Walking across the blastcrete, Ryan felt a little ill at what they’d done. He knew they had killed the fourteen Kleese in the two buildings as well as the conscripts. Conscripts who had no choice but to obey the Kleese or face death by having their obedience collars detonated. In a way they were innocents and Ryan felt sad for them. He well understood their situation as he and a number of his Marines had been forced to serve as Kleese conscripts in the past. However, this was war and sometimes hard decisions had to be made.
“We’ve detected no active popups,” Casey said over the command channel. “I believe they were probably all destroyed by the railgun rounds.”
Ryan reached the two platoons. Sergeant McElroy had the hover tanks in front of the two destroyed structures with their heavy energy cannons on standby. His Marines in their towering Type Three suits were positioned defensively around the tanks while Casey and her Marines checked the burning and smoking rubble.
“There are no survivors,” Casey confirmed after a few minutes of searching. “There’s a pair of craters ten meters deep where the buildings once were.”
“Okay, I want a defensive perimeter set up around the control tower while we wait for the shuttle carrying the Kiveans from the Constellation.” Ryan let out a deep breath. This battle was over, and while they had suffered a few casualties, it had been a good learning experience for the Marines who had little prior combat experience. Some of the coming battles in the future would in all likelihood be much more difficult.
-
The shuttle from the Constellation came down and landed next to the control tower. Captain Morris had brought over the two Airadians who were wearing the obedience collars. Two Kiveans emerged from the shuttle, and after scanning the collars with their instruments sent out a coded frequency that unlocked the explosive devices. The two Airadians looked stunned as the collars fell from their necks to fall to the blastcrete.
“You’re free,” Ryan said in the Airadians’ language. There was a small device implanted in Ryan’s head that allowed him to speak almost any language. The device had been implanted there by the Kleese years back when he had been their captive. Now it was standard procedure for all the Marines so they could communicate with other races, particularly their allies.
The two Airadians looked at each other uncertain of what to say or do. Then they looked toward Ryan as if waiting for instructions.
“We will free all of your people from the collars,” Ryan announced. “However, we’re leaving to go on to free other nonaligned worlds from the Kleese. What you do with your new found freedom is up to you.”
“Thank you,” one of the Airadians stammered. “You are the Humans we have heard the Kleese speak of?”
“Yes,” Ryan answered. “Someday soon we’ll be fighting the Kleese to free all of the nonaligned worlds of their empire.”
The Airadians nodded. “When the Kleese return, they won’t find our world so easy to hold again. We must go and communicate your words to our leaders.”
Ryan nodded. This was the first step in what was hoped would eventually result in the freedom of all the former nonaligned worlds. If things went as planned, the Kleese and the Zaltule would soon find their empire slipping away from them.
-
On board the Constellation, Admiral Adamson watched as the drop ships and the shuttles returned. No other Kleese vessels had appeared and none were showing on the long-range sensors.
“We have the broadcast code for the Kleese obedience collars on Airad,” Commander Shepherd reported. She was standing next to Lieutenant Emma Travers at Communications.
Adamson nodded. “Began broadcasting. We’ll make two orbits of the planet to ensure the broadcast reaches all of the collars.” They had originally planed on staying for several days in order to elicit a response from the Kleese, but with all of the Kleese on the planet dead, there was no reason to prolong their stay.
The first world had been freed with minimal losses. Adamson hoped the Callisto and her task force had been equally as successful. Shortly the word would be spreading across the Kleese Empire that the Humans were back and attacking Kleese controlled worlds. It should bring an immediate response from the Zaltule. However, the Kleese Empire was nearly eighteen thousand light-years across and finding Adamson’s fleet would be like hunting for a needle in a haystack. Adamson just hoped that when this was over, he could return to the Alliance and the Solar System with his fleet. The Zaltule would, in all likelihood, be doing everything in their power to prevent that from happening. Adamson had a cold feeling that many of his people would never see home again.
Chapter Eight
Supreme Military Overlord Harmock gazed in anger at Dalock, the Warrior’s Fire’s communications officer. His multifaceted eyes glowed red as the rage grew. “The Humans have attacked where?”
“Airad,” Dalock replied in a measured voice, not wanting to anger Harmock any further. “They destroyed the four assault ships in orbit then landed on the planet and wiped out our conscript forces guarding the planet’s main spaceport. They also reportedly called down kinetic energy weapon strikes from orbit and obliterated the two administrative buildings that housed fourteen Kleese. None survived.”
“How large of a fleet?” Harmock was concerned that this might be the beginning of a major attack on Kleese space. These Humans were too unpredictable and still showing that they were extremely dangerous.
“Only nine vessels,” Dalock answered. Then with hesitation, he continued. “There is also an unconfirmed report the planet Haycen was similarly attacked.”
Minor Overlord Gareth turned his triangular shaped head toward Harmock. “Both former nonaligned worlds.”
Harmock stamped his six feet upon the Command Pedestal, making clicking noises against the metal of the deck. He brought his anger under control, knowing it served no purpose other than to result in poor strategic decisions. He was a Zaltule and muddled thinking wasn’t allowed. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes,” answered Dalock, relieved to see Harmock’s anger was fading. “The Humans disabled all of the collars of obedience on the planet.”
Harmock spent a moment thinking about his options. It was unthinkable that any nonaligned world in Kleese space be allowed to remain free of influence from the supreme race. “Send word to the trading station to send two of their exploration ships to Airad and to Haycen. They’re to take as many conscripts as necessary to reassert control over those two worlds and to place collars of obedience around the necks of those worlds’ leaders.”
“What of the Human fleet?” asked Gareth. “It could be dangerous to allow them to run amuck in the empire. They could cause a lot of damage; look at what they did in our home system.”
“We must destroy it,” replied Harmock coldly. “Instruct all the trading stations between us and the core worlds to send out their assault ships to locate the Humans. Once we know their true strength, then we’ll decide how to deal with the Human fleet.”
It angered Harmock at how brazen these Humans could be. Not only had they attacked the Kleese home system inflicting significant damage, but they had also removed a large number of Deltons from the Delton home world as well. Harmock was determined that when the war with the Alliance and the Humans was over, there would not be a single living Human in Kleese space. He would wage genocide against this upstart race that dared to challenge the Kleese and drive them to extinction.
Turning his attention back to the main viewscreen, Harmock gazed at the sea of unblinking stars. The fleet had been preparing to hit the last nonaligned world that stood between it and the Human led Alliance. He had brought three thousand Zaltule warships with him. There was a very good chance the Humans might come to the aid of this nonaligned world, and if they did, he intended to crush them. Now he was concerned the Humans might once more be moving toward the Kleese core worlds. If that was so, the decisive battle he was counting on might not happen. He would delay his planned attack until he heard back from the trading st
ations to see if the invading Human fleet had been detected. If it was a small fleet, then several exploration vessels and a fleet of assault ships should be able to deal with them. If it was a large fleet, then he might have to pull his own fleet back to seek out and destroy the Humans. Once more these unpredictable Humans had demonstrated they were capable of very ingenious strategy.
-
Above the Strell home world, Supreme Overlord Xatul stood upon the Command Pedestal in his flagship, the Empire’s Dawn. Very soon, he would be returning to the Kleese core systems to reclaim his rightful leadership over the Kleese Council of Overlords. Military Overlord Harmock would never expect him to return to the empire leading a combined fleet of Kleese and Strell warships. Looking at one of the viewscreens in the front of the Command Center, he could see several Strell battlecruisers in orbit above his flagship. The ships were a dark gray nearly two kilometers long and one thousand meters in diameter. Their hulls were covered with small hatches hiding sublight missile tubes and numerous weapon turrets. As with the Kleese, their primary weapons were powerful energy beams.
Beyond the two nearby Strell battlecruisers, entire fleets of the two-kilometer-long vessels were visible, all waiting for Supreme Overlord Xatul to give the order to proceed to Kleese controlled space. The Strell were a cold and nearly emotionless race, except for their Queens. They were able fighters, and their ships were almost equal to the Zaltule in power.
“We’re nearly ready,” Overlord Syndat said from Xatul’s side. “The last of the ships will shortly be out of the construction bays, and even as we speak more conscripts are being brought from Strell controlled worlds to serve.”
Xatul remained silent. He could well imagine the anger and betrayal Military Overlord Harmock would feel when the attack was launched. Not since the days of death on the home world in the Kleese remote past had clans fought clans. True, there were occasional duels to rise in leadership, but nothing like what Xatul was planning. If his attack worked, he would wipe out the Zaltule to ensure they could never threaten the Kleese race again. It would be as it was in the old days when the nests of opposing Kleese Queens were found and destroyed to ensure the defeated clans could not procreate and ever become a threat again. He would search for and find every Zaltule Queen and eliminate her. Without Queens, the Zaltule would die out and soon would only be a memory.
-
In the Kleese home system, Minor Zaltule Overlord Kaluse looked over the latest readiness reports of the Zaltule fleet. Since the unprecedented attack of the Humans upon the home system, much work had been done. The shipyard they had destroyed had been rebuilt at the expense of thousands of conscripts. The other shipyard that had been heavily damaged was fully repaired, and now both were operational turning out new Zaltule battlecruisers on a regular basis. Kaluse had also been given the responsibility to ensure the home system as well as the core worlds were adequately defended.
He was still sending out exploration vessels, Zaltule battlecruisers, and assault ships searching for former Supreme Overlord Xatul and those members of the former Kleese Council of Overlords who were missing. Kaluse suspected Xatul and the others had fled Kleese space and gone to some unexplored region of the galaxy. He doubted if the former Supreme Overlord would ever be heard from again. However, Military Overlord Harmock wanted to confirm that the missing Kleese Overlords and their ships were no longer within the empire.
Unlike Harmock, who despised using conscripts, Kaluse had no problem with using the inferior races to achieve his goals. In the past year alone over one million had been brought in to work on construction projects in the three Kleese core systems as well as to serve on the assault ships. Unfortunately, the conscripts’ bodies were so weak that many had died in the harsh working conditions of the construction projects. This had been of little concern to Kaluse as there were billions more available if needed.
“The latest ship construction reports indicate we are ahead of schedule,” reported Genedt, who was in charge of the shipyards. “We have reached our goal of ten thousand updated Zaltule battlecruisers.”
“All have the newest weapons and energy shields,” added Overlord Darthu, who served as Harmock’s science advisor.
Kaluse nodded, his cold, calculating eyes staring at the viewscreens. They were in the huge command center of the primary Zaltule shipyard in the home system. Around the shipyard hundreds of Zaltule battlecruisers, assault ships, and even a few exploration vessels orbited.
“Have any of our search vessels found where Xatul and his treacherous brethren have fled?” Kaluse had to send a weekly report to Harmock detailing the results of the search. He knew the Military Overlord was becoming angry at the lack of results.
“No,” answered Minor Overlord Drusiid. “There are millions of stars to search and they could be hiding at any of them. We currently have two hundred and twenty Zaltule battlecruisers, forty-two exploration cruisers, and over two thousand assault ships conducting the search. It may take time, but we’ll find them.”
“Could they have left the empire completely?” asked Genedt. He found it difficult to believe that there had been no signs of the former Supreme Overlord.
“I doubt it,” Drusiid answered, his triangular shaped head gazing across the Command Center. It was operated by numerous Zaltule as well as several hundred conscripts. “I suspect our former Supreme Overlord is seeking a way to return and attempt to retake his former position.”
“How?” asked Genedt. “He doesn’t have the ships to be a threat.”
“He has over four hundred exploration vessels as well as the resources of two of our trading stations,” Kaluse responded harshly. “Those two stations are capable of producing hundreds of assault vessels in a very short time period.” The likelihood of Xatul contemplating a return was slight, but it was something Kaluse had to take into consideration.
“But he would need conscripts to operate them,” said Genedt. “There have been no reports of unauthorized seizures of conscripts on any of the worlds we control.”
“A mystery,” replied Kaluse, not pleased that he would once more have to send Harmock a report indicating there still was no sign of Xatul. “We must continue the search. If necessary, we may be forced to assign more ships. It’s also quite likely that he has left the empire.”
“We have sufficient assault vessels,” said Drusiid. “We could assign another thousand to aid in the search. I believe he and the others are close by. I disagree that they’ve fled the empire.”
“Do it,” ordered Kaluse. “Xatul must be found if he is still within Kleese space.”
-
On the Kleese home world, the remnants of the Council of Overlords was holding a meeting. A new Council Hall had been constructed as the old one had been destroyed in the Human attack along with a major portion of the capital city. Reconstruction of the city was still ongoing, and the latest estimates indicated it would take another year to restore the capital city to its former glory. Several hundred thousand conscripts had been brought in to aid in the construction.
Council Overlord Raluth was standing at the front of the large stone table. Only four other Council Overlords were present as the rest had either been killed in the Human attack or fled with former Supreme Overlord Xatul. Military Overlord Harmock had already indicated he no longer considered the Council of Overlords the legitimate rulers of the empire.
“The Zaltule continue to build their warfleets,” Raluth said, gazing at the others with his multifaceted eyes. “Each day they make more demands of the other Kleese clans for labor as well as resources.”
“They treat us as inferiors,” grated Overlord Martule in a cold and harsh voice. “They expect us to obey their every command.”
“What else can we do?” asked Overlord Caselt, who was in charge of exploration ship construction. “We haven’t produced a new exploration ship in two years as all of our resources are going toward maintaining the Zaltule fleet. The Zaltule don’t recognize the authority of this council a
ny longer.”
Raluth nodded and placed his hands with their long seven-digit members palm down on the hard surface of the table. “They have allowed adequate defenses to be placed around our core worlds. There are also Zaltule battlecruisers in orbit to protect our worlds from future Human attack. While they may not recognize our authority, they are doing what is necessary to protect our worlds.”
“To protect us or to make sure we obey them?” Martule commented in a cold tone. “Every day more Zaltule are being born in their new nests. Tens of thousands are being prematurely matured to join the ranks of their warriors.”
“Our clans are growing more concerned as the Zaltule seem to be taking over the empire,” added Raluth, his multifaceted eyes gazing sharply at the others. “Even our remaining trading stations now have large Zaltule contingents on board.”
“My clan has heard rumors that the Zaltule have established twenty-six nests for their Queens,” Caselt informed the others. “Twenty of these nests are for their new Queens.”
“The new nests shouldn’t have been founded,” rumbled Raluth, his tone of voice indicating his outrage. “New nests can only be founded with the approval of the council.”
“The Zaltule don’t recognize the authority of this council any longer,” rumbled Martule. “They consider us weak and blame us for the problems they’re experiencing with the Humans and the nonaligned worlds.”
“We should have gone with Supreme Overlord Xatul when we had he chance,” stated Caselt. “This Human led Alliance has grown to be an actual threat to the empire. Once Military Overlord Harmock has dealt with them, he will attempt to increase his control over all of Kleese controlled space, including us.”
“You speak treason,” warned Martule, glaring at Caselt. “If your words reach the Zaltule, you may find them coming for you.”
Caselt nodded. He knew he had misspoken. “I was only speaking out of frustration for the lack of power the council now holds.”
Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 5) Page 11