LEVIATHAN by Rob Astor (best ereader for academics TXT) đ
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/> * * *
Sensors in Evanâs cockpit flashed. He deactivated the tractor beam. The asteroid tumbled along its intended trajectory and disappeared in the glare of Fomalhautâs photosphere. âMission accomplished on my end,â Evan said.
âGood work,â Raven acknowledged.
* * *
âLooks like Archerâs playinâ for keeps,â Gunnar said. âWe got a Destroyer, a Gunboat, and the Cruiser bearing down on us.â
âHow you doinâ out there, Evan?â
âJust docked.â
âGood to know.â
âThe Cruiserâs signaling.â
Raven shrugged. âWeâve got nothinâ to loose.â
Gunnar nodded. He pressed a button. A holographic communications screen appeared before them. Bolton Archer and Admiral McMurrary stood next to each other. âCome back for more hospitality, Spade?â Archer asked. His eyes drifted over to Raven and the anger melted from his face. McMurrary was visibly shaken. âNo. It canât be,â Bolton said.
Evan ran out of the turbo lift, taking his place next to his father. âBack from the dead,â Raven said. âYou ever hear that old sayinâ about what comes around goes around? Itâs your time to go, so, Iâm around.â Ravenâs eyes narrowed. âGood to see I knew you so well, Admiral. Never pegged you for a traitor. What was your price? I donât wanna know. Thatâs what greed does to a man, right?ââ
âThe Federation Fleet just jumped into the system,â Gunnar said.
âWhat Federation Fleet?â McMurrary asked. He stepped out of sight, but, his voice was still picked up by the receiver. âThereâs not supposed to be any other ships in this area. Find out who it is.â
âThereâs a swarm of Federation Fighters inbound to our primary targets,â Gunnar said.
Boltonâs head cocked sideways. âShit,â he spat.
âThatâs right, Marauder slime. Weâre droppinâ the hammer on ya. You wonât get away this time,â Raven said.
âKoltâs signaling,â Evan said. Archer leaned close to the holographic projection.
âPut him through.â
âCaptain Spade. Iâm glad to see the reports of your death were inaccurate.â
âThank you, Lieutenant General.â
Archer twisted around to McMurrary. âI thought you said you could trust him.â
âKolt, weâre gonna send you scans of the asteroid swam. Youâre gonna see thereâre a lot of artificial caverns. These are Bolton Archerâs infamous prison camps.â Boltonâs eyes grew wide as he listened. âThereâs a lot of Eusians out there whoâre gonna be real happy to see you.â
âIncoming!â someone on the Cruiser bridge yelled.
Archer turned away from the communications system. He barked unintelligible orders. Then he turned to McMurrary. âMake the jump to HR 7578!â He stormed out of view.
âWell, now we know where to go lookinâ for the Dreadnaught,â Raven said. âCut the transmission.â
âAye, dad.â Evan touched a button.
âGet ready to jump. If Archer manages to get away, I want to be right on his tail.â
* * *
Federation Fighters clustered around the small fleet of Federation issue Pirate controlled ships. They opened fire, chewing up hull plating and any available Swoop Jets that dropped from docking bays. The Cruiser changed direction, shaking some of the attackers. A multitude of large Federation warships closed up ranks around the Gunboat and Destroyer, popping shell after shell into them.
In short order, the Gunboat swelled into a fiery red cloud of gas. Precision targeting of the Destroyerâs engines left if crippled. Limping forward, smoke plumes leaked from the damaged Cruiser. Like buzzing mosquitoes, the smaller fighters encircled the craft. The Leviathan followed, pelting the Cruiser with a barrage of rail gun pellets and rockets.
Fanning out across the system, most of the larger Federation ships pulled up to asteroids. âWeâre deploying rescue teams,â Kolt told Raven.
âSignal Archer, audio only,â Raven said to Gunnar.
âItâs through.â
âBetter give up while you got the chance. You try to jump now and youâll leave a string of debris from here to--â
âHe cut us off.â
Raven shrugged. âFine. Have it your way.â
A white lance of energy shot out of the front of the Cruiser. It lurched forward and disappeared.
âLooks like Archer and McMurrary got away,â Kolt said.
âThey didnât get far,â Raven said. âWeâre goinâ after âem. âYou rescue those slaves.â
âGood luck, Captain Spade.â Raven nodded. Koltâs image disappeared. âLetâs make that jump.â
* * *
The Dreadnaught was a truly awesome sight to behold. In comparison, its massive flared body dwarfed the Leviathan. The odd configuration of the hull plating made it appear more organic than artificially constructed.
Standing at Evanâs side, Gunnar leaned down to his ear. âNow thatâs blutotanic.â
âGot a fix on the Cruiser?â Raven asked.
âThereâs some kind of Scattering Field. I canât cut through it.
âFederation?â
Gunnar looked confused. âNo. Eusian.â
âWell, what do you know...â
âIâm reading some really strong, concentrated pockets of energy.â
âWhere?â
Gunnar shook his head. âHere on the bridge.â
Three Eusian soldiers in green uniforms materialized on deck. Raven stood, his body tense. âI hope youâre a welcoming party. Federation Intel suggested The Marauders wanted to align themselves with the Eusian Empire. Iâd wager with that ship out there, theyâd be unstoppable.â
âWe apologize for this abrupt appearance,â the soldier in the middle said. âItâs not in habit of the Eusian Military to use this technology as intrusive. The Eusian Matriarch deployed us here. We need your help to stop the pirates. Project Dreadnaught has no plasma focusing diamonds. We must ask if you have.â
âIâm sorry, we donât,â Raven said.
The Eusian lowered his head, shaking it from side-to-side. âOnly one diamond is needed.â
Evanâs eyes lit up. âWait.â He pulled the necklace presented to him by Viceroy Wexam from under his plasti-skin vest. âI have one. Will this work?â Evan held it out.
âYes, it will.â The Eusian came over to take it, bowing deeply. âWeâre greatly indebted to you.â He resumed standing between his companions. âWe must warn you to keep a safe distance.â In an instant, they vanished.
âZoom in, Gunnar. Letâs watch the show.â
Gunnar smirked, pulling up a holographic projection. The tracking computer took a few moments before it located the Cruiser and then locked on its energy signature. The view enlarged, providing them with a perfect view.
A reddish discharge from the nose of the Dreadnaught exploded a few tens of meters away from the Cruiserâs bridge. The ball of expanding gas pulled back on itself, crushing down into an infinitely dense point. The Cruiser shifted it center of mass, tilting sideways toward the singularity. Its engines fired, holding the ship back from the swirling blue event horizon, but it continued to tip. Tritanium hull stretched and buckled. Fragments were sucked instantly into he gaping maw of the mini black hole. Gun turrets and communication towers were ripped apart. A few escape pods launched. They were effortlessly pulled and dragged down. Reaching a forty-five degree angle list, the bridge section of the ship split apart like an exploding tree trunk. The exhaust ports stopped glowing and power failed. The once mighty Federation Cruiser crumbled, falling into the hole. A millisecond later, the singularity sealed itself and vanished.
Evan, Gunnar, and Raven all sat on the bridge in total silence, attention fixed on the display for long moments. Gunnar eventually deactivated it. âAfter all this timeâŠâ Raven said. âTheyâre finally gone.â
The Eusian soldiers materialized on the Leviathanâs bridge once again. There were also many others, some holding spears with axe-blade tips. Raven stood straight. Evanâs heart thumped in his chest. He stayed close to his father. Gunnar kept a close watch on them. âSo this is it?â Raven asked. âYou finish them off anâ then take over the operation for yourselves?â
The Eusian Matriarch smiled warmly, slowly walking toward the trio of humans. âYou misunderstand our intentions. I am the Eusian Matriarch. I came here to thank you for helping free my people. You will be most revered.â
They blew out tensely held breaths and smiled. âI would also like to meet with top Federation Of Free Planets Officials. I came to hire youâŠâ she pointed at Ravenâs chest, ââŠfor safe passage into Federation territory.â
Raven laughed heartily. He extended his hand to the Eusian Matriarch and gently held her leathery palm. âWelcome aboard, your majesty.â
One of the soldiers walked up to her side and bowed before Raven and Evan. He gave the diamond necklace back to the youngster and shook his hand.
* * *
âYou will soon be presented,â Viceroy Wexam said as he poked his head back in from the dark blue velvet drapes.
Raven, Evan, and Gunnar were all out of their element dressed in suits. As he fixed his sleeves, Raven noticed Evan had his sneakers on. He laughed and tussled Evanâs unruly hair. âYou goofy kid,â he said.
Gunnar fumbled with his tie. âWhatâd he do now?â
âOnly my little Raptor would wear sneakers with a suit.â Evan pulled his necklace out so the red stone rested on his black tie.
âYou look fine, young man,â Wexam said, helping with Gunnarâs knot. âOnly a formality this is.â
âWhat are we gonna do after this, dad?â
âGot a surprise for ya.â
Evan rolled his eyes. âOh great.â
âBeen a lot of those lately, right Evan?â Gunnar nudged his arm.
âItâs a good one, Medium Fries,â Raven said. He lowered himself on his knees. âThereâs a whole part of our family youâre going to get to meet.â
âOh yeah? Who?â
Raven shrugged. âHow âbout you mom, for starters.â
âMy momâs alive?
âAnd your sister.â
âI have a sister, too?â Evan took a second to absorb the information. âThis is so cool.â
âLillian Randolph, your mom, and Tash have been waiting for me to clear this whole mess up.â
âWhere?â
âOn Marineau.â
âYouâre joking, right?
âNope,â Raven shook his head.
âTash like to pull guysâ arms out of their sockets?â
âThatâs what âer mom says.â
âI canât believe this. I met Tash the last time we were there.â
âReally?â Raven stood his full height. âYou two got along okay?â
âYeah,â Evan nodded.
âGood. Then she wonât have to twist your arms off.â
âIt is time,â the Viceroy said. âOut you go now.â He led Raven to the drape by his arm and held it aside with his wooden scepter.
Presidents, royalty, and dignitaries from all corners of the known galaxy filled the amphitheater. They stood, applauding loudly for several minutes. Embarrassed, the three blushed and raised their hands in greeting.
The Eusian Matriarch walked over to them and led them to the central part of the stage. Evan noticed a building sized holographic projection of the ceremony hovering in the air over their heads. The Eusian Matriarch motioned them to stand near the microphone. She smiled at the crowd, raising her hands. The applause slowly stopped.
âIt is with the greatest of honor that I thank Raven Spade, Evan Spade, and Gunnar Spade, not only for their assistance in bringing an end to The Maraudersâ reign of terror, but also for helping free my people from the brutal episode of bondage so many Federations thought would bring war between our peoples. I give my word, their rewards shall be great.â Another round of applause carried over from the crowd.
âBut, more importantly,
Sensors in Evanâs cockpit flashed. He deactivated the tractor beam. The asteroid tumbled along its intended trajectory and disappeared in the glare of Fomalhautâs photosphere. âMission accomplished on my end,â Evan said.
âGood work,â Raven acknowledged.
* * *
âLooks like Archerâs playinâ for keeps,â Gunnar said. âWe got a Destroyer, a Gunboat, and the Cruiser bearing down on us.â
âHow you doinâ out there, Evan?â
âJust docked.â
âGood to know.â
âThe Cruiserâs signaling.â
Raven shrugged. âWeâve got nothinâ to loose.â
Gunnar nodded. He pressed a button. A holographic communications screen appeared before them. Bolton Archer and Admiral McMurrary stood next to each other. âCome back for more hospitality, Spade?â Archer asked. His eyes drifted over to Raven and the anger melted from his face. McMurrary was visibly shaken. âNo. It canât be,â Bolton said.
Evan ran out of the turbo lift, taking his place next to his father. âBack from the dead,â Raven said. âYou ever hear that old sayinâ about what comes around goes around? Itâs your time to go, so, Iâm around.â Ravenâs eyes narrowed. âGood to see I knew you so well, Admiral. Never pegged you for a traitor. What was your price? I donât wanna know. Thatâs what greed does to a man, right?ââ
âThe Federation Fleet just jumped into the system,â Gunnar said.
âWhat Federation Fleet?â McMurrary asked. He stepped out of sight, but, his voice was still picked up by the receiver. âThereâs not supposed to be any other ships in this area. Find out who it is.â
âThereâs a swarm of Federation Fighters inbound to our primary targets,â Gunnar said.
Boltonâs head cocked sideways. âShit,â he spat.
âThatâs right, Marauder slime. Weâre droppinâ the hammer on ya. You wonât get away this time,â Raven said.
âKoltâs signaling,â Evan said. Archer leaned close to the holographic projection.
âPut him through.â
âCaptain Spade. Iâm glad to see the reports of your death were inaccurate.â
âThank you, Lieutenant General.â
Archer twisted around to McMurrary. âI thought you said you could trust him.â
âKolt, weâre gonna send you scans of the asteroid swam. Youâre gonna see thereâre a lot of artificial caverns. These are Bolton Archerâs infamous prison camps.â Boltonâs eyes grew wide as he listened. âThereâs a lot of Eusians out there whoâre gonna be real happy to see you.â
âIncoming!â someone on the Cruiser bridge yelled.
Archer turned away from the communications system. He barked unintelligible orders. Then he turned to McMurrary. âMake the jump to HR 7578!â He stormed out of view.
âWell, now we know where to go lookinâ for the Dreadnaught,â Raven said. âCut the transmission.â
âAye, dad.â Evan touched a button.
âGet ready to jump. If Archer manages to get away, I want to be right on his tail.â
* * *
Federation Fighters clustered around the small fleet of Federation issue Pirate controlled ships. They opened fire, chewing up hull plating and any available Swoop Jets that dropped from docking bays. The Cruiser changed direction, shaking some of the attackers. A multitude of large Federation warships closed up ranks around the Gunboat and Destroyer, popping shell after shell into them.
In short order, the Gunboat swelled into a fiery red cloud of gas. Precision targeting of the Destroyerâs engines left if crippled. Limping forward, smoke plumes leaked from the damaged Cruiser. Like buzzing mosquitoes, the smaller fighters encircled the craft. The Leviathan followed, pelting the Cruiser with a barrage of rail gun pellets and rockets.
Fanning out across the system, most of the larger Federation ships pulled up to asteroids. âWeâre deploying rescue teams,â Kolt told Raven.
âSignal Archer, audio only,â Raven said to Gunnar.
âItâs through.â
âBetter give up while you got the chance. You try to jump now and youâll leave a string of debris from here to--â
âHe cut us off.â
Raven shrugged. âFine. Have it your way.â
A white lance of energy shot out of the front of the Cruiser. It lurched forward and disappeared.
âLooks like Archer and McMurrary got away,â Kolt said.
âThey didnât get far,â Raven said. âWeâre goinâ after âem. âYou rescue those slaves.â
âGood luck, Captain Spade.â Raven nodded. Koltâs image disappeared. âLetâs make that jump.â
* * *
The Dreadnaught was a truly awesome sight to behold. In comparison, its massive flared body dwarfed the Leviathan. The odd configuration of the hull plating made it appear more organic than artificially constructed.
Standing at Evanâs side, Gunnar leaned down to his ear. âNow thatâs blutotanic.â
âGot a fix on the Cruiser?â Raven asked.
âThereâs some kind of Scattering Field. I canât cut through it.
âFederation?â
Gunnar looked confused. âNo. Eusian.â
âWell, what do you know...â
âIâm reading some really strong, concentrated pockets of energy.â
âWhere?â
Gunnar shook his head. âHere on the bridge.â
Three Eusian soldiers in green uniforms materialized on deck. Raven stood, his body tense. âI hope youâre a welcoming party. Federation Intel suggested The Marauders wanted to align themselves with the Eusian Empire. Iâd wager with that ship out there, theyâd be unstoppable.â
âWe apologize for this abrupt appearance,â the soldier in the middle said. âItâs not in habit of the Eusian Military to use this technology as intrusive. The Eusian Matriarch deployed us here. We need your help to stop the pirates. Project Dreadnaught has no plasma focusing diamonds. We must ask if you have.â
âIâm sorry, we donât,â Raven said.
The Eusian lowered his head, shaking it from side-to-side. âOnly one diamond is needed.â
Evanâs eyes lit up. âWait.â He pulled the necklace presented to him by Viceroy Wexam from under his plasti-skin vest. âI have one. Will this work?â Evan held it out.
âYes, it will.â The Eusian came over to take it, bowing deeply. âWeâre greatly indebted to you.â He resumed standing between his companions. âWe must warn you to keep a safe distance.â In an instant, they vanished.
âZoom in, Gunnar. Letâs watch the show.â
Gunnar smirked, pulling up a holographic projection. The tracking computer took a few moments before it located the Cruiser and then locked on its energy signature. The view enlarged, providing them with a perfect view.
A reddish discharge from the nose of the Dreadnaught exploded a few tens of meters away from the Cruiserâs bridge. The ball of expanding gas pulled back on itself, crushing down into an infinitely dense point. The Cruiser shifted it center of mass, tilting sideways toward the singularity. Its engines fired, holding the ship back from the swirling blue event horizon, but it continued to tip. Tritanium hull stretched and buckled. Fragments were sucked instantly into he gaping maw of the mini black hole. Gun turrets and communication towers were ripped apart. A few escape pods launched. They were effortlessly pulled and dragged down. Reaching a forty-five degree angle list, the bridge section of the ship split apart like an exploding tree trunk. The exhaust ports stopped glowing and power failed. The once mighty Federation Cruiser crumbled, falling into the hole. A millisecond later, the singularity sealed itself and vanished.
Evan, Gunnar, and Raven all sat on the bridge in total silence, attention fixed on the display for long moments. Gunnar eventually deactivated it. âAfter all this timeâŠâ Raven said. âTheyâre finally gone.â
The Eusian soldiers materialized on the Leviathanâs bridge once again. There were also many others, some holding spears with axe-blade tips. Raven stood straight. Evanâs heart thumped in his chest. He stayed close to his father. Gunnar kept a close watch on them. âSo this is it?â Raven asked. âYou finish them off anâ then take over the operation for yourselves?â
The Eusian Matriarch smiled warmly, slowly walking toward the trio of humans. âYou misunderstand our intentions. I am the Eusian Matriarch. I came here to thank you for helping free my people. You will be most revered.â
They blew out tensely held breaths and smiled. âI would also like to meet with top Federation Of Free Planets Officials. I came to hire youâŠâ she pointed at Ravenâs chest, ââŠfor safe passage into Federation territory.â
Raven laughed heartily. He extended his hand to the Eusian Matriarch and gently held her leathery palm. âWelcome aboard, your majesty.â
One of the soldiers walked up to her side and bowed before Raven and Evan. He gave the diamond necklace back to the youngster and shook his hand.
* * *
âYou will soon be presented,â Viceroy Wexam said as he poked his head back in from the dark blue velvet drapes.
Raven, Evan, and Gunnar were all out of their element dressed in suits. As he fixed his sleeves, Raven noticed Evan had his sneakers on. He laughed and tussled Evanâs unruly hair. âYou goofy kid,â he said.
Gunnar fumbled with his tie. âWhatâd he do now?â
âOnly my little Raptor would wear sneakers with a suit.â Evan pulled his necklace out so the red stone rested on his black tie.
âYou look fine, young man,â Wexam said, helping with Gunnarâs knot. âOnly a formality this is.â
âWhat are we gonna do after this, dad?â
âGot a surprise for ya.â
Evan rolled his eyes. âOh great.â
âBeen a lot of those lately, right Evan?â Gunnar nudged his arm.
âItâs a good one, Medium Fries,â Raven said. He lowered himself on his knees. âThereâs a whole part of our family youâre going to get to meet.â
âOh yeah? Who?â
Raven shrugged. âHow âbout you mom, for starters.â
âMy momâs alive?
âAnd your sister.â
âI have a sister, too?â Evan took a second to absorb the information. âThis is so cool.â
âLillian Randolph, your mom, and Tash have been waiting for me to clear this whole mess up.â
âWhere?â
âOn Marineau.â
âYouâre joking, right?
âNope,â Raven shook his head.
âTash like to pull guysâ arms out of their sockets?â
âThatâs what âer mom says.â
âI canât believe this. I met Tash the last time we were there.â
âReally?â Raven stood his full height. âYou two got along okay?â
âYeah,â Evan nodded.
âGood. Then she wonât have to twist your arms off.â
âIt is time,â the Viceroy said. âOut you go now.â He led Raven to the drape by his arm and held it aside with his wooden scepter.
Presidents, royalty, and dignitaries from all corners of the known galaxy filled the amphitheater. They stood, applauding loudly for several minutes. Embarrassed, the three blushed and raised their hands in greeting.
The Eusian Matriarch walked over to them and led them to the central part of the stage. Evan noticed a building sized holographic projection of the ceremony hovering in the air over their heads. The Eusian Matriarch motioned them to stand near the microphone. She smiled at the crowd, raising her hands. The applause slowly stopped.
âIt is with the greatest of honor that I thank Raven Spade, Evan Spade, and Gunnar Spade, not only for their assistance in bringing an end to The Maraudersâ reign of terror, but also for helping free my people from the brutal episode of bondage so many Federations thought would bring war between our peoples. I give my word, their rewards shall be great.â Another round of applause carried over from the crowd.
âBut, more importantly,
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