The Void War (Empire Rising Book 1)

by D. J. Holmes

  As the gathered crew began to disperse, Romanov approached James and asked, “can I give you a brief tour of the ship sir?”

  “Not just yet,” James replied, “take me to my office if you don’t mind. I’m scheduled to meet with Captain Lightfoot aboard Ghost at sixteen hundred hours. I’m going to be reviewing Raptor’s logs until then so I don’t want to be disturbed.”

  “No problem sir,” Romanov assured James, “I’ll have a shuttle prepped and awaiting you in shuttle bay two.”

  “Very good,” James answered, “now tell me, what state is Raptor in?”

  “As you probably saw on your shuttle ride over here sir, outwardly she is almost as good as new. The proximity hit caused minimal damage; the valstronium armor absorbed most of the explosive force. It was a freak accident that our inertial dampeners took part of the shock of the explosion and overloaded. The repair crews at Excalibur have been very helpful. We’ve replaced the sections of armor that were damaged and reapplied the stealth coating to them. We’re practically as good as new.”

  Lowering his head to speak quieter his expression changed as he continued, “inwardly it’s a different matter. Everyone has lost someone they were close to. It’s strange sir. We look around and everything looks the same. There’s no battle damage or sign of what happened, only the missing faces. We all respected Captain Hooker and I think many of the crew still turn around expecting to see him checking in on them or coming down to oversee some repairs being carried out. He was a very involved Captain.”

  It had not occurred to James before but as Romanov explained it, he realized Raptor was in an unusual position. Normally if a ship suffered causalities it was as a result of severe battle damage. The ship itself would have to go back to a repair yard and the surviving crew would get some down time to mourn and work through the trauma of combat.

  A ship’s inertial dampeners effectively created an artificial gravity field on board the ship. They also compensated for the g-forces a ship felt when it was accelerating or maneuvering. Without them, ships would be severely limited in what they could do as they couldn’t accelerate or maneuver more than their crew members could tolerate without blacking out. When Raptor’s inertial dampeners had failed it hadn’t caused any secondary damage. Instead it had simply thrown the crew around with the force of the maneuvers Raptor had been undergoing to avoid the incoming Chinese missiles. Thankfully, the failure lasted less than a second before the backup systems came online. Yet their failure had been enough to cause injuries to most of the crew. Those unlucky enough to be thrown at the wrong angle or to be close to something solid had been severely injured and many had died, including Captain Hooker.

  So Raptor’s crew had lost many close friends without seeing the typical physical trauma to the ship. They would also not have the time to properly mourn their losses, as instead of returning to Earth or Britannia they would be going straight back into combat. James hadn’t thought of this or the problems that might arise from it but it was clear Romanov was already encountering them.

  “What steps have you taken to help the crew through this?” James asked.

  “I have kept everyone as busy as I can over the last two days sir. That hasn’t been hard as we’re so down on personnel. The bodies of the dead have already been removed for transport back to Earth but I have a memorial service planned in the main shuttle bay at sixteen hundred hours. I’ve given all the crew two hours off duty before the service to prepare themselves and ready any tributes they want to make.”

  James was impressed with Romanov’s initiative. Normally a junior officer wouldn’t make such a bold arrangement with a new Captain on his way to assume command. “Very good Lieutenant, I’m sure that will go a long way towards helping everyone process what happened. I’d like to attend the service. Can you contact Ghost for me and inform them of the service and leave a message for Captain Lightfoot that I will report on board Ghost as soon as the service is finished.”

  “Aye sir,” Romanov said eagerly, “the crew will be happy that you’re joining us.” Pointing to a large door in front of them he continued, “this is your office sir. Your quarters are adjoining on the starboard side.”

  “Thank you Lieutenant, you may contact me when it’s time for the memorial service. Until then I don’t want to be disturbed,” James said as he stepped through the opening doors into his new office.

  He was impressed by the size. Raptor was about a third larger than Drake but a significant amount of Drake’s internal space had been given over to fuel tanks. Despite being a warship, Raptor had been designed with some level of comfort for the crew who would have to spend years serving aboard her. His office was over twice the size of the one he had aboard Drake and he guessed his living quarters would be the same.

  Settling down at his desk, James promised he would give himself time to enjoy his new surroundings later. For now he had to get on top of what state Raptor was in before he met with Captain Lightfoot. After entering his RSN passwords into the main computer and being recognized as the new Captain he first opened the Captain’s logs, went back six months and began to read.

  Five minutes later he was disturbed with a beep from the door admittance system. Frustration caused him to lose his train of thought. He had asked not to be disturbed. Before he could give permission for whoever had requested entry into his office to come in he heard the whooshing sound of doors opening. Swinging round in his chair towards the main doors out into the corridor, James shouted in anger, “who gave you permission to…” His outburst was cut short when he realized the main doors were still shut and there was no one in sight.

  Instead from over his left shoulder came a slightly shaky voice. “Excuse me Captain, I’m sorry to interrupt. I thought I should introduce myself and see if you need anything. I am the Captain’s Steward, Arthur Fox.”

  Turning to face the man standing in the entrance to his personal quarters, James realized he had completely forgot that a Captain of a warship was meant to have his own attendant to cook for him and look after his needs. Typically stewards had free range of a Captain’s quarters and office so it wasn’t rude for him to just come into his office without permission. Standing, James strode over to take Fox’s hand. “I’m sorry Arthur, I had forgotten that I would have a steward, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “That’s ok sir, I quite understand,” Fox said as he looked at the ground, not meeting James’ eyes. “I would understand if you already have your own steward from your previous command. I already have Captain Hooker’s things packed and stowed, ready to be taken off the ship. I can arrange passage for myself with them, if you wish.”

  “Nonsense,” James said worrying he had gotten off on the wrong foot with his steward. “I didn’t have a steward on my last command. It was only a survey frigate. I’m sure I’ll be delighted with your services. In fact I think I’ll take a strong black coffee to help get me through the data files I’m reviewing. After that you can arrange to transfer my things from Drake. To be honest I hadn’t thought about them yet. If you like, you can take a shuttle across and oversee the transfer yourself.”

  A look of relief passed across Fox’s face. With a simple nod he scurried back into James’ quarters and towards a door that James guessed led to his own personal galley. Clearly he was happy to have something to do and so James left him to his own devices. Turning back to his data files he began to read again, he had six hours to the memorial service.

  *

  Sitting in the shuttle for the short flight over to Ghost, James had a few minutes to reflect on the memorial service and his reading. He hadn’t said anything at the service but had been content to sit at the side and observe. He hoped the crew had welcomed his presence and appreciated that he had given them space to reflect on their lost crew members. From his reading he had quickly realized that Captain Hooker had run a tight ship. Before the battle the crew’s fitness reports were exceptional and in simulations Raptor had always performed well. Despite losing
some good personnel with the failure of the inertial dampeners, the crew had come together and worked hard over the last two days. The fact so many holes in the command structure could be filled so efficiently, spoke of how well Hooker had trained his crew.

  Before he left James had approved a number of promotions Lieutenant Romanov had made and then submitted the list of the replacements Raptor needed to Rear Admiral’s Jensen’s aide. Most of the losses among the lower ranks would be filled with crew members from Drake but the NCO’s, Sub Lieutenants and Lieutenants would have to come from all the ships in Excalibur. Those in line for a promotion that couldn’t be given aboard their current ship, would get a chance to join Raptor, a step higher up the ladder.

  Within minutes of landing on Ghost, James was shown into Captain Lightfoot’s office. Lightfoot looked just as James remembered him from the testimony he had given before the UN Interplanetary Committee. Short black hair, a black moustache and a thick neck that ran down to two square shoulders, all reminded James of a wrestler he had followed growing up. Lacking some of the fear factor, Lightfoot’s six foot five frame still inspired an air of respect.

  Despite his formidable appearance, Lightfoot’s smile was genuine as he welcomed James into his office. “Welcome aboard Ghost Captain. It is good to see you again. I must apologize for the last time we met. RSNI had already scheduled further debriefs with me and so I had to rush off.”

  “That’s quite alright sir,” James began with a hint of relief. He had feared Lightfoot would be upset about him being over an hour late for their scheduled meeting. “RSNI ushered me back to my ship within minutes of ordering a drink so I didn’t get to see much of New York myself. I apologize for my lateness. I hope my Third Lieutenant passed on that we were having a memorial service for the crew members Raptor lost. The service was already scheduled before I took over command and I thought it demanded my presence.”

  “I understand. May I call you James by the way, when it’s just the two of us of course?” Lightfoot asked.

  “Certainly sir.” James said, “I get the impression we’re going to be working closely together.”

  “Indeed we are and you can call me Patrick,” Lightfoot responded with a knowing smile. “I take it you have read the most recent reports about the Chinese attack at Cook?”

  As James nodded, Lightfoot continued, “Well I can tell you a bit more than the reports can. The damage to the shipyard at Cook means it is a total loss. It will take at least three years to rebuild the station and then another two to get production back to full speed. When I left Cook, the Admiralty hadn’t yet heard about the outcome of the attack but I expect they will be furious. Though they won’t be surprised.”

  Pausing for a second, Lightfoot let James ponder that before continuing. “You see RSNI got a tip off from a high ranking Chinese official that the Chinese Politburo had decided to step the war up a notch. They knew an attack of some kind was imminent and so a warning was able to get to Cook just before the Chinese carried out their attack. Even with this warning things were bad. In retaliation the Admiralty has decided to carry out raiding attacks in Chinese space. As the two Captains of Crusader class destroyers we’ll be spearheading the raiding attack through the Void. The four other Crusader class destroyers will be moving up into Chinese space via Earth and the Beta colony. Their area of operations will cover the older, more established colonial worlds. We’ll be hitting more backwater locations. Our targets won’t be as fancy but there will also be fewer defenders so we have more chance of coming through this mission with the paintwork intact.

  “Interestingly, along with the tip off about the Chinese attack we got information on the Politburo members who are championing this war. I’m reading between the lines here but I think the Admiralty is gunning for regime change among the Politburo. All our targets are either military or are owned by one of the leading Politburo members in favor of the war. So while it seems we are going be raiders for the next few months, we are to be raiders with a conscience. Tell me; is Raptor up to an extended long-range mission?” Lightfoot finished by asking.

  James delayed his answer as he took a few seconds to take everything in. The British government and the Admiralty would only want a regime change if it were likely to bring peace. They must be hoping to target the more bloodthirsty Politburo members. If the plan worked, the targeted Politburo members would then either have to end the war to protect their personal wealth and power or else watch themselves topple as they lost prestige and influence. It was a long shot but it might just work.

  “Yes sir, we are still waiting on replacement personnel but if they arrive in the next twenty-four hours we should be ready to leave. It will take a while to get everyone working together smoothly but we will have to make do,” James answered.

  “Granted, but you will have to do everything you can to speed up the process. We’re likely to see action sooner rather than later so Raptor needs to be ready. Having said that, I have been given some leeway on how we approach our targets. The Admiralty has ordered us to hit the Wi system, the New Shanghai system and to liberate our mining station at Reading. After my tussle with Admiral Zheng at Damang, the Chinese sent a small force in to take over the station in case we used it as a resupply base. There’ll be nothing there that is useful to us now but the Admiralty wants our people back. RSNI believes they are still being held captive on the base.

  “Given your ship’s situation, I’ve decided we’ll hit Reading first. It’ll take us a week to work through the shift passage from the Void to Damang and another three days to reach Reading. That should give you enough time to cement your new crew members in and be ready for whatever faces us there.

  “Now,” Lightfoot said as he stood and handed a datapad across the desk to James, “here is the latest RSNI info on our target systems. I would like your thoughts on how we should approach each objective.”

  *

  Four hours later James finally set the datapad down. He was exhausted. He felt he had covered every possibility he could think of, given the data in front of him. James was pleased that Lightfoot and he had worked so well together. They had modified Lightfoot’s original plans in a number of places. James now felt confident that their plans were as good as they could make them, without actually jumping into each system and laying eyes on what was really happening in each one.

  After thanking James for his assistance as an afterthought Lightfoot added, “oh, I’m sending over the commanding officer of my marines to liaise with your men. He will get your boys up to date and then return to Ghost before we leave Excalibur. I think you have already met him, Major Johnston.”

  James was momentarily surprised; he had thought the Major had intended to return to his wife as soon as the mission to capture the Chinese destroyer at Excalibur had been completed. What could have changed his mind?

  Chapter 22 - Friendship

  Serving in the navy often forged friendships that would last a lifetime. Being assigned to the same ship for years would lead to many crew members thinking of themselves as family. Even so, it was rare that officers got to develop such connections. They had to remain aloof from their subordinates and as they moved from ship to ship more often than other crew members they rarely built deep lasting friendships.

  -Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD

  21st April 2465 AD, HMS Raptor, Excalibur

  Stepping off the shuttle back onto Raptor, James paused to say farewell to Major Johnston. Back when Johnston had taken passage on board Drake to attack the Chinese destroyer, he had thought he had gotten on well with the Major. In the brief flight over to Raptor, James could already tell things had changed. Johnston hadn’t been the most talkative marine he had ever met but he had barely said a couple of words during the flight. It seemed all he was interested in was the Reading mission. When James had asked about his wife a look of pain had crossed his face before he had regained control and fixed a steely expression in its place. James had waited for an answer but when none had
been forth coming he had given up.

  As he turned to say farewell to the Major a familiar voice distracted him. “Major Johnston, it’s good to see you again sir,” came the feminine voice of Georgia Gupta across the shuttle bay.

  The Major grunted a reply before walking off in the direction of the marine barracks aboard Raptor. James on the other hand swung round. “What are you doing here Georgia? You’re meant to be commanding Drake.”

  Instead of answering him she held out her hand, “Welcome back Captain and congratulations on your promotion. I’m sorry I didn’t get time to call over the COM and congratulate you before now.”

  Taking a step back she smiled at James, “Do you like my new uniform?”

  Only then did James notice the extra Silver Star on her shoulder, the mark of a First Lieutenant. “When the list of open spaces was sent around the fleet I applied for the open First Lieutenant spot, Rear Admiral Jensen assigned me here immediately based on you evaluation of me.”

  James was momentarily speechless, “But, you’re meant to be commanding Drake. If you take her back to Earth and oversee the repairs, the Admiralty is bound to give you a promotion to Commander. That’s why I wrote the evaluation for you.”