The Forgotten Empire: War for the Empire

by Raymond L. Weil

  The two spent another hour talking, and then, after a long affectionate kiss, Derrick left their quarters to head back to the Destiny.

  Layla greatly feared she would never see him again.

  -

  Layla was in Krista’s quarters, along with Emira and Chancellor Stein. “I have some papers you need to take with you,” she said, as she handed a large folder to Krista.

  “What are these?” Krista could tell they must be important, as the folder was very heavy.

  “The succession of power, in case something happens to me,” answered Layla. “They spell out in plain language that, if I’m killed in the coming battle, you will become the High Princess of the Empire and its overall leader. They’ve been signed by the entire Imperial Council and witnessed by the necessary people. Also a long letter in there is from me. I want you to read that in case the worst happens. Don’t read that letter unless you know that Golan Four has fallen and that I did not survive.”

  Krista had tears in her eyes. “Nothing will happen to you!”

  Layla took Krista’s hands. “We can’t know that for certain, but we must be prepared if it does.”

  Emira nodded. “Layla’s parents filled out a succession of power as well, making it plain that Prince Aiden would rule. They also added that, if Aiden were dead, then Layla would fulfill the role of leader. You were mentioned too, Krista,” Emira informed them. “I was there when the papers were filled out and signed. Every ruler, no matter how hard it is, must make sure the succession of power is smooth and without legal challenge.”

  “I understand,” replied Krista. She squeezed Layla’s hands. “I will do as you wish.”

  -

  The next day, Layla, Kala, and Andrew watched on one of the large viewscreens in the underground Command Center beneath the House of Worlds, as the dreadnought High Kingdom left orbit and accelerated away from Golan Four with her escorts. A few moments later the small fleet made the transition into hyperspace, and then they were gone from the Golan Four System.

  “She’ll be safe at Tantula Five,” said Andrew, seeing the sad and lonely look on Layla’s face. “Admiral Cleemorl would never allow any harm to come to her.”

  “I know,” replied Layla. She just hoped everything worked out. She knew very well the next few days could decide the fate of the Empire and her and Krista’s future.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Morag Admiral Voxx had stopped in the red giant system, where Admiral Norlan waited, and dropped off two thousand of his modern warships. Both he and Admiral Norlan felt this would be sufficient to conquer the Tantula System, forcing the entire Hagen Star Cluster to surrender.

  You are to attack in thirty hours, Admiral Voxx informed Admiral Norlan. The main attack against Golan Four will occur eight hours after your attack has begun.

  Fleet Admiral Torrant still hopes, by attacking the Tantula System, we will draw some of the Imperial ships away from the core worlds.

  Yes, but your attack here should long be over before any of them can arrive.

  On the viewscreens, hundreds of warships were visible—the older Morag warships from the reserve and dozens of Druin and Zynth battleships and battlecruisers. It was an impressive sight.

  We will leave in an hour, added Admiral Voxx. I want to get my fleet to Admiral Torrant as soon as possible.

  -

  An hour later Morag Admiral Norlan watched as Admiral Voxx and his fleet vanished, as it made the transition into hyperspace.

  Well, we now have 6,000 Morag warships, sent First Officer Kenold. That should be more than enough to take the Tantula System.

  It should, agreed Norlan. Keep in mind we still have nearly 1,800 Druin warships and over 1,900 Zynth warships.

  Nearly 10,000 Confederation warships, said First Officer Kenold. No single Human star system can resist a force like that.

  This time we will go in behind the Druins and the Zynth. We will take a lesson from our fleet admiral who attacked Earth. If necessary, I will order damaged Zynth and Druin ships to ram Human vessels and Human targets.

  First Officer Kenold frowned. Our Druin and Zynth allies won’t be pleased with that tactic. Kenold knew this tactic had been used before.

  They are weak allies at the best, replied Norlan dismissively. Better to sacrifice several hundred of their vessels than to lose a single Morag warship.

  You are correct. When the time comes, I will assist you in implanting the necessary orders in the minds of the command crews. This victory will be ours, and the entire Hagen Star Cluster will fall to our forces. The same in the core worlds, when Fleet Admirals Torrant and Colane attack.

  -

  Admiral Cleemorl was on board the Themis. He had just returned from Tantula Five, after getting Krista and Cheryl settled in. Governor Dyson had been greatly honored by having one of the Royal Princesses come to the planet, as it was considered one of the safest places in the Human Empire. Krista had been greeted by an honor guard of over one thousand military personnel and had been taken on a quick tour of the city, before shown to her special suite of rooms, which were to be all hers. Also she had several large military vehicles on call at all times that could whisk her and her entourage to the underground Command Center at a moment’s notice.

  Dylan had spent some time with Cheryl, telling her how happy he was she had come back to Tantula Five. He wished she had never left in the first place.

  “I should have stayed,” confessed Cheryl, as she leaned forward and kissed Dylan on the lips.

  “You’re here now, and that’s what’s important. You and Krista should be quite safe in the underground Command Center. From there both of you can keep track of the battle.”

  “You just be careful,” replied Cheryl, her gaze meeting Dylan’s. “If something were to happen to you, I might have to go to the Confederation and conquer all their worlds myself.”

  Dylan laughed. “I can just see you doing that.”

  They spoke a little bit longer, and then Dylan had to return to his fleet. The expected attack by the Confederation fleets neared, and it could be anytime.

  -

  Dylan was back on board the Themis and had just sat down in his command chair when an alarm went off on the sensor console. “Report!”

  “Zynth battlecruiser just dropped from hyperspace on the fringe of the system,” reported Lieutenant Casella. “I believe it’s scanning the system.”

  To Dylan this was a good indication of an impending attack. “Take the entire star cluster to Condition Two. Condition One will most likely be issued in the next few hours.”

  “Communications, I want to know if any Confederation warships are scanning any other star system within the cluster, and I want to know that information immediately.”

  On the tactical display, the singe red threat icon sat immobile. “Send out two battlecruisers to chase that ship away,” ordered Dylan. He leaned back in his command chair, as two Imperial battlecruisers made the transition into hyperspace.

  A few moments later the two battlecruisers appeared less than two thousand kilometers from the Zynth vessel and immediately opened fire. The Zynth commander must have been expecting this, as he immediately made the transition into hyperspace and fled the system.

  -

  Morag Admiral Norlan had his fleet just outside the Hagen Star Cluster. He waited for the Zynth battlecruiser he had sent to scan the Tantula System to return.

  A green icon suddenly appeared on the tactical display.

  Zynth battlecruiser is back, reported the sensor officer.

  Results of scans are being transmitted now, added the communications officer.

  -

  For the next hour Admiral Norlan studied the scans, making notes of any changes since the last battle. He did note that the Earth and Imperil fleets were combined into one large fleet hovering over Tantula Five.

  Nodding in satisfaction, he made an announcement to the combined fleets. We will enter hyperspace in two hours. Our target will be the inhabit
ed moon of Gideon in the Tantula System.

  Admiral Norlan was convinced that, if he could hit the moon before the Human fleet could react, he could cause some major damage. His plan was to keep the Human fleet away from the moon’s defensive grid, making the fleet more vulnerable. He would then destroy it, and, once the Human fleet was eliminated, destroying Gideon and Tantula Five would be a much easier task.

  -

  Krista and Cheryl had been whisked to the underground Command Center, as soon as Condition Two had been implemented. They were both now in the Command Center, where several comfortable chairs had been set up, so they could observe what was happening. A Marine major had been assigned to them to answer any questions they might have. Four Imperial Guards with their purple capes stood behind them. In addition, Brenda had been allowed in to attend to any needs that Krista might have. In front of them was a small table with sandwiches and drinks.

  The large hatch opened again, and Mathew came in. He smiled at Krista and came over and gave her a big hug. “I’m glad to see you, but I’ve got a job to do.”

  A look of concern crossed Krista’s face. “You’re not going back up to the Orion, are you?”

  Mathew smiled. “No, I had a console set up here in the Command Center, so I can speak and direct the various interceptor squadrons. They’re still under my command.”

  Krista felt relieved. “Then go do your job and save this star system.”

  “I’ll do my best,” said Mathew, releasing Krista. Mathew then went off and sat down at a large console, where four other officers waited for him. The console was covered with small viewscreens and tactical readouts.

  Krista noticed a lot of the female personnel in the Command Center stared at her, smiling. Krista realized they all approved of how Mathew had greeted her. It reminded all of them that Krista was just as Human as they were, with the same emotions and desires.

  -

  In the command chair surrounded by several high-ranking officers General Clarkson watched the viewscreens and the tactical displays intently. He was in constant communication with General Flynn on Gideon. Other communication stations were in contact with all the primary worlds in the star cluster, as well as most of the larger mining colonies.

  General Clarkson looked at the fleet officer, standing next to him. “Order the High Kingdom and its two escorts to take a lower orbit, just beneath the defense grid. Also have the special shuttle ready to launch at a moment’s notice.” A special heavily armored shuttle was in a launch bay close to the surface. This would carry the Princess and her people to safety, if the worst came to be.

  Suddenly alarms sounded, and, on one of the tactical displays, hundreds and then thousands of red threat icons appeared.

  “They’re at Gideon,” reported the sensor officer. “Six thousand contacts and increasing.”

  “Take us to Condition One,” ordered General Clarkson, just as Governor Dyson came in through the massive metal hatch that protected the Command Center.

  Dyson’s face paled as he saw the red threat icons appearing on the tactical display. Taking a deep breath, he came over and sat down by Krista in an extra chair. “I don’t want to bother the general. He’ll be very busy for the next few hours.”

  “That’s a lot of Confederation ships,” said Krista. She now wondered if they had made a mistake by coming here.

  Governor Dyson nodded. “Yes, it is, but we’re prepared for them.”

  -

  Admiral Cleemorl had just given the order to go to Condition One. “What are we facing?”

  “Six thousand Morag warships, 1,800 Druin warships, and 2,000 Zynth warships,” reported the sensor officer.

  “Nearly ten thousand Confederation ships,” said Colonel Bidwell, his eyes widening. “Two thousand more Morag ships than they had last time.”

  “Confederation forces are thirty thousand kilometers from Gideon,” added the sensor officer.

  Dylan leaned back in his command chair. “Have the fleet set a course for Gideon, three-quarters sublight speed.” Dylan didn’t want to use a hyperspace jump. He wanted to watch the Confederation forces for a few minutes, just to see what they were up to.

  -

  On Gideon, General Flynn had already placed all of his forces at Condition One. The deep underground bunkers were all full and sealed, and all the cities were evacuated of everyone willing to leave their homes. Still a few thousand people in each city refused to leave. Most of these were older people who didn’t want to leave their homes and possessions behind.

  “Are the attack interceptors ready?”

  Colonel Edison nodded. “Yes, crews are standing by to launch.”

  “We have some time,” replied General Flynn. “The Confederation is very slowly closing the distance. I believe they are making sure no surprises are waiting for them.” Fortunately there was no way they could know about the huge energy cannons on the base.

  “Admiral Cleemorl’s fleet is coming up behind them,” reported Colonel Berks, who was second in command. “He’s still a good twenty minutes away but coming fast.”

  “He’s being cautious.”

  “I don’t blame him,” said Edison. “This will be the biggest battle in the Empire yet.”

  General Flynn’s gaze shifted to the tactical display. If the Confederation threw this many ships at the Tantula System, what would they attack Golan Four with? “Send a directional hyperlight message to Golan Four and inform Fleet Admiral Marloo what we’re up against.”

  -

  Detecting a massive military base on the north pole of the moon, reported the Morag sensor officer. It’s by far the biggest one I’ve ever detected. The power readings coming from it are off the scales.

  Morag Admiral Norlan grew suspicious. What is the base’s power source?

  The sensor officer frowned and shook his head. If I’m reading this correctly, they have an active core tap.

  Norlan knew how dangerous a core tap was. If the Humans lost control of it, the entire moon could be torn apart. See if you can find the source of the core tap. If we can destroy it, the battle for this moon will be over, as the core tap will do our job for us. The Humans may have made his job much easier by creating an easy way to destroy the moon.

  -

  “Engagement range in twelve minutes,” reported Lieutenant Casella. “The Confederation fleets will reach engagement range of Gideon four minutes before that.”

  “I just received a message from General Flynn,” reported Colonel Bidwell. “The base on the pole is being scanned heavily. He believes they’re searching for the source of the core tap.”

  Dylan nodded. He knew the power station for the core tap was nearly twenty kilometers underground, putting it out of range of any of the Confederation’s weapons. They would have to hit the ground above the core tap with at least forty antimatter missiles to come even close to it.

  “Increase sublight speed to 90 percent. That should put us there a few minutes sooner.”

  Dylan felt the Themis surge forward, as more power was fed to the sublight drive. Looking up at the tactical display, he saw the large number of green icons that surrounded his flagship. Taking in a deep breath, he knew it wouldn’t be long before they were once more engaged with the enemy.

  -

  Rear Admiral Carrie busily prepared her battlecarriers for combat. She knew that Major Barkley would command the actual interceptor squadrons once they were launched, and she wanted to ensure those launches went smoothly.

  “I want all our battlecarriers ready to launch at a moment’s notice,” she told her executive officer, Major Patrick Sullivan. “Make sure all battlecarriers are prepared to execute hot turnarounds on all squadrons when they return to refuel and rearm.” The turbo engines on the interceptors were all that needed refueling. They allowed for rapid increases in speed. The regular sublight drive had a long-term power supply.

  Carrie looked at the tactical display. It wouldn’t be much longer before they were in range of the Confederati
on fleets.

  -

  On Tantula Five, Krista and Cheryl watched tensely, as the Human fleet closed with the Confederation vessels.

  “They look like so few,” said Cheryl, seeing how badly Dylan’s fleet was outnumbered.

  “We’re always outnumbered,” replied Krista.

  “I wouldn’t be too worried,” said Governor Dyson. “The biggest mousetrap ever built sits on the north pole of Gideon. If Admiral Cleemorl can force the Confederation ships into weapons range, we have a surprise waiting for them. You see, on the north pole of Gideon is the most powerful military base ever built by the Empire, designed to destroy a fleet, a Confederation fleet. Now we just have to wait and see if it works.”

  Krista took Cheryl’s hand and squeezed.

  Cheryl smiled and said, “Dylan knows what he’s doing. He may be our most talented admiral.”

  Krista just hoped Cheryl was right. A lot was resting on what occurred in the next few minutes.

  -

  “Confederation fleet is heading toward the north pole of Gideon,” reported the sensor officer. “They will be in combat range of the moon in two minutes.”

  “And us?” asked Dylan.

  “We’re thirty seconds behind them.”

  Dylan activated his ship-to-ship comm and waited for Rear Admiral Carrie to come on the line.

  “Yes, sir,” she answered.

  “We’ll be in combat range in another few seconds. As soon as you see the rest of the fleet open fire, you’re to launch all your interceptors. I want them to launch all their missiles from medium range and then return to be rearmed. I want those Confederation ships pushed closer to Gideon so the big base can hit them with their new fusion energy cannons.”

  “What’s so special about those cannons?” asked Rear Admiral Carrie, confused.

  Dylan smiled. “You will see. Stand by to launch.”

  -

  Rear Admiral Carrie was on board her flagship, the dreadnought Exeter. All twenty of her battlecarriers carried full loads of attack interceptors. Backup interceptors and crews had been brought in from several of the other primary worlds of the Hagen Star Cluster to fill out the squadrons that had suffered losses over Tantula Five, while fighting the Druin drones.