Gravity Flux: Kestrel Class Saga Book 3 Read online

  Gravity Flux

  Kestrel Class Saga

  Book 3

  By

  Toby Neighbors

  Gravity Flux: Kestrel Class Book 3

  © 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

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  Prologue

  Admiral General Terrance Volgate stood up and turned his back on his cabinet of military officers. The room was full of high-ranking officials, their aids, underlings, assistants, and advisors. The Royal Imperium was a thriving cauldron of backstabbing political hacks, appointed to positions of power within the Imperium military that they had no experience or abilities in. His two immediate subordinates were present, along with Brigadier General Pershing, who was head of Special Operations. They had just watched the video of their battle cruiser, the Indomitable, fall victim to a well-laid rebellion ambush in the Bannyan system. Volgate was so angry, he had to stop himself from launching into a screaming fit of rage.

  He took a deep, cleansing breath as he turned back around to face his cabinet. Fleet Admiral Merick looked pale. In the last week, he had managed to lose two capital ships and he knew his neck was on the chopping block. If something didn’t happen soon, he would surely lose his head. Nearby, Major General Evander looked smug. He had lost soldiers on both of the capital ships the fledgling rebellion had managed to destroy, but for the moment, the pressure was not on him, and he was enjoying the reprieve.

  “This,” Volgate said, “is much more than merely unacceptable. This video is being broadcast on every system network in the galaxy. It makes us look like incompetent fools.”

  “We have agents in every system disputing the validity of the video,” Merick said.

  “Which means nothing,” Volgate growled once more, close to losing his cool in front of his subordinates. “Perception is reality. People believe these terrorists in an old Kestrel class ship have gotten the best of us.”

  “Surely it’s not the same ship,” Major General Evander said. “It’s impossible to survive a black hole. This isn’t some science-fiction movie.”

  “And yet,” Volgate sneered, “there are rumors that a Kestrel class ship did just that. Whether this is the same ship or not doesn’t matter. The Confederates have upped their game. They have won the battle of public opinion. I hope that none of you feel safely insulated from the danger happening out there.”

  The admiral general pointed to a large view screen that mimicked a window. They were in space, beyond the orbit of Gershwin Major in the Celestial system, home of the royal family. The Imperium Fleet base was really a series of space stations, surrounded by refitting and refueling modules for capital ships between missions. The chiefs of staff were far from the exterior, protected deep inside a station with massive shielding that was thought to be indestructible, but the admiral general got his point across.

  “Our fate hangs in the balance,” Volgate continued. “If we do not repair the damage done by the Confederacy, the royal family will require more than resignations. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Absolutely,” Major General Evander said confidently.

  “Yes, sir,” the fleet admiral replied with far less enthusiasm.

  “General Pershing?” Volgate said, fixing her with an icy stare. “What are you doing to find these rebels?”

  The brigadier general stepped forward without any sign of fear. She was thin, but muscular in her tight-fitting uniform with only a few strategically chosen ribbons to highlight her accomplishments. Unlike the other officers in the room who wore every medal, ribbon, and operational patch they could fit onto their stiff dress uniforms, Pershing preferred function over form. Volgate knew she was ready for combat and would face a threat head on, while the others hid behind the rank and file they commanded.

  “We have intelligence operatives at work across the galaxy,” Pershing said. “Finding this ship and her crew has become our top priority.”

  “I don’t want them assassinated,” Volgate warned her. “No black ops hit team is to touch them. Find them, then we’ll bring in the big ships and make a show of crushing them and any rebel ships stupid enough to come to her aid. I want it filmed, the destruction of the Kestrel class ship highlighted and seen from multiple angles. There can’t be any doubt that we have destroyed this insignificant ship. I want to send a message across the galaxy. Anyone who challenges the Imperium Fleet will be completely and utterly destroyed.”

  “As you wish, Admiral General,” Pershing said in a quiet voice.

  “These Confederates have gone too far,” Volgate went on, lecturing the entire room. “We’ve given them too much quarter. That stops now. I want rebel forces on every world from the galactic core to the outer arms crushed completely. I want blockade runners and smugglers caught, questioned, and then publicly executed.”

  “Should we put out a reward on their ship?” Fleet Admiral Merick asked. “There’s no honor among thieves, they’ll turn on each other for enough credits.”

  “No,” Volgate said. “I don’t want to push them under the radar.”

  “If they feel comfortable,�
�� Pershing said quietly, “they’ll make a mistake and my people will find them.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Volgate said. “The Confederacy will try to hide them. We must act as if they are nothing but a momentary nuisance. I want a reaction from the Imperium. We don’t speak to the press about these rebels or the video. The official stance is that it is a fake, we’ve lost no ships, and the rebellion is desperate.”

  “So we lie,” Major General Evander said, more to emphasize his rival in the Fleet’s embarrassment than anything else.

  “We toe the line,” Volgate said. “And if there are leaks, we will do an internal audit of every division until we find out who is talking. And believe me, if that happens, heads will roll regardless of rank, political affiliation, or royal connections.”

  The threat was clear, but it didn’t make Volgate feel any better. He wanted to hurt someone, to punctuate his orders with a demonstration of his ability to make his fellow officers bleed. But, despite his instincts, he knew that for the moment, he couldn’t let anyone see how desperate he actually felt. No ship of the line had been lost since the Great War, and suddenly two were destroyed by vastly inferior forces. It sent a shiver of fear down his spine to think that whatever the truth actually was, there was still a tiny possibility that a single ship had destroyed two of the Imperium’s finest war vessels. There was no chance that even if every Confederate ship was manned with military geniuses that they could defeat the Royal Imperium. Still, doubt lingered in the admiral general’s mind and it stank of fear. Finding this Kestrel class ship had to be done soon, or else no one was safe.

  Chapter 1

  Ben walked through the door and saw Kim waiting for him with Magnum at a small table in a dark corner of the seedy bar. They had been in Tortuga Station for three days and so far they had met only outlaws and marooned spacers addicted to strong drink and space ice cooked up by a group of degenerate drug dealers somewhere in the bowels of the space station.

  He made his way past the metal bar, dented and scarred by a hundred fights. There were even scorch marks from laser pistol fire. Ben ignored the surly-looking bartender and joined his friends.

  “Anything?” Kim asked.

  “No,” Ben said. “Nance is still manning the bridge, but she hasn’t heard a thing. Maybe we’re wasting our time here.”

  “At least no one is rushing to turn us in to the Royal Imperium,” Kim said.

  “They haven’t posted a reward yet,” Magnum pointed out.

  Ben knew it was only a matter of time and they would be exiles. Video of the battle cruiser they had destroyed in the Bannyan system was spreading like wildfire through a dense forest after a long drought. The Imperium denied the loss, just as they denied the rumors of their cruiser that was lost chasing the Modulus Echo into a black hole. But soon, the ship associated with both attacks on the mighty Imperium would be the most wanted vessel in the galaxy. Ben considered doing something about the ship, perhaps adding some custom enhancements that would change her lines and make her less recognizable. But he had no money for the equipment, and unlike Torrent Four, the planet of junk where Ben could scavenge for what he needed, they were stuck on Tortuga Station, which was completely off the galactic grid. Which was to say, it was an outlaw station—a grungy, decrepit old station that Ben was certain had been abandoned long ago. How the proprietors had managed to salvage the place was baffling to Ben, which was something, considering he’d lived most of his life in a world where everything was built of old junk.

  “When they do, we’ll have to be more careful,” Ben said.

  “You really think they will?” Kim asked. “Offer a reward, I mean.”

  “In time,” Ben said. “I’d guess right now they’re sending out top priority orders to bring us in. When that doesn’t work, they’ll offer a reward. Maybe not publicly, but they know how things work under the radar. Spread a few credits around and word of a reward will spread faster than the video of the Battle at Bannyan Seven.”

  “Wonderful,” Kim said. “So tell me why we’re even considering working for the Confederacy after they’ve set us up to be their patsies.”

  “Where else are we going to go?” Ben asked, sniffing suspiciously at his drink. The mug was dirty, he was sure of that, but the drink inside smelled strong enough to kill any bacteria that might be lurking on the unwashed tankard.

  “Why not Genovisi Shipyards?” Kim asked. “They treated us like heroes.”

  “It’s too big,” Magnum said.

  “And too public,” Ben added. “I suspect the Imperium has spies watching for us there.”

  “And they didn’t before?” Kim asked.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Ben said. “The point is, until this story about us blowing up a battle cruiser dies down, we shouldn’t be seen.”

  “That’s impossible,” Kim said. “And why would we trust a bunch of outlaws? You know every soul on this station would give their left arm for a few credits. They’ll turn us in just in hopes of getting a pardon, or enough credits to get off this floating junkyard.”

  “Which is why they jam all incoming and outgoing transmissions,” Ben said.

  “Sure, that’s what they tell you,” Kim said.

  “Places like this exist off the grid, catering to people who are wanted for crimes,” Ben said. “It’s in their best interest to keep our presence here a secret.”

  “They don’t want the Imperium to know about this place,” Magnum said.

  “It’s a bridge we’re counting on the clientele not burning,” Ben said. “They rat on us, the Imperium will slag this place in a heartbeat.”

  “So we’re just destined to slum it for the rest of our lives?” Kim asked. “I think maybe I’d rather be dead.”

  “Things will cool down,” Ben said. “The Confederacy will give the Royal Imperium plenty to worry about, and we’ll be forgotten before long.”

  “You have way more faith in the rebs than I do,” Kim said.

  “The search for us will put pressure on their networks,” Ben said. “It has to. The Imperium will think they’re hiding us.”

  “Which means they’ll be scrambling to stay hidden, not striking back or causing more trouble.”

  “We’ll see,” Ben said as Magnum nudged him under the table.

  Ben looked up to see a man with wild gray hair sticking up in every direction, looking around the dark interior of the bar. He had a valise under one arm and an old backpack slung over his shoulders.

  “That’s him,” Magnum said.

  “Who? That crazy guy?” Kim said. “He looks homeless.”

  “He is homeless,” Ben said. “This place isn’t a home.”

  “You know what I mean,” Kim said. “He looks like a bum.”

  “But not a wino,” Ben said. “Or an icehead.”

  Ben waved at the empty seat at their table in an inviting gesture. The wild-haired man looked around suspiciously, then hurried over to where they sat.

  “Would you care for a drink?” Ben asked.

  “Not from this place,” the man said. “I’d rather drink paint thinner.”

  “He’s smarter than he looks,” Kim said, taking a sip from her mug.

  “Are you my ride out of here?” the man with the wild hair asked.

  “That depends,” Ben said. “What’s your name?”

  “I’m sometimes called The Professor, or even The Wizard,” the crazy-looking man said. “But my given name is Forrest Remington Jones.”

  Chapter 2

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Jones,” Ben said.

  “Why do they call you professor?” Kim asked.

  “Because I once held PhD’s in both physics and engineering from the Royal Academy of Science,” Jones said. “Before I was ostracized and my degrees were stripped from me. Are you planning to drink that?”

  “No,” Ben said.

  “Good, I don’t trust pilots who drink.”

  Kim smiled and took a sip of her own drink. Ben saw the strain on her
face as she forced herself not to grimace.

  “Where are we taking you?” Ben asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Jones said. “My contact said you knew someone claiming to have flown through a black hole. I doubt that’s true, but in any case, my research requires that I meet these people and study their ship.”

  “Oh, this is going to be a fun trip,” Kim said.

  “Alright, Mr. Jones,” Ben said. “Have you got luggage?”

  “Everything I need in the world is right here in my satchel,” the professor said, patting an old-fashioned shoulder bag, which he wore over his neck.

  “Good, let’s get out of here,” Ben said.

  They got up as a group and headed toward the door. The barkeep watched them without saying a word until they were gone from sight, then he picked up a handheld com-link and activated it.

  “They’re on the move,” he said in a quiet voice. “Going back to their ship.”

  Ben led the way. He didn’t like Tortuga Station. Everything about the place had a secondhand feeling to it, and desperation was in the air like a thick fog. He had yet to meet anyone on the outlaw space station that didn’t look like they would kill him without hesitation for the right price. Going into dangerous places was never fun, but Ben felt confident he could look out for himself. He was armed, after all, and he was rarely alone. What he really hated was having his ship at a station filled with desperate outlaws, many of whom would gladly slice his throat if they thought they could get onto the Modulus Echo and escape in the Kestrel class ship.

  The space station was made up of mazelike, mismatched corridors from the old space modules that had been cobbled together to create a flotilla of junk. Ben had quickly memorized the way back to his ship from several points, so that he felt confident he wouldn’t get lost for long in the station, even if they ran into trouble. When they turned the last corner to the docking arm that led to the Echo, trouble was waiting for them.