No Life, Only Death Read online

  No Life, Only Death

  Francheska Fifield

  Copyright 2017 Francheska Fifield 2017 Francheska Fifield Getting this book from anywhere other than my personal website, Amazon and Barnes and Noble or Kobo is a violation of copyright laws and is punishable by federal law www.francheskafifield.com Cover design by Lola Kyle Editor Lila Lockhart

  Note from author

  This book has taken me a long time to write for a couple of reasons. I started it before I had a lot of time to write; when it was a hobby, not something I tried to make money off of. But mainly because it is hard to get through. It is nothing like anything else I have written before. At face value it's an alien vs. human space battle book. Underneath it is a black, white and all the grey in between book.

  It forces you to see so many points of view and so many scenarios that you are no longer sure what good and evil really are. Or if there is even such a thing. It shows the psychological consequences of horrible things being done to people and the many ways to respond. Torture, the creation of the perfect killing machine. It is very no holds bar. I struggle with this because I like to think of the world as having a very clear line between right and wrong.

  So I gathered stories from people about horrible things that they have suffered; the damage that would never leave them and how it affected their decision making process. It was hard to hear and very emotional. I used it for inspiration in my story, on a mental and emotional level.

  My hope is that I am a good enough writer that in the end everyone who reads it has points where they feel sorry for Helen, are happy for her, or hate her, depending on which part of the book they are at. I want dynamic and it has taken me a very long time but I believe I have accomplished a 'question the world we live in' feeling with this book.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One -Year 2257

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  Prologue (Narrator)

  The year is 2227. Ten years ago humans on Earth made a ship capable of traveling through space to distant planets. Although previous ships could do this, this one was unique. This ship, The Voyager, could sustain human life while crossing the galaxy and it traveled at the speed of light. It was our first, and so colonists and travelers, people with dreams and looking for purpose, set out to find and colonize new worlds. Many more were built quickly to follow. This world - already dying and lacking in resources - was stretched to the breaking point, in building these ships.

  However, it paid off. For within the next five years The Voyager, The Galaxy, and The Starstream all found new worlds. All were rich in minerals, precious stones, and resources. Goods were sent back and forth between Earth and these colonies. All seemed to be going as planned and as soon as Earth - or one of the colonies - was up to par, more ships would be built and more colonists sent out. The economy was booming. Education standards had risen and everyone was doing well. Then, earlier this year, something happened.

  The fourth ship, The Venture, went forth to find a new horizon. It was to be the first ship to leave this universe and put human life outside of the settled lands, out there in the great beyond. However, when reaching the end of our galaxy, it was sent a message which it relayed back to Earth upon receiving. By the time the message was decoded it was too late. The ship and all its crew, all the families aboard, down to the last baby, were destroyed.

  The people of Earth and colonies C11, C12, and C13 were devastated. Many had had family aboard this ship and many others were disappointed that their hopes for the future were destroyed. Much money and resources had gone into the building of this ship. Yet now it seemed we had made an enemy.

  Others saw this as an opportunity to dominate the galaxy, to prove that humanity could survive and persevere through anything. That we could dominate the galaxy by force if need be. Others thought that the attack on the human ship was an act of war and terrorism. So ships were built and crews were assembled. No ships entered our galaxy and that was taken as a sign of weakness. Some ships made it outside the galaxies and landed on planets. The Universal marines and Special Forces were sent in. But only one man and one sub pod returned alive. He told of great beasts with the strength of ten men and a ferociousness that humans could never beat; and so the U.W.C. was formed.

  The Universal Warfare Committee was an organization that had bases on each of the three planets we colonized. They took children and teenagers that had the potential and trained them as special units. Trained so that when they were finally adults they would be prepared for the ultimate war. They could fight the ultimate fight, both physical and mental.

  They were trained on C13, which had one spot with a harsh, almost uninhabitable environment. They were trained to live in this unlivable environment. They were trained fighters, in multiple styles and techniques. They rose in ranks until the high general of the universe himself was only thirteen years old. They trained for the day when a fleet would be ready to send over. A fleet unlike any the worlds had ever seen before. A fleet of ultimate destruction. This is where our story begins.

  Chapter One -Year 2257 (narrator)

  “Don’t go. It is dangerous. What if you never return? The fleet isn't even close to being done. When it is, you will be sent away to die and I will have to marry another. You promised that we would be together forever. I don’t want to be engaged to someone else. I love you.”

  The girl, only thirteen, sank to the ground. It was a warm and sunny day. The planet, C12, was in the middle of its spring season and the pastures where her family raised sheep were coated with green grass. But all this did nothing to lift the girl’s spirits.

  The boy she was with was her love. They had been childhood sweethearts and although her family wanted her to marry another, she had refused, saying she would marry Nick or no one at all. Nick had said he did not deserve her, that he could not give her the life she deserved to have. She had silenced his protests and he, in awe of her like never before, had asked her to marry him. She had agreed. Now he was going off to war, leaving Celeste to her father’s plans of a forced marriage.

  “I thought you said you loved me. You said you always wanted to be with me.” Her words were barely a whisper and yet he heard them. They tore his heart in half. He never wanted her to doubt he loved her; he only wanted to do what was right. He sank to the ground next to her and took her in his arms. Tears rolled down her face and she was shaking. He hugged her tight, knowing it could be the last time he would ever do so.

  “I do love you. Rumor has it that the Aliens are coming into our galaxy. They need all the soldiers they can if that happens. A scout saw me practicing today. He says I have great potential. He says they will send me straight to Battle Academy.”

  The girl looked up in shock at this statement. Battle Academy was the last school children went to. When you were close to the top and ready for final mission training you went to Battle Academy. Never before. For them to send him without any training in one of their lower Academy’s first showed that he knew what he was doing and was a skilled warrior.

  Nick had always been like this. He had wanted to be a soldier all his life, and if he couldn’t, he still wanted to have a soldier’s skills to protect the ones he loved, should an invasion ever occur. Celeste doubted it. Rumors such as these had been spreading since before she was born.

 
“Is this why you want to go? Because you will go straight to Battle Academy?”

  “It is a huge honor, Celeste. Not many have done so. Only three people I can think of and one is the Universal General. He is getting older and will need to retire. Who knows, maybe I have a shot, huh? Then you can leave here and stay with me. We will be married; I will give orders for secret missions, and direct ships around the galaxy. Would you like to be the wife of a general, Celeste?”

  He smiled and she knew he meant to be comforting but it was not. “No! No, because then you will always have a duty to attend to before we can be together! It never stops and I would never see you. I would have to go to those stupid expensive fancy parties and watch, as we grow more and more distant! I want a life with you, not fine wines and expensive jewelry! None of that matters to me!”

  She started to cry again and he stood up.

  “I am doing this for us, Celeste. I will protect you in any way I can. This is not the way I had imagined our lives to go but it is the only option I have. I am no farmer and my elder brother gets my father’s land anyway. I have nothing and I cannot come to you with that. Here, take this.”

  He held out to her his sword. His grandfather’s sword. His grandfather had believed in honorable combat and had taught his grandson to believe so as well. It was all he had in the world and she was all he wanted, so it made sense to leave them together.

  “I cannot.”

  “You need to be able to defend yourself. You can use it. I have made sure of that.”

  She sniffled and wiped some tears away. “How long have you known?”

  He stared down at her as she took the sword. He knew what she meant. At first he had not planned on leaving, but the honor he was being given had changed his mind. The scout had assured him that once they were both of marriageable age she could come and be with him. “For the past year.”

  “And this is why you taught me?”

  “I need you to take care of yourself long enough, until you are of marrying age. In three years I will come back to claim you.” He kneeled down beside her once again and took her chin in his hand, raising her head to look and him. “And I promise nothing will keep me from coming to you. I will come for you on the day of your birthday and I will marry you and we will live together on a base, wherever I may be. I promise I won't forget. Just hold out until then, all right?”

  She looked into his eyes and saw the truth of his words. So she nodded and threw her arms around him. They kissed and he rose to leave. She stood and watched as he walked down the dirt road next to the pastures. He would head to town where a ship awaited to take him from here to C13. She would wait and she would save herself despite what her family would say. Because she loved him and she knew that someday they would be together again.

  Unfortunately for them, they had no idea, but six months later C12 would be attacked, leaving no survivors.

  When word reached Nick he was devastated. C12 and everyone he knew was gone. The planet was a barren rock, and Celeste who had put all her faith in him, had loved him enough to be left behind, was gone.

  He threw himself into his training, determined to come out on top. He would be a soldier and he would repay the aliens a thousand times over for what they had taken from him and done to her. He closed his eyes and pictured her fear, her knowing she was going to die. He imagined all the pain and torture they could put her through. All he had left was revenge.

  (Nick)

  As promised, three years later - on Celeste’s birthday - he went back to the planet. He went back to where her pastures lay, where he had left her crying. Where he had left her to die. He sank to the ground and for the first time since he first heard of her death he cried. He cried for her, for what he lost, and for everyone that had lost their lives trusting the galaxy fleet to protect them.

  The rumors of invasion had been true and they had been ignored. Now the borders of the galaxy were being protected. He blamed the government and he blamed the aliens. But mostly he blamed himself. If he had been there, or listened to her… it was too late to think of that. Too late.

  He stood and walked to where the Commander had told him the last of the survivors had been taken and killed. Those that had fought back had died in a cave not far from here. They had grouped together and fought; he had no doubt that that is where Celeste had died. She would have fought until the very end.

  He arrived at the cave and looked around. It was on top of a ridge, giving the defenders the height advantage. But against the masses it wouldn’t have mattered. There were not enough that knew how to fight left at that time. They would have been outnumbered with not enough weapons to fight back.

  One dead creature had been found, causing the military to be ecstatic. Never before had an alien been killed and stripped of its armor. Now they knew what they would be fighting. Now they knew their enemy’s weaknesses and strengths. They knew exactly they were up against.

  The general had said, when asked, that it had died by sword wounds. Not a gun, as would be expected. That thought comforted Nick. He knew who on this wretched planet would do that. He was comforted in knowing that Celeste had gone down fighting and had taken one of the bastards with her. Because of her, they knew what they must prepare for. Because of her. He would mourn her loss and pay her death back a hundred fold. He would never forget. He turned to walk back to his ship. He needed to fly home.

  (Helen)

  She watched him from the ridge across the valley. He was here. He had promised Celeste he would return to her on her birthday and now, three years later, he had returned. The lady sighed. This place belonged to another time, another life. This was her way of letting go, just as it was his. He would mourn the loss of his loved one forever, of that she had no doubt. But in today’s world, in today’s life, the past was nothing more than something to hold you back. She was here to let go, and let go she would.

  Her handler would put her in the Academy soon; already she had offers to attend but had declined, feeling she had something to do first. At first she had assumed she needed more training. Or more experience. However, a week ago, it had occurred to her. She couldn’t move forward while she was still looking back. So she had come to this place to say good-bye to Celeste. Just as the man below had. She turned and walked swiftly back to her craft. Best to be in the air and out of sight before him.

  Jane, her handler, would not be pleased if she were revealed to the world yet. The secret organization she was employed to was not commonly known, however, they had major political and military influence. It was even said that the Universal General himself was part of this organization. She did not know for sure, as Jane would never reveal anything about the organization, but she had trained to be a spy and so she knew more than her handler would approve of.

  She climbed aboard her plane and started the engines. She took a deep breath.

  “Happy Birthday, Celeste… and goodbye.” She took off at dazzling speeds and flew towards the place she now called home. Her handler would be there, waiting to pack her up and send her off to the Battle School. A new chapter of her life was about to begin.

  One Month Late (Nick)

  “All right boys, this is just like a routine practice. You three will be on one team. The enemy has red paintballs in the guns; since it is one against three, the enemy has two guns. You, Nick, have blue bullets. You, John, have green; and Bill, you have yellow. This will allow us to see which of you hits the enemy.”

  Nick looked up at his Sergeant. “Sir, it isn't right, one against three”.

  The woman standing beside the Sergeant smiled. She looked almost like a feline that had caught its prey. “These are special circumstances, boys. You will find this more challenging than you think. Do not underestimate your opponent because you have superior numbers. I am guessing that your enemy will not even draw the second gun.”

  Her voice was thick like honey and just as sweet. The tone was all patronizing confidence. Nick looked at her closer. He had never seen her a
round the Battle Academy before and with her sharp business suit, tailored to fit, he did not believe she belonged here.

  “No offense lady, but we kick ass. There is no way one person will beat all of us.”

  She smiled as she turned to John. He was cocky but a good soldier. He wanted to be a sniper and his talent with the gun showed that desire.

  “Oh dear boy, I have tried to make a wager with your commander here. He is not willing to bet money on your survival in this practice. When your own Commander doubts your ability, what makes you so confident?”

  She was undermining our confidence. Still, if the Sergeant wouldn’t even bet for them that means this is serious. No fooling around once we get in there.

  “Ignore her, John. She is messing with us. We will go in there and spread out. While this mystery person who’s trying to join the Academy goes for one of us, the other two will kill’em.”

  “So spread like fire, boys.”

  Bill, always an enthusiast to fight. He is in here for much the same reason I am. Except, his sister, his last living family, died on C12 instead of his fiancé.

  “All right boys, the enemy is already in there waiting for you, so heads up.”

  The Sergeant and the lady then walk to the stairs. They would watch in the room above the battle simulator room. The glass is one-way and bulletproof. The boys hefted up their weapons and walked into the room, spreading apart instantly. John gets hit in the heart and is out before they have time to get more than five feet from each other.

  Nick went to look, and saw that the shot came from the ceiling. Beams crisscross up there. How did he get up there with no ladder? It is about twenty feet high. Maybe they hefted him up there before the battle. He starts to shoot. “Bill, the ceiling!” Nick yelled, as Bill looks around in confusion.