Galactic Council Realm 3: On Guard

by J. Clifton Slater

  I’d seen number 2 and now I was motivated to see number 1.

  “So the Jalals were prosperous,” I said, “How did the Great Schism effect their businesses?”

  “Ah, let me tell you about Colonel Umar Jalal and, his identical twin brother, Major Danesh Jalal,” he said while uncrossing and re-crossing his ankles.

  “I remember you mentioning the Colonel before,” I said, “but I don’t recall any details about Major Jalal.”

  “That my dear Lieutenant is true,” the Striker said with a wide grin, “I just uncovered the information. So Umar and Danesh were born on the Jalal farm. From their early school records, they excelled in their studies and a variety of athletics. Although, one old report had a note. It put forth a question as to who was taking the test for their advance classes. Seems a teacher felt Danesh was sitting in for his brother during exams. Just that one note, and none after that. Both boys were physically gifted and popular. They started at the University just as the Empress emerged as a political force.”

  “Danesh and Umar studied economics with a minor in mathematics and joined the ROTC program,” he continued, “Umar rose to acting Lieutenant winning ROTC awards for physical challenges during his college days. Danesh was just a Corporal although he won every mental trial. The records are scattered but it seems Umar was more committed. Danesh became active in the unrest that gripped the campus. When the Empress revolted and took control of the Planet Tres government, she allowed a short window for any citizen wanting to stay with the Continental Government to leave. Umar was on the first shuttle out and took a commission in the Marine Corps on the transport to Planet Dos. Danesh stayed on Planet Tres and joined the Empress’s Constabulary.”

  “Oh, Major Jalal was,” I started to say.

  “An officer in the Empress’ forces,” Stone Angel said finishing my thought, “Brother against brother as it was with many families during the Great Schism.”

  “So where did you get the information about Danesh?” I asked, “Every time I search for anything about the Empress, the net returns No Result.”

  “The Jalal’s have a few family books and papers from the estate of Colonel Umar Jalal in the public library,” he said, “I read them and pieced together the information.”

  “Nice work. So I assume the Major was killed in action,” I stated, “and the Colonel became a hero.”

  “Well yes, at the end,” he said, “But there’s more to it, although, I haven’t reached a conclusion.”

  “A conclusion?” I asked, “About the Colonel?

  “No, not about the Colonel specifically,” he said lowering his voice in a conspiratorial tone, “About his record during the fighting.”

  “You pulled his GCMC service jacket?” I asked.

  “Well technically it was his Centennial Government Marine Corps records,” he admitted, “The Galactic Council Realm wasn’t formed until the fifth year of the revolt.”

  “I concede the point,” I said holding up my hands in surrender, “It’s more as if you’re looking at historical records than invading a person’s privacy.”

  “My thought exactly,” Stone Angel said relief spreading across his brow, “Lieutenant Umar Jalal’s first assignment was as the officer in charge of a motor pool at an outpost on Planet Dos. His fitness reports, from the supervising Captain, were abysmal. Seems young Umar Jalal didn’t treat his personnel very well and both of his senior Sergeants requested transfers.”

  “Sometimes it takes a few months for a junior officer to get the stretch out of their collar,” I said remembering my experiences. Happily, it was a short list of newly commissioned Lieutenants who, out of uncertainty, were stricter on their Marines than was necessary, “At least his paperwork was ideal, correct?”

  “That was also an issue,” Stone Angel replied, “His reports were incomplete and sometimes illegible. They transferred him to a training Battalion. Looks as if they wanted him near other officers to help him mature. One report stated Lieutenant Umar Jalal was a loner and the only time he worked hard was when he was working with senior officers.”

  I was beginning to see a pattern in Jalal’s actions. Not a natural leader but a superb suck-up. I’ve worked for the type in my Marine Corps’ years.

  “A year later after getting passed up for promotion, Lieutenant Jalal was transferred to a gun battery,” Stone Angel reported, “His crews scored well and his fitness reports improved. But, by digging into other records, I found he had a decorated Master Sergeant as his section sergeant.”

  The saying goes ‘Officers command but Sergeants run the Corps, just don’t tell the Commandant.’ I guess Jalal was smart enough to let his sergeant run the gun battery.

  “The war came to Planet Dos when three Constabulary warships evolved behind the planet’s defensive screen,” Stone Angel said, “They didn’t seem to have specific targets. A few towns were destroyed along with some military bases. The gun batteries around Umar Jalal’s took hits but the warships missed his. He was awarded a medal for courage in the face of overwhelming firepower. His sergeant and gun crews received letters of commendation.”

  “I remember the attack from my history lessons,” I replied, “Only one of the ships was downed and the other two managed to escape. The attack caused the Navy to adjust its defensive strategy from a picket line to a staggered formation.”

  “Aye Sir, they did,” the Striker replied, “Jalal was transferred to an infantry Division. Again his fitness reports were poor and his sergeants requested transfers. None of the transfers went through because the Constabulary landed.”

  “I remember. The Empress’ forces punched a hole in the Navy screen and bombed a major city killing hundreds of thousands of civilians,” I said recalling the history of the brutal plan, “They landed in the wreckage and deployed troops in the remainder of the city. The Continental government wouldn’t allow the military to bomb the city. From that toe hold, the Constabulary spread out of the population center and began attacks on three fronts.”

  “By then, First Lieutenant Umar Jalal commanded two squads on the Eastern front,” Stone Angel said continuing his report, “The Constabulary occupied an area around the city’s main reservoir and its hydroelectric plant. All alone the line the fighting was fierce. Marines would push into the Constabulary lines only to be thrown back. On his third day at the front, Jalal’s squads joined in another attack. While the other units were beaten down and had to dig in, Umar Jalal’s squads broke through to the power plant. All the dispatches I saw read like obituaries. But, they were premature. The enemy pulled back from the facility when two companies of Marines launched an assault. The plan was to put a large force on the dam and the hydroelectric plant and recover the bodies of Jalal’s squads.”

  “I take it Jalal wasn’t dead,” I said wondering how any of the Marines, despite their famed ferocity, had survived what unquestionably was a position behind enemy lines.

  “In fact, not only did the Lieutenant survive, but both squads were found in fighting holes ready to repel an attack. The attack never came,” Stone Angel stated, “Only three sustained minor wounds. Another award for bravery and a note in Umar Jalal’s service jacket about his superb leadership abilities.”

  “Well, it appears Jalal was a combat officer,” I said, “A lot of people don’t do well in practice but excel in the actual game. Not too different for some warriors, and it seems the Lieutenant was a warrior.”

  “If you say so Lieutenant,” Stone Angel said while lifting an accusing eye brow, “As the Marines attacked, the Constabulary forces withdrew. Military History concluded the withdrawal was necessary for them to consolidate their forces for the Western push. Except, to the west, Planet Dos was sparsely populated. Do you believe the Empress’ generals would suddenly grow a conscience?”

  “You’re getting at something,” I stated, “Care to explain?”

  “No Sir, I’m just citing historical events. From the battle at the dam, Umar Jalal was transferred to a planning and t
actics group,” he explained, “He was scolded time after time for his unworkable plans. He didn’t seem to have a grasp of tactics or logistics. One veteran of the fighting on Planet Dos stated in his memoirs, without naming the Lieutenant, a description of a junior officer who knew the General and his wife better than he knew the enemy or the Marine Corps.”

  I couldn’t help think Umar Jalal was all over the place in his efficiencies. If it hadn’t been war time, he would have, most likely, been asked to resign his commission.

  “What happened next, Stone Angel? I urged the Striker.

  “There’s nothing noteworthy about Umar Jalal during the next three years of fighting,” Stone Angel reported, “Nothing until he’s transferred to the Fleet Marine Force. By then, the Constabulary had abandoned Planet Dos. During the fighting, as the enemy retreated to Planet Tres, Jalal lead a number of boarding operations. In each venture, onto an Empress warship, his squad was able to capture more of the crew than they killed.”

  “I remember reading about that phase. Bloody no quarters given operations,” I said, “Breached ships leaking atmosphere, and yet, the Constabulary forces still fought to almost the last man. How did Lieutenant Jalal manage to capture the crews and the ships?”

  “Correction, Sir. The now Captain Umar Jalal claimed it was his leading from the front. Reports from his sergeants said it was as if the enemy feared to fire on the fearless officer. After about a year of the space fighting, his ship hit a magnetic mine. All the senior officers were in a planning session, in a forward cabin. None survived. So Captain Umar Jalal became acting Colonel of the Marines on board.”

  “The Marine Corps doesn’t allow for battle field promotions,” I stated, “To a Marine, the next person with a higher rank is in command. It’s described like this, ‘if there’s one last Marine in the Realm and she is just a Private, she’s assumed to be the acting Commandant of the Marine Corps.”

  “True, Sir. Except in this case, the Corps had lost so many of their senior officers in the fighting they promoted Captain Umar Jalal to Major,” Stone Angel said, “A year later, he was transferred to the assault forces on Planet Tres. While the fighting raged around the planet, Major Umar Jalal got engaged to a woman from a wealthy family. The family had sworn allegiance to the newly formed Galactic Council and the union was major news. The dashing young officer returning home to save his beautiful lady from the evil enemy forces. Like a fairytale, all the news outlets in the Realm carried the story.”

  “So your research went beyond Military history,” I said, “Are you now going to give me a lesson on the gossip of the day?”

  “Stay with me Lieutenant,” Stone Angel said, “While the Galactic Council Marine Corps tightened the noose around the Empress’s palace, Umar Jalal took over as operations officer for an armored Division. The Division broke through the Constabulary lines at a horrendous cost. Half their tanks, their crews and the commander and his staff were killed or wounded. All the senior offices except, hold on, Major Umar Jalal. He was at the rear going over some errors in his paperwork with the General’s staff. Once he returned to the unit, he was its commander.”

  “Let me venture a guess,” I said, “There were officer billets open so Major Jalal gets promoted to Lieutenant Colonel Umar Jalal.”

  “Exactly. There was a lot of pressure to find heroes in the final days of the Great Schism,” Stone Angel said, “People were tired of sacrificing their sons and daughters to the rebellion. Some elements in the Realm were calling for peace and the separation of Planet Tres from the Realm. The Galactic Council needed a hero and the dashing Lieutenant Colonel Umar Jalal, citizen of Planet Tres, filled the bill perfectly.”

  “The final weeks of fighting narrowed the war to a ring around the Empress’ Palace,” Stone Angel continued, “Wave after wave of Marines, Sailors and Soldiers broke against the palace’s defenses. Field hospitals filled with the proceeds of man against superior defensive weapons. The Council wanted to bomb the palace until it was a hole in the ground. But, the devastation to Tres would have taken a hundred years to mend. So, they stuck with the most ecologically effective method. They continued to feed men into the meat grinder in an attempt to erode the blades of war.”

  “I’ve seen the displays at the Hall of Heroes’ museum,” I said, “The pictures are terrifying. Although, they do leave you proud of the bravery of the men and women involved.”

  “Lieutenant, those pictures that you and the public find so heroic,” Stone Angel stated, “are heavily edited. I’ve seen some of the raw footage. It was worse. Still, lacking an alternative, the Generals and Admirals were ready to continue the assaults. In the midst of the carnage, Lieutenant Colonel Umar Jalal went to his General with a daring plan. While they couldn’t breech the walls of the palace, or bomb the roof from the air, maybe they could dig under it.”

  “Hold on,” I said, “I’ve seen the blockbuster movie ‘Empress’ End’. Colonel Umar Jalal led an audacious attack that broke the defensive wall. Although wounded, the Colonel fought through his pain long enough to command the reinforcements. Follow up Council forces, using the breech, secured the palace. Meanwhile the Colonel and a ragged band battled their way through narrow alleyways resulting in the capture of the Empress and her advisors.”

  “Ah, popular culture and the need for videos with movie stars,” Stone Angel said shaking his head as if the weight of knowledge were a heavy load, “There was no breech of the defenses. The Constabulary had guns and lasers from a BattleShip entrenched behind electrified armor plating. Everything we fired was deflected or, if using a timed fuse, simply blasted the paint off the plates. No, Sir, there was no breech. There was a tunnel.”

  “It took five days to dig deep enough so the vertical portion would pass under the palace’s foundation,” Stone Angel said, “A hundred miners died in the rush to complete the egress. All the while, to maintain cover for the construction, the Generals and Admirals continued to feed bodies into the fight. Another thousand died each day to keep up the pretense and hide the tunnel plan.”

  “Late in the evening of the eighth day, a commando team along with Colonel Umar Jalal dropped into the completed tunnel,” Stone Angel reported, “They followed a crew of miners into the dark and damp earth. Each hauled a section of ladder as well as their combat gear. At the terminus of the vertical shaft, the minors set explosives for the final assent while the troops backed into a circular chamber. The breakthrough of the collapsing dirt and rock fell to the center of the chamber. While the miners cleared the overburden, the troops assembled their ladders.”

  “This is where reality and reports blend into a fractured tale,” the big Striker stated, “One Commando climbed the ladder, set a shape charge and dropped to the bed of the tunnel. Another called ‘fire in the hole’ and triggered the explosive. The result was massive pieces of concrete floor falling into the hole. Four miners and three of the Commandos were killed by the tumbling debris. It seems while the upper defenses of the palace were built beyond specs and over engineered, the floor of the basement didn’t have rebar or steel rods. It was simple poured concrete which crumbled in the blast.”

  “Lieutenant Colonel Umar Jalal and the remaining Commandos climbed to the basement,” Stone Angel said, “Jalal sent seven off to see about shutting down the grid and opening a section of the wall. The Colonel took the final two Commandos deeper into the palace. The seven he sent to the wall, all of them sustaining wounds by the end, managed to create an opening and silence the guns covering that section. There’s your breech and the heroes of the story.”

  “Why doesn’t the public know about those seven?” I asked.

  “Because the action adventure star who purchased the script,” the Striker said, “Didn’t want to share the marque with other actors. And, the real story is classified top secret. Do you think the military wants people to know their ancestors died to cover the digging of a tunnel?”

  “What about the reports from the reinforcements when they arrived at the
Empress’ inner sanctum?” I asked.

  “They found the bodies of the two Commandos in the hall outside the ‘Throne’ room,” he replied, “Inside, Colonel Umar Jalal, bleeding from a gunshot wound, was propped up against a wall with two pistols pointed at the Empress and her advisers. His brother, Danesh Jalal of the Constabulary, lay shot dead at her feet. The story is, he died protecting his Empress.”

  “So Umar Jalal became a real war hero, married his fiancé,” I said, “and founded a dynasty.”

  “Not exactly. Lieutenant Colonel Umar Jalal was promoted to full Colonel while recovering in the hospital,” Stone Angel said, “He saw the society girl from the wealthy family one more time. Between the dinners honoring him, the state speeches, and the award ceremonies, Umar Jalal began courting a woman with an obscure past. He also penned stories for news outlets and was instrumental in rebuilding Planet Tres.”

  “Wait, the man who sucked up to Generals and wrote messy reports, suddenly became a proficient organizer and writer?” I asked.

  “Now, you also have a theory about Colonel Umar Jalal,” Stone Angel observed.

  “I believe I do,” I replied, “How did the dynasty begin?”

  “Everyone thought he’d go into politics,” the Striker said, “But Umar Jalal never ran for office. Instead, he married the new girl and used his fame to get relatives elected. His sons and daughters all became government officials on Planet Tres within a generation.”

  “Sons and daughters,” I said as I thought for a moment before asking, “Whom did he marry?”

  “Every report I’ve read just referred to her as Mrs. Jalal or the Colonel’s Lady,” he replied, “Oh, there were rumors. I know you don’t go in for gossip, but the blue bloods, and old families whispered about her being of low status. Some whispered that her father was just a carpenter known for his wood carvings.”

  “You’re right Stone Angel,” I admitted, “Something in all of this isn’t regulation.”

  “I’m with you on that Sir,” he replied, “But I’m just reporting the history as I found it.”