Rumors of Wars: The Askirti Chronicles - Book 2

by Danny A. Brown

  “Looks…nice?” he said.

  “Wow, this place looks like everyone picked up and left yesterday!” exclaimed Sergeant Xavier Cline.

  Indeed, there were no signs of destruction, just abandoned vehicles lining the sides of the roads. It looked like the population just up and disappeared…in an orderly fashion.

  “Okay, time to spread out. First squad, with Gaines, second squad, with Cline. Check out two clicks either direction and return to the shuttle. I want status reports every five minutes,” said Corporal Paul Rinquist.

  “Enjoy the coffee while we work ourselves some blisters in these crappy suits, corporal!” said Cline.

  While they appreciated that items such as spacesuits were given to them, these had nothing on the suits they were trained to use.

  “Oh, I have a new pot on right now!”

  Two squads were not enough, but it there was also not a lot of citizens left of the once great Homem empire, formally numbering in the hundreds of trillions who called themselves its citizens, now reduced to just over twenty thousand.

  “Sergeant Cline, go into that squatty building up ahead on your left,” said Paul, watching through a video feed from their visor-mounted cameras.

  Xavier did as he was commanded. The building was distinguished looking, if not overly ornate. The squad opened the unlocked doors and went in.

  “Sir, I think this is some sort of cathedral, looks like a worship center,” the sergeant said.

  Shining their lights around revealed a large, expansive space that was very decorative, rows and rows of benches, with a raised platform in the back.

  “Not sure we’ll solve the mysteries of the universe here, corporal.”

  Paul snickered to himself. Is that not why people worship? Try to solve some of those mysteries?

  “No, head out, look in the build adjacent to the one you’re in now.”

  Obeying their orders, they walked back out into the street and over to the building across from this one. Again, the front door was unlocked.

  Walking into a reception area, Sergeant Cline shined his light around, at once his breath caught.

  “Corporal, are you seeing this?”

  “Yes, sergeant, I am. I’m recalling our teams, we have to notify the queen right away.”

  Chapter 18

  Loyola Sentra System

  In orbit of Loyola Prime

  ARNS Mars

  Jackie stood there like a statue, everyone did, nobody saying a word. They came into the Loyola Sentra system several hours ago but found themselves paralyzed by the sites they were forced to behold.

  Before them were the remains of many thousands of ships. The Westerly Federation had put up a substantial resistance here. There were burned out battleships, cruisers, pieces of dreadnoughts even chunks of orbitals floating about. The dead bodies floating in the void were like sands of the sea. The computer identified more Zikar ship remains than Westerly ones, but the enemy had the ships and the personnel to lose.

  The mighty Loyola shipyard, one of the largest anywhere lay off to the port side. This was where hundreds of thousands of workers had been employed, having twenty-five slips capable of building or fixing anything including the massive dreadnoughts. It was nothing more than a floating debris field now, reduced to junk.

  The larger drama was the backdrop for this. There was Loyola Prime, home to seven billion people, or it used to be. The entirety of the planet had been nuked by many thousands of warheads. Continents burned and smoke blotted out most of the surface from aerial view. If that was not bad enough, what was left of Smirnov Station had been brought into a high velocity collision course with the planet. The four hundred kilometer long station, sans seventeen kilometers due to the utter level of destruction, was entering the atmosphere as they watched.

  Smirnov Station was actually several large asteroids that used to reside in outer belt, building blocks of planets that never formed. The sections were joined together, and the station was built into and onto the asteroids. It was a truly colossal structure and had now been turned into a giant battering ram for the planet below.

  No one dared take their eyes off the wall screen as the space station made impact. The planetary crust cracked under the immense force, sending large chunks of it and underlying magma all the way into space. The kinetic energy released on the surface was like ripples on a pond as waves of destruction formed mountain ranges instantly, while others were flattened, sending wave after wave of destructive force across the entire world several times over. Normally, planetary bodies had few cracks that were very long, separating the major plates the continents rested on. This planet now had thousands.

  Once the crown jewel of the Westerly Federation, Loyola Prime ceased being a habitable planet on any level. There would be no cleanup, no hunt for survivors, no stories of those who made it to deep bunkers being found, and no repopulation by humans, ever. Seven billion lives had been snuffed out. And now, there were giant geysers of magma opening up across the world promising to erase all traces of human civilization on this planet.

  Strangely, Jackie was reminded this very event had been prophesied. If she had any doubts about prophecy or her call to destiny, they were moot at this point. The large numbers of wrecked ships, the planet burning. None other than Tom Wallace, prime minister of the Commonwealth had seen it in a vision several years ago, reporting that he believed Jackie was in the center of the fight against pure evil. And what they were up against was the purest of evil.

  This was the fifth large Westerly system they had visited. In each system, shipyards were destroyed, fleets were decimated, orbital facilities were cracked into pieces, and planets were made lifeless. If this was the Zikars plan, it was a dark vision indeed.

  Pari, this is evil.

  <>

  Pari, they must be stopped, no matter the cost.

  <>

  Why didn’t they ask for help? Tens of billions dead and they never asked for help. Anyone would have helped, even the smaller nations would have come to their aid.

  <>

  Pari had infected several Westerly systems some time back but had simply forgotten about them until now. Truthfully, it was not a priority for the problematic AI, but more of background interest. And it wasn’t very interested, at least until now.

  We have to go to Lenox-5. That’s the last major Westerly system. We have to know what is going on there.

  “Admiral set a course back to the Gate. Inform everyone, including our Commonwealth friends we are going to the Westerly capital, Lenox-5,” Jackie said.

  Tabitha was silent, watching the horror unfold on the wall screen. Her home planet was being ripped to pieces before her very eyes. All her ties to the past were gone forever. Extended family, friends, favorite vacation spots. All wiped from existence. It was all as it never existed.

  Jackie had no doubt others in her fleet had similar feelings. Her own captain, Jeri De Vitis, had once called Loyola Prime his home. She was thankful she could help him along with a handful of others escape the corrupt Westerly officials. Even though it was a corrupt system, nobody wanted to see what was happening on the wall screen. Not even the Westerly Federation deserved this.

  It was not lost on Jackie that not long ago she was here destroying her life through substance abuse, and now the planet itself was destroyed, lacking the ability to sustain life. A sick symmetry.

  “Tabitha,” Jackie whispered, putting her hand on her shoulder.

  “Y-yes, High Queen.” She stiffened up for a moment, addressing an officer on the flag bridge, “inform the fleet, we move out to Lenox-5.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jackie was thankful to now have three full Askirti fleets, numbering around twelve hundred ships. And with the Commonwealth fleets that were detached to her, she had close to four thousand ships.

  Will it be eno
ugh to stop evil on this level? I wish the rest of my fleets were ready now.

  She had many thousands more that were stolen from the Zikar ship graveyards, and many thousands that were prizes claimed in battle. But making them useful took time. Time was something that she did not have.

  ##

  “Daddy, what’s going to become of us?”

  Rick took his daughter's hand and said, “we will be victorious. The Zikars must be stopped, and we are the ones who are going to stop them.”

  Rick was thankful for the one day break his daughter had each week from her training. She had grown much stronger in these past months. While she was a physically strong woman when they rescued her and her companions, the training she was undergoing to be part of the High Queen’s Praetorian Guard meant her body was undergoing more changes. Some areas increased in size while other diminished. That plus her hair growing out from the previous buzz cut that was forced on her, she now looked both strikingly beautiful and intimidating.

  “I feel like I’m not doing my part in this war. We work, we train, we learn. But we want to take it to the Zikars! They are murderers, and all of us want to take the battle to them!”

  “You may get your wish very soon enough,” her father said. “But in war, there is a time to fight, a time to rest, and a time to prepare. If everyone is doing the fighting, there is not the time for preparation. If we are all preparing, there is no time for rest. There is a real possibility that you may never see battle. The group you are in is meant to be the badest of the bad, the toughest of the tough, all in defense of the High Queen, her last line of defense.”

  “Your girlfriend,” Sylvia joked.

  “That’s a work in progress,” he laughed. “We have feelings for each other, but that part of our relationship will take time.

  “Just remember whose idea it was to be the circle within the circle,” reminding her that she volunteered for this. “The training you are undergoing is turning your group into an elite fighting force, eventually superior even to the hand-picked marines that are on this ship, but it will take years to reach your potential.”

  “Will the training ever be finished?”

  “Ha, no. Your first few years are the most significant, after that it is all honing of your skills. We’ve combined the best of the Commonwealth with the best the Reslorians have to offer for this program, and it is expanding.”

  “Oh? What does that mean?”

  “Well, we will always need special operators. Yes, we have lots of robots, and the ones on this ship are superb soldiers. But we will always need humans. And the cold logic is there will be losses,” he grimaced. “If we lost members of the Praetorian Guard, they will need to be replaced. Those replacements have to come from somewhere.”

  Sylvia nodded both in understanding and agreement as she did not choose a safe profession. What made it easy in a mental sense was every time she learned something new about Jackie she was more impressed than before. The woman had a true passion for justice and protecting people. Sylvia and the other former slaves had volunteered for the business of protecting that woman, no matter the cost.

  For his part, Rick was thrilled that he got his daughter back and could spend hours with her each week rebuilding their relationship after so many years of separation. While he wanted her to be doing something “safer,” it was no shock to him when she informed him she was just like him complete with the warrior’s mindset. And having been a slave for over a decade, she would do anything for the woman who shot her owner dead right in front of her.

  “Daddy, will I ever have her nanites?” she asked, referencing the billions of tiny machines coursing through Jackie’s body, the gift that made her the ultimate warrior.

  “No. As I understand it, hers is a version that is only for royalty. But for warriors like you and me, let’s just say you are not the first of your team to ask. If we ever find out how to make them, or actually find some, it will become a requirement for you all. So yes! If that day comes, you will have the palest skin you could ever imagine! And that lovely dark hair? It’ll go white. You’ll even have bright green eyes!”

  Sylvia laughed, trying to imagine giving up her beautiful dark skin tone and hair color.

  “How is it she fights like she does?” Sylvia asked sincerity. “I’ve seen her spar, it’s like she knows what you’re going to do before you do it! No one can land a hit in on her and the few sparring seasons she’s participated in are over before they start! Nobody is that good. It’s like she can see the future, she can’t, can she?” she laughed.

  Rick was not laughing.

  “Daddy? No one can see the future, right?”

  He just looked at her, and a sudden chill ran down her back.

  “She does.”

  Her eyes got wide.

  “Impossible!”

  “No, darling. What I’m telling you is beyond top secret. But soon enough, all the Praetorian Guard will find this out. She does see the future.”

  Sylvia gaped at him.

  “She only sees her future and only a few seconds at most. She said since receiving her full Homem nanites on Wellington this had extended some, but not much. She can also emit anti-sound, meaning you’ll never hear her coming in the dark.”

  “No way! We HAVE to find out how to make more!” Sylvia was beyond excited. “So, what else does she do? Glow in the dark or make pancakes with her armpits?” she said jokingly.

  “No, but she becomes completely invisible. She can disappear in broad daylight.”

  “OH. MY. GOD.”

  Rick laughed.

  “If we can ever replicate the military nanites, trust me, we intend to use them! Listen, shortly we’re going to be in the Westerly capital system. You all are going to have to get into armor again, just in case we have boarders, but it will also protect you in the event of depressurization or the ship being jolted by missile strikes.”

  “You’re so cute when you worry about me! I’m a big girl, and I know the dangers here. My team will be prepared. And if any bad guys have the bad luck of boarding us? Well, let’s just say their trip will be a short one.”

  “That’s my girl!”

  Chapter 19

  Lenox System

  On approach to Lenox-5

  Abdul was watching the wall screen with great sadness. In his estimation, what was before him was the last of the Westerly Federation fleet. They had combined their remaining forces to protect their capital world of Lenox-5.

  He watched Admiral Eigor Zobrist give a most passionate plea for the Westerly’s to stand down and surrender to the Zikar Empire. It was as unbelievable as it was unfortunate that the non-believers would be so stubborn. The Zikars offered real enlightenment in an ordered society that was completely lacking in corruption. Its people were happy and productive. And the women lived truly liberated lives, free from the yolk of slavery that the unrighteous forced upon them.

  “Number One, I know the coming destruction is just sickening. It sickens me too,” said his admiral.

  “It’s so unnecessary.”

  “I agree,” Eigor answered. “If our convoys had made it through, we would have the supplies to transition these large worlds properly. Outside of surrender, our only choice here is to annihilate them.”

  “A sad state of affairs. But we have our orders, subjugate or annihilate.”

  “I take no pleasure in this. So many people that could have been enlightened, just like we are.”

  The Westerly fleet here was not a small one. Not only had their remaining ships, numbering about ten thousand, been brought here, but they had been rushing mothballed ships back into service. Unfortunately, the ships taken out of retirement had not received upgrades, and the crews had been hastily assembled. Still, they had the numbers to challenge the Zikars, or so they thought.

  “Sir, it appears some of these ships are older, much older. They must have rushed old ships out of retirement.”

  “Yes, Abdul. I see they have an additional seven tho
usand ships. It is a great armada.”

  “Not as great as ours, sir!” Abdul proudly retorted.

  Indeed, the Westerly Federation was not the only nation to consolidate its forces. The Zikars had brought in the fleets previously assigned to the Commonwealth, and the fleets that were to attack the United Planets Alliance. Neither Abdul nor Eigor knew why the latter fleets were here as he was aware that the UPA was not as strong as the Commonwealth and should have been relatively easy to conquer.

  Consolidating the fleets without the use of the Gate system was not a challenge, but more an exercise in patience as they coordinated their destinations across vast distances with weeks passing between messages being exchanged. But it all came together now.

  “That you are correct about, Number One!” Eigor answered excitedly. “Being as those who were supposed to defeat the UPA are here and have not experienced the cleansing fire of the Madonna through battle, we will send them in first!”

  “Blessed be her name!” Abdul said as he made a gesture across both shoulders.

  “Blessed be her name, indeed!” Eigor said as the first Westerly battleship to attack blew up, all hands lost.

  “I meant to ask you, sir, how are your new concubines are working out?”

  “Oh, you know, I sent them all to the high priest we have on board, and he gave them obedience lessons. He is very thorough, we’ve only had to cleanse a few of them. Then there was a few I couldn’t keep because they just did not make me happy, so I sold them to Captain Hultz who was apparently interested.”

  “Did you get a good price?”

  On the wall screen, twenty-five Westerly destroyers cracked open, one after another as they were laid into by enemy battleships.

  “Oh, I got what I wanted. A few bottles of some rare whiskey,” Eigor responded. “But, I did find out later that those women did not make him happy either, he cleansed all four of them.”