Imperial Command

by D. J. Holmes

  Christine gave him a slight nod. “Trying to broker a trade deal or even an initial alliance with the Conclave will be difficult given how little we know about them. But it is one of our key priorities. We are never going to win this war unless we can open up more fronts and relieve the pressure on our colonies. Perhaps you and I can form a smaller group to discuss strategies over the coming few days. Then we can filter our ideas back to the main Inner Council?” Christine then looked away from Fairfax to her other advisers. “That will save the rest of you from the minutia of Fairfax politicking.”

  “I would be happy to join with the two of you and whatever diplomatic staff Fairfax might have in mind,” Nicholls suggested.

  “You’re more than welcome,” Fairfax replied.

  “I’m happy to have the three of you figure things out,” James responded. Several other Admirals nodded in agreement.

  “I have a lot on my plate as well,” Andréa added, “Though if I may, I’ll put together a wish list of materials that our construction efforts are crying out for. You can use it to put together a few potential trade options.”

  “Very well,” Christine said when no one else spoke. “That is how we will proceed.” She glanced at her datapad. “Any other issues we can clear?”

  For several seconds no one spoke, then Koroylov cleared his throat. “This isn’t an old issue, but one we can act on immediately. I believe we should dispatch a scouting mission to Able-four, the system the Karacknids staged their first attack against us from. If they are building up their forces again in the system Lightfoot was defeated in, they may be doing the same at Able-four. If so, we need to know.”

  “Agreed,” James said at once. “We should draft orders right away and have a small squadron dispatched today. We can put together a group of six of our newest destroyers and send them out.”

  “You have my permission,” Christine responded. “You may put orders to that effect into motion.”

  James picked up his datapad and typed out a series of commands to send to one of his staff officers. With luck, by the time Inner Council was done with Captain Rivers and the others, the new squadron would be taking on provisions and preparing to depart.

  “What about the rest of our borders?” Andréa asked. “If the Karacknids are building up a base in the system Lightfoot fought them, then may they not be preparing others as well? We know that they prepared at least six such bases for their invasion of Alliance space.”

  “A valid concern,” Christine said, she then looked at James and raised her eyebrows.

  “It is,” James replied. “But there are hundreds of systems between our borders and theirs. It would take us months to search them all and we’d have to commit a significant percentage of our newly built warships to do it. They’re the only ones who have the speed to get in and out of a Karacknid controlled system without being detected and caught.”

  “Perhaps you do not have to search them all,” Andréa suggested. “We know about Able-four, and now this new depot system Lightfoot discovered. Plus we have data on the six bases the Karacknids set up along their border with Alliance space. That gives us a good idea of what kind of systems the Karacknids like to use as forward bases. We have the Varanni and Kulrean survey data of that area of space. We should be able to narrow down the systems that would need to be scouted quite significantly.”

  “Of course,” James said, almost slapping himself on the forehead for not thinking of it. “You have the best analysts in the fleet, can you put your people on it?”

  Andréa nodded, “We should be able to get a preliminary list for you by the end of the day. You can start making preparations based on it whilst we refine our analysis.”

  “Perfect, as long as there are no more than five or six systems, we should have the ships to investigate them all,” James said. “Any more than that and we will have to wait until the Alliance fleet gets here and dispatch some of their destroyers.”

  “I will leave putting the survey missions together in your capable hands Grand Admiral,” Christine said. Before she could add anything else, there was a knock on the door. “That must be the officers of Home Fleet,” Christine said as she stood. “Let us welcome them home. They have been through much on our behalf.”

  Chapter 10

  The number of times the three houses of the Imperial government have unanimously passed a bill can be counted on one hand. The legislation to halt independent colonial expansion along the Antarian border after the discovery of the alien race was one of them. It was hoped such legislation would prevent a war. Sadly, that was not the case.

  -Excerpt from Empire Rising 3002 AD.

  James stood and followed Christine to the door. Before they got there, it opened and Admiral Jil’lal and Captains Rivers, Scott and Gar’am walked in. James joined Christine in greeting them. He firmly shook Captain Rivers’ hand. Though he had only met the American once or twice in passing, he had a growing respect for him. Not only did Lightfoot’s reports speak well of him, but the way he had led the remnants of Home Fleet back to Earth was commendable. He then held out his hand to Jil’lal, the Vestarian Admiral engulfed his in all four of hers. In response, James added his left hand to the embrace. “Welcome back to Earth Admiral,” James said with a smile. “I am very pleased to see you.”

  “And I you,” Jil’lal said as she returned James’ smile. “For a moment or two, I wasn’t sure any of us would make it back. Captain Rivers deserves our thanks, he took command quickly after Lightfoot was injured and gave the order to fall back.”

  “Then he deserves my thanks as well,” James said as Jil’lal moved past him to greet the others in the room. Next up was Captain Scott. Without hesitation he pulled her into a hug. “Welcome home,” he said gently as he held her. “I’m not sure I could have lost both of you.”

  “I’m truly sorry James,” Scott replied just as quietly. “By the time she had turned her ship around, there was nothing I could do.”

  James released her and held her at arm’s length. He nodded. “I know,” he replied. Then he lightened his tone. “Your first campaign as a fully-fledged Captain, you handled yourself admirably.”

  Scott nodded and smiled. “It’s very different when the buck stops with you.”

  James winked. “There’s never any way to explain it properly, it is something that can only be learned from experience. Experience you now have plenty of. Experience that we won’t let go to waste.”

  Scott bowed her head slightly. “It is my duty to serve the Empire, and my Empress,” she added as she held James’ gaze. “The example of service Admiral Gupta has left us will be one we all strive to live up to.”

  “That is for sure,” James agreed. “Though I hope you will set another.” When Scott frowned, James smiled. “One of giving a long life of service to the Imperial Fleet.”

  Scott’s face relaxed. “That I’d be happy to agree to Admiral.”

  James smiled and directed Scott past him to speak with the other members of the Inner Council. Captain Gar’am was the last to enter the briefing room. James didn’t hear what Christine and he shared, but as Scott moved past him, the Varanni slithered up to James. He bowed as deep as James had seen a Varanni bow. “Admiral Somerville, since departing on the mission to Jaranna I have come to learn how close your relationship with Admiral Gupta was. I believe you were a mentor to her. That being the case, I owe you a great debt of honor. Your protégé sacrificed herself to save my life and the life of my crew. Now we have learnt that thanks to our raid on Jaranna, the Karacknid fleet threatening my homeworld has been driven back. You have my condolences and my thanks Admiral.”

  James returned the deepness of the Varanni’s bow. “And you have my thanks Captain. From what I have read of Home Fleet’s exploits, none of our ships would have made it back here without your assistance. I am in your debt as much as you may think you are in mine. However, in times of war there can be no debts, rather we are all friends and allies.”

  “Fine wo
rds, ones I can heartily agree to,” Gar’am replied.

  “I’m glad to hear it Captain,” James responded as he turned and gestured for Gar’am to move towards the chair that had been prepared for him.

  “First,” Christine said as everyone took their seats, “how is Admiral Lightfoot?”

  “His condition hasn’t changed since we re-entered our space,” Captain Rivers answered. “I had Argyll’s chief medical officer accompany me on my shuttle along with Lightfoot’s stasis pod. They’re on their way to Atlanta. Some of the best neurological surgeons are based in a hospital there. If anyone can help him, I’m sure they can.”

  Christine nodded as she tapped on her datapad. “I’ll make contact with them as soon as we’re done here to make sure every effort is being made on his behalf. Thank you, Captain. Now… on to our main topic of discussion. I’m sure Grand Admiral Somerville and my other Admirals will closely dissect the mission to Jaranna. If there is blame to be laid and lessons to be learnt, then they will come in due time. However, right now, we need to focus on what steps we need to take in light of the ships we have lost and the unexpected move the Karacknids are making against us. James, where do you think we should begin?” Christine asked as she glanced at him.

  James took a deep breath. “Let’s start with your ships and crews, what condition are they in?”

  Rivers shook his head, “The simple answer is, not good. No ship made it out the Karacknids’ forward base system without damage. We were only able to get away by using our most damaged ships to cover our retreat. We had to abandon twelve warships simply because they couldn’t make the jump to shift space. We got most of their crews off, but not all. After such a long cruise, most of our ships would probably have required some time in a repair yard. Now, I suspect every single one of them will need months of attention before they are battle ready again.”

  “Including our newer ships, Captain Scott?” James asked as he turned to Scott.

  “I’m afraid so Admiral, they handled the wear and tear of such an extended cruise well, but they’ve all taken damage. We’ve done our best to repair what we can but we’re going to need time in our repair yards.”

  James glanced at Andréa. The former head of the Somerville Foundation shrugged, “I’ll get some of my team to run the numbers. We’ve been slowly converting our repair yards into construction yards. It’s much cheaper and more efficient than building new ones from scratch. To be frank, it will depend on the damage. It may not be worth our while repairing the older ships. Scott’s ships we’ll certainly be able to accommodate, but that may be all.”

  “And your ships Jil’lal?” James said to the Vestarian Admiral.

  “None of our older ships that were among the fleet survived,” Jil’lal answered. “Only those that have the upgrades Captain Scott sent to us are left. Given the similarities with your own ships, it may be that your repair yards could complete the necessary work. Yet my crews have been away from Vestar for many months. I would prefer to dispatch them home.”

  “I understand,” James replied, “They are your ships, you may do with them as you please.” James was tempted to suggest that she head back to Vestar with them. She had been operating in Human space since the Karacknid attack on Earth after all. However, he knew she would flat out refuse so he held his tongue. There were already an additional twenty-four Vestarian warships in orbit that had arrived since Jil’lal had left to raid Jaranna. No doubt Jil’lal would transfer her flag to one of them rather than head home. “What are your intentions Captain?” James said as he moved his attention to the Varanni.

  “Sadly, I am quite sure that your repair yards do not have the capabilities to complete the kind of work that my ships will need,” Gar’am replied. “I understand there is already a substantial Alliance fleet on its way here to bolster your defenses. That is good news. I presume that thanks to our efforts against the Karacknids in Jaranna, my people have been able to spare more ships to send here. With that being the case, I think it prudent that I continue with my ships back to Alliance space as soon as possible.”

  “That would make the most sense,” James reluctantly agreed. “Though we will be sorry to see you go.”

  “As we will be sad to leave,” Gar’am said. “It has been an honor fighting with all of you,” he continued as he looked from Rivers to Scott and then to Jil’lal. “I want you to know that when I return to Varanni Prime, I will request to be assigned to the next group of ships sent here. I believe there is much to be done on this front against the Karacknids. I also intend to pay the Karacknids back for Commodore Flew’s death.”

  “You will be welcomed back gladly,” James responded. “Hopefully in the not-too-distant future.” He gave Gar’am another deep bow. When he raised his head again he set his hands on the briefing room table. “All right,” he continued as his mind began to turn. “We may have to consign what’s left of Home Fleet apart from Scott’s ships to the scrap pile. That leaves us desperately short of ships. But it may help solve another problem. We have new ships coming out of the construction yards pretty much every day. For months we have been crying out for trained personnel. We’ve combined the British, American, and Chinese cadet training academies into the new Imperial Fleet Academy, but even with accelerated training courses, we’re still struggling to get enough crews for our ships. We’ll have to give your people a couple of weeks off I’m sure, but then we can begin redistributing them throughout the ships we already have.”

  “May I make a suggestion,” Rivers said. “I think if we can get away with it, a full month off would be more appropriate. Our people have been through hell over the last six months. For long periods we were constantly on a knife edge, being hounded and chased by Karacknid ships. We didn’t know if we were ever going to get home, and then when we thought we had finally made it, we were taken by surprise and lost many of our comrades in our failed attack on the supply depot. I think at least a month’s rest is needed if our people are going to come back in a fit state to lead and be examples to others.”

  James nodded and scratched his chin. “What do you think?” he asked Admiral Koroylov.

  “Two weeks would suit me far better. An injection of experienced crew and officers is desperately needed. But Rivers knows his people better than we do. If we don’t give them enough of a break and they start dropping over the next few months due to stress, it will hurt us more in the long term.”

  James tapped the briefing table, “We’ll go with your recommendation Captain, one month’s leave for all Home Fleet’s crew. And that includes officers,” he added as he glanced from Rivers to Scott. “Once you have your ships handed over to repair yard officials, I expect you to take the same kind of break. If things really were that tough out there, then you need the break as much as anyone else.” When Scott opened her mouth to protest, James raised a hand. “Don’t worry, if we need you back before then, I won’t hesitate to call, but you need the break. Of course, if a few technical files on new ship designs happen to fall into your hands, I won’t turn away any suggestions you have, but I want you all to have a break from command.” Scott nodded, though she didn’t look entirely pleased.

  “Very well,” James said as he moved on from Scott’s unspoken objection. “That brings us to the most important topic we have to get a handle on. How far along are the Karacknid invasion plans? We’ve decided to send out scouting missions to see if the Karacknids are building up any forces at Able-four, or if they are putting together other supply depots to launch attacks from. It will take weeks, if not months, to get any reliable data back from the ships we’re sending out though. That means the only thing we have to go on is what you guys saw at the one depot we know about. You have had the most time to analyze the sensor data, what are your thoughts?”

  Rivers looked over to Scott and nodded to her. Scott cleared her throat and began, “With only one data point it’s hard to make any kind of reasonable guess at this stage,” she said hesitantly. “If it were a Human system
that was being built up, or even a Vestarian or Varanni one, I’d be confident in saying they were still months, perhaps six or more, away from being able to facilitate any kind of large-scale campaign. Yet given what we saw in the other Karacknid systems within their territory, the scale of the operations they can put together is far beyond anything we have ever imagined. There’s no way to know how long it took them to build what we detected in system. They could have spent the last number of months building it, or they could have put it together within just one or two months. If it’s the latter, then I’d say they are gearing up for an invasion within the next six months.”

  James took a deep breath and glanced at Christine; he was sure she was thinking the same thing. If the Karacknids had any chance of launching a successful invasion in the next several months, there was no way Humanity could fend it off. Even with the reinforcements coming from the Varanni alliance, and the Kulrean ships that were still in the Sol system, another Karacknid fleet of one or even two or three thousand ships would blow through Humanity’s outer colonies and ravage Earth once again. The Empire they were trying to build would be wiped out before it ever got off its feet.