The Battle for the Solar System (Complete Trilogy)

by Sweeney, Stephen

  For a moment, Parks said nothing. He was staring up at the holographic image and taking onboard what he was being shown. If it was true that the Pandoran forces were on the brink of invading Independent space, then it would mean that a large number of their forces would escape the tachyon blast from the collapsed Imperial stars. How many was difficult to estimate, but it would certainly be more than the contingency plans the allies had set in place were allowing for. Clearly, this was what Parsons and the other delegates present were concerned about.

  He opened his mouth to speak.

  “But that is not all,” Parsons said, cutting across him. He gestured to the same man sat at the console. “Play the video – the speech.”

  Speech? What speech? A moment later, it was playing.

  Parks stepped closer to the display, at first not sure of what he was seeing. It then became startlingly clear. Packed into what he recognised as the Royal Square on Kethlan were tens of thousands of people. From the state of the buildings and cityscape around it, Parks could tell that this was a video that had been created within the past twelve months, just after Kethlan, the Seat of the Emperor, had fallen. The gathered people stood almost as still as statues, looking up towards a high balcony, where a man stood. They were wearing a mixture of clothing styles, black suits the most prolific amongst them.

  The camera view then cut to the balcony and Parks felt himself take a step back, his jaw becoming slack. He was looking up into the face of Admiral Zackaria. The man was giving an address to the crowd below. And even before he started, Parks knew his words wouldn’t bring glad tidings.

  “My sons and daughters of the Empire. We stand proud within the halls, along the roads, and upon the shores that our enemies once held in defiance of the rightful rule of the Senate; the rightful rule of those who would stand by the truth of our glorious nation. We have taken the fight to our enemies and defended our heritage and the honour of the Empire. And, in the closing days of 2616, in a mighty and unforgettable battle, our enemies bent to our will and we took back Kethlan, took back what was rightfully ours. Once more, the rightful heir to the Empire will sit upon the throne. The traitors have been banished, never to return!”

  Thunderous applause filled the air, so loud that Parks thought it might topple the fragile buildings surrounding the gathering. The admiral raised a hand and the crowd fell instantly silent. His face darkened.

  “But yet, our many years of struggle are not nearly at an end. There are still those who would stand to oppose us. They now inhabit worlds that would seek to abandon and reject the rule of the Senate, who would go on to create their own laws and governments, and spit in the face of what we have spent many years building.

  “I speak not only of the so-called Independent Worlds, but also of the highly ignorant Helios, the Confederacy. So blatant is their disregard of the laws and statures of the Senate, that they would declare entire corners of the galaxy to be their own. They have sealed their borders and built an army to taunt us from afar, challenging us to face them in battle. They believe themselves strong and that we would, in the face of their power, lay down our arms.

  The admiral looked about the gathering of people below, a mocking sneer appearing on his face.

  “But they are wrong, my sons and daughters, for the galaxy belongs to us, to the Senate. Let it always be remembered that which we have been told – all those who defy the rule of the Senate must be destroyed. And so I say to you now – if they will choose to defy our rule, then they will meet with our blade. Already, our loyal and brave forces are leaving their homes behind, to prepare to strike down the arrogant, to purge the stupid and the ignorant.”

  Zackaria had begun to pace slowly on the balcony as he continued speaking.

  “Though their egos may be large, their armies are small and their will is weak! We shall cleave their heads from their arrogant shoulders and restore our true glory!”

  The admiral then raised a fist, shaking it with every point he made, almost spitting his words.

  “They will come at us with knives, but we will return with guns! They will bring soldiers, but we will crush them beneath our tanks! They will bring fighter craft, but we will bring battleships! They will come in their thousands, but we will respond in our billions!”

  The applause and cheering followed again. Parks found himself rooted to the spot, feeling powerless to do anything but watch the video. He felt his brow becoming wet.

  Zackaria raised his hands once more for silence.

  “Our armies will soon sweep across their lands and bring justice to the traitors. They will burn and they will suffer; they will fight and they will lose; and very soon, they will throw themselves upon the mercy of the Empire. But this I tell you – we will show them no compassion. There can be no mercy for traitors. Prisoners will not be taken, lives will not be spared.

  “We will pursue nothing more than our aim of completing our Mission. And with the honour of the Empire behind us, we shall not fail.

  He lifted up his arms.

  “May the glory of the Empire fill your hearts.”

  The cheering began again, louder still than ever before, if that were even possible.

  The display suddenly shut off. Parks blinked and looked around at the serious eyes that were studying him, seemingly waiting for his reaction. Even the comms officer, who had played the video and had likely seen it before, looked shaken.

  “How did you get this? Is it real? Did you intercept it?” he asked. Dear God, please tell me that you intercepted it.

  “No, they began liberally broadcasting that a few hours ago,” Parsons said. “We’ve been completely unable to stop them. Anyone could hear it – they probably have already. At this rate, the threat of the Pandoran army will be common knowledge within a week. Maybe even sooner.

  “So, as you can see, Commodore,” Parsons once again interrupted Parks as he moved to speak, “we are no longer on a level playing field. We need to step up the operation’s timeframe. With each day – maybe each hour – that goes by, we give the Pandoran fleet a greater chance of successfully evading our carefully laid plans. We cannot risk slippage.”

  “Is that what you told the assembly?” Parks said.

  Parsons ignored the question. “Exactly how much do the White Knights know about the task they are expected to undertake, Commodore?”

  “They have been given a general overview of the plan and a brief about the threat posed by the Enemy, as well as the consequences of non-action.”

  “And did they agree to go ahead with it?” Parsons demanded.

  Parks hesitated. “Yes, they did.” He caught Mandeep’s eye. Though the woman still looked as serious as ever, her face was clearly starting to fill with regret.

  “Good. In that case, we can get this operation underway.”

  “We still need to travel to Hollis to have the ATAFs outfitted with the TSBs. We will lose at least a day in that,” Parks said.

  Parsons smiled a smug, self-appreciating smile. “Actually, Commodore, we won’t. The TSBs are already aboard this very ship. We will equip them en route to the dispatch point. Once we arrive, it will merely be a case of loading the ATAFs onto their respective transports, before dropping them off at the target systems.”

  Parks’ jaw dropped again.

  “And then, my dear Commodore, we win,” Parsons concluded, in a very matter-of-fact manner.

  Parks was stunned. Oh dear God, the bloody fool! “You brought the bombs with you? Into the middle of this?” he spluttered.

  “It was agreed by the vote,” Parsons stated.

  Parks was growing sick of hearing about how all the decision-making had been done in his absence. It stank far too much of whilst-the-cat’s-away. He looked to Mandeep, silently questioning why she had allowed them to bring such a critical part of the application onto her ship, knowing that it was heading for a conflict zone.

  “I’m sorry, Elliott,” she finally addressed him. “It wasn’t my decision to make; my comman
d has been overridden.”

  Parks looked to Lynch. “Admiral—”

  “Fleet Admiral Lynch is presently acting as an adviser only, Commodore,” Parsons interrupted once more. “As should you be!”

  Parks felt his blood beginning to boil. He couldn’t believe that after all his work, he was now being pushed aside, his authority meaning nothing. The ATAFs were his babies; the White Knights were his team.

  Parsons looked to Grendel’s Mother’s head navigational officer. “Prepare for immediate withdrawal from the system. The rest of our forces can cover our retreat.”

  Parks’ patience with Parsons had waned significantly since he had first stepped onto the bridge. That command was the final straw. “You will disregard that order!” he snapped.

  The navigation officer paused, his hands hovering midway across his console. He looked around at Parks.

  Parsons looked incredulous. “You don’t have any authority here, Commodore! This isn’t your ship!”

  “It’s not yours either.”

  “Have you not been listening, Commodore? Clearly that’s yet another problem we should address. Carry on!” Parsons snapped to the helmsman.

  “Helmsman, you will deny the governor his request. You’re not deaf, man! You heard what’s going on here!”

  Again, the helmsman paused. He looked from Parks to Parsons for clarification, appearing uncertain of whom to respond to.

  “How dare you, Parks!” Parsons flared. “How dare you attempt to give orders when I—”

  “We’ll continue this later.” Parks growled. “Right now, I need to get back to my ship.” He looked over towards where laser and plasma fire streaked around the far form of Griffin. “Prepare me a shuttle.”

  “You’re going nowhere, Commodore,” Parsons said in a cold voice.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “I cannot allow you to leave this ship, Commodore.”

  “I don’t like your tone, Parsons,” Parks said. “You cannot expect me to remain here whilst my men die out there, covering our arses!”

  “They’re soldiers and pilots! This is what they signed up for, what they do! This is their duty!”

  “We have a duty to them, too!” Parks retorted. “We have a duty to their lives!”

  “Then ask yourself this, Commodore – what are the lives of a few, compared to those of many?”

  The very same thing he’d said to the Knights. “You bastard.”

  “You know I’m right, Commodore. And besides, isn’t that what you’ve been building up to over the past twelve months?”

  Parks chose not to answer that. “I will not abandon my fleet and I will not send those five men and women to the targets without a full brief—”

  “They can learn on the way,” Parsons cut in. He looked to the comms and navigations officers. “You are to carry out my previous request. You will also send word to the ATAF pilots that they are to dock with us. Once they are with us, we will jump to Apache.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Parks said. He turned on his heel and started back towards the deck lift. He knew exactly what he was going to do – he would return to his lander and have the Knights help him push through to Griffin. They would depart the system and together they would travel all the way to Earth, where he would discuss the recent events with the president, Admiral Jenkins, and select members of the Independent World Council—

  “Brigadier, arrest the Commodore!” Parks heard Parsons’ voice behind him.

  He spun around, seeing, for the first time, Brigadier Potter also present on the bridge. He wasn’t sure how he’d missed the man when he had first entered. Perhaps because of his attention having been focused so much on Parsons and the revelation of the Pandoran’s simultaneous assaults on Independent systems. “Arrest me?” Parks said in disbelief. He glanced to Mandeep, then back to Parsons. “You don’t have the authority.”

  “And like I keep telling you, Commodore, I do!” Parsons spat. “As Mandeep has already explained, I am currently in command of this vessel.”

  “That does not permit you the authority to arrest me. To do so would go against—”

  “Those rights were also conferred to me,” Parsons cut in once more.

  “By whom?”

  “Your very own president, Commodore!”

  “The President?” That had to be some kind of sick joke.

  Parsons motioned impatiently to Potter. “Well? What are you waiting for? Escort this man to the brig and make sure he stays there!”

  As Potter moved forward quickly, Parks took a step back, bumping into someone behind him. Hands then grabbed his wrists and begun to cuff them. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a female member of the bridge’s security personnel applying his bindings. Parks tried to pull his hands free, but the cuffs closed and locked around his wrists, far tighter than necessary.

  “You know what all of this means, don’t you, Commodore?”

  Parks scowled. “That you’re an idiot?”

  “No, you’re an idiot!” Parsons shot back. “You know, I have to admit, Commodore, that the need for your continual presence at the IWC General Assemblies was always something of an enigma to me. You became something of a nuisance, though one I can now thankfully do something about. Brigadier, take him away.”

  Parks looked again to Mandeep, who had stood by silently almost the whole time, as though powerless to act. Sima, please, his glance implored her.

  “Governor, don’t do this,” Mandeep started. “Brigadier, stand down. Release Commodore Parks immediately and disregard any further orders from—”

  “That’s two strikes, Mandeep!” Parsons said to the woman, in a low, baleful tone. “One more attempt to override my command and you’ll find yourself joining Commodore Parks in the brig, after which you can be sure of a court-martial.”

  Mandeep fell quiet, giving Parks a look that said she’d tried.

  “How dare you?” Parks glowered, struggling slightly against the thick handcuffs that held his hands behind his back.

  “You need to calm down, Parks. In your present state, you’re a danger to the success of Operation Sudarberg. And at this stage, there is far too much at stake. You’re clearly overtired. Some rest will help you to see sense.” He waved a hand like a king who was bored of his jester. “Take him away.”

  Potter and the female security guard turned Parks around, and began to escort him towards the bridge’s deck lift, Parks never taking his eyes off Parsons the whole way he walked.

  Parsons turned away from him. “Recall our fighter support and inform me once the ATAFs are onboard. Commodore Mandeep; have a briefing room prepared, so that we can instruct the White Knights as to what they are to do.”

  Mandeep watched Parks and his escort step into the lift, the doors sliding shut, and glared at Parsons. Parsons said nothing, but raised three fingers. Mandeep looked again to the lift doors.

  “Yes, sir,” she said, and went to follow her orders.

  *

  Starfighters began to arrive back on Grendel’s Mother’s flight deck, Fireflies and Nymphs touching down and positioning themselves so that they could be taxied to their bays. Deckhands hurried forward with ladders and moving equipment, to help clear the way as quickly as possible, so that others could return safely to the carrier.

  With the ladder in place, a Firefly pilot opened his canopy and stepped down onto the rungs. He made his way down to the floor and moved to the side, waiting patiently and attentively for the other members of his squadron to disembark. The man stood tall, still and silent, barely acknowledging the deckhands around him. He was shortly joined by another man and a woman, both of whom stood next to him, rigid and still. Waiting.

  “Bloody hell, you guys are tall,” a tool-laden mechanic remarked as he passed by the three. “If you lot grow any taller, then we won’t be needing those ladders any more. You’ll be able to just jump up into the cockpits.”

  The pilots said nothing. They didn’t even look at him.

&nb
sp; XXV

  — A Barrage of Beasts —

  Dodds slowed his ATAF as he listened in to the request that had come in from Grendel’s Mother, not entirely sure of what he’d heard. Close by, he saw another of his fellow wingmates break off from the pursuit of their targets, boosting away from the throng of fighters that the group were engaging.

  “Did I hear that right?” Dodds asked.

  “Mother, this is Lieutenant Commander de Winter; could you please repeat the previous request?” Estelle said.

  “Affirmative, de Winter,” the carrier responded. “Commodore Parks has requested that you dock with Grendel’s Mother, for immediate withdrawal from the system. Please break off all engagements.”

  Dodds brought his fighter around to face the enormous carrier, casting an eye over it and its surroundings, unable to see anything unusual or special that may have prompted such a decision, though Parks’ lander still lingered close by.

  “What’s going on, Estelle?” he said.

  “No idea. All I know is what you’ve already heard – Commodore Parks wants us to dock with Grendel’s Mother and prepare to depart.” Her voice held a questioning tone about it.

  “That doesn’t sound right,” Dodds said. “What about Griffin?”

  “He didn’t say,” she replied, sounding still somewhat puzzled.

  They were just going to abandon Griffin and Leviathan? Dodds glanced over at the Confederation carriers that were only just managing to cope with the increased number of attacks they were suffering, and would not continue to cope without the intervention of the ATAFs. Estelle had divided the team earlier, sending Kelly, Enrique and Chaz on ahead, to lend support to the two vessels. Something wasn’t right here. Parks would never abandon Griffin.

  “Estelle, they need us,” Dodds said.

  “We have our orders, Dodds.”

  “Who did the order come from? Parks or someone else?” Dodds asked, pulling out from a thick exchange of weapon fire and away from an Imperial frigate that was crawling its way over to a cluster of allied battleships. “Because I never heard Parks’ voice.”