HADRON Incursion Read online

  HADRON

  (Vol. 3)

  Incursion

  By: Stephen Arseneault

  “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

  Ronald Reagan

  View the author’s website at www.arsenex.com

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  Read Stephen’s bio here

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  Copyright 2015-2016 Stephen Arseneault. All Rights Reserved

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  HADRON Incursion (Vol. 3)

  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

  What’s Next Books

  Chapter 1

  *

  The weeks that followed saw life at the cave returning to normal. The still was brought back into operation, the gardens tended, and the other efforts toward making life sustainable resumed.

  Liam Hobbs sat on the porch with the others. “Not that I’m complaining about the hospitality here, but we were promised a return home. Why again is that not happening?”

  Mace frowned. “The only thing I can think of is that they want to keep us together. Why that is, I don’t know. It’s obvious they don’t need us for anything.”

  Jane said, “Well, at least they left us enough of those untainted food bars to last us a while. That will go a long way toward keeping us fed this winter.”

  Jeff stood from the steps, brushing dirt from his shorts. “One thing that’s been bothering me—this food, they claim it is all from Earth, but where on Earth are they getting it from?”

  Tres said, “Rumor has it they have farms out west and elsewhere that the zombies are tending.”

  Jeff replied, “While that might be possible, I find it highly unlikely. You don’t just come in and start producing millions of tons of produce that they repackage into these food bars. If anything, I’d say they are made with the same stuff as before. Maybe a few extra flavorings to mask the drug, anything that would give them a different taste.”

  Johnny said, “That would mean they must have a huge stockpile somewhere. They aren’t bringing it in by ship. Those diplomatic ships only carry a small amount. And those warships are not transporting food.”

  Mace scratched his beard. “Bontu promised a visit this week. I’ll see what I can drag out of him. Sometimes his denials are very telling.”

  Jasper rocked back and forth in his chair. “I have an opinion on all this.”

  Johnny said, “Of course you do. You have an opinion on just about everything.”

  Jasper replied, “Well, yes, I do, ape-man. Anyway, I have two good reasons for them keeping us all here. The first, and most obvious, is the threat of the Kaachi is still out there. If they show up, they want to stuff us on a ship and throw us at them.

  “The second is we know too much, and it’s easier for them to keep an eye on us this way. They’re probably spying on us right now.”

  Mace looked around. “Everyone did leave their comm devices inside didn’t they?”

  Nods showed confirmation.

  Another dozen of the Human crewmen walked down the drive.

  Jasper stood. “We’re gonna need more chairs.”

  Jordan Crawford stopped in front of the gift shop. “Mr. Hardy, we’re gonna head back over to Bedford in the morning. We have family and friends there, and places of our own to take care of.”

  Mace replied, “I have no interest in stopping you, Mr. Crawford. If you were looking for approval, you don’t need it from me.”

  Jordan nodded. “Just the same, wanted you to know.”

  Mace said, “And take enough to easily feed your fifty-seven for a week. No, wait, we have vehicles, we can drive you. Might take three trips, but we can get you all there in a day.”

  Jordan nodded. “That would be appreciated, Mr. Hardy.”

  Mace leaned back in his chair. “Well, there goes two thirds of our force. When I talk to Bontu, I’ll see about getting him to take the rest of you home.”

  Two men in fatigues emerged from the woods on the mountain, walking across the field, over the bridge and up to the gift shop.

  One of the men took a pack off his back as he spoke into a Mawga wrist comm. “Yes, sir, we’re here now.”

  The man looked up. “Which one of you is Hardy?”

  Mace stood. “I’m Mace Hardy. Who’s asking?”

  The man spat on the ground. “The new king would like to talk to you.”

  Mace smirked. “The new king?”

  The man nodded. “Yes sir, the man who’s leading the fight against the grays.”

  Mace stepped off the porch holding out his hand. “OK, well, here I am. And your name is…”

  The man looked down and then back at Mace. “The king would like to know just what it is you’re doing? You’ve been seen riding around with the enemy, and we were told at one point you crewed and piloted a warship.”

  The man gestured for him to follow. “Come this way, Mr. Hardy. We have some things to discuss in private.”

  Mace looked back at the porch. Jane was standing with her AR-15 at the ready. Mace waved her off.

  “My name is Bains, but that doesn’t matter. I was sent here to kill you for collaborating with the enemy.”

  Mace stopped. “Strange way to assassinate someone, don’t you think?”

  Bains replied, “I’m not paid to think, just to kill. But you’re right, I do think. And what I want to know before I make things permanent, is what you were doing with the rats?”

  Mace continued to walk. “We were told that another species was on its way here, to Earth. They’re hostile to the Mawga, and supposedly would be more hostile toward Humans. The Mawga seem genuinely afraid of them. They called them the Kaachi. After speaking with the admiral in charge of the Mawga fleet, we convinced him to train us in the operation of their warships so we could be a part of the defense of Earth should the Kaachi come.

  “Well, the Kaachi didn’t come and now the Mawga have backed out of their deal. We were hoping to keep and maintain a cruiser, possibly to one day use it against them. You see, Mr. Bains, we hardly trust the Mawga ourselves.”

  Bains nodded. “Interesting. And why did you give up the ship?”

  Mace frowned. “They pulled a fast one on us. You guys—at least I’m assuming it was you—anyway, you attacked the community center at Charleston. They conned us into thinking we were there to keep the peace. They used that opportunity to kick us from the ship. We all fe
el very foolish about it.”

  Bains shook his head. “Can’t trust the rats, Mr. Hardy. Their motives aren’t true.”

  Mace stopped, crossing his arms. “Mr. Bains, we’re on the same side. We just have different methods of approaching the problem. We would both like to see them gone. Some of us plan and scheme, while others like yourselves hit and run, and still others, like the Russians and the Chinese, go all out.”

  Bains asked, “What do you know about those last two?”

  Mace replied, “The Mawga think they’ll have all resistance there mopped up in a month. Both have been getting their asses kicked. And get this, the Chinese are down to a population of about eighty million. The Mawga said the weapons of both are almost depleted. The Russians are down to their last thousand resisters.”

  Bains said, “Interesting. We knew they were fighting. We just weren’t sure of how it was going.”

  Mace glanced up at the sky. “Those small ships they fly around here in, they call them diplomatic vessels. Those are the ones the Russians and Chinese have been fighting. They aren’t heavily armored. A handful of stinger-type missiles will bring one down. According to my contact, they’ve lost at least a couple dozen of those ships, and probably double that of their shuttles.

  “Now, you move up to their warships, the ones in space, they’re huge. The armor is far thicker and the cannons far more powerful. You could hit one with a hundred stingers and not do much more than scratch the paint. And if they fire one of those cannons at the ground, it’ll leave a crater ten yards deep and forty yards across. About the only positive is it takes a few seconds to recharge and fire. And they can only fire one cannon at a time.”

  Bains said, “I’ll take that information back to the king. And I’ll tell him we had this talk. He said he’s been by this cave before. Doesn’t look like much to me.”

  Mace replied, “Well, it’s a cave. Other than running for miles, its claim to fame is one of history. Up to eleven hundred rebels lived in here for three winters during the Civil War. And it did keep us alive last winter. So does this king have a name, Mr. Bains?”

  Bains nodded. “His name is Malcolm Stark. He’s the one leader that can take us out of this hole we dug ourselves into. He has no fear of the Mawga or their ships. We will move like the wind and strike when they least expect it. Our numbers and support network are growing every day. Soon, all of the resisters will fall in line behind him. I can say here today, I hope that includes you and the others here. He’ll be pleased to learn that we have people who can pilot those ships.”

  Mace frowned. “Sounds like he’s been feeding you the same food the Mawga have been feeding everyone.”

  Bains’ face turned to one of scold and anger. “You best be careful, Mr. Hardy. If he deems your existence counter to the rebellion, I’ll be back. And believe me when I say that a second visit won’t be so cordial. I’ll return the information you’ve given. You work on how we can rid ourselves of these rats, and on how you can cooperate with us to do so. That’s all I have to say today, Mr. Hardy. You won’t see me or my associate again.”

  Bains waved over at his friend. They walked back across the bridge, up through the field and into the woods at the foot of the mountains. Mace returned to the porch, rubbing his temples.

  Jane asked, “What was that all about?”

  “That was two of the fanatics from the resistance, the ones who’ve been attacking the community centers. They have some crackpot who calls himself a king. And they’re his subjects. Says they were sent here to assassinate me for collaboration with the Mawga, but he wanted to know for himself what we’ve been up to.

  “He also said that if I wasn’t cooperative with the king, I would find myself dead. And I have no doubt he would try if ordered to do so. The rifle his friend was carrying in that sleeve over his shoulder, I’m betting it’s a sniper rifle with a fat scope and a suppressor. Could pick me off this porch from a thousand yards and be long gone before we could get after them.”

  Johnny shook his head. “Great, now we have to fight some of our own.”

  Tres added. “And they’re crazies.”

  David raised a hand. “Do we want to start patrols or do we have a good scope where someone could keep watch, like maybe from up at the house?”

  Mace replied, “You can’t protect from that. If they want me dead, and if they can find me, I’m dead.”

  The day soon turned to night. David went to town and came back with a high-powered telescope. He was convinced he could use it to spot anyone setting up to shoot at the porch from the mountain woods. It was an effort that occupied his time. No one complained.

  The following morning, the Bedford gang was waiting in front of the gift shop. Johnny and Jane had volunteered to drive them over the mountains to their home using the RV. As they began to board, a shuttle landed in the field and Bontu emerged down the ramp, scurrying toward the gift shop.

  Mace asked, “What’s the urgency?”

  Bontu was frantic. “You must prepare your team. The Kaachi have arrived. Their move at the rift was merely a deception. The admiral is calling for you to man the Lousy. Already the first ship of the line is engaging. Please hurry!”

  Mace turned and yelled, “Everyone, listen up! The Kaachi are here! We’re being called back to the ship! If anyone is missing, someone please go get them now!”

  Bontu was ringing his hands together. “Please, Mr. Hardy. I implore you to hurry.”

  Mace turned back. “And hurry! The fighting has already begun!”

  Ten minutes later, a second shuttle arrived. The eighty-nine member, trained Human crew boarded the shuttles and were soon on their way into space.

  Johnny shook his head. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to bring the Lousy ship here?”

  Bontu replied, “Oh, no. That would not be possible. The rules of engagement state that you must have all your assets available when the hostilities begin.”

  Mace sighed. “So the Lousy is in line for the fight?”

  Bontu nodded. “Yes, we should be receiving signals from them at any moment.”

  A crewman said, “Chancellor! Video and data feeds are coming in!”

  Bontu turned, “Push them to the main screen!”

  Seconds later, the view of a tiny ship showed in the center of the screen. A bright plasma round entered from the left, obscuring the view and shrinking as it moved away from the camera. It was the admiral’s own ship, the Delisant. The first into battle, as always. As the round continued to shrink and finally to miss, a bright flash appeared to emerge from the target.

  Bontu stood nervously. “Oh, please do not make contact. Please…”

  A sigh of relief was heard as the orange fireball passed by without yielding damage. Seconds later, another round came onto the screen, this time from the right side.

  Johnny shook his head. “This is their fight? What the heck?”

  The second round impacted the Kaachi vessel. The Mawga crew stood and cheered. Bontu was giddy with excitement.

  Mace laughed. “Kind of a roller coaster for you, Mr. Montak?”

  Bontu took a breath and replied, “I’m sorry, Mr. Hardy. I’m a diplomat. This is my first battle. If we win, I look forward to receiving a participation pin.”

  Mace shook his head. “You people have some strange drives.”

  Bontu raised his hand. “Shhh, data on the hit is coming in!”

  A crewman said, “Sir, they’ve sustained moderate damage to their port nozzle. Another hit and they will have to be towed!”

  Bontu shook with excitement. “A moderate hit! Gentlemen, we were witness to the first strike of the battle!”

  The next round from the Kaachi ship offered only a glancing blow. The reported damage was minimal.

  The next ten minutes saw several near misses before a Mawga plasma round struck the center of the Kaachi ship. Instead of a celebration, the Mawga all stood in silence. The Kaachi ship was declared a loss and assistance was mo
ved to help her as she moved away at half speed.

  Johnny asked. “You won, didn’t you? They’re moving away.”

  Bontu passively nodded. “Yes, it is a victory, a victory that comes with high casualties for the Kaachi crew. May their dead be accepted peacefully into the afterlife.”

  Johnny scratched his head in frustration. “I’m just not getting this whole thing.”

  Mace replied. “I have to admit, it’s bizarre.”

  Bontu held up a hand. “Quiet, a Kaachi ship has engaged.”

  Jane asked, “How do you know? They haven’t fired.”

  Bontu nodded. “It is customary for the victor to have the first round at the next ship in the line. The same as it is customary that the defender have the first shot of the battle.”

  Johnny sat down in a chair. “I don’t think I can watch. This is too suspenseful. Somebody wake me when it’s over.”

  The fight continued for sixteen hours, seesawing back and forth as one side scored a decisive hit against the other. After a four-ship lead by the Mawga slipped away, the Lousy and her now Human crew moved closer to the fight. Orders were barked as the twelfth Mawga cruiser withdrew from the fight.

  Mace opened a comm to Bontu, who had remained on his shuttle. “Hey, question, are we restricted to staying back at that distance. Or can we move and fire?”

  Bontu offered a confused expression. “Move and fire? It is customary for the fight to proceed as we have seen.”

  Mace asked again: “Is it against the rules to move while firing or defending?”

  Bontu replied, “Why no. But why would you risk such maneuvers? Your accuracy while moving will be much lower than when sitting still.”

  Mace shook his head in disbelief. “Yeah, well, the accuracy of the opponent will diminish, too. And in our simulations, we practiced firing while on the move. It’s what we know. And as far as that goes, what other aspects of this fight are customs versus actual rules? Can we engage the next ship in the line as soon as the current one leaves, or do we have to wait for them to engage?”