The Star Cross (19 page)

Time passed
rapidly, and Evan pushed his fighter to get to Durban as quickly as possible.
Comm traffic was gone, except for the constant static. Several times he had
attempted to contact military traffic controllers but had received no response.
Pulling up the nose on his fighter, he gained altitude. He was close enough now
that he should be able to see the city in the distance, once he was high
enough. As his fighter climbed, he gazed intently toward where Durban should be. A cold chill ran down his back as a rising mushroom cloud became visible.
“They’re gone,” he said, stunned. It looked as if the nuke had gone off over
the bay. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he knew his family
couldn’t have survived.

His fighter
suddenly shook violently, and warning alarms sounded. Glancing at his sensor screen,
he saw a Profiteer shuttle rapidly approaching from the rear. He didn’t even
try to dodge as an energy beam tore through his aircraft, blowing it apart.

-

“What are the
latest reports?” asked President Mayfield. They had another satellite view on
one of the large viewscreens in the situation room, and it showed what appeared
to be six nuclear detonations in South Africa. Mayfield felt as if a cold hand
had just squeezed his heart.

“Johannesburg, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Kimberley, Durban, and Bloemfontein have been
nuked,” reported Colonel Stidham. “We also have unconfirmed reports that all of
South Africa’s jet fighters have been shot down.”

“What type of
fighter did they have?” asked President Mayfield.

“F-72
Falcons,” replied Colonel Stidham.

“Not as modern
as our jet fighters but still a pretty good weapons platform,” remarked General
Braid.

“What else are
the Profiteers doing?”

Colonel
Stidham shook his head in disbelief, looking down at a message one of his
communication officers had just handed him. “They’ve reissued their demand for
one hundred gold bars and ten thousand carats of diamonds.”

“Any response
from the South Africans?” asked President Mayfield, shifting his gaze to the
colonel.

“From Cape Town,” replied Colonel Stidham. ‘The provincial governor has agreed to the demand.”

“What other
choice did he have?” said Raul, shaking his head. He looked up at the
viewscreen. “Those six nukes will cause millions of casualties. A big part of South Africa will be uninhabitable for years. The nuke that went off in the bay near Durban will spread an ungodly amount of radiation. We can only hope that most of it goes
into the ocean.”

“We’ll offer
them what aid we can,” President Mayfield said. “Though I don’t know what the
Profiteers will allow. If we can’t move any domestic aircraft, the South
Africans may be on their own.”

“The
Profiteers don’t seem to be making demands of anyone else,” commented General
Braid.

“They don’t
have to,” President Mayfield answered grimly. “After what they just did to the
South Africans, no one will dare deny their demands.”

“Do you think
they chose South Africa, knowing how they would respond?” asked Raul, looking
over at President Mayfield and General Braid.

“It wouldn’t
surprise me,” answered Braid. “They probably wanted to set an example for the
rest of us.”

Raul looked
back at the viewscreen. Six areas in South Africa were now covered in dense smoke
and raging fires. “That’s one hell of an example. Just what sort of people are
we dealing with?”

“They look at
us as property,” replied President Mayfield forlornly. “If we don’t do as they
ask, they’ll kill us all.”

Everyone was
silent, as they thought that over. They were in a dire situation that was about
to get much worse.

-

First
Profiteer Creed nodded with satisfaction, as he was told the South Africans had
capitulated. “We’ll have the gold and diamonds within the week.”

“A good plan,”
commented Second Profiteer Lantz. “There are numerous small countries on this
planet. We can make the same or similar demands to each one.”

“Over time,”
Creed said with a nod. “For now, this little example should suffice. I strongly
suspect our collections of gold and other valuables will greatly increase.”

“Jarls’s
shuttle has arrived,” reported Third Profiteer Bixt.

“Have him meet
me in my quarters,” responded Creed. “I have much to discuss with the Dacroni
clan leader.”

-

High Profiteer
Creed entered his quarters to find Jarls waiting for him.

“I watched
your attack upon this world,” Jarls said. “Are you not concerned about the
riches you may have destroyed with the nukes?”

“There are
hundreds of such cities on this planet,” Creed said dismissively. “This was a
lesson in humility. Next time I make a demand, they’ll make haste to meet it.”

“Perhaps,”
Jarls said, as he sat down. His large frame and weight made the chair creak.
“What is it that you want? It’s nearing time for us to discuss if you want to
hire my fleet for the additional ninety days.”

“I have more
than that to discuss,” Creed replied. “Because of the recklessness of one of
your clan, I lost a valuable battlecruiser.”

“Ah, yes,”
Jarls said with a slight nod. “I also lost a battleship. The
Rellal
was
quite a valuable possession. I expect to be compensated for it. Battleships are
not cheap.”

“Compensated
for it!” sputtered Creed, his eyes growing wide in anger. “I should be
compensated.”

“The ships
were destroyed by the humans,” Jarls pointed out. “Humans who should have never
been in the Gothan Empire, let alone Kubitz. One of your own Profiteers led
them there.”

Creed was
silent for a moment. “The First Profiteers of my two escort ships report that
the humans on Kubitz have set up a diplomatic mission of a sort. It’s also
rumored that they used a large quantity of gold, which they changed into
credits, to buy possible weapons systems.”

Jarls’s eyes
narrowed. “What type?”

“Hypermissiles
for one,” Creed answered. He wondered if he would have been better off not
mentioning this. Jarls could demand an increase in his compensation for
protecting the Profiteer fleet and keeping Earth under control.

“Hypermissiles
are of no concern to me,” Jarls responded. “My ships’ energy shields can handle
them.”

Creed studied the
facial expression on the Dacroni mercenary. Jarls was a hard one to read. “I
want to attack the human colony on Newton.”

Jarls looked
long and hard at Creed. “Why?”

“Gold and
other valuables,” Creed responded. “I have reason to believe that a large
amount was removed from Earth and transferred to their colony world. Their trip
to Kubitz seems to confirm that.”

“Their
remaining fleet is at Newton,” Jarls pointed out. “It’s likely they will not
flee if we attack the colony, as it’s their only other world besides Earth.
They’ll fight to the last ship. Their particle beam weapons will be a problem.
To attack Newton will cost me some of my battleships.”

“You will be
compensated,” promised Creed. He could see the look in Jarls’s eyes as he
thought over how much he would require. “I’ll give you 20 percent of any gold
or other valuables we find on the colony world.”

“Fifty
percent,” Jarls countered with a crafty look in his eyes. “Fifty percent and
you pay to replace ships I lose.”

“Thirty-five
percent and you pay for your ship loses.” Creed held his breath, waiting to see
if Jarls would accept his offer.

“Forty percent
and I’ll cover my own losses,” Jarls responded. “That’s my final offer.”

Creed
hesitated. It was a steep offer, but he wasn’t sure he could take the colony
world without Jarls’s battleships. “Agreed.”

“How soon
before we move on Newton?”

“A few weeks,”
Creed answered. “I need to summon more of my ships and make some preparations.
I don’t believe, between the two of us, we’ll have much trouble with the human
fleet. All they have is the one battlecruiser, and, once it’s been eliminated,
the rest won’t matter.”

“Let’s hope
you’re right,” Jarls said with a slight frown. “Remember, this human
battlecruiser and the ships with it just destroyed one of my battleships and
one of your battlecruisers. This might not be as easy as you believe.”

Creed wasn’t too
concerned. He knew, with the forces at his command, he could easily overwhelm
the remaining human ships. What interested him the most was how much gold had
been taken to the human colony. He strongly suspected this was why they weren’t
finding as much as they had the first time on Earth. Well, that was about to
change. He would go to Newton and get his gold. It was his right as a Profiteer!

Kurt was at
his sister’s home, enjoying some time playing with his nephew and telling
Denise and Alex about their experiences on Kubitz.

“It sounds
like a crazy mixed-up world,” commented Alex, shaking his head. “I just don’t
see how a system like theirs can work. It seems as if it would fall into
anarchy, and then there would be chaos.”

“It’s the
Controllers,” Kurt answered. Bryan had gone to his room to draw a picture of a
spaceship. “They keep everything in check through the system of contracts they
have set up. They also control all the credits.”

“So these
credit things are what they use for money?” asked Denise, coming to sit down on
the sofa next to her brother.

“Yes, and
their entire system is backed by gold and other precious metals, which the
Controllers also have control of. Their credits are worth much more than the
North American Union currency we’re used to. On Kubitz everything is for sale, but
there’s a stiff penalty for failing to honor a contract.”

Denise was
silent for a moment and then looked at Kurt with a mischievous smile. “Let’s
hear more about this woman doctor you met. She’s actually human?”

Kurt shifted
uncomfortably on the sofa. He never should have mentioned Keera to Denise. “Yes,
she’s human. A lot of the different civilized races in the galaxy are.”

“So after this
attack where they kidnapped Private Dulcet, she was the first person you saw?”

“Yes,” Kurt answered.
“We had all been gassed, and she seemed to know what to do. I invited her to
come to the diplomatic compound for a meal to show my appreciation for what she
did.”

“You don’t normally
invite women out to eat,” Denise said, cocking her eyebrow. “The last one I
remember was Carolyn Donner back in high school.”

“Did you ever
find out what happened to Private Dulcet?” asked Alex.

“No,” Kurt
answered with a deep and frustrated sigh. “Avery Dolman is making some
inquiries, but he didn’t sound very hopeful. Grantz is also searching for her.”

“You said they
have actual brothels on Kubitz?” asked Denise.

“Yes,” Kurt
answered. “Brothels and pleasure houses.”

“Aren’t they
the same?” asked Alex, looking confused.

“They’re
similar,” Kurt said. “According to Grantz, the brothels are full of women from
various worlds who have been bought by the companies. The pleasure houses have
women and various pleasure-stimulating drugs and specialized entertainment. As
I said before, nearly everything imaginable can be bought on Kubitz for the
right price.”

“I don’t think
I even want to know what some of those things are,” said Denise, her face
flushing slightly.

“Did any of
your crew go to these brothels or pleasure houses?” asked Alex.

“No,” replied Kurt,
shaking his head. “The only person I know who did was Grantz, and, from what I
understand, he’s a regular customer.”

“I still can’t
believe you hired that Profiteer to work for you,” Denise said unhappily. “How
can you trust him?”

“I don’t,”
answered Kurt. “However, I trust the contract he signed.”

“Uncle Kurt, I
have the spaceship!” Bryan yelled, as he ran from his room into the living area,
holding a piece of colored paper. “I drew the
Star Cross
, because it’s
the most powerful ship there is.”

“Come show
me,” Kurt said, grinning. He really enjoyed spending time with his nephew, and,
as long as Bryan was around, Denise wouldn’t ask any more questions about Keera.

-

The next day
Kurt sat in Governor Spalding’s office, per the governor’s request to brief him
on the mission to Kubitz and what Kurt’s next plans were.

“We’ve gotten
all the refugees pretty well situated,” Spalding began, as he shuffled several
papers on his desk. “We’re building additional housing and increasing our infrastructure
to ensure they’re able to live normal lives here on Newton. The people you
rescued from Kubitz have been taken to our hospitals for evaluation. From what
I heard, a number of them went through some very trying experiences.”

“They
survived,” answered Kurt, thinking about Captain Randson’s wife and daughter.

“There’ll be
more,” Spalding said sadly. “I suspect every passenger liner we send to Kubitz
will return with people kidnapped from Earth.”

“What about
Marlen Stroud?” asked Kurt, making sure the former head of the department of labor
wasn’t becoming a bigger threat. Stroud made Kurt feel uneasy, as the man was
only interested in power and not the well-being of the people.

Spalding let
out a deep sigh. “When we finally checked into all who had come from Earth on
the passenger and cargo ships, we were surprised to find seventy-eight people
came to Newton illegally. Most of them have few or no talents we can use.”

“What did you
do with them?”

Governor
Spalding grinned. “We have a small fishing village on the other side of the
planet. We sent all of them there, including Stroud. They’re being taught how
to fish.”

“I bet that
went over well,” Kurt said. He couldn’t imagine Stroud willingly getting his
hands dirty.

“We gave them
a choice,” Spalding answered simply. “We’ll provide them basic housing and
living supplies. If they want something more, they have to work for it. Most of
them are doing some fishing, though I understand Stroud is still claiming to be
the legitimate head of the government and is threatening to have me hung
someday.”

“I’d keep a close
watch on him,” warned Kurt. “Stroud is not one to be taken lightly.”

“I have some security
people in place, keeping an eye on things,” Spalding assured Kurt. “I receive regular
reports about what’s going on at the village. Now what I really wanted to talk
to you about is, what are your next plans?”

Kurt nodded.
“As you know, we managed to secure a very powerful defense grid for Newton. Once it’s in place, I don’t think we’ll need to be overly concerned about an
attack. We should have delivery in two to three months.”

“That will be
a huge relief for everyone on Newton,” Spalding said. “I understand some of the
hypermissiles you purchased were destroyed. I’m sorry about the
Lansing
.”

“It was
unfortunate,” Kurt admitted, still angry about the loss. “Captain Blair was a
brave man, as was his crew.”

“I never got
to meet the captain,” Spalding said with sadness in his eyes. “I wonder how
many more good people we’ll lose before this is over?”

“There will be
others,” Kurt admitted somberly. “We also made arrangements to purchase
additional warships.”

“Warships!”
exclaimed Governor Spalding, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“Yes, ten
battlecruisers and four battleships,” Kurt answered with a satisfied smile.
“Once they’re delivered, we’ll have a fleet fully capable of resisting any
possible invasion force.”

“When are you
sending more ships back to Kubitz? Is there anything else there we might be
interested in?”

“Everything
you can imagine is for sale on Kubitz for the right price. Another cargo ship
along with the light cruiser
Sydney
is going there immediately. I want
those hypermissiles, as they’re so much better than the missiles we use. I’m
also sending more of the First Contact teams, additional Marines, and a few
specialists to delve more into technology we might be interested in.”

Spalding steepled
his fingers with a thoughtful look in his eyes. “I have a few recommendations
for people to help round out Lieutenant Tenner’s staff. I know some well-qualified
people who can make this embassy run smoother.”

“That would be
helpful,” Kurt replied. The governor would know more about the people needed to
run a compound like the embassy on Kubitz.

Spalding’s eyes
narrowed. “Where will you get the crews for these new ships? Doesn’t it take
several years to train fleet personnel?”

“We have a few
available in the people we brought from Earth,” Kurt replied. “Plus a few extra
on the shipyard. We should also see if we can recruit anyone here on Newton, but the ones I really need are still on Earth.”

“What are you
proposing?” asked Spalding, looking inquisitively at Kurt.

“I currently
have two long-range shuttles in the shipyard with a special composite hull overlay.
We’ll do everything we can to make the shuttles undetectable to the Profiteers
and the Dacroni mercenaries. I intend to land those shuttles on Earth, make
contact with either President Mayfield or Fleet Admiral Tomalson, and arrange
to get the people we need off the planet.”

“To the best
of my knowledge shuttles are too small for a hyperdrive system,” commented
Spalding, a frown in place.

“They are,” admitted
Kurt. “I’ll send the light carrier
Vindication
to the inner edges of the
Kuiper Belt. From there the shuttles can use their sublight drives to reach
Earth.”

“I assume the
Vindication
will have other escorts?”

“Two destroyers,”
Kurt answered. “I don’t want to take too many ships from Newton, until the defense
grid is in place.”

“Do you think
they’ll attack us before the grid gets here?”

“I think so,”
Kurt answered. This was something he had given great thought to. “Once High
Profiteer Creed finds out we’ve been to Kubitz and used gold to exchange for
credits, he’ll surmise a lot of gold must have been removed from Earth. As
greedy as these Profiteers are, he’ll come here looking for it.”

“What will we
do?” asked Governor Spalding, his worry evident in his voice. “We can’t lose Newton.”

“We won’t,”
Kurt promised with a wolfish smile. “I’ll have a few surprises waiting for the
High Profiteer. We’re not like Earth. They weren’t expecting an attack. We are,
and that will make the difference.”

“I hope you’re
right,” Spalding said uneasily. “You’re the fleet admiral, and the safety of
the planet is in your hands. Let me know if you need anything. Make sure you
keep General Mclusky informed. You may also want to discuss with him what
weapons can be purchased on Kubitz that would help with his ground defense
forces.”

“I’ll do
that,” Kurt answered. “I have a meeting scheduled with the general for later
this afternoon.”

For the next
hour, Kurt described to the governor their experiences on Kubitz and what his
future plans were. Spalding asked a lot of questions, and, in the end, they
both felt they had a very productive meeting.

-

Newton Station
had gone through a lot of changes since Kurt had left for Kubitz. Captain Simms
and Colonel Hayworth had been working their crews like mad to update the station
and prepare it for a possible Profiteer attack.

Kurt stood in
the large construction bay, brought from Earth, gazing at the exploration ship
Trinity
.
Four of the five large exploration ships had been out exploring, and all had
been recalled. Each ship was the same size as the
Star Cross
. Unlike the
Star Cross
, they were only lightly armed. The ships had been designed
for exploration and not for war. Work crews were crawling all over the hull of
the
Trinity
, removing hull plates with cutting torches, while other dock
workers installed additional equipment.

“How far along
are we?” Kurt asked. The exploration cruisers were built to the same hull design
as the
Star Cross
, with some interior changes to allow for research labs
and other facilities needed for deep-space exploration.

“We’ve been
working on the
Trinity
for four weeks,” answered Captain Simms. “We had
to gut some of the interior and reroute a lot of power systems.”

“Two more
weeks and she’ll be done,” added Colonel Hayworth, as he observed the work
crews with a critical eye. “We have crews working around the clock. When we’re
done, she’ll be as heavily armed as the
Star Cross
with a fully
functional military-grade energy shield.”

“Are you
making the necessary changes to the
Trinity
’s missile tubes to
accommodate the hypermissiles?” Kurt was keenly interested, as the
hypermissiles would be a great asset to the fleet.

“Yes,” Colonel
Hayworth replied. “The hypermissiles are smaller than our missiles, and it’s
not that big of a modification to redesign the tubes for them.”

Kurt nodded,
as a number of workers maneuvered large crates through one of the ship’s cargo
hatches. Raw materials were brought up from Newton and then used in the
manufacturing facility they had brought from Earth to produce the hull armor
and other essential parts for the Trinity.

“Do we have
everything we need to convert the exploration cruisers to warships?” Kurt
asked. He knew they had brought a lot of weapons material from Earth and that
some could be made in the shipyard construction facilities.

“We can
convert three without a problem,” replied Captain Simms. His face took on a
frown, and then he continued. “However, the last two will take longer, as we’ll
need to build some of the more intricate parts for their larger particle beam
cannons. We can do one cruiser every six or seven weeks, depending on any bottlenecks
we might encounter.”

“We had to
spend a full day just removing a quarantine containment facility from the
Trinity
,”
Hayworth said, shaking his head in exasperation. “Why they thought they might
need something with two-foot titanium walls is beyond me. Just what were they
planning on putting in there?”

“They’re
scientists and explorers,” commented Simms. “Maybe they thought they could
bring back a dinosaur.”

“I understand
the problems,” Kurt responded. He was surprised they could convert three of
them so quickly. Three more battlecruisers, all armed with particle beam
cannons, would greatly enhance his fleet.