The Forgotten Empire: Earth Ascendant: Book Two

by Raymond L. Weil

  -

  In just a few moments all the squadrons headed toward the nearby Druin fleet, spreading out to avoid incoming weapons fire. Mathew winced as he saw some of the small green icons representing interceptors on his tactical display begin to disappear as they were hit by weapons fire. “Missiles only,” he said over his squadron comm. “Each pair of interceptors is to pick out a target and hit it with all your missiles. Once your missiles have been expended, return to the Orion. We’re going in fast and getting out fast. Right now, the Druins’ energy shields are down, and we’ll take advantage of that. Everyone is now free to engage.”

  “A Druin battlecruiser is off to our port,” reported Lieutenant Kline. “It looks as if it’s been damaged.”

  “Then that’s our target. Lieutenant Gains, follow me in. Our target is that damaged battlecruiser off our port side.” Mathew turned his interceptor to the left and made his attack run. Lieutenant Gains was on his right side and slightly behind in his interceptor. The battlecruiser had several large holes in its side, where it had been hit by fusion energy beam fire. However, its weapons were still firing.

  As they neared the Druin battlecruiser, it fired its fusion energy beams at the two interceptors. It had no real point defense for small craft. Mathew flew as erratically as possible to avoid being struck. The interceptors did have a forward shield, but Mathew wasn’t certain the shield would hold up to a massive energy bolt.

  “I’ve got tone and a good lock,” reported Linda, as her hands moved over her tactical console. “Firing!”

  Four small missiles left the interceptor. Each missile was armed with a fusion warhead.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Mathew saw Lieutenant Gains launch his missiles as well. “Let’s get out of here,” ordered Mathew as a fusion energy bolt nearly clipped the interceptor’s left wing.

  He quickly turned the interceptor just as the missiles struck the battlecruiser. Looking back, he nodded, satisfied. The battlecruiser was a glowing wreck and completely out of the battle. It was time to return to the Orion and see how the rest of the squadron had done. Around him, Mathew could see what seemed like countless small fusion explosions weaving through the Druin fleet. He also noticed more green icons vanishing as interceptors made their attack runs.

  -

  Druin Admiral Kreen watched as the small attack craft of the Humans tore into the front of his collapsing fleet formation. They were doing considerable damage, due to the fleet’s energy shields all being down. Even his flagship had been struck by several Human fusion energy beams. One large hole was in the side of the Avenging Light, nearly twenty meters across and extending through ten decks. Even now the Command Center had traces of smoke floating in the air from several consoles that had shorted out.

  “We must find a defense for those small attack craft these Humans are so fond of using,” said First Officer Falorr.

  “How long until our shields are back up?” Kreen knew if they stayed down much longer, he would not have a fleet left. Already nearly 60 percent of his ships had been annihilated. The debris and drifting wrecks in the front of his formation were helping to shield his remaining vessels.

  “Another five minutes,” reported the systems officer. “We’re making progress.”

  Kreen turned to face the systems officer. “In another five minutes we won’t have a fleet left. I need those shields, and I need them now.”

  Kreen felt more emotional than normal. Usually he felt few emotions and was able to think very clearly. He was now convinced, more than ever, that his exposure to Humans was eroding his logic.

  -

  Dylan nodded in satisfaction as the attack interceptors returned to the battlecarriers. The small ships had maneuvered around all the drifting wreckage and had delivered a telling blow against the Druins. “Continue to fire. They could get their energy screens back up at any moment.”

  On the main viewscreen, a Druin battleship was under heavy fire. Fusion energy beams tore glowing holes in the hull, and then two antimatter missiles struck, forming two bright stars where the battleship was. When the light faded, all that was left was some glowing debris.

  “Admiral, I’m detecting energy shields appearing around some of the Druin ships,” warned Lieutenant Casella.

  Dylan had expected this. “How many Druin ships are left?”

  “Fewer than three hundred and many of them are heavily damaged.”

  “Switch our targeting to the battleships. I want as many of them destroyed as possible.”

  “What about the attack interceptors? Should we launch them again?”

  Dylan shook his head. “No, they’ve done what was needed.”

  On the viewscreens, the Druins were now steadily being pushed back. They were outnumbered and being easily overpowered. Ships were being blown apart across the remainder of their shattered battle wedge. Dylan knew the victory was theirs. All they needed to do was finish the killing. For the Druins, he felt no mercy.

  -

  Druin Admiral Kreen gazed at the viewscreens, trying to think logically. All systems had been reactivated. His ships were once more at full strength. Unfortunately he didn’t have the ships necessary to continue the battle. Shifting his gaze to the tactical display, he saw large numbers of green icons blinking out. The Humans were wiping out his fleet.

  “All ships are to enter hyperspace and rendezvous with the two fleets we have outside of Human space.”

  “We’ve lost?” said First Officer Falorr in disbelief.

  Kreen looked coldly at his first officer. “Yes, we’ve lost. I told the Great Council these new Humans should not be taken lightly. Now I fear we have a full-scale war on our hands due to our failure to move swiftly enough. Take us into hyperspace. We’re leaving.”

  Kreen was not pleased with the way this battle had gone. This marked the second time he had lost to the Earth Humans. However, he was of the Confederation, and they had thousands of warships that could be called upon. The Earth Humans had no idea the trouble they had stirred up. The seven races of the Confederation would descend upon them and would annihilate their star system, ending this revolt.

  -

  Admiral Cleemorl watched as the remaining Druin warships transitioned into hyperspace, fleeing the system. A few ships with damaged hyperdrives remained, and those were quickly dispatched. Taking a deep breath, he ordered the combined fleets to go into orbit. For the first time in over one thousand years, Golan Four, the birthplace of the Human race and the capital of the Human Empire, was free.

  Chapter Twenty

  Admiral Marloo watched the tactical displays as his fleet dropped out of hyperspace in the Malor Two System. Sensors had indicated two Druin battlecruisers were in the system. Marloo had twelve battlecruisers and thirty support ships in his fleet, which should easily handle those two Druins ships.

  “Energy shields are up on all ships,” reported the first officer.

  Marloo nodded. “Close with those two Druin battlecruisers. As soon as we’re in range, we’ll initiate hostilities. I want both of those vessels destroyed.”

  Admiral Marloo had witnessed too many cities being bombed out of existence by the Druins. It was time for some revenge. He felt his pulse quicken, as his fleet raced toward the two Druin ships. He leaned forward in his command chair, anticipating the coming battle. This was why he had joined the secret military and had worked his way up to being an admiral.

  This battle would be much different than what Admiral Cleemorl had faced when he tried to free Lydol Four many years ago. This time all of Admiral Marloo’s battlecruisers were armed with fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles. This was due to the technology the Earth Humans had made available to the Human Resistance groups.

  “The two Druin battlecruisers are turning toward us,” reported the sensor officer. “We’ll be in weapons range in seven minutes.”

  “I want to hit them with a full barrage of antimatter missiles,” said Marloo. “This battle should be short and sweet.” Only th
e battlecruisers had antimatter missiles and fusion energy beams. The support ships had fusion missiles and weaker energy beams. They would stay slightly back behind the battlecruisers.

  The range between the Druins and Admiral Marloo’s fleet rapidly closed. In the Human fleet, personnel stood at their battlestations, many of them nervous and frightened. They were going to attempt to destroy two Druin battlecruisers much larger than any ship in the Human Resistance fleet. They were well aware of what the Druins had done in the past to anyone who attempted to oppose them. Most had seen the ruins of cities that had been bombed.

  “Stand by to fire!” ordered Marloo. His gaze was focused sharply on the tactical display, showing the distance between his fleet and the two Druin warships. On the large viewscreen, one of the Druin warships was displayed. It looked to be heavily armed and extremely dangerous.

  “We’re in range!” shouted the sensor officer excitedly.

  “Fire!”

  From the twelve battlecruisers in the fleet, subspace antimatter missiles blasted from the missile tubes. At the same time fusion energy beams began to fire.

  While the Druin ships were powerful, the effects of being struck by over sixty antimatter missiles plus fusion energy beams at the same time were devastating. Both ships exploded in massive blasts of energy. When the explosions died down, nothing was left but a few small clouds of glowing gas.

  On board the Human fleet, the crew looked at one another in shock. They had destroyed both Druin battlecruisers before either could fire a weapon in return. Throughout the fleet in all the ships, crewmembers cheered loudly. They had their first victory over the Druins.

  The first officer turned toward Admiral Marloo with a big smile on his face. “Where to next?”

  “The Hagen Star Cluster. I’ve received reports of several Druin battlecruisers and possibly a battleship there. We’ll be joined by another resistance fleet comprising four more battlecruisers and sixteen support ships.”

  “We’ve just received a hyperlight message from the Earth Humans,” reported the communications officer excitedly. “They have defeated the Druins at Golan Four, destroying nearly 90 percent of the Confederation fleet.”

  “We’re winning,” said the first officer, smiling broadly. “We’re actually driving the Confederation out of the Empire.”

  Admiral Marloo looked at his first officer. “For now, but they will return. Before that happens, we must get our worlds fortified and ready for a long war. The Confederation will not give up easily.”

  The first officer’s face turned grim as he realized the truth of what the admiral said.

  “Leave two support ships in orbit and set a course for the Hagen Star Cluster,” ordered Marloo. “We still have more Druins to kill.”

  -

  A few minutes later two medium-size support ships went into orbit around Malor Two. At the same time the victorious Human Resistance fleet entered hyperspace, heading for its next target.

  -

  In the underground Command Center on Lydol Four, General Livingston briefed Governor Lang on the current developments. “Our Human Resistance fleets are spreading out across the Empire, eliminating all the stray Druin warships in orbit around many of our worlds. The Earth Humans have already achieved a major victory in freeing Golan Four and destroying a major portion of the Druin fleets.”

  “What will the Earth Humans do next?”

  “They will spread out through the Mall Star Cluster, ensuring there is no Druin presence. Sixteen heavily colonized star systems are there that will be needed for the coming war effort.”

  “What are we doing here to protect Lydol Four?”

  General Livingston gestured toward a tactical display that showed the orbital space around the planet. Several strings of blinking yellow lights were visible with more appearing every few seconds. “We’re putting up a very powerful defensive grid. In addition we’re arming our two space stations and installing energy shields.”

  Governor Lang frowned. “That all sounds good, but is it enough?”

  Livingston folded his arms across his chest. “We’ll have ships to defend us as well. However, we must not forget who we are dealing with. The Confederation has never been one to allow worlds any independence. That’s one of the reasons they conquered our Empire and have treated our worlds so harshly. There will be many battles ahead of us. Some we will win, and some we will lose, but we’ll never be subservient to the Confederation again.”

  Governor Lang nodded. “I’ll leave fighting the war up to you and your officers. Just keep me informed of developments.” The governor shook General Livingston’s hand and left the Command Center.

  “We’re getting reports from all over the Empire,” reported Major Klower. “Our Human Resistance fleets are now fully active and are engaging individual Druin ships over many of our worlds. The Earth Humans are checking the rest of the Mall Star Cluster and will have it completely secured in less than twenty hours.”

  “And the broadcasts?”

  “All over the Empire,” replied Klower. “We’re broadcasting the history of the Empire, views of the Imperial Palace as it once was, the House of Worlds, and the latest message from High Princess Starguard. There are reports of large crowds out in the streets on nearly every world, celebrating, wanting to know when the Princess will arrive.”

  General Livingston nodded. “We owe much to the Earth Humans and the Imperials who went to Earth so long ago. They have returned our Empire to us, and now we must do everything in our power to keep it.”

  Major Klower looked at the tactical display, showing the cargo ships putting the defensive grid in place. “What will happen now?”

  “War,” answered General Livingston simply. “The Confederation will send more fleets to regain control of our worlds. For now, it is good for our people to celebrate and to know what freedom from the Confederation feels like. Once the Princess arrives, we must start preparing the people of our Empire for what comes next. The Great Council of the Confederation will be furious when they find out what has happened here. With hyperlight communication, they may already know.”

  -

  Rear Admiral Masters had his fleet in orbit around Golan Four. The other two fleets had gone on to other worlds in the Mall Star Cluster to search for any Druin ships that might still be present. It was essential, if their plans were to succeed, to have the entire cluster under Imperial control.

  “Prepare my shuttle. I’m going down to the Imperial Palace. I want to inspect it before the Princesses get here.” Derrick was curious what the inside of the Palace looked like. He was almost afraid of what he might find.

  “Take a full squad of Marines,” insisted Captain Banora, her hands on her hips. “We have no idea what it’ll be like down there.”

  “I want a couple engineers who know something about structural mechanics, if we have any on board.”

  Audrey spent a few moments checking the crew roster. “We’re in luck. We have an Imperial who once worked at the Palace and another who has built some large buildings on Earth. I’ll arrange for both to meet you in the flight bay.”

  -

  An hour later, Derrick stepped out onto the surface of Golan Four. Three shuttles from the Destiny had landed just in front of the Palace, loaded with Marines and specialists who would inspect the Palace.

  “Set up a perimeter,” ordered Derrick to Sergeant Bower. “Make sure no one enters the Palace without my permission.”

  Specialist Ardell Loren walked over to Derrick. “I worked in the Palace for nearly four years before we had to evacuate. I’m pretty familiar with most of it, though it’s a very large structure.”

  Derrick looked up at the soaring towers that nearly reached into the clouds and the great arches that linked the towers together. “Let’s go. I’m curious to see what it looks like inside.”

  “Corporal Jenkins, take your squad with the admiral,” ordered Sergeant Bower. “Be very careful inside that structure. I suspect many parts of it ar
e unstable.”

  Derrick allowed Ardell to lead, since she was probably much more familiar with the Palace than he was. As they walked toward the Palace, Derrick looked around at all the deterioration that had occurred. The Royal Gardens were infested and overgrown with weeds. There were no traces of the rare flowers and shrubs that had once graced the Palace grounds. Large cracks were in the granite and marble tiles that lined the walkway, and numerous fissures were visible in the thick walls of the Palace itself.

  They reached the Grand Entrance, and Derrick was disappointed to see that part of the arch over the entrance had collapsed. One of the structural engineers stepped forward and examined it closer. “It’s safe enough to enter, but we should be very careful not to touch anything.”

  “Why don’t you and Ardell go first. Don’t take any unnecessary risks. If you see it’s unsafe, we’ll turn around and go back to the shuttles.” Derrick felt devastated by what he had seen so far. He could well imagine how the Princesses would feel.

  Being very careful, they made their way through the Palace, until they reached the massive doors that led to the Royal Court. The ornate doors had long since rotted away, with only a small pile of nearly petrified splinters lying on the floor. Going inside, Derrick looked around, feeling great sadness. All the paintings, statues, and tapestries were gone. More huge cracks were in the walls and even in sections of the granite and marble floor. Looking up toward the ceiling, Derrick noted several of the massive support beams were missing.

  Walking to the very front of the large room, Derrick mounted the wide steps that led up to where the High King and the other members of the Royal Family and their aides sat. All the chairs were gone, and piles of rubble were everywhere. “I think I’ve seen enough. Let’s get out of here before someone gets hurt.”

  Derrick let out a deep sigh. He was very disappointed in the condition of the Palace, but, after one thousand years, he should not have been surprised. He really hated the thought of Princess Layla and Princess Krista seeing what their former home looked like now. It had been a shock for Derrick, and he knew it would be a much greater shock for the two Princesses.