Modulus Echo Read online

  Modulus Echo

  Kestrel Class Saga

  Book 4

  by

  Toby Neighbors

  Modulus Echo: Kestrel Class Book 4

  © 2019, 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 Ritchelle Buensuceso

  Books By Toby Neighbors

  Avondale Series

  Avondale

  Draggah

  Balestone

  Arcanius

  Avondale V

  The Five Kingdoms Series

  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

  The Lorik Trilogy

  Lorik

  Lorik the Defender

  Lorik the Protector

  Orion Porter Books

  Spartan Company

  Spartan Valor

  Spartan Guile

  The Marshyle Stories

  The Vault Of Mysteries

  Lords Of Ascension

  The Elusive Executioner

  Regulators Revealed

  Wolfpack Series

  We Are The Wolf

  Welcome To The Wolfpack

  Embracing Oblivion

  Joined In Battle

  The Abyss Of Savagery

  DT7

  Dragon Team Seven

  Uncommon Loyalty

  Total Allegiance

  Kestrel Class Saga

  Kestrel Class

  Jump Point

  Gravity Flux

  Modulus Echo

  Other Books

  Charter

  Jack & Roxie

  Third Prince

  Royal Destiny

  The Other Side

  The New World

  Zompocalypse Omnibus

  My Lady Sorceress

  The Man With No Hands

  ARC Angel

  Battle ARC

  Elder Wizard

  Toby Neighbors Online

  www.TobyNeighbors.com

  GOODREADS

  www.GoodReads.com/TobyNeighbors

  FACEBOOK

  www.Facebook.com/TobyNeighborsAuthor

  INSTAGRAM

  Instagram @TobyTheWriter

  TWITTER

  On Twitter @TobyNeighbors

  

  Prologue

  In space, even a battlefield littered with debris can be beautiful. The Celeste system was a dynamic place. The yellow sun filled the system with a dazzling golden light. Gershwin Major was idyllic in every way, with lush flora and pristine water. There was no industry on the royal family’s home world. It was truly their playground. The citizens on Gershwin Major spent their days working to make the planet as perfect as humanly possible. Groundskeepers and gardeners worked daily to keep the world as neatly trimmed and lush as any park. Maintenance personnel ensured that everything was immaculately maintained. Even the city streets were swept daily, and every building was decorated with polished glass and flawless chrome accents.

  There were several exclusive resorts on Gershwin Major, but it took more than money to get a reservation on the royal planet. Only invited guests could book a stay, and the waiting lists were impossibly long. A visit to Gershwin Major was the trip of a lifetime. In reality, the visitors were only allowed on the planet to keep the royal family entertained. What good is wealth if it can’t be flaunted?

  Normally, the royal family didn’t travel in anything short of a Frigate class starship from the Royal Imperium Fleet. But the message to evacuate the planet had insisted on speed, and the only ship available was a commercial vessel. The complaining and grumbling by the royals who were hurried on board by their security personnel was to be expected. The royal family was accustomed to luxury on a level that most people couldn’t imagine. Everything in their lives, from where they lived to how they traveled, was custom built just for them with no expense spared. While they didn’t actually do any ruling, they were the rulers of the entire galaxy. And they never let anyone forget it.

  The ship, Commodore GH497, was a luxury transport with wide aisles, thickly cushioned chairs that reclined, and personal entertainment nodes built into a swiveling, articulated arm so that it could be viewed from any angle. The seats even had privacy pods that descended from the ceiling to give each guest a small cocoon that ensured no one would bother them. Yet all the royal family saw was a public space they could hardly stand to be trapped in.

  While the royals complained, the pilots launched the transport with haste. The ship rose smoothly into the air, a bubble of artificial gravity ensured that no one on board felt the g-forces as they built up enough speed to break free of Gershwin Major’s gravity. Once they reached orbit, the transport began to pull away from the planet, heading for empty space where they could safely jump to hyperspace. Normally, the space around the royal home world was a busy place, with ships bringing goods from all over the galaxy and Fleet vessels drifting past on their way to the massive space station that served as the headquarters for the Royal Imperium’s entire military.

  It was all gone. Every ship that was able had already left the system. Fleet headquarters had been destroyed, and in its place was a glowing ring of dark red fire. The pilots had no idea what they were seeing in the distance, but their orders to get out of the system made it seem clear that the strange portal was not a good sign.

  The crown prince, who fancied himself a pilot, had made his way to the cockpit. He frowned at the austere conditions of the small bridge. The transport was lavish for its passengers, but not the crew. The crown prince leaned over the short pilot seats and looked out the viewports.

  “It is beautiful,” he said. “Look at the way the dust glitters in the light from the sun.”

  The pilots refrained from pointing out that the glitter the crown prince referred to was all that remained of the fleet. The glowing dust was the refuse of the shortest, most one-sided war in the history of the galaxy. More lives had been lost in that single incident than the men flying the transport could imagine, but pointing that out to the prince was not a good idea.

  “What’s that?” Prince Godfred said, pointing to a strange-looking ship that came flying through the sparkling dust that swirled around it.

  “I don’t know, Your Highness,” said the copilot.

  “It’s gaining on us,” the navigator said. “And we’re still four minutes from our jump point.”

  “So recalculate,” Prince Godfred said. “That thing is coming straight at us.”

  “We’re too close to the planet,” the captain said. “This vessel doesn’t have the power to make the jump while we’re in Gershwin’s gravity well.”

  “Intercept in two minutes,” the navigator said.

  “Send them the signal,” the captain barked. “Let them know we have the royal family on board!”

  Prince Godfred began to moan. He sounded like a wounded animal. Fear was an altogether new emotion for him. In all his life, he’d never been told no about anything. He’d never felt threatened, with bodyguards around him to ward off any ill-fated attempt on his life. And he had certainly never taken on a role where his life could have been in danger, not even a ceremonial role withi
n the Royal Imperium Fleet.

  “One minute,” the navigator said. “We’re still too close to the planet to make a jump.”

  “This tub is going to cost us everything if we don’t get out of this system,” the captain snarled. “Give me everything she’s got. Reroute all power to the engines.”

  “Rerouting power now,” the copilot said. “My liege, I suggest you return to your seat and buckle in. We’re going to cut the artificial gravity.”

  “O-okay,” Prince Godfred said as he slowly backed out of the cockpit.

  The area just behind the cockpit was a staging area for the flight attendants to prepare food and drinks for the guests on board the transport. It was small, with tiny jump seats along either bulkhead. The staff was already strapped in. Godfred stumbled past them as if he were drunk and lumbered back into the passenger cabin. There were twelve other members of the royal family seated in the large cabin. No one looked happy, but several were lost in the data pads they carried. Only the queen and the royal mother looked up at him.

  “Godfred, what’s wrong with you?” Queen Ultane asked.

  He didn’t answer, but dropped into a chair and feverishly engaged the auto safety straps.

  “I’m in,” he managed to gasp.

  Almost instantly the lights went out, and the artificial gravity disappeared.

  “Hey,” someone shouted.

  Tiny emergency lights came on illuminating the central aisle. The exit light came on, but the cabin was still gloomy. Then something hit the ship. The clang reverberated through the cabin and was immediately followed by several screams.

  Things only got worse when a warning alarm sounded and an automated voice announced that the hull had been breached. Another thumping impact seemed to come right on top of Prince Godfred. His seat pod suddenly seemed to swell around him as the transport’s safety measure kicked into place. The back of his seat lowered and the footrest extended until Godfred was lying down. His safety harness was tight around his bulging stomach, and the top of the privacy pod lowered over him.

  Each of the seats was sealed off with the passengers safely inside the pods, which had emergency air tanks to keep the small compartments pressurized. The luxury liner had been designed to keep sounds out once the pods were sealed, but Godfred heard more thunderous impacts, followed by a terrible squeal as metal and composite were ripped asunder. The ship shook violently for a moment, then became very still.

  There weren’t many ships left in the system, but the royal home world had dozens of communications satellites and reconnaissance buoys. The alien ship was being watched and recorded as it overtook the transport and sent several spindly looking arms down to latch onto the vessel. Unfortunately, the passenger ship wasn’t strong enough to withstand the sudden force from the alien ship’s grappling arms. The transport snapped in half like a dry twig, with the rear section sent tumbling through space, while the rest of the ship was brought up to the alien vessel’s hull and secured.

  The video footage of the capture, which also included the panicked communications from the pilots on board the lost transport, was picked up by the reconnaissance buoys and uploaded to the Nav Network. While the alien ship slowly turned and began looking for its next target, the news about the destruction of the transport carrying the royal family was being sent out in all directions by the Royal Imperium’s vast and automated communications network.

  Chapter 1

  Ben sat down at the galley table under the stern gaze of Brigadier General Alicia Pershing. He wasn’t sure what to make of her. She wasn’t really a guest, nor was she a prisoner. Anger radiated from her like heat from a star. She was just one person, yet he felt unsafe around her. There was something about the general that made Ben feel like the entire ship and crew were in danger. Yet she made no threats. She sat quietly, a mug of water on the table in front of her, and watched Ben settle at the table.

  “Your friend is in stable condition,” Ben said, trying not to let his nerves get the better of him. “We don’t have a lot of medical equipment, but she’s being hydrated and her vital signs are all being monitored.”

  “Thank you,” Pershing said.

  Ben took a bite of his food. It was poorly seasoned protein that tasted strangely spicy. He had to sip his water to keep the heat from spreading too quickly in his mouth from the oils of whatever seasoning had been worked into the protein brick when he nuked it in their food processing unit. There wasn’t enough food left to last the crew much longer, and being picky wasn’t an option. So Ben ate what was available and wondered just what to make of their new passenger.

  “Got room for one more?” Kim asked.

  “Shouldn’t you be piloting the ship?” Pershing asked.

  The Royal Imperium officer’s tone was harsh. The general was clearly accustomed to speaking down to her subordinates.”

  “We’re in hyperspace,” Kim said as if she didn’t notice the general’s demeanor. “The computer runs things until we reach our destination.”

  “How long have we got?” Ben asked.

  “Four hours until we reach the Yelsin system,” Kim said as she set her plate of food down next to Ben’s. “What’s the matter, General? Not hungry?”

  “No,” Pershing said.

  “Why don’t you tell us what happened out there?” Kim went on talking, despite the fact that she had just forked a bite of her protein brick into her mouth. “Looks like your ship got captured or something.”

  Pershing shifted on the bench she was sitting on. Her head tilted slightly as she studied Kim another moment. Then her gaze turned to Ben.

  “I would like to know where your shield technology is from,” Pershing said.

  “Trade secret,” Kim said immediately.

  Ben slowly chewed his food and looked at General Pershing, who never took her eyes off him. He shrugged.

  “Look, I’m not sure what to say. We’re just a cargo ship. We just want to be left alone.”

  “It’s too late for that,” Pershing said. “Your little cargo ship just annihilated the Royal Imperium Fleet and opened a portal to what I’m guessing is a different galaxy.”

  “We didn’t mean to do that,” Ben said.

  “You didn’t mean to do what?” Pershing shot back. “Destroy the fleet, or open a door to another galaxy?”

  “You people came after us,” Kim said. “What did you expect us to do? Just surrender and let you carry us off to your torturers? I don’t think so.”

  “Your technology is substantial,” Pershing said. “And while I think you’re guilty of murdering thousands of innocent people in the Celeste system, I don’t have time to worry about that. I need to know how your shielding works and what type of weapon you used against the fleet.”

  “It wasn’t a weapon,” Ben said.

  “And yet it seems to have destroyed our fleet. If this was just a battle between the rebels and the Royal Imperium, I would simply kill your crew and take over your vessel, but now an even greater threat is at hand.”

  “A greater threat than the tyrannical Royal Imperium?” Kim said.

  “Sarcasm is not helpful,” Pershing snapped.

  “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not too interested in helping you or your friends in the Fleet who have been trying to kill us,” Kim replied angrily. “Who do you think you are coming in here and threatening us? We saved your life, lady. Don’t forget that. If not for us, you’d be dead, okay? So back off, slow down, and show a little respect.”

  “You really have no idea what you’ve done,” Pershing said with just a hint of a smile. “I know every type of ship in this galaxy, from Royal Imperium battlecruisers, down to antique cargo vessels like this Kestrel class ship. You may not like the Royal Imperium, but we do have a grasp on what goes on in the galaxy, which means the ships we saw on the other side of that portal are not ours. And by that, I mean not human.”

  “You really expect us to just take you at your word?” Kim asked.

  “What do
I have to gain by lying?” Pershing replied.

  “Who are you?” Ben asked.

  “I’m Brigadier General Alicia Pershing, head of all Royal Imperium Special Operations.”

  “And what’s in the Yelsin system?”

  “Yelsin Prime is the headquarters and training facility for the Royal Imperium Military Special Forces.”

  “Great,” Kim said. “That’s where we’re going? I can’t believe this.”

  “All we want to do is transfer you and your friend off our ship and move on,” Ben said.

  “And what will you do then, Ben Griminski?” Pershing said.

  Ben’s mouth opened in surprise. Kim looked at him but he didn’t meet her gaze. It seemed impossible that Pershing could know who he was. Yet she had just said his name, which made him wonder what else she knew.

  “You’re down to your last protein bricks and judging from this water,” Pershing said, looking down at her mug, “things are getting dicey on this ship. You may have struck a blow for the rebellion, but there’s still a bounty on your head and on this ship. No one is going to help you... except for me.”

  “It’s a trap,” Kim said loudly. “I don’t know what she’s doing, but it’s a trap. I know it.”

  “Calm down,” Ben said quietly.

  Pershing looked at him again and Ben could see something in the general’s eyes. It was as if she were looking through him.

  “Let me tell you what is going to happen when we reach the Yelsin system,” Pershing said. “I’d bet my life that word of your attack has already reached the base there. Worse yet, I’m betting that something else has come through that portal looking for a fight. We’ll know for sure in a few hours, but here’s what I know right now. If we don’t come together, and I mean those of us on this ship and across the galaxy, we’re going to be conquered and enslaved by whatever aliens you introduced to us through that portal.”