The Mighty First, Episode 1: Special Edition

  THE MIGHTY FIRST

  Episode 1

  Special Edition

  Mark Bordner

  The Mighty First series © 2014

  All Rights Reserved

  The Mighty First, Episode 1, Special Edition

  Copyright © 2014 by Mark Bordner, all rights reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or other-wise without prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, descriptions, entities, and incidents included in the story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, and entities is entirely coincidental with the exception of fan guest roles provided with permission from the casting call winners.

  The Mighty First series, though written in the context of an alien invasion, and subsequent war for liberation, contains no explicit gore, excessive cursing, or sexual content.

  Published in the United States of America

  ISBN-13: 978-1508449034

  ISBN-10: 1508449031

  1 Young Adult Fiction/Science Fiction/General

  2 Fiction/War & Military

  Dedications

  -To my wife of nearly twenty years. Minerva, you are the beacon that guides me through the stormy seas.

  -My children. My three reasons for waking each day.

  -Dad. I miss you.

  -The city of Winslow, Arizona. What a great place to stand on the corner.

  -My dearest shipmates, with whom I served with on the USS Belleau Wood so many years ago.

  -The beta readers, who selflessly take time from their days to look over my work.

  -All of you, who have been loyal fans of the series. I so enjoy interacting with you on the media pages. Grab your helmets, let’s ride!

  Acknowledgements

  -The United States Department of Defense.

  -Bill Sabin, Dede Smoley, Jason McIntyre, Duane Lau Jr., Stephen King, Dwayne Johnson, Joe Madden, and Morgan Freeman.

  -The following chambers of commerce: Winslow, Arizona. Phoenix, Arizona. Hubbard, Ohio. Campbell, Ohio.

  -Paramount Studios, and affiliates.

  -Tate Publishing and Enterprises, LLC.

  CONTENTS

  Shadows of War

  Harvesting of Youth

  The Tyrant Approaches

  Minerva’s New World

  Transition

  The Silent Dead

  To Be Human

  War

  Earth Falls

  Shadows of Defeat

  Retribution

  The Battle for Hubbard

  The Mighty First

  ONE

  SHADOWS OF WAR

  Washington, D.C.

  September 1st, Earth Standard Calendar

  The D.C. Proper glistened in the night with reflections from the cold rain falling from a low, heavy sky. An early autumn front had settled in, and was intent on soaking everything up and down the eastern seaboard.

  While the White House was ablaze with light on the outside, most of the interior was dim at the late hour. Offices were empty, and the hallways quiet, save for the occasional footfalls of a Secret Service agent making his rounds.

  In the Oval Office, the lighting was dimmed to half-power as well, allowing the fireplace to cast a warm, orange glow throughout the middle of the room, leaving the outer edges in shadow. The flames were gas, and were thus without the cozy crackle and snap that a wood fire would provide, but the ambiance was still a welcome one. Outside, lighting flashed, but the rumble of thunder was muted through the reinforced walls, and bulletproof windows. Rain beat against the thick glass, smearing the streetlights and passing cars into a Picasso-like image.

  A mantle clock over the fireplace chimed the eleventh hour, its soft gonging the only noise in the room, save for the occasional turning of a page as report after report was reviewed by the tired-looking woman seated in one of the

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  plush couches situated before the fire. Despite it being so late, United Earth President Petra Reyes was still very much at work. At sixty-one, she managed to still hold on to her youthful appearance. Reyes was a pretty woman. Not a knock-down beauty, but a woman that projected a confidence that matched her personality. Didn’t need make-up. Never worried about her weight. Content with who she was. That sort of strength tended to attract people. That, and the fact that she was a kind person. Authority had not gone to her head, and authority she had. The seventeen major global districts had elected her president, after all. A four-year office that meant she was responsible for the entire globe.

  She felt her beauty being challenged as of late, though. Stress had a way of sucking one’s life force from them, and that was one thing that she had suffered an abundance of for the past few weeks. This was a stress borne of things that were far more serious than the run-of-the-mill stuff that the daily grind demanded from her. Politics, economics, trade agreements, and commerce enforcement were trifling compared to this. It was something that had not reared its ugly head for nearly two centuries, and was in fact so out of the norm that no one really knew how to approach it.

  The coffee table before her was piled high with folders stamped ‘Top Secret.’ The forms and gathered reports were gleaned from intelligence agents out in the field, all information and technical data that went far beyond simply disturbing her. It sent chills up her spine in the worst way. Only one year into her presidency, and she felt herself being backed into a corner where there was only one way out, and that way spelled certain disaster.

  Reyes sighed, and dropped the folder that she held back down with the rest of them. It fell next to the silver serving set that jutted from the stacks, the coffee pot having

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  been refilled twice already that evening. The caffeine, combined with the dire news that had come in, had her nerves jangling. There would probably be a sleepless night ahead of her despite feeling so drug down. She rubbed at her burning eyes, and reclined back into the soft cushions, regretting that she couldn’t give in to their seductive softness, and just drift off to dreamland.

  Reyes spoke, and her normally silky voice conveyed the fatigue that weighed her down.

  “The global district governors are soiling their pants right now, Doug, and I’m not far from doing the same.”

  Sitting in stoic silence on the couch to her left was a silver-haired, gruff-faced gentleman who appeared to be ageless. He could have been of her own decade, or a hundred more, but there was no defining a year to that face. It was chiseled from bedrock. Eyes severe, and of the deepest blue. Jaw line sharp. Thin lips that rarely smiled. Yet, despite the cold countenance, the man had a heart of gold. It was years of struggling to preserve his department from one budget cut after another, and of watching potential enemies grow in military might while his own resources dwindled that had made him look that way.

  The command admiral of the United Earth Space Navy gently set his own folder down, and reached for the coffee pot, pouring himself another cup. The sound of the liquid seemed loud in the quiet room. Douglas Green peered at the president over the rim of his reading glasses.

  “Do you know if Lance has been briefed on this latest report?”

  Reyes stifled a yawn, nodding, “I called for him. He should be getting here pretty soon.”

  Green tipped the creamer jar, slowly stirring his drink. His movements were slow, deceivingly relaxed. He was actually turning things over in his head, analyzing the

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  intel. Considering alternatives. Consequences. None of the
m bode well. Reyes knew that his languid speed, and silent demeanor meant he was digesting every detail. He disliked snap decisions. His decisions were nearly always the right ones. It was one of the reasons she had appointed him as one of her joint chiefs of staff. The man was reliable, and he was a friend.

  “The Storian government has a history of political instability,” he observed at length.

  Reyes leaned forward, interested with what he had to say.

  “Emperor Grozet is as much a fanatic for power as he is insane. His cruelty towards even his own people is something to behold, let alone anyone he deems an enemy of the state. Thank God the Storian star system is so far away. That at least keeps his influence here at a minimum.”

  The president nodded her agreement, “I hear what you’re saying, Doug, but I’m afraid that this latest stunt of his is going to be too much to ignore.”

  Green sipped his coffee while unbuttoning his uniform jacket. The stiff material opened to reveal a wrinkled shirt beneath. The normally clean-cut officer was tired after not only a long day, but a trying month. Everything was in turmoil.

  “How are the Attayans reacting to this?”

  Reyes made a face, “Prime Minister Ro is not enthused. They’re calling for trade sanctions, if not something more severe. Grozet might lose his U.N. seat.”

  The admiral smirked, “Lose his seat. The man has declared himself a supreme chancellor. A dictator. He’s slaughtering his own citizens wholesale, and all the U.N. has the balls to do is kick him out of the Trade Alliance?”

  Reyes watched him as he stood, and moved to the fireplace. Green stared into the flames, free hand thrust into

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  his trouser pocket. He sipped his coffee as he contemplated. He was troubled by what lie on the horizon. While Storia was tucked in a planetary system far toward the galactic center at a distance so great that even with Anderson Drive, a ship took two full standard months to get there, the developments taking place in that region were reaching all the way home.

  The Attayans, a gentler race with a thirst for science, were nearer neighbors in a cosmic sense. A system only two days distant at the same speed, with a governmental influence that was far greater. If Attaya was unhappy, then Earth was as well.

  Reyes cursed inwardly. Who could blame them for being unhappy? Grozet had crossed the proverbial red line. Genocide. It was unthinkable. Intolerable.

  The secret service agent posted outside the door softly knocked before entering, giving Reyes an apologetic look for disturbing them.

  “Major General Parks has arrived, Madam President.”

  She nodded, “Thank you, let him in.”

  The agent stepped aside for the commandant of the recently reorganized Global Marine Corps. The man strode in, appearing crisp, and fully awake. His severe, dress-black-on-khaki uniform perfectly pressed, adorned with decades-worth of service ribbons. Training exercises, police actions, disaster relief after the asteroid strike back in the previous decade. He had risen through the ranks all the way from a greenhorn private to his present command over the years. There wasn’t a human being alive who had not heard his name at one time or another, nor was there a more highly respected officer in her administration.

  “Evening, Lance,” the president greeted, her eyes flitting over his uniform and his face, “how can you look so fresh? Aren’t you ever tired?”

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  The general permitted himself a grin, “Only when I’m begging Congress for more funding.”

  That got a chuckle out of Green, who himself had sat before a number of those hearings, and despised having to do so.

  Parks removed his jacket, and laid it gingerly over the back of one of the free soft chairs, waiting until the agent had left the room to speak further. Once the door clicked shut, he loosened his tie, and took a seat. Reyes needed to smile, though, thirsting for some humor to break the tension building in her gut.

  “You look like you’ve stepped out of a recruiting poster,” Reyes said dryly. “I didn’t call you here to make us look shabby next you.”

  Parks feigned innocence, batting his eyes, “Why, I have no idea what you mean!”

  Reyes laughed, and it felt good. Some of the coil in her stomach eased up. She warmly regarded the pair of men she trusted most on her cabinet, but the smile waned as it became back to business.

  “So, gentlemen, what are your thoughts on this new round of nonsense from Emperor Grozet? How do we spin this thing?”

  The general’s smile fell away as well, and he seemed to transform from boyish middle-aged handsome guy to something akin to an intimidating boss.

  “I only had time to skim the new reports,” he admitted.

  “I’ll fill you in,” Admiral Green said from where he stood by the mantle. “It’s gone way beyond political posturing this time, Lance. He’s moving against his own people, the Pala sect that’s refusing to recognize his self-declared dictatorship.”

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  Parks nodded, “The Pala colony. That planet is his main industrial center. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s taking control of them.”

  Green’s eyebrows went up, “Taking control? Lance, the Storian First Fleet encircled Pala this morning, and began setting ground forces down on the mainland! In just the past nine hours, he’s killed thousands of civilians, and stated that he intends to do away with the Palan-Storians altogether!”

  The general smiled sadly, “Tragic, yes, I admit. Fact is, isn’t this still really an internal matter for the Storians? We can object to it, sure, but butting in could bring even greater grief.”

  “It’s growing into something beyond internal politics,” Green told him.

  Parks frowned, “I’m not following.”

  The president chimed in, “Storia ejected our ambassador a few hours ago. The embassy is burning to the ground as we speak.”

  There was a moment of stunned silence between them.

  “Oh,” Parks said gravely.

  “The staff was unharmed,” Admiral Green added, “they’re on their way to the frontier, where a cruiser will pick them up on our side of space.”

  The admiral moved from the fireplace, and took his spot on the couch again, reaching for a particular folder, “It gets worse.”

  Parks accepted the folder, thumbing through the meat of it while his counterpart spoke.

  “Intelligence agents report a massive build-up of troops and equipment near the space ports on Storia’s surface, an indicator that they’re being prepared for deployment. There is also a significant movement of supplies and munitions from the surface to the orbital docks.

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  And, last, but certainly not least, the power plants of every one of their vessels are being ramped up to full capacity.”

  Parks was all business now, the time for banter over, “Which battle group?”

  Green shook his head no, “Not battle group, Lance. The entire fleet.”

  The general swallowed hard, “A full mobilization, then. All of that for Pala? It’s little more than a colony.”

  Now Reyes was shaking her head, “Not for Pala. The Galactic Command Authority thinks he’s planning to expand his territory beyond the frontier.”

  Parks fished through the stacks of folders, reaching for a celestial chart, and scowling at it. He followed trade routes, and territorial lines with a finger until finding where the major ones converged.

  “The next nearest inhabited world is Denmoore,” he stated, his voice taking on a strained tone. “That’s an Attayan territory.”

  The silence of the other two while they stared at him spoke volumes. Parks let out a breath.

  “Do you really think this guy is spinning the gears of war?”

  Admiral Green shrugged, “Everything points in that direction, my friend. He knows that his future in the Trade Alliance is over, so I’m betting that he’s intent on simply taking what he wants. Or, at least attempting to.”

  Parks dropped the map, and helped himself to some of the jav
a, “Jesus. Sweet Jesus. We could be facing some real problems, then. You both realize that, don’t you?”

  “I know that budget constraints have been a long-standing issue for you guys,” Reyes admitted.

  The general waved that off, “I’m not talking about purse strings. Fact is, we haven’t had a real, full-out war in over a hundred years. Since the formation of the Global Union. We have no living combat veterans, only

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  rudimentary training programs, and a much smaller standing military than Storia. If they come at us with the numbers we have right now, we won’t stand a chance in hell!”

  Reyes sighed, “That being said, how do we best prepare for something like that?”

  The two officers exchanged looks that were clearly ones of resigned dread. Admiral Green spoke first.

  “The capability of our space navy is nominal at best. If I combine our First and Second Fleets, there is a chance that we could stave off an invasion force, at least for a short time. Even then, it would have to be in-system. Best place would be the Kuiper Asteroid Limit.”

  Parks agreed, but only partially, “Earth is the furthest point from Storia. If Grozet goes to all the trouble of sending his fleet out here, and dealing with the logistics of such a protracted deployment, he’s going to throw everything at us that he’s got. This won’t be a simple hit and run. We have to accept the fact that if he comes, he will eventually set down on our soil.”

  Reyes tried her best to referee the debate flying back and forth, “Okay. Assuming that we face an invasion. He breaks past our space navy. What then?”

  The general looked at Green again, “We want to preserve something for a counter-strike. We also have no idea where he would intend to land his first wave. I’d suggest preparing all of the district army units for domestic defense. Have the surface navies away from port, and the Air Force ready to be airborne at a moment’s notice.”