Knights of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book Two)

by Lawrence P White

  “They would have if he had the resources to overwhelm us. He will next time, if they’re available.”

  “They’re available,” M’Coda spoke up from across the room. He turned from the corner he’d ended up facing as he’d worked through possibilities in his mind, his head pointed toward Chandrajuski. “You won’t be on the side lines this time, Admiral. You’re going to get your opportunity to fight. He’ll bring the Chessori, but as a separate fleet. Most of his fleet will consist of pure, unadulterated Empire crews untouched by Chessori. Those are his real resources, and from our perspective they are truly unlimited.”

  “Let me throw you one more curve ball, Admiral,” Trexler added. “We’ve focused so much on training my men that we’ve neglected to train yours. They know how to function as squadrons, but do they know how to function as a fleet?”

  Chandrajuski’s eyes blinked slowly. His great chest swelled, then deflated. “Have I failed my Queen?”

  “No, you have not. We’re all learning as we go, but it’s time to revise our plan. We must be swift, and we must be right. We don’t have a moment to lose.”

  * * * * *

  Reba didn’t even get to say goodbye to Val. A fast fighter came aboard her cruiser, picked her up, and headed to Earth with orders from Chandrajuski: Buskin was to bring all of his capital ships to Aldebaran I. Earth would be left only with fighters, but it would only be for a short time. Reba would accompany Buskins crews to Aldebaran I, teaching them the new tactics on the way.

  Val took a fast fighter to Parsons’ World. Training there was over. Facilities were to be shut down, and all available ships and crews were to proceed to Aldebaran I. Mike would have to decide how many resources should remain behind to protect the planet and the Queen. Admiral Jons was to transfer as much of his manufacturing operations to Earth as he could, if he had not already done so in the months the fleet had been gone. Serge would have a big say in what resources he was prepared to part with.

  Korban was stripped of all capital ships, with the exception of two frigates. It was a terrible decision to have to make, but Chandrajuski was adamant. Korban would have to pull in ships from his districts to restore his fleet, and he was loaned a fast fighter to do so. Too, he was to pull as many capital ships from his districts as possible and send them to Aldebaran I. Colonel Waverly grudgingly left behind a platoon of fifty men to guard against a return of the Chessori, and he would do his best to send raw recruits from Earth to bolster the tiny force. It would be a grim, worrisome time for Korban and his men.

  Waverly and his senior staff boarded a fast frigate and headed to Aldebaran I. It was time for Seeton to make his move there, and it would be best if he did so prior to the main battle out in space. Until he made his move, Chandrajuski’s forces could not enter the system. If they did, any hope of surprise for Waverly’s men would be lost.

  Seventeen slow cruisers left Orion III on their long voyage to Aldebaran I. Chandrajuski and M’Coda went with them. During the voyage, they were to develop modifications to the AI’s that would divert power from nonessential systems to the shields, and they would develop whatever new tactics would be used against the Rebels.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Trexler waited a full month at Orion III with the five fast squadrons, just in case of a counter-attack, but at the end of that month he lost patience and departed, leaving one extra fast fighter behind that could quickly call for help if needed.

  Waverly’s men had used the time to rest and recuperate from wounds under the incredible medical care available from Empire physicians. Trexler carried nearly 800 Raiders, all battle hardened and experienced survivors of the fighting that had taken place at Orion III.

  Four of the five squadrons stopped one jump short of the Aldebaran system. Surprise was a key element of Waverly’s tactics, and the arrival of a small fleet would create far too much attention at the governor’s office. Trexler’s own heavy squadron dropped from hyper on the outskirts of Aldebaran I and reverted to normal speed, then reported in to ground controllers. They were cleared in routinely: they were, after all, originally Seeton’s ships and purportedly just returning from assignment in an outlying district.

  Seven other squadrons were scattered here and there throughout the system in no discernable pattern. He studied the designators on his display and was surprised to discover that these ships were well known to him. He tight beamed the closest squadron. In short order, one of his senior Terran admirals, a full fleet admiral, came on the line.

  “Hi, Ray.”

  “Sam, I take it you’re in charge here, at least of the Terran forces. How goes it?”

  “Quiet, though there’s a tremendous amount of Chessori traffic, and it’s been increasing.”

  “Hmm. Are all of you updated?”

  “Some. All have at least the quick fix.”

  Trexler considered. Before leaving Parsons World months earlier, they had discussed an abbreviated program that would quickly provide micro jumping capability and stronger shields without the time consuming retrofit to stronger weapons. The program must have been put into effect.

  “Okay. I’m sending a shuttle over with orders and some new information for you to consider. I have a delivery to make on the ground, then I’ll head back this way and we can get together to discuss things.”

  The orders he sent to Sam Taylor included a description of the new tactics of super squadrons discovered at Orion III. The tactics might or might not come into play here at Aldebaran I, but he wanted the squadrons to be familiar with the process. They couldn’t openly practice the maneuvers, but they could practice them in the simulators aboard the cruisers. Sam was directed to pick up Chandrajuski as soon as he arrived: Chandrajuski would need to transfer his flag to a fast ship. The ground battle would likely begin within a few days of them all getting situated.

  Sam Taylor’s shuttle brought encouraging word. Reba and Buskin had just arrived and were waiting one short jump away with 53 cruisers sent from Earth. It was all the cruisers Buskin had. Gunners had been drafted, primarily from navy ships from a number of different countries. All were new to space, but they had received training during the voyage. Buskin had left all his frigates, fighters, and Great Cats on Earth. One conversion facility was up and running, Serge’s technicians were training local electricians and craftsmen, and to date, seven frigates there had been converted to fast ships. He had not managed to convert any of the cruisers. One fast frigate was stationed on the outskirts of Earth’s system, its purpose to quickly bring a call for help if needed.

  Trexler considered the plan with pursed lips – Buskin had been ordered to send all capital ships, and frigates were classed as capital ships. He probably had 60 or 70 frigates, and they could shift the balance here. Why had he held them back? And he had sent none of the Great Cats, which meant the ships he sent would not be as capable as needed.

  He knew Buskin fairly well, and what he’d done just didn’t make sense. Buskin knew the battle at Aldebaran I would demand all the Queen’s forces, including the Great Cats. Trexler dispatched one of his own fast fighters to Earth with clarification orders: Buskin was to send the frigates and the Great Cats.

  Sam’s message also informed him that all the ships stationed at Parsons’ World were on the way to Aldebaran I, and there were a lot of them. Veswicki’s contacts with other sector commanders had netted 78 squadrons, an impressive number garnered from far flung districts that, so far as they knew, had not raised any eyebrows among the Rebels. Of those, 27 had received the quick upgrade and were already in position one jump outside the system. The rest would arrive soon. Only five of the fast squadrons were manned with Terrans. There were simply no more Terrans to be had at the moment. Serge had agreed to provide his own protection for Parsons’ World, and Trexler suspected his traders were up to the task.

  He considered the five fast squadrons manned by Terrans. If all five had come, that meant that Ellie’s squadron was among them. Where was she, and how well protected w
as she? He didn’t know.

  He did the math: 160 cruisers, and 68 of them manned by Terran crews, most of them untested in battle. He called Sam Taylor. “This is going to be a real management problem.”

  “It is. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and we’ve been running simulations. I wish we could speak freely, but we can’t yet.”

  “No. Not yet. As soon as I make my drop-off, I’ll join you. Until then, you’re in charge out here.”

  “The big boss will be here soon.”

  “Sam, he’ll need time. You’ve had what . . . weeks to think about this? We’re going to lean heavily on you.”

  “Initial action scenarios are the most critical, and I’m prepared. Once things get heated up, it’s all going to be on the fly. There’s no way to plan for that, and I’m not trying.”

  “You’re right. Let me be blunt. How are we going to distinguish the ships manned by Chessori.”

  “Our special ships are going to get a hard work-out. They’ll be first-in.”

  They stared at each other. “They can’t be wrong,” Trexler stated softly, thinking about what would happen to Empire crews if they tried to take on the Chessori. They’d be sitting ducks, with no chance of fighting back.

  “There will be mistakes. We’re going to take losses, Ray. That’s the nature of the beast.”

  Trexler nodded. “Do me a favor. Get creative.”

  “Aye, aye, sir. We’ll start with a clean sheet of paper and see what we come up with.”

  “Start with this: park the fighters. Reassign the Terran pilots and gunners to cruisers. If you have enough, spread them out among the frigates. We learned a few things at Orion III. Capital ships are the key. Think about it, Stu, and we’ll talk more when I join you.”

  * * * * *

  Two frigates, stuffed to the gills with Reba’s Raiders, landed on Aldebaran I while the rest of the squadron remained in a stationary orbit far above the port.

  Seeton had made arrangements for Waverly’s men. They were to disembark from the two frigates over a period of many hours so as not to arouse suspicion. Trexler was first off, and he made his way to Seeton’s headquarters, escorted by three sergeants and a lieutenant, all wearing side arms but without assault weapons. Carrying assault weapons would, again, have been completely out of the ordinary. His escort waited outside the Sector Headquarters building while he went in.

  Seeton’s office was huge. He greeted Trexler with a tight smile and outstretched hand. “Colonel Waverly has told me all about you. I hope you’re as successful here as you were with Korban.”

  “There are a lot of unknowns, obviously. We have no idea of Rebel numbers or dispositions. You probably know there are a lot more of us out there than you can see.”

  “I do, and I only just learned of your suspicions that a lot of Rebels will show up without Chessori. I wish I’d known sooner. I’ve pulled in a number of squadrons from my districts. I’ll join them before things get started here on the ground.”

  Trexler raised his eyebrows. “I thought you would focus on the ground effort.”

  “What good will I be here? As soon as Jim gets started, the scree will take me out. I’ve had a long time to get ready for this, and I haven’t been idle.”

  “Hmm. How much of our plan do you know?”

  “Darn little, and I’m not pleased about it. This is my sector, you know.”

  “You’re right, sir. We’ve done you a disservice, and I apologize. We’re learning as we go. We’ll do better next time.”

  “We’re all learning. I hope the learning curve is steep and in the right direction. Truth be told, until today it was my understanding that my ships would be useless against the Chessori. I only pulled them together in case our plan failed. You probably know that our fallback position has always been to leave with as many assets as we could gather together, to join with Buskin to fight another day.”

  “Uh, how many have you pulled together? Surely you couldn’t know the timing of this battle.”

  “The approximate timing was not difficult to figure out. I sent out orders months ago. They’re here, though they believe their only purpose is to flee.”

  “How many, Admiral?”

  “All of them. I’m leaving nothing behind for Struthers.”

  “How many is all of them?”

  “673.”

  “Ships?”

  “Squadrons.”

  Trexler felt the blood rushing to his face, and his legs suddenly felt weak. He reached behind him for a chair and sat down.

  “You’re talking about more than 8,000 ships?”

  Seeton nodded and sat down behind his desk. Waverly took another chair.

  “I wish we’d known,” Trexler mumbled to himself. Lifting his gaze to Seeton, he said, “It’s a gift. We need to get them trained. Does our fleet commander know about these ships? They were not included in my briefing.”

  “He does not. Remember, my purpose for gathering them together was to flee if you fail here against the Chessori. But what training do they need? They’re already trained. They’re fully operational squadrons, Admiral.”

  “Unless you’ve been doing some special training, they’re not trained to fight a battle of this scale.”

  Seeton stared at him. “Perhaps not. Chandrajuski knows our skills and limitations. He’ll provide direction.”

  “He’ll have to. We’ll need to get word to him as soon as he arrives.”

  “I have a courier in position to reach my ships with just one short jump. It just needs to know if they should flee or fight.”

  “How are they positioned?”

  “They’re all together. It’s probably the largest massing of ships in the history of Empire.”

  Trexler stared at the ceiling in contemplation. “This could seriously change our battle plans. Where and when your ships come into the system needs to be considered. It’s going to be real confusing for a while. We might want them to wait, but they’re slow ships; they can’t wait too long. We have to somehow sort out the Chessori-manned ships from purely Rebel ships before committing them. I’ll get started on it as soon as I’m done here.” He turned to Waverly. “What do you need from me?”

  “There are a lot of Chessori ground troops here, Ray, and there are a lot of Chessori ships. Seven are in port here, there are dozens spread around the planet at other ports, and there are lots more of them in space. I need them taken out.”

  “I met with a Chessori trader at Orion III. He claims they’re not all bad.”

  “Reba set our rules of engagement early on in the battle at Orion III, sir. They’re simple: so long as the scree is sounding, all Chessori, armed or not, will be killed on sight. We learned it the hard way, trust me. I need to know that’s how you’ll operate. I’ll have enough to deal with without having to worry about Chessori reinforcements.”

  “Agreed. What’s your plan?”

  Trexler learned that Seeton had strategically hidden caches of food, water, heavy weapons, and medical supplies for the Raiders. They would not have to carry supplies on their backs, a matter of great significance to soldiers on foot. Entry codes for every facility on the planet had been provided to Waverly, and every armory and gun emplacement at every port would be locked. The Chessori would not have access to those codes.

  Seeton’s door opened as the briefing was in progress, and his executive officer stuck his head in. “The governor is on his way, sir. He’s accompanied by Admiral Hogri and three Chessori.”

  Seeton’s eyes narrowed, and the two of them stared at each other. The man nodded his head. “I think they beat us to the starting line, sir.”

  “I think you’re right. Activate the plan.” He turned to Waverly. “Are your men ready?”

  “Not even close, sir. Most are still aboard ship, and they’re sitting ducks. If your confidence level is high, I’m going to speed things up.”

  “Your plan wasn’t based on starting operations at the port, but it’s time, my friend.” Waverly tu
rned away and began issuing urgent orders over his communicator. Seeton turned calmly to Trexler. “If they’re really making their move, this will be coordinated with the nearby Chessori traders. This could be timed with the enemy fleet’s entry into the system, as well. I’m afraid you’re stuck here for a while. It’ll be too dangerous for you to get back to your ship.”

  Trexler reached for his own communicator, but Seeton reached out a hand to stop him. “It’s all taken care of, Admiral. My staff is alerting the squadrons as we speak. They know what to do.”

  “It’s Waverly’s men I’m concerned about.” He called one of the frigates and spoke to the captain. “Tom, you’ll be under attack in moments. Get out of here.”

  “We’ve unloaded less than half of the Raiders, sir.”

  “The rest will have to wait. Every one of those Chessori ships at the port is armed, and it looks like the attack is beginning right now.”

  “In that case, we’ll boogey. I’ll stay in touch, sir.”

  “Let the squadron know, and get them moving in. They’re to take out every Chessori ship on the planet, and they might as well get started on those in space, as well. Every Chessori ship, understood?”

  “Understood, sir.”

  Seeton’s executive officer opened the door again. This time he left it open. “They’re in the building, sir.” He passed out three blasters, then turned and left. Seeton calmly buckled his on. Waverly, communicator still to his mouth, became a contortionist as he belted his own on. He checked the charge and left the flap open on the holster. Trexler followed his example, but he had never held a blaster in his hand before.

  “How do I fire it?”

  Seeton couldn’t help grinning. “All that firepower at your beck and call, and you’ve never fired a blaster? Amazing. Here’s the safety, and it’s off. Just point it, squeeze the handle here, that’s a second safety, and squeeze the button under your index finger.” He moved a visitor’s chair to each corner of the room adjacent to the door and motioned Trexler to sit. Waverly was still on his communicator.