The Star Cross: The Forever War
Page 3
Kurt explained what he wanted to do. He had thought long and hard about this on his drive to Spalding’s office. At first, both Governor Spalding and General Mclusky couldn’t believe what they were hearing. However, after Kurt went into additional details of his plan, they nodded. Looking at each other, they realized, if Kurt succeeded in doing this, Kubitz and the Gothan Empire would never be the same again.
-
The next day Kurt returned for the Government Center meeting with Lomatz, Nirron, Governor Spalding, and General Mclusky.
“I am deeply troubled to hear about Ambassador Tenner,” said Lomatz. He looked nearly Human, except his eyes had a yellow tint to them. “He was a very able negotiator.”
“That he was,” Governor Spalding replied. “Fleet Admiral Vickers will shortly return to Kubitz to bring home Tenner and the others who died in the Gothan Empire. However, we wish to conduct some business beforehand with the Controllers and the Kubitz government.”
“What type of business?” asked Lomatz, his curiosity piqued.
“Contractual. That’s why I asked Controller Nirron to attend this meeting. He’ll draft some documents for us to present to the Controllers on Kubitz as well as the Kubitz government.”
Nirron’s ears perked up. Nirron was seven foot tall and humanoid. His head was slightly larger than a Human’s and completely bald. His eyes were of normal size, though his lips were a little slimmer. Nirron’s body was slender, and his hands had six long digits. Nirron was also a little pale as though he very seldom saw any sunlight. “What documents?”
A stern look crossed Kurt’s face as he answered. “We’re levying a fine against the Controllers and the Kubitz government for what happened at the embassy.”
Nirron’s eyes bulged at this revelation. “You’re fining the Controllers and the government! It’s never been done before. I don’t believe they will even consider it. They’ll consider such a demand outrageous.”
“I’m not giving them any choice,” Kurt answered evenly, his eyes narrowing. “I want these documents prepared in the legal form required on Kubitz. Certain items will be added to protect our people in the future and ensure another incident of the type that occurred at the embassy can’t happen again.”
Lomatz nodded in sudden understanding knowing there was only one way Kurt could do this. “You’re taking one of your new battlefleets to Kubitz. You’re going to ram this document and the fine down their throats.”
Kurt nodded. “Yes. This might be called gunboat diplomacy, but the Gothan Empire is about to learn the status quo has changed.”
Lomatz grinned. “This just might work. I would give anything to see the looks on the Controllers’ faces when you present them with this document and they see your fleet orbiting overhead.”
Governor Spalding handed Nirron a sheaf of documents. “These papers contain our demands.”
Nirron spent a few minutes going through the documents, his eyes widening in disbelief the more he read. When he was done, he looked from Lomatz to Fleet Admiral Vickers. “This will take some time, as what you’re asking me to do has many legal ramifications. I cannot guarantee what reaction you will get when you present these documents to the Controllers on Kubitz.”
“You have forty-eight hours. Then we leave for Kubitz.”
Nirron looked at Lomatz. “You have a number of legal experts on the island. I will need their assistance to finish this in time.”
“I will make them available to you,” Lomatz replied.
-
The meeting lasted for another two hours as Kurt and Governor Spalding described in more detail what they wanted in the documents. Even Lomatz made a few suggestions, since he had a lot of experience in dealing with the Controllers. Nirron recorded everything to ensure nothing was left out. In the end, he asked for an exorbitant fee for his work, which was agreed to.
-
“Two million credits,” Spalding said after Lomatz and Nirron left. “That’s steep.”
Kurt grinned. “I figured he would want something like that, so I increased the fine we’ll impose.”
Spalding laughed. “So Kubitz and the Controllers are paying for Nirron’s work.”
Kurt nodded. “It’s only right.” He folded his arms over his chest. He would get his fleet ready and inform his command crew of their new mission. He suspected Captain Randson would be enthusiastic when he learned what Kurt had planned for Kubitz and the Profiteers.
-
Two days later Captain Randson came on board the new Star Cross. The Newton flagship was 1,700 meters long and heavily armed. It had been built by the Glaymons in their Dyson Sphere, hidden in a nebula in the galactic center.
“Hello, Captain Randson,” spoke a beautiful young woman, her hologram standing upon a small platform directly in front of the command console.
“Aleea,” replied Randson.
She was the ship’s AI and a creation of the Glaymons. In many ways she almost seemed Human.
“Nearly all the crew is on board. We should be ready for departure in 4.6 hours.”
“The other ships?” Randson knew twenty of their new heavy battlecruisers would be going as well.
“In formation, including the troop assault ship Tarawa.”
Randson looked at one of the large viewscreens. The Tarawa was a massive ship and bulkier than a normal warship. It had heavy shields and strong point defense weapons as well as extra armor. The ship was also armed with KEW batteries for surface bombardment. The ship was capable of carrying one thousand Marines and all their equipment. Kurt had ordered two of the ships built, just in case they ever boarded a ship in space or took on a hard target on the surface of a planet.
“Admiring our new Marine assault ship?” asked Kurt, coming into the Command Center.
Andrew turned toward Kurt, nodding. “She’s something. Do you think we’ll need her at Kubitz?”
“I hope not. I just received another message from the Sydney. It seems as if Grantz is missing.”
“What do you mean, missing?” asked Andrew, a hint of concern in his voice. Grantz had been attempting to get Andrew to go to the pleasure houses with him from the very beginning of their one-sided relationship. Andrew had shied away from the offer, fearful of what his wife, Emily, might do. “Did he run away when all the fighting started?”
Kurt shook his head. “No, unconfirmed reports indicate he was shot at one of the pleasure houses at the same time the embassy was attacked.”
Andrew drew in a sharp breath. While he didn’t care that much for Grantz, he did serve a purpose. “Do you think it was related to the embassy attack?”
“Yes, I now believe someone is sending me a message.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. Avery Dolman is trying to find out. Maybe by the time we reach Kubitz, he’ll have some answers for us.”
“It could be Dacroni Clan Leader Jarls,” suggested Andrew. “He was involved in the invasion of Earth and even the attack on us when we were on Kubitz. From the reports, Dacroni mercenaries were also involved in the attack on the embassy. Jarls lost a lot of credits because of us. He could be evening things up.”
“It’s possible,” admitted Kurt, sounding doubtful. “But where’s the profit in it for Jarls?”
Andrew remained silent, not knowing how to answer. Kurt was right; there was no way Jarls would be involved unless a lot of credits had changed hands. Andrew also wondered if Grantz might have gotten involved in something nefarious which had resulted in his death as well as caused the attack on the embassy. Grantz was a wild card, and you never knew the trouble his shenanigans might cause.
The main viewscreen was focused on Newton Station—3,000 meters in length, 1,600 meters in width, and 800 meters from the bottom of its hull to the top. The station contained four repair and six construction bays; all had been modified by Lomatz and his construction ships as well as the Glaymons. The upgraded station was now capable of producing twelve heavy battlecruisers every four weeks. Two
smaller shipyards in orbit had also been built by the Glaymons. Each was capable of building a new battleship every three weeks and each was completely automated and controlled by several of their AIs.
On another screen, Newton was visible. The blue-white globe held over twenty-three million people, their children being raised in a school system like no other. With the help of the Glaymons, a new education curriculum had been established. While the Glaymons had not turned over all their highly advanced technology, they would help Newton advance several centuries in just a few decades. In order to do so, the children’s education had been radically changed. When this generation grew up, technology that now seemed like magic would be the norm for them, placing Newton on an equal footing, technologywise, with the Protector Worlds and even some of the more advanced Enlightened ones.
Andrew thought about his sixteen-year-old daughter, Alexis. She was a sophomore in high school and had told him about some of the changes. While they were not as mind-bending in the upper grades, they were in the lower ones. What also concerned Andrew at the moment was his daughter getting ready to attend another school dance, only this time she had a date with a junior. This dating thing was causing him more headaches than he imagined possible. He had disapproved of three of the dresses his wife and Alexis had picked out for the dance. They either exposed too much or accented the wrong parts of her body. Andrew was acutely aware that his daughter was becoming a young woman. This was something he definitely wasn’t ready for.
“All ship systems are ready for hyperspace travel,” reported Aleea. “Total travel time to the Gothan Empire will be 11.7 hours.”
Andrew was impressed. The old Star Cross would have taken 5.7 days to reach the empire. Andrew let out a deep sigh. He hoped Grantz was okay. While Andrew didn’t want to admit it, he enjoyed the banter he shared with the greedy Profiteer.
-
“Admiral, will we be engaging in combat in the Kubitz System?” asked Lieutenant Mays from Tactical.
Kurt turned toward the lieutenant. “It’s possible. It’s high time someone put the Gothan Empire in its place. After the attack on our embassy and the loss of life we suffered, we are not coming for a friendly visit.”
Lieutenant Mays nodded in approval. “I just wanted to confirm that since we’re carrying both antimatter hypermissiles as well as dark matter missiles. I suspect the Controllers will levy some major fines on us when they realize how powerful our weapons are.”
“We will pay no fines,” Kurt replied firmly, his eyes narrowing and turning cold. “Today we are dictating the terms.” Kurt had already decided on his course of action. Earth had been invaded twice by the Profiteers, and millions of innocent people had lost their lives. It was time to avenge some of those deaths and make Kubitz pay.
“I have uploaded the past scans taken of the Kubitz System,” added Lieutenant Mays. “Particularly the defenses around Kubitz which are the most powerful in the Gothan Empire, as well as those on the Controller Station. There are also a number of Lomatz’s new defensive platforms in orbit.”
Kurt nodded. “Aleea, please study those scans and see if anything might be a danger to the ships of this fleet.” He doubted it. The people of Kubitz nearly panicked anytime a Protector World vessel entered their system. Kurt’s new ships, based on Protector World and Glaymon technologies, were much more powerful.
Lomatz’s platforms might be a slight problem as these new ones he had sold to Kubitz were capable of damaging or destroying a Vorn vessel. However, Kurt had a method to neutralize them. He had Lomatz install a back door into the new platforms’ computer systems. If necessary, a simple code word would shut them down.
“No,” Aleea replied after a moment. “I don’t see anything that can penetrate our energy screens.”
Kurt sat in his command chair, taking note of his command crew. They were all busy preparing the ship for hyperspace. He had spoken briefly with Keera before coming to the Star Cross. She had begged him not to blame the people of Kubitz for what the Profiteers had done. While Kubitz was a harsh world, with its economy based on the piracy of the Profiteers and the mass sales of weapons, the average citizen was no different from those found on many other humanoid planets. They had families, children, and worked to make ends meet. It was just unfortunate they lived on a world the Controllers and the Profiteers used to exploit the rest of the galaxy.
Kurt had promised he wouldn’t harm the civilian population, but those responsible for the attack on the embassy would pay for what they did. Even if Kurt had to invade the environmental dome that protected the heart of the capital city, he intended to bring to justice those responsible.
-
The hours passed by, and the fleet was ready to enter hyperspace. Kurt looked at the nearby tactical display, showing everything out to a range of thirty-two light-years. Numerous green icons were visible representing ships traveling to and from Newton, Earth, Julbian, Sertez, and Maldon; the latter three were the nearby humanoid systems, which had formed an alliance with Newton and Earth. All three shared a similar technological development, just a little bit behind Earth. Since Newton now had Glaymon technology available for its use, the other worlds would be allowed a limited amount of Protector World technology, particularly for their shipyards and warships.
Kurt was well aware the Vorn were still out there and an ever-present danger—even though Vorn activity across the galaxy had diminished substantially since the battle at Lakiam. Only a few attacks on smaller worlds were still being reported. Kurt greatly feared the Vorn were only preparing themselves for something more.
“Ready to enter hyperspace,” reported Captain Randson. “All systems working at optimum levels.”
Studying the screens, Kurt could see the other ships of his fleet. Twenty heavy battlecruisers plus the Marine assault ship. This fleet was very powerful, armed with weapons and energy shields developed by the Glaymons. “Set a course for the Gothan Empire and take us into hyperspace.”
-
A few moments later the Star Cross accelerated forward and made the jump into hyperspace. The other ships of the fleet did as well, taking up defensive positions around the flagship and the Marine assault vessel. It was time to pay the Gothan Empire and Kubitz a visit. This time Fleet Admiral Vickers and his fleet would make demands of the empire, ones they had better agree to or they would feel the wrath of Vickers’s fleet. The Gothan Empire was about to learn they were no longer the major power in this region of the galaxy.
Chapter Three
Kurt gazed at his ship’s main viewscreen. The star cluster containing the Gothan Empire was directly ahead—some 5,500 light-years from Earth and Newton. The empire was a loose Federation of 118 star systems, many of its planets heavily fortified with defensive grids and powerful fleets. The stronger worlds routinely sent out raiding fleets to attack convoys of weaker planetary systems throughout the galaxy and also plundered many of the civilized races for profit and slaves. However, since the advent of the Vorn, the frequency of Gothan pirating raids had dropped precipitously.
“I was hoping to not return to this place for a long time,” muttered Andrew from where he stood next to Kurt. “Kubitz is the worst hellhole of depravity in the galaxy.”
“I am not so sure of that,” said Aleea, turning to face Kurt and Andrew. “From the data I have access to, other worlds are even worse in some of the smaller more barbaric empires. That is one of the reasons most of the Protector Worlds and Enlightened Worlds have nothing to do with them.”
“Perhaps,” replied Kurt. “The problem with Kubitz is that the entire Gothan Empire is behind it.”
Kubitz was a world where anything could be bought and sold for the right price. It held the major slave markets for the empire as well as black markets for nearly anything one could imagine. The world was protected by a massive orbital defensive system with a powerful fleet of battlecruisers and battleships. No attacks against competitors were allowed once a ship contacted the Controller Station and declared thei
r intent to trade at the planet. Any ship that violated the rule against attacking another vessel would be immediately destroyed by Kubitz’s powerful defenses. A minimal fee was paid to the Controllers by every ship that came to trade—a highly profitable system as hundreds of ships came and left Kubitz daily.
“Shall we make several jumps to Kubitz, or do we want to jump directly into the system?” asked Lieutenant Styles from the Helm.
“Straight in,” Kurt ordered. “Put us one hundred thousand kilometers from the Controller Station.” Normally, due to the star density in the cluster, it took several jumps to reach Kubitz. However, with the new navigation system and computers the Glaymons had furnished the Star Cross with, it was now possible to do it in one. “Activate our sensor-dampening field. I don’t want anyone in the empire knowing we’re coming to Kubitz.” Kurt was determined to make this visit a complete surprise. Though, since the attack on the embassy, he strongly suspected someone on Kubitz was waiting to see what his response would be. They were about to find out.
“Our appearance will be a shock to them,” Andrew said with a wolfish grin. “It’s about time we collected some payback.”
Kurt nodded. The Controllers and the Kubitz government were about to learn of a new power in this corner of the galaxy, and it was not the Gothan Empire.
“Setting up the jump,” reported Lieutenant Styles.
“Jump coordinates confirmed,” added Aleea. The AI was capable of checking every system on the ship instantaneously.
“Initiate the jump,” ordered Kurt. It was time to pay Kubitz a special visit.
Moments later Kurt felt the familiar wrenching sensation as the battleship made the transition into hyperspace. The rest of the fleet followed and took up their standard escort positions.
-
The Star Cross, the Tarawa, and their escort of twenty heavy battlecruisers emerged from hyperspace 102,000 kilometers from the massive Controller Station just outside the orbit of the sixth planet in the Kubitz System. As soon as they exited, all ships raised their energy shields and powered up their weapons. After all, this would not be a friendly visit.