The Marauder War

Copyright © 2014 by Andrew Scott.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4990-6262-5

                eBook           978-1-4990-6263-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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 any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Rev. date: 08/13/2014

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CONTENTS

Part I The Marauders

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Part II Dawn of the Marauder War

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Part III Dragon’taan Under Fire

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Part IV Desperate Measures

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Part V Endgame, Or Prelude?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

PART I

The Marauders

PROLOGUE

T he year is 2637. The Kemorainian Rebel Insurrection is crumbling. As the fascist regimes of the old Kemorainian empire all over the galaxy collapse, and the combined military might of the Dragonarian, Mirdakian, Kelltulan, and Terran factions, working with the reformed Kemorainian Star Empire, close in on Kemoran IV, those who once looted and terrorized the galaxy in the name of the old Kemorainian Empire now look desperately for any way to escape. For them, the war is over.

After Kemoran IV, the heart of the KRI’s war effort, was reduced to a graveyard world, crushed and lifeless, the galaxy rejoiced – the last remnants of the old Kemorainian empire were destroyed, and the xenophobic and bloodthirsty ideals of that empire died away with Zuil Kuudaako’s execution. In her final moments, however, she looked into the eyes of her executioners, and simply said, I shall return.

That was the last anyone had ever seen of the heiress of the old Kemorainian throne. After Kemoran IV and the following conflicts with the Vidarrians and the Raptorians, the galaxy went on in relative peace and prosperity – a golden age. It was during this time that a new power began truly surfacing; Dragon-shifters. Alien beings of virtually any race that – by chance or design – gained an uncanny ability to morph their physical bodies into that of a dragon. While they are highly-respected amongst the Dragonarians and their Mirdakian and Kelltulan allies, they are feared by the Terrans and Kemorainians, despite that many Terrans and Kemorainians have gained this ability.

In 2642, five years after the end of the third Kemoran War, the galaxy began to see strange things, the first of which being that the Dragon-shifters, for one reason or another, disappeared. Strangely, this disappearance of the dragon-shifters coincided with the mysterious deaths of three worlds – B’tari, New Russia, and Ikktar III. All searches of the planets revealed that the worlds themselves were undamaged, but all life on these worlds had been exterminated through means no one understood.

Then, in 2643, a lone dragon-shifter appears in alliance space. Though curious as to what this dragon-shifter knows, the Alliance agrees to adopt a wait-and-see approach. As they watch the dragon-shifter – one half-human, half-Dragonarian man named Kyle Indari – it becomes clear that he is well-connected in the galaxy. When the Alliance had decided to apprehend – or at least approach and question – the enigmatic figure, he had managed to procure several high-end weapons and tech, and before Alliance forces could move to confront him, he disappeared. Such was the case with several places he had surfaced. But then, Indari, like the rest of his kind, vanished, never to be found…

… Or so they all thought.

CHAPTER ONE

A ll was quiet in orbit of Terrell Prime. Though a military presence was not required, one was there anyway. Three Terran Cruisers, two Mirdakian Battlecruisers and one Dragonarian Battleship stood guard. A small fleet, perhaps, but one only the foolhardy would take on. The Terran ships excelled at Close-quarters combat and were damned good at medium-long ranges, while the Mirdakian ships were better for close-range assault. The Dragonarian warship, however, was meant for heavy long- and short-rage assault. To this end, the Dragonarian Battleship was armed with all manner of Kadgeron weapons – weapons that used refined Kadgeron radiation to batter through defenses and destroy enemy ships. Kadgeron weapons, like the disruptors, literally disrupted energy shields around a given projectile and disintegrated just about anything, depending on what munition you used. They were devastating weapons.

In the quiet of orbit, a swirling maelstrom of fire opened up – a translight portal. From it emerged a small stingray-shaped vessel; a Predator-class Heavy Attack Craft. The ID transponder labeled it as the Recalcitrant Predator. The pilot of the ship asked for and received the necessary clearances, and headed down to the surface. He landed in one of the docking bays just outside the city, and the craft powered down. The pilot hit a few commands, and the boarding ramp lowered. The pilot then headed to the upper deck, past the small hydroponics area and the supply area, headed into the Armory, and grabbed a worn-down disruptor pistol and an assault rifle with a powerful scope, advanced bullpup layout and detachable shotgun attachment – an X700 Multi-purpose Assault Rifle. He nabbed a few dual-magazines plus two extra power cells for the disruptor, took a pair of swords with jagged, serrated edges, clipping them to his belt, then throwing a grey cloak over himself, and finally slinging the X700 over his shoulder. He then headed down to the lower deck, through the living quarters and finally through the cargo bay, where the boarding ramp was located. He descended the boarding ramp, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head to hide his human face that possessed piercing, sapphire-blue dragon eyes.

Even so, some of his features were easily seen – he was tall, easily seven feet, with a slim body, good muscles for a man of his size, and his skin was tan, like any average human. But his face, hidden under the hooded cloak, was scarred – he had a somewhat gaunt face, with separate scars over his eyes. He also had a scar over the right side of his mouth and one on his neck where an idiot with a knife ambushed him. Indari was his name – Kyle Indari.

At first glance, one would surmise that Kyle had been to hell and back a dozen times – but none realized the extent to which this was true. As a dragon-shifter that survived the destruction of B’tari prior to the disappearance of the dragon-shifters, Kyle was a predator. He hunted his enemies, stalking them and killing them without pity or remorse. He was a cold-blooded assassin… to an extent.

Kyle wandered the streets, his cloak giving him an intimidating appearance. While he stuck out like a sore thumb here, few were foolhardy enough to attack him. Not while he was fully armed and aware of his surroundings, thanks in no small part due to his powers as a dragon-shifter. The crowd generally moved or stayed out of his way. Those that bumped into him in these crowded areas were quick to apologize or get out of the way. It made Kyle look like what he was: a very dangerous warrior.

The dragon-shifter took a right turn down a sidewalk and headed down that path, then stopped just shy of an alley next to a bar. A desperate man, beset by a pair of thugs, called for help. While some dragon-shifters believed that some problems – like the problem this man was faced with – are best left to play out, Kyle believed that such inaction will only breed more inaction, more cruelty.

Help! the man cried out. Somebody help!

Shut the fuck up, bitch, one of the thugs growled.

One of the thugs noticed Kyle advancing on them and alerted his pal. Hey, Mal – we’ve got company.

The other thug – apparently called Mal – turned to face Kyle.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

What’s going on here? Kyle asked.

This man here had a few things to say about us that we didn’t take to so well, Mal stated. We’re just trying to work out our differences.

"I was asking his side of the story, Kyle growled, indicating the desperate man. Not yours."

It’s simple, the man replied. I was just sitting at a bar, enjoying my drink. Then these two push up to the bar, spilling my drink all over the two of us, and they dragged me out here.

This doesn’t have anything to do with you, stranger, Mal said. Just run along. Have a drink at the cantina.

No, Kyle responded. Leave now or face me.

Just my luck, Mal grumbled. Someone who wants to be a hero. Why don’t you run along before you get hurt?

Last chance, Kyle stated. Leave or die.

Mal went for a holstered pistol, but Kyle, faster on the draw, drew his disruptor – a pistol vaguely shaped like an old flintlock pistol with a scope – and put a Kadgeron disruptor pulse in his face. He shifted his aim, centering the disruptor between the other thug’s eyes. Leave now, or wind up like him.

The thug, out of some misguided sense that Kyle didn’t really care about, trued to rush Kyle – and died just inches from his feet. Kyle holstered his disruptor and looked to the desperate man.

You alright?

Yeah, the man responded. I’ll live. I was lucky you showed up when you did – they would have crippled me for sure.

You might want to clear out of here before their friends come looking for them, Kyle stated.

The man nodded. Whatever your reasons – thanks, he said, then took off. Kyle left the corpses alone, returned to the sidewalk, and entered the bar, a place called the Praetor’s Bar & Grill. Funny thing to name a bar on a planet where no such official exists, but that was not for Kyle to judge. He stepped into the bar, then took a seat at a vacant bar stool on the far end of the bar. By chance or design, he immediately caught the attention of a Ryukaissen Dragonarian woman with bone-white, skin-like scales that ran from her throat down her chest and to the underside of her tail and pink scales everywhere else, with dark red, plate-like scales running from her forehead to the upper edge of her snout. She also had long, blonde hair growing out of her head with two curved, ram-like dark horns protruding from it, and pointed ears shaped somewhat like an elf’s ears. She was muscular, for a Ryukaissen woman, but slim at the same time, making her look deceptively fragile. Adding to the contradictory appearance were amber-yellow eyes.

Kyle was removing his hood as she sat next to him. We don’t get many visitors like you on Terrell Prime, she said. Come to think of it, we don’t get visitors like you at all.

Kyle turned his eyes to this woman who suddenly and brazenly invaded his personal space. And you would be?

My name is unimportant, the Ryukaissen responded. But if it matters, you may call me Anna.

Kyle nodded, slapping down a few credits on the bar counter and ordering a Dragonarian Ale. I’m Kyle, Kyle stated.

So tell me, Anna asked, What brings you here?

The code-phrase Kyle waited for. This was the woman he was here to find. My reasons for being here are my own, he responded, sipping his ale. And I do not discuss them publically.

Very well, Anna stated in her native Dragonarian. I will not force the issue. Such as it is, I need to go in a few.

Are you going to need an extra gun? Kyle asked.

Anna chuckled. Perhaps not, but there is always strength in numbers, She responded.

Perfect, Kyle thought. That’s one person he’s found. Now to find the other three.

Where do you need to go? Kyle asked.

New Berlin, Anna responded.

New Berlin? Kyle thought. What’s the rest of the team doing in New Berlin?

Okay, Kyle responded. Let’s head out before someone cancels the trip. He downed his Dragonarian Ale, tipped the bartender, and he and Anna headed out of the bar, during which time Kyle donned his hood. They hooked a left, doubled back the way Kyle had come, and headed toward the docking bays and onto the Recalcitrant Predator. Once inside, Kyle shut the boarding ramp and headed to the command deck.

We can speak freely in here, Kyle told Anna. This ship is sealed off from eavesdroppers.

Good, Anna sighed. That code-talking was getting irritating. She crossed her arms, asking, So, you’re the elusive dragon-shifter, Kyle Indari?

The one and only, Kyle answered.

As if you could shape-shift, Anna commented.

Technically, Kyle corrected as he and Anna got to the central deck of the three-deck craft, I can – but my shape-shifting is limited between my normal and dragon forms.

Oh, Anna responded. They walked into the command center and Kyle settled into the pilot’s seat. Anna took a vacant seat and strapped in while Kyle strapped in and then powered the ship up.

You know, Kyle said as he worked, I have to admit – I was a little taken aback when you expressed your desire to work with me.

How so? Anna asked.

Well, you’re a Ryukaissen Dragonarian woman, first of all— Kyle started.

So? Anna interrupted. I may be a woman, but that doesn’t mean I’m an idiot.

I never said you were, Kyle stated. I was merely saying that Ryukaissen Dragonarian women – no offense – have a reputation of being very suspicious of non-Dragonarians.

"In case you didn’t know, you are Dragonarian," Anna stated.

Truthfully, Kyle corrected Anna as the Recalcitrant Predator rose out of the landing bay, I’m only half-Dragonarian.

Pah, Anna scoffed, half-Dragonarian is still Dragonarian, no matter how you slice it.

Kyle said nothing as he shot the Predator into the sky, ascending through the atmosphere and into orbit. The stars were displayed in the forward holo-panel – the one directly in front of Kyle.

Been a long time since I’ve seen the stars, Anna commented.

Well, working with me, you’ll see this a lot more, Kyle stated. He began pre-jump calculations, then asked, Where did you say we needed to head to?

New Berlin, Anna responded.

Ugh, Kyle grumbled, I hate that place.

Why? Anna queried.

Corrupt politicians, shady organizations, the list goes on, Kyle replied. He programmed the destination, then engaged the Translight engines, sitting back as the ship disappeared into translight speed. But despite it’s volatility, he continued, New Berlin has it’s uses.

Like what? Anna asked.

"Like being the perfect place to get lost, Kyle explained. New Berlin is also famous for housing some of the galaxy’s best warriors… and worst criminals."

You know that from experience? Anna inquired.

I’ve been on New Berlin a few times, Kyle admitted. I wouldn’t want to live there, and I doubt anyone does by choice.

That bad, huh? Anna sighed. Kyle shrugged, then unstrapped from his seat.

Care for a tour? he asked.

Certainly, Anna answered. She unstrapped from her seat, and followed Kyle.

This deck, obviously, he explained, is the command deck. Toward the ship’s bow is the recreational center, complete with holovids, holo-games, books, and a few other little activities. At the center of this deck is the control center where we pilot this ship and fire weapons, deploy defenses, and use other equipment. Toward the aft of the ship is the lounge and kitchen, where the food and refreshments are stored. It is also where the cooking – if desired – is done. Directly behind that is the captain’s quarters. Kyle and Anna descended to the lower deck, where Kyle continued, This is the lower deck. It houses the living quarters for other people, fire control stations for the two ventral-mounted twin pulse disruptor turrets, and the modest cargo bay where the boarding ramp is located.

How many decks are on this ship? Anna asked.

Three, Kyle answered. The central deck, the lower deck, and the upper deck. Here, let me show you the upper deck. Kyle led Anna up the ramp to the central deck, then went to the other end of that deck to the ramp going into the upper deck. Here is the upper deck, he said, leading Anna toward the armory. It houses the supply area where I keep food, water, and other supplies, a small hydroponics bay, and the armory over here. He entered the armory and began to return his equipment. It was as Kyle put down his swords that Anna stated,

Nice swords. I’ve never seen anything like them.

That’s because they’re blades used by elite dragon-shifter warriors like myself, Kyle explained. These swords have saved my ass on more than one occasion.

I see, Anna said. Well, I’m gonna try and get some shut-eye.

That’s fine, Kyle responded. Just pick a room and mark it as yours… somehow. I’ll manage things up here.

As Anna left, Kyle unloaded his X700, clicked on the safety, and set it on a rack. Kyle took off his cloak and hung it on a hook, then made his way toward the central deck, then settled into the pilot’s seat. As Anna claimed her quarters, Kyle worked on the console before him, planning his next move…

CHAPTER TWO

A swirling translight portal appeared over New Berlin, and the Recalcitrant Predator exited it. The ship moved toward New Berlin, asking for and receiving the necessary clearances to land. Consistent with Kyle’s expectations, the planet was under heavy guard – four Terran battleships, two Dragonarian battlecruisers, six Mirdakian cruisers, and ten Kelltulan frigates. New Berlin was a rough place – but it was strategically important during the second Kemoran war. It was one of three planets with a direct lane to the heart of the Terran Alliance; the Terran home world – Earth.

New Berlin was also where the first Terran dragon-shifter was discovered. That dragon-shifter was still rumored to be there, hiding among the many inhabitants of that world. But that dragon-shifter was not who he was here to find; Kyle was here to find the last three operatives he had recruited. One was a human sniper; the other two were a Kemorainian couple – an ex-military engineer and an ex-Assassin. Amazing that such a couple even came together, but that wasn’t for Kyle to judge. He guided the Recalcitrant Predator through the atmosphere of New Berlin and set it down in the landing bay as Anna awoke and walked onto the center deck.

Morning, Kyle greeted her as he powered down the craft.

How long was I out? Anna asked.

Nearly ten hours, Kyle answered after glancing at the clock. I’m going to be heading out in a little while – care to tag along?

Sure, Anna responded. Just give me a bit to wake up.

Certainly, Kyle stated. Coffee’s in there, and food is in the fridge if you’re hungry. He indicated the lounge nearby.

Thanks, Anna stated. She headed into the lounge to pour herself a cup of coffee, and Kyle returned his attention to the computer screens, and found he had a waiting message. He answered it, and it brought up three separate things; on one screen was a schematic labeled DREADNOUGHT, MARAUDER-CLASS; on the next was a list of weapons and system specs, and on the last was a message that said, "The Marauder-class Battleship Dragon’s Rage is finished constructing. It awaits her commander in the shipyards of Dragon’taan."

Excellent, Kyle thought. The Dragons Rage was commissioned by Kyle’s fellow dragon-shifters to be his ship, as well as the forward flagship of the Marauder Corps, the dragon-shifter military. It was Kyle’s flagship for the large military operations where stealthy and subtle ships like the Recalcitrant Predator did not have enough firepower to survive.

Deciding to review the specs later, Kyle dismissed the schematics and other info, saving them to his computer. Anna came walking out of the lounge moments later, sipping her coffee.

What was that? she asked.

A ship, Kyle responded. One that finished constructing at the shipyards of Dragon’taan.

Dragon’taan? Anna repeated. Never heard of it.

Well, good, Kyle stated. The fewer that know of it at this point, the better.

The dragon-shifter home world? Anna inquired.

Among other things, Kyle answered. Just don’t let that get around – rumors travel quickly in this galaxy.

Right, Anna said, sipping her coffee. Then, another thought came to mind. Kyle, I wonder… do you have any armor for me?

I do, actually, Kyle responded. I picked it up before I got you. Hell, I picked up armor for all of us – except for the Kemorainian couple we’re picking up; they said they’d supply their own armor and equipment.

Right, Anna sighed.

What? Kyle queried. Have a problem with Kemorainians?

Well, no, Anna admitted, But I hold my reservations about working with an ex-assassin.

As do I, Kyle said, But we’ll need her skills.

"Her? Anna repeated. The ex-Assassin is a woman?"

Surprise, surprise, Kyle chuckled.

Oh, great, Anna scoffed. "This just keeps getting better. The male Assassins are bad enough – but when a Kemorainian woman becomes a Assassin… you better space yourself before they catch you, buddy."

Well, if they’re that bad-ass, then hell – all the more reason to keep her! Kyle laughed. Anna simply rolled her eyes. She sipped her coffee, then changed the subject.

Got any Dragonarian disruptors in that armory of yours? she asked.

"Yes, as a matter-of-fact, I do –