SODIUM:5 Assault

by Arseneault, Stephen

  I powered up my BGS until only the slightest of gravity was evident and then pushed my way towards the supposed attack. Hershen followed close behind. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins and my BGS suit fought hard to subdue its affects.

  When we arrived in the section that was under attack I was joined by the four Marine squads that had remained on the ship. They were mostly the clerks and maintenance workers, but they were still Marines. Our contingent of 250,000 BGS Marines had been left on the globe ship to finish its capture. We had 28 BGS Marines, Hershen, 120 staffers and me left to contend with what our monitors told us were thousands of Borten troops.

  I pulled up an overlay of the section and commanded my squads to move down two corridors. The medical bays were adjacent to the attackers and I wanted to see that Zack's team was protected. We raced down the corridors until the first of the Borten troops were spotted. Heavy fire ensued with my team taking down one invader after another. Hershen stayed close in front of me working largely as cover.

  As two members of my squad rounded a corner they were met with a powerful gravity beam that knocked them hard backwards into a wall. They slumped to the floor lifeless. I ordered all suits to be brought to their maximum and we were soon micro-bursting our way around and behind the Borten troops and their weapon.

  When we came through a wall behind them we blasted them with our pulse guns and then maneuvered in to inspect the gravity cannon they had brought on-board. It was big and unwieldy, it took four crewmen to operate and maneuver, but it was effective.

  I fired a pulse smashing the weapon beyond use and then barked the order for us to proceed. Our advance was rapid, but we had almost two kilometers of ship to move through to get to the medical bays. Our hall-to-hall battles lasted for nearly an hour. The bridge staff and Marines squads were pushing the remaining Borten troops back slowly.

  When we arrived at the main medical corridor our doctors, nurses and the remaining medical staff had taken up weapons to defend themselves. They had done well to slow the Borten troop’s advance. My squads quickly cleared the hallways of our enemy and secured the medical facilities. Zack and his squad were safe.

  I then turned our small team back towards the invaders and began to slowly push them back from the medical bays. They continued to lose ground in the other areas of the ship as our staff of planners, maintenance workers, cooks, engineers and operational support personnel assaulted their positions.

  The cruiser Baton Rouge soon pulled alongside us and 50,000 BGS Marines crossed over into our ship. Within an hour the last of the Borten invaders had been killed or taken captive. I had lost nearly a quarter of my command ship staff during our defense, but we had held.

  The Borten had come aboard in cloaked transports that had docked and cut through the inactive Sodium skin as our own troops had made their way to the globe ship. It was a defensive problem that we did not yet have a solution to. For anyone to leave the ship the active skin had to be turned off.

  Through a series of somewhat lucky maneuvers the Borten attackers had boarded without our knowledge. It was Murphy's law and was something that always seemed to happen in combat no matter how much planning had been done. Surprises coupled with dumb luck were often a deadly combination.

  The Borten commanders had reasoned that, due to their hierarchical culture, if they could take control of the command ship they would then control the entire fleet. Their reasons were sound thinking within the Frekkin Empire, but had no bearing on Human actions or reactions. With us, if you cut off the head of the snake, it would just grow a new head.

  With the Borten command strategy thwarted it soon became evident that they were losing the war and losing it badly. An offer of surrender and a request to be subjects of the Human Empire came from their command ship. The surrender was granted and hostilities soon came to an end.

  There were great celebrations on Earth as word leaked out of our victory. The great Borten fleet had rolled over and was on our side. Preparations were soon made to return to the Borten system for an official surrender. Without a fleet they would all have no choice but to become subjects of the Human Empire.

  When our Marines had taken full control of the Borten fleet I gave a command to plan for a trip to the Borten worlds. Two days later we were on our way. The travel time was nearly a month, but we would be doing so with knowledge that there would be no confrontations when we arrived.

  Our recon destroyer in the far system had continued to watch as the single Driller slowly gutted the automated space port. There would be no more globe ships coming from its shipyards. I ordered the destroyer to return and to proceed up the line towards the system with the red planet. With the Borten defeated our concerns would be turned towards the next member of the Frekkin Empire.

  I had the commanders of the Borten fleet brought aboard my command vessel for questioning. I quizzed them on the globe ships to which they responded that they had no knowledge of the beings who built them except that they were known as the Por Hollis. When they received a ship such as the globe ship, it came with instructions on its use. Other than knowing the name of the species, they were not even sure of what the Por Hollis looked like.

  It was again another mystery as we proceeded further up the chain of the Frekkin outer worlds. Nothing was known of the next world other than its location and the inhabitant’s name. The Sodium tax had been paid as always by dropping off the resource just shy of the next world’s space. It was always gone when they came back so they knew it was being collected.

  In return for the Sodium tax the Frekkin did not attack and largely stayed out of the outer worlds business. They were told that non-compliance with any Frekkin rules would bring a swift death to their people. Until our arrival and conquering of the Kurtz they had never tempted fate by doing anything other than what they had been told. I thought it a strange way to run an empire, but the Frekkin had been successful at it up until then.

  When we arrived at Trephin, Login and Pelvic we were greeted by a Borten political ship carrying its dignitaries. They had little defense against our weapons and were eager to submit to our authority. They were terrified of the Frekkin, but the Frekkin were not parked just above their planet, parked with an armada that could easily destroy them.

  I was disappointed when the leader of the Borten people was brought into a conference room for me to question. His name was Hi-Bet and he called himself the Supreme Commander... a title which I held myself. He was just over a meter tall and a meter wide. Again, all I could think of was a giant blueberry with nastily sharp teeth.

  When he spoke I had a translator waiting beside me. She had been busily studying their language since our first recon destroyer had arrived to spy on their system. She had quickly mastered a fair understanding of their language and was soon telling me what the Borten leader was saying. When he finished his political rant I questioned whether or not they truly wanted to join the Human Empire. Given their situation I expected and received nothing less than an emphatic "Yes".

  I soon made reference to the Council of Governance and that he would have to submit to their every wish. I then looked into his beady little eyes and reminded him that while the Human Empire was benevolent, it would not take any transgressions against it lightly. Whether or not the Borten were admitted into the HE was up to the COG and the cooperation they received.

  As he once again began to talk I gestured for the guards to take him away. I was in no mood to discuss anything further with the alien being who had just attempted to annihilate me. Had I been any other commander of any other race of beings he might have been summarily executed on the spot. But I was not one of those who took life lightly.

  When the recon destroyer reached the Por Hollis home-world the news was once again not good. There were a dozen globe ships parked just off one of the worlds. But there was more. There was another type of ship present that we had not seen before. It too was round like the globe ships only much smaller and in far greater numbers.

>   After a scan by our destroyer it was determined that the smaller Por Hollis ships numbered in the millions. They were jet black, shiny balls that were approximately one kilometer in diameter. A nickname of "Black Pearls" was quickly assigned. They were parked in neat rows and columns giving the appearance of a gigantic cube shape from a distance.

  After several days had passed it was reported that the red world was turning out nearly ten thousand of the Black Pearls a day. Again we were faced with a ship that we had no way of knowing what capabilities it possessed. And to make matters worse, the Por Hollis had no radio wave communications for us to detect and decipher. They were dark a world to our sensors.

  From our destroyers distance we could see the giant factories orbiting their world and we could see the ships flying between the surface and the factories. We could also make out the great spaceports that dotted its surface. All structures were of the same shiny black appearance as their smaller ships.

  While fascinating to observe, the Por Hollis would have to wait for another day to feel the wrath of the HE. We had ships to repair and a new planetary system to bring under governance. I hoped for a time of peace where we could first absorb the technologies that the Borten had to offer. I also hoped for time so that our commanders could integrate the Borten ships into our fleets. If anything, the sheer number of ships they had to offer would be a good distraction for any foe.

  With a new world under governance and with the next threat under surveillance I ordered the damaged ships in our fleet to return home for repairs. It was also going to be a time for celebration... both on Earth and Toledus. The Kurtz Marines had performed admirably in battle and eagerly awaited a newer, and preferably lower ranked world into the HE. They were still clinging to their hierarchical ways, but as long as they complied with our orders it was not an issue.

  I had been making frequent trips to the medical bays to check on Zack and his sons. They were all well on the way to full recoveries having received severe concussions from the gravity weapon blast that had taken them down. Zack's sons were like clones of their father. They had the same handsome build and face and a demeanor that always put you at ease.

  I had once again become close to Zack, but it was as a friend. He had a wife back home and it was evident that he loved her. I had convinced myself that the feelings I had once had for him had long since passed. There was a fondness, an admiration and respect, but there was no love.

  I sat with him in the infirmary for the day of celebration that had been scheduled for our victory. In a modern celebration much noise was made and people were seen flashing lights and jumping about. Things had changed in many ways since the BGS had gone to the masses. Food and drink had always been a large part of any party, but they were no longer something that was needed or done.

  The BGS provided all nutrients and at certain times small doses of euphoric drugs were allowed to be administered. In many ways my own people sometimes seemed alien. I wondered what new generations might think of the old ways should they one day be forced back upon them.

  My wondering soon turned back to conversation and the day soon ended. I was headed back to the bridge to begin the planning for our next war. We needed intelligence and we needed time. As I looked out over the teaming worlds of the Borten system I couldn't help but wonder what type of enemy the Por Hollis might be. Would we be ready for them should they attack? I guessed we were already as ready as we would ever be.

  Chapter 11

  In a matter of months the Por Hollis had tripled their ship output to more than 30,000 Black Pearls a day. I wondered if we would be better off if we struck at them early as their fleet numbers were growing far faster than ours. Our engineers had been poring over the globe ships attempting to unlock the secrets of their shields. To date, we had made little progress.

  I asked our planners to map out an invasion strategy for an attack. I gave them a time frame of three months. In the meantime, five more recon destroyers were immediately dispatched to the Por Hollis system. We needed information if we were going to attack with an informed strategy.

  While preparations and plans were being put in order I turned my efforts towards the Borten integration. They had been governed by the same hierarchical system as the Kurtz for thousands of years; it made them very regimented in everything they did. Again, the hierarchy remained in place with their Supreme Commander reporting to our Council of Governance. Any changes to government of either race were going to be done over a long slow period of time. I felt it offered the path of least resistance.

  We soon had a flood of Human engineers and scientists landing on the three Borten worlds. There were new technologies to take advantage of including a higher level of automation of factories and farms. The Kurtz ships had originally been produced at the Borten factories, made according to strict Frekkin designs.

  The Borten ships and mini-fighters were only marginally better than what the Kurtz had possessed. But with the advantage of sheer numbers the Kurtz had never questioned the Borten authority. Of course, the modern Kurtz had never interacted with the Borten.

  The Kurtz had only been told in their schooling lessons that each world above them in the Frekkin Empire was more powerful, and any planet that strayed from the rules would be made an example of. Since they had largely been left alone, with the only real requirement that they pay their Sodium tax, there had never been any question of authority.

  We were learning new things about the Frekkin worlds every day. I was stunned when I had first learned that there were no natural births. The youth of each world were made sterile at birth, a birth that occurred in a factory. Hershen had been depressed when the black hole gravity weapon had destroyed Factory 12 in his hometown on Toleda. He had stated that 126 generations of Gor had been born in the same building, on the same birthing line.

  Each family or pair was allowed one child born from their DNA. If a family member was to reach a certain level in the hierarchy they were allowed another child. At the highest of levels the royals were allowed up to nine children. It had all been designed to maintain zero population growth.

  If a citizen was to die at any level a replacement citizen was then allowed up to a certain age. A lottery system was in place to prevent any family line from growing too large. In the lottery, families in the lower tiers of society would get their rights for a second or sometimes a third child. It was indeed an alien concept to humans, and I had no doubt that it was also alien to both the Kurtz and the Borten before the Frekkin Empire took control.

  As far as keeping order, the hierarchical system that was in place made each world easy to manage. But the laws and procedures restricted individual rights. It was a system that most Humans would not accept. Many of us seemed to thrive on arguing and the fights that came with attempting to get ahead. It was a blessing in that it moved us continuously forward, but a curse when abused by those who were not interested in going about life in a civil way. The Human system was a system that I had no desire to change.

  I had repeated visit requests by the Borten Supreme Commander. He wanted to discuss various options for trade and had an interest in the Sodium tax levels. He was a pesky sort and after a particularly annoying visit I put forward a decree that his title be changed to Prime Commander of the Borten Worlds. He had no issue with the new title as it was longer, giving him the sense that it was of more importance.

  The Sodium tax remained the same with the shipments diverted towards Earth. The Borten had seven mining fleets on four far planets. Their Sodium estimates stated a 2,200 year reserve when including their own consumption. Those estimates were in the process of being revised downward with the loss of the expected Sodium from Earth. Until such time as the war had ended, those numbers had been kept on the books.

  At one point our conversations turned to the globe ships. The Prime was unaware of specifically where the extra ships had come from as they only knew of the location where they delivered their Sodium tax. They were aware that there was a system n
earby, but they had not taken the time or effort to try to gain information on it as that behavior was strictly forbidden. Again, the Frekkin Empire showed the tightness of its grip on the outer worlds.

  The globe ships had arrived, broadcasting a Frekkin signature code, which gave instructions on their use. I asked how the next system up the chain had known to send them and he replied that when the Waffen system stopped their scheduled Sodium shipments the ships and the instructions for their use were delivered. The Waffen had broadcast the message through the Transit Pull that they were not receiving their shipment from the Kurtz.

  The transmission methods used by the Transit Pulls were something that needed further investigation. My staff had soon sent word to our science and engineering teams to make a special effort to discover how their technology worked. The message had been received not long after it was broadcast making me wonder if we no longer had our QE comm instant communication advantage.

  When the Prime left I paid a visit to Zack in the medical bay. He was only days from release and was eager to get back to the duties that came with being a squad commander. We spent hours talking about the latest Marine training, weapons and BGS suit enhancements. I asked that during his next assault, if one should happen, that he please keep his suit dialed up to maximum. He assured me that he would make the best use of its abilities. I did not take that answer as a yes.

  In the days that passed Zack was released and returned to the cruiser Dallas where his team was waiting with a hearty welcome. It was also their first chance to mourn the loss of their two team members that had perished in the Borten war. Their bodies were given full rights and then placed in special pods that would be launched back towards Earth.

  The pods would take 90 days to reach their destination where their loved ones could give them a proper burial at home. It was an honor offered to all fallen soldiers. Many had chosen beforehand to instead have their bodies sent towards the Sun. Some felt it would be too hard on their families while others thought it more in line with the age old tradition of burial at sea.