with the single tunnel made Praxidike unremarkable, unwanted, and unused by civilian commerce. These qualities formed the perfect trifecta for the placement of a bio-lab orbital, where research into cures for the most deadly communicable diseases the galaxy knew could take place. No mishap or disaster in this tiny, deserted parcel of space could possibly spread to the rest of humanity. Of course, the Brevic Ministry of Science had not counted on the unthinkable: an outbreak among the scientists and their creativity in fleeing the system. Pure happenstance had placed Derringer inside Praxidike, acting as a courier to deliver Assistant Secretary Brewer to the lab, when the Bayless had been seized.
“As you also know,” Heskan continued, “each of us understands what ‘by any means necessary’ entails. Captain West had refused these orders, citing the Republic’s constitution as justification to not fire upon Brevic citizens and, while I agreed with him philosophically, I was unable to rationalize endangering millions or billions of our citizens by permitting Bayless to escape the system.”
Heskan noticed several of the bridge officers nodding in agreement. Despite being enormously popular on Derringer and generally regarded as a father figure by all, Captain West’s refusal to follow direct orders had been difficult for most of his crew to accept. Surely, the loss of a dozen scientists, while tragic, is defensible when the balance of humanity rested on the opposite side of the scale? Heskan privately knew West had believed there were facts missing but Heskan did not need to know the specifics, such as the strain of disease or how the scientists became contaminated, to understand the severity of the threat posed to the Republic and humanity as a whole. Our government put that lab in such a desolate spot for a reason and I won’t refuse our orders just because Brewer won’t disclose highly compartmentalized, classified information to me. I don’t need all the facts, I just need to trust my superiors and follow my orders.
“As a result, I have relieved Captain West of command and Lieutenant Erickson of his duties.” Heskan’s voice echoed through the corridor outside the bridge as his words played across the ship. “If any of you feel unable to follow the lawful orders of your superiors, report such to your supervisor and confine yourself to your quarters.” Heskan quickly muted the 1-MC channel and said, “Lieutenant Knight, inform me immediately of any marine who refuses to follow your orders and I want a roving patrol of armed, loyal marines near the enlisted quarters. I also want a detail to remove…” Heskan stopped, and then tentatively gestured dejectedly at the bodies of West and Erickson.
First Lieutenant Sidney Knight had been Heskan’s good friend since shortly after Knight’s arrival on Derringer over a year ago. The bonds of their professional relationship fused into genuine friendship when Heskan sided with the marine contingent commander over a dispute with the operations section regarding additional duties. Today, that friendship and trust had been crucial when Heskan disobeyed West’s orders to escort Secretary Brewer from the bridge to his g
uest quarters and instead conspired with Brewer to follow their orders to protect the Republic. Heskan took Brewer straight to Knight’s office and laid out his intention to reason with Captain West about the need to stop Bayless but relieve him of command if necessary. The marine officer had supported Heskan unequivocally. During their trip to the frigate’s armory, Heskan realized that most of the crew might support him as well. Derringer loved its grandfatherly captain but the Brevic military followed orders.
“We’re going to stop Bayless,” Heskan continued, unmuting the ship-wide channel. “Although it is my hope to persuade these scientists to return to the orbital, we will destroy the ship if they force us. All sections ready up for action.”
Heskan circled around the captain’s chair but found he could not bring himself to sit in it. “Lieutenant Dunn, distance to Bayless?”
The sensorwoman inspected her console and brought the system tactical view to the main wall screen. “They’re twelve light-minutes ahead of us sailing at point one-three-C.”
The tactical display, its view centered on the symbol of Derringer, revealed the three gas giants of Praxidike. Derringer was in orbit around Praxidike-2, just 30ls (light-seconds) from the science orbital. Bayless was already past the system’s third and final gas giant, heading directly for the lone tunnel point that led to Elara, the next star system down the tunnel chain. During the ninety-three minute head start afforded it by West’s disobedience, Bayless had closed to within 9.2lm (light-minutes) of the Elara tunnel point and escape.
“The bastard gave them quite a lead,” Brewer swore as he appraised the situation.
Heskan bristled by the command chair. Would it hurt him to show a little respect for the dead? “Lieutenant Carroll, can we intercept them in time?”
Derringer’s navigator quickly calculated the answer. “We’re much faster, sir, but it will be close. We’ll probably catch them right near the tunnel point.”