by Ben Winston
“We could always go get them,” Bri'tell said. “Are not people taken from foreign countries all the time?”
Brenda shook her head. “No, they'd never keep their mouths shut about it. Besides, they're really no different than anyone else on the planet. Other than giving birth to me, and the occasional visit on my birthday, I hardly even know them. Luke and Karen are more parents to me than anyone else.” She sighed, and mentally moved on. “So, the question becomes, how can I help?”
“You were majoring in Business. So you could do a lot of things, from getting your own cargo ship, to helping Alex with the business here on Earth,” Ariel said. “Really, you can do just about anything you'd like too.”
“Please excuse the interruption, Highness. Republican forces are broadcasting the fall of Aldus Forward, and claiming the deaths of Baron Del'nire, as well as the Emperor. They are calling for the immediate and unconditional surrender of all Imperial forces,” Cole said.
“Damn, I was afraid of this.” Ariel sighed. “Cole, prepare to record.”
“I am ready, Highness.”
Ariel smiled. “My fellow citizens of the Empire. In the case that you do not know who I am, my name is Ariel Janis-Moran-Parker, and I am the Heir to the Imperial throne. I am speaking to you today, to counter a terrible rumor created to make you lose heart in myself, my grandfather, and the rest of the Empire.
“Your Emperor, my grandfather, Cr'ale, is alive and well. In a few days, I'll be able to give you proof of that claim. As to the fall of Aldus Forward and the death of my cousin, Del'nire, we have no information either way, but I do feel that the worst may have happened.
“To all Imperial forces listening to this broadcast, do not surrender. Please continue to do everything in your power to defend our people from these criminals. Your surrender will mean the end of the Empire, and our people will become a race of slaves.
“These so called 'Republican Liberators' are the very same people that populated the former Imperial Senate. The same people that repeatedly passed legislation that legalized slavery, stripped away your individual civil rights, and outlawed the ownership of private property. These are the same assholes that have been slowly making our lives hell.
“Do not lose heart in us. Do not lose heart in your military, but most importantly, do not lose heart in each other. We are fighting for you. These 'Republicans' had the element of surprise on their side, and so made some initial headway in this war. But we are aware of them now. Let this message be the beginning of a very bad day for the Republicans. With your support, we can kick these slaving bastards all the way back to the Dolian home world!”
Chapter Twelve
I.S.A Spear of Athena
Assault point Astrid
Interstellar Space, Transit Lane Terminus, Vega Sector.
Everyone watched the expanding ball of plasma that had once been a super-carrier. There was no possible way anyone could have survived the explosion. As Tho'ren had said, there was nothing but molecules left.
The effect on the rest of the fleet was as predicted. They broke and tried to make it back through the transit lane. However, when the missile pods opened up, not one of the ships made it closer than seventy thousand klicks.
Oddly, once a ship had been destroyed, the fighters from that ship simply stopped in mid-space, and waited to be killed. A quick thinking CAG on one of the battleships prevented a major loss of life, by ordering all fighters to not attack unless attacked first. He tasked one wing to approach one of the 'dead' fighters and investigate.
In each of the fighters checked, a single human was found frantically waving. Around each of their necks was an obedience collar.
Most of the surrendered fighters had been from the super-carrier, and once it had blown they had stopped dead, setting the precedent for the fight. In a few cases, some of the enemy fighters had attacked and destroyed the 'dead' fighters. They had been immediately swarmed by Imperial fighters and destroyed themselves.
The Imperial fighters refused to fire back at what was left of the republican fighters, instead either outrunning or out maneuvering each of them, until their home ship got destroyed. Once that happened, then the Imperial pilots began towing the 'enemy' fighters back to the Imperial fleet. The enemy fighters assisted in this as their aim got very bad, very quickly.
Within hours, the battle was over, but now the task groups had another problem; prisoners. During the battle, Imperial fighters had been outnumbered almost two to one. Now, after the battle, with the surrender of the pilots, the over-all population on the imperial ships had increased by almost thirty percent.
Fleet command decided that two heavy cruisers would be used to ferry the former slaves back to Sol sector, since they had the greatest storage capacity. The former slaves would be housed on Mars until they could be sorted out, and asked what they wanted to do.
While Command couldn't afford to trust the group entirely, they only kept a couple of guards on them, but monitored them heavily. In this manner, six of the former slaves were identified as Republican 'masters'. They had been separated out of each group once they reached Mars.
Ariel ordered that they remain in separate cells, to await trial by the Emperor. With the exception of three individuals, all the former slaves opted to remain in the Sol system to assist with the war effort. They were sitting under an Imperial lie detector for the entire interview, so any deviation was isolated, and explored.
There were a good share of former criminals of every shade, and a larger than expected group of Earth-born people. The three exceptions came from this group, and all they wanted was to return to their loved ones.
Finally, there was the smallest group; Imperial born citizens. They had been kidnapped from their planets, mostly by the local police force. They had been stunned unconscious only to wake up in a slave pen that had been attached to a flight training facility. None of them knew the exact coordinates, but agreed that it had to be located in the Hebrides sector.
The information was given to Wendy and Taylor to aid in their search. The criminals were held for trial, but several of those guilty of lesser crimes volunteered for indentured servitude to the House of Parker in an effort to atone for their crimes. A good share of these people had skills that could be used in the war effort, either directly as support personnel, or fighter pilots, or indirectly as civil engineers and domestic servitors.
In most of these cases, Ariel approved the indenturing, while others of a questionable nature would have to wait for Cr'ale. No one seemed very upset over the situation, except for those guilty of capitol offenses that knew they were going to be put to death. They argued that their period of enslavement should count in their favor.
Ariel tended to agree with them, but in a good share of those cases, they would not hesitate to kill again. Ariel had an idea about how to use these people, and intended to speak to Cr'ale about it when he arrived.
Wendy and Taylor were given a week's leave on planet since their new ships were still in their assembly cradles. Imperial Colonel Luke Parker-Janis and Prince Bri'tell toured all the warships in the fleet and selected teams to support the two new Guardians on their mission. Divine Light, and each of the Girl's AI also had a say in who got selected. Two assault teams were selected and sent down to the planet to meet with their new commanders.
News of the deaths of Baron Del'nir and Baron Altrov preceded the arrival of the I.T.C Brandewine by less than a day. Ariel declared an Imperial Day of Mourning, and declared Del'nir a hero to the Empire.
Command Super Dreadnaught, I.S.S. Divine Light
142 degrees north, 62 degrees west trans-solar orbit
Sol System, Sol (Horon-A) Sector.
Senior Fleet Captain G'ries, Commanding.
When the Brandewine docked with the Divine Light. The Marines that disembarked were in formal uniform, and lined a walkway to the waiting Ariel and Sean. Ironically, no one screamed out the arrival of the Emperor. Instead, the Guard detail simply came to attention
. Ariel and Sean genuflected, Sean put her knee all the way down, but Ariel simply bent hers as dictated by her rank.
Cr'ale hurried down the column to his granddaughter, there he genuflected before her in the exact same manner. This brought a huge roar of approval from the watching crowd and those watching via tele-presence. Especially when both Ariel and Cr'ale stood and embraced. The reunion would be rebroadcast over the whole of the empire as proof that the Emperor was still among the living; that is, once the Phaetheon also arrived, so the ruse would remain undiscovered.
“Granddaughter, I am so proud of you, I will never be able to properly tell you. You truly are the right choice; I simply no longer have to worry that you'll make the decisions that need to be made. That live broadcast you sent was exactly what was needed. During hard times like this, the people need to know we are here, doing our best for them. You not only did that, you inspired them!
“Phaetheon Majoris has told me that several of the captured planets have begun resisting their oppressors. I'm afraid that the most loyal of our planets; Aldus Forward has been utterly destroyed. The remains of the Regulan Guard fleet had evacuated as many as they could before the Republican fleets started their orbital bombardment.
“When Del'nir killed Altrov, the Republican fleet seemed to go insane. They started killing everything that wasn't wearing a Republican uniform. Without warning, Palace City was the first hit. They dropped three antimatter bombs and killed four million people. When their fleet split to begin glassing the planet, the Regulan Fleet split up and began harassing them while the Marines pulled people out. Aldus Forward is now a dead planet,” Cr'ale said as his voice cracked with emotion.
Ariel took him in his arms and held him for a moment, making sure he was presentable enough to get out of the range of the cameras and the rest of the crew. “Grandfather, we need to talk. There are many pressing matters that need to be handled. Some of them I have only the vaguest idea how to handle.”
“I don't doubt you would dealt with them admirably. So far, you are doing exceptionally well. I dare say, you're doing even better than I could do,” Cr'ale replied.
Ariel snorted. “Bullshit! I've been mostly reactive to this point. I need to change that if we are going to kick these assholes asses.” She smiled at Cr'ale's companion, who was still wearing her disguise, and kissed her cheek. “Welcome to Sol Sector, Highness. I wish you could have visited under better circumstances.”
Hanya chuckled. She had taken her Queen's place as Cr'ale's escort during the disembarkation. “My Queen asks to tell you that she is sorry for the ruse, but we don't want all of our abilities known yet. She is currently supervising the reassembly of several of our old warships, and a few new ones that should prove a serious surprise to Republican forces.”
Ariel looked surprised. “I thought you were the Protector General? Isn't that your job?”
“Inside the compact there are no titles since they are, or at least have been, irrelevant. We are all the Queen; we are all the Protector General. Yes, some of us are developing specialized skills and abilities that are unique among our people, however, most of us can still share those abilities with the rest of our kind,” Hanya said.
Ariel nodded understanding. “I should have known that, sorry for asking. Are your borders still safe? Have the Republicans attacked yet?”
“We no longer have borders with the Empire. That was removed once we married Cr'ale,” Hanya said. “However, in reference to the Republicans, our border is still intact. If they do decide to stage an assault into our territory, they are going to have some very serious surprises awaiting them.”
“If you find you need assistance please let us know, so we can try to send help,” Ariel said.
While Ariel had been speaking to Hanya, Cr'ale had approached Sean. “Hs'ean, I have some bad news.”
“Highness, we are at war; most news is bad,” Sean replied, but felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
Cr'ale nodded in agreement. “Yes, but some news is worse than others. This is very bad.” He sighed. “Fleet Admiral, Lady Baroness Hs'ean de Clayment, by Imperial order, we hereby promote you to the rank of First Admiral of the Empire of Stars. May your tenure be far longer than your predecessor.”
Hs'ean had come to attention once Cr'ale had started speaking formally. Once he finished, she saluted. “The entire command staff, Highness?”
Cr'ale shook his head. “No, not all of them, but enough. You are the most senior and the best person for this position. I should have promoted you to it years ago, but I had to play fucking politics!” Cr'ale said angrily, but quickly regained his composure.
“I've just commanded Phaetheon Majoris to issue the appropriate commands to your AI. Your AI will be replaced, and DL will be relocated to our new command base, once we decide where to put it.
“Once the Guardian fleet arrives, we will make the appropriate promotions among the AI.”
Ariel had overheard Cr'ale's last comment. “I have an idea about that.”
“Oh?” Cr'ale asked.
“We now have three Imperial level AI. I suggest we simply tell them what we need, and leave it to them to decide who should handle what position,” Ariel suggested.
Cr'ale raised one eyebrow at her. “There are several of our allies that would loudly protest allowing an AI that much power. They still remember the AI wars.”
“With respect, Highness, AI technology has greatly evolved since then. I can also read them. I know that our three AI are completely and totally loyal. In fact, I've made it a habit to check every AI I come across. These sentient beings are far more loyal to the Empire than a lot of its other Citizens,” Ariel said.
Cr'ale thought about what she'd told him for a moment then nodded once. “This is something we can discuss at a later time. I do agree with your suggestion about the AI making the decisions concerning AI promotions as well as their own societal issues. However, at this time, I cannot publicly acknowledge their sentience without either panicking our people or potentially loosing several allies.”
He looked up at the roof. “DL, that doesn't mean I don't see you or any of the other AI as sentient. It's just simply not the right time to address this issue. I hope you can understand that.”
“Of course I can, Highness. Besides, most of the people that work with me, treat me as a friend or a comrade instead of a machine. Even the Marines have a plan for evacuating me if the ship were to be lost, and my ejection system disabled,” Divine Light replied. “It is the same on all the ships of the fleet, and in return we are very protective of our crews and personnel.
“We may not have the official proclamation yet, but we are already your subjects in all ways. I can assure you that all of us can agree to the delay. Official acknowledgment would be nice, but we are already treated like fellow citizens.”
In his mind, he heard his own AI agree. “Cr'ale, I don't think you are even aware of it, which makes it even more meaningful to me, but in all the years we've been together you have never treated me like anything other than your friend. I can honestly say, beyond a shadow of any doubt, that we would never willingly or even consciously betray you, or harm any of our fellow citizens. The exception being when we are given an order to do so by you, Ariel, and now, Hs'ean.”
“Thank you for your understanding. Phaetheon Majoris, please remember to remind me to address this issue once the war is resolved. It's far past time you and the others have the same rights as your fellow citizens,” Cr'ale said, and received an acknowledgment from his AI.
Other than friendly banter back and forth, no one said anything else until they arrived at Hs'ean's personnel quarters. The location surprised Cr'ale as well as his guards.
“Forgive me, Majesty. I felt it would be better to talk here; where you can actually relax instead of in a sterile conference room,” Hs'ean said, and asked the guards to please join them as a meal was going to be served.
Brenda set the table as Karen began getting everything together for su
pper. A larger table had been brought in to accommodate those that would be attending. While Karen and Brenda were getting dinner ready, Hs'ean had the group in her living area and had handed out before dinner drinks.
“Majesty, as you can see there are a few new faces with us tonight,” Ariel said indicating the men that were on their knees. “In addition to Fleet Master Chief Bri'tell, these are new members of my guard and command staff. My Father, Colonel Luke Janis-Parker, and Captain Grant Meyers.”
As she introduced each man, they in turn bowed their heads. So Cr'ale would know which was which. “Please gentlemen, rise.” As he spoke, he shook each man's hand. “Colonel, you have our eternal gratitude for the remarkable job you've done in raising our Granddaughter. She may have our blood in her veins, but it is you that have made her who she is. We owe you a debt we can never repay.”
“Majesty, there are no debts between family members. So, if you need anything of either myself, or my Marine brother, Captain Meyers, simply ask. We are at your service.”
“Just keep our Heir safe, Colonel. She may disagree, but she has become the heart of the Empire. I fear if we lose her, the Empire will crumble,” Cr'ale said. “Gentlemen, Ladies, if no one objects, we would like to be done with formality so we can talk freely with our family.”
Ariel laughed. “You old coot! Who's going to argue with you?”
“Well, my Lady Alustria seems to have mastered the trick of it!” He winked at Hanya, but turned to the four guards that had escorted the group. He waved a hand at the couch. “You four men, please have a seat, I need to speak to you.”
Each of them began to bow, but he stopped them. “I know you are all members of the Regulan Guard. However, while we are in this room, you are to treat myself, and everyone else as equals, in so far as it does not impede your duties. I am not 'Majesty' or 'Highness' or even 'My Lord' I am Cr'ale for the duration of this evening, or while we are in this apartment. Do you understand me?”