Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 3) (12 page)

Colonel Wade
Nelson was in the Command Center of the battlecruiser Constellation as it
pulled away from Vesta and moved out away from the asteroid field to join the
rest of Seventh Fleet. As he watched Vesta gradually diminish on the viewscreen
and then finally disappear, he let out a deep sigh. They were finally ready to
start their mission and would soon be entering Fold Space to head for the first
nonaligned world on their long list. He wondered what lay ahead for the fleet
and the mission.

“Fleet is
ready to initiate Fold Space entry upon your order,” Commander Shepherd
informed Admiral Adamson.

“We may be
gone for a long time,” commented Adamson from his position next to Wade where
he too had been watching the viewscreens.

“This is an
important mission,” responded Wade, glancing over at the admiral. “There’s a
very good chance we’ll be involved in some heavy combat, both on the ground and
in space.”

“We’re going
to remind the Kleese we’re still around,” Adamson pointed out. “This could be a
very dangerous game we’re playing, and we’re going to be a long way from home
if anything goes wrong.”

“It’s the hand
we’ve been dealt,” answered Wade, evenly.

On the
viewscreen, the rest of the ships were coming into view. Overall, there were
two hundred and twenty-six ships in the newly formed Seventh Fleet. This would
be the largest and most powerful fleet ever to leave the solar system. It would
definitely be a wakeup call to the Kleese once it was detected.

“We’re moving
into position between the Falcon and the Rampage,” reported Lieutenant Percy
Lash, who was sitting in front of the ship’s primary sensor console. The Falcon
and the Rampage were two of the three new battlecruisers assigned to Seventh Fleet;
the third was the Firebolt.

“All ships
stand by to enter Fold Space,” Adamson ordered over the fleet com connecting to
all ships. “Initiate two minute countdown on my mark.” Adamson waited a few
seconds and then spoke once more. “Mark!”

“Message from
President Randle,” Lieutenant Emma Travers reported from Communications. “He
says good luck and he’ll be waiting for good news.”

“One minute to
Fold Space Drive activation,” spoke Lieutenant Jase Martin from the Helm. “All
system functioning normally.”

“Message from
Fleet Admiral Kelly and General Mitchell,” added Lieutenant Travers. “Message
says 'good hunting'.”

Adamson
allowed himself to smile. The messages themselves served to indicate just how
important everyone considered this mission to be.

“Fold Space Drive activation in ten seconds,” Martin spoke in an even voice. “Five, Four,
Three, Two, One, Activation!”

In Engineering,
the Fold Space Drive began generating an energy field in front to the ship,
warping the very fabric of space. In this area, the laws of physics were
slightly different than in the normal Einstein Universe. The space directly in
front of the ship was suddenly drawn in upon itself, making the distance
between two points shrink substantially. The greater strain the Fold Space Drive put upon the space directly in front of the ship the greater the warping
effect, allowing the ship to travel at speeds many multiples of the speed of
light. To the casual observer, without the advanced sensors to detect the
warping effect, it would seem as if the ship had just suddenly vanished as it
exceeded light speed.

“All ships
have made the transition into Fold Space,” Commander Shepherd confirmed as she
checked with several of the Command Center personnel.

“All ships
reporting normal operations,” Travers added as she listened to the multitude of
messages coming in over her Communications console.

“Engineering reports
Fold Space Drive operating within normal parameters,” Commander Shepherd stated,
satisfied that the ship was finally underway.

Wade glanced
at the tactical screen showing a jumble of green icons, which designated the
estimated location of fleet ships. At the speed they were traveling, the icons
were only a computer-generated estimate of where the ships were in relation to
the Constellation. Fortunately, one of the side effects of the Fold Space Drive was that no two ships could occupy the same point in space as the drive
formed a small protective spatial bubble, which would repel an identical bubble
or, in simpler terms, push it gently away. Of course no one was certain what
the results of a head on collision would be. Scientists had been hesitant to
attempt such a collision as several top Kivean space scientists had suggested
it might result in an actual rip in space-time.

They were
going nearly fifteen hundred light years, which was a flight time of
approximately twenty days during which the fleet would drop out of Fold Space four
times for routine maintenance checks. The new Fold Space Drives the ships were
equipped with allowed for a cruising speed of nearly eighty light years per
day, though the new battlecruisers were capable of slightly over ninety.

Looking at the
green icons on the tactical screen, Wade wondered which one was the Fire Fox
where Beth was. Beth and Major Jeffries were planning to work on battle
simulations in case they had to drive the Kleese from one of the nonaligned
worlds. Each time the fleet dropped out of Fold Space he planned on going over
to the Fire Fox for a strategy meeting if time permitted. He also wanted to see
his wife on occasion as this could be a long mission.

-

Ryan flexed
his metal encased hand, still feeling awe at the sensations the suit generated
within his mind. The Type Four battlesuit was eight feet tall and made out of a
new type of composite material, which was stronger and lighter than that of the
Type Three suits. It allowed for greater flexibility in movement that at times
made the wearer almost forget he or she was encased inside one. In addition,
the Type Four suit was capable of operating in full combat conditions for
nearly twenty hours before needing to be recharged. In non-combat situations,
the suit could keep its wearer alive for well over a week.

Ryan recalled
the first time he'd put on the Type Four battlesuit. They went on the same as
the Type Threes; the suits opened up in the front and you stepped backward into
the suit and allowed it to seal up around you. Many marines felt a momentary
sense of claustrophobia during that brief moment as the suit sealed off the
outside world. Activating and controlling the suit was also much different and
had taken some getting used to.

In the Type Fours,
a microscopic wire entered the base of your neck and connected to the neuro
transmitter inside the cortex. Ryan knew that on the back of his neck was a
small insertion port protected by titanium about the size of a dime. The suit
connected to the port and then sent a microscopic wire snaking along a
miniscule titanium tunnel leading to the neuro transmitter buried deep inside
Ryan’s brain.

“All right,
Lieutenant Nelson; you can come down now.”

Ryan looked
down at Sergeant Olivia Morris, who was helping him operate the antigravity repeller
plates in the feet of his suit. For the last ten minutes, he'd been hovering in
the air about ten meters above the ground. The antigravity plates generated a
repelling force, which allowed the Type Four battlesuit a limited flying
ability. It was something exceedingly difficult to control as Ryan and numerous
others in his platoon had learned the hard way when they'd slammed into the ground
on several occasions. There had even been a few broken limbs, but medical
nanites had made quick repairs to the broken bones and tissue, getting the
marines back into the training program within just a few days.

Ryan directed
the suit back down, knowing that the suit’s on board computer system would keep
him balanced until his feet touched the parade grounds. He breathed a sigh of
relief as he touched down and didn’t stumble.

“You didn’t
crash this time,” commented Casey, who'd been watching Ryan with interest. She
was next in line after the lieutenant.

“It becomes
more automatic with time, just like walking,” spoke Sergeant Morris as she
turned to face Corporal Hunter. She'd formerly been in Major Winfrey’s British
Special Forces group and volunteered for the initial Type Four training along
with Captain Taylor. Now they were serving as instructors. “You have to learn
to trust your neural implant. Just as when you walk or run you trust your body
not to fall.”

“I guess it’s
my turn,” Casey spoke, uneasily.

She'd crashed violently
into the ground several times and even dislocated her shoulder on her last
attempt. Casey stepped forward, knowing many of her fellow platoon members were
watching. She had to master this if she expected to lead them into battle.

“Remember,
Corporal Hunter,” Sergeant Morris spoke in a reassuring voice. “Just think
about what you want to do and the neural implant will take care of the rest.”

Casey took a
deep breath, nodding her head. The neural transmitter was linked directly to
the central computer of the battlesuit, which controlled all of the suit’s
intricate functions. She knew it was just a matter of trust.

Focusing her
mind, Casey actuated the antigravity repeller units and felt herself lift
slowly up off the ground. She could tell the suit was wobbly. She immediately put
her arms out and began flailing about trying to keep her balance.

“Don’t fight
it,” instructed Sergeant Morris, keeping a watchful eye on the corporal. “By
moving your arms around you’re fighting the suit’s own attempts to keep you
properly balanced.”

Trying to calm
her nerves, Casey lowered her arms to her side and felt the suit quickly
stabilize. Remarkably, this reminded her of the first steps she'd taken after
coming out of the cloning chamber back on Vesta. She recalled how the nurses
had worked at keeping her calm and saying soothing words. Now it seemed
Sergeant Morris was assuming that role teaching her to fly the Type Four
battlesuit.

For the next
ten minutes, the sergeant talked Casey through some simple flight maneuvers.
There were smaller antigravity repeller units on the sides of her metal feet,
which could cause the suit to move forward or backward. Forward wasn’t so
difficult, but backward was something else. Going backward Casey nearly slammed
into the ground but managed to recover just in time to avoid a crash. Morris
had Casey practice several more times moving backward until she was satisfied
the corporal wouldn’t hurt herself or anyone else. When the drill was finally
over, Casey landed the suit, touching down lightly.

“Not bad,”
Ryan said with admiration. “In another few weeks, we’ll all be flying around
like birds.”

“I think I'd
prefer a Road Runner,” uttered Casey, turning to face Ryan. “They spend most of
their time on the ground.”

“As will you,”
Sergeant Morris interjected. “You’ll find by activating the repeller units at
varying strengths, you can jump the battlesuit higher and farther. If you want
to reach a rooftop, the repellers will help immensely. Flight should only be
used as a last resort because it makes you plainly visible to the enemy, who
will probably attempt to shoot you down.”

-

Later, Ryan’s
platoon was in the mess hall eating their evening meal. One thing he could say
about the marines, they had the best cooks in the military. He looked down at
his plate, which held a sizable portion of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy,
and green beans. Several buttered dinner rolls were also over on the side.

“I don’t know
if I’ll ever get used to flying,” Casey moaned as she leaned back and gazed
over at Ryan. “I guess I’m just afraid of falling.”

“That’s what
we have medical facilities for,” Private Adams said with a grin.

She'd
witnessed several of Casey’s spectacular crashes. Lauren had taken to flying
like a duck to water and found it an exciting and fun experience. She could
easily see where it could be used to give oneself a tactical advantage over an
enemy.

“I hear we get
to try Charring again in a few days,” Private Parker voiced with a deep sigh.
“I hate getting killed on that damn mountain!”

“Maybe we
won’t get killed this time,” Private Swen spoke in a hopeful voice, looking
over at Casey and Ryan hoping they would agree.

“They’re not
going to make it easy on us,” Casey answered her hazel eyes looking at the
others. “I’m afraid what we went through the first two times on Charring will
seem like child’s play compared to what they’re going to put us through this
time.”

Lauren looked
thoughtful and then nodded her head. “They want us to be the best possible.
These new suits must cost a fortune and they expect us to learn how to use them
to their maximum capability.”

“It’s going to
be tough,” Ryan admitted in between bites of his meatloaf. “I suspect we’re going
to see a lot of Charring Mountain and each time they’re going to make the drill
more difficult.”

“They’re not
going to let us win,” stated Lauren her eyes narrowing.

“Oh, we can
win,” answered Ryan, putting his fork down and leaning forward on his elbows.
“They’re just going to make it as difficult as possible. We have to learn how
to use the new suits so we can make it to the top.”

He looked down
at the remaining food on his plate. It reminded him of the meals his mother
cooked. It would be nice to get some leave once this training was over so he
could return to Vesta and see his parents. He had received a short message from
Wade mentioning that he was leaving on a mission and would be gone for several
months. That could mean only one thing; his older brother had left on a mission
outside the solar system. He wished he could have seen Wade one more time
before he left. He had a few questions he would like to ask him; now they would
have to wait.