by G. P. Hudson
“What if this isn’t the Erinyie?” said Tallos. “What if we are taking sides in an alien war that has no bearing on our struggle?”
“That’s a good point, and it is a possibility. At the very least, the aliens that attacked the Empire are the same ones that attacked AI’s fleet. In both cases, they attacked without provocation. Whoever they are, we do not want them growing too powerful, or they might threaten our region of space one day.”
“This intervention will delay our return,” said Tallos. “We do not know what the situation is back in our region of the galaxy.”
“I know. I don’t intend on staying too long. We’ll do what we can to help, then we will return home. I am hoping the mere presence of our fleet around the capital will be a big enough show of force to dissuade any other attacks. Are all ships still synced with us?”
All commanders indicated that they were.
“Very well. I do not want to get into any confrontations on the way. All ships are to engage cloaks. We will jump to the nearest transit point, cross through, and jump to the next transit point until we reach the capital. We leave immediately.”
Chapter 29
Jon’s fleet sailed through the final transit point, emerging two hundred million kilometers from Dvorkan Prime, the capital of the Dvorkan Empire. They moved steadily toward the planet, keeping the bulk of the fleet cloaked, and taking care not to appear hostile.
“This is a busy star system,” Jon said to Miira. They had stayed in the conference room and used the wallscreen to view the surrounding space.
“It is the Dvorkan home system,” said Miira. “The birthplace of the Empire, and a commercial hub.”
Miira was interrupted by a comm from Commander Henderson on the bridge. “Sir, General Dak of Dvorkan Central Command is demanding to speak with you.”
“I was beginning to wonder what was taking him so long. Patch him through, Commander,” said Jon.
The wallscreen transitioned from a view of the surrounding star system, to display the angry features of General Dak. “You dare provoke the mighty Dvorkan Empire?!”
“I don’t know what you mean, General,” said Jon.
“Do not play games with me, Admiral Pike. You have somehow moved your ships through the Empire to emerge in the Dvorkan home system. You will pay a heavy price for your treachery.”
“There is no treachery, General. We are here at the invitation of the Taymati.”
“What business do you have with the Taymati.”
“We are here to discuss diplomatic relations.”
“You were ordered to conduct those negotiations with Central Command.”
“I know. It seems the Taymati have different ideas. I think you’ll agree that if I need to eventually speak with the Emperor, that it makes more sense to deal with the Taymati first.”
“Nonsense! Your actions amount to a declaration of war!”
Jon wondered if he could get Dak mad enough to make his blue features turn red. As much as he wanted to try, he decided to remain diplomatic. “As I have already stated, our intentions are peaceful. We are here under General Kiith’s authority. I suggest you speak to him about your concerns.”
“General Kiith’s authority does not supersede Central Command’s.”
“Actually, General, in this matter it does,” said Miira. “Dvorkan Prime is the capital of the Dvorkan Empire and the Imperial Seat. As such, it and its star system fall under the exclusive military authority of the Taymati. While Central Command’s military authority governs in the rest of the Empire, that is not the case in the capital.”
“Miira Kev,” said Dak, narrowing his eyes. “I knew you were a dissident the moment I laid eyes on you. I have spoken to Rangar about your sedition. He was extremely displeased. Poor man. If you were my daughter-”
“I am not a dissident, General. I am merely quoting Dvorkan law. I am also an adult, and no longer under my father’s control. Do not mention his name again.”
“You will pay for this treachery, Miira Kev. This I promise you.”
“Don’t you have a call to make, General?” said Jon. “You need to speak to General Kiith, remember?”
Dak scowled at Jon, and the wallscreen went blank.
“Wow, now that is one grumpy Dvorkan,” said Jon.
“This will cause problems,” said Miira. “General Dak is an influential man.”
“Really? He seems like a whiner to me.”
“Do not be fooled, Admiral. The Dvorkan military is mighty, and General Dak is in charge.”
“Is he more powerful than the Emperor?” said Jon.
“Technically no, but if he has turned against the Emperor, then the answer is yes.”
“Either Dak is loyal, or he isn’t,” said Jon. “If he is, then the Emperor will get him to toe the line.”
“And if he isn’t?”
“Then your Emperor’s problems are a lot bigger than he realizes.”
Jon’s ships continued to cruise toward Dvorkan Prime. Taymati squadrons soon flanked them on both sides, leaving Jon wondering how many cloaked vessels there were. Miira said the Taymati were responsible for defending this system. Considering how busy it was, Jon figured there had to be several hundred cloaked warships out there, if not more. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Taymati numbers exceeded his own.
As they drew nearer, he also took note of the many defenses guarding the planet, and the system in general. There was no doubt in his mind that their guns were all currently trained on his ships. It was a sobering thought.
Soon, a comm request came through from General Kiith.
“Greetings, General,” Jon said to the frowning Dvorkan face on the wallscreen.
“What did you say to General Dak? He is furious.”
“Not much. He told us that our being here was a declaration of war. When we told him we were here under your authority, he said your power was not greater than Central Command’s. That was when Miira corrected him and pointed out that in this system it was. I get the impression that General Dak doesn’t like being corrected.”
Kiith shook his head. “Does this sort of diplomacy work well for your species?”
“I am a military man, General. Diplomacy is not really one of my strengths.”
“I can appreciate that,” said Kiith.
“As a military man, I’ve taken note of your considerable defenses in this system. How is it that you are having problems with mercenaries?”
“There is a lot of commercial traffic. We believe that they used that as cover to gain access to Dvorkan Prime. They likely used freighters to transport their teams to the surface.”
“I see. And what is the -”
Red lights flashed behind General Kiith causing him to turn away and investigate. At the same time, Commander Henderson interrupted with a comm from the bridge.
“Go ahead,” said Jon.
“Sir, a fleet of warships just appeared in this system. They are the same configuration as the ones that attacked the AI fleet.”
“You betrayed my trust!” said General Kiith, turning back to face Jon. “You have brought these aliens to our home system.”
“General, this was not our doing.” The Freedom shuddered as the alien ships opened fire. “You see? The aliens are firing on us. Now please accept my apologies, but I must deal with this threat. Pike out.” The General disappeared from the screen, and Jon switched the wallscreen’s perspective to show the alien threat. When he did, he was shocked to see several thousand alien ships. This was nothing less than a full-scale invasion of the Dvorkan capital.
Chapter 30
To their credit, the Taymati were already closing with the enemy. Taymati squadrons engaged the aliens, while weapon systems of all shapes and sizes opened fire. From asteroids to moons, to space stations, and satellites, a dizzying array of space artillery unleashed their fury on the alien ships. The alien shields glowed a bright red in response, as they absorbed the energy of the Taymati weapons.
“Initiate nuclear jump bomb strikes,” ordered Jon through a comm link with the bridge. “Do not stop until those shields are disabled.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson. “Commencing nuclear strike.”
The nukes started detonating, and the affected alien shields transitioned from a red glow to a blazing white. Still, they held.
In the meantime, the Taymati took a pounding. The aliens had a potent energy weapon that they used to devastating effect. They also could locate cloaked ships, and targeted hundreds of hidden Taymati vessels. The alien weapons burned into the Taymati hulls with sustained energy blasts, causing their cloaks to fail. The thick Taymati armor held longer than seemed possible but eventually became molten metal.
The Freen shields Jon had installed on his ships held fast against the alien energy weapons. As sturdy as the Freen shields were, however, the aliens were using a lot of firepower, leaving Jon uncertain as to how long they would last. It did seem that the Freen shields were superior, and they withstood much more than Jon thought possible. Did that mean the aliens were not from the Andromeda galaxy after all? If not, then where did they come from?
The commercial traffic scattered as the battle raged, doing their best to get out of the line of fire. For most, that just wasn’t possible. Caught in a crossfire between three armadas, the civilian spaceships had no hope of survival. It was a tragedy, leaving Jon to wonder how many had lost their lives due to enemy, and even friendly fire.
“Admiral, I am detecting an attempt to compromise my defenses,” said AI. “The aliens are employing a sophisticated form of electronic warfare.”
“Can you defend against it?” said Jon.
“Yes. Their attack is surprisingly powerful, and advanced, however. Had the Cenobi not modified my code, I am not sure I could withstand it.”
“Did the aliens not try and do the same thing when they attacked you at the manufacturing facility?”
“No. They had probed me in search of weaknesses but did not try an assault on this scale. The aliens may have used the information they gained during those probes for this attack. The ships and my program have been modified extensively since their probes. This has no doubt foiled their plans to take over my systems.”
“Understood. Let me know if anything changes.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Sir, several alien ships just appeared in orbit around Dvorkan Prime,” said Commander Henderson over the comm.
Jon reoriented his display to zoom in on the planet. Dozens of the alien warships had taken position in high orbit, threatening to bombard the planet. The Dvorkan defenses tried in vain to destroy the enemy but were helpless against the alien shields.
“Oh no,” said Miira. “Are they firing on the planet?”
Jon zoomed in further for a better look. “No. They’re sending what look like shuttles down to the surface.” Hundreds of smaller vessels poured out of the alien ships like a celestial ant colony and streamed into the atmosphere.
“Admiral, the aliens have reoriented their electronic attack,” said AI. “They are targeting the Dvorkan weapon systems.”
Jon tapped his controls and reoriented the display again to give him a view of the Dvorkan system defenses. AI appeared to be correct, as the many guns targeting the enemy had now fallen silent. If the aliens had indeed taken control of those systems, more would follow. They would then inevitably turn the compromised weapons on Jon’s ships. If that happened, Jon would have no choice but to destroy them, which wouldn’t help assure Kiith that he wasn’t working with the aliens. “AI can you take control of the weapon systems?”
“Yes, but that would require me breaching their security. The Dvorkans may not approve.”
“The Dvorkans don’t have a choice, as far as I see it. Take the weapon systems.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Commander Henderson,” Jon said over the comm. “Target the ships in orbit with conventional jump bombs. I don’t want to use nukes that close to the surface.”
“Yes, Sir. Initiating jump bomb strike.”
Jon split the wall screen in half, with one side showing the alien ships in orbit, and the other the main fleet. The orbiting ships’ shields were already glowing red due to the Dvorkan defenses firing on them, and the color seemed to brighten as the jump bombs hit. Taymati warships were now converging on the enemy above their planet, adding their weapons to the bombardment. But their lack of shielding left them vulnerable to the enemy energy weapons, which continued to lance out at the Dvorkans, leaving gaping holes in their hulls.
The aliens were also targeting the surface, although the bombardment’s intention seemed surgical. They weren’t trying to destroy the cities. Instead, they seemed to be focused on the planet’s defenses, clearing the way for their landing parties.
On the other half of the screen, Jon saw they were finally making progress. Wherever the aliens were from, they did not have jump bombs and relied solely on their powerful energy weapons. That put them at a severe disadvantage. Their shields seemed capable of withstanding a sustained conventional strike, but were not quite as robust when it came to nukes. He noticed several ships’ shields now glowing a blinding white, before collapsing.
Nuclear jump bombs continued to rain on the enemy fleet, and the ones that had lost their shields were now left vulnerable to the merciless detonations. Sitting on the edge of his seat, Jon silently cheered as the alien ships blew apart one after another. The number of alien ships losing their shields grew exponentially, as radioactive blasts ravaged their hulls. The tide had turned.
Chapter 31
“We have a problem, your worship,” said Captain Vass from the darkness. There were no lights in the tunnel, and they did not dare turn on their flashlights for fear that the mercenaries would see them. They had not heard anything for some time, and there were no new gravity mine detonations. Nonetheless, Captain Vass did not want to risk discovery.
“We appear to have many problems, Captain,” said Emperor Kriss, moving warily through the pitch-black tunnel.
“We’ve lost communications,” said Vass.
“I thought our comms could work anywhere on the planet?”
“They can. Someone is suppressing our signal.”
“You think it’s the mercenaries?”
“It could be, although I am inclined to think it is the aliens.”
Taymati headquarters had warned them that the system was under attack by an unknown enemy, and that alien ships had appeared in orbit around Dvorkan Prime. Kriss suspected that it was likely the same species that had already attacked the Empire. He wondered if they would destroy the cities on the planet like they had previously done elsewhere. He wondered about these humans who were also in the system.
General Kiith had mentioned that they sought an alliance and that he had invited him to the Dvorkan Prime system to discuss matters further. The humans had offered their assistance, but now it appeared it was all a ploy to pave the way for invasion. The alien fleet did show up just a short time after the humans’ arrival. And now, their communications had been disrupted. What else could that mean?”
“I don’t believe there is a difference between the mercenaries and the aliens. The mercs are clearly working for the aliens,” said Kriss.
“I am inclined to agree, your worship,” said Vass.
“So, what do we do now?”
“We have to keep moving, your worship. Standing still is death. The tunnel schematic I am using shows a service tube up ahead. We need to try and reach it, and descend to the lower platforms.”
“Will it take us to the Taymati tunnel?”
“No, it won’t. But if we go down enough levels, we can access other ones that will.”
The Taymati continued advancing through the tunnel until they found the narrow service tube. One by one, they entered the tube and climbed down the long ladder. Considering the steep drop, the Taymati risked using their helmet lights to avoid any accidents. They climbed without stopping, p
assing several exit doors on the way down. Each time they did, Emperor Kriss watched the door with suspicion, expecting a mercenary to open it and fire on them.
He struggled to fight feelings of claustrophobia, as the cramped tube left him feeling exceedingly vulnerable. If the mercs found them in there, they were all dead. The thought of dying like that was almost unbearable. He could tolerate many things, but dying like a trapped animal wasn’t one of them.
After some climbing, the group reached the end of the service tube. The Taymati in the front of the line was ordered to exit, and he cautiously opened the door. The rest of the team followed when the man signaled that the other side was clear.
This tunnel was well lit and in active use. That added the increased danger of the high-speed trains to the mix. Taymati headquarters was supposed to suspend the operation of all civilian trains until the Emperor was safe, but one never knew. If a train did come, they would be dead before they heard its approach. That reality kept them all off the tracks, and on the slender service platforms on the sides.
The Taymati teams marched down the tunnel for the better part of an hour before reaching another platform. Instead of the typical frenzy of activity, it appeared deserted. Kriss wasn’t surprised. With an alien attack underway and all rail service at a standstill, he didn’t expect to find anyone hanging around. Raising his weapon, he scanned the platform through his sights, looking for any sign of the mercs. The other Taymati were all doing the same, as the team stayed hidden in the shadows.
Captain Vass ordered several Taymati to advance. The men moved in quickly, spreading out and taking strategic positions on the platform. Several more men were ordered in, while the rest watched. When nothing happened, the rest of the team emerged onto the platform and cautiously advanced down its length.
“At the other end of the platform, there is a hidden entrance. Through that we can go down to the lower Taymati level,” said Vass.