The Price of Liberty (Empire Rising Book 4)

by D. J. Holmes

  “Fire,” James ordered just before Endeavour passed out of range of the Indian fleet.

  Becket released six heavy plasma bolts that shot towards the Indian heavy cruiser. From another point in space six more heavy plasma bolts shot towards a medium cruiser. As each plasma bolt hit its target, two more explosions erupted in the midst of the Indian fleet. Remaining in stealth, both Endeavour and Discovery continued on their new trajectories as they headed away from the Indian fleet and towards open space.

  Suddenly aware of another threat around them, every remaining Indian ship actively scanned in all directions. A number of the warships got a hint of one of the two British warships and launched several missiles at the targets they could detect. James and Gupta had already worked out the best trajectory to take after engaging the Indian fleet, and they were heading away from the Indian fleet at a tangent that only allowed the Indians to target them with their stern missile tubes. As a result, the Indian ships that detected them only fired ten missiles.

  Endeavour and Discovery came out of stealth and moved into a tight formation. Combining their flak cannons and point defense fire, they easily dispatched the Indian missiles before making a course change and returning to stealth mode.

  *

  Half way across the New Delhi system, Acting Commodore Lightfoot felt his chest swell with pride as he watched so many British ships sacrifice their lives to allow their comrades to get home safely.

  “They actually did it,” his First Lieutenant said, amazed at what he had just seen. “They managed to take out the battlecruiser.”

  “Yes,” Lightfoot acknowledged. “We paid a heavy price today to see Admiral Rooke and his ships get home. But at least the action of those brave captains made sure that it wasn’t all for nothing. The Indians will count this battle as a victory. But it’s a pyrrhic one at best. The war is far from over.

  “What do we do now?” Retribution’s First Lieutenant asked. “I don’t think Admiral Khan’s fleet is going to let us cruise up to the shift passage to Aror and head home.”

  “No,” Lightfoot chuckled. “I expect he is going to be rather pissed. We’re going to have to take the long way home, we can continue to head to the edge of the New Delhi system. We’ll then cut a path through the dark matter towards the shift passage to Aror. We’ll have to spend two or three days flying through normal space before we get to the shift passage, but when we do, we should be able to enter the shift passage a long way from any patrolling Indian ships. Then we can head on to Aror. We will still have to be careful. Admiral Khan will no doubt dispatch ships to Aror to try and catch any British stragglers. Even so, I’m sure we can avoid them.”

  “What was that?” One of Retribution’s bridge officers shouted as two more ships disappeared off the gravimetric plot. “Are there more British warships out there?”

  Lightfoot didn’t answer, instead he stared intently at Retribution’s sensors. There’s someone out there, he thought as several of the Indian ships launched missiles into space. His suspicions were confirmed when two more ships suddenly appeared on the gravimetric plot and maneuvered into a close formation.

  “It’s Discovery and Endeavour,” Lightfoot informed his crew. “There’s no other ships that could sneak right through the middle of an Indian fleet. They must have remained in stealth while the rest of the British ships attacked the Indians with their plasma cannons.”

  As everyone watched, the two British warships easily dealt with the Indian missiles launched in their direction. Then they turned onto a new trajectory that put them on an intercept course with Lightfoot and his squadron.

  “It looks like we’re going to have some company on our long voyage home,” Lightfoot said.

  Chapter 21 - Unbroken

  The Empire’s marines have a saying, ‘strike back ability.’ It’s meaning is clear. The real strength of a combat force isn’t seen when the enemy hands you a defeat. It is seen in how you strike back. For the marines, every defeat is followed by a decisive victory, they know of nothing else.

  -Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD

  15th August 2467 AD, Haven

  Spotting the tree that marked three hundred meters to his finishing line, Major Johnston picked up the pace for a sprint finish. As he passed his target, he dug his feet into the black Haven soil and skidded to a halt. Pausing for a few seconds, he took five deep breaths and then allowed his breathing to return to normal. Pulling out his COM unit, he checked the time it had taken him to complete the ten kilometer run.

  It had been over a month since he had escaped with Councilwoman Pennington. The first week he had spent on his back as the camp’s doctor looked after him. Two of his special forces marines even had to carry him on a stretcher when the resistance fighters had relocated their camp to a more secure position. After what seemed like an eternity, he had finally been able to get back on his feet and move around slowly. It was only in this last week he had been able to begin to train and exercise again. Today’s run had been sixty seconds slower than his personal best, he wasn’t quite back to being fully fighting fit, but he was well enough to re-join the fight. He was eager to put his latest plan into action.

  As he walked over to the resistance camp hidden about fifty kilometers from Haven’s capital, Liberty, Clare appeared to greet him. “How was your run?” she asked.

  “I could have been a little quicker,” Johnston replied as he raised his arms to shoulder height and rotated them to loosen up his muscles. “But it felt good, almost back to normal. This four-day hike will be good exercise for me. After that, I’ll be ready for combat.”

  Claire eyed him wearily but held her tongue. This was an argument they had already had. Ever since Johnston had set his mind on attacking the Indian installation, she had feared for his life. Waiting to see if he had managed to escape from the cave hideout had been among the most difficult times of her life. She had tried to convince Johnston to hold off on the attack until he was fully recovered, or to send someone else to lead in his stead. Neither argument had worked, and she had accepted the inevitable.

  “Councilwoman Pennington has ordered a large breakfast prepared for all the troops heading out on the raid. She has requested you and I join her in her tent to eat together,” Clare informed Johnston.

  “Sounds good to me,” Johnston said as he rubbed his belly. “All this exercise is making my appetite come back.”

  Pennington was already sitting at the large table she typically used for briefings. Three large steaming plates were arranged on the table.

  “Major, Clare,” Pennington said by way of welcome. “Come in and sit down, I want to pick your brain one last time before you leave Major.”

  Johnston wasn’t surprised. He had hardly seen her in the last month, she had been extremely busy reorganizing what was left of the resistance and re-establishing communication with the other resistance groups spread around Liberty. He, on the other hand, had been focusing on recovering from his injuries and getting fit again. Now he was about to go off on a mission that would see him gone for at least a couple of weeks.

  “This looks scrumptious,” Clare said as she sat down and picked up her knife and fork, eager to get stuck in.

  “I took the liberty of ordering our cooks to use our best supplies for this morning’s breakfast. Your team has a long trek and a difficult fight ahead of it, I want to send you off with a full stomach,” Pennington explained.

  “I’m certainly not going to complain,” Johnston said as he picked up his utensils. “So, what is it you want to discuss?” he asked after stuffing a slice of sausage into his mouth.

  “It’s been over four months since you landed on Haven,” Pennington began. “Whilst your help has been invaluable, it is becoming clearer and clearer to me that without your fleet and a proper army, the resistance will struggle to last another four months. How long do you think it will be before help arrives?”

  “Honestly,” Johnston answered, “I’m not sure. I thought the fleet would
have been here by now. Using the Gift, Endeavour should have made it back to the Sol system months ago. There’s been more than enough time for the Admiralty to analyze the intelligence Captain Somerville gathered and formulate a plan of attack. The Gift makes it easy for a fleet to get here unmolested. That they haven’t arrived by now, suggests the Admiralty is up to something else. Just what that is, I can only guess.”

  “Well, your guess is the best answer I’m going to get so if you care to share it with me, I’m sure I would find it useful,” Pennington said.

  Johnston took a few moments to reply as he worked on another mouthful of food. He wasn’t sure just how much he wanted to draw Pennington into his confidence. Maybe being open with her will help her to see herself as one of us. It couldn’t hurt, he thought as he shrugged, swallowing his mouthful of food.

  “The Indians have been a fierce rival of ours for the last one hundred and fifty years. As we share a colonial border, there’s been constant competition to discover new systems first, and to box in the other with new discoveries. It’s never boiled over into open hostilities before, but, as I’m sure you know, whoever controls Haven and the trade routes to Vestar and Kulthar will become the dominant colonial power in this region of space. If, as I know our Prime Minister wants to do, Parliament declares a formal war against India because of their illegal occupation of your colony, then the war will be bigger than just a fight for Haven. If our fleet can destroy the Indian fleet, or knock out their military industrial complex, then India will be crushed as a rival. It’s possible if war has broken out then the fleet’s focus is elsewhere. I’m sure they will come to liberate Haven eventually. In fact, I thought they would do that first, from here they could launch a surprise attack into the rear of the Indian colonies. However, that doesn’t appear to be the strategy the Admiralty has embarked upon. It’s been months now as you said. If war was declared, then I suspect the British fleet has already moved into the Indian colonies via French space. They will only come for Haven once they have won victory there. It may be a month or two yet before we see any sign of the fleet in the Haven system.”

  “So while your fleet uses Haven as a pretext to attack one of its oldest enemies, my people are forced to fight and die alone here?” Pennington said passionately. “And if your fleet is beaten in the Indian colonies, then no help will be coming for us. Is that correct?”

  “Yes,” Johnston was forced to admit. “But, if Haven is to become a British protectorate, then India will become a permanent enemy, and a constant threat. If the fleet can deal with India now, then your colony’s safety will be guaranteed not just for a month or year or a decade but hopefully decades to come.”

  “That’s a big if Major,” Pennington said. “If the British fleet doesn’t come soon, there may not be much of Haven left to become anyone’s protectorate.”

  “But Councilwoman,” Clare said as she joined the conversation. “We can’t expect the British to spend money and lives to liberate us and then get nothing out of it. Don’t forget what we did to them, we committed piracy against them, and attacked the Kulrean envoy. As much as it may be hurting our people right now, we can’t expect the British not to put their own interests first. The very fact they’re willing to let us keep our independence is more than we’re going to get from any other Earth power.”

  Johnston nodded at Clare’s words. Over the past month they had spent long hours in deep conversation about these matters. Clare was as fiercely independent as any of the Haven colonists. Their parents, grandparents and great grandparents had instilled in the current generation a strong animosity towards Earth and its nations. Captain Somerville and Endeavour had demonstrated to the people of Haven that not all the Earth powers were as selfish as the founders of Haven had made out. Johnston also knew he and his special forces marines were helping to change the opinions of many of the Havenite resistance fighters. For her part, Clare was becoming more and more of a supporter of the idea of Haven becoming a British protectorate, the fact they were sharing a tent in the new resistance base was no doubt helping to break down her inbuilt resistance to any outside influences.

  “That’s true,” Pennington said. “But I don’t want my people dying for nothing. If help doesn’t come soon, then the Indians will fortify this planet so heavily it will be impossible to dislodge them.”

  “And that’s all the more reason to fight,” Johnston said. “I’m not a politician, nor a fleet Admiral, I’m just a soldier. I’m here to do my duty for my country, but also, for your people. If we can take out this target, then it will make it much easier for whatever ground forces the fleet brings with it to land and secure Haven. I can’t speak for our government, but I hope the actions of my men and I, and the sacrifice some of them have already made for your planet, are at least showing you in some small way that we as a people can be trusted.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Pennington said. “I appreciate what you and your squad of marines have done for us more than I could ever say. I hope you know that by now. But, I’m concerned your fleet is taking too long, and as you know, swapping one foreign power for another is never going to sit comfortably with me.”

  “That I know all too well,” Johnston said with a chuckle to try and relieve some of the tension around the table. “Those are issues I am never going to be able to solve for you. We’ll all just have to wait and see what happens after the Indians are defeated. I hope you will become a strong ally of my country and not just my friend, but that will be up to you.”

  “I guess time will tell,” Pennington said. “Now, let’s talk about something else and enjoy this breakfast before you head off. Tell me, just how serious are the two of you?” she said with a smile as both Johnston and Clare blushed.

  Twenty minutes later, Clare and Johnston stepped out of Pennington’s tent. As they approached the clearing in the middle of the camp they found Johnston’s team was already formed up. “Is everyone accounted for?” Johnston asked.

  “All present and correct,” Sergeant Briar replied. Since Moony’s death, he had taken over as Johnston’s second in command. “We have twenty of the best resistance fighters alongside our marines. I’ve been giving each of them some additional training over the last week.

  “Good, I’m sure they have all benefited from it. Send Beckworth and Fisher ahead to scout our path, then you may take point,” Johnston ordered.

  “Yes Sir,” Briar replied and turned to find Beckworth and Fisher.

  “I guess this is it,” Johnston said as he turned to Clare and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Be careful,” he added as he pulled away.

  Clare pulled Johnston back into a passionate kiss. “I will,” she replied. “If there is any sign of Indian forces we will return immediately. You are the one who has to be careful.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Johnston said. Secretly he was glad Clare wasn’t joining him on his mission. Pennington has requested she lead a small group of fighters back to the cave hideout to see if any useful supplies could be scavenged from the wreckage. It would be risky, but not nearly as risky as the attack he was planning.

  “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks,” Clare said as she squeezed his hand. With a quick spin, she turned her back to him and strode towards the center of the resistance camp.

  “Aye,” Johnston whispered, already sad to see her go. They had agreed the night before they would say their goodbyes quickly. Neither knew if they would outlive the war with the Indians but they were both realizing just how much they cared for each other.

  As the group set out on their long hike, Johnston fell into step beside Briar. For the rest of the day they hiked through the thick forest. They stopped for lunch and the occasional comfort break but they had a long way to go and they pressed on late into the night. Only once darkness had set in did they stop and set up camp. For the next two days, the pattern was the same and by the evening of the third night since leaving the resistance camp, it was clear to Johnston the rest of the resistance fighters
were becoming weary from their long, drawn out march. For his part, he was feeling stronger and stronger each day, the hike was refreshing and it was rejuvenating his energy levels.

  Anticipating the resistance soldiers would be drained from the long cross-country hike, Johnston had planned to stop by lunchtime on the fourth day. When they got to the site that would be their forward operating base, they found another group of resistance fighters already there.

  “Maguire,” Johnston said as he recognized the leader of the other resistance group when he stepped out of the forest to greet them. “It’s good to see you,” he said as he smiled and reached out to shake Maguire’s hand.

  “And I you,” Maguire said. “I was happy to hear you had escaped from the cave attack. I have twenty-five men and women with me.”

  “Good,” Johnston said. “We’re going to need every one of them. Now, if you care to show us where you have set up, our men can get settled in around you, I’m sure they’re eager to take a break and get some food in their bellies.”