For twenty minutes they marched through the massive ship, going down several wide corridors before coming to a stop before a large open hatch. Other platoons of Marines also began to appear, forming up in line behind Ryan’s group. Seeing the other Marines was a relief since it indicated they weren’t alone.
“We will enter the assembly chamber and you will be spoken to by one of the Overlords,” spoke Gureen, his eyes gazing intently at Ryan. “All of the humans taken from the world of Diadem will be present. You are not allowed to talk to one another. You will be silent while the Kleese Overlord speaks.” Gureen turned and entered the open hatch indicating for Ryan and the Marines to follow.
Once inside, Ryan was astonished to see just how large a chamber they were in. The room could easily hold several thousand people. In the front was what looked like a raised stage. Gureen led them there and indicated they were to line up and remain standing.
“I don’t like this,” Alexander said in a low voice, making sure Gureen couldn’t hear him. He looked around, watching the other platoons line up with them.
“I don’t either,” answered Ryan. He recalled how Wade had told him what happened to them the first time they’d been taken inside the large assembly chamber. He hoped such a demonstration wasn’t about to occur again.
Glancing around, Ryan saw both Lieutenant Felton and Lieutenant Guthrie at the head of their platoons. As with his, there were a few members that belonged to other units. Ryan wondered if they would be allowed to switch their people around to get them back where they belonged. Ryan had several people missing from his platoon though their absence had been made up with Marines from other units.
Felton and Guthrie both acknowledged Ryan’s presence though neither spoke. It was obvious they too had been told to remain quiet.
“Lieutenant,” said Alexander in a low voice his eyes focused intently on the stage.
Looking up, Ryan saw Major Nelson as well as Colonel Stratford enter the assembly room through a large door at the back of the stage. Neither looked happy to be there. They were accompanied by half a dozen Nabians. One was dressed in a uniform covered with colorful decorations.
“I am Queex,” the Nabian in uniform announced as he stepped up to the front of the stage. He stood for a moment looking over the assembled Marines. “You are now conscripts of the Kleese Empire and will act and be treated accordingly. Failure to follow orders will be dealt with severely. Each group of you has been assigned a Nabian overseer. His orders are to be obeyed without question.” Queex fell silent and then stepped back to stand with the others.
Ryan saw a dark, ambiguous shape suddenly fill the door to the stage and a Kleese stepped though. The Kleese looked like a giant arachnid but had a large hair covered upper body, which rose up into the air with a large triangular shaped head and strange looking, multifaceted eyes. Two nearly black arms extended from the upper chest ending in what looked like hands with seven long thin digits. The creature was large, with its body and six legs reaching nearly eight feet in width and six feet in height.
The Kleese walked to the front of the stage, its six legs making clicking sounds as they touched the floor. Its eyes looked at the Marines, sending chills through the ranks.
“I am Minor Overlord Creedanth,” the Kleese announced in a cold voice. “You humans have been brought here to be interrogated and studied. At any time if you refuse to answer our questions or show disrespect toward the Nabians or a Kleese, your life will be terminated.”
Ryan knew they were in trouble. It sounded as if the Kleese and Nabians would go on a killing spree if the Marines refused to answer their questions truthfully. This was going to be a problem.
“Around your necks are the collars of obedience,” Creedanth continued. Raising his hand, he pointed to a small black control box he held. “The collars of obedience contain an explosive charge, which can be detonated by the device I am holding. They will also detonate if there is any attempt to remove them.” Creedanth looked at the assembled Marines and then pressed a button on the device. Instantly, a ringing explosion occurred in the Marine formation.
Ryan heard several women scream and a few of the men swear. He saw, with a sickening feeling, a headless Marine fall to the floor, his blood pouring out of his shattered body. Ryan didn’t think he knew the Marine and from his uniform thought he was one of Colonel Stratford’s people. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the stage and saw Colonel Stratford’s face was white with shock. His body seemed to be trembling in anger and his fists were tightly clenched at his side. Major Stevens leaned over and whispered something to Stratford, who nodded and slowly unclenched his fists.
“Disobedience will not be tolerated,” the Kleese spoke again as it turned and left the stage through the door it had entered through.
Once the Kleese was gone, Colonel Stratford stepped up to the front of the stage to speak. He looked across the assembled Marines, his eyes pausing briefly on the body lying on the floor in a pool of blood. His face was still pale and he took a deep calming breath.
“We are aboard a Kleese exploration cruiser currently en route to their trading station in Sector Twelve. From there, we’re to be taken to the Kleese home world for questioning and study.” Stratford paused and then took another deep breath before continuing. “We are Marines and will act as Marines,” he stated in a firm voice. “In the situation we’re in we have no choice but to obey the Nabians and the Kleese. We must do whatever we have to in order to survive. As Colonel Nelson did, we must find a way to persevere.” With that, the colonel fell silent and stepped back next to Major Stevens.
Queex stepped to the front and looked unperturbed at the dead body before speaking. “You have seen the justice of the Kleese,” he said with no remorse in his voice. “Each day you will be taken from your quarters to exercise and perform whatever tasks we have set for you. There will be no refusal.” Queex then turned and exited the same way he’d come with the others following him, including Colonel Stratford and Major Stevens.
“You shall return to your quarters now,” Gureen said, stepping in front of Ryan’s platoon. “Later today you will be taken to a training facility for exercise and further indoctrination.”
-
Upon reaching their barracks, they were hustled in and the hatch locked securely behind them. Everyone stood around looking at one another in shock over what had happened to the unfortunate Marine.
“That could have been any of us!” Private Cassie Littrel said, her eyes wide with fear. “He was just chosen at random.”
“The Kleese are a heartless race,” Ryan said with a deep sigh. He knew the execution had hit his platoon very hard. It made them all realize just how precarious a situation they were in. “We all have to remember how little they value the lives of other races. To the Kleese, all the rest of the races of the known galaxy are either vastly inferior or vermin. They see no one as equals.”
“What did Colonel Stratford mean there at the end?” Casey asked. She had sat back down on her bunk. She hadn’t realized just how weak she was. She strongly suspected he was trying to send them a message during his final words.
Ryan allowed himself to smile. “My brother and the others found a way to escape the Kleese and return home. I believe he’s suggesting that we need to see what we can do to accomplish the same thing.”
“You mean get the Nabians to betray the Kleese?” asked Corporal Parker with doubt in his eyes. Alexander didn’t think Gureen was the type to go against his Kleese Overlords.
“Not necessarily,” answered Ryan, raising his eyebrow as he thought over the possibilities. “Our main goal for the immediate future will be just staying alive. I’m pretty certain the Kleese want to keep as many of us alive as possible until we reach their home world. There has to be a reason why they abducted us from Diadem. It would’ve been much simpler just to blast us from orbit.”
“You may be right,” Lauren said, pursing her lips. “We need to learn as much as possible about the Nabi
ans and how many Kleese are on board this ship. We need to find out their weaknesses and their strengths.”
“Corporal Adams is right,” Ryan said, nodding his head in agreement. “We need to keep our eyes and ears open and gather as much information as possible. Including Colonel Stratford’s Marines, there are slightly over two hundred of us being held prisoner on this ship.”
Ryan didn’t say it, but the most important thing they needed to find out was where their equipment was being stored. His Type Four command suit might just hold the key to getting these collars off their necks. As long as the Nabians or the Kleese could detonate the collars, the Marines would be helpless and unable to resist their captors. He also wanted to know if there were other alien races aboard or if the Nabians were the only race of conscripts operating the exploration ship. Were they also the ones in the Type Two battlesuits, which served as armed escorts?
Casey remained silent as she listened to Ryan. Her life as a clone could be short indeed if she met the same fate as the Marine in the assembly chamber. She’d nearly fainted when she saw his head blown off. It had been so unexpected. It made her realize even more just how cruel the Kleese were toward other races. Casey trusted Ryan to get them through almost any situation; he had proven his cleverness on Charring Mountain. However, this was different. They were so far away from home and getting farther away every hour. If they didn’t do something soon, they might be hopelessly lost in the endless depths of the Kleese Empire. She looked across the room at Lauren and their eyes met. She and Lauren were close friends since the corporal had taken her under her wing to teach her about what it meant to be a human woman. Looking around the small barracks room, Casey realized she had become friends with many of the Marines here. She hoped it hadn’t been a mistake, as she didn’t want to see any of them die.
-
Several weeks passed and Wade was once more back in the solar system. Admiral Adamson had ordered the Argyle to return home and for Wade to report to Fleet Admiral Kelly and General Mitchell about what had transpired at Diadem. An FTL message had already been sent along via a line of communication buoys placed between Lanolth and Centerpoint Station.
Wade watched one of the main viewscreens in the Command Center as Centerpoint quickly grew larger. Station Flight Control gave them precise docking instructions, and the Helm officer smoothly maneuvered the Argyle into her docking port.
Once the Argyle was docked to the station, Wade disembarked. As he walked through Centerpoint, he couldn’t help worrying about Ryan. Where was he and could he be rescued? All of these questions and more were running through Wade’s mind as he navigated the numerous corridors and took an interstation tram to the command level. He hoped to have some of his questions answered when he met with Fleet Admiral Kelly and General Mitchell.
-
As Wade entered the briefing room to explain in more detail what happened at Diadem, he wondered if he would ever see Ryan again or even if his brother was still alive. He knew from first hand experience what it was like to be a prisoner of the Kleese. Ryan could be living the same nightmare he’d gone through when he was a prisoner. It was while he was a captive on the Kleese trading station responsible for Sector Eleven that he had met Beth. She’d been his inspiration and helped him get through those trying times.
Entering the room, he saw Fleet Admiral Kelly, General Mitchell, General Pittman, Major Winfrey, Gerald Lawson, Marken, Commander Pasha, and Fleet Commander Achlyn. This was the entire Command Staff as well as a few others. It made Wade realize just how important this meeting was. He knew he wanted to talk this group into organizing a rescue operation. He was fairly certain where Ryan and the others might have been taken. If they moved promptly, there was a reasonable chance they could be rescued.
“Welcome back, Colonel Nelson,” greeted General Mitchell, standing up and gesturing for Wade to take a seat. “I’m sorry we have to meet under such conditions.”
“I heard about your brother,” Marken said, nodding at Wade. The Kivean considered Wade to be a very close friend. His wife Harnett had taken the news of Ryan’s capture by the Zaltule very hard. Both Marken and his life mate were very familiar with what life under the Kleese could be like.
“What happened on Diadem?” asked General Pittman, wanting more detailed information. He’d read the report Wade sent earlier, they all had. It had caused great concern within the General Staff.
“I think we were tricked,” Wade said in a somber voice, looking around the attentive group. “I don’t think the Zaltule were interested in conquering and holding the Diadem system.”
“What do you mean?” asked Fleet Commander Achlyn of the Deltons. “Why else would they have attacked Diadem?”
The Deltons were refugees from one of the nonaligned worlds attacked by the Zaltule. They were a small race, standing slightly more than a meter in height. Their bodies were humanoid with large round eyes that could see in the dark. They were of slim stature and highly dependent upon their computers to operate their warships.
“They wanted us to commit our Marines so they could capture some human soldiers,” Wade explained, his eyes narrowing sharply. This was the only explanation he could come up with to explain what had transpired. “Once they had what they wanted they left the system.”
“Damn!” uttered Major Winfrey, feeling shaken by Wade’s revelation. “It makes sense from a tactical perspective. We’re the main cause of their recent reversals in this area of space as well as the driving force behind the Alliance. They want some human specimens for study as well as interrogation.”
“We’re dealing with the Zaltule,” Marken said as he thought over what Winfrey and Wade had said. “They’re the warrior caste of the Kleese and may indeed want to better understand their enemy. The Zaltule are ferocious warriors but also extremely intelligent. Colonel Nelson may be correct in suggesting this was a trap to capture some humans.”
“What do we do?” asked Fleet Admiral Kelly not pleased with what he was hearing. He didn’t like the idea of humans being in the hands of the Kleese. “We have no idea where they’ve been taken.”
“I have an idea,” answered Wade, leaning forward with an intent look. “The Diadem government reported a Kleese exploration ship came into the system and took up orbit above the planet. When it left, the Marines at the spaceport were gone. The nearest Kleese base is the trading station in Sector Twelve. I’m guessing that’s where our missing people have been taken.”
“Are you proposing a rescue mission?” asked General Mitchell, his eyes narrowing sharply. A Kleese trading station would be heavily defended, perhaps even by Zaltule warships. Particularly this one since it was so close to Alliance space.
“Yes,” Wade answered with a glint in his eyes. “We can’t let the Kleese experiment on or kill our people!”
“Being a Kleese captive is a harsh life,” added Marken.
His own people had served the Kleese for hundreds of years before Marken, with the aid of the humans, had led a successful rebellion, if you could call eighty thousand survivors a success. The Kleese had destroyed the Kivean home planet in retaliation for the rebellion.
General Mitchell’s face became covered in a deep frown. He’d been working on a plan but what Colonel Nelson was suggesting could seriously throw off the timing of that operation. Looking over at Gerald Lawson, he asked a question. “How soon before the new battlecruisers are finished?” Mitchell was referring to the new updated ones being built inside of Vesta.
“Another three weeks before they’re ready for their trials,” Lawson replied with a frown covering his face, as he wondered why General Mitchell was asking that particular question. “Then possibly another two to three weeks for their shakedown cruises.”
“Can we speed up the process?”
“No,” answered Marken, shaking his head. A number of Kivean technicians, as well as a few Talt and Delton scientists, had been working on the new battlecruisers for the past four months. “We’re already going as fas
t as possible.” He suspected where General Mitchell was going with his question. He was very familiar with the plan of action the general had been considering.
Wade was listening intently; he’d been gone from Vesta for over two months and was curious about what the new battlecruisers would be like. He was also anxious to return to Vesta and see Beth as well as his parents though it would be difficult to explain to them what had happened to Ryan. He knew his mother would take it very hard.
“How will these new ships compare to a Zaltule ship?” he asked, looking over at Gerald Lawson the military research scientist trying to keep himself focused on the meeting.
Lawson allowed himself to smile. “In a one-on-one battle our ship would blow a Zaltule battlecruiser away with little effort. The new battlecruisers are one thousand meters long, two hundred meters wide, and two hundred meters thick.”
“That’s a little larger than the Argyle,” Wade said impressed.
“All four of the new cruisers will have a plasma cannon on them as well,” continued Lawson. “In addition, there will be two heavy particle beam cannons on the bow as well as two enlarged KEW cannons. There will be an additional eight particle beam turrets on the main hull plus our standard weapons. The armor is twenty percent thicker and the energy screens will be the most powerful we’ve every built.”
“What abut the new multi-warhead sublight missiles?” asked General Pittman. The new missiles had six twenty-megaton antimatter warheads on them.
“The ships have twenty-four expanded missile tubes, all capable of handling the new missile,” replied Gerald with a pleased smile.
“I think you’ll find the new plasma cannon we’ve designed highly effective,” added Commander Pasha. The Talts had long used plasma weaponry as their main offensive weapon. “It’s much more powerful than the ones our ships are equipped with and has nearly double the range.” The Talts were a humanoid species with large yellow eyes and a very dark complexion.
“Are we considering the strategy we discussed earlier?” asked Marken, his eyes focusing intently on General Mitchell.
Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 4) Page 6