Exodus: Empires at War: Book 9: Second Front Read online

  Exodus: Empires at War:

  Book 9:

  Second Front.

  by

  Doug Dandridge

  Copyright © 2015 Doug Dandridge

  All rights reserved.

  Please respect the hard work of this author. If you found this book for free on a pirate site, please visit Amazon and buy a copy of your own. I feel that I charge a reasonable price for this work.

  For more information on the Exodus Universe, visit http://dougdandridge.net for maps, sketches and other details of this work.

  Dedication

  This novel is dedicated to all of the great writers I have met over the last three years, including Kevin J. Anderson, David Farland, Eric Flint, Jody Lynn Nye, and Michael Z Williamson. I have learned something from all of you, and am proud to have gotten to know each and every one of you.

  Books by Doug Dandridge

  Doug Dandridge’s Author Page at Amazon

  Science Fiction

  The Exodus Series

  Exodus: Empires at War: Book 1

  Exodus: Empires at War: Book 2

  Exodus: Empires at War: Book 3: The Rising Storm.

  Exodus: Empires at War: Book 4: the Long Fall.

  Exodus: Empires at War: Book 5: Ranger

  Exodus: Empires at War: Book 6: The Day of Battle

  Exodus: Empires at War: Book 7: Counter Strike:

  Exodus: Empires at War Book 8: Soldiers

  Exodus: Tales of the Empire: Exploration Command:

  Exodus: Machine Wars: Book 1: Supernova.

  The Deep Dark Well Series

  The Deep Dark Well

  To Well and Back

  Deeper and Darker

  Others

  The Shadows of the Multiverse

  Diamonds in the Sand

  The Scorpion

  Afterlife

  We Are Death, Come for You

  Five By Five 3: Target Zone:

  Fantasy

  The Refuge Series

  Refuge: The Arrival: Book 1

  Refuge: The Arrival: Book 2

  Refuge: Book 3: The Legions

  Refuge: Book 4: Kurt’s Quest:

  Doppelganger: A Novel of Refuge

  Others

  The Hunger

  Daemon

  Aura

  Marathon

  Sign up for my Newsletter at Mailchimp to receive news about upcoming projects, releases and promotions.

  Contact me at [email protected]

  Follow my Blog at http://dougdandridge.com

  Follow me at @BrotherofCats

  Acknowledgements I would like to thank all of my fans, especially those who sent emails or commented on blogs about how much they enjoyed the first four books of this series. Your kind words gave me the impetus to continue through the not so kind words left in some reviews. And special thanks to Ruth de Jauregui, who helped with the covers on all of the Exodus series. Her changes improved all of the covers.

  Cast of Characters

  The Capital

  Emperor Sean Ogden Lee Romanov: Born Year 971 (31 years old). Fifth child and the third son of the late Emperor Augustine Romanov.

  Empress Jennifer Conway Romanov: Sean’s Wife and Physician.

  Grand High Admiral Sondra McCullom: Chief of Naval Operations.

  Field Marshal Betty Parker: Commandant of the Imperial Marine Corps

  Grand Marshal Mishori Yamakuri: Army Chief of Staff.

  Prime Minister Countess Haruko Kawasaki.

  Ekaterina Sergiov: Chief of Imperial Intelligence Agency.

  Countess Esmeralda Zhee: Member of the Lords’ Opposition Party.

  Baron Emile von Hausser Schmidt: Leader of the House of Lords.

  Capital Police Lieutenant and Imperial Naval Captain Ishuhi Rykio: Former Naval Commando.

  Fiona Ogden Lee Romanov: Sean’s older sister.

  Samantha Ogden Lee: Sean’s cousin and regent.

  Angel Sergio Martinez: Former Naval Commando, and now assassin known as The Angel of Death.

  The Fleet

  Grand Fleet Admiral Duke Taelis Mgonda: Admiral in command of Hyper VII battle force.

  Grand Fleet Admiral Gabriel Len Lenkowski: Commander: Battle Fleet.

  Fleet Admiral Jerry Kelvin: Commander, New Moscow System Force.

  Commodore Sheila Stepanowski: Task Force Leader, New Moscow Fleet.

  Captain Vladimir Schmidt: Captain, HICS (His Imperial Czar’s Ship) Sevastopol.

  Commodore Mary Innocent: Sean’s Intelligence Officer.

  Commodore Natasha Sung: Commanding Officer, exploration mission to the far side of Ca’cadasan Space. HIMS Nina.

  Fleet Admiral Theodosius Glaven: Fleet Second in command, Fenri Front.

  Lt. Commander Marko Fujardo: Tacitcal Officer, HIMS Nina.

  Major Saul Briggs: Marine Commander, HIMS Nina.

  Commander Gauroi Laaksonen: Exec, HIMS Nina.

  Lt. Atarata Parata: Sensor Officer, HIMS Nina.

  Lt. Commander Rosaro Picard: Com Officer, HIMS Nina.

  Captain Markus Palachi: Captain, HIMS Santa Maria.

  Commander Millie van Dussel: Exec, HIMS Pinta.

  Captain Kali Gadhavi: Captain, HIMS Pinta.

  Commander Alexandru Ionesco: Chief Engineer, HIMS Nina.

  Lt. Commander Hrrssai Lonlilo: Gryphon Planetologist, HIMS Nina.

  Marine Platoon Sergeant Tia’lash: Phlistaran Marine Sergeant, HIMS Nina.

  Commander Saul Benoit: Biologist, HIMS Nina.

  Captain Jinghua Chou: Inertialess Fighter Wing Commander.

  Spacer Mzzarat Naranta: Klassekian Com Tech.

  Vice Admiral Connie Wallace: Admiral, Flagship Prince Henry.

  Imperial Army

  Cornelius Walborski: Ranger Captain and two time holder of the Imperial Medal of Heroism.

  General Lucius Arbuckle: Commander, Fifteenth Army.

  Lieutenant General Samuel Baggett: Heavy Infantry Corps Commander,

  First Sergeant Renhard Fujardo: Ranger Company Sergeant.

  Sergeant Slater: Ranger.

  Sergeant Timothy Slater: Ranger Squad Leader.

  Staff Sergeant Mika Jefferson: Superjag Handler.

  Captain Nagano: Ranger Company Commander.

  Klavarta

  Marion Pallion: American, Chairwoman of the Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Dennis Coleman: Director of Production, Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Kamiko Hayashi: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Willard Smyth: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Chamai Bhandawa: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Gokben Tarhan: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Ivan Ikanov: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Jiang Zhou: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Graca Casimiro: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Dorothee Chevalier: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Rajani Dasgupta: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Tamati Motlap: Klavarta Supreme Council.

  Godfrey Jernigan: Former Assistant Secretary General of the World Government of Earth.

  Thallia Thrann: Klavarta Underdirector of Interspecies Relations.

  Slardra: Klavarta female Alpha and Task Group Commander.

  Alpha Admiral Manstara: Second in Command of Klavarta Home Fleet.

  Captain Tushara: Council Guard Captain.

  Ca’cadasans

  Great Admiral Jarrassand’ra Kiritopath: Commander, New Moscow Relief Force.

  Great Admiral the Superior Lord Jarrashinata Karzott: Commander, Klavarta Front.

  Others

  Devera Walborski: Warrant Officer Medic and the wife of Cornelius.

  Rebecca Walborski: Sean and
Devera’s adopted daughter.

  Dr. Kenji Guatarrez: Wormhole scientist.

  Timeline

  2151 AD Hiro Yamamoto discovers subspace portal generator. Opens subspace dimension to transport of human colonists.

  2160 AD Alpha Centauri B4 colony established.

  2173 AD Tau Ceti III colony established.

  2208 AD Humanity has spread to eight inhabitable systems within 20 light years of Sol.

  2250 AD 12 million humans living outside of the solar system.

  2254 AD First contact with Ca’cadasans on Epsilon Iridani V. Human colony destroyed without warning or trace. Incoming ship discovers colony destroyed and runs back to human space with news.

  2256 AD Human colony at Altair V attacked and destroyed.

  2257 AD United Solar System Fleet established to fight alien threat.

  2260 AD Battle of Tau Ceti, humans meet Ca’cadasans with a five to one advantage in mass and are handily defeated.

  2261 AD Construction started on the six Exodus ships to allow some of humanity to make it to safety outside of human space.

  2264 AD Ca’cadasans, having destroyed all of humanity’s colonies, attack the solar system in force. Five completed Exodus ships attempt to leave the system under heavy escort. Two are destroyed before they can make it into subspace. Two enter subspace with pursuit, while Exodus III makes a clean breakaway into subspace.

  2264 - 3260 AD The Long Voyage. With several fueling stops and explorations, Exodus III travels along the galactic rim and toward the core, traversing 9,760 light years from Sol.

  3261 AD Supersystem discovered, along with remains of ancient civilization that had once owned it. First human colony founded on Jewel. Year 1 of New Human Empire.

  3268 AD (Year 8) Humans make contact with traveling merchant ship from Elysium Empire. Discover thriving civilizations that sprung from the ancient civilization that used to inhabit the Supersystem.

  3361 AD (Year 100) Population 2,000,000+. Establishment of the Fleet.

  3460 AD (Year 199) Beginning of Terraforming projects around super system.

  3573 to 3579 AD (Year 312 to 318) First Gardasian War, human victory.

  3589 to 3592 AD (Year 328 to 331) Second Gardasian War, human victory, Gardasian race absorbed into human empire.

  3619 to 3621 AD (Year 358 to 361) First Markanan War, human victory.

  3669 to 3676 AD (Year 408 to 415) Second Markanan War, human victory, Markanans absorbed into human empire.

  3696 to 3698 AD (Year 435 to 437) Kiniman War, Kiniman race absorbed into the human empire.

  3724 to 3733 AD (Year 463 to 472) First Crakastan War, human victory.

  3744 to 3762 AD (Year 483 to 501) First Lasharan War, human victory.

  3772 to 3784 AD (Year 511 to 523) Second Lasharan War, human victory.

  3797 to 3801 AD (Year 536 to 540) First Margravi War, human victory.

  3803 to 3808 AD (Year 542 to 547) War of Revolt, Imperial Victory, 150 million humans leave Empire to found Republic of Mankind.

  3809 to 3814 AD (Year 548 to 553) Civil War, Constance the Great triumphs over Cassius the Terrible (II).

  3815 AD (Year 554) New Constitution establishes Constitutional Monarchy. (Bill of Freedoms added in Year 607).

  3841 to 3846 AD (Year 585 to 590). Machine Revolt. Human built autonomous robots rebel against humanity. Billions die before the revolt is stopped, Man in the Loop Law enacted.

  3848 to 3853 AD (Year 587 to 592). Second Crakastan War, human victory.

  3873 to 3876 AD (Year 612 to 615) Third Cracastan War, human victory.

  3892 to 3897 AD (Year 631 to 635) Second Margravi War, human victory, ends with alliance of Margravi and Klashak with human empire.

  3913 to 3936 AD (Year 652 to 673) First Galactic War (against Lashar, Crakasta and Fenri).

  3984 AD (Year 723) Donut Project approved and construction planning begins.

  3984 to 4000 AD (Year 723 to 739) Elysium War, marginal human victory.

  4007 to 4008 AD (Year 746 to 747) War of Man, humanity (Imperium) against humanity (Republic). Political pressures bring an end to short, sharp war.

  4009 to 4114 AD (Year 748 to 853) The Century of Peace. Empire involved in no extra empire or border hostilities.

  4065 AD (Year 804) Dissidents from New Terra Republic found the Grand Duchy of New Moscow.

  4114 to 4131 AD (Year 853 to 870) Second Galactic War, Elysium, Lashar and Fenri against Empire, New Terra and Margrave/Klashak, human victory.

  4167 to 4180 AD (Year 906 to 921) Third Galactic War, humanity’s victory.

  4206 to 4216 AD (Year 945 to 955) Klang Consortium attacks New Moscow. Empire of Terra and Republic of New Terra come in on New Moscow’s side.

  4256 AD (Year 985) Donut Generates first working wormhole gate.

  4261 AD (Year 1000) Empire celebrates 1000 years of existence and growth. January 1, 1000 local Galactic calendar.

  March 15th, 1000, Ca’cadasan invasion of Empire begins in earnest with the attack on Sestius and Massadara.

  March 29-April 5th 1000, Sean leads rescue mission to Sestius.

  April 27th, 1000. Sean crowned in Capitulum.

  May 26th, 1000. Conundrum system taken by the Cacas.

  June 7th, 1000. Klassekians discovered by Exploration Command.

  December 27th, 1000. Exploration missions launched to other side of Ca’cadasan Empire, Galactic Core and Greater Magellanic Cloud.

  December 30th 1000 through January 2nd, 1001. Cacas wiped out the planets Cimmeria and Aquilonia, killing over seven billion humans.

  January 10th,1001. Human counter strike takes out Caca station in Massadara space.

  May 28th, 1001. Crakistan Empire joins the Alliance against the Cacas.

  July 6th, 1001. Imperial Human forces attacks the Lasharan Homeworld.

  August 30th, 1001. New Terran Empire attacks into Fenri Space.

  September 18th, 1001. Combined New Terran Republic/Crakistan Empire force defeats Ca’cadasan force in the Xenia system.

  November 18th-19th, 1001. Battle of Congreeve. New Terran Empire Fleet traps Ca’cadasan Fleet in an ambush and savages them.

  November 27-28th, 1001. Ca’cadasan commando force strikes at Elysium Home World and the Donut.

  December 12th, 1001. Sean and Jennifer wed, and Shape Shifters attempt assassination of the couple.

  January 8-9th, 1002. Imperial Fleet defeats Ca’cadasan forces in Imperial Space.

  February 10th, 1002. Renegade Machines are discovered in extra-Imperial space.

  April 9th, 1002: New Terran Empire invades New Moscow to rescue the last of their citizens.

  The Story So Far

  In 2254 the human species had spread to eight star systems after the discovery of the Subspace drive, allowing humankind to achieve pseudospeeds of over eleven times the speed of light. That was the year the human species first encountered the long lived Ca’cadasans, three meter tall horned carnivores whose empire had been expanding for thousands of years. That was the year the aliens attacked the Epsilon Iridani V colony. When the heir to their imperial throne was killed after the colony had surrendered, the Emperor ordered the complete extermination of the human species. After a short, sharp war, humanity had no other option than to try and flee the killer aliens. The six Exodus ships were built, each capable of moving fifty thousand humans in cryostasis, along with all the knowledge of the human species. One ship is known to have gotten away through subspace, a dimension through which the more advanced hyperspace faring Ca’cadasans are not prepared to follow. Four generations of crew navigated the Exodus III over ten thousand light years in a thousand years, reestablishing humanity in a system of eight stars in orbit around a black hole, the Supersystem. Once the home of an extinct species that had helped raise most of the intelligent races of the area to technical civilizations, it was also the perfect region for the newcomers. Over the next thousand years the New Terran Empire fights, wins and expands in a number of wars, improving their technology at breakn
eck speed, becoming the dominant military power of the region. Humanity also improves its genome, becoming stronger, faster and smarter, and seemed destined to rule the Perseus Arm, given time.

  On the thousand year anniversary of the empire, Emperor Augustine I is having prophetic dreams, the gift and curse of his line. He has seen the ancient enemy returning, finding the human species disunited in its three governments, and utterly destroying them. Augustine has fought to expand the military, running into obstructionism from the Lords House of Parliament. It is an uphill battle in the Constitutional Monarchy the Empire has become. Meanwhile, the Donut, a century long engineering project, is nearing completion. The enormous station, built as a ring around a black hole, and using the swirling gravitational energy to generate wormholes, has begun to make the many portals that will be used to eventually link the Empire. And spies have infested the Empire, a race of shape shifters who make most security measures moot, adding sabotage and espionage to the problems facing the Emperor.

  Sean Ogden Lee Romanov, the third son of the Emperor, is a serving naval officer on a battleship in a relatively quiet sector, with no thoughts of ever assuming the throne. He was a mediocre officer, despite his superior intelligence. With two brothers ahead of him in the succession, and a still young father, the throne seems like the least his worries. By this time the Ca’cadasans have made contact with some of the enemies of the Empire, and sent the information back to their leaders. The ancient enemy has been found, and can now be eliminated. Ships begin to disappear in Sector IV, and sightings are made of vessels that fit no known description. Many people refuse to believe these are the Ca’cadasans, and some think that Empire must have fallen in the near past. The Emperor continues to try to rally support for increasing the size of the human military, while Parliament fights him on the economic effects of such a move, and alien powers protest that the humans are planning territorial expansion.