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  When the plan for the arrival of Tyrel's fleet had been changed, the nine Buccaneer t-boats had been joined by the twelve from Tyrel's fleet. By design, the boats had been given very strong engines that would enable the ships to outrun most ships in the Imperial fleet and everything the Lizards had. There was simply no way for those five ships to outrun the torpedo boats. However, the destroyers were also much better armed and had stronger armor and shields. It might be possible for them to hold off the torpedoes long enough to make the jump.

  The jump point was also much further in-system than where the fleet had arrived. The ships had to remain close together or the torpedo boats would quickly destroy them individually. However, as soon as they got into a defensive formation, the boats knew which one was their target. They attacked mercilessly and relentlessly.

  Far behind the running battle, the capitol ships of Tyrel's fleet burst through the asteroid belt and joined forces with Oldstone's remaining forces. When the battleships and dreadnoughts took the field, the Lizards knew the battle was over. In a surprising move, the super-destroyers began firing high-yield missiles into the asteroid belt, obviously missing the defenders and the ships those missiles had been designed for.

  The tactic confused both Admirals until those missiles detonated; dislodging several very large main belt asteroids and millions of smaller asteroids from their orbits and hurtling them through the system. Oldstone frantically called for the immediate reactivation of the mining ships as well as any and all fighter squadrons in the inner system to intercept them.

  The two Admirals focused their fleets and concentrated all their massive firepower on destroying the remaining enemy ships. Within twenty minutes, none of the enemy ships remained intact. Tyrel ordered five cruisers to remain on station, but the rest of the fleet, as well as the Buccaneers, moved as quickly as they could to stop the disaster the Lizards had unleashed. Oldstone requested Tyrel send one battleship out after the torpedo boats to render aid if they could.

  Tyrel agreed and one of the big ships quickly moved away from the rest of the fleet and jumped, the timing of events would put their arrival very close to the jump of the destroyers.

  Office of King Bedouin

  Tower of Government

  Stardock City

  7 Dec. 10267 CE (AD)

  Terra, Sol System

  Aegis Terra had been the closest major defensive system when the missiles blew a section of the asteroid belt apart. Admiral Coir, who had adopted the fortress as his base of operations, moved the big station into the center of the path of inbound objects and set his gunners as the last line of defense against the asteroids.

  The big mining ships that could reach it were already involved in stopping the largest of the asteroids. There were also five squadrons of cadet fighter pilots arriving from Earth and the moon in fighters to do what they could. Some of the asteroids were simply too big for the mining ships to deal with in the time they had. These rocks were targeted for destruction by the fighters and other ships working on this event.

  Mars had not been spared and had already been though the worst of the bombardment. Luckily, the colony had not been directly under it when it began. As it was, they had taken damage, but it had been very minor. The shelters that had been built had worked very well, and only five people lost their lives on Mars; three guards and two engineers that had been trying to maintain the defensive shields when the generators overloaded and blew up, killing them. Their actions had saved the colony from at least three direct strikes that would have destroyed some of the shelters.

  Two of the ship facilities were in the path of the 'storm', but their shields had been strong enough to repel the smaller asteroids that would have damaged the stations. The remaining 'Mercy' ships that had been at Terra had temporarily moved to the Centauri system just before the attack had begun.

  Fourteen of the main belt asteroids that had been large enough to receive designations from NASA before the fall, had been knocked loose by the explosions. Four of them would have impacted Earth if they had not either been diverted or destroyed before they arrived. Much of the debris had been stopped by the efforts of the fleets and of defense command, but still enough remained that Earth got a very impressive show that lasted for three days and two nights. Some of the larger asteroids did make it through the atmosphere to strike the planet. A few even caused relatively minor damage to structures and one city.

  All in all, the defense of the system had been a success. The Lizard fleet had been destroyed, and no citizens had been captured. There had also been very few civilian deaths, those being engineers during the attack and rescue personnel afterward working to free a damaged shelter exit on Pacifica.

  However, military losses had been worse. Thirteen hundred crew members had been lost, and sixteen ships were either destroyed or damaged so badly that they were little more than salvage. They had all been the smaller ships, but the loss was still bad in Ben's opinion. None of the Buccaneers' ships had escaped damage of some type. Even Admiral Oldstone's battleship had lost an engine when a shield generator failed. Four thousand crewmen had been wounded in some form, but at least most of them would heal and return to duty. Some would be retired because of their injuries.

  Ben looked at the people assembled in his office. "Okay, tell me what happened with the destroyers making a run for it."

  Oldstone nodded. "As you know Highness, five Lizard destroyers attempted to flee the system in what we believe to be an effort to return intelligence to the Lizard command. When they broke from the rest of the fleet we had twenty-one torpedo boats between them and freedom. It was a close thing. Destroyers are built to absorb damage and they did so very well, even after their shields were gone, they continued to take hit after hit with no apparent loss of over-all function.

  "Our captains in the boats focused their attention on the center destroyer since the other four were fully involved in defense." He paused. "We lost five of our t-boats, and three of Tyrels' destroying that ship. Our remaining boats continued to hammer the enemy until finally only one remained. The problem was that time had run out. If they had gotten the course plotted for the jump before we destroyed it, the last ship would be able to get away. Our ships reported it was about to do just that when the Battleship Br'asslint dropped from hyperspace right in its path. The Battleship did get her shields up before impact, but the destroyer had no shields. The destroyer hit the battleship just astern of the missile magazine and above the keel. The reactors and engines on the battleship immediately shut down to prevent more damage, but the destroyer had already initiated it's jump engines. They overloaded and detonated," Oldstone finished.

  Admiral Tyrel picked it up from there. "The detonation of the Lizard hyperdrive engines detonated the reactor and from there it was a chain reaction. That blew the Br'asslint in half. At this point I would say that if not for the new duty armor created by your people, Highness. We would have lost the entire crew of the battleship, and not just the poor souls we did lose. It is also because of the AI and control systems installed here that a breathable atmosphere was restored quickly enough for the wounded to survive and be treated."

  He paused. "As for the enemy, their ship was destroyed completely with no survivors. However, we do not know if they got their data sent out or not. They had gotten far enough out to break through the jamming we had created for them. We have to assume that they had been successful in that aspect of their mission. To do otherwise, and not to prepare for it, would be foolish."

  Ben sighed but nodded agreement. "Yes, that would be a mistake." He paused. "General Greenwold, Admirals, I have spoken to the Emperor about this. We need you to draw up plans for the ultimate defense of our systems. Assume that the Lizards are going to throw everything they have at us, and they will not be looking to take prisoners.

  "We have to assume that the Lizards are now aware that we are the source of the new technology the Empire has been using to kick their asses. They will be back to stomp on us if they thin
k they can win. They will know the attack will cost them, but they will not have a choice; they will have to destroy us before we can get the Empire fully equipped with the new tech. To that end, Admiral Yolinar will be at your disposal for information and advice."

  Admiral Tyrel stood. "Your Highness, I would speak to you about another matter if I may?"

  "Of course Admiral, would you like to do this in Private?" Ben asked.

  "Thank you Your Highness, but that won't be necessary," Tyrel replied and put his hands behind his back. "The day of the battle was the last day of active service I am allowed under Imperial law. Currently I am on a 'reserve' status while I get my office and affairs in order. While I am honored that you would include me in this planning, I am afraid I cannot do so as a member of the Imperial Navy."

  Ben smiled at him reached up and took off his circlet of office. For those that knew him, it meant he was not speaking as the king at the moment.

  "Please sit down Tyrel," Ben said indicating the Admiral's chair.

  The man looked confused a moment, but did as he was asked. Ben continued. "By removing my crown, it means that I wish to speak as the man, and not as the king. So for now, I am just Ben.

  "In my official capacity, I spoke to Hjoolous as well as Yolinar about you and your retirement. I received permission to ask if you would consider accepting a teaching position at the Academy, as well as that of one of our military advisers. I had a large tract of land set aside for you and your entire family in an area here where you should all be the most comfortable, however that can be changed if you don't like it. Since then, we have done a bit of research on you to make certain we had everything you would need to be comfortable here if you chose to accept. We discovered that your family members have skills we actually have need of.

  "Those of us who slept through the centuries to arrive here, find that we have emerged into a world we know little about," He chuckled. "We don't even understand our own planet as well anymore. Your family’s expertise in marine xenobiology would go a long way in assisting us, especially with all the undersea farming we are now doing. So our offer to you is no longer an offer only of friendship an in honor of your services to us, but more of urgent request for your assistance. Among my people, a flag officer, even after retirement, always retains their title as a matter of tradition. So while yes, you have been officially retired, we will always address you as Admiral out of respect for you.

  "As for including you in this planning, for you it is only a request for you to share your knowledge and experience. Your participation will always be voluntary and no one will ever give you an order, no matter how it's worded. I am also led to believe that you have several other offers to consider, but I ask that you will consider helping us with this issue before making a final decision."

  Tyrel was stunned for a moment, but also looked thoughtful. Slowly he began chuckling. "Ben, I don’t think there is much to consider, actually. If I don't accept your offer, it is likely I will not be welcomed in my own household any longer. You see, my mates, and most of our offspring, have been trying to think of ways to come here to study your oceans. Shortly after the Emperor's announcement of your status in the Empire, there were several broadcasts showing the surface of your planet and the beauty of your vast oceans. I believe they are very interested in coming here. As for myself, your offer sounds far and away the most enjoyable of the offers, as well as the most satisfying. I will accept your offer Ben, pending approval of my family."

  "Excellent, good news always helps us to deal with the bad. If your family will need transportation or anything we can do to assist, please let us know," Ben replied and picked up the circlet. "Anyone have anything else before I put this thing back on?"

  About the Author

  Ben Winston (1965 - ?) was born in Iowa and grew up in Minnesota on the family dairy farm. Upon reaching adulthood, he joined the United States Army as a communications technician. Before getting out of the military, he decided to go to school for computer electronics.

  Shortly after getting out of the military, and after getting a new job with an over-seas company, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. A month after beginning the new job, he was laid off due to budget over-runs on the project he was hired for. Upon returning to the United States, he had difficulty maintaining employment because of the chronic illness.

  He began writing as a form of stress release, from being home bound and not being able to work, and found he liked writing erotica. Ben wrote a trilogy called the Talosian Chronicles (Currently in rewrite to remove the graphic sex and finalized his vision of the story). The first book, Star Dancer, won awards and was nominated for many others by the online communities where it was posted.

  Ben Winston returned to school for literature, after completion, he began writing professionally. Being an avid fan of science fiction he focused on this genre. He was, and still is, influenced and inspired by Gene Roddenberry, Anne McCaffery, David Weber, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury. Some of his favorite movies and TV shows are; Battlestar Galactica (both versions), Andromeda, Star Trek, Firefly, Star Wars, and many of the B-rated movies that were actually box-office bombs.

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  Books Published by Blue Space Publications, LLC.

  by Ben Winston

  Omnibus Versions

  Tides of Mars (Omnibus)

  Stand Alone Books

  Pollux Paradox

  Tides of Mars

  Ascension – Book I

  Conflict – Book II

  Talosian Chronicles

  Olympus – Book I

  Star Dancer – Book II

  Talosian Alliance – Book III

  Neptune’s Massif – Book IV

  Raptor Squadron – Book V

  *Armageddon – Book VI (On Pre-Sale Now)

  Novellas

  Abraxis Complex

  Origin of Prometheus – Book I

  Sword of Damocles – Book II

  Abraxis Code – Book III

  Forging Aegis – Book IV

  *Revolution – Book V (Forth Coming)

  The Navigator

  The Beginning – Book I

  We the People – Book II

  Book of the Guardian

  Home – Part One

  Pest Control – Part Two

  The Last Mission – Part Three

  Resolution – Part Four

  Bedouin’s Travels

  Twilight Earth – Book I

  A Long, Dark Night – Book II

  Terra Dawning – Book III

  New Day – Book IV

  Homeworld – Book V

  *Unnamed – Book VI (Forth Coming)

  Series

  Temple of S.A.R.A.H.

  Prototype – Episode I

  Subroutines – Episode II

  Base Functions – Episode III

  Hard Wired – Episode IV

  Debug Mode – Episode V

  Beta Test – Episode VI

  *Unnamed – Book VII (Forth Coming)

  by Michael McClain

  Omnibus Versions

  Chronicles of Atlantis (Omnibus)

  Stand Alone Books

  ADF Hades – (Forth Coming Short Story)

  Chronicles of Atlantis Series

  Atlantis Rising – Book I

  Euthara – Book II


  *Entente – Book III (Forth Coming)

  By Jon Hawkins

  Zero Day Virus

  The Beginning of the End – Book I (Forth Coming)