NORDIC WRATH (War In the Void Book 2)

by Anthony Thackston

  Elit and Jammin, for all of the chaos they had caused, were bored. They hadn’t fought anyone directly since the tunnel. Haddron only looked through the window, self aggrandizing at the latest notch in his gun.

  Three Earth Fleet ships floated nearby. One was riddled with holes, one was cut in half, and the third was in small pieces.

  “Damage report,” Haddron commanded, ignoring Naura’s question.

  Elit casually looked at his own control console. “Looks like one of them got off a lucky shot. Scans show nothing life threatening. Just a hit near our underside.”

  Haddron dashed toward Elit, fist raised. “You say that as if it mattered little.”

  Elit backed away, hands up and ready to defend himself. “It didn’t hurt anything.”

  “One lucky hit to our underside is all they would have needed and you treat it with less urgency than it demands.” Haddron walked back to his seat at the helm. “The humans are already tearing at themselves. My revenge will not be complete until the entire world is at war with itself.”

  “I thought you didn’t want to kill them,” Jammin said.

  “I don’t. Their own demise is on their hands. I only want them in darkness for as long as I was. Those days have begun for them. I will not tolerate one lucky shot ruining everything. I have already come too far.”

  Naura walked to Haddron. “And what of Captain Irons?”

  “Irons? He is of little threat to me, now.”

  “His crew will want revenge.”

  Haddron glanced at Naura and sneered. “And what can they do? Do you not see the three Earth Fleet vessels ruined under the power we control?” He pointed past the window at the husks floating in front of them.

  “Do not underestimate them or their ship.”

  “Their ship?” Haddon input a few commands into his console. A display opened with an image of the Lucky Liberty. Haddron looked it over, taking note of its design, armaments and possible defenses. He scoffed. “A relic from the war. Not even as advanced as these vessels.” He pointed, again, at the three destroyed ships. “I am well aware of the exploits of the Lucky Liberty. The outlandish stories of its victory on Radial IV. The number of Ka’traxis Brood ships it ruined. But it is old and severely unmatched for the power of the Slagschip. I am aware. And I am unworried.”

  “It took down Queen Ju’ T-Leen’s Flagship,” Naura told him. “It would be wise to acknowledge and respect such a feat.”

  Haddron pulled up an image of the Flagship and compared the two vessels. Even though their size difference was undeniable, Haddron still smiled confidently. He could see no logical reason for why or how the Lucky Liberty was able to overcome such a massive vessel. The sheer size of the Flagship dwarfed the Lucky Liberty. It seemed unlikely that the Queen’s Flagship and the Ka’traxis Brood armada would fall to this Earth Fleet battle cruiser. But even with what little information he had and even though he knew the Lucky Liberty was in fact victorious in that encounter, Haddron was left unconcerned.

  “The Queen’s vessel is not the Slagschip. I remain unmoved.”

  “Then what’s next?” Jammin asked, eager for another attack.

  “We move on the Earth Fleet Mars base.” Haddron began to input coordinates.

  Jammin snickered. “A waste of time.”

  Haddron stopped and looked to the Nordic man who sought to take his position as leader. “Explain.”

  “The Ka’traxis Brood decimated the Mars base,” Elit said. His attitude was curious. He took neither joy nor grief at the news. It was hard to pin down just what Elit actually cared about. He plunged a knife into his console. The same ripple formed as the blade sank inside. “Nothing left there.” He pulled the knife out and the console sealed up the entry hole as if the blade had never entered it.

  “The Ka’traxis Brood have achieved many of my plans already. I don’t know if I should be thankful for that or angry.” Haddron started laughing. It was a genuinely jovial laugh. “Perhaps we should go to their home-world for revenge on ruining my own plot. Maybe I should thank them instead.”

  “I do not believe either course would be wise at this juncture.” Naura tried to calm Haddron’s laughter.

  He regained some of his composure but continued to smile at the thought. “Of course. We haven’t time for such things.”

  “We should take out a shipping center next.” Elit sat up. “Stop waisting time with vessels and go straight for the heart.”

  “A shipping center would not be the heart,” Haddron schemed. “Besides, before my revenge is complete, they will do that for us.”

  “Then what is next?”

  “Find a field. Something remote but important. Then we will light a match.”

  Twenty-Two

  No Free Rides

  Irons and Hannah looked at an empty sector of space. There were no ships or planets in the area. It was devoid of any space debris as far as they could tell.

  “You sure he’s here?” Irons asked Sitasha.

  “It is a home base of sorts.”

  “What’s the point?” Lindsay asked. “If they’re on a ship, why bother with a home base at all?”

  “For when we all had separate ships of our own. The original plan was to attack on multiple fronts.”

  “I guess the Slagschip made that plan obsolete,” Syracuse said.

  “One ship or more, this is where we’re going.” Irons pointed at the empty space sector. “We get there, we get Haddron on the phone. Tell him to surrender or—”

  “He will not surrender.” Sitasha was sorrowful of the fact.

  “Then I guess it’s open fire.”

  Captain Roy Allen burst onto the bridge of the Lucky Liberty, making a bee line straight for Irons. “Captain, a word?”

  “I don’t got time, Allen.”

  “Then make time.”

  Everyone glanced uncertainly at one another. Roy’s tone was close to earning him a fist in the mouth.

  Irons stared daggers into Roy but the younger Captain was unmoved. “Fine,” Irons relented. “Hill, look over this thing.” Irons pointed at their destination on the display map. “Find us a tactical spot.” He motioned for Roy to lead the way.

  “Tactical?” Durham asked. “It’s empty space.”

  “Shut it, Durham.”

  * * *

  Irons and Roy stood on the side deck of the Lucky Liberty. They looked over the wrecked freighter still resting in the middle of the floor.

  Crews and emergency teams walked in and out of the downed craft. Fortunately none of them were carrying out body bags. Both Captains took silent note of the empty escape pod docks. Still, it was a big ship and it was always possible there were those still aboard who never made it to the pods. It was going to be a long day for the yard workers. And most of them would have no idea why a freight ship came crashing down at their place of work.

  Several giant robot arms and cranes that still functioned after the crash worked to move large chunks of debris from the floor. One crane in particular had the Drastic Nova hoisted up right, suspended in the air several feet above the floor.

  “My ship is down in case you didn’t know,” Roy said.

  “What’s that got to do with me?”

  “It means you’re down in guns and personnel.”

  “I already been over this with my crew. It ain’t changing the mission.”

  “You’re going to need more than just your crew if you want to pull this off.”

  “What are you proposing?”

  “My crew and I will join you. We’ll make your ship more efficient.”

  Irons laughed. He thought it was genuinely funny but part of it was forced, only to emphasize the ridiculousness of Roy’s idea.

  “We did fine without you before. We’ll do fine without you, now.”

  “This isn’t the time for pride, Irons. The Admiral is being held against her will and Haddron is taking out ship by ship along with banks. Military vessels are one thing. But civilian establishments? Pret
ty soon people are going to be fighting each other just to get the last roll of paper towels from stores.”

  “My boat has one manual gun. The rest are automated. You and yours will only get in my way.”

  “You’re not the only one concerned about the Admiral.”

  The words left Irons without rebuttal. It was true, everyone who knew about Mona being taken was bound to be worried about her. The Fleet had no central command and with all ships grounded, even the interim Admiral had no orders to give. This was always going to be a single ship mission.

  “It ain’t about the Fleet.” Irons’s temper was calm. He needed Roy to understand. “This ain’t like the war or even the last fight with the Catters. Hell, Allen, it ain’t even about Earth. This is personal.“ Irons stuck a thumb toward his swollen eye. “But it’s more than just my injuries. Haddron worked me over good. Probably would have killed me. I got you to thank that he didn’t. But I got a limited time on my feet. Depending on which way this whole thing goes, I might still end up in the ground. One way or the other, I’m heading right back to the hospital. But none of that matters. He’s got Mona.”

  “I know that.”

  “I don’t think you do, son. That was before your time in Fleet.” Irons looked back at the destroyed freighter. “If this thing is as bad as it seems, there’s a good chance we ain’t coming back. Somebody’s got to be here to keep things calm. You think you can handle that?”

  “Irons, I…”

  Captain Irons took a deep breath. He knew this all meant something to Roy. Part of it was the glory. But he could tell an even bigger part of this was because, for all his bravado, Roy Allen was an Earth Fleet soldier. And that was something Irons had to respect. “I hear you got high field efficiency scores. Best in class. And you took down a few Catter tanks, that counts for something. But let the old dogs settle this. At best, all you could do is reload the guns and it don’t take five people to do that. Besides,” Irons said, offering his hand. “Gonna need someone to tell the army what to do if we lose.”

  Roy chuckled. Thus far Earth Fleet superiority to the army was about the only thing they agreed on. “Somebody needs to.” He took Irons’s hand and the two Captain’s shook.

  “Ok. You give that Nordic sonofabitch hell.” Roy Allen turned toward the stairs leading to the side deck. He paused and looked over his shoulder. “Be careful out there, Captain Irons.”

  “Hold down the fort down here, Captain Allen.” Irons watched Roy walk down the stairs, a feeling of some respect given for the younger Captain.

  “Captain?” Benjamin’s voice came through Irons’s transmitter.

  “What is it, Stevens?”

  “I hate to break up the truce you two seem to have set up but there’s a massive problem.”

  “Don’t keep me waiting.”

  “A large scale wild fire just torched a major crop field.”

  “What’s that got to do with me?”

  “Witnesses say they saw a Nordic man in the middle of the field before the blaze started.”

  “Haddron?”

  “Or one of his flunkies.”

  “What’s going on?” Roy called up.

  “Haddron just torched a wheat field.”

  “He’s going after Earth’s food supplies,” Stevens continued. “He’s moving so fast, at this rate we’re all going to be—“

  “I get it.”

  Roy double timed to get down the stairs. “Tell Stevens to send me the coordinates. We’ll do what we can.”

  “Get every ship that still works to start patrolling food cultivation sites. We’ll stop him out there. Y’all stop him down here.”

  “Aye, Captain!” Roy yelled.

  “Stevens, get your Wartech Security to do the same. I hope you got those guys world wide.”

  “Have you figured out what you’re going to do?”

  “Gotta take this fight to Haddron. Stop it at the source.”

  “But what about the Slagschip?”

  “We’ll just have to wing it.”

  Twenty-Three

  The Showdown Of Giants

  “All guns are fully loaded, sir!” Lindsay yelled.

  “Life support systems on line on bridge and weapons loading bay,” Hannah reported.

  “If this chart is right, the area is clear. No sign of friendly or enemy ships, Boss,” Durham added.

  “We doing this from inside the dock, Captain?” Syracuse asked.

  “No sense adding to the wreckage with thruster burst.” Irons held out his hand toward Sitasha.

  She clutched the teleport device to her chest, unsure of its being out of her hands for a second time.

  “It’s the only way we can get there fast enough,” Irons said. “Please.”

  Reluctantly, she handed the device to Irons and he secured it to the metal strips on his console. A series of tubes ran from the strips down to the floor and across it, disappearing in a hole inside the wall at the bridge door.

  “I’m ready for whatever is next, Captain,” Lou’s voice broke out over the radio.

  “Stop this guy and bring our girl back, Captain,” Benjamin’s voice came in through everyone’s Neural Transmitter. “Earth is counting on you.” Benjamin couldn’t help but add that last comment. His inner child fandom was showing.

  “Why does this all feel familiar?” Durham asked, rhetorically.

  Irons pressed the lens on the teleporter. “We’re out in 3…2…1…”

  A white light filled the display screen and before anyone had time to take it all in, their view of the ship yard had changed to a view of empty space.

  A few stars were bright enough to be seen but there was nothing else. No meteors. No ships. No planets. And no Slagschip.

  “You sure this is the place?” Irons whispered to Sitasha.

  The mood on the bridge was tense. All they’d witnessed of Haddron’s ship was after the fact. And even though they were ready for a fight, none of them really wanted to be caught in the destructive path of the Slagschip.

  “I am certain, Captain,” Sitasha said.

  “I guess they’re out doing more damage.” Syracuse watched the display for any signs of movement.

  “There’ve been no reports of any ships attacking Earth,” Lindsay commented.

  “They each have their own devices. They can come and go as they please outside of the ship,” Sitasha explained.

  “So why move the ship at all?” Durham asked.

  “Probably a security matter.” Hannah ran scans of the area only to come up with nothing. “We’re alone here, sir.”

  “Security matter? He’s got an invincible ship and he’s worried about getting it in a fight?” Irons pondered the thought.

  “The vulnerability of the Slagschip is large,” Sitasha said. “Getting to it without incident is the main issue. It is not an invincible ship, only a heavily armed one. Its fire power is unrivaled.”

  “Actually hitting the vulnerability is the big problem,” Durham said.

  “Leaving Earth alone is another one.” Syracuse changed the subject.

  “Allen’s gonna take care of that.” Irons was confident in his younger rival’s ability to keep Earth safe.

  Durham and Lindsay glanced at each other, unsure of Irons’s meaning. They left the matter alone, deciding it was best to not push it. Not when they needed to be fully attentive to the task at hand.

  “What is that?” Hannah looked intently at her console.

  “Specialist?” Irons asked.

  “Weird Ion spikes, sir.”

  “Haddron,” Sitasha mutterred.

  Suddenly the display screen was filled with another brilliant white light.

  * * *

  “Haddron!” Naura yelled. “There’s another ship in the sector.”

  Haddron rushed to the window and peered outside. He stared at the older model warship as it stayed completely stationary, facing them. He smiled. “The USS Lucky Liberty.”

  “It’s here?” Jammin’s voice
was full of excitement.

  Elit smiled with agreeable glee.

  “How did they teleport, here?” Naura’s eyes followed Haddron as he strolled casually to his seat.

  “Look at the top of their ship,” Haddron said. “Obviously Sitasha has furthered her betrayal and given the humans technology.”

  “They’ve evened the playing field,” Jammin added.

  “With no experience for the game.”

  “They want revenge for their Captain.” Elit snickered. “I guess you’ve made revenge popular, Haddron.”

  “Hail them. I would hear their final words before they join the other Earth ships.” Haddron sat in the Captain’s chair.

  “We should make the Admiral watch,” Elit teased.

  Haddron smiled and unhooked the teleporter. He pressed the lens and was gone in a flash.

  * * *

  Mona’s leg nervously bounced up and down. She knew Haddron wasn’t out to hurt her but it didn’t make her kidnapping any easier. And she had concerns about the other Nordics. Amongst the four of them, Haddron was a known variable. Her imprisonment wasn’t going to be forever but it would be long enough that she would spend most of the rest of her days as his prisoner. It was the other Nordics that were the problem. Jammin wanted control. She might be able to use that to her advantage or he might just jettison her. Elit was clearly unstable. The way he played with those knives, he was likely to slit her throat and forget about her the second Haddron wasn’t looking. And it would be for no other reason than some sadistic joy. Naura was the most concerning of all. Maybe it was just women’s intuition but there was something secretive about the Nordic woman. Something just below the surface. Whatever it was, it was unsettling.

  “I hope you’ve made yourself comfortable.” Haddron stepped into view of the cell wall. “You needn’t worry. This won’t be your final home. I have arrangements on Erra where you will serve the rest of your stay.”

  Mona stood and approached the clear wall. “Haddron, let me go. If you really are innocent of—“

  “That matter is closed, Admiral. I came down here to bring you interesting news. Something I think you will be surely pleased about.”