Star Bridge (Space Rogue Book 4)

by Jay Toney

  "I will try."

  Persephone disapparated, and merged with my body. I could feel her every thought and the emotions that came with them, while she was within me. I also felt the strangest feeling like something was crawling around inside of me, and I began to crave pancakes.

  I led her through the connection port, to the firewall. "We will have to break it down," she said. She lashed out with all her might, lightning flew from her fingertips, striking the firewall. It held. "Nathaniel, I'm not strong enough to get past the firewall. I need your help." I concentrated on gathering energy and feeding it to Persephone. I wasn't sure it would work, but I couldn't think of anything else. She struck the firewall again. It began to crack but still held. She struck again and again. The wall crumbled and fell. We were past it and had control of the system. I opened up the command files and shut down the forcefield generator. We exited the computer. We were past the last challenge.

  Persephone separated from me and formed back into her corporeal form. The cravings and the feeling that something was alive inside of me began to fade, but not completely. The pathway took us to another door, this time unlocked. We entered a throne room. A middle-aged man, with blond hair and blue eyes, sat upon the throne. He was wearing a simple white robe, sandals, and a gold circlet upon his brow.

  "Persephone, Nathaniel, and Amber welcome to my domain. I am Perses. You all must be famished."

  With a clap of his hands, a banquet table appeared laden with food, and goblets of wine. "Eat, drink, then we shall talk," We ate. Amber put together a plate of different meats and cheeses. She also got a bowl of sliced peaches and a large bowl of vanilla ice-cream to go with her peaches.

  Persephone gathered several plates of pancakes. I still couldn't figure out how she ate it all. I sliced some bread and gathered some meat and cheese for a sandwich. I reached for a goblet of wine, wishing it was beer. The goblet transformed into a beer stein filled with golden ale, just what I wanted.

  "Perses, why all of the challenges?"

  "Simple, it's to keep people from disturbing me. Only those who can pass my challenges are worthy of an audience with me. It has been a long time since I last had visitors. What brings you to my temple, Nathaniel?"

  "I was hoping to find information that might aid me in my quest to find the Star Bridge, in the archives of your temple."

  "You are welcome to look. I've been through the records hundreds of times. I am afraid I do not have that information here. It has been a long time since humanity last used that portal. I am afraid its location has been forgotten with time. You must hurry with your quest, bringing the best of humanity back home. The Vamps and the Alliance are bringing war back to humanity, in this galaxy. This time I fear it will lead to Human extinction. The Vorg, the Iniguar, and your Keshian friends will unite to fight for their freedom. My wife Asteria has seen it in her visions. They will survive. Ares is will be fighting with them."

  "Can you not aid us?" Persephone asked.

  "I would do more if I could. I am quite fond Nathaniel's handling of Avalon. It was worthy of a god."

  "You are the god of destruction, aren't you?" Nathaniel asked.

  "Yes, but more so I am also the God of Peace. It is I who picks up the pieces after battle when Ares is finished with his work. Spicer is a good example of that. Avalon's destruction would have left its survivors with another chance to live in peace. Unfortunately, they will not have time to recover, before war takes them.

  What you did to Hades takes courage. You took away the one thing he cherished the most. He will seek you and have his revenge. It is time for all of you to return you to your ship. I have enjoyed our visit."

  He clapped his hands, and we were teleported back to my Marauder. All of our equipment was returned and stored. I launched the ship and headed back home. I was exhausted from our trip.

  The three of us headed to our cabin. Nugget wasn't answering his comm. I left a message for him. "Nugget, when you are able to disentangle yourself from Astrea, its time to move on to Antares."

  I was going to be glad to sleep in my own bed, and not on the floor. Persephone could disapparate and apparate now at will. Her morning sickness was over.

  "Nathaniel, what are you doing on the bed?"

  "Persephone is over her morning sickness. I am going to enjoy sleeping in my bed."

  "No, you aren't. She is pregnant with your child and will remain here as our guest as long as she wishes. You better get used to sleeping on the floor, because she is going to be our guest for a very long time. Besides you have to maintain appearances now. The whole fleet thinks that you are sleeping with the three of us." Persephone, Amber, and Jewel laughed.

  Antares

  Antares sun was not a single bright sun, it was two. The two binary suns, one yellow, and one orange gave the appearance of a single large star in the night sky. Ten planets orbited the two suns. The system's one habitable planet, Antares IV was man's first colony world, in this galaxy.

  Antares IV had several unsolved mysteries. The greatest of which were its five moons. There was no evidence that these moons formed during the creation of the planet. It was theorized that they were placed there by an alien race. But what happened to them? What was their purpose in placing them in orbit?

  Small colonies were established on the two largest moons. They served as both military fortresses, manned to defend the planet, and as mining colonies mining their rich resources. Doc and I raided the planet long ago, setting off a rebellion against the Alliance's occupying force. We were treated as hero's after our attack, it became Doc's favorite planet and our base of operations.

  Volcanoes, near its largest colony, were long dormant. The ash from prior eruptions made the soil rich for farming. They also fed hot springs, heavy in minerals, that Doc and the local inhabitants enjoyed. It was the last planet we made our home, before returning to the Alliance and its tyranny.

  "Coming out of hyperspace now, Nugget announced." He keyed in a sequence on the console in front of him. The stars became streaks, then pinpoints of lights, as our ship slowed to sublight speeds. The Persephone's sublight engines burned brightly, slowing our ship. Sensor data became available, and data was downloaded from the systems navigation buoys. Persephone updated our tactical screen with the positions of our fleet, as they entered the system. She also added local traffic as their transponder information became available. Six ships were added to the display with red icons. Red icons were used to identify hostile ships, blue were neutral ships that could turn either way in combat, green represented friendly units, and yellow were unknown.

  Persephone brought her shields up, sounded battle stations, and began sealing bulkhead doors and hatches. She was much faster than I could ever be. She was our ship's AI and knew everything that happened aboard the ship, and around it. "Captain, they are definitely Alliance vessels, but how did they find us out here? They are changing course to intercept," Amber reported.

  "Captain, they are demanding our surrender. They want you, Doc, and Red dead or alive, preferably dead," Jewel reported. "I told them that we would only accept their surrender after verifying the deaths of all of their ships captains and first officers."

  Jewel was getting a little moody with her pregnancy. Normally she would ignore their demands and just give her report. Today was the first time she retaliated. I guess she could have said much worse and would have if they had set off her temper. I could see it in her eyes. They had come very close.

  The transponder information from the closing ships was garbled, but we were close enough to identify their class. The Alliance fleet consisted of two heavy cruisers, three destroyers, and a frigate. They had other ships amongst their fleet, that were ignored. They consisted of salvage and repair craft, rescue ships, and other
service ships. We couldn't afford to let any of them go this time, we outnumbered the fleet in both numbers and quality. Our ships had superior shields, engines, and hyperdrive. The small fleet wasn't a major threat to us, but we couldn't let them leave to get reinforcements. Every ship would have to be captured or destroyed.

  Persephone put two lines on the screen, between our fleets. The first was for missile range, then second for energy weapons. The Persephone wasn't designed for battle, being a cruise liner. The Sequoia was devoted to agriculture, and even less capable of defending itself. We would be moving to the rear of the formation, while our warships fought the Alliance. Persephone's computers were more advanced and faster than any other ship in the fleet. She coordinated the fleet, constantly updating their information and suggesting tactics.

  The Vengeance and the Valkyrie shot past us on their way to engage the fleet. The former Crimson Tide vessels followed. They would be leading our attack against the Alliance. Captain Rutherford, commands the Valiant, he is an experienced captain and fleet commander. I would have to trust his judgment.

  When I changed ships from the Valkyrie, to command the Carpacia, now renamed the Persephone, I also stepped down from being the fleets joint commander. Red was now responsible for our safety. The overall mission was still mine to direct. However, he took over in times of battle.

  "You miss the action, don't you?" a voice behind me said.

  I turned to see who it was coming from. A strange man, perhaps 6'6" tall, with sandy blond hair, and bright blue eyes stood watching me. He wore a tan vest opened showing his well-muscled chest, camo pants, and combat boots. He had a large red sword at his side. He placed his sword in its scabbard.

  "Ares I presume. Why am I suddenly being visited by the gods?"

  "We have taken an interest in you, something we haven't done with mortals in a very long time. You have been marked by the gods and are being watched. As for myself, I was curious and wanted to meet the person who has recently filled my appointment book. You are responsible for the next great war. It was you who freed the Vamps, and put in motion, the gears of war."

  "The Alliance had already started their mission of conquest."

  "That is a small matter compared to the galactic war that is beginning. There will be little rest for me, like Perses, I yearn for peace. Sometimes peace, especially lasting peace can only be brought about by war and destruction. Some societies can only be rebuilt after everything is lost. The loss is what brings its people together. It gives them something in common."

  "I thought you would be taller." Nugget said.

  "You must be Nugget. I was expecting someone at least 7 foot tall. Astrea has spread the word about her latest companion."

  Nugget changed his form. He looked exactly like Ares, but taller. Ares laughed, "A changeling. I have heard tell of such people, but this is the first time I have encountered one of your kind. Cousin, it is true. You are with child. I hear tell that it was Nathaniel who gifted you with this child. He must be a very brave man to thwart Hades in this fashion. Too bad he won't live long."

  "You are mistaken. He was given the gift of long life by the fates. His life span is nearly as long as our own."

  Ares looked at me, reappraising me. "We shall see. I for one hope Hades is defeated."

  "I would hope that Hades would come to his senses and leave Nathaniel alone," Persephone remarked. "It was not his fault that I got pregnant."

  "It takes two to procreate my cousin. Hades will forgive you in time, but Nathaniel, never. He will have his revenge, even if he has to wait until the end of time."

  "Hades has no claim over me any longer. I'll do what I want with who I want."

  "Well said, cousin."

  He looked at the viewscreen, and the tactical display, appraising the battle. "A mistake my cousin. Do not come at your enemy head on. The Vengeance and the Valkyrie are your spear point. Use them as such. Divide your remaining ships and attack the enemies flanks. This will form a kill box, bringing you early victory."

  "He's right Persephone, do it."

  Persephone sent new instructions to the fleet. The ships changed tactics, attacking the Alliance ships on three sides. The Alliance stopped their advance, then began retreating. Our ships pressed forward, firing missile salvos and particle beam cannon. The size of the kill box shrank, as the Alliance fleet took losses, hastening their retreat. No escape could be allowed. This was a fight to the finish for them.

  "There you see. The battle is already won. Time to finish them off." The battle didn't last long, and at its end, Ares disappeared.

  "Sound the all clear. Resume course to Antares IV and enter standard orbit."

  Was it our misfortune that we ran across the Alliance here, or were they here to regain control of Antares again? They did ask for Red, Doc, and myself. I would seek the answer to that when we got there.

  Antares grew larger in our viewscreen, as we decelerated towards it. For now, we were greeted with silence by their people. Jewel was receiving a lot of surface chatter, too much to filter and make sense of what was going on. At least their moon based fortresses were not firing on us. We cleared the fortresses without being challenged and entered orbit.

  Jewel finally got through to someone of authority. Our defeat of the Alliance ships set off a rebellion. Once again the people of Antares were taking back their freedom from the Alliance.

  "Jewel sound condition yellow, and get me Red."

  Red's image appeared on our viewscreen, "Red I'm going down to the surface, and see if I can help with the rebellion. Keep our fighters on standby in case they are needed."

  "Are you sure you don't need more support?"

  "This planet has always been treated as a backwater planet by the Alliance. They have never put much of a military force on the planet, relying on their starships."

  "I'll hold down the fort. Let me know if you run into trouble."

  "Jewel, sound all pilots to their fighters. Nugget, you will want to stay here this time. I'm going to be doing all kinds of crazy flying. I wouldn't want you to get space sick in your helmet."

  "A challenge?"

  "No, a fact. You haven't flown with me in combat. My flying gets a little bit crazy."

  "He's lying, his flying is totally insane!" Amber laughed,

  "I think you are both putting me on."

  "You've been warned."

  We all headed to the shuttle bay. Everyone else was already in their Marauder or Viper waiting. Jewel and Amber boarded their Marauders. Nugget, Persephone, and I boarded mine. Persephone strapped herself into the seat behind me, next to the sensor suite. Nugget strapped himself into the copilot's seat, and I sat in the pilot's seat.

  I was getting used to my cybernetics making connections with computers now. I didn't even give it a thought when they interfaced with the Marauders computers. I cycled through a quick preflight and fired up the engines. I had learned a lot since I was last on Antares. This time I wouldn't get my ship shot up.

  The bay doors opened with a simple thought from me, and I took off. I was no longer flying the ship, I was the ship.

  I accelerated towards the surface in a powered dive. The nose of my ship glowed red and flames covered my viewport. I didn't need to see out of it. My instruments fed me the information I needed. I altered my course slightly, heading towards the colonies spaceport. I started weaving and rolling the ship as I dove. I ignored both Nuggets complaints and the v-max warnings.

  We cleared the upper atmosphere, target information came available, during our decent. The Alliance was still here. They still controlled the spaceports security, with missile launchers, towers with energy cannons, and gunships. It wasn't anything my people
couldn't handle. I fed the target information to the rest of the squadron and selected my targets, a tower, and a gunship.

  "You can pull up now!" Nugget screamed.

  It was too early. I made a small course correction and continued my dive, still rolling and banking my ship. It was Antares all over again. This time I wouldn't be defeated.

  "Pull up! Pull up!" Nugget screamed. "We're going to die!"

  He covered his face shield with his hands to avoid the view. A few seconds later, I pulled up, kicking in the repulsor lift engines. Branches broke, and scrapped the belly of the ship, as we skimmed the tree tops.

  "Someone really ought to trim the trees around here."

  I lined up on the tower and fired a missile. I didn't wait to see if it hit. I rolled the ship and pulled back hard. The ship groaned under the stress, but I was confident it would hold together. I lined up on the gunship. It was getting ready to take off. Too late, I fired another missile and pulled up in a climb. I didn't have time to worry about Amber and Jewel. I had every confidence in them. My squadron was having success taking out their targets. I selected another weapons tower and nosed my ship over in a dive. Before I could fire on the tower, my ship was targeted. Weapons fire flew past my cockpit. I ignored it, lined up on the tower and fired another missile.

  I leveled off and banked hard to port. Troops in powered armor were scrambling to their defensive positions. I selected my energy weapons and strafed the troops, before accelerating away.

  "I've died and gone to hell. What sins did I commit to be stuck inside the cockpit with this maniac?"

  "Relax, you're not dead yet."

  I watched as the last few weapons towers went down. My Viper pilots were finishing off the Alliance gunships. I circled the spaceport, looking for any enemy targets. Antares forces were rushing into the spaceport to finish the battle. Everything looked clear, I landed my Marauder.