“Yes, Sir!” his tactical officer replied, “Major Sherman, this is Bristol TAC. Captain orders you to run Combat Area Patrol. Split red squadron up to scan the edges of this system. Take the most obvious course and the least. Plant some proximity beacons to alert the fleet of any incoming ships.”
“Roger, Bristol command,” Major Sherman acknowledged, “Alright, listen up, Red Squad. We’re going to be out here for a while. Red Two and Three you’re on Alpha Station with me. Four, Five, Six, you take Beta Station. Seven, Eight, and Nine, take Gamma Station. Red Ten, maintain proximal patrol and cover the transports. ACE One, you’re with the Beta team. ACE Two, you’re with Gamma team. Bristol, request launch of ACE Four to give us some extra eyes for team Alpha.”
“Roger that, Red leader,” Kabatski acknowledged, “Chief, launch ACE Four. Red leader needs some eyes out there.”
Chief Perry’s team jumped into action, sending the area combat enhancement ship through the launch bay.
“ACE Four, Red Leader, come in.”
“Major Sherman here, go.”
“ACE Four is heading your way. On full acceleration, ETA to your position is two.”
“Rodger that, ACE Four.”
“Sir,” Lieutenant Scott broke in, “Transports are in position. Docking with targets in thirty seconds.”
“Time to action?” McCartney asked.
“Nine minutes, Sir,” Iverson reported.
Captain McCartney’s eyebrows rose, “Under ten, Commander. Nice job!”
“Practice makes perfect, Sir.”
“I did not say the time was perfect, Commander. Alright, Lieutenant Scott, tell the Primrose our teams are ready to board.”
“Captain Rothgarson, Bristol reporting our teams are ready to board, Sir.”
The comm channel distorted Trygg’s voice as they listened, “I’ve relayed to our ships with our beacon. They report all ships ready for hard seal. You are clear to proceed.”
Iverson turned to Lieutenant Scott, “They’re green for go, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, Sir...DRT’s you are clear for hard seal. Report protocols at ten minutes.”
The bridge crew listened to static before each transport team checked in, “DRT one is in. It’s a mess over here. Stand by...medical teams are administering radiation protocols to the Draconian crew. Engineers and repair teams are being escorted to engineering, and the helms teams are on the way to the bridge.”
“DRT two, reporting in. Confirmed, all teams are in place.”
“DRT three, reporting all under control. Ship three is in the best shape over here.”
“Captain Rothgarson, Stand by to receive your wounded as they are transported to your medical facilities.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
________________________
Serintin
Northern Territory
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The Boreshog laboriously flapped its wings. Dumakas rode the back of the beast, instructing the creature to continue well into the northern territories. The steam from its nostrils evidenced the intense cold.
They had traveled for hours. The farther north they traveled, the more the bitter cold stung. Dumakas’ blood spirit sang to the helpless beast, compelling it to carry out his commands.
Dumakas spotted a base camp where several Antarian soldiers gathered around a large crackling bonfire. He instructed the beast to circle the site. The creature bellowed and then screeched with the pain wrought by the bitter cold of the northern climate.
The creature circled, slowed itself by flapping his wings, and then extended its hooved legs. The Boreshog hovered a few feet over the encampment. Its beating wings fanned the fire, sending embers high into the dark sky like dancing fireflies.
Dumakas dismounted the creature with a thud as his two feet landed. He was immediately greeted by the Antarian army.
Dumakas stood upright, towering over his subjects as they knelt before their former leader. He smiled at the sight and then remembered the cold as he shivered from the blowing wind.
The Boreshog lifted its head high into the air, screeching one last breath before it collapsed to the ground.
One of the Antarians draped a thick fur cloak over Dumakas’ shoulders. The emperor slid his arms into the sleeves and wrapped himself within the warmth of the coat.
“My fellow Antarians...my subjects...I have been freed from prison!”
The Antarians stood and welcomed their leader closer to the fire. Dumakas looked back at his ride and snarled, “It appears that we shall dine on the heart of a Boreshog this day.”
“Yes, my Lord,” one of them answered, “The meat from this beast will feed our camp well.”
“It is good to see that there are those among us who choose to follow their true leader.”
“Yes, my Lord,” the Antarians answered in unison.
Another stood forward holding a copy of the ancient book, “What of the scrolls, and the prophecy foretold in them, my Lord? What of the Emperor’s oath to hold these writings sacred?”
Dumakas roared and turned to the young Antarian guard. He snatched the book from his hand and held it to the night sky, “What of these infernal scribbles? It is the House of Delema that holds these writings sacred, not the House of Gornash! We are the Warlords of Antares! Let us look to the future, my Brethren, lest we become prisoners of the past!”
“My Lord,” the young Antarian said, returning to one knee, “I meant no disrespect. Still, these scrolls have been revered for as long as we have kept records. Should we not consider what they have to offer?”
Dumakas clenched his fingers on the scrolls and lifted them higher, “I ask you, what good have these scrolls of the ancients done for us? Tell me, where is the benefit of having your true leader overthrown?”
“None, my Lord!” the assembly chanted, “There is no benefit.”
“Do you wish to follow these ancient babblings of our dead ancestors, or your rightful and true leader?”
“No, my Lord! We follow you!”
“Answer me this, would it not be better to follow the true leader of the Rising Star of Antares?”
“Yes, my Lord!”
Dumakas paused, basking in the euphoria of the moment, “I am he that is your true leader!”
“Yes, my Lord! We choose to follow Dumakas, our true leader!”
Dumakas spread his arms and held them to the sky, “I am Dumakas of the House of Serintin of the Rising Star Antares! Will you follow me?”
“Yes, my Lord!” the Antarian army repeated.
“I declare this day, that I shall take back my crown from this absurd perversion...this charade...that my own flesh and blood has bequeathed upon us. This wretch of a woman that is my grandmother supports these ancient rumors about a strange warrior from an unknown house. I declare to you today that this woman named Danielle of the House of Cooper...the one who now calls herself the Empress of Antares...will be destroyed!”
The entire assembly continued to kneel before their former Emperor, and sang in unison, “Yes, my Lord. Emperor of the House of Serintin of the Rising Star Antares. We choose to follow you, my Lord. We are loyal to you and you only!”
Dumakas smiled.
The Antarians all knelt and bowed their heads.
Dumakas threw the book into the fire, sending sparks wildly into the air as the fire consumed the ancient writings.
“Stand to your feet. Act like the soldiers that you are.”
The Antarians rose and then returned to the tasks they were doing before Dumakas’ arrival.
Two of the higher ranks among them remained with Dumakas.
“I am Shotzgren of the House of Gornash. This is Baelak, my second. We have brought a rescue party from the House of Gornash.”
Baelak cutoff Shotzgren, “It would appear that someone beat us to freeing you, my Lord?”
“Yes. I was released. There is someone on the inside.”
“Do you know who it is, my Lord?” Shotzgren asked.
“No, I do not. I only saw the silhouette before they knocked me out. When I awoke, I discovered my shackles were removed and the cell door was ajar.”
Baelak looked over at Dumakas, “Did you see anything else, my Lord?”
“I did not choose to stay longer than I had to. I quickly made my escape. I knew that the palace being as quiet as it was, this so called Empress and her entourage must have left for her quest. I knew they were heading to the Valley of Trenches. The cell walls are thick, yet I was able to gain sensitive information.”
“You were provided sensitive intelligence on the Empress’ movements?”
“There was a silent informant. Messages were delivered to me. I assume it was the same who freed me from my captors.”
“What did this informant tell you, my Lord?”
“I knew that the Empress was headed to capture an adolescent Boreshog. She had need to partake of its blood. The only way for this fraud to retain control of the palace would be to partake of that blood.”
“My Lord, did she succeed?”
“It was most unfortunate. She arrived just as I was killing the creature. I was able to take of the young Boreshog’s blood. As I was fighting off her elite guard, she was able to drink of the blood before it perished.”
“This is not good news, my Lord,” Shotzgren nodded. “Now that she has the power of that blood spirit, she will be harder to defeat during the blood cycle.”
“Yes, this is true,” Dumakas answered, looking at the two.
“What shall we do, my Lord?” Baelak asked.
“Fear not, we shall defeat this regime and regain our power. We must travel to the House of Gornash to enlist more troops.”
“Yes, my Lord. We have a transport over that ridge,” Shotzgren pointed. “As long as the power grid remains off-line, the elite guard will not detect our movements.”
“How many troops can this transport carry?”
“This is a smaller ship, my Lord. We sent a small party to scout the present situation. We planned on bringing more, but this ship can only carry fifty fully armored men.”
“Fifty men will not be enough. I plan on storming the palace. In order for us to be successful, we will need at least two hundred warriors.”
“We cannot risk moving that number at once. Even with the palace’s defense grid down, they would detect such a large ship, my Lord.”
“Then we shall make four trips of fifty each. Drop them within a few clicks of the palace. While we make our first trip to Gornash, I shall employ you, Baelak. Instruct these men to move camp to a closer location. You will set up south east of the city, near Glavin. From there we will march on foot and take the palace.”
“Yes, my Lord. We should make haste. If they activate the power grid, we lose the advantage of a surprise attack,” Shotzgren added.
“My Lord, our intelligence reports that they will have the grid restored in less than a day.”
“Shotzgren, can you pilot the ship?”
“Yes, of course, my Lord. We shall make haste to Gornash. We can make the ship in twenty minutes.”
“Four hour round trip puts us at nearly eighteen hours with loading and unloading.”
“A narrow window we have, my Lord,” Baelak said, “I will assemble our men and make our way to Glavin. There, we shall set up our homing beacon. I’ll transmit our frequency so you can find us.”
“Then let us take our leave. Baelak, I will entrust you to arrive at Glavin.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Baelak bowed, “I shall not let you down.”
Shotzgren gathered his sword and belongings and then motioned to Dumakas, “This way, my Lord.”
________________________
Serintin Palace
________________________
The clear sky blew a cold wind down from the north canyons. Lebencha sat astride the rim of the night sky like a giant marble balanced upon the horizon. The stars shone more brightly in the absence of atmospheric discharge from the energy. The cold nights added to the eerie feeling that surrounded the palace.
Danielle shivered, wrapped in a custom made howler skin to scare away frost bite. The tenacious leader angrily paced the Empress’ open air chamber.
She pointed a finger at one of her aides, “Where is Laboolaron! Bring him to me at once!”
The aide graciously bowed, “Yes, my Lady. He has been found and is being brought here as we speak.”
The chamber door creaked open, “My Lady,” one of the guards said, “I present to you, Laboolaron of the House of Serintin.”
Laboolaron was escorted into the room by two Antarian guards. He shuffled his shackled legs as he approached his Empress, and extending his chained arms in front, “My Lady, is this really necessary? What is the meaning of this?”
“I have called you here before me today to answer to the charge of treason.”
“Treason? I know not what you are saying, my Lady.”
“Do you deny releasing Dumakas from his cell?”
“Dumakas has been freed?”
“So, you do deny releasing him!”
“When did this happen, my Lady?”
“Where were you this morning after I left with the hunting party?”
“My Lady, since you were going to capture an adolescent Boreshog, I decided to practice with my sword. It would be more dangerous to spar with you with your newly found strength.”
“Do you have witnesses as to your whereabouts?”
“No, my Lady. The Palace was quiet. I was in the great room, alone.”
“That’s unfortunate for you, Laboolaron.”
“My Lady,” Laboolaron pleaded, “You must know that I could not have released Dumakas, as the power of your blood spirit prevents this.”
Darnash entered the chamber hall, “My Lady, Laboolaron does speak a truth. He has taken of the blood oath when you put him in charge over Dumakas. It is this very principle that prevents him from releasing the former Emperor.”
“The blood oath was taken,” Danielle agreed, “Perhaps the blood of the Boreshog beast I slayed was not as strong as we had thought, and this is how he managed to betray me.”
“I do not think that is likely, my Lady,” Darnash insisted. “True it is, that your presence removed Dumakas’ blood lust. You took power from Dumakas after you took of the blood from the Boreshog beast. That power has hold over all Antarians, and the prophecies foretold have come to pass. Now that you have partaken of the adolescent, your power will remain strong.”
“Two cycles,” Danielle said.
“My Lady?”
“The Boreshog beast conveyed to me that I should not return after three short cycles. The she beast will kill me. She blames me for the death of her adolescent. I have two cycles before the blood spirit will need refreshing.”
“Do you not see the logic in what Laboolaron speaks, my Lady?”
Danielle stopped her pacing and faced Laboolaron, “This is not proof enough. We shall conduct a full investigation into this matter. I will question every personnel before passing final judgement. Until then, I am sorry Laboolaron, but I must detain you.”
“I understand, my Lady,” Laboolaron answered with pride, “I was set in charge over guarding Dumakas. I failed my task, so I must face the price. Regardless of whether you believe me or not, he was released on my watch.”
“Very well, Laboolaron of the House of Serintin. You seem to be a dedicated servant. Guards, you may remove his bindings once he is secured in his cell. Take him from me now.”
“Yes, my Lady,” one of the guards nodded.
The two guards escorted Laboolaron from the chamber. Danielle turned to Darnash, “Where is Tumaleka?”
One of the palace aides spoke before Darnash, “Tumaleka has taken leave to Delema, my Lady. She is preparing the Council of the House of Delema. You did say you would address the council.”
“Yes, I did agree. Darnash, is the Boreshog beast secured?”
“Yes, my Lady. I have returned
from overseeing the Boreshog’s confinement. Do not worry, my Empress, we shall care for the beast.”
“Then we shall leave for Delema at once. At least on the transport there will be sufficient heat.”
“Yes, my Lady,” Darnash bowed, “You do know it is a four hour trip from Serintin.”
“Very well, Darnash. The sooner we depart the better. I need the Council to side with me if I am to remain in power now that Dumakas is free.”
“Yes, my Lady. Our shuttle awaits. You can be assured that Dumakas is headed to Gornash to enlist support of the Warlords.”
“Fortify every entrance to the Palace and begin fighter patrols around the surrounding areas. I want to know if they spot any insurgency that may threaten the Palace.”
Darnash nodded, pointed at two aides, “See to it. We shall return at dawn.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
________________________
The Yamato
Theta Centauri
________________________
“Sir,” Hikatsumi, the Yamato’s navigator reported, “Jump complete. The Theta Centauri system is in range.”
“SITREP!” Commander Hikaru barked.
“Engines silent running, Sir.”
“Hiram?” Captain Shin asked, “Are you able to block our ship’s signature from the Centaurians?”
The Eridonian momentarily peeked over to the Captain through his closed eyes, “Yes. There are no Antarians in the sector. No one will see our ship unless we get close enough for a visual.”
“Helm,” the Captain ordered, “Take us to just outside their home world. Tactical, begin your scanning. I want a complete sweep of this sector before we’re spotted; I want to know what we are dealing with in advance.”
“Understood, Sir,” Lieutenant Ren acknowledged. “Starting the sector scan now.”
Shin turned to his Eridonian friend, “What can you tell us about Theta Centauri?”
“Ah yes. Theta Centauri,” Hiram began, pressing his fingers against each other, “An evolved giant star that is roughly sixty light years from your planet Earth. Nearly five and a half times the mass of your sun, and ten point six times its radius. The outer envelope of the star you refer to as Theta Centauri, has an effective temperature of four-thousand nine-hundred and eighty degrees Kelvin, which gives this star the orange-hued glow of a cool, K-type star. The home world for the Centaurians is located on the sixth planet which is roughly twice the size of your Earth, but with smaller core and mass ratios. This gives the planet the same effective gravity to what you are accustomed to. The Centaurians are a lizard-like, biped species who go about creating mayhem throughout the Galaxy. They view themselves as a superior species with the highest intelligence. They think that all other races they encounter should allow them to run their economies to ensure peak performance...for a cut of the profits.”
Warlords Saga Page 34