Audacity (Warner's World Book 5) (52 page)

John Hemry (author of Jack Campbell’s The Lost Fleet series) gave generously of his time to advise on how I could get published. His ‘pay it forward’ attitude was most appreciated.

The Australian Society of Authors (www.asauthors.org ) provided good advice on being an author and sponsored Steven Lewis’ E Publishing course (
www.taleist.com
www.warpdrivepublishing
)
which I found to be valuable.
 

Book 6 of Warner’s World

The adventure continues in Book 6 of Warner’s World: Resilience.

Being knocked down does not mean you are knocked out. Dave Warner discovers the hard way that toughness is not just a human quality. All warps lead to Cheklin as everyone wants the new mass exchanger technology. Felis Draag pulls off a surprising victory for the Resistance over Cheklin only to be subjected to more onslaughts from the rogue Admiral Sallusam. Dave’s stealth flotilla heeds the call for help but the Imperialists are not giving up either. The scene is set for a dramatic showdown on and above the cauldron that is Cheklin.

Visit
www.warpdrivepublishing.com
for more details.

Purchase it from Amazon here:
Resilience on Amazon

Warnerpedia

Get your free copy of Warnerpedia at
www.warpdrivepublishing.com
. It answers your questions on ‘who, what and where” in the Warner’s World series.

This reference document comes in three formats - Word, PDF or MOBI. It contains a listing of all the characters in all the books, listed by first name, last name, rank, role, organisation and the book they first appeared in. There is also a list of the weapons, vehicles, ships and other equipment used in the series. All the cities, places, planets and star systems are listed so you can look up exactly where events are happening. A glossary is also provided.
With the Word format the data is listed in sortable tables. So it makes it easy to find that character using one of their attributes - first name, last name, organisation etc.

Part 1
Call to Arms

When the firing stops and the screams subside

Fear once more retreats inside

Frazzled nerves recover and tired minds assess

The outcome of the battle and whether it was success

But either way comrades have died or suffered

Lives lost and aspirations smothered

Where to from here

Do you retreat from fear?

Or regird your loins and sally forth

Striving to the next objective with all your worth

Chapter 1. Resolute over Q2, 2340, 6 September 2513

First Lieutenant (1
^st
Lt) Crystal Wong had drunk far too much earlier in the evening at the so called celebrations after their victory over the Third Rogan Imperial Fleet (RIF). But her one-on-one with her boss, Captain Dave Warner, and her subsequent bout of introspection and grief had somehow sobered her up.

Now she lay on the bed in her cabin and could not sleep, even though she was dog tired. The last 48 hours had been a rollercoaster ride of emotion and stress. It had begun with anxiety over her lover’s safety. She could see 2
^nd
Lt John Conrad’s face right now in her mind’s eye. He was grinning at her just as he had done so many times before.

But now each time she saw that grin she felt a huge pang of guilt come over her. He was now dead and it was because she had chickened out when Dave had asked her to volunteer to man the battle systems control on the doomed rock that was so prosaically referred to as ‘Q2’. John had shamed her when he volunteered instead and now he was dead and she was alive. She hated herself for this.

“Why!” she called out in anguish. She rolled over onto her stomach and pulled the pillow over her head in an attempt to block out the thoughts and the pain. But they came from within and so there was no relief to be gained from this outward, physical activity. “Why” she said again but with less force. No sound escaped from the pillow but still the words penetrated deep inside.

The tears flowed, soaking into the sheets. She sobbed hard but eventually the outpouring petered out. She recalled Dave’s words ‘You are worthy. John knew that, didn’t he?’ And this started her crying again, just as it had earlier.

‘Am I? Why am I worthy?’ she implored silently to herself.  She rolled onto her back. ‘What does he see in me that I don’t?’ she asked herself.

Captain Dave Warner, commander of the Federation Fleet Ship (FFS) Resolute and of the 17
^th
Flotilla, also lay on his bed in his cabin, a minute’s walk away. He too was reflecting on the state of things following the battle. He too was feeling guilty, especially about John’s death. But his guilt was not borne of some perceived personal shortcoming. Rather it was the product of what some may perceive as a personal strength and that was his sense of duty. It was his sense of duty that caused him to order the deployment of the battle systems centre to Rollinium and it was his order that put John in harm’s way and for that he felt guilty. But he knew he had done it for the right reasons. He knew that he may feel guilty but he was not culpable.

‘Why is that argument wearing thin?’ he asked himself. The long procession of deaths, occasioned by his orders, was taking their toll on his psyche and he knew it. For nigh on two years now men and women that he cared for and those he had barely come to know had either died or been maimed implementing his orders.

He thought of 2
^nd
Lt Kat Holbrook in her neck brace as she boarded the hospital ship and the distraught state her lover, LCmd Chase Hanlon, was in. ‘At least she’s out of it now’ he said to himself. But he knew it was unlikely she would ever fly again. ‘How many under my charge are now incapacitated and robbed of being able to lead a life to the full?’ he asked. ‘How many more yet to come?’

‘Stop it Dave’ he remonstrated with himself. ‘It’s just commander’s guilt and it’s going to get a lot worse before this war is over. You have to come to terms. One hundred percent commitment, zero percent attachment.’

He swept the bed next to him with his hand searching for his beloved Rihan. He came up empty. ‘But she is coming to me’ he reminded himself. ‘How I long for you my love.’

He rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. ‘Yes detachment’s the key’ he said to himself. ‘Detachment’s the key’ he repeated till he fell asleep.

Chapter 1. Kiev in warp to Q2 1200, 6 September

Twelve hours earlier, when the Resolute was burying its dead, Admiral Phil Yomoto had sat at his desk aboard the Federation Fleet Ship (FFS) Kiev. He commanded the Federation Combined Fleet comprising two carriers, seventeen capital ships and 22 frigates plus a convoy of transports and a huge base force, that provided mobile logistic support.

He was reading a message from Evie Plentun, while trying to down a sandwich at his desk. It had been sent nearly a week ago. That was how long it had taken to reach him and it would take him even longer to warp to his current objective in the Qwantum system.

His main force was made up of second generation ships. They lacked the new drive and comms tech that enabled the third generation ships in his advance group, the 17
^th
Flotilla under Captain Dave Warner, to travel the huge distances from Chelora to Qwantum in just ten days. He was only five days in a twenty six day warp. Thankfully his flagship had the new comms suite which enabled him to communicate in warp. But right now Phil was feeling that perhaps ignorance would have given him more bliss.

The sender was Evie Plentun, a young rogan resistance leader who had made contact with the human Federation seeking assistance. Phil had helped her get to the rogan home world of Cheklin where she had made contact with the Resistance leader there, Meelanda Orocash. It was at their request that Phil’s combined fleet was now warping into rogan space.

When he got to the part of her message about subordinating his fleet to a rogan admiral he had to exercise all his discipline not to spit out the mouthful he currently had. He swallowed it without relish.

“For crying out loud!” he exclaimed. Commodore Alex Peabody, his Chief of Staff (COS), was in the adjacent office. He heard his boss and came in with a wary look on his face. Phil swivelled his screen and Alex read it. Alex sat down and, as was his practice in dealing with these moods of his boss, he said nothing.

“Of all the bloody ingrates” said Phil, still fuming. He looked to Alex hoping for some empathy but got none. “You think I’m a tad over reacting?” asked Phil but the tone of annoyance was still there. Alex shrugged his shoulders and opened his palms out in a gesture Phil interpreted as a ‘yes’.

Finally Alex piped up “She makes a good point.”

“Which one?” blurted out Phil indignantly.

Alex didn’t rise to the occasion. Instead he forced himself to be calm. The long pause served to calm Phil down enough for Alex to respond. “If we want long term peace then we should comply. Otherwise she’s right. We will undermine the legitimacy of any new government and we’ll be back here again in ten years or less having to deal with another dictator.”

At this stage Captain Greta Oppenheim, Phil’s relatively new Communications and Intelligence (CI) officer came in and Alex pointed to the screen. She bent over and read it. Every now and then she glanced at Phil. Finally she stood up. She was about to say ‘And you don’t like it?’ but thought better of it. She opted instead for “Interesting.”

“And?” demanded Phil.

Greta looked to Alex for a lead. But before he could give one Phil added “Come on, I want your opinion. I’ve already got his.”

“It makes sense. What does it matter anyway?” she replied.

“Well it matters to me” retorted Phil.

Greta raised one eyebrow and gave him a disapproving look. “This is too big for bruised egos, don’t you think?”

Phil’s head recoiled back like he had just been slapped. But before he could respond Greta stared at him “That’s what’s at play here isn’t it?” Then she added “Thankfully we’re all mature and wise” and topped it off with a sweet smile.

Phil leaned back in his chair, for a moment before leaning forward. He raised a pointed finger at Greta and said “Oh you’re good…very good. You may just get away with it.”

“I usually do” said Greta cheekily while Alex smiled. It was nice to see his boss bested and it reminded him of Dave Warner’s wife, Captain Rihan Kabel, who was Phil’s operations (OPS) officer.

Phil shook his head and turned to Alex and asked “why do I seem to attract women like this?”

“Just lucky Sir…just lucky!”

As if on cue, Rihan poked her head in the door. “So this is where everyone is hiding out” she observed. Phil made a flourish with his hand inviting her to read the message. She did so and then looked around at the other faces. They were all dead pan. “Good move I say” said Rihan full of confidence.

Phil rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. The others were all smiling.

Chapter 2. Cornacopia to Polaris 1345, 6 September

Commander (Cmdr) Charles Chen looked anxiously at the blood pumping out of his body through the tube and into the container that was attached to the machine that in turn was attached to the gurney he lay on.

He was not regretting undergoing this operation in transit from Chelora to Polaris. No it made sense to have his ear reconstructed before he arrived in Polaris. There would be so much to do then. He knew his mother was already in full swing preparing the ground work that would see him make a run for the Chief Minister’s office next year.

He had been told since as far as he could remember that it was his destiny. Amelia Hubbard, his mother and wife of Harry Chen, the current Federation Treasurer, had never let him forget it. He realised that he was but a proxy for her own stymied ambition. But before his assignment as XO to the FFS Resolute, Dave Warner’s ship, he had made it clear to her that he would be doing so on his own terms.