The sound of metallic boots hitting the stone came to his ears, a number of them marching in unison, coming closer by the second. Moments later the first of the humans appeared, slightly larger than normal in their medium combat armor, which still made them smaller than a full grown male of the Klang. But the King knew what kind of capabilities those combat suits, much more advanced than any his own people used, possessed. A human in one of those suits could kill a dozen fierce males in hand to hand combat, though they really wouldn’t need to do that with the weapons they carried holstered at their sides.
Three of the humans in the medium suits that were worn by their Fleet personnel came through the door before the first pair of Marines advanced into the room, their suits towering over the other humans, a meter and a half tall, about the size of a male, though much stouter. Those warriors carried rifles much the size of what one his warriors would have deployed with, but they were much more powerful, particle beams that could have penetrated multiple armored Klang with a shot. Another pair followed the first, then another, until a full squad of fourteen was marching behind the Fleet officers. The last being to enter was one that caused the King to widen his eyes as he stared at the massive creature. Walking on four legs, with another set of limbs coming from the torso that towered over the humans, the huge creature was familiar to the King, who had seen pictures of the Phlistarans from battlefields across his kingdom.
“King Thrashanja,” said one of the officers through a suit speaker that translated her speech into perfect High Klang. “I am Captain Marsha Gilligan, the Admiral’s flag staff captain.”
The King nodded toward the female, remembering that both genders of humans were equal in almost every way. The men were stronger, the women quicker, and they counted both among their warriors.
“What is to be my fate, Captain?”
“That is up to you, your Majesty. Tell all of your warriors to lay down their arms, and we will retain you as the titular king in our occupation government.”
“I cannot promise that every male in my kingdom will obey such an order. Some are under oath to other lords, who, though they have given their fealty to me, may have other ideas.”
“But you can give the order, and those who obey will survive to carry on their line. While those who don’t will be destroyed.”
“And my people?”
“We will occupy you at first, for a generation or two, until we know that we can trust you.”
“Hard terms for my people to accept,” said the King. “We are a proud folk, and not so willing to bend our necks to outside conquerors.”
“We cannot trust your people,” said the Captain, raising her face plate and looking at the King with cold blue eyes. “Our Emperor is not willing to trust your people. So we will occupy your people. That is his order, and the Fleet is willing to do whatever is necessary to implement his command. If we can do that with minimal bloodshed, then we will do it that way. If we have to occupy planets stinking from the rotting bodies of your people, we will do that as well.”
“And if I order my soldiers to attack you right here and now?”
“That would be a mistake, wouldn’t it, Sergeant Major.”
The Phlistaran stepped forward, his faceplate retracting and showing the fearsome visage of a supreme predator, something to strike fear into the strongest herbivore. “I am normally a peaceful being,” rumbled the terrifying creature in his deep voice, showing his alarming teeth as his lips moved. “But I will fill this room with blood if you even attempt to threaten my Captain again.”
The King shivered as he listened to the massive Marine, believing every word he said. He could imagine this creature sans armor tearing through a score of his warriors. With the advanced armor he carried on his form, he would have had no trouble defeating most of the palace guard. And there were a thousand more Marines within five minute call of the palace.
“I will order my people to stand down, if you give me your word that they will not be harmed. And that includes slave labor, or any kind of incarceration.”
“What I can promise is that we will only detain your warriors, and for the time necessary to make sure they are not a threat. Otherwise, they will not be harmed, physically or mentally. On that you have the word of my Emperor.”
The King thought for a moment, knowing that he had little choice, but still loath to give up so easily. This Emperor had a reputation as a warrior, and, if word was to be believed, honesty in his dealings with aliens. He was not known for weakness, and would probably be a harsh master if that proved necessary. Which meant it was up to Thrashanja to make sure it didn’t prove necessary.
“Call for my scribe,” the King ordered, standing from his throne. “I will issue the order.” He looked down at the Captain. “And what is to happen to me?”
“You will stay in the palace as both figurehead and hostage, your Majesty. Along with your females and children. And, hopefully, one of your sons will again rule an independent kingdom, one which is allied to our Empire.”
First, they had to defeat the Ca’cadasans, which Thrashanja knew would not be an easy task, and might even prove beyond the humans. But after the way those aliens had treated his people, he hoped to see the humans triumphant over them.
* * *
FENRI EMPIRE CAPITAL WORLD, MAR 21, 1002.
“Why can you not stop the humans?” whined the Supreme Emperor Jrastrina Jastrinae of the Fenri Empire. “They are halfway to the capital, and you have not even been able to slow them.”
“Oh Supreme One, oh blessed of the gods, who is nearly a god himself, the humans confound us at every turn,” said the Supreme Fleet Leader Kalisana Jastrinae, himself a member of the Imperial family, as were all Fenri is high leadership positions throughout the Empire. Kalisana didn’t believe any of the song about the Emperor being blessed of the Gods, or being a near god himself. Neither did the Emperor, truth be told, as was true for most of the adults of the species. They followed the forms because they were the forms, and because it helped to keep a sense of awe in the slaves of the Empire, without which the polity could not function. “Their mighty fleets overwhelm us at every encounter, and their masterful warriors route ours in every ground battle. Our warriors are doing their best to just slow them as much as they can.”
The Emperor stared at the Supreme Fleet Leader for a moment, causing that worthy anxiety that he might be asked to take his own life, in the manner of his people’s warriors when faced with failure. He knew the Emperor knew as he did that the New Terran Empire outclassed them in tech and the competence of their warriors, as well as possessing superior numbers. The Fenri prided themselves on their martial ability, but when it came down to it, the humans were just better, and the aliens in their service had picked up much from the primates. If anyone was to blame, it was the Ca’cadasans, who had tricked them into attacking the humans after promising the Fenri maximum support, which had never materialized. At least when they had kept the humans busy on another front the Fenri had not had to face the enemy in such numbers. Now that the Ca’cadasans had been defeated on their primary front, more human ships had been assigned to their invasion force, and more of their allies had appeared in Fenri space as well.
“We must stop them,” hissed the Supreme Emperor, standing up from his throne and pacing back and forth. “We must. We must have a victory.”
“I can give you a victory, your Majesty,” said the Supreme Fleet Leader. “If I am allowed to uncover some other potential targets, and concentrate on one, I should be able to defeat one human force. I know it will mean giving up some other systems without a fight, but we will lose them anyway with our current strategy of trying to defend everything.”
“What do you wish to give up?” asked the Supreme Emperor, plopping back in his seat. “And where will you stand?”
“Where I would suggest we make a stand is here,” said the Supreme Fleet Leader, pulling up a holo of the central region of the Fenri Empire, where one system was blinking. �
�We can crush their force between several of ours, not allowing any to escape. And though we might lose heavily as well, if we can completely destroy that force, I believe we can slow the humans, make them think before they commit again.”
“And we lose these three systems here,” pointed the Supreme Emperor, dawning understanding on his face. “And you swing our combined fleet into each one in succession, defeating them in detail.”
“Truly, your Majesty,” said the Supreme Fleet Leader, showing his sharp predator’s teeth in a grin. “And if we can isolate a large force of their troops on each of the planets’ surfaces, we can also bring defeat to them.”
The Supreme Emperor stared at the holo for a few moments more, making up his mind, while his cousin wondered if he had thought up a strategy that would sway the ruler enough to keep his head on his shoulders. Finally the Supreme Emperor looked up at him with a smile.
“Is the Ca’cadasan task force still in the system?”
“Yes, your Majesty. I do believe they are.”
The Supreme Fleet Leader thought of those supposedly allied ships that had done nothing for their allies, so far. There were eight of the twenty-five million ton superbattleships, the same number of four million ton supercruisers, and sixteen of the five hundred thousand ton scout ships. A force that could add quite a punch to the Fenri fleet if they were allowed to deploy.
“Then I want the Ca’cadasan Ambassador in my audience chamber within the hour,” said the Supreme Emperor in an imperious voice. “If they can’t at least do this for us, I will tell them that I will switch over to the human side.”
“Will you really do so, your Majesty?” asked the Supreme Fleet Leader, not really wanting a yes that would put them on the side of the people that had been killing his fleet to date, but sure that the Emperor would do exactly as he threatened if the Ca’cadasans didn’t actually start living up to their treaty.
“I will do anything to win, to preserve my dynasty,” said the Supreme Emperor, flashing the smile his people normally gave just before a kill. “And if they are not the one I need to survive, the humans will do.”
The Supreme Fleet Leader stayed silent. He suspected that the humans would not be so eager to make a deal this time. After all, they held the upper hand, and their young Emperor seemed the sort who would go for the jugular, if it got him a permanent solution. And the only permanent solution the Supreme Fleet Leader could see that the humans might attempt was the total conquest of the Fenri, and the absorption of the Empire into their own.
* * *
“What have you got for me?” asked Sean as he fell into the seat at the head of the conference room table. This meeting was far below the Hexagon, the headquarters building of the Combined Chiefs of Staff and their staffs in the capital city of Capitulum. Sean felt as exhausted as he had in a long time, attending constant meetings, Parliament, Cabinet and Military. It seemed like he never got enough sleep, and even his strong young body was beginning to rebel.
“First Fleet is continuing its infiltration into New Moscow space, your Majesty,” said Grand High Admiral Sondra McCullom, as a holo sprung to life over the table showing that sector of space. “Ostensibly, all ships are moving to recon systems in preparations for our planned offensive four months hence. In reality, all will be in position and powered down within the week, and Battle Fleet will begin its deployment.”
“And the main forces current location?”
“Sitting in interstellar space about twenty light years outside of the borders of the kingdom.”
“And Operation Ground Warp?”
“On Schedule,” said the Chief of Naval Operations. “Wormholes have been dropped in every major system and maneuvered into position. The second wave will be starting in tomorrow, and will be in their deployment positions by week’s end.”
“And your end, Mishori? Betty?”
The Chief of Staff of the Army looked over at the Commandant of the Marine Corps for a moment and caught her nod. This was their part of the game, the ground action, and though there would be numerous Naval Commandos assigned as well, the bulk of the forces would be theirs.
“We already have one recon company on the ground,” said Mishori. “Army Rangers, the C Company, Third of the Three Eightieth Rangers, as well as two platoons of Marine Force Recon. They are scouting the periphery, looking for possible shelter sights. Another Ranger company and a platoon of Naval Commandos will follow.”
The holo converted to a view of the planet, the wormholes that were already down blinking.
“Those other recon unit will be infiltrating by wormhole in two days,” said the Army Chief of Staff. “Nine Ninetieth Platoon of Naval Commandos, and A Company, First of the Three Eightieth Rangers. We raised this unit from volunteers who all specialized in covert movement and reconnaissance. Once they’re on the planet, they’ll start getting the lay of the land from the ground, and will transfer to suits for the assault, like the other Ranger units.”
“Who’s in charge of the company?”
“Someone of your acquaintance, your Majesty,” said the Grand Marshal. “The Captain Baron Cornelius Walborski.”
“The boy sure is getting around,” said Sean with a frown. “I think we may be pushing his luck a little too far. After all, two impossible missions in a row might be a little much for any soldier.”
“He is a soldier,” said the Grand Marshal, nodding to the holo that now showed the portrait and record of Walborski, one of the few double Imperial Medal of Heroism recipients in the history of the Empire. “He knows his duty to the Empire, and is not afraid to put his life on the line. I see great things for him in the future, if he doesn’t get himself vaporized before then.”
“That’s my fear too,” said Sean, shaking his head. “I see him rising to general some day, if he doesn’t get in the way of a particle beam before then.”
“You could order him off the mission, your Majesty,” said Mishori, nodding to the holo. “That's your prerogative.”
“It’s not something I’m willing to do at this late stage,” replied Sean, shaking his head. “It would disrupt the command structure of that company. Besides, I can’t be seen playing favorites, even if Walborski is one.”
“Understood,” said the Grand Marshal. “And appreciated.”
“I don’t want us deviating from the timetable for any reason,” said Sean, looking away from the holo and around the table. “If something isn’t in place, we’ll just have to go without it.”
“And if the Cacas have something in place we didn’t expect?” asked McCollum.
“Then we still go. Those people on those planets don’t have unlimited time, and I’m not about to take any more away from them. Understood?”
There were nods around the table, and though Sean could see that most were not happy with that decision, it was his to make, and he had now made it formally. All he could hope for was that ninety percent of the plan worked, and that they got most of the New Muscovites out of captivity before they were turned into food.
* * *
NEW MOSCOW SPACE, MARCH 27TH, 1002.
“Separating ship, now,” called out the Helmsman, taking a glance back at his captain before hitting the panel that released the ship from the docking clamps. With a shudder through the hull as the Stealth/Attack ship Seastag’s just under two hundred thousand ton form dropped away from the eight million ton hyper VI battle cruiser that had carried her this far.
“We’re moving away at ten gravities, Captain,” Commodore Bryce Suttler reported to the commander of the ship that had ferried him and three of the other eight vessels of his squadron into this space. The other four ships were being released by yet another battle cruiser, this one about a light hour to the side, at the same distance from the New Moscow primary as his group.
“Acknowledged, Commodore Suttler,” came the voice over the tight beam com. “And good luck.”
Suttler shut down his feed into the com and concentrated on what lay ahead. New Mos
cow was teeming with shipping, none of it friendly, or at least none that was displayed on the tactical holo. The Commodore looked over at his Tactical Officer, Lt. JG Simona Castro, making sure she was keeping a close watch on their surroundings. His last TO had been with him since the commissioning of the ship, and had been kicked upstairs with a promotion to another Stealth/Attack vessel. With the war there was a lot of that going on, both because of the many new hulls coming online, and the losses.
After looking over the tactical holo for a few moments, Suttler decided to go with their initial plan, which meant he would not have to send any signals to the rest of his vessels. They were already on a course into the system at point zero one two light. In two days, with minimal deceleration, they would be in place, and each ship would drop off the pair of wormholes they carried, which would be sent onto the planet’s surface to join those already dropped by the smaller Stealth/Scout ships.
And then they would set up for the primary mission, if everything went as expected and they weren’t detected. If one of his ships was detected they would still go for that mission, but the difficulty level would increase exponentially.
Chapter Seven
Innocence is thought charming because it offers delightful possibilities for exploitation.
Mason Cooley.
SECTOR IV HEADQUARTERS, MAR 28TH, 1002.
“How’s the prisoner doing this fine day?” asked Commodore Mary Innocent, Sean’s personal intelligence officer, of the head of the Marine guard detail at the entrance to the Cacada quarters.
“He’s doing fine, ma’am,” answered the Lieutenant, the expression his face warring with his professionalism.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 8: Soldiers (Exodus: Empires at War.) Page 9