Victory in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 6)
Copyright
Copyright ©2020 By Daniel Wagner, all rights reserved.
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This book is a work of fiction. All names, places and incidents described are products of the writer’s imagination and any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental.
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Books by D. Patrick Wagner
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The Marston Chronicles
Book 1: Sleeping in the Stars
Book 2: Waking in the Stars
Book 3: Meeting in the Stars
Book 4 Battle in the Stars
Book 5 Rescue in the Stars
Book 6 Victory in the Stars
The HEB Alliance Narratives
Return to the Marston Universe with the upcoming series.
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Contents
Copyright
Books by D. Patrick Wagner
Map
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue
The End
Books by D. Patrick Wagner
Map
Chapter 01
Aboard Griffin, Outside Arium Space
“What do you mean that you can help us with hulls, Scotty?” Krag asked.
The crew of Griffin stared at her main view screen displaying Heimdallr’s Captain, as well as the images of the eleven Stinger Captains.
“Number Two, Fleet -Admiral Weiskoff, built an armada of civilian ships and took them to Old Earth,” Scotty replied.
“We heard about that. How does that help us?”
“After inspection, fifty-one ships were deemed not capable of making the one-year trip through the gates.”
“You’re telling me that there are fifty-one hulls in Atlantius.”
“Yeah, Hawk. In not-so-good shape, but fifty-one hulls.”
“No crews? They’re just floating there?”
“In a long orbit around the Atlantius star. Number Two had them completely shut down, nothing but lumps in the Deep Dark.”
“Can you find them?”
“Yeah. I know the orbit coordinates. It may take some time, but I will be able to run them down.”
“Hornet, what do you think?”
“We need those hulls, Hawk. We barely beat the aliens here in Arium. You know that they will return in force.”
“Okay. We need to look at those hulls. See what we’ve got. Mack, that’s on you and Igaklay.”
“Ya, Cap. What about my Pa?”
“No nanites. For now, it’s just us. Griffin needs to jump to Atlantius. You too, Heimdallr.”
“Captain, if I may?”
“Yes, Buster?”
“It doesn’t matter how many hulls we have. We can’t stand up to the alien particle beams for any length of time.”
“That’s a different problem, Buster.”
“Yes, I understand. But I was thinking. There’s more of me.”
“There’s no one like you, Tinman. Vidhee, Doc Srilin and Sweet Sue made sure of that.”
“I know, Mack. But Odin shipped its fighter wing to Tolimar. There are combat androids on those fighters, just like I was on the Captain’s fighter. We might be able to use them.”
“Excellent recommendation, Buster. Keep that thought.”
“Ya, Tinman. We can use them to man the guns on these new ships, if their hulls are usable.”
“It doesn’t matter, Mack! I can fix anything! Just get them to Ballison!”
“Calm down, Iggy. Cap will get them there.”
“Yes! And I will have more ships to track!”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Igaklay. We don’t know what we will find.”
“Yes, Igaklay. One step at a time.”
“I know, Keiko. It’s just that, I was alone for so long. Now, people are coming to Ballison. Lord Kaporine is bringing his people down from Wisdom Seeker. They want to live on Ballison!”
“That is good, Igaklay. Now we need a plan to keep the people of Arium and Tolimar safe.”
“I know, Keiko.”
“We need a conference. A planning session with everyone involved. But first, we need intel. We need to find out what we are going to run into. Jack, you up for a jump?”
“Jack’s Flash is always ready, Hawk. Where and when?”
“Corrinar. six days from now, Ravage Maker is going to enter Corrinar. We need to know what’s there to greet her.”
“I’ll get squared away and hop on over.”
“And Cencore. Also, Nye Nippon and Sasania.”
“I’ll put some Stingers on scout missions,” Gazelle’s Captain and Senior Captain of the Stingers volunteered.
“Good, Hornet. Now, we need to keep an eye on the gate. Hornet, any ideas?”
“We’ll set up a patrol schedule, keep two stingers on and the rest standing down.”
“In summary, Jack’s Flash will get a reading on what’s in Corrinar. Hornet will organize scout missions everywhere we know that the Mortek have invaded. Also, she will set up a watch patrol on both ends of the gate, watching for the exiting of the Mortek flagship. Heimdallr and Griffin will get to Atlantius and evaluate the hulls there. Anything else?”
“Cruiser one. What do we do about them?”
“Damn. I forgot. Thanks, Keiko. I’m stumped. Any ideas?”
“We nae can leave them tootling around Arium, Cap. If they get a wild hair, they could cause some real damage.”
“True, Mack.”
“Captain, I have a suggestion.”
“Yes, Buster?”
“From what First Cruiser described, they can’t return to the Mortek fleet. They will be immediately destroyed.”
“True.”
“And, they can’t spend the rest of their lives aboard Cruiser One.”
“We don’t know that,” The Captain of Mariella stated.
“No, we don’t, Angela. Either way, we need to remove them from the equation.”
“That is my tho
ught, Captain. Captain Hughes is correct. They may be content to live their lives out on their ship. Or they may wish to live on a planet. Either way, we move them to Tolimar.”
“That just transfers the problem from one system to another,” Moonshot’s Captain said.
“Yes, Captain Martin. However, it removes the problem from this war theatre. We will remove them as a risk.”
“Good idea, Buster. We get Cruiser One to Tolimar. Then figure out what to do with her.”
“She’ll need an escort. And constant watching.”
“Yes, Hornet. That’s on you and your Stingers.”
“Okay. I’ll work that into the patrol and scout schedules.”
Captain Forsythe paused to work the problem.
”Captains Hughes and Martin, Mariella and Moonshot, get to fly escort to Tolimar.”
“Damn. Twelve days in the Grey. I was just getting used to not having all that dead time.”
“Last time, Marty. I promise.”
“Keiko, after we adjourn, contact First Cruiser and organize their flight.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
“Captain Crowder, take Hightail and scout Sasania. Captain White, Clara’s Freedom gets Nye Nippon. We’ll work up jump sequences for each run. We want good intel but with zero risk. Understood?”
Hornet received affirmation all around.
“Anything else, Hawk?”
“Nothing at my end. Let’s get some R and R, then get started on protecting Humanity.”
Aboard Heimdallr
“So, we get to play with our new toys, again. Hey Cap?”
“Yup, Brooksy. You get to hop around the galaxy.”
“Man, I wish we had this jump drive for the last ten years.”
“Toast, contact Griffin. Find out who her Navigator is. It looks like we are going to be her wingman.”
“We’re playing second fiddle, Cap? We’ve never played second fiddle. Especially to a civvie.”
“Times change, Brooksy. You’ve heard about Major Marston’s rep. And, based upon the last month, it holds up. He single-handedly cleared the bugs out of Tolimar’s space. Then he organized the counterattack of Arium. So, yeah, we’re second fiddle.”
“Then we really are abandoning the Federacy and going rogue.”
“No Toast. Not rogue. For all practical purposes, the Federacy’s gone. We all know that. The only fighting force left is Marston and the Stingers. Both Marston and Forsythe are retired Federacy officers. Think of them as being recalled.”
“What about Number Three? Weiskoff is on Tolimar. Shouldn’t we be reporting to him? After all, he’s the only one left to command the Federacy Space Force.”
“If he were in charge, we would. But he’s not. He and Odin’s crew don’t have a ship or a command. Marston is the one leading this fight. We follow him. He’s done right, so far.”
“It just makes me itchy to know that we’re quitting the Federacy, Cap.”
“Me too, Brooksy. But there’s no place left to go. We stick with Marston.”
“I’ve contacted Griffin, Captain.”
“What have you got, Toast?”
“A Sue Benton is their Navigator and communications specialist.”
“Get to know her. Even as a civvie, she’s your counterpart.”
“Will do, Captain.”
“You two heard the Commander. Get some R and R. we go when he calls.”
Aboard Gazelle
Captain Forsythe, call sign Hornet, studied the images of her ten remaining Stinger Captains. Six expectantly looked back. Four simply watched.
“Angie, Marty, are you ready for your escort duties?”
“I’m Ready, Jean.”
“Me too, Hornet. But we’re still waiting on Griffin to get things coordinated with the Mortek cruiser.”
“Then you’re on hold for now.”
“Hurry up and wait, Captain. It never changes.”
“Jack, you’ve got Corrinar. Lizzy, take High Tail over to Sasania. Clara, Freedom has Nye Nippon. I’m taking Gazelle to scout Cencore. Is everyone okay with that?”
Jean received nods of confirmation.
“Let’s remember what we did during the battle in Arium. We never held position for more than a quarter of a second. We jumped, fired and moved. Those quick actions were the only things that kept us alive. We all remember what happened to Gerald and his family on Donnybrook when he didn’t stick to the plan.”
Jean paused to study the consternation and sadness washing over the captains’ faces.
“Good. Remember that. Plan for that. Jump to an outer edge of each system. Get a general read on what lies within your system. Plan your jumps. Make your last jump back to here.”
Again, Jean studied her captains.
“I don’t want to see so much as a scratch or scorch mark on any one of you. Is that understood?”
Three heads nodded.
“And I damn well better see three ships floating right where they are now. If I don’t, I will come hunting.”
“You do not want Hornet pissed at you. I read her jacket. A lot of pirates pissed her off. They paid. Do not let her down.”
Jean saw the four captains focus on Captain Hughes, owner of Mariella.
“You heard Commander Marston. Get some rest. You three leave in the morning.
Chapter 02
Aboard Jack’s Flash, Corrinar
Many people took many paths to becoming independent cargo carriers within the Federacy. Some, like the Adams family, owners of the freighter Fairstar, are a long line of space farers. Others grew tired of being planet-bound and longed for the freedom of the Deep Dark. Still others transferred their experiences in the Federacy’s Space Fleet to the private sector.
The Haley family was the last. Jack, with his wife, Irene, retired from the Federacy, he as a cargo ship pilot, she as a supply facilitator. Together, they took their saving, borrowed against their retirement stipends and pulled together enough credits to purchase Jack’s Flash.
Twenty-five years later, they never thought about their time in the Federacy. They spent their time traveling the stars, making ends meet and raising their two children, Mason, Sixteen, and Teresa, Eighteen.
Now the four of them sat in Jack’s Flash’s galley, eating an early supper and planning their jump to Corrinar.
“Can I pilot, Dad?”
“No, Son. This is going to be very dangerous. I’ll do the piloting. And, we are going to play it very safe.”
“Bummer.”
“Irene, could you plot a course to Corrinar? Jump us right on the edge so that we can get a quick look?”
“Easily, Dear.”
“Teresa, get all of Jack’s Flash sensors and video going. I want to get a good set of data.”
“I’ll get everything fired up as soon as we settle in.”
“I’ll get the jump points entered, Dear.”
“All finished? Let’s get to the bridge.”
The family of four bussed their dishes, wiped down counters and tables then headed to the Jack’s Flash bridge. Once there, everyone took their traditional seating, this time luxuriating in gravity chairs rather than being cocooned in compression pods.
“Teresa?”
“Everything’s on.”
“Thanks for the coordinates, Babe. Here we go.”
Jack, part owner and full father, tapped the jump icon. Jack’s Flash blinked from existence in Arium and blinked into existence in Corrinar.
Sitting in the darkness of space, everyone waited while the Haley daughter worked her sensor console.
“I could have done that, Dad.”
“I know you could have, Mason. But, if anyone was going to screw things up, I wanted it to be me and your mom.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sweety.” Irene laughingly made the last word drip with sarcasm.
“Always, Love-of-my-Life.”
“Gross.”
After flicking a glance at Mason’s exclamation, Jack turne
d to Teresa.
“Put what you’ve got on the big screen.”
The four watched as the main viewer displayed the Mortek partial fleet floating in Corrinar space.
“That’s a lot of ships, Dear.”
“Teresa, get with your mom. Work out about a dozen jumps, circling that fleet. I want some very detailed readings from lots of angles.”
“Okay.”
“Irene, set up the jump sequence so that we don’t stay in any one spot for more than a quarter of a second.”
“I know. I saw what happened to Donnybrook.”
“Yeah. That was bad. But we know what he did wrong. We are not going to repeat that mistake.”
“What do you want me to do, Dad?”
“Work with your mom and sister. Check and recheck every one of their calculations. I want the three of you to say, with one hundred percent agreement, that we are ready to go.”
“Okay, Dad.”
Jack waited while his family defined, checked and rechecked their calculations. He waited while the jump coordinates were entered into Jack’s Flash’s simple computer system. After all was entered, he triple-checked the entries, verifying the twelve jump points and the quarter-second duration of each pause. Once he approved the results, Jack settled into his gravity chair, buckled the straps and waited for his family to do the same.
“Ready?”
Jack received three affirmations.
“Jumping now.”
Jack tapped the activation icon. Jack’s Flash jumped thirteen times in less than four seconds. Twelve times, the continuously running sensors and video feeds recorded fixed, quarter-second videos of the Mortek fleet. The thirteenth jump took Jack’s Flash back to Arium, back to its starting point.
“Teresa, contact Griffin.”
“Okay, Dad.”
The daughter worked her board and mumbled into her throat mic.
“I got her.”
“Hawk?”
“Welcome back, Jack. Did you get what we need?”
“It was a good run. We got a lot of intel. I’m sending it to you, now. Teresa, send it.”
Everyone waited a few seconds while Jack’s Flash transferred the large data pack to Griffin.”