First Colony: Books 1 - 3

by Ken Lozito

  “General,” Captain Wayne Randle said. “I’m glad you made it here.”

  “What are you doing to the construction bots?” Connor asked.

  A hungry gleam appeared in Randle’s eyes. “We had a surplus of machines that were part of the drone workforce, so I thought I’d make use of them. These construction bots were built for salvage, and since we’re not doing much of that anymore, I’m fitting them with a one-meter storage bay,” Captain Randle said.

  Connor took a closer look at one of the bots. The storage bay extended from the back and the robotic arms were tucked away for extra storage. Realizing the potential of what Randle had created, Connor smiled.

  “They can penetrate the hull of a ship and deliver their payload. They’re not reusable, but they can get into some pretty tight places that would be hard to detect,” Captain Randle said.

  “What’s their range?” Connor asked.

  “Two hundred thousand kilometers. As long as we paint the target, they can do the rest,” Captain Randle said.

  Connor glanced at Colonel Cross. “You authorized this?”

  “Yes, General,” Colonel Cross said.

  “How many more projects like these have you got going on?” Connor asked.

  “We have a few others like this. Mostly, the crew is dedicated to the established weapons systems, but for these rare gems I thought it prudent to allow some good old-fashioned ingenuity, sir,” Colonel Cross said.

  Connor nodded. “Excellent work.”

  Captain Randle looked relieved.

  “I mean it. It’s efforts like this that will help us the most in the long run,” Connor said.

  He heard a chime from the nearby speakers.

  “Colonel Cross, please report to the bridge,” a computerized voice said.

  Colonel Cross frowned and then sent her acknowledgment. “General, we were going to end our tour at the bridge, but something must have come up.”

  “Indeed, Colonel. Let’s get to the bridge,” Connor said.

  Colonel Cross’s face suddenly became ashen, and she pressed her lips together.

  “Are you feeling alright?” Connor asked.

  Colonel Cross’s cheeks reddened for a moment. “I’m fine. Just felt a bit of nausea for a second.”

  They proceeded to the bridge of the main section of Phoenix Station. Though Phoenix Station was comprised of the last major section of the Ark, the bridge was entirely new construction. Workstations were being manned for all the major systems that would be found on a ship. Major John Elder stood in the command area that was slightly elevated above the workstations.

  Connor glanced at the main holoscreen and saw a PRADIS scope on the screen. On the edge of the star system was a detected anomaly. The anomaly was in a quadrant far away from where Titan Station had been.

  “Situation report,” Colonel Cross said.

  “The anomaly just appeared, ma’am. PRADIS indicates that it’s over twenty kilometers across. We’re repositioning tactical drones to get a better reading of it,” Major Elder said.

  “Could this just be a large asteroid?” Connor asked.

  He didn’t believe it was but needed to ask the question just to be sure.

  “We’re not sure, General. We’re double-checking this anomaly against the known large asteroids already mapped in the system,” Major Elder said.

  “It’s not an asteroid,” Major Quinn said.

  Connor looked over at Sean.

  “It just changed course as of the last PRADIS sweep, so either it hit something large that forced it to change course or someone is flying it,” Major Quinn said.

  Connor glanced back at the main holoscreen. Sean was right. Connor felt his stomach sink to his feet. Their time was just about out.

  8

  Colonel Nathan Hayes sat in his office at Lunar Base and glanced over at the cylindrical aquarium that used to belong to his commanding officer on the Vigilant. Ian Howe had loved the aquarium, which was home to several species of brightly colored fish, and Nathan kept the aquarium as a tribute to his friend and mentor who had died aboard ship. To help him unwind at the end of a long day, Nathan would turn out the lights in his office and leave on the interior lights of the aquarium. The small bands of reflected light and soft sounds of churning water provided a taste of being planet-side, and it helped keep him anchored.

  Nathan left his office and began to make his way toward the residential modules at Lunar Base. New Earth had one moon that was in orbit three hundred and twenty thousand kilometers away from the planet. They’d been able to tunnel into the softer sections of the crust and currently housed over two thousand people on base. They’d already been expanding the base before the Vemus attack, but since then Nathan had been tasked with minimizing base operations on the surface.

  He came to the elevator that would take him to the residential modules, where a shower and a warm meal would be waiting for him, but he had a thought that caused him to hesitate before pushing the button. Instead, he used his neural implants to check the duty roster for the Command Center and saw that Major Shelton was on duty. Nathan sighed. Major Shelton was new to Lunar Base and Nathan wanted to see how she was settling in. He also liked to observe all his officers on duty. Nathan retreated from the elevators and started to make his way to the Command Center.

  As Nathan entered the room, Major Vanessa Shelton acknowledged his presence by standing up from the command chair. She glanced at her workstation, and Nathan noted that her worried expression had nothing to do with him being there but with the alert on her screen.

  “Sir, I was about to contact you. Blackout protocol has been authorized. We’re to cease all surface activities immediately and restrict communications to direct laser communications only,” Major Shelton said.

  Nathan frowned. DLC was old technology that could be used over long and short distances but was highly susceptible to being intercepted and spoofed. Nathan wasn’t sure whether the Vemus could detect a DLC beam, but the concept was simple and they needed to be very careful. He leaned in so he could see Major Shelton’s screen, quickly using his implants to confirm that the message from CDF COMCENT was authentic. DLC would limit their comms capabilities, but it also minimized the risk of their base being detected by the Vemus since they weren’t broadcasting a communication signal.

  “Set Condition Two, Major,” Nathan ordered.

  Nathan looked at the main holoscreen while Major Shelton sent out a base-wide alert. There was an incoming data dump from Phoenix Station.

  “Colonel, Dark-Star status will be achieved in twelve hours,” Major Shelton said.

  “Understood,” Nathan replied.

  In twelve hours, they would have virtually no presence on the lunar surface, which was a vast improvement when compared with the drills he’d run when he’d first assumed command of the base. Coming from a warship command, twelve hours seemed like a lifetime, but Lunar Base was comprised of more than just CDF personnel. They were essentially a small conclave of soldiers mixed with scientists and construction workers in their munitions factory. They were stocked with supplies that would last for six months.

  “Major, we need the current status of all teams deployed. And start checking them off as they report in,” Nathan ordered.

  Orders for blackout protocol could only come from CDF command, and Nathan knew General Gates would not give the command unless he had credible evidence of an imminent threat to New Earth.

  Major Shelton went to the auxiliary workstation so Nathan could take command. It seemed that he and Major Shelton would become better acquainted over the next few hours after all.

  Lunar Base was vitally important to New Earth’s defenses, and General Gates had changed their mandate to a purely passive presence until they were authorized to engage. Rules of engagement for Lunar Base could be given from COMCENT or, in the absence of the chain of command, by the commanding officer. Connor had gone over his strategy for how Lunar Base would be used when the Vemus arrived. They would l
end support to Phoenix Station if called upon or, in the worst-case scenario, as a secret base from which to engage the enemy. They were to keep their presence hidden for as long as possible.

  “Colonel, we have an overdue salvage team. It appears they were on a deep salvage mission in the debris field,” Major Shelton said.

  Nathan brought the specs to his personal workstation. Captain Davis’s team had missed their check-in. They were escorting Dr. Brian Walker’s science team, who was trying to capture living samples of the Vemus.

  “What are your orders, Colonel?” Major Shelton asked.

  “That’s a high-priority mission. We’re going to send in a second team,” Nathan said.

  “Colonel, once we’re in Dark-Star status, if the second team runs into trouble we won’t be authorized to respond.”

  “Understood, Major,” Nathan said, knowing Major Shelton was just doing her job. “I want Captain Walker’s squad on point for the second team. They’re authorized to assess the current status of the first team and assist with their mission. If there’s evidence of Vemus infection, then they’re to use containment protocols.”

  “Yes, Colonel,” Major Shelton replied.

  Nathan hoped Davis’s team was just experiencing some kind of communications issue due to the fact they were in the debris field rather than having encountered any trouble. Captain Jon Walker was an exemplary pilot and could effect a rescue mission if it came down to it. Besides that, if Nathan had a brother, he knew he’d be out there looking for him if he could.

  “Tactical, keep our PRADIS updated with the data dump from Phoenix Station and continuously update it for as long as they send their feeds to us,” Nathan said.

  “Yes, Colonel,” the tactical officer replied.

  Lunar Base going dark meant that any active scanning of the star system must stop and they would become reliant upon sensor feeds from Phoenix Station. As their PRADIS was updated, Nathan began to understand why General Gates had put him in command of Lunar Base. He’d seen combat and knew that it would be a waiting game. The real test of Nathan’s resolve would come when the first shots were fired and those at the base could only watch the engagement from afar. Even if Phoenix Station were to become compromised, Nathan could not reveal their presence unless they could decisively destroy the Vemus invasion force. And as of this moment, they still didn’t know what was coming for them.

  9

  Almost twenty-four hours had passed since they’d first detected the anomaly, and Connor was returning to the Command Center on Phoenix Station. He’d just finished briefing the defense council, and the cities of New Earth were on high alert. There had been no further course changes from the anomaly, and after careful analysis of its apparent change of course, Phoenix Station’s operations team was almost evenly divided on whether the anomaly had, in fact, changed course. The change had been so slight that there were credible arguments to be made that this was just a natural occurrence for objects in deep space. Connor had decided to err on the side of caution and ordered Phoenix Station to Condition Two, which set a series of actions into motion, including Lunar Base going dark. Lunar Base was their failsafe if Phoenix Station was destroyed, and it would not be an easy thing for Colonel Hayes to carry out his orders should the worst happen, but Connor had the utmost faith in him.

  “Sir, Dr. Allen is requesting to speak with you at your earliest convenience,” Sean said.

  Connor checked the time. “Tell him I’ll follow up with him in a few hours.”

  Dr. Allen had been the Vigilant’s chief medical officer and Connor knew Allen wouldn’t reach out to him if it wasn’t important. On the other hand, if Dr. Allen had an urgent matter, he would have said so.

  They reached the corridor to the Command Center.

  “Sir, there’s something I need to bring to your awareness,” Sean said.

  Connor stopped walking and glanced at his security detail. “Give us a minute.”

  The armed soldiers walked farther down the corridor, giving them some privacy.

  “What is it?” Connor asked.

  Sean frowned. “This may be nothing, but it’s just something I’ve noticed. I think Colonel Cross is hiding something.”

  Connor’s eyebrows rose. Even in the CDF, it was no small thing to accuse a superior officer of hiding something, but Connor knew Sean Quinn had good instincts.

  “Go on,” Connor said.

  “I’m not sure, exactly. She seemed a bit distracted, like she had something else on her mind. Don’t get me wrong. Colonel Cross is good at her job and I don’t think she’s being negligent in her duties, but there’s something on her mind,” Sean said.

  Connor frowned. “We’re all under a lot of pressure. If this anomaly is the Vemus, it’s enough to unsettle anyone.”

  “That’s just it, sir. I noticed it while she was giving us the tour before the anomaly appeared on PRADIS. I just wanted to make you aware. Perhaps she’ll . . . I don’t know . . . tell you about it,” Sean said.

  Connor pressed his lips together. “Alright, I’ll keep an eye out for it, but if you notice something while we’re in there,” Connor said, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the Command Center, “you need to either let me know or ask Colonel Cross about it.”

  “Yes, sir,” Sean said.

  Connor suppressed a frustrated sigh. It wasn’t Sean’s fault. Connor blamed the former governor, Stanton Parish, for this development. In addition to facing their next encounter with the Vemus, his officers were keeping a close eye on everyone Connor came into contact with. It was Captain Alec Toro’s failed attempt to assassinate Connor aboard the Vigilant that had prompted this response. While Connor didn’t doubt Colonel Cross’s loyalty, the fact that Sean had raised the concern was a symptom of the repercussions of their dreadful experience aboard the Vigilant, which had cost the life of the ship’s commanding officer.

  They entered the Command Center, and Connor looked over at Colonel Cross, who had her blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. She spoke to her operations officer and looked as Connor expected—completely focused on her duties.

  Colonel Cross looked over at him as he approached.

  “Phoenix Station will be in the direct path of the anomaly in the next six hours, General,” Colonel Cross said.

  Phoenix Station was big and moved as slow as molasses, not having been built for speed. They’d thought that anything detected would be far enough out to give them ample opportunity to reposition.

  “Understood. What’s the status of Lunar Base?” Connor asked.

  “Dark-Star status. They have one overdue salvage mission. Colonel Hayes has dispatched a second team to investigate, sir,” Colonel Cross replied.

  “Any change from the anomaly?” Connor asked.

  “Slow and steady as she goes, General,” Colonel Cross replied.

  They couldn’t afford to sit there and wait for whatever the hell this thing was to show its teeth, so Connor had ordered that stealth recon drones—or as they were commonly referred to, SRDs—be deployed. Stealth was a bit of a misnomer because the drones worked by using a tremendous burst of speed that put them on an intercept course. The engines would then cut out and the drone would only make slight course adjustments. What they got was a very fast flyby of the anomaly, and the drones would transmit scan results and high-res images.

  Connor looked at the PRADIS scope and saw that the SRDs were on a staggered approach from different vectors. They were moving at the ultra-high speeds that could only be achieved by unmanned spacecraft. Only a human presence aboard a ship necessitated that the ship slow down so people didn’t die.

  “The SRDs’ preliminary scans don’t reveal much,” Sean said.

  “That’s why we equip them with high-res optics so we can get actual eyes on the target,” Connor replied.

  “If that is the Vemus, they could have their fleet flying in a tight formation to fool PRADIS into thinking it’s one large astronomical body. Either way, we’ll know in a few minutes
,” Colonel Cross said.

  She stepped away as a call came to her personal comlink. Connor glanced over and noticed she was speaking in hushed tones.

  “Is everything alright, Colonel?” Connor asked when she came back over to him.

  “It’s fine. Just a report in from one of our weapons R&D engineers, sir,” Colonel Cross said.

  Connor nodded and looked back at the main holoscreen. Sean was right. Colonel Cross was definitely hiding something. R&D engineers normally didn’t have a direct line to the commanding officer. They would go through proper communications channels. The question remained: what was Colonel Cross hiding, and would it impact her ability to carry out her duties?

  Connor decided to wait. They were about to receive an update from the first SRD to pass the anomaly. The remaining four SRDs would be close behind.

  “We have an incoming transmission from the SRDs,” Lieutenant Daniels said.

  Connor turned toward the comms officer. “Put what you’ve got on the main screen.”

  They waited while the incoming transmission completed and then images began to appear on the main holoscreen. The first series of images showed a circular object the lead SRD had photographed from farther out on its approach. The cyber warfare suite then analyzed and grouped the images together from all the drones they’d sent. As the SRDs came closer to the anomaly, the images had the appearance of a large asteroid over twenty kilometers across. Connor peered at the images, looking for some indication that the celestial body was something other than a naturally occurring piece of space rock.

  As the SRDs drew closer to the anomaly, the computer system grouped images by the drone designation. SRD-1 was the first to fly and provide images of the rear of the anomaly. The back of the asteroid seemed to have been cut off, and it appeared as if they were looking into a deep, dark cave. There was no light, so they couldn’t see inside.

  “Which SRD had the full scanner array?” Connor asked.