The Fight for Britannia 7: Civil War

by Saxon Andrew

  “Sir…that’s…why would he do that?”

  “Haven’t you ever wondered why the Prime Minister always wears a thought blocking helmet?”

  “He says it’s to prevent his thoughts from being seen by telepathic spies.”

  “And just what spies is he talking about?”

  Jacob shook his head, “Britannia, of course.”

  “If that were the case, he’d insist on all his Admirals and important people in the Government wear them as well…but he doesn’t. He’s the only one that wears one and it makes one question what does he know that no one else does?”

  Jacob stared at Gemini and then started slowly shaking his head, “If what you suspect is true, then Britannia is not an enemy and he is setting them up. Why would he do that?”

  “Do you really have to ask that question?” Jacob was silent and Gemini said softly, “He’s replacing all the Fleet Commanders with people that are loyal to him.”

  “He’s planning to rule all of humanity,” Jacob finally replied.

  “And once he accomplishes that, he will declare marshal law saying that there are threats to the Colonies by agents and use that excuse to remove anyone that doesn’t agree with him. He’ll pack Parliament with his minions and then call for elections to make him Prime Minister for life. There’s a good chance that he could pull it off if he takes control of Britannia and Earth.”

  “But what if the Prime Minister is right about Britannia stopping communications?”

  “Then I’m wrong.”

  “What are you not saying Sir?”

  “Be honest; do you honestly believe that Britannia represents a real threat to the Colonies?” Jacob shrugged. “We outnumber them by more than ten-to-one warships.”

  “It does seem ridiculous that the Colonies would be in danger.”

  “And what reason would Britannia have to attack the Colonies?”

  “Sir, I really don’t know. I’m just a Naval Officer carrying out my orders.”

  “As are we all, Jacob.”

  Jacob looked concerned and asked, “Do you believe Britannia is a threat?”

  “They’ve had nine years to get ready since communications were stopped and those Admirals that led humanity against the Core Aliens and Fagan are still alive; what do you think?” Jacob’s eyes widened and Gemini added, “Add to that most of the experienced Colony Fleet Commanders have been replaced by officers with no combat experience.”

  “And you have no flexibility in how to attack?”

  Gemini nodded and went back to the viewport. After a moment he said softly, “Jacob, if the worse happens, I’m going to need you to help prevent a blood bath.”

  “You can depend on me Sir.”

  • • •

  Charlotte listened to Gemini’s conversation and was surprised that the telepathic blocking field around the Admiral’s office was turned off. Why did he do that? She thought about it and decided that he wanted his conversation heard. Charlotte was amazed by this Admiral’s intelligence. If his suspicions were real that Britannia had ships that couldn’t be detected, then he knew his ship would be watched closely and probably by telepathic scouts. If it wasn’t true, there wouldn’t be anyone to hear him. Devin was right; this was a very impressive commander. But what he didn’t know was that his Executive Officer was an agent put there by the Prime Minister; Charlotte could see his thoughts. But what Gemini told him had put a huge crack in his loyalty to the Prime Minister. He respected Gemini and had come to admire him over time but now he was faced with the dilemma of reporting what Gemini had told him. Charlotte sighed as the blocking field was activated around the Admiral’s office and wondered if this Admiral was going to survive much longer.

  • • •

  Devin arrived close to Britannia and made mental contact with Cami, “May I assume you’ve been expecting my arrival?”

  “Yes, I have. Welcome back Devin.”

  “The Prime Minister insisted that I inform him on whether or not Britannia has stealth scanner technology. I need to know what you want me to tell him.”

  Cami sighed and replied, “In your opinion, how long do you think it will be before the Prime Minister starts his plans to attack Britannia?”

  “I thought it would be a year or so from now but the insistence that I notify them about your having stealth scanner technology tells me that he’s moving up the timetable.”

  “I agree. We’ve debated on telling them we have it in the hopes it might prevent their attacking us.”

  “That won’t work Cami.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the Prime Minister knows his fleets far outnumber your warships and he’ll launch his attack anyway. However, it will radically change how they’re planning to attack and that would be a bad thing.”

  “They’d launch their Garrions before they arrive at Britannia,” Cami stated.

  “Yes, they will,” Devin agreed.

  Cami turned to Stoney, “Are we ready?”

  “We’re about as ready as we’re going to get. Grady and RJ have the fleets going through maneuvers that will be used if the Colony Fleets don’t launch their Garrions in advance.”

  Cami blew out a breath and thought to Devin, “Wait a week and tell the Prime Minister that we know about the stealth scanner, but we’ve not been able to duplicate it yet. We’re working on it and it’s only a matter of time until we develop it.”

  “That will force him to act now.” Devin remarked.

  “We know that. But that reduces the time where they might discover our dark matter systems along with the advanced warships we have in hiding; delaying only increases the risk they will. You need to fake your death when you send the message.”

  “I’ll handle that issue, Sir. I would request one item.”

  “What is that?”

  “I want a recording by Dr. Goldman stating that he’s close to developing the stealth scanner that I can send to the Prime Minister.”

  “That’s an excellent idea and I’ll have it sent to you today. After you’ve sent the message back to the Prime Minister, I want you to report to Fleet Admiral Henricks afterwards.”

  “Why Sir?”

  “Because you’ve communicated with the Fleet Admiral that will be leading the Colony Fleets. Perhaps you can talk some sense into him if things get tough.”

  “Sir, I don’t believe they will just immediately launch an attack on Britannia; the Colonies wouldn’t stand for it.”

  “We know that. The negotiations will give us some additional time to prepare but we need to press the Prime Minister and have him working on our timetable instead of his.”

  “Sir, can we possibly win this?”

  “Devin, there won’t be any winners if fighting breaks out, but we believe we can hold our own.”

  “I truly hope it doesn’t come to that, Sir.”

  “So do I,” Cami replied.

  • • •

  Devin stayed in his ship and thought about everything that had happened since he was sent to spy on Britannia. He decided that the Prime Minister was a real bad person, but he possessed a high level of intelligence. He was playing on the innate fears of the Colonies and was solidifying his position unnoticed. His First Assistant was actually more diabolical than he was; they were meant for each other. He didn’t see any way that Britannia and, by extension, humanity could come out of this united. If Britannia defeated the Colonies, it would prove the Prime Minister was right about the threat it represented. If Britannia lost, the Prime Minister would be in total control. Cami was right, there would be no winners.

  It was time. He looked and checked the recording he was sending to the First Assistant and started working himself up to sound authentic. After a few minutes, he activated the telepathic communicator, “THE COLONIES KNOW ABOUT THE STEALTH SCANNER BUT HAVEN’T DEVELOPED IT YET! I’M SENDING YOU A RECORDING SAYING THEY’RE GETTING CLOSE. OH GOD! THREE WARSHIPS ARE BEARING DOWN ON ME. YOU MUST ATTACK BEFORE THEY…”

  De
vin instantly shutdown the telepathic communicator and sighed. The die was cast, and it wouldn’t be long before the war began.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The First Assistant found the message on his computer when he returned from a meeting with Parliament. He listened to it and immediately contacted the Prime Minister, “I’ve just sent you a transmission from that telepath we sent to Britannia. Listen to it and tell me what to do!”

  The Prime Minister listened to the message and responded, “I’m immediately calling a meeting of Parliament and having a vote on forcing Britannia and Earth into the Colonies. After the vote, I’ll contact Britannia and give them an ultimatum. If they refuse, we’ll launch our attack.”

  “Are you certain you have the votes to pass it?”

  The Prime Minister smiled, “Parliament belongs to me. I want you there with me when the vote is taken. I notice that telepath didn’t survive.”

  “It appears you’re right.”

  “Good; I never liked having him that close to me and he served a purpose without us having an accident planned to remove him.” The First Assistant smiled and ended the contact.

  • • •

  Cami looked at her monitor and saw Sylvia Tyers on it, “Cami, we’ve detected a Colony scout leaving Britannia and headed toward the core of the galaxy!”

  “How long before it arrives?!” Cami asked anxiously.

  “A day at least. It’s looking around as it moves toward the core.”

  Cami stood up and thought, “Stoney, meet me in the construction center. We need to leave now!”

  Stoney arrived and found Cami moving up and down impatiently, “What’s going on?”

  “A Colony scout is headed toward the core. We need to go out and stop it!”

  “How are we going to do that without them finding out we can detect their ship?”

  “We’ll worry about that after we stop it.” Cami flew the ship out of the construction hangar and followed a shuttle into orbit. She pushed the thruster handle forward and the small warship accelerated at a prodigious speed as they left Britannia far behind and headed toward the core. Stoney was shaking his head, “If we destroy that scout, it will raise questions that could change everything.”

  “Stoney, do you remember when Coco stopped your heart?”

  “I’ll never forget it.”

  “We’re going to unite our minds and use that talent to stop their hearts.”

  “I don’t have that talent and neither do you!”

  “Individually, we don’t, but together I believe we do.”

  “We still can’t do it; those pilots are wearing thought blocking helmets.”

  “Stoney, Britannia designed those helmets and they block the thoughts of the wearer. They don’t block external thoughts.”

  Stoney’s eyes narrowed and then he nodded, “You’re right. But can we do it?”

  “If we can’t, we’ll destroy the scout and claim the crew has defected to Britannia.”

  “You know they’ll demand for the scouts to testify about that?”

  “We’ll have to worry about that later. First we have to stop them,” Cami thought.

  • • •

  The Weapons Operator turned to the Pilot and said, “Sir, you’re aware that we’ve not been ordered to leave Britannia’s Star System?”

  “I am. But we’re wasting time searching for something that isn’t there. If Britannia has hidden vessels, it would not be in their star system. I think taking a look around is called for and if we come up empty, we’ll return to Britannia.”

  “I’d feel better if you asked permission to do this Sir.”

  “You know we’ve been ordered not to communicate unless we find something worth breaking communication silence?” The Weapons Operator nodded and turned back to his console with a frown. “We probably won’t be missed and no harm, no foul.”

  • • •

  Cami flew in on the scout and waited for it to stop to scan a star system for electronic emissions. Cami united her mind with Stoney and said, “I’ll take the pilot.” She focused on him and closed her eyes. She smiled and said, “I can see his thoughts even though he’s wearing a thought blocker.”

  Stoney nodded in agreement. “How do we do this?”

  “Go into his mind to the autonomic nervous system and interrupt the electrical current going through it.”

  • • •

  The Pilot suddenly froze at his console and tried to take a breath. He couldn’t move; all his muscles were frozen. His lungs stopped functioning and his heart stopped beating. In less than a minute he fell over in his chair.

  Stoney said, “I’m not doing it.”

  Cami turned her attention to the Weapon’s Operator as he stood over the Pilot trying to release his restraints to administer cardiac compressions on his chest and stopped his heart. She kept the pressure on the Weapon’s Operator until he died and then went back to the Pilot that was starting to recover. After three minutes, it was over. “How did you know how to do this?”

  Cami sighed, “When Coco stopped your heart, I was in direct communication with her mind and saw what she did. I wasn’t sure I’d have the power to pull this off, but you must have noticed that when we’re connected mentally we’re a lot more powerful telepathically.”

  “I have, but I had no idea we are capable of doing this. Hell, I didn’t even know a thought blocking helmet wouldn’t stop us.”

  “It’s a good thing it didn’t; I was wrong, and we wouldn’t have been able to do this if it did.”

  “So, what do we do now?”

  “I’m moving in on that scout and we’re going to go on board.”

  “Why?”

  “To make this look like an accident. Get moving and put on a space suit.”

  “But we don’t have the entry code to that ship?”

  “I got it out of the Pilot’s mind before I killed him.” Cami was still connected to Stoney’s mind and she said, “Don’t go soft on me, Stoney! I’m not a killer by nature and I’ll avoid it if at all possible. But Britannia is in danger and this had to be done.”

  Stoney sighed, “I know you’re a strong woman. It’s just I’ve not seen you kill anyone.”

  “Stoney, I may have to order millions to be killed in the Colony’s Fleets. I hope that by killing these two I can avoid doing that.”

  “I understand.”

  “Do you still love me?”

  “Cami, that will never change.”

  “Good, let’s get moving.”

  • • •

  They boarded the scout and Stoney looked around. Cami was shaking her head, “How do we make this look like an accident?”

  Stoney turned and thought, “Give me a moment,” as he walked into the rear of the ship. Cami followed him and Stoney carefully removed the plate over the air containment system. He stared at it and took a dowel off his belt. He inserted it under a butterfly valve and gently lifted it. He looked around inside the tubes and saw a piece of welding material lying on the bottom of the tube. He inserted it carefully under the butterfly valve and inspected his work.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m jamming the butterfly valve that controls the oxygen and nitrogen mix.” Stoney watched the valve and pushed the small piece of metal further under the valve. The butterfly valve stopped in place and Stoney stood up, “The air containment system mixes oxygen and nitrogen in the proper mix. If only nitrogen is being sent into the ship, the crew would pass out as the oxygen level reached a critical level; they wouldn’t be aware of it until they lost consciousness.”

  “You are a genius!”

  “This makes it look like an accident. Now let’s put them back in their chairs. How do we get this ship back to Britannia and pull this off.”

  “I’ll tow the ship back and you work on the navigation system to remove the trip they’ve taken away from Britannia. Give me the coordinates of where they left Britannia and I’ll tow the ship there and drop it off.”

>   “A thorough search of the navigation system will show some inconsistencies in the data.”

  Cami raised her hands, “That can’t be helped. Let’s hope they buy it being an accident.” Stoney nodded and went to the bridge. They moved the Weapons Operator back in his chair and slumped them over their consoles. Cami then went back to their ship as Stoney edited the navigation system. Four hours later, Stoney parked the scout and left. Cami flew away and assigned a ship to keep track of the scout.

  • • •

  Two days later, a Scout Leader contacted the Commander of the scouts in Britannia’s system, “Sir, I have one of my scouts that hasn’t changed location for several days. You know about our orders to not remain in one place longer than a day.”

  “Then order them to move!”

  “Sir, I sent a short communication and the scout hasn’t responded.”

  “Give me the scout’s coordinates.” The Commander ordered his scout transport to the coordinates and moved up along side it. The scout showed no evidence of seeing his arrival. He looked at his navigator and said, “Scan that scout with a stealth scan.”

  The Navigator made the scan and turned to the Commander, “Sir, both members of the crew appear to be slumped over their consoles.”

  “Give me the entry code to that ship!” He turned to an engineer and ordered, “Go on board that scout and tell me what’s going on.”

  The Engineer put on a spacesuit, left the transport, and jumped across to the scout’s entry port. He entered the code to open the port and held on to a handrail as the atmosphere rushed out of the ship. He closed the port, entered the ship, and moved to the bridge where he found the two crewmen were dead. He kept his suit on as the ship’s atmosphere was being replaced by the air control system. He waited and held up a meter and looked at the air pressure. He immediately saw the ship’s atmosphere was pure nitrogen.

  He went back to the air containment system and removed the plate over it. He looked down into the cavity and saw that the butterfly valve wasn’t changing position. He turned on his suit light and saw a glint of metal. He went to the floor and saw a small piece of metal was blocking the butterfly valve. He removed it and the valve started moving.