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    Srategic Retreat
    Srategic Retreat
    Srategic Retreat
    Ebook285 pages3 hours

    Srategic Retreat

    By Karl Thorn

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    About this ebook

    Richard Quinn, skipper of Pt 824, Stellar Knight, rescues a woman from a destroyed Czarian scout ship. Confirmation of the beautiful girl’s identity had to wait. The entire Guardian Fleet must retreat just to survive the advancing Czarian armada! If they don't find a way to stop the Czarians, the fledgling society will collapse.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKarl Thorn
    Release dateDec 10, 2014
    ISBN9781310258497
    Srategic Retreat
    Author

    Karl Thorn

    Technical Support Engineer Two degrees in electronics

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      Book preview

      Srategic Retreat - Karl Thorn

      Strategic Retreat

      By Karl Thorn

      Published by Karl Thorn at Smashwords

      Copywrite 2014 Karl Thorn

      Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

      * * *

      STRATEGIC RETREAT

      CHAPTER ONE

      Bring him in! roared Grand Admiral Ronald Garrette. He stood from his motorized chair to meet an old antagonist from a hundred and fifteen years ago. Many people now considered that man a legend.

      Two men dressed in blue jumpsuits ushered a man dressed in nothing, but a loin cloth. The man's long black hair and dominant square jaw gave him the look of an American Indian. He had the appearance of a man only twenty-five Earth years old.

      Ron sternly scrutinized the man’s appearance. He hadn’t changed a bid, other than his dress. Now he was a perfect reflection of his Native American heritage. Ron looked at the two guards, gave them an appreciative nod, and waved them away. They left without speaking a word. Ron sauntered over with the grace of an old man and placed his face within a foot of the Indian’s. One face was old and wrinkled with thick gray stubble while the other was still soft and smooth as if it had never been shaved. So, you have returned, Ron said after a moment of contemplation.

      The long haired man simply nodded.

      Ron's aged face flushed. You probably thought I had died and felt it safe to return.

      No, Ron, the Indian said casually with slight upturned lips. The Star Flyer constantly monitored your radio transmissions. I knew you were still alive.

      Ron frowned, abruptly turning away. You should have stayed on Sequoia, Brytestar. He paused for a moment then said with anguish, I must now sentence you to death."

      Brytestar shook his head. I don't think so. His voice was confident and relaxed as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

      Ron turned back to face Brytestar. His brow twitched upward. I see you still are the cocky Steve Brytestar I once knew.

      A hundred years wouldn't change that. Steve now openly smiled. And naming this moon base after me just boosted my ego. He knew that would irritate Ron.

      Ron's anger flared once again. Brytestar was enjoying this. So tell me why I cannot give you the death sentence. Steve smiled again at Ron’s show of anger. He never did hide his emotions well. My past contributions, my reputation, my- You think the legend of Steve Brytestar, the inventor of the fluxwave detector and fluxwave torpedo will save you? He thought the man to be smarter than this.

      No, but if I am correct you will soon need my latest invention just to survive the next Czarian assault.

      Ron clinched his jaw. And what would you know of the Czarians! You've been living in paradise for over a hundred years.

      As I said, the young looking Indian continued, I have been monitoring your transmissions, even the coded ones. I know your production rates and what you believe the Czar's rates are. I have estimated that they have produced three to four times the fire power since your last major battle. And you won that only because you have perfected my inventions. They gave you the advantage. Now, the Czar’s technical level is approaching yours and with their superior numbers, they will soon decide to attack again.

      Ron bounced on the balls of his feet. His jaw still clinched. He knew Steve was right. What angered him more, Steve knew he was right as well. Ron sharply spun around and briskly returned to his chair and stood by it. At a hundred and forty-six years, he was considered in excellent health. He just lacked the stamina of youth.

      Ron gritted his teeth, hating the position that Steve has put him in. Landing on Sequoia was an automatic death sentence, but if Steve held a secret weapon that could help their cause, how could he carry it out? Then again, how would the people react sentencing a legend to death? He pushed a button on the arm of his chair. Come and get him, Ron ordered the two men who waited outside the room.

      The guards returned and gently grabbed Steve's arms.

      Take him to the brig!

      How can you! Steve protested as they slowly turned him toward the door. He did not fight their urges. I risked my neck to rescue you, and helped you destroy O'dale's base. We were friends.

      As far as I am concerned, we still are, Ron frowned to his back, but neither one of us is above the law, Steve.

      You created that law, you can make me an exception. The men prompted Steve to move toward the door.

      Ron shook his head. That law is there to protect the Sequoians, he said. I have no choice in the matter. You will be given a trial and if found guilty as I expect then you will be sentenced to death for landing on the surface of Sequoia.

      You must hear me out! Steve said as he passed through the door.

      I will, at the trial, Ron grievously said as he watched the door close behind the guards and the American Indian.

      Ron sighed as he sat in his chair. He knew Steve was right. He always was, when it came to facts. This concerned Ron greatly. What was Steve up too now?

      * * *

      Enemy sighted! Go to yellow alert, blared the baritone voice of Commander Richard Quinn's first officer. Enemy sighted, go to yellow alert, the voice repeated.

      Swallowing his last bite of food, Richard jumped from the table. He dumped the rest of his meal into the trash chute and rushed from his cabin. It seemed lately he could never get through a meal without some emergency interrupting.

      He ran to the anteroom and opened the locker that contained his pressure suit. Yellow alert required everyone on board the patrol ship to wear one. He quickly stepped into it, avoiding people beside him doing the same. He locked the suit's seals with one hand while unfastening it from the locker with the other. Only practice could make it look so easy. He then tucked the helmet under his arm and ran through the narrow isle to the cockpit. He slipped the wireless ear phones passed his brass colored hair and slid into the pilot's seat. Status, Richard commanded as he tightened the throat mike.

      Before answering, Morgan finished repeating the yellow alert. His voice remained the smooth baritone. PT 564 has already engaged the enemy, he finally answered. I have set course to intercept. Morgan sat across the aisle from Richard at the systems console. He already had a pressure suit on with the helmet visor, open.

      Richard rubbed his square chin, not noticing the roughness of stubble through his gloved fingers. His thoughts were already on the action ahead. He couldn't believe the amount of Czarian activity lately.

      Is the attacking ship a TY53 interceptor? Richard asked, hoping to get a shot at Captain Atkins. He blamed Atkins for killing Commander Sanderson four patrols earlier. At the time, Richard was Stellar Knight's first officer. Admiral Hartford then promoted him to commander because his actions had helped save the ship.

      Richard wanted to be a PT boat commander. He just wished it could have earned it with a new boat instead of replacing his dead captain that he respected immensely.

      No sir, it's an Akula class scout ship, Morgan answered, glancing over at the young skipper.

      Morgan was an experienced first officer. He had been told Richard's background before accepting the position on PT 824. He saw the frustration on Richard's tense face. Morgan couldn't blame Richard for being angry. Captain Atkins, nearly destroyed PT 824 during the fierce battle that killed its skipper. Instead of finishing off the crippled ship the Czarian captain gloated to Richard over the Radio. He mocked and laughed at the surviving crew, then left them for dead. Fortunately, under Richard’s leadership, they repaired the ship well enough to limp back to base before their supplies ran out.

      Morgan's concerns were that Richard would let his emotions influence any command decision. His job would be to help guide his commander away from such rash decisions. Putting an experience first officer with a newly promoted commander was a typical situation.

      Morgan knew this would be his last duty assignment as a first officer. Headquarters had promised him a promotion in six months one way or another. He believed they would live up to their word. This was a typical assignment before promotion. He smirked to himself. It will then, be him as the inexperienced captain with an experienced competent first officer.

      Richard studied the fluxwave display as his unit came on line. Tactical information appeared by each blip on the screen. The two ships were near the edge of detection, eight light years away. One fluxwave was clearly the signature of PT 564. The other was the Czarian Akula class scout ship. Fluxwave torpedoes and mini-missiles flew between the two.

      Increase speed to three light years per hour, Richard ordered.

      According to specifications, this was the PT Boat's maximum speed. PTs were the fastest ships in the Guardian Fleet. They had no armor protection and were designed to fight at both sublight and superlight speeds. Beam weapons and plasma cells were used at sublight speeds while fluxwave torpedoes and mini-missiles could be used under either condition. PTs carried four fluxwave torpedoes and many rounds of mini-missiles.

      PT Boats had a triangular hull with a fluxwave engine nacelle the shape of a claw. It extended out the rear of the ship, giving the PT an appearance of an arrowhead. The sleek design allowed the ship to enter an atmosphere if need be.

      PTs were the smallest combat ships of the fleet. Yet, they were expected to carry the largest burden to hold the line against Czarian forces. They were relatively cheap and could be quickly produced. They patrolled all fronts and ran excursions into Czarian space to disrupt supply lines. When on patrol, a squadron would space themselves about ten light years apart. This was the limit of the diamond array sensors. They were the only known device that could see flux disruption created in the fabric of space. They're commonly called a fluxwave detector.

      The Guardian Fleet served to protect the remnant ISAC fleet that mainly consisted of American and European ships and their alien allies, the Tearrains. Admiral Ronald Garrette had discovered the aliens and made first contact. It had not taken much to convince the Tearrains they needed such a protectorate force when they witnessed an attack by the Czarians. Fortunately, the ISAC fleet had had enough strength to survive the conflict.

      Even after the battle the remnant American and Europeans never once demanded anything or tried to force themselves on the Tearrains. The Tearrains saw that the Humans were honorable and offered their services. From the initial meetings the Guardian Fleet was formed.

      Two point one hours to torpedo range, Morgan said to Richard. He knew his skipper had already figured it in his head, but it was his duty to keep him informed. For a smooth operating ship one must follow protocol.

      When a ship appears to go superlight, it distorts the fabric of space in the opposite manner that mass does. Instead of creating a gravity well, the fluxwave engine creates a spike with concentric waves within the fabric of space. A stone thrown into water is a good three dimensional representation, hence the name fluxwave.

      A fluxwave has the opposite force as gravity. It repels matter rather than attracts. One force can cancel out the effects other depending on their proximity to one another and whichever is stronger.

      A diamond is the heart of a fluxwave engine. When bombarded with anti-protons, it alters the flux lines within the fabric of space, creating this anti-gravity spike.

      The diamond is the furthest point stern on a ship. When a fluxwave is produced, the ship is pushed away from the center of the disturbance in the fabric of space. Sense the diamond is attached to the ship, the source of the fluxwave moves with the ship. The equation remains unbalanced and acceleration occurs. The ship's acceleration is exponential, dependent on its mass. To the outside observer, the ship will exceed the speed of light in less than a second. However, within the fabric of space around the ship, it is still travelling sublight, but in relation to the stars, the fluxwave is moving faster than the speed of light, carrying the ship with it. The amount of mass within the field and its strength determine the maximum speed a ship can go.

      Larger vessels required a stronger field strength to get the same speed as smaller ships. Accomplishing this can be done by adding additional fluxwave engine nacelles. Because of the added fluxdrives, shutting them down took some care and time. Each engine nacelle had to stay in sync with all the other fluxdrives that were operating. If this wasn't done, they risked tearing apart their own ship.

      Suddenly, Richard saw the blips on the fluxwave display disappear. Both ships had gone sublight. Both the Czarian Akula class scout and the Guardian PT have a single fluxdrive. Both could shut their drives down quickly. Either could use that tactic to avoid torpedoes. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

      One fluxwave reappeared on the display, then the other. Tactical readouts appeared by each blip indicating to Richard their identity, speed and direction. Mini-missiles began flying between the two as both ships tried to out maneuver the other.

      Mini-missiles were much faster than any ship, but they had a very short range. They were about two inches in diameter and eighteen inches long. They carried either an armor piercing head or an explosive one. Both types had a limited supply of fuel, anti-protons. Their drive diamonds were designed to burn out as they depleted the fuel in their containment units. These factors, plus the fact that mini-missiles' had a small mass accounted for their high speed and short range.

      Finally one of the ships disappeared from the screen, then the other. Stellar Knight's computer predicted that both had been hit by mini-missiles. It printed its conclusions on the fluxwave display as each blip disappeared off the screen. Richard wondered if one of them could just be playing dead.

      Increase anti-proton flow, ten percent above maximum, Richard ordered into his throat mike.

      Tabass heard the order in engineering. He grumbled to himself in his native Tearrain language while executing the override commands. He knew the ship was in for some rough treatment. The diamond will over heat, he complained with a strong alien accent.

      Tearrains looked to be reptilian, though they were warm blooded. They had large ear membranes on each side of their head. The membranes darkened or changed color indicating the alien’s mood. The reptilian looking mammal had virtually no lips, large eyes with pupils like that of a cat.

      Tabass' hairless skin had an attractive gray/green pattern. No two Tearrains had the same pattern. Tabass' green cat like eyes blended with his skin coloration perfectly.

      Like all Tearrains, Tabass hated violence. However, he did understand at times it was unavoidable. He knew the Czar, Earth's world dictator, would have occupied his home planet, (also named Tearrain), years ago if the abandoned Americans and Europeans hadn’t arrived first to prevent it.

      Tabass, like many Tearrains, joined the fleet in a capacity where they felt they could serve. Most went into the medical field. Tabass felt that engineering provided a greater service. He could help in combat situations, but normally wasn't required to fire a weapon. He was quite comfortable in that position.

      The Tearrain System based Stellar Knight and many other PTs. It was the first PT base set up. Its strategic location enabled the Guardian Fleet to defend many light years of space on the Czarian front. This helped the newly formed Guardian Fleet to establish other bases and gave the Humans independence from Earth. With supply and manufacturing sites secured, they no longer were forced to flee from Czarian Empire. They could now produce enough ships and equipment to meet the demand. The Czarian front formed setting up a stable imaginary line between the Czar's sphere of influence and Tearrain. Everything up the galactic arm was free for exploration by both Tearrains and the remnant Humans.

      Sorry, it can't be helped, Richard explained to his Tearrain friend. They have served together a long time under Stellar Knight's original skipper. I believe we have a disabled ship ahead of us. Speed is essential.

      I understand, Tabass grumbled, knowing the diamond would need to be replaced once they returned to Tearrain.

      Diamonds became unreliable after being overheated for extended lengths of time. They could burn out unpredictably, leaving the ship stranded in normal space, lightyears from any system. Replacing a diamond in deep space required tedious work with long hours spent in cumbersome pressure suits. All ship engineers tried to avoid such situations. Replacing a diamond in deep space proved difficult at best and never a guarantee, not to mention the dangers involved.

      Approaching torpedo range, Morgan announced.

      Prepare to shut fluxdrive down on my command, Richard said. If that Czarian ship is playing dead, I don't want one of their torpedoes locking on our fluxwave.

      The claw shaped engine nacelle hung behind the triangular hull of PT 824. The bright, blue white glow between the pincers of the engine nacelle went out as Richard shut off the anti-proton flow to the diamond. Stellar Knight went sublight just outside of torpedo range of the enemy ship.

      Go to red alert, begin search pattern, Richard ordered while thinking about Tabass. Shutting the drive down would pacify the Tearrain. This allowed the drive's main diamond to cool. He hated to abuse the equipment, even when it was necessary. Tabass was an emotional being even if he did abhor violence.

      A standard search pattern consisted of engaging the fluxdrive in a series of short intervals. Each time the ship engaged its engine, they traveled only a few light hours or days. This depended on how tight of a search pattern they wanted. After each interval, they conducted a thorough search of normal space. If they found nothing within sensor range, they kicked the drive on for another short distance, continuing the search pattern. This allowed a ship to search an entire area without another ship getting a lock on their fluxwave. Their fluxwave engine wouldn't be on long enough to do so. This reduced the threat of fluxwave weapons being used against them. The search pattern was a slow tedious process, but it was the only way to find a ship drifting in intergalactic space.

      Lieutenant Morgan quietly acknowledged Richard's order. With the ship now on red alert, everyone locked their helmets in place. Their visor's were still open, but would automatically snap shut if decompression should occur. Everyone stood ready at their battle stations.

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