Bismarck book 3 in trium.., p.1
Bismarck: Book 3 in Triumph Fleet Series, page 1
BISMARCK
BOOK 3 IN TRIUMPH FLEET SERIES
WES ALLEN
For Terry. A true friend and brother.
Copyright © 2023 by Wes Allen
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
A Kind Request
Just Saying …
About the Author
1
Outside Jesloden’s Atmosphere
The Tarawa was quickly closing in on Jesloden’s atmosphere. Renson handed the controls over to Polino, and he met up with Admiral Klein in the officer’s quarters. There were a few senior officers reclining on the white, soft leather chairs that sat on the far edge of the spacious room. As soon as Renson and Klein walked in, they excused themselves.
Renson waved his hand out to the empty chair, and Klein took a seat. Renson opened the well-stocked fridge and grabbed a bottle of root beer, a treat he rarely indulged in. He cracked the bottle open and slowly sniffed the sweet drink.
He sat down next to Klein. “It’s great to see you, sir. I don’t even know where to start, but I would love to know what’s going on back home,” Renson said.
“No, you really don’t want to know. The Mimic have completely taken over. They have control over the air, land, and sea. Our people are being sold off into slavery, and those are the lucky ones. The others are being tortured and killed. There’s not much left to Earth, and we don’t have a lot in the way of defense anymore either. In my opinion, the only hope of survival is in these outer colonies. Maybe one day we can regroup out here and come back to fight another day, but that’s a longshot at this point.” Klein took a deep breath and fidgeted in his seat.
“Sir, there is a ton of uncertainty with where we’re going. These outer colonies have clearly been infiltrated by the Mimic. We haven’t had time to set up DNA testing. These roaches sure knew what they were doing.”
“You have my full trust. Renson, you are the best we have, and you’ve served us well. I’m sure we’ll be able to handle whatever awaits us on Jesloden.” Klein got up and poured a steaming cup of coffee, then continued. “I should tell you that I don’t think all Mimic are bad. In fact, the woman I came on board with, she’s actually one of them.”
“You mean Rachel? The woman you’ve had the hots for since you left Sanoff headquarters? Man, I really have missed a lot, haven’t I?” Renson stood up and looked outside through the large octagonal window into the pitch dark. “Do you really think you can trust her, sir?”
“As much as I can trust anyone.”
Klein joined Renson. The two peered out the window, admiring the Earthlike blue sky that met them as they descended through Jesloden’s atmosphere.
“I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about this planet,” Klein said.
“Don’t believe everything you hear. I don’t have time to get into it right now, but let’s just say that not everything is as it seems here.”
A thunderous boom rang out from the port side of the Tarawa. Klein screamed out as his right knee twisted when Renson fell back against it. The ship’s main power source went out, and the generator lights immediately kicked on.
Renson hurried back to the bridge, stumbling through debris, trying to see through the dust quickly filling the hallways. When he arrived, Polino was still trying to find her way to the controls.
“You all right?” Renson asked as he carried her back to the XO’s seat.
“I’m fine. Which I’m sure is more than I can say for the ship.”
Renson managed his way to the controls and stared at the monitor. There was no activity on the screen to blame it on. He stared blankly at Polino, and then the Tarawa suddenly went into a nosedive. Renson did his best to focus as the incessant sound of blaring sirens made it difficult.
“Buckle up!” Renson yelled back at Polino, who had a death grip on the chair’s metal side bars. He fought to gain control as the massive ship hurled toward Jesloden’s surface.
Renson struggled to catch his breath as the ship’s free fall accelerated. He could see the ground rapidly approaching. Then the Tarawa finally responded, and Renson slowly managed to get the ship steady and ascended further up in the atmosphere.
Polino eased her grip on the sidebars and hollered, “Where’s that coming from?”
“I’m sure it’s our friends down below. I guess they don’t care about ole Commissioner Selano as much as I thought they did.”
“I wonder if they’d be firing at us if they knew we had their commander on board,” Polino said.
Klein walked on the bridge, and Rachel followed. Klein asked, “What’s the damage assessment?”
“No idea yet, sir. I’ll be honest, I’m seriously considering dropping a few kilotons on those precious lil’ Mimic!” Renson looked at Rachel and then smiled. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being a Mimic.”
Rachel returned the smile. “You don’t have to apologize. Not all Mimic are bad. But just for the record, the actual name of our planet is Modran.”
“We can continue the conversation later, but we’d better get a plan of attack together.” Klein scratched his eyes as the ubiquitous dust got to him, then stared intently at Renson. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Slayers?” Renson replied.
Klein flashed a nasty grin. “Unleash hell on them.”
2
Inside Jesloden’s Atmosphere
Renson peeked his head into the infirmary and said, “Doc, do you mind if I get a word with our favorite patient?”
Volarv was sitting up on the exam table with saline running through his right antecubital vein. “I tried to get out of here when we got hit, but he wouldn’t let me.” He pointed at Dr. Hernandez, who had just left the office on his way to triage those injured in the missile attack. “What are we looking at?”
“First of all, are you okay?” Renson looked at the Slayer Commander with obvious reservation. “You’ve been through a lot.”
Volarv did his best to raise his arms in the air, flexing his biceps. “Good as new, Cap. It’s amazing what a little IV hydration can do for the spirits. How can I help?”
“I just want to get your thoughts on this. That crash you heard earlier was a missile attack from the Mimic down on Jesloden. I have no reason to believe they’re going to relent. As soon as we’re in striking distance, they’ll hit us again. The only option we really have is to unleash the Slayers on them. I don’t know that we need more than one. Everyone on your squad is top-notch, but I’m wondering if you have any specific recommendations.”
“Yeah, I have someone in mind. You’re staring straight at him.” Volarv attempted to get up, but he stumbled briefly.
“Not a chance! You and I both know you’re not the best option in this condition. If you were healthy, I wouldn’t think twice, but that’s out of the question. So, who do you recommend?”
Volarv set his jaw. “Just give me a chance. If I get into the cockpit and I’m anything but 100 percent, I’ll switch out. But I’m the best you’ve got. You know that. Give me the benefit of the doubt here.”
Renson shook his head, disgusted with himself, as he always had a hard time saying no to those he cared about. “Man, this is against my better judgment.” He waved his hand. “Go get ’em!”
Volarv didn’t say another word. He pulled the IV out, quickly threw a dressing on the site, and then ran down to the hangar.
Renson’s radio went off as soon as he stepped out the infirmary door on his way back to the bridge.
“We’ve got some serious problems port side.” Chief Wei was known for being calm in the most chaotic circumstances, so Renson knew it wasn’t good by the sound of the engineer’s pressured tone.
“How bad is it?” Renson asked.
“We have to put this bird down as quickly as possible. There’s no way we can stay up w ith such enormous structural damage. We are literally going to nosedive at any moment.” Wei stopped to take a deep breath. “This isn’t one of those situations where I can pull out some bubblegum and Band-Aids to fix the problem. You need to take us down right now.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury. If we get anywhere near that place, they’re going to bomb us into obliteration.”
“Cap, we don’t have the luxury of staying in the air.”
Wei ended the conversation with those last words just as Dr. Hernandez walked onto the bridge.
“We got lucky, Cap. There should’ve been casualties.”
Renson inhaled deeply and then slowly let it out. “Glad to hear it, Doc.”
Renson handed control of the Tarawa over to Polino and left for the Slayer hangar. The massive starship flew slowly, high above Jesloden’s western border.
He approached the launch tube, where Volarv was going through a last-minute checklist.
The lieutenant lifted the cockpit window and hollered, “Ruuuahh, Cap. I’m ready to unleash fury on those maggots!”
“You sure about this?”
“Absolutely.” Volarv beat on his chest repeatedly, adrenaline screaming through his veins.
“Okay, you’re going to clear that runway and any visible threat within striking distance. Just leave the airstrip intact for the Tarawa to land.” Renson gave him a strong pat on his right shoulder as he said it.
“On it, Cap. I’ll see you down there.” Volarv closed the cockpit window, and minutes later, the launch tube engaged, sending Volarv out into Jesloden’s soft blue sky.
Klein had just finished talking on the bridge comm line when Renson walked back on deck.
“Anything I need to know about, sir?” Renson asked.
“The only other fleet starship in the Blaron galaxy is the Bismarck. I asked Captain Foster to leave Ardath and start heading over here to Jesloden.” Klein had his arms folded as he paced the front end of the bridge.
“How’s everything going over on the other colonies? Ardath holding up, or any report of Mimic over there?”
“Foster has his suspicions, but no tangible evidence of the enemy.”
Renson looked over at Rachel, who was listening in as she sat at the back of the bridge. “Do you have any information that could help us? I’m just curious if they stated their plans for the outer colonies.”
“I was kept out of the loop on a lot of things. Mason Kelly liked to keep a tight lid on those matters,” Rachel said.
“Kelly? Isn’t that the bigwig over at Sanof?” Renson asked.
Klein jumped in. “We have a lot of catching up to do. Let’s just say Sanof no longer exists. I’ll fill you in later on our dear friend Mason Kelly.”
Their conversation was interrupted as Volarv’s thick Russian accent suddenly boomed over the bridge comm line.
“Cap, I just finished a few flyovers, and I’m not seeing anything. Not even a hint of Mimic artillery.”
Renson shook his head. “Keep an eye out, and let me know if you get a tally.”
“Okay, for now, just a lush green landscape with gorgeous foothills in the distance. This place looks amazing.”
“Let’s do the tour guide thing later. I’m more concerned about those crafty Mimic.” Renson caught Rachel looking at him. “I mean Modranites.”
Volarv signed off, but only minutes later, he called back in.
“I’ve been hit from a southeast position up in those hills! Cap, I’m going to have to bail. Keep an eye on the surrounding hills—”
The comm line went eerily silent.
3
Jesloden
Renson walked into the large cafeteria, where Stubby and the ragtag security team from eastern Jesloden were hanging out.
“I hope you guys are all well rested and ready to go. I’m pretty sure we’re going to see some action as soon as we get off the ship” he told them.
“Perfect! Nothing like an opportunity to crack some Mimic skulls!” Stubby’s face turned tomato red at the thought of his sworn enemy.
Renson smirked. “I thought you would rejoice over the news. We should be landing soon. Just waiting to see what our Slayer fighters can do.”
Einstein hovered over the two while the rest of the easterners stayed lounging across the cafeteria. He began pacing, making nervous groans that couldn’t be ignored by anyone standing close by.
He finally interjected, “What was that loud boom we felt earlier? I kept asking your crew, but nobody would give me a straight answer. They’re shooting at us from down below, aren’t they?”
Renson nodded. “Yes. I thought you all knew that. Sorry, it’s a little crazy around here now, and I haven’t even checked on the status of those Mimic we have locked up downstairs. I just want to get us down on the ground safely, and then we’ll sort everything out. You guys just need to be ready to provide some muscle. I’ll have the Tarawa security pass out weapons to everyone.”
“You do realize what you’re up against, don’t you?” Einstein took his Coke-bottle glasses off as he asked the question.
Renson always had time for sarcasm. As he was walking out the door, he hollered over his right shoulder, “Tell me later, Einstein. I’d love to hear it.”
Polino, still on the bridge, listened in as the lead Slayer pilot called the bridge.
“No spikes or tallies in sight. Will continue to scout.” Lieutenant Brown was a longtime understudy of Volarv’s. He was just as capable a pilot, and the recent loss of his mentor made the man more determined than ever to stop this persistent enemy.
Renson overheard the conversation as he walked onto the bridge. He grabbed a hold of the comm line and said, “Lieutenant, watch the southeastern hills, and keep focused out there. Keep me on the line. I want the play-by-play.”
Those on the bridge listened in as the new Slayer commander led the crew of twelve around the valley that held the airport and a large part of western Jesloden. Brown had the other pilots soaring back and forth, high above the thick cloud cover, while he rode low, tearing through the valley.
The dialogue between the pilots was interrupted by Chief Wei’s call to the bridge emergency line. “Cap, are you getting any warning lights up there?”
“Nothing, all running fine. What are you seeing?” Renson asked.
“We’re losing pressure. Quickly. You have to land the bird now!” Wei yelled.
Renson looked over at Polino and then toward the back of the bridge where Klein was seated.
“Okay, everyone, it’s time to go down. Buckle up and be ready for anything,” Renson shouted. “Lieutenant, I’m going to need you to stay on patrol, and light up those hills if anything moves. We’re coming down, emergency landing,” he called over the comm line.
“Sir, I just spotted some movement on the outer edge of the hills. What would you like us to do?”
“They may have taken Volarv captive, and he very well could be in that area. But we can’t risk everyone on the ship for one life. Go ahead and light ’em up,” Renson said, then began a descent toward the western airport.
Renson and those on the bridge watched through the window as the hills in the distance became a massive conflagration.
“Please tell me Volarv wasn’t in there.” Polino had her hands over her face.
“I hope not. But we need to focus on the mission at hand. Everybody make sure they have a weapon. We’ll be landing in a few minutes,” Renson said.
