The Dark Star War (Codex Regius Book 3) Read online

  “It’s in my own best interest for you to be victorious,” said Calvin. “Here are some other things you can do…”

  Visitor’s Quarters, Harvest of Flesh, Sssellississ System, December 12, 2021

  “So you finally met our host?” Esdren Farhome asked. The Aesir had the dark hair and pale blue skin typical of a Drow, the belowground-dwelling Aesir. Tall and thin, he also had the pointed ears typical of the elven race.

  That was his normal appearance, anyway. Farhome was also an Eco Warrior, an elite soldier who could manipulate matter at the microscopic level using nanobots. His specialty was life, and he could use his nanobots to change a living being’s size and shape, including his own.

  Although Farhome’s sanity was questionable most days, today seemed to be a good day. “Yeah, he’s every bit the fun-loving Ssselipsssiss you would expect him to be,” Calvin replied. “After he decided he wasn’t going to kill me and eat me, he actually listened to some of my advice. They are going to move to the stargate and try to hold there.”

  “Well, you do have more experience fighting the Shaitans than anyone else,” Farhome replied. He cocked his head and added, “On second thought, the Ssselipsssiss may have more experience fighting them, but you have more experience actually beating them.”

  “I’m happy Skrelleth listened to me,” Calvin said, “but that doesn’t mean we have a chance. I saw their status board. In addition to this battleship, there are only four more ships in the system. They have two battleships, two battlecruisers and a cruiser. That’s it.”

  “That’s all they have?” Farhome asked, wonder tinging his voice. “This is the front line. When we left Keppler 62, there were only two cruisers left in the system, and that is their other front line against the Mrowry. If what you say is true, they are down to their final seven ships.”

  “Yeah, that’s it. If they lose this next battle here, they are pretty much done as a race. There won’t be anything to keep the Shaitans from rolling up their last couple of systems and exterminating them.”

  “They need to mine the stargate,” Farhome said. “Maybe tow an asteroid or 10 in front of it, too. They can’t let the Shaitans into the system.” He paused for a second, then asked, “How soon can we expect the Vella Gulf to get—”

  The door to their room opened, and a low-ranking Ssselipsssiss entered. “It’sss started,” he announced. “The enemy isss through the gate. Captain Skrelleth demandsss you attend him on the bridge.”

  Calvin turned back to Farhome. “Not soon enough.”

  Chapter Two

  Emperor Yazhak the Third’s Estate, Grrrnow, 61 Virginis, December 12, 2021

  Emperor Yazhak turned away from the large bay window. Behind him, a large rock formation could be seen several miles away. The massive sandstone monolith glowed red in the morning sun.

  “That is worse than I feared,” the large felinoid finally said.

  “Why is that?” Captain James Sheppard, the commanding officer of the Terran ship Vella Gulf, asked.

  “We have guessed for some time the Ssselipsssiss were fighting another race, and they were probably losing. Although we have been at war with them for some time, they recently began pushing us hard. It was like they had to break through; there was a desperation we had never seen before. Then, all of a sudden, they stopped. Although a welcome respite, the absence of war was eerie; we wondered what new stratagem they might be working on.”

  “And now we know they stopped attacking because they’re out of ships,” Captain Sheppard interjected. When he had taken the Vella Gulf into their territory, the lizards only had three ships guarding their side of the stargate…and only one was battleship-sized.

  “That worries me even more,” the emperor continued. “If their enemy is strong enough to destroy their entire fleet, something we were never able to do, I am worried about who they will attack once they are finished with the Ssselipsssiss. Our territory is next, unless they advance on Terra.”

  “Which isn’t a great choice in my book,” Captain Sheppard said.

  “Not only has their enemy destroyed the Ssselipsssiss fleet, they also seem to be taking the planets just as fast,” Lieutenant Rrower added. The young Mrowry was his civilization’s liaison to the Vella Gulf. “I saw one of their maps, grandfather, and they have lost their capital planet; they only have three systems remaining.”

  “Based on your conversation with them, you believe their enemy to be the Shaitans you fought at Golirion?” Emperor Yazhak asked.

  “Yes, it sounds like them,” Captain Sheppard answered. “Their ships can jump out of our universe, and they use time-based weapons. If it isn’t the Shaitans, it is a race nearly identical to them. Personally, I hope it is them; I don’t think we can afford to be fighting two of them at the same time; one is more than enough!”

  “Truth,” the emperor agreed. “So, what did the Ssselipsssiss want?”

  “They want us to go to the Shaitans’ home world and blow it up.”

  “Well, that seems simple enough,” Emperor Yazhak said with a chuckle. “Did they have any information on where this planet might be, and how you were supposed to destroy it?”

  “They have an idea where it is,” Captain Sheppard replied. “It’s a long way behind enemy lines, and getting further as the Shaitans advance. As for how we blow it up, I don’t think they care; they just want it done. They are desperate for a little breathing room.”

  “What did they offer for taking on this mission?”

  “They were very vague on what they would, or even what they could, do,” Captain Sheppard replied. “We got an awful lot of ‘maybes,’ but nothing very definite.” He shook his head. “We didn’t see a replicator in the system where we met with them, and they have lost most of their other systems. Honestly, I don’t think they have much to give. Our choice is pretty simple—we can either help them out of the goodness of our hearts, or we can watch them be exterminated.”

  “A few months ago, I’m not sure I would have minded watching them go,” Captain Paul ‘Night’ Train interjected. The Terran Space Marine captain was the executive officer of the platoon Calvin commanded. “However, the Shaitans are a much worse enemy…and the Ssselipsssiss are holding Lieutenant Commander Hobbs hostage until we return.”

  “Ah, I see,” the emperor said. “I wondered where he was but was afraid to ask in case he’d been killed.”

  “No, he was fine the last time we saw him,” Captain Sheppard explained, “but the Ssselipsssiss held onto him for fear we would return with a large Mrowry fleet and wipe them out. I think they were worried you would attack from this side if you knew how poorly defended their side of the stargate was.”

  “There is something to be said for that,” the emperor replied, scratching his chin. “I certainly would like to get Typhon back from them…Don’t worry, I’m not going to,” he added when he saw the Terrans bristle. “Calvin has done just as much for us; I am not going to blithely sacrifice him. Besides, you don’t win wars by throwing away your hero spirits; you win wars by supporting them. Calvin must have approved of helping them, or he wouldn’t have stayed with the Ssselipsssiss?”

  “Yes, he did,” Captain Sheppard replied. “He also believes the Shaitans are the greater enemy; he stayed both as a hostage and to help the Ssselipsssiss with their defenses. Although the lizzies have been fighting the Shaitans for a while, they don’t really have much of a clue as to how to fight them. The enemy is so different from what they’re used to, the only thing the Ssselipsssiss have been good at is losing. Calvin is going to try to shore up their defenses; maybe it will buy them some time.”

  Bridge, Harvest of Flesh, Sssellississ System, December 12, 2021

  “The enemy is here, Terran,” Captain Skrelleth announced as Calvin walked onto the bridge. Calvin had put on his aviator’s space suit, but carried the helmet under an arm.

  “What is the status, sir?”

  “As you indicated would happen, the enemy vessels came through the porta
l and immediately disappeared.”

  “Yes sir, they jumped back to their own universe.”

  “Whatever. The fact remains that they are loose in this system. I have told the other ships’ captains to return to orbit. We cannot allow this planet to fall. There are more of my race here than the other two systems combined. We must hold.”

  “How many enemy ships are there?”

  “At least three of the cruiser-sized vessels and four of the destroyer-sized vessels entered the system. I know from experience all of them carry their time-based weapons.”

  “Damn,” Calvin said, shaking his head. “That’s more than I’ve seen at one time. What defenses does the planet have?”

  “Not much,” Captain Skrelleth said; “however, the moon has both missile and laser systems on its surface. We also have a few orbital missile pods we can use. By pulling all of our forces back to orbit, it will limit the number of directions from which the enemy can attack and will concentrate our defenses to where we can hopefully get some shots at them.”

  “Gate emergence!” one of the Ssselipsssiss technicians exclaimed. “It is a type of ship I haven’t seen before. It is battleship-sized. There is a second one…now a third.”

  “Images on screen,” the captain ordered.

  “Coming up now, sir!” the same technician replied.

  The front viewer changed to show a shape Calvin recognized. “That isn’t a battleship,” he advised; “it is a Jotunn Raptor-class battlecruiser.”

  “Jotunn?” Captain Skrelleth asked. “What is a Jotunn and what are the capabilities of their ships?”

  “The Jotunn is a race of giant-sized humanoids, nearly three times my size. Their vessels are over-sized, as you can see. They are very strong, and their weapons are quite powerful.”

  “How will they attack?”

  “I have fought a combined battlegroup of Shaitans and Jotunn before. The Jotunn don’t believe in finesse; they will come straight at you and try to destroy your biggest vessels first. Meanwhile, the Shaitans will hover on the edges of the battle, picking off your most vulnerable ships. If they can separate a ship from the group, they will destroy it before coming back to pick off another one.”

  “Just like a pack of colvargs,” the captain replied.

  “I don’t know what those are,” Calvin replied, “but their tactics are very effective. It will be difficult to win this fight.” Difficult? Calvin shook his head. This battle was unwinnable. After all he’d been through, he was going to die on a lizard ship.

  “How can we defeat this joint assault?” Captain Skrelleth asked.

  “As much as it hurts me to say it,” Calvin said, “you need to write off this planet and pull back to the next one. That way, you can fight them one at a time as they come through the stargate—”

  “Unacceptable,” Captain Skrelleth interrupted. “The planet must be saved.”

  “You can’t win this battle!” Calvin exclaimed. “You may destroy some of their ships, but you are outclassed; in the end, your ships will be destroyed, and the remaining enemy ships will have free rein to do whatever they wish with the planet. The only chance you have is to save the two planets you have remaining. Perhaps some of the civilians there can be pulled back to a Terran or Mrowry planet and resettled there, ensuring the continuity of your race. Whatever you do, though, you’ve got to withdraw. You can’t win this fight!”

  “If this fight is unwinnable, then we will die,” the captain said. “This ship was built on the planet below, and most of us have families there. We will not leave them behind. We will stand and fight, dying if we must, but we will win in the end. We have to; our families are counting on us, and we can do no lessss.” He pushed a button and the tactical plot reappeared on the front screen. “We will stand and fight.”

  Chapter Three

  Bridge, Harvest of Flesh, Sssellississ System, December 12, 2021

  The Jotunn vessels continued toward the Ssselipsssiss at 2/3 of their full acceleration. The other ships in the group led them onward, popping in and out of the universe periodically.

  “We have an image of one of their jumping ships,” a technician reported.

  “Put it on the display,” Captain Skrelleth ordered.

  “Yes sir. Coming up now.”

  The picture flashed onto the screen, and Calvin’s heart sank; it was a Shaitan destroyer.

  “Is that their top speed?” asked Captain Skrelleth, changing the screen back to the plot.

  “No,” Calvin replied. “They can go a lot faster. They must be taking their time so their allies can get into position.”

  “I thought you said they would come straight for us.”

  “Has their course deviated since they found us?” Calvin asked. “They are coming, and they will continue to do so. I said they don’t believe in finesse, not that they were stupid. They have a plan, and I’m sure it involves letting their allies get a few shots in first.”

  “That makes sense,” Captain Skrelleth said. “Their torpedoes are very powerful—they disintegrate whatever they hit.”

  “It isn’t a disintegration effect,” Calvin replied; “the torpedoes actually cause a time bubble. Anything in the area of effect is knocked backward in time about 10 seconds. As ships are usually in motion, it has the effect of carving out portions of the ship.”

  “So that’s what happens…we didn’t know. How does it work?”

  “We still don’t know how it works,” Calvin said with a shrug; “we just know that it does. I’d love to get my hands on one to figure it out.”

  “Sir! One of the Jotunn vessels is hailing us,” a technician announced.

  “I forgot to mention,” Calvin said. “They also like to taunt their foes.”

  “Can they be bribed?” Captain Skrelleth asked. “If we could get them to change sides, it would vastly improve our odds.”

  “It would indeed,” Calvin agreed; “however, they are usually true to their word. If they agreed to attack you, they probably will, regardless of how much you offer them.”

  “When faced with the destruction of your civilization, it is worth a try,” the captain said. “Put them on screen.”

  The front screen switched to show one of the massive Jotunn. Dressed in blue-striped pelts, the Jotunn had a chain-metal shirt over his torso. White hair flowed from under an enormous helmet with immense horns.

  “Greetings, puny ones,” the giant said. “I am Oleif Magnusson, captain of the Jotunn ship Falcon. I thought I would introduce myself so you’d know who killed you.” He laughed a couple of times and added, “Of course, if you would like to surrender now, I could probably use some of you in my zoo.”

  Captain Skrelleth hissed. “I had hoped we could work out a deal, but I can tell the only thing you’ll understand is a laser bolt through your head.”

  “Ho, ho ho,” the Jotunn replied. “Meaningless threats don’t scare me. Besides, why would we want to deal with you? We are already on the winning side.”

  “Have you no honor?” Calvin asked. “You would help the Shaitans wipe out this race?”

  “Yes, I have my honor,” Captain Magnusson replied. “I have given my word to help my allies capture this system. What they do with it is up to them; I care not. I am curious, though; who are you, and how do you know our allies?”

  “I am Lieutenant Commander Shawn Hobbs of the Terran ship Vella Gulf,” Calvin said. “When the Gulf shows up to destroy your ship, just remember we gave you a chance to surrender.”

  “A Terran, eh?” the Jotunn asked, looking thoughtful. “And from the Vella Gulf? Where is your ship?”

  “It is where it needs to be,” Calvin replied. “Why do you care?”

  “Ho, ho, ho,” Captain Magnusson said, turning to share a laugh with his bridge crew. “The insignificant one is lippy, isn’t he?” He turned back to Calvin. “I care, because there is a reward for destroying Terran ships. If yours isn’t here, I guess you will have to do. Maybe there will be a reward for killing Terrans, a
s well as their ships.”

  “A reward from whom?” Calvin asked.

  “We all have our secrets today, don’t we?” the giant asked. “Good bye, Terran; it is time for you to die.” The connection ended.

  Captain Skrelleth turned to look at Calvin and cocked his head. “It appears I may have misjudged you. If there is a bounty on your ships, you must have gone out of your way to annoy them. I like that; it is too bad I didn’t lisssten to you earlier. Perhaps we could have stopped them at the stargate.”

  Calvin shrugged. “It’s too late to worry about it now. What are the ranges of your weapons?”

  “Our missiles have a range of about 13 million miles, and our lasers can fire about 600,000 miles. Why?”

  “The range of the Shaitan torpedo is about 800,000 miles,” Calvin said. “I was hoping they would have to come within range of your energy weapons to fire.”

  “That is the problem we have with fighting them,” the Ssselipsssiss officer said. “They stay just outside the range of our lasers and disappear when we try to hit them with missiles.”

  “Well, we’re going to need to do something about that if we’re going to have a chance. Where are your missile pods?”

  Emperor Yazhak the Third’s Estate, Grrrnow, 61 Virginis, December 12, 2021

  “So what are your recommendations?” Emperor Yazhak asked.

  “Despite the Ssselipsssiss warnings to the contrary, I think you should bring all the ships you can spare to the border. One of two things is going to happen. Either the Ssselipsssiss are going to be overrun in short order, and you will need them there to defend yourselves, or the situation will become so dire for the lizards that they will ask for your help. I think they’re probably very close to that now. Asking for our help is probably a pretty good indicator things may already be beyond ‘dire’ for them.”