“Then why are we here?” asked Wade. His people were still reeling from Captain Jenkins’ loss as well as the others who had died.
Marken was silent as he studied the three Humans, wondering nervously how they would react to what he was about to say. If any one of the three revealed the subject of this conversation after they left here, it would mean the end of the rebellion and the execution of all the Humans and Kiveans on the station.
“The Kleese have long dominated our race and many others,” Marken began. “We want to put an end to that.”
General Mitchell leaned back and placed his right hand upon the conference table. “So? What are you going to do about it?” he asked challengingly, his eyes focusing on Marken. “It seems as if the Kleese hold all of the cards.”
Marken hesitated only for a moment. “We plan to escape!”
“How?” asked Wade, sitting up straighter. “The Kleese will blow your ships out of space if you attempt to leave the station without their permission.”
“Not if they’re dead,” replied Marken, finally daring to say the words aloud.
“Dead?” Colonel Bailey echoed, his eyes widening in astonishment. “How?”
“You’re going to kill them for us,” replied Kalarn, evenly.
“Impossible,” spoke General Mitchell, shaking his head in denial. He pointed to the collars that all three were wearing. “If we make a move against the Kleese they will activate these collars, killing all of us.”
“Not necessarily,” responded Marken, gesturing toward Taalon. “Deactivate their collars.”
Taalon stood up and walked over to a locked cabinet. After entering a combination, he opened the door and removed a small device. He pointed it in the general direction of the three Humans and three red lights appeared on its scanner. After entering a short command, all three lights changed to green. “They’re deactivated,” he reported, looking over at Marken.
“Remove your collars,” suggested Marken, calmly. It had been difficult to discover how to deactivate the Kleese collars, but after several years of research Kivean scientists and engineers had finally discovered the key to neutralizing them.
Wade reached up and found to his surprise that the collar came away easily from his neck. He sat staring in bewilderment at the silver and bluish collar which he now held in his hand. “How?” he uttered in a shocked voice. It felt strange for the ever-present collar not to be around his neck.
“We have the codes to all of the collars on the station,” Marken answered as his eyes swept across the three Human officers. “Two days from today there will not be any of the Kleese large ships docked to the station. We have also arranged for a large number of transport ships to arrive during that time under the guise of delivering trade goods. You will take the Type Three battle suits and use them to kill all of the Kleese. We will be leaving in an evacuation fleet and taking as many assault vessels with us as possible, as well as all of your people that are currently awake.”
“How many of our people?” General Mitchell demanded, his eyes narrowing. He knew from speaking to Marken that many were still in stasis.
“There are nearly twelve thousand of you currently awake,” Marken informed him.
“That leaves nearly fifty thousand still in stasis,” General Mitchell spoke grimly. “What about them?”
“It will take too long to wake them, and the stasis chambers are too cumbersome to move,” Larnell responded. “Once the revolt begins, we will cut off all communications with the rest of the Empire. We will only have a few hours to pull this off before one of the Kleese disk ships returns to investigate the sudden silence from the station.”
“Where are we going?” Colonel Bailey asked suspiciously. The Kleese were nearly everywhere. Where could they go that the Kleese wouldn’t eventually be able to track them down?
Marken was silent for a long moment. “To Earth,” he finally said. “We will be wiping all references to Earth from the station’s computer systems as well as upon the ships that came to your system originally.”
“That will give us time to prepare a defense against the Kleese,” Kalarn explained. “We have developed a weapon in secret that the Kleese have no knowledge of. If we can install it upon enough ships, we might be able to deter them from attacking us. The Kleese do not like to risk physical harm to themselves; they prefer others to do most of their fighting.”
General Mitchell nodded. He didn’t like the idea of leaving so many people behind in stasis, but he also didn’t see much choice. This was an opportunity for them to escape and return to Earth and he didn’t see how they could turn it down; they might not get another. “If we agree to this, will you help to defend our solar system from the Kleese?”
“We will do everything we can to protect your people,” Marken promised. “All of the technology we have developed and discovered from the Kleese will be turned over to your scientists. We will help you build ships that are capable of leaving your system and carrying the war to the Kleese Empire.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” cautioned General Mitchell, raising his hand. “That will be up to the Earth’s governments, not us.”
“Very well,” Marken replied, not wanting to tell the general that the Earth’s governments no longer existed. Then, leaning forward, he continued. “Now let’s plan just how our revolt and escape is to be carried out. We will only have one attempt at this; if we fail, there will be no others!”
For three long hours, the conspirators talked. Plans were made and then discarded until finally all were in agreement on what needed to be done. When they were finished talking, the Humans put their collars back on but with one major difference; they were not activated.
Wade was to return to the dome his marines were in and begin briefing some of his key officers the next day. Once the revolt started, they would have to move swiftly as the Humans were not the only humanoids on the station the Kleese used in their battles. There were several other humanoid races equipped with Type Two battle suits that could pose a problem. The rest of the Humans would be briefed just prior to the revolt.
-
Wade was meeting with Lieutenants Williams and Jeffries as well as Sergeants Stern and Perry. He had briefly described to them the coming rebellion.
“We’re going home,” sighed Beth, as she leaned back and closed her eyes in disbelief. After nearly a year, they were finally going to take the first step on their voyage back.
“It won’t be easy,” Wade cautioned them. They were meeting in his quarters, and he stepped over and gazed out the window at the parade grounds in front of the barracks. “We have to eliminate the Kleese, as well as any other opposition.”
“How many Kleese are there on the station?” Sergeant Stern asked. They very seldom put in an appearance, and during the entire time they had been on the station she had only seen one half a dozen times.
Wade turned back around and looked at the sergeant. “According to Marken there are normally around two hundred Kleese on the station at any given time. Fortunately, all of their big ships will be gone, and all we will have to deal with is the Kleese and the station crew.”
“Just how many people are on this station?” Lieutenant Jeffries asked. He knew from its size there had to be tens of thousands.
“Marken said there are close to six thousand Kiveans plus other races,” replied Wade, taking a deep breath. “The entire station is one hundred and twenty kilometers across and twenty four kilometers thick. Fortunately, many of the larger domes are empty and just used whenever the need arises. The latest census on the station places the crew at nearly one hundred and fifteen thousand, with forty thousand active conscripts being used for military purposes. There are also another two hundred thousand crew family members on board the station, most of them living in the domes.”
“How many of those will we have to fight?” Lieutenant Jeffries asked his eyes wide. “Forty thousand conscripts sounds like a lot. Some of them will have the same battle su
its we do. How can we hope to defeat that many?”
“Not quite like ours,” Wade reminded them. “From what Marken has told me, we are the only ones with Type Three suits. Not only that, most of the crew will not become involved in the fight. The only ones we will need to worry about are the Kleese and perhaps a few conscripts they might send against us when they realize what’s going down.”
“What’s the plan?” Beth asked, ready to get off the station. She had a marriage back on Earth to finish planning. For the first time in quite a while, she felt hope for the future.
“Marken’s people will sabotage the station’s main computer system, locking down the majority of the dome habitats as well as the security forces the Kleese maintain. This will also isolate most of the conscripts that have access to battle suits. Our job will be to take the station’s Command Center, as well as the Flight Command Center, and kill all the Kleese inside. Other troops will take and hold specific flight bays until we can get our people as well as the Kivean’s aboard ships. We’re going to take as many assault ships as we can when we leave. We might need them for protection later on.”
“When do we make our move?” Jamie asked, her deep blue eyes focusing on the major. She was also ready to leave the station. She had witnessed too much death recently, particularly on their recent deployment to the Wren’s planet. She didn’t like what she was becoming.
“In twenty-four hours,” replied Wade, drawing a deep breath. “Marken and several of his people will escort us to the Command Center. There will be several guards at the main hatch, which we will have to eliminate. Once that’s done, we go inside and kill any Kleese in sight.”
“Isn’t there some type of emergency Command Center?” asked Lieutenant Jeffries, feeling that in a station this large there should be.
“Yes,” replied Wade, looking over at the lieutenant. “As a matter of fact there are two, but Marken’s people have set up a computer virus that will shut down both emergency Command Centers for at least four hours. There are no Kleese stationed in either one as they won’t be expecting an attack. Marken says the emergency Command Centers were only put in as an afterthought and have never been used.”
Beth thought back to the scene months ago when the Kleese had ruthlessly activated the collars on several marines. She would feel no pity in their deaths. Looking over at Sergeant Sterns, Beth suspected that Jamie was feeling the same way.
-
Later that evening Marken stood with Harnett inside their domed habitat, looking over the small city they had lived in for nearly all of their lives. Already the word was being spread and their people were packing a few personal belongings. Kivean officers in charge of assault ships had discretely made sure that all of their commands were fully supplied and ready for immediate launch. It had been done over several days so as not to arouse any suspicion from the Kleese. The Kleese were so confident that their technology was superior that none of the lesser races under their control were considered a danger.
The Kleese actually paid very little attention to the day-to-day operations of the station or the flight bays. The races they had brought on board the station to serve them handled all of that. They were more interested in monitoring communications within the Empire and ensuring that unrest on the many worlds they controlled was held to a minimum. They also spent considerable time sending their large disk ships on exploration missions, seeking out new worlds to add to their Empire. All three of the major Galactic Empires were intent on rapid expansion.
Marken often wondered what would happen when there were no more worlds for the empires to conquer. Even now, there were occasional skirmishes between conscripts of each side where their empire boundaries overlapped. It was hard to imagine what an actual war between any of the major empires would be like, particularly due to the size of their largest ships and the firepower they possessed. The current war over the acquisition of new planets would be considered only a small skirmish if any of the major powers actually went to war.
There were normally ten of the huge Kleese disk ships assigned to the station and currently all but one were out searching the galaxy for new planets. The other one was due to leave early in the morning. Four hours after it left, Marken intended to launch his revolt. With the ships gone, the assault ships could safely escape without fear of being destroyed. Also, all the weapons on the station would be disabled by a computer virus Taalon would be inserting into the system. It would be hours before any surviving Kleese or the station crew could reactivate them.
“It’s hard to believe we’re leaving,” Harnett spoke in a soft voice as she gazed over what had been their home for so long. In many ways, she would miss it.
“We’ve had a good life here,” spoke Marken, taking Harnett’s hand. “But the Kleese control everything, even when we’re allowed to have children. That must come to an end.”
“I know,” responded Harnett, squeezing Marken’s hand. “I’ve always supported you in this and I know what you’re doing is the right thing.”
“Tomorrow, we will know,” he replied with a sigh. His eyes looked out over the city. This would be their last night here; he just wondered what awaited them at Earth.
-
Marken walked through the long wide corridors of the station as if it were a normal day. His calm measured face hid the rapid beating of his heart. Behind him strolled six giants, Humans wearing their Type Three battle suits. The Humans in the suits were unarmed except for the energy lances hidden securely in their protective sheaths. No one gave them a second look as conscripts in battle suits were a common sight on the station. One hundred meters back, a second Kivean was leading another group of six. It was all Marken could do to keep his face straight and act as if the survival of his entire race didn’t depend on his actions over the next few minutes.
Wade was watching his HUD closely trying to spot any conscripts in battle suits. They had passed a few, but most of them had been encased in the Type Ones, which were not a danger. Marken had assured him that only the marines in Wade’s dome had the more powerful Type Three battle suits. Wade also knew that the powerful energy lances they all carried would give them an advantage in close quarter combat.
“I’m nervous,” Sergeant Stern said from her position next to Wade. “What if something goes wrong?” Looking ahead, she could see another large hatch and several humanoids stepping through it. The humanoids passed by them with scarcely a glance. Jamie felt more at ease, but she knew they were rapidly nearing their destination.
“It won’t,” Wade assured her. “We’re almost there.” It had taken them nearly an hour to reach the Command Center located in the heart of the massive station.
As they stepped through the last hatch, they were met by another humanoid followed by two conscripts in Type Two battle suits.
“What are you doing here?” the man challenged as he gazed inquiringly at Marken. “No Human conscripts are allowed in this section of the station.”
“We have been summoned by the Kleese,” Marken replied as he attempted to step around the humanoid.
“I recall no such summons, and I just left the Command Center,” replied the humanoid, stepping in front of Marken.
“Why else would I be here if I wasn’t summoned?” asked Marken, calmly. “If you wish you can contact the Kleese and confirm the order.”
The humanoid turned pale at the suggestion. Every humanoid on the station went out of their way to avoid contact with any of the Kleese. “No, that’s not necessary. I’m sure they have their reasons for summoning you and the Humans; perhaps they want the Humans to be trained for guard duty at the main hatch.” With that, the humanoid stepped aside and gesturing to the two conscripts behind him, continued down the corridor.
“That was close,” Jamie whispered as she removed her right hand from the hilt of her energy lance.
“They have no reason to suspect anything,” Wade replied as he watched the two conscripts in battle suits pass through another hatch and then out of s
ight. “No one has ever attempted what we’re getting ready to do.”
“That’s what worries me,” Jamie replied.
“Let’s go,” said Marken, gesturing for the Humans to follow him. “The main hatch will be closed with two guards in front. The guards are more symbols than anything else and will be armed with light RG rifles and stunners. Once we arrive at the hatch you must take them out immediately before they can give a warning.”
They proceeded on down the corridor and soon neared the entrance to the Command Center. Wade saw two conscripts in Type Two battle suits, one on each side of the large hatch. They turned to face Marken and Wade’s squad as soon as they detected them in the corridor.
The plan was simple, they would act as if they were just passing through the corridor and would give no sign of stopping. Privates Dawson and Russell were bringing up the rear and as soon as they passed in front of the two conscripts, they would attack them with their energy lances. If everything worked as planned, the fight would be swift and deadly.
Wade did the best he could not to glance at the two guards as they passed by them, then he heard a sudden grunting noise and the sizzling sound of energy lances. Whirling around, he drew his own lance only to see Private Dawson cut the second guard down. While the armor on the Type Three suits was impervious to the lances, the Type Two armor was not. The two guards were now lying on the floor with their battle suits cut completely in two.
Marken quickly rushed to the hatch as Sergeant Perry and his squad ran up to join them. They watched as Marken entered a code on the panel at the side of the door, then the hatch slid open with scarcely a sound.
Wade didn’t hesitate; he rushed inside followed by the rest of his marines. Scanning the room, he spotted half a dozen Kleese standing at a large communications panel with several more upon what was obviously a Command Pedestal in the center of the massive room.
“Sergeant Perry, take the Kleese out at Communications! The rest of you are with me!”
Wade quickly moved toward the two on the pedestal and noted that they had turned toward the disturbance at the door. Upon seeing the drawn energy lances, one of the Kleese raised up one of the collar activation devices, pointed it at Wade, and pressed the button. Nothing happened. Wade breathed a sigh of relief knowing he still had his head.
Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (The Galactic Empire Wars) Page 23