Special Forces 01 Read online

  Special Forces 01

  Honor Raconteur

  Published by Raconteur House

  Manchester, TN

  Published in the USA through Raconteur House, LLC.

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

  SPECIAL FORCES 01

  A Raconteur House book/ published by arrangement with the author

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Raconteur House ebook edition/December 2012

  Copyright © 2012 by Honor Raconteur

  Cover design by Michael Ash

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information address: Raconteur House,

  164 Whispering Winds Dr., Manchester, TN, 37355

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. Neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Acknowledgements

  Special thanks to my mother, for all of her interest and encouragement in the story. Special credit goes to my brother who got me unstuck after beating my head against the desk for six months. Thanks as well to the regular suspects – they know who they are. Also included in this are my wonderful fans that begged, pleaded, and attempted blackmail to get me to finish the story after posting the first part on livejournal. All of your messages were not in vain and here is the proof!

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents 3

  Prologue 4

  Chapter One 8

  Chapter Two 13

  Chapter Three 23

  Chapter Four 31

  Chapter Five 40

  Chapter Six 45

  Chapter Seven 67

  Chapter Eight 77

  Chapter Nine 85

  Chapter Ten 92

  Chapter Eleven 102

  Chapter Twelve 116

  Chapter Thirteen 131

  Chapter Fourteen 141

  Chapter Fifteen 156

  Chapter Sixteen 164

  Chapter Seventeen 170

  Chapter Eighteen 183

  Chapter Nineteen 197

  Chapter Twenty 202

  Chapter Twenty-One 213

  Chapter Twenty-Two 227

  Epilogue 234

  Prologue

  Admiral Jeremy Bloch thoughtfully studied the five young men standing at attention in front of him. They stood ramrod straight, wearing uniforms that spoke of pride and professionalism by their flawless appearance. They were also young — so terribly young. The oldest one among their ranks had just turned seventeen yesterday. In spite of their youth, they were tough, savvy, resourceful, experienced, single-minded, and wise beyond their years. They were the most deadly combat force he had ever encountered on a battlefield. They had seen more action in their comparatively few years of service than he had in his entire career. The most seasoned front line combat troops of the entire Bijordan military looked like a bunch of prep school boys stacked up next to them. The description didn’t just apply to the five Captains in front of him, but to their teams as well. If they were assigned a mission, it was a foregone conclusion that the mission would be an overwhelming victory. Bloch had only worked with them a short amount of time. Although he had been assigned to Fourth Colony’s space, he had always been on the front lines and so had limited contact with the Colony itself. It wasn’t until that last battle that he had gotten to know these young men better. He was profoundly grateful they were on his side.

  Well, most of the time, and he was satisfied with that.

  At the moment he had an uncomfortable feeling that he was somehow working out of sync with them. That wasn’t a sensation he enjoyed, but he wanted what was best for these incredible young warriors who had been forced to grow into adults far too soon.

  His introspection and pondering wasn’t going to change anything, or make this any easier, so he cleared his throat and leaned forward, letting his elbows rest against his desk. He tried to project an air of confidence, more confidence than he felt at the moment, knowing they would not respect weakness or indecision. “Gentlemen, I realize that this is a decidedly unorthodox idea for you. It will mean some drastic changes in your immediate future, but the Combined Forces Council has unanimously agreed that it will provide a good cover.”

  “Yes, sir!” Captain Aaron Jeconiah barked out immediately, but the skepticism was transparent on his face. Even as they flowed to parade rest in unison, with a brief nod from the Admiral, they gave the impression of being wound tightly and one second away from exploding into action. “We are always willing to go with the mission’s parameters, sir. But…permission to speak frankly, sir?”

  Did he dare grant such a request? Bloch, somewhat reluctantly, gave a nod.

  “Sir, I can’t help but feel that part of the reason for our cover story is to help integrate us into Bijordan society.”

  Admiral Bloch barely concealed a wince, locking his facial muscles to keep them from betraying him. It was a little disconcerting that Captain Jeconiah had boiled down the entire situation and hit the nail square on the head. Clearing his throat again to ensure his voice was steady and firm, he continued, “There were some members of the Council that voiced…concerns in that frame of reference. By taking this approach, it is hoped that you will be more well-rounded as individuals, by viewing our society alongside a group of your peers.”

  Bloch personally shared that assessment. These young men had been in a battle zone most of their lives and didn’t have a good concept of ‘normal.’ In fact, if he’d had his way, they’d be suspended from all active duty until they turned eighteen.

  Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough military personnel for that. The war with Nova had cost them—not just in time and resources, but in manpower. They needed every person they had. The Council had been especially vehement about keeping the SF01 at least partially active. This group had more expertise, ability and battle experience than any other officer in Bijordan. They simply couldn’t be kept on a shelf.

  “I trust, sir, that plans for validating our cover are already underway?” Captain Arystair Savar looked slightly amused, eyes sparkling with good natured patience.

  Bloch shot him a grateful look. Out of all the Captains in this elite force, Savar was the one that he liked the most. Bloch had personal experience with him, as his own Flagship had been in eminent danger of being destroyed during that last, desperate battle in Fourth Colony space. It was Captain Savar, and his team, that put the three enemy battleships out of commission before Bloch’s ship, Trojan, could be reduced to globs of molten slag. For that alone he owed this young man a huge debt. Bloch also knew he probably would have liked Savar anyway. He was a very charismatic and likeable individual.

  “They are indeed. Gentlemen, I must tell you that you are not alone on this mission. We are indeed counting on your field intelligence to figure out what Nova is up to, but we’re gathering all available intel and analyzing it. You and your teams will have support every step of the way if you need it.”

  “That is reassuring, sir!” Captain Miles Diener glanced at his fellow Captains. “Have you set designated territories for our teams to cover?”

  Bloch shook his head. “No, we thought it better if you analyze the area and make such determinations yourself. Frankly, you know you
r teams’ abilities and Nova’s tactics better than the Council. I convinced them to let you decide and then report back to us.” The five Captains looked back at him with a slightly awed look, which Bloch well understood—getting a council, any council, to agree to let someone else make the decisions could be considered a miracle straight from the Guardians. “Don’t look so impressed,” he added dryly. “The only reason they agreed is because we’d already been in the meeting for five hours and we hadn’t even touched who was going to be in charge of the rest of space.”

  “Now it makes more sense, sir.” Captain Duane McBurgh wasn’t undisciplined enough to roll his eyes, but it was a near thing. “Steve? Rys? You’re the only ones who haven’t weighed in with an opinion yet.”

  Captain Steve Curtis was significantly larger than his brother captains, and his deep voice seemed to roil up from the depths of his impressive chest. “We’ve done enough intel gathering with Nova that I can’t imagine it will cause us any real difficulty, even if it is on a planet. I also can’t fault the logic of our men being incorporated into a traditional family structure. I think…” he hesitated, his peripheral vision taking in Savar’s nod in surprise. “You agree?” There was a moment of silence as the two men regarded each other, obviously something private and significant passing between them.

  Bloch bit back a sigh of impatience. One of the “upgrades” done by Fourth Colony on this young group of Special Forces soldiers was a microscopic electronic chip inside their heads. That chip allowed them to do all sorts of impressive things. They could access any computer, net service, communication device…and each other, if they needed to. From an outward appearance, Bloch could almost believe in telepathy, if he hadn’t known exactly what they were doing.

  “Gentlemen, speak out loud, if you please!”

  “Sorry, sir,” Savar apologized, chagrin running across his face. “Habit, you know.”

  He did know, all too well. The first week he’d spent around these men, all they had done was communicate mentally to each other.

  “I do agree with Steve,” Savar continued with a nod. His voice fell to a quiet, solemn tone. “None of us have a good handle on what you might consider ‘normal’, sir. I think being included in a family structure will teach us things no classroom ever could.”

  Jeconiah frowned, but his expression looked more thoughtful than argumentative. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

  “It is indeed a valid point; most of us grew up in the Academy,” McBurgh acknowledged slowly. “It would also look very odd to Nova if we’re just wandering around without being somehow directly connected to Bijordan society, wouldn’t it?”

  Grateful they seemed to be actually considering the idea, Bloch gave them an encouraging nod. “That was the conclusion we drew. And even though you and your men will be dispersed into different homes, we will ensure that your entire team will remain in the same city together.”

  “I do feel more comfortable hearing that,” Diener admitted.

  “Sir, I do want to add two things,” Savar interjected, without any hesitation. His eyes, a cool grey, seemed to nail Bloch to his chair. “I think that if there is ever a situation that can be more efficiently resolved by our men, we should be called upon. Agreed?”

  Bloch made a mental promise to himself to make certain that such a situation would never arise. These men would already have their hands full trying to analyze the movements of an entire planet. But, if this concession got them to agree to the arrangement, he could live with it. “Agreed.”

  “Also, if we feel that our men are in danger, or that the home they are billeted in is not suitable for whatever reason, we reserve the right to pull them out immediately. No home will be considered suitable until we approve it.”

  Bloch had actually expected that condition. Special Force 01 was a very close community—they watched out for each other. The term “brother soldier” wasn’t just a phrase to them. The Council had been a little shocked that he considered it prudent the Captains have veto power over family selection. But then, that Council had not personally seen these teenaged soldiers destroy battleships and decimate entire battle groups.

  “Agreed.”

  Savar visibly relaxed as he exchanged a quick look with his brother Captains. Bloch was sure that words were being exchanged as well, he just couldn’t hear them. The consensus must have gone in his favor as Savar finally nodded firmly. “Admiral Bloch, we are yours to command.”

  Chapter One

  Rys walked into the base’s main conference room to discover that he was, as usual, the first to arrive. It had become something of an inside joke among the 01—Rys was always ten minutes early. Everyone else was usually ten minutes late. Ah, well. Giving a mental shrug, he took a look around the room and let the glass door close behind him. It looked like every other conference room in the galaxy — long, rectangular table in the middle surrounded by cushy chairs, a projector’s screen dominating one wall, with a small tech’s booth lurking in a back corner. Nothing pretentious.

  He instinctively chose a back corner chair so that he could see the whole room. Since he had ten minutes anyway, he mentally called up the computer sitting on the tech table and started uploading maps and data sheets into the system. The task was one he’d done a hundred times before and so it didn’t demand his full attention. A part of his mind started to drift.

  Two weeks he’d been on Bijordan and still it felt…alien. The vastness of the horizon alone always surprised him. Despite this being his “home” planet, no one from Fourth Colony had set foot here in well over two hundred years. Rys couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up with so much open space. Heaven knew, Fourth Colony was many things but spacious didn’t even make the list.

  Two hundred years ago, it had started as a mining facility. Claiming a small moon outside of the Kaelberer planet, the miners had found a rich deposit of various metals. The facility had been built by a wealthy conglomerate and some bureaucratic paper-pusher had imaginatively named the five facilities by the order in which they’d been built. Fourth Colony was the only one that had a rich enough supply of material to actually expand and become a proper colony. The population started growing as the miners, doctors, merchants, and other colonists started families. There’d been talk of even more expansion to accommodate the rising generations until Nova had struck.

  In retrospect, Rys couldn’t help but wonder why no one had seen the war coming. Nova had always been a restless neighbor, more demanding than anyone else on Fourth’s resources. Half the metals that Fourth mined were used solely to build spaceships. Hadn’t anyone thought that Nova couldn’t be using that material solely for merchant or pleasure ships?

  Well, it was a moot point now. Nova had done its damage. They’d just charged in and tried to snatch Fourth Colony without warning ten years ago. If not for the brilliance of a few techs and their quick work rigging an impenetrable shield, Nova likely would have succeeded. At that point, Fourth had possessed no military to speak of. What use would miners have for a military? The most they had at that time was a squadron of ship guards and a local police garrison.

  The Fourth leaders had frantically sent out a call for help. Only Bijordan had responded. Bijordan, unfortunately, had been caught off-guard like everyone else by the viciousness and persistence of Nova’s attack. Their military didn’t have the resources to be deployed on an intergalactic war and it had taken precious time to build up a space fleet large enough to subdue Nova’s forces.

  In fact, it had taken ten long years and too many battles for Bijordan and Fourth’s forces to beat Nova back into their own territory. As of a month ago, Nova had officially lost the war, but Rys didn’t have any confidence it would hold. In fact, no one in the Fourth or Bijordan governments believed Nova’s now peaceful attitude.

  Negotiations on space jurisdictions and boundaries had been going on since the mid-part of last week. Rys had watched most of it, in between being shipped from one place t
o another, and he frankly didn’t like what he saw. Nova’s Ambassador was deploying some very sophisticated delaying tactics in the talks. Rys didn’t see any sign that Nova had changed their minds about having Fourth Colony.

  Rys blew out a breath and sat back in his chair, the faux leather making a soft whooshing sound as he did so. He had mixed feelings about this whole business. The trigger happy part of him really wanted to just go destroy a few hundred Novan warships so that they wouldn’t have the resources to cause any more trouble. Hmm. Not a bad thought, that. I wonder how well that would fly with everyone else…?

  The door made a soft click as it was pushed open. Rys waved his fingers in greeting as Aaron and Steve walked in. “Where’s the other two?”

  “Late,” Aaron responded with a roll of the eyes.

  “Cute receptionist,” Steve explained with a shake of the head as he sat toward the head of the table.

  “Ah.” Rys didn’t need further explanation. For some reason, Fourth had a lower female population than male, which made it hard to find a girl to flirt with that wasn’t already taken in some way. The military men had it harder as they were deployed most of the time, and the few women in the military with them were strictly off-limits. To find an attractive girl near their ages that they were allowed to hit on was a novelty. From what Rys had seen, most of the women on Bijordan were rather attractive, so he’d thought that the novelty would have worn off some by now. Apparently not.