Doom Star: Book 05 - Planet Wrecker (44 page)

“Sir!” a woman shouted.

“I see it,” said Hawthorne. “What’s its mass?”

“It’s just under four kilometers in diameter,” a man said. “If it keeps on this course, it will hit in upper South America.”

“That ought to keep Colonel Naga happy,” Hawthorne whispered.

“Sir?” the man asked.

Hawthorne shoulders slumped. “Never mind,” he said.

On the screen, more objects kept coming. Some smashed through other habitats, a few of the smaller meteors deflected from the atmosphere.

“Milan has gone offline!” a woman moaned.

“There’s a deep-core burst in Cape Town. They pushed too hard.”

“Help us!” Hawthorne shouted, as he threw up his hands and implored the Unknown One.

“Here it comes,” a woman said. “Nothing can stop it now.”

There were various objects under thirty-five meters. Each burned through the upper atmosphere. The first one became visible to the naked eye at one hundred and five kilometers high. Air friction began to heat the rocky object. Gasses burned off the meteor and the denser air turned it white hot. The increasing friction and heat caused the Saturn-rock to break apart into seven different pieces. Those burned faster, creating a glowing tail visible in the daylight to those craning and watching the doom of Earth. Because of its rocky nature, this object burned up at fifty-seven kilometers above the surface.

The other small meteors also burned up in the atmosphere.

There came one big object, the nickel-iron asteroid slightly under four-kilometers in diameter. Its velocity had taken it from Saturn to its destiny here over South America. It appeared at one hundred and five kilometers above the surface, smashing down through the thin atmosphere. Soon, gasses boiled off the increasing heated object. A gigantic tail appeared and remained like a jet’s exhaust as a streak of grim finality. Still the massive object sped down. At seventy kilometers from the surface, it blazed at four thousand degrees Fahrenheit. At fifty-five kilometers, the ear-splinting booms began. It roared and blazed like a projectile from Hell as it headed for the Amazon Basin in Brazil Sector. At twenty-two kilometers, it cast a shadow on the surface like a targeting dot.

Soon thereafter, the terrible asteroid struck the surface of the Earth, releasing incredible kinetic energy. A circular shock wave of obliterating proportions flattened everything for half the continent. Trees, buildings and even mountains blew down, apart and often into the air. Earthquakes shook the planet. Billions of tons of debris billowed upward in a vast cloud that dwarfed anything ever seen on Planet Earth.

In South America, moments after impact and continuing in a ripple-like wave, over five billion people died in the crumbling underground cities. Billions more were going to die as the planet entered a new era of weather patterns and cycle of seasons.

The cyborgs had made their annihilating mark, creating the hugest crater on Earth. Likely, it would become a new lake in the middle of South America. The cyborgs had also achieved a first: the greatest single death toll of any one particular action.

Some time later in the Joho Mountain Bunker, Hawthorne slowly picked himself off the floor.

“What happened?” someone asked nearby.

Hawthorne worked his mouth, but no words issued. His mind was numb.

“Sir!” a man shouted. It was Manteuffel. The small ex-cybertank colonel sat at a communications board. Blood leaked from Manteuffel’s nose. “Sir, Grand Admiral Cassius of the Highborn is hailing you.”

Hawthorne limped near the screen. On it, he saw Cassius and the proud manner of the Highborn leader.

“I’m glad you’re alive,” Cassius said. “Our Doom Stars shall reach near-Earth orbit soon and assist you in any way we can.”

All Hawthorne could do was stare at the Grand Admiral.

“They hit South America,” Cassius said. “I doubt much lives there now. You’re lucky none of the pieces hit the oceans and created tidal waves.”

Hawthorne frowned, trying to absorb the thoughts.

“Earth is going to be a harsh place to live,” the Highborn said.

“Death,” Hawthorne said. His mouth was dry. So was his heart.

“Excuse me, Supreme Commander?” asked Cassius. “What did you say?”

“Death to the cyborgs,” Hawthorne whispered.

“Yes, it is time for a real alliance,” Cassius said, nodding. “Through these past weeks, we’ve seen that we can work together. And we’ve learned to trust each other.”

Hawthorne stared at the Grand Admiral, believing nothing the Highborn said.

“You need us,” Cassius said. “And we need to concentrate on the real enemy before the cyborgs obliterate us both.”

Hawthorne’s head swayed as the idea struck home. Likely everyone in South America and maybe even Central America was dead because the cyborgs had launched asteroids at Earth. What he saw from some satellite cams….

Was it possible to trust the Highborn? Earth couldn’t survive a second strike like this.

“We must unite,” Cassius said.

It felt like there were cobwebs in his mind. Hawthorne tried to think. He said, “You are the Highborn and we’re premen. Can we work together without you trying to dominate us?”

“I’m the only chance you have,” Cassius said. “Agree to a real alliance, and I can hold my position as Grand Admiral. Believe me, Supreme Commander, there are officers among us who wish your species’ destruction. I do not agree with them. If nothing else, this strike shows that we don’t have the time to subjugate or annihilate you. We must turn our effort against the cyborgs, or risk total defeat.”

“I have work to do,” Hawthorne said. “The world needs me now. Maybe we can speak again later.”

Cassius lurched closer until his face filled the screen. “Listen to me, Hawthorne. You just lost billions of your fellow humans. If you want to save the rest, you need me so together we can kill these genocidal cyborgs.”

Hawthorne stared into those feral eyes. Cassius was the Highborn Grand Admiral. The Highborn could change course with amazing speed and decision. Did Cassius see something new after this strike? Maybe Social Unity no longer had a choice. South America—

“Yes,” Hawthorne whispered, “a true alliance. Together, let us kill the cyborgs.”

Two Jovian patrol boats headed for Earth. In the first one, Marten sat at the controls with Omi. It was packed within the spaceship.

“Well?” Omi asked.

“The cloud movement is crazy,” Marten said. He scanned Earth with a long-distance telescope. “But the indicators—”

“I have an incoming message,” Nadia said.

“From Earth?” asked Marten.

Surprised, Nadia looked up. “It’s from their Supreme Commander.”

“Put him on,” said Marten. A tired man with hollowed-out eyes appeared on the screen.

“I’m Supreme Commander James Hawthorne of Social Unity. My com-officers tell me that your designation is Jovian.”

“Yes,” said Marten.

“Does the alliance still hold?”

“It does.”

“Good,” said Hawthorne. “It’s time we humans began to truly work together before the Highborn and cyborgs annihilate us.”

“That’s what I think,” said Marten. “But Grand Admiral Cassius might not see it that way.”

“I’m sure you have an interesting story….”

“I’m Force-Leader Marten Kluge.”

Hawthorne nodded curtly. “Well, Force-Leader, I’d like you to rendezvous with our warships. We need to mass what little strength we have. Then you and I need to talk face-to-face.”

Marten chest tightened. Earth, Social Unity—he nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. Do you have the coordinates of your warships?”

“I’ll have one of my officers give them to you. I look forward to our meeting.”

“As do I, sir.”

“I would talk more, Force-Leader, but I have much to do. The Earth—” Hawthorne eyes tightened. “It’s time we humans banded together…before we’re extinct.”

“I agree, sir. It’s time we went on the offensive.”

“I like your attitude, Kluge. Do all Jovians think like you?”

“…not yet,” said Marten. “But the war isn’t over.”

“No,” Hawthorne said. “For me, this war has just begun.”

The End

What’s next?
The last battle is coming where Marten Kluge meets his destiny. And the fate of the Solar System is decided.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the first five books of the Doom Star Series. The E-book Revolution has given me a new challenge: deciding which book to write next. I’m always interested in the reader’s opinion. So if you wish to see more Doom Star novels, I encourage you to write a review for the first book, Star Soldier. Let me know how you feel and let others know what to expect.

Vaughn Heppner

Read on for an exciting excerpt from
Invasion: Alaska.

Novels by Vaughn Heppner

The Ark Chronicles:

People of the
Ark

People of the Flood

People of
Babel

People of the Tower

Lost Civilizations:

Giants

Leviathan

The Tree of Life

Gog

Behemoth

The Lod Saga

The Doom Star Series:

Star Soldier

Bio-Weapon

Battle
Pod

Cyborg Assault

Planet Wrecker

Other Novels:

The Great Pagan Army

The Sword of
Carthage

The Knight of Pellinore

Invasion:
Alaska

Death Knight

The Darkling

The Dragon Horn

Strontium-90

Invasion: Alaska

by Vaughn Heppner

“China? There lies a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.”

-- Napoleon Bonaparte

Timeline to War

1997: The British return Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China.

2011: China reviews its one-child per family policy begun in 1978 and decides to continue it. This increasingly creates an imbalance of boys as families abort a higher percentage of girls.

2012: China carries much of the U.S. National Debt and continues to sell America a vast surplus of finished goods.

2015: Decreasing European and Russian population trends continue. Birthrates have plummeted well below replacement values, resulting in a shrinking number of Frenchmen, Germans, Finns and Russians.

2016: The American banking system and stock market crashes as the Chinese unload their U.S. Bonds. The ripple effect creates the Sovereign Debt Depression throughout the world.

2017: Siberia secedes from a bankrupt Russia.

2018: Scientists detect the beginning of a new glacial period that is similar to the chilly temperatures that occurred during the Black Death in the Middle Ages.

2019: The Marriage Act is passed. As the Chinese men greatly outnumber the women, special government permits are needed before a man is allowed to marry a woman.

2020: Due to new glaciation, there are repeated low yields and crop failures in China and elsewhere. It brings severe political unrest to an economically destabilized world.

2021: An expansion-minded Socialist-Nationalist government emerges in China. It demands that Siberia return the Great Northeastern Area stolen during Tsarist times and a reunification with Taiwan.

2022: The Sovereign Debt Depression, and an ongoing civil war in Mexico, creates political turmoil in America, particularly in the Southwest. There is an increase in terrorism, secessionist movements and a plummeting Federal budget. All American military forces return home to the U.S.

2023: The Mukden Incident sparks the Sino-Siberian War. Chinese armies invade. Ailing Russian government ignores Siberian cries for military aid. America’s new isolationism prevents any overseas interference.

2023: Modernized equipment and an excessive pool of recruits eager to win marriage permits bring swift victory to Chinese arms over Siberia. It annexes the Great Northeastern Area. Siberia becomes a client state.

2024: Aggressive Chinese posturing and long-range aircraft stationed on the coast cause the aging U.S. Fleet to retreat from Taiwan. China invades and captures Taiwan. Its navy now rivals the shrunken USN.

2026: Newly discovered deep oilfields in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska prove among the world’s largest.

2027: The civil war in Mexico worsens. The bulk of America’s Homeland Security Forces now stand guard on the Rio Grande.

2028: The continuing modernization of the oil industry in Siberia, the Great Northeastern Area and in the South China Sea turns Greater China into the largest oil-producing nation in the world. China begins to dictate OPEC policies.