Third Dawn: The Veterans of the Psychic Wars, #2

By R Thomas McPherson

Space Station has been attacked! 
 
Captain McNair must find out who did it and why. He struggles with a terrifying enemy in a war that he is not prepared to fight. Victory seems possible only by joining forces with a potential ally he knows nothing about. 
 
Is this the Third Dawn for mankind or the end of human existence?

• Language: English
• Publisher: R Thomas McPherson
• Release date: Sep 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386861577

Book preview

Chapter 1 Awakening

Captain Jay McNair opened his eyes to the predawn hour. It had been his custom for the last year to get up before dawn and watch the sunrise. It was somehow symbolic of the new life on the planet of Pacifica.

McNair slipped from under the soft covers and off the end of the bed, trying not to disturb the two women on either side of him. He looked at Lisa and Carrie to ensure he didn't wake them. They both turned over without ever waking. In his eyes, they were both beautiful. It was a strange relationship. The two women had agreed to share him. There were times when he had trouble keeping the preferences of each woman straight. But at other times, like last night, it didn't matter.

He had come a long way emotionally over the last three years. When McNair first started to see the girls, he acted like a teenager, stealing moments of passion whenever and wherever he could. Now, he had calmed down about the whole subject. Lust was replaced by love.

As he dressed, Lazarus said, Well, did you have a night of mad passion? with a sarcastic tone. It was not spoken words so much as thought transmitted through the neural interface.

Yes, I did. McNair knew that Lazarus was upset because he had turned off the neural interface the night before. Lazarus was a neural clone of McNair, imprinted onto a chip in McNair's neural interface. Besides, what are you complaining about? You're having a love affair with Betty. Betty was the AI of McNair's ship. What was not widely known was that she was also a neural clone like Lazarus.

That's different, and you know it.

Betty had died in the last mission of the Sim Wars a little over thirteen years ago. At the time, everyone called her Hack. Computers were her specialty. They had not yet made a computer security system that Hack couldn't break into. She died saving McNair and the rest of the team's lives. Her chip was salvaged with all her life experiences and personality and put into a specially adapted craft. In Betty's case, it was the ship now commanded by McNair.

The ship was given to McNair three years ago by Admiral Shepard as a reward for finding the Sim Ambassador.

Her name was Betty Fox, and out of gratitude for everything she had done on that mission, McNair had the ship named The Fox.

As he stood by the window to watch the sunrise, he thought about the mission that had changed the world. The Sims had genetically engineered what they called Mentalists, a group of people with heightened mental abilities. In doing so, they found an ancient evil sleeping under the ocean. In the course of the mission, McNair was made to confront that evil. That's when he found out about Lazarus. The chip had been activated some years before by mischance. It was meant to be activated upon the death of a Techno, like Betty, to keep their training and experiences alive.

In a way, McNair had to feel a sense of obligation towards Lazarus. After all, he kept out all mental intrusion and allowed McNair to fight the evil.

The sun was coming up. McNair's two favorite times of the day were dawn and dusk. The rest of the day was too hot in McNair's way of thinking.

Ashanty was coming out for her morning swim. She waved as she saw McNair in the window. He would have joined her, but he didn't like all that open space. He had spent his life with the comforting closeness of walls. For six hundred years, the people of Pacifica had lived under the ocean because of nuclear bombings. Now, they were starting to reclaim the surface. In truth, that was what McNair's ship The Fox was designed for.

McNair would have continued to live underwater, but hero worship made that impossible. He could go nowhere on the planet without getting mobbed by people who believed he was some divine messenger. That is why he had the cabin built on the surface.

McNair watched Ashanty play in the water when she stood rigid, stumbled to the beach, and collapsed.

In that half a heartbeat, fear for Ashanty's safety consumed him. Adrenaline was pumped into his system, and the neural interface was activated. His reflexes and strength were enhanced by technology in the interface. Time seemed to slow as McNair jumped through the window with no thought but to get to Ashanty. Over the last three years, he had come to love the little girl like she was his daughter.

Carrie, Ashanty has collapsed, broadcasted McNair over the interface as he ran to the shoreline. Carrie, more commonly known as Brain, was Ashanty's mother. Betty, get the infirmary ready.

He could feel the grittiness of the sand beneath his feet, smell the salt in the air, and hear the wind rush through the trees. These were all the things he hated about the open spaces, but none of that mattered now. The only thing that meant anything to him was to get to the little girl.

As he reached her, he checked for a pulse. It was solid and steady. She seemed to have no bite marks or injuries of any kind. Instead of figuring it out, he picked up Ashanty and started for the ship.

By this point, Brain had joined him. What's wrong? What happened? She had a look of frantic fear.

McNair was running with Ashanty in his arms. It was hard to talk, but he felt her mother deserved an answer. I don't know; she just blacked out. Lisa was now joining them. Lisa, go get Rijeck and have him meet us in the infirmary. As he got to the ship, he realized why he had given Lisa the order. Nothing seemed to be wrong with her physically, so he wondered if it wasn't something mental. Ashanty was a mentalist, after all. Perhaps Rijeck, an empath, could see something McNair could not.

Rijeck? What do you think he can do? asked Carrie as McNair laid Ashanty on the diagnostic table.

Begin scan. He watched as the light came out of the overhead and scanned Ashanty. McNair turned to look at Brain. Instead of answering her question, he said, It was weird. She was out playing just like she does every morning. She went stiff and fell over.

Scan complete, said Betty. No injuries detected. All vital life signs are in the normal range. However. . . Betty stopped.

Whatever she was about to say, McNair knew he was not going to like it. But it was Brain that said, However, what?

Her brain wave activity is far below normal. It's like something one would see in severe head trauma. I believe the word is comatose.

I don't understand, said Brain, as tears started forming in her eyes. Did she hit her head?

No, that would have caused swelling, and there is none. Her body is perfectly healthy. The medical program in the interface is not active. What is happening is all in her mind.

Captain, said Lisa from behind them. She was supporting Rijeck, who had all color drained from his face.

McNair's suspicions had just been confirmed. What is the matter with you?

Fear, hatred, terror, and death.

Do you want to explain that? McNair was starting to get unsettled by the whole chain of events.

I was asleep and was awakened by those emotions. I can only say that we are all in danger.

How long ago was that? said McNair.

Only a moment or two before Lisa came to get me.

That's what I thought. It was about the time Ashanty blacked out, said McNair. He took on a fatherly tone and continued, Look, I know that you are not at your best right now, but we need to know what happened.

Rijeck was weak, but he nodded his head. With great effort, he pulled himself away from Lisa and went to the medical bed. He took Ashanty's hand and dropped it almost immediately as if it had burned him. It was coming from her! Rijeck fell to the deck and tried to back away with a look of abject terror on his face. McNair was reminded of the mission where he had liberated Ashanty from the Sims. She had touched an alien probe that had mutilated the crew of the Ambassador's ship. She could see what had been done to those people. Ashanty's reaction then was the same as Rijeck was having now.

Understanding dawned on McNair. If Rijeck felt that terror secondhand, he could only imagine what Ashanty had gone through. The only question was, where did it come from?

Captain, said Betty, with urgent tones. We are receiving a priority one distress signal from space station one. They have been attacked.

Rijeck, can you fly my ship? McNair's voice was stern with command. He felt sympathy for the younger man but had no time for doubt.

Yes, sir.

Lisa, help him, then start the engines. Brain, strap her down, he said, pointing to Ashanty. She looked as if she was going to argue with him, so he cut her off. If we get into a battle, I don't want her injured by getting thrown into a bulkhead. Then he added, to make sure she understood. I love her too. As soon as you are finished, go warm up the weapons. He gave the last command as he left the room, heading for the command deck.

It's starting just like the last time, with an attack on a military base, said Lazarus as McNair was heading for the command deck.

I know, said McNair as he took his seat on the command deck. Lisa, warm up the HDAD.

It would take me longer to do that than to fly there.

True, said McNair with a sigh. It had been too long since they were in combat. If we jump in, whoever is attacking won't see us coming.

Yes, sir.

Rijeck, plot a course to bring us in as close to the station as possible.

Over the last year and a half, The New Atlantic Corporation has spent vast amounts of money to put a space station in orbit. It was thought that Pacifica could re-contact the lost brothers of man. At least, that was the official view. But New Atlantic never tells anyone the whole truth. The real reason was that when McNair fought the Queen of evil, he discovered that her race had seeded millions of worlds. They were unsure what they would find when they went out into space.

The Queen was in prison on Pacifica. She was an outcast of her race. She had changed the DNA of humans to make them more aggressive. She wanted war. Who knew how many races she had tampered with?

Three months ago, McNair came back from a mapping expedition. New Atlantic had made a unique craft for Betty. This craft had star-jump engines. Betty secured herself in the vessel, and then she could jump the stars. The HDAD engines, Hydro-Dynamic Aquatic Displacement, was good for jumping around Pacifica and even into close orbit. However, it was nowhere near powerful enough to jump stars.

McNair had been to most of the capital planets of the old space corporations. They were all destroyed. When the news was released, it was said that the Corporate Wars had finished off what was left of mankind. This was believable because the Corporate Wars bombed Pacifica's surface six hundred years ago.

This gave the population around the planet a sense of unity that they were somehow better than the rest of the human race. It was easy to forget the small little wars when confronted with the destruction that spanned stars.

McNair knew better. While he had no idea how many races were out there, some of them had to have been changed by the Queen.

Brain came onto the command deck and took her station without a word.

McNair found himself both excited and terrorized at the thought of battle. The part of him that was a Techno (technologically enhanced) was made for war. The New Atlantic Corporation made him a weapon in the war with the Sims (simulated humans, genetically engineered). That war was now thirteen years over. However, McNair was made to be a warrior, and the blood lust was still calling him.

Still, he had to feel fear for those around him. He loved Lisa and Brain in a way he never thought he would again. It had been many years after the death of his wife before he would allow himself to feel anything but hate for the Sims. He thought it odd that he would give his life for Rijeck, as he was a Sim. Ashanty was half Sim, but he still loved her like she was his daughter. Concern for their safety, not his own, caused the fear.

We are lifting off now, said Lisa. Jump engines online in thirty seconds.

Good, said McNair. He decided to handle the crew now before any problems arose. We are about to go into combat; you all know what that means. I need you all to follow my orders without question. Are we clear?

Yes, sirs, came from all the crew. Good. Everyone needs to strap in. The last order was given because Betty had complained loudly that the artificial gravity was a significant power drain on her systems. It was always understood that combat in space would be without gravity. They needed the power for weapons. Betty, I need you to take the tactical station.

I think that went without saying, said Betty.

Jump. It was a simple order. A spatial displacement window opened in front of the ship. At that exact moment, another window opened at the destination. Rijeck flew The Fox through the window.

Once on the other side of the window, the space station was in sight. It looked whole, with no signs of an attacker. Betty, scan the area. What the hell is going on?

The station was built on some of the old earth designs. It was as if mankind was starting all over, and it wasn't far from the truth. It had a central core and three habitat rings. The rings spun to create artificial gravity. They could have used technology to give the same effect, and they did that in the central core, but it saved power to have the rings spin.

We are picking up many small objects on the other side of the station, said Betty.

The wreckage of a ship? McNair knew that the station was well-armed.

I can't tell from here. The station is in the way. Betty seemed offended that the station would get in her way of performing her duties.

Rijeck, move us around the station slowly, said McNair. Then to the crew, he said, Be ready for anything.

Something's wrong, Jay, said Lazarus. I'm picking up all kinds of transmissions from the Techno’s on the station. Betty is getting the same thing, but she doesn't want to upset the crew by saying anything because they're in a panic.

Can you tell why?

No, it's just a jumble. I'm getting something about fire and pressure doors, but that's about it. Too many people are thinking all at once.

The reasons became apparent as The Fox made the curve around the station. Several decks of the center habitat ring had been opened to space. The small objects Betty had mentioned were bodies, bits of furniture, and parts of the bulkhead.

Lisa hissed, Brain swore, and Rijeck seemed to turn a more brilliant shade of white.

The attack appeared to have no kind of logic. The habitat ring was hit with several large blasts, forming a straight line. A few smaller blasts looked like nothing more than errant shots in a random configuration. From a military standpoint, the attack seemed to serve no purpose. Why would someone attack a habitat ring and leave the rest of the station intact?

Captain, said Betty, We have many displacement windows all around us.

Stand Ready! Brain, lock onto the largest one and prepare to fire. At first, McNair was confused by what he was seeing. A large box shape was coming through the window. It wasn't until several Fox class ships disengaged from the hull that McNair realized they were from New Atlantic.

Jump-carrier has arrived, said Lisa, as relief swept over the room like a wave breaking on the shore. I had heard they would build one, but I didn't know it was finished.

It's not done yet. That is a retrofitted cargo Jumpship, said Betty.

All right, knock off the chatter, said McNair. He shared their relief but was also a little disappointed. Brain, stand down. Betty, get me whoever is in charge of that. . . carrier, cargo Jumpship thing.

Admiral Shepard is contacting us.

Put him on, said McNair. Admiral Shepard was a good friend and commanding officer during the Sim Wars. Shepard was responsible for ending the war. With the Sim Wars over, it was only natural for Shepard to begin a new war, this one of words. He became the first real warrior policymaker. His actions in battle and making peace won him a spot on the Board of Directors. This caused other nations to be cautious in their dealings with the New Atlantic Corporation. The space project was the brainchild of Shepard, and he had a vested interest in protecting the project.

As Shepard's face filled the screen, he said, Captain, what the hell is going on?

McNair could see that he had taken this attack very personally. Admiral, sir, I have no idea what has happened. We just jumped in only moments ago.

The look on Shepard's face softened slightly. I take it you have just come from the surface?

Yes, sir. The station was kept at the same air pressure as the surface. This made it easy for quick excursions to the planet.

Good. I’m hearing confusion from the Techno’s on the station. I want you to go aboard and calm things down. See if you can find out what happened. I'll meet you in Commander Dagan's office as soon as we complete the fast decompression.

Trish is on the station? Trish Dagan used to work for McNair as his navigator. She left the ship when her husband David died.

Yes, and a friend of yours, said Shepard. He said no more on the subject, but McNair knew what he meant. David Dagan was his first officer. He also had a Lazarus chip in his neural interface. When he died on the Persephoney's Pride, Shepard had recovered his body and Lazarus’ micro-chip from the wreckage. I thought her personality would make her the perfect choice to run the station.

McNair smiled at the last statement because he knew what Shepard meant. Trish had a bad habit of trying to mother everyone around her. I'll take care of the situation, sir.

Good. Shepard out.

Rijeck, move us in and dock with the station. Brain, as soon as you power down your station, take care of your little girl. McNair gave the orders with almost no thought about them. His mind was on the events of the last hour. What was it that Rijeck said . . . fear, hatred, terror, and death? What could induce those emotions in an entire station of well-trained, well-disciplined Techno’s? Whatever it was, it was powerful enough to make Ashanty retreat into her mind. Ashanty was the most talented and influential mentalist on the planet. While she may only be thirteen, she was no defenseless child. McNair had personally seen her power when he had battled the Queen.

A loud clang told McNair that The Fox had hard-docked with the station.

We have docked, Captain, said Rijeck.

McNair hadn't noticed that Brain had left the command deck, but that was all right; she was following orders. Lisa and Rijeck turned in their chairs, looking at him, waiting for orders. Lisa, get tactical gear for the three of us. I don't want to get shot because of some idiot. When she was gone, he turned to Rijeck. Look, I know very little of what you are going through. Still, we have a job to do. I need you and your talent to calm everyone we encounter on the station. Can I count on you?

While Rijeck had the body of a full-grown man, McNair remembered that he was still only five years old. As an empath, he could control the emotions of others but still had a problem with his own. Fear was in his eyes as he said, I will try.

That is all I can ask, he said as Lisa returned with body armor and weapons. They prepared in silence. I want you both to understand that they are our people. I don't think we will need these, referring to the weapons. But you never know. We are here to calm things down. Stay behind me and follow orders. Is that understood?

Yes, sir, said both of them at once.

Good. Let's go.

As they opened the airlock to the station, a Techno was crouched in a corner, screeching for help about putting out the fire. McNair could see no fire or, for that matter, smell no smoke. He went and lifted the man to his feet. Where is the fire? All McNair could get from the man was gibberish. Where is it? Where is the fire?

Captain, said Rijeck calmly, reaching out and touching the man on the shoulder. There is no fire. At the moment Rijeck made contact, the man seemed to regain his composure.

Captain, what. . .? McNair seemed to realize that holding onto the front of the man's jumpsuit was no longer necessary. What's going on, Captain?

I was hoping you could tell me.

The last thing I remember was going to mess deck for breakfast.

Follow me and be quiet, said McNair as he led the little group through the station’s hallways. Rijeck, you want to explain that back there?

Fear, he said. He didn't look as if he was going to say more, but he continued at McNair's questioning look. Fire was the one thing that could paralyze this man with terror.

He is right, sir. The young man sounded like he was ashamed to admit the truth.

McNair turned to look at the crewman for the first time. He was young with blond hair and big round eyes. He could understand the terror a fire could produce. You have nowhere to go on a ship, in space, or on the sea. The fire was contained, or you died. It was that simple. What's your name, son?

Jensen, sir.

Any relation to Admiral Jensen?

Distantly, sir. The last statement was made with such contempt that it was hard to miss that the young man wanted to prove his worth without using family ties.

Okay. What exactly did you see?

All I can remember is that I was surrounded by fire. Nowhere to run, no way to fight the fire. The fire was closing in on all sides. All I could do was . . .

McNair was sure that his next word would be panic, but he didn't want to appear weak. I'm not sure I wouldn’t do the same if I were in your position. However, at the moment, we need to get to the command deck. Show us the way. McNair knew perfectly well where the command deck was, as he had helped build the place. Still, Lisa and Rijeck seemed to understand that this was McNair's way of letting Jensen redeem himself for his previous lapse.

As it turned out, Jensen was part of the maintenance crew, which was a good thing. McNair was glad to see that someone had the presence of mind to close the pressure doors. These doors segmented and sealed the different parts of the station. In the event of a real fire, the pressure doors would keep the fire contained to a small area.

Jensen opened the first pressure door, and the small group was confronted with a man firing his weapon in all directions at something only he could see.

As soon as McNair heard the weapons fire, he slammed Jensen against the wall, as Lisa did the same to Rijeck. They were standing behind the frame of the pressure door and were safe for the moment.

A large man, down the hallway, standing in the middle of an intersection, yelled, You're not going to get me.

That's Minke; he’s with security, said Jensen. I always thought he was a little paranoid, but it looks like he has gone off his mind.

McNair thought that it made a strange sort of logic. He was starting to see a pattern, yet it was eluding him so far. He didn't have time to think about it now. Lisa, I'm going to shoot him. When I do, I need you to get down there and disarm him.

Yes, sir.

McNair chose Lisa because she was the fastest thing he had ever seen. With the technology that enhanced her natural speed, she could cover the distance while Minke was distracted with his wound. Go! As he said the word, McNair reached out from behind the doorway and fired two shots. The first hit the thigh of Minke's left leg. This seemed to make no impression on him at all. The second hit his ankle and took the foot out from under him. With the sudden loss of balance, he hit the deck. Lisa was on him before Minke had a chance to recover.

As soon as Lisa had taken his weapon away, she was about to punch him when Rijeck came running up. Stop, he said to Lisa, then turned to Minke. Let me help you up.

The second Rijeck touched the man, the wild-eyed maniac seemed to disappear, replaced by the same bewildered look Jensen had. Rijeck helped him to sit up with his back against the wall.

McNair and Jensen came over to the others. Minke, you big jerk, said Jensen. You could have killed us.

Jensen! said McNair in a cold, stern tone. May I remind you of how we found you. The reaction was both immediate and complete. Jensen didn't want anyone to know that he had been crying like a baby. Look, I suspect that some outside force is at work here, said McNair as he looked over at Rijeck, who just nodded. "I will not hold you responsible for your actions. I expect you to do the same for all the station’s