Terran Chronicles

Terran Chronicles: The First Space War
Prologue

         It is the 135th year of the New Calendar. Its has been 135 years since the old United States of America fell ushering in the birth of the new Terran Confederation. 135 years since the new world government brought a lasting peace to the Earth system.
         In 2125 of the old Earth calendar the invention of cheap effective fusion power signaled a new golden age of technological advancement and allowed for the human race to for the first time to travel between the worlds of the earth sphere. Within the first 10 years of the invention of fusion technology the foundation was laid for the first of world colony, in the Sea of Tranquility on Luna earth’s moon. Further by 2147 Olympus, the first self sufficient city in space was completed at the base of Olympus Mons on Mars. The discovery of new and more effective mining techniques and technology made the exploitation of the mineral rich asteroid belt feasible. The dramatic increase in raw materials brought about by the mining of the asteroid belt allowed for gigantic orbital shipyards to be built. These shipyards created the spacecraft that would help humanity to expand further and further out into the far reaches of the Solar System. Eventually by 0080 N.C. the Terran Confederation’s touch could be felt as far out as Pluto orbit.
         The technological golden age following the invention of fusion power did not bring about a new era of peace as everyone might have hoped. Rather it only put more strain on already tense international relations as every nation vied for control of their own fusion research program. Though it was not widely released to public knowledge much of the research done had been shifted to military purposes. Research done solely with the intentions of finding better ways to kill one another, advancements were made in laser technology which culminated in the development of high energy beam weapons. The greatest fruit to come from the fusion power research and its related fields was the invention of the Powered Armor.
         Powered Armor revolutionized the battle field. The standard Powered Armor was an eight meter tall, highly mobile, bipedal tank. Fashioned after a humanoid form the Powered Armors were capable of operating well in all environments with just a few simple adjustments. Equal as customizable as they were mobile the Powered Armor was able to fill any combat role. The first nation to develop a powered armor combat force was the country of Japan. With their already highly advanced military augmented by the inclusion of Powered Armor Japan was quickly able to sweep through the other eastern nations and subjugate them to form the Eastern Bloc Federation.
         The Japanese were the first but not the only nation to develop powered armor. By 2175 all nations of the world had a standing powered armor force. Again this only aided in increasing the tensions between the nations of the world. As the Japanese were consolidating their hold of the Eastern Bloc Federation a new One World Nation movement was taking hold within the Greater African Republic. By 2195 the O.W.N, as it was styling itself, had taken root in all nations of the eastern hemisphere to include the nations of Oceania and Australia. Not all nations succumbed willing though. Battles decimated many small nations as Powered Armor and mobile infantry forces squared off against each other destroying entire cities in their wake. Eventually though the only resistance left was the old United States.
         Surrounded on all sides by the armies of the O.W.N, the American forces stood little chance of withstanding the onslaught. The American armies though fought to the very last man. The attack began along the Pacific coast and swept quickly across the Midwest. The final battle was fought outside of Washington D.C., the Americans had pulled back all of their remaining forces for one final defense of the capital of their ravaged country. The battle was fierce. Despite the best efforts of the American defense forces they were unable to keep the fighting out of the city. Much of the city was destroyed in the fighting. The Capitol Building and the White House as well as many of the old monuments were unsalvageable. After the destruction wrought upon the capitol and the decimation of all remain defense forces, the Americans had no choice but to acquiesce to the One World Nation forces. With the submission of the United States there was no further resistance to the formation of the World Nation.
         O.W.N wasted no time in forming themselves into the Terran Confederation. With the new nation came a new way of governing the world, the Confederation was governed by a newly formed Senate which was led by the Pro Consul and senator drawn from all five of the nations that encompassed the Terran Confederation. The Earth Sphere officially became know as the Terran Confederation on December 31st, 2199.
         The New Calendar began on January 1st, 2200, or Year 0 of the New Calendar. Scientific Advancement increased under the forced cooperation imposed by the confederation government. It wasn’t long before the human race began expanding out towards the stars beyond their own solar system. That was only the beginning.

Chapter One
The Stage is Set

         Lieutenant Erik Tsung sat at a window table on the public deck of the Confederation cruiser Geminon staring blankly out at the blackness of open space. If he turned he could see the great circular armored shield the protected the ship from the radiation and intense glare of the fusion drive flare. Beyond that shield were the engineering decks. There were no windows there only level after level of equipment necessary to the maintenance of the various propulsion systems of the cruiser. The Geminon had three different propulsion systems each with its own specific purpose, and Erik new each of them inside and out. The Fusion Drive used for intersystem travel at sub light speeds. The Combat Drive, a network of various sized thrusters, was used to increase maneuverability during combat and while in the gravity well of a planet where the Fusion Drive might have adverse effects on the environment. Finally there was the Hyper-light Drive, a great ring shaped engine stored with in the armored shield that protected the rest of the ship from the fusion drive. Yes Erik knew about all of these engine systems it was his purpose here, Lieutenant Erik Tsung was the Chief Engineer a great honor for a lieutenant considering that six months earlier he was just a work shift supervisor. During a battle six months ago with a Colonial frigate the engineering hull had been hit by multiple particle canon shots. The Chief Engineer and the Deputy Chief had been killed in the battle when a plasma conduit had ruptured near them. So the duty had passed to him. Of course he should have been replaced as acting chief when they returned to dry-dock at the Luna Shipyards but it seemed that he had somehow ingratiated himself on the Captain after supervising the repairs the had allowed them limp back to Luna.
         When they finally made it back to, Luna after three months at sub light, Captain Terrell had insisted to Fleet Command that Erik be officially assigned as the Geminon’s Chief. That was three months ago and now the Geminon was finally setting out again with Erik aboard wondering if he was really the man for this job or if fate was playing a cruel joke on him. Bound for a six month patrol out past Pluto’s orbit the Geminon fired its maneuvering thrusters easing it out of the massive orbital shipyard and into position to ignite the Fusion drive. That is when the com when off. It was his Deputy Carla Tyrol.
“Chief you are needed in engineering sir.”
         Ensign Carla Tyrol, she had just recently been assigned as his deputy, she was a competent engineer, but was still young and Erik wasn’t quite sure that she knew what she was getting into when she accepted the job as his deputy. Erik didn’t have time to think about it right now though. He keyed the com-link on his wrist to Carla’s frequency. When the link went through he spoke “Alright Carla I’m on my way I’ll be there in five.” With that he closed the link and set off for engineering.
         It was a long walk along the central corridor from the public deck at the bow of the ship back to Engineering. It didn’t take him long to meet up with Carla on the catwalk over looking the cavernous engine room. “What do we got Carla?” he asked when he met up with her.
         “Captain called down, we will be ready to fire the fusion drive in 5 minutes,” She told him.
         “Alright Carla lets run through the pre-firing checklist and get the injectors primed we don’t want to keep the captain waiting.”
         Carla and Erik moved over to the two workstations setup on the catwalk. From their stations on the catwalk they could oversee all the work going on inside the cavernous engineering hull as well as control the operation of the huge enhanced fusion reactor and three drive systems. After a quick retinal scan to confirm their identities Carla and Erik begin the checklist that would confirm the readiness of the fusion drive. The run through of the list went quickly, checking the hydrogen and helium tanks that fueled the fusion reactor, looking over the control rods that maintained a constant reaction within the fusion drive reaction chamber, finally checking the injectors that mixed the fusion plasma taken from the reactor with an powdered accelerant capable of withstanding the intense heat of the plasma. “Carla everything looks fine here set the flow regulators to 30% of optimum then recheck the reactor let me know when you are done.”
         “Aye sir” Carla responded.” She moved her hands competently over a few controls and Erik could begin to feel the familiar vibrations of the superheated plasma flowing through the conduits only a couple of meters beneath their feet “regulators at 30%of optimum sir”.
         “Alright Carla lets check the intermix ratios and reaction chamber integrity one more time then we will be ready to go.”
         “Aye sir running diagnostic” a few seconds past as Carla’s fingers deftly moved over the controls then she called back from her station “everything is looking good sir I think we are ready here.”
         “Very good Car standby to bring the regulators up to full capacity on my order” Erik went to work at his station engaging all the systems need to control the highly volatile reaction that powered the Fusion Drive. When he was done Erik keyed in the bridge code on his hand com. After a couple of seconds Ensign Daniela Kim picked up the link and transferred him to the captain’s personal com. “Captain we are ready on your order sir but I’m still not too sure about these new injectors sir they have never been tested at full capacity they may not hold.”
         “Chief we don’t have a choice here, we have our orders and we will carry them out now standby to give me full power on my order.”
         “Aye Sir standing by for acceleration,” Erik responded.
         A few minutes passed then the captain came over the intercom “All hands this is the bridge standby for acceleration.” Erik hand com buzzed not a moment later; it was the captain “all right chief full power now.”
         “Aye sir”
         Slowly Erik pushed the lever that controlled the injector assembly forward opening the injectors to their maximum capacity. Erik could feel the vibrations in his chest as the injectors opened spilling the mix of fusion plasma and accelerant into the drive reaction chamber. He watched the gauges as the pressure in the chamber climbed into the green “pressure approaching optimal, prepare for ignition” he called to out to Carla. With that he opened the injectors and slammed the ignition switch, the whole ship jerked violently as the plasma mixture in the chamber ignited. Though no sound was heard in the vacuum of space the vibrations from the vectored thrust nozzles at the rear of the ship were transmitted through the frame and bulkheads of the ship and sounded very much like the roar of a gigantic engine would in atmosphere.
         Erik watched the gauges for a few minutes to insure that everything was ok then turned to his aide. “Carla looks like everything is ok here, but keep an eye on things I’m have a few things to take care of.” Carla simply nodded her agreement and watched her chief as he turned to leave. He called back over his shoulder as walked slowly out the hatch “Oh and if you have the time after your shift meet me in the mess hall.” Carla smiled softly at that. “Sure thing boss.”
Chapter Two
A Journey Begins

         She felt the jolt of acceleration less than a minute after her hand-com buzzed informing her of the incoming transmission. Daniela checked the com noticed that the transmission was tagged for the captain’s private channel and routed it to his com, then she tightened her harness bracing for the sudden return of gravity that always accompanied the ignition of the fusion drive.
         Daniela caught the helmsman making last minute adjustments to their course in preparation for getting underway then her attention was pulled back to her own work as the ships final status reports came in over the com lines. “All stations report status green for fusion drive burn sir, we’re ready.” Daniela reported to the captain. Daniela sent out the message to the two fighters and Powered Armors that were flying the current Combat Air Patrol ordering them to land and returned to her own thoughts mentally preparing herself for the burn.
         Then it happened, at first just a barely audible vibration through out the massive ships bulkheads. It quickly grew louder till it felt like her entire chest was vibrating. Finally she felt it the weight growing on her chest as the Geminon’s fusion engine came to life pushing her back into her chair as the ship accelerated up to cruising speeds. The Fusion Burn lasted for what seemed like an eternity to Daniela as the pressure weighing her down continued to increase. Finally she overheard what she had been praying for.
         “Primary acceleration burn completed Captain.” That was Lieutenant Junior Grade Mariah West Chief Operations Officer informing the Captain of what Daniela had been waiting to here. “Fusion Drive cycling down to cruising stage now engaging inertial dampening system,” a few moments passed as Mariah checked her status displays “all systems check out Geminon is in cruise mode Captain.”
         Daniela let out a sigh of relief after hearing the final announcement from Mariah. She unbuckled her acceleration harness and turned back to her station. Quickly she held a hand up to the com-link earpiece she wore on duty holding it tightly trying to catch the entire message coming through not wanting to make a mistake on her first tour of duty. “Captain a is message coming through from the hangar deck, Red Birds 1 and 2 report ready to launch they are standing by to fly CAP.” Captain Tyrol turned and smiled to her then nodded the go ahead. Daniela acknowledged the captains nod then turned back to her station. “Red Bird 1 and 2 you are cleared for combat air patrol launch when ready.”
         “Roger that. Red Bird 1 and 2 launching” came the response. Daniela looked out the forward view port just in time to see the two fighters launch from the magnetic catapults that extended from the hanger in the forward hull of the Geminon. She turned back to her station adjusting her headset to return to her duties.



         “Alright Mike lets do this right bank to heading 110 and proceed out 5 kilometers to begin search pattern” Commander Marcus Delani said to his wingman over the patrol circuit. The two fighters turned to their new heading engaging their small fusion powered engines and rocketing off to their assigned search grid.
         “So commander what do you think about this new mission? Seems pretty routine to have dragged us out of dry-dock early without a shakedown of the new systems.” Lieutenant Michael Crosby asked his commander over the patrols private communications circuit.
         “Well Mike it’s not our place to decide wither the orders we are given are wise ones or not. It’s our job to carry them out to….” Marcus went quite as he noticed something on his LIDAR display. Checking and rechecking his readings he keyed in his command frequency. “Control this is Red Bird 1. Come in Control. We are picking up an unknown contact in spatial grid 114, requesting permission to investigate.”
         Daniela’s voice came over the com line sounding a little concerned “Red Bird 1 this is control. Permission granted to investigate. Be careful Marcus.”
         “We’ll be alright Danny I’m sure it’s nothing.” Marcus switched back over to the patrol frequency. “Alright Mike we are heading to the asteroid belt grid 114 to take a look around go to full burn I want to get home before dinner.”
         The two fighters did a hard 90 degree turn the strategically placed RCS thrusters slowing their forward velocity to practically nothing in less than a second. Then the bright flashes of the two recon craft’s fusion drives engaging rocketed them off on a new heading towards perpetually shifting maze of the asteroid belt.

         “Captain, Red Bird reports that they have gone to max velocity to investigate an unknown contact in the asteroid belt, their estimated time to intercept is a little over an hour at present speed.” Daniela told her captain barely able to control the nervous quiver in her voice.  “What are your orders captain?”
         Captain Tyrol turned in his command chair positioned off to the starboard side of the command bridge, pushing up his service cap he looked around the bridge surveying his crew with his soft gaze. “Place Wolf squadron on standby but maintain course, lets wait to see what Red Bird flight finds out there.”
         “Aye Captain,” Daniela replied. She took a quick look around the bridge it was small but practical. Laid out in a standard naval fashion with two stations, these were held by Commander Maximillion Walker the ships Executive Officer and Lieutenant Commander Dareena Fredricks the bridges Deck Officer, set forward in front of the main view port. On the port side of the bridge was Daniela’s station. Her station was positioned between the tactical situation boards that were manned on her left by Ensign Talia Drake, who handled the starboard side tactical arrays, and on right by Ensign Richard Donavon, who manned the port side tactical arrays. On the starboard side of the bridge was Captain Tyrol’s command chair raised up on a small platform above the rest of the bridge so that he could observe all of the various stations on the bridge at a glance. As well on the starboard section of the command bridge was Lieutenant Junior Grade Dekkard Samuels’ Weapons Control Platform. All of this equipment and personnel made the command deck a cramped yet profoundly effective space, more so than the integrated command and navigation decks on the larger destroyers and battleships. When Daniela turned back to her station she keyed up the ship wide P.A. frequency “Attention Wolf Squadron report to Situation Room, I repeat Wolf Squadron please report to the Situation Room for standby briefing.”

         After an hour at top speed Marcus and his wing-mate Michael Crosby had entered the asteroid belt past Mars orbit. “Okay Mike stay alert, I don’t know what it was but I saw something big out here on the LIDAR.” He pulled back on the throttle firing his braking thrusters to slow to a more manageable speed within the tightly packed asteroids.
         The search went on for more than an hour, the two nimble fighters arcing and pulling tight banks around the far larger asteroids. “Commander I don’t think there is anything out here, maybe it was….” Mike cut himself off as the two came around a larger asteroid into a fairly uncluttered area of the belt. As they cleared the huge space rock “What the hell is that?” Mike asked as they found themselves face to face with one of the largest spacecraft that either had ever seen. The two fighters slowed to a stop 300 meters off what they assumed was the bow of the ship. It was long and angular nearly a kilometer and a half long its faceted hull gave the ship a vicious predatory appearance, very different from the smooth contoured lines of the Geminon.
         “What do think we should do Commander? It looks pretty much dead in space.” As if in answer to Mike’s question the gigantic ship suddenly came to life. Lights all long the length of the ship began to illuminate. Red, blue, and yellow running lights casting shadow and light along the length of the predatory spacecraft lending it a almost organic look that perplexingly was only augmented by the sharp angles and facets. The two fighter jocks watched as the ship came alive before their eyes. They sat and watched recording what they saw on their gun cameras as this mysterious vessel became fully active. The two sat watching the ship for several minutes until their orbit brought the ship into the full light of the distant sun.
         The Sunlight pasted over the faceted hull of this mysterious ships. It moved down over the forward booms at the prow, the two separated booms looking like the snarling muzzle of some great space hound. Then up over two symmetrical domes set back above the booms making it seem as if the ship were staring out into the asteroid filled space in front of it. Finally the sun’s rays passed along the quarter mile length of the ships aft section to the three huge fusion jets. All and all the ship gave the appearance of a battle ready war dog, and it was staring right down on the two lone fighters.
         “Commander?” Mike questioned a second time.
         “What…” Marcus shook himself out of his shock at this unknown warship and tried to ascertain what to do. “Alright Mike make your way back out of the belt and contact Geminon. I’m transmitting you my gun camera footage, send it with yours when you make contact. Request that they launch all available fighters to screen this thing incase it proves hostile.”
         “But Commander what are you going to do?”
         “I’m going to try and make Contact.”
         “But sir…”
         “Get moving Lieutenant” Marcus cut him off.
         “Aye Sir.”
         Marcus fired his thrusters and flipped end over end pointing his fighter back towards the edge of the asteroid belt. “Good luck sir” he said before firing his main engine rocketing himself away at top speed.
         “You too kid.” Marcus said to himself as his wingman passed out of radio range.

         It took Mike less time to leave the asteroid belt than it had to find the unknown craft originally, he had simply pointed his fighter on the shortest route out and punched it into a full throttle burn. He had wanted to stay, his training and loyalty to his commander was screaming at him to turn around, “Never under any circumstances leave your wing man behind.” He heard the voice of his old Drill Instructor was repeating in his head, but he had his orders. He had to get back into range of the Geminon and bring help.
         It had taken almost twenty minutes and pushed his piloting skills to the limit, weaving in and out of the constantly shifting asteroids, but he had nearly cleared the belt when out of the corner of his eye mike caught a briefing flash of light on his portside rear view mirror. He did not have time to worry though because he was just about in radio range. He goosed his thrusters that much harder straining against the g-forces pressing him against his acceleration harness trying to maintain control of his fighter as he steered through the last remains of the shattered planetoids.
         As he cleared the final remnants of the belt he keyed up the frequency for the Geminon, “Command this is Red Bird 2 please respond.” He repeated the message several times without response. “Where are they? They should be in range by now.”
Mike scanned his RADAR and LIDAR screens trying his best to pick up any sign of the Geminon, but he found nothing. It was simply as if the ship had simply vanished from local space.To be sure he brought up is navigation display on the small heads up display monitor and asked the computer to display the probable course of the Geminon in regards to his present location. The computer took only a few seconds to plot the requested information. it showed that after clearing the asteroid belt he should have been well within radio range of the cruiser, but still there was nothing, no radio contact, and no signature on any of his scanners just thousands of miles of empty space. "They can’t just be gone. No signs of battle, no debris, just nothing where are they," These where the thoughts running through Mike’s head as he continued his scans of the surrounding space. One more time he called out across the communication network hoping against hope for any response to plea for assistance. “This is Red Bird 2 to any vessel in special Grid 114 please respond, have located unknown spacecraft in asteroid belt, requesting immediate assistance. Any vessel, repeat this is Red Bird 2 please….” Mike was cut short.