by D. J. Holmes
He shrugged, “We’ve no way of knowing for sure.”
“But if you had to guess?” Christine pushed.
“Five percent, maybe ten, heck, maybe even fifteen,” Fairfax said as he shrugged again. “There is no way to know if the people are voting for this because they want you, or James, or the constitution itself. Or if they are just angry and they want revenge on the Karacknids. I doubt we’ll ever know. But as the saying goes, you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“But it is significant,” Christine said as she turned back to James. “We won with sixty percent of the vote, take you out and it could go 50-50. It will be the same in our colonies as it has been here. You’re too important to risk on this mission. You need to be here to campaign for this. Whether either of us like it or not, we are both bound to this.”
“There will be none of this if this mission fails,” James said through clenched teeth. “I am a warrior, an Admiral. If our fleet is going to risk annihilation, then I am going with it.”
Christine sighed. “We’ve had this conversation before. Yes, you are those things, but you are more than them. You are a symbol.”
“Even symbols are meant to be used,” James countered. “I am not going to sit around here and do nothing.”
“Do nothing!” Christine repeated as her voice rose. “Do nothing. Is that what you think I’ll be doing?
“Of course not,” he said quickly. “That’s not what I meant. I am the one who would be doing nothing if I stayed. My skills would be wasted.”
“I think you sell yourself short your Majesty,” Fairfax said as he gently moved between the two of them. “Our Empress is correct. You cannot go. We have to see what we’ve started through to the end. If you go, most will not understand why it needs to be you. They’ll simply see you leaving at a crucial time. Admiral Gupta commands Home Fleet, and Admiral Lightfoot our forward fleet. Many will ask why they cannot lead this mission? Do you not trust them?”
James looked to Gupta for help. “His Majesty is the best naval commander I have ever known,” Gupta quickly said. “This mission is perhaps the most important a fleet of our species has ever undertaken. We need him at the helm.”
“So you doubt your own abilities?” Christine asked as she lowered her chin and stared at Gupta. “You could not defeat the Karacknid fleet at New Berlin?”
“Of course she could,” James said angrily. He didn’t want to admit it, for he knew how Christine would use his admission, but he didn’t want to see Gupta’s abilities questioned either. “We did not make a mistake appointing her commander of Home Fleet.”
“Then she is perfectly qualified to lead our forces,” Christine replied, just as James knew she would. “She has spent decades learning from you. She will have Lightfoot to aid her after New Berlin. He has already shown himself more than a match for the Karacknids. Your place is here. There will come a time when you will need to lead our forces. But when the time comes, you will be leading them as our Emperor.”
James let out a deep breath. He was defeated. He knew it. Though it didn’t mean he didn’t want to argue more. What stopped him was the reality that none of those in the briefing room with him had any time to waste. “So be it,” he said as he held Gupta’s stare. “If I cannot go, I would have no one else take the lead in my place. You should make arrangements to depart for the Beta system as soon as possible. You need to inform the other admirals of Home Fleet of our plan. Captain Scott can lead the rest of our forces to join you as soon as they are ready.”
Gupta nodded and glanced at Scott. “I’m sure she will be able to get everything in order.”
“Captain?” Scott asked. “I’m a Commander… Captain of what?”
“That is my one condition,” James said as he turned back to Christine. “Your first official order has been to sanction this mission. I would like your second to be to promote Scott to Captain. Misfit arrived yesterday from the Regin shipyard. She needs a Captain. Scott can take command and lead the rest of our forces that are still getting ready to depart.”
Christine gave him a deep nod and turned to Scott. “Commander Scott, as Empress of Humanity and commander-in-chief of our Navy, I promote you to the rank of Captain. You have earned it, may you do us proud. Misfit will make a fitting first command. You did design her after all.”
Scott looked from James to Christine and then back to James.
James couldn’t help but chuckle at the startled look on her face. “Do you remember our conversation back when you were a science officer, when you told me you wanted to transfer onto the command track?”
“Of course Admiral,” Scott replied, her mouth still hanging open.
“Well consider this my promise fulfilled. I guess there are a few advantages to being a King after all. And you have earned it.”
“Thank you,” Scott said as she smiled. “Thank you Admiral.”
James could see from the look on her face that her mind was already elsewhere. She looked just like Emilie had when he had given her command of Intrepid. Thoughts of his niece made James frown. There had been no updates from her for weeks. She would know nothing about the Karacknid invasion of Alliance space. She could return to find the war lost. Or not return at all. Given what he did know about what she was up to, he lived in constant fear that he had sent her into a more dangerous situation that he had ever anticipated.
*
Sandringham House, 4th March 2482 AD (six days later).
Have you ever seen a more motley fleet? James asked himself as he stared at the holo projection of the ships in orbit. It was hard to believe that the hopes of Earth and the Varanni Alliance rested on such ships. There were more than one hundred of them, but so many were half repaired, with the scars from battle still visible; or they were converted freighters that still very much looked like they would crumple with the slightest touch. Here and there were brand-new ships. Including Scott’s Misfit; but they were heavily outnumbered. The supply freighters and troop transports intermingled within the fleet added to its chaotic impression. It’s all we’ve got, James said to himself. Once the ships in orbit were added to Home Fleet, Humanity would be throwing everything they had at the Karacknids. It has to be enough.
Meanwhile, James thought as he clenched his teeth. I’m stuck here. Scott had just signaled to inform Christine and him that her fleet was ready to depart. James had already sent a reply giving her permission to break orbit. Whilst tens of thousands of his people would be going off to risk their lives, he was stuck in the underground command and control center of Sandringham House. It didn’t look like he would get to leave any time soon. Plus, if he did, it would be to campaign on the election trail once more. Several nations had succumbed to the pressure to hold their own referendums on the Empire’s constitution, including France and Germany. Fairfax had already scheduled several addresses for him to make in Paris and Berlin. At least, in the outskirts of the destroyed cities. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Suzanna’s voice said in the back of his mind as James thought of what his wife would think of him. This is your role and you’ve got to play it. At least, he said to himself as he tried to placate his own feelings, the crowds won’t be as hostile as the politicians. That was the one surprisingly pleasant thing his campaigning had taught him. The people of Earth were far more receptive to the idea of forming one Empire than the politicians. They were the ones who had suffered the most in the Karacknid attack, who were still suffering. James didn’t know if it would translate into votes, but there was a restlessness among Earth’s citizens. They were still scared. They never again wanted to feel as vulnerable as they did now. James didn’t blame them. Not at all. That is why you must remain here, Suzanna’s voice said.
With one set of emotions under control, another crept into his mind. Guiltily, he glanced to his right. Christine was standing there watching the holo projection. She was uncomfortably close to him, yet he hadn’t stepped away from her. Whether she sensed his glance or not, Christine turned and
met his eyes. “It’s time,” she said. “Let’s go.” Still filled with thoughts of Scott and Gupta as they went off to war, James nodded, looked back at the holo projection to see Misfit break orbit, then turned and followed Christine out of the command and control room. A brief walk brought them to a small library that had been set up with a podium and recording crew. As Christine stepped up to the podium, James slotted himself in beside her. From the rise of her shoulders he guessed she had taken a deep breath. Then she nodded to the recording crew.
“People of Earth, citizens of the Empire,” Christine began. “Soon you will see images of our fleet in orbit departing to the Beta colony. Every warship we have available is being sent to the front. When King James and I spoke to you more than a week ago, we brought news of the Karacknid victories in Alliance space. We also promised to act. Since then all of us have taken a momentous step together. We have voted to bring in a new era for Humanity. Already many of us are united as one. The results of that can be seen above us,” Christine said as she raised a hand towards space. “Our fleet now goes to make war against the Karacknids. This coming campaign will determine the course of this war and the fate of every species in this sector of space. I therefore come before you asking you to send our fleet off with your hopes and prayers. For they will surely need all the help they can get.”
Pausing, Christine held a level gaze at the recording device. “For those of us who remain, we must honor their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. Only by working together as one, with an unwavering focus upon rebuilding our military and industrial strength, can we hope to defeat the Karacknids. That means every one of us is involved in fighting this war. Our economy, our education system, our research and development, they all must step up to meet the needs of our fleet. In this generation we must forge an Empire devoted fully towards war. For only then can subsequent generations enjoy the freedoms we have now. The freedoms that now hang in the balance. As you watch our fleet leave, may they be a reminder to you; we all must leave the past behind and forge a new path together. A path that will demand all of us to give of our best for one another. Let us put our hope in them as they leave. But let us also honor them. Let us rebuild from the ashes of the Karacknid attack an Empire that will end the evil of the Karacknids once and for all.”
“Quite the speech,” James said as he placed a hand on Christine shoulder when the recording crews signaled they were done. “Sometimes I forget I’m not the only one who grasps just how serious a threat the Karacknids are. I feel like I wasted so many years trying to convince the UN without accomplishing anything.”
“Those days are over,” Christine assured him. “The Battle of Earth saw to that. You agree with what I said then I presume?”
“Of course,” James replied. “Even if Gupta is successful beyond our wildest hopes, it will only buy us a short period of breathing space with which to prepare. We must use it wisely.”
“Exactly,” Christine said with a nod. “That is why our roles here are so important. Rage and anger are still the dominant emotions amongst our citizens. We can use that, but out of that rage we must forge an Empire that is willing and able to fight for years, if not decades. That is what it will take to defeat the Karacknids, is it not?”
James closed his eyes. “I fear that it is. No matter how many hundreds of their ships we destroy. They will have hundreds if not thousands more to take their place.”
“Then we must build thousands of our own,” Christine insisted. “As the horrors of the Karacknid attack fade in the memories of our people, they will return their attention to more mundane things. To the simple pleasures of life. Having a safe home, a secure job, time for friends and family and holidays. We must provide these for our new citizens, but we must also forge them into a weapon and point them at the Karacknids.” Again Christine waved a hand towards space. “You may feel your place is up there, and in time, it will be. But you need to be the Admiral of our entire species, not just our Navy. They need to see and hear you and be reminded of what needs to be done.”
“I know,” James said gently. “I know, it’s just…”
Christine smiled. “It’s just you are pig-headed and stubborn and don’t like being given all this responsibility. I know exactly what it is. Well, it’s a good thing you can’t back out of it. You’ve declared your intentions for everyone to see.”
James rolled his eyes. “Did you prepare that mini speech for me as well?”
“I didn’t have to prepare anything,” Christine said with a wink. “When it comes to telling you what to do, it just comes naturally. Now, come on, we have a small trip to take.”
“Where to now?” James asked in exasperation.
Christine held out her left hand towards him. “You publicly agreed to marry me once I was Empress. Well... I publicly volunteered you for the position. Either way, it’s about time you made it official. We need to go shopping for an engagement ring.”
“Hold on,” James said as he reached out and grabbed Christine’s hand. His mind went to Suzanna again. Though he felt a wave of guilt, he knew it was what she would want him to do. Reaching into his uniform pocket, he pulled out a small box. “I bought this years ago, just before your father sent me and Drake away to explore the Void. I threw it away when I learned about your marriage to Na, but Fox, my steward, found it and kept it for me. He gave it to me when I was last at Badminton House. Back then I had hoped it would be up to the standards of a Princess. I’m not sure it will suit an Empress though. If it doesn’t we can pick another.” Gently James opened the box to reveal a small diamond ring. He lowered himself to one knee and began to speak the words he had prepared. “Will you take this ring Empress, as a sign of our commitment to marry one another? Will you take it as a symbol of our intention to forge an Empire to defeat the Karacknids? Will you take it as a symbol of the love we once had for one another? And the love we may yet share in the future?” As he said the last line James raised his eyes to meet Christine’s. He didn’t know if he could ever love her like he had Suzanna, but he wanted to offer her that hope, for deep down, as much as he knew she needed it, he needed it as well. Just as I needed you Suzanna, I cannot do this alone, he thought as his mind was torn between thinking of his dead wife and the woman in front of him.
Christine blinked several times, a tear running down each of her cheeks. “I will take your ring King James,” she replied as formally as she could. “And I will pray that it will help rekindle the bond we shared when you first bought it.” Gently James took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. He then stood and pulled her into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered as her lips touched his neck. “Thank you, I know how hard this is for you.”
“Bravo, bravo,” Fairfax’s booming voice said as it filled the library. Startled, Christine and James broke apart and spun to look at him, both of their faces reddening. “And we got it all on camera!” he said as he tapped the recording equipment that was still in the room. “This will make for a juicy press release indeed. I can imagine it now. We can play it alongside the old recordings of you two from when you were young and in love. You know, the one where you were making out during your secret rendezvous. That’s right,” he added with a wink. “Don’t think I’d forgotten the controversy you two caused when you were dating. I was with your father when that recording of you two first went public. He nearly blew a fuse. If James hadn’t already been on a ship out of the system he’d have had you thrown in the Tower of London. I’m sure we’ve got the recording somewhere.”
“Don’t you dare!” Christine said as she stomped towards Fairfax. “That was personal!”
Fairfax quickly stepped back, then raised his finger and waved it at Christine. “You’re Empress now, though you have been one for some time, you should already know, nothing you do is personal anymore.”
Christine swung round to James to look for help. As angry as he was about the prospect of Fairfax leaking the recording to the press, he shrugged. “Haven’t yo
u been telling me that very thing for days now?”
Christine clenched her fists and thumped her thighs in frustration. She then opened her left hand and looked down at her ring. Turning back to James she held out her hand. “Come on, let’s ignore him. I want to talk to you some more. You have to tell me where you got this and the story behind it.”
“All right,” James acquiesced. He allowed himself to be led out of the library and, as he went, he did what Christine had instructed the people of Earth to do. His thoughts and prayers went out to Scott, Gupta and the fleet that was going to war.
Chapter 37
Nothing begets technological advances like a prolonged war. The War of Doom was no exception. In fact, with the infusion of Mindus, Varanni and captured Karacknid technology, never before or since were there such jumps in our species’ technological capabilities. The problem for our fleet however was that much of our shipbuilding and manufacturing capacity was lost in the Battle of Earth. Those losses dramatically slowed the speed at which new designs and technologies could be incorporated into the fleet.