Gates of Hell Read online

  Gates of Hell

  Echoes of War Book 4

  Daniel Gibbs

  Contents

  CSV Lion of Judah Blueprints

  Free Echoes of War Book

  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

  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

  Acknowledgments

  Gates of Hell by Daniel Gibbs

  Copyright © 2019 by Daniel Gibbs

  Visit Daniel Gibb’s website at www.danielgibbsauthor.net

  Cover by Jeff Brown Graphics—www.jeffbrowngraphics.com

  Additional Illustrations by Joel Steudler—www.joelsteudler.com

  Editing by Beth at BZhercules.com

  3D Art by Benoit Leonard

  This book is a work of fiction, the characters, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. For permissions please contact [email protected].

  Get a free & Exclusive David Gibbs Book

  FREE BOOK: Read the story of Levi Cohen and his heroic fight at the first battle of Canaan in Echoes of War: Stand Firm.

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  www.danielgibbsauthor.com/standfirm.

  1

  July 6th, 2461

  League Army Headquarters

  Freiderwelt (Occupied Terran Coalition Border Planet)

  “I hate this planet,” Lieutenant Colonel Haun Pan said as he glanced out of his office window. “I hate its inhabitants. I hate its so-called culture. I hate its climate. Above all else, I hate being posted here.”

  “It’s not the worst posting in the League army, sir,” Major Vladislav Pavlik replied. “Freiderwelt has no active resistance, its population is compliant with our orders, and they produce fresh fruits and vegetables for us,” he continued. “I’ve been subjected to far worse.”

  “I was on the fast track to general!” Pan thundered. “Instead, now I babysit farmers so backward, they won’t even use a robotic tractor. They go out every day and tend crops by hand. What kind of moronic idiot does that?”

  Pavlik listened to his commander rant. I’ve only got six more months of this turd before we get a new one. A draftee like all League soldiers, he’d decided to go in for life after his parents died. His wife and two children lived back on a core world, one of the many perks an officer who agreed to serve thirty years was entitled to. “Ones who cling to their old ways. I got one of their children to talk to me once, during some period where they’re allowed to experience the outside world. These traditions date back to before the League’s founding, on Earth. In some ways, they have the perfect socialism, sir.”

  “Which is why our political commissars haven’t allowed me to execute them all, Pavlik. I wish they would, so we could get off this stupid rock.”

  It’s a good thing that for all his blustering of ruthlessness, the man is a complete coward who hides behind the rest of his men. “Of course, sir.” Knowing when to pick a fight with the colonel was vital. “We do have some business to discuss.”

  “I read your report. I don’t understand what the problem is. They want more land to build housing on. The answer is no.”

  “Sir, they’ll appeal to the commissars if we don’t give it to them,” Pavlik pointed out. “Right now, we don’t have to deal with one because this place is off their radar. Do you want to have a political officer overseeing every action we take?”

  If that doesn’t bring him along, nothing will. Everyone in the League military detests political officers.

  “How much land do they want again?”

  “Three hundred square kilometers.”

  “I worry about our garrison being able to patrol such a space,” Pan whined.

  “These people don’t commit crimes, Colonel.”

  “Yet they refuse to adapt themselves fully into the League.”

  “We could offer them half that space, sir?”

  Pan stared at Pavlik coldly. “I do not offer anyone on this planet anything, Major. I tell them what they will get. If they don’t like it, I’ll be happy to have them lined up and shot. They get one hundred and fifty square kilometers.”

  “Yes, sir,” Pavlik said, inwardly pleased with himself. He’d asked for twice the representative of the planet’s inhabitants had requested, knowing that Pan would want to feel like he somehow won. Such a petty person. All he cares about is his next promotion. How he manages to keep his party membership in line is beyond me.

  Pan’s eyes narrowed, and he grated on in a nasal tone. “What else?”

  “Still awaiting resupply. We’re very low on consumables and have had to take extra from the locals. If this continues, we’ll need to plant our own crops next year.”

  “You want our soldiers to plant crops?” Pan asked incredulously.

  “Either that or starve.”

  “We could simply force our guests to do it for us.”

  “They can only farm enough to sustain their own families. Feeding us would require doubling their fields,” Pavlik insisted.

  “Then they can starve. You seem to be close to these people, Major. Inform them they will need to expand their farming operations greatly.”

  “Which will take more land, sir.” What an idiot.

  “Talk to them. Then present me with options,” Pan replied.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Anything else, Major?”

  “No, sir. I’ll leave you to your duties.”

  “Dismissed,” Pan said.

  Pavlik jumped up and came to attention, bringing his fist to his chest in the salute of the League. Taking one last look at the unkempt appearance of his commanding officer, he turned to go. There is a reason that soldiers take pride in their uniform and appearance. It keeps them grounded. I’d still pass inspection by the most hardened drill sergeant from my youth. Pan couldn’t be bothered to look like a proper soldier if the Chairman of the Social and Public Safety Committee was coming our way. Shaking his head as he walked into the hallway beyond the CO’s office, he resolved to complete his tour of duty, get off Freiderwelt, and back to someplace closer to the League.

  2

  July 10th, 2461

  CSV Lion of Judah

  Deep Space – Inside of Terran Coalition Expanded Border Zone

  Colonel David Cohen woke up with a start, nearly hitting his head on the top of his bunk after a particularly bad nightmare. He couldn’t remember exactly what happened, but an image of a massive monster ripping him limb to limb as he screamed was etched in his mind as he shook off grogginess. The ship’s relative position and heading were displayed on the undersid
e of his bunk, an improvement to the cabin he’d done to allow him better sleeping conditions on the advice of Doctor Izmet Tural, the Lion’s chief medical officer.

  “Uuuuuuuh,” David said out loud, rolling out of his bed to see that it was 0415 CMT. No point in trying to get fifteen more minutes of shuteye. He popped up and put on his workout clothes.

  David had a very regimented morning routine: he woke up, said his morning prayers as required of all Orthodox Jews, exercised, prepared himself for the day, and had breakfast. Normally all before 0700. I remember reading somewhere that I need to change up my routine to force my brain to function better… eh, maybe next year.

  I can’t believe it’s going on a year since I took command of this incredible ship, David pondered as he walked into the officers’ mess near the bridge. One deck down, it was a favorite of nearly the entire bridge crew and the last thing on his mental to-do list before starting the first watch.

  “Colonel! What can I get for you, sir?” the mess steward manning the ordering station asked him.

  “The usual,” David replied with a grin.

  “Two eggs, over easy with hash browns, wheat toast, and coffee, coming right up, sir!”

  “On second thought, let’s change it up a little. Add a small bowl of oatmeal for me.”

  “Aye aye, sir!”

  David smiled and walked into the dining area, looking for an open table. Instead, he was greeted by the smiling faces of his XO, Lieutenant Colonel Talgat Aibek, First Lieutenant Shelly Hammond, the Lion’s senior navigator, and Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Amir—an old friend who served as the ship’s embarked air wing commander—all sitting together.

  “We’ve got space for one more, sir!” Hammond called out. The younger, bookish woman had come out of her cocoon over the last few months, though she was still an introvert.

  For that, David was glad. He slid into the open chair and flashed a smile at them all. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, sir,” Aibek replied with a toothy smile. A Saurian, Aibek was an exchange officer in the Coalition Defense Force and had been David’s XO since the death of Major Sheila Thompson. Saurians were large, taller than normal humanoids. He had a particularly colorful patch of scales on the top of his head. The human equivalent to hair, every Saurian had slightly different scale colorings. “How was your exercise?”

  “The same workout,” David joked. “I need to break up the routine.”

  “We could get back to flying missions against the League. The defeat of all League forces on our side of the arm has left me with nothing to do,” Amir said.

  “Spoken like a true warrior,” Aibek interjected. “I sometimes envy you, Amir.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you get to sit at the very tip of the spear and put your life on the line in what is almost hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. I would relish that kind of opportunity to test myself against the best soldiers the League of Sol has to offer.”

  “Interesting way of looking at it, XO,” David said. “I never had the desire to fly fast movers. Hats off to those who do, though,” he continued while glancing at Amir.

  “What about you, Lieutenant? Would you rather be back in the fighting?” Aibek said toward Hammond.

  “Honestly, sir? I’m divided on the subject. Not going to condition one three times a day is nice for a change.”

  “I can’t disagree with you there,” David replied. “But it’s high time we get back on the road to Earth.”

  Aibek cleared his throat. “Perhaps the brass is wasting too much time debating tactics.”

  “Unlikely,” David said. “More likely is that we don’t have enough ships to be successful as of yet.”

  “Get my wing close enough, and we’ll blow every ship the League has left into atoms,” Hassan boasted.

  “I’ll take you up on that one of these days,” David said, his mouth curled up in a grin.

  “Anything special on tap today, sir?” Hammond asked.

  “Just another day of keeping the watch.”

  The steward that took his order approached the table with another waiter in tow, both holding multiple plates of food that were deposited in front of each person. David almost laughed at Aibek’s breakfast order: a T-bone steak barely seared, with eggs.

  “Thank you, Sergeant,” David said as the food was delivered.

  “Any time, sir!”

  “Whose turn is it to pray?” David asked the table at large. “On second thought, how about you do the honors, XO?”

  “With pleasure, sir,” Aibek replied and bowed his head.

  David bowed his head as well and closed his eyes as the big Saurian began to pray. “God, we thank You for granting us the food that we now eat. We thank You for giving us life so we may hunt, and in doing so, praise You. We thank You for the opportunity to share our bounty with others, and for the ability to fight evil in this galaxy. In doing so, we aspire to glorify Your name. By the mercy of the great prophet, we ask for Your guidance and help, amen.”

  “Amen,” David said along with the rest.

  Aibek cut off a piece of the nearly raw meat and bit into it with gusto. “I have grown to love this food you humans call ‘steak’.”

  David laughed as he dug into his eggs. This command is a gift, as are these people who have grown to be more than just my crew; they are genuinely friends. God has unquestionably blessed me. I wish Sheila were here to see it.

  In the expansive engineering space on the Lion of Judah, engineers of all stripes, including enlisted personnel and officers, mixed with the occasional contractor, dotted the area. It’s far too big to be called a room, Major Arthur Hanson, the Lion’s chief engineer, thought as he walked with purpose through a group working on a console. The matter/anti-matter reactor that powered the ship was encased in multiple protective housings, which wouldn’t matter at all if they lost containment, but there were safety regulations to be followed. Coming to a stop at its base, he couldn’t help but feel small in comparison to its incredible power.

  “Inspecting the latest safety feature you insisted on, Major?” Doctor Benjamin Hayworth groused. Hayworth was the civilian scientist that had invented a practical method of storing anti-matter for reaction and the reactor itself.

  “After our last major combat, it was apparent we needed a fourth-tier coolant redundancy, Doctor. This reactor has more power generation capability in it, and therefore the potential for destructive force, than most of the planetary-based reactors for our core worlds. You realize that, right?”

  “Oh, no, I didn’t realize that,” Hayworth replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Would you care to explain it to me?”

  “Boys,” another voice interrupted. It belonged to Major Elizabeth Merriweather, the CDF project officer and right hand to Dr. Hayworth.

  Chastised, both men grinned sheepishly. “I still do not believe we need additional coolant loops,” Hayworth insisted.

  “Noted, Doctor,” Hanson said. “We can agree to disagree.”

  Hayworth snorted and looked toward Merriweather. “What can we do for you, my dear?”

  Merriweather held out a tablet toward them. “Here’s a list of problems with the magnetic-cannon upgrades. I have solutions to each but would like you both to vet them before I send this up to Colonel Cohen.”

  Hanson plucked the tablet up and stared at the screen. “Would have been nice if the Saurians had helped us integrate their double-shell launching technology a bit more.”

  “I’m afraid weapons isn’t the main focus of my research,” Hayworth said absentmindedly.

  “I’m sure your brain is up to the challenge, Doctor,” Merriweather responded while giving him a dazzling smile.

  She sure has Hayworth under her thumb. That guy will barely treat anyone with respect, but he worships the ground she walks on. Hanson looked through the list. “I’ll need some additional time to review, Major. At first glance, it looks solid to me.”

  “Thank you,” Merriweather said whil
e inclining her head.

  Hayworth harrumphed. “I’ll do the same. I’m sure it’s quite competent. Major Hanson, have you given any thought to when you’ll no longer need the research team? I feel it’s quite past when we need to get back to the lab and begin working on improvements.”

  “Not my call, doc,” Hanson said, watching Hayworth wince at the use of “doc.” “That’s up to Colonel Cohen and the brass. I have heard him say that you’re a force multiplier, though. High praise coming from him.”

  Hayworth grimaced. “I seem to remember telling him that once. I guess it stuck.”

  “Careful what you wish for, Doctor,” Merriweather said, still smiling.

  “Time for me to go get cleaned up and get some dinner,” Hanson said as he tucked the tablet’s clip onto one of his belt loops. “Have a great rest of your day.”

  “Good day, Major,” Hayworth said, sounding incredibly unenthused.

  “I’ll look for your inputs later, Major,” Merriweather replied.

  Hanson nodded and walked away, heading for the showers. Yeah, I still can’t figure those two out.

  Calvin Demood, Terran Coalition Marine Corps MEU commander for the Lion of Judah, looked up from a book he was reading on his tablet when the chime rang outside of his cabin. Sparsely decorated, the room was almost nondescript, unlike the bombastic Marine’s demeanor. “Come in!” he yelled out.