Tegan rubbed her head, hoping it would stir up the latent memory. "So how is the ship? Did we find what we were after?"
"We should probably take the questions one at a time." He took a seat at the foot of her bed. "Yes, we found what we were after and then some. Seems the scavengers we ran into at Gibraltar Station were involved with the missing EUS York. Unfortunately, we ended up destroying the York before figuring out its plans. Best guess, they were interested in finding New Earth."
"And the ship?"
"It didn't come out of the encounters with the scavengers and the York so well. For the next six months, it will be stationed at the New Earth Shipyards getting the full repair treatment. New armor plating, new electronics, new thrusters."
"A whole new ship," she finished. "It was that bad?"
Richards chuckled. "Worse. They almost shit when they saw us floating back to the station on the auxiliary thrusters. Swore there was no way anyone on the ship was alive."
Tegan sat up on the bed, her head aching from the effort. "So what about us? We wait around for six months while they patch her back together?"
"Like we'd get that lucky." Richards pulled out his portable datapad, entered a few keys and handed it to Tegan. She gasped when she saw the sight. "That is the NECS Reliant, one of fleet's brand new heavy cruisers. Guess they figured we needed something with a little more punch if we're going to keep getting into fights. They're retrofitting her as we speak, getting her all dolled up for her new crew."
"Wait, so we wreck the Endeavor not once, but twice, and they reward us by upgrading us to something bigger?"
"That's what Wellard said. He was kinda shocked how it all went down. He figured they'd shack us up in another light cruiser for a few months. Keep us close to New Earth to keep from banging that one up. But nope, going to send us right back out there in something new."
"That doesn't sound too bad. Be nice to have a little more room to stretch."
"You spent too much time with the corporations. Here, a bigger ship means more room to stuff things and people into. You can bet your ass your quarters will be just as small."
"Can't blame me for hoping." She leaned back on her elbows and stared into the lights. "So what's going to happen to me? They going to leave me behind?"
"Don't think so," he replied. "Captain Wellard was saying something about making your field promotion permanent. Says if nothing else, get you trained to handle the position while you recover."
Recover? What was there to recover from. Glancing at her legs, she wiggled her toes and saw they were mobile. Perhaps there was something she wasn't able to see wrong.
"Brendon, be straight with me. What the hell happened to me?"
"Other than the crash, you are recovering from a severe case of radiation poisoning. Vaughn said you pushed past one of the guards to retrieve your flight suit so he could disable the anomaly. Said that when you got back, you were sick as a dog. Could barely hold yourself up without leaning against the wall. He sent one of the guards up to sick bay to bring back a doctor while he suited up to head down below. Supposedly he left you in the care of the second guard."
"Then how…" The sentence was lost as she stared ahead in disbelief. Her mind failed to grasp everything he was saying.
"He said he saw you entering your fighter as he finished cutting the anomaly free from the ship. Told me you'd fired the thrusters and were blasting out of the fighter bay before he could stop you." He stood and walked to her side. He took her hand.
"Am I going to be fine?"
Richards smiled. "More than fine. Doc said they got to you before it was too late. Going to take a few weeks for the medicine to take hold, which is why the captain wants you to at least learn how to handle the duties of the CAG, even if you don't want the position. Give you something to do while your body recovers."
She turned to set on the edge of the bed allowing her legs to dangle off the side. She leaned in to give Richards a peck on the cheek, but the sudden shift in momentum sent her flying into his arms.
"Easy there. One step at a time. Can't go telling the captain his CAG won't be joining us because she collapsed onto the floor, can we?"
Tegan smiled. "Don't think that would help my reputation in the slightest."
Chapter Seventy
New Earth Sector
NECS Headquarters, New Geneva, New Earth
"You're positive it was him?" Flannigan asked, examining the file.
"As positive as I can be, considering the situation. He had the same looks and disposition as the late vice president. I don't see any conceivable way the two are not related." Wellard studied Flannigan's reaction, wondering how much she believed his story. If he was honest, he hardly believed it himself, and he'd seen Landry with his own eyes.
"You know what you're suggesting? That the Mythrar have the ability, and willingness, to create human clones. If that's the case, our situation is far more dire than we feared."
"I don't have a better explanation. Perhaps that means the Mythrar are on the move. We knew it was a matter of time until they came looking for us."
Flannigan nodded as she closed the file. "How much have you paid attention to the news since you've been back on base?"
"None," he replied, shooting her a sideways glance. "Try to avoid it as much as possible. Endless pandering and propaganda as if we don't get enough of both in our daily lives."
She grinned. "Indeed. Normally I'd be skeptical of your report."
"As would I," he interrupted. "But I assure you it's true."
"And oddly enough, I believe every word." She pulled out her datapad and slid it across the table. "Top page should explain why."
He grabbed the datapad and held it up close to his eyes, having forgotten his glasses back on the ship. But he didn't need his glasses to recognize the person in the image just under the headline. A headline titled Missing Vice President Found in EU Captivity. "Who is reporting this?"
"New Earth Press. Published the article just this morning, mere hours before you arrived."
Running his finger across the screen, Wellard scanned the article for its key points. Other than the fact he appeared out of nowhere, there was little information given in the article. He was about to give up when his finger passed over a nugget he might have missed otherwise. "They're saying he was kidnapped in Atroxxin? Do these people even bother reading the official reports?"
"Who knows what they read," she replied. "But I can assure you they aren't reading our reports."
"Just the regurgitated bullshit the networks are feeding them."
"Which is why we have to approach this with care. As much as I want to send a task force to his office and arrest him, doing so now would be foolhardy." Flannigan leaned forward in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "This is where things get difficult. They are saying he was kidnapped by the players on the York. Whoever is responsible for the story is spinning it off as a blatant attack by the EU."
"And let me guess, the same person cited the attack on Gibraltar Station as further confirmation of their involvement."
"Bingo."
"Shit," Wellard replied before returning Flannigan's datapad. "When they figure out my ship has encountered the York twice in the last three months, they'll have a field day."
Flannigan nodded. "Which is why I am going to classify your report. Tensions between the NEC and EU are at an all-time high. It wouldn't take much for the two sides to end up at war."
"That may already be in the works. I'd be surprised if the EU doesn't at least suspect involvement on our end. Surely, they're looking at these same stories and wondering the same things about us."
"For now, there's little we can do but move on. I'll have my people look into the stories more, but I don't expect to learn anything new." She opened the file again and flipped through the pages until her finger landed on one file in particular. "Now about this anomaly. The one, you and your pilots, brought onto the Endeavor."
"
I'm afraid I have little to add to the report, sir. Commander Bremerton was in charge of operations on the Endeavor in my absence. Perhaps he should…"
"I've already spoken to Jason. He believes, rather Commander Vaughn believes it may be possible to create anomalies of our own."
"We don't need the entire device. In fact, until we can determine what causes the communication blackouts, I believe the technology is best left alone."
"Yet it was because of that technology you are sitting here in front of me today," she countered. "I agree we don't need the whole device, but the part that interests me the most is the jump drive. That device alone would give us an edge against the Mythrar, or at least put us on even footing."
"It would also cause more controversy with the EU. They could see it as a way for us to drop a fleet on Britannia without them seeing it coming."
"I agree, it could add to the tensions." She rubbed her chin. "It could also give us a fitting olive branch. Saying we can get the device to work without the drawbacks."
"Perhaps."
"I'm requesting we put a team of our best scientists to work researching the device, for all the good it will do."
Wellard nodded and prepared to stand up. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I need to oversee the repairs to my ship."
Flannigan laughed. "Sit down, Vince. I'm not done." She reached into her desk and pulled out a new file folder. Smiling, she slid it across the table.
"What is this?" he asked.
"Just open it."
Reluctantly, he opened the file only for his jaw to drop open when he saw the image of the ship resting on top. "A new ship?"
"You and that crew of yours have a knack for finding trouble. Figured it was high time to get you into something with a little more of a punch. Those kids are rather adept in space warfare, figure we might as well prepare them for the next step."
"I don't know what to say."
"Thank you works for a start."
He chuckled. "Thanks. For everything."
"You can thank me by helping your engineers work out all the bugs. And getting your crew up to speed. I want to have you back out there by the end of the week."
"Sir," he nodded and flashed a smile. "She'll be ready. They'll be ready."
"They already are."
Chapter Seventy-One
New Earth Sector
Presidential Palace, New Geneva, New Earth
He looked at the screen, fingers passing over the reports stemming from New Earth. Rumors were spreading about war. Not just any war, a war between two of humanity's primary factions. It was a better result than he could've hoped for. Getting them on edge was victory enough for his next phase to be put into action. Open warfare would make the phase a mere technicality. A matter of moving a small portion of the fleet to destroy the tattered remnants while the rest focused on taking their worlds.
A new report flashed on his screen, from one of his primary flagships, the Infamy. They'd gone into combat with the NECS Endeavor for the second time in a handful of months. This time they believed they had the upper hand as the Endeavor had jumped in…
He rubbed his eyes and read that section of the report again. The Endeavor had jumped in and started combat with the Infamy. The newer ship was beaten and battered from an earlier encounter with 10 of the fleets scavengers, yet somehow had come out of the battle alive. How this crew had pulled off the impossible was beyond him. It was becoming clear they were an obstacle to his success. If they were going to finish the task from a century ago, it would have to be destroyed.
Captured would be a better option, but considering recent events, destroyed would be better. Less risk to the plan if they were to destroy it outright.
Still, as disappointed as he was with the crew, they had performed their task admirably. Their attack on the station had set his plans in motion.
The door to his office opened, an intern walked in the room with a handful of books. Glancing at his schedule, he saw the reason for the interruption. It was time for his interview.
"Why hello Charlotte," he said, standing and offering his hand. "Glad you could make it."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." She set down her books on a nearby end table and took his hand. "You don't know how much this means to me."
He flashed a smile and kissed the back of her hand. "Oh, I believe I may have some idea." What he didn't say was that she was just as vital to his plans as he was to hers. "Please, have a seat." He waited until she was sitting before he did the same.
"Still, thank you Mr. Vice President."
"Please. Call me Nick."
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Notes by Douglas Wayne
Here we are at the end of yet another book. Sometimes this can be the saddest part of the writing process. Writing 'The End' at the end of a manuscript signals the end of an era. Thankfully, I still have a long way to go in this series, so I don't have to put these characters away for some time now.
When I started this series, I had a general direction I wanted to take it. I knew my starting point (Endeavor) fairly well. I also knew the conflict that threw the series into motion. But what I didn't know were the details that made up the series murky center. The one thing that was fairly clear from the start was the events of this book.
Truth be told, I had intended to have Endeavor on Amazon months sooner. In an ideal world, it would've been on the store sometime in late October. This is the part where life has a way of determining your plans. I ended up finishing the first draft of Endeavor late October. Quite literally in the last week. As some of you may know, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.) It is an event I try to participate in every single year. 2016 was no different. So instead of jumping right into the editing process, I put the book away and started working on this.
Going into this book, I knew two critical things. One, I wanted to have a major event to set the book in motion. I wanted key players on the enemy side to put their plans in motion forcing the good guys to move. It would've been easy to have the good guys play defense for a while longer, reacting to the threats as they occurred. While some readers might have enjoyed that for a while, I would risk the series going stale long before its natural conclusion.
The second thing I wanted to do was to play homage to the events of D-Day. When I conceived the idea for this book, I wanted to have it out on Amazon in the first week of December. As fate would have it, Endeavor hadn't been released, and this book hadn't been finished by then. So instead I opted to name the enemy ship, and the book, Infamy instead.
While the attack Gibraltar station paled in comparison to the events of Pearl Harbor, it was enough to send our heroes on the move. The events of Endeavor forced the NEC and EU to change their tactics in regards to gate jumps and defense, which forced the enemy to change their tactics in regards to their attacks. What better way to shake up humanity than to attack one of their bases? That one event not only pushed the ball into humanity's court, it also served to increase tensions between the NEC and the EU further. While I have yet to explain the events of the first Mythrar War, the next few books are crucial in understanding how they operate, and how they were able to take Earth a century before.
In the second book, I also wanted to flesh out the characters even further. I went into Endeavor with a baseline to start with. From there the characters were allowed to grow on their own. I knew what I needed, or rather wanted, each of the characters to do, but I enabled them to direct the story.
Infamy was no different. But while I wanted each character to grow, I wanted more focus on their interactions. Much like Endeavor, most of my focus was on the growth of Bobcat. But even then, I wanted to give a few other characters some time in the light. This time around Brendan Richards got some time in the sun. Part of the reaso
n for it is that I wanted to understand who he was going further. I knew he and Bobcat had a thing going on, but beyond that, I had no clue. He was great with computer systems and decent with electronics. But beyond that, I needed to know where he stood on key issues and his attitude to know what and how he would act in books to come. He has a major role to play in the next few books, so I needed to make sure he was up to the challenge before moving on.
Commander Bremerton even got some more time in the light. Of course, he was going to be one of the major players in the book (and the series,) but I needed him to grow up some more. Part of Jason's issue is that he believes in doing everything by the book. While some people may not like that he questions the order to remain on the bridge while Captain Wellard boards the scavenger, it is perfectly in character for him. He believes, and rightfully so, it is not Wellard's place to board the enemy ship.
That same event was pivotal in Wellard's growth as well. He knew Jason needed some time at the helm without him around to make decisions. Normally, he'd allow his commanders some time to grow into the position on their own, but the events of the war had made that near impossible. As far as he was concerned, the threat was over. He thought he was giving the kid some experience in directing repair crews and the such while he secured the scavenger. Little did he know the ship had a trick up its sleeve.
Finally, the book introduced the real threat to humanity. While the Mythrar race is a formidable opponent, they are only part of the threat. Even the Klyptons have a limited role in the events of the war. The actual threat is that humanity has no way of knowing who is a friend and who is the foe. This will be a recurring theme throughout the series. The problem gets larger once the Landry revelation is made. It makes you realize the lengths the Mythrar are willing to go to strike back at humanity.
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