"We have our orders, Stephan, and we'll follow them to the letter. We were ordered not to engage the enemy under any circumstances and that's the way it will be. If you even alert the Tsgardi to our presence, I'll bring you up on charges myself. Understood?"
"Aye, Commander," he said sullenly. "Understood."
"Good. Okay, we've got our orders. We'll split up when we reach the area in a few days and begin searching for the Tsgardi battle group. Any other questions? No? Then goodnight. Mississippi out."
* * *
"Message from the Mississippi, Admiral," the com operator announced to Jenetta as she worked in her briefing room.
Raising the com panel, Jenetta selected the message from the queue and tapped the play button. The image of Commander Cleviss appeared and began speaking.
"Admiral, we've located the Tsgardi battle group and, as you speculated, they've consolidated into one group of twenty-seven vessels. Unfortunately, they were alerted to our presence when they encountered the Nile, the ship that located them. Commander Stephan Cross, the Nile's captain, says his ACS dropped his envelope when it detected the Tsgardi approaching on a reciprocal course and dropped him right in their midst despite our standing orders calling for us to disengage our ACS when traveling at Light-9375. There was a two-minute exchange of laser fire before the Nile was able to reconstitute its envelope and engage its Light-Speed drive.
"Admiral, I'm sorry we were unable to keep our presence a secret. We're currently following the Tsgardi outside of their sensor range. I'm appending coordinates of our present position and course information.
"Commander John Cleviss, Captain of the Mississippi. Message complete."
Jenetta tapped the record button and said, "Message to Commander John Cleviss, Captain of the Mississippi.
"The task force has destroyed the last of the groups except for the one you're trailing and we're already on our way to your location. Continue to follow the Tsgardi until we meet up.
"Since all other Tsgardi battle groups have been dealt with, having the last Tsgardi battle group encounter one of our ships is no great loss and it was bound to happen during our searches. It's unfortunate the Tsgardi were witness to our Light Speed improvement though. I'm assuming the Nile used Light-9375 to escape the battle group. I would have liked to keep that secret for just a while longer.
"We should meet up with you in three days. Stay well back until then. The Tsgardi firepower from a group of twenty-seven ships could overwhelm your ships. We'll take them on as a single force.
"Jenetta Carver, Admiral, Commander of the Second Fleet and Military Governor of Region Two, aboard the Colorado; Message complete."
* * *
Premier Warlord Qerdesqa walked into his sitting room where his aide was waiting.
"I'm sorry to awaken you, sir, but we've had a communication from Admiral Zerkovhas aboard the battleship Pstorirus. He says he encountered a ship they believed to be Space Command. They exchanged fire and the ship appeared to disintegrate in front of them."
"Disintegrate?"
"Yes sir. They were firing upon it with their laser weapons and torpedoes when it disappeared."
"Disappeared. Did it disappear or disintegrate?"
"The Admiral used both those words, sir, just as I have relayed them. He said that after the encounter the battle group continued on their course and there were no further incidents. He probably would have waited to report the incident with his regular weekly report, but you said you wanted to hear immediately of any encounters."
Qerdesqa began pacing back and forth without saying anything. His aide stood by silently.
"If the Space Command ship disappeared, then it might mean they've developed some kind of system for cloaking their presence, but if they disintegrated we have nothing to worry about. Send a message to Zerkovhas immediately. Ask him to describe exactly what he witnessed. It's important he be as descriptive as possible."
"Yes sir. I'll take care of it immediately."
* * *
"Do you understand the plan, ladies and gentlemen?" Jenetta asked the captains of the scout-destroyers during a vid conference following the task force rendezvous with the new ships.
All five captains nodded.
"Good. We've used this method in our last six encounters with the Tsgardi and it's worked out very well. The Tsgardi have been so disoriented when we arrive that the danger to our ships and crews has been greatly reduced as we engage them. If everyone is ready, let's go wrap up the Tsgardi part of this invasion."
An hour later, the Light Speed engines of the Tsgardi battle group were shut down as they encountered the electronic debris field. Within seconds, before they had even issued the call for all hands to go to battle stations, the WOLaR torpedoes were exploding in their midst. When the Space Command vessels arrived seconds later, the officers were screaming at their com operators as they tried to communicate with the remaining ships. The fight was over in ten minutes.
Later that day while the cleanup was under way, Jenetta had a visitor aboard the Colorado.
"Commander Cleviss is at the door," the door interface announced.
"Come," Jenetta said, pushing down the cover of the com unit.
As the officer entered, Jenetta said, "Welcome aboard, Commander."
"Thank you, Admiral."
"Have a seat."
"Yes ma'am."
"Your ship did well in the battle, Commander. I'm glad to have you with us."
"Thank you, Admiral. Your plan was brilliant. I was amazed at the lack of fire coming from the Tsgardi ships."
"The plan was developed by the captains of the ships in the task force. We all had a hand in it."
"Yes ma'am."
Jenetta looked at the officer intently. He obviously had something on his mind, but he didn't know how to begin. She decided to wait until he found his tongue.
"Ma'am," he finally said, "I would be remiss in my duty if I didn't report something. Commander Stephan Cross of the Nile was clearly unhappy with having to wait until the task force arrived. I believe he might have deliberately arranged to confront the Tsgardi battle group, although I made your orders quite clear. I even told him that if he alerted the Tsgardi to our presence I'd bring him up on charges."
Jenetta leaned back in her chair and looked at the nervous officer without saying anything for almost a full half-minute. "That's a very serious charge, Commander."
"Yes Ma'am. I know. I've known Stephan since the Academy, and he's always been a bit— bold."
"There's a very old saying from the early days of aviation on Earth that goes, 'there are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are very few old, bold pilots.' We want officers who aren't afraid to take the fight to the enemy when necessary, but we also want our officers to follow their orders explicitly unless they are out of touch with senior command or the conditions have changed dramatically. Do you have any proof he violated his orders?"
"No, ma'am, no specific proof. It's just a feeling, knowing how he felt and how impulsive he can be at times."
"Well, he's required to submit his bridge logs of any action, but it's possible he could have arranged a confrontation just before the start of the log period he sent. I could order he submit his bridge logs for the prior hour to see if he first encountered the Tsgardi from a distance and, after determining their speed and course, deliberately set a course that would have him confront them. Do you feel we should do that, Commander?"
"Uh, I don't know, Admiral."
Jenetta nodded. "An investigation like that can have an adverse effect on a crew. Right now we need everyone focused on the job at hand. The Tsgardi will know soon enough it was us behind all their missing ships and we still have a tremendous job in front of us. What say we forget this discussion ever took place?"
"If that's what you want, Admiral."
"I think it's best. I will keep my eye on Commander Cross though, to make sure he toes the mark from now on. Thank you for bringing this to my attentio
n, Commander. You've done the right thing."
"Yes ma'am."
"Extend my appreciation and regards to your crew for a job well done and I'm delighted to have you here as part of the Second Fleet."
"Yes ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."
"Dismissed, Commander."
Commander Cleviss rose to his feet and came to attention, then turned and left the briefing room. Jenetta returned to her work on the com unit. She was preparing a speech to be sent to the Tsgardi War Council.
* * *
"My fellow Tsgardi," First Warlord Kalisnacos said to the other members of the Tsgardi War Council as he stood up in the large circular hall, "we meet here today to discuss the gravest of matters. Before I open the discussion, there's a message you should see." He nodded to an aide and then sat down. The image of Admiral Carver appeared on the large monitor and she began to speak. All of the members grabbed for the translation earphones hanging on the seat back in front of them.
"Tsgardi warlords, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Admiral Jenetta Carver, Commander of Space Command's Second Fleet and Military Governor of Region Two. I'm speaking to you today as your conqueror.
"The forces of my Second Fleet have destroyed all three hundred of the ships you sent into Region Two as an invasion force. We have several hundred prisoners and they will be returned to you as soon as our business is settled. Let me be perfectly clear; I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm telling you what you will do.
"First, you will announce your unconditional surrender.
"Second, you will immediately free all Flordaryn captives and give them safe and reliable transport off your world so they may return to their own. If even one Flordaryn is retained on your world, Space Command will exact a terrible price.
"Third, you will immediately recall all Tsgardi military personnel outside your home solar system. That includes those on planets, moons, and space stations.
"Fourth, you will cease all construction of military interstellar space vessels immediately. You will have no further need of them.
"You have a decision to make today. You can surrender to the Galactic Alliance or you can remain resolute in your stand against the GA and see your world reduced to ruins around you if you survive the devastating holocaust that will come. Either way, the Tsgardi Empire is now history.
"I give you twenty-four Earth hours to give me your answer. Do you surrender and see your territory peacefully annexed by the Galactic Alliance, or do we reduce your world to ashes and annex your former territory afterwards? I'll leave the choice to you."
The image disappeared to be replaced by the Space Command logo. All of the warlords in the hall jumped up and started screaming at once. First Warlord Kalisnacos stood and held up his hands for quiet. It took ten minutes before the screaming stopped and he could be heard.
"Fellow Tsgardi, it's true. For weeks now our battle groups have, one by one, failed to respond to our messages. We haven't known until now what was happening to them. We knew before we began this ill-conceived invasion that it might have serious consequences, but even I never considered that Space Command could destroy our forces with such apparent ease, annex our empire, and isolate us in this solar system. We committed virtually all our ships to the invasion, so we have only the dozen or so that remain as part of the home guard, but if Space Command was able to destroy our entire fleet, they would have little trouble with the older ships left behind. I leave it to you to decide our fate. Do we live on or see our species die in flames and destruction? Do we surrender and accede to her demands or see our planet devastated as she did to the Milori? Perhaps worse. I leave it to you."
As Kalisnacos sat down, the hall erupted in screaming again. As warlords screamed accusations at other warlords, fistfights began to break out and guards scurried to contain the combatants. Kalisnacos watched apathetically knowing that whatever the decision of this body, the Empire was finished. Space Command had been too strong an opponent for them. The only hope for the Tsgardi now was that the Uthlaro would be successful, and even that wasn't much of a consolation because he feared the Uthlaro almost as much as he had feared the Milori. Given half a chance, the Uthlaro would probably not hesitate to annex the Tsgardi Empire. The question might better be phrased as, 'Is it better to be annexed by the Galactic Alliance or the Uthlaro Dominion?'
* * *
When the reply came from the Tsgardi home world, Jenetta turned on the com immediately and selected the message from the queue. As she pressed the play button, the face of an aged Tsgardi filled the screen.
"Admiral Carver, I am First Warlord Kalisnacos. I have been asked to convey our response. I was opposed to this invasion because I knew Space Command was strong, but I admit that even I never realized how strong you are or that you could destroy our invasion fleet so easily. We are at your mercy.
"The War Council offers you our unconditional surrender. We do not wish to see our world reduced to ashes and we will comply with all of your demands. Arrangements are already being made to transport the Flordaryns safely to their own world and all off-world military personnel have been notified to prepare for immediate return. Without our Flordaryn ship builders, there can be no construction of interstellar military vessels.
"We acknowledge your annexation of our former territory and will restrict our military to our own solar system and the protection of our home world.
"If there is anything else you require, forward your instructions directly to me. I have been named as Premier Warlord following the sudden death of Premier Warlord Qerdesqa, the leader of the invasion effort."
Jenetta smiled sadly. It was a shame so many Tsgardi had to die to satisfy the power greed of a few leaders, but that was the way of war. Still, she was glad this part of the invasion was over. With the Tsgardi's unconditional surrender a matter of record, she could send her planned messages to the Gondusans and Hudeera, and prepare for the battles to come. She estimated the Uthlaro couldn't consolidate their distributed forces into one battle group in less than a year's time, but she would have to work fast to take on as many groups as possible while they remained small. There was no doubt at all that the most difficult and deadly part of this campaign still lay ahead.
* * *
Chapter Ten
~ March 3rd, 2283 ~
"We have received an important message from Admiral Carver of the Galactic Alliance Space Command," Senator Prime Curlekurt Emmeticus said, addressing the Gondusan planetary senate. "It was addressed to my attention and I have already viewed it." To a clerk, he said, "Play the message."
The image of Jenetta appeared as senators reached for translation headsets. Most had gotten them settled on their heads before she began speaking.
"This message is intended for the Gondusan and Hudeerac Order leaders. Space Command is aware of your plan to overthrow our government in Region Two by engaging in an undeclared war, with intentions of dividing our territory among yourselves and your pirate allies. We will not stand for this treachery and we will show you the strength of our resolve and the power you have recklessly chosen to ignore by your actions.
"Over the past months, we have systematically destroyed all three hundred ships the Tsgardi sent across our border in twenty-two groups. I have, this day, received the unconditional surrender of the Tsgardi Empire and their entire territory has now been annexed by the Galactic Alliance. I now make the Gondusan and Hudeera leaders a most generous offer. Recall your ships at once and I will not destroy them. I will not destroy any ship proceeding back towards their home world, but I will destroy any military ships headed into Region Two without permission. As part of your unconditional surrender, you will cede to the Galactic Alliance all territory recovered after our war with the Milori. There is always a price for treachery and this is the price I demand of you. Should you fail to surrender unconditionally, I will annex your entire territory after I destroy your fleets and lay waste to your home world. What I did to Milor will seem like a minor distraction compared to the des
truction I will rain down upon your planet. We have terrible weapons, powerful enough to kill every man, woman, and child on a planet, or simply obliterate your planet from your solar system.
"The decision is yours. Surrender now, peacefully, or die horribly. Once I engage the first ship from your military, my offer to accept a peaceful surrender is withdrawn."
The message of surrender from the Tsgardi Prime Warlord Kalisnacos was appended to Jenetta's message and the senators scrambled to change the translators from Amer to Gucceral. The senate clerk restarted the appended message when everyone was ready.
The senators sat in stunned silence at the completion of the second message. Both had been a blow, but Jenetta's message had been intentionally harsh. She knew they would not surrender if she appeared the slightest bit weak. They had steeled themselves for a fight and she knew they had to envision their planet in flaming ruins before they'd surrender without firing a shot. Since both the Gondusans and the Hudeera had retreated before the Milori, she didn't think she would have very much trouble with the forces from either planet. They'd both been relying on the Tsgardi and Uthlaro to do most of the fighting.
"She wouldn't dare!" Senator Neodeet Literamus screamed angrily as he jumped to his feet.
"She has already done it to Milor," Senator Prime Curlekurt Emmeticus said. "What makes you believe she would hesitate to destroy our planet? We invaded their territory with plans to steal it. Did you really expect they would simply sit back and allow us to push them out? I tried to tell you how powerful they are, but you didn't want to hear it. They destroyed the entire Tsgardi fleet of three hundred ships located along a border of some seven hundred light years in a matter of months. Everyone keeps telling me Carver has no ships. Will someone please tell me how she destroyed the Tsgardi fleet?"
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