Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 5)
Page 14
“Ten thousand of the new battlecruisers have been created in the Zaltule shipyards in the home system,” commented Klantos in understanding, nodding his triangular shaped head. “We also have nearly five thousand of our older battlecruisers.”
“Yes,” Tetus said in agreement. “Military Overlord Harmock left me in charge of our older fleet and protecting the core worlds from future attacks by the Humans and their allies. We will be taking fifteen hundred of those ships to seek out and destroy this Human fleet; the others will be left behind to protect our worlds.”
“When will the rest of the new battlecruisers still in the home system set out to rendezvous with our Supreme Military Overlord?”
“In the next few days they will be leaving,” Tetus replied. “Minor Overlord Kaluse has indicated construction is finished and the ships are ready for combat.”
“Then very shortly the Human led Alliance will fall and the Humans themselves will be exterminated.”
War Overlord Tetus nodded and turned his multifaceted eyes toward Klantos. “Once we have our victory over the Alliance and the Humans, we will begin to expand outward across the galaxy.”
Leaning forward, he changed the view on one of the viewscreens. A huge shipyard appeared, measuring hundreds of kilometers across. Inside a large open bay, a massive vessel was in the final stages of being completed. It was a new Kleese trading station; however, this one was much different from those constructed in the past. It was heavily armed and had fewer of the habitation domes on its surface. Even the assault ships that would deploy from its numerous flight bays were different. They had been upgraded and were now larger and much more heavily armed. While the Humans had shown themselves to be capable warriors, they had also demonstrated to the Zaltule weaknesses that needed to be corrected in the stations. The new trading station would have a large contingent of Zaltule warriors to protect it from possible boarders. No longer would it be possible for the Humans or anyone else to attempt to seize one of the stations. If they did make the attempt, swift death would await them.
“When the war with the Humans and their Alliance is over, that station will be moved outside of Kleese space and we will begin the expansion of our empire. In time, the entire galaxy will come to acknowledge our superiority and our rightful place as supreme rulers of all other species.”
Klantos stomped his six feet against the deck in approval. “We are the superior race.”
Tetus nodded. “When we reach the area of space I have designated, we’ll divide our fleet up into fifteen subfleets. Each fleet will have one hundred vessels and should be able to deal with this marauding Human force.”
Tetus tuned his gaze back to the large viewscreen showing the trading station construction yard. Even from here, the bright flashes of welding arcs were visible. There were over sixty thousand conscripts being used in the construction. From the latest reports, over the last two years, forty thousand had lost their lives in construction accidents. While the accidents were unfortunate as it meant new conscripts had to be brought in and trained, it was inconsequential as the lives of conscripts were unimportant.
-
Supreme Military Overlord Harmock gazed expectantly at the tactical screen. His fleet would shortly be dropping out of Fold Space into the last nonaligned system, which wasn’t a part of the Human led Alliance. Once he had conquered that system, his next move would be against either the Alliance or the Humans themselves. If everything went as expected, it would most likely be against the Humans.
“We’re nearing drop out,” reported Minor Overlord Gareth. “Do you expect the Humans or the Alliance to be waiting for us?”
“No,” answered Harmock. “The very fact that they sent a fleet into our space to attack former nonaligned worlds signifies they’re weak and not ready to come to the aid of other worlds.”
“So you believe this reported Human fleet attacking the empire is but a ruse?”
“Yes, a very clever one. If I were to respond to it by pulling our fleet back, it would delay the attack upon the Humans and their Alliance by months. That is what I believe they’re wanting, and I refuse to give them that extra time.”
Gareth nodded in understanding. “That’s why you have ordered War Overlord Tetus to search for and destroy this Human fleet.”
“Yes,” Harmock responded. “I don’t believe the Humans know our full fleet strength. Once we have conquered this last nonaligned system, they will shortly learn the error of their ways.”
“It will take time for the remainder of our fleet to reach us,” commented Minor Overlord Gareth.
Harmock felt the Warrior’s Fire drop out of Fold Space. Instantly on the main wall of the Command Center, numerous viewscreens began flashing to life.
“Alishian warships detected,” reported Jalridd from sensors.
Harmock shifted his gaze to the tactical screen. He had brought the fleet out of Fold Space two million kilometers from Alish. “Are there any Human or Alliance ships showing on the sensors?”
“No, just the Alishian fleet of sixty battlecruisers. They’re holding their position between Alish and us. They’re twenty thousand kilometers above the planet.”
“Take us in,” ordered Harmock.
He was anxious to subdue this system so he could turn his attention on his real adversary. While he expected major resistance from the Alliance when he launched his attack against their worlds, it wouldn’t be until he attacked the Human home system that he expected a truly grand battle. In many ways, he savored the thought of going into battle against the Humans. Of all the species he had ever fought, only the Humans had gained his respect. They were a true warrior race like the Zaltule and were worthy opponents in combat. While there was no doubt in Harmock’s mind that he would eventually defeat the Humans, he also knew he might never encounter such adversaries again.
“We have communication with the Alishian fleet officer. He is offering to surrender his fleet if we agree to allow his crews to go down to the surface.”
Harmock remained silent as he gazed coldly at one of the viewscreens showing an Alishian battlecruiser. The ship was six hundred and forty meters in length and seemed to be built in six sections. The sections were circular and one hundred meters in diameter. Each section was connected to the next by a short cylindrical shaped tube. The front globe was slightly larger than the others.
“Message from the planet,” Dalock added. “Their planetary leader is offering a full and unconditional surrender.”
“This nonaligned world is not as advanced as many of the others,” Minor Overlord Gareth commented as he studied some data on a screen. “Even their ships are weaker than many we have faced in previous battles.”
“We shall use this world as an example to the Alliance,” Harmock said in a cold and merciless voice. “We will eliminate their fleet and then move on to the planet. When we’re finished here, word of what we have done will spread swiftly through the Alliance Systems, and they may very well change their minds about resisting the Zaltule and the Kleese Empire.”
-
High Admiral Toshan stared at his ship’s main tactical screen with growing concern. The Kleese had so far refused all attempts at communication. “Still nothing?” he asked, looking over toward Communications. The Alishians were a short, squat race as the gravity on their world was considerable. They had diminutive legs as well as arms. Their heads seemed to set directly on their torso.
“Nothing,” replied the communications officer. “They’re also not responding to our leader’s offer to surrender.”
“Should we power up our weapons and energy shields?” asked the second in command.
Admiral Toshan slowly shook his head. “There are over twelve hundred Kleese battlecruisers inbound toward us. We dare not show any threatening gestures. If we keep our shields down and our weapons offline, surely they will accept our offer to surrender.”
“Kleese are nearly within weapons range,” the sensor operator reported uneasily. “Their weap
ons are online and their missile hatches are open.”
“I recommend we raise our shields,” the second officer said in a concerned voice, his eyes focusing sharply on the admiral.
Admiral Toshan looked at his long time friend and second officer. “If we offer resistance, we surely will be destroyed. No, our only chance is to submit ourselves to the Kleese and hope they show us mercy.”
“Incoming weapons fire!” screamed the sensor operator in panic.
Before a look of alarm could cross the admiral’s face searing heat swept through the Command Center, vaporizing everything in its path.
-
“Alishian flagship destroyed,” confirmed Jalridd from sensors.
“Launching sublight antimatter missiles,” added Salten from his weapons console.
“They were fools to leave their shields down,” commented Gareth contemptuously. “They have demonstrated weakness and do not deserve to serve us.”
On the main viewscreens, massive flashes of light were erupting as twenty-megaton antimatter sublight missiles struck the defenseless Alishian warships. Ship after ship was being obliterated in massive flashes of released energy.
“Destroy them all,” ordered Harmock coldly, his voice deadly and without mercy. “I want every Alishian warship turned into space dust!”
-
In space, the devastation continued. Not a single Alishian warship managed to raise its shield or fire an energy beam at the attacking Zaltule battlecruisers. It was a slaughter and within forty seconds of firing the first antimatter missile, the Zaltule ruthlessly blew apart the last warship of the Alishians. Where the proud Alishian fleet had once orbited, now all that remained were wisps of glowing gas and drifting wreckage.
From the surface of the planet frantic pleas continued to fill the communication frequencies with offers to surrender. The Zaltule battlefleet went into orbit above the planet at four thousand kilometers. For an hour, the fleet orbited and then their missile tubes became active once more. Two thousand twenty-megaton antimatter missiles slammed into the planet annihilating over two billion inhabitants in a matter of a few seconds.
Across the planet cities were leveled and massive fires raged, consuming the ruins. Palls of smoke began rising up into the atmosphere, darkening the sun. The few panicked survivors fled into the countryside heading for the mountains and other isolated areas hoping they would be spared.
It didn’t take long for the planet’s atmosphere to become dark and foreboding as dust, ash, and smoke from the raging fires turned daylight into dusk and in some areas to actual darkness. Communications from the planet had ceased almost immediately after the first missile fell as no communication centers had survived the initial bombardment.
For another hour, the Zaltule warfleet continued to orbit the planet and then two thousand more antimatter missiles rained down upon the planet. Large areas of the surface turned molten and the ground shook from earthquakes and reawakened volcanoes. If there were any survivors on the surface, their remaining lifespans would be very short.
-
“It’s done,” Minor Overlord Gareth said without regret in his voice. “The Alishian civilization has been destroyed.”
“Send our ships out across the system,” Harmock ordered. “Track down every Alishian ship and destroy every base or facility they can find.”
-
For hours the Zaltule battlecruisers spread throughout the star system, seeking out any cargo ships or passenger liners that might be in hiding. Across the moons and asteroids, Zaltule ships cruised low scanning for any signs of Alishian life. Occasionally a battlecruiser would pause and the surface of a moon or asteroid would erupt with antimatter energy, leaving behind a deep and often molten crater.
Alishian ships were ruthlessly hunted down, and a few in desperation entered Fold Space to flee toward Alliance space. Most of the ships were undersupplied and had no chance of completing the journey. Other ships that lacked a Fold Space drive tried to hide in the outer regions of the system using just enough power to keep their life support systems functional. Unfortunately, this made the ships detectable to the Zaltule and after awhile even those vessels ceased to exist.
-
“It’s over,” Minor Overlord Gareth reported as Zaltule ships began reporting in. “All Alishian vessels and outposts have been destroyed.”
Harmock stood still upon the Command Pedestal. “What about those that managed to jump into Fold Space?”
“Most will not make it to Alliance space,” Gareth answered. “Those that do will spread word of the destruction of Alish.”
Harmock felt no remorse that he had in all likelihood just wiped out an intelligent species. “The Alliance will hear of what we did to this star system. They will know the fate that awaits them. Perhaps this will weaken the Human led Alliance and some of their worlds will decide not to resist us when we launch our attack.”
“This system had nothing to offer us,” Gareth said in a cold and uncompromising voice. “It is just as well that this species has been eliminated.”
“When we have conquered the Alliance and destroyed the Humans, the Kleese Empire will be firmly under Zaltule control,” Harmock said, his feet making clicking noises against the metal deck of the Command Pedestal. “At that time, we will eliminate those races which are mere vermin and only keep those that can be of service to the empire.”
“That day comes near,” Gareth responded. “The Kleese are the superior race in the universe, and the Zaltule are the supreme clan of the empire. It is our destiny to rule.”
Harmock spent a few moments gazing at the viewscreens, several of which showed the now obscured planet of Alish. Its atmosphere was dark and menacing, laced with brown and black. Static lighting flashed from the massive quantities of contaminants that now polluted the air. It would be many years before life came back to the planet. Until then, it would stand as mute testimony to the power of the Kleese and particularly the Zaltule.
“Assemble the fleet,” Harmock ordered. “We will go to the trading station in Sector Thirteen to await our other ships. Once they arrive, we’ll launch our attack against the Alliance and the Humans.”
Gareth moved to obey. Very shortly all the internal threats to the empire will have been removed. Then it would be time for the Zaltule to lead the Kleese race in the conquest of the rest of the galaxy. It was the destiny of the Kleese to rule, and all would know and obey the supreme race.
-
Fleet Admiral Rivers stood in the Command Center of his flagship, the heavy battlecruiser Independence. The ship was only two light-years from Alish, and he was gazing at the large viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center in shock. Several stealthed reconnaissance ships were in the Alishian system transmitting back data on the Zaltule attack.
“They destroyed the entire system,” muttered Commander Greerman, his eyes wide in shock at what was on the viewscreen. “They dropped over four thousand antimatter missiles on the planet and then ruthlessly hunted down every surviving ship in the system.”
“They’re animals,” said Lieutenant Sandra Brim from Tactical.
“Damn spiders!” added Lieutenant Horace Rodriquez from his helm and navigation console. “How could they do that? An entire race wiped out.”
“There will be a few survivors,” Rivers said, recovering his composure. “A number of vessels escaped into Fold Space, and I’m sure there are some cargo ships and perhaps even a few passenger liners visiting other systems.”
“Not enough to provide for a viable gene pool,” said Greerman, shaking his head sadly.
Admiral Rivers nodded in agreement. He had brought part of Fourth Fleet to this region of space to observe the Zaltule attack upon Alish. It hadn’t been practical to attempt to engage the Kleese in battle as the fleet wasn’t quite ready yet. It had pained Rivers to no end to watch what the Zaltule had done to the Alishians. They had also come for another reason.
“Contact the Ellipse and tell Captain Johnson
his mission is a go,” ordered Rivers with a heavy sigh. Now would begin the dangerous part of his plan.
The Ellipse was one of the two stealth vessels in the Alish System. The Kiveans and the Deltons had been pretty certain the two small ships would be undetectable to the Kleese. Now was time for the hard part. The Ellipse was going to close with the Kleese fleet and attempt to attach a number of tracking devices to their hulls. The devices were constructed of the same stealth material as the small ships and were designed to give off a single tracking ping once per day on a specific frequency. With any luck, the Kleese would never know the tracking devices were there, nor would they be able to detect the brief signal.
“Message sent,” reported Ensign Martin Entz from Communications.
“Now we wait,” Admiral Rivers said as he sat down in his command chair.
On one of the viewscreens, he could see the heavy battlecruiser Union. He had brought the Union as well as four regular battlecruisers as escorts. His ships were hidden in the far outskirts of a small brown dwarf star system in a rocky ice field of comets and small asteroids.
-
In the Alishian Star System, the Ellipse received the message that her clandestine mission was on.
“Take us in, ten percent sublight,” ordered Captain Johnson. It was completely silent in the small Command Center as if everyone was afraid that even their breathing might be detected by the Kleese.
“Twenty thousand kilometers from the nearest Zaltule battlecruisers,” reported Ensign Howard in a soft voice. “No sign they’ve detected us. The Kleese don’t seem to be doing any active scanning at the moment.”