Return to Sol: Attack at Dawn - An Epic Space Opera Adventure (Aeon 14: The Orion War Book 12) Read online

  RETURN TO SOL:

  ATTACK AT DAWN

  THE ORION WAR – BOOK 12

  BY M. D. COOPER

  Just in Time (JIT) & Beta Readers

  Scott Reid

  Chad Burroughs

  Timothy Van Oosterwyk Bruyn

  Copyright © 2020 M. D. Cooper

  Aeon 14 is Copyright © 2020 M. D. Cooper

  Version 1.0.0

  Cover Art by Andrew Dobell

  Editing by Jen McDonnell, Bird’s Eye Books

  Aeon 14 & M. D. Cooper are registered trademarks of Malorie Cooper

  All rights reserved

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  FOREWORD

  PREVIOUSLY…

  MAPS

  PART 1 – WHY SO SIRIUS

  THE ROUTE

  THE ORION FRONT

  NAIL, MEET HAMMER

  LAST FLIGHT UP

  A SIRIUS DECISION

  TO END ALL WARS

  ENHANCEMENT

  THE OP

  SERVED COLD

  HOP, SKIP, AND A JUMP

  PART 2 – FIRESTORM

  PUNCHING A HOLE

  NEW ORDERS

  THE STRIKE

  A HEGEMON’S DESIRE

  A NUMBERS GAME

  A BILLIONTY BILLION

  THE LONG COUNT

  HERE KITTY, KITTY

  A TRUER TALE

  UPPING THE ANTE

  DO YOUR WORST

  THE CRUSH

  REMOVED FROM OFFICE

  STARBLADE

  A KING’S KNEE

  SOLBOUND

  A CAPITAL CAPTURE

  HEGEMON’S FOLLY

  PART 3 - SOL

  NIBIRU PORTAGE

  FEAST OF CHAMPIONS

  INSPECTED

  REPORTING IN

  A CLUE AND A PLAN

  A MIND’S EYE

  JUST A TASTE

  TURNABOUT

  THE OLDEST ENEMY

  THE BOOKS OF AEON 14

  OTHER BOOKS BY M. D. COOPER

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  FOREWORD

  Surprise! Chances are that if you picked up this book on release, you expected to be reading the final book in the Orion War series, but that’s not exactly what’s in your hands right now.

  I started writing this story at the exact point I left off in Race Across Spacetime with Tanis, Tangel, Sera, and the others arriving at New Canaan…but what ended up happening was that a whole bunch of other characters clamored for attention, and just wouldn’t be quiet!

  If you recall, at the very end of Race Across Spacetime, the group at the galactic core skirted around the edge of Sagittarius A* to reach a gate, which they used to jump to New Canaan. Unfortunately, in doing so that close to so much mass, they skipped ahead through time by a month, arriving at their destination to find it under attack by what Tangel described as ‘everyone’.

  But what happened during that lost month? Last we saw, Orion had fallen, and the Hegemony was on the run. Joe and Jessica had just routed a Sirian assault on Kapteyn’s Star, and, at this point, Rika is solidifying her hold on Genevia after killing the Nietzschean emperor. Lastly, Corsia is earning victory after victory in the Trisilieds, while the Hoplite fleets mop up Orion Guard defenders in the PED.

  All of that is to say, who could be attacking New Canaan? How could a force so large that it triggered the recall of all ISF ships to their home system be on their doorstep?

  Which is the story the characters were demanding I tell.

  Joe, Katrina, Jessica, Cheeky, and the all rest have been up to a lot over that month, and they insisted I tell you about it. At first, I thought it would just be a short, initial segment in the book, but here I am still not done wrapping up the first week since Joe and Jessica routed the Sirians at Kapteyn’s Star, and I have a full-length novel, with more to write!

  I could have put it all into one volume, but even making this the longest Aeon 14 book to date, there wasn’t any way to tell the story properly without rushing the ending, and so Return to Sol has become a two-parter.

  I do want to make it clear that this is not half a story that is going to leave you hanging—at least, no more than is usual for an Orion War book. There is a full story arc within these pages, as well as the events that will bring us to the doorstep of the final conflicts in the war.

  There was a bit of concern in my mind about breaking this book into two separate volumes, but I ran a poll on the Discord server and in the Facebook group, and in both places, the response from readers was unanimous: two books. A few even suggested three.

  So here you have it, Return to Sol: Attack at Dawn, soon to be followed by Return to Sol: Star Rise.

  Now, it’s time to let slip the dogs of war.

  Malorie Cooper

  Danvers 2020

  [email protected]

  PREVIOUSLY…

  A lot went on in the previous book, Race Across Spacetime. We started with Tanis and Angela coming to in a pinnace and wondering where they were, and ended with a jump from the galactic core to New Canaan, only to find that the system was under attack.

  Excepting Earnest and Finaeus’s journeys through time, the entire book took place over four days, with Sera mounting a rescue to save Tanis and Angela, while ascended AIs hunted them in the New Sol System.

  Ultimately, Tanis and Angela were captured and taken to the core. At the same time, Finaeus and Earnest jumped backward in time with the express purpose of saving Tangel from her demise at the end of Starfire. They and Tangel then jumped to the core and aided in Tanis and Angela’s rescue.

  In those days, Joe and his daughters traveled back to New Canaan, not wanting to remain in New Sol once it was clear that Tanis and Angela were no longer there.

  There, the ISF had been upgrading I-Class supercarriers with EMG/DMG weaponry capable of firing through stasis shields. Given the fact that the ascended AIs had given stasis shield technology to the Hegemony of Worlds, this proved to be rather useful when Sirius attacked Kapteyn’s Star.

  That battle ended with Joe bringing the Carthage to Kapteyn’s Star, and, aided by starfire from Star City, they drove the Sirians back.

  Elsewhere, other battles have been raging in the Milky Way Galaxy. Corsia, who launched an attack against the Trisilieds Kingdom several books ago, has been seeing progress with her efforts there, and Svetlana’s Hoplite force has been sweeping through the Perseus Expansion Districts, distracting the Orion forces.

  Now, with those campaigns drawing to a close, all eyes are turning to the inner systems of the Hegemony of Worlds, the desire to decisively end the war growing in everyone’s minds.

  A sentiment the Hegemony has picked up on, increasing their desperation and need to score a final victory before the Orion War reaches its conclusion…

  KEY CHARACTERS

  Bob – Bob is Bob, no additional introduction is needed.

  Caldwell – Colonel Caldwell of the ISF commands sixty-seven ships under TSF Admiral Svetlana in her Hoplite fleet.

  Camille – Crew aboard Katrina’s ship, the Voyager.

  Carl – Head engineer and first mate of the Voyager.

  Cary – Tangel’s biological daughter. Has a trait where she can deep-Link with other people, creating a temporary merger of minds, and is able to utilize extradimensional vision to see ascended beings. Recently, she’s been aboard the Perilous Dream, having assumed the role of Widow A1.

  Cheeky – Captain of Sabrina, and longtime friend of Sera. Cheeky
was once a human woman, but is now a recreation of her mind as an AI in a mostly human body.

  Corsia – Former captain of the Andromeda, Corsia is now admiral of the ISF’s Twelfth Fleet, currently operating in the Trisilieds Kingdom.

  Diana – Empress of the Scipian Empire

  Darla – Tanis’s first AI, Darla is an ancient AI with mysterious ties to Hades, the first AI to reach the galactic core.

  Earnest – Designer of the Intrepid and a host of other ISF technology, Earnest is New Canaan’s foremost scientist.

  Elena – Former Hand agent and Sera’s ex-lover. Double agent for Orion who attempted to kill Tanis at Alexandria.

  Faleena – Tangel’s AI daughter, born of a mind merge between Tanis, Angela, and Joe. Widow designation F11.

  Finaeus – Brother of Jeffrey Tomlinson, and Chief Engineer aboard the I2.

  Gil – Gil is the ship’s AI aboard Jessica’s flagship, the Lantzer.

  Greer – Admiral Greer commands the TSF forces focused on ending the Orion War in the Inner Stars. He first encountered the Intrepid and her crew at the Ascella Watchpoint, and joined in the conflict on the side of New Canaan during Orion’s first attack on the star system.

  Iris – The AI who was paired with Jessica during the hunt for Finaeus, who then took on a body (that was nearly identical to Jessica’s) after they came back.

  Jason – Jason Andrews is the first captain of the Intrepid, and governor of the New Canaan colony. Jason has a long and storied career spanning thousands of years to pre-FTL days, when he pioneered trade routes between near-Sol stars.

  Jen – ISF AI paired with Sera.

  Jessica Keller – ISF admiral who has returned to the I2 after an operation deep in the Inner Stars to head off a new AI war. She also spent ten years traveling through Orion space before the Defense of Carthage—specifically the Perseus Arm, and Perseus Expansion Districts.

  Joe – Admiral in the ISF, commandant of the ISF academy, and husband of Tangel.

  Katrina – Captain of the Voyager, Katrina has had a long and storied life. Originally born into Luminescent society, she’s been a spy, a traitor and rebel, a governor’s wife, and then governor herself. Later, she was a refugee, a captive, a warlord, and a marauder. The list could go on for several novels.

  Kerr – The I-Class Carthage’s multinodal AI.

  Kirb – Crew aboard the Voyager.

  Krissy Wrentham – TSF admiral responsible for internal fleets fighting against Airtha in the Transcend civil war. She is also the daughter of Finaeus Tomlinson and Lisa Wrentham.

  Leory – COO of the Sirian Hegemony. The Hegemony used to have a CEO, but after they were conquered by Sol, they were denied the use of that title.

  Lisa Wrentham – Former wife of Finaeus Tomlinson, she left the Transcend for the Orion Freedom Alliance when Krissy was young. Head of a clandestine group within the OFA known as the Widows, which hunts down advanced technology and destroys it. Former Widow designation A1.

  Malorie – Woman whose brain was placed in a spider-like body by Katrina after a rather complex series of events in the Midditerra system. Malorie and Katrina started off as enemies, but are now close friends. However, Malorie rather enjoys her body and behaving as much like a large, red, rather terrifying spider as possible.

  Misha – Ship’s cook aboard Sabrina.

  Nance – Engineer aboard Sabrina who once held an ascended AI’s shard.

  Ophelia – Captain of the Carthage, Ophelia’s first major command was as captain of a cruiser, where she served with distinction in the Battle for Victoria.

  Peabody – Captain of the Starblade, Peabody’s first major command was as captain of the Antares, where he served with distinction in the Battle for Victoria.

  Petra – Hand Regional Director based in Alexandria, capital of the Scipian Empire. After the great unveiling, Petra also became the ambassador from the Transcend to Scipio. She is now also the consort of the Scipian empress, Diana.

  Prime – An AI who went insane due to unethical experimentation in the 32nd century, Prime was thought to have been killed at Proxima by an AI named Eric, but a backup of the unstable AI escaped.

  Rachel – Captain of the I2. Formerly, captain of the Enterprise.

  Saanvi – Tangel’s adopted daughter, found in a derelict ship that entered the New Canaan System. Widow designation E12.

  Sabrina – Ship’s AI and owner of the starship Sabrina.

  Sabs – An autonomous shard of Sabrina, Sabs is a clone of the ship’s AI, but has grown into her own person.

  Sebastian – Rear Admiral serving under Svetlana.

  Sera – Director of the Hand and former president of the Transcend. Daughter of Airtha and Jeffrey Tomlinson.

  Symatra – SAI Admiral in the ISF, Symatra played a critical role in the Defense of Carthage, and commanded Cary and Saanvi during the conflict.

  LMC Sera (Seraphina) – A copy of Sera made by Airtha containing all of Sera’s desired traits and memories. Captured by Sera and the allies during their excursion into the Large Magellanic Cloud.

  Valkris Sera (Fina) – A copy of Sera made by Airtha containing all of Sera’s desired traits and memories. Captured by ISF response forces who came to the aid of the TSF defenders during the siege of Valkris.

  Svetlana – Admiral in the TSF in command of a Hoplite fleet operating behind enemy borders in the Perseus Expansion District.

  Tanis – Not to be confused with Tangel’s former human identity, Tanis is the oldest of Jessica, Trevor, and Iris’s AI children. She resides at Star City.

  Tangel – The entity that resulted from Tanis and Angela’s merger into one being. Not only is Tangel a full merger of a human and AI, but she is also an ascended being.

  Terrance – Terrance Enfield was the original backer for the Intrepid, though once the ship jumped forward in time, he took it as an opportunity to retire. Like Jason, he was pulled into active service by Tangel when New Canaan became embroiled in the Orion War.

  Trevor – Husband of Iris and Jessica Keller. Originally from the Virginis System, Trevor is now a commander in the ISF, and serves with his wives aboard the ISS Lantzer.

  Troy – Initially the AI pilot of the Excelsior, a heavy mining rig, Troy sacrificed himself to save the Intrepid at the Battle for Victoria. Later, Katrina found him on Victoria’s moon. Eventually, he ended up as the ship’s AI in her vessel, the Voyager.

  Usef – Usef has worked his way up from a lieutenant serving in the fledgling ISF on Victoria, to one of the space force’s most renowned officers. At present, he is in command of a special operations battalion.

  Uriel – Leader of the Hegemony of Worlds, Uriel has turned from an elected official to a dictator who styles herself the ‘hegemon’. She rules from High Terra in the Sol System.

  Virgo – An AI upgraded by Myrrdan to take over the Intrepid, Virgo was the rogue AI responsible for much of the sabotage on the Intrepid that led it to the near-disaster at Estrella de la Muerte. The corrupted node Virgo inhabited was too dangerous to attempt to purge or store, so Bob and Earnest ejected it from the Intrepid in interstellar space.

  MAPS

  For more maps, visit www.aeon14.com/maps.

  PART 1 – WHY SO SIRIUS

  THE ROUTE

  STELLAR DATE: 05.11.8950 (Adjusted Years)

  LOCATION: ISS Lantzer, Inner System

  REGION: Kapteyn’s Star System, Alliance Controlled Territory

  The Lantzer’s bridge crew broke into cheers as the final Sirian cruiser began to gout plasma, twisting in half as one of the main engines died under atom beam fire.

  “That’s the last of their capital ships,” Jessica said as she rose from her command seat and stretched her arms. “A couple of corvettes and destroyers got away, but I count this as a win. Good work, everyone.”

  Trevor did the same at the weapons console, twisting his back side to side before ambling over to Jessica and wrapping her in a tight embrace. “Serves those bastards right.”

&n
bsp; “You have no idea.” Jessica’s voice was laden with grim satisfaction. “Sirius is a blight on the galaxy, so much can be laid at their doorstep.”

  Iris approached, and the pair opened their arms to include her in the embrace.

  “So, what do you think is next?” the AI asked. “Do you think Joe will really order a strike on Sirius?”

  “It’s the logical next step,” Jessica replied. “Not only that, but it will take the pressure off Kapteyn’s Star—and I know he feels as strongly about this system as I do.”

  “I’m with you there,” Karma said. “I still think of Tara as home as much as Troy.”

  Gil said.

  The trio broke their embrace, and Jessica stepped to the fore, switching the holotank from a view of the battlespace to the image of Admiral Joseph Evans.

  Something had changed in her good friend since last she’d seen him. For the first time, he looked the part of a grim-eyed military man who had seen too much of war. She never thought she’d see the day when hints of the cocksure pilot would no longer sparkle behind his eyes, but it seemed it had finally come.

  “Good work, Admiral Keller.” Joe’s voice was as weary as his visage let on. “We may not have wiped them out, but we sent a hell of a message. One that will take a week to arrive through the dark layer.”

  “And what’s next?” she asked. “Are we going to regroup?”

  “At the gates,” Joe replied. “We’re jumping to Sirius.”

  “Yes!” Iris thrust a fist in the air. “About fucking time!”

  Joe nodded and crossed his arms. “I’m sending drones in to find their interdiction buoys. If we can find enough, we’ll rail-shot them from here and then jump straight down to Incandus.”

  “Too bad Markus isn’t here to see this.” Jessica ran a hand down her cheek. “I bet he would have loved to see Brilliance Station burn.”

  “Don’t count your space rubble before it’s smashed,” Trevor cautioned. “Sirius is a hell of a stronghold.”