by D. J. Holmes
“That’s not going to bother me,” James replied.
Five minutes later James wasn’t sure he had spoken the truth. Despite the corner of his shirt he had torn off and was holding over his mouth, the smell made him dry retch every time he breathed in. Nevertheless, he pushed himself forward as the group waded through sewage that was at times waist deep. On and on they went for what felt like an eternity. Sometimes they passed ladders that clearly led to the surface. Each time, James longed for them to stop, but Johnston pressed on. After passing the third, James made a mental note to find out if special forces marines had implants that allowed them to suppress their sense of smell. He strongly suspected they did. If so, he promised himself he would force Johnston to experience the kind of smells they were all suffering without using his implants when they got back to Earth.
Eventually, Johnston stopped beside a ladder. “I think we have gone far enough. Phelps, head up and get a lay of the land. Do you have a rough idea where we are Arjun?”
Arjun shook his head, but Kaia spoke up. “I think I do. We’ve been heading south-west. That should mean we’ve been heading in the direction of the Kalesar district. I have a couple of cells there. Once we know where we are exactly, I can take us to one of their safe houses.”
Even in the dark of the sewer, James could sense Johnston’s reluctance. When he didn’t say anything in protest, James realized how bad the situation was. After what had just happened there was no way Johnston would trust another Imperial Loyalists safe house. Yet they had no other options. “Let’s just get out of here and then we’ll see where we are,” Johnston said.
For the time being, James could only agree. When Phelps poked his head back into the sewer to give the all clear, James eagerly moved towards the ladder. As his head popped out into the open and he took his first breath of clean air in more than half an hour, he let out a sigh of relief. They had escaped, at least for the moment. Either way, he had fresh air and nothing seemed more important than that.
*
Despite taking two showers, changing his clothes, and scrubbing his hands several more times, James still couldn’t get the smell of sewage away. Finally giving up, he dried himself off and left the communal shower area. What was left of his team were holed up in an abandoned warehouse that the Imperial Loyalists had discovered and turned into a storage area for some of their weapons.
“We need to plan our next steps,” Johnston said as he walked over to James.
James nodded and both men sat on a couple of crates on one side of the warehouse. Angela and Bracey were several meters away trying to get some sleep. Arjun and Kaia had left a couple of hours ago to check in with their other cells and find out what was going on. “There’s no way we can risk trying to get back into orbit,” Johnston whispered. “We were sitting ducks on the way down. It’s too risky to try something like that again.”
James had already come to the same conclusion. “Especially if they discover Olsson’s body and carry out an autopsy. If Culthrapori finds out there are special forces marines on his planet, his paranoia will go through the roof.”
“Then we need to get a message to Drake. Whatever is going to happen, it will have to happen with us down here,” Johnston followed up. He levelled his gaze at James.
James nodded again and turned away as he rubbed his temple. He knew what Johnston was getting at. A decision needed to be made about how to deal with Culthrapori. The longer they waited, the more likely it was that someone would discover Olssen’s body and figure out who he was. From there it was only a small leap to realize that there may be Imperial forces gathering against the colony. If Drake and Johnston’s marines lost the element of surprise, the casualty rates for whatever actions James wanted carried out would rise rapidly. As he ran through his options, James closed his eyes. Though his mind and heart had been growing more and more certain over what he needed to do, he still struggled with coming to a settled decision.
The Empire had been founded on the premise of democracy. He firmly believed that only through a united democratic government could Humanity stand up to the Karacknids. If he used force to incorporate New Delhi into the Empire, it would rightly allow some to charge him with hypocrisy. At best there would always be a shadow hanging over the Empire’s founding, at worst it would question the very legitimacy of Christine’s and his positions. He was certain that a diplomatic option would not work. If Culthrapori was willing to kill his own citizens so openly and brazenly, he would not back down to diplomatic pressure. Tyrants never responded well to threats to their power. That left only a military option. One that is entirely justified, James reminded himself. Culthrapori had killed an Imperial citizen, that was all the legal justification he needed to intervene. And the people of New Delhi need you, he added. Whatever was to happen regarding New Delhi’s future, whether they would join the Empire or stayed independent with their own democracy, either was bound to be better than what they were currently going through.
“Okay,” he said as he opened his eyes. “There’s only one option as I see it. We need to remove Culthrapori from power as soon as possible. He won’t go willingly, so we’ll have to force him out. If we let the Imperial Loyalists do it, we’ll only have more dead civilians on our hands. Drake and your marines are going to have to do it without us. Is Lieutenant General Maximus up to it?”
Johnston nodded, “I wouldn’t have come down here if I hadn’t thought that. We gamed out a number of different scenarios on our journey here. He is more than capable. The question is, what exactly do we want to achieve?”
*
An hour later when Arjun returned, James and Johnston pulled him to one side. “We need you to get this transmitted to the outer system,” James said as he handed Arjun a datachip. “Can you get it to one of the mineral freighters?”
“I believe so,” Arjun said slowly. “We lost two cells last night, and with Ishann’s death, it is going to take us time to link in with his cells. But Kaia deals with our contacts on the freighters. She should be able to arrange it. What is on that chip?” Before James or Johnston could answer, Arjun figured it out. “Your plan of attack! So you’re going to intervene. Are you sending in the marines? How can our group help?”
James held up his hands even as he smiled. “Slow down there, cowboy. The less you know about our plans the better. Operational security and everything. Given what happened last night, the less anyone knows the better.”
“But you are going to intervene. And not just diplomatically?” Arjun pressed. James nodded. “Then how can I get my people ready?”
James shared a glance with Johnston and nodded to him. They had come up with a few things the Imperial Loyalists could do. In reality, it was meant to keep them out of the way. “There are several key spots within the city that any assault will have to capture,” Johnston began. “We need as detailed a reconnaissance of them as possible. We can transmit the data to my marines just before they begin their assault. I presume your cells can be tasked with gathering what information we need? Though they’ll need to do it quietly. If they alert the militia to the importance of these locations, then it could give the game away.”
“Of course, I can assign a separate cell to each one,” Arjun said. “None of them will know exactly what they’re doing. So even if there are captured, they’ll not be able to give anything away. We can tell them they’re surveying possible sites for future protests.”
“That will do,” Johnston said with a nod.
“Then we can prepare to take on the militia,” Arjun added. “We can hit them on the ground while your marines come in from space.”
“No,” James said as firmly as he could. “That will not be happening. Your cells are amateurs at best. Last night should have showed you that if you didn’t know it already.” Before Arjun could protest, James pressed on. “I know you saw those civilians murdered in their garden,” he continued. “I want justice for them as much as you do. I want justice for all the evil Culthrapori and h
is militia have perpetrated. But if your cells get involved, many more civilians will die. Plus, they are as likely to alert the militia and give away our element of surprise than to actually help with our operation. You want to be a part of the Empire? Then you have to trust the Imperial Fleet and marines to do their jobs. After this is over, you can join the marines if you want. But for now you need to leave them to do their jobs.”
Arjun looked from James to Johnston. Both had grim expressions. Reluctantly, as he had done the night before, he acquiesced. “Fine. We’ll recon and nothing more. But if your plan fails, we will do what we can.”
“If it comes to that, then neither Johnston nor I will be in a position to stop you,” James replied. If the marines failed, New Delhi and Calcutta would be turned into a nightmarish battlefield. At that point, Culthrapori’s grip on the colony would have been weakened enough that the Imperial Loyalists might actually stand a chance of seizing power. Not that there would be much left for anyone to rule over.
“Then I will give this to Kaia,” Arjun said as he held up the datachip. “What are we to do then?”
“You can return home and lay low,” Johnston replied. “We’ll be doing the same here. Though if you can arrange a second safe house for us in case we need to leave this one, that would be wise.”
“I’ll do that as soon as I pass on the datachip,” Arjun promised. He shook his head. “We’ve been talking about this and planning it for months. And now you’re telling us all to sit still.”
“That’s exactly what we’ll be doing,” James reminded him. “We have to trust our subordinates just as much as you do.” As he spoke, James’ mind went to Fisher and General Maximus. Both had plenty of combat experience. Though he would never admit it to Arjun, that didn’t entirely put his mind at ease. Sitting and watching helplessly while others carried out his plans had never been James’ strong point. And it turns out it’s even worse when you’re stuck in the midst of the very target they are coming to attack, James thought.
Chapter 22
There has always been a healthy rivalry between the Imperial Navy and Marines but in times of war that is quickly put aside. The Antarian War epitomizes this. Never before had both sides of the Imperial Military had to work so closely together across so many different star systems.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD.
IS Drake, New Delhi system, 14th November 2482 AD (two days later).
“It is time,” Fisher said as she stepped onto Drake’s bridge. “Are your marines prepared General?” she asked as she glanced over to where Maximus sat.
The General nodded. “Everyone is geared up and ready to go,” he confirmed.
“Then let’s begin,” Fisher said. “Navigation, take us in towards New Delhi. Eighty percent military thrust.” At such speeds, every gravimetric sensor in the system would detect her battleship. That was just as Fisher intended. Drake was just ten minutes away from missile range of New Delhi. She didn’t want Culthrapori’s forces to have any more time to come up with a plan. Instead, they should be just scared enough to do what she wanted. “Open a system wide COM channel,” she ordered. “Naval forces of the New Delhi system, I am Captain Fisher of the Imperial battleship Drake. I have orders to disarm all naval warships and orbital stations of the New Delhi system. Stand down from your stations and power down your reactors. There will be no second warning. Power down now or face destruction. You have thirty seconds to comply after you receive this message.” Fisher nodded to her COM officer to end the COM channel.
“That should get their attention,” Maximus suggested.
“If it doesn’t, what happens next certainly will,” Fisher replied. She didn’t look over to the General, instead she kept her eyes focused on the holo plot of the nearest Indian warship. A small frigate on a wide patrol arc from New Delhi would be the first to come under Drake’s guns in just three minutes.
“Frigate alpha-1 should have gotten our message by now,” Drake’s COM officer reported.
Fisher counted thirty seconds in her head, then another to give the frigate a chance. Instead of powering down, it altered course onto a heading to rendezvous with the rest of the New Delhi warships. It was clear they intended to stand and fight together. “Send the signal,” she said as she glanced at her COM officer.
“Yes Captain,” officer replied and tapped on her command console. Moments later a covert message mimicking the background radiation given off by the New Delhi system’s star was broadcast from Drake.
The destroyer Despicable picked up the message a couple of seconds later. At once her Captain gave the command that had been on the tip of his tongue from the moment the New Delhi frigate hadn’t surrendered. “Fire!” he ordered. From the hidden destroyer, two heavy plasma bolts shot towards the frigate. They both punched right through the frigate’s weak armor and out the other side. Secondary explosions ripped the frigate in half and further explosions shattered it into hundreds of pieces. Despicable, still in stealth, didn’t change course or increase her reactor power. To any other ship in the system it would look like the New Delhi frigate had been destroyed by Drake at an extreme range.
When Fisher saw the frigate disappear on Drake’s holo projection she began to tap a finger on her command chair. She had just sent as strong a message as possible to the rest of the New Delhi ships that she wasn’t playing around. If they were smart, they would power down their reactors as soon as they saw what had happened. When the time came and passed when the other Indian ships should have detected the frigate’s destruction, Fisher clenched her teeth. They weren’t surrendering. It made no sense. Then she remembered Admiral Somerville’s report from New Delhi. Culthrapori’s ground base militia had been involved in a number of atrocities against civilians. He had also replaced most of the military personnel with those loyal to him. If he had done the same with his ships then the officers in charge would believe their lives were tied to Culthrapori. If they surrendered, they were likely to face criminal charges.
“Open another COM channel on a wide angle broadcast, maximum signal power” Fisher said as a thought came to her. With Drake so close to the Indian ships, every personal COM on each of them would be able to pick up what she was about to say. “This is your last warning,” she said as sternly as she could. “Power down now or face certain death. Even if you had a battleship of your own, you would be outmatched against Drake. Surrender now and I promise you will all receive a fair trial if one is even necessary. I’m speaking now to the crews of your warships. If your Captains or Lieutenants have carried out war crimes, they and they alone will be punished. Surrender and many of you will be allowed to go free.”
Again, Fisher waited longer than she needed to, to give the Indians a chance to surrender. No ships powered down. She shook her head in frustration. “Send the next signal.” This time, Drake’s COM officer gave the go ahead to IS Ferret. The Imperial Intelligence Division ship, equipped with the most advanced stealth technologies Humanity had, was even further into the system. As soon as she received the signal, Stalker gave the order to fire. Two more plasma bolts blew another New Delhi frigate into space dust.
“Power up our weapons, activate targeting sensors,” Fisher ordered when the frigate was destroyed. She wanted the rest of the New Delhi ships to know she wasn’t messing around. In formation with Drake her five other destroyers did the same. Arrayed against her force, Culthrapori had a light cruiser, three destroyers and three more frigates. Even if the numbers were doubled, Fisher knew that Drake alone could easily take them all.
“Ships are powering down!” Drake’s sensor officer reported excitedly. “All of them I think, wait, the light cruiser’s power levels haven’t wavered.”
Fisher nodded, “Signal the rest to move out of our line of sight. They are only to use their maneuvering thrusters. Prepare a half missile salvo for the light cruiser.”
When Drake was just thirty seconds away from missile range, the battleship’s COM officer began to speak quickly. “
We’re getting a message from the light cruiser. It’s someone claiming to be a non-commissioned officer. They say they’ve taken the cruiser’s bridge. The Captain and senior officers are dead or in custody. They’re in the process of taking control of the ship’s engineering department and will power down momentarily.”
“Tell them they’ve got another minute,” Fisher snapped. Once again she began to count in her head. When she reached fifty-five the energy readings on the light cruiser rapidly fell. “All right,” she said with a nod. “Just one more hurdle in our way.” Everyone’s attention turned to the solitary battlestation in orbit around New Delhi. There had been no communication from it, nor any sign it was powering down its weapons. Fisher had expected as much. If she were Culthrapori, she would have put her most loyal people on the battlestation. It was probably a fair bet that its crew thought they stood a decent chance against a single enemy battleship. If the New Delhi warships had been able to fall back to the battlestation in time, they too might have fancied their chances, but Fisher had caught them out in the open. The battlestation was another matter. There was no way to defeat it except in a direct confrontation. Luckily for her, Drake was nothing like the pre-Karacknid war battleships the battlestation’s crew probably thought they were facing.