The Forgotten Empire: Banishment: Book One

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Is Earth ready for all this?”

  Admiral Bract frowned. “The countries involved in Earth’s space program are. They’re welcoming what we can give them in the way of technology and medical advancements. Some of the more backward areas are more skeptical. From some of the newscasts we’ve seen, there have been riots in a few cities.”

  “That was to be expected,” replied Derrick. “From what Andrew has told me, there is a big difference in the technological levels from country to country. It’s not surprising that some will try to resist all the changes that are coming.”

  “We’re also about to turn Earth’s economy upside down. We estimate. in the countries involved in the space program, we can change them over to Imperial technology in two decades. We believe, when the rest of the world sees the benefits, they will agree to come along and to accept the changes as well. It won’t be smooth, and we expect some problems.”

  Derrick was impressed by what he heard. His gaze wandered back to the viewscreens. One was focused on the Titan, which was the only dreadnought currently activated. It was a powerful vessel, even more powerful than the dreadnoughts that had been built by the Human Empire. “How long will it be until we’re ready to engage the Confederation?”

  Admiral Bract folded his arms over his chest and took in a long breath. “We’re hoping to buy at least one hundred years, since we took over the Druin interdiction system. At the end of that time, we must be ready. We can fake the messages and reports the system occasionally sends to the Druins. However, over time, the Druins will become suspicious. When that happens, they’ll send a ship or a fleet to investigate. It could be fifty years from now or one hundred. No matter what we do, eventually they will come to check on the interdiction system and Earth.”

  “What if a Druin ship comes before then?” This greatly concerned Derrick. If a Druin ship appeared before they were ready, it could ruin everything.

  “We’re a long way from the Confederation. They’re also very slow at responding to threats. If a Druin ship appears, we’ll have no choice but to destroy it and to hope it doesn’t get out a hyperlight message. After that, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Derrick had one more question to ask. “How much longer until we put the Destiny back in stasis?”

  Admiral Bract hesitated for a moment and then answered. “Six months. I may send you out toward the Confederation, just to make sure there are no threats we’re missing. After that, the Destiny will go into stasis, as well as those of your crew who want to.”

  “As much as I would like to stay awake,” Derrick said, “I want to see the Princess and the day we go to war with the Confederation. My entire crew does.”

  Admiral Bract nodded. “I thought that would be your answer. In the meantime, I may send you to Earth to help in designing their new shipyard. It will be in orbit around the planet. We also need to discuss adding energy weapons to their space station, as well as an energy shield to help protect it.”

  “How soon do I leave?”

  “As soon as you can. I’m assigning some engineers to go with you, to work out some of the technical issues.”

  Derrick nodded. He had some experience in building shipyards, as well as installing defensive and offensive weapon systems. “We’ll leave early tomorrow.” He would take Andrew along, as it would be good experience for him to see how all this was done.

  -

  Admiral Cleemorl felt more relaxed as the fleet came out of hyperspace. One more jump and they would be at the system marked on the star map. He felt anxious, knowing that soon he would know if there was a civilization on Earth or not.

  “We’ll stay here for a full day. Keep our long-range sensors scanning for any trace of us being followed.”

  “Still worried about the Druins?” asked Captain Fulmar.

  “Some, but we’ve traveled a long distance and through lot of star systems. I just want to ensure that no one along the way has been following us to see where we’re going.”

  Fulmar nodded. “I understand the need for caution. I’ll have our escorts push out farther into the system, so we have better coverage with our sensors.”

  “I’ll be in my quarters, if I’m needed,” said Dylan. He would invite Cheryl to come over to the Themis. He was curious to see what she would think about his flagship. And he wanted to talk to her about a few things in private.

  -

  Cheryl was surprised at the invitation to visit the Themis. So far on this journey, she and Dylan had only spoken a few times. She had accepted this, as he had a lot to do keeping the fleet safe. Standing in front of the mirror, she studied her figure and the clothes she had chosen, a white blouse and dark pants. Nothing too tight, as she didn’t want to seem as if she were coming on to Dylan. Her figure was still slim and trim, and she had all the curves in the right places.

  “Your shuttle is ready,” a steward said from her open doorway.

  “I’ll be there shortly,” Cheryl replied, as she added a little perfume in several places.

  Taking a deep breath, she looked at herself one more time in the mirror, feeling satisfied that everything was just as she wanted. Then turning, she exited her quarters and headed down the corridor to where her personal shuttle waited.

  -

  Dylan waited in his quarters for Cheryl to arrive. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous. A knock came on the hatch, and he stepped over and opened it. Cheryl stood there, looking utterly ravishing.

  “May I come in, or are you just going to stand there and stare?”

  “Sorry,” said Dylan sheepishly. Stepping to the side, he gestured for Cheryl to come in. “You look very nice.”

  Cheryl smiled. “A compliment. That’s a good start.”

  Going inside, Dylan led Cheryl to a large comfortable couch, where they both sat down. “I thought it was time we had a long talk. In another few days we’ll be at our destination, or I hope we will be.”

  “I’ve been wondering where we’re going. Is this the legendary Earth I’ve heard rumors about?”

  Dylan was surprised. “What have you heard?”

  “The old Imperials were banished to a barbaric planet inhabited by Humans in the Bacchus Region. No one except the Druins know of its location. I think everyone assumes those Imperials are long dead, and their descendants, if any survived, have mixed in with the barbaric Humans. The Imperial line is lost forever.”

  “Maybe,” replied Dylan. “I can’t say that you’re wrong. I’m hoping those Imperials moved that barbaric world toward a more civilized society.”

  Cheryl shook her head. “The odds of that are very small. I hope you won’t be disappointed when we get there.”

  Dylan leaned back with a deep sigh. “They’re our last hope, if we ever want to free the Empire from the Druins and the other Confederation races.”

  Cheryl shook her head. “No one’s ever defeated any of the Confederation races. They control too much of the galaxy.”

  “There’s always a first time.”

  Getting up, Dylan walked over to a receptacle on the wall and returned with two glasses of iced tea. This particular brew he knew was Cheryl’s favorite.

  Handing Cheryl her glass, Dylan sat back down. “Cheryl, what’s the real reason you came on this trip with me?”

  Cheryl took a deep drink of her tea. “I wanted to get away from Highland Station and the life I had become involved in. My parents would never have approved. I guess I’ve always felt a little guilty about what I was doing.”

  Dylan looked deeply into Cheryl’s eyes. “What about us?”

  Cheryl let out a deep sigh. “Is there still an us? I guess that’s something else I want to find out.”

  “So do I,” replied Dylan. “Let’s take this slow and see what develops. If we find Earth, we’ll have a lot of time to think about our future.”

  -

  For several hours they sat there and talked about their past and some of the things they had experienced. Several times they broke out
laughing over a story from their childhood.

  Finally Dylan looked at Cheryl. “Would you like a tour of my ship?”

  Cheryl nodded. “Yes, I would. You do realize that, if we don’t find Earth or if it’s still barbaric, these ships might be our homes for quite some time. No way can we return to Human space.”

  “Let’s just hope we find a civilized world when we reach Earth.”

  Dylan knew a lot rode on what they found at the end of their next jump. Earth had to exist, and it had to be civilized, or this trip would be the end of them all. It would also mean the Human Empire had no hope for a future free of the Druins and the Confederation.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Andrew sat at the communications console on board the Destiny. Captain Masters wanted Andrew to be familiar with the console, since he was a communications specialist. Also Lieutenant Cleo Ashen, who was the communications officer, had indicated she might pass on going back into cryosleep and would live out her life in this time period. Andrew could understand this, as Pallas was well advanced, and Earth had much to offer.

  The ship was currently docked to the space station, and the engineers and other technicians they had brought were disembarking. The current plans called to redesign the space station and then to arm it to Empire standards. Once that was complete, they would begin work on designing Earth’s first major orbital shipyard.

  “We have a lot of work ahead of us,” announced Captain Masters, as he watched everyone disembark. One of the smaller viewscreens showed the main airlock attached to the station.

  “I understand you have helped design space stations and shipyards in the past, back in the Human Empire,” said Andrew. He was quite excited about helping in these two endeavors.

  Derrick nodded. “Yes, nearly all our worlds in the Empire had space stations or shipyards in orbit, and some had both. Between our space fleet, cargo ships, passenger liners, and other space vessels, the stations and the shipyards stayed quite busy.”

  A light flashed on the communications console. Andrew turned to see what the incoming message was. As he listened, his face turned pale. “The Druin interdiction system has detected an unknown fleet dropping out of hyperspace just outside the Solar System. Admiral Bract requests you take the Destiny to investigate. He’s already putting together a small task force to respond if it’s the Druins.”

  -

  Derrick felt his heart beat faster. If the Druins were here, then all their plans might be about to come crashing down. “Lieutenant Commander Banora, is the crew still on board?”

  “Yes, Captain,” replied Banora. “The last of the engineers are just leaving the ship. We can close the airlock in another minute or so.”

  Derrick nodded. He reached forward and activated the ship’s internal comm system. “Attention crew of the Destiny. I have just received a report of an unknown fleet of ships dropping out of hyperspace on the edge of the Solar System. We’ve been ordered to investigate to determine who they are. We’ll be undocking from the space station shortly.” Derrick then turned to his second in command. “Lieutenant Commander, make sure all our stealth systems are operational. We’ll jump to the unknown’s location and run scans to try to determine who they are. If they are, indeed, Druins, or another one of the Confederation races, the Titan and its task group will be called in to deal with them.” Rear Admiral Leeson had taken command of the Titan and had six battlecruisers under his direct command.

  “All personnel have disembarked, and the airlock is closed and sealed,” reported Banora. “Ship is ready to undock from the station.”

  “Lieutenant Viktor, move us one thousand meters away from the station.”

  The Destiny slowly moved away from the space station and was soon at a safe-enough distance to activate her subspace drive.

  “One thousand meters and holding,” reported Viktor.

  “Very well, activate the subspace drive and take us one hundred kilometers from the station. Once we reach that point, activate the hyperdrive and take us to the coordinates of the unknown fleet. Lieutenant Commander Banora, take us to Condition One and activate our stealth systems.”

  Several minutes passed as the Destiny pulled away from the station and then entered hyperspace. It would take less than a minute to travel to the necessary coordinates. Derrick leaned back in his command chair, wondering what awaited them. In all the years they had been in the Solar System, no ships had ever shown up from another civilization. Why now, and what did they want? Derrick and the Destiny would soon find out.

  -

  A few minutes earlier.

  Admiral Cleemorl felt the Themis drop from hyperspace. “Where are we?”

  “On the outskirts of the designated system,” reported the navigation officer.

  “Sensors?”

  “It’s not good, Admiral,” replied Lieutenant Casella. “I’m detecting Druin artifacts a short distance away. They are active and seem to be part of an interdiction system. Most likely designed to cancel out communication signals.”

  “Are you receiving any signals from the inner system?”

  “Scanning all frequencies now.”

  The communications officer spent a few minutes scanning and then turned toward the admiral with surprise on her face. “I’m picking up a large number of radio frequencies, none in the hyperlight frequencies though.”

  Admiral Cleemorl felt some relief. The radio signals at least indicated a civilization was in the system. His big problem now was how to get past the Druin interdiction system without being detected. No doubt, if he approached too close, they would either notify the Druins of his fleet’s presence or launch an attack against his ships.

  “Hold us at our current position,” Dylan ordered. He needed time to think about his next move. He was so close to Earth, he just needed to find a way around or through the Druin interdiction system.

  -

  The Destiny dropped from hyperspace ten thousand kilometers from the unidentified ships. Instantly the ship’s sensors reached out to identify the unknowns.

  “I don’t believe this,” said Lieutenant Nower, looking confused. “I’m detecting two Imperial battlecruisers, five escorts, a Class B supply ship, and what appears to be a yacht.”

  “A yacht? What would a yacht be doing way out here?” Derrick leaned forward in his command chair, his face steeped in a heavy frown. Something here didn’t make any sense. Where had these Imperial ships come from? There were no Imperial worlds not under control of the Druins.

  Taking a deep breath, he gave his next order. “Send a challenge to those battlecruisers, demanding to know who they are. Tell them, if they fail to respond, we will consider them to be hostile.”

  -

  “Admiral, we’re getting a challenge on one of the hyperlight frequencies, demanding to know who we are and why we are here. They also say, if we fail to respond, we will be fired upon.”

  Dylan looked at Lieutenant Casella in confusion. “Anything on the sensors?”

  She shook her head. “No, nothing I can detect.”

  “Inform them we are refuges from the former Human Empire, seeking Earth.”

  “Message sent.”

  For several minutes there was no reply. Then suddenly more ships dropped from hyperspace.

  “Detecting one Imperial dreadnought and six battlecruisers,” reported Casella excitedly. “We’re being instructed to stand down. A shuttle will be coming over shortly to verify who we are. If there is any attempt to activate our hyperdrives, all of our ships will be destroyed.”

  Captain Fulmar looked at Admiral Cleemorl. “Well, it looks as if we found them.”

  Dylan nodded. “Order all ships to stand down and to await further instructions.” Dylan looked at the main viewscreen, focused on something he never expected to see. An actual Imperial dreadnought.

  “Sir, if my sensors are correct, that dreadnought is armed with fusion energy beams and possibly antimatter missiles.”

  Dylan hoped the sensor readings wer
e correct. If these Imperials had fusion and antimatter weapons, it could be a game changer in dealing with the Confederation.

  “They must have control of the Druin interdiction system to expose their ships like that,” added Fulmar.

  “Let’s just hope they’re friendly. I have a lot of questions to ask, and I suspect they will also.”

  -

  Captain Masters listened in shock as Rear Admiral Leeson spoke to the admiral in charge of the small fleet. It appeared they were refugees from the former Human Empire. This brought up a lot of questions.

  “How?” asked Banora, a confused look on her face.

  “The bigger questions are, how did they find us, and are the Druins following them?”

  “Nothing else is on the sensors,” reported Lieutenant Nower.

  Derrick stood and walked closer to the viewscreen, gazing at the battlecruiser this Admiral Cleemorl was on. He could see burn marks on its side and where the hull had been repaired. “They’ve been in a battle with someone.”

  “Do you think they tried to free their world?”

  Derrick looked at Banora and nodded. “It’s a good possibility, and it appears they failed. We’ll know more when our Marines go on board. If everything appears legitimate, we’ll take them to Pallas where the Council can ask questions. If they are who they say they are, we can learn a lot about what’s been going on back home.” This would be the first contact with any Human from the Empire in over one thousand years.

  -

  For the next two hours there was considerable communication between Rear Admiral Leeson and Admiral Cleemorl. During that time Marines went on board each ship of Cleemorl’s fleet, confirming who they were.

  “We’re receiving a message from Admiral Bract,” Andrew reported, as he listened to the comm unit. “We’re to return to the space station and continue with our assignment. Rear Admiral Leeson is to escort Admiral Cleemorl’s fleet to Pallas for debriefing.”

  “I would like to sit in on that,” commented Banora. “I’m curious to hear what’s been going on in the Empire.”