Lauren blushed slightly and looked down at her food.
“I’m supposed to meet with Colonel Winfrey tomorrow, maybe then we’ll know when we’re shipping out.”
“Do you think we’ll get some leave time before we go?” asked Juan. He really wanted them all to go back to Luna City and go astro gliding one more time.
“Maybe,” answered Ryan. He knew that Wade was due back in a few days from his trip to Lanolth. The Kleese were once more on the move taking over the rest of the nonaligned worlds. It was time for the Human race to lead the Alliance against the Kleese, and particularly the Zaltule. Ryan wondered just what role he and his Marines would play. He looked over at Casey, who was laughing and talking to Lauren. It had been great to spend so much time together since their return from Delton. Now that time was ending and it was time to go back to war.
Chapter Three
Colonel Wade Nelson entered General Alan Mitchell’s office expecting to find only the general waiting for him. With surprise, he saw Fleet Admiral Kelly, newly promoted Alliance Fleet Admiral Rivers, General Pittman, Admiral Adamson of the heavy battlecruiser Constellation, and Colonel Winfrey.
“Have a seat, Wade,” General Mitchell said, gesturing toward an empty chair. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Wade sat down and looked expectantly at the commanding general.
“We’ve all read the report that you and Hyram wrote about the current status of the Alliance as well as their assessment of the Kleese intentions,” Mitchell began. “Everyone is in agreement that the Kleese will attack either the Alliance or us as soon as the last nonaligned world falls.”
“That was our assessment as well,” answered Wade. “Even Alliance President Raytol is in agreement.”
Every since his return from the Delton rescue mission, General Mitchell had been sending Wade all across the Alliance in an attempt to drum up support for additional ship construction and military support. For the most part, that mission had succeeded. The Alliance fleet was now far larger and possessed highly advanced weapons. In addition, every Alliance world was protected by a defensive grid as well as powerful surface based ion cannons. The Alliance wouldn’t be an easy nut to crack for the Kleese.
“There are two more nonaligned worlds remaining in Sector Twelve,” Wade said, his eyes narrowing sharply. “Hyram went to both as well as an ambassador from Lanolth, and they failed to convince those two worlds of the danger they’re in. Both possess large fleets as well as orbital defenses. They don’t want to become involved in a war that might have significant impacts on their beliefs and way of life. They even refused to accept ion cannons to defend their worlds with. They believe the size of their fleets will cause the Kleese to uphold the neutrality agreements they signed centuries ago.”
“A sad mistake on their part,” said Fleet Admiral Thomas Kelly. Kelly had once commanded a frigate in the Royal Navy prior to the Kleese attack, which had devastated Earth. “Neither will survive for more than another few months and the Kleese will then turn their attention toward the Alliance and us.”
“Do we have the fleet assets to stop them?” asked General Mitchell, his steely eyes focusing on Fleet Admiral Kelly.
“Most of the Alliance worlds have built their fleets up considerably, particularly the Lanolthians since we sent them the second trading station we seized from the Kleese,” answered Kelly. “Our own ship production has been greatly intensified as well. The problem is going to be training. With all the new ships the Alliance now has, the crews are going to be very green. Hell, our own crews are inexperienced. If not for the cloning program on Vesta, we wouldn’t be able to come close to having the necessary crews to operate our new vessels. As it is, we’re taking trained crews off many of our assault ships and replacing them with much smaller inexperienced crews to cover our personal shortages on our new heavy battlecruisers.”
General Mitchell nodded and turned his attention to Alliance Fleet Admiral Rivers. “How soon will you be setting out for Alliance Space?”
“Fourth Fleet is in the process of loading supplies and munitions now,” Rivers responded. “I intend on going to Lanolth and meeting with President Raytol; from there I’ll go to Nalton and several other key Alliance worlds. I want to build Fourth Fleet up to sufficient power to enable it to handle any Kleese provocation by itself. We’ll have six smaller fleets assigned to fight holding actions until Fourth Fleet can react. They’ll be positioned where they can rapidly respond to any Kleese intrusion. In addition, we’ll have scout ships out watching for any signs of Kleese warships approaching the Alliance.”
“I wish you luck,” General Mitchell commented. “Admiral Kelly, what type of fleet units can we provide the Alliance to assist in its defense?”
Admiral Kelly cleared his throat and pressed an icon on the handheld computer pad in his left hand. “We currently have nine fleets. Fleet Admiral Rivers will be taking Fourth Fleet and we can spare two others without greatly compromising our own security. We’re better off fighting the Kleese in and around Alliance space than here at home. Keep in mind a major portion of Seventh Fleet will be going with Admiral Adamson on his mission into Kleese space.”
“With the two additional fleets, I can station them in the areas where we feel the Kleese will most likely attack,” commented Rivers as he thought over the strategy he would use to hold back the Kleese. “Somehow or another we need to find the Kleese main fleet and lure it into battle. If we can destroy their fleet, the war for all practical purposes will be over.”
The room was silent for a long moment as everyone mulled over Alliance Fleet Admiral River’s words. It was difficult to imagine a galaxy where the Kleese were not a major threat.
“There may be another wild card in all of this,” Wade said, leaning slightly forward.
“What’s that?” asked General Mitchell, turning his attention to Wade.
“The Kleese we’re having problems with now are their warrior caste, the Zaltule. From what we learned on our Delton rescue mission, the Kleese Empire has fractured. Supreme Overlord Xatul and several other powerful members of the Kleese Council of Overlords have fled the empire with a major portion of the exploration fleet. Military Overlord Harmock has taken over as the Supreme Overlord and is currently searching for Xatul.”
“Where did this information come from?” asked General Pittman, who had been sitting quietly and listening to what was being discussed.
“From our Delton rescue mission,” Wade answered. “Several Deltons heard the Kleese talking about a division in their ranks. We only recently confirmed it from several nonaligned worlds trading ships that managed to reach the Alliance after their worlds had been conquered. Minor Overlord Betel, when asked about it, also indicated it was true. I believe it’s also one of the reasons he surrendered.” Betel was the Kleese who had surrendered when his trading station had been seized by Wade and his Marines.
“What does that mean for us?” asked General Mitchell.
“Unknown,” Wade responded. “There has been no known fighting between the two groups, and the Zaltule are coming to believe Xatul left the empire to travel to another section of the galaxy to create his own Kleese Empire free of the influence of the warrior clan. I’ve spoken to Minor Overlord Betel about this several times but he refuses to speak of the Zaltule. I believe we’ve learned all we’re going to from him.” Betel was being kept on Centerpoint Station in a heavily guarded cell.
“So even if we manage to defeat the Zaltule, this former Supreme Overlord is out there somewhere and we may have to deal with him sometime in the future,” commented General Pittman.
“It may mean the Kleese are now weaker than we thought,” General Mitchell said, his forehead creasing in a thoughtful frown. He turned his attention toward Colonel Winfrey. “Is your mission ready to launch?”
“The training’s done,” Dylan said. “We can leave whenever you give the order.”
“Admiral Adamson, are your ships ready?”
“We
are,” Adamson replied. “We can leave tomorrow.”
“I thought the new assault cruisers would be acting on their own?” queried Dylan, feeling slightly confused. They had discussed assigning each cruiser a series of targets, each one deeper into Kleese space.
“They will be,” answered Fleet Admiral Kelly. “However, we want to send sufficient fleet assets along so if one of the assault cruisers gets into trouble we can prevent the Kleese from taking our Marines captive as they did to Colonel Stratford’s people.”
“We’re still discussing the exact size of the fleet,” Admiral Adamson added. “We’ll have the final fleet makeup finalized tomorrow.”
Dylan nodded his head in agreement. They had lost a lot of good people on that mission to Diadem. “Have you chosen our targets yet?”
“Yes,” Fleet Admiral Kelly answered. “You’re going on quite a trip; almost to the heart of the Kleese Empire. We need to force them to hold off their attack upon the Alliance for several more months to give us time to train and make our final preparations. We want them confused as to the exact size of the fleet we have operating in their space. That’s another reason for adding so many warships.”
“So when do we depart?” asked Dylan. “I would like to give my Marines a few days leave before we go. Some of them probably won’t be returning home.”
General Mitchell looked down at his desk and sighed. He hated sending people on missions like this. “The mission leaves in five days. I think we can probably squeeze in forty-eight hours of leave time in that period.”
Wade felt a chill run down his back. He knew Ryan’s Marines would be in the thick of the fighting. How was he going to tell his parents that Ryan was going off into danger once again? They had nearly panicked the previous year when Ryan and his Marines had been abducted by the Kleese. He would also have to tell Beth; perhaps she could help him tell his parents. He doubted that Ryan, with a forty-eight-hour leave, would be able to get out to Vesta. He was glad Beth had resigned her commission and was now just a stay at home mom. It was one less thing he had to worry about.
-
Ryan and his friends were once more in Luna City. They were at the large park astro gliding and feeling exhilarated at the sensation of being so high up in the air with nothing more than a pair of wings to support them. The park had a large cliff where one could be equipped with artificial wings and leap off into the open air. The area was kept at Luna normal gravity to allow one to experience what it felt like to fly. It was much better than the feeling of flying one felt in one of the Type Four battlesuits.
Looking down below him, Ryan saw Lieutenant Guthrie floating on an artificial thermal as she experimented with the beginner set of wings she was wearing. Ryan was wearing an intermediate set, which allowed for more maneuverability. Without surprise, he saw Juan come swooping by as he did a complete loop in his pro set of wings, showing off to the rest of the group. Ryan knew Juan had spent years learning all the acrobatic maneuvers. Ryan was determined that eventually he would graduate up to the point where he could wear the more advanced wings also. Some of the maneuvers Juan was doing looked highly fun and exciting.
-
Casey and Lauren were flying close together, enjoying the freedom that flying gave them. “I love this!” yelled Casey as she caught a thermal and began rising higher up into the air.
“I’m glad we came,” Lauren replied as she followed Casey. If one caught the right thermal, a person could stay up in the air almost indefinitely.
Casey noticed that both she and Lauren were several hundred feet above Ryan. Mary, Cameron, Jasmine, and Cassie were already on the ground and sitting at a picnic table watching everyone else. This leave had been much different from the one several years back. At that time, there had still been a lot of distrust and concern about the growing clone population. Now thanks to a massive ad campaign from Cheryl Robinson’s office much of that had changed.
People were now becoming more accepting of clones, and the demonstrations had almost vanished entirely. There were still occasional signs that showed up on street corners and threats painted on building walls, but they were growing fewer and fewer. It also helped that former President Mason Randle was in charge of the cloning facility on Vesta, and he was still extremely popular with the Humans in the system. It was general knowledge that Mason had single-handedly saved the Human race from extinction after the Kleese launched the planet killer at Earth.
“Where do you want to go eat?” Lauren yelled as she began descending in a gentle curve. “I’m starving!”
“Italian!” Casey yelled back as she turned and began following Lauren down. “There’s a new Italian restaurant on the main square that’s supposed to be really good.”
“Italian it is then!” Lauren called back. “See you on the ground!”
Casey nodded. They had one more night in Luna City and then they had to return to Freedom Station. It would be the last night she and Ryan would spend together as lovers for quite sometime. They had both agreed that while on the mission they would sleep apart to set an example for the other Marines. It would also help with discipline and maintaining good morale in the ranks. While it wouldn’t be a problem with their platoon or Autumn’s if they bunked together, it might be for the other Marines and fleet personnel that would be on the ship with them and who were not familiar with Ryan and Casey.
If this was going to be the last night she could spend with Ryan in the foreseeable future, she was going to make the most of it. She had already gone shopping with Lauren at a lingerie shop in downtown Luna City. Lauren had helped her pick out the appropriate clothing items for tonight. She strongly suspected Ryan would approve of what Lauren had encouraged her to buy.
-
On Freedom Station, Colonel Winfrey and Admiral Adamson were standing in one of the station’s numerous flight bays gazing at a new assault cruiser. The assault cruisers had been designed to be much more powerful than the assault ships that had been used in the past. They were larger, faster, and better armed to give the Marines a maximum chance of survival.
“How many assault cruisers are going on this mission?” asked Dylan as he watched several cargo handlers moving supplies into the 350-meter long ship through a large open hatch. Dylan knew the ship was 70 meters high and had a width of 200 meters. It could hold one hundred twenty Marines and their equipment as well as its normal crew of one hundred.
“Ten,” answered Admiral Adamson. “We’ll also be taking the troop assault ship Defender, which will serve as your flagship for the operation. The Defender will only be called upon if there’s a situation the assault cruisers can’t handle.”
Dylan nodded. He had known about the possibility that the Defender was going to be included in the fleet. As a matter of fact, he had suggested it weeks earlier during the initial planning stages for this mission. “What about your fleet? How many warships will be going along?”
Adamson folded his arms across his chest as he watched several squads of Marines enter the bay carrying heavy weapons to place in the assault cruiser. “The Constellation and the Castillo will be the two heavy battlecruisers going. There will also be six regular battlecruisers and fifteen light cruisers. That should give us sufficient firepower to handle almost anything we come across unless we run into a major Kleese fleet.”
“The Constellation is a new ship, isn’t she?” asked Dylan. He knew the admiral used to command a regular battlecruiser with the same name.
“Yes, it only recently completed its space trials,” Adamson replied with a pleased smile. “We’ve replaced all of the battlecruisers that once served as fleet flagships with the more powerful heavy battlecruisers. They really proved their worth in the attack upon the Kleese home system.”
Dylan stood looking at the assault cruiser. It had an almost unlimited range and was capable of attacking targets on the surface of a planet. The ship was equipped with two particle beam cannons, eight pulse fusion cannons and twenty dual energy turrets for defense. In
addition, there were six KEW batteries, which could be used to take out targets upon the surface of a planet. The ship was also equipped with eight missile tubes that could handle the new multi-warhead sublight missiles with twenty-megaton warheads. Dylan let out a deep sigh. They were getting ready to go poke a finger in the multifaceted eyes of the Kleese. He just wondered what type of reaction they would get.
-
Ryan took a cautious bite of the lasagna in front of him. They were inside a stylish Italian restaurant sitting at a long table that easily accommodated all of them. Looking around the dining room, Ryan noticed what appeared to be several other clones eating meals. Clones were, for the most part, easy to spot. Their skin was unblemished and had a healthy pink tone. They also acted a little uncertain in the company of Humans. Of course the clones Ryan was associated with had been exposed to enough harsh environments they were difficult to distinguish from a Human.
“Pizza!” uttered Lauren in disgust, glaring at Alexander. “How can you come to a nice restaurant like this and order pizza?”
“I like pizza,” Alexander said defensively as he picked up a slice and took a bite. “I can’t even pronounce what you ordered.”
“Fettuccine Alfredo,” Lauren said, speaking the words slowly.
“Whatever,” Alexander replied dismissively. “I’ll stay with my sausage pizza.”
“What did you order?” Lauren asked Casey, looking curiously at her plate.
“Pasta Primavera,” Casey answered. “It’s vegetables with a really tasty sauce. I’ve had it before and it tastes wonderful.”
Juan shook his head at the two girls. “I’m with Alexander. Pizza for me.”
Casey looked next to her at Ryan. “What did you order?”
“Spaghetti and meatballs,” he said with a grin as a waiter came over to the table and set a large steaming plate of spaghetti in front of him. “I haven’t had any since we were home and Mom cooked some.” There was a small plate of garlic bread in front of Ryan, and he reached out and picked up a slice.
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 5) Page 4