The only movement on the surface of Xau near the Rebel base was the slow but constant landing of troop transports behind their own Army lines. Twenty Imperial Army troops would rush out from the landing transports in fifteen seconds, then the transports lifted off again, and flew back to the Outpost. The Rebels watched the troop build-up, but felt safe in the tunnels. Deeper extensions were dug for extra protection.
At precisely 7:11p.m., an Imperial Army cargo carrier transport landed, dropping more troops on the ground inside the Army perimeter. But instead of flying away from the ice cap and the Rebel base, the big transport continued towards the vast ice sheet at a slow, steady pace, alone. The big transport landed less than five kilometers from the Rebel base. The cargo transport’s landing lights went out, its engines shut down, and the craft slowly opened its hatch.
The Rebels inside their underground base watched the big cargo transport closely. It was just out of firing range. Was someone inside coming out to parlay, to negotiate a surrender? The cargo transport, huge though it was, showed no armed weapons on the Rebel scanners. Who was inside? Were they waiting for a Rebel representative to come aboard? The Rebels became very apprehensive about the cargo transport, so apprehensive, they took no notice of Imperial battle droids dressed in white snowsuits crawling silently through the snow to flank the base entrance.
“Captain Hal’Bek, this is Tactical Officer Commander Ki. ‘Boring Betsy’ is in position, ready to initiate detonation sequence. Imperial battle droids have flanked the Rebel base main entrance. You may commence ground assault upon signal from Space Cadre squadron, sir,” the Commander advised confidently. “You may begin forward movement at half speed, sir.”
Cpt. Hal’Bek acknowledged Ki’s message, and gave the signal to his land assault vehicles to move out at half speed. It felt good to be in a command assault hover-tank again. The attack tanks and troop haulers roared ahead of the massive command machine, preparing for the attack on the Rebel base. In seventeen minutes, the first assault craft would be in range. The land assault craft moved forward steadily.
“Squadron leader Major P’Rak reporting. Space Cadre fighter squadrons in firing range in two minutes. Is the ES in position?”
Kayla answered, “ES-519 in position, Major P’Rak, and awaiting my friend Betsy.” She was in stealth mode, hovering directly above the Rebel base, unseen. If Boring Betsy failed, this air and land assault was futile, she thought. Come on Betsy. Almost time…
Rebel laser cannons began firing on the Space Cadre fighters the second they were in range. Missiles from the Army assault tanks took out one power generator, reducing the Rebel shields to less than half. The Army vehicles increased their speed to maximum towards the Rebel base, but fired only enough to keep the Rebel laser cannons busy.
When the initial battle maneuvers commenced, the big cargo transport began slowly advancing towards the main entrance of the Rebel base, with its shields on full. Then came the announcement over the Army comms, “Timer is set. Initiating detonation in three minutes,” the Army Commander reported. “We are evacuating the transport now.”
“Get the hell out of there, Commander,” Cpt. Hal’Bek ordered. “All assault vehicles, give cover to the transport. Space Cadre fighters, ready shock bombs in 45 seconds. ES-519, fire at will,” he bellowed.
The Army officers lowered the aft shields and ran as fast as they could from the cargo transport, and remotely raised the shields again. They were picked up by approaching Army vehicles. The transport sped faster and faster towards the main entrance, while the Rebel laser cannons fired on the approaching behemoth. Space Cadre fighters kept the laser cannons occupied, providing support for the transport. Then, the Army officers lowered the transport’s forward shields.
With an explosion that rocked the heavy, reinforced metal doors of the main entrance of the Rebel base, the cargo transport launched Boring Betsy. The big cluster bomb exploded on the metal doors of the base and blew them apart. Hundreds of mini-borers were fired into the base, drilling downward, below ground. The diamond-tipped mini-borers drilled and penetrated the underground tunnels, storerooms, and man-made caverns where the Rebels were hiding, along with their smaller weapons and ammo. The walls and ceilings of the tunnels were perforated by the mini-borers from the surface down more than twenty meters. Then, in a well-time detonation, the explosives inside the mini-borers blew apart the lower underground shafts. The underground base was now completely exposed.
Army missiles took out the remaining laser cannons, and the Space Cadre fighter missiles demolished the exposed main entrance. The battle droids in white snowsuits rushed into the Rebel base, taking out their interior defenses and computer command console, in advance of the Imperial Army assault vehicles and troops. A full barrage of Imperial Army missiles was fired into the wounded underground stronghold, as the fury of the Empire’s might was unleashed. Rapid underground explosions were heard when the Rebel ammo and weapons storerooms were destroyed. There was no escape for most of the Rebels.
A false snow wall half a kilometer from the Rebel base main entrance slowly opened to reveal a hidden hangar exit. The fully-armed Rebel fighters inside were lined up to launch, and escape. “ES-519 locked and loaded, and ready for the turkey shoot,” Kayla calmly reported. She targeted the nose of the first Rebel fighter emerging from their rear escape hangar, and came out of stealth mode to fire a devil bomb into the rear hangar. The explosion was massive, triggering a devastating series of explosions as the armed Rebel fighters blew up, one by one. Kayla fired her missiles and destroyed the last Rebel fighters attempting to get away. Dozens of Rebels rushed outside holding their noses and shielding their eyes, frantically seeking fresh air and safety. She used her broadcast speakers and offered surrender to any surviving Rebels inside the hangar. They ran out, holding their arms in the air.
“Approximately 50-60 Rebels surrendering on foot, escaping through the rear exit, Captain Hal’Bek,” Kayla reported. The men were captured by Imperial Army troops and taken to the Army Outpost, and held for transport and interrogation on the K’Halon Prime Imperial Army Base.
The underground Rebel base was obliterated, completely destroyed. Rescue droids pulled several Rebels from the wreckage, but most were killed. Initial reports indicated less than fifty Rebels occupied the base. But thanks to Kayla’s many stealth reconnaissance flights, the true scope and size of the base was uncovered. The Rebel base housed more than twelve hundred fighting personnel, three squadrons of fighters, and enough weapons and ammo to launch a full-scale assault on Centralia, the capital of K’Halon Prime – the purpose of the underground base, according to the confessions of the captured Rebel officers.
The humble Imperial Army Outpost on Xau was soon reclassified as a full base, with a Space Cadre fighter squadron detachment. Captain Hal’Bek was promoted to Colonel, and assigned as the base Commanding Officer. Spy satellites were placed in orbit around each moon of K’Halon Prime, Home World, M’Wati, and Ban’Ti. Commander Kayla received a commendation and an award for her discoveries, and for preventing the escape of the Rebel fighters from the base.
XXXII
Home World
An emergency session of the Emperor’s Special Inquest Commission was called. All available members appeared live in the private Royal Court, and the remaining members vid-conferenced in to the meeting remotely. Two of the Bankers Guild leaders were presenting their findings from the top-secret audit ordered by the Royal Treasurer.
Bankers Guild Chairman Pet’R reported, “We have conducted top-secret audits internally of all banking facilities, as ordered by the Royal Treasurer. We traced all incoming and outgoing funds of every account, over 250 million personal and business accounts, and all funds were deemed from legitimate sources.” The Chairman put down his com tablet and sat back in his chair, waiting to be dismissed. But his scant information was not accepted as the definitive answer the Commission was expecting.
C. S. Vu’Duc asked the Chairman, “What about the twelv
e accounts directly traced to Duma Wat, and the various business accounts set up to fund the Rebellion? You were tasked with sourcing their depositors’ information, so the Emperor could discover those directly contributing to the Rebels!”
The Bankers Guild Chairman Pet’R and Vice-Chair S’Golt leaned their heads together and whispered between themselves at length, until C.S. Bette slammed her hand loudly on the table, stood, and addressed the Guild leaders directly: “There will be no whispers at this meeting. No information is to be withheld from this Special Inquest Commission, or our Great Emperor P’Lau. Speak openly, or I will personally see that both of you are arrested, and forced to confess your secrets!” Even the Emperor jumped when she hit the table. He pursed his red lips to fight back a smile at her forceful tactic.
“You cannot force us to reveal personal information. All account and depositor information is private and confidential,” the Chairman retorted haughtily.
From the vid screen, C. S. G’Rosk calmly offered, “All information discussed in this meeting is confidential, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Vice-Chair. Every person present at this meeting holds the fifth-level top-security clearance; except yourselves, of course. My advice is to reveal all you know now. Failure to answer all our questions will result in your immediate arrest for conspiracy to commit high treason,” G’Rosk threatened.
“This is disgraceful! I refuse to reveal confidential information!” The Chairman declared. With one slight move of his index finger, the Emperor signaled to his Imperial Guards, and they pulled the Chairman out of his seat. He was taken away, protesting all the way to his prison cell.
Emperor P’Lau spoke for the first time in the meeting, “Mr. S’Golt, you are now the Bankers Guild Chairman. Do you have any answers to my Special Inquest Commission members’ queries?” He leaned forward and stared at the shocked bureaucrat.
Like a levee giving way in a torrential flood, the new Chairman S’Golt revealed as much information as he knew to the Commission. He showed them recent and historical transaction activity from all twelve identified accounts for the last ten years. The biggest deposits originated from business accounts of the “New Tomorrow Holding Company,” headquartered on K’Halon Prime.
C.S. Bette ordered, “Commander Kayla, you will keep your eyes and ears open for any information pertaining to the New Tomorrow Holding Company on your Imperial Army Outpost on Xau. Report to Commander Superior T’Anh immediately with any discovered information. Dismissed.” Kayla clicked off. She later conducted a confidential search with the Commanding Officer, and no records of any transactions had occurred with the New Tomorrow Holding Company. They put the company on their top-secret watch list.
New Chairman S’Golt was “invited” to spend several days in a secure guest suite in the Royal Palace under protective guard, to keep him safe. He was gently escorted to his guest suite, and the meeting continued. It was decided to bring in the three identified directors of the New Tomorrow Holding Company for questioning. M.C. Steph’N volunteered to bring them in, along with his charge, Ranger Dan’L. They left for the Ranger High Command Center immediately.
In the next few hours, M.C. Steph’N and Ranger Dan’L received their full mission briefing from C.S. Vu’Duc. They were issued Centralia police badges, and suits for plain clothes duty. Workmen’s coveralls and grubby boots were given to them, with keys to an old technicians’ hovercraft. Instead of their body armor, the Rangers would only wear soft armor vests. Vu’Duc instructed them to bring in the three directors within four days of their arrival on K’Halon Prime. “Treat them with respect, especially the landowner aristocrat, Director Hu’Wit. His family has a long history of loyalty to the Empire. All three directors are presumed innocent at this point, and must not be harmed.”
Steph’N asked, “What if Director Hu’Wit or the other men refuse to voluntarily accompany us?”
“You may subdue them to expedite your mission, but do not harm Hu’Wit. A director’s meeting will be held at the New Tomorrow Holding Company in four days. Take care not to be seen subduing any of them. Utilize extreme stealth. You are authorized to use deadly force on any other persons attempting to thwart your mission objectives,” Vu’Duc replied.
Steph’N acknowledged their orders, and they flew to K’Halon Prime. He and Dan’L flew in an unmarked shuttle to downtown Centralia, landed on the parking site on the top of the assigned hotel, and checked into their suite. The hotel was adjacent to the office building where the headquarters of the New Tomorrow Holding Company was located. There, he and Dan’L planned their attack in detail. The Rangers changed into plain clothes, clipped the police badges onto their belts, and casually strolled the hall outside the main conference room.
The directors meeting inside the big conference room began as usual, with twelve board members present. At the first meeting break, the members went to the restrooms. Director Hu’Wit was led into a side office for an urgent call by Dan’L, masquerading as a plain clothes police security officer. The Director was shot in the back of his neck with one of Dan’L’s stun injection pens, and carefully laid to sleep on the sofa. He was wrapped in a special body bag, and an oxygen mask was placed around his mouth and nose. Dan’L shot him with a six-hour sedation injection.
The second man never made it back to the meeting room from the restroom. Steph’N got his attention, sprayed him with stun gas and put him in the side room with Hu’Wit. Dan’L put his sleeping body into his special body bag with an oxygen mask, and sedated him, too. Noticing two of their board members missing, the directors called a security team to search for the missing men after half an hour’s wait. Steph’N brandished his police badge, and offered to guard the conference room while the security team searched for the missing board members. Then he whispered to Dan’L over his comm link, “If anyone comes into this room and discovers our targets, kill them. Do not stun. Understood, Ranger Dan’L?” Dan’L acknowledged, and concealed his two targets and himself as best he could in the small side office, and waited.
“Sir, there may be more than these three men conspiring against Emperor P’Lau. Their corporate security teams are heavily armed, and appear to have military training backgrounds. They are searching the corridor and offices across the hall. We have not been discovered. We have stunned and sequestered Hu’Wit and the second man in a small office down the hall. The third target’s apprehension may require use of force, Commander Superior,” Steph’N whispered.
Vu’Duc responded, “Succeed at all costs, without harming the three targets.” So, he or Dan’L were expendable, but their targets were not. Steph’N watched the security team split up and check every adjoining room in the long hall. He knew Ranger Dan’L was an experienced warbird pilot with several kills, but the young Ranger had never killed anyone fact to face. Even a split second of hesitation could result in your own death. Keeping to the shadows, Steph’N followed the two security men checking the adjacent rooms. Dan’L’s room was next.
“Anyone in here?” The brawny security guard asked as he opened the small office door. His guard partner told him to enter, turn on the lights, and check inside. The two men looked around the small office. When the brawny man opened the closet door, Dan’L thrust his knife into his throat. The second guard raised his laser pistol to fire, but Steph’N grabbed his mouth and sliced his throat. Two more guards entered the small office in a few minutes, and both Rangers took them out with their knives without making a sound. Steph’N removed the guards’ comm links and tossed the small devices out the window. The corporate security team was now missing.
The directors’ meeting was abruptly adjourned and everyone quickly headed for their shuttles on the building roof. Still wearing his police officer’s badge, Dan’L “helped” the third target into the stairwell, and subdued him. He and Steph’N moved his heavy, overweight, unconscious body down the stairs to the next floor. Dan’L rolled out the cargo cart containing the unconscious bodies of Hu’Wit and the second man, and the overweight man in his special body
bag was stuffed on the bottom compartment. The Rangers put their dirty coveralls on over their suits quickly. The three unconscious men were covered with laundry bags and wheeled out through the service entrance, into the rear service entrance of the hotel next door. The Rangers rolled the loaded cart into the lift, moved their targets up the ramp into their shuttle on the hotel’s roof, and flew away with them to the military transport base. Then, they loaded the three men into Steph’N’s ES warbird, and flew them to Home World quickly.
Director Hu’Wit and his co-conspirators plead guilty to all charges, and confessed to processing “donations” for Duma Wat. But the men had no knowledge of the originating source of the funds. Bags of gold credits would be delivered by masked, armed guards ad hoc, and left in a coat room on the lower conference room floor. A recorded message to Hu’Wit said only, “Your cleaning has been delivered,” the signal to pick up the bag of gold credits and process them into funds for Duma Wat.
With his Special Inquest Commission members assembled in his private, Royal Court, Emperor P’Lau said, “We are making progress, my Rangers. Your vigorous work has produced better results in a few months than anyone else has accomplished in years of investigations.” M.C. Steph’N received a commendation and a bonus for successfully completing his mission.
Then Emperor P’Lau rose up in his levitating throne and announced, “Our Faithful Son has fought the Rebels attacking our Imperial Command Battle Cruiser and defended us well. Today, he is acknowledged for his first successful mission as our Borgund Ranger assassin. We congratulate Commander Dan’L for blooding his knives!” The Emperor proclaimed loudly. The senior Rangers cheered and applauded Dan’L. His proud Mother Javette and C.S. G’Rosk smiled broadly on the vid screen, and joined in the applause, both at the Royal Palace on K’Halon Prime.
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