Alliance, p.1
Alliance, page 1
Alliance
The Lazarus Alliance, Book 7
Blaze Ward
Knotted Road Press
Contents
I. ZHOONARIM
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
II. YISAN
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
III. LIBERTY
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
IV. EARTH
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Epilogue
Read More
About the Author
Also by Blaze Ward
About Knotted Road Press
Part One
ZHOONARIM
One
Lazarus
Lazarus studied the image of the squadron as he sat on one side of the bridge. They were aboard the captured Westphalian ScoutWall Phalanx Swift. One of three vessels that Aileen’s mob of galumphs had taken at Zhoonarrim Station.
Addison was commanding the Archer Intruder nearby, likely to his eternal embarrassment, while Aileen had moved the two commanders from her escorts, Deni Wallace and Juan Aroñezz, to the Phalanxes in order to train up crews.
Lazarus was mostly just along today to provide moral support. And because both Kuei and Wybert had flatly refused any sort of promotion or transfer than might remove them from their spots on Ajax. At least for now. At some point, that might change, but Lazarus himself would likely have to come under proper military command again first.
Piracy really was more fun.
“Sir?” Commander Wallace speaking perked Lazarus up now, as it did the various crew members around them. About half of this crew were human, with the Pilot that Wallace was overseeing being a Kdari named Jemsik Marraw.
The two protectors’ crews had been thinned down, but after the battle for Zhoonarrim, a huge pool of volunteers had stood up to be inducted into whatever various navies would take them.
Another thing that Lazarus would probably have to sort out at some point, but not today.
Lazarus turned to the Commander expectantly.
“So we’re really just on a long scout here, sir,” the man began, speaking on a somewhat personal level, but loud enough that everyone around them could follow along.
Lazarus nodded to prompt him.
“What happens if we do run into someone?” Wallace asked.
“That’s up to the Commodore,” Lazarus smiled. “But this squadron contains roughly the equivalent firepower of a Westphalian GunWall, and not just a ScoutWall, since P-4282 and P-4317 are along. I’d rate us down a little, only because so many of the crews are just now starting to gel into something useful, but we can do a lot. It also depends on who we find. Another ScoutWall patrol of five might be too much for the Commodore to take on. And it might not.”
“And her orders to clear the entire Nebula of Westphalian vessels?” Wallace asked, again mostly for the benefit of everyone else.
“If Westphalia can’t take the time to locate other corridors through there then we can defend the Phraettis Alliance with the ships we have, at least until such time as Rio sends more,” Lazarus spoke louder than necessary. “And patrolling like this gets everybody better trained for what comes next.”
“What comes next, sir?” Wallace asked.
“Pretty soon, I think this squadron will be worked up to the point that we can go back and get Ajax, Commander,” Lazarus smiled. “Then we’ll go find some friends and take the war to Westphalia for a while.”
The Pilot rotated his head back to look now.
“Will the Innruld let that happen, sirs?” Marraw asked.
“All those guns and systems that the Commodore brought back from Brasilia mean that the Species Underground can start attacking Security Barcs anywhere they find them, Lieutenant,” Lazarus said. “Part of all this training is to prepare you so that some teams can stay here and continue this battle, while others help in Human Space. Only together can we achieve our final victory.”
“How soon?” the man asked.
“That’s up to Aileen and Admiral da Silva,” Lazarus nodded.
Two
Addison
Addison was still getting used to this bridge. Westphalian ships tended to be shaped strangely by the need to have that big, metal shield forward, providing shelter as well as a better parallax on sensors. At the same time, the central column was hinged in the middle, so that the ship could maneuver sideways, almost like a Churquen slithering.
The Star Lance was forward, with this small bridge tucked in behind it, and that made the whole bridge a long, narrow cylinder. Extremely cramped in here, for reasons he really didn’t understand, especially since Addison had been aboard the ship while it was being repaired. They could have just as easily moved all the walls out several feet and not lost anything particularly important.
He shrugged as he looked around. At his order, the repair crews had also nearly doubled the amount of lights in here, so that it was less a dreary, quiet chamber and more like the various command spaces on Ajax, or his old bridge on Shiva Zephyr Glaive.
What did it say about Westphalian mental processes that their ships were uncomfortable and dark? Except that Lazarus had assured him that their Starcruisers were more like Rio ships.
Weird, but it did show a tendency to social stratification that Addison found distasteful. More distasteful than Westphalia itself.
“Sensors, what is your status?” he called, mostly just to pass the time.
They were surveying in the Nebula today. Akeley’s Passage was getting a thorough mapping, since that was one of the things a ScoutWall did better than almost anyone.
Lt. Rister Pera. Yithadreph female. Louder than Aileen, but nowhere near as supremely confident.
Everyone was operating under something closely approximating the Rio Alliance Navy, if only because Lazarus had training materials and videos that covered a frightening level of detail for how to do things.
After all, it wasn’t like the Innruld had a navy worth mentioning.
She looked up now and frowned. Uncertain, but everything was new to almost everyone. Addison only had a year’s head start.
“I’m seeing indications of a ship’s transit, sir,” Pera said sourly. “Recent, I think. Recent enough that I have echo marks of them dropping into space nearby and then jumping again.”
“Show me,” he ordered her.
Westphalian equipment wasn’t anywhere near as good as what Lazarus had installed on Ajax, but still better than what the Species Underground had had before.
Yes. That was a ship with jump drives, navigating more or less down the central lane of Akeley’s Passage. It had jumped out and spent a while triangulating as well as it could against visible stars, then jumped again just a few hours ago.
“Sound the alert and roust the Commodore,” he ordered. “Transmit your findings to the rest of the squadron and tell everyone to stand by for jump.”
That would be what Aileen ordered, so he felt okay anticipating. He smiled at the thought that she was in charge here, instead of him or Lazarus. Of course, Lazarus would step in if he felt the need, but this was just supposed to be a familiarization patrol.
“Signal from Swift, sir,” Pera said. “Captain Lazarus.”
“Put him through to my screen, Lieutenant.”
And there he was, the man responsible for such upheavals in everyone’s life.
“Coming or going?” he asked immediately.
“Yisan side, transiting towards Aceanx,” Addison replied.
Aceanx was closer through trans-space, but Human ships could leap in a straight line, so they could go straight to Zhoonarrim when they got into open space.
Aileen arri ved before they could say more.
“How big?” was the first thing she asked when she got into her own modified command seat.
Every single chair on this ship had been ripped out first thing, and replaced with modifiable seats the Species preferred.
“One ship, Commodore,” Pera responded. “Unable to identify size at present.”
Addison figured that they could actually move to a spot where they could scan the wave of arrival for details, but that would require more time than he expected Aileen to give them.
“Lazarus, are we ready to chase someone?” she asked, joining in on the open line.
“I think so, depending,” he replied. “If nothing else, we need to get back to friendly space so we can bring in heavier firepower, assuming an unfriendly vessel.”
He watched the woman nod. She’d been a mostly quiet, introverted Cargomaster for him for years, but a change had come over her. Firefights on rooftops, commanding convoys and then armadas.
Now, commanding a patrol squadron.
“All vessels, come about to this vector and prepare to jump,” Aileen said. “Oh, and battle stations.”
Three
Aileen
Aileen watched as her new mob of semi-professional galumphs went to work. It helped that she had Addison and three trained Human captains grooming folks, as well as others working in engine rooms and gun stations.
Well-meaning amateurs described a lot of the recruits. Violent revolutionaries more or less covered the rest. Still, look what Lazarus had managed to do with the original crew of Shiva Zephyr Glaive.
“All ships show ready, sir,” Lt. Pera said.
The woman was utterly in awe of Aileen, which made Aileen a little cranky at times, but she was getting used to it. The old days had been us against the Innruld. Nowadays she was suddenly Important People. And occasionally had to act like it.
“Make your jumps,” Aileen ordered, wishing that Lazarus would step in and take over, but he steadfastly refused, just like Rod da Silva reminded everyone regularly that the Humans were here to help, not command.
Addison was just as bad, but that was him wanting to get himself and Eha back to Liberty so they could pretend to be living something of a normal life. Or Brasilia, which was much more likely.
So it was kind of up to her, at least for now. She might demand an end to the dress up so she could go back to her vests and capris, but until then she needed to make sure that Westphalia failed to take over the galaxy.
If that meant that she had to remain in charge for a while, so be it.
Blueshift.
After so many years of trans-space, it was still weird to just arrive somewhere light-years distant in between heartbeats.
“All vessels hard scan,” Aileen ordered. “High profile. I want to know exactly where they are as soon as they realize we’re behind them.”
And to give her own folks time to run if they had to. There was a Security Pyramid ahead in Vigilant, plus any number of armed gunships, but if this was another Westphalian probe, she’d just transfer her flag to Ajax when she got there, since Rod wasn’t around.
That’s what you get for leaving me in charge.
She grinned.
“Contact!” Pera called. “Bearing noted. Vessel currently between jumps and close enough to engage.”
Aileen waited. The most important information would take a few seconds.
“Uhm, they’re flying Yisan transponder codes?” Pera continued, confused. “What’s a postal carrier?”
“All ships, stand down from battle stations.” Lazarus did take over now. Sharply. “Friendly vessel ahead. Let me contact them and get everything settled.”
“All yours,” Aileen said.
When had someone established a communications route through the Nebula?
Four
Eduardo
Eduardo happened to be on the bridge of Postal Flyer Three when all the alarms went insane with Blueshift. Captain Diana Garcia stopped talking mid-word and went straight to battle stations.
He approved. Piracy was likely to be a matter of fact in the nebula for a while. Especially after what had just happened at Yisan.
“Oh, this is interesting,” she said quietly, leaning back from her screen and gesturing him closer.
Eduardo wasn’t strapped down yet or anything, so he could move.
And he agreed.
“Is it real?” he asked, looking around.
“Stand by,” the woman on the sensors panel spoke up. “I have comm traffic from Lazarus aboard one of the ScoutWall vessels.”
“Patch it through,” Diana said.
Yes. Lazarus.
“Eduardo?” the man recoiled somewhat on the screen.
“Indeed,” he smiled. “Might I inquire as to the nature of things, such that three ScoutWall vessels and two Rio Protectors are pouncing on me?”
“Westphalia captured Zhoonarrim Station,” the man said, relaxing. “Aileen commanded a task force to take it back, and in the process three of the full ScoutWall surrendered. This is a training patrol. What are you doing in the middle of nowhere?”
“I would feel better not discussing it on an open line,” Eduardo replied. “Should I come aboard one of your vessels?”
His image froze for several seconds, so Eduardo assumed a private conference over there. A moment later his screen lit up with a conference call including Addison Wolcott and the immeasurable Aileen Enjehn, plus several humans Eduardo didn’t know.
“If it is as bad as you being here suggests, I’ll route you on the shortest path to Zhoonarrim from here,” Lazarus said. As Eduardo watched, one of the ScoutWall mushrooms suddenly vanished. “I’m sending a messenger ahead so they’re ready for you. Three jumps with these vectors.”
“Got it,” Diana spoke up now. “Pilot, program these and stand by.”
Eduardo nodded. All the folks on this bridge were female, but he generally had his pick of competent women to fly his ships, given the way that both Westphalia and the Rio Alliance tended to be blinded by their sexism. He wouldn’t tolerate any shenanigans on one of his hulls, and hired captains who agreed.
“Eduardo, just how critical is your information?” Lazarus asked.
“The fate of the galaxy might hinge on it, Lazarus,” he replied.
“Yes, I was afraid you’d say that,” the man nodded.
Eduardo smiled, but it was sour.
The sooner he could get help, the better.
Five
Lazarus
Lazarus looked around the conference room. Unlike the rest of Zhoonarrim Station, this one had been extensively remodeled to be comfortable for Humans, with a dozen chairs of his kind handy, in addition to the usual stations that could be made to fit most of the rest of the Species.
He was at Rod da Silva’s right. Aileen was across from him on Rod’s left. Addison and Eha were there, as were Oluchi and Anya. Grace and several others who were more civilian had also come, as well as Antonia Veracruz, herself a little nervous that her unapproved excursions in Phraettis Alliance Space might be coming back to haunt her, from the way she held her shoulders a little more hunched than normal.
