The Warlord Read online

  The Warlord

  Book Three of the Warlord Series

  By CJ Williams

  The Warlord

  Book Three of the Warlord Series

  By CJ Williams

  Copyright © 2017 CJ Williams

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Any reference to actual names, characters, places, products or incidents is either coincidental, fictitious or used fictitiously.

  ISBN-13: 978-1973885276

  ISBN-10: 1973885271

  English Edition

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One – Japurnam Five

  Chapter Two – Ebene Three

  Chapter Three – New Mission

  Chapter Four – Suneuon

  Chapter Five – Haiyanas Seven

  Chapter Six – Face to Face

  Chapter Seven – The Farm

  Chapter Eight – Force Protection

  Chapter Nine – It’s Me

  Chapter Ten – No It’s Not

  Chapter Eleven – The Grey Planet

  Chapter Twelve – Haiyanas Seven

  Chapter Thirteen – Mauga

  Chapter Fourteen – Decoy

  Chapter Fifteen – The Bakkui

  Chapter Sixteen – Grey Storm

  Chapter Seventeen – “I hate you”

  Chapter One – Japurnam Five

  Luke Blackburn sat comfortably in the captain’s chair of the Lulubelle II, a pleasant change from yielding command to younger officers. These days Luke’s responsibility was to manage the fleet, the overall battle strategy, or oversee the mission. On those occasions, he gave up the captain’s position and took the observer’s seat to the captain’s left. Today however, that seat was occupied by the love of his life, and as of a few months ago, his new bride, Annie.

  She caught him smiling at her and perked up. “Are we there yet?” she teased.

  He shrugged and studied the view of the approaching system afforded by the panoramic window that stretched the width of the bridge. “I think we’re getting close.”

  “I’m ready for some fresh air,” Annie said. She got up and walked to the window as if by just wishing, a fresh breeze might waft in.

  Pregnant, but not showing yet, she was still a handful for Luke. These days it was because she had cravings for things that he would never have expected.

  “This trip was your idea,” Luke pointed out.

  “Don’t remind me,” she grumped. Both of them were ready to stretch their legs on firm ground and look at a real sky.

  Ahead of the starship, the visible blue-shift of the approaching sun changed noticeably as they decelerated below lightspeed. Their intended destination, the fifth planet of system R62, or Japurnam Five as it was known in this neck of the woods, was still invisible to the naked eye.

  George, the ship’s artificial intelligence, electronically displayed a cluster of ship icons on the digitally enhanced window. So many ships were a bit unexpected.

  “Status?” Luke asked.

  “Checking,” George replied. His voice came from the nearest of various speakers hidden throughout Lulubelle.

  “That’s a lot of ships,” Annie said mirroring her husband’s surprise. “From Carrie’s description, I didn’t think we would see more than a couple of commercial transports.” Carrie was Luke’s biological little sister.

  “What’s going on, George?” Luke asked again.

  “It appears these are variations of the Booker warships that Sadie developed for Princess Carrie,” George explained. “They are not true AI ships. Without artificial intelligence, they are incapable of automatically acknowledging our identification.”

  “Will that be a problem?” Luke wondered.

  “I’m not sure, Commander,” George said. “Message incoming. Displaying on communications screen.”

  To the right of the viewing window, a large flat panel came alive. A rough looking man stood in the center of an ill-kept command bridge.

  “Get lost,” he snarled. “We claim this planet.”

  Luke sat back and commented to Annie, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that guy sounds like a pirate or a planetary raider. I didn’t think such a thing existed in Nobility space.”

  “You are correct, Commander,” George agreed. “Nowhere in my archives are references to such an occurrence. It would be impossible with any Nobility AI controlled vessel. I assume someone has adapted a Booker ship and turned it to nefarious use. This is unique in my experience.”

  Annie said, “Tell them who we are and see if they’re smart enough to depart.”

  “Acknowledged,” George replied.

  She gave Luke a hopeful look. “Let’s try to forestall any violent encounters on our arrival. This is supposed to be social visit.”

  “We’ll see,” Luke said. His relaxed posture had vanished, replaced by a grim countenance. With Annie on board, he was not inclined to be lenient with anyone who posed a threat.

  Annie touched her husband’s hand. “Give him a chance. As a royal, you shouldn’t have to deal with insurgents.”

  Luke was less impressed by his so-called royal status than most, since it came to him because of the Nobility’s tampering with his DNA. To Luke, it was more like he caught a virus, and there was no known cure.

  Examining the icons on the view window, he made a mental note to set up a protective fleet for Japurnam Five before leaving. The Universe had become a violent place since the advent of the Bakkui. Princess Gimi, his new older sister and the youngest actual daughter of the former King Peyha, was probably not used to dealing with such deadly considerations. Luke had spent the last several years focused on nothing else.

  George announced verbally what he was transmitting to the potential enemy ships. “To all vessels in orbit around Japurnam Five, this is the Lulubelle II, flagship of His Royal Highness, Prince Lucas, of the First Family. You are ordered…”

  “Shields. Activated,” a quiet feminine voice interrupted. It was Belle, a subset of George’s AI that operated independently as a master caution warning. The same system was installed on all Alliance warcraft. Its main purpose to provide crucial automatic warnings.

  A second later a brief incandescent flash appeared several thousand feet in front of the view window. Luke recognized the impressive visual display for what it was. An offensive weapon, either missile or projectile, had impacted Lulubelle’s shields. George automatically configured the shields into the most effective defensive posture. Typically, it was in the form of a long flat envelope that extended thousands of feet ahead of the ship to a razor like edge. The shields deflected incoming hostile fire without any ill effect other than the spectacular splash Luke had just witnessed.

  “A single projectile, Commander,” George explained. “Non-nuclear.”

  “A proverbial shot across our bow?” Lieutenant Carlos Stokes, the tactical officer, suggested.

  “If so, then he’s not too bright,” Luke responded seriously.

  “Back off, I said!” the blustering pirate growled. “If you think three lumbering scows frighten me, you’re mistaken. I don’t care what royal whelp is on board.” He glowered into the screen and then his eyes widened as if inspiration had dawned.

  A royal ship could have valuable contraband.

  “Uh oh,” Annie whispered to herself.

  Luke frowned and shook his head. “It just occurred to him that he may have stumbled onto a prize.” He looked at his bride and his expression softened. “Sorry, babe. This isn’t going to end well. You can see that.”

  Annie patted her stomach and turned away from the window to walk off the bridge as though she didn’t want the new life growing in her abdomen to witness what was about to happen.

  Luke watched sympathetically as she h
urried toward their stateroom. This trip was supposed to be a jaunt. Although Luke wasn’t particularly interested in the problems of the Nobility, he did think it would be good for Annie to get away from the ugliness of four years of war against the Bakkui. The continual violence had turned her into a devout pacifist. Becoming a prospective mother had accentuated those feelings.

  “Well, well,” the raider in the display screen said slowly. His face now showed an advanced degree of avarice. It was not difficult to see what was coming next.

  “Deploy our forces,” Luke ordered. “Prepare for battle.”

  “Acknowledged,” George replied evenly.

  Without fanfare, the three lumbering scows the pirate had referenced, began a transformation into thirty of the new Phantom-class warships with sixty fighter escorts.

  Luke had set out to Japurnam Five in the latest warship version developed by the incredible mind of Riley Stevens, Luke’s prized warship engineer. The Phantom was much improved over its three-hundred-foot-wide predecessor, the Ambrosia-class warship.

  The new design was somewhat smaller and more elongated. The ellipsoid-shaped fuselage measured sixty feet thick with three main decks. The central core of the ship functioned as a community area, complete with a galley on each deck. A fifteen-foot-wide clear space in the middle deck was open to the decks above and below. Null gravity was preserved in this section to allow easy travel up and down.

  Riley’s innovative concept included the ability for individual ships to stack together, one atop the other, allowing ten separate warships, that made up a squadron, to travel as a single vessel. When multiple Phantoms interlocked, the ceiling of the top deck and floor of the lower deck, opened to their sister ships. It gave personnel on all the ships the opportunity to mix with their fellow crew mates. It made for pleasant journeys, even on long flights.

  The new Phantom design included two hangar bays, port and starboard; each large enough to comfortably dock a Sadie-class fighter.

  Now however, the erstwhile pleasant journey to Japurnam Five was over and was apparently going to end in an unexpected battle. Belle’s voice sounded throughout all interlocked ships in the convoy. “Separation in fifteen seconds…separation in ten seconds.”

  After a “three-two-one” countdown, the access hatches slammed shut and the individual vessels rotated away from each other. What the enemy captain thought were three defenseless transports had just become a force of thirty very experienced warships flanked by sixty fighters.

  “Enemy vessels are showing combat status, Commander,” George announced. “They are attacking.”

  Luke had long ago forgone the concept of mercy when fighting against hostile spacecraft. He had spent the last four years fighting for the survival of the human race against the Bakkui, a non-human enemy that gave no quarter. Luke had adopted that same unyielding mentality…as the unfortunate raider captain was about to discover.

  “All ships, engage the enemy,” Luke ordered. “George, you have the hammer.”

  “I have the hammer,” George acknowledged. “All squadrons engaging.”

  The stars ahead took on a slightly bluish tint as Lulubelle accelerated toward her target. Within seconds the enemy vessel became visible. George zoomed the tactical display to zero in on the leader.

  “That’s a do-it-yourself contraption,” Lieutenant Stokes said.

  Luke agreed. “It looks like someone bolted a Booker fighter onto the front of a large cargo ship. The man is an idiot trying to raid planets in that thing.”

  The armaments were obviously slapped on as an afterthought.

  A slight buzz vibrated through the floor plates as George fired on the lead pirate. Luke was astonished when he saw that the heavily modified spacecraft, he could not even call it a warship, did not have protective shields. Instead of trying to burn through a heavy defensive barrier, George’s projectiles began tearing the craft apart. Bright flashes sparkled across the raider’s hull and then it erupted in a flare of vented atmosphere.

  Even Bakkui ships that challenged one of Luke’s AI controlled warships were committing suicide. George’s tactical reflexes, and those of each Phantom, occurred at the speed of thought and shared a common AI knowledge base that had accumulated through years of combat experience.

  “Those guys had no idea what they were doing,” Stokes observed.

  The battle was predictably brief.

  “Engagement complete,” George said calmly. “Twenty-three enemy ships destroyed, two are trying to escape out of system. Warships Dillinger and Wyatt Earp are pursuing.”

  “Let them go,” Luke ordered. “It might be better to let them spread the word to stay away from Japurnam Five. Begin after action routines, search for survivors.”

  “Underway at this time,” George said. “I have communicated our approach to the planetary AI, JF307.”

  “Is that the one Carrie calls Jeff?”

  “That’s correct. JF307 extends greetings from the planetary governor, known here as Tolliver. They are quite excited by your arrival. They also extend thanks for chasing away those interlopers.”

  Luke sighed and took his seat. “I’m really not looking forward to this. I hate pomp and circumstance.”

  “Establishing orbit for squadron rejoin,” George said.

  “Delay interlock,” Luke ordered. “Keep all ships in loose formation until we touch down. And instruct Slater and Jefferies to keep half a squadron in orbit at all times. The two of them can arrange crew rotation as they desire.”

  “Acknowledged,” George replied. “There is no approach control on this planet. The spaceport tower has given us approval for atmospheric entry.”

  Annie appeared on the bridge, once again looking her normal self. “Safe to come out now?” she asked carefully.

  She, like everyone aboard, quickly put violent episodes behind her. It was a necessary self-defense trait when engaging in space combat. People were rarely injured in battle. Either you won and all was well, or you lost and death came quickly. And if that was the case, the results were either messy from explosive decompression or catastrophic with nothing left but atoms drifting in the cosmos. It wasn’t something to dwell on.

  At least these days the number of people that died violently was limited to starship crew members rather than entire planets. Just four years ago the Bakkui, a mechanized race created by the Second Family, was annihilating entire civilizations with devastating planetary barrages.

  That was before Luke, recruited by the First Family, had fought back. Now, in Earth’s part of the galaxy, the Bakkui were being defeated. But that didn’t explain what just happened here, deep inside First Family space.

  “I’m surprised by the appearance of raiders,” he said to Annie. “Especially on Gimi’s homeworld.”

  Annie nodded. “That’s not what Carrie gave us to understand.

  Luke snorted in disgust. “As far as I’m concerned, a planetary raider is in the same category as the Second Family. When a man turns starship weapons against a planet, he should expect consequences.”

  Luke believed that fate had a way of inevitably catching up with those who preyed on the weak.

  Annie plopped down in the chair beside him. “Well it’s over and done with. Now you can think about other things. Like not complaining about a little ceremony. It won’t hurt you to play the part of royalty for a few days.”

  “I know,” Luke sighed. The concept, however, was not high on his agenda and his body language made that clear.

  Annie persisted. “Carrie held up her end of the bargain and you can’t let her down.”

  “I know,” Luke repeated resignedly.

  “All you have to do is register your vote for the new Monarch.”

  Luke couldn’t keep a little exasperation out of his voice. “I know that, babe. You’ve been telling me for months now and Carrie made it very clear before we left. Abundantly clear.”

  Annie backed off, but gave him a look that said don’t start with me.

&n
bsp; The entire situation was ridiculous. By dint of that damnable earpiece, given to him by the inimitable Sam over four years ago, Luke had, unbeknownst to himself, allowed his genetic code to be altered so that he was now one of the genetic offspring of King Peyha, the recently-deceased leader of the Nobility’s First Family, ascendant over all other Nobility families in the Milky Way Galaxy.

  That same fate had befallen one of his subordinates, Carrie Faulkner, now making them siblings. As a result, both of their votes were required, as were all the King’s offspring, to choose the successor of the now departed monarch.

  Less than a year ago Carrie gave her proxy to one of the true offspring, Princess Gimi, with the agreement that Luke show up to vote within a year. Before leaving Earth, Carrie had filled Luke in on every aspect of the royal family.

  But the fact was, he just wasn’t interested. Fighting the Nobility’s war against the Bakkui had taken up enough of his life. All he wanted now was to retire with Annie to their hometown of Baggs, Nevada and spend his days raising a family; with plenty of time left over for trips to the South Pacific, their favorite place for surfing and scuba diving.

  Nevertheless, he gave in and agreed to visit Japurnam Five, the onetime home planet of Princess Gimi and current location of the planetary AI, Jeff.

  Annie squeezed her husband’s shoulder. “I’m not trying to be difficult,” she reassured him. “It’s just important that you take this last step. You promised Carrie.”

  “I know. I’m here now; I’ll keep my promise. You two can stop worrying.”

  Ever since the last epic battle against the Bakkui had been won, right on the doorstep of Earth’s solar system, Carrie had persistently urged Luke to head for Japurnam Five. She nagged him about how important it was.

  Luke meant to go right away, but there were so many things to take care of. For one thing, the war with the Bakkui was not over. Forces had to be redeployed, new strategies needed developing and the to do list went on and on.

  In no time, five months had elapsed and Carrie went ballistic. She recruited Annie to her cause and Luke had no choice but to agree to the three-month trip to Japurnam Five to register his all-so-important vote.