Fulmar was determined this world would join the Empire. With the supply ships he had with him, he could offer them a reasonable defensive grid, plus he would leave a few warships behind to defend them. “Have all ships repair their battle damage. We will leave for our next target in six hours.”
-
On Morag Prime, the High Council was once more in session.
The Humans have gone on the offensive inside their Empire, sent Addonis. They are taking back all the worlds we control in close proximity to their core worlds, as well as the worlds we possess near the Hagen Star Cluster. From multiple reports, we estimate that over one thousand ships are engaged in this offensive.
How much success are they having? asked Councilor Delann.
Considerable, answered Addonis. Since we withdrew so many of our ships to help put down the unrest on Confederation worlds, we just don’t have the forces in the Human Empire to stop them.
The council members looked at each other, as they considered the ramifications of the Human Empire taking back more of their worlds.
How soon before the unrest is put down? asked Councilor Brant. We need to get ships back to the Empire as soon as possible. We can’t afford to allow the Human hold to grow stronger.
Addonis shook his head. Weeks yet. Since the wedding of the High Princess, the unrest has been growing.
How soon will the reserve fleet be fully activated? asked Councilor Hiram. Thousands of warships were in the reserve fleet. Enough to bring a stop to the unrest.
Two months, answered Addonis. Each ship must have a crew assigned, while the ship spends some time in a shipyard being updated and checked. We’ve already started this, but it’s a time-consuming process.
Still much faster than building a new warship, pointed out Councilor Brant.
What about the search for Lormallian Councilor Reull? asked Delann.
No trace. We were not able to find his brother on Bator Prime, and the other archivists had no clue where he was.
Councilor Hiram shook his head. I don’t like the sound of this. Is there any chance Reull found something in the archives that we are unaware of? The archives held a tremendous amount of data, including research information from tens of thousands of worlds.
Maybe, admitted Addonis. But, at the moment, we cannot find out what that might have been. We are still searching for Reull, but the trail has gone cold.
Councilor Brant stood towering above the table. I suggest we send Morag troops to some of these trouble spots. We have more than enough to put down these insurrections. If Councilor Reull has found something, we need to end this unrest as soon as possible.
The rest of the council agreed.
Addonis let out a deep guttural growl. We have kept it a secret from the other six races just how large our military is. If we start landing millions of troops on Confederation worlds, it may push the other six races farther away from us. Dangerously so.
It’s a chance we must take, sent Delann. We must put down these insurrections, so we can return our attention to the Human Empire and to Earth.
Also we must address any problems with Councilor Reull and the Lormallians. We can’t risk open warfare with any member of the six races.
That won’t happen as long as we have our telepathic advantage, replied Delann.
Councilor Addonis knew that Delann was correct. However, he feared repercussions for deploying millions of Morag troops. Repercussions that could last for a very long time.
-
Derrick was in the Command Center deep beneath the House of Worlds. He was keeping track of the progress that Rear Admiral Banora had made.
“She’s doing fine,” said Fleet Admiral Marloo, smiling. He could tell that Derrick wished he were out there. “We must have more fleet admirals, and this is the only way we’ll get them.”
Derrick nodded. “How are Rear Admirals Fulmar and Manson doing?”
“Fine,” replied Marloo. “Both are succeeding in their missions. They’ve taken a few losses, but they’ve destroyed far more Confederation ships. I’m already considering adding a few more targets. This may be our best opportunity to free more Human worlds.”
“I’ll arrange to send some representatives of the Empire to all those worlds to talk to them about joining. I know we’re offering them a defensive grid if they do, but I want to offer them more. It’s hard telling how long the unrest in the Confederation will last, but, when it’s over, you can bet the Confederation will come after the Empire as well as Earth. I’ve already spoken to the council, and they agree.”
“We’ve intercepted a lot of hyperlight communications from the Confederation. It seems the Morag had a much larger fleet than anyone suspected. They’re threatening the other six races of the Confederation with annihilation, if they fail to cooperate.”
Derrick nodded. “So it’s as we suspected. The Morag are the real power behind the Confederation.”
“Yes, we also believe they will be quite brutal in putting down these planetary revolts.”
Derrick wished they could do something to help the worlds currently in revolt, but they just did not have the ships. Not yet.
-
Above the planet of Daneb, close to Morag space, one hundred large troop transports suddenly appeared in orbit, along with a Morag warfleet. Immediately troop assault shuttles launched, each carrying a full platoon of Morag infantry. Overall they would drop five hundred thousand fully armed and trained Morag troops upon the planet. The goal was to have the revolt fully under control within twenty hours. After that, all but twenty thousand troops would be withdrawn, and the fleet would then continue on to its next target.
-
On the surface, the two billion civilians who lived on the planet saw the bright flashes of light in the sky above them, as the assault shuttles descended through the atmosphere. Already the government sent warning messages to the general population that Morag troops had arrived. Many people were determined to resist. This was their world and not the Morag’s! They wanted their freedom, and they would fight for it. Most were armed with hunting rifles or light energy pistols. Heavy weapons of any sort had not been allowed on Confederation worlds for thousands of years.
As the shuttles began landing, they were met by heavy resistance. Thousands of angry citizens met each shuttle as it landed. The Morag used their telepathy to try to control the crowds, but they were too large. Then they noticed a large number of aircars coming toward them. The commanders of the shuttles and the troops assumed these were more citizens coming to join the fight.
However, when they used their telepathy to try to control whoever was flying the vehicles, they discovered no one was on board. Then the first one went into a dive and crashed into a grounded shuttle. In moments a dozen others had done the same. All across the planet, unmanned aircars were ramming grounded shuttles, destroying them and any Morag troops still on board.
-
On board the flagship, Fleet Admiral Colane only shook his head. Troop losses were heavy and rapidly growing worse. Pull our troops off the planet, he ordered as a half-dozen more shuttles were destroyed. If we wait any longer, we won’t have any shuttles left.
-
Over the next hour the surviving shuttles returned to their ships. Total losses were 172 shuttles and nearly 47,000 troops.
-
Standby for a planetary broadcast, ordered Colane. Take over all their broadcasting stations. I have an announcement to make.
A few minutes passed, and then the communications officer turned to the admiral. All stations are now under our control. Ready whenever you are.
Colane activated the communicator on his console. “Attention, citizens of the planet Daneb. You are in open revolt against the Confederation. We attempted to land troops to put down the rebellion but met heavy resistance. We will not tolerate this. As a result we will now destroy your twenty largest cities. After that, my troops will attempt to land again. If we continue to meet resistance, we will destroy twenty mor
e cities. We will continue to do this until all resistance stops or until everyone on the planet is dead. The choice is yours.”
Admiral Colane turned toward his tactical officer. Coordinate with the other battleships. I want the twenty largest cities destroyed. Use fusion missiles.
-
On twenty of the orbiting battleships, missile hatches slid open, and twenty fusion missiles roared from the missile tubes, heading toward the planet. They quickly entered the atmosphere, leaving a fiery trail behind them.
-
Panic rose in many of the major cities, as millions of citizens tried to flee. Wrecks occurred everywhere, as ground vehicles collided, and aircars dropped from the sky, knocked out of the flight lanes. Fires were already spreading, and loud sirens sounded.
From the sky came a roaring sound, followed by a sudden flash of light, then the blast wave struck. Aircars by the thousands were knocked from the sky. Ground cars burst into flames. Buildings collapsed, as the damage spread farther out. For ten kilometers in every direction, the damage was nearly absolute. In the center of the now-ravished city, a firestorm formed. A massive mushroom cloud rose into the air. Dust and smoke was everywhere, making it hard for the few scattered survivors to even breath.
This was the scene in twenty cities on the planet Daneb. In less than twenty minutes nearly forty million citizens died.
-
In orbit, Admiral Colane nodded his satisfaction. Inform the government of Daneb that we will soon land troops once more. If there is any more resistance they will lose twenty more cities.
The communications officer sent the message and, after a few moments, turned toward the admiral. They say there will be no more resistance.
Colane expected that response. We will land troops once more. After we’re satisfied the resistance is over, we will leave six battlecruisers and a battleship in orbit to ensure the planet stays peaceful. We will also leave twenty thousand of our troops.
-
Six hours later Admiral Colane was satisfied the resistance on Daneb was over. Time to move on to his next target. He now had a method that worked. He was satisfied it would not take long to put down all the remaining uprisings.
Chapter Seven
Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull was meeting with Lormallian Admiral Zed Garr. He was in charge of the large fleet patrolling near Proxy Seven.
They were in Garr’s office on board his flagship. On Garr’s desk was a small simple-looking headset. Garr picked up the small device and eyed it dubiously. “You claim this will completely block the Morag’s telepathic abilities?”
Reull nodded. “Yes, we found its design in the archives on Bator Prime. I’ve brought enough to completely protect all of your warships, and, in addition, these smaller devices will protect individual members of your crew.”
“What is it you want, if we install these devices on all my warships?”
“Freedom,” replied Reull, without hesitation. “Freedom from being influenced by the Morag. I’ve studied what our worlds were once like before the Morag influenced us telepathically. We were a much different race. The Morag have turned us more toward darkness and have hidden much of our history from us.”
“I do not like being influenced by the Morag,” admitted Admiral Garr. “It would be nice to be free of their influence. You should be aware the Morag are deploying some very large fleets across the Confederation. We can’t possibly defeat them.”
“No,” replied Reull. “But we can use this technology to bargain with them. We can demand they not use their telepathy to influence anyone on any of the worlds of the other six races of the Great Council. If they refuse to meet our demands, we will broadcast the secret of the telepathic nullifiers across the Confederation. In order to do that, I need this fleet behind me, when I return to the Great Council.”
Admiral Garr stood, putting his hands behind his back, as he considered what he had just been told. “Are you certain these nullifiers will work?”
Reull nodded. “We’ve ran some tests, and they block the frequencies that the telepathy uses. They will work.”
Admiral Garr nodded. “Very well. I will give the approval to install these devices immediately. How soon do we set out for the Great Council?”
Reull smiled. Finally things were looking up. “As soon as all the devices are installed on your ships and an adequate portion of your crews are equipped with the personal nullifiers.”
“Let’s just hope your plan works, or we could find ourselves in a battle we cannot win.”
Reull was well aware of this. He had no idea how Councilor Damora would react when he found out the Lormallians had a working telepathic nullifier.
-
On Golan Four, Layla was in her office in the Imperial Palace, going over the list of worlds that had recently requested admission to the Empire. Already word of the Human Empire’s counterattack was spreading like wildfire. Most of the worlds that had not yet been subjugated by the Confederation were requesting immediate admittance, plus defensive grid parts.
Orders had been sent to all the core worlds—the Hagen Star Cluster, the Vortex Worlds, the Lamina Stars, Vidon Seven, and Helgoth—to produce as many defensive grid elements as possible.
“Can we do all this?’ asked Krista, as she looked at the list Layla was working on.
“We’ll try. I’ve asked Andrew to take the Royal Dreadnought High Kingdom to speak to a number of the more heavily populated worlds who are still wavering. Having a member of the Royal Family come to their worlds should make a big impression.”
Krista looked concerned. “Will he have a fleet with him? If word got out of a member of the Royal Family leaving the core worlds, the Confederation might make him a target.”
Layla smiled. “Already taken care of. Rear Admiral Carrie and her fleet will serve as an escort. They plan on being gone from three to four weeks.”
Krista frowned. “What does Kala think about this?” Krista knew she would hate going that long without seeing Mathew.
“Kala’s going along also,” replied Layla. “Several of those worlds have women governors. Kala will be very useful in the negotiations.”
Krista laughed. “Has she been told that?”
Layla shook her head. “Not yet, I’m leaving that to Andrew. If she were to find out now, she might go into hiding.”
“Will you send any samples of our defensive grid elements?”
Nodding, Layla slid over another list for Krista to look at. “Defensive satellites, missile platforms, ODPs, and designs for PDCs. Plus we will also be demonstrating our attack interceptors. As you already know, they’re quite deadly and easy to build.”
Krista leaned back in her chair and stretched. “It’s been a long day. How do you like married life?”
Layla flushed. “It’s been different, but I really love it. Derrick’s been great.”
“Keeping you up late at night?” asked Krista, with a mischievous grin.
“Maybe I’m the one keeping him up,” countered Layla, grinning back.
Krista stood; she was meeting Mathew for the evening meal. “Maybe in another year or two Mathew and I can get married. If you like married life this much, I would really enjoy it.”
“Don’t rush into it,” advised Layla. “You and Mathew have plenty of time. Besides, we’re still rebuilding the Empire.”
“Father and Aiden would be proud,” commented Krista, wishing both of them were here.
Layla nodded. She had a few more things to take care of, and then she would head to the Royal Quarters. She and Derrick were having a private meal together tonight, and they planned on doing nothing more than listening to music and relaxing. Even a Royal Princess needed some time off.
-
Andrew and Kala had taken a shuttle to the dreadnought High Kingdom. Several of the quarters on board had been converted for use by the Royal Family and their guests. Six members of the Imperial Guard were with them, as well as a small number of attendants.
�
�Welcome aboard the High Kingdom,” greeted Captain Jacob Barrow. “Your quarters are ready for you, as well as for those who came with you. We’re honored to have you on board.”
“Thank you, Captain,” replied Andrew, smiling.
“How soon do you want to get underway?”
“That’s up to Rear Admiral Carrie,” answered Andrew. “She has command of the fleet. I don’t even know where we’re going yet. All of that has been kept secret, and only the Imperial Council and Rear Admiral Carrie know all of our planned destinations.”
Captain Barrow nodded. “A wise security precaution. I’ll have an ensign show you to your quarters, while I inform the rear admiral that you are on board, and then we can depart anytime.”
-
It didn’t take them long to reach their quarters, and, as they entered, Kala paused in surprise. The quarters, while not lavish, were very nice. Nearly as nice as the ones she had stayed in on the Emerald Princess. “I can’t believe quarters like this exist on a dreadnought.”
Andrew smiled. He could tell Kala was pleased with the accommodations. “Another set of quarters quite similar to this one is across the hall. These quarters were designed in case the Royal Family had to leave the core worlds to visit places in the Empire that might be a little dangerous. A full company of space Marines are on board as well.”
Kala walked through the suite of rooms. “This will work quite well, if we’ll be on board for three or four weeks. I wonder what the food will be like?” Kala had to admit that she was a little spoiled from the fare the Royal Chefs had been cooking at the Palace.
“Better than you expect. They have some of the better chefs in the fleet on board. If they served it at the Palace, they could probably serve it here. I understand they have stocked up the freezers and the dry storage units in recent days, anticipating our arrival.”
Several attendants came in, carrying their luggage. Kala directed them to the large bedroom, where they began unpacking everything. This had taken Kala a while to get used to. Now she didn’t worry about it.
As the attendants left, the female ensign returned. “We will enter hyperspace in twenty minutes. We’re just waiting for a few supply ships to join us. Captain Barrow said, if the two of you wanted to come to the Command Center, you are both more than welcome.”
The Forgotten Empire: War for the Empire Page 8