Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3)

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Do you want out of the military completely?”

  “Yes,” answered Beth slowly nodding her head. “I think I’ve done my share and I’ve seen enough dying.”

  Wade looked up at Charring Mountain thinking about all the changes made over the years. He could still remember his first attempt on the mountain as a conscript of the Kleese. “Would you be interested in helping with the cloning program? General Mitchell mentioned to me that President Randle is going to be in overall charge of it now.”

  “I think I would like that,” Beth answered. It would allow her to stay inside Vesta and give her something productive to do. Vesta was also the safest place in the solar system to raise a family. “Do you think General Pittman will be aggravated when I turn in my resignation?”

  “After what we’ve been through, I don’t think he will be upset at all,” responded Wade, turning his gaze away from Charring.

  “What about you, Wade?” asked Beth, looking deep into her husband’s eyes. “What are you going to do?”

  “I can’t resign yet,” he sighed, giving Beth’s hand an affectionate squeeze. “There’s still a lot more work to be done getting the Alliance established and ready to fight the Kleese.”

  Beth nodded, wishing things could be different, but she strongly suspected that as long as the Human race was threatened, Wade would be there defending it. After all, that was the kind of man he was and why she loved him so much.

  -

  Ryan was standing next to Casey in the small observation room on the Defender, watching the passing stars. They would shortly be at Lanolth and their new mission would begin. For once, they had the room to themselves.

  Casey thought over what Lauren had told her the previous day. She was encouraging her to be more forthcoming in telling Ryan how she felt. Taking a deep fortifying breath, she reached out and took Ryan’s hand. She was relieved when he didn’t pull his away. That’s the first step, she thought. Now for the second.

  “Ryan, what kind of future do we have ahead of us?”

  Ryan was silent for a long moment surprised at Casey’s question. “Do you mean you and me?” He turned and looked deeply into Casey’s beautiful hazel eyes. He felt his heart beating faster. It was amazing the effect Casey had on him at times.

  “Do you love me, Ryan?” Casey asked in a soft voice.

  Ryan took his hand out of Casey’s, seeing the panicked look in her eyes when he did. He smiled, put his arms around her and pulled her close. Tilting his head downward, he kissed her long and passionately. Then he drew back and replied. “Of course I do; I have for a long time.”

  In the back of the room, Lauren smiled. The two hadn’t heard her come in and she was pleased she had witnessed this moment. Being quiet, she turned and left not, wanting them to know she'd overheard. Some things were meant to be private.

  -

  Mason Randle left the Control Center still feeling shaken about what had occurred at Mars Central. A massive rescue operation was still in progress with Kivean, Delton, and Talt technicians trying to repair the surviving habitats as quickly as possible. Dozens of assault ships had been sent down to the surface to help provide power and a place for emergency personnel to stay. Even marines in battlesuits had been deployed to help shift the rubble in the search for survivors.

  President Steward had just finished speaking to General Sanchez, who was coordinating the rescue efforts, and the civilian and military casualties on Mars were estimated at between six hundred to seven hundred thousand people. Considering the entire surviving Human population was only around nineteen million people, which was almost five percent of the overall population.

  Taking a short transit tube, Mason stepped back out into the Smithfield habitat and took a deep breath of the fresh air. The people were out of the deep shelters and everything seemed normal. However, the Kleese attack had been devastating. The population loss, the damage to the fleet, and even Centerpoint had been eye opening. There was also the loss of Governor Scott, who was going to be very difficult to replace. Some major changes must be made. The cloning program would have to be greatly stepped up and a new campaign launched to encourage normal Humans to accept the clones. It was now obvious the Human race could not survive without them. President Steward had asked if Mason would be willing to oversee the cloning program and the new ad campaign. Knowing how important the program was to the survival of the Human race, he had agreed.

  Mason spent some time walking through Smithfield, thinking about everything that had changed since the mining operations center came into being. Smithfield was no longer the city his grandfather and father had envisioned. It had grown until it now represented much more. The brightest people in the system now lived inside Vesta in the large habitats. Kiveans could be seen everyday working with their Human counterparts. As long as Vesta survived, the Human race would also.

  After a while, Mason reached his home. It was on the outskirts of Smithfield and the long walk had done him some good. Going inside, he saw Adrienne sitting on the couch with Lara.

  “Mason,” said Adrienne, standing up and walking over to him. “Is it over?”

  “For now,” replied Mason, taking Lara and holding her protectively in his arms. He looked down at the innocent face, wondering what type of world his daughter would grow up in.

  He'd thought his duties were over, but holding his daughter, he knew there was much more ahead of him. Walking over to the couch, he sat down and began rocking back and forth, seeing the happy and contented look upon Lara’s face. There were some things that would always be worth fighting for.

  The End

  If you enjoyed Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion and would like to see the series continue, please post a review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and help books to sell. Reviews can be just a few short sentences describing what you liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website listed on the following page. Thank you for reading Rebellion and being so supportive.

  Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance

  After the defeat of the Zaltule fleet, the Alliance has become a reality. Twenty worlds now stand opposed to the Kleese and their desire for a Galactic Empire. In the solar system, new and more powerful ships are being built in preparation for the next attack.

  The Kleese have other ideas. In a daring raid on the Alliance, they kidnap part of a Space Marine platoon in order to better understand Humans. These Humans will be taken back to the Kleese home worlds for study and interrogation.

  Ryan, Casey, and others find themselves captives on a Zaltule battlecruiser. Can they find a way to escape the dreaded Kleese and return home?

  Find out in Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance, coming in the summer of 2015.

  For updates on current writing projects and future publications go to my author website. Sign up for future notifications when new books come out on Amazon.

  Website: http://raymondlweil.com/

  Other Books by Raymond L. Weil

  Available at Amazon

  Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)

  The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)

  Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars Book 3)

  The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book 4)

  The Slaver Wars: Retaliation (The Slaver Wars Book 5)

  The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (The Slaver Wars Book 6)

  The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars Book 7)

  -

  Dragon Dreams

  Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars

  Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening

  Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon

  -

  Star One: Tycho City: Survival

  Star One: Neutron Star

  Star One: Dark Star

  -

  Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)

  Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)

  Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Book 3)

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  The Lost Fleet (A Slaver Wars novel) spring 2015

  The Star Cross spring 2015

  Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance summer 2015

  Turn the page for an introduction to The Star Cross a new military science fiction novel that will be published in early 2015.

  The Star Cross

  Chapter One

  The Earth's 800-meter heavy battlecruiser Star Cross slid silently through empty space, the ship’s powerful sensors scanning everything ahead and around it. Her four light cruiser escorts were in screening positions protecting the massive battlecruiser from attack. The 600-meter light carrier Vindication followed closely behind, protected by six small destroyers. Each ship was on high alert and tensions were high amongst the crews. Everyone glanced anxiously at one another, wondering what was awaiting them at Earth.

  In the Command Center of the Star Cross, Admiral Kurt Vickers watched the main viewscreen focused on the light carrier as four fighters left the flight bay to patrol ahead of the fleet. The light carrier had twenty fighters in its flight bay as well as twelve small bombers.

  “CSP has been launched,” Lieutenant Lena Brooks reported as the four friendly green icons appeared on her sensor screen.

  The twenty-eight year old young woman let out a quiet breath, hoping they would remain undetected. She felt her pulse racing and knew she wasn’t the only one in the Command Center that was worried. Lena focused her hazel eyes upon the admiral, awaiting further orders. She trusted him to bring them through the coming ordeal.

  “Current status?” asked Vickers in a steady voice, turning to his XO and commander of the battlecruiser, Captain Randson.

  The captain checked several data screens before turning toward the admiral. “Long-range sensors are indicating no unusual movement from the enemy ships. I don’t think they detected our hyper jumps.” Randson let out a deep, ragged breath, feeling the tension running through the Command Center. Everyone’s nerves were on edge.

  Admiral Vickers nodded as he turned his gaze to the primary tactical screen on which information from the long distance scans was now appearing. He took in a sharp breath as he contemplated what his next action needed to be. He felt a tremendous weight of responsibility upon his shoulders, knowing his next few decisions could well determine the future of the human race. The crew in the Command Center were waiting for his orders expectantly. Everyone wanted to know what had happened here in the Solar System and if their friends and families were still alive. He knew they had good reasons to be concerned.

  Two weeks back, a mysterious and hostile alien fleet had appeared out of hyperspace and annihilated the two human fleets permanently stationed around Earth for protection. The majority of the ships had been destroyed before their shields could be raised or a single weapon fired. Only a few had managed to fight back and then only briefly. This wasn’t surprising as no aliens had been detected by any of Earth’s long-range exploration ships and no one had been expecting an attack, so the ships had been at a low level of alert.

  The Star Cross and her fleet had been in the Newton system practicing maneuvers and testing the new particle beam weapons the battlecruiser and the light cruisers had been equipped with. The Newton system held a thriving human colony of nearly eight million inhabitants, along with a large orbital station designed for deep space exploration and minor ship repair. The colony had a number of large scientific outposts, as ships sent out on exploratory missions were required to report to Newton before being allowed to return to Earth. Newton was also the only true Earth-type planet to be discovered so far in their explorations. There were other planets humans could survive on, but none could compare to Earth or Newton.

  A heavily damaged light cruiser had jumped into the Newton system to report the shocking news of the attack on Earth. The ship’s commander had barely managed to escape and lost over half of his crew in the brief battle above the planet. The report of the attack had shaken the colony and after conferring with the colony’s leaders, it had been decided that Admiral Vickers would return to the Solar System. His mission was to determine the current condition of Earth as well as the number of alien ships still present.

  “What now?” Captain Randson asked as he stepped closer to the admiral. Upon the tactical screen, a large number of red threat icons were visible. “There are twenty alien ships in orbit above Earth. Four of them are approximately the same size as the Star Cross, and the rest seem to be similar to our own light cruisers.”

  Vickers nodded. “From the reports we received from the captain of the light cruiser, the alien ships are heavily armed. I don’t want to risk an engagement with them at this time if we can avoid it. We need more information.” Kurt had spent hours with Captain Owens going over the tactical data recorded during his light cruiser’s brief battle above Earth.

  “Our new particle beam weapons should give us an advantage,” Randson carefully pointed out. “None of the ships we had over Earth were equipped with them.”

  “Can we detect any transmissions from Earth, the Moon, or from Mars?” The Moon and Mars both held sizable human colonies. Kurt didn’t like the fact they were going into such an unknown situation and the Solar System was so quiet.

  “No, and all the scientific outposts are also silent. There’s not a peep coming from the asteroids or the moons of Jupiter and Saturn,” Randson replied with growing concern in his eyes. His wife was on Earth just outside of Houston. He hoped she was okay; he didn’t know what he would do if something had happened to her. They'd been married for fourteen wonderful years. They also had a twelve-year-old daughter about to enter those rebellious teenage years. “We could send a couple of the destroyers in to check on some of the outposts. It’s just too damn quiet! I can’t believe they've all been wiped out.”

  “Not yet,” replied Kurt, shaking his head as he thought about the communication silence. “They might be detected. Right now, our biggest tactical advantage is that the aliens don’t know we’re here. I want to keep it that way for a while longer.”

  “Sir,” Ensign Brooks spoke her eyes alight with fear. “The long-range sensors are picking up elevated radiation levels from Earth.” Styles had been working at her console fervently, trying to get better readings on the home planet.

  Captain Randson stepped over and studied the data, the frown on his face deepening. “There have definitely been a few nuclear weapons dropped on the surface,” he stated, taking a deep breath. “The level isn’t dangerous, but it’s four times higher than normal. I’m not sure we can afford to wait. What if they drop more bombs?” He gazed at the admiral, his eyes showing his deep concern over the radiation readings. He was itching to find out if his wife and daughter were okay.

  “The bombs may have been dropped in the original attack,” Kurt said evenly, struggling to stay calm.

  He knew if the radiation levels were correct millions of people could be dead on the planet. He felt anger growing inside him at an enemy who would nuke a planet from orbit. This said a lot about the temperament of the aliens they faced. He'd never married, though he did have a sister working at Houston. Both of his parents were deceased and he and his sister, Denise, were very close. She was married with a six-year-old son.

  “You’re correct,” responded Randson with a curt nod. “What are your orders?”

  Admiral Vickers studied the tactical screen for a few more moments as he tried to decide what the best course of action was. It was obvious the enemy ships could not be allowed to continue to orbit the planet; they had to be driven off before they nuked Earth again. The presence of an elevated radiation level changed things considerably. Vickers was afraid to even guess at how many people had already died. He wondered if the aliens had landed ground troops to occupy the planet.

  “It looks as if the shipyard is relatively intact,” Kurt said as he looked at the large green icon on the tactical screen. Earth’s only shipyard orbited forty thousand miles above the planet.

  “It is, Sir,” Ensign Brooks s
poke, nodding her brunette head as she studied one of her data screens. “My scanners are showing only minor damage to the shipyard, and its power systems still seem to be operating.”

  “I wonder why they spared the shipyard?” asked Captain Randson with a questioning look upon his face. “You'd think it would’ve been one of their first targets.”

  “Unless they want if for themselves,” Kurt responded as he thought about the two thousand men and women who operated the station. He wondered if they were still alive or had been killed by boarders. There were just so many unknowns facing them.

  “The first alien race we encounter and they are the ones to find us,” Randson spoke as his eyes narrowed. “Why did they attack us in the first place?”

  The higher officers in Earth’s space fleet had always expected to eventually encounter an alien race as the planet’s exploration ships ranged deeper and deeper into unexplored space. First contact protocols had even been set up, with linguists and other specialists assigned to each exploration mission just in case another exploring spacecraft from an alien civilization was encountered.

  “We may never know,” replied Kurt, brusquely. “Ensign Brooks, are you detecting anything else on the long-range sensors?”

  “No,” responded Brooks, shaking her head.

  “What about communications?”

  “Nothing,” replied Randson, shaking his head. “There are no radio or video broadcasts of any type being picked up from Earth, the Moon, or Mars. Everything is silent.”

  “I’ve managed to get some additional information on the radiation in Earth’s atmosphere,” Lieutenant Brooks added her eyes indicating growing worry. “It’s originating from twenty-two different sources. All points of origin are where major cities are located.”

  “Formerly located,” Randson said his eyes widening in anger. He hoped Houston wasn’t one of those sources. His eyes shifted back to the admiral. “We need to get into Earth orbit. What if they drop more nukes?”