Exodus: Empires at War: Book 9: Second Front

by Doug Dandridge

  “One more thing, Admiral. I want some fast ships sent through to grab a couple of the wormholes if needed. If we lose that system, we still need to be able to contact that nation, and lend them help if needed.”

  “I can send some couriers through, your Majesty.”

  “I was thinking more about some of those subspace capable stealth ships. You could take out their wormholes, send them through, and replace their absence with some of the wormholes in the system. That way, we have something that can creep out, then go into subspace and get away until they’re far enough out to translate into hyper without the Cacas picking them up.”

  “We could do that, your Majesty,” said McCullom, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Might I suggest we send a half dozen through, in case we’re able to get all the wormholes, and so we can give them a better chance of a couple getting out.”

  “Good idea, Admiral. Make it so.” The holo went blank at his command, and he sat in his chair, rubbing his temples. It’s bad enough that I have a war, no two wars, raging in my own Galactic neighborhood. Now I might be taking on another conflict halfway along the Galactic arm. It was another risk placed on top of so many others. And like all the others, it was one he felt he had to take, hoping that the whole pile didn’t collapse on top of him.

  Sean thought about going back to bed, and realized that sleep was not going to come unless he used a sleep aid outside of his implant reticular activating system stimulation. So I might as well get some work done. I can always sleep when I’m dead.

  * * *

  “Alert,” called out the intercom. “Alert. All soldiers and operatives report to their assembly areas. Repeat, all soldiers and operatives report to your assembly areas.”

  “What the hell,” groaned Walborski as he climbed out of bed, his eyes still heavy with sleep. Normally a light sleeper and easy waker, but the last moment training and planning schedule had strained even his youthful reserves. And tomorrow was supposed to bring more of the same.

  “What’s going on?” he said into his com, as he pulled on a utility coverall and sealed it.

  “We received an emergency deploy order, Major,” came back the call from one of the people who was manning the local com center. “You will be receiving your tasking order within the half hour.”

  “Why an emergency deploy?” asked Walborski, grabbing his boots and sitting back on the bed so he could pull them on.

  “I don’t know, Major. I’m just passing on the order that is coming down from command.”

  “Right,” said Cornelius, finishing the seal on one boot and reaching for the other. He killed the com, not really wanting to hear more of nothing in particular.

  The corridor outside his quarters was a madhouse. People running to and fro, shouting orders, questions, complaints. It was like no one knew what they were doing, and the one Fleet Captain he saw looked just as confused as the PFCs that were running hell bent for, somewhere. Cornelius had never seen anything like it. Had never thought to see anything like this out of professionals like this. But he felt the same stress as they did, training for a dangerous mission which kept having its parameters and time frame changed with little notice. He was sure that was what was happening now. Whoever was in charge had decided to go now, for whatever reason.

  “Calm the fuck down,” yelled a Ranger Colonel, stepping into the corridor. “You men know where you’re supposed to be. So get there.”

  That command voice was what was needed, and people seemed to get themselves together and head out to their assembly points. Cornelius pushed ahead, trying to get through the men who were still packed into the corridor. Some looked back at him to complain about his pushing, the words dying on their lips as they saw who it was.

  “At ease,” he yelled before any of the men who had already gathered in their assembly chamber could jump to their feet. They didn’t have time for any of the military nonsense that didn’t have to do with preparing to fight.

  “What’s the word, sir?” asked Renhard Fujardo, promoted to Sergeant Major and the top NCO slot for his two companies of Rangers.

  “The word is that I don’t know shit, Sarge Maj,” said Cornelius. “Everyone get your gear together, ammo up, and get ready to move out. Hopefully someone will come along and tell us what to do before we actually step through the wormhole.”

  There was some mumbling and grumbling when he stopped speaking, no more or less than he had expected. But they moved with alacrity, gathering their gear and putting it on, pulling rifles from racks. The uniforms were duplicates of the uniform worn by the security personnel of the Klavarta Council. Cornelius had reservations about wearing those uniforms as well, since they could be considered spies. It hadn’t made him feel any better when he was told that they would probably be killed by the Klavarta anyway if they failed their mission and were captured, no matter what they were wearing.

  One of the operators of the special assets walked into the room, a woman who was a Secret Service Agent, augmented like the rangers. She wore the same uniform they did, with the addition of a special helmet, superficially the same as theirs, but with a different purpose.

  “What’s the word, Agent DeSilva?” he asked the dark haired woman who was assigned to his mission, though not really under his command.

  “The units launching from the exploration ships are going through now, so they can be in place while the gates aboard the vessels are expanded for ship transport,” said the Agent in her soft voice. The voice was deceptive, as the Agent was as deadly as any Ranger that the Major had ever seen.

  “Ship transport?” asked the Sergeant Major, while the two captains commanding the companies crowded close to hear the answer.

  “The situation has changed in the Klavarta capital system. There is a massive fleet of Cacas on the way in.”

  “Shit. And they’re still going to send us into that fucked up mess?” asked Captain Nagano, the commander of A company.

  “The Emperor himself has ordered it so. The Fleet is going to aid them in the naval battle, but it is felt that this is still the perfect opportunity to take out their government. And the Emperor has ordered that those clones are not to leave the system, no matter what else happens.”

  Everyone looked shocked. Cornelius could feel his own mouth fall open. He really couldn’t believe that the man he called friend would send them into such a hopeless situation. But of course he would, thought the rational part of the Major’s mind. He has the big picture to worry about, and even those he calls friends can’t be anything but pawns on the chess board if he wants to win this war. He realized then why he had been assigned to this part of the mission. The Emperor wanted someone he could trust to carry out the mission, no matter what. It was just Cornelius’ bad luck that he was one of the best killers that the leader of the Empire knew.

  “We will gather near the portal that will take us to their Council building, and wait for the word,” continued DeSilva.

  How in the hell can she be so calm about this, he thought. Then he looked into her eyes and saw that there was fear dwelling there as well. They were all afraid. And all would do what was asked of them, despite that fear.

  * * *

  Aboard the three exploration ships the Naval Commandos arrived, dressed in their special armored excursion suits. They deployed immediately out the airlocks, scanning the area and putting themselves on courses for their objectives. Space here was crowded with thousands of objects. To the men in the excursion suits, with multiple kilometers between each object, it was just like a training mission. A small course correction here and there, grabber units barely engaging as they crept along through space, unseen.

  The first part of the mission was on, and there was no turning back from here. If the Commandos were discovered, there was no excuse that could be made for their presence.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.

  W. Edwards Deming.

  “We have received permissi
on to render you aid, Chairwoman,” said Sung over the holo. “The Emperor wishes it could be more, but with such short notice, and so few gates, this is all he can give you.”

  “So, you admit that you have wormholes, and can contact your Empire,” growled Pallion. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

  “We really don’t have time for this, Chairwoman. We can discuss the wormholes and the tech behind them when this battle is over. Agreed?”

  “Yes,” said Pallion, her brain working on overtime. “But if things go badly, we may need to talk about those wormholes.” And me and the Council can use them to get out of here, thought the Chairwoman. Or, at least, I can get out of here.

  “Till then, Chairwoman, let’s focus on what we can do now. We..”

  “We’re picking up translations into normal space, Commodore,” said a voice in the background of the holo cast.

  “The Monsters are jumping into the system, Madam Chairwoman,” came the call over her over com.

  “I will get back with you in a moment, Commodore. I have to see to my own forces.”

  As soon as the holo was off she opened up another com link. “Get me the Deputy Fleet Commander.” That worthy was ensconced in one of the massive two hundred million ton forts in orbit. The overall Fleet commander was on a station in the second belt, only contactable by grav wave if they didn’t want to wait for the limit imposed by light speed.

  A moment later a face appeared on the holo, one that appeared way too young for the six stars on his shoulder boards. “Madam Chairwoman?”

  Pallion looked over at the tactical holo which was taking up a good quarter of the large office at the moment. She could see the dispositions of all of her ships, about twelve thousand of them, though all of much smaller classes than those of the Monsters. And the oncoming wave of the Monster’s vessels, thousands entering Klavarat space, at least ten thousand more still in hyper and following them in. And most disturbing of all, several score clumps of several hundred each were curving around the system in hyperspace, obviously heading for positions to cover all the approaches. She was glad now that she had sent as many couriers out of the system as she had available near the hyper limit. She would be getting reinforcements as soon as they could rally and arrive. But she didn’t think it would be soon enough to save the system, or her.

  “Prepare to launch your assault on the Imperial ships on my command, Admiral.”

  “Are you sure, Madam Chairwoman? Shouldn’t we concentrate on beating the Monster invasion first?”

  “You know as well as I, Admiral, that there isn’t a chance in hell we’re going to beat this force. The Imperial Commodore has promised that aid will be coming through from their system by wormhole, but how much can they bring to bear in so short a time.”

  “She admitted to having wormholes?”

  “Yes, she did,” said Pallion, allowing a small smile across her face. “So we know they are real. And….”

  “You might want to see this, Madam Chairwoman,” came a call over the com.

  At a mental command another holo came up, showing an object floating in space. It was some kilometers from one of the huge Imperial ships, which gave it scale. She sucked in a breath as she saw the mirrored surface that must have been a couple kilometers on a side. Large enough for even one of the huge exploration ships to go through.

  “And that proves it, Admiral,” she said, turning back to that holo. “That is a wormhole gate, and the Imperials can make them.” And when we get our hands on that technology, we will pound the Monsters into extinction. And after that, the rest of the Galaxy. Nothing will be beyond us.

  “I want you to be prepared to take that wormhole. It will give the Council, and our loyal subordinates,” she said, nodding to the officer, “a chance to escape the system. Understood”

  “Yes, ma’am. I will get the teams ready to go. We await your word.”

  Pallion turned back to the holo that was centered on the wormhole. Some small, almost minute, objects came through, about twenty of them, followed by twenty more, then another group. And that is what they send us for help? she thought, frustrated. We need warships, and they send things not much larger than shuttles through.

  “Make sure the General has all planetary defenses online and ready to engage,” she called out on the com to one of her assistants. The planetary defenses, shore batteries, thousands of defense sats, were intended to handle a large incoming force, but not this big.

  “Madam Chairman,” came a call over the com. “We’re receiving a transmission from those ships. They’re telling us their capabilities and making suggestions about their deployment. I’m not sure whether to believe it”

  “Play it back for me,” she ordered, and the holo changed to the face of a woman of Asian descent looking out of the holo, her voice relaying the information the com officer was talking about.

  Unbelievable, she thought as she heard about those capabilities. What other secrets do they have?

  “Ask that officer what she suggests for her deployment. And they have what, six hundred of these vessels coming through. Keep a close watch on them, because I want to see if what they just said was the truth.” And what else will be coming through that gate of wonder.

  * * *

  NEW EARTH SPACE, JUNE 2ND, 1002.

  “Our blocking forces are all in position, my Lord,” reported the Chief of Staff, stopping beside the Great Admiral’s command chair. “There will be no escape for any of the beings in this system.”

  “We’re picking up a system wide grav wave transmission from that moon,” said the Com Officer, pointing to the tactical holo. “The one that’s radiating all the energy.”

  Their homeworld, thought the Great Admiral. And to him it seemed a pitiful one indeed. Not even a planet, but the moon of a gas giant in orbit around a minor star. They were one and half light hours out from that star, not quite that far from the moon. He thought they would have been better served to have chosen an F class, with a hyper limit of about three light hours, which would have delayed his fleet in getting to them. Instead, they had picked a red dwarf, obviously in the hope that they would be overlooked. Now found, that decision was going to just get them killed quicker.

  “Any idea what the message is?” he asked the Com Officer, noting that the vector arrows of the enemy forces were changing, shortening as they went from acceleration toward the Ca’cadasan fleet to deceleration at what had to be their maximum rate.

  “We have no way of knowing, my Lord. Our computers are having a difficult time with decrypting it. I believe they are constantly changing it from transmission to transmission.”

  One use codes, thought the Great Admiral. Smart, unlike most of their actions since we entered their system. He had expected a more measured, calculating response from the Klavarta, but they were acting like a nest of ground insects whose home had been kicked. Everything had been coming at him as fast as they could, in dribs and drabs, much like the attacks he had experienced on the way here. They would still sting his fleet, but cause nowhere near the damage they could if they concentrated. If this is the way they will fight every battle, I should be able to sweep through their space with what I have and end them.

  “Look at this, my Lord. It’s an image from the orbit of their homeworld.”

  The holo changed to show a high definition view of a large ship. It was hard to tell how large until they spotted one of the largest Klavarta vessels they knew of, one of their freighters.

  “By the Gods, that must be as large as one of our battleships,” exclaimed the Chief of Staff. “And it doesn’t look like anything that these people have made.”

  “I’m running through the databanks, my Lord,” called out the Sensor Officer. “I’m trying to match some of the structures on its hull with what we have.”

  Allies? thought the Great Admiral. A new class of their own warships? At least something we have yet to see.

  “I think I’ve got a match, my Lord,” said the Sensor Officer. Anoth
er vessel appeared next to the one on the holo. It looked quite a bit different. However, several of the structures on both vessels, especially the fins that looked like grabber units, were similar.

  “What is that other vessel?”

  “It’s a human battleship, from the other side of the Empire. The humans we are warring with on that front.”

  “So it’s most probably from the same people,” said the Chief of Staff. “But how did it get here?”

  And what kind of tech does it have, thought the Great Admiral. From what he had heard through channels, as slow as they were, his Empire was still the technological superior of the humans, but not by all that much. And the humans, with their inventiveness, were actually better at war than his own people. Of course, it took time to get news from that far away, and the last he had heard, the invasion fleet was in the process of crushing them. But who knew what had happened in the many months it took for word to go from one end of the Empire to the other. And there were some disturbing rumors about some human advancements that seemed to confound common sense.

  “Shall we order the other groups to advance, my Lord?” asked the Chief of Staff, looking at his leader. “That was the plan, yes. For half of each group to move in and crush them from all sides, while the other half maintained their watch just inside the hyper barrier.”

  The Great Admiral had to think about that for a moment. If there were ships from the so called New Terran Empire here, then what might be waiting within a short haul to this system? And if he reduced the size of his blockading forces, a strong enemy might be able to take them in detail, while he would be helpless to interfere.”

  “Send the order,” he told his Com Officer, still doubting it was the proper decision, but believing he needed to take the risk. “The main fleet will continue in at maximum acceleration, least time transit to the moon that is their homeworld.”

  If there are humans here from the other Empire, they will just join their cousins in this one in death.