Star Man 2: Star Rise

by I. G. Roberts

  Contents

  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 1

  Colin sat quietly in his quarters at Sankarah Military Hospital. He was thinking about the last ten months of his life while waiting for an escort to arrive. Critically injured, rescued and healed by friendly aliens, attacked by Pirates, learning he’d become a soldier without knowing quite how it happened, critically injured a second time, tried and finally acquitted of Piracy. Colin had become a citizen of the Federation, and now he was about to embark on a new chapter in his life, a new career. If someone back home told him all this was going to happen, Colin would’ve laughed at them. Now, he was waiting till Lieutenant Anne Fraser, a human Officer in the Federation Navy, arrived to take him to Naval Headquarters. Colin had promised to join the Navy and see the universe. Somewhere along the line, Anne had appointed herself as his mentor or perhaps been assigned, Colin wasn’t entirely sure which, to show him how to live in the Federation.

  Ever since his implant was activated on FNS Destiny, Colin had been learning all he could about the society, and the universe he now lived in. By then, he’d completed all the theory needed to be able to pass the exams and become a Shuttle pilot. He only needed to develop the practical skills, before being able to take the tests and obtain the necessary qualifications. The entire situation felt surreal to him, things like this didn’t happen to ordinary people like him from Earth. He remembered how his wife always jokingly claimed he was an Alien and would call him Alf after the alien on a favorite television show from several years previously. He idly wondered if maybe she knew something he didn’t. As Colin thought about her, he couldn’t help but feel the pain. He was missing her terribly and felt guilty for the grief she’d been put through when he disappeared. At least, he’d begun to make some friends along the way, people who’d shown a willingness to stand beside him and give him the support everyone needs, even when it seemed the universe was against him.

  Colin’s quarters in the hospital grounds were quite comfortable, comprising two rooms plus a bathroom. He had a large picture window looking out onto the grounds and a small balcony so he could access fresh air and breezes. After Colin’s trial concluded with him being found not guilty on all counts, and he’d become a Federation citizen, the staff at the hospital gave him a lot of freedom to move about the facility, pointing out the places that were off limits. Colin was careful not to go into the off-limits areas, he didn’t want to have to dig himself out of trouble yet again, or worse, find himself out on the street. He’d taken the opportunity to commence an exercise regime, improving fitness levels and self-defence skills as much as possible. Often, off-duty members of Colin’s security detail would join him when he worked out and over time added to his skill set. At least now, he had enough money to pay his own way. The Taralyn government paid him a significant amount of money for bringing FNS Destiny back to the Federation, and the Federation itself rewarded him for the people he’d rescued during the voyage and for the spy he’d been instrumental in exposing on Cotoni Station. With some help from his new friends, some of whom were influential figures within the Federation, Colin had found someone reliable to manage his funds, so they were well invested and earning an income for him. This extended the time Colin could live in the Federation without a job if needed.

  Colin was still staying at the hospital for security reasons, the Directorate of Naval Intelligence (DNI) was finding tantalizing hints that he was still a target, and at risk from Peschal Alliance operatives because of the way he and FNS Destiny’s crew ruined their plans during and after FNS Destiny’s last cruise. For their part, the Federation authorities wanted him safe because he was so familiar among Federation citizens. When Colin’s story and his exploits were reported by the media, the public adopted him. Colin became a hero to them. It was felt public morale would be severely dented if he was killed, even though, officially, he carried no status and no standing within Federation society. Besides, the Federation was an honorable society and were not willing to just throw him to the wolves, or abandon him, especially when the danger he was in, was a direct result of his actions to help the Federation.

  Finally, Anne arrived to collect Colin. Her reward for her part in FNS Destiny’s return was a belated promotion to full Lieutenant. Anne had initially been relegated to a backwater role because of a mistake she’d apparently made during her first block of Officer training. While nobody would tell Colin what Anne had supposedly done, he couldn’t see what she would’ve done that warranted such punitive measures as were taken against her. He could see the woman had a considerable amount of instinctive leadership talent in her own right and her performance on FNS Destiny couldn’t be faulted. The two of them had become quite close very quickly on Destiny, each seeming to know what the other was thinking when a problem surfaced, each knowing what support the other needed to resolve the issue. While they were on Sankarah, she was staying in the Navy’s Visiting Officer Quarters, not far from the hospital. She still went out of her way to see him nearly every day, mostly he thought, to check that he was doing okay. Once it was evident Colin no longer needed her medical skills, Eri returned to FNS Destiny which was moored to Sankarah Orbital Station, but Ani and Shasi were still here as part of his security detail.

  When Anne turned to leave, Colin stood and followed her toward the waiting ground cars. As they exited the building, he noticed the security was comprised of a very tough and competent looking group of individuals. Colin saw some Troopers he recognized from FNS Destiny, including Ani and Shasi, but they were all focused on their jobs now, so they weren’t interested in talking to him. They were clearly alert, scanning the surrounds, looking for threats, taking his safety very seriously. Colin was also armed, so he had some chance of defending himself if they came under attack. As far as Colin knew, nobody really thought he’d be attacked here, not on Sankarah, but the authorities knew the Peschal Alliance had managed to infiltrate a lot of people into the Federation over the last few years, arrests were still being made as interrogations continued and further operatives were identified.

  Colin and Anne were to travel to Naval Headquarters in a cavalcade of four armoured ground cars, each of which carried six people including the driver. A near comparison to these vehicles would be the armoured limousines used to transport VIPs around on Earth. As part of their security, Colin chose which ground car they were to ride in, if there were a leak within the security detail, nobody would have an opportunity to report which vehicle they were riding in before they left the hospital grounds. Security in the Federation was quite lax, till Colin’s adventures showed what a mistake this attitude was, now things had tightened up considerably. Colin and Anne headed to the second ground car from the front and climbed in. On the way, he felt the gentle breeze as it rustled the leaves of the vegetation in the gardens. He noticed the fresh, clean smell of the air and wished he could take the technologies that made all this possible, home to Earth.

  When everyone settled into the vehicles, the cavalcade set off for the journey to Naval Headquarters. There aren’t many large buildings above ground on Sankarah and Naval Headquarters isn’t one of the few there are. The facility only has a small footprint on the surface bu
t is vast below ground. The facility is several times the size of the Pentagon in the United States on Earth and is a small city on its own. No roads lead to it on the surface, even the approaches are underground. After entering one of the tunnels leading to the Complex, there is a minimum trip of about twenty kilometres underground before you eventually arrive at your destination. This was done for two reasons, the first being to preserve the environment on Sankarah, the second was to improve security at Headquarters. The designers achieved their goals of providing the maximum level of security, with a minimal environmental impact. Even many of the people who lived and worked there didn’t know precisely where, on the planet's surface, they worked.

  The cavalcade hadn’t traveled far from the hospital when a grenade impacted the ground car at the front of the convoy. The car was thrown into a sideways skid, coming to rest in a cutting and completely blocked the road. The damage was severe enough that the vehicle couldn’t be moved under its own power from the final resting position. The occupants weren’t injured because they were protected by the vehicle’s armour, but the entire situation had turned bad very quickly. With the road blocked, the next ground cars were in quite an awkward position, they couldn’t turn around fast enough in the available space to have any chance of escape. On one side of the road was a deep drainage ditch, on the other a gently rising grassy slope, but there was no cover that way, not between the attacking group and the road. Colin’s driver apparently saw where the grenade was fired from because he swung off the road and aimed his vehicle directly for the location then gunned the engine.

  Already, Colin’s fighting instincts were beginning to take hold, time seeming to slow down for him as the adrenalin kicked in. He was evaluating the tactical situation, so knew whoever carried out the attack, would be focused on the vehicle heading in their direction, not the rest. This gave the Troopers in the damaged vehicle a chance to escape and find cover, as well as allowing the rest of his security team, at least the ones who weren’t here with him, a chance to deploy, ready to assault their attacker's positions.

  When Colin looked around, he saw his assessment was right, the other trailing vehicles were already pulled off the road, their occupants rapidly spilling out, preparing to take the fight to the attackers. He also noticed two civilian vehicles caught on the roadway, the people who were in them struggling to get clear and dive for cover in the ditch on the other side of the road. Colin found himself hoping those civilians were all okay and decided he’d make sure of it before he left this location if he was still alive. As they approached the position where the grenade was fired from, their ground car came under sustained weapons fire from the front. The impact of the projectiles on the outside of the vehicle sounded like heavy hail making it quite noisy inside as they lurched across the countryside. There wasn’t much cover to allow them an opportunity to exit the vehicle where they were, so all they could do was try to sow as much confusion among their opponents as possible, while the rest of the security team got themselves into position ready to attack the attackers.

  Unknown to either Colin or his attackers, the cavalcade was being observed by Naval staff in a control room at Headquarters via cameras in a stealthed drone flying high above them. A response was set in motion within a minute of the first grenade exploding, almost as soon as the attack was launched. Additional elite Troopers were dispatched by air, ready to reinforce the ones already on the scene protecting Colin and Anne. Before the assault, these extra troops were on standby, fully armoured and armed, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice when the order to launch was received. They were in the air within five minutes after the attack started. The Federation Military believed any attack on Colin Gordon would be well beyond the capabilities of the local police to handle, so the police were briefed about the scope of the likely threat. The police would respond of course but were fully aware this situation was well out of their league. Instead, they’d limit themselves to keeping the public clear or helping anyone caught in the middle till the battle concluded.

  Finally, a second grenade exploding under one of the front wheels stopped Colin’s ground car from progressing any further towards the launch point of the first, but by then, his security detail was organized and attacking. He moved to exit the vehicle so he could join in the fight. Anne saw Colin’s move towards the door and immediately dove on top of him to keep him from leaving. As Anne struggled to keep Colin in the vehicle, she was telling him to wait, help was already on the way, and he’d only be a distraction for the Troopers outside, possibly putting them in even more danger. Anne reminded him the Troopers were wearing light armour, he had nothing but his street clothes and a hand-held weapon. Colin subsided and stopped struggling, so Anne relaxed a little, still watching him, making sure he was going to stay put. She was responsible for his safety. She’d been given orders to keep Colin safe till they reached Headquarters. Besides, Anne both liked and respected Colin, she didn’t want to see him hurt, not again, not so soon.

  Over the last few weeks, ever since his trial concluded, Anne had heard vague rumours the Navy hierarchy had big plans for this man. She hadn’t said anything to Colin about it, but given the effort being expended on keeping the man safe, she felt inclined to believe those rumours. Colin still looked agitated, like he wanted to join the fight but didn’t seem ready to dive in now. She knew if things became much worse, she’d have to restrain him again but for now, he appeared to be under control. Anne also knew Colin hadn’t really struggled when she stopped him. Anne thought it was because he didn’t want to hurt her. She had no doubts about Colin’s bravery, she’d seen his performance on FNS Destiny, his calm demeanor under fire was an inspiration for the crew. If Anne didn’t already know Colin’s heart belonged to someone else, she might have allowed herself to fall in love with him, but she knew this would be a mistake as things now stood. It would’ve only resulted in her being hurt in the end, even if he was interested, but he seemed to treat her more like a respected colleague or perhaps in his softer moments like a daughter or even a trusted friend. For Anne’s part, she’d come to love and respect him anyway, as a mentor, a friend, and a colleague.

  While the team attacking Colin’s party were very well equipped, there were only ten of them, so the mercenaries struggled to gain the upper hand against Colin’s security detachment. It appeared they’d intended to take out a significant percentage of the security force at this stage, but they hadn’t counted on the heavily armoured vehicles or the number of Troopers in the party. By this point, they’d launched eight grenades, but had only done damage with two. Their fire pattern was quite predictable and not very effective. After Colin’s security detail was deployed, the attacking force lost the initiative and was rapidly moving from an attacking posture to a defensive one. The fighting raged on for nearly ten more minutes before reinforcements arrived on armoured Shuttles and entered the fray, quickly overwhelming the attackers before they could escape. The attackers suffered significant casualties among their force, four dead and four wounded. Colin’s security detail suffered three dead and two wounded but he wasn’t told this at the time. The Federation needed him to join the Navy and worried he might change his mind if he knew the cost his security detail had to pay. Everyone knew Colin cared deeply about the people around him.

  Even when all the attackers were finally subdued, Colin still wasn’t permitted to exit the damaged vehicle till the Troopers finished checking the area for more armed people and setting up a security perimeter. They found the civilians cowering in the ditch, one of them with a minor flesh wound. After checking to make sure none of the civilians were armed, the Troopers bought them out of their cover to an assembly point where they could be cared for. The police started to arrive about then and began questioning witnesses, including some of the Troopers who’d been part of Colin’s security detail. Eventually, Ani came over to tell Colin and Anne it would be okay to exit the vehicle. After he had climbed out, Colin walked around the ground car inspecting the damage. He r
ealized these ground cars were very well armoured indeed. This one had severe damage to its outer skin from all the projectile impacts, and one of the wheels was separated from the car, but none of the bullets made it into the passenger compartment and other than a few minor bumps and bruises, none of the occupants were hurt.

  Now the battle was over, the entire area was eerily quiet, even the people who were present were speaking in hushed tones when they spoke at all. Colin noticed the smell of the explosives in the air, and there was also a faint haze of smoke from a burning vehicle. Ani asked Colin and Anne to follow her to a waiting armoured Shuttle for a trip to the Naval Shuttle Station. The authorities wanted the people involved in this action somewhere safe as soon as it could be managed. Once they made it to the Shuttle Station, the remainder of the trip was expected to be straightforward because an underground road led from there directly to Navy Headquarters nearly thirty kilometres away. The security people wanted Colin in a secure location as quickly as they could possibly manage.

  While they were making their way to the Shuttle, Colin asked Ani if any of the civilians were hurt or would be out of pocket from their experience. Ani admitted to him she didn’t know so Colin asked Anne if she would be able to find out for him. Anne could see he only wanted to make sure they were okay, so agreed to his request. While he hadn’t phrased it as an order, he didn’t even have the authority to issue one, she still felt compelled to obey. Colin and Anne, along with about half the first security contingent, a couple of police, and all the wounded Troopers boarded the Shuttle. As soon as everyone was properly secured, the Shuttle lifted off, heading towards the Naval Shuttle Station. Colin looked over at the police and thought they looked a little pale. He couldn’t blame them for being a little shaken, things were quite a mess back at the ambush site. While Sankarah, was, in general, a relatively safe place, it had some crime, the odd mugging or murder, some fights and brawls, a little theft and a bit of fraud. The police here never had to deal with what must have seemed to them like a war on their turf before.