Gateway to War Read online

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  Gateway to War Copyright © 2019 by Variant Publications, Hopper Creative Group

  Book design and layout copyright © 2019 by JN Chaney

  This novel 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, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

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  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing.

  Version 2.0

  1st Edition

  Gateway to War

  Book 3 in the Ruins of the Galaxy Series

  J.N. Chaney

  Christopher Hopper

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  Book Description

  Gateway to War

  Ruins of the Galaxy #3

  Hunted by the Republic. Desperate to stop the enemy.

  Lieutenant Magnus survives the harrowing rescue of his unit only to find himself charged with treason by the very military he’s pledged his allegiance to. Now, he must attempt to escort Piper to the Luma homeward of Worru before dark forces discover her otherworldly abilities.

  But once there, Magnus finds himself confronting new enemies in the place he least expects to find them.

  Meanwhile, Awen uncovers a new plot that threatens to upend order throughout the galaxy.

  She and Magnus find their way to an alien world where they must work together to build a new team from the ruins of the warriors who remain loyal to the cause of galactic freedom.

  Can Magnus survive the wave of violence heading his way? Will Awen be able to help a young prodigy harness an unthinkable new power found in the Unity?

  Find out in the third installment of this #1 best-selling military sci-fi epic that has captivated the imaginations of fans around the world.

  Contents

  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

  List of Main Characters

  Join the Ruins Tribe

  Get a Free Book

  About the Authors

  1

  “You do know that you’re idiots for coming with me, right?” Magnus stood over Flow and Cheeks, who lay on recovery beds, both coming out of heavy sedation. “Your careers are over.”

  “No offense, LT,” Flow said, his voice groggy, “but you messed our careers up a long time ago. Something about a move to Recon that made sure we wouldn’t make rank easily.”

  “Pain in the ass,” Cheeks added from his bed.

  Sick bay on Rohoar’s starship was more spacious than any on a Repub vessel, presumably to accommodate Jujari physiology. The ship had only been in subspace for a little over two hours, having left Oorajee and begun the voyage to Worru, and already Flow and Cheeks were looking a bit better. The two Recon Marines bore several sensors on their bare skin, while their bodies were covered with white blankets.

  Cheeks looked over at Flow. “Guess we’re just gonna have to insist on free beer for life.”

  Flow chuckled then winced.

  Magnus liked hearing himself called “LT” again—a shortened version of his rank of Lieutenant. But to Magnus, the title was more than just a nickname. It meant he was among family. And he didn’t want to put his family in harm’s way any more than he already had.

  “I mean it, boys.” Magnus rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m really not sure you thought this one through.” He muttered, “Probably shouldn’t have given you the option.”

  “Hold up right there, LT.” Flow’s dark-skinned face turned hard. “You owed us the option.”

  “Damn straight, you did,” Cheeks said. “Bustin’ our balls on some suicide mission to protect a Luma goddess who decides to have tea with a Jujari king. Who knew that would blow up in our faces.”

  Cheeks’s sarcasm wouldn’t offend anyone on the team. They’d all known the op had been a mistake from the beginning, and Cheeks’s appearance would attest to that, probably for the rest of his life. The right side of his face would need cellular reconstruction therapy, including a new ear. His days as a ladies’ man were over until he got proper medical care, and even after that, he’d always have scarring. Then again, knowing Cheeks, he’d find a way to work the situation to his advantage.

  “Listen, boys…”

  “Hold up, LT.” Flow struggled to prop himself up on his elbows. “We all know this stopped being about the Corps years ago. It’s about brotherhood. No one gets left behind. And if someone is abandoned by the Repub, that’s the same as being left behind.”

  “OTF, baby,” Cheeks added.

  Magnus ignored their comments. “If I send you both on a shuttle, you can say that I abducted you. They’ll be forced to drop the charges. But as it is, you’re aiding and abetting a military deserter turned fugitive. You’ll most likely be tried for treason.”

  “That’s if they catch us, baby,” Cheeks said.

  “Call it whatever you want, LT.” Flow raised his chin. “It ain’t changing my mind.”

  “Mine neither, LT.”

  Magnus sniffed then pursed his lips. These two were as good as any brothers-in-arms could ever be. He didn’t deserve their respect. They’d been through a lot together and seen a lot of action. But they still didn’t know about everything Magnus had done in his past. If they knew, they wouldn’t be so loyal.

  “Fine,” Magnus said. “As long as we’re clear.”

  “Crystal.”

  “Like a see-through dress,” Cheeks added.

  Magnus smiled. It was good to be
reunited with them. He only wished Mouth had survived. The knowledge that the Fearsome Four no longer existed as a group put a pang in his chest that wouldn’t leave anytime soon. One more Marine had been lost to the Repub’s mounting indiscretion and foolhardy objectives.

  “So…” Flow lowered himself back down, catching his breath. “Mind filling us in on what we’ve gotten ourselves mixed up in exactly?”

  “Yeah,” Cheeks said. “Why you got a rap sheet with the Corps all of a sudden?”

  Magnus took a deep breath. “It’s complicated.”

  Cheeks grimaced, lying back down again with a sigh. “Man, that’s what all the girls say when they’re done with you. You don’t gotta do us like that, LT.”

  “I don’t want to do you at all, Cheeks. No one does, last I heard.”

  Flow let out a laugh, then said, “He got you there, Cheeks.”

  Magnus smiled and reached for one of the examination stools in the corner. He sat down and rubbed the back of his neck again. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  “How about when things went sideways in the doggy king’s palace?” Flow suggested.

  “When things went sideways…” The incident felt so long ago. But how many days had it been? Barely two weeks? “That’s as good a place as any.”

  Magnus shared the harrowing tale with his men, leaving out as much as possible about Awen because… because it wasn’t relevant to his men, though Cheeks, the hopeless romantic—or was he just a pervert?—would have insisted otherwise. He also left off anything that would just sound too fantastical to believe, especially the parts about Piper.

  “So… you make it back to Abimbola’s hideout, even more of a war hero than you already are…” Flow said. “I still don’t get why the Repub wants you so bad. What—do they think you killed the senator or something?”

  Magnus shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, Flow. But there are easier ways to take out a senator than sending a Recon Marine into an unmarked Bull Wraith, escaping with some crew, and crash landing on Oorajee. I can tell you one thing, however—something doesn’t feel right about all of this.”

  “All of what?” Flow searched Magnus’s face. “You mean the whole op on Oorajee? You think it was a setup?”

  “Well, I know we didn’t plant those explosives in the mwadim’s palace, and the Tawnhack didn’t either. In fact, I don’t think any of the Jujari tribes did. It was too calculated, too precise. Those hyenas may be many things, but they sure as hell ain’t precise.”

  “Who’s that leave, then?” Flow asked.

  Magnus shook his head. “I don’t have that figured out.”

  “You think someone at the top is gunning for you?” Cheeks asked.

  “Like I said, boys, I dunno. But if I had to place a bet, yeah, it feels like a setup.”

  Flow rotated his index finger in circles. “Can we go back a second? What was that about the Tawnhack and Jujari tribes? You lost me there.”

  Magnus recalled the conversation he’d had with Abimbola about this, suddenly realizing his Marines were still in the dark. “Not all the Jujari are the same.”

  “Like hell they’re not!” Cheeks blurted out.

  “Cheeks,” Magnus said, leveling him a glare that said he meant business.

  “Sorry, LT, it’s just—”

  “Rohoar’s tribe are the Tawnhack… the largest and most revered tribe. But the ones who took you… those were the Selskrit.”

  “You’re saying one’s good and one’s bad?” Flow asked. “Are you some sorta Jujari whisperer now that you got yourself a pup?”

  Magnus didn’t want to snap at his men, but he also didn’t want the term “Jujari whisperer” to stick, nor did he want the slang term “pup” being used against Rohoar.

  “I’m not saying I’ve got them figured out,” Magnus admitted. “But I am saying that Rohoar and his kin helped save your lives. And mine, for that matter. So you can hate them all you want inside, but you sure as hell are going to be grateful on the outside. We will all show them respect and honor. Copy?”

  Flow and Cheeks both nodded.

  “Good.” Magnus sat back down, breathing a sigh of relief. Once a nickname formed in the Recon, it was next to impossible to shut it down. Fortunately, this one had died before it started, and without much of a fight. More importantly, however, Magnus had a chance to speak his mind about Rohoar and the Tawnhack. It was the first time he’d admitted as much to anyone besides himself. It was hard to do, but Rohoar had given him reason enough to begin to doubt his biases.

  “Hey.” Flow reached out for Magnus’s hand and grasped it tightly around the thumb. “And about not being able to come back for us sooner… we get it. Don’t worry.”

  Magnus squeezed back. “Thanks, Flow. I… appreciate that.”

  “But if you ever do it again,” Cheeks added, “we’re coming after you.”

  “I’d expect nothing less.” Magnus chuckled and released Flow’s hand. “Now it’s your turn. How, by all the mystics, did you survive?”

  Whatever life Flow had in his eyes faded as he stared past Magnus. Cheeks looked away too. That, right there, told Magnus a lot. He’d fought enough battles and lived through enough hell to know mental anguish when he saw it. Moreover, he knew Flow was understating things when he replied, “It was bad, LT. Real bad.”

  Cheeks nodded, and his eyes focused on some faraway place. Magnus didn’t break the silence. He just waited.

  When Flow didn’t say anything, Magnus said, “It can wait, brothers. We have time.”

  Flow took a deep breath then looked up at Magnus. “No, it can’t. You need to know. The blasts… they took out half the platoons.”

  “Half?” Magnus rocked backward. “But that’s…”

  “Like I said, bad. I know.” Flow cleared his throat. “But that’s just the beginning. Mouth was the only other operator to make it from Charlie Platoon. We looked for your body, but…” Flow looked to be fighting back some pretty raw emotions, maybe from the pain meds he was on. Magnus had never seen him like this. “Your TACNET signature was gone. We figured you’d been vaporized.

  “Anyway, we rallied to Captain Wainright and managed to find several more civilians. That alone was a shock. Their Unity splick must have saved them or something…” Flow’s eyes glazed over. “But they would have been better off if they’d died in the blast.”

  Another long silence filled sick bay. A tear left Flow’s left eye and slid down his cheek. The man looked childlike.

  “What happened next?”

  “Jujari reinforcements came at us hard. No one really knew what was happening. Just lots of blaster fire and screams. We tried calling for evac, but the LZ on the platform was too hot. So Wainright ordered us to the secondary exfil.”

  “Zulu Niner,” Magnus offered, referring to the mission’s alternate landing zone. He hoped to reassure his friend that he’d been there too and had heard the order. “Three klicks north of the city.”

  Flow looked at Magnus with the hint of a smile. “That’s right, LT. So you—”

  “It was the last thing I heard. Tried getting there myself, but… well, you know my story.”

  “Right, right.” Flow nodded, his gaze drifting back to the terror of his memories.

  “Go on.” Magnus touched the Marine’s shoulder.

  “We were able to hold the Jujari back. Turns out they were just as shaken as we were. Their command structure was a mess. It gave us the break we needed to get out of the building and start moving north. We kept the civilians in between us. Maybe a dozen of them when we started. At first, no one fired on us. The city was too horrified by the explosion in the mwadim’s tower. We passed several Jujari who just stared skyward, oblivious to twenty-five Galactic Republic Marines and civilians walking right by them. It was surreal.

  “Eventually, though, that changed. Word musta spread that we’d killed their mwadim. I mean, I’m just guessing. The way they came after us… it was… they were…”

&nbsp
; Magnus looked from Flow to Cheeks. The men were visibly shaking. Mystics, they’ve seen some horrible splick. The mental wounds of battle had done their worst, and Magnus knew the scars would be there for years to come. Dammit.

  “We held out as long as we could. Made it about two klicks. Then our energy mags ran out. That’s when they attacked. They came at us like demons.” Flow smashed his palms against his face and smeared hot tears across his skin. “Everyone fought hard, but so many… so many died. Mouth, he—” Flow choked. He turned his head away to cough. Then he swore as he tried to catch his breath.

  “He didn’t make it,” Magnus concluded. “Copy that.”

  “Lost most of the civies too. Eventually, the Jujari incapacitated us. When we woke up, we were bound in a small room. They kept moving us from one place to another over the next few days, asking to speak to our generals. Always our generals. We tried to explain that we couldn’t reach them, but it was no use. So they tortured us… then killed us… then brought us back to life to do it again.”