The Human Legion Deluxe Box Set 2

by Tim C Taylor

  He’d expected her to lighten into a smile. She didn’t. She might be tiny, but she glared at him in a way that made him feel much smaller than her. He seriously wondered whether Nhlappo had been passing on the secret skills of a drill instructor.

  “I shall accept your promotion on one condition,” she said when she was good and ready. “Our Littorane allies have added 9,000 spacers and 32,000 Marines to the Legion. I hardly think it appropriate for their supreme commander to be a lowly Major. Do you?”

  Arun hadn’t considered that.

  “You don’t wear modesty well,” she said. “On you it looks more like weakness. You’ve shown me footage of your encounter with that Amilxi vessel we encountered in deep space. Who did that wounded man think you were?”

  “General McEwan. He said he mistook me for General McEwan.” The memories came flooding back from their deep stores. “I’d forgotten about that weird ship. Did I ever tell you it had artificial gravity?”

  “The Bonaventure had more mysteries than that. Whoever controlled it ripped apart a future that they didn’t want, and replaced it with an alternative that better suited their purposes. Anyone with that kind of power scares the chodding wits out of me. As it should… Arun? Arun, what is it?”

  A realization had escaped from his memory of the Bonaventure. He glimpsed its shape but couldn’t hold onto it. “Something about the wounded man,” he said. “I didn’t notice before because the covers of the infirmary bed cloaked him, but he wasn’t like the other Amilxi.”

  “In what way?”

  Arun shrugged. “He was larger than the other Amilxi, I think, and there was something about his voice… I think I’ve heard it before.”

  “Don’t force the memory. It will come back. It’s a mystery we’ll unravel one step at a time.”

  He looked down upon the Littorane soldiers, human Marines, and Navy personnel of both races. The humans were utterly outnumbered for now, though back home, beneath the ruins of Detroit, a sleeping Marine legion waited that numbered in millions. Tomorrow the parading service personnel would begin embarking on the ships in orbit before leaving the system on their war for freedom. Like the sleeping legion, the mystery of the Amilxi would have to wait.

  One step at a time.

  —— PART III ——

  DEATH

  TO THE

  WHITE KNIGHTS!

  Human Legion

  — INFOPEDIA —

  HISTORY OF THE LEGION

  – The Khallini Strategy

  Having secured the first allied power and supply base in the form of the Littoranes of Shepherd–Nurture 4, the senior commanders of the Human Legion were split between competing objectives. Were they to conquer, liberate, or negotiate with the inhabitants of the systems they now encountered? Until that point, the two sides in the civil war were each factions of White Knight supporters competing for the prize of imperial power. Should the Legion support one faction over the other, at least for now, or declare a war of independence immediately?

  And always, there was the Earth.

  The Human Marine Corps base at Detroit had allowed access to terrestrial data, but nothing beyond the point of First Contact between humans and other species. The White Knights did not encourage vassal worlds to communicate directly with each other. Even the honored Jotun scientist known as the Reserve Captain could not say whether the Earth hosted a thrusting junior power or was a radioactive cinder.

  With limited understanding of the political and military situation, McEwan pushed against a strong resistance from the Littoranes to keep the Legion’s options open while they gathered better intelligence. Instead of heading coreward toward Earth, the Legion set out for Khallini, which lay in the opposite direction, out to spinward. The Khallini system itself was uninhabited for reasons that were unclear at that time – given the hospitable conditions on the fourth planet – but the strategic importance was clear even to the Human Legion in its tactically blinded state. Nine inhabited systems were within just ten light years of Khallini.

  The plan was simple.

  Establish a forward base at Khallini, and then send scouting/diplomatic missions to the neighboring inhabited systems. Had their inhabitants declared for a faction in the civil war? Could they be converted to the cause of freedom?

  McEwan hoped to keep the fragile Legion alliance together long enough to make this quick, initial assessment of the local situation before developing a longer-term plan. From start to finish the operation wasn’t expected to take more than 35 years.

  Of course, as the reader will doubtless already be aware, this strategy is of interest only to historians and counter–factual fantasists, because it fell to pieces the moment the Human Legion flotilla entered the Khallini outer system.

  — Chapter 12 —

  HUMAN LEGION INTELLIGENCE REPORT: KHALLINI SYSTEM

  DATE (STANDARD): 1,436,192.017

  DATE (TERRAN): 2569.089

  SYSTEM GEOGRAPHY:

  Khallini is a main sequence star. Q-Class. Unremarkable.

  Starting from the star, heading outwards, notable planetary bodies are as follows:

  Hot Zone:

  2 inner gas giants and 1 lifeless rocky planet.

  Habitable Zone:

  Khallini-4 is 60% water covered. Oxygen levels in both water and air are good for Littoranes and humans to breathe without needing equipment. Toxin levels low. There is great colonization potential. Previous attempts at colonization have failed for unknown reasons. However, data from colonization missions within the past hundred thousand years suggest marine fish stocks are plentiful, and enzyme programs to allow digestion of native fish are already on record, and can easily be adapted for humans and Littoranes.

  A dominant, bipedal land species is semi-intelligent with sentience rating of 0.9. Previous contact suggests this species is not aggressive unless attacked.

  An automated listening post was left on the surface by the last imperial mission, and returned sensor data until only a few centuries ago. Our assumption is that enemy forces have repaired and upgraded this listening post.

  Cold Zone:

  One outer gas giant, which is currently being mined for fuel and has orbiting fuel refineries.

  There are no asteroid belts, making mining less profitable. However, the system’s Oort Cloud is rich in heavy elements and rocky material.

  ENEMY DISPOSITION:

  The enemy has nearly completed a major dockyard facility orbiting Khallini-4. The yards are currently constructing two major capital ships, which are approximately 80% complete.

  No nano sensor grid detected. If any exists, it is likely to be limited to the vicinity of Khallini-4. The planet once hosted a listening post, which might have been brought back into use.

  The enemy has its main forces in fast and highly elliptical orbits around Khallini-4.

  Consists of:

  18 Tactical Unit (TU) warboats – assessment: dangerous when used in numbers due to ability to rapidly deploy their Marine contingents to close assault Legion craft.

  4 Tactical Unit ‘sleeves’ – these appear to be unmodified from the standard design used to transport TUs across interstellar distances. Minimal combat relevance.

  3 heavy construction vessels – used in construction of the orbital dockyard.

  2 capital ships. Unknown type.

  14 destroyers of a variety of ship classes. Most have significant offensive missile capability. The two Havoc-class destroyers have limited missile capability but high survivability and single, spine-mount meson weapons that are highly dangerous at close range.

  8 frigates of a variety of ship classes. General-purpose warships of limited survivability rating and designed for point defense systems to interlock with both heavier warships and other frigates.

  We note that the composition of this fleet is counter to any standard tactical doctrine. Our interpretation is that this is most likely an ad-hoc assembly of straggler vessels. We see no AI-drones, but assume they will be carried
in the larger ships.

  In addition to warships and warboats, there is limited in-system travel by shuttlecraft and trawlers. Traffic is almost entirely between Khallini-4 orbit, Khallini-4 surface, and the gas giant being mined for fuel.

  ASSESSMENT OF ENEMY PRESENCE:

  We think the enemy presence has come to this system for the same reason we have: to use Khallini as a forward supply base and jumping off point to attack or defend nearby star systems, several of which have significant economies and war manufacturing capability. What we cannot yet explain is the high level of activity taking place on the planet’s surface. We think there is a slight possibility that it is an attempt to establish a fast-growing colony, but to do so in a warzone seems unlikely, as any population on the surface would be extremely vulnerable. Unless the enemy feels the planet is less vulnerable than we do due to unexplained reasons. Those unexplained reasons could be dangerous. Consideration should be given to an active reconnaissance of the planet to discover what the enemy is doing, paying particular attention to the possibility of hidden anti-ship defenses.

  FRIENDLY FORCES IN SYSTEM:

  1st Flotilla, Human Legion

  Human Contingent

  Beowulf (flagship)

  41 Human Navy personnel

  46 Human Marines

  571 Human Irregulars

  Littorane Contingent

  9,086 Navy personnel

  31,928 Marines

  Warships

  The Enveloping Water of Ecstasy (tactical name: Vengeance of Saesh) – Songsmasher-class battleship

  Cleanser of Doubt – Revenge-class battle cruiser

  Storm of the Gods – Revenge-class battle cruiser

  Now You Listen – Royal-class cruiser

  Deep Current – Royal-class cruiser

  Eviscerator – Royal-class cruiser

  Orphanmaker – Shield-class missile cruiser

  Bloodletter – Shield-class missile cruiser

  Scourge of the Godless – Purify-class destroyer

  Blacktail – Purify-class destroyer

  Purifier – Purify-class destroyer

  Forwards – Shield-class destroyer

  Liberty – Royal-class destroyer

  Divine Hammerblow – Lightning-class destroyer

  Hellbringer – Lightning-class destroyer

  Human Endurance…

  Human Endurance! Where did that name come from?

  Arun sighed. He didn’t bother to read the entire list. He hardly needed to be told the Littoranes had 19 ships in their contingent. Only the Littoranes had the facilities to scout an entire system while, hopefully, avoiding detection. Which was good. Unfortunately, that meant the Littoranes got to write the intelligence summary… and ram home how miniscule the human contribution was. He had to get that sleeping legion hidden under Detroit operational as soon as possible.

  Normally, Arun would read through the intelligence briefing a second time, but on this occasion he had his own intelligence to gather: how was his new joint command reacting?

  They were conducting the campaign planning session in the tertiary control center of the Littorane carrier, a compartment they called the Chamber of Decisions. The immense capital ship’s official name was Scourge of the White Knights. Arun had insisted on a change to a less confrontational name and had won a compromise with an everyday working name of Vengeance of Saesh. He had a feeling that was just a taste of problems to come.

  The Littorane senior commanders were still giving the appearance of digesting the report. The humans – Xin, Indiya, Loobie, and Del-Marie – were glancing at Arun for guidance. He decided to allow his allies their time. After all, they had shown courtesy by filling the Chamber of Decisions with air, despite their frequent protests that the Littorane mind only operated keenly when underwater.

  Arun hated all this political drent. The senior Littoranes surely must have read this report already.

  When Admiral Kreippil opened his eyes, Arun decided to take the advice that Del often gave him and opened with an uncontroversial topic before addressing the disagreements he knew were inevitable.

  “Admiral, I’m not clear on the significance of the indigenous inhabitants of Khallini. Can you explain the description of ‘sentience level 0.9’?”

  “Of course, General.” The senior Littorane commander bowed. “They are proto-sapients. About the level of the species on your homeworld called…” He rolled his eyes up and kept them there for a second. “… called baboons.”

  Frakk it! Was the alien trying to make a point about Arun’s fitness to lead? “I do not know much of the species of Earth,” Arun admitted. “Are these baboon-analogs a threat?”

  “Or an opportunity?” added Xin.

  Kreippil rolled his tongue around his mouth – a sign of Littorane approval. Already they respected Xin while merely tolerating Arun’s command. “It is unlikely the Khallinies, or however we shall name them, will play a part in our holy war. Sentience 0.9 indicates limited tool use, language, and the mental capacity to imagine the future in order that they may influence events. The capacity to make the leap to civilization and advanced technology is there, but at their current level they are no more a potential ally than any intelligent animal that relies on pure instinct.”

  “I have to ask,” said Xin, a teasing quality to her voice that would be lost in translation, but Arun heard loud and clear, “what is the sentience rating for humans?”

  “One point one.”

  “And what is the maximum score?” Xin asked.

  “Five.”

  Xin rolled her dark eyes. “Figures. What else could you expect from a scale dreamed up by aliens?”

  Admiral Kreippil flapped his gills in amusement, but many of the other Littorane Navy officers present went rigid at Xin’s comment. Arun struggled to take in how the Littorane were pumped up with desire to fight in the human cause, but distrusted every human being they met. Mind you, Xin had that effect on most species. Love or hate her, you couldn’t ignore her.

  “Let’s move on,” said Indiya. “If we decide to contest this system, then control will be determined by naval superiority. If we hit the enemy vessels head on, we may achieve victory, but the cost will be unacceptable. Do you agree, Admiral?”

  “The Commodore is accurate in her assessment,” said Kreippil, “as always.”

  “What we need is a way to split up the enemy forces so that we may defeat each portion in detail,” said Indiya. “Suggestions on how we divide them?”

  “What if the Wolves had succeeded in their mutiny?” asked Xin.

  Barney whispered in Arun’s ear that the Littoranes were livid at this mention of the perpetrators of the Year of Sorrows. The AI needn’t have bothered; Arun had already worked out what the sharp upturn of their tailtips meant.

  “I’m serious,” said Xin. “Imagine they had exterminated us all and didn’t suffer from zero-gee weakness. They would see the enemy forces and withdraw, but not before taking what they could grab easily.”

  “They would need to refuel,” said Indiya. “The main drive can mine the quantum foam directly, but secondary systems run off chemical fuel. Before running for a safer system, the Wolves would mine the outer gas giant for fuel.”

  “No, they wouldn’t,” said Xin. “The imperials are already mining the outer giant. Dredging is inefficient and dangerous in the inner gas giants because they are so much warmer. All their fuel mining and refining is taking place on that one outer gas giant. The Wolves wouldn’t mine for fuel themselves. They would hit the refineries and take what had already been mined.”

  Indiya nodded. “And if raiders were interrupting fuel supplies, the defenders would have little choice but to dispatch ships to chase them away. If the enemy thought they were facing a military fleet, they would be reluctant to divide their forces, but if we can convince them they faced only thieves and pirates, that would be a different matter. Meanwhile the Human Legion strike force attacks from the opposite direction to the gas giant, and def
eats the core of the enemy fleet before the detachment returns from chasing the raiders.”

  Arun didn’t like the way this was slipping away from him. “Commodore, your use of the term ‘enemy’ is premature. I have not received intelligence regarding the allegiance of the forces we have discovered here. May I remind you that our purpose in taking the Khallini system is to establish a forward base to conduct a campaign of liberation across the nine inhabited systems within ten light years of here. It seemed too good to be true that Khallini for some reason was never colonized. It appears that a faction in the civil war thought much the same and has been busy establishing a base while we were in transit. Do they support the Old Empire or the New Empire – the faction who destroyed Detroit and mutinied on Themistocles and Beowulf?”

  “Does it matter?” asked Kreippil. “You talk of Old Empire and New Empire. Old? New? What do I care? You talk as if they are different, yet both are empires of the White Knights. My warriors are eager to flood this system with the blood of the White Knights’ servants, because through that scarlet stream we shall swim to the place of their masters and slaughter them.”

  Arun clamped his jaws before he said something he could never take back. Kreippil was changing the mission objectives by the second, and in front of the senior command staff too. “I see, Admiral, that I have not explained this adequately. Corporal Del-Marie, would you please explain in your own words, so that even the Admiral understands.”

  Del’s face lit up, grateful of the opportunity, and then winced at Arun’s choice of words. As a mere corporal, he had no place at this table, but Arun was grooming him as a negotiator, or even an ambassador. For now, he was needed as an intermediary between sparring allies.

  “There are often levels of meaning that are lost in the translation between species,” said Del, “so forgive me when I tell of some things we already know. Before the civil war, the White Knight Empire was the major regional power, but still only one polity within the Trans-Species Union, which extends coreward for hundreds of light years. Every previous interstellar civilization we are aware of has eventually wiped itself out in wars of mutual destruction. The Trans-Species Union has survived thus far due to the inevitable slide into mutual destruction being offset by mutual paranoia. Every polity in the union fears that if the rule of law were ever to fail, then the anarchy that would surely follow would wipe out civilization and render planets uninhabitable for megayears. Interaction within and between polities is through contracts. The paranoid vengeance of the entire Union will fall on anyone who appears to break a contract that binds them. The whole of humankind is bound by our treaty, the Vancouver Accords, signed by President Horden five centuries ago.”