by Jay Allan
The two Highborn were silent for a brief moment. Then, Ellerax bowed his head slightly to his subordinate. “I give you a great responsibility, Viceroy Tesserax. Do not give me reason to regret it.”
* * *
“Welcome aboard Stilliax. I’m afraid this vessel is the only heavy unit that remains to me after the battle at Calpharon and the subsequent withdrawal of the remaining frontline units. Your people put up a considerably better fight than I’d expected, and perhaps congratulations are in order. I believe I have you to blame for much of the difficulty I was forced to endure. It took no small amount of scanner analysis to identify you, and more to isolate your ship, and bring you here alive. I trust it will be worth the effort, so again, welcome to you…Admiral Stockton.”
Jake Stockton was pressed against a large structure, his arms extended and held fast to the black metal, looking almost as though he’d been crucified. He was woozy, but awake. And despite the fatigue, the injuries, the grogginess, he stared back at this captor with undisguised hatred.
Tesserax stepped forward, coming closer, looking up toward where Stockton hung, above even his own greater than two-and-a-half-meter height. “I must apologize for the…discomfort…of the restrictor unit, Admiral, but you are a rather aggressive human specimen, and it seems wise to prevent any foolish displays, don’t you agree?”
“What…are…you?” Stockton’s speech was slow, mildly slurred. “Look…human…but…”
“Ahh…yes. I must appear both familiar and strange to your eyes, Jake. May I call you Jake? Admiral seems so formal.” Tesserax smiled, but he didn’t wait for an answer. “I am not human, not as you understand it, at least. My kind are—how can I explain this so that you will understand?—derived from your kind. I have lived since imperial days. Indeed, I witnessed what your people call the Cataclysm. We could discuss complexities and nuances of what I am versus what you are, but in simple terms, you are a man…and I am a god. That is a functional description, simple enough at least for you to understand, if not an entirely accurate one in scientific and theological terms. Suffice to say, that is how you will conduct our relationship in the future. You will obey, even worship my brethren and I.”
“Never…” Stockton’s voice was like ice.
“Yes, I have noticed considerable defiance in your people, Jake. I must say, you compare very well to the decadent and jaded humans who infested the late empire. Indeed, there have been many theories that the lack of strife and conflict weakened the imperials more than any other factor. What little I have been able to obtain of your Rim histories suggests significant struggle and warfare. It pleases me to see that your kind have rebounded so well, even without our guidance. Your strong have survived, and to a large extent, your weak have perished. When we rule over you, we will ensure that this trajectory continues.”
“Go…to…hell…”
“Excellent. Even in the face of what must appear to be certain death, you retain your drive and stubbornness. I confess, you surprise me. But console yourself, Jake. I did not bring you here to kill you. No…rather, I wish to speak with you at great length, to learn all you know of small craft tactics. Your…fighters, I believe you call them…are quite extraordinary. To my knowledge, there was nothing of the sort employed by the imperial navy, at least not in the later era. But they are quite effective.”
“Not…telling…you…anything…”
“Magnificent. More defiance. But misplaced this time, I’m afraid. You see, I have been tasked with repositioning and expanding captured Hegemony industry to continue the conquest of the former imperial space. We will be building fleets and ordnance in great quantities, and we will also be drafting and training the captured populations into service. I had an idea in this regard, one I believe will be extremely helpful…and that is the reason I ordered your capture. I have commanded the construction of small attack craft, based on those used by your people, though of course improved by our technology. When complete, they will be quite a surprise to your people, and likely a major factor in our ultimate conquest. But I will need pilots.”
Tesserax looked up at Stockton, and he smiled. “That is where you can help, Jake. It is why you are here. You will train the pilots, teach them all of your considerable skills, share with them all you have learned of such combat…and then you will lead them into battle when we resume the offensive.”
Stockton looked down, a mix of rage and astonishment on his face. “You…think…I’m going…to help…you? Train your…pilots? To fight…my own…people?” Stockton let out a struggled and caustic laugh. “Never…”
Tesserax held his smile. “No, Jake…rather sooner than that. You may be imagining all forms of sanctions…torture and the like. Even steeling yourself for a futile attempt to resist. But put your mind at rest. We need not rely on no such primitive methods. We need only the collar.”
“The collar?”
“Yes, Jake, a rather interesting piece of technology, one designed to control creatures of…shall we say limited…intellect. The collar will ensure your obedience. You are still thinking of resistance, perhaps even considering ways you might get yourself killed. But once you wear the collar, you will follow orders without question. You will worship my kind, and you will do as we command. You will train new legions of pilots, and you will lead them against your former comrades, no matter how horrifying and unlikely that may seem to you now.”
“Never…happen. Never…”
“Defiant to the end. You do not disappoint, Jake Stockton. You will serve well. Now, it is time. Time for you to receive your collar, to join us, to fight for a future where humanity is again united…and guided, led. Where men can look up to gods watching over them and know their place in the universe.”
“I…will…kill…you…”
“I’m afraid not. In a few moments, such a thought will not even enter your mind, at least not the part of it that can do anything. You might want to prepare yourself, though. I’m told the spinal implantation process is quite excruciatingly painful.”
Tesserax turned and began to walk toward the door as the room behind him was filled with Jake Stockton’s piteous scream.
Blood on the Stars Will Continue with
Empire’s Ashes
Book 15
Excerpt from “Fighting the Highborn,” a History and Tactical Manual for Combat Against the Highborn, by Andromeda Lafarge.
The Highborn were created to help mankind, to pull the empire back from the abyss. Instead, they hastened the decline, and brought the Cataclysm into being more quickly than the previous decline would have done.
They were created to be teachers, but they longed to become tyrants. They were conceived as mentors, but they took the role of conquerors. They were brought into being to save humanity, yet they came to see themselves as gods.
The Highborn appear to be human, indeed, save for their size and the lack of any discernible physical imperfections, they look just like men and women. Whether they are, in fact humans whose evolution has been enhanced by artificial means, or they are indeed a new species, is a matter of conjecture and debate among scientists. This volume will not concern itself with such questions, for they are irrelevant to its purpose. The guiding principal of this work, the purpose for which it has been written and updated, is a simple one. The Highborn seek to rule over normal humans, totally and utterly. That makes them the enemy of all men and women who crave freedom and self-determination, all those who would not be slaves crawling before manufactured gods. If you are of this mind, read on, for this book is dedicated to one purpose, and one only.
The complete eradication of the Highborn.
Blood on the Stars Will Continue with
Empire’s Ashes
Book 15
Appendix
Strata of the Hegemony
The Hegemony is an interstellar polity located far closer to the center of what had once been the old empire than Rimward nations such as the Confederation. The Rim nations and the Hegemony
were unaware of each other’s existence until the White Fleet arrived at Planet Zero and established contact.
Relatively little is known of the Hegemony, save that their technology appears to be significantly more advanced than the Confederation’s in most areas, though still behind that of the old empire.
The culture of the Hegemony is based almost exclusively on genetics, with an individual’s status being entirely dependent on an established method of evaluating genetic “quality.” Generations of selective breeding have produced a caste of “Masters,” who occupy an elite position above all others. There are several descending tiers below the Master class, all of which are categorized as “Inferiors.”
The Hegemony’s culture likely developed as a result of its location much closer to the center of hostilities during the Cataclysm. Many surviving inhabitants of the inward systems suffered from horrific mutations and damage to genetic materials, placing a premium on any bloodlines lacking such effects.
The Rimward nations find the Hegemony’s society to be almost alien in nature, while its rulers consider the inhabitants of the Confederation and other nations to be just another strain of Inferiors, fit only to obey their commands without question.
Masters
The Masters are the descendants of those few humans spared genetic damage from the nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare that destroyed the old empire during the series of events known as the Cataclysm. The Masters sit at the top of the Hegemony’s societal structure and, in a sense, are its only true full members or citizens.
The Masters’ culture is based almost entirely on what they call “genetic purity and quality,” and even their leadership and ranking structure is structured solely on genetic rankings. Every master is assigned a number based on his or her place in a population-wide chromosomal analysis. An individual’s designation is thus subject to change once per year, to adjust for masters dying and for new adults being added into the database. The top ten thousand individuals in each year’s ratings are referred to as “High Masters,” and they are paired for breeding matchups far more frequently than the larger number of lower-rated Masters.
Masters reproduce by natural means, through strict genetic pairings based on an extensive study of ideal matches. The central goal of Master society is to steadily improve the human race by breeding the most perfect specimens available and relegating all others to a subservient status. The Masters consider any genetic manipulation or artificial processes like cloning to be grievously sinful, and all such practices are banned in the Hegemony on pain of death to all involved. This belief structure traces from the experiences of the Cataclysm, and the terrible damage inflicted on the populations of imperial worlds by genetically engineered pathogens and cloned and genetically engineered soldiers.
All humans not designated as Masters are referred to as Inferiors, and they serve the Masters in various capacities. All Masters have the power of life and death over Inferiors. It is not a crime for a Master to kill an Inferior who has injured or offended that Master in any way.
Kriegeri
The Kriegeri are the Hegemony’s soldiers. They are drawn from the strongest and most physically capable specimens of the populations of Inferiors on Hegemony worlds. Kriegeri are not genetically modified, though in most cases, Master supervisors enforce specific breeding arrangements in selected population groups to increase the quality of future generations of Kriegeri stock.
The Kriegeri are trained from infancy to serve as the Hegemony’s soldiers and spaceship crews, and are divided in two categories, red and gray, named for the colors of their uniforms. The “red” Kriegeri serve aboard the Hegemony’s ships, under the command of a small number of Master officers. They are surgically modified to increase their resistance to radiation and zero gravity.
The “gray” Kriegeri are the Hegemony’s ground soldiers. They are selected from large and physically powerful specimens and are subject to extensive surgical enhancements to increase strength, endurance, and dexterity. They also receive significant artificial implants, including many components of their armor, which becomes a permanent partial exoskeleton of sorts. They are trained and conditioned from childhood to obey orders and to fight. The top several percent of Kriegeri surviving twenty years of service are retired to breeding colonies. Their offspring are Krieger-Edel, a pool of elite specimens serving as mid-level officers and filling a command role between the ruling Masters and the rank and file Kriegeri.
Arbeiter
Arbeiter are the workers and laborers of the Hegemony. They are drawn from populations on the Hegemony’s many worlds, and typically either exhibit some level of genetic damage inherited from the original survivors or simply lack genetic ratings sufficient for Master status. Arbeiter are from the same general group as the Kriegeri, though the soldier class includes the very best candidates, and the Arbeiter pool consists of the remnants.
Arbeiter are assigned roles in the Hegemony based on rigid assessments of their genetic status and ability. These positions range from supervisory posts in production facilities and similar establishments to pure physical labor, often working in difficult and hazardous conditions.
Defekts
Defekts are individuals—often populations of entire worlds—exhibiting severe genetic damage. They are typically found on planets that suffered the most extensive bombardments and bacteriological attacks during the Cataclysm.
Defekts have no legal standing in the Hegemony, and they are considered completely expendable. On worlds inhabited by populations of Masters, Kriegeri, and Arbeiters, Defekts are typically assigned to the lowest level, most dangerous labor, and any excess populations are exterminated.
The largest number of Defekts exist on planets on the fringes of Hegemony space, where they are often used for such purposes as mining radioactives and other similarly dangerous operations. Often, the Defekts themselves have no knowledge at all of the Hegemony and regard the Masters as gods or demigods descending from the heavens. On such planets, the Masters often demand ores and other raw materials as offerings, and severely punish any failures or shortfalls. Pliant and obedient populations are provided with rough clothing and low-quality manufactured foodstuffs, enabling them to devote nearly all labor to the gathering of whatever material the Masters demand. Resistant population groups are exterminated, as, frequently, are Defekt populations on worlds without useful resources to exploit.
Hegemony Military Ranks
Commander
Not a permanent rank, but a designation for a high-level officer in command of a large ship or a ground operation.
Decaron
A non-commissioned officer rank, the term defines a trooper commanding ten soldiers, including or not including himself. Decarons are almost always chosen from the best of the base level legionaries, pulled from combat units and put through extensive supplemental training before being returned to take their command positions.
Quinquaron
The lowest rank truly considered an officer. A quinquaron officially commands fifty troopers, though such officers are often assigned as few as twenty and as many as one hundred. Quinquarons can also be posted to executive officer positions, serving as the second-in-command to Hectorons. Such postings are common with officers on the fast track for promotion to Hectoron level themselves.
Hectoron
The commander of approximately one hundred soldiers, or a force equivalence of armored combat vehicles or other assets. As with other ranks, there is considerable latitude in the field, and Hectorons can command larger or smaller forces. The Hectoron is considered, in many ways, the backbone of the Hegemony armed forces.
Quingeneron
An officer commanding a combat force of five hundred soldiers or a comparable-strength force of heavy combat or support assets. In recent decades, the Quingeneron rank has been used more as a stepping stone to Kiloron status. Quingenerons also frequently serve as executive officers under Kilorons.
Kiloron
The comm
ander of one thousand soldiers, or a posting of comparable responsibility. Despite the defined command responsibility, Kilorons often command significant larger forces, with senior officers of the rank sometimes directing combat units as large as twenty to fifty thousand. Kiloron is usually the highest level available to Kriegeri, though a small number have managed to reach Megaron status.
Megaron
The title suggests the command of one million combat soldiers or the equivalent power in tanks and other assets, however, in practice, Megarons exercise overall commands in combat theaters, with force sizes ranging from a few hundred thousand to many millions. Megarons are almost always of the Master class.
Blood on the Stars Will Continue with