Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 1 - Purple Blood

Admiral’s Fury

Part One, Purple Blood

Book Two of the Carinae Sector series

by David Buck, 2013

Revised 18
^th
March 2013

The author assumes copyright and all rights relating to this publication. All characters depicted are fictional and the story line is a work of fiction.

The novel is written in Commonwealth English.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This novel is dedicated to my father Robert Buck.

Cover design by Luke Harris from Chameleon Print Design.

‘Be humble, for you are made of Earth.

Be noble, for you are made of stars.’

Serbian proverb

Previous publications in the Carinae sector series

Book one; Trader’s Scourge is available in three parts:

Traders’ Scourge – part one – Alien Flight

Trader’s Scourge – part two – Maveen Offer

Trader’s Scourge – part three – New Shores

The races of the Carinae sector

Altoran

Barus, junior vassal race of academics and merchants

Cephrit, (the un-named) senior vassal race of warriors and administrators

Deltas Vass, senior vassal race, administrators and keepers of religious order

Fenshilla, independent race often at war and distrusted by other races

Human, junior haven status race

Huopheen

Jerecab, a junior vassal race that is divided into two factions

Kariqua, ‘ancients’ a silicon based species hidden in Earth’s oceans

Leuros

Maveen, an independent mechanical race once vassals of the ancients

Parak'flor

Quixxe, former vassal race now used as slaves and live stock

Scourge, or Voorde – non-sapient killers and rumoured bio weapon

Sspol, hydrogen based life form with a hidden colony Neptune

Trader, independent race of merchants and explorers

Tilmud, junior vassal race of warriors and mercenaries

Vorinne, the most senior vassal race

Zronte, overlords of Carinae sector

The races of the Crux sector

Dradfer, A senior vassal race of researchers and administrators

Denvian, a junior vassal race

Narra, overlords of the Crux sector

The races of the Cygnus sector

Brammon, revered overlords of the Cygnus sector

Other vassal races and independent races

The races of the Omicron sector

Kulvar, or ‘slavers’, overlords of the Omicron sector

Other vassal races and slave races

The human characters

Admiral Mary Neilson, Earth destroyer fleet

Admiral Thomas Stanford, Earth destroyer fleet

Admiral John Beresford, Earth destroyer fleet

Captain Grant Stoneham, Barede captain of the Emerald Sky

Gayle Anders, Emerald Sky engineer and Grant’s fiancée

Olav Hendrickson, Emerald Sky research officer

Commander Joel Everson, captain of the destroyer Auckland

Commander Freya Paulson, captain of the destroyer Buenos Aires

Professor (reserve captain) Robert Seville, ASRI Fremantle, Australia

Captain Emma Stone, corvette captain and friend of Robert Seville

Captain Mark Hammond, reserve captain of auxiliary cruiser Long Reach

Commander Paul Burgess, Barede Special Expedition Force

Lieutenant Rick Greene, Barede Special Expedition Force and pilot

Lieutenant Rebecca Dalton, Barede Special Expedition Force and medic

Engineer Phil Peters, destroyer Buenos Aires

Tom Paulson, Vesta miner and husband of Freya

Dave Edmonds, Ceres miner, administrator and amateur scientist

Paul Taylor, Robert Seville’s assistant professor

Chancellor Mark Reynolds, member of ruling council and Mary’s husband

The alien characters

Captain Gindane, Barus research captain and professor of alien studies

Captain Omerio, Barus fleet captain and friend of Gindane

Captain Narindestat, Trader captain of the Resuria

Lieutenant Garendestat, Narindestat’s son and Trader lieutenant

Emeria, Trader Medic and wife of Garendestat

Maveen Earth probe, leader of previous Maveen mission to Earth

Maveen Dradfer probe, formerly trapped on Earth with the ancients

Probe Three, the Maveen in service to Queen Angwene

Maveen sector delegate, senior Maveen probe in the Carinae sector

Queen Angwene, ancient queen hiding on Earth with her six daughters

Princess Seliandre, ancient princess hiding with her mother

Altarebe, an ancient male hiding in deep space with his father

Cephrit fleet master, senior fleet officer, Cephrit star base 31

Cephrit assault leader, highly decorated mate of the fleet master

Cephrit station master, commander of Cephrit star base 31

Admiral Baredio, Barus Fleet Admiral and Omerio’s uncle

Fleet Captain Stiderio, Barus senior Fleet Captain

Commander Tamerio, Barus ninth cruiser squadron

Her Grace Thatak’siema, Vorinne second envoy

Lord (of Systems) Malang’troh, Vorinne governor and fleet admiral

Lieutenant Dreshe’ahal, former military attaché to Lord Temeroth

Lady Lahalm’siema, Vorinne administrator and cousin of Thatak’siema

Admiral Baunrus, Red Jerecab fleet admiral commanding ‘the armada’

Commander Neanres, Red Jerecab commander

President Gaimros, president of the pacifist Blue Jerecab

Battle Lord Temeroth, young Zronte overlord

Ambassador Dumeroth, Zronte overlord and Temeroth’s father

Battle Lord Guneroth, Zronte overlord and Temeroth’s older brother

Admiral Biruldesec, Tilmud High Admiral of the fleet

Squadron Commander Tanuldesec, Tilmud, Biruldesec’s brother

Lieutenant Giruldesec, Tilmud, a son of Admiral Biruldesec

Apinal, Quixxe mother and former engineer

Deshinal, Quixxe daughter of Apinal and fugitive

Shafinal, Quixxe daughter of Apinal and pilot

Eliarhee, Dradfer senior researcher

Timeline of human history

2021. Accident at the aging space station claims nine lives.

2022. Joint commercial base built on the moon.

2033. Abortive space mission to Mars.

2036. Volcanic eruptions in Chile kill millions of people.

2038. Commercial moon base struggling to remain operational.

2040. Asian flu pandemic kills billions.

2050. Traders and Maveen land on Earth (Traders’ Scourge)

2070. Asian flu second pandemic kills millions.

2072. The moon is permanently settled.

2082. Meteor impact kills thousands in South Africa.

2095. First limited space flights using Trader technology.

2114. First human interstellar flights.

2150. First long range interstellar exploration missions.

2172. Mary Neilson graduates from the Armstrong military academy.

2191. Neilson defence paper on forward space defences.

2192. Sanctuary colony at Tau Ceti founded.

                                                                     ***

In towards the centre of the galaxy in a clearing on a lush and verdant planet, the matriarch quietly considers her plans further. The Deltas Vass female trills for an attendant male to bring her a drink as she further studies the new reports, both clandestine and legal, about the strange new planet called Earth.

                                                                     ***

At a Cephrit star-base, the Fleet master views the endless reports on the war with little interest. The Cephrit ponders the universe as he considers the fate of the Traders in general, and specifically what happened to Narindestat his Trader protégé.

                                                                     ***

In the depths of an Earth ocean the eternally patient Maveen probe three silently continues to patrol around massive dormant shapes.

                                                                     ***

Elsewhere in the solar system, an atmospheric probe races high into the upper atmosphere of Neptune. The automated probe sends a short tight beam burst of data back down to a colony platform suspended under massive airbags, before it returns to the planet’s lower atmosphere and is recovered by a waiting airship the size of an aircraft carrier.

                                                                     ***

Part 1 Purple Blood

Prologue

2100 AD Remote depths of the Southern Ocean, Earth

After verifying they were both cloaked, Maveen probe three cautiously led Seliandre forward towards the buried human undersea cable he had earlier scanned for possible threats. The probe paused and then moved slowly forward, and Seliandre came alongside, and they both stopped again several metres from the buried cable.

Seliandre carefully placed the jury-rigged container down on the sediment and backed away, as probe three then directed pulses of water to uncover the cable. The ancient commented unnecessarily to probe three via a low powered acoustic signal, as she kept well clear of the clouds of sediment.

‘Careful now probe three, we cannot risk either damage to the cable or any interest from the humans.’

After ten minutes, the side of the large cable slowly came into view and Seliandre moved forward to lower the container with her manipulators. The spy box was now positioned alongside the fibre cable running off into the depths. The ancient watched with quiet approval as probe three then reached over and connected a cluster of smart sensors from the spy box to a thickened part of the undersea cable. In moments, the hair thin sensors had burrowed into the cable and established a sealed physical connection with the join inside the cable.

Seliandre plugged herself into a local port on the spy box, and settled on the sediment nearby to both run a series of tests and see if she could understand the information she now looking through. The Maveen probe edged around to the fibre cable sitting on the sediment and slowly began burying the cable as it moved back into the depths.

After two hours the probe three returned from burying the cable and reported to Seliandre.

‘Your sisters have verified the cable is functional, and as per your requests they are only monitoring the connection. Queen Angwene asks that you return to the safety of the suppression field at the earliest opportunity.’

Seliandre unplugged herself from the spy box and slowly backed away from the undersea cable. As she assisted the Maveen probe in burying the spy box and the cable in carefully jetted water blasts, she reported on what she had already discovered.

‘The circuit information was easy and the spy box passively broke the human base protocols and encryption in five minutes. The language information of the Traders and Barus is entirely accurate and I can already understand the news broadcasts in several languages.’

Probe three turned his patrol boat sized hull towards the depths, and now listened patiently as the larger ancient continued to report as she followed him back to the depths.

‘The humans still use the internet to email and talk to one another. Their major research organisations and universities have their own locations and some operate as consortiums across the internet. Their conservation efforts after fifty years show real promise and I have already located maps of the ocean conservation zones.’

The Maveen probe gave a cautious reply as he evaluated the ancient’s report.

‘So if we can later indirectly influence the ocean conservation zones then we can increase our chances of remaining undetected in these oceans.’

By unspoken agreement, both of them remained silent during the long return journey to their hidden underwater facility. They were both well aware of the risks associated with being discovered by the humans, for they knew that either the Vorinne or the Zronte themselves would quickly intervene once they discovered the presence of the ancients in Earth’s oceans. The irony of the situation was not lost on the Maveen probe, for the haven status of Earth had protected the queen and her daughters for thousands of years.