by Saxon Andrew
• • •
The President of Australia’s government was staring at the Commander of the alien fleet on a monitor and it was clear he was not one to be challenged. The aliens had translated the language used by the colonies decades ago and had the means to communicate without problems, “President, more than forty thousand of my landing force have been killed under your watch tonight. Do you have anything to say before I vaporize the building you’re in?”
“The ones that attacked your landing forces tonight kill more of us each year that that, Commander!” The Commander’s head jerked slightly. The President quickly added, “You’ve taken all of our records and news casts and can see that there is a secret society of assassins on every colony that kills millions of our citizens every year. We have no control over them and my citizens are in as much danger from them as your landing forces! You could vaporize half the planet and we still couldn’t stop them from attacking you.”
“THAT’S INSANE!!” The Commander shouted.
“Evidently, the President of the Colonies has offered a reward after you invaded us for them to kill your landing forces.” The Planetary President paused and then continued, “Please, just look at our history texts and news casts; you’ll see I’m being honest. If killing me will prevent you from killing millions of other citizens that had nothing to do with this, then do so!”
The Alien Commander glared at the President and the monitor went dark. The President fell back in his chair and waited to die.
• • •
The Commander looked at his Alien Liaison with an expression that was dangerous, “Is what this idiot just said true?”
The AL smoothly said, “Please allow me a few moments to see, Commander.” The AL began querying his console and data flashed across his display at an incredible speed. The AL’s expression changed from being relaxed to concerned and then to shock. He finally looked away from his console to the commander. The Commander watched him and finally asked, “WELL?”
“It’s worse than he said, Commander.”
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!”
“Commander, more than three or four million of the aliens on this planet we’ve invaded are murdered each year by this Assassins Guild.”
The Commander sat down in his command chair, “You can’t be serious?!”
“I wish I was wrong about this, but it appears this guild is estimated to kill more than forty million of them every year on the planets they inhabit. The average citizen has no idea who among them are assassins and have no control over them. They are protected by the central government and no one can prosecute them.”
“WHY WASN’T I TOLD ABOUT THIS BEFORE I INVADED THIS PLANET?!” the Commander yelled, as he pulled a hand blaster and went over to the AL’s console.
The AL’s expression showed no fear, “Commander, before you do something stupid and get yourself executed for threatening me, you need only remember that we didn’t have this information before you invaded. We only collected it after we arrived and we’re still going through it. The information about the assassins is hidden in millions of secret government documents. I only found it after we were told that assassins killed our troops.”
The Commander stared at the AL, then turned and went back to his chair. “I’m going to vaporize the largest city.” The AL stared at him with a dour expression. “What? You don’t think I should do it?” the Commander sneered.
“I don’t think you can, Commander. At least not without the consent of the Law Enforcer. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”
The Commander glared at the AL and wished for the hundredth time that the AL was under his command…but he wasn’t. He was a civilian put there by the Central Rulers. He glared at the AL and tried to decide what to do. His options weren’t good; all of them could lead to his execution.
Chapter Four
The Commander sat in his conference room and waited for the Law Enforcer to contact him. He sent his plans to vaporize any area where his landing forces were attacked to the Enforcer and thought about how he would justify it. He rehearsed his words several times before the wall-monitor activated, showing the Supreme Law Enforcer. The Commander quickly said, “Thank you for agreeing to hear my request.”
“I’ve looked at your request and have ordered the Alien Liaison to send me the data he has uncovered concerning your request. The data appears to indicate that this Assassin’ Guild is not part of the local military forces but is an independent organization operating outside the control of the local government. Do you see it differently?”
“They are resisting my invasion, Enforcer.”
“Are the military forces on the planet you’ve invaded still resisting your invasion?”
“No, Enforcer. We quickly defeated them. They surrendered, laying down their arms, and were immediately moved to internment camps.”
“Who on that planet can order these assassins to cease their actions?” The Commander was silent. “I asked you a question, Commander!”
“I’ve not found anyone with that authority, yet, Enforcer,”
“Do you believe there is someone on the planet that can make that happen?”
“I believe there must be someone that could do it.”
“Link the Alien Liaison in to this conversation.”
All the Commanders words to persuade the Enforcer flew out the viewport. He pressed a button and the AL’s image appeared beside the Enforcer’s on the wall-monitor. “I’ve just asked the Commander of the Invasion if there was anyone on the invaded planet that could order these assassins to cease their attacks. He hasn’t provided an adequate answer and I ask you the same question.”
The Commander had to admit the AL’s expression showed he was reluctant to answer but had no choice but to comply with the Enforcer’s question. “Enforcer, I’ve began examining all the secret government documents on this assassin’s organization and it appears there is no connection between it and the government. They probably represent just as large a danger to the citizens on this planet as they do to our forces, Enforcer.”
The Enforcer’s eyes showed his shock, “That is insane!”
The AL nodded his agreement, “If the data I’ve uncovered is accurate, this organization kills more than four million citizens on this planet every year.” This number stunned the Commander. This was new information he hadn’t heard before this moment.
“Why do they allow this?” the Enforcer asked.
“It appears that anyone, who can pay the huge fees required to take out an agreement to have someone killed, is legally able to do so, Enforcer. The extremely wealthy citizens on this planet can pay to have someone they don’t like killed. The relatives of the one that is killed can then take out a contract to kill the one that had their relative killed. This secret organization is an entity unto itself and no one controls it. Even the Central Government that governs all the planets in this group would be at risk if it tried to remove them. It is very much like an inoperable cancer in the body of the people that live here.”
“Are you suggesting the inhabitants want this organization removed?”
“Enforcer, I’ve had some of my agents interview numerous beings on this planet and they all agree that they really hope we can do just that. There is universal agreement that removal of these assassins is something the population wants done.”
The Enforcers eyes opened wider, “That just sounds like this society is being held captive by both our landing forces and these assassins.”
“That’s how they view it, Enforcer. They see that our invasion hasn’t led to massive numbers of death among them and they’re wondering what we’re here to accomplish.” The AL paused and then added, “The President has informed me that since we arrived, the murder rate on the planet has all but stopped. I don’t understand the purpose of this guild, but it must serve a purpose I’ve not been able to determine.”
“In your opinion, what would happen if the Commander started vaporizing large areas on the planet?”
The AL hesitated, and the Commander quickly interjected, “Tell the truth. You’ve reported things I was not aware was happening.”
“Commander, I intend no disrespect, but I would have to answer honestly even without your approval.” The Commander bowed his head and nodded he understood before the AL continued, “Under normal circumstances, if members of the local population were attacking our forces, the others would turn them in to avoid massive loss of life. But that is not the situation here. The ones attacking our forces are unknown to the population and would continue attacking us despite the harm being done to them. They would be forced to join the assassins in attacking our forces to survive; they have no other option. It would lead to the Commander being forced to destroy the planet to protect our landing forces.”
The Law Enforcer contemplated the information the AL provided in silence and then turned back to the Commander, “Are you aware why it is forbidden to kill large numbers of the local population when we invade, Commander?”
“It’s not a good economic decision, Enforcer. We would be unable to use the population to carry out the tasks we need done to accrue the wealth on the planet,” the Commander answered confidently.
“That is not the reason, Commander. That’s what you believe is true, but your answer has nothing to do with the real truth.” The Commander’s eyes widened in surprise as the Enforcer continued, “The Central Rulers are responsible for all the civilizations under their rule. If one day we invade an advanced civilization that is technologically superior to us and we bombard their planets, they will in turn do the same to us if they retaliate one day in the future. If we treat them fairly and avoid massive loss of life, it is hoped they would do the same to us. The Rulers accountability is to the welfare of the entire civilization, not to the economic Lords out to make profits, Commander.”
The Enforcer paused for a moment, “Even if all of this weren’t the situation, you would not be allowed to bombard a planet. It appears you and your company have made a bad decision to invade these planets and I would encourage you to inform the other Lords of what they’re going to encounter when they invade. You will follow the laws governing invasions and if any of you violate them, the Governing Rulers will take appropriate action against your company. Is that clear?!”
The Commander lowered his head, “It is, Enforcer.” The Enforcer’s image disappeared from the wall-monitor and the Commander raised his head and asked, “AL, what do you see I can do to make this invasion pay off?”
“If it weren’t for this guild, this planet would be perfect. You have all the high-skilled works needed to mine the metals here and you would make an extraordinary profit without harming the population. However, these guild members are the most highly trained killers I’ve ever seen data on. They’re better than most of the military we’ve encountered on any other planet ever invaded. They are uncontrollable, and I don’t see how you can operate here within the invasion laws and make a profit. The death benefits from the troops already lost will cut deeply into anything you could make.”
The Commander stared at the AL for a few moments and then ordered, “Make a report to the Prince Royal detailing all that’s happened to date. Include the conversation with the Law Enforcer, all the data you’ve collected, and the observations you just mentioned. Send it out in a priority message and copy it to the five fleets that landed and tell them to anticipate attacks from this Assassin’s Guild. It’s clear that these assassins delay their attacks until enough of our forces are in position on the planet’s surface.”
“I’ll send it momentarily, Commander. I’m sorry it appears I’m working against you, but my motive is to make sure you don’t do something that would lead to you being placed in danger,” the AL responded.
“I see that, now. We need to work together to try and get out of this with a profit.” The AL nodded and disappeared from the monitor. The Commander sat back in his chair and wondered how he was going to manage to pull this off.
• • •
Tal was on board the Earth Warship New York and was observing the war maneuvers taking place between two fleets. He had a chair beside Captain Gregory Ward and listened to his running commentary as he fought his ship. Tal considered himself to be an intelligent person, but a lot of the maneuvers didn’t make sense to him. “Captain, why are you chasing an enemy, firing practice pulses at it, then slowly stopping to chase it at a slower speed?”
Greg smiled, “We’re trying to duplicate a space battle where the participants are using phase fields. If our practice shots hit the ship, it will go to a slower speed to mimic what happens when a ship loses its phase field.”
“What happens when a ship loses its phase field, Captain?”
“It slows down instantly to the speed its thrusters are pushing inside the phase field, which is normally its maximum speed, and then changes course. By firing our pulse cannons at a ship inside a phase field, both ships are ejected from their phase fields. If they’re not moving on the same course, one will flash away at high-speed in a different direction.”
“What happens if you miss?”
Greg smiled at Tal, “Then the enemy ship will blow past us at a speed impossible to chase. Firing our pulse cannons inside our phase field will instantly degrade it and we’ll immediately slow to our maximum normal speed, while the other ship flashed past several-thousand-times-lightspeed.”
“So, you’ll lose it?” Tal stated.
“Depends.”
“On what, Captain?”
“Which ship is faster inside their phase field, General. If my warship is faster in its phase field, we can give chase and try again.”
“Does that hold true with the new Phase Metal our scientists discovered?”
“Well, yes and no. The pulse cannons on our modified ships are fired outside the phase metal hulls we’re installing on our ships, so they don’t come out of their phase drive. However, if we hit an enemy ship, our ship will blow past them as the enemy ship loses its phase field. We’ll be forced to come about radically to hopefully fire on it before their phase field reactivates.”
“It sounds like space battles are next to impossible with phase technology,” Tal commented.
“They’re certainly not easy, General.”
“I guess I thought of the old space battles where long lines of warships lined up and blasted a long line of their enemy’s ships.”
“That still happens, General. If the battle is taking place inside the gravity field of a planet or star, then the battle takes place outside phase fields. The winner of those battles will be the ships with the most powerful offensive and defensive weapon systems. That’s why the colonies’ fleets have been helpless against the alien major warships. The range of the alien’s blasters are much longer than the colony ships. They can’t get close enough to hit the alien vessels without being destroyed. Those huge alien warships are covered in defensive blasters and anti-missile defenses. The colony ships haven’t gotten close enough for us to see how good the alien’s missiles are; they’ve not had to fire any at our warships to hold them off.”
“So, the aliens got it right.”
Captain Ward tilted his head, “What are you saying?”
“Captain, the aliens have built their fleets to have maximum power outside of a phase field. They purposely built them to fight close to a planet and all they need do is get their ships inside the planet’s gravity field to take on an enemy. Or do you see it differently?”
Greg thought about it and shrugged, “No, I guess you’re right. They would be vulnerable if they were knocked out of their phase fields in open space.”
“How?” Tal responded. Greg’ eyes narrowed at Tal’s remark. “Captain, if their ship’s weapons have a longer range, they could still hit our ships before we could get close enough to attack. You can’t use a phase field to rush them; you’d blow past them in less than an instant. You’d still have come at them from a distance.”
“That’s not entirely true, G
eneral. Ships can’t go at full speed at a ship above a planet.”
“Why not?” Tal asked.
“You have to be moving at a speed where you’re able to change course quickly enough to avoid hitting the planet. That’s not true in open space; you could approach them at close to lightspeed, drop the phase field, and get inside their weapons before they could lock on. If you blow past them, no problem.”
Tal nodded and looked away from the monitor. He thought about what Greg was telling him and knew that Captain Ward was the best ship commander in Earth’s fleets. He was silent and finally Greg interrupted his thoughts, “You appear to be thinking about something, General. Do you mind if I ask what it is?”
Tal turned to him, “What if you could control the speed down to one-mile-per-hour inside a phase field?”
“That’s not possible, General.”
“I’ve seen it done, Captain. I’ve personally braked a ship inside a phase field from full speed to full stop in less than a couple of seconds.”
“I’ve not heard about that technology!”
Tal nodded slightly, “I’ll mention it to Admiral Montana and make sure it’s installed on the warships being modified. Do you think that would make a difference in getting close enough to get off a shot?”
“Can the speed be controlled in small increments?” Greg asked.
Tal smiled, “From full stop all the way up to full-speed, Captain.”
Greg smiled, “That would revolutionize space warfare.”
“Mention it to Admiral Montana and tell him why it would. It’s been a long time since he was commander of a warship.”
“I’ll be sure to do that, General.”
Tal turned back to the monitor and witnessed the frustration of trying to attack another ship inside a phase field.
• • •
The President looked at Earth’s Chancellor on his display and smiled, “It’s been a long time, John.”
“Probably too long, Ed. We should have been communicating long before now.”
“I sent you a couple of intercepted alien communications, have you had time to read them?” the President asked.