Nu Trilogy 1: The Esss Advance Read online

  NU Book 1

  The Esss Advance

  Charles E.Waugh

  Copyright © 2016 Charles E. Waugh

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means – whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic – without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

  ISBN: 978-1-4834-3831-3 (e)

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2015915227

  Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may be changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Acknowledgements

  Prelude

  Chapter 1 – Quick Turnaround

  Chapter 2 – The Captain

  Chapter 3 – Lieutenant Blyleven

  Chapter 4 – Sparks Fly

  Chapter 5 – The Accident

  Chapter 6 – First Awakening

  Chapter 7 – Second Awakening

  Chapter 8 – The Recurring Dream

  Chapter 9 – Vice Admiral Bunting

  Chapter 10 – The Newsies

  Chapter 11 – Career Options

  Chapter 12 – The Esss Problem – One Billion Years Ago

  Chapter 13 – Emotional Trauma Therapy Begins

  Chapter 14 – Fire in the Belly

  Chapter 15 – New Legs

  Interlude 1 – 4 Billion Years Ago

  Chapter 16 – The Recovery Challenge

  Chapter 17 – Back Into Shape

  Chapter 18 – Job Alternatives

  Chapter 19 – Interview with AMC

  Chapter 20 – Remembering Northern Song

  Chapter 21 – The Esss Conclave – One Billion Years Ago

  Chapter 22 – Transition

  Chapter 23 – Cam’s Office

  Chapter 24 – Assembly Room

  Chapter 25 – Double Hull Design Problems

  Chapter 26 – Delta One First Trial Run

  Interlude 2 - 4 Billion Years Ago

  Chapter 27 – Delta One Major Glitch

  Chapter 28 – Delta One Field Exercise

  Chapter 29 – The Esss Galactic Arrival

  Chapter 30 – Scorpion

  Interlude 3 – 3.98 Billion Years Ago

  Chapter 31 – Logistics

  Chapter 32 – The Esss Foothold

  Chapter 33 – Scorpion Encounter

  Interlude 4 – 3.7 Billion Years Ago

  Chapter 34 – HG Rickover Naval Shipyard

  Chapter 35 – The Esss Expansion

  Chapter 36 – Jessica

  Chapter 37 – Trepidation

  Interlude 5 – 3.6 Billion Years Ago

  Chapter 38 – Party on the Shuttle Endeavour

  Chapter 39 – The Esss Arrival at Sol

  Chapter 40 – Lockdown in the Belt

  Chapter 41 – The Newsies

  Chapter 42 – The Esss Arrival Preparations

  Interlude 6 – 2 Billion Years Ago

  Chapter 43 – Reactivated

  Chapter 44 – Message to Cam

  Chapter 45 – Manning Shuttle Discovery

  Chapter 46 – New Direction for AMC

  Chapter 47 – The Esss Scout Dispatch

  Chapter 48 –Sted’s New Billet

  Chapter 49 – Passing in Space

  Chapter 50 – The Esss First Contact

  Chapter 51 – Repurposing the AMC Mantis

  Chapter 52 – Preparing Initial Report for the Governor

  Chapter 53 – The Governor’s Request

  Chapter 54 – The Newsies

  Interlude 7 – 66 Million Years Ago

  Chapter 55 – The Esss Arrival at the moon

  Chapter 56 – Active Laser Scan

  Chapter 57 – The Esss Lunar Wrap-up

  Chapter 58 – AMC Mantis Refit Review

  Chapter 59 – Intercept Above Earth

  Chapter 60 – The Esss Change the Mapping Approach

  Interlude 8 – 4 Million Years Ago

  Chapter 61 – Intercept Failure

  Chapter 62 – The Esss Map Earth

  Chapter 63 – The Newsies

  Chapter 64 – The Council of Eight

  Chapter 65 – The Esss Begin Sampling

  Chapter 66 – USpN Raptor Tries to Engage

  Chapter 67 – Fishing Interrupted

  Chapter 68 – The Esss Sampling off North Bimini Island

  Chapter 69 – Not an Earthquake

  Chapter 70 – Collecting Intelligence Data

  Chapter 71 – The Esss Sampling the Amazon

  Chapter 72 – The Newsies

  Chapter 73 – A Very Short Respite

  Chapter 74 – Admiral Brooks and Secretary Miller

  Interlude 9 – 1.5 Million Years Ago

  Chapter 75 – The Esss Sample Reporting

  Chapter 76 – Lake Victoria Warning

  Chapter 77 – Rules of Engagement

  Chapter 78 – The Esss Warning

  Chapter 79 – First Sighting over Lake Victoria

  Chapter 80 – The Esss Under Surveillance

  Chapter 81 – Weapons Free

  Chapter 82 – The Esss Respond

  Chapter 83 – The Newsies

  Chapter 84 – Council of Eight After Action Report

  Interlude 10 – 400,000 Years Ago

  Chapter 85 – USpN Mantis Trial Evaluation

  Chapter 86 – The Esss Consolidate Intelligence Data

  Chapter 87 – Approaching Jupiter

  Interlude 11 – 5,500 Years Ago

  Chapter 88 – The Esss Scouts Return to Jupiter Orbit

  Chapter 89 – Making Jupiter Orbit

  Chapter 90 – The Esss Prepare for Returning Sample Ships

  Chapter 91 – The Newsies

  Chapter 92 – Cabin Fever at HG Rickover

  Chapter 93 – Intelligence Summit

  Chapter 94 – The Esss React to Missiles

  Chapter 95 – Measuring Laser Frequencies

  Chapter 96 – Boarding the Shuttle Back to the Moon

  Interlude 12 – 3,400 Years Ago

  Chapter 97 – The Esss Release the Courier Ship

  Chapter 98 – Council of Eight Emergency Meeting

  Chapter 99 – The Newsies

  Chapter 100 – The Endeavour Receives New Orders

  Interlude 13 – 2,100 Years Ago

  Chapter 101 – Council of Eight Follow-up Report

  Chapter 102 – Identifying the Origin of the Aliens

  Interlude 14 – 1,500 Years Ago

  Chapter 103 – Developing Battle Tactics

  Chapter 104 – The Esss Arrival at Earth

  Chapter 105 – Monitoring the Alien Arrival

  Chapter 106 – The Esss Insertion

  Chapter 107 – Galapagos Landing

  Chapter 108 – Amazon Delta Landing

  Chapter 109 – USpN Monitors the Landings

  Chapter 110 – The Newsies

  Chapter 111 – The Esss Begin Monitoring Their Modules

  Chapter 112 – Sted’s Unusual Request

  Chapter 113 – Council of Eight Receives Requests for Assistance

  Interlude 15 – 200 Years Ago

  Chapter 114 – USpN Preparing a Distraction

  Chapter 115 – Cam’s Unusual Request

  Chapter 116 – Australia Takes the Lead

  Chapter 117 – The Esss React Off Australia
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  Chapter 118 – USpN Reacts to Their Loss

  Chapter 119 – Hitching a Ride

  Chapter 120 – Council of Eight Plans Follow-up Action

  Chapter 121 – New Plan of Attack

  Chapter 122 – The Esss Defend Their Modules

  Chapter 123 – Babuyan Island Blast

  Chapter 124 – The Esss Get Serious

  Postlude – The Nu Get Serious

  Acknowledgements

  My thanks to both Editor Kevin Miller for his patient work with this new author and Duncan Long for his outstanding cover art.

  I would also like to thank my two sons, Matt and Ben Waugh, for reading my early drafts and making critical suggestions.

  Finally, I would like to thank my nephew Robert V. Bauer Jr. for his expertise in the area of robotics and prosthetics.

  Prelude

  “We must survive this massacre!” AlvaResh projected to the minds of his pod mates on the scout ship Harbinger.

  Every one of his Nu companions re-focused their attention away from the destruction of their last colony planet and toward their natural leader. He was young for his role, but that could not be helped. All of the seasoned leaders had long since perished in the defense of their ancient race. The overwhelming and never-ending hoard of Esss battleships had conquered their home world and all of their colonies in the galactic interior. Now they were about to wipe out the last remaining Nu colony at the edge of this outermost galactic arm.

  “While the Esss are focused on breaking through our orbital defenses, we must escape. We cannot afford to be followed and hunted down.”

  “Where will you take us?” JoZarieh, their seasoned navigator demanded. “How will we be able to survive without the resources of even one world? It would be better to fight and to die with the rest of our race!” He showered their minds with images of them ramming and destroying one of the myriad Esss battleships.

  “Remember your place, JoZarieh! I am responsible for you and all the others on this ship,” AlvaResh retorted. “I choose to live and to fight another day, and you will follow my lead! We will find a star system with no habitable planets that is of no interest to the Esss. From there, we can build our own living environment to give us time to regenerate our numbers into a viable colony.”

  “And then what will we do against these intractable creatures?” JoZarieh asked. “They are like a wildfire spreading before a gale force wind. They consume everything in their path.”

  “We must formulate plans to escape this galaxy, but we cannot do that waiting here and arguing. You will calculate a safe route out of this system and pass the coordinates to MilGravden. She will get Harbinger moving in that direction without drawing attention to us.”

  “Too late!” MilGravden projected with alarm. “Three Esss battleships have just broken rank and are accelerating in our direction. If we are going to escape, we must leave now, and at our top speed!”

  “Head for the Void,” AlvaResh ordered. “They will not be able to follow us for long. With their short lifespan, they will die if they try.”

  “But that will commit us to your intergalactic trip without preparations! We may never reach the next galaxy before we all die,” JoZarieh complained.

  “That is true,” AlvaResh replied with humility. “But at least we have a chance of making the crossing and saving our race. A small chance is better than none at all.”

  Chapter 1 – Quick Turnaround

  “I can’t wait to get off of this glorified tin can,” communications specialist Seamus McDonald whispered. “Two years in the belt with no chance at shore leave should qualify us for hazard pay.”

  “I don’t know about you, but I have plans for this extended leave,” replied Lieutenant Lorraine Blyleven as she glanced over toward Captain Sted Richardson. Sometimes, she just couldn’t stop looking at him. Besides his “stop in your tracks” good looks, he also had a definite air of command and a real take-charge attitude. That was even more attractive than his good looks. “With the Revere scheduled for several repairs and upgrades, we should have about two months before our next tour. That should give me enough time to see if the captain has any real interest in me or if he’s just a big tease.”

  Blyleven was the chief astrogator on the USpN Revere, an Asteroid class destroyer in the United Space Navy. With all of the rules in place forbidding fraternization between the captain of a naval ship and any of the crew, nothing had ever come of the many instances of verbal foreplay between the two officers. However, if she played her cards right, she might be able to bend the rules while on leave and then apply for a different posting if things worked out as she hoped. Just thinking about the possibilities got her insides tingling and put a Cheshire cat grin on her face.

  “I’d be careful, if I were you,” McDonald warned. “The Captain is very ambitious, and he has a reputation for dumping or walking over anyone or anything that gets in the way of his plans.”

  “I know the risks,” Lorraine said, though apprehension showed in her voice. “I just can’t get him out of my head. I have to take the risk and then be prepared for the consequences.”

  Sted was well aware of the low level conversation between Lieutenants Blyleven and MacDonald. He was also aware of their glimpses as they talked quietly to each other. It was time to put a stop to it.

  “Lieutenants Blyleven and MacDonald, do you have something you would like to share with everyone on the bridge?”

  “No, sir,” Lieutenant MacDonald said. “We were just talking about our plans for shore leave, which is probably of no interest to anyone else on the bridge.”

  “So you two are planning to do something together on Luna?” Sted asked as a means of determining if Lieutenant Blyleven would be available for some recreational activities not allowed while on a mission.

  “Definitely not,” Blyleven replied as a slight blush tinged her cheeks. “I was just telling Lieutenant MacDonald that perhaps we should plan a party to blow off some steam.”

  “Excuse me for interrupting, Captain Richardson, but you have an incoming call from Admiral Holcroft,” Lieutenant MacDonald said.

  “Route it to my console,” Sted ordered as he launched himself across the weightless bridge and back to his command chair. He punched the Accept command on his console. Admiral Holcroft’s face appeared on the viewing screen. Holcroft was in his mid-fifties. Signs of his age and the stress of his job could be seen in the graying streaks in his hair and the ever-increasing lines in his face. Today, the lines were even more evident than usual, because he looked decidedly unhappy.

  “Welcome back to Luna, Captain Richardson,” the admiral said. “I’m sorry about the last minute change in plans, but I have immediate redeployment orders for you. The nature of this emergency leaves the Revere as my only option. I have ordered the shipyard to prioritize your resupply. I need you, your XO, and your astrogator to shuttle down to Tranquility Base as soon as you’re docked. You will report to the briefing room upon arrival to receive details on a critical asteroid redirect mission. Please set up rotational shore leaves for your crew and let them know that the Revere will be departing in just seven days for this very important two-month mission.”

  “I doubt that Revere can be made ready in just one week, Admiral,” Sted replied. “I will have engineering warn the shipyard about battle damage to the hull that has been patched temporarily. We’ll need that repaired before redeploying. If the shipyard can patch us up in time, we are at your service.”

  “Send your post-action report to my office,” the admiral replied. “Also, please have your engineering chief file a detailed report of the damage and temporary repair with the shipyard before you dock. I’ll make sure this gets immediate attention. I have no alternative but to redeploy the Revere, so we have to make this work.”

  “Will you have a shuttle ready and waiting for us at the shipyard or should we prepare the Revere’s shuttle?”

  “There’s a shuttle on standby at Armstrong ready for immediate depar
ture. The three of you will just have to cross the docking bay and hop on board. I’ll see you in the briefing room.”

  Sted turned toward the communications console. “Lieutenant MacDonald, put me on the all-ship broadcast channel. Bad news travels fast, so let’s get ahead of it and let the crew know before the rumor mill creates havoc.”

  “Channel four is clear for all ship, sir,” MacDonald responded.

  “Attention all crew members. This is Captain Richardson. We will only have a one-week turnaround at the Neil Armstrong Shipyard, after which we will be sailing on a two-month asteroid redirect mission. An abbreviated shore leave schedule will be posted as soon as it is available. When I have further details of the mission from the Admiralty, everyone will be notified though the normal chain of command. That is all.”

  “Commander Olsen.” Sted turned to his executive officer. “I need you to work out that new shore leave schedule over the next few hours. Let’s give each crewmember three days’ leave on a rotating basis. Make sure we have full support from the supply corps for taking on supplies. Then have engineering send in that detailed report of our battle damage and the repairs. Also, remind them to schedule any required service checks with the shipyard techs to speed up the process. I want around-the-clock coverage by our staff while they oversee whoever comes aboard to facilitate our speedy turnaround. I’ll need to know immediately if any repairs will take longer than the week we’ve been given.”

  “Yes sir,” the XO replied as he began working his console. “I’ll have everything ready for your approval before we dock and head down to Tranquility Base.”

  “Perfect. I’ll need you and Lieutenant Blyleven to report to the main lock prep room with an overnight kit as we are going through the final docking maneuvers at Armstrong. We will be suiting up for immediate departure on Armstrong’s shuttle down to the surface and then reporting to a briefing with Admiral Holcroft, so pack your service dress uniforms.”