-
Admiral Cleemorl waited as reports came in from the support ships on the progress of the resupply. In another fifteen minutes it would be finished, and the fleet would be ready to depart.
“What course?” asked Captain Fulmar.
“Set a course for the Hagen Star Cluster. It will take us two days to get there, and it’s a large-enough cluster that, even were the Druins to follow us there, they will have too many stars to search.”
Captain Fulmar nodded. “A few inhabited systems are in the cluster. Are we stopping at any of them?”
Cleemorl shook his head. “No, if we do, the Druins might punish them. It’s best we stay away from all civilized worlds for now.” Dylan knew this would be hard on his crews. However, until they reached their destination, he didn’t dare risk contact with anyone.
Captain Fulmar made his way to Navigation and spoke to the navigation officer about their new course.
On one of the viewscreens, Cheryl’s yacht was visible. Dylan still felt uneasy about her accompanying him. He knew that, even after all these years, he still had feelings for her. Dylan let out a deep sigh. Once they were somewhere safe, he would have a long talk with Cheryl.
-
Finally the resupply was over, and the fleet was ready to enter hyperspace once more.
Leaning forward in his command chair, Cleemorl watched as the fleet made the transition into hyperspace. For two days they would be safe from the Druins. Hopefully they would lose them in the cluster, if they managed to trace the fleet there. It would take the Druins weeks to search every star system the fleet could be hiding in. By the time the Druins determined the Human fleet wasn’t there, the fleet would be long gone.
-
Admiral Kreen was getting tired of this fruitless search. The Human fleet he pursued could be anywhere. There had been no traces of them since leaving Highland Station. “They’ve escaped us for now. In time they must return for supplies, and, when they do, we’ll finish them. For now, we will return to our fleet and our patrol route.”
“Should we leave a few ships in this region, just in case they return shortly?” asked the first officer.
“No, if the Humans return, we’ll hear about it. There are not enough of them to be a threat. Let us return to our fleet. Send out messages to our other ships to join up with us. For now this search is over.”
-
The Themis and the other ships of the fleet dropped out of hyperspace in the Hagen Star Cluster. For nearly a day they stayed put, watching their sensors for any signs of pursuit. Once Admiral Cleemorl felt certain they had lost the Druins, they made another short hyperspace jump to a white dwarf star with several planets as well as a substantial asteroid field. He intended to stay here, near the asteroids, for a good week, until he was satisfied they had truly lost the Druins. He also wanted to take the time to inspect all his ships, particularly those Cheryl had added to the fleet. The Themis still needed a little repair work from the battle with the Druins over Lydol Four.
-
Cheryl waited nervously for Dylan’s shuttle to dock to her yacht. He was inspecting each ship of the fleet to better familiarize himself with the officers commanding the vessels. She stood in the small landing bay, along with Captain Tucker.
“I hope he finds the Princess Haven to his liking,” commented Captain Tucker. He was dressed in his captain’s uniform and had gone to great lengths to make sure it was wrinkle free and clean. He didn’t want to make a bad impression on the admiral.
As they watched, the small shuttle entered the bay, and the docking hatch slid shut. An atmospheric force field ensured that, even with the hatch open, none of the air in the ship escaped. The door to the shuttle opened, and Admiral Cleemorl and two heavily armed Marines stepped out onto the deck of the ship.
Cheryl noted the armed guards as she stepped forward, followed by Captain Tucker. “Welcome aboard the Princess Haven.”
“Cheryl,” replied Dylan politely, then he frowned as he shifted his gaze to Captain Tucker. “Don’t I know you?”
Tucker slowly nodded. “Yes, Admiral. We met on Lydol Four years ago. I was in the military school and dropped out when I realized I probably would not be getting command of a ship. I went ahead and got my captain’s license through the regular channels after that.”
Dylan nodded. “I remember you now. At least you have some military training. Can you follow orders?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Tucker.
Cheryl looked distastefully at the two Marines. She had a few armed guards on the ship, but, for the most part, they stayed out of sight unless they were needed. “Why don’t you have your Marines go to the galley? I believe my own guards are there eating.”
Dylan found this request reasonable and ordered the Marines to head for the galley. Captain Tucker volunteered to show them where it was.
“I hope you have a lot of food in your galley,” commented Dylan, as Tucker and the Marines vanished through a nearby hatch.
“It’s well stocked,” replied Cheryl with a smile. “Why don’t I take you on a tour of the ship? I imagine Captain Tucker will meet up with us in the Command Center.”
“What do you think about Tucker?” asked Dylan.
Dylan couldn’t remember a lot about the man. On Lydol Four, joining the military was difficult as it was a secret organization. It took connections to get in or a special invite from one of the military officers. The Druins did not allow any of the Human worlds to have an armed military.
“He seems to be well qualified. I feel fully confident with him in command of my yacht.”
-
For the next hour Cheryl took Dylan on a tour of her ship. They went through nearly every compartment, even the guest quarters. Dylan was amazed at how lavish everything was. Cheryl had all the most recent comforts, and he was surprised how large the crew’s quarters were.
“What is the size of your crew?” asked Dylan, as they sat down on a comfortable couch in Cheryl’s quarters.
“Forty-two,” replied Cheryl. “That includes seven security personnel.”
“I noticed it’s a mixed crew of men and women.”
Cheryl nodded. “I believe that works better. I have seventeen women on the ship.”
Dylan looked around Cheryl’s quarters. If one didn’t know better you would think you were in a penthouse suite at a fancy hotel. “Cheryl, why did you decide to come with us? You could have simply gone to another star system.” This was something Dylan had been extremely curious about. What game was Cheryl playing?
-
Cheryl looked over at Dylan. As much as she hated to admit it, she still had feelings for him. She didn’t know how many times in the past she had seriously considered going to Lydol Four and seeking him out. Only her pride had prevented her from doing so.
“My time at Highland Station was coming to an end. Over the last few years it has steadily gotten more civilized, particularly in the residential civilian sectors. I was contemplating moving back to Lydol Four, when I heard what the Druins had done to it. I hate the Confederation as much as anyone. They’ve always made my ventures extremely difficult, even the legal ones. The thought of going off into the unknown was attractive to me. Who knows what might be out there? Perhaps we’ll find a civilized world away from the Confederation.”
Cheryl stood and walked to a unit on the wall and, opening it, took out two bottles of a nonalcoholic beverage she knew Dylan once liked. Going back to the sofa, she handed him one. “I have to admit the thought of going off into the unknown with you played a big part in it. I don’t know if you still have any feelings for me, but I still do for you. I made a mistake all those years ago, when you chose to go into the military. I should have stayed.”
Dylan looked surprised as he took a sip of his drink. He smiled and gazed at the bottle. “I haven’t had one of these in years. I’d forgotten how good this tastes.” He leaned back on the sofa and looked at Cheryl. “I have to admit my feelings for you are still ther
e. They always have been. Several times I considered coming to Highland Station, to see if I could change your mind about leaving me.”
“Why didn’t you?” asked Cheryl. She wished he had come.
“The timing was always off. I did come out here once, but you were gone. After that, I never tried again.”
Cheryl nodded. “My business ventures required a lot of traveling. That’s another reason I chose to come with you. I would like to find someplace where I can settle down and not have to worry about a Druin or another Confederation battleship showing up.”
-
Dylan took a deep breath. He knew it would take some effort on both of their parts to restore what they had lost. “Let’s both agree to take this slow. I don’t know what’ll happen where we’re going.”
“Do you know where the old Imperials were marooned?”
Dylan nodded his head. “I have a general location. It’s been handed down for years by some distant relatives of the Royal Family who managed to escape capture by the Druins. When we get there, I expect we’ll have to search several star systems to find the one we’re seeking. That area of space is rather desolate, with stars distantly spaced. We may have to spend several weeks searching before we find the world we’re seeking.”
“Do you think it will be civilized?”
“I hope so,” replied Dylan. “If not, we’ll have done all this for nothing, and all hope of establishing a future Human Empire will be lost.”
Chapter Sixteen
Andrew was headed back to Pallas on board the Destiny. This time he was spending considerable time in the Command Center as well as Engineering. The ship was full of people from Earth. Computer programmers, scientists, and even a few military personnel. Several air force and naval officers on board would be shown the warships stored in stasis inside the huge docks of Pallas. Very soon personnel from Earth would be needed to help crew some of the massive vessels.
During his spare time, Andrew spent it talking to his new aide, Colonel Simpson. Andrew had to smile to himself. He was certain Simpson had been assigned to Pallas just to confirm all the information the Imperials had told everyone on the space station. Andrew had mentioned his suspicion to Captain Masters, who had only nodded.
“I would do the same thing,” Derrick had replied. “A lot is at stake in this, and we all have to develop some trust. It’s a sound strategy to verify everything your people have been told.”
Andrew was currently in Engineering, speaking to the engineering officer, Alban Corrant. “Everything is fusion powered?”
Corrant nodded. They stood in front of a large control console that showed the current status of the ship’s power systems as well as the hyperdrive and the subspace drive. “Fusion power has been around for a very long time. There are rumors that some of the Confederation worlds use antimatter as a power source, but we’ve never verified that.”
“Antimatter would be on a completely different level when compared to fusion,” commented Andrew.
“It would, but we have very efficient fusion power plants.”
“Fusion will make a big difference on Earth. It will give us nearly unlimited and cheap power.” Earth already had a few fusion power plants, but they were not near as efficient as the ones Pallas offered. The Endeavor had been equipped with a fusion power plant.
“The Human Empire at its highest was very dependent on fusion energy. It powered their cities, their vehicles, and their spacecraft.”
Andrew spent a moment studying the control panel. He pretty much understood what everything was for. Once he reached Pallas, he would be trained in how to maintain ship systems, when he wasn’t busy with the virus research. “Is Pallas doing research on antimatter?” Andrew asked Corrant.
“Some. We have antimatter warheads now that we didn’t during the war. We’ve been working on developing antimatter as a power source, but, so far, we’ve been unsuccessful.”
Checking the time, Andrew noted he should go to the Command Center. The ship would be making its approach to Pallas shortly, and Captain Masters wanted Andrew to observe it.
Leaving Engineering, Andrew made his way through the ship. He knew, in the next few weeks, the Destiny would make numerous trips to Earth to bring more personnel to Pallas. Many of them would be military with a mixture of scientists and technicians. It didn’t take long for Andrew to reach the Command Center and to step through the hatch.
“Welcome, Andrew,” said Captain Masters, smiling. “We’ll be docking at Pallas in twenty minutes. I hope everyone has enjoyed their trip.” Derrick was referring to all the Earth people crammed into the ship’s guest quarters and several of the small cargo bays that had been converted to carry passengers.
“They have,” replied Andrew. “I think they’re all excited about seeing Pallas.”
Derrick nodded. “How long do you think it will take the programmers to construct a virus to use against the interdiction system?”
“It’s difficult to say,” replied Andrew. “With the number of people we’ll have working on it, I would expect something within a month.” Andrew looked at the ship’s primary viewscreen. It showed a sea of stars. They were still too far away from Pallas for it to be visible. “We just have to be satisfied that whatever we come up with will be effective. We’ll only have one shot at this.”
“The shipyards on Pallas are already converting some of our larger shuttles to stealth. When the virus is finished, we’ll be ready to deliver it.”
Andrew nodded. He was well aware of what all was at stake. If the virus failed, Earth would be attacked. Immediately.
-
Time passed as the Destiny neared Pallas. As the ship approached, a camouflaged hatch slid open, revealing the entrance to one of the asteroid’s many docking bays. The Destiny slid smoothly inside and then set down on its landing pad.
“Once everyone from Earth gets settled in, I’ve arranged for Ensign Allert to show Colonel Simpson around,” said Captain Masters. “You might want to tag along, in case he has any questions.”
“Are any areas off-limits?”
Derrick nodded. “Only a few. I’ve ordered Ensign Allert to stir clear of those areas for now. Perhaps later, we can show them to the colonel.”
“I’ll be ready,” replied Andrew. He wondered how Colonel Simpson would react to some of the things he would see. Andrew remembered his first tour and how stunned he had been at what all was hidden beneath the surface of Pallas. It was a remarkable world the Imperials had constructed.
-
In deep space, the Druin interdiction system kept an eye on the Solar System. The system had been forced to destroy a Human ship that had ventured too far out and had represented a possible danger. As a result of this action, the AIs in charge of the system had been scrutinizing the Humans even more. They had intercepted several worrisome communication transmissions that seemed to indicate there had been survivors from the destroyed ship. The AIs were not certain how this could have been possible, unless one or more of the escape pods was more capable than originally believed.
The AIs considered sending a message to the Druins, informing them of the latest developments in the system, but, so far, nothing could be considered a possible danger. After much consideration and analysis, the AIs decided to continue to monitor, but, for now, they would not send a message to their masters.
-
Admiral Bract was making another report to the Imperial Council. “So far the people of Earth have been very receptive in aiding us. A number of their military people arrived with Captain Masters, and even more will be coming in the next few weeks.”
“We are entering dangerous times,” commented Lena Prest. She paused and gazed at each individual Council member. “If this virus fails, the Druin interdiction system will launch their drones against Earth. They will also begin searching for us and will send a message to the Druins, informing them of the actions they’ve taken. Shortly afterward, we can expect a Druin fleet to arrive.”
A
dmiral Bract nodded in agreement. “We have some ship crews in stasis who have been trained. I recommend we awaken them and take some of our warships out of stasis. We will need them when we deliver the virus, just in case there is a reaction from the interdiction system.”
Councilor Arianna Bliss let out a deep breath. “How many ships are you thinking of activating?”
“One dreadnought as a command vessel and twenty battlecruisers.”
“How long will these ships remain activated?”
“Permanently,” answered Bract. “Once the interdiction system is deactivated, we will need those ships for training purposes, as well as to ensure the continued safety of the Solar System.”
Councilor Mila Rosen nodded in agreement. “We are committing a lot of our resources to this endeavor. However, we must remember this is why Pallas was established to begin with.”
The Council was silent as they weighed the decisions they were making. They all knew they were taking the first steps in the war against the Druins and the Confederation. Steps that had been over one thousand years in coming.
-
Andrew was in a large room filled with computer stations. In front of each sat an Earth Human and an Imperial, as they worked to design a virus to infiltrate and to take over the Druin interdiction system.
Andrew’s attention had been drawn to a young woman who seemed to have the most radical ideas on how this should be done. He wasn’t surprised to learn she was a hacker and had been arrested numerous times for breaking into various computer systems on Earth. Currently she was involved in a heated argument with the Imperial working with her. Curious, Andrew stepped closer so he could listen.
“It can’t be done,” the Imperial informed Linda. “Computers don’t work that way.”
“That’s why it will work,” replied Linda. “We’re going through the deep logic and adjusting the parameters of the existing programming. It will bring the AIs completely under our control.”
The Forgotten Empire: Banishment: Book One Page 21