Frozen Sky- Battlefront Read online

  Frozen Sky 4:

  Battlefront

  Jeff Carlson

  International bestselling author

  of Plague Year and Interrupt

  Jeff Carlson

  www.jverse.com

  Literary

  Laurie McLean

  FUSE Literary Agency

  P.O. Box 258

  La Honda, CA 94020

  650-922-0914

  [email protected]

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons either living or dead is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author.

  First Edition

  ISBNs ebook 9780996082389

  print 9780996082396

  Copyright 2017 © Jeff Carlson

  Cover design and artwork by Jasper Schreurs

  Copyright 2017 © Jasper Schreurs

  Maps and illustrations by the most awesome and talented Jeff Sierzenga. Reproduced with permission. Copyright © 2017 Jeff Sierzenga.

  Other Books

  by Jeff Carlson

  Interrupt

  The Europa Series

  The Frozen Sky

  Betrayed

  Blindsided

  Battlefront

  The Plague Year Trilogy

  Plague Year

  Plague War

  Plague Zone

  Short story collection

  Long Eyes

  Praise for

  The Frozen Sky

  "I'm hooked."

  —Larry Niven, New York Times bestselling author of Ringworld

  "A first-rate adventure set in one of our solar system's most fascinating places."

  —Allen Steele, Hugo Award-winning author of the Coyote series

  "Pulse pounding."

  —Publishers Weekly

  "Intelligent and entirely new. Highly recommended."

  —Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Feed

  Praise for the

  Plague Year trilogy

  "An epic of apocalyptic fiction: harrowing, heartfelt, and rock-hard realistic."

  —James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The 6th Extinction

  "Chilling and timely."

  —RT Book Reviews

  "Ingenious."

  —Publishers Weekly

  "I can't wait for the movie."

  —Sacramento News & Review

  "Compelling. His novels take readers to the precipice of disaster."

  —San Francisco Chronicle

  Praise for

  Long Eyes

  SIXTEEN STORIES ABOUT STRANGE WORLDS, BIOTECH,

  COMMANDOS AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.

  "Striking." —Locus Online

  "Exciting." —SF Revu

  "Chilling and dangerous."

  —HorrorAddicts.net

  Praise for

  Interrupt

  "Let's be honest: Carlson is dangerous. Thumbs up."

  —Scott Sigler, New York Times bestselling author of Alive

  "The ideas fly as fast as jets."

  —Kim Stanley Robinson, Hugo Award-winning author of Aurora

  "This book has it all -- elite military units, classified weaponry, weird science, a dash of romance and horrific global disasters. Carlson writes like a knife at your throat."

  —Bob Mayer, New York Times bestselling author of the Green Berets and Area 51 series

  "Terrific pacing. Dimensional characters. Jeff Carlson delivers everything and more in a killer thriller."

  —John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Fall

  For my mom,

  Patti,

  a strong, educated woman.

  And always for

  my wife Diana.

  They are the real Vonnies.

  EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION

  The delayed publication of Battlefront, the fourth and final volume of Jeff Carlson's Europa Series, deserves some explanation.

  Originally planned as a trilogy, the third volume, Blindsided, was published in 2016. As Jeff wrote the final chapters he knew he had more to tell, so the last line in that book is NOT THE END.

  Jeff began immediately to write Battlefront, and by April or May 2017 he had completed a manuscript of all but the final four chapters. Although I had served as a first reader for all of Jeff's novels, he had not yet released Battlefront for my review.

  Tragically, Jeff was not destined to complete Battlefront. In the spring of 2017 he was hurting and sick, but believed his symptoms to be caused by a combination of a ski injury and a chronic bronchitis. Instead, it was an undiagnosed and especially virulent lung cancer. Jeff was hospitalized in early July and died on July 17, 2017, three days before his 48th birthday.

  After retrieving Jeff's manuscript from his computer, I pledged that I would see Battlefront through to its publication - as a tribute to Jeff and as a closure for his many Europa Series fans. It took me longer than I had hoped, but now the series is complete.

  I made no substantive changes to Jeff's manuscript. I checked spelling and grammar, fixed inconsistences, and clarified some details that I thought were difficult to understand - all the same as I would have done in my usual reviewer role, but sadly without Jeff's final approval.

  I faced a dilemma concerning the final four chapters because Jeff's manuscript included them only in outline form. It was clear how the story should end, but Jeff's richness of detail was missing. I am not qualified to expand Jeff's outline into detailed text with dialog - I'm sure any reader would recognize my clumsy attempt. So, I chose to simply complete the sentences of the outline, allowing the reader to see Jeff's plan for the end of the story without the distraction of someone else's writing.

  Know, however, that Jeff did write the final sentence of Battlefront as spoken by Vonnie, his heroine. Jeff also wrote the Acknowledgment section at the end of the book.

  I add my personal thanks to Jeff's illustrator for his invaluable help in the completion of Battlefront. I found marked up drafts of the illustrations on Jeff's desk and Jeff Sierzenga (aka East Coast Jeff) generously reworked them into final form.

  Lastly, I extend my sincerest thanks to Jeff's thousands of fans, who made Jeff's all-too-short writing career so successful. Jeff embraced fiction writing as his career of choice at about age 15 and worked for over 20 years to reach the milestone of his first published novel, Plague Year, in 2007. Plague Year became a trilogy, now joined by the complete Europa quadrilogy, and interspersed by the standalone novel Interrupt and his short story collection Long Eyes. Jeff's fandom is now worldwide, as evidenced by translations into 17 languages. I am extremely proud of Jeff's published legacy. All I ask of his fans is to read it all, re-read your favorites, and tell your friends.

  Gus Carlson, Jeff's father

  December 2018

  Glossary

  2MS

  Multibeam Model- and Sim-assisted Sonar.

  AI

  Artificial intelligence ranging from Level VII super computers to human-like Level II and Level I personalities.

  Altercast

  Alternating frequency broadcasts used for stealth and security.

  Alumalloy

  A lightweight ultra-high tensile strength nano composite aluminum alloy.

  ATMP

  All-Terrain Multi-Personnel vehicle, a.k.a. jeep.

  APAQS Module

  All-Purpose Atmosphere-Equipped Storage unit.

  CEW

  Counter Electronic Warfare program.

 
Data/comm

  Data and communications.

  Deuterium

  A hydrogen isotope used as fuel in fusion reactors.

  DNA

  Deoxyribonucleic acid, one of the three major macromolecules found in all known terrestrial lifeforms as well as in all Europan lifeforms.

  Drill Dots or DDs

  Nano weapons designed to penetrate suits, hulls and mecha - they act like corrosive dust particles that burn through metal both in vacuum and under water.

  DSSC Module

  Deep Space Self-Contained habitation unit.

  ELF

  Extremely Low Frequency radio waves.

  EMP

  Electromagnetic Pulse.

  ERIC

  Emergency Rescue / Intensive Containment device, a.k.a. "rescue ball", for short-term use in vacuum or low oxygen environments.

  ESA

  European Space Agency.

  ESU

  Emergency Survival Unit, a one- or two-crewmember habitation pod designed to withstand the extreme pressure of Europa's Great Ocean..

  EUSD

  European Union Space Defense.

  FiveSAM

  Handheld surface-to-air missile launcher with 5 preloaded misses.

  FNEE

  Brazil's Força Nacional de Exploração do Espaço.

  GP

  A general purpose robot.

  HUD

  Heads-Up Display.

  HK

  Unmanned "hunter-killer" probe or mecha.

  IR

  Infrared.

  MAID/comm

  A briefcase-sized Mobile Artificial Intelligence data/communications unit.

  Mecha

  A robot

  Mem File

  An individual's automatically recorded "memory file".

  MI6

  Britain's Secret Intelligence Service - the MI6 designation derives from an earlier name, Military Intelligence, Section 6.

  MMPSA

  Mobile Multi-Purpose Sensor Array mecha.

  Nanotag

  Nanometer-sized robot with data gathering and transmission capabilities.

  NASA

  U.S.A.'s National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  NATO

  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

  OBP

  Optimized Blood Plasma.

  Plastisteel

  A combat-grade ballistic armor forged from polypropylene nickel chromium molybdenum nano composites.

  PSSC

  The People's Supreme Society Of China.

  Q-and-E

  Quarantine and Evaluate.

  ROM-12 GP Mecha (ESA and NASA)

  Remote Operated Mecha, System 12, General Purpose.

  ROM-20 LRSS Mecha (PSSC)

  Remote Operated Mecha, System 20, Long Range Self-Sustained

  SCP

  Sabotage and Control Program.

  Showphone

  A short-range communication device incorporating visual displays with audio transmissions.

  Slavecast

  Brute force transmission intended to seize control of hostile suits, mecha, ships or satellites, similar to SCP.

  Spy sat

  Stealth-equipped surveillance satellite.

  USAF

  United States Aerospace Force.

  UV

  Ultraviolet.

  CONTENTS

  Other Books

  Praise

  Dedication

  Editor's Introduction

  Figure - After the Battle

  Figure - Europa's Southern Pole

  Glossary

  Chapter 1

  Organization Chart - ESA

  Chapter 2

  Organization Chart - NASA

  Organization Chart - NASA (continued)

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chaptr 10

  Figure - Vessel Lewis

  Chapter 11

  Organization Chart - Lewis

  Chapter 12

  Figure - Lewis Support

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Figure - The Great Ocean

  Chapter 16

  Figure - The Fin Mountains

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Figure - After the Storm

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Editor's Comment

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Acknowledments

  1 .

  On the ice, ten of them lived -- seven astronauts from the ESA, three soldiers from the FNEE.

  Nineteen people died. Thirteen were killed in space. Six were killed on Europa. Beneath the ice, more than a hundred sunfish were gunned down or crushed or subjected to explosive decompression.

  Few sunfish and even fewer people were wounded. For decades, machines had led human warfare and the machines allowed little margin for error. In vacuum, any damage to a suit or a hull was usually fatal. It wasn't necessary for a missile to vaporize its target. One fleck of shrapnel, an EMP, a sabotage and control program, there were too many ways to inflict harm. Once the shooting started, the AIs were too fast and too smart. When it ended, people were either dead or they were fine.

  Vonnie should have died. She'd arranged a thin line of defense against two PSSC flightcraft. As the PSSC craft roared overhead, they'd torched her with their fusion jets.

  Her salvation had been Probe 114. She'd equipped 114 with explosives, then instructed it to hurl itself at the enemy craft. The suicide attack caused them to break formation. If their jets had continued to burn her suit, she might have taken her last breath.

  At the same time, in space, Captain Leber of the Jyväskylä proposed a cease-fire with the PSSC destroyer, the Dongfangzhixing.

  The fighting stopped.

  Vonnie hung on long enough for Tony to rescue her and Harmeet, injecting them with nanotech and gene sweeps for radiation poisoning. Later, Harmeet endured surgeries to fix the shattered bones in her leg and to graft new muscles onto her calf. Vonnie was put in a medical coma for six days. They replaced her lungs, jaw, tongue and teeth. They repaired her spine, skull, ribs, stomach, liver, left arm and left hand.

  She was still missing her left eye. That surgery would have to wait, but she felt like she could see more clearly now than ever. Waking in the remains of Module 01, tracing her fingers over the stickem gauze pad on her face, she'd experienced a moment of clarity.

  I'm on the right path. I've done everything I can. If there is a God, what more could He want from us?

  She'd gained some distance from herself, and, with it, new perspective.

  The Brazilian soldiers might have felt like they'd given their lives for their country, but the ESA astronauts were civilians who'd been pinned in the crossfire. It was true that Henri Frerotte had doubled as an agent for French intelligence. O'Neal had been a biologist. Both of them died -- and the entire ESA crew was put at risk -- because Berlin looked at them like they were pawns on a chessboard.

  This was nothing new. For thousands of years, kings and presidents had squandered millions of lives, but Vonnie seethed at the injustice of sending a biologist into combat.

  As a race, Homo sapiens were wildly successful. Their ingenuity and their tools had brought them from living in caves to colonizing the solar system. They had also been pushed by aggression and greed. Their curiosity was tied to these instincts. The nomad gene that had led humankind into space was linked to the same primitive traits that allowed them to steal and kill, ignoring each other's suffering.

  Ruled by men and women who exemplified these traits, Earth’s nations were huge, clumsy forces with unslakeable appetites and the low empathy of
monsters. In fact, each nation was divided against itself by petty or significant clashes among its many branches and states. Ineptitude was expected. Bias and corruption were ordinary.

  Therefore silence was a weakness. Blind loyalty was a crime. Vonnie had disobeyed orders on several occasions. Now she wished she'd shown even more defiance. Could she have saved Henri and O'Neal?

  Believing she would do better next time was one source of comfort. More and more, she clung to the insights she'd gleaned from the sunfish and from Harmeet.

  The sunfish considered their own world an unstoppable threat to their existence. Nevertheless, they found opportunities to shape their environment with air locks, reservoirs, farms, and bulkheads to redirect volcanic gases and heat.

  Harmeet took a similar view of life on Earth. Evil lurked in many souls. It contaminated everything from local neighborhoods, which included thieves and perverts, to global endeavors to cure disease. Nearly every year, world health officials were caught embezzling funds or demanding bribes -- and if humanitarian organizations were rife with dishonesty, what hope was there?

  The sunfish celebrated the willingness to fight against overwhelming odds. Harmeet thought heroes were the ones who turned the other cheek and persevered.

  Combining the most useful parts of what she'd heard, Vonnie had formed her own philosophy.

  Most of us are good at heart but goodness isn't enough to fend off people who are selfish or crazy. Be brave. Work hard. Some events feel like good luck and bad luck, but luck is just another word for patterns we're too small to recognize. Control what you can. Surround yourself with the best people you can find. Don't allow bitterness to turn you into one of the bad guys. No matter how times you've been wronged, give new people the benefit of the doubt. Test them but let them prove themselves.