by Don Foxe
CHAPTER 34
Yauni joined the last group to shuttle up to the 109. He promised his parents to return after collecting his family and the other Lisza Kaugh on Earth.
Cooper visited the medical ward after boarding his ship. Captain Canedee remained restrained in the med bed, with a Marine stationed outside the door to his room.
“Captain Cooper,” the Mischene officer said with haughty tone and a sneer. “I must protest my treatment, and my confinement. I am an officer and a citizen of Aster Farum 3. I demand release. I further demand transportation back to my system.”
“Your system is under siege by the Zenge,” Coop reminded him as he stood over the man. “Or did you forget?”
“I did not forget. I wish to rejoin my brothers in the fight against the Zenge. You can drop me at the edge of the system. I will find a way home,” Canedee insisted.
Cooper pushed a serving cart over. He placed his field tablet on the cart, and tapped an icon. A video of the Mischene’s ‘report’ to his superiors, his rants about Mischene superiority, and the history of the Mischene ascendancy played.
“This is preposterous,” the Captain spit. “I was obviously drugged. This information is unacceptable by any court, in any system. This is illegal, and a violation on my person.”
Coop calmly replied, “What the Mischene are doing is immoral. Take a few minutes, and think about something, Captain.”
“Think about what?” he demanded.
“If I play this video on open channels, and broadcast it where we know the Mischene will eventually see it, what will the reaction of your leaders look like? After you think on the consequences, I’ll be back. If you still want to be dropped off where a Mischene ship can take you back to Aster Farum 3, I’ll be happy to do so. I don’t think your people will be concerned the information was obtained under questionable circumstances.”
Coop picked up his tablet, returned the tray carrier, and left the room.
He trekked across the 109, and entered his cabin. Sky and Storm waited inside. Coop tossed the tablet on the table, and sat on the sofa alongside Sky.
“I’m sorry I had to break up your family,” he said to both, “especially since you had little time together.” Then to Storm, he said, “I’m also sorry there was no time to look for your family on Fell.”
“Plenty of time for family, after we defeat the Mischene, and remove the Zenge,” Sky said. “Until then, we do our jobs.”
“I found out my father is alive, and with the resistance,” Storm said. “Until then, I thought he was gone. When we free Fell, I will find my family. They are strong. I have hope.”
“Okay,” Coop said. “You two know the players in the galaxy, which I do not. When other worlds find out about the Mischene movement, what reactions can we expect?”
“Some will welcome an alliance against the Mischene,” Sky said. “Few worlds have the weapons, or a military able to stand against the Mischene. An alliance offering protection would appear attractive. But Earth is not ready to offer ships, or weapons to defend or protect a number of systems.”
“No, we’re not,” Coop admitted. “The crystals we received will power new ships, but we need to complete construction of those ships. Building them will take time.”
“Why?” Storm asked.
“Because it takes time to turn raw materials into finished products. Time needed to haul materials to a shipyard, and more time for construction crews to put everything together to make a ship,” Coop answered.
“No, silly,” Storm replied. “Why build all of the ships you need? Mischene take and use ships from other systems. Why don’t we request ships from allies? Refit them with better technology, and add weapons.”
Sky joined in with, “That makes much more sense. You can provide the schematics, and the base components for planet-based defensive weapons, like the tachyon cannon. The people of the planet can build the finished product. In order to join the alliance, they provide spaceships for retrofitting. If they have the technology to use wormhole travel, then they also have the engineers and technicians who can do most of the work converting merchant ships into fighters.”
“That’s a plan,” Coop agreed. “We’ll present it to the UE council as soon as we get back.”
“Will Earth agree to provide space-fold engines?” Storm asked.
“I doubt it,” Coop replied. “Earth is apparently the only world with space-fold. It gives us a major tactical advantage. Once the secret is shared, you take a chance the wrong group will eventually gain possession. Maybe one day we will share everything we know, but it isn’t going to happen unless our lives depend on it.”
“Fellen believed the same about the technology we developed,” Sky said. “Now, when our planet’s existence is threatened, we will gladly share what we know with you.”
“Will any systems join the Mischene willingly?” Coop asked.
“Some would rather accept a despot than face extinction,” Sky said. “I do not know if you can say worlds will willingly join the Mischene, but a number will accept their rule. Some from fear, and some from greed. Others might even agree with the Mischene goals to cull the galaxy of impure species, up to the moment the Mischene turn on them.”
“Some will ignore the talk, warnings, and reports,” Storm added. “They will try to stay separated, or remain neutral. The Ventierran, Tasha and Tista’s species, are notorious for their neutrality. They will prefer to talk with the Mischene, and offer to broker non-aggression pacts.”
“Even after what they have seen and heard?” Coop asked.
“Perhaps not Tasha and Tista specifically, but I would not rule them out,” Storm answered. “When your entire history is one dedicated to settling disputes honorably, and preventing wars, small or large, it is difficult to believe you cannot impact a desperate situation for the good.”
“That only works when both sides see a benefit in peaceful settlement,” Coop said from experience. “When one side sees negotiations as a tactic to further their agenda, or hide their long-term goals, it makes any settlement hollow. Like Elie said, if a group demands universal respect, and the right to exist as it sees fit, while refusing to respect others, or the rights of others to believe differently, you end up with settlements which look good on paper, but stand for nothing.”
“A few systems will stand against the Mischene,” Sky said. “I know of a half-dozen with ships, weapons, and planetary defenses on a level at least as good as Rys’, before the tachyon cannons were introduced. There are a couple of systems we have limited contact with, but are not part of the trade alliances. They operate under martial law, and maintain advanced military capabilities.”
Sky continued. “Until now, the Trading Alliance considered these non-allied systems as the greatest threat to peace in the galaxy.”
“Would they align with the Mischene?” Coop asked.
“No,” Sky said assuredly. “These systems are fiercely independent. If not for the need to trade to improve their technology, they would avoid any external contact. As is, you must have prior clearance, or a damn good reason to gate into their space.”
Coop felt the air tingle, before he heard his name, “Captain Cooper.”
“Yes, Kennedy.”
“We have separated from the platform and are prepared for space-fold to the system rim,” the AI reported.
“Inform the pilot to proceed at best speed,” Coop replied.
“It has been an interesting few days,” the awfully tired human told his companions. “A few days in space-fold may provide only a short vacation, but one I am looking forward to.”
CHAPTER 35
Amos Soren, elected leader of Aster Farum 3, and Supreme Governor General of the entire Aster system, sat aboard his recently completed Super Battlecruiser in orbit over Zenge Prime. General Tomas, the military leader currently assigned the task of training and deployment of the Zenge armies, sat in a comfortable chair in front of the Governor’s grand, ornately carved wooden desk.
In case anyone visiting might have a doubt as to who the cabin-office belonged, a huge portrait of Soren adorned the wall, directly behind the man himself. Flowing white hair in the wind, as he looked serenely to the future, somewhere off to his right.
“General, I have questions,” he said. “First, regarding my son.”
“The Prophet rules the Zenge with strength, and compassion,” the General said earnestly. “He has pulled the savages out of the filth, and instructed them as to their role in the universe, as decreed by the Creator. He commands the Mischene as an able and just leader. All who serve him respect, and admire him, your Honor.”
“Pactorshit, Tomas,” the leader of all Mischene flatly replied. “You are here to act as my eyes and ears, not solely command the troops, or oversee the development of the Zenge. I do not need a sycophant. Atticus is my son, but I am not blind to his faults. If you cannot tell me everything I need to know, then perhaps you remained on station too long.”
General Tomas, a lifelong military man, took a deep breath before jumping off the deep end. “Atticus Soren is insane, Governor. When I took this post ten years ago, my predecessor warned me, but I had to see it for myself. He has lost sight of the fact his position as Prophet was created by you, and not the Creator. Every day he convinces himself he not only represents the Eternal Being, but is becoming a god himself.”
“How does this affect our ultimate goals?” Soren asked.
“He leaves military matters to the military,” Tomas replied. “It is more his personal habits, and the interactions between him, the Mischene clerics he directs, and the Zenge. I suppose the more he believes himself the supreme prophet, the more convincing he is among the fanatics. Several Mischene, and not only clerics, fell under his spell. I fear the majority of the military people permanently stationed in the Zenge system consider him a god, or at least a representative of one. That may not bode well for us in the home system, or as we expand.”
“When we expand, Tahbita Law will go with us, but expansion does not necessarily mean the Prophet goes,” Soren said. “How is discipline among the Zenge, and among our people?”
“All Zenge are collared with translators, and shock nodes. We boosted power. We can actually kill a Zenge soldier if needed,” the General informed him. “It has been necessary only a couple of hundred times. Even then, more as a demonstration of our ability to do so. Almost every Zenge born in the last generation accepts the Prophet, and the teachings of the Tahbita, as the law governing their actions. Older Zenge are sometimes difficult. We still have to deal with bloodlust when training gets too heated, or, as you know, when we invade a planet. We allow the extremely radicalized fanatics to eat a few of the captive, or those they kill in battle, and we are able to maintain discipline.”
“And our people,” Soren prompted.
“We had to isolate the female Mischene, placing them in more administrative, or support positions, and apart from the male soldiers. More than a few disappeared,” the General said with obvious disgust for the situation.
“But I have sent thousands of women from the Aster system, and females from worlds we conquered,” the elder statesman protested. “Can’t your men take out their carnal needs on these, and leave Mischene women alone?”
“The Prophet controls the distribution of whores,” Tomas replied. “He and his clerics sample quite a few. The women are distributed to officers first. When they tire of them, they are given to the Mischene troopers, guards, and civilian staff. They are allowed to keep them for a set period of time, and then turned over to Zenge officers.”
“Are you telling me the Zenge are raping humanoids?” Soren asked angrily.
“No, sir. Atticus makes a great show of giving the battered women as treats to his favored Zenge officers. They eat them, sir.”
“He allows this?” Amos Soren asked.
“He started it,” the General tells him. “At first the Zenge would literally tear into the female. Now they have evolved to roasting them first. They prefer to cook their meat while it lives.”
“This is why my son is always putting in requests for more women,” Soren said, with a shake of the head. “How do your people react to this reward system?”
“A few of the men, mainly officers, tried to shield the females. The Prophet had them executed.”
The general, who believed in order, authority, and obeying his superiors as his people obeyed him, did not fully believe in Tahbita doctrine. Wise enough, however, to never mention his lack of faith. He did report the execution of his officers with undisguised contempt.
“The battleship crews?” Soren asked.
“Captains keep their crews aboard at all times,” the General informed him. “There is little reason for anyone to visit any of the three planets. They are somewhat aware of what happens on the surface, and in the camps, but they are insulated. We maintain six battlecruisers in the system, and rotate the ships when a wormhole is within proximity to the planets.”
“The supply ships and super carriers?” the Governor asked.
“Here for a short time only, and not permitted to mix with those stationed here full time,” the General said. “The Battle Carriers load the number of Zenge assigned for an invasion, and leave. They return with captives and the troops not left to police the occupied planet. After dropping the Zenge, they leave immediately, returning to their secret ports in the uninhabited systems we’ve been using.”
“The Pagoran charts?”
“Have made travel simpler,” the officer answered. “We can reach anywhere in the known galaxy in a quarter of the time it once took. We know of secret gates and channels. Access to these channels allow us to enter, and exit systems when they would least expect us. There is also the information uncovered regarding building channels.”
“What progress on channel building?” The Governor asked, extremely interested in the subject.
“Limited success,” the General said. “We have installed channel builders on a couple of our Class One Convoy Battle Carriers, but have not successfully created a reusable channel. We cannot produce enough negative matter to keep the channel walls from collapsing. Release of enough to shore the walls also kills anything alive aboard the ship. Scientists in the Aster system work to find a solution.”
General Tomas consulted a data pad before continuing. “I have a report the Battle Carrier dispatched with the group sent after the Osperantue cruise ship was recovered. Negative matter radiation had killed everyone. The ship obviously exited the channel before it collapsed. All data collected and forwarded to Aster Farum 3 has been classified.”
“I have seen that data,” Soren said. “We have a more pressing problem than failing to build wormholes. One we must deal with soon,” he added.
“The Osperantue and Fell invasions progress well. Our military forces on Fell are attempting to capture as many of their technology and engineering experts as possible. It has been a slow process. They are the best fighters we have experienced. They also have the advantage of knowing the terrain, but we will win. We already have cargo ships filled with captives.
“The attack on Rys failed.” He made two fists as he spoke. “Our Battlecruisers were blown from space before firing a single weapon.”
The General sat straight, surprised at the news. “This is our first set-back in more than a dozen incursions,” he said. “What weapon could the Lisza Kaugh, or the Dwards possess capable of taking down a battlecruiser, much less an entire battle group?”
“We do not know the nature of the weapon,” Soren admitted. “It was nothing ever seen before. The planet had several they fired deep into space, with enough power to completely destroy our ships. We may not yet know how these weapons operate, but we believe we know where Rys got them. Two alien ships engaged the rest of our armada. One of those ships used a smaller version of the weapon fired from the surface.”
The merchant-statesman delivered his next information like he presented samples. Important, but only a
taste of the prize.
“The descriptions matched those spaceships that attacked the battle group ordered to capture the Osperantue cruise ship. It appears the enemy ships use space-fold drives.”
The Governor now commanded the General’s complete attention. “After the failures we experienced with attempting to create wormholes, ships fitted with builders were instructed to deactivate the systems. By luck only, the Carrier sent to locate the cruise ship had a builder. One the captain reactivate in order to escape, after the unknown ships destroyed the other ships with the group. We followed their distress beacon, and found the Carrier with everyone on board dead.”
“The negative radiation from the builder array,” Tomas surmised, and Soren acknowledged with a nod. “I assume the records relayed to AF3 indicated the enemy ships used space-fold.”
“Obviously not a myth,” Soren continued. “Two battlecruisers accompanied that Carrier, General. Both were destroyed.” The governor waited to make sure the impact of his revelations were absorbed.
“We know the location of the system which is home to these ships. We need to add them to our list, and make them a priority. Imagine if we could gain the science of space-fold drives, and the technology behind those fantastic weapons.”
“If they possess space-fold, advanced weapons, and they knew about Rys in time to prevent our invasion, how will we defeat them?” Tomas asked.
“We believe the defense of Rys occurred because our military strategists became too obvious in the selection of targets,” Soren said. “Those people have been replaced. The scans our carrier completed before retreating, indicated the solar system contained a single inhabited planet, two space stations, and a second planet with biospheres. Chart experts research the information from the Pagoran libraries, looking for a wormhole closer to the planet. If we discover one, we flood the system with ships. It will require surprise, and incredible numbers, but the potential rewards could lay the universe at our feet.”
“We plan to attack this unfamiliar system next?” Tomas asked.