Celestial saga dawn of t.., p.1
Celestial Saga: Dawn of the Seekers, page 1
Celestial Saga
Dawn of the Seekers
Alex O’Connor
Copyright © 2023 Alex O’Connor
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Uzuri Art
Uzuriart.com
Dedicated to, and in loving memory of, my Aunt Helen.
Table of Contents
One: Battle over Yulon
Two: Halls of the Ever Star
Three: Ithaca
Four: The Briefing
Five: Three Team Raid
Six: Jumper 9
Seven: History Lesson
Eight: Dawn of the Seekers
Nine: An Uneasy Feeling
Ten: The Tower
Eleven: Diplomatic Meeting
Twelve: Ship a hoy, Nova Team!
Thirteen: The City Destroyer
Fourteen: Doom’s Prophet
Fifteen: A Galaxy on Fire
Epilogue
One: Battle over Yulon
Nova Team
23 June 2735
Over Yulon
War rages above the planet of Yulon! Kaltari forces have invaded the planet and captured Senator Robert Hensley. United Celestial Alliance reinforcements have arrived just in time to prevent the Kaltari ships from escaping. The Kaltari Empire declared war on the United Celestial Alliance, or UCA for short, thirty years ago. The leader of the Kaltari Empire, Taufin, had reached out to UCA High Command in May and announced that he wanted to engage in peace negotiations. After a week of communication between the two sides, communications with the Kaltari leader ceased for an unknown reason. In fact, most hostilities had ceased over the last month until the Kaltari made the move to capture Senator Hensley who was the UCA representative leading the peace negotiations. Nova Team has been dispatched from the UCA Ever Star to board a Kaltari cruiser and bring the senator back safely.
The lone shuttle ran its way along the hull of the giant, hulking ship next to it. The Gridlock was not a pretty ship by any means. Its original design had long been forgotten. It was rumored to have been a destroyer-class ship, however, it had been modified so heavily over the years as a piece of every UCA ship destroyed in battle had been welded onto the Gridlock. It was a way to honor those who had fallen so that their spirits could keep on fighting. The Gridlock had also been fashioned with extra cannons to make up for the speed that was lost due to the modifications. One such cannon being a large one that had been added to the bow. The viewport on the bridge had been extended to curve around the starboard side as often times the Gridlock was facing sideways to shield UCA ships. Additional thruster engines had also been added to the port side to allow the Gridlock to move freely as a shield. The ship certainly lived up to the reputation that its name would suggest. It was massive, had the thickest hull, nearly impenetrable armor, and was able to conceal ships behind it to lay traps for the enemy.
Crewman First Class John Banks was piloting the shuttle and looking up at the massive Gridlock. John had not been enlisted in the UCA for long and had already earned a reputation as a skilled pilot. Lieutenant Ethan Richards, the leader of Nova Team, walked into the cockpit.
“Never gets old seeing it does it?” Ethan asked.
John smiled a little. “No, it does not. Not even after you’ve seen it a hundred times. I think it’s a beautiful ship in its own way. At least what it stands for that is.”
Ethan smiled at the thought as he thought about what the Gridlock stood for.
The shuttle’s comm unit buzzed. “Nova Team, you are clear to proceed.”
John turned to Ethan as he gave his response, “Copy that, Ever Star. We are going in.” Ethan looked down at John. “Punch it.”
John pushed the thrusters forward accelerating the shuttle as fast as it could go. They climbed up the hull of the Gridlock before flying over the top of it. A symphony of ships came into view engaged in combat. Single pilot fighters flying, missiles and lasers firing in every direction, explosions glistening in the starlight. As they made their approach near the main bulk of the battle, a Kaltari cruiser laid in the direct path of the shuttle. The cruiser turned its attention towards the Gridlock and began to move into an attack position.
“Ever Star, this is Nova Team. We are approaching the cruiser.” John said calmly into the comm unit.
The Gridlock was a massive ship. Its size made it good for hiding ships behind it. To set a trap for the enemy. Which is exactly what they had planned for. The Ever Star, which had been hidden behind the Gridlock, flew over the top of the massive ship. The solar system’s sun reflected across the silver clad hull of the Ever Star as the Ever Star set its sights on the Kaltari cruiser. The Ever Star fired its cannons and tore through the cruiser like a flame through paper.
The shuttle sped through the fresh wreckage of the burning Kaltari cruiser. Nova Team had now entered the thickest part of the battle. Kaltari fighters were flying all around them. Some of them were being chased by Spearhawks, which were the UCA’s single pilot fighters. Some of them were flying wildly trying to figure out what had just destroyed one of their ships.
A squadron of fighters spotted the shuttle and began their attack approach. The lead fighter got one shot off before the whole squadron was destroyed. John watched as several UCA Spearhawks flew over the shuttle and took a defensive position.
“Nova Team, this is Eagle Squadron. We’ll take you in.” announced Commander Anthony Green, who was the squadron’s leader.
John smiled as Commander Green took point. Eagle Squadron was comprised of some of the best fighter pilots the UCA had to offer. “We welcome the company.” He said still grinning. John had applied to join Eagle Squadron and had been running drills with them. He was eagerly awaiting a response.
The rest of the flight was smooth. Only a few Kaltari fighters dared to go after the shuttle. Those who had been in the war for a long period of time knew the sigil, the head of an eagle with a thunderbolt behind it, that crested each fighter of Eagle Squadron and knew better than to challenge them.
“Once you retrieve the senator, contact us, we’ll escort you back to the Ever Star.” Commander Green said over the comm.
“Copy that, Commander.” John saw Eagle Squadron brake off from formation as he made his final approach to the Kaltari cruiser. He landed the shuttle and joined the rest of his team in the back.
The United Celestial Alliance used special operations teams, such as Nova Team, for high-risk missions. The soldiers who were part of these teams were just ordinary people. They may not be the smartest, strongest, or even the bravest, but they had certain qualities that made them right for this sort of assignment within the UCA. The special ops teams were designated for those who dreamed of something more and who wanted to make the galaxy a better place. If every member of a team is killed in action, the team’s name would be retired and placed on a memorial wall located in the UCA headquarters on Ricon. Each special forces team had a specialty such as assault, espionage, reconnaissance, demolition, extraction, or another specification. Nova Team usually specialized in assault missions, not ship boarding activities. The team was one of the most reliable, skilled, and quickest. With time being of the essence in this scenario, Captain Paul Stanton of the Ever Star had dispatched them.
Ethan took his rifle from the weapons rack and turned to address Nova Team. He saw the faces of his team, his brothers. Chief Warrant Officer Nathan Ward, his oldest friend. They had been best friends ever since they were children and had graduated from Lynch Academy together. Warrant Officer Daniel Robinson who was their resident tech expert and a certified genius. Petty Officer Third Class Jamie Harper, a Brit who always had a knack for cracking jokes. The final member was Crewman First Class John Banks.
“I know this isn’t our normal order of business so let’s make this as quick as possible. No telling when this ship is going to turn tail and run. Stick to the plan and let’s find Senator Hensley.” Nova Team clicked the command for their helmets from their wrist units. The helmets fit inside of the suits that the UCA used. The helmet rose out around the neck along with a part that encompassed the rest of the head. A glass visor then came down to cover their face. The visor automatically polarized to cover their faces. The intensity of the polarization automatically adjusted to the environment around the soldier. It could also be turned off completely to show the soldier’s face. The rest of the United Celestial Alliance’s military armor fit nicely to the soldier and offered plenty of flexibility to not hinder the wearer’s movement.
Ethan pressed the button to lower the shuttle’s ramp and the team was met with a barrage of laser bolts. Nova Team quickly ran to cover, taking shots and striking a few of the Kaltari soldiers. UCA suits had personal shields that conformed around the body of a soldier. These shields could take a decent amount of damage and had a five second recharge rate. The Kaltari were not as technologically advanced as the UCA. Kaltari armor had little to no shielding at all. The Kaltari had only developed shield technology for their soldiers within the last two years.
After exchanging shots for a minute, Nova Team had allowed enough time for their shields to recharge and get a good layout of the hangar. They began to put their plan in motion. Ethan and Nathan would remain near the shuttle and primarily engage the enemy. John was going to make his way to the right side of the hangar and take an elevated position on top of some crates. Daniel was going to make his way to the left side of the hangar, plug into a data terminal, and download the cruiser’s schematics while Jamie provided cover.
John took a few hits as he ran to the crates. With Ethan and Nathan providing constant fire and the Kaltari soldiers distracted by John rushing to the crates, it allowed Daniel and Jamie enough time to make it to the data terminal undetected. The two kept low and were spotted a few moments after they had reached the terminal. Luckily it was only one Kaltari soldier that had spotted them, and Jamie quickly took care of him. After a few seconds at the terminal, Daniel had downloaded the ship’s schematics and located the holding cells where the senator was being kept.
“LT, I’ve got the location.” Daniel said into the comms.
“Copy that. Let’s move!” Ethan was often referred to as “LT” from his team which was short for lieutenant. Despite telling his team that they could call him Ethan, none of them did out of respect. Except for Nathan as the two had known each other since childhood. Nova Team exited their cover and made their way out of the hangar. The team met some opposition outside, a small strike force that was responding to the unexpected boarding party. The team quickly took out the soldiers and Daniel took point leading them down the corridors of the cruiser. This Kaltari cruiser was named Wayward Soul and had been in service for two years. Two years ago, the Kaltari had made massive technological advancements that resulted in a complete redesign of their ships, weapons, armor design, and of course, their shielding.
Nova Team faced little resistance making their way to the holding cells. Time was working in their favor as the Kaltari were still working on mobilizing strike forces. The team arrived at the door to the holding cells. Daniel and John lined up to the right of the door while Nathan and Jamie lined up to the left. Ethan stood at the center with his rifle raised. He nodded to Daniel who opened the door and Ethan quickly took out a Kaltari soldier who was in the middle of the room. They ran through the room so fast that the Kaltari inside didn’t have enough time to react before meeting their demise. Ethan walked up to one of the cells and saw Senator Hensley inside.
“Senator Hensley, we’re your ticket out of here.” Ethan said to the Senator.
Daniel approached the cell and accessed the door controls to open it. Hensley smiled as he stood up and exited his cell.
“We’ve got a little bit of a hike, sir. Please follow any orders that we give you and we’ll get you out safely.” Ethan said. As he turned to exit the room, he opened a comm line with Eagle Squadron. “Eagle Squadron, this is Nova Team, we have the Senator and are making our way back to the shuttle.” Within a moment he heard Commander Green saying that he copied.
The initial invasion of Yulon by the Kaltari had gone largely unopposed. The Kaltari fleet had pulled off a surprise attack that had resulted in the destruction of multiple UCA ships and the orbital station that had defended Yulon. UCA military forces on the ground were caught off guard by the attack as well which resulted in the Kaltari successfully capturing Senator Hensley. The Kaltari had not anticipated the reinforcements from the United Celestial Alliance to arrive as quickly as they did. The Kaltari fleet had also not prepared for any boarding parties, or at least the crew of the Wayward Soul had not.
However, now that the crew of the Wayward Soul knew that Nova Team was on their ship and had already rescued Senator Hensley, the team faced heavier resistance on their way back to the hangar. The team faced the heaviest opposition once they arrived at the hangar. There were multiple strike teams they had to contend with. They took defensive positions around Senator Hensley as they moved from cover to cover. Briefly pausing each time to allow their shields to recharge. Once they arrived at the shuttle, they took out a Kaltari team who had placed a charge on the shuttle. Jamie quickly ran around the shuttle to see if any other devices had been placed on it as Daniel worked on removing the device they saw. By the time Jamie got back, Daniel had removed the device. Jamie gave the all clear and the team boarded their shuttle.
John ran to the controls, powered up the shuttle, and within seconds they were off! Once outside the ship, John noticed that the fighting had really heated up. Additional Kaltari ships had arrived to try and create escape avenues for the ships that had been part of the initial invasion. Three enemy squadrons took notice of Nova Teams’ shuttle plus seven additional fighters approaching from the rear coming from the Wayward Soul.
“Eagle Squadron, this is Nova Team, do you copy?” John waited a moment and there was no response. “Eagle Squadron, we have left the Wayward Soul and are headed back to the Ever Star.” No response once again. John turned his head towards the cockpit door to yell, “Everyone buckle up back there! It’s about to be a bumpy ride!” The shuttle was a troop transport, it had decent armor, but not much in the way of fire power or maneuverability. Shuttles such as this were typically escorted by Spearhawks or traveled in larger numbers to provide fire support for each other.
John saw two of the squadrons form into a tight formation while the third was staying loose. He made the decision to fly towards the larger group. He began to fire the guns. He took out one fighter which was enough to cause the others to fan out a little, giving him enough room to fit the shuttle in between. The shuttle’s radar indicated that the fighters were turning to follow them. He flew into the wreckage of a destroyed Kaltari frigate. The shuttle didn’t have the greatest maneuvering capabilities, but under the control of the right pilot, it could move as gracefully as a UCA Spearhawk. He bobbed and weaved his way through burnt and twisted metal hoping it would thin out the fighters behind him. He noticed a few blips on the radar disappear, but it wasn’t enough. He saw a frigate in front of him which was an older model that hadn’t been decommissioned yet. Older Kaltari frigates had one massive hangar bay at the center that extended from the port to the starboard.
He flew the shuttle into the hangar. He began to fire, hitting anything that he could, and luckily hit a fueling station that took a couple of docked fighters out with it. Seeing this as his opportunity, he flew through the smoke, out the other end of the hangar, and proceeded to fly down underneath the frigate. The remaining Kaltari fighters that had continued their pursuit of the shuttle and survived the wreckage found themselves in the frigate’s hangar not being able to see through the other side due to the smoke. John flew the shuttle up behind them and opened fire. The last fighter on his left managed to turn all the way around before he took it out. He allowed a smile on his face before flying through the hangar and continuing towards the Ever Star.
John felt particularly pleased with himself, but that feeling quickly passed as another wave of fighters approached him. He looked around and didn’t see anything that would provide him with any cover. He knew the only way to face them was head on. Just as he was about to squeeze the trigger, Eagle Squadron flew overhead and made quick work of the Kaltari fighters.
“Sorry for the delay. We were engaged and couldn’t break off.” Commander Green said over comms.
John smiled with a sigh of relief and replied, “Understood, Commander.”
Few Kaltari fighters challenged them as Eagle Squadron safely escorted the shuttle back to the Ever Star. It was announced that the Kaltari forces were now in full retreat. Eagle Squadron would make one more pass through the battle area before docking back at the Ever Star.
When Nova Team stepped off the shuttle, Captain Paul Stanton was there to greet them. “Excellent work Nova Team.”
Ethan removed his helmet, “Thank you, sir.”
The captain looked over at Senator Hensley and walked up to him. “Never knew you as one to get taken so easily, Robert.”
The Senator laughed and shook the Captain’s hand. “They caught me on an off day is all.” The two of them had known each other for nearly two decades and were good friends.
“Any idea why they took you?” Captain Stanton was curious why the enemy would go after one of his oldest friends. He had been stationed on Yulon for a time after he graduated from Ricon University. He met Robert Hensley while working security detail and the two became friends.
Senator Hensley rubbed his shoulder which hurt from when he was hit while being taken. “My best guess is because I was the UCA representative for the peace negotiations. Not sure why Taufin has suddenly had such a drastic change of heart.”
