by Ben Winston
Parker-Moran Estate
Henderson, NV. North American Continent,
Earth, (Sol II) Horon-A Sector
“My Lady, I need to speak with you immediately; it's very important!” Hanya said from the door out to the pool.
Ariel thought it must have been very important for Hanya to come to the door like that. The bright sunlight had to have been hurting her eyes. “I'll be right there,” Ariel called. She set the laser pistol she had been using down and, nodding at Bri'tell, ran inside.
Ariel followed the rapidly retreating Hanya into her den where mKail was already waiting. Ariel thought she had never seen Hanya so worried before. “Hanya, what's wrong?”
“Cr'ale and Alustria are fleeing the Imperial Palace!” Hanya urgently replied.
“What? Why?” Ariel asked, surprised.
“Nothing has happened yet, but the Regulans have discovered a plot that would hand the entire planet over to the Republicans. So, on the advice of the Guard, they are evacuating the Palace, and coming here,” Hanya explained.
“Cole, get Sean on the comm in here, please. Tell her it's urgent,” Ariel asked via her implant. Aloud she replied, “I've asked Cole to get Sean on the line for this. I think we're going to need Alex and her assistant in here too. In the mean time, can I get you anything? Something to drink perhaps?”
“Please, I missed my morning electrolytes. This dry air really dehydrates our bodies,” Hanya said trying to calm herself.
Ariel had Cole pass the requests on to the appropriate people, and there was a knock on the door almost immediately. Surprisingly, it was Betty with a tray of beverages for Hanya, coffee and some fresh croissants for Ariel.
“Wow,” Ariel said. “Are you getting psychic or something?”
Betty smiled and laughed. “No, I took her morning tray up to Hanya's room, but she wasn't there. So I returned to the kitchen, grabbed the coffee and rolls, then came here. I got Cole's message just before I knocked.”
“Perfect timing, as usual. But could we get more coffee and maybe something a little more substantial for breakfast? Alex, her assistant, Bri'tell and mKail will be eating too,” Ariel asked.
“Sure, I'll have one of the girls bring it in. Do you have a message for your friend when she asks where you are?”
Ariel sighed. “Yeah, please tell her that I'm really sorry, but I had an emergency come up that I have to deal with. I'll get with her as soon as I can, I promise.”
“Should I ask her to come into town with me when I go? I could use an extra set of hands,” Betty asked.
“That might be best; this is going to take some time,” Ariel agreed. “I hope she'll be okay with that. We didn't get much time to get caught up last night. I just don't want her to think I'm ignoring her like her parents do.”
“I'll try to explain it to her tactfully,” Betty replied, as she turned to leave.
“Oh, Betty!” Ariel said, causing the older woman to turn. “It looks like 'my grandfather' will be coming for a visit. I don't have all the details yet, but try to make your preparations... quietly.”
Betty looked a little confused, but proved she was on the ball. “That's really nice of him. I hope he can stay longer this time.”
Ariel nodded to her. “As I said, I don't have the details, but plan for a long stay. He's considering relocating his headquarters here.”
Now Betty looked worried. She closed the door she had held open, then turned back to Ariel. “My Lady, is everything alright?”
Ariel shook her head. “No, everything isn't. It looks like we're at the beginning of a civil war. He's coming here because Aldus Forward isn't safe for him anymore.”
“Exile?” Betty asked. “That won't help morale at all. We need to do something to counter it.”
Ariel looked thoughtful. “I think you might be right; maybe I should have Sean send down a few of those reporters?” she asked rhetorically.
“That would help. If the people can see that Cr'ale is still alive and fighting for them, then they'll be more motivated to protect themselves. I know it'll seem to prolong the fighting, and may even cause a few atrocities, but at least the people will remain Cr'ale's. As long as he has them, then there is still an Empire to fight for,” Betty said. “I'll get started on the arrangements, Highness.” She bowed as she turned and left the room, passing Alex and her young assistant, Jill, on the way in.
“Bri'tell said he would be in here as soon as he could get cleaned up,” Alex said as she took a seat.
“I am online as well, Highness,” Sean said from the chair her hologram was projected in.
Ariel nodded to Sean, but spoke to Alex. “That's okay, we can put off the military part of this until he gets here. Cr'ale and Alustria are leaving Aldus Forward. The Regulan Guard is sending him here for his safety. We need to make some plans for his arrival.”
“Hold it, did I miss a declaration of war or something? When did this mess escalate to this?” Alex asked.
“It would seem we've underestimated the Slavers in a big way. My concern is why would he need to leave? There are more than the Regulans guarding the planet,” Ariel said.
“Not anymore,” Sean said as Bri'tell entered the room. “Cr'ale dispatched the home fleets to isolate the core worlds, leaving only the Regulan Guard fleet on station in the system.”
“I thought Aldus Forward was the core world? Isn't it the center of the core?” Alex said.
Ariel shook her head. “No, the Capitol is located to the galactic north of the core worlds, and about thirty light years closer to the galactic core. A long time ago, it was the center of the empire in both culture as well as commerce. However, that has slowly changed over the years to what it currently is.” While she spoke, Cole projected a hologram of the galaxy showing what Ariel was talking about.
“Why would Cr'ale do that, though? Doesn't the Baron and his cohorts own most of the core?” She finished.
“Yes and no, they do own the majority of the businesses, but they're free planets. There are no slaves allowed, and the businesses are very tightly regulated. The core also contains at least eighty percent of the heavy industrial capabilities of the whole Empire, and it is fiercely loyal to the Emperor.” Bri'tell explained. “That would be a primary target for anyone that wanted to end this war quickly, and decisively.
“At full capacity, that complex could build an entire fleet in about six months,” Sean explained. “It could build three ships the size of the Divine Light in one year. If those planets fall, and they are turned against us, we will have a serious problem, no matter what we do out here.”
“Well, if Cr'ale is coming here, we'll have a hard time making sure the local authorities don't catch on to something. We're going to have to make some other arrangements,” Ariel said. “I'm open to suggestions.”
“Cole? Please project the Sol sector for us?” Sean asked. Once he complied, Sean pointed to the Centauri system. “What about there? It's close enough to us that we could protect both systems. There are several planets we can use and more minerals than we'd ever need.”
“Although they don't have habitable planets, there is always Barnard's Star, or Wolf 359 as well,” Ariel added.
“No, we need to keep it local; Wolf 359 is too far away. Centauri or Barnard's Systems would work. I suggested the Centauri system based on the fact that it has three habitable worlds. However, I think Barnard's Star might be the better choice simply because it doesn't,” Sean said.
“How so? It would be harder to hide any large structures without an atmosphere to mess with the scanners,” Bri'tell asked. “Although, it would be a pain in the ass to make an assault on something like that.”
“Wait,” Ariel said. “You know, if we think along those lines, there are several good sized planetoids in this system that could easily be converted into almost anything we'd need. Ceres is close to the asteroid belt at about two and a half AU out, and is the closest dwarf planet.
“But there are others, Pluto, Makemake
, Haumea, and Eris. But if those are too large, there are other near earth asteroids that might be of sufficient mass to support a base,” she finished.
“Why can't we simply build something on Mars? We already have a substantial work crew there as well as already having established a training base,” Alex asked.
“The only problem with Mars is, like the moon, there is always someone looking at it. So far we've managed to remain invisible to earth, but a project this size would definitely attract someone's attention,” Ariel explained.
“So?” Alex replied. “What are they going to do about it?”
“Panic for one. The government isn't the only one with telescopes that can see the surface of Mars. Word would get out, then the public would start to panic, and all sorts of bad stuff would happen then.” Ariel shook her head. “No, if we are going to let the rest of the planet in on what's going on in the galaxy, then we'll have to do it slowly, and publicly.
“Cole? Could you please zoom in on Ceres? Let's see what we can come up with,” Ariel asked.
Cole took up a narration as he zoomed into what looked like a very small planet. “The Dwarf Planet Ceres was first discovered by Italian astronomer Guiseppe Piazzi in 1801. For many years it was considered to be one of the main planets.”
The view shifted to one of a bi-section of the small planet. “Currently, Earth scientists believe that the small planet is made up of a solid rock core, with a thick mantle of fresh water ice, the thin crust is comprised of dust. The Terran probe, 'Dawn' was supposed to make rendezvous with it, but the craft was destroyed by another asteroid three months short of its objective.”
Once again the view changed as the planetoid refilled and the view was once again that of the surface. “As a member of the solar system, it is unremarkable in the extreme; with the possible exception of the composition of the ice. I have reviewed all the data available on this Dwarf Planet. To the extent of the data, I believe that the Terran scientists are correct in their assessment.”
“Highness, with your permission, I have given orders to ready a survey probe for Ceres. If the composition is found to be at least close to correct, we can dispatch drones to begin the initial excavations,” Sean said.
“Please proceed, Admiral. However, I would like you to classify this operation as high as you possibly can, and still get it built. There is only one guideline I would like followed, if you would?” Ariel asked.
“Certainly M'Lady,” Sean replied curious.
“Before we begin doing anything to it, I want high resolution scans of the surface. Once this is finished, I'll want Cole, Divine Light, and Phaetheon Majoris to compare the two. Any anomalies are to be corrected immediately. I want no trace of anything that might give away the location of that base. Understood?” Ariel outlined. “You can tell the crews we are mining the water-ice there or something. However, I want as few people as possible to know of what's really under the surface there.”
Sean bowed. “As you wish, Highness.”
Ariel nodded, sighed, and looked directly at Sean. “We have a much bigger problem than needing a hidey-hole for the Emperor. I would like a full briefing in an hour, and I mean everything. Admiral, this war has just gotten a whole lot bigger than just our side of the tracks.”
Chapter Ten
Medical waiting lounge 234b
EVA Excursion deck
Imperial Construction Vessel, I.C.S Anvil
Near Beacon Vega 34 'Fjord', interplanetary space; Vega Sector
Commodore Roosel Fistch, Commanding.
“It's good to see you up and around, Milady,” Commodore Fistch said. “Although I will be sorry to see you leave. You've done wonders for moral here.”
Wendy smiled. “Thank you, Commodore. All things considered, I think the next time I visit I'll try to make a better landing.”
The Commodore chuckled and nodded his agreement before looking at Taylor. “It's official. Lady Guardian Taylor, you are to give transport to your fellow Guardian team and proceed with all haste to Titan Base. At present, you are to avoid any contact with the enemy unless evasion is not an option.” He gave each of them a stern eye. “No nonsense here ladies, you're not in the best condition for a fight. Personally, I would have waited and sent you back on one of the Cruisers, but the Admiral has another, urgent, mission for you.”
“Huh? I wonder what's so important,” Taylor asked.
Wendy giggled. “You're kidding, right? The bloody Baron is trying to overthrow the Empire! I'd imagine it has something to do with that.”
Taylor rolled her eyes at her friend, while the Commodore chuckled again. “So, Lady Guardian Wendy, your AI is racked and stowed for transport on Lady Guardian Taylor's ship, and I've cleared you for launch at your convenience.” He stood and saluted the two young women.
Both women got to their feet and returned the salute, although Wendy did so much more slowly.
“Drop me a note and let me know how you're both doing if you can. The crew would be overjoyed to hear it, and so would I,” Fistch said, turned and left the room.
“You know that Thorn and Tewney are here, don't you?” Taylor asked.
“No, I didn't! How did you find out?” Wendy asked.
Taylor led her friend out the door toward the landing bay. “Tewney called Gretta when they arrived in system. She wanted to know how we were doing. I guess Tarne had already been taken offline for the transfer. Anyway, we can't contact them now, because they are on their own mission, but she was happy to hear you were healing. She also passed along a 'Well done' from Tho'ren.”
“Wow, we must've done good for him to say that. I didn't think he had a compliment in him!” Wendy teased.
“Yeah, since the balloon went up, I think keeping in touch with friends is going to get more difficult,” Taylor said looking sad.
“Okay, so tell me everything that's going on. I haven't heard anything since Tarne was taken down,” Wendy said.
“Well, I'm back up now,” Tarne said in both of their heads. “Gretta is letting me use some of her systems so I can talk to you.”
“That's great! I was wondering how you'd stay sane if you had nothing to do and no one to talk to for the next few days,” Wendy said.
The two women talked and walked onto Taylor's ship and closed the door behind them. Wendy climbed up the steps into the lounge area, while Taylor got ready for launch.
“So, since you're back and wanting to talk, why don't you fill me in?” Wendy asked her AI.
As she felt the small ship lift off the hanger deck, Tarne began telling Wendy about the war so far.
Empire of Stars
Imperial Palace, office of the Emperor.
Isle of Kings, Aldus Forward.
Aldus Star System, Gallantry Sector.
His Imperial Majesty, Cr'ale de Aldus Forward; Emperor. (In Exile)
“Bring me that sniveling sycophant, Baron Del'nire!” Baron Altrov yelled.
“At once, Mr. President!” the Captain of the Republican Marine detachment said.
Altrov sat on the Imperial throne, and fumed. Where the hell was Cr'ale? How could they have known of this attack? It had been planned and executed in complete secrecy. Not even the men doing the work knew the whole plan, or even who the other saboteurs were.
This attack should have been a complete surprise, and should have decapitated the old Empire. Now they would have to hunt Cr'ale down before they could end this. The problem was that he simply didn't have the numbers for a long fight.
If he could bring the core worlds in line, he could add their production capabilities to his secret ones and they might have a chance. However, before they could do that, they needed to defeat three complete fleets of Imperial ships.
Granted they had never seen actual combat on this scale before, but neither had his commanders. The slave training camps were the best off, since they had been training crews for the better part of three years. No, he needed ships, and he would need them sooner rather than later if he wa
s going to wrest control of the Empire away from that decrepit artifact!
“Sir! The Baron,” a guard said, as he dragged the crying man in and dropped him on the polished floor before the throne.
“GET UP!” Altov yelled at him.
Very slowly, Del'nire stood on very shaky legs. Altrov was actually surprised he could stand. The last time he'd seen the Baron, the Marines were showing him their appreciation for the defense of the planet. That defense had been far more than expected. Altrov had ordered Del'nire to stand down his troops. Apparently, the Baron had grown a set just in time for them to get cut off.
Del'nire stood and simply stared at him. “Where is Cr'ale?”
Slowly at first, but building in intensity until he could no longer stand, Del'nire's laughter grated on Altrov's ears. “WHERE THE FUCK IS YOU'RE GODS-BE DAMNED UNCLE!!!” Atrov screamed.
Del'nire was holding his sides, but was actually trying to answer. Altrov had no choice but to listen to this idiot's laughter and wait. Del'nire had to know this would cost him his life. It's really too bad the man had never married and had children. He would have been far more useful that way.
“You...” Del'nire chuckled. “You mean you don't know?”
“Would I be asking you if I did?” Altrov said.
“Sorry, I thought your spies would have told you; the Phaetheon left the planet almost four days ago. Before you ask, I have no idea as to where, but I would think they headed to the Ophuchi Cluster. You don't have a presence there.”
Altrov sighed. That did make sense if he had indeed somehow found out about the attack. “Why didn't you inform me?”
“I tried, but there was a planetary comm blackout. I would guess the Regulans figured out your plan. Just follow them and you'll find the Emperor,” Del'nire said.
“Don't you dare to presume to tell me how to prosecute this war! All you are is a fucking gambling addict, and a poor one at that! If it were legal, I'd already own your title and this planet simply by default! Besides, the Regulan fleet is still being destroyed in orbit, which means that the Emperor is still on this planet! So, I'll ask you one more time, Del'nire, where is he?”