Embracing Oblivion: Wolfpack Book 3 Read online

  Embracing Oblivion

  Wolfpack Book III

  by

  Toby Neighbors

  Embracing Oblivion: Wolfpack book 3

  © 2017, Toby Neighbors

  Published by Mythic Adventure Publishing, LLC

  Idaho, USA

  All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any print or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Copy Editing by Alexandra Mandzak

  Books By Toby Neighbors

  Avondale

  Draggah

  Balestone

  Arcanius

  Avondale V

  Wizard Rising

  Magic Awakening

  Hidden Fire

  Fierce Loyalty

  Crying Havoc

  Evil Tide

  Wizard Falling

  Chaos Descending

  Into Chaos

  Chaos Reigning

  Chaos Raging

  Controlling Chaos

  Killing Chaos

  Lorik

  Lorik the Defender

  Lorik the Protector

  The Vault Of Mysteries

  Lords Of Ascension

  The Elusive Executioner

  Third Prince

  Royal Destiny

  The Other Side

  The New World

  Zompocalypse Omnibus

  We Are The Wolf

  Welcome To The Wolfpack

  Dedication

  For Timothy, Grace, and Micah,

  you are always in our hearts,

  and

  Sunshine Neighbors,

  you are my light, the warmth I crave, and the courage I need.

  Chapter 1

  “What you’re saying, Captain Blaze, is that you left your assigned ship, without orders, and without the approval of Vice Admiral Duncan?”

  “No sir,” Dean said, doing his best to keep his voice level and without the slightest hint of emotion. “Vice Admiral Duncan was informed and gave his permission.”

  “Is that correct, Commander?” Rear Admiral Chancy snarled. “You gave the okay for your platoon of Force Recon specialists to abandon their post on your ship?”

  “Admiral,” VA Duncan said, “my orders were to ascertain why the Alrakis Ship Yards had lost all communications, and to help if necessary.”

  “So you dumped your Recon platoon and fled the system as quickly as possible,” the senior officer said in a smug tone.

  Dean had been both relieved and a little disappointed that the armada of EsDef Ships had arrived in the Alrakis system so quickly after his platoon had rescued the hostages on what was being called the Kroll ship, although no one knew for sure what race had cobbled the giant vessel together. He had enjoyed three blissful days with Esma, their romance blooming quickly after the dangers they had so narrowly escaped together. It took the flotilla of EsDef ships nearly a full day and night to reach the ship yards, and Dean was immediately called aboard the flagship, the E.S.D.F. Sparta along with the other officers who were on the six-wheeled space station.

  Dean, Admiral Holden, his first officer, Captain Bishop, O&A Captain Esmerelda Dante, and Lieutenant Owens took a shuttle to the Sparta, which was a carrier class battleship with two platoons of OWFR and a fleet of attack drones. Rear Admiral Grayson Chancy II commanded the Sparta along with the six other ships in the armada that had picked up the Charlemagne when it returned to the Aleut system and reported the situation at the ship yards to EsDef command. Rear Admiral Chancy had been the closest officer of rank, and had responded to the emergency message, which Dean knew hadn’t even reached Sol or the EsDef Brass before the armada had arrived in the Alrakis system.

  The sit-rep, which is what Dean and the other officers had been called to, quickly turned into a witch hunt with the rear admiral blaming everyone involved in the rescue for sloppiness and borderline insubordination.

  “Sir,” Vice Admiral Duncan replied, his cool slipping into a tone of frustration, “as I have said, we entered the system and were immediately attacked by the teardrop-shaped vessels from the Kroll ship.”

  “Yes, yes, they crossed from the ship yard to your position just inside the heliosphere in less time than it took you to plot a course back out of the system.”

  “No,” Duncan said. “It took us nearly an hour to cool our fusion reactor enough to make the transition back to FTL.”

  “You do realize no ship can travel that fast,” RA Duncan said in a mocking tone. “You’re talking about FTL inside the heliosphere.”

  “I am aware, sir,” Duncan said.

  “The gravity drive on the Urgglatta ships can achieve those speeds,” Dean said, defending his friend.

  “Your entire report smacks of cowardice, Vice Admiral,” RA Chancy said, ignoring Dean altogether, before turning his ire onto Admiral Holden. “Tell me again exactly how you allowed your ship to be captured, Admiral?”

  “Sir,” Holden said, a clear note of shame in his voice, “we were unprepared for the ferocity of the alien attack.”

  “I want details, Commander!”

  “There were six small vessels that took control of our ship upon entering the system.”

  “These same teardrop-shaped vessels?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How did a transport tub like the Charlemagne manage to escape them while you did not?”

  “I don’t know,” Holden said, his pride thoroughly crushed.

  “Vice Admiral?” Chancy demanded.

  “We used maintenance drones to cut the grappling lines used by the alien ships.”

  “All six of them?”

  “No, sir,” Duncan explained. “Only three attacked our ship. The other three did not engage.”

  “But you saw six of these alleged vessels?”

  “As you know, we saw them, and captured three of them,” Duncan said, his patience clearly running out.

  Dean knew that as a rear admiral, Grayson Chancy II had every right to question the actions of everyone in the system. There was a strict hierarchy among EsDef Navy officers, arranged much differently than their planetborne forebears. Captains were normally first officers, and vice admirals were newly promoted officers usually commanding their first ship. Admirals were naval officers with more experience, usually commanding larger ships and on longer tours. Then rear admirals took command task forces, or groups of fighting ships on a mission together. The only higher ranking officers were in the EsDef Command Cabinet, yet Rear Admiral Chancy wasn’t authorized to debrief Dean or the other naval officers. He had no right to disparage them, or criticize their actions against an unknown enemy threat, but that fact didn’t seem to bother Chancy in the least.

  “But the Roosevelt was completely overwhelmed, I don’t understand it,” RA Chancy went on. “Why didn’t you use your maintenance drones to break free, Admiral?”

  “We didn’t think of that sir,” Holden confessed. “It took less than an hour upon entering the system for our ship to be captured and boarded.”

  “Yes, yes, I’ll get to that as well, but let’s not gloss over the fine details. When these enemy ships approached your capital ship, did you take evasive measures?”

  “We had no idea what they were or what their tactics might be.”

  “So you did nothing?”

  “No, sir,” Holden said angrily. “We tried to keep our distance, but they were much too fast.”

  “Yes, of course, FTL within the heliosphere.”

  “That’s correct sir. The ships were unexplainably fast and had no obvious propulsio
n system that we could detect. They attached to our ship and began pulling us toward the larger vessel.”

  “And you did what in response?”

  “We tried to counter their momentum but our efforts failed. The fusion reactors went off-line in minutes, without even slowing the aliens down.”

  “What was your next order?”

  “We were at red alert,” Holden explained.

  “Did you deploy your drones?” RA Chancy asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Captain Dante said. “But as soon as they left our hangar we lost contact with them.”

  “Your drones were useless?” the rear admiral asked incredulously.

  “Sir, I have a theory about that,” Dean said.

  “Oh, the great hero speaks,” Chancy snarled. “Let’s hear this theory, Captain.”

  “When we were on the space station we had no communications with the Roosevelt,” Dean explained. “When our MSVs went across the boarding link between the ships we lost contact with them. But once we entered their ship, actually it was the gravity well around their vessel, we regained contact with both the drones and the officers held captive on board.”

  “And you think they surrounded an entire EsDef ship with this magical gravity well?”

  “Sir, we know from the Urgglatta ship we captured that artificial gravity is possible.”

  “Oh my, here it is. The war hero simply can’t keep from bringing up his greatest conquest. We all know the story, Captain. And we all know you disobeyed direct orders and endangered Earth in the process. The only reason you’re still in a uniform, Blaze, is because some O&A desk jockey thought you’d be a good PR stunt. So please, spare us from exaggerations of your insubordinate conquests. It’s quite obvious to everyone here that your time in uniform is quickly drawing to an end.”

  Dean wanted to argue, in fact he wanted to jump across the wide table and smash the rear admiral’s face in, but he forced himself not to move or even blink. He could see the other two Recon officers from the corner of his eye, one looked smug, but the other had a sympathetic expression on his face.

  “Either way, sir,” Holden went on. “Our efforts to resist were futile.”

  “A failed commander and a lost ship, your career is in worse shape than Captain Blaze’s,” RA Chancy said gleefully. “Good luck explaining yourself to the oversight board when you return to Sol. Tell us what happened when the aliens boarded your ship.”

  Dean knew things were about to get ugly. Esma had told him all about Admiral Holden’s panic on the bridge of his ship, and how the aliens wiped out their entire Recon platoon.

  Chapter 2

  “I placed the ship on red alert,” Holden said, his voice a little shaky. “That sent everyone to their assigned places.”

  “The officers to your bridge, the Recon platoon just outside?” Chancy questioned. “The ship’s crew to the propulsion drive, and your Operators to their control room?”

  “That's correct.”

  “And what happened?” Rear Admiral Chancy was clearly enjoying the torment he was heaping onto Admiral Holden.

  “The ship was breeched.”

  “Which spiral arm?”

  “The command arm,” Holden explained. “They created a hatch, near the bridge, and flooded the area with hostile creatures.”

  “And your recon platoon?” the rear admiral asked.

  “We were out of sorts. Everything happened so fast. When the ship connected with the alien vessel we were struck under a strange gravitational force. It knocked us all off our feet. Everything went upside down.”

  “The Heavy Armor grunts fell over like turtles and couldn’t get back up,” Chancy sneered.

  Dean’s attention flicked to the two OWFR officers sitting beside the rear admiral. The man closest to Chancy was a captain who seemed to be enjoying Admiral Holden’s discomfort. He didn’t even flinch when Chancy referred to HA Specialists as grunts and mocked them openly. The other officer was a lieutenant and didn’t look to be much older than Dean, although he had a white scar across one side of his forehead. The lieutenant’s gaze snapped from Admiral Holden to the rear admiral, and the shame in his eyes over what Chancy had said was obvious.

  “That's right,” Holden said. “We were all disoriented and the aliens were ferocious. They killed Lieutenant Mackey and his entire platoon.”

  “How?” the rear admiral demanded.

  “They had weapons.”

  “What did they look like?”

  “They were four-legged monsters,” Holden said, no longer trying to hold back the terror and shame in his voice. “They charged into the ship in some sort of black uniforms or armor. They had advanced weapons strapped to their backs.”

  “To their backs?”

  “Yes, they destroyed our Recon platoon. We had no choice but to surrender.”

  “You are pathetic,” Chancy sneered. “You just pissed yourself and threw up your hands.”

  “I did no such thing,” Holden shouted, his demeanor changing so quickly it took Dean by surprise. “I was faced with an unknown enemy under extreme circumstances. I did everything I could to save my crew.”

  “I don’t think surrendering saved anyone,” Rear Admiral Chancy said. “And I remind you to control your emotions, sir. You are addressing a superior officer.”

  “You don’t think I’ve gone over the incident in my mind a thousand times,” Holden said, his face was red and his hands were shaking. “There were no other options.”

  “You’re an admiral on a military ship, for crying out loud. Holden, do you really expect me to believe you had no other choice but to surrender at the first sign of conflict?”

  “I believe what the admiral is trying to say,” Vice Admiral Duncan spoke up, “was that he knew another EsDef ship had been sent to the system and surrendering spared his crew from being massacred unnecessarily. In fact, his actions on the Roosevelt allowed us to complete the mission. We had no idea what we were facing when we transitioned into the Alrakis system, but we saw that the alien ship had the Roosevelt in her clutches. We concluded that the alien vessel was a threat and were prepared, because of what we saw with our sister ship.”

  “And so you dumped your Recon platoon and ran,” Chancy said.

  “Captain Blaze presented a very well-reasoned strategy. I did not order them from my ship, but seeing a space station and a fellow EsDef ship in distress, I didn’t not stop him from leaving the Charlemagne to do whatever he could to help. Everyone that went with him volunteered.”

  “Which left you without a Recon Specialist on your ship, Vice Admiral.”

  “That’s not entirely correct, sir,” Duncan said. “FAS Corporal Valosky was in the med bay, and DS Corporal Chancy remained on board.”

  “The only Specialist who knew his place,” the rear admiral declared.

  “Have you seen your son, sir?” Dean asked.

  “What kind of question is that?” snarled the rear admiral.

  “He’s not well, sir. I just wasn’t sure if you were aware of his mental state.”

  “I have spoken with him. He assures me that you don’t have the first clue as to how to lead a platoon.”

  “I believe Captain Blaze’s Planetary Medal of Honor is in direct opposition to that assessment,” Esma said in an icy tone from where she sat further down the table.

  “Not to mention the fact that his platoon escaped from the alien towing ships,” Vice Admiral Duncan argued, “infiltrated the Alrakis Ship Yards, rescued our hostages, and managed to disable the alien vessel.”

  “Rats on a sinking ship will always follow one another in a vain attempt to cheat death,” the Rear Admiral declared. “Your conduct as officers in the Extra Solar Defense Force is unbecoming and I shall be sure to include my assessment of your actions in my report.”

  “Sir, I understand the need to share information, especially as we are dealing with an unknown species,” Vice Admiral Duncan said. “But aren’t we here to decide what should be done about the alien ves
sel that is still adrift in the system?”

  “No, Vice Admiral, your job is to follow orders. Now that you are part of my armada, I will decide what course of action is best. I do not make decisions by committee.”

  “But this isn’t a formal debrief,” Holden said. “I think you’ve humiliated us long enough.”

  “The only person responsible for your humiliation is yourself, Admiral. You’ve left me with one hell of a mess here.”

  “I disagree,” Vice Admiral Duncan said. “A new, aggressive species has been discovered, and we now have options. I have the bodies of three aliens onboard the Charlemagne along with their space craft. The main vessel may not be intact, but it will still be incredibly useful for study by our scientists.”

  “There’s no way to get it back to the Sol system,” Rear Admiral Chancy sneered. “No ship could tow such a large vessel through hyperspace.”

  “No, but the Alrakis ship yards might just be the perfect place to study the alien craft. Our scientists can stay here and utilize the resources on the space station. The ship yards won’t be able to resume work until a new foundry is built or brought in. During the interim our people can study the wreckage.”

  “An intact ship would have been vastly more beneficial,” Chancy said.

  “Like you said, Rear Admiral, sir,” Holden said, back in his haughty tone, “we’re a military service. Destroying things is what we do.”

  “Don’t get cute with me, Admiral.”

  “Why not, you’ve already passed judgment on me,” he said standing up from the table. “I’m an admiral without a ship, and like you so clearly expressed, my time in this service is coming to a swift end. But before I go, I will say that you, sir, are an ass of the highest order.”

  “You old fool,” Chancy snarled.

  “Permission to take the admiral into custody,” the smug Recon officer said as he jumped to his feet in outrage.

  “No!” RA Chancy said. “Escort the disgraced admiral off our ship. Officers of the Roosevelt will report to the Charlemagne for transport back to the Sol system. Vice Admiral Duncan, your little ship is not needed in our armada.”