Cadets: 2 The Ship of the Gods Read online

  EDWARD A MILLER

  First Edition, July 2014

  Copyright © 2014 by Edward A Miller

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Pop Culture Zoo Press.

  Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission from the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781500605377

  ISBN-10: 1500605379

  Pop Culture Zoo Press

  [email protected]

  www.PopCultureZooPress.com

  (215) 718-8021

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: GRADUATION

  Chapter 2: PROPHECY

  Chapter 3: ADMIRALS’ CONFERENCE

  Chapter 4: ALTARRAN SPACE

  Chapter 5: RECALL TO EARTH

  Chapter 6: GLOBAL MEETING

  Chapter 7: THE SEMINA VITAE

  Chapter 8: BATTLE PLANS

  Chapter 9: A NEW JOURNEY

  Chapter 10: MOBILIZATION

  Chapter 11: THE JOURNEY BEGINS

  Chapter 12: ALTARRAN SPACE

  Chapter 13: SOL SYSTEM

  Chapter 14: DEPARTURE

  Chapter 15: ENEMY CONTACT

  Chapter 16: HIDDEN SECRETS

  Chapter 17: SUPPLY RUN

  Chapter 18: FIRST WAVE

  Chapter 19: SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

  Chapter 20: EVACUATION PLANS

  Chapter 21: FRUSTRATION

  Chapter 22: SECOND WAVE

  Chapter 23: DEVIL’S TRIANGLE

  Chapter 24: RESCUE MISSION

  Chapter 25: RETREAT

  Chapter 26: DARKNESS

  Chapter 27: RACE AGAINST TIME

  Chapter 28: COUNTER ATTACK

  Chapter 29: A LONG JOURNEY

  Chapter 30: LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

  Chapter 31: AMBUSH

  Chapter 32: ON BOARD

  Chapter 33: AGAINST THE ODDS

  Chapter 34: RETREAT

  Chapter 35: FRUSTRATED

  Chapter 36: PLUTO

  Chapter 37: OPERATIONAL

  Chapter 38: FINAL STAND

  Chapter 39: SYSTEMS ONLINE

  Chapter 40: AGAINST THE ODDS

  Chapter 41: AGAINST ORDERS

  Chapter 42: CHOICES

  Chapter 43: ARMED AND READY

  Chapter 44: DEAD IN SPACE

  Chapter 45: THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

  Chapter 46: AFTER THE FACT

  Chapter 47: CONFRONTATION

  Chapter 48: FULL CIRCLE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  United Earth Defense Fleet Cadet Ryan Thompson awoke to the sound of his slider beeping. He jumped up from his bunk and looked at the screen. “Damn,” he said. It was Amanda. This was the third night in a row that she had awakened him in the early morning hours. He stretched out the device from phone size to monitor size.

  “What’s up, Mandy? Having another restless night?”

  “I had the same dream again, Ry. That’s three nights in a row.” Her voice trembled. “It’s starting to freak me out.”

  Ryan sighed. “I know. Maybe you should tell your dad. He can have—”

  “I’m not telling my father and I’m not going to see the shrink. You know damn well they’ll hold me back a minimum of six months and I’ll be labeled a head case. My career will be ruined.”

  He knew she was right but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Do you want me to come over and hang out with you for a while?”

  “I don’t want to bother Jill and Nikki,” said Amanda. “Meet me at the library in fifteen minutes, okay?”

  Ryan could tell she was trying to sound matter-of-fact, but the tremor in her voice gave her away. “No problem. See you soon.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. Sleeping is overrated.”

  Ryan jumped out of bed and grabbed some clothes. He looked at the time. It was 3:00 A.M. Graduation ceremonies started at noon. Grabbing his slider, he made his way to the library.

  His thoughts drifted back to the events of the past six months. It had been one hell of a ride. All the senior cadets had had to go to counseling after the episode with the Altarrans and surprisingly, all had been cleared to continue with their graduation and entry into the fleet. In fact, all were given commendations. Ryan, Amanda, and their bridge crew had received numerous medals for their intuitiveness and bravery under extreme duress during their battle with the Altarrans, a formidable enemy that had since become their ally.

  None of that mattered now. The only important thing at this point was Amanda’s well-being. Ryan had to admit that her nightmares were unusual. While all the cadets had experienced some issues after the battle, most of the problems had subsided over the course of the last few months. Then, just a few weeks ago, Amanda had started having these dreams. Now they seemed to be getting more and more intense.

  As soon as he walked into the library, Amanda ran to him and threw her arms around him. “Thanks for coming, Ry. You’re the only one I can talk to about this.”

  Ryan hugged her tightly. He wanted to protect her but he was in uncharted territory. “We’ll get it figured out, Mandy. So, tell me about the dream you had tonight. Was it the same as the last two?” He could feel her body trembling.

  “No. It started out the same. Just like in my other dreams, I could see what appeared to be hundreds of ships surrounding M-37, the farther of the two planets your dad found destroyed all those years ago. They just kept attacking and firing at the planet. Even when the leaders of M-37 surrendered, they continued bombarding them. Usually that’s when I’d wake up, but tonight the dream continued. The alien ships landed on the planet and sent out massive numbers of troops. In my dream I was right there in the middle of it. I could see the faces of the people. I could hear them pleading, but the invaders just slaughtered everyone that remained . . . .” Her voice trailed off as she began to sob.

  Ryan held her tighter. “It’s just a dream, Mandy. It’s not real.”

  She locked eyes with him. “No. I can’t explain it, but something’s not right. I could feel the heat from the explosions. I could feel the ground shaking. In fact, the aliens looked right at me. I couldn’t see what they looked like. They were wearing armor. But I could see their eyes. They were deep red and they looked right at me and laughed. It was a horrible laugh, and then they said that they were coming for us.” She hesitated. “Then one of them came right up to me and said, ‘So you are the keeper of the amulet.’”

  Ryan didn’t know what to say. In all honesty, the dreams were starting to freak him out as well. “We’ll talk more about this tomorrow, after graduation,” he said. “Right now we both need to get some rest. I still think it’s some type of post-traumatic stress syndrome. I remember when we were young how all of those alien movies used to freak you out.”

  She looked up at him and playfully whacked him in the arm. “Hey. That was a long time ago and I was just a little girl.”

  He laughed and kissed her. They walked her back to her room holding hands without saying another word. Ryan said goodnight and headed back to his own room. It was late and he was exhausted. Graduation was in less than eight hours and he needed to sleep. It was going to be a long day.

  Ryan felt uncomfortable as he looked in the mirror and adjusted his hat. He really hated wearing his dress uniform. He heard someone behind him clearing their throat.

  “Any day now, your majesty,” said Tanner. “Paul and I know that today is your big day. But your faithful m
inions need to get ready too. In other words, stop hogging the mirror.”

  Paul laughed. “You can look in that mirror all day and you’ll still be as ugly as you always were.”

  “Sure, guys,” said Ryan. “No problem.” He forced a smile. He was thrilled that today was their graduation. It had been a long time coming. But he had other things on his mind too, like Amanda’s recurring nightmares. And as he looked at his two best friends, he could see that they were doing their best to cheer him up.

  “By the way,” he added, “it’s not just my big day. Rumor has it that some people I know are also going to be acknowledged for their accomplishments in the weapons and engineering fields.”

  Paul moved closer to Ryan. “You know, Ry, we couldn’t help hearing your slider go off last night and what you said to Amanda. She’s still having those weird nightmares, isn’t she?”

  Ryan nodded. “Yeah. And they seem to be getting worse. She’s pretty freaked out about it, and honestly so am I.”

  “Worse,” said Tanner. “Does that mean that you’re in the dreams now? I can understand how that could freak her out. Hell, it would freak me out.”

  Ryan knew Tanner was just trying to lighten the mood and he appreciated the fact that his friends were there for him. “Not really. Amanda said you were in the dream and that’s what really set her off.”

  “Ouch,” said Tanner.

  Paul chimed in, “Good one, Ry.”

  Ryan nodded. “Come on, guys. It’s that time. Time for us to say goodbye to the academy and get back out there where the real excitement is.”

  As the three of them made their way into the auditorium, Ryan was surprised at the number of people in attendance. Graduation ceremonies at the academy always brought a big crowd, but not like this one. Not only was his father, Fleet Admiral Benjamin Thompson, there, but also the entire crew of the UEDF Constitution, the flagship of the fleet. In fact, it looked as if more than half the fleet was there. The Global Committee and the president were attending as well. Last but not least, he saw his two favorite Altarrans in the first row: Supreme Commander Granthaxe and his science officer, Kyron. Considering that the two races had been mortal enemies just six months ago, the fact that his father had seated them in the first row showed a real solidarity between the two species, not to mention that the extra legroom made it easier to place them up front. After all, they were ten - twelve feet tall. Kyron smiled at Ryan, baring her fangs. He realized that he was never going to get used to those four-inch incisors, a trait that all female Altarrans unfortunately possessed, but he sucked it up and smiled back at her.

  The next hour was full of speeches. The last two admirals to speak would be his father, followed by Amanda’s father, Admiral Williamson. Then the awards ceremony would take place. He thought it was going to be the average, run-of-the-mill graduation ceremony, but he had to admit that he was very impressed so far.

  He watched with pride as his father made his way to the podium. “I’m not one who’s big on speeches,” said Admiral Thompson. “I’ve always led by example. But today is a special day for all of these cadets, as well as for myself. This class saved not just humanity; they saved our neighbors and our new friends, the Altarrans, as well.”

  The auditorium erupted in cheers. He waited for the crowd to quiet down before continuing. “Before I turn the floor over to Admiral Williamson, I just want to let the class that’s up here with me know that as per my orders and due to the shortage of viable ships in the United Earth Defense Fleet, immediately upon graduation today the cadets will man their ships to patrol our solar system.” Ryan glanced over at his father, who looked him square in the eyes. “And that means only our solar system.” A Again cheers erupted.

  Ryan was amazed to hear that he had been given command of his own squadron fresh out of the academy. He turned to look at Amanda and noticed that she was staring blankly. Then he returned his gaze to his father and noticed his father was reaching for his slider. In fact, it seemed as if officers throughout the auditorium were all being signaled. Suddenly someone behind him screamed for a medic. Ryan turned back toward Amanda. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw. She was on her knees convulsing and there was a red glow around her. It was emulating from the amulet around her neck, the one given to her by the queen of the Altarrans. He started running toward her. The auditorium had become quiet, with only the sound of sliders beeping from around the room.

  After bounding around and in one case leaping over the attendees, he finally got to Amanda. She was on the floor. Her eyes were wide open and her body was shaking violently. Fortunately Doctor Basha was already at her side.

  “What’s wrong with her, Doctor?” said Ryan.

  Without stopping to look at him she replied, “Obviously some type of seizure but I can’t tell yet. She has no history that would explain this. I have to get her down to the infirmary stat.”

  Immediately Kyron appeared. She was fixated on the amulet. Ryan turned to her. “Do you have any idea what the hell is happening?”

  She didn’t answer right away. In fact he couldn’t believe it, but she looked frightened. “It is the warning signal of the gods from our ancient legends,” she said. “I fear that a fierce and evil enemy awaits.”

  “Awaits where?” said Ryan.

  Granthaxe approached and turned to Ryan. “Ryan Thompson,” he said, “I have received an encrypted message from our deep space outpost that a group of unknown vessels is heading towards Altarran Space.”

  Almost immediately, Amanda jumped to her feet and in a trance-like very calm and controlled voice, said, “The evil ones have returned and are coming with the intention of annihilating both of our species.” Then she fell to the floor unconscious.

  Amanda felt as if her head was going to explode. She tried to open her eyes and focus. She heard the hums of machines and the sound of voices calling to her. They seemed far off and were barely audible. Then the voices went away as she drifted back into unconsciousness.

  She started to see more images of the aliens from her dreams. There was a huge battle in space—hundreds of ships opposing each other. She recognized the aliens’ ships from her dreams but the other fleet was unknown to her. The battle raged on until a single ship approached. It was larger than anything she had ever seen. She could hear a voice asking the attacking ships to retreat and surrender or be destroyed. The enemy fleet ignored the warning and continued its attack. Suddenly the huge ship emitted a pulsating red beam. It surrounded both fleets. Then the beam surrounding the non-enemy fleet turned blue. Within a few seconds almost all of the enemy ships exploded. The few that had turned and retreated before being immersed in the beam managed to survive the blast.

  Then she found herself alone in a field. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. It looked like Earth. A figure approached her. It was bright and had a calming effect. As the figure got closer, she could see that it was humanoid. She had no idea if it was male or female. It was tall and thin with an elongated head and a thin mouth. Its skin was a bluish green as were the eyes, which glowed. Then she heard the being talk to her. It was definitely the voice of a male, yet his mouth never moved.

  “Relax, child,” said the alien.

  “Who are you?” asked Amanda.

  “We have been called many names by many different species. We are the Semina Vitae.”

  “Where am I?” she asked.

  “This is Earth,” said the alien. “Many years before your kind lived here. Even before your friends the Altarrans lived here.”

  “What do you want from me?” asked Amanda.

  “We want nothing from you, my child. We are here to warn you, just as we promised many thousands of years ago. We knew the Karang would return one day. We hoped they had learned their lesson. Unfortunately, as has been true in the past and will always be, evil never changes. It appears that they are back. And their agenda has not changed.”

  “Who are the Karang? What agenda are you talking about?”

  “You ar
e the keeper of the Amulet of the Gods. You should know the answers to these questions. Fear not, young one. All will be revealed to you. We have prepared for this moment. The Ship of the Gods awaits thee.”

  Before Amanda could ask any more questions she felt herself being pulled away. Her eyes opened as she gasped for air.

  “She’s awake,” said Doctor Basha. She looked at the monitor to check Amanda’s vital signs. “You had us worried for a while. How do you feel?”

  Amanda sat up. Ryan, his father, her father, Granthaxe, and Kyron were in the room. She was surprised to see all of them there. “A bit lightheaded, but okay.”

  “You were talking to someone,” said Ryan. She could hear the concern in his voice.

  “It was kind of like the dreams again,” she said. “But this time a member of a different species approached me and spoke. He had a glow about him and I felt safe.”

  “What did he say?” asked Ryan.

  “He told me not to fear him. I asked him who he was. He said that his kind have many names, but to call them the Semina Vitae.”

  Before she could say another word, Kyron and Granthaxe fell to their knees and bowed their heads. “The legends are true,” said Kyron. The Givers of Life and the Amulet of Protection. It is all factual.”

  “That’s what he said,” said Amanda.

  “The stories of the ages as told by Altarraxe the Great in the days of the past. If this is true, Amanda Williamson, we must take our leave with haste. An ancient, powerful, and evil enemy is forthcoming.”

  “He said that as well. In fact he told me his people had defeated them thousands of years ago, but they knew they’d come back. He called them the Karang,” said Amanda.

  Kyron hissed and bared her fangs. “Never say their name, Amanda Williamson. They are the demon’s children. We have been told about them throughout the ages. Their only goal is to wipe out all life forms throughout the known galaxy. They are an abomination.”

  “Okay,” said Amanda. “Now I’m totally freaked out.”

  “You must stay, Kyron,” said Supreme Commander Granthaxe. “Since you are the only one of the members of the Keepers of Legends that is here, you must fulfill your sworn duty to assist the chosen one in finding the Ship of the Gods.”